Essay#2- Living in a Rural Area to Living in the City (Comparison and Contrast)

      What is the meaning of the word “rural?” According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, rural means connected with or like the countryside. It can be clearly seen that city means the opposite of rural. Many of us now stay in the city rather than the rural areas mainly because of the job opportunities provided in the city. However, there are many advantages living in a rural area rather than in the city. While most of us settle down in the city, they are still some who are still living at the countryside. There are clearly many differences of living in a rural area to living in the city.

      One of the differences is there are more facilities in the city. For example, there are many shopping malls of different sizes in the city compared to the rural area. There are also more gymnasiums and sports centre in the city. People are encouraged to go to the gymnasium despite their hectic lifestyle in the city. In rural areas, there are fewer facilities like shopping malls, cinemas and gymnasiums. The people living in a rural area are not exposed to the modernization and the lifestyle led by city dwellers.

      Besides that, the cost of living in the city is very different from the one in the city. For instance, in the city, one has to provide a large sum of money to buy houses or even to eat simple meals bought outside whereas in a rural area, the cost of living is much lower. In a rural area, we can just buy a meal with a low price. Those living in a rural area do not usually need to spend much for their expenditures. In most of the restaurants in the city, tax and customer service is charged unlike in a rural area. Therefore, the facilities and convenience provided  in the city, one must in return pay back according to the lifestyle they lead.

      Furthermore, the air is cleaner and fresher in a rural area compared to a city. This is because there are more trees and greens found there. In the city, on the other hand, has countless of skyscrapers and less trees are present. This in turn causes the air to be dirty and crisis and air pollution and hot weather tend to happen unlike in the rural area. One is less stress and more relaxed in a rural area due to the absence of road congestion caused by too many cars. In the city, there is constantly traffic jam which cause drivers to feel stressed out. It causes the city dwellers to lead a life without happiness and satisfaction.

      To conclude, there are certainly many differences of living in a rural area to living in the city. Living in a rural area clearly has more advantages compared to living in the city. However, it is based on an individual’s preference whether living in a rural area is better or living in the city. 

Essay #3- Smartphone Addiction (Problem- Solution)

     The enormous growth in the use of smartphones has led to radical changes of the phone world. Nowadays, people all around the world has at least two smartphones in a family. It has become a norm to own a smartphone because of the convenience it brings. By owning a smartphone, one can have access to a wide range of information around the world. Besides that, smartphone enables users to connect with the people from all over the world with just a touch or click away by using social media like whatsapp, weChat and kakao talk. Therefore, most of us are addicted to our smartphones. Having a smartphone has drawbacks and problems. Nevertheless, there are solutions to these problems.

      One of the problems is the ease of users to access social networks applications like wechat where one might have the risk of being in contact with people of bad intention. For example, the person might chat with you and ask to meet up in a certain place. That may be harmful to the user if the person has bad intention. Therefore, the user might be in danger for meeting up with he or she. Another major problem is the easy accessibility of information and sites. This may result in the addiction of smartphones and eventually cause the deterioration of work performance in schools or at workplace. They will not be able to concentrate during work and school hours because of constantly checking and looking at their smartphone. They are basically glued to them.

      However, there are ways to overcome this problem. One of it is governments should ensure that smartphone addictions do not occur in the country by implementing rules and restricting time to use their smartphones. The government can also carry out campaigns and activities to curb smartphone addiction.Moreover, parents play an important role too. They should set a rule about when to use the smartphone. That way, their children will be able to use less smartphone and thus, are able to do better at school. Mass media, on the other hand should not encourage the usage of smartphones in anywhere. Advertisements can be put up in television to share about the drawbacks of having a smartphone. In doing so, the public will be aware of the disadvantages and dark side of owning a smartphone.

     

     In conclusion, although having a smartphone has many benefits, it also has drawbacks that cannot be ignored. As we know, having a smartphone is inviting new problems into an individual’s life. Therefore, all of us play an important role in curbing smartphone addictions in this country. All the measures mentioned above are necessary to avoid having smartphone addictions.

Essay #4-Why Do people Keep Pets (Cause and Effect)

     What are pets? Pets are animals that human beings care for. There are many different types of animals that people keep as pets. However, the common types of animals that we rear are cats and dogs. My mother once told me a story of a boy and his dog. She told me of how the boy took care of the sick puppy he found by the roadside. He would feed it after coming home from school every day. Finally, after persuading and pestering his mum, he was allowed to keep the dog. To cut the long story short, the dog died after ten years due to cancer. The boy was devastated but as time passed, he was able to accept it. He knows that his dog is irreplaceable but instead he is training other dogs from all over the world now. He was called a dog whisperer back then. I soon found out that she was talking about my father.

      There are many reasons why people keep pets. One cause is pets act as a good companion for men. For instance, when you feel lonely, you know that there is someone or something right there beside you. Pets especially dogs are loyal animals. They will not forsake or leave your side unless you tell them too. Dogs will look into your eyes with such loving eyes that all your troubles seem to fade away when you look into them. Even when you scold them, they will still come back to you. As the saying goes “dogs are men’s best friend.”

      Besides that, keeping pets can relieve stress. Nowadays, we are very busy with our personal affairs like work, school and assignments. That is why pets are here to relieve stress. Studies have shown that having pets reduce the risk of getting depression. Pets like dogs need exercise . We can even take them for walks around the park. The pet owners will be healthier by exercising with their pets too. When the pet owners take their dogs for walks, they will also be meeting other pet owners. So, this will benefit both the pets and the owners. It is a win win situation for the pets and owners.

      Furthermore, keeping pets require us to be responsible. We can see that many parents allow their children to have pets in order to teach them how to be responsible. By keeping pets, we are actually caring for another living thing. We have to feed and clean them. Pets also need love besides food and shelter. In having pets, we become more loving and responsible not only towards animals but also towards other people.

      In conclusion, it is very obvious that there are many reasons why people keep pets. Animals will love you unconditionally unlike some human beings. They will not judge or discriminate you based on your looks whether you are fat, ugly, short or tall. They accept you just the way you are. Some of them think that having pets is enough to make them happy. They are able to talk and share their problems or worries tot heir pets. Pets will listen and not be judgmental. That alone is a  true act of love that human beings fail to do. Orhan Pamuk once said that “dogs do speak but only to those who know how to listen.”

Essay #5- Family Portrait (Descriptive)

           As I was clearing my store room the other day, I came across a large rectangle wooden typed frame. The frame is covered with dust as it is was just lying there in a corner untouched. A family portrait was inserted in the dusty wooden frame. The family portrait was taken about ten years ago. I can still remember clearly the events that happened that day. I come from a very big family that consists of my parents, three brothers and two sisters. However, on that fateful day, my grandparents were there when the family portrait was taken.

            My grandmother has a pair of slightly small brown eyes. Wrinkles can be seen on her small wise oval face. Her short neat hair is trimmed at shoulder length. She wore a blouse and a skirt. Her blouse is green and black in colour. Her knee-length skirt is brown in colour. She wore a heart shaped necklace which was given by my grandfather on their wedding anniversary day. In the portrait, my grandmother was linking arms with her beloved husband.

            My grandfather on the other hand has broad shoulders. Besides that, he has short brown crew cut hair. He is indeed a drop dead gorgeous for any woman’s standards. He smiles sheepishly at the camera. The outfit that he wore that day was a three piece suit with a vest and a flat cap. Needless to say, he is a vain man. That was why ladies were crazy over him in the early days. In spite of that, he is a faithful and caring husband anyone would have wished to get.

            Next, my mother has a slightly big brown eyes. She has a sweet smile as well. She wore a beautiful blue dress and a pair of dark blue petite shoes to match with the dress. She looked amazing in that stunning dress. There are tiny purple beads around the collars. She also wore a brooch on the left hand side of the dress. The brooch is in the shape of a white graceful dove. Dove basically represents peace and kindness. Therefore, it is clear that my mother’s favourite animal is a dove.

            My brother has high-cheeked bones to match with his tall frame. His lips are red and thick. There are a few pimple spots on his cheeks. His black hair was combed to one side that is the right side. He wore a green collared T-shirt and an almost worn out pair of jeans. My sister has olive skin which is considered a shade darker compared to the rest of us. She wore roundish purple spectacles that was bought by my aunt for her birthday present.

            I have medium sized brown eyes and jet black hair. I also have slightly fair skin like my aunt. I wore a bracelet on my left wrist on that day. The bracelet is brown leather typed given by my cousin from Singapore. On the bracelet was an inscription of the day that I come into this world.

            After looking at our family portrait, I thought about what had happened on that glorious day. Later, I wiped and cleaned the picture frame before putting it beside the television set. I will certainly never forget all the memories, laughter and joy we had when the family portrait was taken. 

Essay #6- An Unforgettable Experience (Narrative)

           It was a mundane and gloomy day. The sky was overcast and seems to be somber like my troubled soul. This is due to the death of my ginger cat, Perry. It died recently because of skin disease. I was totally grief-stricken by this disappointing news. I then walked my way towards the bus stop. As I was reminiscing about how we used to spend our time together, there before me stood a thin and destitute looking old woman of about the age of mid 70’s . Her clothes were covered with dirt and food stains. She had such a distraught face that I was obliged to start a conversation with her. I started off by saying, “maam, have you had your lunch?” She answered in a soft but vivid voice “No”. Without wasting another moment, I offered her my lunch box. Her eyes glittered at the sight of the tuna sandwiches and mango pudding my mum packed so neatly for me. Without uttering a single word, she took the lunch box from my grasp. However, she replied a low-pitch “thank you” after devouring the meal.

            The very next day, I showed up early just to see if the old woman was there. Unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found. After ten minutes, she made her way tot eh bus stop limping. I was suddenly filled with compassion for this old soul. After giving her my lunch, I made up my mind to know more about her. I began by asking, “Do you have children?” she replied, again a short “no”. The next question was “Do you have a husband?” She said “I used to have. He died in World War 2.” I replied by saying, “I am sorry to hear that.” After that, we chatted about our families. Soon, it was time to go home. We departed and went our separate ways after bidding farewell to one another.

            It soon became a daily routine to bring food for her. Oh, what a wonderful time we had every day. One fine day, she was not to be seen anywhere. I said to myself, “maybe she is a little bit late, that’s all. I will wait for her a little while.” An hour passed. Still, she was nowhere to be found. I headed back home feeling anxious and heavy hearted. Days passed, months passed. There was still no sign of her at the bus stop. I never failed to go to that fateful place each day of my life. One fine day, as I was making my way to the bus stop, I overheard a lady saying that the old woman had passed away due to cancer. I was in such low-spirit that I barely had the strength to walk. God only knows the pain I felt at that time. I walked home shedding tears that could possibly flood the whole earth.

            Years passed and I soon graduated from a law school in England. Until now, I am still thinking about the old woman whom I adore and care so much. I made a short prayer to God, I know that she is up there with You. Please take good care of her.” After two years, I have become a blooming lawyer and I own one of the most reputable law firm in the country. After a tired day at work, I received a phone call saying that an old woman has left me with her restaurant. As I made my way to the restaurant, there was a letter lying on the table saying that I am the lawful owner of it. I cried and was touched by this news.

            Now, I am happily married with two lovely children of mine. I always tell them about the story of an old woman and a young girl talking and sharing segments of their life together. Till this day, I take the trouble to sit at the bus stop before heading back home. Mother Teresa once quoted, “It’s not how much we give nut how much love we put in giving.” 

My Friends

Chloe and I

One of my favourite authors once said that “Friendship is born at that moment when one man says to another: “What! You too? I thought that no one but myself…. “ “Based on this statement, I personally think that friends are individuals who share the same interest with us. They are the ones whom we turn to when there is no one else around. I am sure that you and I have friends of our own.

                There are best friends, friends and even close friends. However, I have many close friends instead of best friends. My friends are all caring and thoughtful. Whenever I am sick or feeling down, they never fail to cheer me up. They were there when my dog delivered five puppies. Regardless  of how busy they are, we set aside time to hang out and spend time with each other.

                Chloe is the best friend anyone could ask for. She is a thin and pretty girl. Besides, she has a kind and loving face. She always greets people with a smile on her face even to strangers. We have been friends for as long as I can remember. We even went to the same school and coincidentally stayed in the same neighbourhood. She used to come over and had slumber parties in my house. When her father passed away due to cancer, we cried together and I comforted her. She was always there for me through thick and thin.

                There is another dear friend of mine called Susan. She is a petite and sweet girl. I came to know her five years ago during a Girl’s Guide camp. We exchanged mobile phone numbers and I have been contacting her since now. She is an optimistic person which has influenced me greatly. I am now more positive minded and confident thanks to her.

                It is clear that Chloe and Susan are friends to die for. I absolutely agree with this, “A friend in need is a friend indeed”. Money can’t buy the friendship that we cherished dearly.

Reflection week 7

             Our lecturer taught on writing styles for web. She also explained on the use of grammar when using web. Miss showed us a few sources of American Psychology Association (APA) style guidebook as we, students use APA style in citing our assignments.

            Besides, she reminded us not to use numbers and words together in web especially our personal blogs. For example, the word “hate”, some of them wrote it as (h8TE) She also explained on the differences between academic writing and creative writing. In academic writing, one cannot express themselves much, whereas in creative writing, there is no format. For instance, one can use free writing when writing reflection.

            I am amazed by how responsible and dedicated Miss Amreet is. She will not cancel any class because of personal problems. For this week, although she has to attend a course, she managed to finish her lecture for this week. As you can see, she is a very responsible and capable woman.

            Miss started today’s class by telling us to use the latest edition of a book, for example, the American Psychology Association (APA). She also mentioned about internet Lingo and clichés. Internet lingos include LOL(Laugh out loud) and smiley face while cliché is repeating a phrase many times.

            Swear words are not to be in our blog as it inappropriate. She later advised us think before writing because words are powerful. One of the grammar rules is never end a sentence with a preposition. Besides, never split an infinitive, such as to go. Lastly, always write complete sentences.

            After the lecture, prezi presentation was on. Khairul presented about google. Through this presentation, I learned about google earth.There are also facilities like gym and nap pod in the company. Marnya presented about the 10 beautiful places in the world.

Reflection week 6

          

Ain presenting the 10 Weirdest Diseases

          Miss Amreet explained on assignments like the interactive resume. She told us the websites or softwares that can be used for completing the resume. Miss also informed us that she prepared a page for us to paste the blog links.

           After that, those who have not presented volunteered. There were five of them who manage to present today. Amar presented about Sungai Chilling Fish Sanctuary while Izzatul Azmira presented about selfie. She even made demonstration on how to take a proper selfie. Oh how we laugh when she did that. 

            Next up is Ain who shared with us about the 10 weirdest diseases which I find rather fascinating. Through this presentation, I have learned things that I have never heard of. For instance, the werewolf syndrome. She even drew picture to further explain about Elephantiasis.

            Nadzmi shared about Friday the 13^th whereas Dalilah presented about homeopathy. On the next day, Imaan presented on the 12 ways to get paid to travel the world. She was not able to play the video because there is something wrong with the audio. Asshikin talked about places to travel around the world while Wan presented about the 7 wonders of the world. These are the latest 7 wonders of the world which I find informative. My coursemates and I think that one of the 7 wonders, Machu Picchu is a cute and funny name.

            The last presenter that day was Syuhada. She shared about the famous chocolate brand, Ferrero Rocher. All the pictures of cakes and chocolates looked so delicious. I surprised by the topics that my friends chose to present. They are all so unique and interesting. I have learned a lot from this assignment through my friends’ presentations.

Reflection week 5

                                                     The first presenter of the day                                                  

      It is the second day of presentation. I volunteered as the first presenter. Finally, I was able to present today after the delay last week due to the inaccessibility of the Internet. Nadia presented about Bibliomania which I can relate too. Bibliomania is about the love of books.

      Ifwat presented about Walt Disney which I find very interesting. Yana also presented something rather fascinating about Vampires. I finally found out that vampires are afraid of garlic. Next, Halida shared something about the gadgets used for the future. The gadgets mentioned are rather new to me.

      Besides, Zahid shared about the rules of Rugby. He loves to play rugby and his favourite team is All Blacks which is my favourite one too. I never expect Aynaa to present about “Rolls Royce” cars. I have learned that the people working in the Rolls Royce Company are very hardworking and carry out their work in detail. Lastly, Ezlyn was the last presenter. She shared about love letter.

      All in all, I have learnt a lot from my friend’s presentation. I am very grateful that we are given this task. 

Reflection week 4

Lucyana in action 

         It’s presentation day. There were seven of them who presented that day. Masmira presented on animal communications which is quite interesting for me. I asked her a question when it is time for Question and Answer session. Asyikin presented about kimono while Lucyana did a good job presenting about good luck symbols and meaning.

      Besides that, Afiq Aiman talked about superbikes. I have learnt new things mainly regarding the superbikes that can go very fast. Next, Lui Yin presented about Japanese Festival. The slides on her prezi are colourful and interesting.

       Eric, on the other hand  talked about Steve Jobs the founder of Apple Inc. Bao Yi was the last presenter of the day. Bao Yi and I volunteered to present on that day but time did not allow me to do so. It doesn’t matter as I will be presenting on the next day.After that, I went home preparing for my presentation.

      On the next day, our class representative, Khairul asked them which lecture room has internet connection. He was told that there was no internet connection in the whole campus. Therefore, we were not able to carry on with our presentation. Our class was dismissed earlier than usual because of that.

          Personally, I felt quite sad as I was not able to present that day. I am sure that I was not the only one feeling like this. My classmates who planned to present on the same day also felt this way. However, this is a blessing in disguise as I have more time to prepare for my presentation.