It was fun while it lasted :)

We ended our ECS class last week and it was public speaking. The most difficult part of this task was actually the preparation. I had a hard time choosing a title. It had to be good and long enough to last 6 minutes. My first choice was actually about money problems among university students and I just couldn't come up with a solid text after an hour of brainstorming. It was then that I decided to talk about my grandfather. Practiced and rehearsed in front of the mirror a few times and then, D-day! Went to the classroom and my heart started beating really fast. I was never calm and collected when it comes to presentations but overall I think I did okay. I stuttered and paused a few times during my speech but I'm happy I completed it :D

Really sad though that ECS has ended. It was definitely one of the most unique english classes I've had. The activities were creative and I had an awesome time. Thank you Ms. Sheba & Ms. Morais for being lovely lecturers :) and to all of my Group C classmates, thank you for all the fun moments <3 See you guys around when Semester 1 begins! :D

Tennewwords - Week 5 [FINALE]

1. fiddly

fid·dly\ˈfi-dəl-ē\
adjective
chiefly British
: requiring close attention to detail : fussy; especially : requiring an annoying amount of close attention



2. conspicuous


con·spic·u·ous\kən-ˈspi-kyə-wəs, -kyü-əs\
adjective
1 : obvious to the eye or mind
2 : attracting attention : striking
3 : marked by a noticeable violation of good taste



3. leeway

lee·way\ˈlē-ˌwā\

noun
1 a : off-course lateral movement of a ship when under way
b : the angle between the heading and the track of an airplane
2 : an allowable margin of freedom or variation : tolerance



4. brassy 

brassy\ˈbra-sē\
adjective
1 a : shamelessly bold
b : obstreperous
2 : resembling brass especially in color
3 : resembling the sound of a brass instrument



5. blatant

bla·tant\ˈblā-tənt\
adjective
1 : noisy especially in a vulgar or offensive manner : clamorous
2 : completely obvious, conspicuous, or obtrusive especially in a crass or offensive manner : brazen



6. enigmatic

enig·mat·ic\ˌe-(ˌ)nig-ˈma-tik also ˌē-(ˌ)nig-\
adjective
: of, relating to, or resembling an enigma : mysterious



7. vigilant

vig·i·lant\ˈvi-jə-lənt\
adjective
: alertly watchful especially to avoid danger



8. rhetorical

rhe·tor·i·cal\ri-ˈtȯr-i-kəl, -ˈtär-\
adjective
1 a : of, relating to, or concerned with rhetoric
b : employed for rhetorical effect; especially : asked merely for effect with no answer expected
2 a : given to rhetoric : grandiloquent
b : verbal



9. cavern

cav·ern\ˈka-vərn also -vrən\
noun
: cave; especially : one of large or indefinite extent



10. portmanteau

port·man·teau\pȯrt-ˈman-(ˌ)tō\
noun
1 : a large suitcase
2 : a word or morpheme whose form and meaning are derived from a blending of two or more distinct forms (as smog from smoke and fog)

Tennewwords - Week 4

1. plague

plague\ˈplāg\
noun
1 a : a disastrous evil or affliction : calamity
b : a destructively numerous influx
2 a : an epidemic disease causing a high rate of mortality : pestilence
b : a virulent contagious febrile disease that is caused by a bacterium (Yersinia pestis) and that occurs in bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic forms —called also black death
3 a : a cause of irritation : nuisance
b : a sudden unwelcome outbreak



2. belligerent

bel·lig·er·ent\bə-ˈlij-rənt, -ˈli-jə-\
adjective
1 : waging war; specifically : belonging to or recognized as a state at war and protected by and subject to the laws of war
2 : inclined to or exhibiting assertiveness, hostility, or combativeness



3. veneer

ve·neer\və-ˈnir\
noun
1 : a thin sheet of a material: as
a : a layer of wood of superior value or excellent grain to be glued to an inferior wood
b : any of the thin layers bonded together to form plywood
c : a plastic or porcelain coating bonded to the surface of a cosmetically imperfect tooth
2 : a protective or ornamental facing (as of brick or stone)
3 : a superficial or deceptively attractive appearance, display, or effect : facade, gloss



4. leonine

le·o·nine\ˈlē-ə-ˌnīn\
adjective
: of, relating to, suggestive of, or resembling a lion



5. antecedent

an·te·ced·ent\ˌan-tə-ˈsē-dənt\
noun
1 : a substantive word, phrase, or clause whose denotation is referred to by a pronoun (as John in “Mary saw John and called to him”); broadly : a word or phrase replaced by a substitute
2 : the conditional element in a proposition (as if A in “if A, then B”)
3 : the first term of a mathematical ratio
4 a : a preceding event, condition, or cause
b plural : the significant events, conditions, and traits of one's earlier life
5 a : predecessor; especially : a model or stimulus for later developments
b plural : ancestors, parents



6. phellem

phel·lem\ˈfe-ˌlem\
noun
: a layer of usually suberized cells produced outwardly by a phellogen



7. demure
de·mure\di-ˈmyu̇r\
adjective
1 : reserved, modest
2 : affectedly modest, reserved, or serious : coy



8. hypodermic
hy·po·der·mic\-mik\
adjective
1 : adapted for use in or administered by injection beneath the skin
2 : of or relating to the parts beneath the skin
3 : resembling a hypodermic injection in effect : stimulating



9. tenure

ten·ure\ˈten-yər also -ˌyu̇r\
noun
1 : the act, right, manner, or term of holding something (as a landed property, a position, or an office); especially : a status granted after a trial period to a teacher that gives protection from summary dismissal
2 : grasp, hold



10. chunter

chun·ter\ˈchən-tər\
intransitive verb British
: to talk in a low inarticulate way : mutter

Read & Act

It was selective reading on the 31st of July :D Ms.Morais gave all of us a script of a play entitled 'Tape' by Jose Rivera. In the beginning, it was hard to identify the plot of the story. The enclosed setting and restricted number of characters didn't help. However, it got clearer when the story begin to unfold and I was surprised at how it turned out.

It tells a story about an encounter between a 'Person' and his 'Attendant'. The Person is trapped in a small room and his Attendant comes in and starts asking him questions. At this point, it looked as if the play was revolved around a prisoner but as soon as the Person became inquisitive, the Attendant slowly begun to reveal the reason behind his presence. This was when it started to become interesting. The Person was actually a dead man, in the enclosed room to reflect on his wrongdoings. He has to hear every lie he has told from a large reel-to-reel tape recorder and the Attendant was there to guide him through the process.

The twist in the end was probably the only reason I found the play mysterious and thus, worth reading. :)

After the Tape, Ms.Morais gave us another script entitled 'The Incompatibles'. It's a typical romance play about a divorcee who has a boyfriend but she isn't over her ex-husband. This play was acted out by Maathinii, Man Ling & Terry. They did an awesome job portraying the characters and we all enjoyed their comical performance. 

2 days later on the 2nd of August, we had enactment of scenes from short stories! My group chose 'The Magic Brocade : A Tale of China' by Aaron Shepard. It was certainly a very fun session! Although we only had a day to prepare, I'm proud of my group's performance. I had to play Narrator 2 and my group members took up the other 7 characters. It felt nice to be involved in acting again after high school. Oh, there was a particular scene in this play where I couldn't control my laughter and I tried really hard to keep a straight face during our performance. All thanks to Xiang Yin! Who played the old lady in her -very funny- old lady voice.

Abrupt end to this blog post! Hehe and I'm really going to miss ECS :(

Tennewwords - Week 3

1. bereft

be·reft\bi-ˈreft\
adjective
1 a : deprived or robbed of the possession or use of something — usually used with of
b : lacking something needed, wanted, or expected — used with of
2 : suffering the death of a loved one : bereaved



2. prim

adjective
1 a : stiffly formal and proper : decorous
b : prudish
2 : neat, trim



3. imminent

im·mi·nent\ˈi-mə-nənt\
adjective
: ready to take place; especially : hanging threateningly over one's head



4. exuberant

ex·u·ber·ant\ig-ˈzü-b(ə-)rənt\
adjective
1 : extreme or excessive in degree, size, or extent
2 a : joyously unrestrained and enthusiastic
b : unrestrained or elaborate especially in style : flamboyant
3 : produced in extreme abundance : plentiful



5. demographic

de·mo·graph·ic\ˌde-mə-ˈgra-fik, ˌdē-mə-\
adjective
1 : of or relating to demography or demographics
2 : relating to the dynamic balance of a population especially with regard to density and capacity for expansion or decline



6. hoard

noun
: a supply or fund stored up and often hidden away



7. agnostic
ag·nos·tic\ag-ˈnäs-tik, əg-\
noun
1 : a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (as God) is unknown and probably unknowable; broadly : one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god
2 : a person who is unwilling to commit to an opinion about something



8. diligence

dil·i·gence\ˈdi-lə-jən(t)s\
noun
1 a : persevering application : assiduity
b obsolete : speed, haste
2 : the attention and care legally expected or required of a person (as a party to a contract)



9. solidarity

sol·i·dar·i·ty\ˌsä-lə-ˈda-rə-tē\
noun
: unity (as of a group or class) that produces or is based on community of interests, objectives, and standards



10. hedoism

he·do·nism\ˈhē-də-ˌni-zəm\
noun
1 : the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life
2 : a way of life based on or suggesting the principles of hedonism

It's always a good time!

We had an introductory class about public speaking today. I personally find public speaking a difficult task. It is definitely not for everyone. I guess people who are good at it are those who possess enough courage to stand before a crowd and not only that, but to have the knowledge and capabilities to confidently present their speech. I can vaguely recall participating in a storytelling competition, not public speaking (hehe), when I was 12 and it was already a very scary experience although I only stood before the judges. So when it finally came to the public speaking activity in ECS, I have to admit, it was nerve wracking. We had a practice to prepare ourselves for the real (assessed) one on August 6th and what we had to do was to prepare a speech about our characteristics or any life changing experience we've encountered.

I talked mainly about myself. How I was raised in a Nyonya Baba family and thus, why it was difficult for me to speak in chinese. Also of course, the hopeless romantic side of me, which I don't think will go away anytime soon. Last year was pretty tough, I had to make a choice between Medicine & Pharmacy and I've always wanted to be a paediatrician. I guess life experiences help you to decide which path you should take and I chose a future in Pharmacy.




Hearing my classmates' stories also felt really good. Some I could relate to and some taught me a little about life. Now I kinda have mixed feelings about the public speaking on August 6th. Keeping my fingers crossed everything will be fine!

Okay, I shall sign off with one song I absolutely adore. Favourite of the week!

It gives such a positive vibe! Like no matter where you are or what you're doing, hear this and it's all good :D

Shape Poetry :D

I came into this class with no knowledge about shape poetry haha. Turned out to be the best class so far! Loved how Ms.Sheba got our creative juices out. One of the things she did was to get us to form a circle and mimic our classmates' actions as we took turns. Love the background music played that day! 'I'm Alive' by Celine Dion. Listening to it as I type :D *her voice gives me goosebumps*

The highlight of the day would probably be the guessing game where we had to act out the beginning of a situation and freeze at the count of '1..2..3'. Then we'll act out the ending after a few seconds in freeze mode haha. My group came up with the idea of 2 girls showering and one naughty guy, Kim Eik [:P], would be peeping. Two wardens will pass by and scold him for it then *freeze* the two girls invites him to join them in the shower and he was even pushed into the cubicle by the two wardens hahaha.




Wait, getting carried away here. Back to shape poetry! After Ms.Sheba explained what it's all about, we started writing and shaping our poem. I did one about my grandfather. He had an operation a few days ago and is now recuperating in the hospital. Hope he'll come home healthy soon! :)


Oh and here's what I came up with :

Shape poetry is really interesting! Love how a descriptive poem can be shaped into it's subject. Never knew or seen something quite like it. English class has been fun!! :D