Slice Of Life #286 - Robert B. Gaw Citizenship Award - Tuesday, June 9th, 2020

    I logged into the zoom call with no problems (surprisingly). Mr. Casey and Mr. Woodward, my principal and assistant principal, greeted us as we came into the zoom call. I got settled and waited for the ceremony to get started.
    Finally, the ceremony was in full swing. We all listened as Mr. Woodward talked about the history of this award and the criteria for it. "Robert B. Gaw used to be the head of school at ISKL (The International School of Kuala Lumpur)." he said. "This is an annual award sponsored by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) for students in Grade 6, 7, and 8. Based on the criteria below, established by the PTA, this award is given to one student in each grade level who, in the opinion of the teachers, and I quote, exemplifies the international aspect of the school. He/she interacts in a positive way with, and shows an appreciation for cultures other than his/her own; demonstrates courtesy to teachers, staff and fellow students, and shows  respect for the rights of others; demonstrates a positive attitude and willingness to support in-classroom and extra-curricular projects and activities; and is gracious in dealing with success as well as disappointment."

As he started describing the Grade 6 recipient for the award this year, my heart was beating frantically although I had no idea why. It took me a whole 20 seconds to realize that he was describing me! I quickly ran through everything he said about the winner. Mother tongue is Chinese - Check! Signed up for Care for Kids twice - Check! He participates actively in the Jazz Band - Check! I realized that he was describing me!

My heart was beating very hard at this point. I could feel the loud thumps against my neck. It felt like there wasn't enough space for my heart to be contained as it started beating like a wild elephant. "With this," Mr. Woodward said, "I am very happy to announce this year's Grade 6 Robert B. Gaw award recipient!"

I was super excited to find out who it was. My eyes were fixed on the computer screen just to see two of the worse words possible. Connection lost. These two very large words were shown in the middle of the screen. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" I shouted. "The WiFi always crashes at the wrong times!"
"Zhi Hong, it's you!" My mom shouted at me. She was also on the Zoom call, and her WiFi also crashed, but it crashed after my name was announced.
"YESSSSSS!" I screamed out of happiness. I had not anticipated this to happen at all. I quickly moved to another place in my house, hoping for a better internet connection. Finally, it worked. The internet was strong enough and I rejoined back into the Zoom call.
"Zhi Hong, do you have anything you want to say?" Mr. Casey, my principal asked.
    "Yeah," I replied. "I'd just like to thank all my teachers for their help along the way, and I'd also like to thank my friends for being there for me. I wouldn't be here without you."
    "Congratulations, Zhi Hong. We hope to see you soon, and congratulations all of you on an awesome year! We'll open the chat now so you can say congrats. Once again, congratulations on completing Grade 6, and we'll see you next year!"
    As soon as the chat was enabled, messages started streaming in like they were bolts of lightning. "Thank you so much!" I wrote in the chat. "I wouldn't be here today without you!"
    I left the Zoom meeting that day feeling elated and speechless. I HAD DONE IT!

Slice Of Life #252 - Tests, More Tests, and Even More Tests - Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

    Tests, More Tests, and Even More Tests. That is my life right now, which is what's keeping me busy all the time now. This Friday, I have a summative math test coming up, so I'm going to need to do a little bit of revision. I'm not too worried about it, as I think that I'm going to do pretty well. I just want to do a little bit of revision on my reasoning, because I always strive for a good grade on my reasoning.
    This weekend, I have a music test coming up. I will be going to take my ABRSM Grade 4 Theory test this Saturday in the morning. Because of this, I also have lots of revision to do, as I would like to be able to score another distinction (let's keep the streak going!). Fortunately, after that, I will be going to Ipoh to go relax in the natural hot springs there because my allergies are starting to flare up, and relaxing in these hot springs usually helps my allergies get better (I think it's due to the salt in the water).
    Next Wednesday (no, not tomorrow, the following one), I also have another humanities test coming up on sentence fluency. I will do a little bit of revision to refresh my memory, but I'm also pretty confident that I'll be fine. I don't know why the sentence fluency test is being held at this time of the year, as it's the start of a new trimester, and report cards are out this weekend, so it's too late for the teachers to add anything new to it. Usually, a test like this would be more towards the end of the year because the teachers would be able to use it for writing report cards (well, at least for me it makes sense because the test would still be fresh in their minds).
    Finally, next, next Tuesday, I have a Malay IGCSE Oral Test coming up. Usually, Malaysians take this test in Grade 8, but I think that I'm ready for it, so I'll be taking it early. Therefore, I will also have to do some preparation in advance to prepare for the test.
    That's all that I know about my tests for now. I'll keep you updated whenever I can! Now I have to go do some preparation for all my tests!

Slice Of Life #250 - Currently - Tuesday, February 18th, 2020

Currently...

• Trains are whistling us a greeting as they whizz by.
• The station is shouting: Ding, dong, ding, dong!
• Motorcycles are growling, getting prepared for a new journey.
• Cars are roaring as we they speed past.
• Trees are swaying about in the breeze, as if they were greeting us.
• The sun is setting, casting a orange and pinkish glow over the sky.
• Our car is calming down and going into "rest mode" as we get out of it.

Slice Of Life #240 - Dale Carnegie - Tuesday, November 25th, 2019

    On Sunday, I went to attend the Dale Carnegie course. Apparently, this course is supposed to be a "motivational course", but it really stresses how to become the best you you can be. I had skipped at school trip to the MPO (Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra) to go attend this course (which I was very sad about, but according to my friends it was a little boring - one of my friends who I will call T (he was in my class in 3rd grade) slept through the whole performance, according to him).
    I learned how to approach people and make friends with people. We learned about many things such as how to remember things better and how to be better prepared for an exam. We learned about some things that were essential to help bond friendships and to make people like you better as a friend and thought about who we wanted to apply those rules towards to get to know those people better.
    My parents were the ones who recommended me to go for this course. They had gone to this course in 2013, and they thought that it was really good and that it was going to be useful for me later on in my life, so they told me to go for the course. At first glance (so far, at least), I think that the course is pretty good and that the information that I learn will be useful for me later on in life. I'm actually attending the course for 13-17 year-olds, but my parents think that I'm mature enough for the course, so they let me attend the course. I was originally going to attend the English course, but the English course got canceled due to a lack of people, so I changed to the Chinese course. My goal is to win the Highest Achievement Award mainly because my dad earned it in his class, but also I want to grow as a learner in general anyways. If I don't earn the award, I won't be too sad (mainly because everyone in the class is at least 2 years older than me - I'm pretty sure 2 years older, but I'm the youngest in the class).
    I also got my own copy of the books How to Win Friends and Influence People and How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. Now, we have three copies of these books (because my parents also got them when they attended the course). My dad also has some books that cannot be bought in a normal bookstore because he earned those books by talking lots and giving good answers to questions in his class.
    Once I finish this course, every member of my family will have completed this course (because my mom and dad already attended this course before). I'm excited for next Sunday and what I'm going to learn in the course!

Slice Of Life #232 - Home, at Last - Tuesday, October 1st, 2019

    I held my book, water bottle, and soap tightly in my hands. I closed the door and locked it. I then walked to the table in the middle to drop my stuff.

    This is what happens almost every time I go home. I drop my books in the table in the living room, drop my other stuff on the dining table, and go wash my hands and legs.

    This is what happened today when I got home. Today, I got home at about 8:15pm because I had Chinese and Malay classes until 8:00pm. Fortunately, this only happens on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I get home at about 9:15pm on Thursday because I have Jazz Band as an after school activity and Chinese as an after after school activity. After that, I have to go to my Malay class for two hours. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the days I hope for no or less homework. 

    I don't mind having lots of homework on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays because I have enough time to complete them on time. I may not have a lot of time to complete my homework on Friday, but at least the homework given on Friday is almost always due Tuesday or later.

    Today was the type of day when the world did me a favor - giving me almost no homework. There was some math homework today, but I have already finished it during WIN (What I Need) time at school - thanks so much for WIN Time; it's so useful.

    Now, I don't have any homework that is due this week (so far, at least), so I'm going to start working on my band homework after this. I'm almost done with my humanities homework, where I have to finish Wonder and write 6 sentences to summarize the section (I'm reading Wonder for the 2nd time and the book just gets better). All my homework is due on Monday next week, so I have a lot of time to do it, but I won't postpone doing it (welcome to my world!). I am hoping to finish all my homework today.

    I am expecting some more homework tomorrow, but only from humanities class. I don't think there will be any homework for science. There may be some homework for Spanish class, but usually Spanish homework is pretty easy and doesn't take a lot of time, so it shouldn't be a problem. I am not expecting any homework from band because we already have some homework that is due on Monday.

    Now, my mom needs to use the computer (my school computer has been "locked" because the school set parental controls - which is so annoying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - and it "locks" everyday at 8:30pm (except for the weekends), so I have to go now!

Slice Of Life #231 - Stroke Support Group - Tuesday, September 24th, 2019 - Happened on Sunday, September 15th, 2019

    I helped a stroke patient hold their hand up behind their head. "Yup, you're doing just fine," I told her.

    I was at a stroke support group organized by an NGO called Tzu Chi (which I help out at pretty often because my dad is one of the coordinators for the medical division). We were helping stroke patients do some exercise.

    Some of my friends were also helping out too. Ishan and Leo, my friends, were also helping the stroke patients do some exercise. The exercise lasted about 30 minutes. After the exercise session was over, we played a game (which, honestly, I'm pretty confused regarding how it's supposed to be played). In the game, the patients had to pick a piece of paper, and I think they would have to switch pieces of paper or something like that. But basically, to sum it up, the point of the game was to get patients to interact with others and to move around and (I think) strengthen their muscles.

    After that, we watched a video with them. The video also had a short dance (or for them, a "hand dance", I guess). We helped the patients move their hands and perform the "hand dance". I knew the song that they were playing, and it was a really meaningful and nice song. I think that stroke patients also enjoyed moving their hands and singing along.

   Finally, lunch had come. There were two people (stroke patients) with their birthdays on that day. I brought out the cake and my friends, Leo and Ishan, gave the two patients each a present - a small little bear on a keychain.

    We also served the patients cake and some food for lunch. After lunch marked the end of the short event. Time had flown and passed quickly without me realizing. I felt good leaving that day, knowing that I had done a good deed to help others.

Slice Of Life #220 - Social Change Blackboards Share - Tuesday, June 18th, 2019

    I walked into my classroom and got my computer out of the computer cart. My teacher, Mr. Herbert walked into the room.
    "Okay, class," He said. "As you know, today, we're going to be sharing our social change blackboards, or SCBs, with the 4th graders, your friends, some teachers, and your parents. Please get your blackboards ready."
    I opened up my computer and opened up the online map that showed live statistics of the air quality all around us. I was going to show it to the people that came to my blackboard. After everyone had done what they needed to do, we all started chatting to each other - because we felt like it, at least.
    Mr. Herbert croaked the frog. When he croaked the frog, it meant that he was trying to tell us to stop talking. He told us to go find our blackboards (but you didn't need to if your blackboard was on your table).
    At last, people started coming. I started presenting about my blackboard. I talked to them about global warming (which was my blackboard topic) and greenhouse gases and asked them to "go home tonight and do something to help our Earth."
    I actually managed to convince a parent to go vegetarian 2 days a week (I don't know if she's actually going to do it or if she's just saying it, but DO IT!)
    On the other hand, some of the 4th graders just wanted to know stuff about the blackboard.
    When I got home, I stuck my blackboard to the wall with a "sticky sticker" I had. Then, I took a few steps back and adored my amazing masterpiece. I had spent a long time working for this, but it had all paid off.

Slice Of Life #215 - Camping - Tuesday, May 28th, 2019

    I opened the boot of the car to take out my camping gear. Today, I was going to be going camping with my Boy Scout troop. I saw my friends waiting for me in the elementary foyer. I walked into the parents' lounge, where we were all waiting because it had an air-conditioner. Estefano, one of my patrol-mates, was playing a really weird game.
    After a while, we transported all our materials to the cars and the buses. The bus ride was really cool and fun. We saw a plane that was a balloon, so the plane was just levitating up in the air, and we laughed at it for a pretty long time. Now that I think about it, I really don't know why it was funny, but it was just really funny.
    We also played truth or dare, and we dared Toby, one of my friends, to lick his palm. The next time he chose dare, it then became lick a palm tree (Toby hasn't licked one yet, but I doubt he's going to do it anyways).
    After the bus ride, we unpacked everything from the car. As soon as we came down from the bus, it was immediately a bloody battle between us and the insects. I took out my insect repellent and sprayed it on myself.
    We found a good spot to camp and started to set up our tents. After we set up our tents, we went to cook our lunch. I then realized that I forgot to eat my breakfast, so I ended up eating it for lunch. We talked to each other for a while after lunch, then went to wash our utensils.
    When everyone was here, we crossed the road to a clearing next to the beach, where we did some rank advancement. We learned new things so that we could get to the rank of Scout in Boy Scouting.
    I was one of the first people to finish all the requirements, so I then went to have a Scoutmaster Conference with Scoutmaster Graham. After that, I went with our Senior Patrol Leader, Christen, to work on the Totin' Chip, which allows you to use a pocketknife, saw, and axe when you go on other camps with your troop.
    I managed to earn the Totin' Chip, so I then went to play at the beach with a few of my friends. We saw a whole "crab army" - we saw at least 25,000 small crabs. After playing on the beach for a few hours, we went back to the campsite to make dinner. For dinner, we were having hamburgers. I helped cut the burgers in half. Edwin did all the cooking, and Leo put the ham and vegetables inside the burger. Because I was vegetarian, I ate burgers with only vegetables in them.
    After that, we built a campfire and started it. We told each other jokes and performed the skits that we had organized under short notice. We planned it over a course of 2 minutes and never practiced it...
    We saw 5 satellites flying together over us, and so we went to the beach to check it out. We also saw Mars and Uranus from the campsite.
    Sleeping was really hard to do. I managed to sleep for a few hours, but then woke up because lots of other people also couldn't sleep and started chatting to each other - really loudly. They then started to play The Game of Life on an Ipad, which was even more annoying because they started talking even more.
    When we woke up the next day, it was a fierce battle between us and the mosquitoes again. The first thing we did was to take down our tents. Next, we went to boil water for breakfast because we were having instant noodles. I ended up eating 2 cups of instant noodles and a slice of bread. We also made ham and cheese sandwiches.
    After that, we did a quick sweep around the large campsite to pick up trash. After that, we went home. Those 2 days were 2 really fun and meaningful days, as I had earned my Scout rank and Totin' Chip.

A Meaningful Night

    My heart was beating fast as I walked to the front of the stage. With confidence, I said my first line, loud and clear.
    "So, what's next?"
     My friends replied me, saying their lines. And soon enough, we were off, swiftly saying our lines.
    Not after long, we reached the conclusion.
    "So the next time you use single-use plastics, think about the next 10 generations after us." I said.
    "'Cause these problems keep getting bigger and bigger." Linnea said.
    "And when these problems actually strike, the whole world will be in crisis." Karen said.
    "So please, when it's child labor or plastic pollution, go home and reconsider all this now." I said.
    "Because if we don't you'll find out soon enough that we're destroying what we call," Karen said.
    "Home, sweet, home." We all said together.
    I heard footsteps behind me as my classmates all stumbled to the front of the stage.
    I heard Linnea's 1st foot tap, signalling for us to get ready.
    And as soon as she was done with her 3rd foot tap, we took a deep breath and started to speak.
    "BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION AND NOT THE POLLUTION, BECAUSE US KIDS, DESERVE A BETTER FUTURE!" We all shouted together.
    The audience clapped and cheered. "Nice job, kids!" I heard Ms. Schneider say as we filed off the stage.
    Success! I thought as I walked back to my seat.
    We had planned this performance for a long time now, and after a month of hard work, we had finally put it into action. The Night of the Notables performance was not over. The Night of the Notables performance was a performance that Grade 5 did every year. The performance was performed for the parents.

Karen, me, and Linnea (from left to right)

    For the performance, the students would split into groups and do some research. After that, we used our own words and eventually made a script. From this experience, I thought that I was able to use my writing skills for a good cause.
    I think that memorizing my lines was somewhat challenging for me. I don't really know why this was a challenge for me, but after a while of practicing and checking my lines again and again, I was able to overcome my challenge and memorize my lines.
    There were also a few things that I learned about myself because of this performance. I learned that I had a better imagination than I expected because I was able to use my writing skills to make meaningful lines for the performance.
    From watching from the other performances, I realized everyone was able to project their voices so that everyone could hear what they said. I also learned a lot about child labor and animal testing because the other classes were able to confer their information pretty well to the audience.
    I wouldn't change anything about the performance because I thought everyone did pretty well.
    I think that I will take a few actions because of the ideas presented at the Night of the Notables performance. I will try to use less plastic and only buy products that do not use animal testing.
    Night of the Notables is a performance that Grade 5 makes every year. And from this performance, we help make the world a better place. If every school in the world did this, the world would be an amazing and peaceful place.
    Because us kids, deserve a better future! Because if this continues, kids in the future generations won't know the true definition of a future. Because they won't have a future.

Slice Of Life #204 - I Don't Know What to Write About - Tuesday, April 23rd, 2019

    I'm now in the car eating apples. I am also reading a Novel Knockout book because I really need to know the book well because me and my team are representing the school in the competition.

    It's drizzling outside, and the sky is blue. I'm currently on my way back home. I'm on my double gold belt now, so I really need to work hard to pass it.

    Today in our school, we celebrated Earth Day. We got to wear our own clothes - that were green or blue or had something to do with the Earth.

    In the Earth day assembly, there were quite a few videos of 1st graders talking to us about why we should compost or do things that benefit the Earth. 

    The videos were really funny, and most of us laughed the whole way.
    I'm almost at home now, so I'm going to go now!
    Bye!

Slice Of Life #198 - A Trip To The Dentist - Wednesday, April 17th, 2019

    Today, I went to the dentist to get something to expand my palate - I think it's a retainer. I am suppose to take out the retainer when I brush my teeth and when I play sports/a thing to expand the space between my teeth.
    I think that I may have to take out the retainer when I am playing my clarinet. This is good because I get to take out the retainer and the retainer doesn't feel very good in my mouth.
    Other than that, I get to take it out whenever I go to P.E. lessons and when I go swimming every week.
    On the other hand, this can be very troublesome because I have to carry the retainer box everywhere I go so I can keep the retainer in the box.
    I'll keep you updated! Bye!

Slice Of Life #186 - To Change The World - Thursday, April 4th, 2019

    Each and every person has the ability to change the world and make it a better place. Today, we had our 2nd Social Change Makers Conference (SCMC). This time, we had only 4 speakers instead of the 7 speakers that we had last time (I think 7).

    Because I was assigned the number 1, I was to go listen to what Dr. Hartini Zainudin had to say first, who was the only non-lawyer that advocates for child rights in Malaysia. Dr. Hartini is one of the co-founders of the Yayasan Chow Kit (Yayasan means foundation in Malay and Chow Kit is a place in Malaysia). Other than that, she also works for the UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees)
   Dr. Hartini's speech really surprised me. Dr. Hartini told us that some children in Malaysia don't have their rights because they are not Malaysian. This didn't really surprise me because Malaysia doesn't welcome refuges. Dr. Hartini then told us that over a 1000 kids were in Malaysian detention centers because they have broken laws or for some reason.

    Dr. Hartini told us that there were two kids the age of 16 that are now in jail for piracy. The two kids actually hijacked a Malaysian ship, and are now sentenced to jail for life. Just not long ago, a Malaysian movie came out called Pascal. I wanted to watch the movie, but then ended up not watching it because we never actually went to the cinema to buy tickets for the movie.
    Dr. Hartini told us that in the beginning of the movie, there was a scene where 2 kids hijacked a ship, and that that scene was actually based on the story of the two 16 years old kids. Now, Dr. Hartini is trying to raise money so that kids in detention centers can have the education that they require. Dr. Hartini and her task force are also now working with the new government to try and get a few kids out of detention centers (because they did nothing wrong) - they want to get at least five between the ages of 10-15 out.
    Next, I went to another class, where I listened to Mr. Arif Fauzy talk about the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Mr. Arif works at the SPCA and also left us with a few interesting facts. According to Mr. Arif, if a male cat is not neutered and a female cat is not spayed (if their reproductive organs are not taken out), over the course of only a few years, the two cats would end up producing lots of cats, which would then produce even more cats, and so on. Over the course of just 9 years, there would be over 11,000 new cats if the cats' reproductive organs are not taken out.
    After that, I went to listen to an advocate for straws talk about the organization that she volunteered in, Tak Nak Straw. In Malay, tak nak means no, so tak nak straw means no straw. Apparently the woman's daughter (I forgot her name) had talked to the managers of the restaurants that she liked to go to and convince them not to use straws anymore. She also talked about plastic and it's effects on the Earth in the ocean. She also showed us a picture of a straw stuck in a turtle, which I thought wasn't very good. I hope that the photographers decided help the turtle take the straw out of it's nose.
    Finally, we had our school librarian, Ms. Suji DeHart, come to talk to us about the composting that's going on at our school. Apparently the composting machine from the old school has been brought here, and we still use it.  

    To use the composting machine, we first have to put our food into a hatch through the top of the machine. The machine then grinds and softens the food so that it can be turned into compost. After about 24 hours, some compost comes out from the bottom of the machine, ready to be used (and the compost smells pretty good). I also learned that the middle school gardening club also uses the compost to plant food and plants and then sell it to our cafeteria, which I found cool because what we're doing is getting the money that we pay them back.
    Every person has the capability to change the world. But to change the world, we have to first put it into action.
    So, as a kid, I strongly believe in the fact that we need to act now before it's too late. So let's go do it.

Slice Of Life #167 - UGH, TRAFFIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Friday, March 15th, 2019

    Traffic can sometimes be very, seriously, extremely, mind-blowingly, triggeringly, exceedingly, exceptionally, extra, tremendously, immensely, vastly, hugely, intensely, extraordinarily, outstandingly,particularly,

supremely, highly, really, annoying and nerveracking.

    Currently, I'm stuck in serious traffic because a crane fell off it's trailer and totally blocked the whole road. And, to make it worse, it's a total standstill. We're literally moving about 5 meters in 5 minutes. According to Waze, a traffic/directions map, it's going to be 7pm until I finally reach home. We've been stuck in this traffic for 45 minutes already and have only managed to move about 800 meters, which I  can cover In approximately 3 minutes and 9 seconds.

    Looking out my window, I can see a motorcyclist, clearly frustrated because our car is blocking his way (we're trying to cut into the other lane). Fortunately, he's being patient and waiting until the traffic starts moving again.

    Now, another motorcyclist is telling the other motorcyclist to reverse and cut into the next lane, so the motorcyclist is finally gone.

    YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    The tow truck is coming! The satisfying sound of hearing sirens of the police escorting the tow truck with motorbikes!

    Somehow, the police have managed to clear the traffic and the tow truck is quickly moving towards the collapse crane.

    Let's just hope that the traffic going to clear soon!

Slice Of Life #165 - Course Selection - Wednesday, March 13th, 2019

    As Grade 6 gets closer and closer for me, there are some things that I need to do in order to get prepared for it.
    One of the things that I need to do is course selection. In our school, for Grade 6, we are required to choose a few courses that we want to take.
    There are a few required subjects, which include math, science, humanities (reading, writing, and social studies - there is more than 1 subject to cover in humanities class, so it covers 2 parts of our day), P.E. (physical education), and world language. These are the core subjects that we are required to take. They all cover 6 parts of our day - six 45 mins classes (we don't have all the core classes every day). For world language, I think that I'll take Spanish, as I've studied Spanish for 6 years already, and I don't want to give it up. I'll probably be taking Chinese after school.
    But the core subjects aren't the only subjects that we take. We also have "wheel" subjects, which rotate every trimester. Health and Drama are required, but we get to choose from art or service learning. I think that I'm going to choose service learning, because in service learning, we get to work on a project that contributes to the community and put it to action. Each "wheel" subject lasts 1 trimester (basically semester, but there are 3 semesters - trimesters).
    Other than that, we are required to do music. I want to continue playing the clarinet instead of learning a new instrument, so I think that I'm going to do junior band (after beginning band - I think advanced band is for 8th graders). I can also choose choir or strings, but I don't really want to do those activities.
     We're going to be getting our schedules for Grade 6 near the end of May. I wonder how my schedule's going to be like, but I do hope that it's not to hard to memorize! I'm looking forward to starting Grade 6!

Slice of Life #156 - Tuesday, February 26th, 2019 - RUN, RUN, RUN!

    "On your marks," I heard the race starter say. I tensed up, looking straight forward.
    And a few seconds later, I heard the gunshot. BANG! I was confused. Wasn't he supposed to say "set" first? I thought so, but the gunshot meant to start running, and so without thinking about anything else, I started to break into a slow sprint. There were about 6 people in front of me, and about 8 people behind me. I started to run even faster, being mindful not to run too fast because I didn't want to lose all my energy to quickly.
    I was running the 800 meters, and this was it. I was representing my school at the competition, and the time I got here was final. I then slowed down into a jog, trying to cut into the first lane. Because the first lane was so crowded, I tripped trying to get in.
    Oh, no! I thought. I knew that even though I was falling, it wouldn't do me any bad to try and get even further. Thinking fast, I took a few fast steps, trying to stop my fall. But it didn't work. Instead, I was running slanting upwards, falling as I was running. Next, I put my hands in front of me to brace my fall.
    I felt my hands being scraped as I made contact with the wet track. Knowing that I couldn't waste anymore time, I got up and kept on running. About 5 people had already passed me by now, and I had to get my pace back.
    Seeing the people ahead of me, I started to pick up the pace and run a little faster. After overtaking the people, I started to increase my speed a little so they wouldn't be able to catch up.
    I then heard the sound of a bell, which was to signal that we were done (or almost done, at least) with the first lap. I started to run even faster, keeping in mind that there were people behind me. Passing by the "athletes' village", I heard the sound of my teammates cheering for me. My hands still burned from the scrape I had got from the fall, but at least my hand wasn't bleeding. Nearing the last 200 meters, I didn't speed up, but instead told myself that I needed to save energy for the finish. I was going to sprint at the finish and try and catch up to the person in front of me.
    Nearing the last 100 meters, I recognized a line from our track at school. And when I saw that white line, it was my cue to start to sprint.
    And so, I started to sprint. I started to sprint like mad. I felt like I was going to die, but I told myself that I was really close to the finish line, and so I was going to finish this race.
    I took a big leap as I crossed the finish line and dipped down so my chest would cross first (as that's what really counts - if your chest crosses the finish line first, you win).
    I took deep breaths in and out. Now that the race was over, I was going to get more fresh air, as that was what I really needed.
    I walked back to the athletes village (which is kinda' like our base camp) and opened up my food. I needed to eat some more, for I had the 200m sprint later in the day.
    To fill up the time, I decided to watch a few other events.
    But at last, it came. I tensed up at the finish line, and waited for the gunshot. As soon as you hear the gunshot, run! I told myself. BANG! The race starter fired the gun. I started to sprint and use up all the energy that I had. In the last 100 meters, a kid cut into my lane. What? Don't you get disqualified for cutting into other people's lanes? I thought.
    But I kept running. Nearing the finish line, I tried to run faster, but the kid was blocking my way. I didn't want to exit my lane, for I didn't want to get disqualified. After the race, I told the judge, but the judge replied me and said: "I think you can do that in the 200 meters."
    What? Why would you be able to cut into the first lane in the 200 meters if lane 8 gets about a 25 meter head start than lane 1?
    And because the kid cheated - I was sure he knew the rules - I came in 4th place.
    I went back to the athletes village, disappointed, but told myself that it wasn't the end of the world.
    After a few minutes, I heard Ms. Val, one of our PE teachers, ask: "Where's Zhi Hong?"
    "Here," I replied.
    "Mr. Balsamo needs you!" She called back.
    "Congratulations, you're on the relay team." Mr. Balsamo said.
    "Wait, wh-" I was cut off before I could finish.
    "Matthew's injured. You're his replacement."
    I knew I had to go. The original backup had quit, and if I didn't go in, we wouldn't do very well in the relay.
    I jogged up to the starting line. I didn't have long to talk to my teammates, but what we said to each other would have to do. The race was starting.
    BANG! I heard the gunshot in the distance. I saw all the runners start to sprint. I watched, my eyes fixed on the baton as it was passed on to Greg. I watched as Greg sprinted up to me.
    "BATON!" He yelled as I started to pick up speed. I felt the baton slide into my hand, and I started to sprint like mad. My legs were short, but I just had to make do. I moved my legs as fast as I could, focused on nothing but the track.
    "BATON!" I yelled to Alan and he started to jog. I shoved the baton into his hands and he clenched it hard. And then, he started to sprint.
    Overall, we finished 5th, but technically, we finished 3rd because a school had cut into our lane during the relay (which results in disqualification), and another school had dropped their baton during the relay (which also results in disqualification).
    But it didn't matter. Because today, was supposed to be all about fun.

Slice of Life #153 - Chinese New Year! - Tuesday, February 5th, 2019

    Okay... I will have to rush this post because it is currently 11pm at night, and I want to sleep soon.
    I am now in the car, enjoying the ride back home. I almost forgot to slice today, as it has been a very busy day because today is Chinese New Year.
    Yesterday, I went to my grandparents house. We stayed overnight for one night. Yesterday, for dinner, my mom cooked some food (that tasted pretty good - Thanks, mom!) Other than that, we also brought some 'Lou Sang' from KL to eat, which is a mixture of a bunch of foods. We mix it together with chopsticks (although we used forks this time for no reason) and eat it.
    Today, we had spaghetti for breakfast, which my mother cooked. I also got a few red packets from my relatives, which is one of my favourite parts of Chinese New Year - free money!
    I also went to one of our relative's house, where other relatives of mine would come and we would get together once a year - I got more red packets!
    I didn't really get a lot of lunch because I wasn't very hungry. For dinner, we went outside to eat, but in my opinion, the food wasn't very good.
    After dinner, we went back to my grandparents's house to pack up and get organised, before going to the Lost World of Tambun, which is a theme park.
    Woah! I just lost my tooth! It fell! And I'm talking right now, as I'm writing this post!
    Anyways, in the Lost World of Tambun, we brought a explorer pass, which is basically a yearly pass, which means that we can enter anytime we want (one entry per day) for exactly a year and 5 days (I don't know why the 5 days part is there, but it's extra, so I'll take it!)
    And that was my experience for this year's Chinese New Year. We got to get together as a family, which, from what I know, is a very important part of Chinese New Year - getting together as one big family. One big, united family.

Slice of Life #150 - School's Started! - January 15th, 2019, Tuesday

    Okay. This calls for some celebration (although you may think this statement is weird). School's reopened, which means that I finally won't be bored with nothing to do at home now. Other than that, I'll finally get to see my friends - without having to look of a picture of them on computer screens (we video call) - again!

    Because school's started, it does mean a few things; I'm busy again. I've been selected to represent my school in 800 meter running (I ran 800 meters in 3 minutes 34 seconds), which means that I have to go for practice every Monday and Friday for 1 hour for 6 weeks until the competition. Yesterday was the first training session, and I thought that it was pretty fun, although somewhat tiring. Because it was raining, we broke up our training session into 2 parts. 30 minutes for the fitness circuit, and 30 minutes for running. Normally, the training would be broken into 3 parts, 20 minutes for where you would be practicing your specified event, 20 minutes for the fitness circuit -  a cool course that the teachers set up that would give all your muscles a workout. During the fitness circuit, I would focus more on the cardio parts in the training to train my cardio muscles - and finally 20 minutes for something else (I'm not very clear on that part, but I do know that if you were a thrower you would be using some weights (shot put throwers), and that you may also practice your event again (or maybe I'll do some cardio exercise or something).

    I also have quite some homework to do for the week (we get a week to complete all our homework - we get a week's worth of homework on Monday and have a week to complete it). Fortunately, I managed to finish most of the online homework yesterday, which is very good. I also have some band assignments that I plan to complete after I finish writing this slice, because I already know how to play the song we have to play to complete the assignment online. After I complete my band assignments, I plan to do some piano practice. I need to brush up on my scales and one exercise, which should take me about 10 minutes.

    Currently, I am working on a crossword puzzle about states of matter, which I am almost done with - I need 4 more words to complete. Other than that, I also have to complete the math review sheet which is given out to only 5th graders - in elementary school, at least - to complete. To be honest, I usually find the math review sheet easy, mainly because the sheet's supposed to be a REVIEW, not a worksheet that's supposed to take you hours and hours. In my opinion, this week's math review sheet, is EXTRA EASY, as the questions are really easy (should be easy to understand).  

    Okay, now that I've told you about life, I think that I should really start focusing on completing what I told you I needed to complete now. See you next week!

Slice Of Life #148 - A Helping Hand - Tuesday 1/1/2019 (Happy New Year, by the way...)

    Mist materialized from my mouth as I breathed the cold air of Turkey. I bowed, my hands in front of me, carrying an envelope. 

    "Shukran," (Which meant thank you in Syrian.) I said to the man in front of me, looking straight into his eyes.

    The man picked me up and kissed me on the forehead, accepting the envelope. "Thank you, thank you. Thank you very much." 

    And in the envelope, was money. Money to help them live good lives. Money to help them buy food and pay the rental for their house.

    And the man, was a refugee. A Syrian refugee.

    And me, I was here to give love to them. An infinite amount of love.

    I gave the man a firm handshake.
    This was Turkey. 97% Asia, 3% Europe, and about 2°C. Yeah, it was cold here.

    Me and my family were in Turkey to help the Syrian refugees. We were actually supposed to be going to go to Vietnam on holiday, but cancelled the trip because of this opportunity to come to Turkey to help the Syrian refugees. 

    We had come with a non-profit organisation called Tzu-Chi Foundation. This opportunity to see and go into the lives of Syrian refugees was a rare opportunity, so we decided to go take a look. Other than that, we were also helping the refugees, letting them live better lives.

    The day before, we had given out backpacks to the children in the international school Tzu-Chi had opened for the Syrian refugees. All of the students in the school were refugees from Syria, but if you looked at the enormous smile on their faces, you would never be able to decipher the fact that they were refugees. 

    The kids in the school all had talent. Real talent. They performed and sung some amazing and wondrous songs to welcome us to Turkey. If any of them become a world known singer one day, I wouldn't be surprised. 
    Other than that, when we were giving out financial aid to the refugees (the adults), a kid came to me to say thank you. At first, I didn't know what he was trying to tell me, but when I found out, I was very touched. The kid had came just to say thank you to me, just because of a backpack. And sometimes, we take things for granted. We complain because we don't get what we want, but to them, to the refugees, something little to us, is something big for them.

    The next day, we conducted some home visits, where we went to some refugees's homes to visit them. One case we went to stood out from the others. 

    The family was a family of 8, containing 3 boys and 3 girls. The oldest kid (or teenager, I should say) in the family was 18 years old, while the youngest was 3 years old. They had all been born in Syria, and had escaped to Turkey. Their father was sent to jail for doing nothing wrong, and was in jail for 3 years before he was released.

    After being helped by some organization, their father was able to go to Turkey. Unfortunately, the soldiers came again, and asked the kids in the family where their father was, but they didn't know. 

    Because of all that, the soldiers assumed that their father was against them (the party), and the family, including the kids, soon found themselves in damp cells filled with mice, separated from each other.
    I don't know who made up this theory, but it's the worst theory I've ever heard of, I thought. For god's sake, they were kids! Why send them to jail for doing nothing wrong? Even worse, why torture the kids? Why make them live in such a miserable place? You've literally taken their dreams away. For the rest of their lives, they're probably going to be scared!
    In jail, they got severely tortured. Some of them got raped, while something happened to one of the kid's legs, but I have no idea what. Let's just say it didn't look very good.

    One year later, the two parties made a trade. One party would return all the soldiers that were taken captive, while the other would have to release all their prisoners. Because of the deal that was made between the two parties, the family was released from jail.

    Throughout a lot of sophisticated work, the family finally gained contact with each other and were able to unite in Turkey. We also found out that the family had only moved into the room they were renting for 15 days (so far) only. After they shared their story, lots of people's eyes were teary and watery. I looked at the kids' face. Their smile had drifted away from their faces, and on their face was a frown. Together with the family, I shared their grief and madness, and was also mad at the people for starting this prolonged war. They had beaten their father so bad that something was wrong with his bones, and he wasn't able to lift his hands up higher than his heads. The most he could go was to his ears. I felt really bad for them.

    We also got to learn about and meet some people who came from Syria. I got to meet a 16 years old girl named Najwa Muhammad Khalf. But Najwa's life was a sad and deary one. Najwa lost both her legs during the bombings in the war-torn city of Aleppo, but managed to be rescued by relatives and escaped to the Turkish border about 1,200km away. Not only did she have to deal with her legs, she also had to deal with the grief from losing all 11 members of her family, as they were all killed. Fortunately, she has now been given some prosthetic legs, and is now able to walk like a normal person. In the future, Najwa wants to be a doctor so she can help other people in need.
    I also got to meet Ahmed Jned, who was 21 years old, and I thought that he had a great story behind him. He escaped from Syria carrying some clothes, some essentials, but also something that he really valued. His test results. He came to Turkey to seek education, and really wanted to complete his studies. Unfortunately, when he came to Turkey, he realized that he needed to work to earn a living. Now, after his working hours, he comes to the international school that Tzu Chi set up to learn. 
    When asked what he thought the leaders of the parties that were fighting in Syria were thinking in their minds, he came up with an answer that I think is a very short but powerful answer: "Maybe they don't have a mind." In the future, he wishes to become a pharmacist.
    I felt really bad for all these refugees. They were forced to leave their homes, the place that they had grown up in. The country that they loved. They were forced to leave that country. The country, that to them, was their homeland. All because of the war. And every one of them, had a different story to tell. For some of them, they had developed a trauma because of the war, while for others, the war had erased the smile and expression off their faces. This war, had brought our planet, the beautiful planet Earth, into a whole new dimension. A sad, deary, dimension. All the CO2 emissions because of the war. All the people dead because of the war. All the innocent people, once a civilian, now a refugee, just because of the war. But refugees, are still human beings. Homo-sapiens. And there is something I strongly believe in. I strongly believe in giving back to the community, and I think that it's our responsibility to help the Syrian refugees in any way we can.

Slice Of Life #141 - International Fest - Tuesday, 13/11/2018 - Happened on 9/11/2018

    Last Friday, we had an event that we have every year - International Fest. But this year, it was really exciting for me. Because I was the oldest Malaysian in the elementary division of the school, I was going to be leading the flag parade with the "oldest Malaysian whose been here the longest", "non-Malaysian student whose been here the longest", "youngest Malaysian", and the "youngest Malaysian whose been here the longest". I was also going to carry our school flag and be in the front of the parade with the principal. Because it was decided that I was going to lead the parade near the end of the school day, I didn't have to go to the practice, which meant that I didn't have to miss band - this happened the day before the parade.
    Before the parade started, I went to the very front of the line. The oldest grade (in this case, grade 5), would lead the parade, followed by all the younger grades. For some reason, the principal became very strict about not going in front of us (for the "normal" kids). High school percussion came to play for us, and I felt good for them because I think they got excused from class (not that I don't like to learn, because I love school). But on the other hand, I felt bad for some of them, because they were carrying really big drums - and they were using their shoulder to support all the weight.
    The parade was supposed to end in the amphitheater, where we would do talk about the nationalities we had in the school. I saw the kindergarten kids waving at us from below. "How old are you?" I asked the girl who was the youngest whose been here the longest.
    "5." She replied.
     I thought about what grade she would be in. She was probably either in prep-junior or senior, and had probably joined in prep-reception. We walked throughout the school, "collecting" all the kids from all the different grades. The cleaners were "hiding" in the toilets, taking pictures with their phones, looking at all the commotion.
    When we reached the amphitheater, I didn't really know what to do because I was not at the practice. Apparently all I had to do was walk to the front and stand on the "stage". I thought that it was really unfair because the person carrying the Malaysian flag wasn't even Malaysian.
    This year, it was a little different. Like always, when your country was called, you would stand up and wave your flag provided by the school - your own country's flag, at least (and make some noise, if you want to). The country you got on your flag depended on what your passport was (that was registered with the school) But this year, when the country was called, the flag bearer of that country would walk up to the middle and place it in one of the 6 the pots in the middle, unlike the previous years, where you only got to carry the flag during the parade. In the previous years, after the parade, you would give it to an adult, who would help you put it in the pot. Other than that, this was the first year we were doing it outdoors, as usually it would be indoors, in the studio. If it rained during the ceremony, it would take place in the gym, but fortunately, it didn't rain, and we got to do it in the amphitheater.
    Because the flags were being called in alphabetical order, Malaysia, my beautiful country, was called in the middle. Lots of people stood up and make noise. I cheered, although I didn't have a flag - I gave mine to the little kids that led the parade (the youngest in the school, and the youngest that had been here the oldest - if that makes any sense to you). After the parade, we were called up to the front and acknowledged.
    After the parade, we had art class, and after that, we had recess. And during that time, I FINALLY MET MY 3RD GRADE TEACHER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
   Unfortunately, all my teachers, beside my 4th grade and 5th grade teacher (in other words, my current teacher), have left. And now my 5th grade teacher is retiring after this year. That leaves only my 4th grade teacher. She said that she would be going to my graduation, which is good (like, she promised...)
    I talked to my REALLY, AMAZINGLY, INSANELY, SURPRISINGLY, SERIOUSLY, EXCELLENT, MARVELOUS, SKILLED, TALENTED, GOOD - really, Ms. Victor (I guess I say that to every one of my teachers)  - teacher before I went to play. We were supposed to have our snack together, but people were getting her to go here and there, and we couldn't find her. Fortunately, I was able to talk to her during lunch time. After a few minutes, I said goodbye as I walked to class.

Social Change Makers Conference (SCMC) - Tuesday, 9th October, 2018 / Thursday, 11th October, 2018

    Changing the world isn't the work of one person. Changing the world is the responsibility of every human in the world. Everybody in the world has a big responsibility that lies on their shoulders. The world is filled with people who are being the change the wanted to see. On Tuesday, the 9th of October 2018, we had a small part of our Social Change Makers Conference (SCMC). Dr. Teh Kok Hoi, who is a pediatrician and works in the cancer ward in the KL Children's Hospital.

Dr. Teh speaking to us.

    In my opinion, I think Dr. Teh was very passionate about what he was doing. I think he sub-sub-specialized because he told us that he was a pediatric hematologist and oncologist. I think most of what he was doing was trying to get us to go to the hospital to go care for the patients. He talked to us about how the patients needed to believe that they could get cured, have hope, and have a family to support them. Unfortunately, I didn't really learn much from his talk because my dad is a pediatrician and I already know quite a lot about medical things (not to brag, but I know lots of medical terms and what they mean).

Meeting the refugees and Janine Williams

   
On Thursday, October 11th, we had more people come to talk to us - it was the official SCMC day, but Dr. Teh was occupied on Thursday, so he came to talk to us last Tuesday. We had Janine Williams come, who volunteered at the Chin Women's Organization (CWO). She brought a few refugees with her, and I thought that what they were doing was great. I felt bad for the refugees (well, I felt bad for them the whole time) because of what happened to them. Ester, who was 13 years old, but she didn't remember how she escaped from her country, because she was 7 at the time. Stephen was not so lucky. He was 17 years old and remembered the terrible story of how he escaped. He was crammed into a car with lots of other people and was secretly driven past the Malaysian border from Thailand. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are 161,140 refugees registered with UNHCR in Malaysia - as for the night of Wednesday, October 10th, 2018. There are 139,740 of the refugees registered with UNHCR are from Myanmar, 77,130 of them from Chin, which is a state in Myanmar. Unfortunately, refugees don't have many rights in Malaysia (more like no rights...), but our new prime minister is working to give them more rights. When I asked the refugees what they wanted to do with their lives, Stephen wants to be a musician, while Ester wants to be a singer.
    Other than that, we had Swan Tan come as a representative of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). She told us about what they were doing in Malaysia, which included exploring the natural habitats of Malayan tigers. WWF Malaysia was established in 1972. They held anti-poaching patrols, and if they found any clues, they would work with the government to find the poachers. She told us that WWF Malaysia was in charge of about 90 environmental protection and sustainability projects. They also put cameras in forests so they can see what the animals in the forests are doing. The Malayan Tigers are currently endangered (there are now only 250), and they are working to raise the population of the tigers.

Naima Ismail advocating the rights of refugees
 and how they don't have free healthcare.

    We also had Naima Ismail come, who helped the Health Equity Initiatives (HEI) as a translator, and founded the Somali Women's Association Malaysia (SWAM). If refugees had a UNHCR card/UN letter, they would have 50% discounts in public government hospitals, but that would still be a lot of money for them, because even if an operation was 30,000, they would still have to pay 15,000, and they probably would not be able to afford it. As a kid, Naima lived in Somalia (and is from Somalia) and underwent sexual abuse, as boys would always beat up her and her brother. Unfortunately, according to their tradition, girls that didn't stay in their house would bring shame to their family and community, and I am VERY AGAINST THAT. Currently, she is working to give refugees free healthcare and advocate refugee rights in Malaysia, because unfortunately, refugees don't have many rights in Malaysia. Fortunately, our new prime minister is working to give refugees more rights in Malaysia so they live a normal life.

Me (in the gray shirt) getting Siti Kasim's signature.
I seem happy, right?

   


But what I was really looking forward to, was to see Siti Kasim talk to us. She was a lawyer and activist, and everybody knew her. She fought for the indigenous people of Malaysia, the Orang Asli. Unfortunately, people are trying to take away land from the Orang Asli. One of the most recent cases involved of 10,000 acres of their land trying to be taken away and be made into a durian plantation. While I loved durian (yeah, I LOVE it), I am also VERY AGAINST THAT. She and some other lawyers are trying to educate the Orang Asli about their rights, and fortunately, they are setting up blockades so people cannot take their land to stand their ground. She does all this without getting any return, which I think is great because she is doing good things but not asking for anything back. The company actually offered Siti bribes, but she rejected them all (thank you for rejecting them!) - and I got her signature!

Munira's great slides

Munira Hamid introducing us to the
Pertiwi Soup Kitchen.

    We also had Munirah Hamid come, who was the founder of the Pertiwi Soup Kitchen. She provided food and medical services for the homeless & poor who didn't have any soup to eat. As a child, her mom always told her to do what she thought was right, and if she wanted to do something, she had to actually take action and do it instead of just wanting to do it. And when she saw lots of homeless & poor on the streets, she decided to give them some food to eat. The Pertiwi Soup Kitchen provides 4 meals a week to the homeless, and usually they are from 9-10pm. They also would provide medical services so they all wouldn't have wounds or scars on their body.

Ana and Amy Popovich speaking to us about Trash Heroes

    Ana Popovich is a 7th grader in our school and does weekly cleanups with her mom, Amy Popovich, who is a math teacher (and she also teaches in our school). She told us about a recent case, they found 20 kilos of plastic in a whale, which was why it died. When on holiday, they found out about Trash Heroes and they emailed the Trash Heroes organization, and they started a chapter in KL. There are 6 Trash Hero chapters in Malaysia. So far, their chapter has collected 3458kg of trash, which is NOT GOOD. They also make audits, and they send the information to various organizations. They also introduced us to Eco-Bricks, which are ways of using trash that cannot be recycled to build things. Something I found surprising was the fact that there is a school built of Eco-Bricks. I think this is actually a great idea, because they probably bend better instead of bricks, and if they were to fall, they wouldn't hurt as much as normal bricks falling on you. So far, they have 512 volunteers and have organized 48 cleanups so far.
    All these people are doing things to make a difference in the world. They are not looking to be popular, but are looking to make a difference in the world. They all are from different organizations, but have something related in their blood. They all know that if they want something to change in the world, they have to make that action and "be the change you want to see in the world", like Mahatma Gandhi previously said. In the end, we left them with RM500 to help them with their cause. These notable people left us with a valuable lesson, and that is to do what you think is right.