PROVERB

A CAT MAY LOOK AT A KING

meaning: anyone has the right to look at or speak to anyone else or anything at all without having to worry about status, position and upbringing.

sentence: I know that she is the Sultan's daughter,but a cat may look at a king,may it not?She needs friend too.

Pictures of the Mexican Indians

To those students who are answering The Pearl for the novel, here are some pictures that may help you to have some ideas about the Mexican Indians - the poor and the rich.

The Fruitcake Special

My review;

When I first read this short story, I could not help laughing. A perfume can have such a great impact on someone.This story reminds me of some kind of oil used by the traditional Shaman in Malaysia to cast a spell on someone so that he or she will fall in love with the one who casts the spell.(I am not sure whether it is still in practice in modern time.However,this practice is definitely forbidden in Islam and by many religions.)

Well, I can't help but admire Anna who works as a chemist at Amos Cosmetics.As she was making an experiment, she adds a bit of the fruitcake which her Aunt Emma gave into her mixture of perfume. She then tests the perfume on herself.The consequence of her action causes her a serious problem. Her boss,Mr Amos who smells the scent of the perfume on her suddenly finds her exceptionally beautiful.
Anna however does not believe him. She is a confident person who knows her real self. There is no way a flamboyant like Mr Amos will like a plain girl like her.

When Mr Amos asks her out,she has no choice but to go because he is her boss.When she sprays on some Amos perfume, Mr Amos seems want to shun away from her and is embarrassed to be seen with her.On the other hand, when she puts on her fruitcake special,she is surprised by a sudden attention and love declaration from her boss and a waiter at the restaurant where she and her boss are having dinner. She realises then,that her boss's wierd reaction towards her is all due to the fruitcake perfume she made.A fight between her boss and the waiter over her occured right in front of her boss's girlfriend.

So when Mr Amos and his dead gorgeous girlfriend mock her two days after the incidence at the restaurant, she sprinkles all the fruitcake special on the girl's dress. She wants them to experience what she has gone through.She imagines how many men will fall madly in love with her boss's girlfriend because of the fruitcake special.All these men will give troubles to her wicked boss and his girlfriend.

Finally, she finds her love right under her nose. It is a young delivery boy who has fallen in love with her for so long but can only express his feeling after he is successful to own a pizza shop.

QWERTYUIOP By Vivien Alcock

Synopsis

This story is about a seventeen - year - old girl called Lucy Beck,who had just received a diploma from a secretarial college. With the diploma, she hoped to secure a job as a secretary. Her principal,Mrs Price however did not have much confidence in her because she was small, she looked timid and could only type at a slow speed.

Lucy too was not very confident in her own self. She feared that she would not get a job. So, getting a job at the first interview she went was really a blessing. On her first day, she was surprised by a spirit of the former secretary, Miss Broome. The spirit communicated with her using the electronic typewriter. At first, she was horrified and frightened. Yet when she thought about the many luxurious things she could buy with her salary as a secretary, she became determine to fight the spirit.

She discovered from Harry Darke, an old man who worked at the firm that Miss Broome was a lonely woman who dedicated her life to her job as secretary. She was asked to leave by the late Mr Bannister after working for 43 years. She was reluctant as the office was like her home and she had no family. Even in her death, she was adamant to keep her job and frightened off many young girls who wanted to take her job.

Finally, Lucy was able to persuade the spirit of Miss Bloome to leave the job to her. She told her that Mr Bannister had passed away and he desperately needed her to take care of him in the new world. Lucy related to Miss Bloome that she was told to leave because Mr Bannister was worried about her health.

Moral values/Lessons


One should not be prejudiced towards others.

Example 1:The Spirit of Miss Bloome, for example was looked down by others before Lucy. She may be a spirit but she was a lonely spirit .By understanding her loneliness, Lucy succeeded to tell her to serve Mr Bannister who had also passed away and needed her.

Example 2: Lucy was also a victim of prejudice. Being young, small and shy, her principal and even Harry Darke thought that she was a coward. Yet she proved to herself and others that she was a brave person who would not submit to the wish of a lonely spirit.

How to Cope With Stress

How to Cope With Stress
Stress is a common problem among students. In Malaysia, it is stressful for the students because the education system is exam-oriented and each student has to study at least nine subjects for the Malaysia Education Certificate. Moreover, the schools and parents expected them to get perfect score in all the subjects so that they can have a better chance of entering Public University.

Despite of the pressure, students should not complaint about not having enough time. Amalina, Siti Fatimah and Siti Madihah who had obtained perfect scores in their SPM examination had proved that one must know how to manage one’s time well. Students must visualise their goal and work towards achieving it.

Planning a time-table is one of the most effective ways of managing time. A timetable helps a student to schedule their study time,doing sports,engaging in leisure activities, sleeping hour and meal times. He must focus on completing a task given within the time scheduled. He should not procrastinate.

As sports and leisure activities are also included in the timetable, students ought to feel relax. After all, within 24 hours, they are not only studying and completing tasks given by their teachers. In fact, they also have enough sleep and a set meal times.

Besides, a well-plan timetable, a student needs a balanced meal. As he should never miss a meal, he should also make sure that the food he takes is nutritious. A meal must begin with fruit. Fruit provides vitamin C which helps to boost a student’s immunity system against diseases. Fruit is also good at balancing emotion. Student should not also miss carbohydrate, protein and minerals in their food intake .They ensure a student to have enough energy and strength to go through a day.

Furthermore, many evidences have shown that students who work in a group find studying less stressful. They are able to discuss the topic they do not understand and get solution to problems faster than studying own their own. Amalina for example had pointed to working in group as one of her success tips.

Nobody in this world is living a problem-free life. Students are not exempted. So if they have problems, they should talk about their problems to people whom they can trust. Parents are the best persons to talk to. Others whom they can seek advice from are teachers and counsellors. A wise friend may help too. Talking to someone will make the problem lighter and bearable.

Many people believe that listening to music helps to reduce stress but students need to choose music which soothes to the ears. Since stressful people usually suffer from headache, heavy rock music may only increase the stress.

Some religious people like the Buddhist and Hindu resort to meditation while the Muslims perform their prayer and recite the Quran as way of reducing stress. Students may do so according to their beliefs.

Stress is clearly manageable. A student must develop a positive approach towards life and avoid being saddened by trivial matter.

"Mind Map" in composition writing

Dear SPM candidates,
"Mind map" (or some call it "graphic organiser")is very helpful in guiding you to write a good composition.It helps you to organise your thoughts more systematically.It also works as a mean by which you can check your weaknesses and strengths.For example, you can easily detect repetitive ideas.
With a mind map, ideas will flow smoothly as you write.It also enables you to write within the time given so that you can move on to the next composition.
Unfortunately, most students fail to see the advantage of using a mind map.I hope you will change your way of thinking because even the best-selling writer uses a mind map to note down his ideas.

Good Luck to all SPM candidates 2010.

The Pearl: A person that I would like to emulate.

The Pearl

The person that I would like to emulate in “The Pearl” written by John Steinbeck is Juana. I find that Juana is a good and dutiful wife, a loving and a devoted woman and a very strong courageous woman.

First, as a wife, she gets up before Kino and prepares corn cakes for him. She only eats when Kino has eaten. She speaks only when she is spoken to. She does so because she respects him. She values what Kino has done for her. She is happy with her decent life. She is grateful to have a responsible husband and a healthy son.

Next, as a mother, Juana loves her baby, Coyotito. When Coyotito is stung by the scorpion, she quickly sucks the poison out and asks for a doctor to treat his son. She sucks out the poison without thinking of the risk. When the doctor refuses to treat Coyotito, she does not give up hope. She tries an alternative treatment that she knows. She applies a poultice of seaweed on Coyotito’s wound. She also chants and pray to God to save her son.
Juana also shows her devotion to both her husband and son. When Coyotito is stung by the scorpion, she asks for a doctor. Even though she knows that they cannot afford to pay him, she insists on getting treatment for her son. Similarly, when Kino decides to leave La Paz, she follows him without much arguement. She devotes herself to her husband even after Kino hits her for trying to throw away the pearl back into the sea.

Moreover, I admire Juana for her strength and courage. She is not a greedy person. When she senses that the pearl is evil, she asks Kino to throw it back into the sea. When Kino refuses, she takes matter in her own hands. She tries to throw it into the sea but is prevented by Kino. Then, when her husband accidentally killed an attacker, she gives her full support. She follows hiM to another city . When Kino asks her to leave first with Coyotito so that he can fight the trackers who are following them, Juana refuses him. She insists on staying by his side.
Again Juana shows her strength and courage when her son is killed by the trackers. Instead of giving up and living in regrets, she carries Coyotito’s dead body on her back and asks Kino to throw the pearl back into the sea. Returning the pearl to where it belongs implies that Kino is throwing away the evil that has ripped off their happiness. She hopes without the evil pearl, she will be able to begin a new life.

So, it is clear that Juana is a person I should emulate. Even though she is only a woman from low class background, she has so many wonderful values and great qualities that many women do not possess.

Novel: The Pearl

Question:
Does the title of the novel you read suit the story?

In the novel, “The Pearl”,written by John Steinbeck, I find the the title of the novel “The Pearl” written by John Steinbeck, suits the story.
First of all, we can see that the novel begins with a picture of a happy Mexican family being threatened by a scorpion. To rescue their only son, Kino and Juana requested for a treatment from the evil doctor but was denied. Instead of giving up, Kino dived into the sea and looked for the pearl. As if luck was on their side, Kino found the great pearl. Finding the pearl was a big turn to Kino's life.
The pearl was not only seen by Kino as a symbol of hope but it was a sign of wealth. The pearl provided hope for Kino to treat his son. Now with the pearl, he would be able to pay the doctor to treat his son. With the pearl, he would also able to improve his standard of living as he could afford to send his son to school to get education. He would not be ignorant and easily fooled by the coloniser. He would also able to marry his wife, Juana at the church ,buy new clothes and a rifle for himself.
The focus on the pearl continues as it spread its evil influence on the life of the people around Kino.
The finding of the pearl had led the doctor to become greedy. Instead of treating Coyotito, he gave him poison and then gave him medication for the poison. He took advantage over Kino's ignorant. He was so cruel for a good doctor would never think about making money from other people's miseries.
The priest was also depicted to have ill-intention. He had never visited the poor Kino at his small hut before Kino found the pearl. When he visited Kino, he insisted that Kino and Juana should go through a proper Christian Wedding at the church. He only wanted Kino's money for the church.
The pearl buyers had also cheated Kino. They had planned and worked together to offer a low price for the great pearl. They wanted to make as much money as they could from the poor native Mexican like Kino. They were heartless! They neither thought about the hard life Kino was going through nor the critical condition of Kino's son, Coyotito.
The pearl follows the character towards the end of the story. When Kino and his family were fleeing to another city, three trackers followed them. They wanted to snatch away the pearl from Kino. Seeing the only way for him to save his family was to kill the trackers before they kill him and his family, Kino tried to attack the trackers but it was too late. His son was shot by one of the trackers. The death of Coyotito ended hopes, wealth and evil that come with the pearl.
From the evidences above , it is clear that “The Pearl “is always the focus of the story and the title given suits the novel very well.

EXAM TIPS

Dear SPM candidates,
Here are some tips on how to answer question 1 (Directed Writing) in Paper 1.
1)Read the instruction carefully. This is very important to prevent you from losing the marks you should get. I had observed from my past experience that some students did not answer the question as required because they did not read the instruction.
2)As you read the instruction, do underline the key points so that you won't miss them.
3)Use all the notes given. Try to elaborate the notes by adding details.
4)Make sure you use the correct format for the question. Find out the format for a formal letter, a report, a speech , an article, a letter to editor etc.
5)Decide on the tenses. Always use present tense to describe facts which are always right. Use past tense to describe past events. Use future reference when you describe something that is going to happen in the future. When you want to give advice or suggestions, use modal verbs.
6)Read your composition.Check your tenses and other types of errors.(spellings,punctuations, prepositions and pronouns)
7)Write within the time given.Once the time is over, stop writing. Move on to the next composition.

Students' masterpiece

Congratulation to 4PT for working hard to come out with the scrapbooks!Remember you can if you think you can.