Book Review - Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne

Why I choose the book

The title of the book captured my interest and having read the book, I found it to be very interesting. The book was written in 1938 by Jules Verne, the same author of 20,000 leagues under the Sea. It is thus a science fiction and adventure.

Summary

The story involves a German professor, Otto Lidenbrock, who bought back an ancient Icelandic manuscript. He and his nephew, Axel, found a parchment in the book with a cryptogram written in the ancient Icelandic language called “Runic”. The cryptogram turned out to be written by a great Icelandic scientist called Arne Saknussemm who lived 300 years prior to Otto and Axel. The message claimed that there were volcanic tubes going toward the centre of the Earth. This sparked excitement in the two of them. They promptly arranged their journey to the centre of the earth following the clues found in the cryptogram. They employed a guide called Hans Byelke from Reykjavik, a town in Iceland, along the way. They entered a dormant volcano called Snæfellsjökull (referred to in the book as Sneffel). The three men encountered many adventures, including prehistoric animals, plants and natural hazards, eventually coming to the surface again in southern Italy through an active volcano in Stromboli. The living organisms they found on the way down reflected different geological periods; the deeper into the earth the characters went, the older the rock layers became, the fossils of animals became increasing ancient. Eventually they encountered live prehistoric creatures and lake deep inside the earth.

Main Characters

Professor Lidenbrock

Professor Lidenbrock is a rich but rather eccentric professor of geology. He has a daughter called Grauben who also loves rocks and lives with him, together with a cook named Martha. He is a very impatient man and is always very determined to get whatever he wants done. However, despite his seemingly cold personality, he is actually very caring. This was shown by his care for his nephew, Axel, during the expedition to the centre of the Earth. He is also able to think and react quickly to situations and is very knowledgeable.

Axel Lidenbrock

Axel lives with Professor Lidenbrock. He has the same interest as his uncle. He is secretly in love with his seventeen-year old female cousin called Grauben, whom he married after the expedition. He was rather reluctant to follow Professor Lidenbrock to go on the seemingly impossible journey initially, hence he hid the answer to Arne Saknussemm’s cryptogram from his uncle, until his uncle threatened to neither eat nor sleep unless the message to the code in the runic script was decoded. Axel was very cautious in whatever he did. He also tend to easily let his emotions took control of him.

Hans Byelke

Hans is the mysterious man in this story. He was hired by Axel and Professor Lidenbrock for their trip to the centre of the earth, which Hans did not know at first. Hans hardly showed any emotions throughout the whole journey. It was only when he received his pay for the last week of the journey that he finally smiled. He proved to be very loyal to his employers (the professor and Axel), saving them countless number of times from dangers. He was also very humble and obedient guide, one who took his duties very seriously and at times went beyond the call of duty to save the dire situations they found themselves in.

My Opinion on the book

This book is one of adventure and Science Fiction. The story is also very exciting. Jules Verne’s style of writing captured my interest. From the introduction until the end of the book, the story caught my interests and aroused my curiosity in the situations the men found themselves in. Though whether or not Arne Saknussemm travelled deeper down to the Centre of the Earth or followed the way which Hans, Professor Lidenbrock and Axel travelled is still a mystery to me. Also, although with the knowledge we have of the earth today, the possibility of a world where prehistoric creatures and men can live deep in the centre of the earth seems a bit far fetch. However, I still like the book very much. Jules Verne wrote a very exciting and creative adventure story with this book back in 1938 when it was first published.

My Recommendation

I would strongly recommend this book to be read by all my friends and classmates. It is an excellent book to read, especially those who like adventure and science fictions. The book also contained geological and geographical information which are still useful and relevant today.  

Book Review - The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde By Robert Louis Steverson

Why I chose the book

I chose this book because I like tales shrouded with mystery. I had watched the ‘Looney Tunes’ version of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde when I was young and had always wanted to read the original version of the book.

Summary of the book

The story began with the introduction of Mr. Utterson, a lawyer, who was told by his distant cousin Mr. Enfield of a strange experience he had. Mr Enfield had seen a person who looked and behaved like a monster. Mr Enfield had witnessed him ruthlessly trod on a little girl on his way home. Mr Utterson soon found out that the man was called Mr Hyde. Mr Hyde was the sole beneficiary of a will belonging to Dr Jekyll, Mr Utterson’s good old friend. Mr Utterson had written the will for Dr Jekyll. Mr Utterson, after much investigation, soon found out that Mr. Hyde was actually Dr. Jekyll. Mr Hyde was created from an experiment conducted by Dr Jekyll.

Character analysis of some of the main characters of the book who interest me

Dr Henry Jekyll

Dr Jekyll was a scientist who was known to be a friendly, upright distinguished gentleman in public. However, Dr Jekyll led a double life. He had an evil side which he kept a secret. He was thinking of an idea to create a split personality where one was the evil personality and the other wholly good. This led to the fateful experiment, the creation of Mr Hyde. Dr Jekyll soon lost control of his evil personality, Mr Hyde. He caused the death of his own self.

Mr Edward Hyde

Mr Hyde was a cruel person hated by all. His looks were inhuman and his behaviour monster-like. He was the personification of Dr. Jekyll’s evilness.

Mr Utterson

Mr Utterson was a good old friend of Dr. Jekyll. He was also Dr. Jekyll’s lawyer. Mr Utterson was in charge all the documents concerning Dr Jekyll’s will. These documents included the account of Dr Lanyon (Dr Jekyll’s and Mr Utterson’s good friend) on his discovery of Dr. Jekyll‘s dark secret. Dr. Jekyll’s final words which he wrote before he totally lost control of his evil side were also among the documents.

My Opinion and recommendation

To me, this is a good book worth reading. This story conveys to us that we should not play god and take extreme risks without considering the dire consequences. Otherwise, this would have disastrous effects. We can take Dr Jekyll as an example. He was a very good scientist. However, he was tempted to separate his evil and good parts into two different personalities which he could control. The experiment resulted in a wholly evil personality, known as Mr. Hyde, taking over Dr Jekyll’s body. It reached a point when his original personality totally lost control of his evil side. This book is most suitable for people who like mysteries and books that keep them in suspense.

Book Review - Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

Why I chose the book

I chose the book because I like adventure stories.

Summary of the book

This book is about a fictional character named Phileas Fogg who lived in the 19th Century. He kept a low profile, for nothing is known about him except for the fact that he was a member of the Reform Club. The club had many rich people. He visited the club every day to play a card game called whist. He showed no emotion and had the same routine every day. His routine had to be so precise such that he sacked his butler because the temperature for his shaving water was 84 degrees Fahrenheit instead of 86 degrees. That was when he hired Frenchman Passepartout to be his new butler. Passepartout’s reason for becoming a butler was that he wanted to lead a quiet, routine life.

Phileas Fogg was playing a card game called whist with other people as usual at the Reform Club when they started discussing the newly built railway in India, and whether or not it was possible to travel around the world in 80 days with the opening of the railway through India. Phileas was challenged by his whist mates to go around the world within 80 days as he claimed it could be done. Phileas accepted the offer and suggested that the wager would start that very night. Just when Passepartout was settling down, Phileas Fogg came back to announce that they would go on a journey around the world. On the way, they would overcome many dangers and logistical problems. They would also rescue a young English-educated Indian lady called Aouda, who would later marry Mr Fogg.

Main characters of the book who interest me

Phileas Fogg

He was the hero and chief protagonist in the novel. He was introduced to us as a prudent and emotionless Englishman whose wealth was a source of mystery to all. His routine was so exact, it was to mathematical precision. He was challenged by a fellow whist player to go around the world in eighty days. Phileas took up the challenge and his rational, calm and generous personality, as well as his discipline, in overcoming many obstacles impressed me.

Passepartout

He appeared in the initial pages of the novel itself, as the newly employed French butler of Mr. Fogg. He was an honest, yet comical Frenchman, who was loyal to his master and yet appeared as a hindrance to his master’s plans to travel around the world. Passepartout endeared himself to me with his warmth, his sense of humor, his bravery and the fact that he never failed to get into comical situations.

Detective Fix

There was a major bank robbery in England around the same time that Mr. Fogg left for his journey round the world. Detective Fix was one of the many other detectives who sought to find the culprit so they could get a percentage of the stolen money as a reward. He came to the wrong conclusion that Phileas Fogg was the bank robber and was merely pretending to go around the world when his real purpose was to flee the law.

Aouda

Aouda was described as a young, beautiful Parsee Indian princess who was orphaned at an early age. She was made to marry an old Rajah. When he died, fanatical Hindus tried to burn her as a sacrifice to the Goddess of love and death, Kali. This was a tradition which was cruel and prohibited by the British. She was rescued by Phileas Fogg’s travel group. She followed them back to England with the purpose of finding her relative whom she was unable to find in Hong Kong. She eventually became Phileas’ wife at the end of the journey.

My Opinion

I like this book because I like adventure genres. This book is also about testing one’s will and determination to the limit and the strife to achieve the impossible. Moreover, the storyline was well-plotted. The writer managed to capture my interest using his vocabulary. Jules Verne also managed to keep me in utter suspense until the end of the story. Thus, to me, this is a really good book.

My Recommendation

I would strongly recommend the book to all, for this book is filled with suspense and action. Once I started reading it, I couldn’t even put down the book. It is indeed a real classic.

Book Review - The Invisible Man By Herbert George Wells

Why I chose the book

I chose the book because I enjoy detective and science fiction stories and both these themes are woven into the story of this book.

Summary of the book

This was about a brilliant young scientist, Griffin, who worked on the idea that a person can become invisible when his refractive index was exactly the same as that of air, so that his body did not absorb nor reflect light. However, in a twist of events, before perfecting the technique nor finding a way to reverse the procedure, Griffin made himself invisible to hide from his landlord. Thereafter, he would scheme, steal, lie and even break into stores and homes to steal cash and clothings. When he blundered into his old university mate’s home, Griffin thought he had found a confederate to carry out his new plan to establjsh a Reign of Terror by first taking down a town and dominating it and kill people if they dared to disobey him. Kemp, his old university mate, who although was amazed by Griffin’s invisibility, was the one that informed the police of Griffin’s whereabouts. He was also instrumental in helping to bring about the downfall of the invisible man as he realised the threat of Griffin to society.

Character analysis of the main characters of the book who interest me

Griffin (Also known to the commoners as ‘The Invisible Man’)

He was a bright and ambitious scientist who sought power and fame. He was creative and imaginative and was very driven to be able to put common ideas of science together and find common resources to find a formula for invisibility. However, he was anti-social, he hardly went out, preferring to stay at home to do his experiments. He did not have friends, so that in his darkest moments, he had no one to turn to. He did not seem to have any qualms to do what it takes to achieve what he wanted including killing and robbing. When he stole his father’s money and his father killed himself as the money was not his, Griffin, did not even feel any remorse. His greatest weakness was his temper which often led him to act impulsively and most of the time caused him to get into trouble.

Dr Kemp

Dr Kemp was also a scientist and a university mate of Griffin. He was a very observant man, he even noticed a small dark spot of dried blood on the carpet in the dim although he was tired after working until 2.m. in the morning. Unlike Griffins, he was not poor, he was a practising doctor and had a house and servants. Unlike Griffins, he was cool-headed and acted only after thinking through the situation. Although he did think that he might be betraying Griffin, he decided to work with the police after reading several newspapers that showed the misdeeds of Griffin and he realised that Griffin was so insane with power that he was willing to kill. When Griffin vowed to him, Dr Kemp demonstrated bravery by not hiding but continuing to use his quick wit to help the police and the townspeople to apprehend Griffins.

My Opinion and recommendation

The book started its narration when Griffin was already invisible. I found it interesting because at first I thought the book was going to show that the invisible man was a good scientist putting his invisibility to good use. It was interesting to read as the story developed and show how a brilliant scientist deteriorated to a pitiful personality because of his greed for fame and fortune at the expense of his morals.

However, when the author tried to use the local dialects of the townspeople in their conversations, I found myself quite lost in what they were saying sometimes and this distract from my enjoyment of the story.

Hence, this book has a fascinating story with a plot that keeps me in suspense but some words that made me scratch my head. This book is a good book to read especially for mystery and science fiction fans. After reading it, you may wonder if you have the special scientific power, how would you use it, for good or for evil?

My Sweaty Palms

I have another growing pain or rather, it is more of an irritation I have to cope with in my everyday life. I have a condition call palmer hyperhidrosis. During the June holidays of 2006, when I was on holiday in Vietnam, I started to have extremely sweaty palms that soaked up the whole of my terry handkerchief even when I was in a cold air-conditioned room. My soles were also very sweaty and of course it was very uncomfortable to walk about, especially outside in the heat when we went sightseeing.

Most people may have slightly more clammy palms when they are nervous, afraid, under stress or feeling very warm but my condition is different. It might be in the genes because my aunt has the same condition as me.

When I have to shake hands, sometimes it could be quite awkward as the other person may find shaking hands with me unpleasant but if I do not shake hands, it would be rude of me. Sometimes it is inconvenient for me to write especially during exams when I am nervous, because my excessive sweat hinders my grip of the pen or pencil. In addition, I was in my primary school bowling team, not only did my flat feet gave me problems with balancing, my sweaty hands hindered my holding the bowling ball properly, affecting my performance.

As I entered my teens this year, my feet became so sweaty that my shoes are completely drenched (and of course, stink) at the end of my school day. Due to the hot and humid climate, I found the skin of my toes and soles cracking and very painful. My mother examined them and declared I have fungus growing on my feet. So she went and bought me three pairs of school shoes. I must wear one pair and let it air for three days before wearing the shoes again. I must put anti-bacterial powder on my soles before wearing my socks and shoes. Soon, after that, my ‘fungus’ growing skin healed but it is now a routine for me to take extra care of my feet hygiene. So far, my problem is not as bad as my aunt who would sometimes form a small puddle of sweat at the place where her feet were while she was reading the newspapers for a while. You may think I am exaggerating, but I am not.

I found through the internet that the most likely cause of sweaty palms, as well as other types of hyperhidrosis, is an overactive sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system manages all sorts of functions in the body that make up what is commonly termed the fight-or-flight response; this includes the release of a number of chemicals such as adrenaline, increasing heart rate, constricting blood vessels, and of course, sweating. When the sympathetic nervous system malfunctions, certain fight-or-flight responses may be triggered at inappropriate times, as in the case of my sweaty palms and soles.

Perhaps one day, when I need to hold a girl’s hand, ha ha, then will having palmer hyperhidrosis become a great inconvenience. As for now, extreme sweaty palms and soles just part of me, like allergies, flat feet and pimples.

There are some treatments for palmer hyperhidrosis including botox which will reduce the sweating but the treatment will have to be done repeatedly. The only permanent treatment is to cut off the nerves that supply the sweat glands in the armpit and palms to reduce the amount of sweating. However, the side effect could be other parts of the body such as the face, back or feet become even more sweaty. Well, I do not think I need such a treatment as yet.

Home Learning 2 - The Son is in Secondary School

The Son is in Secondary School

The author wrote ‘The son …’, perhaps, the poet was writing the poem for his parents or he could be referring to himself simply because his parents often refer to him as ‘the son’.

My badge has a Latin motto
Hope for the future
The future is hope
Or something

In this quatrain, the poet could only vaguely remember the motto on his school’s badge. This could be because it was in Latin and he could only remember the thrust which was told to him. However, it does not mean the motto was not important to him otherwise he would not have mentioned it at all.

At times black crows try to interrupt
When we sing the National Anthem

In this couplet, the poet described a familiar scene in Singapore and in schools where there are big trees with spreading branches. Crows are often spotted and they will fly or hop around looking for food crumbs left in the canteen and on parade grounds, making a din with their loud caws. The poet could be referring to actual crows that were around cawing about during the assembly time. He might also be referring to students who were chitchatting during the singing of the National Anthem, being disrespectful and disturbing others who were singing the National Anthem.

It is difficult to maintain
The whiteness of my shoes
Especially on Wednesdays

In this tercet, the poet complained that it was difficult to keep his school shoes white. He was probably wearing the normal canvas school shoes where you would need to paint them with white shoe polish after washing the shoes. The poet mentioned it was especially so on Wednesdays. I think he may have physical exercise or a sports related CCA on that day to cause his shoes to be more dirty than other days. I can easily commiserate with him when I was wearing such school shoes while I was in Primary school.

I must admit there is something quite special
About the bare thighs of hardworking scouts

In this couplet, the poet mentioned bare thighs, so the scouts were most likely wearing shorts. Present day secondary school scouts wear long pants so we get an idea the poet was a secondary school boy from a long time ago when scouts were still wearing shorts. Scouts can do a number of things such as kayaking, learning how to pitch tents, etc. The scouts who were ‘hardworking’ were probably more tanned and muscular on the thighs and looked nicer than other scouts or other students even.

The Malay chauffeurs
Who wait for my schoolmates
Sit on the car park kerb
Telling jokes to one another

In this quatrain, perhaps a decade or more ago, was it a common sight to see Malay chauffeurs waiting to fetch their bosses’ children back from school.  Since the tone of the poem appear to be casual, the poet could just be making a nonchalant observation, or the poet could be expressing his envy at his classmates who had chauffeurs.

Seven to the power of five is unreasonable

In this single line stanza, the poet was complaining that it was not easy to have to do sums in Maths which require him to calculate to the power of five. Perhaps during his time, calculators were not used in secondary schools.

On Chinese New Year
Mrs Lee dressed up
In a sarong kebaya
And sang Bengawan Solo

In this quatrain, the poet wrote that Mrs Lee (whose surname lets us know she was a Chinese as in olden days, it was uncommon to have inter-racial marriages), dressed up in a Malay costume and sang a famous Indonesian song on Chinese New Year. He did not state it was a Chinese New Year Day, so it could be Chinese New Year’s celebration held in school. In that case he was probably fondly reminiscing Mrs Lee giving a performance on stage and probably wore the sarong kebaya to complement the song as Indonesian ladies also wear the costume. Mrs Lee might have impressed the poet with her singing or she might have been his favourite teacher.

The capital of Singapore is Singapore

The poet could be thinking of the simplest fact he had to learn. In most countries, we would need to learn a name different from the country’s name, but in Singapore’s case, both country and its capital is the same name, how easy it is to remember!

My best friend did a heroic thing once
Shaded all A’s
For his Chinese Language
Multiple-choice paper

In this quatrain, the poet was reminiscing that his friend was either desperate or mischievous. In either case, it was probably an unforgettable act remembered by all who knew about the incident for many years to come. The students who knew about this incident would probably felt either sorry or amused for their friend.

In our annual yearbook

There is a photograph of me

Pushing a wheelchair and smiling
They caught me
At the exact moment

When my eyes were actually closed

Final staza and analysis of the poet’s thought/feelings about his school days

The first five stanzas of this poem were written in the present tense, perhaps the poem was written was still in secondary school but he could have finished the first, second or even the third year as he mentioned his picture in the annual yearbook. The poet was obviously thinking about his time in secondary school and concluded his reminiscing with his picture in the annual yearbook which depicted a happy and helpful student, something to be proud about. However, this perfect picture was marred by his eyes caught closing. Perhaps, the poet suddenly felt that through the humdrum of school life, all the little experiences he had contributed towards his memory bank of his school life and he regretted spending his time in school all these time without opening his eyes to a more experiences.

The poem as a whole was written as a single stanza, in couplets, in tercet and in quantrains, giving me the feel that the poem has no regular rhythm or rhyme. It gives me the feeling the poet was trying to let us know he was writing a poem about his random thoughts of some of the interesting, or mundane or even regretful stuff that happened in his secondary school life.

My own school days

I have six years of primary school and am in my first year of secondary school. So I can compare my school memories of my primary school days with the poet’s. Unlike the poet, although my primary school’s motto was in Chinese, I know it well because my teachers made sure we learnt it by heart and also know its meaning well.

There are crows flying about in my school too but when the students were excited, they were nosier than the crows. My canvas shoes were also always dirty but I was not too bothered about them.  There were many well off students who came to school in private cars but their chauffeurs were either parents or grandparents.

Maths was difficult but so were Science, English and Chinese. I found languages the most difficult to master.

Our teachers also performed for us but normally on racial harmony days and children’s day and I have fond memories of some of these performances by my favourite teachers.

I do not have any friends that did similar ‘heroic’ deed like the poet’s best friend. My classmates and I were considered nerds and we were generally well behaved and did our best in our studies.

I do have random thoughts about my school life, I think about my friends, my teachers, my school work, the activities I do and did in school. These were mostly fond memories like the friends I made when I was a prefect who remain to this day, my best friends. I remember my teachers who worked hard to prepare us for the PSLE. My primary six form teacher even stayed up till three in the morning to make each of us an individual candle for children’s day and came to school the next day with panda eyes. Now that my life in primary school is over, I seldom dwell on the unpleasant memories which were mostly about getting good grades.

Poem about my primary school days

I got a medal every year for being a gentlemen and bilingual scholar of high integrity and robust character who is passionate about life, learning and service to others.

But I do not think my teachers remember me for achieving that.

My parents were pleased but reminded me to study hard.

I was part of the team that were champions in the inter-school bowling competition

It was a culmination of my hard work and a crowning moment in my primary school life.

It was lovely my parents and teachers conceded but

Studying hard for the PSLE was the objective

So aim for A* for English, Chinese, Maths and Science

It was all my goals in my primary school life

  

My school was nice, I remember blue skies.

There was a ‘longkang’ with fishes, a big cage with toucans

Friends I still know

Teachers who care

But studying was all I seemed to need to know

Six years passed

Time was short but seemed so long

My childhood spent and now my youth begin

Village by the Sea - Urban and Rural India

In the story, I feel that Anita Desai described more vividly the rural Thul compared to life in the city. I can almost see her description of the village when I watched the show ‘Vel’ which shows the life of a brother in the village and one in the city. Her description of Bombay is mostly about life in the cheap restaurant and seen through Hari’s eyes.

In the story, there were rich and poor people in both Thul and Bombay. The richest person described in Thul was Biju, a fisherman who was able to afford a big boat with engines and deep-freeze. In his home, he could also afford a television set, servants, bullock carts, poultry, piles of firewood. The rich person from the city was depicted in the family of the deSilvas. They own properties in both Bombay and Thul – an expensive apartment in Bombay, and a holiday bungalow in Thul. Instead of bullock carts, they own modern transport-at least a car. I would think that instead of piles of firewood , they would probably have heater in every room. They are surrounded with servants to who specialised in different chores such as cooking, washing and shopping for groceries.

Although Biju was wealthier than the other fishermen, in many ways the villagers could still identify with him for he was like them, a fisherman living amongst them but only wealthier. And I do not think Biju would go off for a few weeks out of the village on a holiday. However, not only did the deSilvas go on holiday to Thul at least twice, they even travelled overseas by air. Their lifestyle was such that I do not think the poor in the city could comprehend. They live on Malabar Hill in southern Bombay in an extremely upmarket residential area, well away from the poor.

As for the poor, it would seemed that the social problems of the poor in the rural and the urban settings seemed similar. The men would drink toddy, got drunk and beat up their wives and children. Perhaps this was because they had no other means of occupying their time. Lack of money was a constant problem. At least in the rural, the poor could still avoid complete empty stomachs by getting coconuts and seafood from nature. In the city, even coconuts were expensive. The poor in the rural village could also build and repair their homes from palm leaves and earth found around them but to me, it seemed the shacks of the poor in Mumbai were in a worse condition.

The book also depicted the scorn city-folk and the villagers had on each other, the city people saw the villagers as ignorant and lazy. This was clearly demonstrated by the attitude of the watchman of the new fertiliser factory who thought the villagers were such pumpkin heads, they knew nothing and considered the farmers in the village poor and owning such meagre lands as farmers. He looked down on the fishermen and Biju’s motorised boat. The policemen in Bombay mocked the villagers as fools who had never seen traffic lights. Mahe on the other hand, call the Bombay-wallahs as the rudest people on earth. From the story, we can also see that the villagers thought that the city people were too arrogant and cared about all the wrong things. For example, they could not understand why preserving an old observatory was so important when there were more important issues to them such as their farms, their crops and their boats.

At the same time, the book also indicates that though generally, the general shortcomings of the city people were their arrogance, there was still kindness in the city. Some examples would be when Hari went to Bombay, he met Hira Lal, a watchman of the condominium where the deSilvas stayed. Hira Lal brought the homeless Hari to his friend, Jagu. Jagu in turn, gave Hira some food and allowed Hira to stay in the cheap restaurant as well as worked in the restaurant. Finally, he was befriended by an Mr Panwallah, an old watchmaker in the next shop who provided him with sound advices and whom he can confide his worries to. Mr Panwallah was also instrumental in giving Hari hope for his future in advising him that he could find work anywhere as long as he could use his hands, even in his own village. Mr Panwallah taught Hari how to repair watches and clocks thus equipping Hira with a trade and skills that he can use to earn a living with.

For Lila, Mr deSilvas was kind to drive her mother and her to the hospital when he found out that she needed help to get her mother to the hospital. He even generously paid for the medical bills. He also let Lila do chores for him as well as his friend so that she continued to earn some money for her family.

Finally, because life in the rural village was simple, there was less opportunity of a job in a village than in the city, unless one worked as a farmer or a fisherman. Therefore, the villagers also had no high ambition other than what they had at hand. However, they had a more relaxed lifestyle than the people in the city. Moreover, I would think that the people living in the slums of Mumbai would feel the frustrations of seeing all the modern things around them which they could not afford.

My CCA

‘Watch out!’ somebody cried. I instinctively turned around and brought my gloved hand to my face, only to manage to catch a softball hurtling towards me. You have guessed it, for this post I am going to talk about my school CCA – softball or rather the pain of having to let go of my other beloved CCA, bowling.

I joined my primary school’s bowling club since I was in Primary Three. I enjoyed bowling tremendously and took part in the yearly annual schools’ competitions. Finally, in Primary Six the team I was in clinched the gold award in the team event for the national inter-school bowling competition. There were two very good bowlers in my team of four but I was elated to be part of the team. Taking part in the bowling CCA would probably be one of the treasured memories I would have of my primary school days.

It was therefore a tough if not painful decision for me when I had to decide whether to choose Chinese High as my secondary school since it does not offer bowling as a CCA and I would not be able to polish my skills. However, all that is now water under the bridge. During the first few weeks when I was in Chinese High, I was amazed at the variety of sports that are available. I love anything to do with sports and I was spoiled for choice. I tried the various sports including fencing, water polo, canoeing, etc but my heart was still with bowling. Finally, I settled on softball .

Compared to bowling , it is a really rough and tactical sport, I cannot begin to count the number of abrasions I have on my body nor the number of times I went home with painful butts, shins, etc after a heavy fall. However, from softball, I got to know a great sport that really requires teamwork. I am glad to know my fellow softball seniors and peers. The hours of practices we spent together build our bonds. I also enjoy the advices dished out by my softball teacher-in-charge as well as our coach. They not only train us to be tough physically, they also train us to be tough mentally.

This year, I am in the reserve team of Chinese High for the national softball competition. I really got to learn much about the game by observing my seniors play the matches. After the competition, we started intensive training. We started learning the different techniques in the offensive and the defensive parts of the game.

However, not all sessions are intensive. Once in a while, we will play a softball game where we get to apply what we have learnt and that is most enjoyable. During school holidays, we train really hard, from 8am to almost 6 pm thrice a week. I enjoy the lunch breaks where my seniors would bring us to the nearby places to have our lunch. During these times, I enjoy relaxing and bantering with my softball seniors and peers.

Such is the growing pains and joys of sports in my growing years. I do not know whether softball would be part of my adult life but I know I am going to make the best of it now, play in the school team and hope to do my school proud.

Character Analysis between Lila and Hari

Similarities

Both, although barely out of their teens, were responsible, mature and contributed towards caring for the family in their own ways. They even gave up their schooling to do so. In the early part of the story, Hari worked like a man in the field, got coconuts and sometimes fished to provide for the family. Lila cleaned, cooked and looked after the welfare of the family.

Both were willing to undertake any jobs to provide for the family. Hari jumped at the opportunity to work for the deSilvas when they came for a holiday. The second time the deSilvas came and Hari was not around, Lila took over the opportunity to work for the De Silvas.

They both worried for their mother when she was sick and were disgusted with their father when he was forever drunk and did not bother to provide for the family.

Both were fortunate to meet kind benefactors who looked after their welfare. When Hari went to Bombay, he met Hira Lal, a watchman of the condominium where the De Silvas stayed. Hira Lal brought the homeless Hari to his friend, Jagu. Jagu in turn, gave Hira some food and allowed Hira to stay in the cheap restaurant as well as worked in the restaurant. Finally, he was befriended by an Mr Panwallah, an old watchmaker in the next shop who provided him with sound advices and whom he can confide his worries to. Mr Panwallah was also instrumental in giving Hari hope for his future in advising him that he could find work anywhere as long as he could use his hands, even in his own village. Mr Panwallah taught Hari how to repair watches and clocks thus equipping Hira with a trade and skills that he can use to earn a living with.

For Lila, Mr De Silva was kind to drive her mother and her to the hospital when he found out that she needed help to get her mother to the hospital. He even generously paid for the medical bills. He also let Lila do chores for him as well as his friend so that she continued to earn some money for her family.

Differences

Although both Hari and Lila faced their joint family problems with maturity and responsibility, there is a slight difference in their approaches mainly due to, I suppose, tradition and personality.

From what I can observe from the book and from my general knowledge of life in an Indian village, men would most likely be the breadwinner and the lady, the homemaker. In addition, from what I understand, young village men have more personal freedom to wander around outside the home compared to young women whose lots are generally to wait to get married. Hence, taking the role of his father, Hari would dare to dream of a greener pasture to make a living outside his village to solve his family’s financial problems. However, Lila being tied to tradition, would not have any thoughts of venturing outside the boundary of her home. She would not think of going out to work to earn money for the family although I think she was the smarter one, perhaps because she was older than Hari.

On pages 14 and 15 of the book, it seemed that Lila was in despair for she wondered out loud to her brother what they should do, she worried that their father would die from drinking too much toddy and then nobody would look after them and that they would not be able to buy school books for their sisters the following year. At that moment, it was Hari who comforted her.

However, as the story developed, we can see that Lila was a person who would do whatever it takes to solve her problems. She was always hopeful. When Hari could not bring enough food back for dinner, she sent her sisters to the beach to collect molluscs. In chapter 3, when their mother became more ill than usual, although she was very worried , knowing that they could not bring their mother to the doctor, she did the next best thing by sending her sisters to ask for help from Hira-bai, and later followed the instructions of the ‘magic man’ hoping that his ‘medicine’ could cure their mother. When the de Silva came to their village a second time, she even manoeuvred the situation so that Mr De Silva would drive to Alibagh to buy factory made city-bread and then she could ask him to give her mother a ride to the hospital there.

Lila was also depicted as a dutiful, obedient daughter and caring sister. She took good care of her sisters. She cared for her parents. She was constantly looking after her mother. Although she was afraid of her father, she obeyed him and was worried that the toddy would kill him.

On the other hand, perhaps being younger and as boys mature later than girls, Hari was not always very focused in what he wanted. He thought of working in the factory yet felt pessimistic about it. While all the young people in Thul believed that they would get a job in the factory that was going to be built in their doorsteps, Hari worried that the higher-skilled would be the ones getting the job and that the villagers of Thul might not be hired.

While Lila actively sought the help of her benefactors, Hari seemed a passive recipient of kindness that came his way, in other words, he was lucky. First, he was not sure of boarding the boat to Bombay because he could not see anyone from Thul. He was practically lifted off his feet into one of the boats by the crowd around him. In the boat, someone gave him chapati. When he was left behind in Bombay and could not find Mr De Silvas, he was offered help without his asking by Hira Lal who brought him to Jagu. Even his greatest benefactor, Mr Panwallah himself willingly gave Hari lots of advices and taught him how to repair watches and clocks.

Like Lila, Hari also cared and obeyed his mother. However, he loathed his father, for his father was a useless drunkard who humiliated him. His hatred was shown when his father came back with the Khanekar brothers after having toddy with them one night, and Hari was lying on the ground, hoping that his father would be bitten by a snake. He was not so dutiful and obedient as compared to Lila, as shown when he left for Bombay without a word, leaving Lila and his 2 other sisters, Bela and Karmal, to fend for themselves and to take care of their mother. This was probably because of his mounting frustrations to earn money and he could not find a suitable job in his own village.

Journal Entry by Patrick Maloney in Lamb to the Slaughter

Due to the fact that Logical is not available. I went for my second best intelligence which is the style Intrapersonal.

Journal according to Patrick Maloney

August 5 1932


Tomorrow, I am going to tell Mary that I am in a relationship with another woman. In actual fact, this is not the case. I just want to get away from her for awhile. She is always so over-pleasing, irritating and as persistent as a mosquito when she wants something. She looks more like a baby in her recent personality. I have been criticising her character but she always does not take my comments to heart or even bothers to change. Now, I am going to let her see that I am serious that I want her to change. However, I am not going to leave her completely. Firstly, she is pregnant with our first child. Secondly, I do still care about her. Lastly, I do not have a relationship with another woman. Besides, I have planned in advance to live just opposite with my good friend, Sam and observe Mary from there. He has agreed anyway and is making the necessary arrangements for me. How kind of him :) Anyway, I am just going to stay with Sam until Mary gives in and changes for the better. I hope that Mary does not have a darker inner self and will not do anything drastic to me.

Alright, so this is my planned procedure:

1) After coming back and had dinner with Mary, I say that I need to go back to work. I go back to the office, I work until late in the night. I also used the time to think what I should do next in my plan.  After which I spray perfume on myself using a bottle of perfume I have bought from the nearby office. I go home, acting drunk. I have executed that for one whole month. Mary looked very scared at the end of the phase.

2) I stop the perfume plan and move on to have a faraway look every time my eyes rest on hers. I did it for 15 days. Now Mary is really looking terrified today. So far so good! All I have to do tomorrow is to tell Mary coldly that I am leaving her for another woman. Next, I will hurriedly grab the secret luggage of things I have packed and hidden in a dark corner, make a phone call to the postman that I have a change in address and set off to the other house. Tomorrow’s plan is going to be a little heart-breaking, imagine leaving your loved one for a while and observing her from opposite. :(

Patrick Maloney

My Learning Style and My View on the Intelligence Test

My Learning Style

Basically, my learning style is simple and direct: Logical which is Number Smart.

My View on Intelligence Test

I believe the test is a good gauge of your intelligence because it can tell if you are a  Logical, Linguistic etc. person. The results of intelligence test, however, can be tweaked to be some particular intelligence by people (Who may have attemoted it beforehand) by answering them in a way which it is unfair to others. Secondly, the intelligence test only looks at only 8 specific categories. It does not test on your other skills like your reaction and how good you are in sports.

Similarities and differences between Lamb to the Slaughter and The Way Up to Heaven

Similarities

- In both stories, the husbands got murdered by their wives, directly or indirectly. 

- Both wives manage to get an alibi for themselves and got away with murder.

- The husbands took their faithful wives for granted.

- The wives were shrewd and cunning but these traits were covered up by their faithful and over - pleasing natures.

Differences 

- In Lamb to the Slaughter, the plotline sounded more interesting than The Way Up to Heaven. This is  because of the fact that Mary Maloney had to find a way to get rid of the murder weapon that she had 

used to kill Patrick Maloney. She also had to act as if she was not the murderer by acting shocked 

and innocent. In The Way Up to Heaven, Mrs Foster had to pretend that her husband was taking too 

long and to ask to chauffeur to just drive when she realises that her husband is trapped in the lift. All 

she needed to do was to wait until after her visit to her daughter. This was to let starvation cause the 

demise of Mr. Foster. It sounded very convenient for Mrs Foster to do that as compared to Mary's.

- In Lamb to the Slaughter, Patrick directly hurt Mary's feelings by giving her the shocking news. However, in The Way Up to Heaven, Mr. Foster indirectly tortured Mrs. Foster by taking his time when he went off for an outing with her, even though he knew perfectly well that she hated being late.

- In Lamb to the Slaughter, Mary wanted to kill her husband was because of the fact that she was 6 months pregnant and Patrick still only cared about his life and career. In The Way Up to Heaven, Mrs Foster did the same thing due to pure hatred for Mr. Foster.  

Chinese New Year

Hi all!

I hope all of you have enjoyed your Chinese New Year's break. Chinese New Year (CNY) is really part of my growing up years but it is not one of my growing pains. I have not celebrated CNY like most of my friends. I did not visit relatives until most recently. Therefore, I did not have many 'ang pows'  to collect. I also have to travel a great distance for my reunion dinner.  In fact, I have not celebrated any CNY celebrations at my schools.I would be travelling in my father's car to Kuala Lumpur (KL). I remember leaving home as early as 5 in the morning so as to avoid the jam at the immigration points. I think my father would like to squeeze as much time as we could spend with my grandmother as possible. Don't bother pitying me - I enjoy the cosiness and coldness in the car early in the morning. It is something that I look forward to. It is the same feeling that I get as if I was going on a vacation and I look forward to seeing my grandmother and cousins.

Most of my paternal relatives are in Penang. I only have one grandaunt to visit in KL. So I only get to collect red packets from my granny and the relatives at my grandaunt's place only. My mother said that before I started Primary School, we used to spend a week or more in Malaysia. After the reunion dinner, we would go to another part of Malaysia for a vacation. We had stayed in Lake Kenir, visited Cameron Highlands and the west coast of Malaysia, stayed in a condominion in Port Dickson, etc.

At my grandmother's place, there are 2 dogs, a coconut tree, chickens running around, (and even two turkeys in the past!) These are eye- openers, things that I do not usually see in Singapore. I really enjoyed waking up in the morning to feed the chickens (predominantly hens). As things in Malaysia are a lot cheaper than in Singapore, my father would bring my grandmother together with us to check out different restaurants in KL. During my recent trip to KL, my grandmother brought us to Kajang, a town in the outskirts of KL, where I had the most delicious satay I have ever tasted. It is the famous Kajang satay. The chicken satay which I had was simply soft and juicy and the satay sauce was delectable.

As we went to KL a day before the eve of CNY this year, many shops were opened and I came home with new shoes and clothes. We even managed to catch the movie that I wanted to watch at just 10 RM which is about S$4  only! I would recommend my friends to watch it  -' Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. It had a good story line, good effects  and good looking actors and actresses. However, what I missed most was buying 'illegal' firecrackers and lighting them up. It was very exhilarating and fun. However, I was a bit fearful of the sparks when I was younger.

But for now it is back to work, tests are coming, (sigh). Au revoir till next year, year of the rabbit...

                                                        My cousins burying me in the sand

Bathing the dog with my aunt

Flying Free Lyrics

This song is dedicated to my music teacher, Mr. Tan, who introduced to me this song. I believe the song is really appropriate as it fits the context of me as a teenager.Thank you Mr Tan for this lovely piece!  

There is a place I call my own
Where I can stand by the sea
And look beyond the things I've known
And dream that I might be free


Like a bird above the trees
Gliding gently on the breeze
I wish that all my life I'd be
Without a care and flying free


But life is not a distant sky
Without a cloud, without rain
And I can never hope that I
Can travel on without pain

Time goes swiftly on it's way
All too soon we've lost today
I cannot wait for skies of blue
Or dream so long
That life is through


Alto: So life's a song that I must sing, a gift of love I must share
Soprano: so lifes a song, a gift of life I must share

Alto: And when I see the joy it brings, my spirits soar through the air
Soprano: and when I see, my spirits soar through the air

All: Like that bird up in the sky, life has taught me how to fly
For now I know what I can be
And now my heart is flying free

Oooooo...

Allergies

When I was very young, I did a skin prick test at the hospital. The technician marked my left forearm with pen for 30 different allergens.She then 'pricked' the surface of my skin and put tiny drops of liquid containing the different markings on my skin. I remember waiting for a long time for the allergens to take effect. As I was allergic to almost ten of the allergens, that wait was torturous for me as I suffered tremendous itches to my arm. Finally, itchy bumps appeared on my skin next to the markings of what I was allergic to.

It seemed that I was allergic to canary feathers, kapok seeds, fungus, cat's hair, cow's milk, egg, shellfish etc. However, the doctor said that I was most likely only allergic to eggs. She also advised my mother against giving me anything that was artificially coloured such as sweets and anything that contained caramel which included Coca-Cola! So it began a most agonising period of my childhood where I could not eat one of my favourite food,eggs cooked in all its glorious forms. I could not eat cakes and ice-cream, pastries and lots of other food as eggs and colours are included in some form or other in the food. I could not eat sweets and could not drink coke... It must be the end of my childhood ...





I did not look forward to my next birthday because I thought I was not going to get a birthday cake. I was pleasantly surprised when my mother managed to get a 'heavenly' cake that did not use eggs. I thought it was the best cake I had ever eaten!

When I was six years old, I remember just as I was going to bed, I started to have difficulty breathing, my whole body broke into rashes and I was itching all over, my nose and ears were swollen, my eyes were itching terribly too. It turned out I was allergic to pistachios too so till today, "Pistachios, stay away from me!"

To relieve the symptoms, I would use a nasal spray before I slept and took an oral antihistamines in the morning.The first time I used the spray, it was like I could finally breathe in fresh air, as my nose was unblocked, my eyes and nose were no longer itchy.

In 2005, I went to see another allergy specialist. I had outgrown my allergy to eggs. Hooray! I could eat eggs again! I could eat cakes and pastries too! However another skin prick test and I was found to be allergic to dust mites.

It was a terrible feeling, having itchy and dry eyes all the time, itchy nose too, that is why I am often wrinkling my nose and blinking my eyes! My mother was also not comfortable about me having to pump my body with so much medicine. One day, while surfing the internet, she came across an article about the neti pot. It was actually used originally by yogists as a form of personal hygiene but has now become quite widely recommended by some western doctors as a good way to flush out excess mucus, viruses and allergens from the nose and sinuses. I use warm sea salt water with sodium bicarbonate as a buffering agent.  

However, the neti pot was losing its effects on me after a year and I often have to take 'Clarinase', an antihistamine, to relieve my dry itchy eyes and non stop runny nose. Then, in 2008, my mother decided to let me try reflexology and guess what? It works for me. Finally there is a short term cure to my problem without the inconvenience of daily having to 'wash nose' or taking medicine. However, it seems after an hour of reflexology session, I will be relieved of my symptoms for about 3 months. It is about three months since my last session, I am hoping that I might have finally outgrown all my allergy problems, but I think not because I do still have dry itchy eyes but I do not have runny nose yet. I am keeping my fingers crossed...    

Stories with a common theme - Deception

Deceptions in Lamb to the Slaughter

Mr Maloney

- Mr. Maloney is a detective who probably did care for his wife. This is shown by the fact that he takes his wife out to dinner every Thursday. It was their time together.

- However, as the story approaches the climax, a different side fo Mr. Maloney is presented. He turns out to be callous, uncaring and not bother about leaving his wife in her extreme state of pregnency. He is only bothered about her not creating a 'fuss' as it may be bad for his career prospects.

Mary Maloney

- Presented in the beginning of the story as a loving wife and perfect housekeeper, blissful in her 'perfect' world. The murder is a reaction brought about by her disillustionment.

- The woman presented to the readers is shrewd, calculating and an extremely talented actress. She shows no remourse and accepts her husband's death with a lack of emotion which is in sharp contrast to the woman in the beginning of the story. The story ends in her giggles - probably because she knows she has got away with murder. Which one is he real Mary Maloney? One can only guess.

Deception in 'Male Child'

- Chuang Phoon has 6 daughters and yearns for a son. He has a devoted wife and he cares for her. He is a dutiful husband and father and believes he has been cursed with 6 girls, because of sins he has commited. He prayed everyday for a son.

- However, one visit to the brothel changed all that. He was so enamoursed by the wiles and charms of the prostitute that he wants to marry her. He needs an excuse to leave his wife and now starts praying for a daughter.

Deceptions in Love


- Frankie, who was drawing good income, and Pearl were truly in love. It was love at first sight. However, Frankie was dating Mee Choon. Frankie' s heart was now given over to Pearl. He betrayed Mee Choon, but can Mee Choon forgive Frankie's insensitive decision and never bear any grudge?

- Frankie decieved Pearl into being engaged to him. He said that his father was ill after a accident, but it was actually a heridity illness. All this for the sake of marrying Pearl. This nearly caused Pearl to marry him.

Orthotics

Do you ever experienced pain in your knees? Mine started to hurt when I was about nine years old. They hurt quite often too. Sometimes it even affected my sleep. I would also often felt pain in my knees after bowling, jogging and cycling, which were activities I do quite a lot of during my primary school days. My mother thought that it was one of the symptoms common in growing boys when they have a growth spurt; and during those times, one or both knees can get affected. Swelling, tenderness and pain are experienced just below the knee, over the tibia. The condition becomes very evident during or after activities which put stresses on the knees like running, jumping, skipping, etc.

It is true that I was growing taller during that period and I had resigned myself to endure the 'growing pains'. Then when I was in Primary 5, my father noticed a stall in Bishan Junction 8 called "Soulmate Orthotics". It claims to help to relieve foot pain by basically customising the soles of shoes called "orthotics". (see the pictures on the right). My father then took me to the friendly personnel on duty there. He scanned the soles of my feet. (Actually, the scan was done with what looked like a "photostating" machine, so now I know how it feels like to be "photostated") and from the scans of my feet, concluded that I had flat feet. He was confident that since I was (and am) still growing, I may be able to correct the feet and create an arch in each of them. However, I would need to pay about $355 for a pair of orthotics. My mother was skeptical as her family members have flat feet and they do not seem to have any of the problems I was having. My father was game to let me try, he said $355 to remove the pains for me is worth the money, so I ended up till today wearing the same pair of yellow soles inside whatever shoes I am wearing.

Believe it or not, the pains in my knees gradually became less frequent and finally deserted me. Every 6 months I still need to go back to the stall to have my feet scanned and the orthotics checked. As you can see on the right, the first time my soles were scanned on 4 January 2009, the shape of my soles look white because it was flat. Look at the latest scan taken on 24 January 2010, there is now a dark patch where my arch has form. As it is still not a fully formed arch, they have made the orthotics higher after the latest check-up.

So one of my growing pains has a happy ending, this is the end of it !

Growing Pains

My first blog entry and I can only write about one thing- GROWING PAINS! It started last year while I was busy preparing for my PSLE. Last year was a milestone for me. It was the culmination of the hard work of my six years in primary school. I had never worked so hard in my young life. But as I was working hard for the examinations, my body was working hard too. First, I noticed that I was growing taller and taller, that was the good part. Next, I started to spout a shadow above my upper lips and then I also started to lose my angelic voice and croaked at the most unfortunate of times – during the PSLE oral examinations! However, as if it was not enough, my smooth adoring face started to get shiny and little black moulds seemed to be dotting my nose. Soon whiteheads and blackheads started to erupt all over my forehead.


But the worst was yet to come… my dear old mother who used to greet me with hugs and kisses; started to greet me with a gleam in her eyes whenever she spied a new breakout on my face. You can bet that out would come her new way of showing her love for me; disregarding my agony while skillfully extracting my pimples. These days, this is how we build our bond. However, I cannot complain too much, I am loved.

For all of you out there who suffer greater fate than me by having worse pimples or even acnes, fret not, I can share with you what I know from my ‘wise’ and concerned mother.

It is more important to keep our faces and bodies clean. Before you wash your face, remember to wash your hands first. Wash your face whenever it feels too oily to prevent the oil from clogging the pores which might cause acne. If washing is inconvenient, there are such stuff known as face wipes (choose those that do not have too much detergent on them). After washing your face, it is good to put a dash of pimple control cream over areas that have regular breakouts to prevent oil from building up too soon. Finally, if your skin is really bad, don’t worry, see a dermatologist who can prescribe the right treatment for you.

I will share more of my growing pains…