Whitewater Rafting @Kampar River

The one in the yellow helmet is me.

Yup, you got that right. During one of the days in my 2010 June holidays trip, I went whitewater rafting. So what is whitewater rafting? Why is it called whitewater? Whitewater is when the water currents splash against each other, causing this "white" colour. The boat is not a raft as what I previously thought, it is like a tug boat. At first, I was afraid that I will get seasick (though this is not in the sea), for I have motion sickness (carsickness, airsickness and seasickness) To my journey to Kampar River, I had carsickness, for the road was winding as it was heading to the countryside. As I journeyed my way down to the river, I was shocked. The river was bumpy, had ravines and is rocky too. (due to the low tide) However, before we began, our instructor teach us (our group and another group) on the safety precautions we had to take. We were each issued a helmet, lifejacket and an oar.

After wearing them on, we started. The first ravine was a double drop, and we got ourselves wet. But that was the least of our troubles, we were almost flung out of the boat, I slipped and fall forward, and so did my brother. Luckily, our helmet prevented us from getting hurt. We continued rafting and rafting. Sometimes, our boat would get stuck against the rock, and we all had to shift to one side and start moving about. After a few more ravines and some rafting, we were told to get off the boat. Then, we had to lie back and float along with the current. It was frightening at first, but soon, it was quite fun lying back, knowing you cannot touch the ground. Luckily, the lifejacket kept us buoyant. Then, our guides "parked" our boats along the seabanks, and we rest along the river. My brother and I was splashing about the water, swimming with our lifejackets and trying to swim against the current. My parents were sieving the sand hoping to find tin (there was an ex-tin mining area, but was closed due to its low value). To their amazement, they did find lots of tin. Shiny... Looks like silver. Maybe they are...

Soon, we boarded our boat and started rafting to the end. Sighs... Our trip had ended. Luckily, we had some delicious food from the hotel to end our journey! Mmmmhmm, lunch... Western with BBQ and tomato sauce :D

Rainbow Death

America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.

Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!
Hubert Wilson

Background information:


"Rumors persist of still another more toxic color coded herbicide at the end of this deadly rainbow!

I am a Vietnam War veteran (as are my four brothers) who served in the USAF Security Service. I, along with a dozen or so intelligence school grads, prepped for about 14 months at Kelly AFB in San Antonio, Texas, before anticipating being sent to Vietnam or elsewhere in southeat Asia in 1970. About half ended up in Da Nang (an Agent Orange hotspot) in the 6924th Security Squadron. The rest of us were assigned to Shemya Island, Alaska, with the 6984th Security Squadron, and what eventually was a MORE contaminated environment than Da Nang!
My health problems started approximately 15 years ago with unexplained headaches and limb pains. Four years ago my central nervous system radically deteriorated with Parkinsonian type tremors, severe headaches, progressive limb pains, etc. No physician has ever diagnosed the specific illness. NO VA physician has ever rendered ANY medical assistance! My number one educated guess is the heavily contaminated drinking water at Shemya during my year there as an intelligence analyst. Organo-phosphate toxins may not run their toxic course until 20 to 30 years after initial exposure.

Since my brain still functions moderately well (and I have mobility issues), I have turned to writing just like my late Father and the late singer (and writer) Johnny Cash."

Hubert Wilson.

1. Point of View(Evidence): The poet is writing in the point of view about recounting on the horrors of this herbicidal war.
Point of View(Elaboration): He recounts the damage brought by herbicidal warfare. The poet says how dangerous this herbicidal weapon is, how it deforms people.

2.Situation and setting(Evidence):The situation is when a herbicide war breaks out and lots of people are deformed and killed. Not only the soldiers are hurt, but the innocent are too.
Situation and setting(Elaboration): Not only the soliders are hurt, but the innocent are too. This shows how merciless the people are, how many innocent lifes they have taken, hurt, physically or mentally.

3. Language and diction(Evidence): There is a ABABAB rhyme scheme, imagery, personification and sarcasm.
Langyage and diction(Elaboration):For the rhyme scheme, there is a ABABAB format, imagery is in the forms of the colours, personification is when America is able to "foresee", in the first line. For sarcasm, "America did not foresee" which contradicts with "Now thinking twice".

4.Personal response: War should be not carried out, no matter in herbicide, weaponry, nuclear or whatever harm. All these share a commonality, they bring harm to us. Have you ever heard of a war, which did not hurt any one. Even the "cold war", silence is eerie and hurts emotionally the victims. War, big scale, small scale, world wide, country scale or even a town scale should be avoided.

Children in the Darkness

There are children in the darkness
Who have not seen the light
There are children in the darkness
Who someone will teach to fight

Chalk and blackboards will not be
To this door there is no key
From this life they can not flee
And these children are not free

Could we simply light a candle
Could we give them half a chance
Could we teach them how to read
Could we teach them how to dance

Or will a war consume them
Their body and their soul
Will their life and blood be poured
Down some endless thirsty hole

Back into the darkness
From which there is no flight
Back into the darkness
Into which there shines no light

Henry M Bechtold

Background: He was in Vietnam in 1967 - 68 and again in 1969. He would go back often because he believed soul lives in Vietnam and he went back to visit it from time to time.
He was sitting in his hotel room in Saigon just before Christmas 2009 and he was trying to write a poem about the girls who work in the park and how badly men treat them. he was angry but unable to write anything that did not sound trite or weak. He looked at the TV and the news was on. He did not know what the news reader was saying but in the background was a photo of a small boy with a helmet and an automatic rifle. This poem flowed out. The words just came to me and he typed as fast as I could to get it all down.

Poem Analysis
1. Point of View(Evidence): The poet did not support child soldiers. First paragraph.
2. Point of View (Elaboration): The poet feels that the children should enjoy childhood and not army. Army when involved in a war is violent. And so, this child has to face the violence of war, the horrors of war, at such a young age. In the poem, he expresses sympathy and pity for the child soldiers, for they "can not flee" and are "not free".

3. Situation and Setting (Evidence): "Chalk" and "blackboard" are turned into "war", "blood" and "darkness". This shows that the author compares this two different contexts.

4. Situation and Setting (Elaboration): "Chalk" and "blackboard" are essential learning materials, which what one would associate with learning and education. "War", "blood" and "darkness" are gory things which one would connect with war. This two are, however, brought up and made comparison to. This shows that what the author thinks, that the child should study and be educated and not be faced with violence, which are corrupting the child's mind.

5. Language/ Diction (Evidence) : There is the usage of figurative language. The word darkness is a symbol of the children at such a young age losing their lifes due to war. War is personified as a man who can "consume" "their body and thier soul".

6. Language/ Diction ( Elaboration ) : The authors use of figurative language emphasises and prompts the reader to think more about child soldiers.

7. Personal Response : I feel there should be no child soldiers to protect the country. Instead, there should not even be war. War terrorizes us, bringing horrors to our lives, and taking away some too.