Paper 1

Section B
Q 1: Describe an enjoyable weekend you have experianced. (SPM 2006)
I had really been looking forward to the trip to Melaka, mainly because we would be
visiting my beloved grandparents, who had just moved there. I had not seen them for a long
time and really missed them. I was also looking forward to the food, which my best friend had
told me he had enjoyed on his last trip to Melaka.
After a three-hour journey, we arrived at my grandparents' apartment to find Grandma and
Grandpa standing in the doorway. There were warm hugs and kisses all around and also the
usual comments on how much we had grown. My father, who is a keen photographer, was
bowled over by the seascape that we saw even as we entered the apartment. "Oh! Just look at
those colours! See how the bluish green sea meets the clear blue sky at the horizon! And do
you see those fishing boats?" he exclaimed, as he dug out his camera.
Soon, Dad was clicking away on the balcony while Mum was talking non-stop with
Grandma and Grandpa. My brother and I decided to take the lift down to the garden. We
walked through a little gate in the fence on to the sandy beach. The breeze rustled the fronds
of the coconut palms, and we could hear the caw-cawing of some big birds as they swooped
around us. The tide was out so we could walk quite far out on the sand, picking up little shells
that had been left behind by the receding seawater.
Towards evening, we headed for Jonker Walk, a street shopping area which is created
every weekend, when Jonker Street is closed to traffic. It was a lively place, with bright lights
and loud music. There were lots of stalls, selling a variety of food, antiques, arts and craft,
clothes, and other souvenirs. The place was jam-packed with tourists, many of whom were
perched on high stools, enjoying their drinks. I bought a tee-shirt; and also a stone with a lion
face painted on it. The artist painted my name on it, free of charge.
For dinner, we went to eat "satay celup", a Melaka specialty. We dunked raw meat and
vegetables on skewers into a boiling pot of peanut sauce. It was absolutely scrumptious!
When we had had our fill, we went to ride the Eye on Melaka. This is a giant Ferris wheel
located near the mouth of the river. We had to queue for some time before getting on.

However, the experience was worth the wait! When our gondola first started rising, I felt my
stomach lurching and asked myself why I agreed to this ride. However, I soon lost my
nervousness and enjoyed looking down on the sprawling town of Melaka, with its bright
lights. I felt on top of the world!
The next morning, we went sight-seeing. History came alive as we walked around A
Famosa, the old Portuguese gateway. Then, in the Melaka Sultanate Museum, my imagination
went wild, recreating scenes of royal court scenes and gory battle fields.
All too soon, my father announced that it was time to leave. He had a meeting that
evening. "But, we haven't seen so many of the places Grandmother mentioned!" I protested.
My father promised that he would bring us for another trip to Melaka very soon. I can hardly
wait!

Q 2: A holiday I would never forget

Holidays, a time everyone gets hyped up over, parents planning activities for the
family to spend quality time with and school children ( as well as teachers) jumping for joy.
Hello, waking up late, celebrating, goin for tuition and best of all, vacations! In my case, a
holiday I would never forget is a fruitful one I expereinced five years ago, where my family I
spent six days in the land of K-Pop and ' kimchi '- Korea.
Finally, after ages of waiting, our family arrived in beautiful Korea. Stepping out of the
plane, we could feel the chilly weather to our bones. Never experiencing that kind of weather,
my siblings and I were totally excited. Passing through immigration and baggage claim, we
were talking animatedly about our new surroundings. Since we went with tour group, we
knew we were in good hands.
Incident number one. We were supposed to take a bus to check in at the hotel, as
instructed. I guessed I was overeager and without thinking. I ran to a random bus and knocked
on the door. The young bus driver opened the door and looked at me with a puzzled
expression. He started asking me something in Korean, which of course I did not understand.
I tried to reply in English, but before I could make the attempt, my father quickly apologized
to the driver and walked me back to the tour group who was watching from afar, shaking with
laughter. It turned out that the bus I was running to was not the bus we were supposed to take.
I dismissed my burning cheeks. I was glad I could be the butt of everyone's jokes on my first
day in a foreign country.
It was a bit past lunch time when we were done checking in our hotel. Not doubt,
everybody's stomachs were grumbling. Thank God after checking in, we were going to have
our lunch and do a bit of sightseeing. While waiting for the others outside the hotel, we
walked around nearby. There was a row of vending machines that sold various snacks and
beverages, including Haagen Dazs ice-cream , and instant noodles. My mother had a craving
for Nescafe, so she spent her first Korrean money on that.
At the restaurant, a delicious meal was already spread out for us. That was the first time
we all tried kimchi, a spicy and sour vegetable side dish.I did not think it was horrible, buut I
preferred the fish kimchi much better. We all ate using chopsticks, so that was kind or
awkward for me

and

my siblings, as we were not skilled at using them yet. Being

Malaysians, we were used to rice, so it was a good thing that the Korean meal included rice
and a few other side dish, eaten from a Bento box. It was weird though, the rice was stickier
compared to the rice we eat at home, mainly to make it easier to eat using chopsticks. There
was also hot and scumptious miso soup together with the meal. Since my sister and my
brother did not like it much, I finshed up theirs. I gulped the warm soup down my throat- a
nice connntrast from the shivering weather outside.
One of the highlights of our activities that we did in Korea was skiling. Everybody from
the tour group was looking forward to that, even the 52-year old couple traveling with us.
Since it was'nt fully snownig yet, the hill was coverred with artificial snow. After grobbing
our ski gear, we listen to a briefing by the instructor. He was very help ful, especially with us
kids annd the elderly couple.
Feeling jumpy and hyperactive, me and my sister made our way to the cable car and
successfully skied down a slope. I thought, " We're natural at this," and my sister could not
agree more. When we came to see how our parents and brother were doing, my brother started
to throw a snowball towards me and my sister. It hit me, and we started having a small
snowball fight of our own, just like in the movies! I guessed we got a bit out of hand and my
sister accidentally hit a woman's back. when she turned around, she had this angry look on her
face and started to walk towards us.I hurried my siblings to continue skiing with our
parents,and we ran away before she cold catch us. Breathless, we giggled innaivety as we
recapped the moment.
In a way, skiing is like swimming. Why do I say so? Well, when swimming ,you do not
feel tired , but you would see the effect when you get ravenous and eat more after a session or
when you aintend to tke a nap, but it is extended to long hours. The same goes to skiing.
When we arrived at the hotel after skiing, we were drained out and starving. Instant noodles
saved the day! We all ate curry-flavoured Maggi together, savouring the memontary pleasure.
We also dozed off quite early that night , right after going for a walk to enjoy the amazing
night view of th mountains, and breathing the cool, fresh winter air.
Shopping in Korea was also different compared to Malaysia. Its malls were packed with
small shops or stalla on every floor. Big boutiques were not seen as much as the quaint kiosks.
Nevertheless, I found shopping at their markets more enjoyable, especially because you could
haggle the price. Their specialities

were crystals, fabrics and outerwear. Apart form that, I

also liked their wet markets , mainly because they were very clean and they did not have that

fishy smell. I remembered a shocking incident when walking through the stalls of the wet
market. A large fish jumped out its aquarium and onto the floor. I stared at it and suddenly, I
saw a huge cutting knife slicing through the fish's neck! It was the owner of the stall's doing.
Then, the owner left the fish flapping around lifelessly without a head.
There was also a treasure trove among the stalls of the wet market- a tiny shoop which
served grilled seafood. My family stepped into the shop and ordered some grilled fish and
cockles.
After saying our prayers, we devoured our mouth-watering find of the day. Dripped in a
type of souce, the seafood was the best I had ever eaten, as you could taste the freshness. Or
maybe I was just hungry after a full day of activities.
If it was up to me, there were so many things to write on my memorabe trip to Korean.
Not onli we got to spend quality time together as a family, but we also learnt countless new
things and even discovered hidden talents. My father always said we should travel with an
open mind and an open heart. This is when you get to see your capability to adapt to changes.
Just enjoy the simple things in life and be thankful of what you have. So, do just that. Who
knows you might discover a part of yourself you never know existed?