Something Unusual that Happened That Day

My younger brother has a cheerful and chatty personality. He calls himself the Nature Detective and has a keen interest in plants and animals. He is always on the lookout for seeds when he goes exploring around the neighbourhood so that he can collect them and plant them in his little pots. He also enjoys looking out for insects and garden animals like snails and lizards. However, he is not allowed to bring them home.
Last Friday, I was surprised to find my brother quiet when I returned home from school. He would usually hide behind the door waiting to give me a scare. He does not get tired of this trick though I already know he is there and would not be frightened by his 'boo'. So I was quite puzzled that I did not receive his usual greeting.
I found him in his room lying on his bed and looking very sad. There were tears glistening in his eyes.
After some probing, he told me that on his way back from school with our mother, they saw a kitten sleeping among some old towels in a plastic box under the void deck. It lay almost motionless and looked helpless. My mother said it was most likely an abandoned kitten. My brother wanted to bring the black and white kitten home to care for it as he felt that it was very pitiful. However, my pragmatic mother did not allow him to do so as she explained that the kitten needed to feed on its mother milk and was most likely too young to be able to drink milk from a saucer. Furthermore, the kitten looked very weak and may not survive. It may be ill and we have never looked after small animals before, let alone a sick one. My brother said his heart felt so painful at leaving the kitten under the void deck. He was disappointed and at the same time angry with my mother for not helping the kitten.
I comforted him by telling him that the kitten's mother may return and care for it or that someone who loves cats and knows how to care for it may bring it home. My mother also told him that he can keep his own pet when he grows up and can take care of  himself and be responsible. She also reminded him that our flat is too small for pets and that the kitten may not survive in our care as we do not know how to care for small animals.
Personally, I felt that though it seemed callous not to bring the kitten home, that may be a wise thing to do. The kitten may have some unknown disease making it unfit for domestic care and we would have to incur additional costs bringing it to the veterinarian. Should the kitten die in our care as we are inexperienced in handling abandoned animals, we would feel even more guilty.
I am sure my brother will learn to handle such disappointments in his life and be less affected as he grows up. It is unusual to find him sad as he is a contented boy who finds joy in simple things.

Something that Took Place in School

Something happened during our Science practical lesson last week.  When it was time for our lesson, we made our way to the Science Lab located on the 5th floor. Once we reached the Science Lab, we queued in two rows outside the Lab and waited for the teacher to check that everyone was present before entering the Lab.
That day, the experiments involved Acids and Alkalis. Our teacher gave us a few solutions and instructed us to test if they were acidic, alkaline or neutral using blue and red litmus papers as well as Universal Indicator. She reminded us of the safety precautions and told us to start work in pairs.
One of the experiments required us to pour a little aqueous sodium hydroxide, an alkali on to our fingers and describe how it felt to our touch and dip litmus papers into the solution as well. My .partner was a little nervous about it so I volunteered to try the solution on my fingers while he tested the effect of the solution on litmus papers. I was very surprised that the solution felt very soapy and slippery, like wet soap and yet there were no bubbles or lather like soap. Aqueous sodium hydroxide is amazing. It looks just like water, a colourless liquid and yet has different properties. Water does not affect the colour of  litmus papers but aqueous sodium hydroxide turned the red litmus paper blue. As I was curiously rubbing my fingers together enjoying the soapy feel, I felt a painful sting. I had forgotten that the safety precautions! Our teacher had warned us that the solution is corrosive and could give a burning or painful sensation on our skin. I quickly rinsed my hands under running tap water. It took a very long time before the soapy feel was removed.
It was an interesting science lesson indeed observing the effects of  indicators on various solutions. I will never forget the properties of  aqueous sodium hydroxide  and the other solutions after the experential lesson.

A Moment Spent Alone Doing Something You Enjoyed

                                          Taken from musicnear.com
Reading is something I enjoy doing alone. I usually curl up on the sofa or lie on my bed to read. Sometimes I would even get up at 6 a.m. to read an exciting book that I did not manage to complete reading the day before. Usually when I start reading, I would be totally entranced by the book so much so that even when someone calls my name, I would be oblivious to my surroundings and not answer to any call. I get into trouble with my mother when this happens as she thinks I am being rude for not responding.
With the start of the school term in Secondary Two however, I find that I rarely have time to spare for reading. I missed reading the adventure or mystery stories which are my favourite. I would usually borrow these from the regional libraries.
So I was really glad to spend last Thursday afternoon at home, being excused from CCA when I was having a bad, phlegmy cough. For the first time in many weeks, I was able to spend some time alone doing something I enjoy. I usually have the whole house to myself in the afternoons as my brother is with my grandparents and my parents are at work. For two hours that wonderful Thursday afternoon, I was immersed in my favourite past time - reading. When I read, I would imagine myself to be a character in the story and for that duration, dwell in another world - a world filled with excitement and adventure. It is a temporary escape from the hectic, stressful and mundane secondary school life.
I feel recharged and relaxed after reading. I enjoy the freedom of choosing what I like to read and experiencing things I will not get to do in a normal teenagers' world.

A Problem I Encountered And How I Managed It

My problem is the blogging assignment I am doing now. If I had a choice, I would not even have anything to do with a blog. I do not like to publish things for others to view. However, as this blogging assignment makes up 50% of CA1, I have no choice but to do it. I reckon the teacher probably thought that not many of us would blog during our free time so they came out with this assignment to force us to blog by giving the assignment the weightage of half a CA. I also found the duration of two weeks given for the assignment too short. It was really difficult carving out time for the blogging assignment with so much homework from other subject teachers each day. As the deadline loomed near, I got more anxious as I had not managed to write a single entry in the blog.
As blogging involves using a computer, I put off doing the assignment as I dislike using the computer for homework. It is not that I am computer illiterate, it is just that I am not interested in. IT stuff. Another reason why I found it difficult to start doing the assignment was because I found the topics rather restricting. I did not have any ideas and did not know where to begin. When I was left with merely a week before the submission date of the five blogs, I knew I could not delay working on it anymore and steeled myself to put my thoughts to paper before typing the entries in the blog site.
I started out by writing a draft of my entry on paper to make typing and publishing it faster since I would not have to spend time constructing my sentences and arranging my thoughts. However, I encountered another problem as I had a lot of school work to complete and could not complete writing one blog at a time. I decided to work on parts of it as and when I could spare the time.
After completing the first entry, I felt it was not as difficult as I thought it would be. I hope to complete all five entries before the Friday deadline.

A Special Moment You Enjoyed With Your Family

Last Saturday morning, my aunt called my mother to inform that she was giving to give all of us a treat to celebrate my cousin, Aster's successful completion of her GCE  'O' levels examinations. Even though my cousin did not achieve excellent results, my aunt still decided to give everyone in the family a treat to affirm my cousin's effort as she had worked very hard preparing for her 'O' levels.
When we arrived at the Sakura Restaurant in Tampines Safra at 6.30 p.m., my cousins were already tucking into the buffet spread. We were very happy to see one another as we enjoy one another's company and always have fun playing or chatting together. My aunt told us to help ourselves to the buffet spread.
I was amazed at the spread of food that was before me. There were Chinese dishes, Western food and salad bar, Japanese food such as sushi and tempura as well as satay and other barbequed meat. I heaped my plate with my favourite sushi and made my way back to the long table. My mother and brother had 'tim sum' and soup while my dad tried the barbequed meats. We all had fun sharing jokes and discussing about the food and my cousin's plan after her 'O' levels. 
We went for several rounds of the delicious food but still did not manage to sample every dish. After all the food, some of us ended up feeling bloated. It was good that there was green tea to make us feel better. I was amazed at my uncle and cousin, Jan's appetite. They were still enjoying their food when the rest of us had to stop.
After dinner, we went to the lounge just outside the restaurant. Some of us played table soccer while the rest watched television. We had an exciting and thrilling time trying to manoeuvre the ball and score goals. My team, comprising my dad and brother, won three out of five games.
It was an enjoyable evening indeed with good food and company. It was special also as it was my first table soccer match teamed with my father and brother and we won.

Welcome!

Hi!This is my new BLOG.If i had a choice i would not have even created this blog.I had no choice but to make this blog as it is part of my school work.We had to do 5 posts and it is 50% of our CA!!!.Once im done with this blog i will either forget about it or DELETE it.