Sunday, March 23, 2008

Term2 Week1 It was actually the other way round

“He had told me to keep it a covert for him but should I leak it out?” I pondered. My conscience has been bothering me since. I had actually given him a firm yes because I know I had promised him that I will not tell anyone about it and I must not. But if you know that a terrorist is going to bomb a place and they told you to keep it a secret, would you do so? As I walked home, I was thinking whether to inform the teacher about it.

Tom had come from a poor family and they are currently living in a one room flat then. I could not possibly cause more harm to the family when they are in such a plight. All I was thinking all day long was this one and only question, “to tell or not to tell.” when I a in trouble making a decision, I will always consult my mother on what to do but since it is a secret, by asking for the opinion of y mother would be the same as telling my mother about the secret.

As I wonder about what I should do, the phone rang. Was it going to be the phone call that was going to help me out? Full of excitement within me, I picked up the phone. The other end sound as if the person was in a noisy place. A look at the caller identification panel and I was all by myself to the thinking again. It was dad who had not locked his phone’s keypads again.

Finally, I had a decision. I would have to betray Tom.

The next day, I walked into the staff room with my hands trembling, afraid that Tom may find out and hate me for life. “But helping a friend was more important, even risking the friendship we had,” I thought. Thinking of that, I felt more confident and marched towards our form teacher’s table. “Mr. Kong, I have something to tell you,” I said it full of confidence. I had repeated to myself the whole night on how to tell Mr. Kong about it since I was not too good at having a conversation right on the spot without any idea what was going to happen.

After relating to Mr. Kong Tom’s secret, he got up on is feet, telling me that I had one a good job and did the right thing. I thought so too. I followed close behind him as he made a phone call to the parent’s of Tom. After about an hour of escalated talking between Mr. Kong and Tom’s parents, he laid down his phone and told me that everything’s going to be all right.

With a teacher taking charge of the situation, everything is sure to be all right. Thus I went home happily, thinking that I had done a good deed. When I reached school the next day, I could see Tom crying bitterly at the benches. “Had something gone wrong during the telephone conversation yesterday?” I thought, as cold sweat rushed down my face. If anything bad had happened, I would be responsible for it since I leaked the secret out. As I approach Tom, I prayed hard that nothing had gone wrong.

Tom took a glance at me and turned away. “What’s wrong Tom?” I asked with a trembling tone. “Mr. Kong called my parents yesterday to talk about the secret that I told you,” Tom said sadly. I was feeling very guilty for what had happened how I wish I had not done it, not to tell the teacher. Looking at me, Tom wiped away his tears and asked “what’s wrong with you, you okay?” I confessed to Tom about what I had done. He looked very shocked but broke into a laugh. I wondered what was the problem? It was supposed to be a sad thing but why was Tom laughing?

“Hey, the secret that I told you was Martin’s. He had told me to keep it a secret for him but I felt very uneasy with something bottled up inside me so to palliate it, I told you about and asked you to keep it a secret. But don’t worry too much, I had heard that Martin surrendered himself to the bookshop auntie for stealing a small little eraser. I guess he was feeling uneasy like me too.” Tom said, still laughing at my mistake. “Then why are you crying just now?” I asked with a puzzled look on my face. “Oh, Mr. Kong walked pass me just now to tell me that I had failed my chemistry test miserably. My parents had promised to buy me the latest video game if I did well. That was why was crying, no computer game,” Tom related to me, “and the call Mr. Kong mad to my parents yesterday, it was nothing much, I had already explained to my parents and there is no need for you to feel guilty over it, after all, it was not my secret anyway.” I looked at hi wide-eyed. So this was what really happened. I had racked my brains for nothing after all, but it was something to be happy about because Tom was not in any trouble. But what if Mr. Kong thought that I was trying to gain his attention by fabricating a story, if he ever learns about the truth? Dismissing all possibilities from my mind, I smiled at Tom and gestured him to walk over to the study area with me, to do some revision before flag raising starts.

Term1 March holidays

Born with a sliver soon in his mouth, John does not need to worry for anything but just live his live in lush homes and in opulence. When he walked about outside the house, his father’s employed bodyguards will be protecting this rich kid at all cost. He splurge on everything and his job was very simple, just eat and sleep and exercise to maintain healthy. Someone said, “even if the sky fell, he would not even know it did”. Most of the time, John stayed at home since his house can so big that it housed the necessary things needed. It was more like a town then a home.

The only thing he went out of his house daily was to go to school for studies. His father do not wish him to be lonely at home all alone by himself all day long since he himself needs to work. Thus he sent him to school so that he can make friends with the outside community and even bring his friends home to pay games with them if they do not mind.

As the little boy and only son of the richest tycoon in the country grow, he started to go astray. The father had initially made everything available at home so that he seldom needs to go to the outside world and get contaminated by all the rumours and bad behaviour spreading around the society. But he was wrong. The restriction made John more eager to explore the outside world and thinks that his father is just bringing him misery.

He started to buy things fulsomely with the money of his father. Even buying an apartment for a friend known for only about two days was a small matter. His father was in great distraught. He was heart ached that his son did not grow up the way he wanted. The father had wanted to develop his only scion into a person with great potential and compassionate. All that happened was the other way round.

When John took over the companies of his father at age 20, he continued to spend greatly and I the end, John declared bankrupt. What his father had earned throughout his life was ruined jut by him in less than a year. They had to resort to begging and live in destitution to ensure their survival. Even though his son had gone bad but the father was still caring for his son. Whenever they have food, the father will give food to John and the father will have the leftovers. But John did not care about his father and continued to use up every little money they have on useless things to their survival, sometimes even finishing every bit of rice they have for the day, not sparing any for the father.

Feeling extremely hurt, the father finally left his son, heading towards a village to live the rest of his life. The son went into gambling shortly after the father left and was in great debt. Loan sharks were after his life and it was only then did he think. Only then did he think about his father. But it was too late. It was too late to regret his actions
When he was in his thoughts, a shadow appeared and a parang knife slashed down.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Persuassive Writing

Computer games addiction

Computer games could be seen played by a large number of teenagers, not forgetting those who are working or retired. Playing computer games is a form of recreational activity for some while others take it as a job. Playing computer games can be beneficial if played with self-control but when the gamer become obsessed over the game, it is bad for his or her health because he or she is addicted to computer gaming.

First of all, the advantage of computer gaming is that one will be able to escape from the busy and stressful realistic world and relax themselves by taking the role of their favorite character and experience scenarios that they will never see in real life and this brings them a sense of power and feeling of enjoyment. From computer games, their wish of having the role of something that belongs to the fantasy world can be fulfilled and this gives them a sense of achievement it boosts their morale for the rest of the day. They will be able to indulge themselves in the games, for ample, taking on the role as a wanted criminal or get back in time to world war two where they are the commander of the Pacific Fleet and rewrite history. The joyful feeling they get from playing the computer games will help to relief the stress from their workload and whenever they feel bored or angry or sad, they have at least a place where they can be in power, where things go by their say. It will be something where they can turn to when they are in trouble and who will console them, since even though they are not really doing well in the real world, they are still powerful in the game world where their views are respected.

Secondly, playing computer games may be an advantage if the game played is an online game. The gamers will be able to meet new friends through the games they play and since they love playing the same genre of game, they will most probably be able to see eye to eye on things. This will help to expand the social circle of children, not leaving out the possibility of the person on the other end may harm the gamer.

In comparison, gaming can also be a disadvantage to the gamers. When they are playing long hours of computer games a day or feel very vexed when not able to play, they are addicted. They will be neglecting their family members and friends around him and concentrate all his time on playing computer games. The gamer may just get so obsessed over the game that he or she will forgo their meal and bath just to level up more quickly. If they are playing games with gory or violence scenes, they may just develop a liking to kill and may just hurt someone day. When they concentrate most of their time on playing the computer games, they will also put their studies or job aside since they are very eager on gaining experience in order to level up in their game. They will then not do well in their studies, for example the addicted gamer is a student, resulting in him being suspended from school and getting the parents worried over him or her. If the addicted gamer is a worker will be fired too since he does not do his job but play games all day long. This will result in him not having an income and may even sleep on the streets when he does not have money to pay for his house. Even if they have tried to settle down and start to do their work, they will not be able to concentrate since the game in more interesting then their work. Only self-control can help this kind of people walk out of their game ruined life.

Simultaneously, the games played may also result in the gamers being very impatient, especially those gamers who play games like racing or flight simulator as they would want things to be done as quickly as the speed the things in the game traveled. If the gamers are mentally weak, when they are not able to do the things quickly, they will feel dejected and give up and sink into themselves. They may return to playing games and have their life wasted because of that.

In conclusion, playing computer games with control can be beneficial but when the gamer gets addicted to the game, it will harm his health and hurt the people around him. Addiction to computer gaming have been growing over the years and thus, the parents should be firm about letting their children play computer games so as not to get them addicted.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Term1 Week10 Self decision

Exercising at least five times a week, Ali can be said to be as strong as a bull. But right after he broke off with his other half, he started to gorge himself to relief his stress. He ate more then his stomach could hold and day-by-day, he grew larger in size unabatedly, refusing to exercise. No matter what the people around him do, they could not help him step out of his past even if they reviled him or hit him, he just do not care. The people around him including his family members are in great pain to se him in this state. They pleaded his ex-girlfriend to patch up with him to let him regain his happiness but she rejected them. The family consulted psychologist and after a few tries, they themselves, the psychologists, gave up.

Being hurt very deeply inside his heart, Ali thought about the times he had been with her. Ali had been dating her for about two years when she suddenly suggested a break up during one of their dating. Ali had thought of proposing to her that day and after hearing it, his heart plunged to the bottom. He was stunned. He never thought that her girlfriend would walk out on him. Ali asked her for her reason but she just said, “I found another guy whom I love more.” He was heartbroken. All these years, he had given her all the support he could, all the care and concern she needs, even risking his life in order to protect her but all she said was she found another guy whom she love more. Ali is not convinced. He knelt down on his knees, begging her not to leave him but she just told him it would be their last day together bearing that special relationship. He was in tears even before she finish her sentence. She tried to console him by telling him that they can still be great friends but that was not enough to calm him down. Ali could not take it anymore, he ran off.

Thinking about what had happened that day, omnivorous Ali became lugubrious again and he stuffed potato chips in to his mouth, with hot tears rolling down his cheeks again. His room was stacked with tidbits to a mountain and whenever he feels sad he would just eat again. The man who is fit and with an admirable set of moral values had lost to himself. He is stuck inside himself, unable to get out. Not wanting to face reality, he sinks into himself by the day. All he does all day long is lie on the bed, thinking of why did this happen to him.

One day, a guy came to their doorstep and requested to see Ali. The parents rejected the offer, not wanting Ali to be hurt anymore but the guy at the door insisted in seeing him, saying that he will be able to help him out. Since there is a hope that Ali would recover, the parents relented and the guy went to find Ali in his room. The guy was quite shocked at the state Ali was in but set to work immediately. The room was in total mess, with packaging of finished tidbits strewn all over the floor and books thrown all over the place. The guy introduced himself to Ali and Ali was shocked. Ali never thought that his best friend, john, from primary school would come and find him. He had heard that john had migrated to Australia and since then they lost contact. Ali asked john why he came back and his answer was simple, “To help you Ali, to help you.”

John convinced Ali that he must stand up and get on with life and show it to his ex-girlfriend that he is strong and is not affected by the break-up. He wan to prove it to her that without her, he can still get on with life. John told Ali to get himself ready and they set off to work right after that. They cleaned up the mess in the room, clearing away the rubbish and putting the books back in place. Halfway though, Ali felt very tired and wanted to quit but under the constant encouragement of John, they finally endured through it. After that, john organized a weight loss plan for Ali, since he is a doctor specializing n treating obesity. Right after that, he brought Ali to the shopping mall, picking a few nice sets of clothes for him, to buildup his confidence. Just as they were happy with what they had done, Ali took a look to his side and saw his ex-girlfriend. She was holding onto the hand of his secondary school enemy, the one who bullied him bullied him and embarrassed him. He had been the foe of him and his ex-girlfriend.

He was taken aback by what he saw. John seeing what had happened tried to divert his attention away from the couple but Ali’s eyes were fixed on the two of them. They were behaving very intimately, more intimate then they are together. Ali wanted to rush up to his ex-girlfriend and question her why she did this to him, gave him up and went for a villain. John got hold of him and tried to calm him down but Ali could not control himself. He is feeling angry and at the same time, sad. He is confused. So confused that he do not want to live anymore. John knew that if he does not help Ali then, he might just go crazy. An idea stuck john and he spoke, “since you know she doesn’t like you anymore, why get sad over her? It is her loss for not having you. Use this energy of angriness to power your goal of getting back with your normal life. You can do it Ali, you can!” by now, Ali was sobbing and making his way towards the exit of the shopping mall. He was quieting down, getting control over himself. “John was right, there is no use getting sad over her when she does not care how I feel and how I am doing right now. She is even having fun when I am in such a dire straits. I shall prove it to her that she had made the wrong choice of leaving me and go with the villain,” Ali thought to himself, wiping away the last drop of tears over his ex-girlfriend with his sleeve. “Hey Ali are you alright?” john asked Ali, who was sitting on a bench just out side the exit of the shopping mal. “Yeah man. What are we doing next?” Ali asked with eagerness. “We are going to buy some accessory to make you shine, let’s go,” john replied, knowing that Ali had finally got over her.

A few months passed and Ali is going according to plan. A great change can be observed from him and his family members are delighted that he had finally got on his feet and moved on with life. After a year, Ali was back to his usual self, the strong and fit Ali with a set of great moral values. Levity Ali was also eating a balanced meal, not gorging himself anymore. John, who had been by Ali's side and aiding him throughout this one whole year, felt relieved too. The parents of Ali was joyous that john had came and helped the family out. They bought john gifts, which he rejected and treated him like a family.

One day, john came to tell Ali that he was going back to Australia. Ali asked the reason why and john told him that it is time he returns back home, his family over there is missing him very badly. Ali gave a laugh and asks when will they ever meet again. “When you need help Ali,” was the reply of john. They exchanged contacts and bade each other goodbye. They promised each other that they will surely meet up again, for sure.

Ali had finally proved to himself that he can survive on his own and that he do not need his ex-girlfriend to help him out. John was just like a guardian angle appearing right in front of Ali when he is going through the toughest time. When a person is in need of help, the most important thing that they need is the support of the people and most importantly they themselves must be willing to move on. With the confidence, one can conquer great heights.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Term1 Week9 Rebellious Rebels

The roar of the crowd could be heard. They had won. They had won a war that they had wanted to put to action long ago. They have finally gotten their freedom, their rights, their feeling of being safe and secure but they paid a high price. It had been a bloody three weeks.

The roar of the engines could be heard as hordes of people get onto the trucks and army tanks armed with at least a primary weapon. The coup has started. After living in pain for the past ten years, someone had finally set the fire ablaze. Even though they are working for the government, the soldiers have the same thought too. Thus most of the military personnel turned against the government while a few thousands that are loyal stayed put.

People from all parts of the country started to pour towards the capital city firing their weapons randomly. Things were not going to succeed so easily for them. They had been welcomed by series gunfire from the soldiers still supporting the government and this led to a fierce battle with the rebellions. Many were wounded on both sides but none on either side are willing to compromise. Violence had been imprinted in their heads. Everybody involved in the fight are ruthless by decapitating his or her opponents if the need arises.

After a three-day stand off, casualties from both sides have been hitting at least a few hundreds a day and the hospitals are a key factor to the victory of the war, the civil war. The family members of those injured did not feel sad for them but instead, they were more determined in finishing their opponent. Those who did not support for this coup did not dare to try to end it with a peace talk between the two parties. Those previously who had tried to do so have had their whole family brutally murdered regardless of age.

The other countries that saw what had happened dare not render any help to the government despite countless number of pleas to the countries to support and help out by sending them into their war. By sending their troops in to help is just like sending them to death. The heightened tensions between the community in their own country was another factor.

As the death toll continues to climb the amount of bloodshed never decrease. By the time the civil war advances into its fifth day, the whole city was in a mess, with shops and cars set ablaze and people looting the shops. The street was unusually quite supposedly that both sides have withdrawn their forces, but ending it so abruptly was not the way it is going to end, after so many lives had been lost, it is not worth it. The rebellions are determined to get what they want and the government is determined to stop them. Days passed and the whole country was dead quiet, with no forces from both sides advancing towards another. All the factories had stopped work and everybody stayed at home, afraid that they might be implicated into the war. On the tenth day, fumes from factories started to rush out of their chimneys, which belonged to the rebels and the government’s followed so. The factories churned out endless number of weapons and ammunitions on both sides, signaling a last and final attack launched at its opponent. Whether this war will ever end will depend on this battle.

The rebels handed out leaflets to encourage the neutralist to join forces with them and take out the government, trying to influence the minds of the people. The government on the other hand, gave live telecast speeches to try to convince the people that they are doing things, which is for the good of their own people. This put the people in great thought as to support the government, the rebellions or to create a group of neutralist.

The war sets into the fifteenth day, the shuffling of footsteps could be heard and the heavy vehicles trying to move as quietly as possible into positions. Now, they will only need to wait for nightfall before invading the government forces. Being wary of their movements, the government forces have also spied on their preparations and got themselves prepared for the attack.

Seven o’clock. The rebels started to move towards the enemy’s territory. This is their last hope and they are determined to do their best. When they are about a kilometre away from the enemy’s ground, they raised the siren and all forces charged towards the enemy. Knowing that this would happen, the government forces moved out and a battle full of bloodshed began. The continuous roar of the machine guns could be heard and teammates getting injured are a common scene. The cry for help could be heard as the bullets hit the individual. Overhead, the sound of the engines could be heard and air strikes were made. Through the heavy bombing and napalm strikes, the buildings in the city were razed to the ground and there is hardly any place for cover from fire on both sides. The night was as bright as if it was in the day and the deafening fighting noise could b e heard clearly from neighboring countries.

The war lasted through the whole night and lifeless bodies were seen all over the place. The whole country had been dyed in a colour of bloody red and the rivers and grasslands changed into the unmistakable blood red colour. This was not enough to stop the rebellions from advancing towards the government forces. They fought on fiercely, bravely and courageously, having in them a sense of pride that they are able to fight for their supporters.

At eight in the morning, the victory had been made. The side that won cheered and celebrated for their win and volunteers helped to clean up the whole city. The rebellion was successful. Never in their life had they felt so happy before. After the years of hardship, they have finally got what they wanted. As the people smiled happily, the leaders of the rebellions were made the new government. The people did not know their capabilities or decisions after the war. The neutralist thought in silence, will there be a civil war again?

Term1 Week8 Realizing Dreams

After living in this world for so many years, toiling and trying to earn as much as he could for the family, he finally decided to modify how he lives. It is time for him to take a break and realize his dreams. At age 46, his children had grown up and started working while his wife attends cooking classes and goes out with her friends. Paul was all by himself all day long daily and one day, he decided that he should put his dreams to work.

When everybody left the house in the morning at 6am, Paul made his way towards the market, buying the necessary items needed in his plan of fulfilling his dream. He had not told any one about his ideas yet but he knew that no one in the family would approve him of doing so and deem that it is just a waste of money.

He had his plans drafted out nicely on a piece of A4 sized paper. He is determined to succeed in this first attempt. When he got everything he needed, he made his way back home. He went through the plan, ensuring that every detail of the plan is correct and set to work thereafter. It was 7.30 am in the morning when he started on his work. He mixed the cement and lined the bricks, making a platform right beside his house. It was 12noon when the raised platform is done. He had painted the exposing surface white and the raised platform was two stories high. By the side were stairs leading to the top. He had been working in a construction firm all his life until he retired. He had seen a myriad of architects worked and saw what they did to reduce time used to construct the building and by doing so, he increased his knowledge on constructing buildings. He was only a clerk working for the company.

Rest was not a word in his head. Paul made his way towards the well-known mega store specializing in selling astronomy related instruments, fifty kilometers away in his worn out car, forgoing his lunch. He gave a broad smile when he reached his destination. He had been an astronomy buff since he was young and the last time he visited this place was when he was twenty. He had wanted to come to this place since then but was too busy with his family and work. He looked around and laid his eyes on the most expensive and best telescope in the mega store. Paul glanced around the store, before making his way to his transport vehicle reluctantly.
Without fail, he drove towards the furniture mall, purchasing a rattan chair and an aluminum coffee table. His plan was about to succeed and inside him he was beaming brightly. His aim was to finish everything before night falls and it was in the late afternoon when he got his rattan chair and coffee table loaded on to his car. He stepped onto the acceleration pedal, driving at the speed of one hundred and fifty kilometers per hour. It was a race against time but Paul enjoyed it a lot. He had wanted to take racing as his career when he was young but his health condition did not permit him. Speeding down the highway, he thought about how meaninglessly he had lived his life, working and sparing every little time for the family, without doing something that he really liked. Hence, he want to make this dream come true, nobody is going to stop him even if it cost him a limb or two.

It was around six in the evening when he reached home. The sun had already started to set. He laid the table and chair on the platform the way he had planned and started piecing up his valued telescope. After a few tries, he finally got it assembled and he heaved a sigh of relief. He is just on time. He carried his telescope up the platform and laid it down gently. He finally did it. He just needs to wait for the night to fall. He went to the kitchen to cook himself a meal and romp towards the platform with it. Finally, he can sit down to have a meal and do something that he had really wanted to. The beauty of the night slowly sets in and the stars of the night sky grew brighter. He got up and looked through the lenses of the telescope and gave a sigh of relief. He had finally fulfilled his dream, his dream when he had when he was just a small kid, his dream of being able to construct a platform on which he can stand on and look through his telescope and explore the outer space. His life has just started.

Term 1 Week 7 Tensions

Soldiers are deployed to keep tensions down in the city after rioting broke out during the mid-afternoon. The special operations forces are also deployed to crack down on the leaders of the rioters. They had received attested information about the hideout and are determined to wipe them out. Wiping out the organizers of the riot is one of the many components in restoring peace and stability after a riot. The route to the hideout was not an easy one. The very well trained officers wind through numerous labyrinth of underground networks, sometimes mistakenly taking one of the many fallacious routes to the hideout in built in the underground tunnel. But that was nothing as compared to the tough training they had endured. All the leaders causing the riot were taken down fifteen minutes after they set to work. Talks and speeches are given by the government to help clam riot tensions down. The strong resistance from the people opposing the government had no effect on the citizens who have laid their trust in the government and believed them. Days passed and the country is back to its usual operation and things ran smoothly throughout the rest of the year.

Term1 Week6 Natives

The habitats of the indigenous people are mostly at the hidden mountains or caves yet to be discovered. These unexplored places usually have prolific land, which is good for planting crops and rearing animals for consumption. Their way of living can be said as completely antithesis of the modern people, as they use traditional ways to survive while modern mankind uses technology to aid them in their lives. This coterie of people will then move about and live with each other, oblivious to the changes happening to mankind in the modern world.

Term1 Week5 The Fugitive

The fugitive thought through everything that had happened in his head, letting them run past his memory in a slow motion, scanning through every detail stored in his human hard disk. He can be seen and heard everywhere, but he had not been apprehended. The televisions and radio telecasts, made him famous in only one day, after the robbery crime, which liquidated at least ten victims.

He and his accomplice are culpable of all these happenings. The police and Special Forces of the country had been mobilized and he had been on hot pursuit. His accomplice had been killed by one of the armed guards at the bank and he did not even take a glance at him or even tried to help him. He buried his head in his sinful hands, regretting everything he had done. Even if he return to turn himself in, there is no way he could escape from the gallows but if did not return, he will be killed by those pursuing him. A notice of shoot on sight had been issued to the citizens of the country.

With only a handgun of seven bullets, there is no way he could survive from the gunshots of the millions of citizens. He thought through his head, the one who had landed him in this state, about what he should do. He could either live by the countryside quietly or turn himself in so as to bring a sense of peace to the community and pay for his crime.

He had a great mind, a great plan. He had written out everything he wanted to do with the money robbed from the bank in detail from the most important to the insignificant ones. All he wanted with the money was to get rich quickly because for him, only money and status matters but he did not get what he had planned out even after committing so much crime so as to fulfill it. He had dropped the bag of fortune while he was on his run. He had persevered to hold on to it but it was weighing him down and if he had held on to it, he would have been shot dead by a dozen of cops.

He was confused, so confused to a state that he was going crazy. He could not control himself. He hugged his head and was turning and swirling around, fed up with what he had done and what he should do. He fell to the ground with a loud thud. His body is left with no more energy. He continued to lie on the ground and gaze at the sky, looking at the light blue sky.

He recounted about his happy times, the freedom he had enjoyed, hoe much he had supported the righteous, justified, good side of the society, his yearn to be a policeman to uphold law and order but not everything good happens to one. His academic performance does not permit him. He raised his gun and everything went silent. He heard nothing. He saw nothing.

The lust green grass swayed with the movement of the wind and the leaves of the trees rustled. The Special Forces persisted on finding him and it was days later that the body of the fugitive was found and he was carried away. He did not die a painful death but he hung a smile on his face. He had decided to pay all the bad things he had done with his life.

Term1 Week4 The Fact

After working for so many years in the mammoth sized company, Mr. Lee was called into the manager’s office for the first time. It was rumoured that one of them, the supervisors, will be promoted. Having toiled in the company for so many years, Mr. Lee had never requested for any promotion or pay rise but deep inside him, he aspires to be of a higher position in the company. Being the most senior of all other supervisors, he predicted that it must be something good that is waiting for him in the manager’s office.

“Come in,” the deep voice of the manager ranged through the head of Mr. Lee. He approached the manager, with a wide grin in his face. Being fifty-six, this would be his happiest event that would veer happen to him in his whole career life. “Take a seat Lee,” the manager said in a welcoming voice. With a wide smile on his face, he eagerly asked his manager, Mr. Tan, why he called him in.

“Erm, let’s talk about that later. How’s work?” Mr. Tan asked with a forced up welcoming tone. ”Oh it is great, I have a lot of friends, great teamwork and finishes all my work on time, it is great working in this company!” Mr. Lee replied joyfully, unknown to what is imminent.

“Lee, I know you have contributed to the company for many years and the company ought to thank you for your help in its growth but sometimes, things are not within my control,” the timid Mr. Tan looked to the ground, not wanting to look at the facial expression of Mr. Lee.

By now, Mr. Lee knew what was going on. He was speechless. Still having a positive mind, he holds onto the little hope, wishing that his manager would not issue him his retrenchment letter. He still has a family of five to feed. Judging from his age, he will not be able to find a job again so soon. What will his family do? These thoughts ran trough his mind, confusing him in that moment.

The end for Mr. Lee came when Mr. Tan went to his drawer and drew out his retrenchment letter. Everything moved in a slow motion, imprinting them in Mr. Lee’s mind for the rest of his life. When his hands touched the envelope, inside him was bitterness and confusion and helplessness. The pain was as lethal as a knife stabbed right in his heart. His tears engulfed him even though Mr. Tan tried all ways and means to calm him down. The devastated Mr. Lee lied in a supine position, thinking about what he shall do next. He was given some advices and without saying anything Mr. Lee went to his desk and started to pack, packing up his memories for the company.

His desire for good news became a bad one and it was a great impact on him. All his colleagues were sad for him but there was nothing they could do to help him. The biasness of the young being more capable then the old and replacing them is happening throughout all companies since the companies are each fighting for its survival in the market. Seeing what had happened to Mr. Lee, all the others worried for their place in the company.

The greatly impacted Mr. Lee went home in shame, not knowing what to say to his family. All he was thinking about was what were he going to do to help the family, and himself.
The next day, Mr. Tan introduced them to their new colleague, who will be taking the place of Lee in a matter of minutes. When the new member settled down, the colleagues all went up to him, trying to have a good relationship with him, forgetting that this man drove their colleague out of his job. The new member was only twenty-six years old.

Term1 Week3 The Mission

He scurried across the alley stealthily, trying not to be noticed by the high beam spotlights. The heavily armed guards are taking their daily patrol around the mansion in high alert, still not knowing that a stranger had already set his foot in the private property. Security guards and towers can be spotted every hundred metre. No ordinary housing place will have such high security. He crept under the bush, just in time to dodge away from the view of the guards. Wearing black all over for both parties, it is hard to spot each other in this starless night. When everything is calm, he made sure that the place was safe enough before proceeding on. It was just a few hundred metres before he will reach the mansion.

Just as the spot light disappears to the left, he dashed acrossed the grassy plot of land as fast as he could. He could not afford to fail this mission since lots of innocent people will be at risk. Even though he is running fast, his footsteps are light and steady. Suddenly, the beam of the spotlight was turned right behind him. If he were to just relax a bit, it would catch up with him and it will all be over. He worked the best his legs could give. Just as he safely reached the gigantic house, he flattened himself against the wall, not letting any chance of being spotted.

The house had no back doors or windows, preventing anybody who had luckily escaped from the high level of security from intruding the house. Right in front of the main door were guards keeping a close eye of the surroundings, having their fingers laid at the trigger of their weapon. After a close look at the guards’ positions, he slots the silencer onto his automatic pistol and took aim at one of the guards. A shot is fired and one of the guards was hit right in the head. The others looked around frantically, trying to figure out what had happened. One by one, the guards fell to the ground, receiving a headshot each. When no security personnel were in sight, he ran up the stairs as fast as he could, as the moon is slowly peeping out of the clouds. The door is heavily locked with devices that will be too difficult to decipher for an ordinary Man. under his close observation of the machines, he cracked the code and laid his foot in the mansion. He followed the specific route given by the specialists during the briefing of his mission and managed to reach the subterranean lab where the highly confidential files are stored.

The guard guarding the front door of the underground lab was dozing off. When he made sure that the surroundings are propitious, he crept towards the guard, holding his glistening bayonet tightly in his hand. He raised his arm and slashed it down, getting rid of the guard. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He turned the knob and took a peek inside. The lab was pitch black, not a single light source was available, only the light from the corridor shone into the lab. He grabbed his torchlight and flashed it around the lab. He searched high and low but to no avail. He was getting desperate when he accidentally kicked something on the ground. Shinning the torch at the ground, he saw what he had been looking for. He bent down and grabbed it tightly in his hands. He reported through the radiotelephone to the headquarters that he had acquired the target. Cheers could be heard from the headquarters and he was ordered to leave the premises immediately.

When all was happy, the secret agent took notice of countless number of shadows moving hastily towards the door of the lab through the window located at the top of the wall. He knew something bad was prevailing. He informed the headquarters about it and made for the door as quickly as he can, hoping that the guards were not as fast as him. The guards must have found out about the break in and hundreds of heavily armored guards were mobilize. The secret agent dashed towards the main door of the mansion and hid behind a pillar, just in time to see about twenty guards rushing through the main door. When they went their separate ways to find the intruder, the secret agent made his way towards the same place where he had shot the guards guarding the main door. He took a glimpse at the open field where he came from initially, and was taken aback by what he saw. Guards are running back and forth of the field, while tanks and trucks are used to comb the other areas. The loud deafening noise from the jet planes roared above the head of the secret agent, followed by those of helicopters. He knew that the chance of getting out was slim. He gave his last radio message to the headquarters, informing them about the state he is in. after that, he destroyed the radio telephone, to protect his identity and his headquarters from getting discovered, just incase he did not make it through the gate.

He took another glimpse across the field. The guards still heavily patrolled the place. Footsteps could be heard behind him, getting louder and louder by the second. This was the ultimate part of the mission, to get out of the private property without being spotted and deliver the mission objective to his headquarters. He was determined to accomplish this life-endangering mission even if it costs his life and wishing that his bulletproof vest could save him from the gunshots he will be receiving. He jumped out of his hiding place and drew out his revolver. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, hoping that the guards would not spot him.

Suddenly, the spotlight of the helicopter shone on him, disclosing his position to all the guards patrolling the area. Inside him, the secret agent knew that he would not be able to run away from the grasp of the guards. The guards surrounded him, diminishing every escape chances possible. The second ticked by slowly, heightening the tensions every body had. Knowing that the chances of survival were equal to none, he raised his revolver and aimed it at one of the guards. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, the machine gunner on the helicopter fired his shots. It rang through the silent night, shattering the peace.

That fateful night, a total of a hundred shots were fired by the machine gunner. The secret agent was just a few metes away from the unguarded main gate, a safe haven, when he was spotted. That was a night to remember for the headquarters and the secret agent.

Term1 Week2 The Irritating Stall Owner

He is famous for being unreasonable and fractious with the patrons, but these victims continue to form the never-ending long queue in front of his stall. I have never bought anything there and thus have not experienced his ferocity although there have been rumours going around. He looked kind hearted and helpful to me but this changed on that particular bright and sunny Monday morning.

My parents left for work that day like usual but the only difference was that our maid, Maria, had gone back to her hometown to visit her parents and thus, I was left all alone at home. That meant that I had to settle my own meals. My mum gave me a 50 dollars note to buy anything that I felt like eating.

When it was 12noon, I walked over to the hawker centre where the infamous stallholder was. I walked past his shop, seeing about a dozen people queuing in front of his stall. Even though he looked perfectly normal and harmless me, I kept thinking about the horrible rumours. I walked around the entire hawker centre only to see that all the stalls that sold my favorite food were closed. What a coincidence! I did not know why but my legs brought me to the back of the queue of that rumored stall owner. The wind picked up the dried leaves from the ground and scattered them all over the place. The cold wind rushed against me and a cold shiver ran down my spine. I had a bad feeling about this. I intended to walk away but it was too late. It was my turn and the stall owner asked for my order, with a wide smile. I ordered a two dollars fried rice in a stuttering manner and paid him right away. I moved to the side while he went on to take orders from the other patrons.

While I was just about to take away my packet of aromatic fried rice, the stall owner said in a calm voice, “hello boy, you forgot to pay me 2 dollars for the fried rice.” I turned around to see him, still in his kind and helpful mood. “Oh I paid you right after I ordered the fried rice, don’t you remember?” I replied in a least offensive tone. “You must be joking boy, quick, pass me the money, I still have a long queue to go,” this time, his tone changing into a firmer tone and his wide smile could easily be seen through as a forced one.” But I really did pay up,” I replied in a quivering voice as I started to think about the rumours of what he would do to people who, in his opinion, do not pay up.

Hearing my reply, his face changed so quickly to a dull and irritated one that I did not know what to do. He demanded that I pay up or he will call the police. I was so scared that I shivered on the spot. He walked towards me in a gangster-like way and since he was taller and bigger in size than me, I trembled with fear with every step that he took towards me. I backed into a pillar and there was nowhere to go. The passers-by saw it but none had the intention of helping me.

From his timorous dagger eyes, one would see that he was determined to give you a bruise in the face any minute. His hand was raised. I covered my face, not sure what to do. I took a peek between the spaces of my fingers to see that that the hand was swinging down, accelerating by the second. My heart was beating wildly and I would faint any minute. Suddenly someone shouted and loud footsteps could be heard, supposedly running in my direction. “Could this be his reinforcement?” I thought in fear. I was too scared to hear what was shouted. I took a peek at the stall owner again, to see that his fist was just a hair’s breath away from me. What surprised me was that apart from the big hand of the stall owner, I saw another hand, inhibiting him from dealing me a blow. I took down my hands and saw my uncle standing right in front of me in his police uniform. Behind him were a few other policemen. I was very surprised that I would be saved from the deadly blow of the stall owner. The police questioned him and his speech was timorous as he was handcuffed back to the police station for trying to cause hurt. The stall owner had tried to push the blame off him, saying that what he did was fortuitous. When the terror was over, I ran up to my uncle and gave him a warm hug and thanked him profusely. He told me that he was here to have lunch with his colleagues when he saw what was happening.

Since the stall owner is integral to the opening of the shop, the stall assistant closed the stall and the long queue in front of the stall dismissed. That was an unlucky day for the stall owner but a lucky one for me. Who would have thought that someone would have come to my rescue? I returned home to have my lunch still thinking of the incident that had happened just now. When my parents returned, they promised me that they would not let me go out by myself again, in case something similar happened again. My parents agreed that it was my lucky day too.
From that day on, my family boycotted his stall. What had happened spread far and wide but that queue in front of his stall still refuses to shorten. Every time I walk past his stall, I wonder who the next victim will be!

Featured Article- Climate Change

Climate Change

Target audience: general audience

Purpose: To educate people on climate change and what they can do to help

Do you ever feel that the weather nowadays is becoming warmer and warmer? I felt it and one of the factors is climate change. Climate has been a part of the lives of people and it is very important such that if the climate changes too much for a place, it may result in the extinction of some species. There are a few factors that cause the change of the climate and one of the key factors is global warming.

Global warming refers to the increase of the world's temperature. This is caused by the excessive greenhouse gasses trapped in the earth's atmosphere, resulting in the increase of the earth's temperature. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and many more which are produced in great numbers. The warming of the earth may not necessarily be a bad thing since the warmth helps to keep the people on earth warm but too much of it causes the ice caps to melt and result in rising sea levels. Thus places, which are below sea level, may experience flooding. If the climate continues to change, some places will experience extreme weather or natural disasters. This will then bring harm and danger to the occupants of earth. The earth does not belong to human beings only but to all the living things. They have a right to live and we should not be controlling what their outcome should be like.

The effects of climate change may seem to be affecting us slowly but in the long term, the results will be felt and it may be too late. Fortunately, countries from all around the world have sat down together to discuss about what they can do to reduce global warming.

The cows reared by farmers for beef produce methane, which is one of the greenhouse gases. By reducing the consumption of the beef, there will be less cows and less methane produced. The reduction of the use of CFCs, which is found in refrigerator coolants, aerosol spray cans, will also benefit the earth since CFCs destroy the ozone layer, something that protects the earthlings from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun. Instead of using our own private cars, taking the public transport will help to reduce the amount of carbon monoxide produced.

If we do not save the earth now, all the living things on earth may become history and result in the suffering of the future generations because of our actions. Every living thing has their right to live and we should all stand together and save the earth from further damage and ensure that the future generations will be able to lead lives of comfort and not hardship.