Final Draft- water polo match of my life

Hi guys, this is the final draft of the 1000 word story that I am supposed to write about and it is pretty similar to the previous first draft. Just some grammatical changes and cutting out some parts from the story where the teacher felt it was unnecessary and too long. Yah so on overall, this story is one of my masterpieces and hope you enjoy reading it.

I was on my way to water polo Singapore National Team training when a wave of nostalgia swept past me, the very moment I drove past Hwa Chong Institution. I recalled the swimming pool within the prestigious institution was once my very training ground while I was a student. Without hesitation, I made a detour down to the Co-Curricular Activities Board (CCAB), which was a stone’s throw away from the institution. In a jiffy, I arrived at my destination. The scene was reminiscent for the swimming pool in CCAB was the location where the A-Division National Finals was held. A flashback of the past instantaneously appeared in my mind and replayed the events on the day of the A-Division National Finals.

On the day of the A-Division National Finals, the entire team had a surge of confidence rushing through us and we were one hundred percent sure that we would thrash our opponents, ACJC and emerge as the victors. We anticipated that history would repeat itself and we would be announced as the champions for we have done so during the C-Division and B-Division National Finals. After a period of time, the match was to commence in several minutes. Nicholas, the team captain and I exchanged glances and we nodded knowingly with confidence in our eyes. With the fighting spirit that was within us, egged the drive to win the championships. The whistle went “BEEH” and the match was in session. Being the ace of my team, I propelled myself forward with long powerful strokes, with my eyes riveted on the ball at all times. In the first three quarters of the finals, I was full of energy and had scored all of my five shots with dead accuracy and immense power. The goalkeeper tried to save my shots, but his efforts were futile. However, we were caught off guard when the team from ACJC retaliated, they fought back and the score was all tied up in a short span of time. The score was neck to neck, one moment we were leading, the next they had turned the tables on us. Both teams had to push beyond their limits in order to known as the winners. At the end of the third quarter, the score was seven – six; we were only ahead of ACJC just by one goal.

This was a crucial moment, the last quarter would determine the final result of the match, whether we would win or lose. The coach gave us a pep talk and pointed out weaknesses and flaws in our gameplay. He even told us to incorporate some of the techniques that were bound to help us escape from our defenders and get ahead of them. The pep talk gave us new energy and boosted our self-confidence. During the start of the last quarter, ACJC unleashed their “secret weapon”, that water polo player was approximately one hundred and eighty six centimeters tall. He was substantially larger than all of us, and I instantly knew that he had the ability to overpower us effortlessly. Indeed, he was the powerhouse of the ACJC water polo team. In less than a minute that the last quarter started, he banged against us and that blow felt like a massive weight had crashed onto our chest. He immediately penetrated our fortress of defense and scored the equalizer. That equalizer was what infuriated me, incurred my wrath. Enraged, I played rough and attempted to score a goal in order to gain the upper hand in the match. There was just one problem, I let my anger loose and it got the better of me. I could no longer remain calm, the only thought that was revolving around my mind was that no matter under what circumstances, I had to score that goal at all cost.

The clock was ticking and there was only a minute left before it was the end of official match play, it was indeed an insane rush against time. Now we were facing two incredibly strong opponents, ACJC and time. In the last five seconds of match, the powerhouse player from ACJC droved in and charged towards goal, scoring the winning goal. That was it, the defeat of the Hwa Chong Junior College water polo team. I could not face up to reality. Being the champions for two nationals in row, this was unacceptable. The word “defeat” had never existed in my dictionary before. I stood rooted to the same spot for a few minutes, my mouth agape with obvious disbelief. I was traumatized and rendered speechless for the fact that we were the first runner-ups instead of the champions. At that juncture, the floodgates burst and rivers of tears streamed down my flushed cheeks.

Luckily, Nicholas, the captain of the team was there. He gave me encouragement and told me that losing is not the end of the world. There would always be another competition sometime in the future. Then, I plucked up my courage and decided to face the truth and accept defeat. It was impossible to reverse time and return back to two hours ago and get a second chance at winning the A-Division National Finals.

Although this incident happened some years back and now that I am a Singapore National Team player, I get to represent the nation in worldwide competitions such as the Olympics and the Sea Games. I have learnt that sometimes one must accept the fact of losing in order to improve and further hone his or her skills and technique. As the saying goes “ life is not always a bed of roses”, one is bound to face obstacles along the pathway of life. Therefore, one must never ever harbor the thought of giving up. As long as you possess that kind of mindset and attitude, you would be able to take all difficulties head on, overcome all odds and definitely be able to succeed in whatever you do.

Setting to story

Hi all, I am supposed to post up an image and describe the setting as of what is seen in the picture and the viewers of the blog will have to try and guess what my story is going to be like judging based on the image and the short description of the setting of 5-10 lines. So good luck to all and happy guessing.

Here's the setting:

It was a gloomy Saturday night. The mysterious owl seemed to be in cahoots with the ominous moon. Suddenly, the grandfather clock at the basement struck twelve. The chilling breeze sent shivers down Mr Tan's spine as he was about to check out of Hotel 88. Hotel 88 was the finest and most luxurious hotel in the whole of Athens. It was a hotel that provided world-class service that satisfied any person's demands and request. Out of the blue, there was a power outage. The lights were back on . At that juncture, the rich tycoon, Mr Tan was unconscious and lying on the floor with a bullet shot right through his brain.

The water polo match of my life - first draft

Now this is the story that was requested by my teacher and I believe this story has to be one of the masterpieces among all the stories and essays that I have written so far. Hope you will enjoy it and please input all good and pleasant comments in the cbox. Thanks a lot and help is much appreciated.

I was on my way to water polo Singapore National Team training when a wave of nostalgia swept past me, the very moment I drove past Hwa Chong Institution. I recalled the swimming pool within the prestigious institution was once my very training ground while I was in secondary school and junior college. Without hesitation, I made a detour down to the Co-Curricular Activities Board (CCAB), which was a stone’s throw away from the institution. In a jiffy, I arrived at my destination. The scene was reminiscent for the swimming pool in CCAB was the location where the A-Division National Finals was held. A flashback of the past instantaneously appeared in my mind and my mind transformed into a movie projector, re-enacting the day of the A-Division National Finals.

On the day of the A-Division National Finals, the entire team had a surge of confidence rushing through us and were one hundred percent sure that we would trash our opponents, ACJC and emerge as victors. We anticipated that history would repeat itself and we would be claimed as the champions for we have done so during the C-Division and B-Division National Finals. After a period of time, the match was about to commence in several minutes. Nicholas, the team captain and I exchanged glances and we nodded knowingly with confidence in our eyes and the fighting spirit that was within us, the drive to win the championships. The whistle went “BEEH” and the match was in session. Being the ace of my team, I propelled myself forward with long powerful strokes, with my eyes riveted on the ball at all times. In the first three quarters of the finals, I was full of energy and had scored all of my five shots with dead accuracy and immense power. The goalkeeper tried to save my shots, but his efforts were futile. However, we were caught off guard when the team from ACJC retaliated, they fought back and the score was tied up in a short span of time. The score was neck to neck, one moment we were leading, the next they had turn the tables on us. Both teams had to push beyond their limits in order to known as the winners. At the end of the third quarter, the score was seven – six, we were only ahead of ACJC just by one goal.

Now, this was a crucial moment, the last quarter would determine the end result of the match, whether we win or lose. The coach gave us a pep talk and pointed out our weakness and the flaws in our gameplay. He even told us to incorporate some of the techniques that would bound to help us escape from our defenders and get ahead of him. The pep talk gave us new energy and boosted our self-confidence. During the start of the last quarter, ACJC unleashed their “secret weapon”, that water polo player was approximately one hundred and eighty six centimeters tall. He was substantially larger than all of us, and I instantly knew that he had the ability to overpower us effortlessly. Indeed, he was the powerhouse of the ACJC water polo team. In less than a minute that the last quarter started, he banged against us and that blow felt like a massive weight had crashed onto our chest. He then immediately penetrated our fortress of defense and scored the equalizer. That equalizer was what infuriated me, incurred my wrath. Enraged, I played seriously rough and attempted to score a goal in order to tie up the score. There was just one problem, I let my anger let loose and get the better of me. I could not remain calm, the thought that was revolving around my mind was that no matter what circumstances, I must score the goal.

The clock was ticking and there was only a minute left before it was the end of the match, it was indeed an insane rush against time. Now we were facing two incredibly strong opponents, ACJC and time. In the last five seconds of match, the powerhouse player from ACJC droved in and charged towards goal, scoring the winning goal. That was it, the defeat of the Hwa Chong Junior College water polo team. I could not face up to reality. Being the champions for two nationals in row, this was unacceptable. The word “defeat” had never existed in my dictionary before. I stood rooted to the same spot for a few minutes, my mouth agape with obvious disbelief. I was traumatized and rendered speechless for the fact that we were the first runner-ups instead of the champions. At that juncture, the floodgates burst and rivers of tears streamed down my flushed cheeks.

Luckily, Nicholas, the captain of the team was there. He gave me encouragement and that losing is not the end of the world. There will always be another competition sometime in the future. Then, I plucked up my courage and decided to face the truth and accept defeat. It is impossible to reverse time and return back to two hours ago and get a second chance at winning the A-Division National Finals.

Although this incident happened some years back, furthermore now that I am a Singapore National Team player and I get to represent the nation in worldwide competitions such as the Olympics and the Sea Games. I have learnt that some times one must accept the fact of losing in order to improve his skills and technique. As the saying goes “ life is not always a bed of roses”, one is bound to face obstacles along the pathway of life. Therefore, one must never even harbor the thought of giving up. As long as you have that kind of mindset, you will be able to overcome all odds and you would be able to succeed in whatever you do.

What It means to be Singaporean

This is the first draft of my essay entitled "What It means to be Singaporean". However I wrote the essay wrongly and the teacher actually requested for a story. However, I thought that this essay is worth taking some time and reading it. As it clearly shows the nature of Singaporeans. So, I hope you will enjoy it and agree regarding my point of view about what it means to be a true Singaporean.

A wave of nostalgia swept past me the very moment the airplane touched down on to Singapore. The feeling of being back in Singapore, brought back fond memories and reminded me of the good old times that I experienced while I was living here. Finally, I have returned to my home country. There is nothing better than being back in your homeland. I still recall that Singapore of the past was all but just a fishing village. But who would have known that in a span of time, a mere 46 years after gaining independence that Singapore has completely transformed. Now this island is a modern and industrialized location that has survived and proven to be able to thrive when face with difficult circumstances. It feels great to be able to live in the beautiful metropolis where everything is peaceful, no war and no natural disasters and that is exactly what Singapore is today.

The minute I got out of the airport, I instantly flagged for a taxi. In a jiffy, I reached the Ang Mo Kio hawker centre. I smiled, relishing the thought of the delectable food and the smell was so strong that I could scent it from a mile away. That made my tummy rumble and I quickened my steps anticipating the scrumptious Singaporean breakfast that I had been waiting for so long. At the hawker centre, I was spoilt for choice, there was chicken rice, fried noodles, carrot cake and many other excellent food. The hawker centre is indeed a utopia for classic, delicious food. After considering for some time, I decided to go with a plate of fishball noodles and a glass of sugarcane. In less than ten minutes, the entire bowl had been wiped clean and I was slurping on the last drops of sugarcane juice. The pleasant tasting food made my day and immediately lifted my spirits.

As the wet market is just a stone’s throw away from the hawker centre, I came to a decision whereby I would make a detour down to see the current condition of the wet market. At the juncture I arrived at my destination, the wet market was just as I remembered, the place was thronged with hordes of people purchasing their groceries, the stall vendors were amplifying their vices to attract customer to their stalls. “ Come now, one kilogram fish selling at only ten dollars, a must buy, you will find no better deal anywhere else.” At that moment, my eyes scanned the surroundings and instantaneously my eyes riveted at the common scene commonly found in a wet market. “Aiyah, uncle, why you sell these vegetables so expensive, cheaper by one dollar lah, don’t like that leh. Oh yah, can throw in some free chilies also, thank you ah uncle.” Ah, the sight of an auntie negotiating over the price of vegetables and being thick-skinned and asking for freebies , Singaporeans are just so calculative.

However, during the auntie’s conversation with the stall vendor, it triggered something, a quality that every Singaporean possesses. “Arh, lor, eh, lah, aiyoh.” The Singlish has no disappeared after what seemed like an eternity. It is obvious that the government’s “Speak Good English Campaign” has not been very successful. Due to the fact that Singapore is a multi-racial society. Naturally the presence of other races and their languages, especially various varieties of Malay, Chinese and dialects have immensely influenced the course of nature. In this case, causing a great impact towards the English of Singapore. The influence is peculiarly apparent in the kind of English that is used informally, which is popularly called Singlish by the locals, was born. Singlish is addictive, just like drugs. Once you get hooked on to speaking the language of Singlish, it will take a great amount of willpower and control in order to eradicate the habit. This is just the typical language used in Singapore. Furthermore, Singlish is more commonly used than Queen’s english. To many individuals living in Singapore, Singlish is a part of our very being. It is just like a badge of identity for us, a part of our soul.

Simultaneously, there was a pair of middle-aged aunties having a discussion about what their son’s future would be like. They were oblivious to they fact that I was eavesdropping on to their exchange of words. They said something about sending their child to the most prestigious school in Singapore and give them the best tuition, no matter the cost as long as their child is able to gain precious knowledge. This is another quality that Singaporeans own and it is inside their blood, flowing through their entire being. This quality is known as being “Kiasu” meaning Singaporeans are overaggressive in the bid to "win" to get what you want. To put it descriptively, you have an impulsive desire to get what you want even at the expense of doing silly things. Kiasuism has its good side and bad side. The positive side is that if you are Kiasu, it means you are serious and intended on getting something and willing to overcome all diificulties in order of getting it. The negative part is that it brings out the ugly side of human nature, Kiasuism can easily turned into selfishness and anti social behaviors.

In Singapore, there is finger-licking good food almost in every corner of the nation, the locals have the aspects of being Kiasu, speaking Singlish and some are calculative. Not to mention, some would go to extremes just for some freebies. In actual fact, these are the very attributes that make us stand out among the crowd, makes us unique as an individual and what is means to be a Singaporean lor.

Research on the holocaust

Discrimination against Jews - is it racial or religious?

For much of history, Jews have been the target of prejudice and hatred, which has resulted in Jewish discrimination, persecution, and expulsion from various lands. Persecution of the jews was the most terrible when the nazi's stepped in. The nazi's were very merciless towards the jews, and as hilter was discriminating jews, which is a religion. Hence, it is religious discrimination and not racial discrimination.

What are concentration camps?

Concentration camps were camps that the Jewish, Gypsie, or other people were forced to go to. Concentration camps in Amsterdam is the placed where enemies of the Nazis are starved, enslaved, tortured ,forced to do hard labour and killed . Adolf Htiler and the German Nazi Soldiers did not like those kind of people so they decided to put them in camps, called Concentration camps. They put them in these camps mostly based on their looks, appearance and their religion.

What is a 'genocide' or 'holocaust?

The term "genocide" did not exist before 1944. It is a very specific term, referring to violent crimes committed against groups with the intent to destroy the existence of the group. It comprises of two parts - 'geno-', which means tribe or race, and '-cide', which means killing or extermination.

The word 'holocaust' comes from the ancient Greek word for 'sacrifice by fire'. In the 19th century it was used to refer to mass slaughter, especially by fire. The mass killing of Jews by Nazis was referred to as 'this holocaust'.

What is Mein Kampf ?

Mein Kampf (English: My Struggle) is a book written by Nazi politician Adolf Hitler. It combines elements of autobiography with an exposition of Hitler's political ideology. Volume 1 of Mein Kampf was published in 1925 and Volume 2 in 1926. The book was edited by the former Hieronymite friar Bernhard Stempfle who later perished during the Night of the Long Knives. Hitler began the dictation of the book while imprisoned for what he considered to be "political crimes" after his failed Putsch in Munich in November 1923. Though Hitler received many visitors earlier on, he soon devoted himself entirely to the book. As he continued, Hitler realized that it would have to be a two-volume work, with the first volume scheduled for release in early 1925. The prison governor of Landsberg noted at the time that "he [Hitler] hopes the book will run into many editions, thus enabling him to fulfill his financial obligations and to defray the expenses incurred at the time of his trial."