Everyone has been embarrassed at one time or another. It is that moment in time when you wish the earth would open up and swallow you. The anxiety and discomfort felt during that time which may only last a few seconds feels like time has stood still.

            I remember so well when I had my most embarrassing moment. I was in Form 4 and it was during the school recess. The minute the bell rang for recess, I rushed to the toilet because I had been controlling my urges since class started. I didn’t want to miss class because the lesson taught that morning was to include tips for the forthcoming examination.

            Without realising, I had rushed to the girls’ toilet. The prolonged control and an upset stomach made worse by two glasses of cold milk in the morning made me grunt and groan in what I thought in what I thought was the privacy of the cubicle. I thought I heard giggling outside and wondered why the giggles sounded unusually near. A few minutes later I came out the cubicle and discovered my horror that I had entered the girls’ toilet. To make matters worse, the few girls standing outside didn’t even turn away when I came out. Instead they looked down at me, then only they turned quickly away. Horror of horrors, I had forgotten to zip up! No beetroot could have matched the colour of my face at this point in time!

            They news of my predicament spread like wild fire throughout school. I was truly the talk of the town. I felt like I could either walk around feeling perpetually self-conscious and embarrassed or I could turn the situation round, perhaps even to my advantage. I remembered my mother’s words that ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’. So I decided to make fun of myself, to laugh at myself too. It works. Everyone got bored after a while and nobody teased me after that.

            It was indeed an eye-opening experience for me. I have learnt that when people laugh at you, you should laugh along. You must not take yourself seriously. Learn to look at yourself through other people’s eyes and you will realise that most of the time when they laugh at you, they just want to have some fun. They mean no harm. If you can make people laugh, it’s like bringing sunshine into their lives and as someone said, ‘those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.

Road accidents are reported in newspaper and on television every day. There are more frequently caused by reckless drivers rather than faulty vehicles. Last Saturday, while I was travelling from Ipoh, I witnessed a serious accident. The scene of the accidents was vivid in my mind.

            A motorcyclist was following behind was taxi very closely. He was so impatient that he was trying to overtake my taxi even near a sharp bend. At that critical moment, there was an oncoming car. The taxi driver swerved to the roadside and I got a terrible jolt. It was too late for the motorcyclist to avoid the car. His motorcycle ran against the bumper of the car and smashed its windscreen. The motorcyclist somersaulted over the car and was found lying in a pool of blood. It was a scene to chill the flesh! The car driver, who was cut by the flying glass, was in a state of shock. All that happened in split second and fear overwhelmed us.

            The taxi driver stopped his taxi and I quickly ran to the nearest to the nearest telephone booth to inform the police and the hospital. From a distance I could see some people trying to help the injured motorcyclist and the car driver. They carried them into one of the onlooker’s car and sent them to the hospital for treatment. Meanwhile the taxi driver tried to control and directs the traffic. Soon the police arrived and they promptly took some measurements and evidence. After that they moved the damaged car and the motorcycle to the roadside to ease the traffic congestion. They also took down the evidence provided by witnesses and onlookers. Some sweepers were clearing the debris and the blood stains on the road.

            When the taxi finally continued the journey, I silently thanked God for my narrow escape. I learned a good lesson that impatience and recklessness would bring harm and danger. I was happy to see that Malaysians are public-spirited and they render help to others readily. Since then I remember and follow the saying ‘more haste less speed’ and ‘prevention is better than cure’. I believe good road manners and roads safety campaigns can help to reduce the number of road accidents which cause injuries, loss and lives and properties.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is one of Asia's major aviation hubs and is a destination in itself. It is located at the top of the southern corridor of Peninsular Malaysia, bordering the states of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. It is situated in the Sepang district, approximately 50 km from the capital city, Kuala Lumpur. This RM 9 billion airport was opened by his majesty, the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Jaafar on June 27, 1998. The airport which covers 10 000 hectares of land took less than 5 years to build. It has a capacity to handle 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tonnes of cargo annually.

            Despite its mammoth size, it is user-friendly and as our former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad pointed out, it is not just an airport but a piece of art delicates to beauty as well as the environment. It is often described as the “airport in the forest, forest in the airport” because it is a futuristic structure set in rainforest landscaping. Lush tropical forests, with its diverse and exotic flora, skirt the entire airport structure.

            The control tower, standing at 130 metres, is one the tallest in the world. The colourful flora and the cascading waterfalls are part of spectacular and breathtaking sight which can be viewed from the Super View Corridor. Moving through the airport complex provides the visitor with glimpses of different forest – highlands, swamp, bamboo and multicoloured flora.

            The five-level Main Terminal building which is 241 000 squares metres, is located right at the heart of the airport complex. The building with its futuristic design of glass and steel is both the entry and exit point of passengers. On the top of the building is the departure concourse, and other facilities such as foreign exchange counters and international telephone facilities.

            The Satellite Building where passengers make connections to other international flights is linked to the Main International Building by an automated train shuttle. The Satellite Building houses lounges, prayers rooms, duty free shops and a 80-room hotel for transit passengers.

            The KLIA will be the country’s nucleus that will spearhead business and trade. It is expected to provide 30 000 jobs and reap economic benefits for the country. The successful completion of the airport well ahead of schedule reflects the ability of Malaysians to build a world-class airport that has become the pride of the country.

As the fourth and most dynamic Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad will indelible impression on the sands of Malaysia for many years to come. He held the post for 22 years from 1981 to 2003, making him Malaysia's longest-serving Prime Minister, and one of the longest-serving leaders in Asia.

            Born on 20th December, 1925 in Alor Setar, Dr. Mahathir is the son of a teacher. He is the youngest of nine children of a school teacher and a housewife. His father, Mohamad Iskandar, was of Indian descent, being the son of a Muslim and a Malay mother, while Mahathir's own mother, Datin Wan Tempawan Wan Hanafi, was Malay. He is married to Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah binti Haji Mohamad Ali, they have seven children, four sons and three daughters. From an early age, Tun Mahathir had the importance of education drummed into him by his father, who was also a strict disciplinarian.

            After his early education at the Maktab Sultan Abdul Hamid in Alor Setar, he enrolled at the King Edward VII College of Medicine in the University of Singapore. Armed with a MBBS degree in medicine, he set up his own clinic, the Maha Clinic in Alor Setar. As a doctor, Tun Mahathir came into close contact with people from variety of social strata and enjoyed a close rapport with them. He understood their problems. Thus, when he was thrust into the politic limelight, he strove to fulfil the needs of the people.

He was first catapulted into the world of politics when he became the Member of Parliement for Alor Setar in 1964. After holding a number of portfolios, including Minister of Education, Minister of Trade and  Industry and Deputy Prime Minister, he finally became the Prime Minister on 16th July, 1981. The countryflourished with Dr. Mahathir at the helm of the government. His contributions to the nation are so immense and par excellence. He has left his mark in every aspect – in politics, economy or education.

Realizing that government-owned enterprises are neither efficient nor profitable, he initiated the privation policy in 1983. This had immediate effect of cutting down bureaucratic ineptitude and operational cost while at the same time generating more revenue.

With collapse of the prices of agricultural commodities in the eighties, Tun Mahathir decided that it was time to shift the nation’s focus to more profitable areas. Thus, he started the industrialization programme. Reputed as the country’s top salesman, he showcased Malaysia to investors abroad in a bid to woo them.  As a result of the heavy industrialization drive, major projects like national car project or PROTON and the steel company, PERWAJA, together with other mega project were launched one after another. Next, realizing that industrialization would require a good infrastructure, he set about improving it. The Mahathir era saw a successful completion of the North-South Highway, the East-West Highway, the Multimedia Super Corridor, the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang and many more.

An astute politician, he charted the growth of the country’s progress from the day he took office. He envisages that Malaysia can only attain the status of a fully developed country if it becomes an industrialization one and this ambition has been his main agenda during his tenure. With this in mind, he announced Vision 2020, his most ambitious vision.

Frank and outspoken by nature, Tun Mahathir speak without fear nor favour. This has been the hallmark of thus much respected statesman. The inefficiency of local and international organizations has always come under his scrutiny and critism.

It has been almost two decades since Tun Mahathir took over reins of the government. It has undoubtedly been the golden era for Malaysia with many notable achievements.

       A very good morning to our dear Principal, Mr. Hasnan bin Jaafar, teachers and students.

            Recently, our former Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi launched an anti-smoking campaign called “Tak Nak”. You can now see this short and rhyming catch phrase “Tak Nak” everywhere – on billboards, posters, TV ads, and sometimes I even hear it on the radio. Though some people have criticised our government for setting aside a staggering sum of RM100 million over 6 years for the campaign, it is nothing compared to the huge amounts that tobacco companies spend to promote smoking.

            But in this war against smoking, money definitely talks; it is necessary for the Tak Nak Campaign to constanly remind us of the hazard of smoking because about 50 Malaysian teenagers light up for the first time every day. In fact, some of these youth progress steadily from this to regular use, with addiction raking hold within a few years. And this is despite the warning on every pack of cigarettes that states unequivocally “Smoking is dangerous to your health”.

            What can the Tak Nak Campaign do to combat this? Their aggressive advertising creates media awareness among the public, especially among the fashionable young crowd, that smokers have yellowed teeth and suffer from shortness of breath and tells them that it is not cool to smoke. It is also not responsible of them to affect non-smokers with second-hand smoke.

            Also, there is a succession of infomercials on TV and in the papers showing the debilitating effects of tobacco addiction on the body and gruesome statistics of smoke-related deaths. We are now familiar with the graphic pictures of damaged lungs on billboards which should scare people into not smoking. This works, as I know some of my friends are quitting now, or trying to reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke per week.

            However, I feel any anti-smoking campaign is more effective if other people and organisations are actively involved too. Yes, the first step has been taken by the top, but sad to say, many of our politicians smoke themselves. Nearer to home, so do some of our parents and teachers.

            These adults have to be good role models by not smoking themselves. If they do smoke, they should tell their children and students that they regret that they ever started, and then take steps to quit smoking as soon as possible. They must practise what they preach.

On a more positive note, I commend the Malaysia Amateur Athletic Union for its zero-tolerance of smoking because they know that smoking and health just do not mix. How can our sportsmen excel if they cannot stop smoking.

Dear teachers and students, thank you for your attention. Let me end my speech by reiterating that smoking is a bad habit, so make Tak Nak your mantra. If you have started smoking, say Tak Nak and quit! And if you haven’t started smoking, say know that smoking not only damages your health but you are also literally burning your money.

Your friend in Singapore has written to you to inform you that his cousin in Penang was down with dengue fever. He would like to know the situation in Malaysia as he plans to bring his family over for the holidays in June. Write a letter to brief him about the current situation.


In your letter, include the following:

express concern over the health of your friend’s cousinnews about the situationsteps taken authoritiespresent situation


Do remember to:

use the informal letter formatuse all the points givenexpand each of the points givenwrite in paragraph


No. 34, Street of Fame,

Taman Bukit Bintang,

Bukit Bintang,

67500 Ipoh,

Perak


14 January 2011


Dear John,

           

            How are you? I’m sorry to hear that your cousin had dengue fever. This problem seems to have become very serious all of sudden. We always feel that the problem is not our concern until someone close to us is affected.

            My neighbour’s daughter who was in Standard 6 last year could not sit for UPSR examination because she was down with dengue fever on the eve of the exam. Fortunately, the authorities gave her an exemption so she is now in Form One. There were also a few students taking the examination in the hospital.

            According to the news, students made up nearly 30 per cent of the 1 500 suspected cases over the first three weeks of the year. About 53 per cent of 621 confirmed cases last year comprised children and youth under the age of 24. These statistics are quite worrying. This has prompted the health ministry to increase checks on aedes breeding grounds in school and public areas. The construction sites are largely to blamed. The problem is made worse by the rainy season. The stagnating water attract the mosquitoes to lay egg and breeding on the areas.

            The authorities have taken various steps to control the situation. Fogging has been carried out in many public areas and most of the housing estates. Contractors at the construction sites have been instructed to take appropriate actions and warned to clean up. They could be fined up to RM 3 000 for breeding aedes mosquitoes. Lot of campaigns through the television, radio and newspapers were taken to make people aware of the issue and take precaution rather than cure them.

            Before the long holidays for the Chinese New Year, schools all over Malaysia carried out a clean-up campaign of the school compound. The residents’ association in my housing are also organised a family day clean-up of the housing estate. There were huge piles of rubbish especially old tyres and containers littered by the hawkers near the might market site.

            The situation in Malaysia has improved since the end of January. There have been no reports of new cases of dengue. So, don’t worry. You can bring your family for a holiday here in June. I’m looking forward to seeing them again.

            Send my regard to your mom and dad. Do take care.


Yours sincerely,

Harun Din

 Raju a/l Lingam,

123 A, Lorong Bahagia,

Taman Sentosa,

07231 Bandar Baru Sentol,

Kelantan

_________________________________________________________________________


The President,

Bandar Baru Sentol Council,

Kompleks Utama,

07200 Bandar Baru Sentol                                                                             16 JUNE 2011


Dear Sir,

Uncollected Rubbish and Clogged Drains


I am writing this letter is to attract your attention to the above title. As the representative of the community, I am calling to tell you that the 300 odd residents living in Taman Sentosa are extremely unhappy about the lackadaisical attitude of the local town council towards the uncollected rubbish and clogged drains in our area.


2.         The rubbish in our area has not been collected for more than a week. The rubbish is supposed to be collected on alternate days but this has not been the case. The town council workers collect the rubbish according to their own whims and fancies. The uncollected garbage has attracted not only flies and mosquitoes but also wild dogs which had attacked the residents on several occasions. These stray animals also scatter the rubbish and make the roads dirty and smelly. As a result, residents have to bear the discomfort of stench from the garbage and risk their health.


3.         We are also disappointed with the town council workers for not clearing the clogged drains which are filled with rubbish. The drains would usually overflow when there is heavy rain and the rubbish would then flow into the compounds of our houses. Besides, putting up with the unbearable stench emitted from them, the residents have to spend hours cleaning their compounds of rotten vegetables, food leftovers and other rubbish.


4.         Due to dengue outbreak recently, we are really concerned about the residents’ health especially the children. Fogging service also was not done accordingly to the schedule. The fogging authority only did their job whenever a case of dengue aroused. They even fogging the neighbourhood late at night that caused us to leave the residents. They need to consider the residents who have babies and also to those who need to wake up early in the morning for work. The fogging also caused the people to have breathing problem when we were not told the exact time of fogging.


5.         We have made numerous appeals to the Municipal Council to look into our complaints but to no avail. We have been putting up with this predicament for more than a week. We hope the health authorities would do something to check these health hazards.


Thank you.


Yours faithfully,

Raju

(RAJU a/l MANIAM)

   It is a big concerned for teenagers nowadays as they are unaware of the importance of English language as they tend to ignore to learn the language. Students’ attitude towards the language is also crucial to make sure that these teenagers can face the future world better by learning English language as it is an international language.

            Although the government has repeatedly told us of the importance of English, many students are still not bothered about studying it seriously. There is also a campaign that still on to make all the Malaysian becomes a better English learner, which is ‘Enhance Proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia, Strengthen the English’. English is the most important and the most useful language in the world today. There are many reasons why you should study the language properly.

            First and foremost, English will definitely help you a lot when you want to further studies. Almost all books at university are written in English in all subjects. Plus, it is a compulsory for any candidate to pass English with credit before entering any universities. So, if you are poor in English, you will blow you chance for better education or worse, you are going to have a big problem studying at university.

            The second reason why you have to study English well is that it will help you to get a job. When you go for a job interview, the interviewer will surely talk to you in English. The first impression you should give in order to success and have the job is, to respond in English fluently. Your chances of getting the job are very slim if you stutter while interviewing.

            A good command in of English will also help you greatly in your job. If the company you work is actively involved in international trade, you have to speak to prospective customers in English. Miscommunication might occur if your English is bad. And this will put your company at risk and you will likely be dismissed if this happen.

            Good English will also help you a lot when you travel. Every country in the world studies English. Even the roadside stall-holders in China speak fairly good English! At least some of the people you meet on your travels in other countries can understand English. The language is certainly practical when you are lost in your trip. Communication problem will not happen if you can converse well in English. Inevitably, English is one of the languages used in any airport in the world in making announcement. Knowing English well, therefore, make travelling overseas easier.

            Besides all these, entertainment is one of the major advantages you will experience if you good in English. You will enjoy television’s best programmes. We must admit that many of the best programmes are produced by the Americans and British companies. High self confidence influenced by the programmes will indirect inculcate in yourself when you are fluent in the language. Quality time is worthily spent if you understand and enjoy the programmes.

            Based from all the above elaboration, I hope that students will see the importance and realise how importance the language is for their own future. Although it is a second language in our country, it is now a main language all over the world.

      The haze is a constant phenomenon faced by Malaysia and her neighbouring countries. The haze is basically pollution of atmosphere, which is clogged with pollutants and other substances from forest fires.

    Nowadays, the use of Internet is increasing especially among adolescence or more accurately, students. The Internet issue is discussed by the adults and parents. Most of them are worried that the use of Internet is dangerous to their kids. Some others said that Internet may bring benefits to their children especially to those who will be sitting for an examination.

          On my opinion, Internet has both benefits and drawbacks. First of all, let me  talk about the benefits first. As we know, Internet is mostly used by students. By surfing internet, students can visit various websites to assist their studies. The examples of popular websites are tutortv.com , unicliq.com , and tutor.com.my. They can visit the websites and revise their studies in more exciting way. Some of  them are free. Students can visit it anytime they want. The websites also provide useful notes and exercises. At the same time, students can get additional information that they cannot find it in books. For instance, they can go to 'Google' or 'Yahoo' search engines to search for more ideas to write an essay. In short, Internet provides vast informations and knowledge which is very beneficial for the students.

          Next, Internet also provides lots of social networks such as Facebook , Twitter, MySpace and many other. Through these social networks, we can add more friends and make new friends. We can also know friends from other country as these social networks are used internationally. Other than adding friends, we can also strengthen our relationship with our friends and family who are staying far away from us using Skype. We can see them in front of our eyes eventhough they are actually far away  from us through web camera.

          Besides, Internet also offers entertainment. We canwatch videos of our favourite artists by just one click through 'Youtube' website. We can also watch favourite movies without paying. Plus, there are many artists born from 'Youtube'. So, fans can know more about the artists from Youtube. Meanwhile, 4shared.com provides tracks, videos and files  that can be downloaded for free!  Internet users can enjoy themselves at anytime watching their favourite artists' performance for free.

          Internet doen not only offersbenefits for students but also to those who want to gain more money. It also provides business opportunities. As for example, mudah.my gives a wide room for surfers to promote anything they want to sell. Through this, people with no job can gain money and support their lives by doing the online business.

          However, as I said earlier, Internet also brings bad effects to its users. Firstly, it can encourage cyber crimes. Besides that, students who spend too much time on Internet may neglect their studies and do not finish their homework. This should be avoided as studies are important especially to teenagers.

          Although Internet can add more friends to our list, yet, it still can develop anti-social behaviour. Not all of the users use Internet to make friends, someof them only play video games or just sit down wayching videos on Youtube. They will only sit and ignore what is happening around them. The worst thing is, they may not realise that there is an earthquake out there! This anti-social behaviour may leads to health problems. The users will just stay at home and sit in front of computer and this will cause them to be lazy couch potatoes. It will also lead to obesity.

         Next, most students will not attracted to surf knowledgeable websites, but wasting their time on other non-beneficial things. Wasting timeon Internet can cause students to neglect their studies. Not only time is wasted but also money. With the uses of more electricity non-stop, utility bills may increase dramatically. We just not pay for the electric bills but also internet monthly bills.

        The conclusion is, everything has its own benefits and drawbacks. However, it depends on how we are using it. If we spend more time using it for benefits, we will get positive effects. But if we use it more to non-beneficial things, we will get negative effects. So, it depends on you.

Friends are people whom we turn to when our spirits need a lift. They are always by our side through thick and thin. They stand beside us even when our disposition is not perfectly right and will fight for us if we are oppressed. Therefore, it is clear that friends play a vital role in shaping who we are today. But what qualities exactly do we need to look for in a friend?
A friend should always be caring towards you. He or she should take interest in your problems no matter how big or petty your problem may be. A friend should be able to sit beside you and encourage you to keep your chin up even when everyone else is against you. A friend’s empathy and lovingness will also replenish your worn-out soul and will make you realize how important a friend really is.
Apart from that, a friend should be an honest person. An honest friend will dissipate any worries that he or she is lying towards you. A friend’s honesty will enable you to trust his or she’s opinion when it comes to telling you the truth about yourself. For example, an honest friend will remand you on your declining grades and will ask you to work harder while a dishonest friend will see it with a blind eye. Therefore, an overall improvement in yourself will be noticeable if you have an honest friend.
Moreover, a friend should be generous both emotionally and knowledge wise. A friend who is generous ought to be able to connect with you and provide emotional support. He or she should also be generous when it comes to sharing knowledge. A true friend must be ever-ready to help you when you are inept in certain subjects. A friend can easily guide you towards understanding the subject matter better as he or she is often on the same page as you. The only difference is that you can’t quite grasp the content of the page per se.
Besides that, a friend must also be able to humour you. Humour plays a quintessential role in making your day more lively and enjoyable. Friends who pull your leg and mess about will indefinitely make life seem so much better. As they say, laughter is the best medicine and a little levity on rainy days is always welcomed.
In conclusion, friends are people we spend most of our time with. Thus, we have to be selective when it comes to choosing our friends.

Today,I would like to share with you about 10 idioms that you can use in your english essay.I hope it can be useful to you...