Science SA2 Question 42

Refer to your SA2 Science and complete the form. Thanks.

Cousin Leo by Natalie Tan

On the night of 20th August 2010, I was working overtime in the Carl's Junior fast food restaurant. After everyone left the restaurant, I cleaned up the restaurant and started to lock up.

When I was about to leave, I saw a suspicious man outside the front door of the restaurant and he had an evil grin on his face. Not daring to exit by the front door as he might have evil intentions, I ran towards the kitchen and took the exit through the back door.

But the man knew I had exited through the back door and followed me. I turned behind and saw his evil grin growing wider and wider. I then broke into a run because he gave me the creeps.

"Why is that guy following me?What is he? A stalker, pervert or a murderer?" I asked myself my heart pounding against my ribcage.

I ran and ran and came to the dead end of the deserted alley. There was no ladder to climb. Nothing! And I stood there facing the man.

He touched me on the shoulder and I screamed.

"What's wrong cousin?" he asked.

"Cousin?" I repeated in shock.

"Yeah Natalie! Don't you remember me? I am Leo Chan, your cousin!" he exclaimed, looking sore for being forgotten.

At the back of my head the "name-searcher" is still finding the name Leo. Then I finally recalled that Leo was my cousin who had travelled to London to study in their Oxford University.

"Oh Leo, you are back!!" I exclaimed happily.

"Yeah I came back yesterday and Aunt told me you work here so I came here to pick you up and surprise you but who knows you had clearly forgotten me!" Leo said, looking rather disappointed.

"I am sorry. But if you are here to surprise me, why the evil grin on your face?" I demanded.

"Hey? Have you forgotten? I have some muscular problems with my face right?" Leo said in anger because it seemed to him I had totally forgotten him.

Leo drove me home and we caught up with each other on the way. How could I have mistaken my cousin as a crook!

Untitled by Ivan

I was one of those who would lose things very easily and when I lost something, I would go back to the place and searched high and low for it.

One day, while I was going home after work, I noticed the same evil-looking man who had been following me since I had lost my wallet. Only then did I know that it was not a coincidence. He was holding a black bulky briefcase and had a grin that never failed to send shivers down my spine. Without looking, I took a wrong turn and found myself in a dark alley and noticing that he was still following me, I continued walking.

"Well! There's no stopping now," I said to myself.

"Hey you there! Come here! Don't worry, I won't hurt you!" he said in a loud booming voice.

I started to feel scared and ignored him. I began to walk faster without taking a second glance at him, thinking whether I should call the police. I decided not to as he was not harming me in any way.

"Come here! I have your wallet that you lost two days ago!" he shouted, chasing after me.

On hearing that, I slowed down and decided if i should believe in what he claimed. I decided not to as it was a little too risky for me as I was a weak defenseless lady. Coming towards a dead end, I looked back and the man's grin began to grow wider and wider. A dark haze surrounded me. He started opening his briefcase.

"Is there something inside that he was going to use to stab me?" I questioned myself, hoping he would disappear.

"Aaaah! Don't hurt me please! I'm begging you! I'll give you all I have," I pleaded with fear.

"What? I'm not going to hurt you,"he said in a surprised tone.

He gave me my wallet. My eyes were filled with joy. My money and ATM cars were still inside.

"Thank you so much! I thought I had lost it for good!" I said, filled with gratitude.

From that day on, I learnt to be more careful and not to judge a person just by his looks.

A misunderstanding by Jessie

I will never forget that man who returned my wallet to me. That wallet was given to me by my best friend. I have not met her since university. She went back to her home country, Vietnam. She sent me a wallet made of embroidery silk on my birthday. It was from Vietnam and it had a hand-stitched picture of a bamboo plant. I treasured it so much as the wallet meant a lot to me.

That day, as I was walking home from work, I felt someone was following me. "Who could be following me?" I wondered, frightened. Sweat trickled down my forehead. Many questions appeared in my mind.

I was walking through a dark alley behind a row of shops. A stray cat was peeking into a fallen dustbin.

I slowly turned my head around to see who it was. A man in a striped shirt and a tie was following behind me. He had an evil grin spread across his face. Thinking of that evil grin made me shiver.

"Why is that man following me?" I wondered, panicked. My heart started pumping faster. I walked quickly and hoped that the man would stop following me.

I turned to see whether that man was still following me and he was! He was panting heavily like a dog. I started to run and that man also ran.

"Why won't that man get out of my way?" I wondered, panting like a dog too.

Finally, I could not take it anymore. "Why are you following me?" I shouted.

The man suddenly stopped in his tracks and took out something from his bag. I recognized the object he was holding immediately.

"Hey, isn't that wallet that you are holding? Why is it with you? I asked the man, puzzled.

"Yes,it is your wallet. You dropped it on the floor and you did not notice it so I picked it up and wanted to give it back to you. But once you saw me, you immediately started walking faster so I had to run after you," the man replied, catching his breath.

The man handed me my wallet. There wasn't a scratch on it. I heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thank you for returning me my wallet. Sorry for all the trouble you had, "I smiled sheepishly.

"It's my pleasure to help you, Miss," the man replied, grinning.

I continued my walk home.

"Next time, I should not jump to any conclusions but I should be careful too," I thought.

The long arms of law by Isaiah

It was dark and late. Mrs Lim was walking very quickly into a deserted alley behind the restaurant
that she worked in. She was sweating in profusion. A man had been following her. That man had waited for her outside the restaurant until she finished work and followed her into the alley.

Mrs Lim looked behind her and saw that the man was catching up. She began panicking and walked even faster.

"Whoever you are, you better stop following me or else I'll call the police!" Mrs Lim threatened.

The man stopped in his tracks. Mrs Lim broke into a run. The man took out a walkie-talkie.

"She's heading towards Avenue 8," the man said into the walkie-talkie.

"Roger," a woman's voice was heard.

Seeing that she had shaken off the man, Mrs Lim slowed down to walk towards Avenue 8, feeling more relieved while catching her breath. She had scared the man away, that was what she thought. When she reached Avenue 8, a mysterious woman started following her.

"Why are people following me?" Mrs Lim thought to herself.

Mrs Lim ran into another alley.

"She is heading towards the dead end," the woman said into her walkie talkie.

"Good," another man said into his walkie-talkie.

Mrs Lim entered the alley and realised that she was trapped. A man in dark blue wearing a badge emerged from the shadows.

"Oh shit!" Mrs Lim cursed under her breath. She knew she was in hot soup upon realisation that the man and woman who had been leading her into a trap worked in the police force.

"You are under arrest, young lady," the policeman said, triumphantly.

Mrs Lim made a beeline for the exit of the alley but she was blocked by the man and woman who followed her earlier.

Mrs Lim knew her struggles would be futile so she gave in. The policeman handcuffed Mrs Lim and brought her away.

"A week ago, you went to Koh Pwa Jewellery and stole $5000 worth of jewellery. Am I right?" the policeman questioned Mrs Lim.

Mrs Lim gulped. She was guilty.

Never judge a book by its cover

"As the saying goes "Don't judge a book by its cover'', I had an incident that I thought would remember me for life. I was a biased person and I would always think that people with an evil look bear ill intentions. That was where I was wrong. I still have a vivid memory of what happened that day, that night rather.

It was dark and stormy. Street lights flickered on and off . I was taking out garbage of my newly open restaurant which was about to close. I grabbed the garbage bag and exited through the backdoor to the alley.

Just as I was about to open the garbage bin, I heard footsteps. At first, I thought it was my employee closing the restaurant for the day but it got louder. I swung around and gasped in shock. A black figure was slowly making his way to me. He was carrying a bulky suitcase and his tie was swaying with the wind. Sweat trickled down my forehead as he walked closer. I could make out a smirk as he continued to step forward.

Trying to get away, I moved back, knocking over some garbage bins. I dropped the garbage bag and ran like there was no tomorrow. When I thought I had lost him, I turned around, only to be shocked as I realised he was closer to me than before. I retreated and I was engulfed in fear when my back hit the wall. I was cornered! I stood there hoping against hope for the best to happen.

Instead of hurting me, he stepped forward and said, "Why are you running away? I was just trying to return your wallet. While you were cleaning up, you accidentally dropped you wallet! Take it!" As he said that, he took out my wallet from his bag.

"Oh! Sorry! I always thought that people with an evil look have ill intentions. Sorry that I misunderstood you. Now, you have taught me a brilliant lesson. Thanks!" I exclaimed, taking back my wallet.

From then on, I learnt not to "judge a book by its cover" again and I would not be so biased any more.

Not all is what it seems by Stanley

"Bang!" I slammed the door, panting. His words echoed through my mind like ghosts wandering through me.

"You can't escape me. You need me," goosebumps appeared as I tried to shake the thought that I was being stalked. Ever since I started dating with Fred, this mysterious stalker with a scar running down from his right eye to his mouth was seen every time I hung out with Fred.

I locked the door and closed all windows and curtains. I wished this was just a nightmare but apparently it was not. I took a shower and went to bed, hoping that the next day, I would not have to see his face. Before I knew it, I was floating off to Dreamworld.

"Hah!" I yawned and stretched myself. It was a brand new day with no more... Oh no! I reminded myself of the stalker. That would mean I had to take precautions when I went to work. I got dressed and slowly opened the door. So far so good, he was not around. I got out and locked my door and quickly rushed to my work place. Let me just hope getting back home would be as easy as this.

At evening time when everyone was having their dinner, I knocked off from work. When I exited my office, I was delighted to see a familiar face.

"Fred! What are you doing here?" I picked up my pace at the sight of my love.

"To send you home of course. If that dude appears again, I'd be sure to bash him up for you," I grinned as he escorted me back to my house. I felt blessed and loved. More importantly, I felt safe and protected.

"Where are you two love birds going?"
I recognised that voice. I turned my head and my premonition came true. It was the stalker!

Fred tensed his muscles and went into a fighting stance with his fists bared. I could have sworn I heard a snarl from Fred but I chose to ignore it. The scarred-face man came closer and closer threateningly.

"Leave us alone!" I gave a war cry and kicked him in the shins really hard with the tip of my heels. He dropped to his knees and gave us the opportunity to run. I ran into a deserted alley and spun around. Fred was not there. I began calling out his name and he finally appeared out of a corner. But somehow, he looked different. Somehow he looked... evil. He approached me with a...knife on his hand?! I began to panic. Who was he? Was he the same Fred I knew? What did he want?!

Suddenly, a man behind Fred attacked him and handcuffed him. On closer look, I saw that the assailant was the stalker! Seeing the unconscious Fred on the ground, I began to back away.

'What in the world is happening? Was Fred trying to kill me? What about that man? He was the stalker right? Why is he helping me now?" Millions of questions buzzed through my mind but a shout that made me jump a bit brought me back to reality.

"Hey you! I would have caught him sooner if you didn't interrupt. Told you you need me," he laughed. Moments later, the blaring sirens of the police car were heard and the police brought Fred in the police car and drove off.

As for me, the F.B.I agent who was apparently the stalker, explained that Fred was not the loving and caring boyfriend I thought he was. He was actually a sick person who went around toying with young women and in the end, killing them. Just then, a thought occurred.

"Oh yes! How is your knee? I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed.

"I wore knee pads," he grinned and pointed to his knee. I rolled my eyes and went home, not forgetting the scariest experience I had in my life.

Headhunted by Sabrina

It was the best day of my working career. One Friday evening, I was serving a fussy customer at the restaurant I worked at. I was carrying a bowl of hot fish soup on a tray. Her children were dashing everywhere.One of them pushed me aside and the bowl of hot sup went splat on the ground.The customer was shocked and complained about it to my manager. She even said that I brought shame to the restaurant's name. I was then fired. I took my bag and walked out of the back alley.

I was taking a shortcut back home when I felt someone following me. I began to be worried. Nobody liked to walk through the back alley. Thoughts, negative ones, flooded in my mind. With every step I took, I told myself to calm down and walk quickly.

Finally, I took the chance. I glanced back. It was a man.He was wearing a tie and was holding a case. My heart started pumping even faster. I recognised that tie. It was the exact same type as one of the customers I served just before getting fired. He had an evil grin.

"What is he up to?" I started asking myself. I took a decision to turn round the corner. I waited for him. When he showed up, I pushed him towards the wall.

"What do you want from me, mister?!?" I cried, angrily.

"I, I just wanted to ask you if you would like to be hired by me," he began in a very business-like tone. He took out a card from his pocket and passed it to me. I took it from him. He was a boss at a very new restaurant near my neighbourhood.

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to," I tried to explain.

"It's alright. I had been going round restaurants hunting for waitresses and waiters like you," he said.

He also claimed that he had been watching me do my work. When he heard I was fired, he knew it was a chance for him to strike.

From the alley, we went to his restaurant, sat there and discussed about the available jobs. He offered me the job of a senior waitress for. Without hesitations, I quickly agreed. My job would be to help him in hiring the people with the right aptitude as waiters and waitresses, and to give them the training. My pay was three times higher than being a waitress.

Now, the restaurant is famous and it has attracted people from around the world to visit our outlets. I was soon promoted to the senior manager of the food chain. I will never forget the way I got to know my boss, now my business partner from food chain.

The deserted alley by Natalie M.

I was once a brave woman but I swore to myself that I would never walk at any deserted alley alone, especially at night. This was what happened.

It was late at night. I walked through a deserted alley, after work, as usual. I always walked through the alley as it was the short-cut to reach home. Walking towards home, I whistled cheerfully. Then, out of nowhere, I saw a human-like shadow falling against me. It was really rare that anyone, apart from me, would walk through this alley.

As I pretended to take something out of my purse, I stole a glance at the person from the corner of my eye. The person was a man with a sinister smirk plastered across his face. Petrified, my heart skipped a beat. From the man's expression, I could feel that he was up to something - something bad. Anxiety bubbled up inside me like soda water. Beads of perspiration matted around my temples. Being a little suspicious, I wondered if I should take the gamble and run away. But before I could run, I heard a voice.

"Hey, there! Where are you going?" the man bellowed.

I became as still as a statue in a trance. But I quickly recovered from the panic and tried to keep my composure. As I was about to make a turn, the man ran towards me and cornered me by the side of the alley.

"Hey, I am Jared. What's your name?" he asked, his eyes glinting with malice.

I did not answer. My knees went weak and my courage shrank. After the short silence, I cleared my throat, opened my mouth but swallowed my words again.

Jared -if that was his real name- was wearing a suit with a brown tie. As he walked closer to me, I noticed that he was holding a sharp silver knife in his hand.

I reeled back in trepidation, whimpering, "Don't! Please don't kill me!"

"Don't be scared. Just give me your purse and I will leave you unscathed," the man inched towards me, his eyes emanating threat.

I did not know why, as I was an inch from the death, I hesitated. Seeing my reaction, Jared brandished his knife in the air menacingly and I could feel the cold sharp end of the blade pressing against my stomach. I braced myself for the worst, but Jared sputtered angrily, growing impatient, "I am giving you another chance. Give me your purse!"

I reached out for my purse spontaneously. Fingers trembling, I handed my purse to him. I opened my mouth to speak but there was only a muffled cry in my throat. My entire body was trembling violently.

" Good," he praised me as his smile widened.

I was really reluctant to give him my purse, as I just got my October's salary that day. Despite having taken possession of my purse, he still made a small cut on my left arm.

Blood oozed out. He must have done that to slow me down so that I could not call the police. Jared ran away from me as fast as a cheetah and as he made a turn, he, together with my purse and my October salary, disappeared out of my sight.

That was the story of how I promised myself never to walk alone in that alley anymore. I realized that the outside world is dangerous and I should always be careful. I was taken it was my money that was taken, not my life!

A trip to my aunt's place by Max

"Yes! A one-week holiday. I'm going to stay in my aunt's house in Yishun!" I said cheerfully as I packed my bag one afternoon. Soaring with high spirits, I went to Yishun on an MRT.

When I boarded the north-bound MRT, it was crowded with a lot of people. I stood next to a pole, both hands clutching my bag. Nestled almost skin to skin in the throng of commuters and was soon getting bored.

I dug both hands into my pockets for my MP3 player. When I was digging for the MP3 player, the MRT made a swift turn and everyone on board struggled to avoid being thrown off balance. But, most of them hit the windows while I fell and hit my butt.

"Ouch!"I exclaimed.

"Oh no!I should have held on to the pole to avoid hitting my butt on the floor!"I muttered to myself. I stood up slowly, trying to maintain my balance on the train which was turning swiftly from left to right as if I was a ball being kicked from left to right.

Now I was the king of some problems,I started to feel sick, I felt like I was going to vomit.

"I can't take it anymore! AARRHH!"I thought.

"Thump!" I fell again, but this time harder.

"Oh gosh! My butt is going numb," I thought to myself.

The pain somehow crept upwards and I started to get dizzy.

"No! Not now Max!" I willed myself to keep the dizziness out. The train would reach Yishun in a matter of minutes.

"Passengers alighting, please mind the gap on the platform." The cabin doors opened. I quickly escaped from the MRT as though someone had kicked me out of the house

I was thankful the five-minute walk from the MRT station to my aunt's house did some good to my dizziness.

I vowed I would hold on to the pole on the MRT in future no matter what. I did not look forward to suffering the same or maybe even worse consequences.

An unlucky Thursday by Sabrina

I was in the train cabin, packed with people. The seats were all occupied by adults. I only had poles to hold on to. I had always hated going to tuition, especially on Friday evenings. Adults were like bulls charging in the train, rushing to and from work. Pupils were returning home from school.

There I was, standing at the corner, where the emergency stop button was right above my head.I just had to jump a little to push it upwards.

I was shocked. A little girl's black, furry dog toy came towards me. She was controlling it. I hate dogs, even toy dogs. Since the toy dog came by surprise, I was shocked. I bumped up a little and I hit something hard, something that moved up after I hit it. That something came in my mind. It was the emergency stop button!

"Opsieeee", I mumbled, then I froze. The train made screeching sounds and it stopped. All the sitting passengers had their heads knocked on the glass panels. Some of those holding on to the poles and railings lost their balance while the others hung on tight, very tight.

Unfortunately for me, I was not holding on to anything. I was sent off flying on the floor, back first. After the rude stop, all passengers on board were frustrated with me. Everyone stared at me angrily, very angry and crossed with me.

Luckily for us, a train operator who boarded the train from the start of the journey, came to our rescue. He uttered something in his walkie-talkie. He told us to remain calm. All passengers except me whined. One disgruntled man in a crowd shouted that if the train did not move, he would lodge a complaint against me. He also cried that he would be late for an important meeting.

After a few minutes, we could hear the train engine roaring again. I let out a sigh of relief. At the next station, I apologised to the passengers on board and the train crew. The train operator said that it was not a problem. At least I admitted to it and knew I was at fault. I apologised once more and left the train station.

I went straight to my tuition centre. When I got there,the tuition centre was closed. I checked the date on my watch. To my dismay, was Thursday but not Friday! What an unlucky day!

Untitled by Wei Ting

Heads crashed together, feet were swung off the floor and hands grasped onto handles. Everyone was taken by shock and surprise. A screeching sound was emitted through the whole train toward Kovan station .

"All passengers, please keep calm. This train will resume its operation in fifteen minutes. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused. Thank you," an announcement was made.

Everyone groaned, but no one groaned as loudly as the boy who was flung off due to the abrupt stopping as he did not hold on to the handles or poles.

"My bum .. IT HURTS!" the boy, Louis, wailed ,tears slowly streaming down his face, down onto his striped T-shirt.

"Are you alright? Any bruised elbows?" his friend asked anxiously. "I've got plasters!" he continued.

"No bruised elbows but a bruised bum!" Louis whined, with a pissed look on his face.

"My head hurts from banging onto the glass frame!"

"My hands gripped the handles so hard I swear my fingers can drop off anytime !"

"I almost flew away !"

The train was in chaos. Sad to say, babies started crying as the cabin became stuffy, adding on to the chaos.

After much consoling from some grannies, Louis stood up slowly. All he heard were complaints! That only worsened his headache.

"I'm sure to get a shelling down from my boss!" a business man actually WHINED.

"I'll be late for my meeting ..." muttered another .

As though the train heard their complaints, there was a low humming sound and in seconds, the train came into life and started to move again! Everyone cheered while a few still sulked like babies who just got their pacifiers taken away.

Consequently, the train company, SNRT, was fined for the breakdown Many people thought that SNRT SHOULD be fined .

After that fateful Tuesday, Louis always made sure to hold the handles and poles . Still, he had to learn ... THE HARD WAY .

You never know what hit you by Stanley

"Haha! I'm so excited!" I said to my best friend, Tom He gave me a cheerful nod before we set off from my void deck to Bishan MT station to take the MRT to Chinatown for the 'Beyblade' tournament that just started that day.

I tapped my card and went through the opening gates while Tom did the same. We waited for the train while staring excitedly into each others' backpack. In our backpacks contained our modified spinning toy and our geared up launchers.We stared into space thinking how intense the tournament would be and were almost oblivious to the roaring of the approaching train.

We zipped up our backpack and boarded the train, not knowing that a terrifying experience was waiting us.

We managed to find seats but seeing the elderlies standing, we offered our seats to them. Tom held on to the pole and suggested I did the same, Being the naive child I was, I grinned and told him I was okay. Never did I know that would be the biggest mistake I made in this trip.

"Boom! EEE!" All of a sudden, the train jerked forward and everybody lunged forward with the train. As for me, not holding on to anything, I could feel my eyes widen as people around me turned to me and shouted something. But I did not hear them. All I know was I was falling, falling on my giant butt.

"OW! That hurts!" I groaned. Tom came over to check on me but apart from my aching butt, everything else was fine.

Oh no! My 'Beyblade'! Then, the train regained stability as I zipped open my backpack and check on my 'Beyblade'.

'Please be okay! Please be okay!' I thought. My spinning toy was safe without a scratch.

"Phew!" I heaved a sigh of relief. Just then, a voice blasted through the speakers.

"Dear passengers, we're sorry for the bumpy ride. A little ball was stuck on the track. It will be removed instantly. Meanwhile, enjoy your ride and we hope you have a safe journey."

Tom and I looked at each other and frowned. That little ball could have caused a major accident, killing many but we were glad no harm came to us.

When we reached Chinatown, we threw the scary MRT experience aside and wished each other best of luck to becoming the best blader in the country.

Untitled by Regan

“OOOO, a brown envelope!” I exclaimed. I was on my way home from school when I saw the envelope. It was on a chair at the HDB flat two blocks away from my block. The envelope was quite bulky.

I poked around the envelope to guess what it was. I knew that if I opened the
envelope, it would be an invasion of someone’s privacy. I decided to ignore the envelope but, being a curious person, I had a strong urge to open it up and see what was inside.

I went back to the envelope and waited for someone to pick it up but no one
came. I tried to open it but it was tightly sealed. I looked for the gap at the edge of the seal and carefully peeled the seal.

“Just a peek," I kept reminding myself after I peeled open the seal.

I stretched my hand into the envelope, excitement flowing through my veins,
and just when I was about to take out the thing inside the envelope, someone grabbed my arm.

“Oi! What do you think you’re doing! Don’t you know you should not take
things that do not belong to you?!"

I turned around and saw a muscular, angry man. He was bald and had a
Chinese word tattoo on his arm.

“Sorry mister,” I said sheepishly.

The man snatched the envelope away, stared at me, and walked off. I heaved a sigh of relief. I was so scared that I had not thought that the man could be lying.

“How rude of him!” I thought. I was actually very grateful that such a guy like him did not bash me up.

I continued on my journey home and, while I was about to go into the lift,
something caught my eye. A brown envelope.

“What?! Another brown envelope?!” I exclaimed. This time however, I was
not so curious about what was inside the envelope. I went into the lift and went back home. I had learned my lesson. The earlier incident taught me that I should not invade other people’s privacy and that I should not let my curiosity get the better of me.

Never judge a book by its cover by Stanley

"Are you sure? It's just not right!" I asked.

"Don't worry, Danny. We're just... exploring his way of life." Tom argued. 

I shrugged my shoulders and we hid in a bush near Mr. Tan's or as we called him, the creeper's house.

"Look! There he is!" Tom whispered, a little too loudly though. 

The old man turned around as I pulled Tom back just in time. I glared at him and diverted my attention to what the old man was holding. I almost screamed when I saw a bloody knife. Tom saw it too. He signalled me to run as soon as the old man entered his house. 

Once we saw the old man closing his door, we ran back home as fast as our legs could carry us. From then on, we were fearful of him.

Three months later, I was on my way home from a cafe', alone. Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a bulky brown envelope near Mr. Tan's house. Curiosity beat fear and I went to the envelope immediately. On closer look, I saw that a few words were written on it, 'To my dearest grandfather'. 

'A bigger mystery lies in that envelope' I thought. I was about to pick it up when...

"No! Don't touch it!" cried a voice as he or she or it grabbed my reached-out hand. 

I slowly turned my head and my eyes widened with fear when I saw...

"Mr. Tan! Ahh! Let go of me!" I struggled and pulled my arm free of his grasp. I took off without looking back but half-way down the road, something crying caught my attention. I looked back and saw Mr. Tan on his knees sobbing. Looking at his pitiful state, I could not help but head back. I approached him slowly and asked in concern, "Are you alright?"

He looked at me with his red eyes and wiped his tears away. He looked at the envelope and then to me. Tears started welling up in his eyes again as he handed me the envelope and told me to read the contents inside.

Moments later, my eyes too started to brim with tears. It was then when I realised, his family members had all passed away due to cancer except for his grandson but, last year, he too died but not before leaving this letter for his grandfather which was delivered not until now.

We became friends as it was not his fault for becoming so emotional. I explained his conditions to my friends and we were determined to make Mr. Tan smile once more. Whenever Tom and I were free. we would visit him. For the first time, we saw his wonderful smile.

I find I don't learn a lot while I'm talking.

We shall see how true the saying goes.

Letter of appreciation

Dear Editor

I am writing in to express my appreciation to the taxi driver, Mr Lim, who had rendered his assistance to me on 20 September 2009, 7pm at Sixth Avenue (1m).

I had been waiting for two hours by the side of the road before Mr Lim (1m) came to my rescue to change my punctured tyre (1m). After he had changed the tyre for me, I offered Mr Lim $50 (1m) for his trouble. Mr Lim readily refused my gesture of appreciation. He told me he was sincere in helping me. (1m)

I was thoroughly heartened by my whole encounter I had with Mr Lim. (1m) How I hoped everyone is as gracious and helpful as him.

Filled with gratitude
Kathy

Oral Testing 9 October 2012

E3	5-6	. 1 -9
E4	5-6	10 – 16
E5	5-6	17 – 42

Important assignment

Talk all you can here.

Post -reading response: ST - P6 Pupils to get help for leap to secondary school

I do not think that I need to attend this workshop. I know how to manage my time and I think that I will not be very stressful. If I come across a bully, I can always report to a teacher. I can make friends so I do not have to worry about making friends.

~Regan~

Well, for me I personally think that I could cope well in a new environment and with the new people I meet but I am still Primary 5, I have not reached the end of Primary 6 yet. Maybe my thinking is different by then, I will never know.

~Stanley~

I think that the workshop would really help the P6 pupils because it teaches them how to manage stress, expectations and emotions like anger and sadness and those that are associated with the transition which the P6s need to do or manage. Even though the workshop only lasts only  four to five hours, I think it will be very meaningful to the P6 pupils. I think that embarking on an exciting new chapter of your life is inevitable.  I am very excited and nervous at the same time.

~Dong Wang~

We should work hard to achieve our goals. Everyone has to adapt to new surroundings along the way. When we have succeeded in doing something, we can then relax. When we are doing something like studying, we should work towards finishing what we are doing and don't give up on it easily. So we should not give up our dreams easily and we should set our minds on working hard towards accomplishing our goals.

~Jessie~

Personally, I believe that every single new day unfolds a new chapter of my life. One most exciting chapter will be the transition from primary 6 to secondary school life. I hope every single chapter from today will be better and interesting.I am going to try my best to make it happen. By being positive, I am sure it will happen. I want my life to be filled with great chapters so that when I look back at my life book, I will smile instead of regretting what I have not done. By then, it may be too late for me to attempt to change the contents in my memory.

~Sabrina~

A Fateful Incident by Zi Yang

It was a fateful day that day, I almost got scared to death in an MRT Breakdown. This is what happened.

"Brother, when are we gonna reach our destination?" I asked my brother, feeling very bored in our long, smooth journey. Then, the train was very crowded and stuffy as it was then rush hour.

My brother and I were holding onto a pole and wished some passengers would be willing to give us a seat. As I was bored, I started to jump and run around in the little space I had on MRT train. My brother told me to stop for fear that I might get hurt but I did not listen to him.

When I was running and jumping in the train, I noticed that the moving train started to jolt a little, but I did not care about it as it was normal for land transports to shake a little once in a while. But after awhile, the train started to shake violently. Now, that was not normal. My brother urged me to hold onto the pole tightly. I was not too lucky. I could not get to hold the pole on time.

The train started to shake more violently as if it was raging furiously, trying to get all of us killed. As I could not get to hold onto the pole on time, I fell down with butt landing on the cabin floor with a loud "Thud!". All the passengers in there were shocked.

My brother asked worriedly, "Are you ok?"

I answered, feeling embarrassed for not listening to him, "I'm fine."

Then suddenly, the lights started flickering and then the train screeched to a halt. One by one, the lights then went off. The only source of light left was from the emergency lights which were programmed to switch on automically in an event of a power outage. I immediately stood up and hugged onto the pole like it was my only hope. I was simply too overwhelmed with fear that something bad would happen next.

Seeing my over-reaction, my brother then tried to calm me down by telling me nothing scary was going to happen to us.

Then, an announcement was heard, "All passengers on board the train, please stay calm as we are fixing some technical problems. We are now opening the emergency doors and our staff will lead you to the next station."

After that, the emergency doors cranked open. My brother and I followed other passengers and we walked in the tunnel to Buangkok MRT Station. Luckily, the station was not very far from us. In about five minutes ir so, we reached Buangkok MRT Station. We tapped our cards with our shaky hands to exit the station.

So this is the so-called 'fateful day.' I was glad it was over. It still sent shivers down my spine whenever I thought about it.

A Stubborn boy by Natalie M

David was a stubborn boy, and a very anti-social one too. Wherever and whenever he went, he would always have his I-pod with him.

That day, the MRT cabin where David was in was filled with commuters. David stood still in the middle of the cabin without holding on to the metal poles, heading to Orchard. It was rush hour on a Saturday afternoon.

"Attention passengers, please hold on to the poles securely. Thank you, " an announcement was aired.

Naturally, David did not hear the announcement. He was all absorbed in his world of music that he had downloaded on his I-pod.

"Creak…creak…," a weird sound was heard.

The commuters were confused and worried about the sound. David was not even aware of it. The light in the cabin flickered. David thought it was nothing to worry about. Suddenly, the train moved at a full speed for two seconds and screeched to a halt. The passengers shrieked and gasped in horror.

David gasped as he reached for the metal pole, but a split second before he touched it, he stepped on his own shoe lace and knocked himself to the ground. His hip hit the floor and he groaned in agony, "Ouch…"

A man beside him keeled over to the seats owing to the sudden halt. The impact threw everyone off. A sleeping male passenger's eyes fluttered open by the rude halt. A lady was thrown off balance and gave out a shortlived shriek. The passengers who were sitting down closed their eyes shut, panicked and anxious.

David was hurt pretty badly on his hip but he tried to bear with it and stood up slowly. Every passenger was able to balance themselves again and the light flickered thrice again and went shut. A snapping sound was heard and David could feel that the temperature in the train rising. The air-conditioner must have gone off too.

Pandemonium and confusion broke out. Irate passengers shouted in frustration and hit the windows to ask for help. But David kept his composure and jostled his way to the nearest pole. The chaos was getting out of hand until a light from a distance was seen. When the light got closer, David realised that the light was coming from inside the train. When everyone saw it, silence descended upon them.

A man, a rescue worker, was holding the torch light made an announcement, "Everyone, please keep yourselves calm. There has been some errors in the engine. The workers are trying to repair the engine and we will be able to move on any moment now. Stay calm!"

David sighed in relief. He felt a great load lifted off his chest. everyone inhaled and exhaled deeply to calm themselves down. What the rescue worker said was true. The light and the air-conditioner roared back to life, after a few minutes.

"We are very sorry for the technical problem that just occurred. The engine is working again. Please alight at the next station, Newton, to move to another train. Sorry for the inconvenience," an announcement was heard.

An older man said to David kindly, "Are you okay? I saw you fall a moment ago. Do you need help?"

"Yes, I do. Thank you so much. Can I borrow your phone? I need to call my mom," David replied thankfully.

The man handed his phone to David and smiled. David dialed his mom's number to ask her to fetch him at Newton Station. David realized that holding on to the metal poles is very necessary, in the event of incidents like that happens again. He was also very thankful to the man who offered him help. He also tried his best to use earphones at the right time. What an unforgettable experience!

Untitled by Ivan

It was a Saturday morning. I was on my way to my friend's house to celebrate his birthday. I was intoxicated with joy. The joy of playing with my friend filled my mind. I was waiting for the north-bound train that was heading to Hougang. Every second was like half an hour to me.

"When is the train arriving?" I questioned myself every few minutes.

The rumbling of the train rose in a crescendo. The train was arriving.

"Finally!" I muttered under my breath.

I boarded the train, I noticed that there were no more seats left. Being a sheer nine-year-old child, I could not hold the pole without losing my grip. I grabbed on the pole firmly and hoped that someone would spare a kind thought and give me his seat. But sadly, no one did.

The train sped off. However hard I tried, my little hand could not hold on fast to the pole which was too thick for my hand. Swaying from side to side, I knocked against other standing passengers umpteen times. When the train gave a jerk without warning, my hand lost grip of the pole that sent me hurtling to the floor with a big thud. I instinctively blocked the fall with my arms. The commuters continued to mind their own businesses. Those who were more bothered did nothing more than watching me fall. A few more evil ones laughed at me even though their heads hurt from banging the window.

"How selfish of them!" I muttered to myself, embarrassed and angered.

After trying to get up a few times with little success, a kind commuter decided that I could have his seat.

"Thank you," I said, smiling weakly.

Some of the other commuters thought that they could have given me their seats instead of laughing at me. Sheepishly, they said sorry and hoped that I would forgive them. While waiting for the train to stop at Hougang, I thought about the kind commuter and learnt that I should be kind and generous.

My friends birthday was a blast and you know what? The kind commuter turned out to be my friend's uncle.

Whoever Finds This I Love You

One day, you were on your way home when you saw a bulky, brown envelope. You were about to pick it up when someone grabbed your arm.

- who grabbed your arm
- what happened next
- what happened in the end

Bad, Bad Habit by Zhi QIng

One Monday morning, Mrs Lee woke up late again and had to dash to the Hougang MRT station to take a train. She had an important client to meet at Chinatown regarding a major project worth more than five million dollars. If she were late, she would have to pay a heavy price which might land her jobless.

One rowdy boy was running excitedly around the cabin without thinking of others. As the train pulled over, everyone held tight to whatever they could hold on to keep their balance. The train moved so fast like lightning that Mrs Lee was thrown in the air and she knocked an elderly man sitting in front of her. The next moment was totally unexpected.

The rowdy boy banged hard on the ground and blood spilled out from his head. There was a cut on his head! And, the train went to a stop. Everyone crowded around the boy and no one did anything. Being a kind soul, Mrs Lee helped the boy up without a second thought. When the doors opened at the next station, she went out of the station with the boy who was still shaken by the accident. She went to the nearest clinic, informed his parents and handed him over when they arrived shortly.

While busy attending to the boy, the big project was nagging at the back of her mind. However, she knew if she had left the boy alone, her conscience would sting for a long time. On the way to meet her client, she had expected the client to leave by then. Trying her luck, she hastily went back and boarded on the train to Chinatown.

True to her expectation, the client had left. Well, who would have waited for an hour? Mrs Lee was doomed. She went back to her office and strolled with heavy footsteps towards her boss. Instead of hearing his thunderous voice booming into her ears, she saw his boss beaming away. Puzzled, she lifted her eyebrows.

His boss explained to her that the client had also boarded the same train as her and had seen her act of kindness. The client did not drop the project! Mrs Lee had saved the big project and helped the boy! It was killing two birds with one stone. The best part was she was being promoted.It made her day! Her instinct had proven her right. She learnt that waking up early was a good habit and she promised never to be late again.

Moonwalking on the MRT by Shi Hui

"I learnt the new moonwalk trick from the internet, " I told my classmate, William, rather proudly while waiting for the M.R.T. on a Monday afternoon after school to arrive. The M.R.T. is my daily transportation from home to school and from school to home.

When the M.R.T. arrived, we followed the etiquette of letting the commuters out of the M.R.T. befor we entered. After that, William and I entered the M.R.T. cabin. William held on to a pole while I showed him my latest dance steps.

"Whoo......Cool! But, Derek, I think you better hold on to the pole in case you fall down," William advised me kindly. Feeling annoyed, I ignored him and continued dancing and hopping around. I slid my feet on the floor of the M.R.T., just the way Michael Jackson did it.

"You never learn to understand or enjoy pop dance!" I snapped at William angrily. I took out my music player and started to play my favourite pop music. The commuters turned to look at me in disapproval. I glared at them and resumed performing my moonwalk.

Suddenly, the M.R.T. was moving at a high speed that my feet could not get my grip to the floor. I dropped my music player. I tumbled onto the floor and rolled across the floor like a ball.

"Ahhh!"I yelled frantically.

The other commuters sitting on the seats knocked their heads against the glass panes several times while my classmate, William held tightly to the pole. At last, the M.R.T. stopped at my destination.I knocked my head against the pole when the M.R.T. stopped. I even thought I saw stars flying above my head.

"Dear passengers, the train went uncontrollable and we are very sorry for what happened a minute ago. Please alight at your station," a lady with a croaky voice announced through the P.A. system in the M.R.T. The incident merely last for a minute yet it felt like almost forever.

The commuters got up of their seats and streamed to the doors out of the M.R.T. William rushed to me helping me to get up. At the station, I could see my mum rushing towards me. She was was waiting for me at the usual spot to fetch me home.

"Oh gosh!"my mum exclaimed. "Derek, look at you! Your hands and legs are covered with bruises." My mum took me back home and of course she did not spare me. I was given a scolding. From that day on, I had never forgotten not to play in the M.R.T. or bus and hold on tightly to the pole and I realised that I had made the wrong choice of where to do my moonwalk dance.

Construction of Triangles

4-sided figures

Synthesis and Transformation Practices (Term 4)

Do the following Synthesis and Transformation tests with care.

S and T T4, P1

S and T T4, P2

S and T T4, P3

S and T T4, P4

S and T T4, P5

Writing Related to MRT rides

Maiden Circle Line ride

The water cycle

Post-Reading response to article on Haze

A forest fire in Sumatra was brought to Singapore's northern area, which is most affected by the haze, by the south-west winds. The PSI reading was 53 at 4pm 28 August. The National Environment Agency did not answer why only the northern part of Singapore was affected.

If the air-quality measurement is from zero to 50, it is good but if it is above 100 it is considered unhealthy. Besides the PSI, there is another air-quality scale called PM2.5 that measures fine pollutants.

I learnt that PSI measures sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and particulate matter.

~Ivan~

ST: National Day Parade costs rise to $17.2m

National Day Parade!

Post-Reading response to Article on Haze

This article is about the haze that is affecting Singapore.

The haze was caused by the Sumatra forest fires. PSI readings measured 53 as of 4 pm 28 Aug. The poorer air quality was noted only at the northern parts of Singapore. The National Environment attributed the hazy condition to the south-west wind that carried the smoke from Sumatra, where the forest fires have raged for the past week. NEA did not explain why the air quality in the north-which includes Kranji, Woodland, Sembawang, Yishun, Seletar and Punggol-was worse than elsewhere.
NEA cautioned those who were more vulnerable to the haze to avoid prolonged exertion.

In my opinion, if this continued to happen, Singapore will have polluted air and more will suffer from respiratory conditions.

~Marcell~

The cause of the haze in Singapore was attributed to the forest fire
in Sumatra, Indonesia. The north-zone in Singapore took the biggest
hit, causing the air quality to deteriorate. All over the island, residents have said that the situation was worsening.

The NEA attributed the hazy condition to the forest fires in Sumatra. But when
queried by the media, NEA did not explain why the haze hit mainly the north.

The NEA used PSI and PM2.5 to measure the pollutants in the haze. PM2.5 measures the micro particles to be penetrable to the human lungs and
the bloodstream. Hence, the NEA cautioned the more vulnerable; the
elderly, children and those with heart, lung or asthmatic conditions
to stay away from prolonged or heavy exertion.

The NEA did not confirm
to the public about how long the haze would last, but estimated the south-west monsoon season to last from June to September or early
October.

~Misha~

The forest fire in Sumatra has affected the northen part of Singapore. Quite a number of residents complained about the haze. The NEA attributed the hazy condition to south-west winds that carried smoke Sumatra, where forest fires have raged for the past week. If this continued, I think more people will be visiting the clinics to treat respiratory conditions.

~Ye Long~

Synthesis and Transformation (Term 3 Practice 10)

Do the last S and T  practice for the term here.

Class results: Science

1 Natalie Marisca Anggawidjaja 87%
2 jevon tan jing hong
3 Isaiah khoo jia le
4 tevin tsng yue heng
5 Ryan Tan Yan Tong
6 Lim Zheng Quan
7 ivan ruzzelle siao
8 Yap Zi Yang
9 Chan Jing Quan, Darryl
10 Marcellino Adinadana Lim
11 Bryan Wong Jing Jie
12 Justin Arnold Sasam Rezaba
13 Ng Jun Wei Stanley
14 Chua Chun Wee Ernest
15 Owen Ho Jun Wai
16 Alton Chua Kai Cong
17 Jonathan Quek Zhiheng
18 Sherlene Peng Yixun
19 Max Teo Zhan Zhi
20 ting shao wei jayden
21 Lam Regan
22 Shannon Misha Koh yawen
23 Tan Shi Hui
24 Alvis Low Yue Han
25 Nicholas loh chen teng
26 ang dong wang
27 Alisha Misra
28 Jerron Lim
29 Ng Wei Ting
30 Tan Chun Yi Glenn
31 Nabilah binte Rosman
32 Lum Jian Hou,Benedict
33 Megan leong
34 tok hui ting
35 Chong Zhi Qing
36 Jessie Long Sue Swen
37 Natalie Tan Chu Yi
38 Lim Chun Yuen
39 Batrisyia Sabrina
40 Tan Ye Long
41 Wong Jun Yang 45%
Class Average % 68.12

Class results: Maths

1 Lim Zheng Quan 98
2 Ng Jun Wei Stanley 98
3 Isaiah khoo jia le
4 Natalie Marisca Anggawidjaja
5 Alton Chua Kai Cong
6 Tan Chun Yi Glenn
7 tevin tsng yue heng
8 Justin Arnold Sasam Rezaba
9 Ryan Tan Yan Tong
10 ivan ruzzelle siao
11 ting shao wei jayden
12 Max Teo Zhan Zhi
13 Alvis Low Yue Han
14 Sherlene Peng Yixun
15 Chua Chun Wee Ernest
16 jevon tan jing hong
17 Nicholas loh chen teng
18 Chong Zhi Qing
19 Chan Jing Quan, Darryl
20 Tan Shi Hui
21 Jonathan Quek Zhiheng
22 ang dong wang
23 Jerron Lim
24 Lam Regan
25 Bryan Wong Jing Jie
26 Shannon Misha Koh yawen
27 Lum Jian Hou,Benedict
28 Megan leong
29 Lim Chun Yuen
30 Ng Wei Ting
31 Owen Ho Jun Wai
32 Jessie Long Sue Swen
33 Marcellino Adinadana Lim
34 Nabilah binte Rosman
35 Batrisyia Sabrina
36 Alisha Misra
37 tok hui ting
38 Wong Jun Yang
39 Yap Zi Yang
40 Natalie Tan Chu Yi
41 Tan Ye Long 50%

Class Average % 76.52%

Class results: English

1 Shannon Misha Koh yawen 83.16%
2 Lam Regan
3 Ng Wei Ting
4 Ng Jun Wei Stanley
5 Natalie Marisca Anggawidjaja
6 Justin Arnold Sasam Rezaba
7 tevin tsng yue heng
8 Isaiah khoo jia le
9 jevon tan jing hong
10 Alton Chua Kai Cong
11 Lim Zheng Quan
12 Jerron Lim
13 Jessie Long Sue Swen
14 ivan ruzzelle siao
15 Natalie Tan Chu Yi
16 Owen Ho Jun Wai
17 Chong Zhi Qing
18 Yap Zi Yang
19 Batrisyia Sabrina
20 Lum Jian Hou,Benedict
21 Ryan Tan Yan Tong
22 Wong Jun Yang
23 Marcellino Adinadana Lim
24 Tan Shi Hui
25 Chua Chun Wee Ernest
26 Tan Chun Yi Glenn
27 Tan Ye Long
28 Sherlene Peng Yixun
29 Max Teo Zhan Zhi
30 ting shao wei jayden
31 Lim Chun Yuen
32 Alisha Misra
33 ang dong wang
34 Nicholas loh chen teng
35 tok hui ting
36 Megan leong
37 Alvis Low Yue Han
38 Jonathan Quek Zhiheng
39 Chan Jing Quan, Darryl
40 Bryan Wong Jing Jie
41 Nabilah binte Rosman 58.95%

Class Average %: 70.21%

CA2 ranking (EMS)

1 Natalie Marisca Anggawidjaja 87.47%
2 Isaiah khoo jia le
3 Lim Zheng Quan
4 Ng Jun Wei Stanley
5 tevin tsng yue heng
6 Justin Arnold Sasam Rezaba
7 jevon tan jing hong
8 Ryan Tan Yan Tong
9 Alton Chua Kai Cong
10 ivan ruzzelle siao
11 Tan Chun Yi Glenn
12 ting shao wei jayden
13 Lam Regan
14 Chua Chun Wee Ernest
15 Max Teo Zhan Zhi
16 Sherlene Peng Yixun
17 Shannon Misha Koh yawen
18 Tan Shi Hui
19 Chan Jing Quan, Darryl
20 Jerron Lim
21 Nicholas loh chen teng
22 Chong Zhi Qing
23 Alvis Low Yue Han
24 Ng Wei Ting
25 Jonathan Quek Zhiheng
26 Marcellino Adinadana Lim
27 Owen Ho Jun Wai
28 ang dong wang
29 Yap Zi Yang
30 Bryan Wong Jing Jie
31 Lum Jian Hou,Benedict
32 Jessie Long Sue Swen
33 Alisha Misra
34 Megan leong
35 Batrisyia Sabrina
36 Lim Chun Yuen
37 Nabilah binte Rosman
38 tok hui ting
39 Natalie Tan Chu Yi
40 Wong Jun Yang
41 Tan Ye Long 56.96%

Class Average % (based on EMS) 71.62%

Sythesis and Transformation (Term 3 Practice 9)

Do your Test here.

Results: Synthesis and Transformation (Term 3 Practice 8)

View your answers and score here.

The following pupils have not submitted your work.
1. Alisha
2. Alvis
3. Sabrina
4. Bryan
5. Owen
6. Regan
7. Benedict
8. Marcell
9. Max
10. Wei Ting
11. Tevin

Do the corrections here.

When different kinds meet

Buckle your Seat belts by Isaiah

"Marina Bay Sands!" my father told the taxi driver excitedly.

The driver drove off and my family and I were on our way to Marina Bay Sands to stay for a few days. I had been looking forward to staying there and going to Universal Studios Singapore to try out the rides which I heard were excellent.

All of a sudden, a car swerved and almost hit the taxi I was in.

"Screech!" the taxi driver stepped hard on the brakes which sent me flying into the windscreen and onto the road.

I was too young to die.

I could hear screams all around me. This thing I had been looking forward to had gone absolutely wrong. Seatbelts could have prevented this. The smell of burnt rubber and the sound of the ambulance's sirens filled the air. At least someone bothered to call for the ambulance and not just stand there like a typical Singaporean.

"He...lp me..." I groaned in pain. The pain was so unbearable.

When I checked myself for injuries, I was not surprised. Blood, bruises, scratches, severe cuts. You name it. I looked like one of those ghosts in those 'cursed pictures' people use in chain mails.

I tried to get up slowly but even the slightest movement felt like a million bones breaking.

Things started becoming blur......

I found myself in a room. I looked at myself wondering if what happened was real. I could move! I could move! When I turned around, I was totally shocked.

"Oh my gosh. Shi..." I mumbled under my breath at the sight of my body on a bed. My own body. Right in front of me. Bandages all around. Broken arms and legs.

My parents were kneeling on the floor clutching my cold hands and sobbing.

"Damn it!" I cursed. I sank to my knees and burst into tears. If only I had buckled my seatbelts.

"Maybe this is what it feels like to be a ghost," I thought to myself.

I remembered what my parents taught me.

I could almost hear a voice in my head saying, " Open your eyes. This is just a nightmare......".

Prying open my eyelids, I hoped that it was all a dream.

"You are finally awake!" my mother said happily. " Look at yourself, so sweaty! Go take a shower and pack your bag. We are going to Marina Bay Sands today."

I nodded and headed towards the toilet. I took a shower, wrapped a towel around myself and brushed my teeth. After that, I took out the packing list that I had prepared yesterday night and packed my bag accordingly.

We made our way towards the taxi.

"Mom, Dad," I mumbled. " Please buckle your seatbelts."

"Of course we will," my father laughed.

"Marina Bay Sands," my father told the taxi driver gleefully.

We buckled our seatbelts and the driver stepped on the accelerator.

I learnt from the horrifying dream that buckling up is a very important thing to do that could save your life, and mine.

Synthesis and Transformation (Term 3, Practice 8)

Do the test here. Latest submission by 30 July 2012 2359h.

Results: Synthesis and Transformation (Term 3 Practice 7)

View your answers and score here.

The followng pupils did not submit your work. Please do so as soon as possible.
1. Alton
2. Alvis
3. Owen
4. Jonathan
5. Misha
6. Tevin

Do your corrections here.

Synthesis and Transformation (Term 3 Practice 7)

Do the test. Latest submission by 2359h 26 July 2012

The test by Wei Ting

I smiled as Mother praised me . She rewarded me with a bowl of ice-cream. I grinned as I replayed today's experience as I the cold treat melted in my mouth.

At the school gate this afternoon, I stuffed my earpiece into my ears as I waited for my mother to come. I jumped as I heard two boys hurling a few colourful words at each other . I turned up the volume, not wanting to hear any of those 'colourful' words. "Society... What has it become?" I mumbled, thinking hard.

A cold hand rested on my shoulder, snapping me out of my thinking bubble. I pulled my earpiece out of my ears, ready to bark at the person.

Standing in front of me was a woman in her thirties, clad in a cream-coloured dress. Her exotic perfume was gagging me. I was never a fan of perfumes.

She smiled at me kindly and said," Your mother is ill, she sent me here to fetch you from school! I'm her friend, Emma!".

Emma? I had never heard my mother mentioning the name Emma before. I narrowed my eyes and replied,"Are you sure? My mother has always been a healthy woman."

Still smiling, Emma said,"She came down with a common flu!" I still did not believe her .

"Really? Tell me what's her middle name then ?" I challenged Emma.

Her face turned confused for a second, then she said,"I don't know her middle name ..."

"STRIKE! You're a kidnapper!" I shouted, pointing at her. This earned a few stares from passers-by.

Her face turned beetroot red.

As I smirked in glory, she called someone. "Hello? Yes, she passed the test," she spoke into the phone. What test? I was puzzled.

She smiled at me and said,"Let's go meet your mother!"

What? She got me into a car and drove to my house. My mind was buzzing with a million questions .

We reached my house. My mom was standing there with a big grin on her face. She did not look ill at all.

"Mother!" my face lit up. She hugged me and thanked Emma.

"Who is she?" I asked my mom.

Soon, all my questions were answered. My mother was not actually sick. It was all a set-up! Mother wanted to see if I was conscious of my safety .

"This ice-cream is delicious !" I commented, snapping out of my flashback. Today was certainly the best day ever .

Introduction by Misha

My little sister, Prim, just started school this year. She is in primary one. She is naive and gullible. Not much to anyone's surprise though, she loves sweets. It is more likely to say she likes ALL kinds of candy. In fact, she has a VERY sweet tooth! Prim has a mind of her own and listens to anyone that gives her candies. Everyone in the family is very protective of her. That includes me, of course. I am in charge of taking her home from school and making sure she is safe under my charge.

What can you learn from this extract of Zhi Qing's writing?

Unexpectedly, the lady walked towards me. Dressed in the finest fabric I had ever seen, she greeted me politely. She also introduced herself as Cindy. Cindy explained that Mum was ill and wanted me to follow her. Since I was drenched in sweat from head to toe, I might as well follow her. Without a second thought or a hesitation, I decided to follow her.

Introduction by Ivan

I always hate my mother for fetching me home from school. It was so embarrassing. My classmates would always laugh at me when they saw my mother fetching me home. At home, I would always ask her why she had to fetch me home from school but she would not answer me. She would just avoid answering the question by asking me what happened at school.

One day, while I was waiting for my mother at the school gate after my remedial class, my classmates passed by me and started laughing at me.

"How rude of them!" I said to myself giving them a distasteful look.

"I wish that my mother would let me go home by myself," I said to myself, hoping that my wish would come true.

Post-Reading Test - LRD

Complete the test here.

Results: Synthesis and Transformation (Term 3 Practice 6)

View the answers here.

Do your corrections here.

Choosing to do what is right by Natalie M.

"What a tiring day?" I sighed, trudging my way to the school gate after my remedial class. I craned my neck to look for my mother among the crowd of students. I did not see her so I waited for her patiently. After ten minutes, she still did not show up. I got impatient as all the other students had gone home. I heard footsteps approaching and I wished they were my mother's. Instead of my mother, I saw an elegant lady.

The elegant lady, whom I found out was Mrs Tay later on, walked towards me.

"Hey, Boy. Your mother cannot fetch you today. She is having a fever. I will take you home, darling," she told me with a sweet smile.

It was awkward that she called me 'Boy' instead of my name. She might be a kidnapper! Or she wanted to do something bad to me! But how could such an elegant lady be a kidnapper?

"Hey, we can stop by 7-eleven? I will buy you anything you want," she exclaimed, her smile widened.

Unable to resist my temptation to follow her, I took a step towards her. "Don't believe in strangers for any reason," my mother's voice echoed in my mind.

"No, thanks, Ma'am. I will wait for my mother," I replied, almost mumbling to myself.

Mrs Tay's smile faded. "Don't be scared. I meant no harm to you," she tried to convince me.

I refused with a polite smile. Where was the security guard? Mrs Tay's eyes were a combination of black and brown. They bulged out, almost popping out. On seeing them, a shiver went down my spine. I swivelled my head to look for anybody. But I could see nobody. I tried to keep my composure and not to freak out.

Mrs Tay took me by the hand and dragged me to get out of the school. With all my strength, I tried to get her hands off mine. Her intimidating actions could not be condoned!

"Help!!!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

Mrs Tay let go off my hand and took to her heels. I felt a great load lifted up my heart when she was out of my sight. I wanted to run as fast as a cheetah towards the General Office. But before I could do that, I heard my mother's voice, "Steve, sorry I am late. I could not find my ez-link card," she apologized.

"Mom!!!" I ran towards her and gave her a big hug. She must be taken aback by my sudden display of affection. When was the last time I hugged her?

I told her the whole story and she praised me. The next day, I read the newspaper and found out that Mrs Tay was arrested. She was found having dozens of kidnapped kids in her house.

"Huh," I breathed a sigh of relief.
This incident taught me much. I learnt not to trust strangers and to choose to do what is right. I also knew that choosing to do what is right is harder than it seems. I should even thank Mrs Tay for teaching me of how to be more careful.

Untitled by Sherlene

“The first remedial class is so boring…” I muttered. I was waiting for my mother to take me home. After ten minutes, she was not at the front gate yet. “Why is she taking so long? I hope that she is not waiting at the backgate!” I murmured.

“Hello, Jane,” a lady said, with a big smile.

I swivelled my neck. “Who are you? I do not know you,” I replied.

“I am your mother’s friend. Your mother is ill and she has instructed me to take you home. So, please follow me,” the lady replied.

I was immersed in my own thoughts. “Is she a kidnapper? She wants to kidnap me just because I am a rich girl? But what if my mother is really sick? Anyway, when I saw her this morning, she was perfectly fine.”

Without hesitation, I ran back to the canteen toilet. In the toilet, I took out my phone and called her.

“Hello? Mother! Are you ill? Someone said that you are ill!” I blurted in a breath.

“No, I am not sick. Just wait for me at the front gate. Do not talk to that stranger,” she advised firmly.

I walked back to the front gate.

“Hello, my mother is not sick at all so I will not follow you!” I glared at the stranger.

“Seriously, your mother is ill and she is now waiting for you at home!” she shouted whilst forcing me to go with her.

I was unwillingly to go with her. She held my hand tightly in a vice-like grip. I prised her fringers off my hand.

“Stop doing that!” the lady shouted.

I tried to keep my composure. A few seconds, an idea flashed through my brain. I stepped on her foot.

“Ouch!” She let go of my hand. At that time, I saw my mother, coughing and sneezing away. She trudged on.

“Mother!” I shouted. “She is the stranger that I was talking about on the phone!”

She walked towards the lady. “I told you that you do not need to pick up my daughter. I am not that seriously ill."

I became crimson red. “Sorry. I should not have stepped on your foot if I knew that you are my mother’s friend," I said, embarrassed.

“It is okay,” she replied. My silly smile started to spread all over my face.

Whenever my mother is not free to fetch me, this lady, Aunt Wong, will come and fetch me. And I would not need to worry about being kidnapped since I already knew that Aunt Wong was my mother's trusty secretary from the incident.

Aunt Maggie by Isaiah

I trudged on towards the school gate. What a tiring day it was! I planted my backside onto one of the benches at the gate. As I waited for my mother, I tried to remember what I learned during the remedial class.

"Ten minutes," I groaned. I was getting impatient. What was taking my mother so long?

A lady walked up to me. "I am your aunt, Aunt Maggie," she introduced herself.

I was not sure about that woman. Was she really my aunt? I did not know. I never really got to know all my relatives other than my parents and grandparents. My father passed away in a plane crash when I was still a baby.

"I know you don't believe me but it's true. Your mother is ill and she has instructed me to take you to her," Aunt Maggie tried to convince me.

I stood up hesitantly and followed the lady. She led me into her car. It was a brand new red Honda Stream. Just as I was about to buckle my seatbelts, I whipped out my phone and called my mother.

"Benny?" my mother asked, "Where are you? I am at the school gate waiting for you!"

I was shocked. I looked out of the window and saw my mother's worried face. This Aunt Maggie was a kidnapper!

"I am in the red Honda Stream!" I yelled into the phone, waving frantically from the car.

"Well, well, well," said Aunt Maggie. An evil-looking grin formed on her face. She grabbed my phone, slipped it into her pocket and locked the car doors.

Meanwhile, my mother told the security guard that I was kidnapped and they both rushed towards the Aunt Maggie's car.

On seeing my mother and the security guard via the rear-view mirror chasing us, Aunt Maggie immediately slammed on the accelerator and drove off. She knocked me in the head with one of her shoes and I fainted.

"Ou...ch" I moaned in pain. I could roughly remember what happened but my mind was all messed up, my head throbbing in pain.

"Hello, Benny," Aunt Maggie greeted me.

"Where am I? Let me go! My mother is coming to get you!" I yelled, putting up a brave front but on the inside, I was absolutely frightened.

"Silly little boy, this isn't a fairy tale where good guys always win," laughed Aunt Maggie maliciously. She walked out of her car, looking rather pleased with herself and locked the door behind her. After she left, I started kicking the door like a maniac. I reached into my pockets for my phone. I forgot! Aunt Maggie took it away.

As time went by, my hope of ever being rescued faded away.

Just as I was about to give up, I heard two familiar voices. They were yelling. Of course! The voices were my mother's and the security guard's!

The strong security guard kept kicking the door until it gave way. By the time he succeeded, he was panting like a dog.

I was saved! I ran towards my mother and hugged her. If I did not call my mother to make sure Aunt Maggie was a relative, I would have never been rescued.

Aunt Maggie returned. She was totally shocked to see my rescuers. The terrified woman ran for her dear life like there was no tomorrow but the security guard caught her and pinned her down. The security guard checked her pockets in case there was anything in them and found my handphone. I was so scared that I forgot all about that thing. I dialed for the police and we waited.

Eight minutes later, the police arrived and arrested Aunt Maggie. I thanked the security guard and my mother for saving me.

"Thank you, Mister!" I thanked the security guard.

"You're welcome. Don't do it again though!" he joked.

The three of us took a bus back to school and the security guard resumed his duty at the guard post as my mother and I walked home together like we were supposed to hours ago.

"Sorry I've caused so much trouble," I apologised.

"It's okay Benny," my mother smiled. "It wasn't your fault. I was late to pick you up."

What a great mother and security guard or should I say father I have. They even chased the car on foot! My mother and the security guard eventually got married. I did not mind as he was a very nice guy and I was more than happy to have a father like that. Come to think of it, Aunt Maggie the crook had incidentally become their matchmaker!