A Visit to An Old Folks' Home

Even in times of economic uncertainties, the staff and students at KDU College, Penang managed to find the resources and time to help the needy. A total of 25 students accompanied by the staff from the Student Service Department (SSD) visited the Liberty Nursing Home on 7 February 2009.

Mr and Mrs Sim Choon Liang have been managing the Liberty Nursing Homes for the past 17 years. Mr Sim or Uncle Sim, as he prefers to be known, welcomed the KDU family with open arms. Prior to the visit, the students organised a donation drive at the college to collect basic necessities like rice, biscuits and adult diapers for the residents in the home.
  

Some generous hearts had even donated money which were given out as ‘ang pows’. This brought forgotten smiles on the faces of the residents. The residents were then entertained with some songs and dances by the KDU students. The KDU family left the home with lasting memories and hoped that the next outing would be just as memorable.
 

Joey Phuah, the head of the SSD had this to say about her department’s efforts, “We believe that we need to help those who are less fortunate in anyway possible especially in times like these.”
 

The idea of reaching out to the less fortunate was Joey Phuah’s brainchild. She hopes that in the coming months, students will continue to give their undying support and help in any way possible. The department’s next activity is a visit to an orphanage on 21 February 2009 and welcomes any form of donation for the visit.
 

She added, “These visits give us an insight to the problems that others are facing. Sometimes, it is important that we put ourselves in others shoes so that we understand what they go through and become less selfish.”
                            

                                                                                                                  Credits : KDU College

Informal Letters

Dear Stella and Charlie,

Sorry for not writing you before, but I've been incredibly busy working and studying for my exams recently.

I´d like to thank you for a really enjoyable visit.
It was great to see you after so long and to spend some time with you.
I enjoyed talking to you about our old school friends and teachers.
The flight home was very long, but all my family came to meet me at the airport, which was wonderful. They loved all the presents I got for them.

Thank you so much for putting me up for a whole week .
You really made me feel at home!! I had a wonderful time, and I’ll never forget
how well you treated me.
You were fantastic tour guides!! We did a lot of things like sightseeing,
barbacues, playing volleyball matches, surfing, starting a nice collection of sea shells
and, of course, the parties you organised. They were so fun!

These days   I’ve been very busy studying for my last exams and also
organizing everything to start my professional practices in a company.
I have to fill in a lot of papers and it`s so boring.
As you know, I’m a very active and nervous person, so in my free time
I take up sports and go to the gym as much as I can, but when I have no time,
I play with my Wii console and this way I carry on doing my daily exercises.
At weekends, I must work. I drive an ice cream truck around and
sell ice creams to kids.
It’s so cool! I love ice creams and I love kids, but the pay isn't   that great.

I am running out of time so I have to go for now, but I promise to write back
as soon as possible.
Say hello to all your family and tell your sister that I wish her good luck for her exams.

That's all for now. I must start my homework for my English class tomorrow.
The teacher wants us to write an informal letter to a friend and I don't even know how to begin!
Don’t forget my special invitation to come to Spain and thanks again for everything.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Look after yourselves well and take care.

A Review-2081

2081 (2009)

2081 is one of the movies, that might not make you cry, but gets to you, depicting a dystopian vision of the future that leaves you with the discomforting buzz, forcing you to introspect, review your better judgment, doubt your choices, “Is it this world that we are heading for, or has it already come to pass?” That’s the beauty of a beautifully made intellectual Sci-Fi and this is one of the best.
The movie website summarizes the plot as:
Based on the short story Harrison Bergeron by celebrated author Kurt Vonnegut, 2081 depicts a dystopian future in which, thanks to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendment to the Constitution and the unceasing vigilance of the United States Handicapper General, everyone is finally equal... The strong wear weights, the beautiful wear masks and the intelligent wear earpieces that fire off loud noises to keep them from taking unfair advantage of their brains. It is a poetic tale of triumph and tragedy about a broken family, a brutal government, and an act of defiance that changes everything.
A great story line coupled with some stunning original score from Kronos Quartet (Requiem for a Dream), narration by Patricia Clarkson and acting by James Cosmo, Julie Hagerty and Armie Hammer, present a "a poetic tale of triumph and tragedy, an unbridled tribute to greatness — great art, great music, great dance, and the greatness of the human spirit." as director, Chandler Tuttle, calls it.
You like me may have never heard of some of these names before, but you will surely remember them after watching this movie. A visual extravaganza packed in 25 minutes, ever minute, every second of this movie is stunningly beautiful and memorable.

Teachers Day Speech

I am talking to you on the special occasion of Teachers' Day. On this day, we gratefully remember the great educationist Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, whose dream was that "Teachers should be the best minds in the country". Hence, Teachers' Day is very important for all our people, for our students and even for all the parents, as the teachers lay the foundation for creating enlightened citizens for the nation. On this day, I would like to recall the teachers who helped me in shaping my life.
                                      In India, Teacher's Day (also called Teachers' Appreciation Day or National Teacher's Day) is celebrated on 5th of September, every year. The date was selected, because it is the birthday of a timeless teacher and the former President of India - Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. When some of his students and friends approached him and requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday, he said, "instead of celebrating my birthday separately, it would be my proud privilege, if September 5th is observed as Teacher's day".The request showed Dr.Radhakrishnan's love for the teaching profession.   From then onwards, the 5th of September has been observed as Teachers Day, in India.
                                    Teachers have an influencing role in the life of every student. They are like beacons of light, guiding us in the formative years of our life. Teachers mould us and in the process and shape our future. What we learn from our teachers remains with us, throughout our life. However, very often, we fail to show our appreciation and gratitude for their altruistic devotion. Teachers do need encouragement and support from the community to feel that their efforts are being recognized. To serve the purpose, Teacher's Day is celebrated throughout the world, year by year. By celebrating National Teacher's Day, we thank our teachers for providing us their invaluable guidance.

                                   

A Christmas Carol

 

“Humbug!?was Scrooge’s favorite answer to any question and any question was an inappropriate question to the grumpy old covetous man. Depicted in the ethical story, The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Scrooge’s fowling manner transformed his once passionate heart to a black hole, which pulled in all hope and happiness as if it were a powerful magnet. Nevertheless, the jar of hatred shattered and Scrooge’s impaired spirit rose again. Love and happiness permeated his body, and the once ignorant Scrooge developed into an irresistible congenial fellow that everyone now knew. Scrooge found that he had the ability to alter his behavior and realized that spreading Christmas was more rewarding than any given amount of money.

 For instance, Charles Dickens wrote, “Some people laughed to see the alteration in him [Scrooge], but he let them laugh, and little heeded them…” (page 112). Scrooge didn’t mind the giggles and laughs directed at him because he believed in himself for the first time in a very long time. His confined spirit was freed at last and it allotted happiness and joy around from mysterious turkeys on the doorstep to charity donations. Scrooge sought to make the people of the city cheerful and in doing so, people enjoyed watching an old jolly man hop around delivering gifts. Thus, Scrooge did not heed to the snickers in the crowd.

The joy of spreading Christmas was Scrooge’s indirect gift to mankind and it rewarded him with long-lasting friends, which could never compare to any wealth. For example, Charles Dickens wrote,?He [Scrooge] became as good.

A Barbie Dolls Fate

 

The poem opens up by illustrating a typical “picture perfect” cultural birth and early childhood. The author vividly describes how the child was shown how culture views itself by relating it to a perfect minature dollhouse environment. The author then shows the transition phase where Barbie’s style of life clashes with the surrounding culture. I believe that the initial event is what sparked the cause in this story. The author starts off by showing this when she relates this through the main character getting made fun of for her big nose and fat legs. Continuing into the story, the author then breaks down the main character’s physical and mental traits to try to justify the reason why society is rejecting this “perfect” child.like the role of the Barbie doll in the story. I differ in the theme of self-esteem in the fact that my high level of self-esteem got me out of my conflict with culture. The author tries to explain to the reader that people come into many conflicts with culture in life, and everyone’s personal attributes play a key role in the way people deal with their problems, and find their happiness and fulfillment in life.

Finally, in the end when she was buried, the under-taker made her look like she wanted to, which was entirely culture influenced. It was the same ideas that caused her to make her final decision. I believe that everyone works towards their own goals which gives them happiness and fulfillment in their life. I can relate to this story when I was going.

 

A “Dream Deferred” in “Harlem”

As a child growing up everyone seems to have the ideal life set in their mind. You know what you want to do with your life; you know everything there is to know. Or do you? Dreams start out simple and later grow complex. At a young age you look up to people in your life and want to be just like them and want to marry fabulous people with an ideal type set in your mind. You grow up and come to realize that things aren’t as easy as you expected them to be. In 1951 Langston Hughes asks us “What happens to a dream deferred”? or to put a whole new spin on things what happens to a “Dream Deferred” when your in “Harlem”? Langston Hughes wrote one poem and it was titled two different titles througho
Just as dreams start simple and later are complex so is the poem “Harlem” [Dream Deferred] with one title it seems so simplistic and just by the change of the title the reader can obtain a whole new meaning from the words. Through this writing you can see the important of all aspects of a poem. The title alone in this poem sets up your frame of mind for the rest of the poem. Even the words tend to take on a whole new meaning. Just as dreams carry a whole new meaning, that is unless they are “deferred”.

As the reader encounters the strophe of questions they reflect back on their dreams and do a type of self analysis almost. Reading “Dream Deferred” is a self exploring, thought provoking poem about the past and future for you.

Tragedy of the common man” in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

 

Death of a Salesman is an Expressionist play that describes characters whose mental world is given to us as physical reality on stage as physical reality on stage. They live in a dream-like world, where there is no border between a fantasy and reality, they switch them and they function in this distorted and imaginary world, which is their own reality. Willy is a typical representative of a character, functioning in a distorted reality. He shifts back and fourth between the past and the present, mingling memory with the reality. He represents “the tragedy of a common man”, because he lives in his own imaginary world, overwhelmed by guilt as a result of painful memories from the past and disappointments of the present and he is unable to face the reality, and in so doing, to deal with it, to accept it or to change it somehow.

Willy is a typical working middle –class man. He has a nice family and wants to be a good father and husband. They have a nice house, they are not poor, and in general he represents pretty much the “American dream” of success and prosperity, where the main stress is on the material world. On the way, trying to reach the ideal, he got lost. He lost his connection with his sons, he lost his loving andHis world, where he feels safe could easily be hurt and destroyed, it is a world of feelings, emotions, and desires that either fail or were not fulfilled.

emotionally, financially and physically stable, able to be a “master of your life”. This ideal fails and so does Willy, his “fantasy” world was easily destroyed and the only way out for him was the one he chose, leaving the world that caused his enormous suffering and finding a piece himself.

He used to have love, his wife is still devoted to him, but he experiences some problems, his memory tricks him and when he embraces his wife, he sees the picture of another woman. This picture appears vivid and realistic to him. He can’t deal with the guilt, with the emotions, when he sees his wife, suffering and trying to save some money, mending her stockings, while he was so generous to the other woman. This irritates him, he feels unsatisfied, down, rejected.

All his past hopes and expectations were not fulfilled. He wanted to be a successful provider for his family, but he loses his job, experiencing deepest disappointment and trying to escape as a result of this in his own dream-like world, where he is.

A Study of the Literary Career of Jonathan Edwards

Although many think of Jonathan Edwards as one of the greatest American theologists, he was an amazing philosopher and scientist as well. His accomplishments were many, and his impact on those who have read his works everlasting, but most people know little about him. He was a brilliant man, entering Yale at the age of thirteen and came to be a pastor in Massachusetts. Edwards came from a family with a long line of ministers and took his grandfather’s place in Northampton, Massachusetts when he died in 1729 (Browning).

Although his preaching was received with mixed emotions, the major affect his sermons had on society was America’s first great awakening, which sparked religious revival throughout the colonies. It started in Massachusetts with him in 1734, but he eventually drew people from over a hundred miles away (Browning).

all you need is love

 

Romeo and Juliet Montague recently celebrated their fourteenth wedding anniversary, a quiet dinner at home, no banquet, no family invited. The two children stayed the night at Benvolio’s house. Romeo intends to take the next morning off. He is now an electrician specializing in computer repairs and, working by and for himself. Juliet is working on a bachelor’s degree in accounting with an eye on law school, having spent much of the past dozen years raising two rambunctious boys, teaching them Shakespearean English and depriving them of those dangerous rubber-tipped play swords. Romeo and Juliet, we are happy to report, are still very much in love (Solomon 192).

Romeo and Juliet: Can we ever consider the names separated? Romeo without his Juliet or Juliet without her Romeo, that would be unheard of. Everyone knows the story of the two star-crossed lovers, and it represents our idea of true love. The idea that true love is so passionate, so blinding, so intense, that even the thought of life without the beloved would be inconceivable. Caring for someone so much that in everything one does, one asks himself how this action will affect the beloved, or doing everything in one’s just to see the beloved happy.

Laporan Merentas Desa Anjuran Kelab Kembara Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Simpang Empat

Satu aktiviti merentas desa telah dianjurkan oleh Kelab Kembara sekolah ini.

Aktiviti ini telah diadakan pada cuti pertengahan semesteryang lepas. Tujuan aktiviti tersebut adlah untuk melatih stamina dan ketahanan diri dalam kalangan semua ahli Kelab Olahraga di samping mengeratkan hubungan antara ahli Kelab Olahraga. Program itu terbuka kepada semua ahli Kelab Kembara sekolah ini dengan yuran penyertaan sebanyak RM 2.00 sahaja. Seramai 25 ahli kelab telah menyertai program ini.

Tepat pada pukul 7.30 pagi, Tuan Pengetua, Encik Zainal Ibrahim telah

melepaskan peserta di padang sekolah dengan tembakan pistol berpeluru kapur ke angkasa. Jarak merentas desa ini ialah sejauh 8 kilometer. Bermula dari padang sekolah hinggalah kaki Bukit Perak dan dari situ berpatah balik ke sekolah. Cuaca sepanjang pagi itu sungguh baik. Semua peserta berlari sambil menyedut udara nyaman. Mereka juga berpeluang mengamati keindahan alam sekitar di sepanjang jalan.

Terdapat petugas ahli jawatan kuasa Kelab Kembara yang memberikan minuman

botol kepada peserta-peserta di pertengahan jalan. Ada di antara mereka yang memilih untuk berjalan di tengah –tengah perlumbaan. Hal ini disebabkan kemenangan bukanlah segala-galanya dalam aktiviti merentas desa kali ini.

Pada kira-kira pukul 9.00 pagi, acara ini tamat di padang sekolah. Semua pesrta

kelihatan dalam keletihan. Namun apa yang penting, acara ini telah memberikan kepuasan kepada peserta untuk mencuba kemampuan masing-masing. Setengah jam kemudian, diumumkan sepuluh orang pemenang acara merentas desa bagi kategori lelaki dan perempuan. Johan kategori lelaki ialah Pak Jo manakala kategori perempuan pula disandang oleh Syarafana.

Pingat-pingat kemenangan telah disampaikan oleh Tuan Pengetua, Encik Zainal

Ibrahim. Secara keseluruhannya, aktiviti ini telah mencapai objektifnya. Aktiviti yang sedemikian harus diteruskan pada tahun hadapan.

Disediakan oleh,                                                                                               10 JUN 2008

(MUHAMMAD AZRI MUHAMMAD JO)

Setiausaha,

Kelab Kembara,

SMK Simpang Empat.