Page 38 - kaleidoscope 2024 - 20.3.25

GROUP 5
and the lack of city life was driving me crazy. In a fit of rage, I slammed the chopsticks down
on the table and screamed, “Can’t you cook anything other than fish? I hate fish! I hate this
smelly place!” I got up and stomped out of the house, slamming the door behind me. My
grandmother tried yelling for me to come back, but I was too furious to pay any attention
to her.
I ran all the way down the road and stopped at a closed storefront. I was panting
heavily and the weather was very hot and humid. I stayed there for almost an hour, I was
angry at my parents for leaving me in this village, I was angry at my grandmother who only
cooked fish and I was also angry at my own luck, for having to end up in this horrible place
during the school holidays while my friends were probably having the time of their lives
back at home. However, eventually, my hunger and the never-ending amount of mosquitoes
buzzing around and leaving itchy red bites all over me got the better of me. I started trudging
back to my grandmother’s house.
By the time I reached her house, I was sweating from head to toe, covered in
mosquito bites and my stomach grumbles could probably be heard throughout the whole
village. I expected my grandmother to be fast asleep in bed, not caring whether or not I
was starving. Instead, she was sitting on a sofa in the living room, looking at the door with
a worried expression on her face. When she saw me, her expression relaxed, “You must
be hungry, come eat,” she said. Then she got up and headed to the kitchen. I stood there
frozen at the door, stunned that she was not furious at me. Suddenly, a delicious aroma
wafted out of the kitchen. I was absolutely emaciated from surviving merely on snacks this
week and I suddenly realised how long it had been since I last had a home-cooked meal.
When I entered the kitchen, I saw my grandmother stirring a pot on the stove and when she
saw me, she turned off the stove and got me a bowl. I was still embarrassed at my outburst
earlier and sat at the table without saying a word. She poured the contents into the bowl
and sat it in front of me; it was a bowl of fish porridge. “Sorry, I will go to the market and
buy some chicken tomorrow morning,” she said.
My hatred for fish was still strong, but I was starving. I picked up the spoon and
hesitated before taking a spoonful of porridge. It was surprisingly good; the porridge had
somehow reduced the strong taste of the fish. After a few gulps, I mumbled, “It’s okay, you
don’t have to.” As I said this, she gave me a warm smile and sat facing me at the table. I
smiled back at her. There were not a lot of words exchanged that night, but it said everything.
Since then, our relationship improved tremendously.
Now, I still have a strong dislike of fish. However, whenever
I ate a bowl of fish porridge, I am immediately transported back
to the smelly fishing village with no shopping malls and fast food
restaurants, with my loving grandmother and her steaming hot
bowl of fish porridge.
36 ......... English Essay Writing Competition
– SENIOR MIDDLE 2
Champion:
KENDRICK
YAP EE JUN
Class: 5 S Zhong
Describe several life
challenges
that moulded you into
the person you are today.
I take immense pride in myself, and people like me who keep trying even when the
bed pulls us down harder than gravity; when getting ready feels like torture; when living
feels like a burden. The person I am today, determined and strong, has overcome countless
curveballs thrown towards me, I have sunk into the deepest places, trapped in iron-barred
cages, engulfed by helplessness, still, I rise.
I was diagnosed with severe depression back in 2020, right when the pandemic
started. There were times when I lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling for hours.
Hopelessness reigned supreme in my mind. I would eat nothing for the day and ravage
through the kitchen to devour enormous amounts of food at 3 o’clock in the morning. I
would doomscroll on social media for as long as 13 hours a day. I thought about death
with every exhalation. The mere thought of that time still haunts me to this day. I was also
coerced to consult a therapist by my family. At first, I thought it was useless but I got better
and better day by day. Now, I can proudly announce that I am free from depression. This
painful experience reminded me of how precious life is, making me cherish life in every
aspect. I no longer see darkness ahead of me; instead, I see a bright and long future
awaiting me.
The pandemic was a painful time for me. My dearest grandmother, whom I
endearingly called “Popo”, was taken away cruelly by Covid-19. I remember holding her
pale and languid hand through plastic, listening to her last words while she was struggling
to breathe. Tears ran down my cheeks like rivulets. I begged the doctor to do something but
there was nothing they could do. I watched as the angel of death snatched the last breath
from my grandmother and I was shattered. The insurmountable grief trapped me in a deep
dungeon for several days; it was darker than the night as I could not function like a normal
human being. By some miracle, an epiphany ran through my mind, “Popo wouldn’t want to
see me like this.” I washed off the dried tears on my face and overcame the grief. I would
English Essay Writing Competition ......... 37