Lighthouse News FOR THE LOVE OF WORD

Editor’s Note Welcome, Bedok View! We are proud to present you with our 3rd edition! Are you starting to look forward to every May and October for our issues? Don’t worry, we won’t disappoint!

In this edition, you won’t find a guide to the 10 places to get inspired but this is definitely one really great place to find some inspiration (tricked you there!). So, wait no longer. Read on to be at times amused, at others scared. We will tickle you silly and keep you positively occupied. Before you know it, your command of English would have also improved, so long as you continue to read.

Don’t forget to also write in. We’d love to hear your feedback and stories. Tell us that we’re doing a good job or tell us how to improve. Tell us what you want to see in our newsletter or simply write in with questions, compliments or even contribute your own articles, poems, essays, games or comics! Better yet, join our team!

Get inspired and inspire away,

Mrs Yasmin Messoussi

BV Events

Secondary 2 Project Work 2

Chingay Parade 2

IgNITE Science Challenge 4

Story Time

Unbake a Cake 5

The Three Words 7

My Greatest Achievement 9

Inspiration Corner

I Believe 10

Count Your Blessings 11

Famous Failures 12

Book Lounge 13

Movie Mania 14

Stress Busters 15

Science 16

Challenge Yourself 17

KEEP IN TOUCH! We welcome your ideas, views and

contributions. Drop us a note at bv.pubteam@gmail.com

HEY! GO GREEN! Share your copy of the

newsletter, or return it to us and we will recycle it.

Lighthouse News is a publication of the Publications Team of Bedok View Secondary

School.

Bedok View Secondary School

This year as part of our Project Work module for Secondary 2 Express and Normal Academic students, we continued our collaboration with the Singapore Environment Council under PUB's Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters Programme so as to introduce our Secondary 2 students to water conservation in an authentic setting. Our students went on a learning trail at Bedok Reservoir, learnt from experts in the field, and transferred their learning by undertaking water conservation efforts of their own.

During the learning trail to Bedok Reservoir on 12th February, 240 of our Secondary 2 students were introduced by facilitators from the ABC programme to the flora and fauna of the area, listened to talks about water conservation and tested the reservoir water to get hands-on experience as to what water quality tests entail. While it

Secondary 2 Project Work Visit to Bedok Reservoir By Mr Syed Alwi and Ms June Cheah

was a tiring experience, the students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and took back what they had learnt to continue with their own water conservation efforts. This is definitely a popular programme that went down well with the students.

CHINGAY PARADE 2014 By Pakawat Maneechaemsai (President of Student Council, 2013 – 2014, 4E3)

“Chingay Chingay, we are one!” Chingay Parade 2014 was a blast! Even though I had attended the Chingay Parade in 2013, I decided to join a group of our schoolmates consisting of international students, Service Learning Club members and our Red Dot Ambassadors to attend the fasinating show on a warm Saturday afternoon. Our teachers, Mrs Lee Chuen Seng and Miss Tan Yok Siew, accompanied us and enjoyed themselves tremendously.

Most of us had at best only heard about the parade but did not really know what it was all about. However, we were thrilled after the show! The parade was amazing and we learnt more about the various ethnic cultures in

“Initially, I hesitated to go. I thought it would be a boring event. However, the parade was awesome! I realized that the performers were of a wide variety of ages. Hence, it must have been difficult for them to meet up for rehearsals. I could see that they have put in many special effects and also great thought in decorating their floats. Although some of them are not professional performers, they gave their audience the best performance they could muster. Chingay really inspired me.” - Sarah Zhao Nai Lin (international student – 4E3)

“I enjoyed the Chingay Parade very much as it was a wonderful experience. I would go again if I could. I would encourage everyone to go as it is a memorable experience, especially if you go with a group of friends, such as the Red Dot Ambassadors.” - Arjan Singh (RDA member – 2N6)

“I think that going to the Chingay Parade has enlightened me about Singapore. It has shown me how every race works together to further develop Singapore.” – Phukan Anchana (international student and Service Learning Club member – 2N6)

Singapore through the visually stimulating performances. The international students also enjoyed themselves and at the same time we learnt more about Singapore’s unique cultures and the vibrancy of the people in bringing their message across to the audience.

One of the best parts of the show was the spectacular fireworks that lit the night sky, flashing a kaleidoscope of colours and designs. We were left jumping and dancing happily on the giant stand with thousands of students from other schools. We also bonded as one despite our different backgrounds and where we came from.

The finale was a very touching one when all the participating organizations and constituencies proudly displayed their collaborative work of “One People One Nation” embroidered craftwork. It was definitely an experience we won’t easily forget. I am sure that given a chance to attend again, we will surely grab it!

Comments on Chingay Parade by student-audience:

IgNITE Science Challenge Preliminary 2014 By Ms Wong Wei Leen & Ms Jasmine Lian Our 2NT and 3NT Bedok Viewians participated in the

IgNITE Science Challenge Preliminary 2014 on 17th April organised by the ITE College East. Bubbling with enthusiasm, the teams engaged their head, heart and hands in these respective categories: Chemistack: a computer gaming competition

where students needed to form elements and compounds within each turn of 60 seconds.

iDigix: a Microsoft Excel Proficiency Competition. Keep Kool: designing a sculpture with waste

copper tubes based on the theme: Sustainability with a write-up.

Sportalicious: creating a unique Sporty Drink. INKpressive: extracting natural dyes from

vegetable and fruits to create colour tones to form a poster.

It was a tough competition, with many strong

competitors. Yet, two Secondary 2 teams emerged as Category Winners in Inkpressive and Sporticlious. One Secondary 3 team qualified for the Finals in the Chemistack.

to the following teams:

Finalists Chemistack team: Lim Chye Lai, Jim Ang Wei Rong, Calvin Lim Boon Heng

Category Prize Winners: Most Captivate INKpressive team: Vanessa Ang Kai Lin, Mustaqiim B Buduk, Amr Ramlan

Category Prize Winners: Most Attractive Sportalicious team: Clara Koo Ri Ting, Nicole Zheng WenYan, Abdul Hanan B Mohamad Yazid

&

Thank you to our Science

Teachers, Mr Won Wee

Son, Mr Lee Khai Yin, Ms

Jasmine Lian and Ms

Norfarizan for guiding our

students in this

educational journey!

Ivan says the stupidest things sometimes. I had socked him four times today just because of his big, idiotic mouth. When he started teasing me by telling me that the world actually worked backwards, that was the last straw. That was also how I ended up sitting in the corner for time out.

“But Mom…” I whine, protesting against my mom’s punishment. Mom’s head pops out of the kitchen’s door, cutting me off before I can even spit out my next sentence.

“Not another peep from you, Kay. I mean it. You have been bickering all afternoon with your cousin. I’ve had enough squabbling from you guys.”

I fold my arms and pout sulkily, staring at the dull and pale yellow wall. Stupid Ivan. I try to hold back a tear. My nose, however, runs, and I catch myself sniffling. I can hear him chuckling under his breath behind me, before he returns to play with my toys. I clench my fists, my arms trembling, trying to fight off the urge to sock him again. Those are my toys and it is my birthday. It is not fair that mom stash me here while he can happily play with things that belong to me. I squeeze my eyes shut and a tear finally slips out. I quickly wipe it away with my sleeve, hoping that Ivan does not notice it.

“It’s true,” Ivan whispers to me. He has stopped playing with my toys that are messily strewn all over the floor. He is directly behind me. I can feel his gaze burning the back of my head.

“It’s the stupidest thing I have ever heard.” I spit the words out at him, hissing the words as best as I can without alerting Mom.

We both stop and look towards the kitchen. No response. The coast is clear.

“And cars run backward?” I ask him. I sniffle again and wipe my

eyes. “Yep,” he says without

hesitation. I look over my shoulder. Ivan is

back at playing with one of my toy cars, bashing it into the legs of my favourite doll. Again, I have to fight the anger. I don’t think I can squeeze my fists any tighter.

“And everybody walks backward?” I ask him.

Ivan stops playing. I can hear him rustling around and then getting closer. I look over my shoulder once again and he is kneeling beside me.

“They do everything backwards,” he says confidently.

“Really?” “They brush their teeth

backwards. They clean their houses backwards. They even fart backwards.”

I giggle at that, forgetting about my anger. I wipe my eyes again and look up. Mom is standing at the doorway, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “Go upstairs, Kay. Your party is going to start soon.”

I willingly oblige her. Forgetting about my anger completely, I rush upstairs to get dressed. Ivan, who is busy taking the pieces from the puzzle and placing them one at a time back in the box, watches me go.

Minutes later, I come down, dressed in my party dress and ready for my party. Ivan chuckles but I don’t care. It’s my party and if I want to wear a dress, it’s my right. Mom said so. She even said that I could wear my frilly socks, which are usually saved for church and funerals.

I lay on my belly, kicking my legs, showing off my frilly socks. I even help Ivan place the puzzle pieces back into the box. The guests slowly trickle in, hovering in the living room and then venturing to the other parts of the house. Before long, my house is full of

friends and well wishers, gathering together for a celebration.

“Come, come, come,” my Mom calls, pulling the crowd into the dining room. The table is decked out in decorations and they sit me at the front, slapping a silly hat on my head. They all clap and fret over me.

What can I say? It’s a great party. There are gifts. There is laughter. There is happiness, joy and everything that I love. I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but there is one thing I am looking forward to. One thing I can’t wait to do. I squirm in anticipation throughout the party, eager to pass it all up and fast-forward to Mom’s promise.

Finally, as everyone leaves, and the house is once again quiet, my Mom calls me into the kitchen. I try to hide my excitement, to act grown up and ready to handle the responsibility, the way Mom has taught me, but the sense of excitement gets the better of me. Today, I get to learn how to unbake a cake.

“First of all, sit down on the chair,” she laughs. I realize I am standing straight up in my seat at the table. I try to hide my embarrassment and sink down onto the chair, demonstrating to her that I am ready and grown up enough for her instructions. She smiles in approval and turns towards the refrigerator.

“Now, the first thing you have to remember when unbaking a cake is –” she pauses and turns from the refrigerator, my birthday cake in her hands. She sets the cake down on the table in front of me and reaches behind her, pulling out a spatula. I clap my hands and squeal with delight.

Unbake a Cake By Zeha Bte Hassim (2E1)

“Scoop off the frosting from the cake,” she says and hands me the spatula. I snatch the spatula from her hand eagerly.

(continued) “You need to get every bit off,” she instructs me. “Start from the top

then the sides.” I get to work, scraping off the frosting with the spatula. Mom provides

me with a little Tupperware container that I can use to deposit the gooey mess.

“Now that you’ve done the top layer, you need to work on the bottom,” Mom carefully pulls off the top sheet of the cake, revealing another sheet underneath. I diligently scrape the frosting off that layer too. When I have successfully removed the frosting, Mom takes the layers and puts them into round cake pans.

“Now we unbake them,” she announces. I watch as she slides the pans into the oven. From the oven window they glow in the light, basking in the heat. I watch them for a while, camped out on the kitchen floor, but soon grow tired of the wait and close my eyes.

Mom gently wakes me an hour later. I rub my eyes, still groggy. “Do you want me to show you the rest?” she asks me, rubbing my back. I nod my head, still trying to shake off

the fatigue of the eventful day. She sits me at the kitchen table and I watch as she pulls the pans out of the oven. Inside the pans, the oven

has transformed the fluffy cake into goo. Mom pours the batter into the large mixing bowl and hands me a wooden spoon.

“Now mix it really good until everything separates.” I get to mixing, putting all my energy into it. Mom offers me encouragement and I mix harder. My arm grows

tired but I want to prove to her that I can do it. “Keep going. Keep going,” she says, clapping her hands. She checks my work. Everything seems to be

separated now. “Now we need to pull out the ingredients.” She gives me the measuring cups and shows me how to set them down to draw out the milk. I draw the milk

out and pour it into the milk jug. I do the same for the oil. I pull out the butter in large chunks and shape them back into a bar. The eggs I carefully scoop out and pour them into their shells and connect the shell halves together before placing them back in the carton. The last step is the flour. I carefully scoop it up and pour it into the flour bag.

Mom says that I did a good job. She says that she is proud of me. I am proud of me too. One more thing in life accomplished.

With the cake undone, Mom announces that she must go to the store. She loads several items in grocery bags, including the flour and eggs from the cake and place them in the car. She then leads me to the car and buckles me into the back seat. As she leans over me, I can see the pendant she is wearing.

I grab the pendant, rubbing the silver metal with my thumb, and stare up at my mom. She looks at me fondly before kissing my cheek and shutting the car door. The car spring to life and we roll along the street, headed towards the store. I stare at the sun, reflecting on what Ivan has told me earlier.

A world that runs backwards? Seems nearly impossible. Doesn’t make any sense either. We take the cake apart. We put the flour in a bag. We take the bag to the store. The store delivers the flour to the factory. The factory turns the flour into grain. The factory delivers the grain to the farmers. The farmers take the grain and place it onto their crops. The crops use the power of the grain, turn it into energy and radiate it towards the sun. The sun gathers the energy, condensing it down into a massive burning ball. It seems so neat and orderly. How could it be any other way? I make up my mind that my cousin must be crazy, or just plain mean for teasing me. Ivan says the stupidest things sometimes.

He sits there, slouching. His hands gripped so tightly they turn white and feel numb. His eyebrows are furrowed as he patiently waits. The monotonous ticking of the clock is the only sound accompanying him as the nerve-wrecking procedure drags on. His teeth bite his bottom lip hard and he feels it – pain – but there is no blood.

Despair flashes in his eyes. His once blue and adoring orbs are now

a dark shade of helplessness. Memories swarm to him. His love at

first sight. Their forbidden romance. The first kiss. When they spoke for hours – as long as they could. When they smiled, held hands, teased, laughed; just being together. All these moments with her are as sharp as ever and no amount of time will ever dull them. His posture relaxes and he leans back in his seat though he keeps an eye out for the opening of doors.

Silence – calming and comfortable – engulfs the hallway.

Suddenly, the doctor steps out of the Operating Theatre, professional and business-like. Immediately, he stands up, worry flooding his features. He panics; where is his wife – their child? A hundred other questions flood his mind but they all vanish as the doctor steps to the side and he sees her.

He sees her and he feels like sobbing in relief. He steps closer and his hand reaches out to grab hers but he pauses midway and drops it. His eyes dart from his wife to his hand and the heartbreak, throbbing and torturous, makes him shudder.

No words are exchanged as they cross a hallway – her in her wheelchair and him on his feet, keeping pace beside her. The nurse pushing the wheelchair has a motherly aura about her. She looks like a gentle woman.

The silence is almost unbearable but a glance make at her makes it all clear. She feels lonely. Her eyes are an open book and right now, she longs for companionship. The pulsing desire to just wrap his arms around her is overpowering but he controls the urge and continues to walk stiffly beside her. He must not give in, he tells himself.

The Three Words By Ilyatunnisa Bte Shaik Mohammad Iqbal (4E2)

Inside her ward, she lays down on her bed and her chest heaves, her earlier experience still taking a toll on her petite body.

‘She is too young,’ he thinks. ‘We should have waited a few more years…’

He pushes back the train of thought when the same nurse as before walks in with a bundle in her arms. His heart beats erratically as he practically gaps at this tiny creature, a new-born. His!

“Congratulations! It’s a boy! The nurse announces cheerfully before carefully handing the baby over to her and walking out of the room.

His baby boy. He leans in closer, careful not to make any sound. The

baby’s lids are closed shut – he is asleep. A small tuft of black hair sprouting from the crown of his head sticks out of the wrapped blanket. He notices that although the baby is small, his wife’s slender arms can barely wrap themselves around the entire bundle.

His eyes drift from the baby to his wife and his breath hitches in his throat. She is smiling down at the baby, and her eyes sparkle – tears quickly pooling at the edges. Her cheeks are pink and breathless, wonder shining on her face as she stares at their child.

He laughs softly at her adorable reaction. His wife gasps softly when the baby suddenly twitches; round, innocent eyes opening for the first time. Beautiful green eyes fill the small face of his tiny offspring. The baby looks up at his mother and his heart stops for a moment when the baby glances over at him.

He smiles and pulls a funny face. He is sure that the baby will ignore him like his wife does but he almost falls in shock when his wonderful, untainted, precious, little boy cooes at him. His body constricts with overwhelming emotion and he feels his vision growing blurry, tears welling up in his eyes from the sight of it.

Then, there is a knock on the door. A man in a white coat steps in and closes the door with a soft but audible click. His wife gasps in surprise, allowing a relieved smile to dance across her lips.

(continued) “Lawrence!” she says, and three things happen at once; the doctor smiles, the baby yawns and he hears his

heart break. She is ignorant of his presence, he is reminded. “What are you doing here? I thought you were on a break from the hospital!” “Yes, well,” Lawrence chuckles deeply. “I came back and requested to be in charge of you during your stay

here.” She smiles gratefully. A short moment of silence falls on the room. “How is … he?” his wife asks softly. Lawrence smiles sadly, the small wrinkles in his face becoming deeper and

more prominent. “Not good.” The answer is the same as always. He turns to his wife, his back facing Lawrence. Her breath is shaky and strands of her brown hair fall out of her

messy braid. He wants to comfort her and to tell her that everything will be okay but he doubts it ever will. Their bond is so broken now and although their love is still as strong as ever, the traumatic experience is now a permanent crack in their relationship.

“I came to tell you that you have a visitor.” As if on cue, a head pops in through the now open door, short black curly looking tousled and messy. Eyes

sparkle in excitement and the figure rushes in, stumbling in like a rush of compressed energy. Lawrence leaves them alone.

“Jules!” the visitor says almost breathlessly as he stares at his wife. Her eyes fog up with unfamiliarity for a mere fraction of a second before a proverbial light bulb clicks at the top of her head.

“Ben!” she exclaims with equal exuberance and the two share a hug, careful not to crush the baby snuggling in the warm blanket between them. He feels a pang of jealously – an angry, bubbling pool of acid stirring in his soul. Even if it is his long time good friend, he cannot help but feel possessive over his wife. His teeth clench tightly but he stays rooted to the spot.

They break the hug before he can open his mouth to say anything. He looks on as his wife talks and laughs with Ben, a sudden urge to punch something or someone burning at

the back of his mind. Ben’s voice startles the baby awake and the three watch as the child’s lips start to quiver and big, fat tears start to trail down his puffy cheeks.

Ben takes the baby from Jules and coos at him in an attempt to calm the child down. He feels like bursting into a myriad of emotions. That should be him there, holding his baby. But he watches –

and he can’t stop watching – as another man, his best friend, holds his child and laughs with his wife. He suddenly feels very incomplete.

They talk and laugh and look into each other’s eyes. He has never felt more invisible than how he does right now.

“Juliet… wherefore art thou Juliet?” A tear falls to the ground and in a flicker, he is gone, the faint scent of tears and roses left behind. He leaves the love of his life in the hands of his closest friend and cousin, Benvolio.

Juliet stops laughing. Her lungs feel heavy and she feels an unimaginably painful stab to her heart. She feels as though someone has ripped out a chunk of her heart, leaving a gaping hole that makes her feel incomplete.

The unexpected sound of the door being forced open makes her turn around, where she sees an anguished Lawrence, his face torn with an expression of sorrow.

He says the three words that she never wants to hear. “Romeo has died.”

My Baby Girl, Jenny. Goodbye.

Perspiration was tickling down my forehead, leaving a trail marking its way down to my chin. I was pacing up

and down the hallway, my legs stiffening as the seconds passed by. My finely-striped shirt had a patch of darkening blue, wet as my forehead. I was tense, the faint screaming in the background was somehow echoing in my ears. Never had I heard such agonizing pain. I could feel my blood boiling. I stopped; the screaming in the background had come to a halt. There was a moment of chilling silence. A shrill cry of a new voice was heard, a young one.

I held you up and gave you a name that your mother and I had decided upon, Jenny. Your toothless smile and your mesmerising blue eyes; I was struck by your cuteness that overwhelmed me, your tiny body nestling on my forearm. I felt my heart being pressured by an invisible force that was breathtaking. Time flew by really fast, light speed perhaps. I still remember your first baby steps and how your mother and I would catch you whenever you got thrown off-balance. Before I realised it, it was time for school. I have to say that your mother was braver than me; I was worried that something bad might happen to you. However, every time I got back home from work, you would run to me with your arms in the air. I would pick you up, throw you mid-air and catch you again just before setting you down after a spin. Your face glistening, seeming to say to me, “Dad, I’m fine.”

In a blink of an eye, you were as tall as your mother. Fortunately, you were a head shorter than me. I recall our mini-fights, earth-shaking quarrels. Thinking about these now make me want to laugh. I remember talking to you about life; its challenges and lessons. Slowly, I brought you up; mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I consoled you whenever you were upset either with school, with friends or with any other matter that seemed so monumental at that time.

You were crying at your mother’s funeral. My world was shaken. I had lost a piece of me. God just had to take her back to Him. I remember our silence during the first week after your mother’s death. I would contain those memories of us on the bench opposite the pond of koi fishes where the sun sets in symmetry. You would put your head on my shoulders. Your tears would dampen my shirt. I would wipe the tears off your cheeks with my thumb. I had to fight back my tears. I never wished to see you cry again. I smiled, trying hard to hide my broken heart.

Jenny, I want to tell you this. May God bless you with a good life. I feel proud that you are my daughter. I felt sorrow and joy at the same time as I let go of your hand and your prince charming took over. Jackson, my son-in-law, is a man of honour; decent, smart and importantly of good character. You are the best daughter I could have ever asked for. My upbringing of you makes me feel more of a man. Jenny, you are my greatest achievement, I love you.

Jenny, my baby girl.

My Greatest Achievement By Muhammad Muqtadir Bin Sadiq Basha (4E2)

I Believe By Eldon Taylor

I believe in peace.

I believe in the sacredness of life. I believe that all life is sacred.

I believe that there is a future for our children. I believe in caring for the planet.

I believe in caring for others. I believe in promoting peace, balance and harmony.

I accept peace for myself. I accept balance and harmony.

I am calm and peaceful. I am rational and peace-oriented.

I love life. I believe life loves me.

I love living. I enjoy every moment.

I treasure the experience of peace. I act peacefully.

I think of peaceful solutions. I seek peace in all my dealings.

I am loving. I am caring.

I am sharing. I am helpful. I am healthy.

I am happy. I choose wise choices.

I choose peaceful choices. I am grateful.

I have a gratitude attitude. I find good in all.

I celebrate life with every breath. I find joy in life.

I still sense awe in the majesty of life. I share my love for peace. I believe in the rule of law.

I envision a peaceful world.. I hold the vision in my mind of the world at peace.

I believe that we are all connected. I believe in supporting others. I find ways in to help others. I love helping other people.

I enjoy service. I like it when others feel good.

My life has a purpose. Aiding others is rewarding.

I believe in family. I believe the world is my extended family.

I meet each day with gratitude and joy. Today I make a difference in the world.

Today I add peace to the world. Everyday, in every way we all improve.

I am an optimist. My thoughts are powerful.

My thoughts create. My creative force joins with all to create peace.

My creative force is behind world peace. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

I forgive myself. I forgive all others.

I am forgiven.

Count your Blessings By Ms Mischa Pereira

870 million people worldwide do not have enough food to eat. 870 million. Nearly 1/2 of the world’s population — more than 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. More than 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty, that's less than $1.25 a day.

22,000 children die each day due to poverty. More than 1 billion people lack adequate access to clean drinking water and an estimated 400 million of these are children. Because unclean water causes illness, roughly 443 million school days are missed every year.

Searching for potable water sources is a daily chore for over 2 billion women and children across the globe, who spend many hours each day carrying water on a 6 hour journey from basins to their homes. Girls spend their day fetching water instead of attending school or playing with siblings or friends.

One child in eight in developing countries gets no primary schooling. Of the estimated 75 million children in the developing world who receive no primary schooling, about 55 percent are girls.

1/4 of all humans live without electricity — approximately 1.6 billion people.

In Syria, explosive weapons, including bombs, killed seven in 10 of the more than 11,000

Syrian children under the age of 17 in the country’s brutal civil war. Small arms fire from guns and rifles accounted for 2,806, of the children killed, with 764 children who were executed and 398 killed by fire from a sniper. And among those children who were executed, 112 were tortured, including some infants.

These statistics are real. These statistics are frightening. These statistics are about survival. Life and death. Disease. Heartbreak and anguish. Pain. Hunger. This fight for their very survival is what people, children and teenagers like you around the world face every single day.

And what about us at Bedok View? What are the problems that we grapple with? What are the issues that keep us up at night? What are our complaints?

Well, we complain about the heat. We complain that our fans and air – conditioning are not strong enough. We cannot study because it is too hot. We complain about the food in the canteen. Not tasty, no variety, no snacks, no soft drinks is what we say all the

time. We complain about school too. There is too much homework. Our teachers are too strict. We hate our uniforms. There are too many rules. Lessons are boring. PE is too tough. We don’t want to learn.

We complain about the slightest of injuries – blisters, headaches, stomach aches, foot hurting, cuts and bruises.

We complain that everything is just too hard. We raise our hands the minute we come across a problem we don’t understand. We don’t want to try. We don’t want to think. We don’t want to do anything.

Our complaints after listening to the real world problems that I started off with seem now to be downright embarrassing. When did we become a school of complainers? What has happened to our resilience? If we are unable to overcome the smallest problems, how on earth would we ever survive when a real disaster hits us? And I promise you, one day it will come.

(continued) I believe it is time for us to stop the whining and complaining. We need to stop sounding like spoiled little children

complaining about our first world problems while others have nothing at all in the world. We need to realise that the real world owes us nothing and we will not be respected if we are unable to be strong and resilient in the face of problems. And there will be many problems that will come our way as we grow older – health, lack of money, death of our parents, death of our loved ones and so much more.

So my message today is clear. Appreciate what you have. When you feel like complaining about food, be thankful that you even have food. When you want to complain about your teachers, be thankful that you have a top – notch education and that you

have teachers who care enough to take the time to talk to you, teach you, develop you and even scold you. When you want to complain about wi–fi, the fans and the air–conditioning, be thankful that you even have

electricity. If we can count our blessings more than our burdens, I believe that we can be strong and rise above anything.

Divergent By

Veronica Roth

By Aaron Tang (4E2)

In the near future, in what used to be the city of Chicago, people are divided up into 5 factions. Each symbolise a trait that their members think their predecessors lacked which led to their faults. Amity believed in peace, Abnegation in selflessness, Candor for honesty, Dauntless for courage and Erudite for knowledge.

Beatrice Prior was born into an Abnegation family. However, she could never fit into the selfless lives of the people around her, such as the one her brother, Caleb, led, and felt estranged from the rest of her faction.

This book is the brainchild of Eoin Colfer, who also wrote titles such as the Artemis Fowl series and stand-alone books such as

The Wish List. Like his other titles, this book does not fail to

deliver.

When children of her age reach 16 years old, they have to sit for aptitude tests which will help them to determine which faction’s ethics they would fit in with best. While on her way back from school on the last day before the test, she meets a factionless man, someone who has gone through initiation but has failed and thus is cast out to a life of poverty. On the day of her test, Beatrice’s tests show an equal aptitude for 3 factions: Abnegation, Dauntless and Erudite. She is warned by her examiner, Tori, to never share her condition as it could lead to possibly life-threatening consequences.

Only given a single night to make her choice of factions, she mulls over 2 factions: her old faction, Abnegation, or Dauntless which appealed to her greatly. Leaving her faction would mean separation form her family but remaining would mean that she would continue her stringent lifestyle.

On the day of making their choice, her brother abandons his faction, much to the surprise and outrage of many, in favour of Erudite which many regard the pursuit of knowledge as selfish and vain, thus making the Erudite an enemy to their beliefs. Goaded by her brother’s boldness, she sides with the Dauntless, much to the dismay of her parents.

After arriving at Dauntless’ headquarters, she quickly befriends fellow transfer initiates, Christina, Will and Al. Another transfer initiate, Peter, promptly sets out to antagonize her, believing that Beatrice does not have enough determination to oppose him. They find out then that only 10 initiates are allowed to be permanent members. The rest shall be exiled as factionless. Will Beatrice, who is at a disadvantage because of her physical weakness, make it through initiation? Has Peter finally bitten off more than he can chew in Beatrice Prior?? Find out when you pick up the book!!

Where to get your hands on it? – Our very own school library!

Frozen was a huge hit in the cinemas and impressed many that it won an Academy Award for Best Original Song (for “Let It Go”). What makes Frozen THAT good? Let’s find out the answer to that question in this review.

Frozen is about two princesses – Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell), the fearless optimist and Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel), who has ice powers. Unfortunately Elsa hurt Anna with her ice powers when they were children, so their parents decided to isolate Elsa from everyone else, including Anna. Some trolls also wiped out Anna’s memory, so she doesn’t know why Elsa doesn’t want to play with her any more.

REVIEW: FROZEN By Nurin Batrisya Bte Mohd Ali (1E2)

Later on, Elsa takes the throne following the death of her parents. Her powers are revealed when she loses her composure during her coronation ceremony and puts the kingdom of Arendelle into a seemingly endless winter. Anna sets off on a journey to rescue her sister and stop the curse. Along the way she meets mountain man Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), his reindeer pal Sven and talking snowman Olaf (Josh Gad). Meanwhile, Elsa isolates herself EVEN MORE by building a huge ice castle on the top of a mountain.

One of the best things about Frozen is that it teaches us many life lessons, like what love actually means and that we should solve a problem instead of hiding it, all while having a good mix of the engaging plot and good humour.

Olaf steals the show and is the comic relief of the movie because he is a snowman who keeps imagining what summer feels like (there’s even an entire song about it). Modern Disney princesses do not wait for a guy to sweep them off their feet; they are mostly independent and the princesses of Frozen are one of the finest examples of modern Disney princesses out there.

The songs are so lyrically and musically beautiful that it even makes something as simple as “okay, bye” sound gorgeous. The visuals are also stunning, from Elsa’s ice powers all the way to the dresses that Elsa and Anna wear for the coronation.

I declare Frozen a MUST-SEE; watch this movie along with your little siblings, older siblings, parents, your cat… well, you get it!

Frozen is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Fun Facts!

One early conception of Elsa had her with curly hair, a la Brave’s Merida.

“Let It Go” already has a few DJ remixes: one by Dave Audé, the other by Armin van Buuren, for an OFFICIAL remix album called DCONSTRUCTED, out late April. The album also has remixes of songs from Toy Story, The Muppets, Tron: Legacy and a lot more.

Create a scrapbook (those are fun and creative) Start a webshow (and become a YouTube sensation!) Write a novel (or a series) Learn a different language (or even a dead language, or make your own language!) Create a website (tried weebly?) Beat a world record and end up in the Guinness Book of World Records Make a collage (photo collage... Food collage...) Collect items (anything) Redecorate your room (or move stuff around) Start a fun scavenger hunt with friends Solve a mystery (who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?) Learn to drive (may be super useful when you grow up) ♫Make a music video, or film a movie (people do this with phones nowadays!) Make or learn to make crafts (origami, knots, braids, crotchet, etc.) Pull pranks (but don’t hurt anybody!)

Projects By Stella Suseno (4E3)

If you think that I am going to write about school projects and how you can do well on them and work better as a team, then you are dead wrong! I’m here to tell you about making your own personal project.

No, I don’t mean school-related projects. People can have their own personal projects as well, or hobbies. They may not come with marks or grades or credits. They can be just for fun, or to improve in something, or just to accomplish something outside of school. In short, carrying out projects gives you personal satisfaction.

If you wish to start something, but have no idea what, here are some ideas to get you started:

Study Tips By Tan Yi Yue (3N5) Always study in a quiet environment that is well lit. Keep your study table clean; try not to put things that are unrelated to the subject. Listen to songs belonging to the “Baroque” genre when you are studying. This will help you to

concentrate on your studies more. Make a timetable to help you use your time more efficiently. You can give yourself 10-15 minutes for a

break after studying for an hour. You can use this as reward to increase your interest for studying. Start studying well in advance. Give yourself manageable sections to study each day. This way, it will not

be overwhelming. Know ahead of time exactly what to study for. Use the commercial breaks when watching television to memories definitions of new vocabulary words

that you learnt in the day, because when you feel relaxed, you will be able to memorise more things. Try going on a media diet, where you take a break from television, news and the internet. Quiz yourself on the material you have studied for, without using your books or notes. Doing this will

give you an idea of how you will do on the test. Before the exam, eat a proper meal and have plenty of rest. Following these tips will help you when it comes to test time."

Scoliosis is a condition in which the spine bends to the side abnormally, either to the right or left.

Any part of the spine can be bent but the most common regions are the chest area and the lower part of the back. The spine can curve to 3 ways:

What is Scoliosis By Joey Tan (4E2)

Scoliosis is an ever-growing common spine

condition within our peers. Most are detected with this condition during their primary and secondary life, with only the rarest having it since birth. As such, let me introduce to you’re the condition so you may detect it early, if need be (touch wood).

1. Curves to the side as a single curve to the left (shaped like the letter C), 2. Curves to the side as a single curve to the right (shaped like a backwards letter C) 3. Two curves (shaped like the letter S)

It runs in the family. It is hereditary.

BRACES: Common treatment choice for teens with a curve between 25 to 40 • Stop curve degree from rising • May provide temporary decrease in the curve’s degree, but it will usually return to its original degree when

bracing is removed.

Surgery: Best for those with curves above 40 to 50 • The curve does not get worse, but surgery does not perfectly straighten the spine.

Two-Sentence Horror Stories By Mrs Yasmin Messoussi

A girl heard her mom yell her name from downstairs, so she got up and started to head down. As she got to the stairs, her mom pulled her into her room and said "I heard that, too. – Drrd777

After working a hard day, I came home to see my girlfriend cradling our child. I didn't know which

was more frightening, seeing my dead girlfriend and stillborn child, or knowing that someone broke into my apartment to place them there. – Cobaltcollapse

What an absolutely fantastic writing exercise. There's tons more over at AskReddit. Check them

out!*Shudder*

Reddit, a social news website, recently asked their users, "What's the best horror story you can come up with in two sentences?" And their responses were terrifying! Who knew we could be so scared by such small stories? It's absolutely brilliant and here are a few of our favourites.

The last thing I saw was my alarm clock flashing

12:07 before she pushed her long rotting nails through my chest, her other hand muffling my screams. I sat bolt upright, relieved it was only a dream, but as I saw my alarm clock read 12:06, I heard my closet door creak open. – Jmperson

Creative Writing English essay topics not satisfying enough for your creative soul? Here’s some possible topics that will never have you snoring over your articles on shark fin soup again!

1. Singapore is adequately prepared for a zombie apocalypse. Do you agree? 2. Write about a time when you met your favourite character from a

movie/book/anime/game/cartoon/comic/etc. 3. If you could create your own utopia or dystopia, how would it function and look like? 4. A Hello Kitty Happy Meal toy is a significant part of a McDonald meal. What are your views?

Your Challenge! (should you choose to accept it)

Write your own and email us @

bv.pubteam@gmail.com

We would like to acknowledge the following sites where we obtained some of

our pictures:

Page 1 Jar: http://heyjamie.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Inspiration-true-writers-31646608-1280-

853.jpg Sky: http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8358081ff69e20176168c7d5e970c-800wi Page 4 Congratulations: http://www.thebradfordsouprun.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Congrats.jpg Page 6 Cake: www.weheartit.com Page 7 Waiting room: http://dan4kent.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/man-in-hospital-waiting-room.jpg Page 8 Romeo dead:

http://www.ballet.co.uk/albums/dm_royal_ballet_romeo_juliet_roh_0112/dm_romeo_juliet_a0227.sized.jpg

Page 9 Father: http://www.buzzle.com/img/articleImages/340289-45411-40.jpg Daughter shoes: http://www.buzzle.com/images/quotes/father-daughter-quotes2.jpg Page 10 Ballerina: http://wetheliberated.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/woman_loving_life.jpg Love life (beige): http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t3V-

ofPI0wI/T3gzgkHDY_I/AAAAAAAAALE/8gNWMMWCL6k/s1600/LoveLife_blog_header.jpg Sunset: http://cdn.tinybuddha.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Screen-Shot-2012-04-09-at-8.48.15-

PM.png Love life (blue): http://mariashriver.com/wp-content/uploads/drupal/LoveLife_0-1024x633.jpg?f51cc5 Page 11 First world problem: http://thediaryofaprivilegedwhitegirl.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/first-world-

problems-image.png So you’re telling me (water): http://lablog101.wordpress.com/2013/12/18/thirdworld/ Change: http://www.soulseeds.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/change_sky1.jpg Page 12 Famous failures: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-

CrXEnCyuRfg/UNQ5QkGNE8I/AAAAAAAACdE/PoFzCDNiaGQ/s640/Failure+To+Success.jpg Page 13 Quiz: http://www.divergentfans.com/profiles/blog/list Page 14 Frozen1: http://www.hdwallpapers.in/download/frozen_2013_movie-2048x1536.jpg Frozen2:

http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20131103205459/disney/images/6/66/Frozen_castposter.jpg Page 16 What is Scoliosis: http://members.optusnet.com.au/physio/woman-scoliosis.jpg Scoliosis: http://functionalfitnessnyc.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/scoliosis.png Page 17 Ghost: http://widedscreen.com/images/wallpapers/Horror-Wallpapers-29.jpg Creative pen: http://michaeljholley.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/unleash_your_writing_creativity.jpg

Lighthouse News is brought to you by:

The Publications Team

Chief Editor Mrs Yasmin Messoussi

Associate Editors Stella Suseno (4E3)

Ilyatunnisa Bte Shaik Mohammad Iqbal (4E2)

News Editors Zeha Bte Hassim (2E1)

Contributors Ilyatunnisa Bte Shaik Mohammad Iqbal (4E2)

Joyce Lee (4E2)

Zeha Bte Hassim (2E1)

Pakawat Maneechaemsai (4E3)

Muhammad Muqtadir Bin Sadiq Basha (4E2)

Joey Tan (4E2)

Aaron Tang (4E2)

Stella Suseno (4E3)

Nurin Batrisya Bte Mohd Ali (1E2)

Tan Yi Yue (3N5)

Special Contributors Ms Mischa Pereira

Ms Wong Wei Leen

Ms Jasmine Lian

Mr Syed Alwi

Ms June Cheah

Layout & Design Mrs Yasmin Messoussi