A Holiday I Would Never Forget - SPM English Essay Writing

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, going for tuition and best of all, vacations!
In my case, a holiday I would never forget is a fruitful one I experienced 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, but 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?

Malaysia, a Unique Country

This good English essay was submitted by boey. You can submit your essay and get
it published on this blog too!

Malaysia is a multiracial country. Malaysia has a population of 23.27 million

consisting of 61 percent Malays, 30 percent Chinese, 8 percent Indians and 1
percent of other ethnic groups. Malaysia is unique because of its diversity of races,
religions and cultures, the stability of the country and many places of interests.
Besides, there are many international achievements which are the pride of our
nation.

Diversity of races, religions and cultures is a significant characteristic of our nation.

Malaysia is a multiracial country with a rich cultural heritage. Unique to Malaysia is
the 'Open House' concept where during the various cultural and religious festival
like Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Gawai Day and others, friends and
families and even strangers would visit the homes of those who are celebrating the
festival, to wish them well and enjoy the feast prepared by the hosts. Although the
visitors may be from different races, they still can tolerate with each other and live
under the same roof where they celebrate the festival together. This will help to
strengthen the ties among themselves.

Moreover, the stability and peacefulness of Malaysia is also a uniqueness of us. We

live harmoniously in a country where there are no wars and conflicts among
Malaysians. War is dreadful and it may deteriorate humans' lives. We are fortunate
that our country is safe and runs off the war. So, people can live safely here.
Somehow, Malaysia is a paradise for those Iraqis or Pakistanis. Besides, our country
is freed from natural disasters such as earthquakes. Earthquakes may bring death
and destroy many buildings. Therefore, Malaysia is unique because of the stability
and peaceful environment.

On top of that, there are many places of interests in country such as beaches,
islands and rain forest. Malaysia's rain forest is considered as the oldest in the
world. The diverse species of animals and plant life continue to excite a great deal
of scientific research. Many believe that some undiscovered plant may hold cures to
many currently incurable human diseases. There are many islands in our country
such as Pulau Langkawi, Pulau Redang, Pulau Ketam and many others. Pulau
Langkawi has a lot of historitical informations. Those who are in favour of history
can go there to explore the history of that place. All the beaches in those islands are
beautiful. The sand is soft and white. The accommodation is well-established and
that makes those islands ideal places to visit.

Following this, there are also international achievements of our country. Those
achievements include the existence of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA),
Formula One (F1) racing circuit and the Petronas Twin Towers. KLIA is unique
because it has all that is needed for business, entertainment and relaxation within
its boundaries. The airport is part and parcel of the Multimedia Super Corridor where
high technology industries are being actively developed. Nevertheless, there is a
Formula One Race Track near the airport, so foreign car racing enthusiasts from all
over the world can come for a visit to gather here. Besides that, Petronas Twin
Towers which is a building that soars 452 metres into the sky is once upon a time,
the tallest building in the world and yet it is a national pride to the people of
Malaysia.

In short, Malaysia is unique that it has diversity of races, religions and cultures, a
stable and peaceful environment, places of interest and some internal
achievements. Those are important characteristic of our nation. It is rich of cultural
heritage; it would be worth to play a visit here.

Corrections made in the essay above:

Do not put an extra hyphen - multiracial is correct, multi-racial and multi
racial are wrong
Use noun instead of adjective - diversity of races, religious and cultures is
wrong; it should be diversity of races, religions and cultures; a unique of us is
wrong, a uniqueness of us is correct
This sentence is wrong because there should be two phrases in the sentence where
you use the conjunction although - Although the visitors may be from different
races. However It should be Although the visitors may be from different races,
they
Article an unique is wrong, a unique is correct
Subject-verb agreement - the stability and peacefulness of Malaysia is should
be the stability and peacefulness of Malaysia are Wrong: there is no wars and
conflicts. Correct: there are no wars and conflicts
Use adverb instead of noun we live in a harmony country should be we live
harmoniously in a country or we live in harmony.
Singular or plural - humans' life is wrong, humans lives is correct, human
beings is more appropriate
No plural form Wrong: historitical informations. Correct: historical information
Avoid using informal word - has lots of is informal, has a lot of is formal
Essay Rating: 3.5
Good points and examples are discussed in the essay. However, there are some
gross and minor grammatical and spelling errors. Gross errors include subject-verb
agreement errors and wrong use of nouns and adjectives. All in all, there is still
room for improvement. Keep up your writing effort!

Descriptive Essay: A Horrifying Swim - SPM Model Essay

A HORRIFYING SWIM
Here is an example of a story with a good plot. Read and highlight the use of
interesting phrases which are precise. Many students tend to memorise bombastic
words and try to insert into their essays. The words or phrases must be suitable.
Originally, this was just a 150-word essay. I have expanded it by using dialogues and
more details.

It was a school holiday. Rahman woke up at the crack of dawn and headed for Ah
Chongs house. The boys had agreed to meet Sean and Sasi, their classmates. It
was a perfect day for a swim. Although they were all strong swimmers, Rahmans
mother had cautioned him against going for a swim. A week earlier, their
neighbour's son had nearly drowned in that river.

Splash! Hassan dived off the rock into the inviting river. The water was deep
but he was not worried. After all, he was an excellent swimmer and a certified
lifeguard. He knew the waters in the area well as he often swam there. He
persuaded the rest of the boys to follow him up to a higher waterfall. They
clambered up the boulders. Lets jump! an exhilarated Rahman shouted. The boys
plunged in together, screaming in delight.
 Suddenly, Sean was tumbling out of control. The water smashed him over and
over again. The current had smashed the other boys against a rock and they
managed to pull themselves out from the raging water. At first, they could not see
Sean. Then, as the waves subsided, they saw Seans half-submerged figure, face
down. Rahman dived into the water immediately. He knew that every second
counted. Swimming strongly, he got to Sean in no time. With Sasi and Ah Chongs
help, they managed to pull Sean out of the water and onto the rock.

Oh God, let him not be dead! Rahman pleaded. Sean looked so blue. The
others stood, paralyzed, not knowing what to do. Rahman grabbed Seans wrist but
he could not feel any pulse. He remembered what his teacher had told him. A
drowning victim had to receive artificial breathing within four minutes or he would
die. With his lifeguard training in his mind, Rahman immediately drew Seans head
back and clamped his mouth over him. He began pumping breath into Seans lungs
as Sasi compressed Seans chest while keeping count. Suddenly, Sean gurgled and
threw up. They continued breathing and pumping. Keep going. One of us has to go
for help. Sasi, you are the fastest. Run home and get help. Ask someone to call for
an ambulance. Quick.....

After thirty minutes, and what seemed like a lifetime, Rahman felt something
moved against him. Seans leg had jerked against him. He felt for a pulse. Seans
breathing.... Rahman cried. Just then, they heard an ambulance. You are going to
be alright he assured Sean. Within minutes, the paramedics had lifted him to the
ambulance and headed for the nearby hospital. At the hospital, the boys were so
thankful that Sean was going to be alright and they had saved his life. Rahmans
mother gave him a stern lecture. Rahman felt bad and regretted not listening to his
mother.