I-Think 2013

To remain competitive in the world, Malaysia needs to embrace change and become an innovation economy.

To achieve our goal, the Ministry of Education & Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM) jointly created the i-THINK project.

i-THINK equips Malaysia's next generation of innovators to think critically and be adaptable in preparation for the future.

The project helps schools impart thinking skills to students, allowing them to be lifelong learners; great at solving problems and coming up with creative solutions.
Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM) is a statutory body set up by the Malaysian Government to drive and sustain progress for Malaysia by accelerating a culture of innovation.

Providing equal opportunities to quality education for all is the Ministry of Education’s primary focus. Malaysia’s educational goals are manifested in the National Educational Philosophy (NEP) with the ultimate aim of achieving the nation’s vision to prepare children to become knowledgeable and skilled individuals to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.

Emphasis is placed on science, technology and information technology, as well as inculcating good moral and work ethics. This remains the central focus pursuant to developing a world-class curriculum that will help teachers, parents and children keep up with the accelerating pace of economic and technological changes.


Access, equity and quality education will ensure a progressive future for Malaysia, even in inaccessible areas. Under the 10th Malaysia Plan, new initiatives are further enhanced through the entire educational developmental lifecycle, from early childhood education to basic education and tertiary education and all the way to adult working lives. The National Key Result Areas (NKRAs) for education under the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) provide the roadmap with detailed objectives, outcomes and set of actions to address these challenges in our endeavours to ensure that quality education is available to all.

PRO-ELT Programme 2012

PRO-ELT Programme 2012-2013

For English teachers

Our 1st class with Mr Justin Bieber...opss.. Justin Miller

See you next year.....

WELCOME 2013...

GOOD LUCK & TRY YOUR BEST......

PMR 2012 STUDENTS.......

STAY HEALTHY AND DO YOUR BEST...............

THE FRUITCAKE SPECIAL

My review( copied from SPMenglish.blogspot.com.... TQ);

When I first read this short story, I could not help laughing. A perfume can have such a great impact on someone.This story reminds me of some kind of oil used by the traditional Shaman in Malaysia to cast a spell on someone so that he or she will fall in love with the one who casts the spell.(I am not sure whether it is still in practice in modern time.However,this practice is definitely forbidden in Islam and by many religions.)

Well, I can't help but admire Anna who works as a chemist at Amos Cosmetics.As she was making an experiment, she adds a bit of the fruitcake which her Aunt Emma gave into her mixture of perfume. She then tests the perfume on herself.The consequence of her action causes her a serious problem. Her boss,Mr Amos who smells the scent of the perfume on her suddenly finds her exceptionally beautiful.
Anna however does not believe him. She is a confident person who knows her real self. There is no way a flamboyant like Mr Amos will like a plain girl like her.

When Mr Amos asks her out,she has no choice but to go because he is her boss.When she sprays on some Amos perfume, Mr Amos seems want to shun away from her and is embarrassed to be seen with her.On the other hand, when she puts on her fruitcake special,she is surprised by a sudden attention and love declaration from her boss and a waiter at the restaurant where she and her boss are having dinner. She realises then,that her boss's wierd reaction towards her is all due to the fruitcake perfume she made.A fight between her boss and the waiter over her occured right in front of her boss's girlfriend.

So when Mr Amos and his dead gorgeous girlfriend mock her two days after the incidence at the restaurant, she sprinkles all the fruitcake special on the girl's dress. She wants them to experience what she has gone through.She imagines how many men will fall madly in love with her boss's girlfriend because of the fruitcake special.All these men will give troubles to her wicked boss and his girlfriend.

Finally, she finds her love right under her nose. It is a young delivery boy who has fallen in love with her for so long but can only express his feeling after he is successful to own a pizza shop.

QWERTYUIOP

QWERTYUIOP By Vivien Alcock

Synopsis

This story is about a seventeen - year - old girl called Lucy Beck,who had just received a diploma from a secretarial college. With the diploma, she hoped to secure a job as a secretary. Her principal,Mrs Price however did not have much confidence in her because she was small, she looked timid and could only type at a slow speed.

Lucy too was not very confident in her own self. She feared that she would not get a job. So, getting a job at the first interview she went was really a blessing. On her first day, she was surprised by a spirit of the former secretary, Miss Broome. The spirit communicated with her using the electronic typewriter. At first, she was horrified and frightened. Yet when she thought about the many luxurious things she could buy with her salary as a secretary, she became determine to fight the spirit.

She discovered from Harry Darke, an old man who worked at the firm that Miss Broome was a lonely woman who dedicated her life to her job as secretary. She was asked to leave by the late Mr Bannister after working for 43 years. She was reluctant as the office was like her home and she had no family. Even in her death, she was adamant to keep her job and frightened off many young girls who wanted to take her job.

Finally, Lucy was able to persuade the spirit of Miss Bloome to leave the job to her. She told her that Mr Bannister had passed away and he desperately needed her to take care of him in the new world. Lucy related to Miss Bloome that she was told to leave because Mr Bannister was worried about her health.

Moral values/Lessons


One should not be prejudiced towards others.

Example 1:The Spirit of Miss Bloome, for example was looked down by others before Lucy. She may be a spirit but she was a lonely spirit .By understanding her loneliness, Lucy succeeded to tell her to serve Mr Bannister who had also passed away and needed her.

Example 2: Lucy was also a victim of prejudice. Being young, small and shy, her principal and even Harry Darke thought that she was a coward. Yet she proved to herself and others that she was a brave person who would not submit to the wish of a lonely spirit.
at 7:12 AM
Labels: QWERTYUIOP By Vivien Alcock

THE CURSE - SPM NOVEL

Theme; Love in "The Curse"

Question: Write about the theme “Love” in the novel you have read.
Skeleton of ideas
1. 3 types of love
a) Love between family members
b) Love between friends
c) Love triangle

2. Love between family members
 Father’s love- Salleh rescues Azreen a few times –from two incidents of fire – from a fight with Puan Normala
 Mother’s love- Azreen’s mother does not scold her for breaking her rattan basket – teaches her how to make new one – does not blame her for the accident
 Sister’s love – Madhuri- protects Azreen a few times from beatings – helps to weave rattan basket to replace the damaged basket – writes many letters to Azreen when she is in London

3. Love between friends
 Azreen and the Old Lady –console each other- Azreen is the Old Lady’s only friend –sacrifices for the Old Lady- tries to rescue the Old Lady when the house is on fire

4. Love triangle
 Azreen /Mohd.Asraf/ Madhuri – Azreen plays hockey for Mohd Asraf’s team - spends a lot of time together after school- sacrifices for Mohd Asraf-making false confession about letting the gate of the farm opened – unrequited love – Mohd.Asraf loves Madhuri – Madhuri returns his love.
 Hj Ghani/ Madhuri/ Puan Fatiha – Hj Ghani loves Madhuri – pampers her- buys things for her- Fatiha-first wife-jealous- Madhuri loves Mohd.Asraf – marries Hj Ghani –because she is forced by Salleh, her father.

LITERATURE (POEM)- SPM

He Had Such Quiet Eyes

By: Bibsy Soenharjo

3.1 SYNOPSIS OF THE POEM
The poem is about a woman who has been deceived to think that she was loved by a man with ‘quiet eyes’. She suffers for this and only learns on hindsight not to trust or give in to men who seek women only for pleasure. The poet gives an advice on being able to recognise what is true and what is not, when a person is truly friendly and when he is not. You may lose in the game of love and give your heart away, but knowing the truth of the situation will mean that you will not suffer any lasting losses.

3.2 UNDERSTANDING THE POEM [STANZA BY STANZA]

Stanza 1
The woman is taken up with his ‘quiet eyes’. The eyes mesmerise and beg her to ‘be nice’ to him and make him extremely happy, that is ‘render him paradise’. The poet uses a very long imagery of the eyes ‘breathing desolate sighs’ to enhance the effect of the eyes on the girl. The woman, being enamoured with those eyes, does not notice he is deceiving her. It would not be difficult to see through the man if the woman had her feet on the ground because the eyes have only the ‘thinnest ice’, easy to break through to learn the man’s true nature.

Stanza 2
Something has happened to the woman and she has learnt the truth about the man. The poet suggests that she has learnt the hard way that is she learns her lesson through bad experience. She has made a mistake of trusting the man because she has refused to listen to the advice not ‘to compromise’, that is, lower her standards or expectations in order to please a man who seduces women.

Stanza 3
The poet extends her friendly advice to women to understand what is meant by ‘nice’ what it means when men are ‘nice’ to you. When he is ‘nice’, friendly and pleasant to you, make sure that he is sincere and trustworthy and not because he has ulterior motive, that is he wants something from you in return. The poet further comments that love may be a gamble as suggested in ‘dice’, you take your chances with someone, you may find true love or you may not. The important issue here is that ultimately you have not lost anything because you have not compromised, you are not deceived.

3.3 THE POEM – LINE BY LINE

STANZA 1 MEANING BY LINE
He had such quiet eyes – His eyes were calm and quiet
She did not realise – She did not know
They were two pools of lies- His eyes were like two pools filled with lies
Layered with thinnest ice – Thinly veiled, like very thin ice
To her, those quiet eyes – To the woman, those calm and quiet eyes
Were breathing desolate sighs – Looked very sad and desolate
Imploring her to be nice – The eyes were begging her to be nice to him
And to render him to paradise – And to give him happiness and bliss so that he would feel like he was in paradise (heaven)

STANZA 2 MEANING BY LINE
If only she’d been wise – The woman wished she had been wiser in her past actions
And had listened to the advice – And she had listened to the sound advice given to her by people who cared about her
Never to compromise – They had advised her not to give up her moral values or principles
With pleasure-seeking guys – When she was with men who wanted only pleasure and fun
She’d be free from the ‘hows and whys’ – If she had listened to them, she would not be haunted by questions of hows and whys and the difficult situation she was in.

STANZA 3 MEANING BY LINE
Now here’s a bit of advice – Let me give you a bit of advice
Be sure that nice really means nice – Make sure that the person you think is nice, is truly sincere and trustworthy
Then you’ll never be losing at dice – Then, you will not lose in a game of chance or a game of love where you can lose your heart to an undeserving man
Though you may lose your heart once or twice – Even if you should fall in love and lose your heart to love once or twice

3.4 Elements of the Poem – Literal and Figurative Meaning

Stanza 1
Literal Meaning
When the persona looked into the young man’s sincere-looking eyes, she was deceived into thinking that he needed someone to love. She was not aware that betrayal was second nature to him. His eyes even made her feel compelled to be ‘nice’ to him.

Figurative Meaning
Meeting people and getting involved in a social relationship is part and parcel of life. However, along the way, we may meet two-faced people with ulterior motives. Sometimes, they may come across as so sincere that we innocently accept them as friends or partners.

Stanza 2
Literal Meaning
When the persona was betrayed by the man, she wondered why she had not been wiser. She should have remembered the age-old advice of not believing man blindly. If she had held on to her principles, she would not be asking herself why she had been cheated.

Figurative Meaning
Social relationships can turn sour if one party betrays the other. Hence, one should be careful of the other party’s motives. In any case, do not compromise your principles, as someone who is sincere would not force you into giving up your morals.

Stanza 3
Literal Meaning
The poet advises young ladies to be more careful before getting involved in relationships with men. They must make sure they know then men well. They should learn to differentiate between sincerity and falsehood. They will eventually meet the right man, though they may lose their heats to a few times before that.

Figurative Meaning
It is always good to be cautious before committing to a relationship to avoid serious consequences. You have to make sure you can trust the person you befriend. Do not gamble with your affections, even when you fall in love.


3.5 Themes

(1) Strong Moral Values and Self-Respect
The woman in the poem got herself into a difficult situation and was cheated by a man because she gave in to his pleading and his insincere lies. She displayed weakness in her moral standing and lost her self-respect as a result. We should never lower our self-esteem no matter how much we like a man. If a man has respect for the woman he loves, he too would not ask her to do what is morally wrong.

(2) Deception in Appearances
The woman is taken in by the man’s gentle and quiet eyes. She thinks he is a truthful and trustworthy person. The theme in this poem focuses on deception in appearances. Do not judge a person’s character by his appearance. As can be seen in this poem, a gentle and kind-looking man can actually be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

(3) Consequences
When we make mistakes in life, we have to live with the consequences. The persona tells us that the woman is haunted with questions of ‘hows and whys’. She probably asks herself every day how she could have fallen for his lies; how she could have forgotten the moral values instilled in her by her parents; how she could have ignored all the advice given to her by people who love and care about her. She would probably also wonder why she had not been wiser in her choice of men; why she did not see through his deception and insincerity.

(4) Listen to Advice
The poet wants to reach out to all young readers. The woman in the poem wished she ‘had listened to the advice’. She poured out her disappointment, frustration and hurt in this poem and wished she had ‘been wise’. The poet cautions young readers that they should not be impulsive in their actions and they should, above all, listen to the advice of their elders so that they would not end up like the woman – full of regrets.



3.6 Moral Values & Lessons Learnt

(1) Avoid Being Deluded by Looks or Appearance

• We sometimes encounter people who have ill intentions towards us.
• These are con men who prey on young women.
• They look nice and decent but have bad motives.
• So we should take precaution against them.
• We should not judge a book by its cover.

(2) Listen to Beneficial Advice
• We are given good advice when others feel that we need it.
• We should listen to their advice.
• The advice is for our own good.
• It prevents us from getting hurt or getting into trouble.

3.7 Setting
The poem is set in the present – the world around us now.
It highlights the fact that the people around us are not always sincere.
They may have ulterior motives towards us.
Some have the intention to cheat us.
In the case of the woman in the poem, the man only wanted to have sexual pleasure from her.
However, she saw him as a man in need of love and consolation.
The poem puts forward the need to practise caution when we deal with the people around us.

HAPPY HARI RAYA

Hari Raya Puasa or Aidilfitri is a day of celebration for Muslims after one month of fasting and abstinence.

MY GRANDMOTHER

The frail old woman seated in the wheelchair slowly looks up when she hears approaching footsteps. I look at the deeply wrinkled face and search for some signs of recognition but fail to do so. She, on her part, looks at me blankly and after a few seconds continues doing what she had been doing earlier – looking at her gnarled fingers and toying with the gold band on her third finger. Sighing in disappointment, I wonder what is on her mind. It pains my heart to know what Alzheimer’s disease and arthritis have done to this feeble woman.


Grandmother has not always been like this. She used to be an energetic woman who had much love to share with those around her, be they her children, grandchildren or daughters-in law. My mother, her eldest son’s wife, had not a negative word to say about grandma who had welcomed her into their home. In fact, mum always says that she is blessed to have a mother-in-law and not a monster-in-law.


Married at the tender age of 14 to a labourer, she had been a loyal and supportive wife. Grandfather, when he was alive, would sometimes regale us with stories from his past. He would fondly tell us that he was a lucky man to have married grandma although the circumstances under which they got married were not so joyous. Grandma had been the village beauty but when the Japanese invaded Malaya, my great grandfather, grandma’s father, decided that marriage was the only solution to save her from the clutches of the rampaging Japanese soldiers who went around raping and abducting young girls. “We did not marry for love, but survival. Yet we are happy, unlike many young couples these days who split even before the honeymoon is over!” Grandma always looked shy and demure when grandpa was in his story-telling moods.


Blessed with three sons, they worked hard to bring up their boys. Grandpa and grandma, who were both illiterate, made sure that their sons got the education they deserved so that their lives would be different. Despite his meagre salary, grandfather was able to send his sons to school and later to university. He did this by working overtime and taking on other menial tasks. Grandma did her share by washing and ironing clothes for a rich “taukey” and his family.


All three sons got married in due time and lived with grandpa and grandma in a double storey house my dad bought soon after becoming the managing director of a local telco. After grandpa’s demise, however, my two uncles moved out due to work commitments. grandma continued to live with us as she could not bear to part with me, her first grandson.


I am fortunate as I have many fond memories of my grandmother. She babysat me when my mum went to work. She accompanied me to school every morning during my primary school years. She made sure I had my meals, cajoling me when I was reluctant to eat. She was there to share my happiness and sorrow.


All this started to change when she had arthritis. It hurt me because there was nothing I could do to ease her suffering although she put on a brave front despite the excruciating pain she suffered when family members were present.


Six years ago, grandmother started showing signs of Alzheimer’s Disease. At first, she forgot the little things – what she was doing, where she had put her glasses etc. Slowly the disease took its toll. Now, she has forgotten everything. She cannot recognise her sons and their wives; worse still, she cannot remember me. It pains me to see a woman who had once been a bundle of energy reduced to this.


I slowly move towards her, bend down and take her hands in mine, hoping that somehow, in the deep recesses of her faded memory, she can remember me. She looks up at me in childlike innocence and smiles, not out of recognition but in the way one would at strangers who show the slightest bit of caring. I know I have lost her forever.

CONTINUOUS WRITING

Write an essay ending with “… with tears in her eyes, she hugged me tightly.”

It was the wettest December I had ever experienced. The torrential rains had ruined my holiday plans as floods continued to wreak havoc in several states. I had pleaded with dad to allow me to go to the east coast with my friends but he had been unyielding. The thought of having to stay indoors for the next two weeks was not only depressing but also unbearable. Television did not excite me anymore. I was fed up of watching the same old movies on cable television. Even the other channels had nothing exciting to offer. Finally, I decided to go into the attic to retrieve some books which I had not read for a long time.

The attic was surprisingly clean – a sign that mum had finally completed the chore that she had kept putting off. I looked around and noticed a teak chest that I had never seen before. Curiosity got the better of me and I walked towards it. I lifted the lid slowly and was pleasantly surprised to see a variety of things in it – all of them reminders of my childhood. I looked nostalgically at the clothes I had worn as a child and the toys I had played with. ‘Bobo’ the teddy bear, which I had slept with until I was ten, had been dry-cleaned and kept in a box which also contained the first Mother’s Day card I had made myself. I was not prepared for what I saw next. Lying at the bottom of the cardboard box was an old black and white photograph of a young woman. I stared at it incredulously. It was as if I was looking at a female version of myself. All sorts of questions and dreadful thoughts flooded my mind. I held the photograph tightly in my hand and dashed out of the attic, only to bump into my mother.

“Mum….who is this?” I asked in a quivering voice.

From the look on her face, I knew it was a question she did not want to answer. Quietly, she held my hand and led me towards the study where dad had been working all morning. She knocked on the door once before opening it. Dad looked up, and his expression of annoyance disappeared when he saw the photograph in my hand.

What I heard that day is something I will never forget for the rest of my life. The woman in the photograph was my mother, my biological mother — Lily Lee.

“Son, Lily loved you very much; just as much as Janet here loves you.”

Dad’s use of the past tense made me uncomfortable. It took a great deal of effort on his part to narrate the painful past.

My biological mother was six months pregnant when the incident happened. She had been walking towards her office when a motorcyclist came from behind and grabbed her handbag before speeding off. As a result of the sudden assault, she had lost her balance and fallen on the kerb. The head injuries she had sustained had a devastating effect on her health. The only option was to perform surgery, but due to her condition, this option was risky. The doctors had wanted to terminate her pregnancy to save her life but she had refused. A month later she fell into a coma. Although the doctors had given up hope, Lily continued to live, though in a comatose state. It was as if she was not giving up on life till her baby was born. When the doctors deemed it safe, they performed an emergency C-section. Lily breathed her last the moment I was born into this world.

Dad sobbed softly as he finished relating the heart-wrenching story. All sorts of emotions consumed me. I was sad, confused and angry. Was I adopted? What about my father? Who was he? Had he abandoned me? After a while, I braved myself and stated what I thought was obvious.

“So, that means you are not my real parents. I am adopted!”

“No, son. You are not adopted. I am your father. Lily was my first wife. She made me promise her that I would marry her younger sister, Janet, so that you would not grow up motherless.”

The sense of relief that I felt at that moment was indescribable. I looked at mum and I saw the pain and anguish in her eyes, as though she was anticipating rejection. Quickly, she looked down.
Slowly, I got up from my chair and walked towards her. I went down on my knees and held her hands in mine. Her eyes remained downcast, fearful of rejection.

“Mum, I know I am only seventeen but I am more mature than you think. You might not have given birth to me but you are and will always be my mother.” I comforted her as much as I comforted myself.

She looked up slowly, her eyes searching my face for sincerity. Then with tears in her eyes, she hugged me tightly.

WELCOME YA RAMADHAN....

Happy Ramadhan Al Mubarak

May This Ramadan be as bright as ever.
May this Ramadan bring joy, health and wealth to you.
May the festival of lights brighten up you
and your near and dear ones lives.
May this Ramadan bring in u the most
brightest and choicest happiness and
love you have ever Wished for.
May this Ramadan bring you the
utmost in peace and prosperity.
May lights triumph over darkness.
May peace transcend the earth.
May the spirit of light illuminate the world.
May the light that we celebrate at Ramadan
show us the way and lead us together on the
path of peace and social harmony
Wish you a very happy Ramadan Mubarak

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

STORY   I



A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

"Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."

God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."

"Who will protect me?"

God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking it's life."

"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."

God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name."

"You will simply call her, 'Mom.'"

STORY   II


M-O-T-H-E-R
"M" is for the million things she gave me,
"O" means only that she's growing old,
"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,
"H" is for her heart of purest gold;
"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
"R" means right, and right she'll always be,
Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me.
- Howard Johnson


STORY  III

Mum,

You may be treated like the maid,
you may be treated like the gardner,
you may be treated like the daycare,
you may be treated like the chauffer,
you may be treated like many things.
But one thing is for sure,
You will always be loved.
For a fathers work may be from sun up till sundown,
but a mothers work is never down.
And all that I have, am, and hope to be, I owe to you,
So this is for all the times I forgot to say THANK YOU!!
- Alison Thompson

WE   LOVE  YOU  MUM...............

MORNING ADVICE

Islamic Talks

---

my Brothers & Sisters,

Sister Fahima for asking such a good question. May Allah (SWT) reward you and all my brothers and sisters who attend such events to gain wisdom and knowledge. Insha-Allah you will find the following information of some help.

http://www.ukislamicevents.net/london.html

http://www.islamchannel.tv/EventsInUK.aspx

http://the-deen.co.uk/forum/viewforu...cfbd7e339210c9

http://www.azharacademy.org/events.htm

I also recommend the following:

1) Visit your nearest Islamic bookshop and ask about any new lectures / talks to be given by a scholar.

2) Ask at your local masjid.

Perhaps I might see you at a future event?

from your sister in Islam

ENGLISH PROGRAMME

MY PRECIOUS STARS

SONG : 'Lucky"
SINGERS : Zulfah and Naim
GUITARIST : Amir

....................>>>  THANK  YOU,  GUYS  <<<.........................................

Form 5 LITERATURE

NOVEL

synopsis

“The Curse” is about a girl, named Azreen, her parents and sister, Madhuri. Azreen, a strong-headed girl is studying in London but has to take a leave from her study when she receives the news about her sister’s death. She is curious about the cause of her sister’s sudden death. When she reaches home, her sister’s body has been brought to the cemetery. She overhears a village gossiper, Puan Normala talks about her sister’s death. Normala claims that her sister has been murdered and has shed white blood.

On her return, Azreen discovers a few truths about her family and people around her. First she finds out that her sister has been in love with Asraf, and has planned to marry and divorced her husband, Hj Ghani. Second, Awang, the Shaman has actually caused the accident which his parents are involved in and causes her mother to become paralysed. Third, she learns that Madhuri is actually her adopted sister and the crazy woman is Madhuri’s biological mother. Fourth and finally, she discovers that Madhuri has accidentally been killed by her father.

There is one old woman whom Azreen has turned to for emotional support. The old woman lives alone in an abandoned house in the jungle. Azreen learns a lot about life from this wise old woman. The old woman however dies in a fire started by Asraf who has blamed her for his grandmother’s death.

At the end, Azreen returns to London to finish her study. She has learned a valuable lesson from her short break at her little village in Langkawi Island. She has learned to forgive others and to look ahead.

PREVIEW - CHAPTER BY CHAPTER

Chapter 1

Azreen hurriedly leaves her studies in England to return home after receiving news that her sister had died. Her coursemate, Julian Ng, tries to offer his sympathy and condolence but she was not in the mood to talk about the matter.

Chapter 2

On the plane home, Azreen experiences flashbacks of her early days with Madhuri and how Madhuri was well-liked by people. Madhuri was beautiful and soft-spoken compared to Azreen, who was an obstinate child.

Chapter 3

Back home, on an island south of Langkawi Island, Pn. Kamsiah was talking with her daughter Siti about their neighbour, Normala, who is spreading rumours that Madhuri was murdered and she spilt white blood. Datin Sharifah and her husband were ready to fetch their adopted daughter from the airport. They were trying their best not to talk about Madhuri’s death.

Chapter 4

Mourners gather at Azreen’s house to pay their last respects to Madhuri before burial. The women folk gossip among themselves that Madhuri was murdered and she had put a curse on everyone on the island. Azreen arrives late to pay her last respects to her late sister. Azreen brings her sickly mother to the burial ground to bid farewell to Madhuri. She meets Mohd. Asraf and flashbacks of her schooling years fills the scene.

Chapter 5

Azreen meets Asraf. She enquires about Madhuri’s death but is only given vague details of the incident. Normala, the rumour monger, spreads rumours about what had happened to Madhuri. Awang, the bomoh, makes an appearance as he dreams that a disaster is about to hit the village soon. Awang recalls the incident when he stole a chicken at Encik Mohan’s farm causing a bull to escape. Asraf was blamed for the fiasco but Azreen bravely took the blame on his behalf. Back to the present, Azreen looks for the Old Lady in the jungle to catch up on old times. The Old Lady discloses that Madhuri was murdered.

Chapter 6

The Old Lady relates to Azreen that she saw Madhuri’s lifeless body and the wound on her. She suggests that Madhuri’s murder was covered up as investigation into her death would reveal more secrets. Puan Fatihah, the village headman’s wife recalls how her life changed forever when her husband, Haji Ghani, became attracted to Madhuri.

Azreen recaps how Madhuri tried to defend her from her father’s wrath for stealing mangosteen and the good times she spent with Madhuri. In a flashback, Azreen admitted her folly for letting the bull go in order to save Asraf from Encik Mohan and his son’s wrath. The escaped bull knocked into the motorcycle that her parents were on and caused her mother to be paralysed.The Old Lady reveals her past life with her abusive husband who drove her to kill him in self-defence. She made herself a home in a deserted house in the jungle.

Chapter 7

Asraf is concerned about his grandmother’s deteriorating health. At the same time, Hj. Ghani, mourns at Madhuri’s tombstone. While deep in thoughts, he almost saw someone, a woman in a flowing white dress, strolling past the trees. At home, Azreen’s father reprimanded her for not latching up the chicken coop. A chicken carcass, with its neck broken, lies on the bottom step of the coop.

The next morning, Azreen reads Julian’s letter about the examination week in college. Then, she reads Madhuri’s letter of her marriage and relationship with Kak Fatihah (Haji Ghani’s first wife). The letter also hints that Madhuri has a secret to be revealed to Azreen when she returns home for her holidays.

Chapter 8

Azreen’s mother dies. Meanwhile, Mohd. Asraf continues to worry over his sickly grandmother.Mohd Asraf goes to the market to look for medicinal plants for his grandmother but fails to find any. In desperation, he goes to the Old Lady’s house for help. The Old Lady hesitates at first but after much persuasion from Azreen and Mohd. Asraf, she finally agrees to go over to Mohd Asraf’s house to help his grandmother.

Chapter 9

Siti keeps an eye on Mohd. Asraf’s grandmother (Nek) while he goes out to get her medicine.Pn. Kamsiah and Normala are curious at the Old Lady’s presence at Mohd. Asraf’s house. The Old Lady tries to cure Nek.

Azreen is puzzled to discover a university prospectus that reveals Mohd. Asraf’s intention to pursue his studies in Kuala Lumpur. When Azreen returns home, she sees the bomoh scampering behind the bushes. As she confronts the bomoh, he informs her about the mob incident at Mohd. Asraf’s house.

She immediately runs to Asraf’s house. Normala blames Azreen for bringing the Old Lady to Mohd. Asraf’s house and causing heavy downpour to hit the village. An argument starts and Azreen’s father intervenes to stop the commotion. Meanwhile, Nek is beginning to recover and Mohd. Asraf is extremely relieved. They thank the Old Lady for bravely coming over to cure Nek and the rain finally stops.

Chapter 10

Azreen awakes to a flurry of knocks on her door. She finds out that Nek has passed away and Mohd Asraf is heading towards Nek’s house with a few men for revenge. Azreen tries to stop him and in a struggle, stabs him at the foot with a spade. The torch that he was holding fell onto the wall of the house and soon the house was on fire. Azreen finds Nek, barely alive lying beside the stove and she advises Azreen to learn to forgive before it is too late. Azreen’s father saves her before the whole house crumbles.

Mohd Asraf confesses to Azreen that he loves Madhuri and they were planning to abscond from the island when he was offered a teaching course in Kuala Lumpur. Madhuri wanted to confess to her husband, parents and Azreeb about her affair with Mohd. Asraf.

However, Madhuri was found dead at a rubber plantation. Azreen then meets Awang, the bomoh, who tells her that Madhuri was not her real sister. Awang also confesses that he was the one who left the gate open that led to the motorcycle accident that paralysed her mother. Awang also confirms that he had seen Madhuri and Mohd Asraf together several times in the rubber estate. The chapter ends with Haji Ghani, the headman thinking about his young wife meeting her lover on that fateful day when she was killed.

Chapter 11

Azreen delves on the bomoh’s words that Madhuri was not her real sister. She encounters a shadow of a woman from behind the wooden fence again that directs her to a woodpile a few feet away behind her house. Azreen and her father walk towards the woodpile and see a “parang” that Saleh used to chop wood. There is white and sticky stain at the edge of the parang. Azreen immediately recalls Normala’s words “She had white blood” and she stares at her father in disbelief.

Saleh recalls how fond was he with Madhuri and how he found her as a baby at the paddy field. He stumbles upon Madhuri and Mohd Asraf together at the rubber plantation. In his fury, he kills Madhuri and her body knocks over the latex-filled container. Upon hearing this revelation, Azreen runs away from her father.

Saleh suffers a heart attack and dies. Meanwhile in the village, a rumour spreads like a wildfire that a woman who looks suspiciously like his dead daughter had been wandering about at the time of his death.

Chapter 12

Azreen visits her family’s graves. She leaves a flower on each grave and leaves quietly. She leaves a flower at the hillside where the Old Lady was buried, too. As Azreen leaves, she sees a smiling figure which resembles Madhuri’s smiles.