My First Holiday Abroad. Kota Medan, Indonesia Part I

Assalamualaikum...

Since my childhood, I always wanted to travel abroad and visit other countries and experience the difference in culture, religion and language. I only able to fulfil my childhood dreams recently, at the end of 2015 with my family. We went to Medan, Indonesia.

It was a short and fully scheduled trip to Medan. As I arrived, our tourist guide, Ahmad Akbar Khan, greeted me at Kuala Namu International Airport and drove straight to fetch my family members at a hotel in the middle of Kota Medan. I was a day later since I have something to do in KL.

Then, we went for lunch at a restaurant, Cinde Laras, which is famous for it's Ayam Penyet. It's a spicy dish of rice, grilled/fried chicken, tempe, raw vegetables (cabbage) and the spicy sambal. I was informed by Ahmad that Cinde Laras has a quite number of restaurants around Medan and Kota Medan itself.

Replica of Istana Mae'mon at Kuala Namu International Airport

We visited Istana Mae'mon, the palace for the ruling Malay Sultanate of Kota Medan once. Kota Medan was ruled by the Sultanate of Melayu Deli before Indonesia become a republic country. Now, the palace become a museum of the Sultanate of Melayu Deli of Kota Medan.

Then, Ahmad drove us to Danau Toba. It took about 5 to 6 hours of driving through  side country side of Medan. We passed by few beautiful places before arrived at Parapat. We stayed a night at  Toba Lakeside Resort. You don't need air-condition here because Danau Toba is located among the highland forest. It was such a magnificent view of the Lake and I couldn't imagine that there is a huge lake among the hills and mountains. Allahu Akbar.

Few photos I took of the Danau Toba (Lake Toba)

The next morning, we went to Samosir Island, the island located in the middle of the lake. I was told that the island is as big as Singapore. We visited Batak Toba's ancestors tomb and walked along a long path of souvenirs stalls.

Souvenirs stalls

A jetty at Samosir Island

The map of Lake Toba and Samosir Island

Turn over a new leaf

Assalamualaikum...

It's been long since my last post in this blog. Going to start posting again. A lot of new experiences and stories needed to be told and a lot of information needed to be shared. Stick around and let me amaze you with my stories and information.

See ya!

The Benefits of Kybun footwear - summary

Original passage

We love shoes and have been guilty of subjecting out our feet to pain because of fashion. We wear shies that restrict our movements and the heels put pressure of our whole body on the front of our feet. These affect our posture and bone tructure.
Now, Kybun footwear (also known as Kyboots) is made differently from other shoes. They are not just ahoes but also health and training equipment. They are soft and have high spring effect. "We have national athletes who have used these shoes and found them to increase their speed and jumping ability," claims Karl Muller, the founder of this Swiss footwear.
Kyboots do not wear out easily. Even if they are worn eight hours a day, the soles will not even wear out a milimetre. They also make you feel barefooted and your heels are not grazed.
It may sound expensive to pay RM1000 for just a pair of shoes but they train the leg muscles. Some people who want to relax their backs may also want to buy them.

Adapted from New Straits Times, 20 June 2012.

Suggested answer
Wearing Kybun footwear is beneficial to us because they are not just shoes but also a health and training equipment. Kyboots are also known for its durability. Furthermore, they make you feel shoeless and will not graze your heels. Besides, they train the leg muscles and those who want to relax their backs may also want to buy them.

(60 words)

Dengue Menace - Article

   Recently, Tawau was highlighted in news - not for a glamorous reason of celebrities gossips or political issues but due to 50 deaths caused by aedes mosquitoes. The Ministry of Health showed as many as 400 cases of dengue fever was recorded in General Hospital in the state of Sabah. This figure does not include the cases referred to private clinics. The authority believed there could be some unreported cases happened in the interior part of Sabah.

   The worst dengue imfested areas are in the city vicinity such as Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau. The authority had done a survey and found that there are several factors causing this menace. Firstly, it is caused by irresponsible litter-bugs who habitually throw or discard used containers which causing clogged drains. While some of these discarded containers collect rain water which later become the breeding ground for aedes larvae. Besides, some garden enthusiasts use the diacarded tyres as pots for their ornamental plants. However, they neglected to maintain the cleanliness and rain water collected inside the tyres making them a condusive breeding surface for the aedes.

   The Ministry of Health in collaboration with Town Municipal Board had organized several programmes to educate the public regarding this menace. The topmost priority is that public should be aware of the symptoms of dengue fever. The public are taught to recognize dengue fever symptoms such as rashes or red dots eruptions on skin, high fever and unusual tiredness or lethargy. The authority advise the public if they experiences any of the symptoms mentioned, they should immediately seek medical treatment from hospital or clinics nearest to their residential areas.

   Town board workers had been going around during the clean-up campaign held by the Town Municipal Board recently. Residence of Taman Wawasan was proactive and works hand in hand with these workers to spruce up the vicinity around their housing area.

   The Ministry of Health urged the public to play an active role in combatting this menace. It is undeniable with active participation from the public would ensure greater success of curbing the rising rate of dengue cases.

The Railway Children (Themes)

BLACK - THE THEME

BROWN - EXPLANATION

BLUE - TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
  
The Importance of a Family
The Children are always together either at the railway line, railway station and even when they collect gifts for Perks.
"Let's go and look at the railway," said Peter. (pg. 8)
... the children went to fetch the presents which other people had promised... (pg 36)
 
Hope and Optimism

Bobbie has high hopes that the Old Gentleman can help her seek the truth about her father's innocence.

But Bobbie did think about it. She did not talk to Peter or Phyllis, but she wrote a letter - to the old gentleman. (pg 42)

Coping with Hardship

The characters in this novel are resilient and courageous as they go through hardship and difficulties without complaints or despair.

"We can't take everything," Mother told them. "Just the necessary things. We have to play 'being poor' for a while." On their last night in the house Peter had to sleep on the floor, which he enjoyed very much. "I like moving," he said (pgs 4, 5) 

The children did not go to school now, and Mother spent every day in her room, writing stories. sometimes she managed to sell a story to a magazine, and then there were cakes for tea. (pg 12)

Bravery

The children risk their lives to prevent a train accident.
They try to stop the train by standing on the railway line (pgs 30, 31)
Bobbie did not move from the line. She waved and waved  her flags, shouting, "stop, stop!" as the big black engine came towards her. (pg 31) 

Perseverance

Bobbie keep on wondering about her father and insist on proving that he is innocent

Students! You don't need to memorize everything. Pick the best that you can remember the most and elaborate your idea.