I do beg the pardon of those of you who have been faithfully visiting the English Blog to see if there has been any updates. I am extremely sorry. Indeed it is true that sometimes we get sucked into our busy work schedules and struggle with the problem of time management.

Time is so transient and fleeting....sometimes it just slips past our hands and all we can do is just mope about how we have wasted precious time. Sigh. Nevertheless, end of term had been quite a busy one occupied with preparations of progress reports. Therefore I have managed to find time now to update the blog.

Our graduating classes have been engulfed with bouts of mock exams and I wish them all the best. Do not fret that your holidays are almost non-existant. For all the effort that you put now, you will definitely reap the handsome rewards when you recieve your results later. However, that does not mean you do not take a much deserved break. Eventhough you cannot afford long holidays, at least take a bit of time to let down your hair and relax with your friends. All work and no play makes one a dull person.

Ok let me get to the point. I sincerely wish we can make this blog useful for all of us SO I really wish that you will provide me with your wisest suggestions on how we can improve this blog and make it much more useful to all of us. You can tell us what can kind of info you look forward to in this blog...any changes that you would like to see....and much more...Perhaps from there we can improve this blog to be a better learning tool for us.

Thankyou

MissJ

Title: Angels and Demons
Author: Dan Brown

Plot :
5 years ago, before the adventures of Robert Langdon in the current hit book, “The Da Vinci Code”, he had already started his journey in “Angels and Demons”. In this book, our protagonist, being a Harvard professor in ancient symbology, was invited to a research laboratory in Switzerland to aid in the investigations of the death of a scientist. His vast knowledge was necessary to analyze an enigmatic symbol on the laboratory’s scientist. This symbol was known as an ‘ambigram’, whereby it could be read identically after inverting it.

Indeed, his presence proved useful when he came up with a theory that an extinct brotherhood was behind the death of the scientist. The aim of this long-lost brotherhood, the Illuminati, was to put an entire end to the Catholic Church and its teachings. The brotherhood has already made their first move by breaching the walls of the Vatican and planting an extremely powerful, newly discovered bomb somewhere. Coincidentally in Rome, an unaware group of high-ranking Catholic people will be electing a new pope.

Robert Langdon meets our second protagonist, Vittoria Vetra back at the research laboratory. Upon discovering the bomb’s location, both of them immediately rush to the Vatican.

It is there, where their seemingly endless journey begins. Is the secret brotherhood really coming back to life to take revenge on the Catholic Church? Will the duo be able to stop the ticking bomb before it destroys the whole city of Rome?

Review:
Dan Brown’s “Angels and Demons” has an absolutely mind-twisting plot. The story never gets too boring, and you will want to keep on reading, never wanting to put the book down. The impressive series of events never fail to keep your mind thinking. The story is intelligently written, and you may actually stumble upon something different from your original thoughts.

Although the story in this 600-paged novel takes place in less than a week, the book never gets boring or longwinded. On the contrary, a wide range of powerful phrases and descriptive words are used. The words used can easily help you depict the looks of the character, place, or item.

As the story takes place in Rome, and Italian-speaking city, a slight usage of the Italian language appears in the book. Fret not, as only a few words are used in Italian, and they are understandable, and sometimes with the English translation at the back. Small pictures appear a couple of times in the book, giving you a good view on the ‘ambigrams’ (Turning the book upside down will spell out the same word.).


Recommendations:
The author has planned well while writing this book. The flow of the story is smooth. However, I would like to add that there are some parts of the book which create controversy. If you are a very religious person, I would not recommend you to read this book. Also, if you cannot take cruel acts, please, do not read this book. I have experienced disgust, even though I would not classify myself as a weak-hearted person.

Jerome
5A

Unexpected Gift

Give an account of an unexpected gift that brought you frustration and what you did in the end.

The doorbell rang eerily in the night. I sat bolt upright in bed, wondering who could be awake at this ungodly hour. However, it continued ringing persistently and I stalked heatedly towards the door.

I was puzzled to find a chocolate box lying on the doorstep with my name on it. My surprise turned to shock when I opened it. Instead of chocolates, an antique knife was nestled inside it. Its handle was intricately carved and encrusted with sparkling sapphires and rubies. The elaborate words engraved on its silver blade read Delacroix. There was a fragment of yellow-aged paper attached to it. Frowning, I read the cursive handwriting scrawled on it.
"Tis upon which the blood of your own was spilled."
The threatening words stabbed a numbing cold fear through me, gripping my heart in a fist. I dropped the knife instantly as if it was a poisonous spider and backed away from it fearfully. It clattered to the floor, glinting dangerously in the moonlight. What did those, awful words mean? Was it a threat?

Early the next morning, I wearily drove to Mr Stonewell's, the local antique dealer so that he could examine the antique knife. His quaint shop was beautifully decorated with authentic furniture and vintage jewellery with a display of ancient swords and knives. Mr Stonewell was also an avid collector of ancient weaponry.

"I'm sorry to arrive so early in the morning, Mr Stonewell, " I apologised. " But I have something for you to look at." I opened the box and showed him the knife.

Mr Stonewell rose abruptly from his seat at the sight of the thing." The Delacroix Dagger!" he exclaimed. "How did you get it?"

"Someone sent it to me last night," I replied. "What's wrong with it?"

"This dagger," he began, "has a horrible history. This is the heirloom of the rich Delacroix family. Unfortunately, one of the family members was so overcome with greed that he wanted the wealth all for himself. He murdered the rest of his family with this very knife."

"How did the knife end up to be here?" I asked enthralled by the tragic tale.
" I don’t know. But he had to get rid of the evidence of his crime."

" Mr Stonewell, I will gladly give this to you."
"I strongly refuse, Miss Adams. It seems to carry a curse along with it."

Dejectedly, I climbed back into my car and made my way home. As I was driving, I spotted a black car following me. I drove onto a different road, hoping to lose its trail. Minutes later, it appeared in my rearview mirror again. Suddenly, there was a loud thud as the car rammed into mine with such force that I was thrown forward in my seat, filled with shock at what had just happened. I got out of the car, staring with dismay at its dented rear.

Another unlucky incident met me the moment I reached home. The door was left wide open and the inside was in a total mess. Books were scattered everywhere, drawers were left hanging open and the floor was covered with clutter. Someone had broken into my house in search of something.

The telephone rang abruptly, causing me to jump out of my skin. I picked it up and heard a sinister, monotonous voice, " I 'll get you." There was a raucous monstrous laugh and the line went dead.

I slammed the phone down angrily. Instead of fear, I was filled with frustration- first my car, the break-in and now this phone call. I had gotten into a lot of trouble since I had received the knife. Forcing myself to remain calm, I dialled the police and informed them about the threatening incidents that had happened to me.

After the police investigation, I decided to return to my parents' house since it was unsafe to stay at my home. When I told my parents about all my unlucky encounters, they grew increasingly worried.

"Julie, its about time we told you the secret we've been keeping from you for all these years," my mother said.

"We are not your real parents," my father confessed.

I sat stock still, barely believing them as they explained that I was actually from the Delacroix family. They has adopted me and given me a different name to keep me safe from the family traitor. He is now after me to murder me so that the family inheritance will fall into his hands.

The moment they finished their story, the entire house was plunged into total darkness. Someone had cut off the power supply. My parents huddled protectively around me just as the door flew open.

A burly man with a grotesque face contorted with fury brandished a long sword. "Juliana, now it's time for me to seal your fate," he roared. He charged angrily towards us. My mother shrieked as he struck her and she crumpled to the ground. My father heroically tried to fight him off and managed to knock the sword out of his hand. However, he soon has his hands grasping my father's throat, trying to strangle him to death.

In the midst of the fierce struggle, I spotted the Delacroix Dagger, still gleaming in the dark I grabbed it and plunged in into the man's heart. He released my father and turned to me slowly. "But I'm your brother!" he gasped as the blood flowed from his veins. Then he collapsed onto the floor, killed at last by the same weapon he had used to murder his own blood.

The wind blew my hair across my face as I made my way towards the lake, clutching the box in my hand. Finally those words made sense to me. The knife had actually been used to murder my own family and I had used it to kill my brother. I could not help but feel guilty and sorry for him, although he was a murderer. He was too consumed with greed that it was his own deeds that had betrayed him.
I looked at the Delacroix Dagger for the last time. Despite its value, it was too tainted with the horrible memories. I closed the box and hurled it into the lake. The box sank slowly, bringing the dark secrets it contained along with it. The lake's surface became calm and glassy once again concealing what lies beneath.

Jan Marie [4A]

A Letter to the Forum Page

Muhammad Asri Mahdi 5B


The Editor
Forum Page
The Straits Times

23 February 2005

Dear Sir

Behaviour Of Teenagers

I am writing in reply to the letter written by A.Beta dated 21 February 2005 in your newspaper. I strongly disagree with what A.Beta had stated. Students do not need to be severely disciplined and need not be kept out of the streets.

I am a student in Secondary 4. I personally do not think students need to be disciplined severely. This is because not all students are ill-disciplined. A.Beta stated that those students are 'teenagers'. Teenagers are young adolescents aged between 12 to 20. Therefore, they must be in secondary or tertiary school. Teenagers nowadays, I agree are rowdy and rude to their elders. However, this does not trigger us to treat them without giving freedom or with 'zero-tolerance'. This means that we cannot be too harsh on them.

In my school, the Principal does not exercise caning as a form of punishment. If students are caught breaking the rules, they will be taken out of the system. This way, students will realize their wrong doings and hopefully turn over a new leaf. Teenagers are growing to become adults. This is the time when they would want to experience and learn new things even if it is dangerous or harmful. This will also be the phase where they are growing emotionally. They cannot be scolded all the time. If it happens, teenagers will start to feel that they are not needed.

The act of rudeness and rowdiness is indeed unpleasant. It does happen but we cannot blame only the teenagers. Parents, siblings and even friends play a big role in this problem. Parents and adults must try and learn to understand teenagers so that we teenagers can understand the adults better too.

Yours faithfully
Muhammad Asri Mahdi