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FREE WRITING VOICES
February 19th, 2009 by christo
Singapore
The first thing that I noticed about Singapore on that first striking day was the smell of the air. The unfamiliar scent to the air was pure, clean and relaxing; I could smell it before I saw or heard anything of Singapore, even as I walked along the umbilical corridor that connected the plane to the airport. I was revived and delighted by it, in that first Singapore minute after a long and tiring flight. I didn’t and couldn’t recognise it. I know now that it’s the sweet, satisfying smell of happiness, which is the opposite of war and conflict. It’s the smell of gods and demons, love, modernity, architectural beauty and the pleasant agitation and eagerness awaiting to rise from deep down in your chest.
A kind of unique exuberance, more honest and more excited than mere happiness pierced me to the heart upon gazing at the marvellous architectural beauty of the unique world-renown airport. The airport was like none other I’d ever seen or heard of. Upon first glance, the eye and human mind would tricks you into believing that the whole great structure was constructed by glass only. As you look more closely, you would disappointingly discover that it is not so. In one particular area of the terminal allocated to the arrivals, there is a gigantic, breath-taking feature-wall dedicated to a colourful and vivid botanical display about twenty by twenty meters long. The scheme whilst designing the terminal was to create a feeling of spacious grandeur, promoting the tourists or viewers to marvel and obtain a sense of peace and tranquillity.
The journey from the airport to the city began on a wide, neat motor-way, lined with lush and gorgeous native shrubs and trees. On first visit, one would automatically take in the cleanliness like no other. The Singaporean Government imposes heavy fines and penalties for littering and vandalism. Also, the fact that all power lines are constructed underground gives the country an impression of clarity; it somewhat seems like the skies and horizons are higher and broader only in Singapore. The familiarity and exceptional all around me was visible in its many fine, modern and impressive assets: its services, beautiful skyscrapers and technology.
The contrast between the rich, comparatively affluent and modern buildings and landscapes against the deliberately undeveloped buildings of the British-siege time was somewhat conflicting yet the heritage that had once laid within those thick and lavishly decorated walls were the lie-blood and history of the beautiful island-city. The contrast was found in certain parts of Singapore; the impression was of a plodding, indefatigable, and distant past that had crushed intact, through the barriers of time, into its own promising future. And I liked it.
The vast variety of the people was brought together by their love for culture and tradition. Its unique and divine essence is sure to be appreciated and enjoyed by everyone. The mannerisms, culture, industry and energy of the Singaporeans are envied commonly by most tourists and visitors. Just standing on the street, the smiles of greetings and contentment drawn from passers-bys would satisfy your desire to be a part of the community and culture.
By, Rathi Subramaniam Year 9
Qualities I look for in a friend
I believe that trust is a large and important factor when it comes to friendship as I reckon we all need to confine our secrets in someone. I need somebody that I can trust not to tell my secrets to anybody, not even if the person it’s about is another friend of theirs.
The next quality I look for in a friend is respect and acceptance. I believe that it’s important for me to know that I am accepted amongst them for who I am. I also look for someone who would respect me and my decisions without any or much questioning.
I also try to look for someone with a little humour so that they can cheer me up when I’m down. I hope that their humour is also appropriate for the right time.
Now somebody who listens to me could really help, especially when I have some emotional problems when I might not be able to tell anyone else. I think that the person could also offer a positive solution to my problems.
I know that I might be asking for too much but this is what I try to get from the friends that I have. Hopefully, one day if I am really lucky, I can find the perfect friend that has all these qualities. But until then, I will just have to be grateful for what I have already.
By S.L. Year 9
If I could live anywhere in the world
This is the memory of Marysville before the fire, and what will be Marysville again.
If I could live anywhere in the world it would be Marysville. Marysville would be the perfect place for me to live, it is in the mountains, small community and it isn’t like anywhere else in Victoria.
Marysville is in the mountains, away from the city. When you get into Marysville you instantly feel the change. In Marysville there are bush walking tracks which have giant green trees as far as the eyes can see, it is beautiful to look at and you feel warm inside. The air is fresh and clean, it makes you feel good and healthy. In Marysville there is a waterfall that is just magnificent. The water is pure and clean and looks beautiful when fall down the rocks that surround it. There are strange bugs and insects that live in Marysville which makes strange and beautiful sounds in the bush. The bush is just next to a beautiful small town community which takes care of the nature that surrounds them.
The people in the community are friendly and warm; when you first come to Marysville they invite you in and make you feel welcome. It is a small community so everyone knows each other and word would get around fast of your arrival. In Marysville there are houses right next to the bush, so when you look outside your back garden you see the most beautiful sight. The town have small shops, some of which are disguised as homes, but when you walk in, it could be a lolly shop or a gift store. It has all the shops and markets that you would have in the city and much more. Marysville has heaps of small hotels so tourists can come and experience the great sights and community there, the hotels are always booked up which come to no surprise. Winter is the most beautiful time in Marysville which is no shock because it is one of the very few places in Australia that snows.
It snows in Marysville in the winter due to the fact that is it in the mountains. I have always wanted to stay somewhere that snows; I have never seen snow before and living in Marysville would be a dreamland for me. The only downside is that in the summer it gets 2degrees hotter than the city, Australia is always extremely hot in the summer and would make it feel like the inside of an oven, but the beauty of Marysville would make you over come the heat and you wouldn’t care because you were in such a magnificent place.
I would love to live in Marysville; it is beautiful, welcoming and magnificent. The bush, the snow and the community just makes Marysville the best place to live. You just wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
By Claire Rowan Year 10
Thoughts On Vandalism. Drugs And Smoking
Vandalism is mainly caused by youths to express their emoticons. Many teenagers see graffiti as works of art, but many adults see it as just defacing public walls. I believe that some graffiti shouldn’t be considered as vandalism, more as art. It brightens up dull walls and may have taken hours to complete. But on the other hand, there is a lot of graffiti that ruins public property, I think that those kinds of graffiti is terrible and should be stopped.
Vandalism isn’t only graffiti though, it also includes destroying property. I think that people who destroy things for the sake of it are very ignorant. Once again this type of vandalism is caused mainly by youths. It may be because they want to look ‘cool’ for breaking something or they may be intoxicated, either way there is no excuse for vandalism. Whether it is graffiti or broken property, vandalism takes a lot of money to repair and I think that the money that is used to repair it could be used on far better things.
My opinion on drugs is that most types of drugs are very dangerous to a person’s health. Recently there have been many rave parties and during those parties many have been using illegal drugs, later leading them to die from drug overdoses. Obviously I believe that drugs are bad and that the world can do without them.
People smoke for many different reasons, to relive stress, lose weight, look cool, for the taste or they started unintentionally and now they can’t quit. Smoking is a really costly habit, with an average of twelve dollars per deck and if the smoker smokes one or two decks a day, in only one month, it will cost them well over three hundred dollars. The money could once again be used for far better use such as for food, paying of bills and countless of other things.
Not only is it costly when they are smoking, but when they try to quit smoking it may cause them even more because they are paying for all sorts of ways to stop smoking. First they might use a patch, but if that doesn’t work, they move onto the gum and once again if that fails they have to find another way to quit, in the end all the money went down the drain. So in general, once you start smoking, a lot of money will be spent if you keep smoking or even when you try to quit.
I think that smoking is bad, health wise and financially, but I don’t mind it if others smoke, because it’s their decision and I shouldn’t interfere.
Anonymous
WHAT WOULD I DO IF I WERE RICH
If I were rich, first of all, I would travel round the world; I would visit all the famous places and stay in each country to learn its customs and languages. Guided tours would not be for me because they do not allow me to get to know a place really well. I would tour the world on my own time and at my own pace. It would probably take me a few years to accomplish the tour but I am sure the time will be well spent. At the end of the tour I would have a rich knowledge of our planet. Then my life would be really rich, knowledge-wise at least.
Back home, I would build a mansion on a large piece of land. The mansion would be designed by me and it would have enough rooms to accommodate the large family I intend to have. It would also contain a well-equipped gymnasium. On the grounds I would have a beautiful garden surrounded by majestic trees. In the middle of the garden would be a fish-pond cum fountain. In the evenings my family and I would stroll along the lush green lawn and enjoy the beauty of the garden. Elsewhere I would have a swimming pool, a tennis court and a vegetable garden. Yes I love to eat home-grown vegetables. Besides being fresh I know that they will not have the pesticides so often used indiscriminately by modern farmers.
Of course I would not to do all the work of looking after the mansion and its grounds. I would hire enough staff to keep the place in tip-top condition. Once in a while I would potter around the garden and help around in other things and that is only when I feel like it. I am the boss and I do as please. However please do not think of me as arrogant. I am not so, but a boss has to maintain a certain distance from his staff, otherwise things can get out of hand and no work can be completed.
For society in general, I would try to do many things to improve it. I would build a large community hall where people of all races can come to make use of. It will contain sporting facilities for badminton squash, tennis, ping-pong, gymnastics and other equipment for keeping fit. There will be qualified instructors around to make sure that the users get maximum benefit. It would be pointless just to build the hall and hope that it would run by itself. In no time the place would be reduced to a wreck and probably become a haunt for undesirable elements.
Talking of undesirable elements makes me think of drug addicts, the scourge of the society-so many young people just wasting away. I would set up a centre for helping these addicts; “help” meaning getting them out the addiction AND giving them a meaning of life. In most of the cases it means getting respectable jobs for them and making sure they keep them. They have to be taught how to love life again. I know that such a task is formidable but it is not impossible. It takes time and a lot of care from genuinely interested people. If I could help some of them become useful human beings again, my efforts would not have been in vain. Most important of all, I will not allow my centre to degenerate into a semi-prison like some centres have.
For the intellectually inclined, I would give out scholarships to help bring them to the fore, especially the less fortunate ones who may have the brains but not the financial means. In tapping this potential, our country would benefit greatly in terms of having more well-educated and capable people contributing to its well-being. I would also set up a centre where such capable people can gather regularly to discuss the ways and means by which society as a whole can be improved. There would be no room for glory-seekers for I will be there to weed them out. Only genuine people will be welcomed.
Last but not least, I will have to make sure I remain rich. In other words I must make sure my sources of money are not diminished. This will require that I keep a firm hold of the business I am involved in. Only then can I be sure that I remain rich. Why would I want to remain rich? Simple, if I were not rich, all the things that I have started will come to nought and all my efforts would be wasted.
Arwin Murugaveyl Year 9
Friendship is…
By Vanessa Lakic Year 10
Friendship is having people in your life who you can have fun with and trust. People who you enjoy sharing your time with and can rely on. They are like your family but you’re not related.
Friends are there to help you through the good times and the bad. They can make you laugh when you can’t even think of smiling and pull you through the hardest times in your life, but they’re also there to make the good times even better.
Most friendships have little bumps along the way but if you’re real friends you’ll make it through and understand each other.
A friend can be someone you spend all your time with, hang out with on weekends, go shopping with or go see a movie with, but there are also friends you have who you may barely know. Someone who you say hi to on the bus every morning, or the guy who makes your coffee everyday after school. People who you may see everyday, know their names but maybe not know everything about them.
But a best friend is different. A best friend is someone who you know everything about. Someone who you can tell anything and know they won’t tell a soul. Someone you can laugh with until your tummy hurts. Someone who can turn a bad day into the best and someone who will tell you that you look good when you know you’ve never looked worse. That’s the kind of person you can call your best friend.
Everyone needs friends and without them, places like school and work would be lonely places. Even at home, knowing you can call a friend and talk to them or invite them over can brighten up your day.
So in the end, Friendship is an important part of our lives.
Everyone needs someone they can call a friend.
Friendship is trust, love and fun!
My favourite movie
My favourite movie of all time is ‘Titanic’. I have loved this movie since I was a little girl and I can still watch it after all these years and not get bored.
Most people I have met classify this movie as their favourite as well and I believe that is because it is one of the best movies of all time and a true classic. The movie actually means something and not many movies these days do. It is so deeply sad in so many ways and besides from the tragic love story, the fact it is a true story touches you as well.
It was also exceptionally made and has fantastic special effects which make the movie feel so much more real. It would’ve taken so long to make but the fact that they perfected each part made it so much more special and heart-warming.
Everybody knows and loves ‘Titanic’. We all know basically every word and the moments that defined it. It is still spoken about very highly and this movie will be passed down from generation to generation like many classic movies before it. In my opinion it is the best movie I have ever seen and I expect that will never change anytime soon.
There a few moments in the film that definitely stands out from the rest. These moments are when Jack and Rose are ‘flying’, Jack shouting out ‘I’m the king of the world!’, and the famous scene when they make love in the car. People tend to remember these scenes the most because they are the most touching.
‘Titanic’ is one of its kind and a true movie. Everybody fell in love with it and they still continue to know. How many movies can you say have that effect on people after 12 years?
By Anonymous Year 10
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