Historical Narrative - Battle Of Pasir Panjang

On 8 February, Japanese troops have crossed the river using the rubber boats and rafts. They started to invade the Northen-Westen part of Singapore. On 11 February, the Japanese took control of Bukit Timah Hill, taking control of a resevoir as well as other supplies that were left by the British as well. A Singaporean, Lim Keng Kim, was forced to flee to a small village located at the south side of Singapore with her son, Lim Boon Kian for safety. They were told by a few soldiers that both their father and uncle, Kim Ah Beng and Kim Ah Sia, were shot down as they attempted to escape from the battle of Bukit Timah Hill.

Keng Kian and Boon Kian were sitting down to have a peaceful supper when gunshots ringed into their ears and commands were heard throughout the battlefield. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as both of them tried to block off the noise. Next, the eerie silence filled the air.

However, a few hours after the battlefield, there was a knock on the door. Both of them froze in fear as they thought they were the Japanese soldiers. After they heard someone saying English, they decided to open the door. As they opened the door, they heaved a sigh of relieve as they saw a British soldier standing in front of them with a few more people that were either badly burnt or injured by the Japanese, which could be identified through their British accent and their uniforms.

Keng Kian signalled to Boon Kian to bring out some sweet potatoes while she carry them to her badroom. While they ate their supper, the British soldier told them that despite of their hard work, they were defeated and their Lieutenant, Adnan bin Saidi was captured by the Japanese. They managed to escape only when they play dead and convinced the Japanese that there was nobody left.

Suddenly, footfalls were heard near their houses. Fearing that the Japanese were nearing, they put out the kerosene lamp and hid immediately in their bedrooms. The door burst opened and Japanese soldiers spoke in their native tougues as they raided the room. Lady Luck was on their side as the Japanese did not explore the house any further and left. The British soldiers heaved a sigh of relieve and stayed overnight.

The next day,they were truly grateful Keng Kian for taking care of them and waved goodbye to Keng Kian and Boon Kian as they were living.

"Watch out for the other Japanese soldiers and I hope that you will be able to survive the war. May God watch over you!" she said to the British soldiers. Again, they thanked her for helping them and left.

Until today, when Keng Kian and Boon Kian recalls about the incident, she would wonder if the soldiers are still alive today. Even if they have not survived the war, it was no doubt that the British soldiers have contributed to protect Singapore during the war.

What Makes Me Sad?

For me, touching movies and sad stories make me sad. When these kind of touching stories are told, it can give you a sorrow feeling and a pain feeling as if your friend lied to you. That feeling is worse than pain and is undescribable. Most of the time, I feel touched but rarely, I cry when watching them. Some of them are "I Not Stupid" and "I Not Stupid 2".

In terms of friends and families, seeing them hurt emotionally makes me sad. Actually, who would not get hurt when meeting this kind of situation? Your friends and family members have guided you to what you are today, leaving an impression on your mind. You may feel like crying as well.

In school, seeing public caning and people fighting over small matters make me sad too. When seeing a public caning, the first thing that comes in my mind is "I hope this student will turn a new leaf and start over". It is very painful for the student to go through this kind of pain as they had disappointed the teachers who put their faith on them. About students that are fighting over small incident, I personally think that "Why students cannot sit down, cool down and thrash things out calmly?". Everytime these things happen, my first reaction is to attempt to stop them. It can save them from disiplinary problems and troubles as well.

Sadness cannot be avoided;it depends on how do you want to face it and handle it. If you handle it correctly, it can be a lesson in life that can guide you further on as well as making you stronger in life.

(279 words)

Situation Writing - News Article

31st August 2010

Hit and run incident leaves two dead

By Jacob Sin

On 29 July, 5.30 p.m, at Hougang Ave 5, a driver sped and left the scene, leaving a driver and a passneger dead . Police investigation revealed that the driver knocked on their motorcycle and sped out of scene.

The driver, Ernest Teo Shi Jie, is 21 this year while the passenger, Ansel Teo Shi Hao, is 18 this year. It is known that they are both brothers and Ernest was driving his brother to enroll him for National Service(NS) when the incident happened. Both of them died on the spot.

16 year old, Ms Jane Tay, an eye-witness and student, said,"It happened so fast!" She also said that she saw two cars. 26 year old, Mdm Susan Toh, an eye-witness and a teacher, said,"They were both so young!" She also commented that all she heard was a big bang before this incident happened and said that she did not know as the incident happened in a flash.

Police Inspector Abdul Rahman, when interviewed, said,"There was streams of blood on the road." He was also shocked by the remains of the motorcycle that was left after the accident.

Police Inspector Abdul Rahman also added,"When you witness a hit and run incident, note the car plate as it could catch those irresponsible people. However, if you cannot see the car lisense plate, you can always note the modal of the car and the colour of it.

"Remember, if you witness a hit and run incident, never leave the scene as the things you see maybe important to the police so that they can be part of an evidence. Even if you had knocked down a person, you should help the person as it can make a difference between life and death and the charges will be lower. If you leave the scene immediately while knocking down a person, the charges that are going to be higher as you are not being reponsible and the police have to use more time to do more investigation."