B.U.L.L.Y.I.N.G.

I've only been in ISKL for a couple of months, but I remember last year, in my old school, I observed several cases of bullying. There was this particular incident in which a close friend of mine was seen by me bullying a smaller boy in the school corridors. All this while, I had never suspected him of being capable of such a cowardly act. But, I suppose he never showed this dark side of him to me. I remember it was a Monday morning, just after the school assembly, when I was on my way to class that I saw the incident which left me with feeling of disgust. I saw my friend ( let's call him Jimmy ), twisting the arm of a first grader and demanding his lunch money. The little boy was seen sobbing away while grimacing in pain. I hid behind a pillar and watched the whole episode unfold. I didn't intervene because I suppose I was too surprised and remained rooted to the spot. I saw the little boy hand over some money to Jimmy. I heard Jimmy laugh and then roughly push the boy away. Within seconds, he swaggered away leaving the boy crying uncontrollably. I was in two minds in whether to comfort the boy ,but I, still believed that Jimmy was incapable of committing such a violent act.

Later that day, I confronted Jimmy about what had happened earlier and he sheepishly replied that it was all a joke. Despite this explanation as I had seen everything with my own eyes, I only wished that I had been brave enough and had the presence of mind to do something when the first-grader was being bullied. Somehow, I felt that it was my fault. I learnt never to trust Jimmy again after that day and hope that should I ever be involved in a similar situation, I would find the courage to speak out and stand up for what is right. The very least I could have done was to have reported the case to the school authorities. I believe that bullies are just cowards turned inside out and need to be educated and understood in order for them to change.


In my opinion, everybody is entitled to certain rights, especially the right to be educated in a safe and conducive environment. In order to ensure this, I have set up 2 goals for this year namely, to report any episodes of suspected bullying that I come across or has been related to me. I will then leave it to the relevant authorities to handle the problem as they would be in a better position to do so. Secondly, I have decided that , as a student of ISKL, I am duty-bound to look after the welfare of my fellow students and will , in future, speak out against all cases of bullying and school violence. To this end, I am committed to any campaign against bullying that the school may undertake and will do my utmost to ensure its success.

Courage...

          I have always been afraid of being at the center of attention. I don't mind so much, talking on a conversation level with others but the idea of speaking in public or performing in front of an audience just scares me, leaving me   dry - mouthed and a stomach full of butterflies. I have always tried to avoid being caught in such a situation and sometimes went out of the way just to excuse myself from being caught by surprise. I don't really know how this started but, I suppose there must have been an incident in the past which may have left me looking foolish or embarrassed.

         This fear reached new heights when I first entered ISKL this year when I signed up for theater as one of my courses at my parents insistence. I was asked to read out a short speech in front of my new found friends as part of a learning project. I began to worry as soon as I was given the assignment even though my speech was only a paragraph long and was three days away. I tried practicing in front of my parents and alone in front of a mirror but I still could not get through a single sentence without feeling faint. Stuttering through my lines, I could barely speak much less remember what I had to say. The night before my speech I could barely sleep and tossed and turned in bed all night long.

         The next morning, I confided in my father and voiced out my fear of the stage. It took a lot from me to say it out loud but I did it anyway because I was hoping that he would let me stay home from school. I was in for a surprise when he simply laughed out loud and said that he was once like me but overcame his discomfort of being in the public eye by imagining every member in the audience were just in their underwear and that he was the only one fully clothed. He said that the trick is to be sincere and to be myself and if I manage to accept the way I am, then others would surely accept me. For those that didn't, it wouldn't matter anyway. I took his advice and even though it was nerve - wrecking for the first few minutes, I suddenly saw my friends and teachers in their underwear and laughed out loud on stage. This laughing feat lasted for a few minutes and some of my friends in the audience laughed with me even though they did not know why. It broke the tension in the room and I felt my body relax and went on with my speech without  problem. At the end of it, I realized that all that was needed, was to be myself regardless of how others see me and to be confident of my own abilities. I left the stage feeling a sense of achievement and awareness that I can overcome my fears, real or imagined if I face up to them and have the support of those who care for me. Nowadays, I feel less nervous going up on stage as I did before. I hope that one day, this fear will completely disappear.

       


Graphic source:http://www.google.com.my/imgres?imgurl=http://waterwordsthatwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/environmental-communication-03202009.jpg&imgrefurl=http://waterwordsthatwork.com/2009/03/20/environmental-writing-tip-2/&usg=__MSYA-BTiSlldjdRSVIokxrPmOpE=&h=422&w=425&sz=66&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=9-IatRbrlU1v8M:&tbnh=140&tbnw=141&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dstage%2Bfright%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D617%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=592&vpy=260&dur=8113&hovh=224&hovw=225&tx=108&ty=70&ei=24yHTIWhOM_tcKjKoPAK&oei=24yHTIWhOM_tcKjKoPAK&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0

Alex's Awesome Blog of Awesomeness with Awesome on top!!

Alex's Awesome Slide Show

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How can understanding the past, help us to understand the world?

          In my opinion, this question is best answered on three levels, namely my personal level, at my community level and at a global scale. I would like to know where I came from and how I came to be what I am, today. The past, therefore, directly affected me in that my parents' background and condition has placed me into my present position. This arrangement can be followed further back into the past to see how my grandparents and forefathers had lived. Their successes, failures, discoveries and way of life has evolved into the way that I am living my life today.

         At the community level, being of the Malay race, I can trace my history to settlements in the Malay Peninsula from the Island of Sumatra. I understand from my father that these ancestors of ours were originally from Cambodia, perhaps people who migrated from the mighty Angkowat after embracing Islam.Tracing history further, these Khmer's were believed to be from South China, who moved south at about the time of Jesus Christ. It can therefore be seen that my heritage and custom is intertwined with others of similar background.

          On a global scale, I would like to know how mankind has progressed and evolved over the centuries. From makers of crude stone tools to the technological advances today. Most of the successors, if not all were built based on the previous achievements of others. One discovery has lead to another and opened up new thoughts. Past mistakes, wars, famines and plagues were gave invaluable in not what to do. For me this journey of mankind, also known as HISTORY is yet to be fully written and is probably just at its beginning...

Graphic source: http://www.funnytimes.com/playground/gallery.php?tag=history,http://www.google.com.my/imgres?imgurl=http://www.kidspast.com/images/stone-tools.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0015-neanderthals-and-tools.php&usg=__rjeOz8P9O1tqvmCwc_aT7-9-kTM=&h=363&w=400&sz=83&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=yLZM5MT-TK0NAM:&tbnh=151&tbnw=168&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dprehistoric%2Bstone%2Btools%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D617%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=151&vpy=91&dur=630&hovh=184&hovw=202&tx=160&ty=117&ei=KE9-TOziBI-8cZXu_cYJ&oei=KE9-TOziBI-8cZXu_cYJ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0

"Dream Job"...

          HI, Alex here. This week in school, I've been introduced to some of the roles played by social scientists. Archeologists, historians and geographers. Now, I have to choose which "dream" job I would pick. So, since I'm a HUGE history buff, I'd definitely choose to be a historian.

           




(Cecil Rhodes, a well-known historian who is famous for discovering South Africa.)

     History to me means what has happened in the past. I find this fascinating because it helps answer where we came from and where we are going to. Because the past influences the present and the future, I believe that by studying history, we can gain a better understanding of what we are and to avoid making mistakes for the future.

Here are several reasons why I believe I would be great at this job:

• I feel that I have a connection with the past
• I want to know where we came from and where we are going to
• I'm curious to learn about  unforgettable characters that will be forever remembered

          
         A bit about the word history can be divided into two parts which are pre-history meaning the time before the written word and normal history that is when the past is sat down in some kind of permanent record. It is believed that the Sumerians invented the earliest form of writing called pictograph ( picture-writing ) at around 3500 B.C. The ancient Egyptians also invented hieroglyphics around 3000 B.C which is more than 5000 years ago.In my travel to Cairo, I was lucky enough to see some of these on the inner walls of the temples there. I'm also intrigued at how people and places change over the years. It can be seen that the history of the world is full of drama, wars, adventures, human achievements and unforgettable characters.

          Artifacts from the past such as mummies and parchment help bring history to life. To me, these help to breach the gap between our present and our past. I try to imagine what it must have been like to live the life of real people who lived and walked the Earth long, long ago. I suppose that we probably share many similarities and hopes and dreams. Reading about times of famine, plagues and wars, I feel grateful that I am living at the present time and place, where peace, human understanding and achievements are happening all around me.

          I feel that I am going to be great at this job because I would like very much to share this sense of awareness with others.Well, that's the end of my blog post... Please keep up! Farewell...

(Another famous historian and/or archeologist, Heinrich Schliemann is known as the discoverer of Troy.)











Graphic source: http://www.google.com.my/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nndb.com/people/844/000060664/cecil-rhodes.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.nndb.com/people/844/000060664/&h=284&w=225&sz=21&tbnid=a2mMvGF3u888bM:&tbnh=114&tbnw=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcecil%2Brhodes&hl=en&usg=__zQmh38rFmD-10Rvl7FC9pSFVfhM=&sa=X&ei=7ehnTPszw9dxusr5jwU&ved=0CDcQ9QEwBA

Graphic source: http://www.google.com.my/imgres?imgurl=http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00156/images/potraitofschliemann.jpg&imgrefurl=http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00156/heinrichschlieman.html&h=440&w=289&sz=35&tbnid=luLKajCZHkpzWM:&tbnh=127&tbnw=83&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dheinrich%2Bschliemann&hl=en&usg=__hdhbD2xHNTnBVlH4bu2Am2OucQw=&sa=X&ei=R-hnTJDEF43BceGM3Y8F&ved=0CC4Q9QEwBA

Me, myself and I

          Hello, people of Earth and beyond!!! My name is Alex Iskandar and I'm currently studying in middle school. Some of you may already know me, but if you don't, I'm going to tell you a few things about myself. Malaysia, is where I come from.It's also the best country in the world. Malaysia boleh!! . Reading Marvel comics and  fantasy novels are a few of my hobbies.  I only have one sibling, my older sister, Freida. She's also my best friend. Right now, she's currently studying overseas at Melbourne, Australia. My dad works as a cosmetic surgeon and my mother is an accountant. Both of them work for the same company and I love them very much.

          I've read many, many books. From the thinnest comics to the thickest novels, I've read them all. I'm always seen carrying a book. My imagination soars higher with every book I read. The last three I've read also happen to be some my favorites which are The Lord Of The Rings by J.R.R Tolkien, Warhammer 40,000 Emperor's Mercy by Henry Zou and my personal favorite, Diary of A Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney.If you ask me, I'd recommend these books to anyone.

           Movies, movies, movies!!! I absolutely love mystery movies . Especially ones which have a good twist in the end. The last movie I saw was Shutter Island. It was amazing! The plot was fantastic and the actors were brilliant. It also raises some interesting questions..But, you have to watch the movie to find out!

            Recently, I had just entered a new school and I'm not too used to it yet. But, I do already have some goals planned  that I want to achieve. This year, my main academic goal is to excel at all my classes and get straight A's on my report card. Not only will it make me happy, but it'll also make my parents proud. For my social goal, I want to be able to make some new friends and to fit in with everybody else. 

              About month ago, my family and I went to London for a few weeks over the summer vacation. Sure, it was a 15-hour flight, but it was definitely worth it. On the first day, we took a train all the way to Windsor. When we arrived, the first stop we went to was Lego-land. It was so much fun, I didn't want to leave. We ended up spending the whole day there. That was definitely the highlight of our trip.

          Here are 5 adjectives that I think describes me perfectly:

• Healthy
• Artistic
• Powerful                                                         
• Playful
• Young

            I am H.A.P.P.Y!! 

         

            Well, that's all there is to this blog post. There really isn't much to say. I hoped you enjoyed reading about me. Please keep up with with my new blog posts :) See you next time!! Bye-bye...