- I have just finished taking a bath.
- I'm going to be rushing this post as I want to be done before 9pm tonight.
- I'm working on my piano homework about transposition, which is SO HARD. I spent 30 minutes working on it yesterday and yet I'm still not done.
- For those of you that don't know, musical transposition is when you have a series of notes and you transpose them (well, I guess that's not a very good definition because I'm just repeating the same thing 😅) a certain amount.
- See it this way: You have a series of numbers and you have to increase them by a certain amount (ie. 5, so if the numbers were 10, 13, 15, the answers would be 15, 18, 20. Except that it's about 10 times harder to do that in musical theory). That's what transposition is.
Showing posts with label persistent.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label persistent.. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Slice Of Life #292 - Currently... - Tuesday, July 21st, 2020
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Slice Of Life #254 - IGCSE Oral Exam - Tuesday, March 17th, 2020
My heart was beating fast and hard as if it was too big for my chest to contain it anymore. I took a few deep breaths, focusing on the task at hand.
Before I even anticipated it, my invigilator came to the preparation room. "Hi, Zhi Hong," She said to me nicely. "I'm your examiner for today."
I followed her into the examination room. She clicked the record button, then read out all my information, including my candidate number before we started the actual test. I was taken aback: I had no idea the test was going to be like that. I had practiced a lot before the test but had had no idea what the examiner was going to do during the actual exam.
I was about to find out.
"We will now start the role play," The examiner told me. She read out all the instructions in Malay and started talking to me. I played along as I was told to (I was given a card telling me what to do during the role play and 15 minutes to prepare so I would know what to do during the exam).
After the role-play, it was time for my prepared topic, where I had written an essay about Chinese New Year and had memorized it in advance. I was most scared about this - I was scared about forgetting what I was going to say. Somehow, I managed to find the strength to remain calm even with the stressful circumstances. I said everything smoothly, without a single mistake.
After that, it was time for the free talk, which was a conversation with the examiner. I found that part especially easy, as all the questions that the examiner asked me were easy to respond to. There were a few questions that posed a challenge to me, but I managed to get through them without the examiner knowing that I was being challenged by the question (I managed to hide it).
In the end, I managed to get through the exam without a problem and went home happy!
Before I even anticipated it, my invigilator came to the preparation room. "Hi, Zhi Hong," She said to me nicely. "I'm your examiner for today."
I followed her into the examination room. She clicked the record button, then read out all my information, including my candidate number before we started the actual test. I was taken aback: I had no idea the test was going to be like that. I had practiced a lot before the test but had had no idea what the examiner was going to do during the actual exam.
I was about to find out.
"We will now start the role play," The examiner told me. She read out all the instructions in Malay and started talking to me. I played along as I was told to (I was given a card telling me what to do during the role play and 15 minutes to prepare so I would know what to do during the exam).
After the role-play, it was time for my prepared topic, where I had written an essay about Chinese New Year and had memorized it in advance. I was most scared about this - I was scared about forgetting what I was going to say. Somehow, I managed to find the strength to remain calm even with the stressful circumstances. I said everything smoothly, without a single mistake.
After that, it was time for the free talk, which was a conversation with the examiner. I found that part especially easy, as all the questions that the examiner asked me were easy to respond to. There were a few questions that posed a challenge to me, but I managed to get through them without the examiner knowing that I was being challenged by the question (I managed to hide it).
In the end, I managed to get through the exam without a problem and went home happy!
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Slice Of Life #246 - Badminton - Tuesday, January 14th, 2020
I smashed the ball hard, then took two steps to the middle of the court. I turned quickly and ran towards the net to hit a drop shot. Then, I turned again and repeated the same thing.
I was at my badminton class. My teacher was a person who used to play doubles for the Malaysian team. "Come on!" He urged me. "Keep going!"
I was taking badminton lessons more frequently now, especially because my teacher wanted to train up my skills in certain areas because he thought that I had the potential to train in his "elite group". Today, he was training my ability to react to drop shots and hit the ball to the back of the court to try and make the opponent run.
My badminton coach's goal for me was to hit 20 consecutive shots running back and forth, but I had passed that goal by a lot, as I was already at 80 shots. I breathed short, shallow breaths as I ran back and forth, clutching my badminton racket.
Time flew as I hit the ball again and again. Finally, I managed to get to 150 consecutive shots before my coach stopped me. "Great job," He said.
I grinned from ear to ear. I had done it.
I was at my badminton class. My teacher was a person who used to play doubles for the Malaysian team. "Come on!" He urged me. "Keep going!"
I was taking badminton lessons more frequently now, especially because my teacher wanted to train up my skills in certain areas because he thought that I had the potential to train in his "elite group". Today, he was training my ability to react to drop shots and hit the ball to the back of the court to try and make the opponent run.
My badminton coach's goal for me was to hit 20 consecutive shots running back and forth, but I had passed that goal by a lot, as I was already at 80 shots. I breathed short, shallow breaths as I ran back and forth, clutching my badminton racket.
Time flew as I hit the ball again and again. Finally, I managed to get to 150 consecutive shots before my coach stopped me. "Great job," He said.
I grinned from ear to ear. I had done it.
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Slice Of Life #241 - Tents in the Rain - Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019
I opened my eyes and yawned. I stretched my arms wide and looked outside. I saw lots of tents already set up, with lots of kids running around, having lots of fun. Finally, I thought to myself. We're here!
Along with the others, I got off the bus.
"Patrol leaders," Our scoutmaster, Scoutmaster Graham, said to us. "Please come with me."
Because I was a patrol leader, I went with Scoutmaster Graham. It turned out that we needed to choose a camping spot for our patrol. We decided to camp in one big circle just for that sense of safety (I don't know about you, but I feel safer that way). Scoutmaster Graham then told us that it was now up to us patrol leaders to coordinate setting up the tents.
"Guys, if you're in my patrol, please come with me!" I told my patrol. "We need to set up the tents."
Everyone in my patrol followed. Suddenly, I heard a loud, rumbling sound. I looked up to where it had come from. I saw grey clouds overhead. They looked as if they were staring down at me like they were about to do something bad.
And indeed, they did. There were only mere seconds before I felt the small drops of water plummet down to the ground. Before I felt the rain speaks to me in a language I couldn't understand. Before I felt like the rain was shouting at me and asking me to run away.
And so, I did. I ran towards one of the cars to unload the tents. "Run, everyone!"
I sprinted like my life depended on it. Now it had seemed like the sky had revealed it's sheer power, the rain really tormenting us now. It seemed like the rain had some communication to the ground too, with countless muddy puddles on the ground.
I snatched a tent from the car, ran to the piece of flat ground that we were going to put it in, and ripped open the bag. My friend quickly pulled the tent out and quickly laid it on the ground.
Great, I thought to myself. Now our tent is wet.
I started to frantically connect the tent poles as fast as I could. After connecting them, I frantically put the poles into the flaps for them in the tent. I raised the tent and staked it to the ground. Fortunately, my friend helped put the rain fly on before even more water got into the tent.
"Get in!" I shouted to my friend.
I lied down inside the tent and wiped myself off with my towels. After that, I didn't do anything for a good 3 minutes, relaxing and enjoying the amazing sound of the rain trickling off my tent.
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Slice Of Life #239 - High Achievers Award - Tuesday, November 19th, 2019
"Chan Zhi Hong, High Achievers Award." The emcee said as I walked up the stage. I gave the woman a firm handshake.
"Congratulations," She said to me as she handed me my certificate.
"Thank you," I said, walking down the stage.
I had been selected for the High Achievers Award for piano in my respective grade. I had successfully managed to secure 98% on my grade 1 piano practical exam. To get the High Achievers Award, you had to secure the 2nd highest score in your respective grade in your state (which means that someone got at least 99% on their exam - like, how?).
I had managed to secure the 2nd highest score along with a few others in this section (3 others got the same grades as me), and therefore had earned the High Achievers Award, which was why I was at this auditorium with lots of other talented musicians to claim my award.
I had woken up early that morning and ate a light breakfast (I didn't feel like having a heavy breakfast). My piano teacher had also come to watch me claim this award.
There were many people performing at the event. The performers were all award winners, and honestly, they were all a lot better than me.
There were also two people who managed to claim the exhibition award. They had managed to get the highest marks in the whole country to get this award. There was also one last award, but I forgot the name of the award. To get this, you had to get the most marks and best grade for your category.
I was (and still am) very satisfied with the results that I've got in my exam. I'm going to keep working hard and I hope that I can earn this award next time.
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Slice Of Life #213 - Band Concert - Tuesday, May 14th, 2019
We all quietly filed onto the stage. I clutched my clarinet tight. Looking up towards the audience, I could see lots of eyes staring down at us. I heard the Gamelan players play songs beside me.
I carefully took my seat on the chair and opened my file. My friend, Aidan, took out the pieces that we were going to play for the concert. Then, we put our clarinets in rest position.
I watched as Leo and Sahana walked towards the podium. "Welcome to the Grade 5 band's portion of tonight's performance. Thank you for coming."
They were telling the audience about our first selection for tonight. After they finished talking, my band teacher waited until they were ready. Then, she checked the percussion section to make sure that they were ready.
Ms. Endel, my music teacher's, hands went up. My instrument went up to my face. And with 4 swift movements of her hands, I took a deep breath and started to play.
After 4 measures, the rest of the band joined in. Not after long, we finished the song. Then, we started playing the woodwind features. The flutists played a short part of the Nutcracker, our oboist played the Snake Charmer, the clarinetists played The Lion Sleeps Tonight, and the saxophones played Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
After that, we played Dance of the Jabberwocky. Then, the brass section and percussionists played a few songs.
Finally, we played The Tempest. We had been learning how to play our instruments for a year now, and we were now ready. I watched my music teacher's hands move quickly. I took a deep breath and played a deep, concentrated sound.
The song lasted for about 2 minutes. At the end of the song, we all stood up. Everyone clapped for us. They clapped for about 20 seconds (and I'm not exaggerating).
Our principal, Ms. Julie, came up onto the stage to say a few words. After she was done, we all walked off the stage with delight. I smiled, knowing that our parents were obviously amazed.
I smiled and stepped off the stage.
I carefully took my seat on the chair and opened my file. My friend, Aidan, took out the pieces that we were going to play for the concert. Then, we put our clarinets in rest position.
I watched as Leo and Sahana walked towards the podium. "Welcome to the Grade 5 band's portion of tonight's performance. Thank you for coming."
They were telling the audience about our first selection for tonight. After they finished talking, my band teacher waited until they were ready. Then, she checked the percussion section to make sure that they were ready.
Ms. Endel, my music teacher's, hands went up. My instrument went up to my face. And with 4 swift movements of her hands, I took a deep breath and started to play.
After 4 measures, the rest of the band joined in. Not after long, we finished the song. Then, we started playing the woodwind features. The flutists played a short part of the Nutcracker, our oboist played the Snake Charmer, the clarinetists played The Lion Sleeps Tonight, and the saxophones played Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
After that, we played Dance of the Jabberwocky. Then, the brass section and percussionists played a few songs.
Finally, we played The Tempest. We had been learning how to play our instruments for a year now, and we were now ready. I watched my music teacher's hands move quickly. I took a deep breath and played a deep, concentrated sound.
The song lasted for about 2 minutes. At the end of the song, we all stood up. Everyone clapped for us. They clapped for about 20 seconds (and I'm not exaggerating).
Our principal, Ms. Julie, came up onto the stage to say a few words. After she was done, we all walked off the stage with delight. I smiled, knowing that our parents were obviously amazed.
I smiled and stepped off the stage.
Monday, April 29, 2019
Slice of Life #210 - On The Highway - Monday, April 29th, 2019
Tomorrow's the last day of April, and I happen to have a math test tomorrow. Tomorrows math test is one of the big tests of the year, so I have to sleep early tonight. Later, I have a troop meeting to go to - for Boy Scouts.
Last week, I received our troop t-shirt, so I have more than one choice when it comes to picking what to wear for Boy Scout meetings now.
I am now on my way to my Chinese class. I have to go down on time from my Chinese class on time on all Mondays now because my troop meeting is after my Chinese class.
Recently, I also managed to earn my double gold belt. I'm also very happy because I managed to get 100 marks on my piano theory exam.
I don't have anything to write about now, so I'm going to leave and go read now! Bye!
Last week, I received our troop t-shirt, so I have more than one choice when it comes to picking what to wear for Boy Scout meetings now.
I am now on my way to my Chinese class. I have to go down on time from my Chinese class on time on all Mondays now because my troop meeting is after my Chinese class.
Recently, I also managed to earn my double gold belt. I'm also very happy because I managed to get 100 marks on my piano theory exam.
I don't have anything to write about now, so I'm going to leave and go read now! Bye!
Sunday, April 28, 2019
Slice Of Life #209 - Currently... - Sunday, April 28th, 2019
- My mom is mopping the floor.
- I hear the creak of my mom moving a few chairs.
- I have just finished my piano homework. I have also practiced a few songs on the piano.
- I don't know what to write about.
- I am texting my friends but none of them are online.
- Later, I am going to be going to a badminton class.
- YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! I have just received an email from my band teacher saying that I have earned my double gold belt! In band, we have a belt system where we play songs for our band teacher and she gives us belts according to the songs (if we can play the songs well). This makes me the first kid this year to earn a double gold belt! The double gold belt is the highest rank in the belt system. After the double gold belt, I just play a few scales for my band teacher to get stars next to my name.
- My mom has just told me that I'm probably going to go cut my hair just before I go to my badminton lesson.
- I actually don't know what to write in this post.
- I'm probably going to leave now! Bye!
Friday, April 19, 2019
Slice Of Life #200 - Yeah! - Friday, April 19th, 2019
WHOO HOO! I'M ON MY 200TH SLICE!
But in this slice, I really want to thank a few people. Firstly, I really, really, really, REALLY want to thank my 3rd grade teacher, Ms. Victor, for introducing me to Slicing.
Other than that, I would also like to thank my 4th and 5th grade teachers, Ms. Kerr and Mr. Herbert, because they have constantly tried hard and never gave up in trying to improve my writing.
I would like to also thank my parents, who always motivated me and gave me the time and space to slice every Tuesday. They've been through all the ups and downs in my life with me, and that takes real skill.
Slicing has also improved my writing and typing skills a lot. Every week, I just come up and write about what's going on in my life.
I've just came back from badminton practice, and am really tired. I have just finished taking a bath. After this slice, I'm probably going to go down and eat some more food (cause why not...) - probably just a slice of bread.
I also need to practice my clarinet, because I'm really close to getting my double gold belt - I have 2 belts left - and I want to try and get it early next week. My plan is to pass a belt over the weekend.
Now, I'm going to leave now because I have a few things to do. Thanks for all the support so far!
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
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!
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!
Monday, March 4, 2019
Slice Of Life #157 - I Forgot to Slice = The Perfect Definition of Disappointment
I looked over to the board as I placed a few pieces of paper into my folder.
On the board was the weekly home learning (which basically meant homework). We had one week to complete a few activities (we had to choose 2 out of 3 choices to do). My teacher came around and passed out the weekly math review sheet for us to do.
And then, I looked at one of the choices. In the middle of the whole page was a Slice of Life logo. And then I remembered: I forgot to slice. Usually I would try and slice everyday in March - and try and slice every Tuesday, but I realized that I had forgot to slice in the past few days.
"Oh, yeah! Slice of Life!" I exclaimed. "I forgot to do it! Disappointing..."
"Oh, yeah!" Leo, my friend said. "How many slices have you done? I've done 10."
"Uh, I've done about 150." I replied.
"Woah," He said, amazed.
I then remembered that Tiago, another friend of mine had barely done any slices, so I asked him how many slices he had done, so when I was putting some of my worksheets away I asked him.
"How many slices have you done?"
"One," He replied, smiling."
"Haha," We laughed playfully at him.
When my teacher was explaining what we had to do for home learning, there was only one thing that I could think of - I have to do Slice of Life today.
And so, here I am, sitting in front of a computer screen on a late night.
And I have school tomorrow, so I'm going to be wrapping up my slice now.
See you tomorrow in another slice - I promise I will slice!
On the board was the weekly home learning (which basically meant homework). We had one week to complete a few activities (we had to choose 2 out of 3 choices to do). My teacher came around and passed out the weekly math review sheet for us to do.
And then, I looked at one of the choices. In the middle of the whole page was a Slice of Life logo. And then I remembered: I forgot to slice. Usually I would try and slice everyday in March - and try and slice every Tuesday, but I realized that I had forgot to slice in the past few days.
"Oh, yeah! Slice of Life!" I exclaimed. "I forgot to do it! Disappointing..."
"Oh, yeah!" Leo, my friend said. "How many slices have you done? I've done 10."
"Uh, I've done about 150." I replied.
"Woah," He said, amazed.
I then remembered that Tiago, another friend of mine had barely done any slices, so I asked him how many slices he had done, so when I was putting some of my worksheets away I asked him.
"How many slices have you done?"
"One," He replied, smiling."
"Haha," We laughed playfully at him.
When my teacher was explaining what we had to do for home learning, there was only one thing that I could think of - I have to do Slice of Life today.
And so, here I am, sitting in front of a computer screen on a late night.
And I have school tomorrow, so I'm going to be wrapping up my slice now.
See you tomorrow in another slice - I promise I will slice!
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Slice Of Life #154 - "On Your Marks, Get Set, GO!" - Tuesday, February 12th, 2019 - Happened on Saturday, February 9th, 2019
My legs stiffened, and I looked straight ahead, looking at my lane. I took deep breaths, in through my nose, out through my mouth. And then I heard it. The whistle.
My legs went from stone to water as I frantically moved my legs as fast as I could. The track in front of me started to blur as I started to pick up speed. I picked up my legs and leaped. I started hyperventilating, (this was a shorter race, but don't do that - if you do that for too long your blood doesn't receive enough carbon dioxide, which isn't good) my legs moving at optimal speed. I saw my friends ahead of me out of the corner of my eye. I then took my focus away from my friends, and started to use all my energy left over that I had.
5 meters away from the finish line, I let my head fall so my chest would cross the finish line before my legs, as your chest has to cross the finish line in order for you to complete the race. I was panting. I had just finished the 100 meters race with a time of 17.41 seconds. I wasn't really good at sprinting the 100 meters, as my leg's stride length wasn't very long (as I am pretty short), so I couldn't cover too much space too quickly.
I was at my school training for the ISAC (International School Athletic Conference) Competition, as I had been selected to represent the school. Today was a "tryout" day, where we were free to try timing for other events that we were not selected for to see if we could get selected for the event (after this day, I got selected for the 200 meters with a time of 36 seconds).
Next up was the 200 meters sprint, which I also tried out for. When we first started sprinting, I was about 5 steps behind everyone, but in the last 100 meters, I started to sprint and was able to overtake about 5 people who were ahead of me. I find what the PE teachers say surprisingly true, because if you pick up speed at the end and pace in the middle (for the distance running, not sprints - 200 and 100 meters), you probably can overtake them. All you have to do is keep a good distance between the person in front of you and overtake them at the end.
After that, I also tried out for the 400 meters, as I was better in distance running instead of sprinting. The 800 meters was next, which I found extremely tiring because there was only about a 30 second rest between the 2 events.
The 800 meters was a waterfall start. I put my foot on the line and stiffened my body. I looked straight forward at the track, towards the inside lane, where I was to cut inside by the end of the first 25 meters.
Beep! I heard the Ms. Smith blow the whistle. I started to sprint a little, then broke into a slow jog once I was in the inside lane. I heard the voices of parents cheering as we ran pass them. Breath... I thought to myself.
I started to run faster as I finished running the first lap. By now, my stomach started to hurt like crazy, and I was running in last place. I thought about the quote I had seen on the windows to the high school gum. It was from Bear Bryant, and said: "Don't give up at halftime. Concentrate on winning the second half." Come on! Almost there! I thought to myself. I had only half a lap to run now. 200 more meters. There is no way I am stopping here.
I started to jog faster, and drifted passed the 2 girls in front of me. If I could maintain my speed, I could get 2nd place.
I looked ahead of me as I saw the last 100 meters in front of me. I started to "kill" myself, and used up all the leftover energy I had left in me. I quickly picked up speed and heard my feet thumping against the ground. I looked over at Greg, who was about 20 meters in front of me. He had just finished the race, and I was about to do so, just like him. My throat was really dry, and my stomach felt like there was a rock in there. And then, I dropped my head to see a white line in front of me, and leaped. I had done it.
My legs went from stone to water as I frantically moved my legs as fast as I could. The track in front of me started to blur as I started to pick up speed. I picked up my legs and leaped. I started hyperventilating, (this was a shorter race, but don't do that - if you do that for too long your blood doesn't receive enough carbon dioxide, which isn't good) my legs moving at optimal speed. I saw my friends ahead of me out of the corner of my eye. I then took my focus away from my friends, and started to use all my energy left over that I had.
5 meters away from the finish line, I let my head fall so my chest would cross the finish line before my legs, as your chest has to cross the finish line in order for you to complete the race. I was panting. I had just finished the 100 meters race with a time of 17.41 seconds. I wasn't really good at sprinting the 100 meters, as my leg's stride length wasn't very long (as I am pretty short), so I couldn't cover too much space too quickly.
I was at my school training for the ISAC (International School Athletic Conference) Competition, as I had been selected to represent the school. Today was a "tryout" day, where we were free to try timing for other events that we were not selected for to see if we could get selected for the event (after this day, I got selected for the 200 meters with a time of 36 seconds).
Next up was the 200 meters sprint, which I also tried out for. When we first started sprinting, I was about 5 steps behind everyone, but in the last 100 meters, I started to sprint and was able to overtake about 5 people who were ahead of me. I find what the PE teachers say surprisingly true, because if you pick up speed at the end and pace in the middle (for the distance running, not sprints - 200 and 100 meters), you probably can overtake them. All you have to do is keep a good distance between the person in front of you and overtake them at the end.
After that, I also tried out for the 400 meters, as I was better in distance running instead of sprinting. The 800 meters was next, which I found extremely tiring because there was only about a 30 second rest between the 2 events.
The 800 meters was a waterfall start. I put my foot on the line and stiffened my body. I looked straight forward at the track, towards the inside lane, where I was to cut inside by the end of the first 25 meters.
Beep! I heard the Ms. Smith blow the whistle. I started to sprint a little, then broke into a slow jog once I was in the inside lane. I heard the voices of parents cheering as we ran pass them. Breath... I thought to myself.
I started to run faster as I finished running the first lap. By now, my stomach started to hurt like crazy, and I was running in last place. I thought about the quote I had seen on the windows to the high school gum. It was from Bear Bryant, and said: "Don't give up at halftime. Concentrate on winning the second half." Come on! Almost there! I thought to myself. I had only half a lap to run now. 200 more meters. There is no way I am stopping here.
I started to jog faster, and drifted passed the 2 girls in front of me. If I could maintain my speed, I could get 2nd place.
I looked ahead of me as I saw the last 100 meters in front of me. I started to "kill" myself, and used up all the leftover energy I had left in me. I quickly picked up speed and heard my feet thumping against the ground. I looked over at Greg, who was about 20 meters in front of me. He had just finished the race, and I was about to do so, just like him. My throat was really dry, and my stomach felt like there was a rock in there. And then, I dropped my head to see a white line in front of me, and leaped. I had done it.
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
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.
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.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
Friday, November 16, 2018
What We Train Our Brain To Do - Friday, 16/11/2018
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| Credits: https://goo.gl/images/o5rKuk |
This year, Ms. Stone, our counselling teacher showed us a really cool video of the people competing in the Para-Olympics. They were singing a song where they kept saying that they were the super-humans, which I agree with. In this video, they performed lots of amazing stunts, and I have to say, I cannot do better than them. They came sliding down really high places and did lots of flips in a WHEELCHAIR. You have to listen to this song. There are so many cool stunts and the music is really good.
We also learned about neural pathways, and that if we keep working on doing something really well, we can do it. Say that if I practiced a musical instrument every day for 1 hour, every day my neural pathways for playing the piano would improve. Currently, I am working to improve in playing my clarinet, as I want to get a gold belt star as soon as possible. Because I am working hard, I now have 3 more belts to pass in order to get a gold belt star (I passed a belt today).
Overall, I think I am doing pretty well on having a growth mindset. If I was to rate myself on how well I am having a growth mindset, I would rate myself 4/5 stars. Throughout all these amazing years, I have learned a lot about having a growth and fixed mindset and now try to have a growth mindset at all times.
Thursday, October 18, 2018
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.
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).
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.
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.
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!
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 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.
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| Dr. Teh speaking to us. |
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| 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.
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| Naima Ismail advocating the rights of refugees and how they don't have free healthcare. |
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| 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!
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| Munira's great slides |
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| Munira Hamid introducing us to the Pertiwi Soup Kitchen. |
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| Ana and Amy Popovich speaking to us about Trash Heroes |
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.
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Slice Of Life #136 - The Man - Tuesday, 9/10/2018
"Ugh." I heard the sound of a slap as I went down the dark, gloomy stairs. My parents and a few of their friends were talking as we went down the stairs. I clutched my blue water bottle in my hand as I went down the stairs. I hope everything's OK down there. I thought in my brain.
I was in the headquarters (or at least I think it's their HQ in Malaysia).When we went down, I saw a young man in a blue shirt sitting on a chair outside the toilets. He was reading something, but made sudden movements in the process. He also produced sour sounds, and everyone didn't dare to go close to him. My parents met a old friend, and they started talking together. After 3 minutes of talking, we started talking about the young man that was sitting outside the toilets. She said that she would always come and read. When we went down to the carpark, we talked about him in the car. We decided to go up and talk to him for once.
Uncertainty flew around in my mind. How would he react? What would he do?
"Is there anything we can help you with?" My dad asked.
"No, I'm fine." He smiled.
"We were just wondering why you're still reading here. It's real dark here. Do you want to go in?"
"No, thanks."
"Do you live close by?"
"No."
"Well, feel free to go in if you need to."
"Ok."
After talking to him, we found out that he was a normal person. My dad told me that the man suffered from a disease called 'Ticks' (That how you spell it?). I felt really bad for him. He probably didn't have many friends because of this disease, but he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't control the sudden movement he made.
We went in and met a guard (well, not really a guard, but a person that walked around the building with a flashlight every night making sure everyone was safe). When we asked him about it, we found out that the man would stay in the store room in the guard house. He stayed 1 hour away from the building, and his parents would come and pick him up every now and then. His dad was old, while his mom suffered from Alzheimer (which is a disease where you can't remember things. I also think that that's how you spell Alzheimer.), and his brother was working. When he tried to help mop the floor, his hand made a sudden jerk, and all the water splashed on the floor. I felt bad for him because I knew that he wanted to help in the community, but there weren't many ways for him to do so.
There are a lot of diseases these days, and I hope that as we progress into the future, we will be able to fight them and win the battle so all of mankind is free of fear and know that we got the cure.
I was in the headquarters (or at least I think it's their HQ in Malaysia).When we went down, I saw a young man in a blue shirt sitting on a chair outside the toilets. He was reading something, but made sudden movements in the process. He also produced sour sounds, and everyone didn't dare to go close to him. My parents met a old friend, and they started talking together. After 3 minutes of talking, we started talking about the young man that was sitting outside the toilets. She said that she would always come and read. When we went down to the carpark, we talked about him in the car. We decided to go up and talk to him for once.
Uncertainty flew around in my mind. How would he react? What would he do?
"Is there anything we can help you with?" My dad asked.
"No, I'm fine." He smiled.
"We were just wondering why you're still reading here. It's real dark here. Do you want to go in?"
"No, thanks."
"Do you live close by?"
"No."
"Well, feel free to go in if you need to."
"Ok."
After talking to him, we found out that he was a normal person. My dad told me that the man suffered from a disease called 'Ticks' (That how you spell it?). I felt really bad for him. He probably didn't have many friends because of this disease, but he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't control the sudden movement he made.
We went in and met a guard (well, not really a guard, but a person that walked around the building with a flashlight every night making sure everyone was safe). When we asked him about it, we found out that the man would stay in the store room in the guard house. He stayed 1 hour away from the building, and his parents would come and pick him up every now and then. His dad was old, while his mom suffered from Alzheimer (which is a disease where you can't remember things. I also think that that's how you spell Alzheimer.), and his brother was working. When he tried to help mop the floor, his hand made a sudden jerk, and all the water splashed on the floor. I felt bad for him because I knew that he wanted to help in the community, but there weren't many ways for him to do so.
There are a lot of diseases these days, and I hope that as we progress into the future, we will be able to fight them and win the battle so all of mankind is free of fear and know that we got the cure.
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Melati Wijisen (Wy-sen) - Wednesday, 12/9/2018 - Happened on Friday, 7/9/2018
5th grade is really a special grade. For one thing, it's the last grade of elementary school. But in my school, 5th grade is the grade known for its best unit, a unit that covers lots of things, and a unit that changes who you are. A change makers unit. And because of that, we get to meet lots of notable people.
Last Friday, we had Melati Wijsen, the 17 year old co-founder of Bye-Bye Plastic Bags come to our school to talk to us. She first arrived on Thursday to talk to the high school students for their Global Action Program (GAP). Next, she went to middle school, and then came to our grade, 5th grade.
5th grade was lucky because in the whole elementary school, only our grade got to meet Melati. She talked to us regarding how she started Bye-Bye Plastic Bags, which happened on a day in 2013, when they were learning about notable people that helped change the world. Walking home that day, she and her sister, Isabel, said that they didn't want to wait until they were adults to make a difference. They wanted to get started immediately.
They found an interesting subject, garbage. But garbage was too big of a subject for them, they thought. So, they focused on a realistic subject for them kids that fell under garbage, plastic bags.
After a long time of persistence and determination, the two sisters were able to get contact with the governor, where they negotiated and managed to get the governor to sign a contract banning plastic bags from their home, Bali, by 2018.
She also told us about some of the problems she was facing. She told us that the plastic industry made about 40 million per annum. It's hard to tell someone to stop earning 40 million (I don't know what currency), and the plastic industry didn't want to stop.
She said that she was planning to start a pilot project to empower children to chase their dreams, because maybe, because of one of them, the world will be changed.
Other than that, she thought us 3 lessons she learned because of Bye-Bye Plastic Bags.
Last Friday, we had Melati Wijsen, the 17 year old co-founder of Bye-Bye Plastic Bags come to our school to talk to us. She first arrived on Thursday to talk to the high school students for their Global Action Program (GAP). Next, she went to middle school, and then came to our grade, 5th grade.
5th grade was lucky because in the whole elementary school, only our grade got to meet Melati. She talked to us regarding how she started Bye-Bye Plastic Bags, which happened on a day in 2013, when they were learning about notable people that helped change the world. Walking home that day, she and her sister, Isabel, said that they didn't want to wait until they were adults to make a difference. They wanted to get started immediately.
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| Us with Melati Wijisen |
After a long time of persistence and determination, the two sisters were able to get contact with the governor, where they negotiated and managed to get the governor to sign a contract banning plastic bags from their home, Bali, by 2018.
She also told us about some of the problems she was facing. She told us that the plastic industry made about 40 million per annum. It's hard to tell someone to stop earning 40 million (I don't know what currency), and the plastic industry didn't want to stop.
She said that she was planning to start a pilot project to empower children to chase their dreams, because maybe, because of one of them, the world will be changed.
Other than that, she thought us 3 lessons she learned because of Bye-Bye Plastic Bags.
- Lesson #1 - Teamwork - Teamwork makes the dream work!
- Lesson #2 - Think outside the box!
- Lesson #3 - Persistence & Commitment.
She ended with one of her quotes - "We kids may only be 25 percent of the world's population, but we are 100 percent of the future!"
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Slice Of Life #116 - Trinity Examinations - Happened on 14/5/2018 - Tuesday, 22/5/2018
There was a creak as the bright brown doors of the hotel room opened and cold air gushed out of the room.
"Good morning!" The man exclaimed. "Zhi Hong, is it?"
"Yes," I replied. "Good morning, sir!" I said again, not wanting to be rude.
"Thanks for being here!"
"My pleasure."
The man was wearing a fine blue shirt, and a black tie. I had read about this man in the waiting room, which was basically a hotel room. It was on a 'poster' (not really a poster, but something like it) that said -- About Your Examiner -- in tough bold words. This examiner was a very good pianist with a diploma, who passed his grade 8 piano practical exam with a distinction.
"So, if you just take a seat at the piano and let me see what songs you are playing, that would be great." The examiner said. There was a shuffle as I took out the paper that I was supposed to give to the examiner and handed it to him.
I stared at the front cover of my book of pieces, and I saw the word 'Trinity' again and again. Yes, the name of the company. Yes, this was a real examination.
"Thank you for waiting." The man said. "Now, would you like to start with your pieces or technical work?"
"Anything would be fine," I said to be met with a reply.
"Your exam!"
"I guess I'll do technical work."
I quickly finished my technical work, and we moved on to my pieces, playing nothing wrong like my technical work.
"You have sight reading, so why don't we have your sight reading now?"
"No problem."
The examiner walked towards me and placed the sight reading book on the 'playing stand'. "Let's have 1A. You have 30 secs."
I quickly scanned through the piece. 30 seconds flew by, and I took a deep breath, and started playing. It was lucky that the examiner gave me a easy one, because I easily played the whole thing.
Next came musical knowledge. The examiner asked me questions about my songs, and I also answered them, lucky that the examiner gave me easy questions again.
"You are now done with your examination. You may go home now. Have a nice day."
"You too! Thanks for the awesome examinations!" I said with joy in my voice.
I opened the door, lifted my foot, and swung out of the room.
"Good morning!" The man exclaimed. "Zhi Hong, is it?"
"Yes," I replied. "Good morning, sir!" I said again, not wanting to be rude.
"Thanks for being here!"
"My pleasure."
The man was wearing a fine blue shirt, and a black tie. I had read about this man in the waiting room, which was basically a hotel room. It was on a 'poster' (not really a poster, but something like it) that said -- About Your Examiner -- in tough bold words. This examiner was a very good pianist with a diploma, who passed his grade 8 piano practical exam with a distinction.
"So, if you just take a seat at the piano and let me see what songs you are playing, that would be great." The examiner said. There was a shuffle as I took out the paper that I was supposed to give to the examiner and handed it to him.
I stared at the front cover of my book of pieces, and I saw the word 'Trinity' again and again. Yes, the name of the company. Yes, this was a real examination.
"Thank you for waiting." The man said. "Now, would you like to start with your pieces or technical work?"
"Anything would be fine," I said to be met with a reply.
"Your exam!"
"I guess I'll do technical work."
I quickly finished my technical work, and we moved on to my pieces, playing nothing wrong like my technical work.
"You have sight reading, so why don't we have your sight reading now?"
"No problem."
The examiner walked towards me and placed the sight reading book on the 'playing stand'. "Let's have 1A. You have 30 secs."
I quickly scanned through the piece. 30 seconds flew by, and I took a deep breath, and started playing. It was lucky that the examiner gave me a easy one, because I easily played the whole thing.
Next came musical knowledge. The examiner asked me questions about my songs, and I also answered them, lucky that the examiner gave me easy questions again.
"You are now done with your examination. You may go home now. Have a nice day."
"You too! Thanks for the awesome examinations!" I said with joy in my voice.
I opened the door, lifted my foot, and swung out of the room.
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Slice Of Life #115 - The Novel Knockout Competition - Happened Today (15/5/2018) - Tuesday, 15/5/2018
23 students filed off the bus and walked to the entrance of the British International School of Kuala Lumpur (BISKL). Students were there to greet us, and a teacher showed us the way around. We went straight to the library to get ready for the upcoming Novel Knockout competition that was organized by the Kuala Lumpur Librarians Network (KLLN). I was one of the 8 people selected to represent my school in the competition, and the other 15 people were people that came to the meetings often.
"Zhi Hong, Alice, Cathy, Pin. I want you to sit over there and get yourselves settled." Our librarian, Ms. Suji, said. We all walked as a team to a spot in the library.
"Ok," I said. "Get all the review sheets you currently have with you out now." We were not allowed to bring our competition books down because Ms. Suji didn't want us to be accused of cheating. There was a rustle as everyone got sheets of paper out from their backpacks. We had lots of work that we had yet to do.
For the competition, there were 8 books. The Whale, Beetle Boy, Laika, Real Friends, Sweet Pizza, Pax, The Diamond Mystery, and the Boy and a Jaguar.
I grabbed a book from the wall. "I'm going to write the answers for 'The Whale'." I said.
"I'll do 'Beetle Boy' and 'Real Friends'."
"I'll do 'Pax' and 'Diamond Mystery'."
We all talked about who was going to write the answers for specific books. That was when we realized that none of us were capable of being the expert for Boy and a Jaguar.
"Tobiah! We need you!" I called out. Tobiah was really good in Boy and a Jaguar, so then he had to tell us all the details from memory, as we were not allowed to have the book with us.
"Guys, would you all follow me to the auditorium for the competition?" A woman said to all of us.
We all stood up. "I guess it's time for the competition!" I said. "My heart is thumping so hard against my chest, it feels like it doesn't have enough room!"
The auditorium was freezing cold. After a few minutes, we were called down.
"ISKL!" Team A and Team B of ISKL rushed down the stage. A thrill ran through my bones as I took the steps 2 by 2 onto the stage.
First up was the Readers Award. This was a individual competition for everyone that got selected. We had to answer questions of random popular books and write what the name of books was when we saw only the cover, not the words.
That competition was hard. What is the horse's name in Winnie the Pooh? As soon as I read the question, I was dumbstruck. It's been years since I read Winnie the Pooh!!!! I just left the question blank.
"5!!! 4!!! 3!!! 2!!! 1!!!" Everyone was shouting, announcing the fact that we had 5 seconds left.
"Pencils down!" I turned my paper in.
It was another 2 mins before the actual competition begin. "Open your packets!" The commentator shouted. I ripped open the envelope and passed it to Cathy, who was writing Beetle Boy.
"Someone answer the Ipad questions!" We had 3 mins to answer the questions for each book, and we had until the 6th book to finish the Ipad questions.
"What's the answer to this?"
"Air-conditioning vault."
The questions for the competition were really detailed. The Ipad questions were detailed, but for me, they were plain easy. The questions on paper were the hard ones. Every time they had the paper questions, I would slam it in the box to answer the questions in time. I would also rip the envelope and take out the paper. I looked at the other schools, and to my surprise, they opened theirs nicely.
It was finally time for the answers to be announced. 2 girls from my school, ISKL, tied for the middle school readers award, so they had a heat round. Final score: 1-0. In middle school, my school secured 4th and 5th place.
"Now, I will announce the elementary school results from lowest to highest." The commentator said. "In 3rd place, we have ISKL2!"
I yelped with joy. That was the team that I was in!!! I ran down the stairs to grab my awards. I got a book and a certificate. At the same time, she announced even better news.
"In 2nd place, we have ISKL1!" Even though that was not my team, I was still happy. They got a certificate and a 50 ringgit voucher to spend on whatever book they wanted.
"I am so proud of all of you! This is the first time that ISKL ever got in top 3 for this competition! Next year, we should get 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place, and 4th place!" Ms. Suji said after the competition.
"No, next year, we should get 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd." I said with a smirk.
"Zhi Hong, Alice, Cathy, Pin. I want you to sit over there and get yourselves settled." Our librarian, Ms. Suji, said. We all walked as a team to a spot in the library.
"Ok," I said. "Get all the review sheets you currently have with you out now." We were not allowed to bring our competition books down because Ms. Suji didn't want us to be accused of cheating. There was a rustle as everyone got sheets of paper out from their backpacks. We had lots of work that we had yet to do.
For the competition, there were 8 books. The Whale, Beetle Boy, Laika, Real Friends, Sweet Pizza, Pax, The Diamond Mystery, and the Boy and a Jaguar.
I grabbed a book from the wall. "I'm going to write the answers for 'The Whale'." I said.
"I'll do 'Beetle Boy' and 'Real Friends'."
"I'll do 'Pax' and 'Diamond Mystery'."
We all talked about who was going to write the answers for specific books. That was when we realized that none of us were capable of being the expert for Boy and a Jaguar.
"Tobiah! We need you!" I called out. Tobiah was really good in Boy and a Jaguar, so then he had to tell us all the details from memory, as we were not allowed to have the book with us.
"Guys, would you all follow me to the auditorium for the competition?" A woman said to all of us.
We all stood up. "I guess it's time for the competition!" I said. "My heart is thumping so hard against my chest, it feels like it doesn't have enough room!"
The auditorium was freezing cold. After a few minutes, we were called down.
"ISKL!" Team A and Team B of ISKL rushed down the stage. A thrill ran through my bones as I took the steps 2 by 2 onto the stage.
First up was the Readers Award. This was a individual competition for everyone that got selected. We had to answer questions of random popular books and write what the name of books was when we saw only the cover, not the words.
That competition was hard. What is the horse's name in Winnie the Pooh? As soon as I read the question, I was dumbstruck. It's been years since I read Winnie the Pooh!!!! I just left the question blank.
"5!!! 4!!! 3!!! 2!!! 1!!!" Everyone was shouting, announcing the fact that we had 5 seconds left.
"Pencils down!" I turned my paper in.
It was another 2 mins before the actual competition begin. "Open your packets!" The commentator shouted. I ripped open the envelope and passed it to Cathy, who was writing Beetle Boy.
"Someone answer the Ipad questions!" We had 3 mins to answer the questions for each book, and we had until the 6th book to finish the Ipad questions.
"What's the answer to this?"
"Air-conditioning vault."
The questions for the competition were really detailed. The Ipad questions were detailed, but for me, they were plain easy. The questions on paper were the hard ones. Every time they had the paper questions, I would slam it in the box to answer the questions in time. I would also rip the envelope and take out the paper. I looked at the other schools, and to my surprise, they opened theirs nicely.
It was finally time for the answers to be announced. 2 girls from my school, ISKL, tied for the middle school readers award, so they had a heat round. Final score: 1-0. In middle school, my school secured 4th and 5th place.
"Now, I will announce the elementary school results from lowest to highest." The commentator said. "In 3rd place, we have ISKL2!"
I yelped with joy. That was the team that I was in!!! I ran down the stairs to grab my awards. I got a book and a certificate. At the same time, she announced even better news.
"In 2nd place, we have ISKL1!" Even though that was not my team, I was still happy. They got a certificate and a 50 ringgit voucher to spend on whatever book they wanted.
"I am so proud of all of you! This is the first time that ISKL ever got in top 3 for this competition! Next year, we should get 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place, and 4th place!" Ms. Suji said after the competition.
"No, next year, we should get 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd." I said with a smirk.
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