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.

Singlish should be an acceptable language (body)

Singlish is something that we Singaporeans not only do not want to change, but also cannot change. Almost all Singaporeans learn two languages-their own mother tongue and English. That is why we often mix two languages when we speak, which comes out as broken English.The people around us speak in Singlish, we speak to the people around usin Singlish, that it has become so part of our communication. How do we change something that has been instilled in us since we first started learning to speak? Everyone speaks Singlish without realising it. Even if sometimes we might want to try correcting it, we are not even aware that we have spoken in broken English! For those who have tried to 'quit' speaking in Singlish, most will find that at the end of the day,they will not be successful and Singlish will still come out naturally.

(audrey)

Jun Yong and Tian Rui's whole speech

A very good morning to everyone present to listen to my speech about the issue of abortion. Upon hearing the word abortion, what comes to your mind first? Most people would think of it as an act of murder of innocent young lives which have yet seen the world beyond. Why would the mothers-to-be end their child's lives? Lets see things from another perspective- what is the purpose of having children? If the children were not aborted, what would happen to the parents and himself? If they did not have any reason, they would not have done such a thing. Think about it, if you were in their shoes, would you have much of a choice? Therefore, allow me now to tell you why abortion should be legalised.

Often, abortion is done by rape victims who are innocent. The rape incident would leave them with horrible memories which would probably haunt them for the rest of their lives. If an abortion is not carried out, the child would only remind her of the rape incident. If the child is born, the father would probably be in the jail or trying to rape more women, and would of course not take care of him. By letting innocent rape victims have a choice, they would be able to let the mental scar fade off over time.

In some of the cases, the parents have no means to support the child. With difficulty making ends meet, it would mean that the parents would have to struggle to raise their child, and the child would also have a disadvantage, which means that both parents and child-to-be would not benefit if an abortion is not done. For example, when the child falls sick or has to do an operation, the parents would have difficulties coming out with the money due to financial problems. In these cases, some are mothers who have to raise the child single-handed with no help of a husband, and the mother would have financial problems since she is the only family member working. With such a situation, I believe having the child born would only mean unjustified punishments for the poor, and those young innocent lives. Moreover, they would still be able to have children when the situations turn better as the time passes.

When the child involved is born, he would probably would not have a good childhood with his parents. Sometimes when the parents decides to have an abortion, it means that they have never thought of having a child, and do not love children. Since they do not want children, the child would only have a bad childhood with his parents, and not well take care off. Many parents do not have much time with their children, as they have to balance between work and parenting. By letting another family member such as the child's aunt or a maid to take care, it would make the relationship between the children and their parents far apart when they do not see each other most of the times, and the entire point of having a child would be meaningless.

Many mothers-to-be who want to go through abortion are too young to raise their children. Young parenting is often hard, as most of the mothers-to-be have no husband, and she has to fund for the children's education with her own salary. Also, the lack of maturity in the young mothers-to-be stresses on the point that an abortion should be made. At their young age, they would probably have problems taking care of themselves, let alone taking care of another life all by herself. They do not have mental preparations to have a child too, and do not know how to raise children. Although some may decide to give birth to the baby and then let people adopt the baby, it is not a very good idea, as they might not be well taken off be their new parents.

As a conclusion, mothers-to-be have their own reasons on why they choose to abort their babies. It is just that many of us do not understand the several reasons behind it. By aborting the baby, it does not mean that the mothers-to-be would not have any next time; they would still be able to have children in the future. If the babies were not aborted, the result might be horrifying, and some parents might even suicide with the children, like many others in the newspapers. Therefore, i strongly believe that abortion should be legalised. Thank you.

SPENT HOURS ON THIS AFTER MIDNIGHT!!!

corrected version for group 2's persuasive speech ( body )

Abortion is not just a simple medical procedure but is a life changing event with significant physical and emotional consequnces. Clinical research has proven that going for an abortion can cause pysychological harm to some women. Abortion is very risky and there are more than 200 women who have died from legal abortions. Not only that, but women who survive abortions have a high risk of suffering form complications later on and long term physical complications can even damge the linig of the uterus and cause permenant infertility.Therefore, as you can see, ladies and gentlemen, abortion does not only kill the baby's life, but it can kill the mother too or affect the mother physically and also emotionally.

Abortion is also harmful to our nation. It corrupts our younger generation by encouraging them to engage in casual intercourse. If they created new life accidentally, they know they can just abort it to escape all the burdens that come with it. Did you notice the rates of youngsters having abortions or sex at young ages have rose up? This shows how serious this issue has become.

1st paragraph by audrey, second by emily

extract(staggered,tottered,limped,lumbered)

The night was as black as pitch when Carl staggered down the deserted shortcut to his house. He was drunk as he drowned his sorrows in alcohol when he got fired from his job. He was so tired that he did not even notice two man lumbered past him, they blocked his way and demanded his money. Carl refused to give in to their demands seeing that they were unarmed and tried to limped off. However, after receiving a vicious punch to his head, he swayed a little, tottered and fell...


Tian Rui

Extract (marching , roaming , sashaying , strode, treaded and wandering ...

When he looked at the lifeless ground , he saw ants marching in a straight line . He was roaming the streets and was wandering what was going to happen next . Suddenly , he saw a beautiful lady sashaying down the stairs with her nice elegant dress which made her seemed the most beautiful lady on earth . He strode towards her and spoke a few words . In the end they treaded into a cafe nearby under the moonless sky , instead of wandering around himself ....

~~~ Cherie ~~~ ^0^

Jun Yong and Tian Rui's speech yo

Abortion should be legalised=]=]=]=]=]=]


A very good morning to everyone present to listen to my speech about the issue of abortion. Upon hearing the word abortion, what comes to your mind first? Most people would think of it as an act of murder of innocent young lives which have yet seen the world beyond. Lets see things from another perspective- why would the mothers-to-be end their child's lives? If they did not have any reason, they would not have done such a thing. Think about it, if you were in their shoes, would you have much of a choice? Therefore, allow me now to tell you why abortion should be legalised.=]

Why abortion should be made legal (persausive speech)

Inhuman. Ruthelessness. These are just one of the few words that abortion is always assiociated with. But do we ever spare a thought for the mothers - how these mothers, after the pain and guilt of killing their babies still get attacked by others, calling them "murderers"? Abortion is not all evil, if you hear the mothers' reasons for doing so. Be it rape vitims who just want to erase all evidence of the pain away and start anew, or under-aged girls who cannot be ready to be mothers yet, or parents who cannot take care of the child who will be born deformed. Think about it, would you like to see children unwanted and not loved? Therefore, I come here today, ladies and gentlemen, to tell you that we should not assiociate all abortion cases with such negativity.

Audrey

Iqbal and Kheng Hian's Awesome Speech (｡◕‿◕｡ )

Good Morning ladies and gentlemen. Since the dawn of time , body painting has been a meme that has transcended generations. From the prehistoric Tarzans to the modern everyday man. tatooing has represented the rite-of-passage for the young man till today. Furthermore many consider tatooing to be an extension of what holds as beautiful and even sacred. Ask yourselves then , why does it arouse suspicion and misconceptions ? Why are tatoos associated with the scums of society ? I stand here today,as liberator of your mindsets from the rigid stereoytypes that you have created for yourselves. Let us break the chains that puts a cap on our young talents and the potential of modern comtempary body art !

Iqbal's Extract yo !

Kenny was strolling in a park when he stumbled upon a pile of steaming dog faeces.Without warning , the dog who had just used the park as his own toilet , crept behind Kenny and chomped onto his leg.Kenny spun out of control and landed on the pile of dog poop. After bravely fighting off the mutt , Kenny picked himself up and staggered towards the clinic , all the while screaming ' Need a medic !'

EXTRACT: Words: Sauntered, Shuffled, Wandered, Crept

Jeff imagined himself sauntering to his Mercedes, his arms around Sammy's waist, the girl of his dreams. He shook his head and realised he had been dreaming.

"Sammy doesn't want me anymore." Jeff muttered under his breath after Sammy did not want to go out with him that day.

He sighed and shuffled to his truck, his arms around his aged mother's bent back. After sending her home, he got out of his truck and went for a walk.

Jeff wandered around the park. He was thinking about his crush, Sammy. "Maybe I was too ugly, too old." Jeff thought to himself. Suddenly, someone crept up on him and shouted in his ears.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

It was Sammy. She had organised a surprise birthday party for him! Jeff was so delighted he wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a big hug. Jeff realised that it need not take a Mercedes to make him happy. Sammy was all he needs.

By EMILY TAN
2E

extract

I groped my way through the darkness in a frenzy. I had to get the money quick. I roamed around, searching and searching but i could not find anything. In my hurry to find the money, I did not bother where I was going and all of a sudden, I tripped over something, falling to the ground. Though I injured my leg badly, i did not give up, hobbling around the room in pain, still hoping to find what I had been looking for. And then all of a sudden, I heard someone coming. I swallowed hard as I felt my stomach churn. I had to admit defeat now. I would never be able to find it. So, i quickly slinked out, willing that I would not be seen......

By Audrey

the corrected version of the "shit story"

She ran through her short, permed hair with her wrinkled hands. Frowning, she sighed loudly and dropped the coins back into the small plastic box. Mrs Tan had been practicing her coin tricks the whole afternoon. Amusing herself was her only form of entertainment. She stopped suddenly when she thought of her grand child. Her grandchild, Johnny, never had a good life. His parents were gone, and Mrs Tan could not afford to give him a comfortable lifestyle. He rarely had new things, he never went on holidays. When all the other children had exciting vaccations, he would spend his holidays in the run down two-room flat, playing with the worn out toys. What could Mrs Tan do? She had no money.

"Ah, tiolet! Finally!" A man's voice suddenly broke her chain of thoughts. She snapped out of her daze and found a very familair looking man in a track suit, clutching his stomach and looking relieved as he stared at the toilets behind the desk she was sitting at. Duty calls. She gestured to the sign that said " 20 cents per entry" and strecthed out her palm. She waited as she watch him dig into his pockects, searching for coins. Then she realised who he was... He was the star of The Freezing Point! Yes, it was Derek Ng Tian Rui! Derek looked up after a short while, looking panicky and asked in a pleading voice " I dont have any coins, but can you please let me in, auntie? I really need to go..." Then he dug in his pockets again and all of a sudden, a five hundred dollar note dropped out from his pocket. Mrs Tan straightened in her seat as her eyes kept glued to the cash. "This money could be the only solution," she thought slyly to herself. There was hope...

Derek picked up his dollar note and looked at it, then stared at Mrs Tan awkwardly. He felt really urgent to use the toilet but was he going to spend five hundred dollars just to use some old, public toilet?Mrs Tan broke the silence by clearing her throat and then she said " I'm sorry, but you have to pay to get in," her eyes never leaving the cash in his hand. Derek grimaced. The urge to use the toilet just got stronger but how could he let this " toilet auntie" take advantage of him? Then finally, when the pain in his stomach got to the point where it was unbearable, he finally gave in. Derek slammed the note on the table and dashed off to the toilet to relief himself. Mrs tan chuckled to herself and she picked up the dollar note and kissed it. Five-hundred dollars was not a big sum, but she could probably just bring her little Johnny to malaysia. She could imagine how thrilled he would be.

As she wished, hoped and longed for, Mrs Tan got to see a bright smile on Johnny's face. The three-day vaccation was anything but extravagent but it still was a treat for Johnny. And until today, Mrs Tan is still amazed by how lucky she was that time...

This money is the only solution ....

I stared at her once rosy cheeks now pale with fatigue. A wet ragged cloth was placed over her forehead. I took my only woollen blanket and gently tucked her in. Upon knowing my arrival, she started sobbing. She was too weak to cry. I lifted her up gently and embraced her. It was only then that I realised how much weight she had lost. I was filled with sorrow. I regret not staying at home and taking care of her when she was down with fever. Now, she was on the verge of death.

On my way walking to school, images of my sister kept flashing in my mind. I needed to save her but what could i do ? I had no money to bring her to the doctor. Throughout the whole journey, my mind was filled with ways to get money. By hook or by crook, I had to save my sister.

During recess, i was still pondering about what i could do to get money.It was then that i saw my teacher's handbag lying on a table unattended. I was desperate. I had to go against my principles and decided to take her money. My eyes scanned the surrounding. No one. With trembling hands and wobbly legs, I fished out her wallet and took whatever money that it contained. Stuffing the cash into my pocket, I dashed out of the classroom and ran out of the school gate. All I could think of was my sister, her rosy cheeks, her eyes filled with happiness...there was hope.

I woke her up and carried her frail body on my back to the clinic. "You're going to be alright." I promised her.By then, she stopped moving.I put her lifeless body down. She was asleep...forever. Was this my retribution for taking the money? My conscience told me to return the money but even in doing so, i knew that nothing could bring my sister back to life.

Welcome !

Welcome !