Historical Narratives

It was January, and two months had passed since Lim Yang bought his wife, Tan Zi Xin, and his daughter, Lim Kai Yin, to a small hut in the Bukit Timah area for their safety. The family's house had been destroyed in a bombing raid. By late January, the hut was no longer out of harm's way. Japanese troops surprised and overwhelmed the Allies on February 8, turning Bukit Timah hill into a killing field.

On Chinese New Year Eve, Zi Xin and Kai Yin tried to block out the distant sound of gunfire as they sat down to their dinner of sweet potato and tapioca. Then, there was a knock at the door.  Lim Yang hesitated for a few minutes before opening the door. When Lim Yang opened the door, three men were standing outside, one of them were seriously injured. The family knew they were British soldiers.

Kai Yin was very frightened. Lim Yang then motioned the soldiers into the hut. Lim Yang asked Kai Yin to get three more potatoes from the backyard.

A short time later, two more tired soldiers came to the hut. Kai Yin was paralyzed with fear. She stared in disbelief.

"Konnichiwa"  Lim Yang greeted the Japanese soldiers. Lim Yang invited them in for dinner and he informed them that he had other guests but they might not consider as friends.

It was very tense at first. Two of the Japanese sat opposite the three British soldiers looking at one another. After a while of staring one another, one of the Japanese soldiers stood up. As that Japanese soldiers stood up, the British soldiers and the family were looking at him and thinking what the Japanese soldiers going to do. The Japanese soldiers went forward to the injured British soldiers, took his leg up and examined the bullet. He removed the bullet from the injured British soldiers and bandaged to prevent infection.

The family were very touched when they saw what had happened. The family with the British soldiers and Japanese soldiers sat down and ate their dinner without any worry. After their dinner, the soldiers fell asleep. The next morning, they greeted one another and everyone helped make a stretcher for the injured British soldiers. Zi Xin returned them their weapons.

"Be very careful!" the family warned sternly before wishing them sincerely, "We hope someday all of you'll return to your home safely. May Buddha bless and watch over you."

The soldiers shook hands and marched off in opposite directions. The family saw the true friendship of a different country and they would always remember that particular day.

Earth Day

During Earth Day, we went to the school hall to assemble. Some of us find it unusual as we normally assembly in the parade square accept for Wednesday. After our reading period and singing the national anthem, Mr Yeow gave us a speech on the happening our earth is facing and many more fact about the earth. After hearing the speech and presentation present by Mr Yeow, I am sad to hear it and felt that we, humans should do something that can help to save the world and make it a better place to live on.After that Mrs Menon told us to write on a piece of paper how we can help to save the earth.

A Complaint Letter

21st April 2010

Mrs Saraspathy Menon
Principal
Chong Booon Secondary School

Dear Mrs Menon

UNPLEASANT INCIDENTS IN THE SCHOOL LIBRARY

My friends and I have been going to the school library lately to do some self-study. However, we are unhappy about a few minutes which took place recently. I am writing to inform you of the incidents and I hope you will take action to ensure that the library is a conducive environment for self-study.

There was this group of students who were rude to the librarian. 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 master. The rest of the boys became abusive and challenged the librarian to report them all. Personally, I think the boys should be punished for their rowdy and rude behaviour.

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 drink. The table became sticky and it was impossible to study there. I hope you will ensure the pupils to observe cleanliness rules in the library. I hope you will ensure the pupils to observe cleanliness rules in the library. Food and drinks should not allowed in the library as they will dirty the library meking it an unpleasant place to study.

There was this 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 others users in the library as there may be an odour. Pupils should not be allowed to enter the library in PE attire. They should change 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 playing games for a long time. It is very unfair and it causes the other users inconvenience who are waiting for their turn to use the computers. Some people might need to use the computers for project. I hope you will ban students playing games on the computers in the library, so that those who need to use the computers can get the chance to use them.

I hope that you can take action against these incidents.I am looking forward to a quiet and conducive environment for us to self-study in.

Yours Sincerely
Ong Xue Qi
Ong Xue Qi

Durian (PEEL)

Durians are popular for its unique characteristics. They are usually large in size, has an unique odor, and formidable thorn-covered husk. The color of its husk is green to brown; and its flesh has creamy-yellow to saffron color depending on the species. Durians are rich in energy, minerals and vitamins, dietary fiber and antioxidant vitamin-C. On the other hand, eating too much of durians will cause us to be sick because they are very heaty. Some people do not like durians because of its strong smell. There are many different kind of durians in the world. We can either eat it raw, baked it or etc.

( 106 words)

International Friendship Day Reflection

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


The environment and teachers are important to me. In the school of green, we must learn to keep the school compound clean. Without teachers, we won't get to study and won't know how to do the subjects. The school had given us a clean environment to study in and good teachers for us to turn to when we are in need.

What do you know about the history of your school/ CCA?

Chong Boon Secondary School accepted its first batch of students in December 1993, taking over Anderson Secondary School's old building. Mrs Cecilia Lee was appointed the Principal. In the year 1998 December, Mrs Cecilia Lee was reappointed to be the Principal of Junyuan Secondary School and Mdm Sun Huey Min took over as Principal. In the year 2000, The school vision, ‘A Thinking & Gracious Citizen’, was formulated. The tearing down of the CBSS old school building began in December 2001.In the year 2002 March, the school's Core Values: Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Dedication to the Nation and Excellence (PRIDE) was formulated. The school embarked on a new beginning with the shift to our new premises. The 1st Student Councillors' Investiture Ceremony was held. In the year 2004 December, Mdm Sun Huey Min, our 2nd Principal was appointed to be the Assistance Director, Staff Training and Development and Mrs Sarapathy Menon took over as Principal.

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

During last year growth camp, there are a lot of obstacles for us to overcome them. I'm afraid of height, so I do not dare to do most of the obstacles. When I was told to do the abseiling, I was scared stiff and I keep telling the trainer that I did not want to do,but in the end I tried to. When climbing the stairs to reach the 5th storey, my whole leg was numb as i keep looking the holes in between the stairs. Agnes, together with me, encourages me to continue and not to give up. As it was too high when I reached the 5th storey, I wanted to give up and go down, but Agnes encourage me again and I thought, 'My friend keep encouraging me all the way from the start to now so why must I disappoint her by letting her down?' After the abseiling, I'm happy that is finally over although my legs are still numb.
Agnes, thank you for your encouragement! (:

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


Yes. At first, I do not think that Chong Boon Sec was as good as the others school. However,after my friends have told me all those good things about the school, I feel that my school is just the others good school. The school teaches us alot from the syllables and even things that are not in the syllables.

International Friendship Day

On 16th April, we were supposed to assemble at the parade square but we were told to assemble in the hall. After all those everyday routine, Mdm Angela Tan, our English teacher went up to talk about International Friendship Day things. After talking about the International Friendship Day, she shows us a video on the values of excellence, friendship and respect for the YOG (Youth Olympics Games). She said that we were to do a reflection after this assembly talk,that will be given out by our English teacher either on the 16th April or 19th April. We did not have English lesson on Friday (16th April) so we have to done it on Monday (19th April).

Sports Fiesta

We were to go to the Serangoon Stadium for our annual sports fiesta, just like last year. After reaching the stadium, we were told to assemble as a class as to make things easier for the teacher to take our attendance. After singing the national anthem and our attendance are marked, we were to go to our respective houses to sit together. We were suppose to sit there and support our housemates, but I, in fact is most of the people decided to just sit down there and do nothing. Some of us listen to music, play games and many more things.

Sometimes, we were feeling thristy ang hungry so we went to the shop there to buy foods and drinks. After all those events, the results were out. Aeros did not do well for the inter-house game, inter-CCA and etc, but we did well for track and field.

This year Aeros (purple house) came in third better than last year. Pyros (red house) came in first again. After the results were announced, we were dismissed from the stadium. This year sports fiesta is more fun than last year. (:

Annual Cross Country

This year, we had our annual cross country at the MacRichite Reservoir. We were told to reach there at around 7.30am. When we reached there, we were told to assemble at the area that we were told to. After all those briefing, the two secondary 2 express class and the two secondary 2 normal academic class went to look at the grave of Lim Bo Seng and learnt something after the visit.

We went to the starting point to have start our cross country. The teacher-in-charge told us that the path was very slippery so we had to be very careful when we run. We saw a lot of monkeys as we were running. We were told to run but nearly all the lower sec girls that did not took part in the race decided to walk all the way till the end of the finishing line. All of us were perspiring profusely.

After running for a long distance, we were to rest and were allowed to buy the drinks that were sold by the band members. After resting for a few minutes, the prize presentation were about to start. When the prize were given out to those who took part in the race and won some credits. As the prize were given to those who won some credits while the rest of us who did not took part in the race were to watch the presentation and appulause to the winners. When the prize presentation ended, we were told to collect our valuables that were kept in the black plastic bags. 

We were dismissed after we had done collecting our valluables. We were to go home after the activity, as we were extremely tired after the run and our shirts were full of sweat. Without caring about the tiredness and sweatiness, a group of us decided to go to Ang Mo Kio hub to have our lunch and had some fun before returning home. After that we went back home as it is even tiring then before. I enjoyed this year Cross Country.

Summary of all reflections

From all three reflections, i have learnt that all the animals that are endangered or had extinct are caused by us, the human beings.

For the Tasmanian Devil research, i have learnt that they can get agitated very easily. They are the largest living marsupial carnivore, they are very shy and wary nocturnal animal and a very efficient scavenger. They spent most of their time sniffing the ground in the search of food to eat. They live in hollow logs filled with leaves and grass or other hidden shelters such as wombat burrows. They reach maturity at the age of 3. Their strong jaws allow them to crush bones and chew up tough skin. Their mating season is usually in March and can last to July. Their litters are between 1 and 4. Their lifespan is between the range of 5 to 8.


For the Giant Panda research, i have learnt that they are about 1.2 - 1.5 meters in length and weighs 75 - 160 kg. Panda cubs are tiny at birth, weighing only at around 100g and are totally dependant on their mother for the first few months of life. About 40-60 days after their birth, their eyes open and they begin to walk at about 3-4 months. They begin to eat bamboo at about 5-6 months and are weaned around 8-9 months. At about 18 months of age they leave their mother. Pandas are mature at about 6 years of age. They can live up to 30 years.  They are found only in the bamboo forests in the mountains of central Peoples Republic of China, including the provinces of Gansu, Shaanxi, and Sichuan. They are found 3000 metres above the sea level. They do not have a permanent den to live in. They face a lot of problems in their life. People in China have been saving the Giant Panda.

For the sloth bear research, they are found the forests, scrub jungles and grasslands and mainly in the lower elevations of India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. They like drier forest and ones with rocky outcrops. Their gall bladder, bile, claws and genital organs were hunted and are used for traditional in chinese medicines. The males are larger than the females weighing between 176 and 310 pounds. Females weigh between 120 and 209 pounds. They eat ants and termites. They will also eat eggs, birds, flowers, tubers, fruits, grains and meat. Above all, they love honey.

Reflection 3- Sloth Bear ( Dancing Bear)

Article title: Sloth Bears - Learn About These Wonderful Bears

Article from: http://www.squidoo.com/slothbears

Summary:
The article is about the habitat, features, diet and etc.Sloth Bears are found the forests, scrub jungles and grasslands and mainly in the lower elevations of India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. They like drier forest and ones with rocky outcrops.


Features

Where these bears used to be found in forests all over India, they are now found in only a few habitats.
The biggest threats to Sloth Bears are: the poaching of adults for body parts -- gall bladder, bile, claws and genital organs -- used in traditional Chinese medicine; poaching of cubs to train as Dancing Bears while killing the mother when she tries to defend her cub; habitat destruction and encroachment of habitat by humans.
Sloth bears have long shaggy fur. There is less fur on it's belly and the back of the legs. The fur color ranges from auburn to black and it has a light colored, elongated snout and a black nose. Their lip is bare (no hair) and like other black bears have a V-shaped creamy colored mark on its chest.
Their sickle-shaped claws are good for climbing and digging. They are 4 inches long, non-retractable and curl under. They also have the longest tail in the bear family, running 6 to 7 inches long, which is hidden in it's fur.
Size

The males are larger than the females weighing between 176 and 310 pounds. Females weigh between 120 and 209 pounds.
Diet
Sloth Bears eat ants and termites. They use their long, hard claws to dig in the mounds and their longs snouts to blow the dirt away and suck up their food.
They will also eat eggs, birds, flowers, tubers, fruits, grains and meat. Above all, they love honey and, like their cousin, the Sun Bear, they have been animal's fondness for honey has caused it to be nicknamed the Honey bear.
Range

Sloth Bears are not territorial being their only competitor for termites and ants (their favorite foods) are ant eaters.
Reflection:
Before reading the article,i did not know that Sloth Bear are extincting and humans treated them cruelly. I did not know that they like drier place. They are 4 inches long, non-retractable and curl under. They also have the longest tail in the bear family, running 6 to 7 inches long. The males are larger than the females ones. The males weight between the range of 176 and 310 pounds. The females weight between the range of 120 and 209 pounds. They eat ants and termites,eggs,birds,flowers,tubers,fruits,grains and meat. They love eating honey the most.

Reflection 2- Giant Panda

Article title: Giant Panda
Article from: http://www.thewildones.org/Animals/panda.html

Summary:
The article is about the life of a giant panda, habitat, etc.The giant panda has been the topic of a lot of debate among scientists in recent decades over how exactly to classify the animal. It shares some characteristics with bears, and some characteristics with raccoons. In the last 20 years, scientists have been able to link the panda to both bears and raccoons, but now believe them to be most closely related to bears. They are considered a "subfamily" of the bear family (Ursidae).


The giant panda is about 1.2 - 1.5 meters in length and weighs 75 - 160 kg. They have a thick coat of black and white hair and are probably one of the most recognizable animals with a white body and head, black legs, ears, and eye patches. They are found only in the bamboo forests in the mountains of central Peoples Republic of China, including the provinces of Gansu, Shaanxi, and Sichuan.

Pandas are usually found in the mountains at about 3000 meters above sea level. In the winter they sometimes make their way down to about 800 meters. They do not make a permanent den, but take shelter in any suitable cavity in trees or rock crevices. They do not hibernate, but instead come down to lower elevations where it is warmer and more food is available. Pandas live mainly on the ground, but are able to climb. They feed mainly on bamboo, but also eat other plants and small animals.


Communication is through scent and vocalizations that range from chirps to growls.


Pandas are solitary animals, but during the breeding season males may come in contact with each other and compete for access to females. Breeding season is March to May with births in August or September. Litters can be twins or triplets, but usually only single cubs are raised. Panda cubs are tiny at birth, weighing only around 100 grams and are totally dependant upon their mother for the first several months of life. About 40-60 days after birth their eyes open and they begin to walk at about 3-4 months. They begin to eat bamboo at about 5-6 months and are weaned around 8-9 months. At about 18 months of age they leave their mother. Pandas are mature at about 6 years of age. In captivity pandas have lived to be over 30 years old.


The future for the giant panda is uncertain.
The wild population of giant panda is about 1000 individuals, with around 100 individuals in zoos in China and around the world. Some of the problems they face are natural, but some are caused by humans. Pandas do not have many offspring during their lifetime. Although the adults have few predators besides man, the cubs are very small and may be attacked by leopards. Another problem is their diet! Bamboo grows in large patches, and different types of bamboo flower in different years. After it flowers, the bamboo dies back, leaving nothing behind to be eaten. Pandas must travel from one good patch to another to find food. Pandas have to travel to find new patches, and sometimes human-built villages are in the way as they mover from patch to patch.


What is being done to protect giant pandas?
To save panda habitat, the Chinese government has set aside 12 nature preserves where bamboo flourishes and giant pandas are known to live. Fragile panda habitat will be protected from development by people and also from damage caused by cattle, sheep and goats as they graze on any emerging seedlings and trample the thin mountain soil. Efforts are being made to introduce pandas to new areas not currently occupied by it in order to expand its habitat. Strips of land, called bamboo corridors, have been created to help pandas migrate or move from one area to another. This technique opens more habitat to pandas. When pandas move greater distances to find mates, they can spread their genes further in the population.


Saving nature together:
Wildlife Trust scientists and educators are working on similar solutions for many endangered and threatened species, including jaguars in Brazil, river dolphins in Argentina, elephants in India and Sri Lanka, zebras and asses in Ethiopia, and storks in Indonesia! A combination of science, innovation, and community support helps them find ways to save animals and their habitats all over the world.

Reflection:
Before reading this article I did not know that the Giant Panda is endangered. They are 1.2 - 1.5 meters in length and weighs 75 - 160 kg. Panda cubs are tiny at birth, weighing only at around 100g and are totally dependant on their mother for the first few months of life. About 40-60 days after their birth, their eyes open and they begin to walk at about 3-4 months. They begin to eat bamboo at about 5-6 months and are weaned around 8-9 months. At about 18 months of age they leave their mother. Pandas are mature at about 6 years of age. They can live up to 30 years. We are trying to save the Giant Panda so they won't be extinct.

Total Defense Day

After morning assembly, we went back to class to have lesson about the history of Singapore. Then, we were interrupted by the fire drill. We quickly line up, and then we walked to the field from the classroom. Mrs Menon then told us how long everyone takes to settle down. I was actually quite happy that the whole school managed to settle down in about 4minutes plus. After the fire drill, we went back to class to continue to have our lesson about the history of Singapore and we watch some clips done by students from other school. At about 9plus, we were brought to the stations put up for us. We paste our post-it that we have written during the lesson, at the stations. After pasting some post-it, we were brought to the canteen to have our recess. We were given a bun and a bottle of mineral water. We went to the others stations that we haven gone to paste our post-it there. We went to the hall to have our Chinese New Year/Hari Raya/Deepavali Celebration after pasting all our post-it.

Chinese New Year/Hari Raya/Deepavali Celebration

After Total Defence trial, we went to the hall for the celebration. After a while, the concert starts. The first performance was put up by the chinese dancers. Second performance was put up by the malay dancers. Third performance is the Indian, follow by the lion dance. The lion dance was so well perform that I love this performance the best. After the lion dance performance, some of the teachers put up a dance together. After the concert had ended, we were dismissed slightly earlier as we were told by the teacher that we had to help our parents to do spring cleaning.

Growth Day @ Sentosa Beach

This year Growth Day is more fun than last year as we went to Sentosa this year. I've been looking forward to this day. Just came back from Sentosa.
When we reached the school,we were told to assemble in the parade square. After singing the national anthem, Mr Tan give us briefing, examples how to behave when we reached Sentosa. Mrs Menon also reminds us of our behaviour, etc. After the briefing, we went to the foyer to wait for the bus to take us to Sentosa. When we on the bus, a lot of us listen to music, some of them talked, etc. After a long journey sitting on the bus, we finally reached Sentosa, but we had to walk a long distance before reaching Silso Beach. When we reached Silso Beach, we were told to play the games at the games stall set up by the ITE. A couple of us didn't play the games at the games stall, so we went to have some fun on the beach. We sat on the sand listening to the music, admiring the beautiful scene, take some beautiful photo, play some games or having some fun among the group of us. We went to the lunch point to have our lunch. After our lunch, we had to sit on the bus for a long journey before reaching the school. We were dismissed after we reached the school. Although we didn't play the game there,but I overall I still think if fun but tiring.

Personal Recount

My heart beat hastily as I entered the examination hall. I was about to sit for my final paper, Science, a subject which I dreaded.


As the invigilator, Miss Lim, strode in, she ordered us to be seated. She promptly handed out the question paper and answer sheets. The exam began in no time. Everyone was engrossed in scribbling their answers.


I stared at the paper dumbfounded, as the questions are far more difficult than I imagined. Beads of sweat rolled down my forehead and my mind was in a whirl. I realised that I am going to fail the exam. This is the first and last time I cheated.


Once Miss Lim disappeared, I decided to steal a look at my best friend, Elaine, who was sitting right beside me. She was furiously jotting down her answers. I craned my neck to have a better view of Elaine's answers. I managed to catch a glimpse and rapidly wrote down the answers.


Meanwhile, Miss Lim was standing at the back of the examination hall, noticed that my suspicious behaviour. She immediately strode up to me seething in anger. "What do you think you are doing?"


I shifted my eyes away from meeting Miss Lim's eyes, quaking with terror, hoping against hope. My hand began to shake uncontrollably and tears streaked down my cheeks. Miss Lim commanded me to leave the examination hall and follow her to the principal's office after the exam ended. My nose and eyes were drenched and I wiped them with the back of my sleeve and I pleaded the principal for a second chance. An eerie silence now permeated the office. The stern principal reprimanded me for my deceitful behaviour. I was given the second chance by the principal but I gotten zero for all the exam papers.


I hung my head in remorse. I wished I had not cheated during the exam and study hard for it. I had learnt a lesson.

Personal Aspirations & Target Setting for 2010

My personal aspirations are to score well in every tests and examinations especially English and Literature, because I fail my English end of year examination paper and nearly fail my Literature. My end of year report got 50 plus for English and Literature. I hope to remain in express stream for my life in secondary.


My target setting for 2010 are:
English: B4
Mathematics: A1
Chinese: A1
Science: B3
History: A2
Geography: B4
Literature: B4
Home Economics: A1
Art: B4
Total: more than 630
Percentage: 69%


Although all this might be hard for me to achieve, but I will try my very best to do well and achieve want I want to achieve.