My greatest problem

To err is human, so no one is perfect without any flaws. However, we must all strive to improve ourselves or this world will be doomed with trillions of unmotivated individuals. I, for one, face similar predicament of having same flaws. Although my greatest problem is being viewed as immature.

I admit, I can be a little too animated and exaggerated sometimes. Therefore, to many people who know me, they tend to be irritated by me. I gasped louder, I screech when I am shocked or horrified, I shouted and laughed when I am exhilarated. Sometimes I even make funny noises, when I am uncomfortable or embarrassed. I guess I cannot change my trait overnight because it is the way I am.

In addition to this, I have interests that are usually preferred by the kids. I enjoy watching animation, playing arcade games, collecting toy models and loving tidbits such as ice-cream, chocolates, lollipops, sweets and so on. Occasionally, I am mistaken as one of the kids because I can get along with children effortlessly.

The fact that I have horrendous handwriting and I have problem spelling even the simplest word make me the prime target of mockery. They seem to think I am still a child judging from the way I write. Maybe writing quickly has affected the aesthetic value of my handwriting but I believe no one should judge people’s intelligence based on handwriting alone.

Besides that, I am considered immature because I have childish relationships with my sister. We always make fun of each other and we constantly bicker about little things that are unimportant. My sister is like my nemesis, although we share the same bloodline and I care about her dearly, I can never express my brotherly love towards her in the normal way.

As a conclusion, immaturity is my biggest problem. At the age of 18, I knew it is time for me to behave my age. I am aware that being mature is for my own good because only then I will be taken more seriously instead of being regard as a child.

by LYC

Drama Script : The Pearl (Chapter 4)

In the town of La Paz, it is business as usual. Kino brings the big pearl to town to trade for good money.

Kino : This is the day. I’m sure I’ll get a good price for my pearl. Then, my family and I will live a good life.
Kino sets off to the market full of pearl buyers. The buyers are chatting quietly.

Buyer A : Wait till the fool comes along. I’ll lower the price and buy the biggest pearl in the world.
Buyer B : Dream on. I’ll get the pearl. I’m the best pearl buyer here.
Buyer C : What makes you think such silly ideas? I’m the one with the kind and fatherly face. The poor man will believe me and sell it to me!
Buyer A & B : Here comes the man with the big pearl. May the best man win.

Buyers return to their shops. Kino enters shop C. He looks around carefully and then approaches the buyer and shows him the great pearl.

Kino : I have a pearl to sell. How much do you want for it?

Buyer C takes out his magnifying glass to study the pearl closely.

Kino : Well?
Buyer C : Sorry, my boy. This is the cheap stuff. It’s a ‘fool’s gold’. It’s just too big.
Kino : What? How can this be?
Buyer C : Look, for what it’s worth, I can only pay you 1,000 pesos.
Kino : 1,000 pesos?! This is ridiculous! My pearl should be at least 50,000 pesos! Are you kidding me?
Buyer C : Uh… Alright. Calm down, my friend. If you don’t trust me, I’ll get other buyers to check on your pearl.
Kino : Fine!

Pearl buyers A, B and D enters shop C. They start to examine the pearl one by one.

Buyer A : This pearl is a monstrosity. I’m making no offer for it.
Buyer B : Hmm… Better pearls are made of paste but yours is too soft and chalky. In fact, it will lose colour soon. Come, look at the strange surface for yourself.

Kino sees the pearl under the glass. He is shocked to find that it is true. Pearl buyer D takes the pearl from Kino’s hand.

Buyer D : I know someone who’s interested in this worthless thing. Sell it to me. I’ll give you 500 pesos.
Kino becomes more and more upset. He takes the pearl back and says nothing.
Pearl buyer C steps up to make his offer again.

Buyer C : Come on, my friend. How about that 1,000 pesos? Do you want to sell it to me?
Kino : You’re taking me for a fool! I’m not falling for this. You’re all liars and thieves. I’ll never sell my pearl in La Paz!
Buyer C : Wait, wait. Let’s talk about it. 1,500 pesos, what do you think?
Kino : Humph! Never!

Kino turned around and walked away madly. Pearl buyer C grips his fist and starts mumbling.

Buyer C : You’ll be sorry. You won’t live a day in peace because my men will not stop until they get your pearl. You should have sold it to me….

End of Drama

A Drama Sketch : The Sound Machine

Klausner, the paranoid inventor, is testing his latest invention, THE SOUND MACHINE. He wants to find out if the machine actually works.

KLAUSNER : I must know if the tree can produce any sound. If the machine really works, I should get the same result as before. Hmmm… where’s my axe. Aha! Here it is. Time to go to the park.

Klausner walks to the park, checks every direction before he puts his earphone on and swings the big and heavy axe at the tree.

TREE : AAAAAIIIIiiiiiiiyoooooyoooooooo, who’s cutting me so deep? That’s killing meeee……. OOOOOOUUUUUUccccchhhhhhh………..

KLAUSNER : Oh my god! That’s it? That’s the scream of a tree? That sounds painful. Oh dear! what have I done? I’ve killed the tree!

Klausner uses his fingers to touch the gash of the wood.

KLAUSNER : Tree… oh, tree… I am sorry … I am so sorry … but it will heal … it will heal … it will heal fine …, wait! I know what I can do.. I’ll call my friend, the doctor. Just you wait here, I’ll be back with help!”

Off he dashes back home, Klausner picks up the phone and dials for Dr. Scott.

DR. SCOTT : Aheemm, hello, Dr. Scott here. How can I help you?

KLAUSNER : Dr., Quick! Tree… Sound… Hurt! Come! Soon!!

DR. SCOTT : Klausner, is that you? Calm down, calm down. Are you alright? O.K., O.K., I’ll come right away.

KLAUSNER : Dr……., please, hurry!

Dr. Scott and Klausner are at the park, under the tree.

DR. SCOTT : What’s going on?

Klausner spoke softly into Dr. Scott’s ear.

DR. SCOTT : WHAT??!! Say that again?

KLAUSNER : …………

DR. SCOTT : But, but that’s IMPOSSIBLE!

KLAUSNER : (nods gleefully)

DR. SCOTT : How can it be? I don’t believe you…..

KLAUSNER : Try it on, you’ll see what I mean.

DR. SCOTT : Fine. If it’s not working, you must end this nonsense once and for all.

KLAUSNER : O.K.

Dr. Scott puts on the headphone.

DR. SCOTT : I hear nothing.

KLAUSNER : Hold on, I’ll try this again.

Klausner picks up the axe and swings at the tree for the second time.

TREE : Aaaaiiiiiiiiiyoooyooo……OH NO, not again?!!!! …..Aaiiiiyayaaaa!!!

The tree branch breaks and falls onto the SOUND MACHINE. The men leap away but the machine shatters into pieces.

KLAUSNER : My machine is broken. Tree…Oh no… It’s hurt! Hurry, heal the poor thing!

DR. SCOTT : Huh? (scratching his head) What do you mean?

TREE : (weak and slow) Aaaaiiiiiiiiiyoooooyoooooooo!!

DR. SCOTT : I don’t understand….

KLAUSNER : No time to explain… put some iodine on the cut. It’s in pain.

DR. SCOTT : Uhhhh…. Well, alright then.

TREE : (weak and slow) Aaaaiiiiiiiiiyoooooyoooooooo!!

KLAUSNER : Nice and slow, doctor. The tree is in great pain. (Shaking head) It’s all my fault, it’s all my fault.

TREE : Ouch, ouch, ouch! Don’t be so rough with the cut! I have feelings too, you know…. Boohoo…

DR. SCOTT : O.K. It’s all done. Why don’t you come with me?

KLAUSNER : (Shaking head) It’s all my fault, all my fault……

By CBL

A Letter about the Trip to Melacca

3014,Jalan HB,

Taman CCC,

56100 Kuala Lumpur

3 June 2005

Dear Micheal,

How are you?I believe your summer holiday in America is going to begin soon,but my holiday has just ended. I am sure you must be curious about I spent my holiday so here it is.

During the school holiday, I was in Malacca with my family.Malacca is known as the historical city of Malaysia because it used to be a famous port hundred of years ago. Other than that, it is also rich in culture and delicious culinary delights.

We stayed in a luxurious five-star hotel. The first destination we headed to was A Famosa which was a famous historical site built by the Portuguese in 1411. It used to be a grand fort but it was destroyed by another occupying force. Now it is only a small portion left. Over there, we bought some interesting souvenirs.

Next, we went to the Crocodile Farm to see the famous reptiles. We saw many species of crocodiles that we do not usually see. Some of them even come from America! (which should be called alligators instead of crocodiles) The most exciting moment was during the crocodile feeding session. The trainer was so amazing that he put his hand into the crocodile’s mouth for over a minute. Isn’t that scary?

Opposite our hotel, there is a shopping center called Mahkota Parade. It is a large shopping complex. We could shop there for a whole day but we became tired, so we watched a movie in the complex instead.

Finally, on the last day of our visit, we traveled to A Farmosa Waterworld. My family and I enjoyed all water games such as water ball, slides, surfing, swimming, diving and so on. We even had a picnic there.

So, this is how I spent my school holidays. I hope you enjoy your upcoming summer holiday. Don’t forget to write to me about it.

Yours sincerely,

CBL

A Wedding

Last month, I attended my cousin's wedding held in Johor Bharu. All family members from different parts of the country were invited so it was like a big family reunion. I was also looking forward to seeing my cousin in a white gown which was indeed a rare occasion.

My family and I drove all the way from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bharu to attend the tea-ceremony at the bride's house in the morning. the groom arrived later with his gang of best men to face the fun challenges arranged by the womenfolks. He must first submit a huge angpow in order to enter the house and see the bride. Then came the tea-ceremony where the couple would present cups of Chinese tea respectfully to every elders in the house. Finally, the bride would officially leave her home by following the husband-to-b to the new home.

In the evening, after a few hours of interval, the ceremony continued in the form of a dinner banquet. During then, I could see the newly-weds were dressed in traditional wedding costumes while they were busy attending to every guest. Although I was more focused on the many delicacies served on the dinner table. There were abalones, sharks fins soup, roasted pig, lobster, crabs and so on. My mouth watered just thinking about all those wonderful food.

Other than that, the other less interesting highlight of the night was the toasts that the newly-weds had to make at every dinner table. It was a gesture of gratitude to all the guests who came. Judging from the vast number of guests there that night, I wondered why the couple did not become totally drunk at all. it was much later when I was told that they were only drinking tea instead of wine.

At the end of the day, the party was over and people started returning home. Everybody left with a full stomach not forgetting to greet the newly-weds with many good wishes and blessings. For me, I hope my cousin and her husband will live happily ever after like the couples in the fairy tales we often hear about.

by CBL

Ok I get the picture..

HS was trying to help me visualise the taste of Yam mooncake which I have never tasted before. Thanks a lot, HS! Here's a thought, taste and memory actually blends well together. If you ever have to try to cram some notes that are just gibberish after many attempts of memorizing them, do so with the help of strong-tasting tidbits. Not that it's the only viable method or even short cut, actual studying effort is still very much required, ok? Besides, full understanding on the topic you're studying in order to retain the information is far more effective than just stamping the material in your head.

A Breifly Summerised Fable

There was once a tortoise and a rabbit that were very competitive. One day, the rabbit challenged the tortoise to a race. The overly confident rabbit was ahead of the race from the beginning. So halfway through the race, he decided to take a nap under a tree. He never expected the tortoise to win the race. The tortoise kept moving despite everyone’s belief that he would never win the race. As time went by, the tortoise finally overtook the rabbit and became the champion. The rabbit was very upset and regretful for undermining the tortoise. He was never proud and boastful from that day onwards.

by CWO

At the Swimming Pool

Ali’s hobby is swimming. He always goes to Chin Woo swimming pool to swim as long as he wants.

One day, he went to swimming pool as usual. He could see many people in the pool because it was a public holiday that day. So Ali decided to wait a while until there weren’t as many people using the pool before he gets in.

When he was observing the surrounding, he could see there were more children compared to the number of adults. Suddenly, he noticed a boy struggling in the bigger pool. Ali knew that boy must be drowning in the pool but no one noticed him because everyone was busy swimming and enjoying themselves.

Without any hesitation, Ali jumped into the pool and swam towards the boy. He grabbed him quickly and swam to the edge of the pool. Everyone was shocked to see what was going on.

Ali tried to revive the boy but he showed no sign of life for the first five minutes. After that, the boy choked and started to breathe again. People standing around them were terrified but they clapped happily when the boy was saved. Ali was praised tremendously and he received a one-year free admission to Chin Woo swimming pool for his bravery.

by CWO

A Lesson in Progress

The bell has rung; students prepare themselves for another lesson. Among them, there are a few who are still eagerly chatting about last nights football match between Manchester United and Real Madrid. The excitement goes on until a strong figure steps into the class. He is our history teacher. He sternly puts down his books and then picks up the marker pen to scribble some unidentifiable letters on the board. Students are puzzled as usual but no one dares to question his authority. Very soon the history teacher begins to explain a totally incomprehensible theory of the past. Students regard history as theory because they can never visualize their seriously looking teacher coming out of his shell and open up to the wonders of ancient history. Yet no one dares to tell him the truth about how boring the class is. Students are forced to give nothing else but the fullest attention to him. No one is to write, copy, talk, drink, blink, or even breathe too loudly for it may disrupt the class. Everyone freezes during history class.

by CWO

A Strange Encounter at the Bus Stop

I was going to school by bus when I encountered two small children standing at the bus-stop. They didn’t have any one with them as their chaperon which made me even more curious because they were too young to be going out without adult supervision.
As I quietly observed them, I noticed that they were both smartly dressed and were obviously happy and excited. Many kinds of possibilities and scenarios were racing through my mind as I tried to guess what they were planning to do. Could they be waiting for their parents to pick them up? Could they be waiting for the arrival of their friends? Could they be waiting for a bus like me or could they be running away from home?
Soon the two children began to talk. I could not help but to eavesdrop on their little conversation. The first boy said that he could not wait any longer for the ‘thing’ to come. Then, the second boy calmly comforted his friend to be patient because the ‘thing’ would be coming soon. The first boy started fidgeting around excitedly overlooking my shoulder to see if the ‘thing’ had arrived. My curiosity grew even deeper about the ‘thing’.
Not long after that, the bus arrived. It was time for me to go but I could see the children had no intention at all to get on the bus. To satisfy my curiosity, I decided not to aboard the bus but to continue observing the children. To my surprise, I realized that the children were simply waiting for the next bus. Although to be exact, they were waiting for a particular passenger on the bus, a young, attractive girl about 20 years old. The children stood up ambiguously and waved vigorously at the pretty girl and she did was smiling back at them.
I was completely dumbfounded at the surprising outcome of my observation. I never thought boys around the age of 6 years old or so would be so girl-crazed. While I tried to put my jaw back in normal position, then I truly understood what it was all about through their conversation again. The children were actually waving goodbye to their kindergarten teacher who was leaving school for good. I felt touched over the children’s sensitive gesture so I decided to buy them ice-cream as a reward. Amazingly, these children refused to take my offer based once fact that I was a stranger. Then they left the bus-stop while sat there with my jaws wide open again.

by CWO

At the Dental Clinic

Instantly, the smell of the sanitized clinic welcomed me as I stepped into the waiting room. I had to wait for my turn, as there were quite a number of patients waiting for Doctor Chow. Besides flipping through the magazine aimlessly, I started noticing the medical posters hanging on the walls of the waiting room: “How do you know when you are pregnant”, “Ten ways of detecting diabetes”, “How fat is too fat”, “Do you know if you have asthma?”, “The difference between flu and cold”…I never failed to learn a thing or two by reading those posters. Even though I also noticed that the very same posters had been hanging there since ten years ago when I first came to this clinic. My train of thoughts was suddenly broken by the shrieking cry of a hysterical little girl coming out from the doctor’s room. She probably got an injection which I feared most of all. Then I heard my name being called by the Grimm looking nurse. Time for execution…

by CWO

Scene from a Class

The bell has rung; students prepare themselves for another lesson. Among them, there are a few who are still eagerly chatting about last nights football match between Manchester United and Real Madrid. The excitement goes on until a strong figure steps into the class. He is our history teacher. He sternly puts down his books and then picks up the marker pen to scribble some unidentifiable letters on the board. Students are puzzled as usual but no one dares to question his authority. Very soon the history teacher begins to explain a totally incomprehensible theory of the past. Students regard history as theory because they can never visualize their seriously looking teacher coming out of his shell and open up to the wonders of ancient history. Yet no one dares to tell him the truth about how boring the class is. Students are forced to give nothing else but the fullest attention to him. No one is to write, copy, talk, drink, blink, or even breathe too loudly for it may disrupt the class. Everyone freezes during history class.

by CWO