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GROUP 4
– SENIOR MIDDLE 1
Second Runner-Up:
CHAN LI TING
Class: 4AC Ren
My grandfather is a ray of sunshine; he usually likes to crack jokes and does not
take himself too seriously, so when he said something so deep, it left an impression on me,
even though I could not fully understand the weight of his words. I am a teenager now and
often feel like a hamster running in its wheel. Every day I repeat the same motions, wake Describe a specific moment
up, attend school, study, go back to my dorm, eat, sleep and repeat. The same endless
repetition and monotony consumes my days, weeks, and years. Now, just like the hamster, I from your past that evokes
am running yet going nowhere. As a child, everything was so fresh and new, every day was a
new adventure. Just thinking about tomorrow made me want to stay in bed. Many teenagers a strong sense of nostalgia.
enjoy fantasising about the jobs they may have in the future, the house they desire, the
person they wish to marry and the children they might have. Ten years down the line, I can
only see myself pushing through day after day at a job. When I lie awake at night watching
the hands of my wall clock tick into the ungodly hours of the morning or whenever I watch During the school vacation, my parents had to leave the country for a business
the sky turn from Prussian blue to lilac, and momentarily wonder if I can call in sick to lie in trip. I was 11, and my parents were not comfortable leaving me at home all alone, so they
bed, I think about my grandfather's words. Is this the life I want to remember? decided to let me stay at my grandmother’s house for the week while they were away. I
hated my grandmother’s house. She lived in a fishing village an hour away; there were no
shopping malls, no fast food restaurants, and everything smelled like fish. I protested all the
There is no way I can tie this up in a neat bow, wrapping my thoughts up in a way way in the car, but my groans and complaints had no effect on them. In less than an hour
that is palatable. Despite all my pondering, life goes on. One day, I will reach the same ripe and a half, I found myself in front of my grandmother’s house with my luggage, and my
old age as my grandfather and by then, he will be long gone, perhaps in a better place. I still parents driving away and leaving me in this smelly village.
have about 60 years to go to make something of myself. Maybe my grandfather said those
words to me because despite what he said, he had some secret regret about something he
did in the past and he was warning me not to repeat the same mistake, to think twice about My grandmother greeted me cheerfully at the door; I gave a half-hearted reply as
every choice I make lest I lead myself down a path I will regret taking 60 years from now. I walked in. I pulled my games console out of my backpack and plopped onto the sofa. I
My grandfather is not the kind of person stayed there playing games until my grandmother called me to the kitchen for dinner. There,
who would pass down a cryptic warning I was met with a horrible surprise. Almost every single dish had fish in it; there was fish soup,
like that. Considering his positive kung pao fish chunks and a big horrible platter of whole steamed fish in the middle of the
nature, he was likely encouraging me table. I was convinced its horrible glassy eyes were looking at me. I hated fish, so I spent
to make the best choices for myself—to the entire meal picking at my rice. After ten minutes of me absent-mindedly picking at my
follow my calling and carve out my own food, I got up and left the table, saying I was tired. “But there’s still so much food left!” My
path. Perhaps, one day, I would have grandmother called out as I was walking out of the kitchen, but I ignored her. Besides, I
the chance to pass on his wisdom to a brought a large stash of snacks with me from home. I will just eat that instead.
child with a bright and promising future.
Days passed by, I played games on my console all day, barely saying a word to my
grandmother. During mealtimes, I would pick at my food and then leave after a while to
eat my snacks. At first, she would try to bribe me into eating, but it was pointless and she
eventually stopped trying to make me eat. By the fifth day, my snacks were running low and
I realised I will have to eat her horrible fishy dishes. By dinnertime, I was completely out of
snacks. So this time, instead of just picking at my food, I had to actually eat it. I picked up
a piece of fried fish and took a bite. The taste of the fried fish Immediately filled my taste
buds. By then, I had completely lost my temper, the boring days spent in this smelly village
34 ......... English Essay Writing Competition English Essay Writing Competition ......... 35
