Slice Of Life #244 - HOLIDAYS! - Tuesday, December 24th, 2019

    It's the holidays! Finally! I can stay at home and relax now! Currently, I am at home, drinking a pack of soya milk and a pack of double Belgian chocolate with pistachio milk because there has been no water supply to our area for 3 consecutive days. Because of that, no restaurants are open (well, some are, but I have feelings of doubt that the water they're using is clean water) because they don't have any water to use. Later, we're going to Subang Jaya, to the town next to us (about 30 mins from my house) to eat because they aren't affected and have a good water supply.
    Apparently, the river that we're taking our water from got contaminated because some people dumped oil into it (note to the person who dumped oil in it: seriously?), and now they have to clean the water (somehow) before they can send it to the water treatment plant.
    The river was fully cleaned yesterday, but we still have to wait for the water to come to us because the water needs to be processed and then sent to us. We're not only about an hour away from the treatment plant, but we also live on a hill, so I'm anticipating that the water's going to come to us sometime later today or tomorrow because it's going to take some time for the water to come to us.
    Now, I'm going to go set up my clarinet because I want to practice some songs and do something productive. Wait... For some reason, I can't put together my clarinet! I'm going to wait until my clarinet teacher comes later for my lessons.

An Hour Has Passed...

    According to my clarinet teacher, my upper joint has expanded because of the hot climate in Malaysia, and because of that, I can't assemble the instrument. Later today, I have to bring my clarinet to a shop so that they can fix it and do something about it (I don't know what they're going to do). My clarinet teacher is going to go home now because there's nothing much he can teach me without my clarinet. (I'm sorry!)
    I hope that we're going to get some more water supply later so that I don't have to keep going to other cities to eat. I'm going to end this post here because I don't have anything else to write about now. Bye!

Slice Of Life #243 - Currently... - Tuesday, 16/12/2019

• I am in the library at school (school is over).
• I am watching a very funny video.
• I am laughing like crazy.
• I'm going to do some math instead.
• I just remembered. Today's the last week of school before the winter break! All tests are over! Yes!
• It's the end of the unit, so we have to find unit rates or comparative rates on campus. We're doing some of this (homework) in math class because it's quite a long project. We need to make a video about the comparative rates.
• I'm going to go to the band room now to practice some piano because the library is about to close (it closes at 5:00pm).
• I have reached the band room. I'm going to not only be practicing all my exam pieces and scales that I need to know, but I also will practice a song called Allegretto Grazioso that I have just learned last week.
• One of my band teachers, Mr. Christensen, is playing amazing music on his trumpet right now!
• I've managed to play most of Allegretto Grazioso correctly, and it feels really satisfying!
• There is a guitar in the room and I am plucking some strings on it (I don't know how to play).
• I am experimenting with the guitar but am not breaking it.
• My music teacher just sang "Do You Want To Build A Snowman" when a student ran by (LOL!)
• I am checking my email.
• No new messages.
• I am going to leave the band room now to go downstairs to eat my dinner now.
• Bye!

Slice Of Life #242 - Life As It Is - Tuesday, December 10th, 2019

    Currently, I am eating my dinner as I am writing this post. I'm eating an early dinner because I have Boy Scouts later from 7:15 to 8:30pm, and I don't want to have to eat dinner after that. I've already finished my homework (HIP HIP HURRAY!), so I don't have to do anything after Boy Scouts. Unfortunately, I have math tomorrow, which means that I have math homework tomorrow (there is always math homework unless it's just before a long holiday - ie. 3 weeks).
    Today, I went for my 1st Peer Helper meeting (I got selected!) and got my green Peer Helper T-Shirt (which was S - small - size), but it was too big for me 😅.
    I don't really have anything to write about right now because nothing much happened in this past week. On Wednesday, we have our band concert (yes!) and I'm really excited for it because we sound amazing and I also want to hear the Grade 8 Senior band (who honestly are a lot more amazing than us).
    I'm going to watch YouTube now because I am bored and have nothing else to do. Bye!

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.

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 #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.

Slice Of Life #238 - Love Beyond Boundaries - Wednesday, November 13th, 2019

    The moment I walked into that school and saw the snaking long line of people, I knew I wanted to help. I couldn't help but paint a smile on my face as multiple kids and adults thanked me for coming to help.
    Those kids, those adults, they were stateless people. Officially, they didn't have an identity, but unofficially, they were good, hardworking people that deserved to be recognized by the government. They had come here to seek a better life and make a living, but had come here illegally. They had stayed here for generations and generations, to the point where they didn't "belong" to any country anymore. They weren't recognized as a citizen of a country. 
    And me, I had come here to help them. I had come with my parents to help them and offer them help in any way possible, primarily when it came to healthcare. This was a yearly event, but as soon as my parents offered me this chance to go and help them and also take a glimpse at their lives, I knew I wanted to do so.
    They had no idea who I was, and I had no idea who they were, but at that point, it didn't matter. We didn't see differences, but instead saw similarities. I knew that we all were human beings, and that we were all  equally important. I was going to help, and I was going to help from the bottom of my heart.
    We had come with a non-profit organization called the Tzu Chi Foundation. Every year, an outreach like this would be organized by them. Volunteers from Tawau (where the outreach is being held) and Kuala Lumpur would come to help these stateless people live a better life.
    Lots of things were happening around the school. The dentists were carefully looking at everyone's teeth. The doctors were carefully inspecting the patients and making sure that they were in good condition and hopefully were thriving. The Chinese Traditional Medicine (TCM) doctors were performing acupuncture, focusing on every move they made. I watched lots of committed adults help wash kids' hair to make sure that their hair was free from lice.
    I noticed that lots of kids had lice, and I think that this is because of their unfortunate living conditions. They don't have access to clean water or shampoo to clean themselves. They also don't have the privilege of bathing everyday.
    When I realized this, I realized that we really are lucky. For most of us, having access to clean water or shampoo is not a privilege. Most of us have access to that and use it everyday. In fact, it's become a norm for us to take a bath with soap everyday. But these people, they don't have access to this thing that we use everyday.
    I was assigned to help out at the pharmacy department. At first, I was confused because of the variety of medicines that were on offer to the refugees. I watched as many hands frantically scribbled down letters and words, labeling each and every bottle of medicine.
    When reading the doctor's notes so that we would be able to see what we needed to dispense to the patients, I've noticed that lots of them suffer from illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension. Some of them needed lots of medicine - some of them took 8 tablets of a specific type of medicine everyday.
    Because of that, I've learned that we are lucky. We all have a nice and comfortable life. We all have access to basic needs such as healthcare. Because of that, we can get all our problems/illnesses solved before they get worse. But this isn't the case for not only these stateless people, but also lots more people around the world. We all take this for granted sometimes. Because while we all are lucky and fortunate enough to have access to healthcare, on the other side of the world, there are many people who don't.
    I also helped measure the kids' height and weight. I used that information to roughly calculate their BMI (their body fat). Some of them were really skinny and had a pretty low BMI. I think that this is because of how they were suffering from malnutrition.
    I also got to take a glimpse at their daily lives and their living conditions. At the same time, we conducted home-visits. If the people were too sick or couldn't come to us at the site to receive medical treatment, then we would go to them at their house to help them.
    I saw some people selling bags of what looked like ice cream or popsicles, but found out that inside those bags were oil, not ice cream. If they found a ringgit or two on the floor, they would be able to buy some oil for cooking purposes. I then realized why. Buying oil in large amounts would cost lots of money, and they couldn't afford all that. They didn't have as many rights as us, so they didn't receive as much salary as us.
   They also didn't have very good living conditions. We had to walk across unstable wooden bridges to get to their houses. I was really careful not to fall off them. They had branched out into the sea (close to the shore) for more land to build houses. Most families only stayed in a small part of a house because they shared the house with other families. Only fortunate families had a whole house to themselves. Some of their houses weren't very clean either. I thought of my family and our house. We were 3 people staying in a house a lot larger than theirs. I had a whole room to myself. But my room was the size of a family's house in the village. They slept in that tiny space. I couldn't imagine sleeping in such a small room with lots of people. It would be extremely crowded, I thought, bearing in mind that one family had about 4 kids on average. Some fortunate families had a whole house to themselves, but usually, that was only because they had an extremely large family. I remember meeting a mother who had just given birth to a baby, but her oldest child was about 20/30 years old (I forgot the age) because she gave birth to a baby almost every year.
    I also met another kid who suffered from what the doctors think is scabies. His hair was also white and looked like it had got infected or something (this is something different, not scabies). Some of his hair had also fallen off. I don't know why this happened to him, but I think (and the doctors also suspect) that it was because of the poor living conditions and the fact that he didn't get to take a bath very often. Even when he could take a bath, it was usually with dirty water, which could possibly explain why he had scabies.
    I've learned that we are lucky. We all have the basic needs that we need and all have rights in this world. But these people don't. They have escaped from their country, and have lived here for many generations, therefore becoming stateless. Their identity has been taken away from them. We are very lucky to be able to live such a nice and comfortable life, but on the other side of the world, we don't know much about the lives of people that are not as fortunate as us. While most of us are aware that there are lots of people who aren't as fortunate as us, but never go and take a glimpse at their lives to experience and see their real suffering and what they have all gone through.
    There is a closed door isolating this information from all of us. But if we take a step and open that closed door and step away from our nice and comfortable life, we will find that on the other side, there are lots of people who are not as fortunate as us, and live a life anything but comfortable. But if we do commit to help these people, I truly believe that the world will become a better place for all of us and future generations to come. And I think that this should be our main priority. To take care of not only ourselves and this place, but to also take care of others so that our world will advance and thrive, and the world will become a better place for all of us.