Rambles

Ron's Diary: The Yo-yo year at P4

Chapter 1 : on to P4
Hi! I am Ronald. Everyone calls me Ron. You see, I study in Greenmount Primary School, Singapore. Its is cool to be here. I am in Mr. Anthony's class and its is fun to be around him.

I have introduced myself so here goes the story of how I survived the Primary 4 Streaming Exam.

First day of school and two new boys! "Class please meet Shea and Jackie" said Mr. Anthony. "Hmm." I thought aloud. "Shea seems to be shy but Jackie seems to be nice." I told the boy beside me. "Shut up!" somebody ordered me from behind and I turned and saw it was Jim scowling at me.

Let me introduce you to Jim first. You see, he is quite bossy and nosy with a capital "N". Nobody likes him except his friend Tommy. Jim thinks he is smart but I would say that when it comes to sports, he is clueless.

Never mind all that, let us go back to class. The first day is never that interesting, and though Mr. Anthony did not give any homework but I bet he will tomorrow!

The second day of school was a nightmare! Shea seemed interested in nothing but his studies. And to add more spice, Jim had become friends with Shea. Now Jim was really making me furious.

Friendship with Jim
Pretty soon January was over and February arrived. Everybody except I was studying very hard for CA1 exams. I guess I just don't like to study. One day, I was caught daydreaming in class. Here's what happened.

It was a pretty boring class on fractions and my mind ventured off to the field where the P3 classes were playing soccer. "Earth calling Ron. Earth calling Ron." Said Mr. Anthony. I jumped at least a foot into the air and the whole class started to laugh heartily. "Silence!" shouted Mr. Anthony. "Ron, this is a very important lesson in Math. If you don't understand this, well then I am afraid you will fail your Math. I will be thoroughly displeased if that happens. I know you have good brains but you must know how to use them." And with a small nod he ended the stern lecture.

I was dumbstruck by hearing what Mr. Anthony said but the Math is so boring! CA1 came and went and of course I did not do as well. Emotionally, I felt sad about my results and decided to turn over a new leaf. That day, for the first time, I went and stepped inside our school library. But my intention was to find Jim, not read books. Then, I spotted him and hurried over to him. As usual his nose was buried in a thick book. I gave a little cough and Jim was taken aback when he saw me. " You have to help me!" I whispered.

Turning Over a new leaf
Turning over a new leaf wasn't as easy as I thought. Now I know the meaning of the phrase, "Easier said than done." Firstly, I had to study 5 hours a day for 2 weeks to catch up with the whole class. Secondly, Jim made me read all those thick volumes of encyclopedias till my head seemed to on the verge of bursting. But I urged myself to continue.

In school there had been a steady increase in marks but the trouble came on a plain Friday morning when Mt. Anthony handed us a pop quiz on math. I quickly skimmed through the three pages and saw 50 questions!

Calm down Ron, I told myself. Slowly I finished the test.

Next week, Mr. Anthony told me that I got B+ for my Pop Quiz! Now that was a great improvement for me. Jim beamed at me and I felt good because my efforts paid off! "This is your SA1 time-table. Please keep it carefully." Said Mr. Anthony "Your exams will take place in exactly two weeks time." Later on, when I reached home, I called Jim for some help with all the revisions so he advised me to create a revision timetable.

So after lunch, I started to revise according to the timetable, that I created.

"This is your English paper2. You have 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete the paper. You can start now" said the invigilator.

Time passed by quicker than I thought. After collecting the paper (which was quite easy), the invigilator announced that we would be having our essays after recess. Exactly at 10:45 pm, the bell rang for recess. I hurried down to the canteen to eat something light with a glass of milk. After that I went to the library and sat done with a book called "Model Compositions from PA Students." I particularly chose this book because it was our school's own production. As I was looking down the contents I found the most of the essays were written by Jim so I started with his first.

By the time recess was over, I had read 30 compositions and my head was full of ideas.
Soon all the exams were over and the results were due any day.

The results were out
Class, I hope you pay attention to my every word. I expect pin drop silence!" said Mr. Anthony. "News, based on the results, Jim is first with 298 marks out of 300. Second, Jamie with 290 marks out of 300 and third is Philip with 285 upon 300." Said Mr. Anthony.

It seemed as though he was carrying on for ages before he said "Now let me see, there is a great improvement here. On the twentieth place is Ronald with 150 marks out of 300. Very good Ron! You have improved by 50 marks in your overall! Keep it up!

Just then, the whole class burst into cheers chanting "Ron for president". I was overjoyed that nothing could spoil my mood that day. The June holidays were the best holidays I ever had! I went to all the tourist attractions with my family and had the time of my life.

One month later, Mr. Anthony announced that science Activity Day was coming. The team Leader for the four teams will be Ron and Jim from the Boys and Shirley and Lily from the girls" said Mr. Anthony. After Science Activity Day we were happy to know that our class got all four awards! My team got gold, Jim's silver, Lily's bronze and Shirley's got consolation. Plus, our class also got the Science Whiz class award! Mr. Anthony was very proud of us.

Streaming Exams
Soon it was September and the Streaming Exams were around the corner. All the teachers piled us up with homework and extra revisions. It was enough to drive even Jim crazy. The streaming week seemed to be the longest one ever! The English paper was the hardest one of all! A week after the Streaming Exams, Mr. Anthony told us the results.

"First, Jim with 299 marks, second, Jamie with 293 marks, Third Philip with 295 marks, Fourth, Lily with 260 marks and fifth, Ron with 250 marks. If you name was not mentioned and you want to know your score please stand up." Said Mr. Anthony. I slowly stood up, shaking from head to toe. "Ron, I already told you, you are in fifth place with 250 marks." Said Mr. Anthony. I could not believe my luck! Me. Ron, who was in the twentieth place, went right up to fifth place! That was very good improvement for me.

On the Prize Giving Day, I got a prize for improving by 100 marks. After the ceremony we said farewell to each other and left from our school. In my mind, I told the school, "see you next year in P5 EM1!"

By Mushfiqur Rahman (Shariq)

Our World is becoming animated

Watch out! The person who is at the present sitting or standing beside you may be an animated character, sketching a plan to knock you over or he may be wondering how to establish a friendship with you. But it is not necessary that character is human. It may be a cat, a mouse, a dog, or a cartoon character.

Animation film industries like, the "Walt Disney", "Hanna Barbara" are now really rocking and shocking the world with their amazing and sharp visual imagery, which make the characters look really alive. Their superb graphics are really mind-boggling.

This magic spell is currently attracting not only the young boys and girls, but also the elders of our family such as the Dadus and Nanus (grandma and grandpa), and they are now also interested in the animated films which are now currently on offer.

Besides providing a lot of entertainment, these animated motion pictures, as they are officially called, also carry some important messages, and people can learn from them.

Shrek
Genre: comedy, romantic

Once upon a time, in a far away swamp, there lived an ornery ogre named, Shrek, whose precious solitude is suddenly shattered by an invasion of fairy tale characters, all banished from their kingdom by the evil lord "Farquad", a short, unnattractive despot. Farquad wants to make his claims to royalty legitimate through marriage to a princess, and the perfect candidate for this is princess Fiona, who is trapped in a tower protected by a dragon. So he strikes a bargain with the reluctant hero Shrek, and promises to let him have his swamp back if he does completes the perilous task of rescuing the princess. So Shrek performs his task, but during the journey the princess falls in love with the ogre, and then they decide to marry each other.

Advice : Never get somebody else to do what you have to get done by yourself, or there'll be consequences to suffer.

Ice Age
Genre: adventure, comedy

Twenty thousand years ago the earth was not the same as it is at the present. It was a wondrous pre-historic world filled with dangers, not the least of which was the beginning of the Ice Age. To avoid a really bad case of frostbite, the planet's majestic creatures are taking preparations for survival. And, during that preparation, a human settlement is attacked by a pack of sabre-tooth tigers. In trying to escape, a woman and her baby are separated from the tribe, and the mother perishes in the cold, while trying to save the little one.

An unlikely band of rescuers, consisting of a sloth, a woolly mammoth and a conspiring sabre-tooth tiger called Diego, set out on a mission to return this human child to its own kind. Although Diego was initially plotting to lead the herd to his own pack, he had a change of heart and saved the baby and his new friends from his own kind.

Advice : Never deceive an innocent person for the satisfaction of a cunning or selfish freak.

Tarzan and Jane
Genre: adventure, romantic, comedy

From the heart of the jungle comes an action packed, never before seen movie starring Tarzan and his wife, Jane. Alive with nonstop thrills, irresistible new music and featuring all your favorite characters from the original Disney hits. The excitement continues in Tarzan and Jane. As Tarzan and Jane's first year in the jungle approaches, Jane searches for the perfect gift for Tarzan. Enlisting the help of her funny gorilla and elephant pals, Terk and Tantor, they remind her what an exciting year it has been from outsmarting prowling panthers to surfing lava down an erupting volcano! But that's nothing compared to what Tarzan has in store for Jane a surprise that'll show her just how much he understands her world.

Advice : People make mistakes but fools repeat them. .

Komodo
Genre: adventure, thriller

Set against the backdrop of a seemingly tranquil isle, Komodo follows the grisly and a fear inspiring adventures of Patric Connally, a fifteen year old boy, who suffers the insufferable loss of his family in a most horrific and terrifying ordeal. What sets Komodo apart from other fantasty stories is that the protagonists in this science fiction adventure are not the figment of a writer's imagination, but real, living and breathing dragons that exist in our world today- the "Komodo Dragon".

Advice : Your fear is the reason for your tears, so be brave.

Scooby-Doo
Genre: comedy, thriller

Zoinkis! Two years after a clash of egos forced Mystery Inc. to close it's doors, Scooby-Doo and his clever crime solving cohorts Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, and Velma are individually summoned to "Spooky Island", to investigate a series of paranormal incidents at the ultra-hip spring break "Hot Spot".

Advice : Friends don't quit their friendship.

The Prince of Egypt
Genre : Religional, Emotional, Adventure

Born a slave. Raised by the kings, chosen to lead. His story is known around the world; his name is revered by millions. Moses. "The Prince of Egypt" is an epic drama of heritage and destiny. The story of Moses and his passage from slave to prince to deliverer is one that has endured for thousands of years, inspiring generation after generation with its time less themes of faith, hope and freedom. Dream Works first full length animated feature, "The Prince of Egypt" features voice-overs from stars Val Kilmer and Ralph Fiennes respectively as Moses and Rameses, two brothers raised on a lie and ripped apart by a secret revealed.

Advice : Don't tell a lie, because it takes a million of them to hide a truth.

So this was a short trek through some popular animated movies, with hidden messages as I see them. Hope you like them as much as I did. Adios!

By Jaydad Rehman Chowdhury