Historical Narrative

It was December, two weeks had passed since the Japanese had landed in Southern Thailand and had invaded Northern Malaysia. News had spread from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore about the invasion by the Japanese, even the 2 battleships, HMS Repulse and HMS Prince Of Wales had sunk on the second day of the Japanese's Landing in Southern Thailand.

Ahmad was living at Johor Bahru by himself during the invasion. He thought that the Japanese were no match of the Great Britain, but the Japanese had proved him wrong. the Japanese had moved in such great speed that Great Britain was taken by surprise. When the Japanese had reached Kuala Lumpur, Ahmad had gone to Southern Singapore to join the army and for shelter as Singapore was known as the impregnable fortress of the British Empire in the East.

After 1st February 1942, Singapore was not a impregnable fortress anymore. the Japanese had bombed Changi, Pulau Ubin at the North-East of Singapore to land at the North-West of Singapore. Two days after the bombing, the Japanese had taken most of the supplies left by the British. Another two days had passed, the battle at Pasir Panjang had led both sides suffering a heavy casualties. When the British was cornered of at the South of Singapore, they made it last stand at Bukit Chandu. Although Ahmad was in the army, he survived his first battle at Bukit Chandu.

When the British had surrendered to the Japanese, Ahmad went hiding in one of the sewers in Singapore as the Kempeitai, known as the Japanese military police, came to capture the Anti-Japan in Singapore which marked the new beginning of terror.

English (What makes you sad?)

Sad is a human’s emotion. Often, people may feel sad when people lose their trust, friendship or even love. Sometimes people may also feel sad when there were traffic accident claiming innocent lives. Also, people may also feel sad when they lose something important like house key, mobile phone and even their cash cards.

For me, I feel sad when my relatives had passed away especially those that had treated me well when they were still alive. I remembered that my aunt who had passed away when she was 75 years old when I was still in primary three. She had treated me like a precious child and she had bought anything that I liked. When she died, I was so sad that tears rolling down my cheeks. I kept telling myself that that wasn’t real and every night, I kept thinking about my aunt, the happy moments that we had when I was young. After a few days, I began to accept the truth of that my aunt was dead.

I also feel sad when I saw a few people died in natural disaster like tsunami and earthquake. The natural disaster that made me sad was the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. The earthquake had killed more than a hundred thousand innocent lives. There were few thousands of people who are injured, more than thousands of people were missing, and millions of people were homeless. The Sichuan earthquake had created some aftershocks which exceeds the magnitude 6, causing more damage and more casualties.

Letter Of Complaint

21th April 21, 2010
7 Sunrise Place
Singapore 123557
21st April 2010
Mrs Saraspathy Menon
Principle
Chong Boon Secondary School
Dear Mrs Sarapathy Menon,
There was this group of students who were rude to the librarians. They shouted at the librarian when she asked them to keep quiet. One of the boys scolded the librarian in Mandarin. The librarian was angry and threatened to report him to the Discipline Committee. The rest of the boys became verbally abusive and challenged the librarian to report them all. Personally, I think the boys should be punished for their rowdy and rude behavior to someone who is a senior to them.
Some students actually break the rules. They managed to sneak food in. They even spilled their drinks onto the table. There were ants as it was sweet drinks. The table became sticky and it was unable to study there. I hoped you will ensure that pupils observe cleanliness rules in the library. Food and drinks should not be allowed in the library as they will dirty the library making it an unpleasant place to study in.
There was a boy who wore his PE attire into the library. He was soaked in perspiration. This is unhealthy for him as he may catch a cold. This is unpleasant for other users in the library as there may be an odour. Pupils should not be allowed to enter the library in PE attire. They should be changed into their uniforms before entering the library. The library should enforce this rule so that the library will be a conducive place for all.
There was a group of students who were using the library’s computer to play Internet games. There was another group of students, standing behind them to wait for their turn to use the computer for their projects. When they ask the group of students politely, they refused to let them use the computers and even scolding them using some vulgarities. I think the library should ban the playing of Internet games as most of the students may get addicted to the games causing the student’s academic studies to drop.
The library became a place full of inconsiderate people. It used to be peace and quiet for people to study and doing projects. As the principal of the school, I hope that you will do some actions on these inconsiderate people in the library.
Your sincerely,
Ming Aik

Using PEEL (Banana)

Banana is a healthy fruit for the humans and it has many uses. Its flesh contains vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9 and C. It contains calcium and iron to help keep our bones strong. We can use the banana leaves to steam the glutinous rice. We can also extract the banana juice but it requires a lot of effort cause when we compressed it, it simply turns to a pulp. Lastly, i think the banana is a healthy fruit as it contains alot of vitamins, calcium and iron. It also have alot of uses like steaming the glutinous rice.

Reflection on International Friendship Day

What are the relationships that are important to you within the school context?

The school environment and I since this is a green school which earn a niche award the past few years. It is important that we should reuse,reduce and recycle to slow down the rate of global warming as it would make the world a better place.

What do you know about the history of your school/CCA?
In 1994, Chong Boon Secondary School accepted its first batch of students in December 1993, taking over Anderson Secondary School's old building located at

2,Ang Mo Kio, Street 44
Singapore 569250

In total, there were 483 Secondary One students in 13 classes and 23 staff then. Mrs Cecilia Lee was appointed the Principal.


In 1995,the enrolment grew to 772 students with 35 staff.


In 2000,The school vision, ‘A Thinking & Gracious Citizen’, was formulated.

Share a story about your school/CCA.It can be funny ones, successful ones and difficult ones.

Last year, there was a NPCC ( National Police Cadet Corps) camp held in June.At that time, which was about 10pm, our sir and mdm organized one game, they formed us in pairs (1boy,1girl) and then they send us to walk around the whole school. I was paired up with a secondary 2 girl. When it is our turn to go, the secondary 2 girl was so afraid of the dark and pulled my PE T-shirt so hard that it almost break.Our sir and mdm tried to scare us using some tricks like jumping out from a corner or throwing something like a rag doll down from 2nd floor or anywhere higher than 1st floor.When we finally finished, I felt that why my PE T-shirt was like so loose and then i laughed cause the girl was holding it very tightly and also pulling it.

Have the stories you heard from your classmates changed the way you view/feel about the your school?

Yes. At first I thought that this school was not as good as Ang Mo Kio Secondary School. But my friends said that this school the teacher is quite good to the students, helping those who were in need in studies. I felt that the teacher really care about us the students that we pass our O-levels or N-levels to go to a good polytechnic or junior college.

International Friendship Day

Today was the International Friendship Day. Our English teacher, Mdm Tan, prepared us a video and some powerpoint slides to help us know more about the International Friendship Day. Although the video is about Youth Olympic Games, it is still concerning about the International Friendship Day as we had to be friends play as a team or else we will not have any teamwork or friendship as we do not understand each other well.After the whole powerpoint slides and the video ended, Mdm Tan gave us one reflection worksheet to be done on the paper as well as on blog three days later.

Sports Fiesta

Today was the sport fiesta which was held annually by the school. This year's sport fiesta was still held at serangoon stadium.When we arrived at the stadium,i waited at the gate for my friends to come.After that, we chat for a while and we was told to sing the national anthem and the pledge. After that, we were told by Mr Tan to go to our respective houses to sit together. After Mr Tan be the judge for some games, my friend, came to my house to sit and chat about other things. After the prize presentation, we went home.

Annual Cross Country

Today was the annual cross country run organised by the school. The boys had to run 4.2km while the girls run only 3.8km (I was not sure of the distance). When we arrived at macritchie reservoir, it was about 7am in the morning. After that, we went to Lim Bo Seng's grave. We went there to study the history of Lim Bo Seng and the order of force 136 in the World War II. After visiting his grave, the competitors start first followed by the upper secondary girls,lower secondary girls, lower secondary boys, lastly the upper secondary boys. We had to run pass a forest then run at the side of the expressway.After the run,there is a prize presentation from the principal to give out prizes for the first 10 competitors who finished from the upper secondary boys and girls first then the lower secondary boys and girls. After the prize presentation end, we went back home.

Summary

I learn that the Tasmanian Devils uses large footpads on their hind legs as friction pads so they would not slide down when climbing a tree. Their ears are almost hairless and it was just a thin skin covering the blood vessels. They were hunted by Tasmanian Tigers, eagles go after the Tasmanian Devils in the day and at night, the masked owl and the spotted tail quoll also attack the young Tasmanian Devils. If the older Tasmanian Devils were hungry, they might also eat the young Tasmanian Devils. This is why young Tasmanian Devils can climb so well and so they can escape those Tasmanian Devils who wanted to eat them.

My perspectives have changed. I thought that the Tasmanian Devils were extinct long ago and the size was like a tiger. After reading the whole article I learn that the Tasmanian Devils were not extinct and its population ranges from 10000 to 100000 individuals and the Tasmanian Devils’ size was like a small dog. Its size was like 51 to 79 in cm and their weight is 12kg. There was also a Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park in Australia.

I think that the conservation park in Australia saved a lot of Tasmanian Devils from being eaten and the tumor diseases.

I can help by donating some money to the conservation park so that the organizers of the park can provide some medicines for the Tasmanian Devils and so they will not be easily extinct or endangered.

I would suggest that we would spread the message of endangered Tasmanian Devil for people to know.i would also encourage them to donate money to provide the fund for the scientist to find the cure of the Tumor diseases that the Tasmanian Devils faced. The world will be in a better place as visitors can visit the Tasmanian Devils Conservation Park in Australia, Tasmania, to understand more about reason why we conserve Tasmanian Devils.

Adapted from:http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/EKOE-6FA6QB?open

Where do Tasmanian devils live?

Wild Tasmanian devils can only be found in Tasmania (Australia). Most of the Tasmanian devils are found in the northern, eastern and central parts of Tasmania. There are many farms in these areas and when farm animals die, devils will sometimes eat the carcasses.

There are also many devils in the Tasmanian wilderness areas and in our National Parks.

Hundreds of years ago, Tasmanian devils not only lived in Tasmania, but also on the Australian mainland. We know this from fossils that have been found. They became extinct on the mainland about 600 years ago.


What do devils look like?

Devils are mostly black but usually have white markings on the rump or the chest. Adult male devils are usually bigger than the females. They stand about 30 centimetres (or 12 inches) high at the shoulder and weigh up to 12 kilograms.

Adult devils have heads that look almost too big for their bodies. In older males, the head and neck can take up nearly a quarter of their weight. That's because devils need those powerful jaws to crunch through bones.

Like other marsupials, the devil stores fat in its tail so that its body has something to draw on when food gets scarce. So, if you see a Tasmanian devil with a fat tail, it means it is in good condition.


What type of animal is a Tasmanian devil?

The Tasmanian devil is a marsupial. Female marsupial animals have pouches in which they carry their young.

The pouch helps the Tasmanian devil mother to feed and protect newly born devils. There are four teats in the pouch, so she can look after four little devils at the same time.


Are devils dangerous to people?

No, devils are not dangerous. They do not attack people, although they will defend themselves if they're attacked or trapped.

Devils may look fierce but they will much rather escape than fight. However, devils have powerful jaws and when they do bite, they can cause serious injury.


What is their scientific name?

Their Latin scientific name is Sarcophilus harrisii. That means Harris's meat lover. Harris is the name of the scientist who described the Tasmanian devil.



Devil history

The early European settlers of Hobart didn't like them, because the devils ate their chickens and they thought the devils would eat other farm animals too. So, they hunted the devils. In 1830 the Van Diemen's Land Company put up a reward for every devil killed on their property. The reward was two shillings and sixpence (25 cents) for a male devil and three shillings and sixpence (35 cents) for a female.

For many years, Tasmanian devils were caught in traps and shot. They almost disappeared and some people thought devils would become extinct, like the Tasmanian tiger. It was only in 1941 that laws protected the devils.

Luckily, the devil population increased again over the years, but there is now a new worry. Many Tasmanian devils are dying from a disease that has spread among the devils. Scientists are working hard to find a cure.


Are devils useful?

They certainly are. Devils play an important role, by eating sick and dead animals. They probably also help to control feral cats in Tasmania and, by doing so, they help to protect some of our native species, particularly birds. They can even help us control animals that do not belong in Tasmania – such as the red fox, an animal that is a big problem on the Australian mainland. While there are many devils around, it is very difficult for foxes to breed in Tasmania. Fox dens are very smelly and quite messy, so devils can quickly sniff them out.

Devils are also useful in other ways. Think about things that are unique to Tasmania and the Tasmanian devil will probably be at the top of your list. Tourists love to see our devils and they will travel long distances to do so. Devils are so popular that products and sports teams are named after them.

My reflections
The tasmanian devil uses their large footpads on their hind legs as friction pads so they will not slide down when climbing a tree.Their ears are almost hairless and the skin is just a thin skin covering the blood vessels. Their jaws can bite as a dog four times their size. Before they became extinct, the Tasmanian tigers must have hunted them. Eagles also go after young devils when they come out by day. At night, masked owl and the spotted tail quoll may attack young devils. And, if they are hungry enough, large devils may even eat the smaller ones. The reason why young devils can climb so well may be so that they can escape large devils.

Tasmanian Devil ( Reflection 2)

Article from: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/tasmanian-devil.html

Tasmanian devils have a notoriously cantankerous disposition and will fly into a maniacal rage when threatened by a predator, fighting for a mate, or defending a meal. Early European settlers dubbed it a "devil" after witnessing such displays, which include teeth-baring, lunging, and an array of spine-chilling guttural growls.

These famously feisty mammals have a coat of coarse brown or black fur and a stocky profile that gives them the appearance of a baby bear. Most have a white stripe or patch on their chest and light spots on their sides or rear end. They have long front legs and shorter rear legs, giving them a lumbering, pig like gait.

The Tasmanian devil is the world's largest carnivorous marsupial, reaching 30 inches in length and weighing up to 26 pounds although its size will vary widely depending on its specific range and the availability of food. Its oversize head houses sharp teeth and strong, muscular jaws that can deliver, pound for pound, one of the most powerful bites of any mammal.

Tasmanian devils are strictly carnivorous, surviving on small prey such as snakes, birds, fish, and insects and frequently feasting communally on carrion. They are at their most rowdy when jockeying for position on a large carcass. Like other marsupials, when they are well fed, their tails swell with stored fat.

Devils are solitary and nocturnal, spending their days alone in hollow logs, caves, or burrows, and emerging at night to feed. They use their long whiskers and excellent sense of smell and sight to avoid predators and locate prey and carrion. They'll eat pretty much anything they can get their teeth on, and when they do find food, they are voracious, consuming everything—including hair, organs, and bones.

Mothers give birth after about three weeks of pregnancy to 20 or 30 very tiny young. These raisin-size babies crawl up the mother's fur and into her pouch. However, the mother has only four nipples, so only a handful of babies survive. Infants emerge after about four months and are generally weaned by the sixth month and on their own by the eighth.
Efforts in the late 1800s to eradicate Tasmanian devils were nearly successful. In 1941, the government made devils a protected species, and their numbers have grown steadily since.

Survival Threatened

Tragically, though, a catastrophic illness discovered in the mid-1990s has killed tens of thousands of Tasmanian devils. Called devil facial tumor disease , this rapidly spreading condition is a rare contagious cancer that causes large lumps to form around the animal's mouth and head, making it hard for it to eat. The animal eventually starves to death. Animal health experts are sequestering populations where the disease has not yet appeared and are focusing on captive breeding programs to save the species from extinction. Because of the outbreak, the Australian government has listed Tasmanian devils as vulnerable.

My Reflections: Before reading this article, i thought that the Tasmanian Devils were extinct and their size was like a lion. After reading this article, the Tasmanian Devils were not extinct and it's population range from 10000 to 100000 individuals, with 20000 to 50000 mature individuals. The article also shows that a tasmanian devil's size was just like a small dog (Size : 51 to 79 in cm, weight 12kg).

Reflection 1

Adapted from:http://www.mountstuart.tased.edu.au/tasmanian%20devil%20site/Facts.htm
DESCRIPTION

One of the characteristics of a Tasmanian Devil is its large ears, head and shoulders, powerful set of jaws and strong canine teeth. The Tasmanian Devil is black with a white stripe across the rump and chest. The Tasmanian Devil usually grows to between 50 cm to 60 cm long. It usually stands between 20 cm and 30 cm at the shoulder and can weigh up to 12kg but usually weighs between 6kg to 10kg

Habitat

The Tasmanian Devil lives in Tasmania. It used to live on the mainland but became extinct on there 600 years ago because of the dingoes. The Tasmanian Devil lives all over Tasmania except for a small corner of South West Tasmania. They live in areas where there is dense bush or scrub land and make their home in hollow logs and rocks.

Diet

The Tasmanian Devil is a carnivorous marsupial which means they eat meat. They will kill birds and small animals but the Tasmanian Devil is mainly a scavenger that prefers to eat the carcasses of dead animals. They are not good hunters and so prefer to scavenge for their food. This is good for the farmers because they clear up dead animals and stop disease from spreading. They eat basically everything and this means they eat bones, fur and everything else. They eat possums, small wallabies, kangaroos, reptiles, they steal eggs they basically eat anything.

Behaviour

Although Tasmanian Devils look and sound ferocious, they can become very friendly. The Tasmanian Devil competes with the Spotted tail Quoll for food but it could also be its saviour in Tasmania. The Tasmanian Devil fights for food and survival. They have a ferocious sounding growl which contributed to their name because the early settlers thought they sounded like a devil. It has a whining growl followed by a cough or hollow fearsome growl when angry. Their ears are usually pink but turn red when they are angry or distressed.

BABIES

Most Devils start breeding in their second year. Devils mate in March, the male Devil carries the female around for 3 weeks for safety and she gives birth alone in April. When the babies are born they are as big as the top of a matchstick. Tasmanian Devils have up to 20 babies but only four babies can live in the pouch so at least 16 will not make it to the pouch. Usually 2-4 babies are born the second time out of the pouch. . Devils live up to 7-8 years.

My reflections
I thought that the Tasmanian devils gave birth to baby Tasmanian devils and left them in a small hole in the ground.After reading the article, i now knew the Tasmanian Devil can only live up to 7-8 years,more than 50 Tasmanian devil die each year.The Tasmanian Devil can walk up to 16km without stopping and they can only see black and white only.

Journal Writing (Total Defence Day)

Today was the Total Defence Day which is the 15th of february. I hate Total Defence Day as Jacob and I was going to wear full uniform and stand at the NPCC booth which is also the Social Defence Booth. Before that, the teacher came into our classroom to tell us what is Total Defence Day and what is it about. Then, we have to practice a fire drill. The whole school was rushing down to the field instucted by the teachers. After the fire drill, Jacob and I was late but we didn't got scolded by our NPCC teacher-in-charge. We were instructed to take care of the 2 laptop by Miss Ma. Then we were looking at the Red Cross booth and the NCC booth. After we finished taking care of the 2 laptops, we quickly when to change back to our school uniform and rush to the hall. After the debrief by a teacher, we went back home.

Journal Entry ( Chinese New Year/Hari Raya/Deepavali Celebration)

Today was the celebration of Chinese New Year, Hari Raya and Deepavali. We were at the hall watching the celebration performed by the students from our school. There were also prize presentation for the classes of decorating the classrooms. Our class got 2nd for the secondary 2 category. We were at the school until like 12pm or 12.30pm. After the whole celebration, some of our friends were going back to our primary school to visit our teachers.

Composition writing (Personal Recount)

“Who were the five of you who got 0 marks for the test? Come to the front now!” the teacher said furiously.

We got out of our seat and approached her gingerly.

“How come did you have 2 marks when you said to me that you never bring the book? Did you bring the book on the day or not?” the teacher asked me.

I said, “I did not bring the book on that day.”

“Then how did you get your 2 marks when you did not bring the book? Did you lend the book from someone?” The teacher asked.

I clenched my fist and answered, “Yes but the book has nothing in it.”

“Then do you know that you are cheating?” the teacher began, her voice seething with anger, “And cheating is a serious offence.”

I stood in front of the whole class with my head hanging and my eyes fixed on her high-heeled shoes. An eerie silence now permeated the classroom.

I said, “I know but I did not have the choice to choose from if I have the choice I would not break the school rule.”

“I will still call your parents. The other 5 of you come with me after the lesson end,” the teacher said.

Throughout this experience, I learn that we should not cheat in any examination or test. I learned my mistakes and I will not do it again.

Journal Writing

My personal aspirations are to score well in my Mathematics, Literature, Science, Chinese, Geography and especially English. Last mid-year exam, my English got only 49.1. Last year EOY (End-Of-Year) exam, my english got a C6.
This is my target setting

Mathematics: 85 and above (A1)
Literature : 72 and above (A2)
Science: 80 and above (A1)
Chinese: 67 and above (B3)
Geography: 70 and above (A2)
English: 60 and above (B4)
History: 70 and above (A2)
Home economics: 75 and above (A1)
Art: at least 50 (C6)
CE: A
Project work: B

Overall : At least 629
Percentage: At least 62.9