A very touching video...

BBSS Band Concert

The following poster was done by Mr Daniel Lim, a teacher of BBSS.

Parkour: TeamFAE

A self-initiated assembly of teen-aged traceurs to live for what they believe in. Parkour. TeamFAE.

Parkour: An article for Spiked Magazine

Wong Li Jie, a student of BBSS and an avid traceur, has written an article for Spiked Magazine about his team's Parkour experience. The article is reproduced as per original below.

Like all action sports teams,we too ignited with a spark of passion,the passion for the achievements gained out of Parkour by working as an ever united team which only can be truly savoured by those who have the determination,the flare,the willpower whilst practicing the art of Le Parkour.

About a year ago,a group of friends of merely 14 years of age banded together to form what is now known as Team FAE Parkour.Of course,we started out barely knowing anything about Parkour,let alone knowing the essence of what Parkour is.Progress in the beginning was quite sluggish,but with Discipline,one of the pillars of Parkour,we have notably improved our skills over the following weeks and months to come.

And that gave birth to our first video.We eagerly wanted to show others what we had proudly achieved.However,we weren't as embraced by others at the start as we thought we would.But that didn't deter us from giving up.Instead,we got back on our feet and persisted,and like various Parkour movements,we overcame any obstable that came in our way.

Slowly we got much better.We had build a tighter bond amongst ourselves,our friends got to know what Parkour was defined as.Others had started to embrace our hard-earned efforts and we have seen very obvious improvements not just in our movements,but in ourselves.We have become more refined,disciplined,

responsible young men who have changed alot in the course of a year through the art of Le Parkour.We've learnt that Parkour is like we've said,overcoming obstables coming in your way,soaring up to greater levels,strengthening our lives.Parkour is not just about jumping around,boasting to others or being impulsive in any way,its about teaching yourself to be a better person both physically and mentally by always improving in anyway possible.

I am Wong Li Jie,along with Haziq bin Zailani,Mauvic Lim Jin Qian,Darren Yap Sheng,Nichloas Teo Zhao Ser,and Chang Yi of Team FAE Parkour residing at Sunny Singapore and we are challenging anyone out there to practise Le Parkour and we guarantee it will improve many aspects of your life and it will be an unforgettable and unregrettable experience.

Much obliged for taking your precious time in reading our heartfelt words.

 

Chang Yi handstand

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Haziq Dash Precision

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Haziq Kong Vault

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Li Jie Dash Vault

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Li Jie Dash Vault

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Mauvic Cat Leap

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Nicholas Butterfly Twist

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Parkour

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Team FAE Parkour

 

 

Quote

Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first. 

~ Mark Twain

To 1N1

It is Term 2 Week 1 (ODD WEEK) next week!!!

Reunion of 2E2'09

Derogating from my past practices, I did not capture the fun of the reunion on images. However, this inaction did not fail to form yet another lasting memory from a class I hand-held for two years of my youth. There was, however, from my prima facie observation, without prior intent, that there existed in this gathering, an element which was markedly absent in the class's past gatherings. Many, at least those who attended, seemed to feel an ineffable and especial bonding; perhaps, the gathering was not merely yet another gathering, but was a reunion. 

Yes, a reunion of the peers of 2E2'09 whom they had withstood the endless but awesome scoldings of Mr N, not to mention the toils of Mr N tolerating the class's nonsensical behaviours. I have done the class gross injustice by so briefly describe the class. Well, to 2E2-ers of 2009, you know what I mean. 

As I left the gathering, looked back at the girls and boys playing basketball, I wondered: When can we have such great gathering again?      

First day of holiday

First day of holiday. An hour passed without having anything substantial done. I LOVE this moment of void where all that was accomplished was resuscitation of the mind, the spirit, and the heart. Let this moment of debauchery lingers...

Can war EVER be justified?

RUN_DMZ

Don't Stop Believing

Submission of Journals

Hand in TWO journal entries on T2W1D1.

Universal Soldier

Mr N speaks

A very meaningful song for the world that we are living today. How true it is, and it is the veracity of the truthfulness that is scary, for how can anyone ever imagine the use of force to achieve one's aims? Hatred begets hatred, henceforth, war begets war. Do not the leaders commanding the lethal forces ever learn from history?

2010 UG Bonding Camp

 

Surprised to find many ex-2E2'09 'imbeciles' in the camp. *Smile with head shaking, and heart warming.*

We are the world

(Justin Bieber)
There comes a time
When we heed a certain call  

(Nicole Scherzinger and Jennifer Hudson)
When the world must come together as one

(Jennifer Hudson)
There are people dying

(Jennifer Nettles)
And it’s time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all

(Josh Groban)
We can’t go on
Pretending day by day

(Tony Bennet)
That someone, somehow will soon make a change

(Mary J Blige)
We are all a part of
God’s great big family
And the truth, you know love is all we need

(Michael Jackson)
We are the world
We are the children

(Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson)
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let’s start giving

(Barbra Streisand)
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day
Just you and me

(Miley Cyrus)
When send them your heart
So they’ll know that someone cares

(Enrique Iglesias)
so their cries for help
Will not be in vain

(Nicole Scherzinger)
We can’t let them suffer
No we cannot turn away

(Jamie Foxx)
Right now they need a helping hand

(Wyclef Jean)
Nou se mond la
We are the Children

(Adam Levine)
We are the ones who make a brighter day
so lets start giving

(Pink)
Ohhhhh…. there’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives

(BeBe Winans)
It’s true we’ll make a better day
Just you and me

(Michael Jackson)
When you’re down and out
There seems no hope at all

(Usher)
But if you just believe
There’s no way we can fall

(Celine Dion)
Well, well, well, well, let us realize
That a change can only come

(Fergie)
When we stand together as one

(All)
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let’s start giving

(Nick Jonas)
Got to start giving

(All)
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives

(Toni Braxton)
It’s true we’ll make a better day
Just you and me

(Mary Mary)
We are the world
We are the children

(Tony Bennet)
Its for the children

(Isaac Slade)
We are the ones who make a brighter day

(Toni Braxton)
So lets start giving

(Lil Wayne)
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day
Just you and me

(All)
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let’s start giving

(Akon)
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we make a better day
Just you and me

(T-Pain)
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let’s start giving

(Jamie Foxx imitating Ray Charles)
Choice were making
saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day
Just you and me

(Rap part - LL Cool J, Will-I-Am, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Swizz Beatz)
We all need somebody that we can lean on
When you wake up look around and see that your dreams gone
When the earth quakes we’ll help you make it through the storm
When the floor breaks a magic carpet to stand on
We are the World united by love so strong
When the radio isn’t on you can hear the songs
A guided light on the dark road your walking on
A sign post to find the dreams you thought was gone
Someone to help you move the obstacles you stumbled on
Someone to help you rebuild after the rubble’s gone
We are the World connected by a common bond
Love the whole planet sing it along

(Wyclef)
Cabarett

(All)
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let’s start giving
There’s a choice were making
saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day
Just you and me

(Kanye West)
Everyday citizens
everybody pitching in
(Singing - Children and Wyclef Jean)
Nou se mond la
nou se timoun yo

(Will-I-Am)
You and I
You and I

(Kanye West)
Uh, 12 days no water
whats your will to live?

(Will-I-Am)
we amplified the love we watching multiply

(Kanye West)
Feeling like the Worlds end
we can make the World win

(Will-I-Am)
Like Katrina, Africa, Indonesia
And now Haiti needs us, the need us, they need us

(All)
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let’s start giving
There’s a choice were making
saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day
Just you and me

(Wyclef Jean)
Haiti, Haiti, Ha, Ha, ha, ha, ha
Haiti, Haiti, Ha, Ha, ha, ha, ha
Haiti, Haiti, Ha, Ha, ha, ha, ha

Law quote

Where the law is subject to some other authority and has none of its own, the collapse of the state, in my view, is not far off; but if law is the master of the government and the government is its slave, then the situation is full of promise and men enjoy all the blessings that the gods shower on a state.

Plato 

Shakespeare

All that glisters is not gold, 
Often have you heard that told:
Many a man his life hath sold,
But my outside to behold:
Gilded tombs do worms infold.
Had you been as wise as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgment old,
Your answer had not been inscroll'd.
Fare you well, your suit is cold. 

In Merchant of Venice  
Prince of Morocco, reading Portia's note, scene vii

Love Quote

Friends are what we look forward to having. 

Buddies are what we are supposed to cherish. 

And love; it is what everyone is lacking.

By Anonymous 

 

Mr N Speaks

Think not of love as one between a man and a woman, boy and girl, or likewise thereof, but that between two people of varied relationships, videlicet, mother and child, school and student, earth and humans, et cetera. 

The Best is Yet to BE

The Past we inherit, the Present we create, but for those who hope, work and play, the Best is Yet to Be. 

By T. W. Hinch
Principal of Anglo-Chinese School
1929-1947

Is glass liquid or solid?

It is sometimes said that glass in very old churches is thicker at the bottom than at the top because glass is a liquid, and so over several centuries it has flowed towards the bottom.  This is not true.  In Mediaeval times panes of glass were often made by the Crown glass process.  A lump of molten glass was rolled, blown, expanded, flattened and finally spun into a disc before being cut into panes.  The sheets were thicker towards the edge of the disc and were usually installed with the heavier side at the bottom.  Other techniques of forming glass panes have been used but it is only the relatively recent float glass processes which have produced good quality flat sheets of glass.

To answer the question "Is glass liquid or solid?" we have to understand its thermodynamic and material properties.

Thermodynamics of glass

There is still much about the molecular physics and thermodynamics of glass that is not well understood, but we can give a general account of what is thought to be the case.

Many solids have a crystalline structure on microscopic scales.  The molecules are arranged in a regular lattice.  As the solid is heated the molecules vibrate about their position in the lattice until, at the melting point, the crystal breaks down and the molecules start to flow.  There is a sharp distinction between the solid and the liquid state, that is separated by a first order phase transition, i.e. a discontinuous change in the properties of the material such as density.  Freezing is marked by a release of heat known as the heat of fusion. 

molecular arrangement in a crystal

A liquid has viscosity, a measure of its resistance to flow.  The viscosity of water at room temperature is about 0.01 poises.  A thick oil might have a viscosity of about 1.0 poise.  As a liquid is cooled its viscosity normally increases, but viscosity also has a tendency to prevent crystallisation. 

Usually when a liquid is cooled to below its melting point, crystals form and it solidifies; but sometimes it can become supercooled and remain liquid below its melting point because there are no nucleation sites to initiate the crystallisation.  If the viscosity rises enough as it is cooled further, it may never crystallise.  The viscosity rises rapidly and continuously, forming a thick syrup and eventually an amorphous solid.  The molecules then have a disordered arrangement, but sufficient cohesion to maintain some rigidity.  In this state it is often called an amorphous solid or glass.

molecular arrangement in a glass

Some people claim that glass is actually a supercooled liquid because there is no first order phase transition as it cools.  In fact, there is a second order transition between the supercooled liquid state and the glass state, so a distinction can still be drawn.  The transition is not as dramatic as the phase change that takes you from liquid to crystalline solids.  There is no discontinuous change of density and no latent heat of fusion.  The transition can be detected as a marked change in the thermal expansivity and heat capacity of the material.

The temperature at which the glass transition takes place can vary according to how slowly the material cools.  If it cools slowly it has longer to relax, the transition occurs at a lower temperature and the glass formed is more dense.  If it cools very slowly it will crystallise, so there is a minimum limit to the glass transition temperature.

Density as a function of temperature
in the phases of glassy materials

A liquid to crystal transition is a thermodynamic one; i.e. the crystal is energetically more favourable than the liquid when below the melting point.  The glass transition is purely kinetic: i.e. the disordered glassy state does not have enough kinetic energy to overcome the potential energy barriers required for movement of the molecules past one another.  The molecules of the glass take on a fixed but disordered arrangement.  Glasses and supercooled liquids are both metastable phases rather than true thermodynamic phases like crystalline solids.  In principle, a glass could undergo a spontaneous transition to a crystalline solid at any time.  Sometimes old glass devitrifies in this way if it has impurities.

The situation at the level of molecular physics can be summarised by saying that there are three main types of molecular arrangement:

crystalline solids: molecules are ordered in a regular lattice

fluids: molecules are disordered and are not rigidly bound.

glasses: molecules are disordered but are rigidly bound.

[Just to illustrate that no such classification could ever be complete, recently scientists have succeeded in making quasi-crystals that are quasi-periodic.  They do not fit into the above scheme and are sometimes described as being halfway between crystals and glass.]

It would be convenient if we could conclude that glassy materials changed from being a supercooled liquid to an amorphous solid at the glass transition, but this is very difficult to justify.  Polymerised materials such as rubber show a clear glass transition at low temperatures but are normally considered to be solid in both the glass and rubber conditions.

It is sometimes said that glass is therefore neither a liquid nor a solid.  It has a distinctly different structure with properties of both liquids and solids.  Not everyone agrees with this terminology.

Material properties of glasses

Usually when people talk about solids and liquids, they are referring to macroscopic material properties rather than the arrangement of molecules.  After all, glass as a material was known about long before its molecular physics was understood.  Macroscopically, materials exhibit a very wide range of behaviours.  Solids, liquids and gases are ideal behaviours characterised by properties such as compressibility, viscosity, elasticity, strength and hardness.  But materials don't always behave according to such ideals.  For example, it's possible to take water from being a liquid to a gas at high pressure without its passing through a phase transition; so at some stage it must be between an ideal liquid and an ideal gas.

For crystalline substances the distinction between the solid and liquid states is very clear, but what about glasses?  Indeed, where do polymers, gels, foams, liquid crystals, powders and colloids fit into this picture?  Some people say that there is no clear distinction between a solid and a liquid in general.  A solid, they claim, should just be defined as a liquid with a very high viscosity.  They set an arbitrary limit of 10¹³ poises above which they say it's a solid and below which it's a liquid.

According to another point of view, this ignores a distinction between viscosity of liquids and plasticity of solids.  An ideal newtonian liquid deforms at a rate which is proportional to stresses applied and its viscosity.  For arbitrarily small stresses a viscous liquid will flow.  Molasses, pine pitch and Silly Putty are examples of liquids with very high viscosity that flow very slowly under only the force of their own weight.  On the other hand, plastics can be very soft but are still considered solid because they have rigidity and do not flow.

Solids are elastic when small stresses are applied.  They deform but return to their original shape when the stress is removed.  When higher stresses are applied some solids break while others exhibit plasticity.  Plasticity means that they deform and don't return to their original shape when the stress is removed.  Many substances including metals such as copper have plasticity.  The resistance to flow under plastic deformation is called its viscoplasticity.  This is like viscosity, except that there's a minimum stress known as the elastic limit below which there is no plasticity.  Materials with plasticity do not flow, but they may creep, meaning they deform slowly but only when held under constant stress.

So an arbitrary measure of viscosity or viscoplasticity is not a good way to distinguish solids from liquids.  Another way to define the distinction between solid and liquid is to say that, if there is a minimum shear stress required to produce a permanent deformation then it is a solid.  This is just a precise way of saying it has some rigidity.  A liquid can then be defined as a material that will flow.  If it is placed in a container it will eventually flow to fill the lower reaches until its own surface is flat.  The difficulty is that these two definitions do not cover all cases.  There are materials that have some limited flow known as viscoelasticity.  The material will deform elastically under stress.  If the stress is held for a long time, the deformation becomes permanent even if the stress was small.  Materials with viscoelasticity may seem to flow slowly for a while but then stop.  It is futile to try to make a clear cut distinction between liquids and solids in cases of such behaviour.

Types of Glass

To be sure that glass in old windows has not flowed, we need to recognise the different properties of different glasses.  Glass can be made from pure silica, but fused silica has a high glass transition point at around 1200° C which makes it difficult to mould into panes or bottles.  At least 2000 years ago it was learned how to lower the softening temperature by adding lime and soda before heating, which resulted in a glass containing sodium and calcium oxides.  Soda-lime glass used for windows and bottles today contains other oxides as well.  Measuring the glass transition temperature for different glasses is not easy because it changes according to how slowly the glass is cooled.  In the case of modern soda-lime glass, a quick cooling will produce a glass transition at about 550° C.  There is thought to be a minimum glass transition temperature at about 270° C, and if it is cooled very slowly it can still be a supercooled liquid down to just above that temperature.  Glass such as Pyrex (used for test-tubes and ovenware) is usually based on boro-silicates or alumino-silicates, which withstand heating better and typically have a higher glass transition temperature.  Some glasses, such as the leaded variety, have lower transition temperatures.

Sometimes people say that good evidence that glass does not flow is provided by telescope lenses which after 150 years still maintain excellent optical qualities.  They would be spoiled by the slightest deformation.  In fact, optical glass is usually not the same as the glass used in windows and bottles.  It may be based on boro-silicate or soda-lime glass with other metallic oxides added to improve its thermal and optical properties.  So old telescope lenses and mirrors provide good evidence that some glasses do not flow, but little evidence to support the claim that glass in old windows has not flowed.  Another example is stone age arrow heads made of obsidian, a natural glass.  These are found to be still razor sharp after tens of thousands of years, but again, this glass is mainly silica and alumino-silicates and is much tougher than window glass.

For definitive evidence that glass has not flowed in old windows we must examine the oldest examples.  Early glass used to make bottles and windows was usually formed by adding soda and lime to silicates.  Sometimes potash was added instead.  Usually there were other impurities that made it softer than modern soda-lime glass.  Other compounds were often added to give colour or to improve its properties.  The Romans were making glass objects of this sort in the 1st century AD, and despite being very delicate, some examples remain--such as the elaborately decorated Portland Vase kept at the British Museum.  Roman glassware provides some of the best available evidence that types of soda-lime glass are not fluid, even after nearly 2000 years.  The oldest remaining examples of stained glass windows that remain in place have lasted since the 12th century.  The oldest of all are the five figures in the clerestory of Augsburg Cathedral in Germany, which are dated to between 1050 to 1150.  Many other early examples are found in France and England including the magnificent North Rose window of Notre Dame, Paris dating from 1250.

There have been many claims (especially by tour guides) that such glass is deformed because the glass has flowed slowly over the centuries.  This has become a persistent myth, but close inspection shows that characteristic signs of flow, such as flowing around, and out of the frame, are not present.  The deformations are more consistent with imperfections of the methods used to make panes of glass at the time.  In some cases gaps appear between glass panes and their frames, but this is due to deformations in the lead framework rather than the glass.  Other examples of rippling in windows of old homes can be accounted for because the glass was imperfectly flattened by rolling before the float glass process came into use.

It is difficult to verify with absolute certainty that no examples of glass flow exist, because there are almost always no records of the original state.  In rare cases stained glass windows are found to contain lead, which would lower the viscosity and make them heavier.  Could these examples deform under their own weight?  Only careful study and analysis can answer this question.  Robert Brill of the Corning glass museum has been studying antique glass for over 30 years.  He has examined many examples of glass from old buildings, measuring their material properties and chemical composition.  He has taken a special interest in the glass flow myth and has always looked for evidence for and against.  In his opinion, the notion that glass in Mediaeval stained glass windows has flowed over the centuries is untrue and, he says, examples of sagging and ripples in old windows are also most likely physical characteristics resulting from the manufacturing process.  Other experts who have made similar studies agree.  Theoretical analysis based on measured glass viscosities shows that glass should not deform significantly even over many centuries, and a clear link is found between types of deformation in the glass and the way it was produced.

Conclusion

There is no clear answer to the question "Is glass solid or liquid?".  In terms of molecular dynamics and thermodynamics it is possible to justify various different views that it is a highly viscous liquid, an amorphous solid, or simply that glass is another state of matter that is neither liquid nor solid.  The difference is semantic.  In terms of its material properties we can do little better.  There is no clear definition of the distinction between solids and highly viscous liquids.  All such phases or states of matter are idealisations of real material properties.  Nevertheless, from a more common sense point of view, glass should be considered a solid since it is rigid according to everyday experience.  The use of the term "supercooled liquid" to describe glass still persists, but is considered by many to be an unfortunate misnomer that should be avoided.  In any case, claims that glass panes in old windows have deformed due to glass flow have never been substantiated.  Examples of Roman glassware and calculations based on measurements of glass visco-properties indicate that these claims cannot be true.  The observed features are more easily explained as a result of the imperfect methods used to make glass window panes before the float glass process was invented.

Source: Is glass liquid or solid?

Criminals

What should be done to the 'Criminals' to effect a deterrence, and most importantly, cultivate positive responsibility? Any suggestions?

Reunion of 'The Little Tiger Group' for the Tiger Year!