Cats ...

When I was eight , I found a stray cat in the park . I brought it home to take care of it . I named it Snowy because of it's snowy white skin . I hid him in my room as if mom found out , she would throw him out of the house . Years passed and we became the best of friends .

Mom died of cancer years later and dad of heart attack . I did not know how I would have gotten through , without my faithful cat there . He was my pillar of strength .Eventually , things got better . He was my partner in life . My buddy forever .

One day , while we were returning home from a stroll in the park , I walked past an ice cream van and decided to buy some ice cream . Snowy got bored so he went to play . He was just being curious on what is happening on the other side of the road , but unfortunately , a speeding car knocked him down . He was killed instantly . I wondered " How could so many things happen at such a short time?"

I carried his lifeless body to the same park where I found him and buried him there . Though it seemed just like yesterday , whenever I look at the empty bowl during dinner and whenever I walk past the park alone , I never got to do what the two of us did again .

I will never forget the good days we had ......

[[ cherie ]]

Cats

The brave kittens stood vigil in front of a black and white mass of fur. Any attempt to get closed was met with fierce resistance as it bristled it's fur. The feline militia broke ranks once I displayed my peaceful intent by placing a warm bowl of frothing milk.

The kittens sipped the milk with the savage hunger and bloodlust of zombies. As the kittens were preoccupied with their meal , I approached the kitten's mother. The meek siamese cat , had it's body sprawled on the grass.I had noticed a particularly bizzare patches of pink forming an omnious ring aound the cats barely-there neck. Should i leave it of help it ? I have barely money enough to sustain myself as it is. Uncharacteristically i decided to aid it.

Oh to my horror , the mother cat was choking on a rafia string fasten tighly onto it's neck. Quickly i relieved the cat of it's torture. Gangrene meat was what was left of it's neck. 'What kind of sadistic monster would find pleasure in harming animals ? 'I thought . I uprooted the mother cat and her soldiers back to home to nurse her back to normal.

Suppourting the cats proved to be tough. I had to learn to manage my money well. I had to buy cat food and milk . Furthermore I had to read up on books to supplement myself with enough knowledge to care for the furry creatures.

CATS

" Cats!" Ms James exclaimed in glee as she peered over her glasses to watch my reaction, her dark red lips forming a huge smile. My heart stopped. She continued, " Wouldn't it be great to do an article on such a wonderful creature? Is'nt it just-" She paused dramatically. "PERFECT!"
She finally finished off. I watched in horror as my editor-in-chief stared dreamily into space and mumbled to herself on what a fresh idea it was. '' Of course it would be great!" I answered a little too brightly and snapped her out of her daze. Ms James looked back at me and grinned, '' Awesome! Now, i shan't hold you back anymore. I gave her my most professional and confident look and hurriedly went out of her room, slouching back to my room.

I was supposed to be the most outstanding columnist for this magazine. I was known for being the most versatile- I could write about almost everything- from cars, to celebrities, to make-up ; you name it. But, animals? Cats? I knew nothing about cats! Great, i thought.

For the whole day, i tried to think of how to start my article. The first time i had a writer's-block. I searched the internet for help, but it only gave me information after information. I was supposed to write something interesting, something "fresh"- I could still hear Ms James's voice in my ear and my head soon started to throb. I switched off my computer in defeat. Staring at the computer screen would not help.

I stepped out of the office and sighed. My mind was still blank. All of a sudden, as I was walking towards my car, I saw a pair of gleaming eyes, its gaze fixing on me. Startled, I jumped back. After calming myself down, I bent down to see what it was. A dark fury creature on fours, with pointed ears and a tail high up in the air. A cat. I glared at it. It's existence was the reason why i was fretting! As I was about to walk off, the cat suddenly purred gently at me. I stopped in my tarcks and spunned around. Maybe, it could be good use to me. I struggled to pick it up and carried it awkwardly to my car...

The cat purred softly the moment I let him down. It turned its little head as its sharp eyes darted around my house. It then sat itself down comfortably on my cold marble floor and started licking its fur. I could not help but giggle. It sure was amusing, the way it turned its head all the way to the back to lick its body. I went over to the cat and started stroking it. The cat looked up at me with its luminous green eyes affectionately.

My feelings started to soften towards the cat. I started to see what everyone esle had thought about cats- they sure are adorable. I started to observe a little more about the cat. When it stood up, I noticed the way it walked. It got up gracefully and strode around the house on all fours, head held high in the air confidently, as it went around every room, as if inspecting the house. I laughed even louder.

I took out my laptop and started typing away, the ideas now flowing smoothly. As I was finishing my last sentence, the cat padded into my room. I looked at it for a long time and chuckled softly. I realised something that night-animals are actually beautiful, interesting creatures if you observe them. Especially cats.

(audrey)

CATS

It was beautiful. The colour, the curves. The wooden figurine of Bastet, an Egyptian cat that was respected as a goddess, complemented the design of my living room perfectly. It stood proudly in the centre of a glass cabinet, staring at me with its soulful eyes. I was memerised by its beauty. Though my wife objected to it, I went ahead and bought it in a little shop along the streets of Cairo, Egypt. It was hidden in a corner, old and dusty. I fell in love with it at first sight. It was too beautiful to be ignored.

A week later, unfortunate events took placed. It started with things moving about. My books moved from the shelfs to the kitchen. My chairs moved from the dining room to the toilet. It was mysterious at first but I convinced myself it was a prank pulled by my wife. One day, things went really wrong. The figurine shifted itself. It was now at the corner of the cabinet.

My wife and I knew something was very wrong. The figurine was not shifted by my wife. She did not even want to look at it, for fear of a curse. Why will she move it? I looked at at the figurine. It looked the same except for its legs. It has claws. After the incident, nothing went well for my family. From accidents to deaths, nothing was left out. All under the watchful eyes of the Cat.

Finally, we could stand it no more. I sent it back to Cairo, donating it to a museum. From then on, everything went fine. My life was back to normal. Now and then, I would think of the Cat- and its eyes.

Emily Tan (21)
2E

conclusion ( singlish speech )

Singlish plays a major part in every Singaporean's life. Speaking Singlish is what defines a 'true-bred' Singaporean. It is our form of identity, it is what makes us stand out from people from other countries. Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, we should not be embarrassed of ourselves for not being able to speak perfect English, but we should embrace this unique culture of our's. My fellow Singaporeans, be true to yourself- speak Singlish.

(everyone in the group)

Singlish should be an acceptable language ....

Singlish, it is a language that bonds us singaporeans together , which makes us different from other countries.In everyday of our lives, we can hear many people using "lah," "lor," "alamak," etc. Singapore is made up of different people of different races .Each and everyone speak a different tone. Singlish makes us feel
" at home " when we talk to people around us as we would be assured that they would understand what we are talking about as singlish is some kind of like simplified english which is easy to understand . It is a language which makes us unique from the rest . Thus , we should preserve and make singlish a language which everyone know .

(cherie)

Singlish is a way to communicate with fellow Singaporeans. Singlish helps put the point across easily without the need of fancy vocabulary words or long sentences. A language is meant to understood and a tool for communication. Not many people can understand or speak perfect english. If you go to the market and speak perfect english, many people there will not be able to understand what you are trying to say and result in a quarrel. Everybody in Singapore knows Singlish but not everybody knows English. Without Singlish, Singaporeans will be lost for words.

(emily)

Introduction ( by Iqbal and Tian Rui )

Ladies and Gentlemen, a good afternoon to all of you who are present today.Singlish has established itself as a dirty habit which never fails to show whenever we speak. Therefore, should we be able to use it without being frowned upon ?That is the question we all must be wondering about, especially since the government has failed in its many approaches to get us to speak good English. Audience ! i urge you to ' USE YOUR BRAIN, USE YOUR BRAIN LAR! Should singlish be allowed? My awnser is ' Aburden' to a certain degree.