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"Read Aloud! Hilarious and Entertaining!" - Yong Lee Lian, Principal, Cambridge for Life, Selangor.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Can you do this?




This is not some Photoshop gimmickcry. See the lady standing beside me? She's a hypnotherapist. I remember when she put me under (subconscious), I was conscious of what she was saying. She was telling me, with my eyes closed, that my body was becoming as stiff as a rod. Then she got two assistants to place me in the position that you see in this photo.

What can we learn from this demonstration?

It demonstrates the power of the human mind. It's often said that we use only 10% of our mental capacity. If we could just tap into the full potential of our brain, we would be able to do much more in terms of what we are capable of. For example, if you're used to learning only one word a day - like we used to do in the old days- from now on, tell yourself that you are going to learn five, 10, or 12 words a day.

Don't limit yourself. Challenge yourself !

Our mind is capable of achieving a great deal more than what we think it is capable of.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

 Big bad Wolf Book Sale 2012

Dear Parents, Students & Visitors of this Blog:

I just got back from the world's largest book sale- the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale 2012. It's on from the 7th to the 23rd December. Book prices start from as low as RM5.00! Hurry, and head over to the Mines International Exhibition & Convention Centre (MIECC) !

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Use the following notes to construct a readable story. Remember to state the moral of the story.



An old lady becomes blind-calls in a doctor-agrees to pay large fee if cured, but nothing if not-doctor calls daily-covers lady's furniture-delays the cure-every day takes away some of her furniture-at last cures her-demands his fees-lady refuses to pay, saying cure not complete-doctor brings a court case-judge asks lady why she will not pay-she says sight not properly restored-she cannot see all  her furniture-judge gives verdict in her favour-moral.

Hints on writing your narrative:

1. Make sure your points are connected properly so that your story doesn't become disjointed or jerky.
2. As this is a story, make sure your story is idiomatic and remember to include dialogues.
3. In the SPM exam, if you are asked to provide a title, make sure you have one.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Can you spot the grammar mistake in this Old Town White Coffee ad which appeared in The Star of Monday 12 November 2012? Read more at: http://bizproposalsmalaysia.blogspot.com/


Thursday, November 1, 2012

                                                                                                           SYNOPSIS
QWERTY is about Lucy Beck, a young secretary who has to fight the ghost of an ex-secretary at Ross and Bannister’s. The ghost of Miss Broome haunts the typewriter that Lucy Beck is using in her new job. Miss Broome doesn’t want anyone to use ‘her’ typewriter. Messages and mysterious words such as QWERTYUIOP would appear on the paper. Lucy is determined to keep her job and she succeeds in overcoming Miss Broome where others have failed.

Saturday, September 22, 2012



Dear Students,

If you are asked to write a composition on the subject of love, what would you write? Love for your cat? Love for your dad or mum? Love for God? Well, read about one man's love for his wife who is now bedridden. Go to: http://abil4fauziah.blogspot.com/2012_09_01_archive.html

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Writing the Letter of Invitation



Question

You would like to invite your friend in Taiwan to visit you during the Merdeka Day celebration which is held on 31st August. Write the letter inviting him or her to stay with you and your family. Describe what you plan to do during your friend's visit.

Outline of your letter

Dear Jeremy,

Paragraph 1 (Introduction)
How are you getting on? I know you've just finished your mid-year exam and you've at least one month's holiday before your school reopens. Why don't you enjoy your break by coming over to Malaysia at the end of August? You can stay with my family and we'll have a great time together.

Paragraph 2
Tell your friend Jeremy why you're inviting him to come at the end of August. Provide details about Merdeka and the celebration that Jeremy would be able to see then.

Paragraph 3
Tell Jeremy about your other plans; for example : you would like to take him to Batu Caves and tell him what he can see there.

Paragraph 4
Give examples of two or three other things that you and Jeremy could do together: places to visit, Malaysian food, etc.

Paragraph 5 (Conclusion)
My parents would love to have you stay with us. Please let me know whether you can make it.

Your good friend,

Dinesh





Monday, August 13, 2012

   
Write about one of the characters that you like in the short story, QWERTYUIOP.

A)    Miss Broome

Miss Broome was old Mr Bannister’s secretary for forty-three years. She typed letter by letter  and she hated the young girls who touch-type without having to look at the keyboard.......

B)     Lucy Becke

Lucy is not particularly good in her studies; she has only one ‘O’ level. She does not think highly of herself, nor does her mother. ......

Read the rest of the answers describing the two characters above for only RM1.99! This guide will also give you the synopsis, plot, and explanation of some key quotations. Pay to Maybank 114197154238. Please sms your email after you have made the payment: 019-6879540.

Sunday, July 8, 2012


Here's an imaginative composition written by one of my students.
 Garamond
by William

It’s winter again in Garamond. I’d never thought this day would come so soon. On this day, most Garamonders called it the day of fortune, and they believed that a man in a black robe would always come to this town, giving money to the poor without people noticing him. There was an air of festivity and everyone was filled with joy and happiness.

Unfortunately, for me, it’s the opposite: On this day, I was always possessed by a melancholic feeling. I should be happy like the rest, shouldn’t I? I asked myself. No matter how I wanted to cheer myself up, it didn’t work. As usual, my mother closeted herself in her room. I knocked on the door, no reply...wonder what’s happened. “Has something happened?” an unknown voice whispered in my brain. “Nothing unusual’s ever happened,” I thought. I lived the days as usual. Almost every day, I went hunting for food with my friends all the way till the evening. Then we’d sell our haul to the shops in town and get paid. I would spend the rest of the day hanging out with friends at the inn by the port. “yet..w-why does my mother isolate herself from the world?” questions like this kept popping up in my brain. “There’s no hope. I should just forget it,” I sighed. The more I thought about it, the more depressed I was. It’s a never-ending cycle. When that day came again, I would feel the same. A few weeks passed, I was back to my normal self, doing things I usually did, and living as if nothing had ever happened.

As usual, I stepped out from the inn, where I always went to in the evenings, and headed back home. Night had fallen, everyone had already put out their candles in their house and the surroundings were so dark as if the sky had been painted black. It was cold and snowing, It was bone-chilling to the point where I hardly opened my eyes, seeing only faint light from the moon through a brief break in the clouds. It was as if a blanket had been thrown on me. Suddenly, I could hear sounds of something coming. At the same time things started to fade away around me, getting blurry. It turned out that the something was a person wearing a black robe, carrying a sword. Just as I got the chance to identify who he really was... I fainted.

I was brought to a hut in a forest close to the town. I woke up only to see the bed I was on, the broken and old rusty table with few chalices on it. The hut was very small and only three people could fit in the room and the ceiling was so low that I couldn’t stand straight. The black-robed man came in. The man finally said something, “Finally woke up, little boy?” I felt kind of tired, so I didn’t say anything. “But seriously, a little boy?” I thought. I was already 15 years old! With his tone of speaking, it’s clear that he sounded condescending. Seeing me standing still like a statue, he asked me a question, “Do you still remember me? I’m Gilbert.” I was shocked. I recalled something.

I was six to eight years old. With my mother and father strolling along the street in Renfall, a small town which was also the black-robed man’s residence. This man stopped us and was asking for directions and saying he was going on an errand. He invited us to have a meal with him at an inn. There, he did ask for more directions but when my mother and father looked away, he secretly put some white powder into my mother’s chalice. As I was still young, I thought of it was sugar and tried to drink it but my mother stopped me and drank it instead. At the same time, a pistol was fired and someone was killed. The entire inn was in chaos, with everyone screaming and running around. A bomb was then detonated. My father was killed. My mom lay unconscious on the floor. I was severely wounded me and cried for help, but no one came, and the man escaped. It was just too late. My mother and I became the only survivors of that incident. After that, I only remembered the man’s name, but had forgotten what he usually wore. “Have something  on your mind?” The man asked me with eyes filled with confusion. There was no mistake. It was this man who caused the chaos back then when I was still a child, and it was he that killed my father. “It was you, wasn’t it?” I questioned him angrily. Still, why would he save me when I fainted on the road, when he already killed my father and tried to poison my mother? If he really hated my family, why didn’t he kill me on the spot? “I didn’t want to do it, but there was no choice. I just had to do it.”

With those words, he disappeared in a pall of smoke and I was left wondering with more questions in my head.

Right after he left, I immediately rushed out of the hut, and saw him leaning against a tree. “I just had to do it...” Gilbert's voice kept echoing in my brain. “He just had to do it? Out of much hatred? His hobby? Or he is taking a re...revenge.” “It’s enjoyable weather today...” Gilbert stopped my thinking. “The early morning breeze is somewhat freshening, isn't it?” “I.. I ...wanted to know...” I stuttered. “About the truth?” He continued my sentence. “21 years ago, when I was 12 years old, I already lost my parents, and in Renfall everyone is poor and are forced to work in a mine, However I lived the days peacefully without any problems until one day, a men dressed like a mage came in and presented me an easier way to earn more money. I gladly accepted it, and was then given a desert eagle and some pouches of white powder that looked like sugar. He also gave me the names of the families he wanted me to kill or drug. I was successful with the first few families. Of course, around that time, I would do everything to obtain money to support my own life. Every time I succeeded, the amount of pay would be doubled. Until now, even though I have a lot money, so much that I could purchase mansions, I still can’t stop killing as I always thought. This is it. This is the way to live. But I was wrong. As I was about to finish my job on your family, a companion of mine fired his pistol and a bomb hidden in the inn exploded. I was able to escape from it, but I again returned to the inn as I heard someone crying. The moment I arrived, you were already unconscious. In a split second, when I saw how severely wounded you were, I knew I had gone too far... I finally understood that I shouldn’t have accepted that mage’s idea... I was all wrong. This isn’t what it was supposed to be...” Gilbert let out a long and deep sigh. “T-then you..” I again stuttered. “Up to this point, I was already a well-known assassin who blindly killed families and left no traces. To get this over with... I actually started to do things to repay my debts...and hoped that someone would forgive me. Like, saving you...this is already the second time. I first saved you and your mother by sending you and your mother to a house I rented and told the landlord to never reveal my identity...No one would ever forgive me...” he let out another sigh. “Then I would be the first one to forgive you, knowing you and your actions, everything...even though you almost killed my whole family. My mother once said, ‘To live is to forgive.’ So, no matter what others do to us, they should be forgiven. If they are not given a chance, eventually everyone will be unstoppable and the power of forgiveness would lose its effect...I-I will forgive you and tell everyone that you’re forgivable.”  

“Well, easier said than done, kid. How are you going to deal with the ‘forgivable’ part?”
“On that part ... I-I guess...”
“You would kill a dragon and get its blood. That’ll kill two birds with one stone... right?”
“A dra ... what?” I was puzzled

“A dragon, of course. Don’t tell me you never heard of dragons. One the level, is by proving that you have the ability to clear out the greatest threat to anyone in this world, and in turn everyone will then believe you and your voice will be heard. But right now, you are merely a commoner, who has no persuasive power at all. Let alone asking for a lower price to purchase land. This would be the best opportunity. Now, back to the dragon; it’s called Akor and it has been spotted flying back and forth around Garamond and Renfall these days, and villagers are intensely terrified that they won’t even light up a single candle ... from morning...all the way to the evening...”

A shiver went down  my spine when he mentioned “dragon”.
“I don’t think I can do it... i-it’s too complicated for me to defeat a dragon..I think I ll pass...”

“I believe in you. You can do it without failure. Now, we should be heading towards the open area just the north of Renfall. It’s rumored that this dragon will follow any light source available. And if you are lucky enough, a critical strike would do. I will do my best assisting you in the process.”

The moon had risen again. And we headed towards the place. On the way, I started reminiscing about past events that happened.

A lot of things happened. It was tough and somehow made me feel uneasy.”Why I am doing all this? What exactly happened? What is going to happen next?” I questioned myself over and over. Once again, I was filled with a sudden surge of melancholy. But this time, it’s as if I was seeing afterimages for thinking too much, and someone appeared before me and answered my worries “To kill the dragon, get its blood and mend your mother’s heart...” My mind is clear. “This is it. All these happened so that I can save my mother,” I said to myself.

Ever since the incident I had been unclear what’s the objective of my own life. Even though sometimes I was given an opportunity, I simply let it pass and thought as if nothing had ever happened. But now the chance was right before me, I couldn’t let it go anymore.
We have arrived in an open area. Except for the moon , there was nothing in sight, not even a single tree could be seen. Gilbert had set up a fireplace using his flint and steel and light up a torch. Gilbert handed a sword and a bow with only one arrow to me. “Here, take these. These were originally given by the mage I met.”

All of a sudden, something flew by above us, making a swishing sound in the process.”It’s the dragon.” said Gilbert. The dragon flew towards us and just as it’s about to hit us, it let out a roar, and landed before us. The ground was shaken by its hostility towards us. It must have been attracted by the fire. Immediately after that, I held my long sword and tried to strike it but to no avail. The sword glinted with light when it scratched the dragon. “..a critical strike would do...” those words flashed before my eyes, and I was spaced out and my body stiffened and I couldn’t move. Seeing me standing still, the dragon slowly crawled towards me and opened its mouth. I was frustrated. “This is not what it’s supposed to be... it doesn’t work...” I was puzzled.

The dragon had unleashed its fire breath. Streams of fire came towards me. I was caught off guard, and now I was defenseless. “There’s no hope anymore...” I closed my eyes and waited for my death. However, the fire did not hit me... Instead... “Gilbert! What are you doing there...you would...” I cried. He didn’t respond. He dispelled the fire with his bare hands.

“How did you...” I said in panic.
“I was indeed the mage back then. The one that fired the pistol wasn’t me. Instead, it was him all along. and It’s me who gave him the offer. Now, hurry...Shoot the arrow and end it all...I am sorry, I lied.”

That said, he was pushed by those streams of fire, and vanished into thin air.

I aimed at the dragon, shot the arrow and crossed my fingers. The dragon was hit and slammed onto the ground. “I finally did it..” I said in relief, and took out a small glass bottle. I was able to obtain some drops of the dragon’s blood.

I rushed back towards my home and got my mother to drink it. Slowly, she opened her eyes...

“Is that you, Ravi?”
“Yes... it’s me .... it’s been a long time...” I burst into tears and hugged her.

It’s winter again, I’d never thought today was this season.
It was my happiest day ever.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Can you spot the mistakes in this notice on the wall of a Shiok Kopitiam toilet?

The management at Shiok Kopitiam must have had a stinky hard time dealing with male customers who patronise their cafe with a misguided aim. This frank and in-your-face notice says as much : target your discharge inside the toilet bowl, and not on or outside the bowl. Yes, "it will be more grateful". The pronoun "it" appears to be ambiguous: Does it refer to the toilet bowl or the management? We know the toilet bowl is an inanimate object and therefore the expression of gratitude should come from the management. Maybe someone at Shiok Kopitiam has a literary bent and has decided to endow the toilet bowl with human qualities? In other words, the toilet bowl is being personified. However, I think the personification is accidental and the notice should have read: IF YOU CAN TARGET INSIDE THE TOILET BOWL, WE WOULD BE MOST GRATEFUL". The use of "can" here seems to imply that there's a possibility some customers really have a problem with their aim and need to consult a urologist. Furthermore, why "would" and not "should"? The latter carries the weight of obligation that is absent in "would". Hokey, dokey. I'd better get myself out of this stinky business. I would suggest that the notice be worded thus:  IF YOU TARGET INSIDE THE TOILET BOWL, WE SHOULD BE MOST GRATEFUL" This way, there's no ambiguity and no male customers will suffer the ignominy of having their noble aim questioned.

NOTE: Look out for an exercise on pronoun practice.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

 McDonald's I'm lovin' it

Next time when you're spending a blissfully intimate moment with your beloved, you might want to coo into her soft tofu ears: "I'm loving you." I'm not sure how she would react, but what I do know is that McDonald's tagline- I'm lovin' it- sure has a way of getting our attention.

"Love" is a stative verb which cannot be expressed in the present continuous tense. Just as we do not say "He's believing what you've just told him," it's also wrong to say "I'm loving you" or "I'm loving it". If you want to express your love, you should instead say "I love you, darling" from the depths of your heart. And your beloved should be left in no doubt that you mean what you say. Now, try saying "I'm lovin' you, darling." Does it sound the same? I doubt it. I think it lacks the simple directness of the declarative expression of love in "I love you."

But then McDonald's "I'm lovin' it" tagline is different. It may be wrong in grammar, but it's deliberate. Now, let's change McDonald's tagline to the grammatically correct stative verb form:  "I love it." Say it a few times and you'll know what I mean: It's bland, and it induces a dryness in your mouth. On the other hand, the present continuous form of "I'm lovin' it" possesses the quality of freshness and motion that gives the expression life and makes it more dynamic. That's why the present continuous tense (-ing) form is referred to as dynamic and not static.

Call it creative licence!

Stative verbs usually refer to a state or condition which is quite static or unchanging. They do not refer to an action and so are not used in the present continuous tense form. Thus, we should say "I hate this TV show"  instead of  "I'm hating this TV show." Now, say which verbs are used correctly in the following sentences:

a. The girls are seeming tired.
b. He is believing what you told her.
c. I'm seeing him this afternoon.
d. I'm having a brand new car.
e. I'm liking swimming very much.
f. Jeff is loving his new job as a junior reporter.
g. They're preferring a new coach for their football club.
h. We're having a party next weekend.
i. She's remembering what happened at the club meeting yesterday.
j.  I'm wanting to apply for the new job vacancy Penang.
k. I'm seeing what it means.
l.  Kate's thinking that coffee is good for her health.
m. This vegetable soup is tasting delicious.
n. He's needing another loan to pay off his gambling debts.
o. We're remembering the people we met on our trek across the jungle.
p. They're thinking about their next holiday in February.
q. She's seeing three clowns coming down the road.
r. I'm knowing how to solve this difficult math problem.
s. The children are hearing what we're discussing.
t. He's liking the bowl of fish noodle.
u. Don't you agree that they are being silly?
v. The crate is containing 12 bottles.
w. Kamil is knowing the answer to every question.
x. I'm smelling the soup to see if it's good.
y. She's smelling the new lotion that she has just bought.
z. I've been meaning to ask you out, but I just can't find the time.

This article is available at: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2012/7/10/lifefocus/11572022&sec=lifefocus

Thursday, May 17, 2012

What's the missing word in this banner headline?
In this sort of writing, sometimes known as telegraphic writing, writers often leave out the articles or determiners- a, an, the. However, in your academic or day-to-day business writing, you should write clearly and fluently so as to get your message across. In the banner headline, the determiner 'the' is missing. Indicate if 'the' is necessary in the following sentences:

1. World is full of suffering.
2. I enjoy cycling in countryside.
3. She is smartest girl in university.
4.Your request for an appointment in accounts department has been rejected.
5. Errors in the pronunciation of English are commonly heard among Malaysian speakers.





Monday, May 7, 2012


13 Year Old Boy  Finds Mistake in Metropolitan Museum of Art Map

When 13-year-old Benjamin Lerman Coady recently visited the New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met), one of the world's premier destinations for artistic and historical exhibitions, little did he expect that he would be a hero. Yet, that’s what happened when the seventh grader, a fledgling history buff who recently studied the Byzantine Empire in school, found out when he pointed out an error in The Met’s Byzantine Gallery.While checking some of the dates on the map, Coady noticed that sections featuring Spain and Africa were missing. Before leaving the museum, he attempted to inform the museum that the map was inaccurate, but the front desk just didn’t believe him. As he put it: “I’m only a kid”.

A few months later the curator emailed Coady and admitted that there had been a mistake. And this is what Coady picked up from his experience: "If you have a question, always ask it; always take chances."

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Summary Writing Skills

THIS ANIMORPHS BOOK WILL BE GIVEN AWAY TO THE FIRST PERSON TO EMAIL ME THE "BEST" ANSWER TO THE SUMMARY EXERCISE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE IN RED. If I've to post it to you, please help me give $1.00 to charity (anyone in need). Thank you. My email: yokeki@gmail.com


Students often find this more difficult than writing the essays. Yet, summary writing is a skill that can be acquired through practice. It requires the ability to be able to identify main points and condense them into a summary. Thus summary writing means you'll have to be able to write concisely and connect the main points in your own words. Try this simple exercise by summarizing the sentence:

Last Sunday I went out with my brothers and sisters and parents to an electrical shop where we bought a vacuum cleaner, two light bulbs and a decorative fan.

Clue: Replace the underlined words with one or more words.

Here's the answer:

Last Sunday I went out with my family to an electrical shop where we bought some electrical goods.

Here's another example.

I was driving along the busy Sg. Besi Road yesterday and there were so many cars, buses, pickups, lorries and motorcycles that I had to inch my way to the city.

This is how you can summarize the above sentence:

I was driving along the busy Sg. Besi Road yesterday and there were so many vehicles that I had to inch my way to the city.

By the way, you can reduce the sentence further. Discuss with a friend, or ask your teacher.

In the meantime, let's take a look at how you can use one, two or three words to indicate the occupation or work of the following people. Sometimes you may have to reuse the given words in the sentence.

He works in a hospital and he treats the sick and infirm.
He is a doctor.

a) She works at a swimming pool teaching people how to swim.
b) He works in a workshop repairing cars and trucks.
c) Karim goes from house to house cutting grass.
d) He writes novels and short stories.
e) Jeremy Lin sends articles about his travels to newspapers and magazines.
f) Dosh operates a clinic where he treats animals.
g) Kathy attends to customers problems and queries in a bank.
h) Kim is the head of a primary school in charge of 55 teachers.
i) Borhan lends money to people and charges them a high interest rate.
j) Sally works in a hospital treating and operating on patients who have a heart problem.

Now that you've done some exercises with single sentences, let's take a look at how to summarize a short passage. Try to summarize the following by using the summary writing skills that you've used so far.

I go to a school where there are boys and girls. We have to learn ten subjects which comprise Bahasa Malaysia, SPM English 1119, English for Science and Technology, mathematics, science, history, moral studies, commerce, P.E and art. My favourite subject is art. Our art teacher is a famous artist who exhibits his paintings overseas in countries such as Thailand, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong.

Here's the winning answer:

I go to a co-educational school. We have to learn ten subjects. My favourite subject is art. Our art teacher is a famous artist who exhibits his paintings overseas.

Here's another exercise where you'll have to use one word to replace a few words. Replace the words in bold with one word. The first letter of each word is given.

Last Friday, I went with Sheila to the dental clinic in Segambut. Sheila and I went into the dentist's room. The dentist told her that her tooth had to be taken out. Sheila was usually quite brave, but on that day she broke down out of fear.

Last Friday, I a.................... Sheila to the dental clinic in Segambut. Sheila and I e........... the dentist's room. The dentist told her that her tooth had to be ................. Sheila was usually quite brave, but on that day she c......... out of fear.