YRC 29

Building the Next Generation of Thinkers & Writers

Young Reader Club ISSUE 29 / SGD 8.00 ISSN: 2010 - 1376

We hav

Great Stories Inside!

Am I Really Who I Am?

By Nur Eva Alisha

E FIV !

rn e tu ed

Come, te CelebrUas! with

The Operation

By Marc Chan

Rosequartz

By Michelle Neoh

The Letter

By Nurul Liman Bte Said

The Timid Dragon

By Justine Hong

Amazing Journeys: Cambodia: An Odyssey Into the Human Soul

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SGD 7.50 ISSN: 2010- 1376

Breaking Boundaries: Cambodia

2 teachers and 1 village with a dream

YRC Investigates:

Singapore’s Lost History

Discovering memories & more

Health Matters

Celebrating World Milk Day 2011

Fierce Facts

Cool things about pizza

3 Fascinating Tales You Can’t Resist

Jennifer Yip, Maybank 2007 YAA Awardee Our Featured Author of the Month

Building the Next Generation of Thinkers & Writers3 VOL. 8 2011

TableofContents THE YRC TEAM Managing Editor/Publisher Catherine Khoo Assistant Editor Raymond Reynolds Tan Designer

Lim Soo Yong Editorial Assistant Natalya Thangamany Editorial Advisory Board

Catherine Khoo, Vijay Chandran, Noel Chia Family Life Advisor

Samantha Chin Illustrators

Adeline Lim, Natalya Thangamany Eden Nelle

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About the Publisher

YAC Core Contributors

4

Am I Really Who I Am?

By Nur Eva Alisha

14

The Operation

By Marc Chan

Kenrick Lam, Lee Tat Wei, Theresa Ellsworth, Ron Yap, Ee Chonghui, Woon Kaiqin, Athena Tan, Fiona Tan, Ambriesh Karthik, Wong Ziling Nur Eva Alisha Md Hisham

For advertising and sales enquiries

6336 8985 Education Subscription Agent

ILoveReading.SG 9007 8361 Emit Asia 6372 0330 Email: info@youngreaderclub.sg Website: www.youngreaderclub.sg All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Call 6336-8985 for back issues.

Printed in Singapore

by Stamford Press

21 Rosequartz

By Michelle Neoh 28

The Letter

By Nurul Liman Bte Said

35

The Timid Dragon

By Justine Hong

45

Amazing Journeys: Cambodia: An Odyssey Into the Human Soul

87

I Can Write, So Can You

By Catherine Khoo Young Reader Club / Anniversary Issue

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Aboutthe Publisher CATHERINE KHOO Publisher/Editor/Author Janus Education Services Pte Ltd Experiences & Experiments Books Pte Ltd

D

riven by her life-long goal to ‘nurture the next generation of thinkers and writers’, Ms Catherine Khoo juggles both her education and publishing arms to help children aged eight to sixteen express themselves freely through creative writing. Through helping them to write stories ranging beyond 3,000 words and then publishing them, Ms Khoo aims to groom children to become more than just readers and writers– to be bold and inspired thinkers.

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The Three-Road Journey Catherine wears several hats in her life– company head, publisher, editor, author, wife and mother. She first started out as a writer in her teenage years. “I have always been fascinated with reading and I had that love of books since young,” she shared. I even had my first story published when I was thirteen years old.” Her book Love Notes, published in 1990, was nominated for an award by the National Book Development Council of Singapore.

Catherine shares, “The writer always feels like they have written the best book in the world,” she shares on the clash between writer and publisher. “The publisher has to look at commercial potential and if the story can sell. Sometimes, the writing gets rejected because it may not have enough commercial potential.”

She shares her difficulty in juggling her three roles as writer, editor and publisher, as there were conflicts between respecting a writer’s expression and giving out something that could sell.

“While a writer is one who writes and creates, an editor looks at writing in a different light and helps it work for the reader. I first got a job as a regional editor in 1996 for a company from Japan, and I had to help them create magazines and liaison with contributors.”

It was in 2006 that Catherine decided to venture further in the world of writing and thus launched her publishing company Experiences & Experiments Books (which also produces the Young Reader Club magazine, a magazine for children written by children) with the goal of bringing stories written by children to the world.

Since then, nearly 200 titles have been published under her Young Author Club imprint.

She emphasises that a story worthy of

publishing does not lie in the grammar and vocabulary (though those things should still not be neglected) but lies in the content. “Good content is important,” Catherine says.

“To me, a good story is one you can’t put down until the last word and moves you into the writer’s own world.”

Keyword: Empathy Catherine has written and edited more than 10 books of different genres, and served as editor-in-chief of two international magazines before she founded the Young Author Scheme in 2003. She devoted the next ten years mentoring 8 to 18-year-olds to write their own books. It was only in late 2012 that she decided that she had to go back to her first love: writing. And the inimitable lady decided to write not one, but two books of contrasting genres: Justice Bao and the Case of the Missing Coins (which was recently nominated for the local Popular Reader’s Choice Award) for children, and her personal memoir aiming to inspire women to live their lives freely with no regrets, aptly titled Love! Live Dangerously! And Have Fun! However, both titles share a common goal: To inspire and educate readers, and encourage them to love reading and writing. “Everyone has a story to tell,” she points out the hidden tale in everyone. “I wanted to use the story of Justice Bao to get children to love reading, teach them values and act as a resource.”

When it comes to writing itself, Catherine loves how writing could create another world, allowing the reader to enter it and renew their thinking on certain subjects.

In a book, she shares, the writer becomes the hero. “It is always the darkest before the dawn,” she quotes from Love! Live Dangerously! And Have Fun! on how penning her thoughts helped her through some dark periods in her life and helped

her change her perspective on life. “Writing is therapeutic,” she shares. “It is the process of creation.”

To Inspire and Be Inspired Throughout her life, in both the writing world and her personal life, Catherine is one who thrives on inspiration, living by the works of inspiring people and in turn, inspiring the young.

She shares some of the quotes she lives by, some of which are in her memoir, others she have learnt over the years: “There is never an age where you are too old to learn.”

“Life is for living.”

“Life is an adventure. Live it to your fullest.”

“If you don’t try, you will never know.”

Her own writing inspiration comes from her experience in life. “There is lots to share from life,” she says. “One must be observant about life. Look at life, and create something from it.” Her inspirations come from all sorts, including the principles of the Dalai Lama, Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa.

And her ultimate dream? “To groom the next Booker Prize winner and to start a foundation where children can dream and write.”

Well, considering where she stands today and her passion to help children express themselves creatively, perhaps that dream is not too far away. And she is fine with that.

“Strength does not come from winning.

Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”

– Mahatma Gandhi.

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Asian Tales

Am I Really Who I Am?

By Nur Eva Alisha

Illustrations by Adeline Lim

4

R

The Attack

The marching of the cold-hearted soldiers in well-pressed uniform was a nightmare, especially to Chinese families. They treated their enemies heartlessly and mercilessly. Just like the rest, Ah Teck and Ah Mei knew they had to flee for their lives. The only problem was Mei Lin, their one-month-old daughter. Ah Teck was prepared to do something drastic to save his daughter from living in refuge.

“Ah Mei, quick wrap her and put her in this shoe box. I’d rather sacrifice my life for my precious little princess!” whispered Ah Teck as transparent pearls rolled down from his small beady eyes.

Confused, Ah Mei placed little Mei Lin in the shoe box. Ah Teck grabbed Ah Mei by the hand and ran to Yusof’s house. Ah Teck ordered his wife to place the shoe box at the doorstep of Yusof’s house.

“No…Never!! That’s my baby and I cannot imagine my life without her,” she pleaded Ah Teck.

Ah Teck pulled her away from the shoe box. It was hard for him but he knew that was the only thing to do for his little one. Suddenly sounds of gunshots filled the air and bullets flew in all directions. Ah Mei knew she had no choice. She kissed her baby

goodbye and knocked on the door before running away. The couple ran as fast as their legs could carry them.

The trembling Yusof opened the door and was shocked to see a baby in a shoe box at his door step. Without hesitation, he picked the shoe box and went inside abruptly. An adorable three-kilogram infant was staring at him and his wife, Aminah, helplessly.

Beside her was a note, a birth certificate, a chain and a pendant. The couple wholeheartedly accepted her. It was a gift from god as they had always wanted a baby. They named her Melati.

Melati was given tender, love and care.

They treated her like their own flesh and blood.

War Is Over!

Sounds of gunshots and chaos were finally over. The war had ended. The rooster crowed and birds were perching on a nearby tree. Aminah was watching Melati ride her new bicycle in their front yard. She couldn’t believe that it had been a good 12 years for the family after the Japanese Occupation. Who could have ever guessed that the war had in turn given her the happiness of a lifetime.

“Mom… Look at me...Mom…Mom,” called Melati excitedly.

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Feat ures

un! Run for your lives! The Japanese soldiers are coming!” shouted one of the villagers frantically.

The rest of the villagers turned around in silence and in less than a second, panic had taken over. Some were momentarily rooted to the ground as they froze in shock. The Japanese had finally invaded Singapore!

Sto r y Tr ivia

Old China: Inventions Galore Paper was invented in China at around the 2nd century, using the pulp papermaking process. The older trace of paper was found in a watchtower in Tsakhortei, which dated to 110AD. Printing by moveable type was first mentioned by polymath scientist Shen Kuo in 1088. Four hundred years later, in 1439, blacksmith Johannes Gutenberg introduced the moveable type to Europe.

The earliest record of gunpowder use and production was in 1044, during the Song Dynasty, which described the used of incendiary bombs placed on catapults.

The magnetised compass was a Chinese invention, where metal was

made contact with lodestone, around 220AD. Magnetising the metal pointer of the compass determines true North.

Other inventions are notable as well, like fermentation (the process used to create alcoholic drinks), as early as 7000BC; the creation of wooden coffins, whose oldest account was in 5000BC; the fork, which was first dated in 2400BC, and was invented before they even started using chopsticks; the noodle, invented in 2400BC using millet instead of traditional wheat flour; and sericulture, which is the production of silk from silkworms, dated as early as 3630BC.

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Heart Warmers

The Operation

By Marc Chan

Illustrations by Gibson Les Paul 14

t’s going to be alright,” the nurse said as she wheeled me around on my hospital bed.

“How would you know?” I asked in disbelief. “It’s not like you have been through an operation before.”

I was sweating profusely. My whole face was drenched with sweat and tears. The night before the operation, I felt really afraid. So afraid, I could have pissed in my pants anytime.

I was born with a cleft lip and palate.

Before I was born, when my mother went to the gynaecologist, (I was only a few months old in my mother’s womb then) the gynaecologist had diagnosed my condition and he also suspected that I was mentally retarded or, to put it nicely, mentally challenged. I could imagine how tough it had been for my parents! It was such heart-wrenching news. Thank god they didn’t abort me!

Anyway, even if they wanted to get me aborted, they couldn’t because my father was a pastor. But even if he wasn’t, I know that they wouldn’t abort me because they were good people. Abortion was a very cruel process. Although it’s legal, it’s as good as murdering your own child.

When I was born, I had these two big holes in my lip and palate. My left nostril was kind of flattened. I had a uni-lateral cleft, leaving me with only one flattened nostril. If I had two nostrils flattened, it would have been called a bi-lateral cleft. After a few months, I went for a major operation.

Actually, all four operations I had undergone were major ones.

Since young, I have stayed at my grandma’s house very often. She was very, very patient with me. Since I had a hole at my lip and palate, I could not suck a straw or from a milk bottle. The tip of the milk bottle, which was where you were supposed to suck from, had a hole. In fact every milk bottle’s tip had a hole but mine was special.

The hole wasn’t too big– so that I wouldn’t choke and it wasn’t too small– or it would have taken me hours to finish my milk. In any case, I would drink so slowly it would take me 45 minutes to finish my bottle of milk.

I had a sister. Her name was Mae. She could be quite argumentative and demanding sometimes. I must say I was more mature than her in the sense of safety even when I was a few months old. Don’t get me wrong though! I’m not boasting!

Anyway, let’s get back to the topic on operations. My first operation involved the stitching up of the hole in my lip. This left me with a scar on my lip, or what I would call a “souvenir.”

I couldn’t quite remember the purpose of the second operation. What I did know however, was that the aftermath of the operations thus far had left me with a flattened nose. The hole in my lip had also been stitched. I had

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Feat ures

I

The Operation

The cleft lip and cleft palate are congenital or inborn deformities caused by abnormalities during pregnancy.

This cleft is a gap resulting from the malformation of the oral cavities during the development stage of the child in the womb.

Jürgen Habermas

Sto r y Tr ivia

Thomas Malthus

Tut ankham un

According to Operation Smile, one of the biggest medical organisations that address the problem of cleft lips and cleft palates, at least one child with a cleft lip or palate is born every three minutes – that’s at least one in 700 children born. The plight of these children, who in adulthood may encounter social stigma given their situations, can have decreased selfesteem, changing behaviour patterns and reduced social skills.

Nonetheless, here are a few cases of cleft lip or cleft palate people whom history remembers fondly:

Tutankhamun He was an Egyptian pharaoh who may have had a slightly cleft palate according to recent diagnostic imaging. To date, he is Ancient Egypt’s youngest pharaoh who died at the age of 18.

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Thorgils Skarthi Called Thorgils ‘The Hare-Lipped’, he was a 10th century Viking warrior and founder of Scarborough, England.

Jürgen Habermas He is a German philosopher and sociologist, who spearheaded studies on development, underdevelopment and social mobility. He is known for his theory of communicative action and works on the concept of the public sphere.

Thomas Malthus An economist who was ridiculed during his time for his predictions of a then-coming Great Depression of the 1930s, he developed the theory of supply and demand mismatches, which he fondly called gluts.

Animal Tales

Rosequartz

Feat ures

By Michelle Neoh

Illustrations by Adeline Lim

Young Reader Club / Anniversary Issue

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I

Rosequartz

was a young filly when my mother showed me how Man and his hounds and horses looked and smelled like. At first, the smell was pungent to my delicate little nostrils.

Yet it was important, it was essential that I learned to recognise and identify it.

“My dear filly,” my mother had said, “There will be a time when I will not be able to save and protect you from Man and his accomplices, the hounds and those stupid mule-like horses wearing silly little straps all over their bodies.”

My mother snorted in disgust and stomped her hooves as though trying to shake off an urge to shudder at the thought of wearing those straps.

I nodded obediently and sniffed in the air, trying to remember the putrid scent.

The scent became very familiar to me and whenever I saw Man and his accomplices, I would follow my mother’s instructions, leaping silently for the nearest bracken undergrowth to remain hidden until they passed.

Honestly, I thought to myself, Man was such a bother. If only there was a way to just escape their grasp without the need to hide in the undergrowth. I was still young then and soon forgot about it altogether.

I was also taught to remember some of the better hiding places should Man and his accomplices pursue me.

Besides this, I had to learn to jump nimbly from rock to rock, cliff to cliff the hard way. And the hard way it really was. If I fell, I had to pick myself up and start all over again.

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At the end of each session, my body would be slick with sweat, sticky with freshly spilled hot blood and covered with masses of dried blood and bruises. Of course, I became a good jumper and a speedy little filly.

My mother would nod approvingly and say, “My dear filly is such an infallible young child.” She would then lick me lovingly along the withers and I would snort in pleasure.

Two

It was only when I had to leave my mother and become independent that I remembered the question I had pondered over when I was learning the essential skills of survival in the wild. How can I outsmart Man? For several days, I contemplated endlessly over that mind-boggling question before I came up with an almost flawless plan.

Sniff… Sniff… I tried to draw in the scent of Man and resisted a shudder of disgust as the faintest whiff of their scent seeped into my nostrils. Hesitantly, I crept forward and out of the thick undergrowth trotted a magnificent black stallion.

He had a finely shaped thick head and his ears were pricked. He swung his head around and I swore he saw me.

He gave a low whinny and I stiffened

Sto r y Tr ivia

Horses All About

Rosequartz, the brave heroine of the story, is a young filly. What exactly is a filly?

Filly – A young female horse, four years old or younger Colt – A young male horse, four years old or younger Foal – A newborn or very young horse, male or female Gelding – A male horse that has been castrated, or gelded Mare – A mature female horse Stallion – A male horse that has not been castrated Dam – The term give to a female horse when she becomes a mother

FUN FACTS

• The oldest horse on record is Old Billy. Foaled in 1760, he died at age 62 in 1822. He was a draft cross bred in Woolston, Britain.

• Horses’ height is measured in units known as “hands.” One hand is equal to four inches.

• The tallest horse on record was a Shire named Samson. He was 21.2 hands (seven feet, two inches) tall. He was born in 1846 in Toddington Mills, England.

• Horses can drink up to ten gallons of water a day.

• A horse can see better at night than a human.

However, it takes a horse’s eyes longer to adjust from light to dark and from dark to light than a human’s.

• A horse can poop up to 14 times a day!

• All horses, regardless of when they were actually born, are considered to have a common birthday of 1st January.

• A horse’s teeth occupy more space in its head than its brain.

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Asian Tales

The

Letter

By Nurul Liman bte Said

Illustrations by Gibson Les Paul

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I

The Letter

stared at the airmail envelope I held in my hand. My heart was racing madly. It had the familiar stamp from Aceh on it but the handwriting was crude. Even my name was spelt wrongly. There were mud stains on it and the ink was blotched. Without a moment’s hesitation, I proceeded to tear open the envelope. It was written in halting English.

Sunti was my pen pal from Aceh.

We started writing to each other since we were nine years old and shared many a secret. She wrote in English and Bahasa Indonesian and I wrote in English and Malay. I knew that she had two younger brothers and her family lived by the sea since her father was a fisherman.

Without fail, I received a letter from her every month, and I got the last one just before my 12th birthday.

There was silence after that. I heard about the tsunami while I was in Kuala Lumpur with my family, and my mind went blank for a moment. I suddenly realised, it was close to Sunti’s home!

Could the silence that followed mean that the tsunami had swallowed her up?

Sunti’s village was not mentioned in the list of affected areas in the news.

I wondered whether her village was spared by the tsunami. But it was still close. I remained anxious during the weeks that followed. I wondered what

had happened to the family, and whether they had been separated or not.

Two

I stared at the letter and started crying. At least she was safe although she was not herself. The words Haiz wrote saying, ‘Please help!’ kept playing in my mind a million times.

“No!” my mother said firmly when I pleaded her to let me go to Aceh and help Sunti.

“Mom, this is really important!

Sunti has lost her mind! She has lost her mind!” I cried. My mother shook her head. “No Marion, dear, I believe you have lost your mind. Surely you don’t expect me to allow my twelveyear-old daughter to wander the streets of Indonesia by herself!”

It seemed like she did not care about Sunti. It was like the last straw for me. Even when I asked my father, he just grunted and fell silent.

I was determined to find my way to Indonesia, to find Sunti and to help her without my mother knowing.

Three

Very early in the morning the Young Reader Club / Anniversary Issue

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Feat ures

Dear Maron, You have to help Sunti, my sister.

She sik. She loose her mind.

Our Mather lost in tsunami. Sunti no talk. Please help.

Haiz Then it all made sense.

worth of property were lost;

• The Great Lisbon Tsunami of 1755, where a magnitude 9 earthquake almost split the Portuguese city of Lisbon in half, causing three tsunamis to come 30 minutes after, literally sweeping people out to the sea, with waves of up to 98 feet high.

Sto r y Tr ivia

A tsunami (pronounced as soo-nahmee) is a series of water waves that is caused by a displacement or disruption of any large body of water. Such a displacement of water is usually caused by earthquakes underwater. As the sea floor suddenly deforms, it displaces the water above it. Waves are formed as a reaction to gravity, and an attempt to

regain the balance that both the water and the sea floor lost.

On average, two destructive tsunamis occur per year in the Pacific basin. And although most tsunamis are cause by underwater earthquakes, they can also be caused by volcanic eruptions, landslides, underwater explosions, and believe it or not, meteorite impacts.

Throughout history, several tsunami disasters have made a mark. Four deadly tsunamis have caught our attention.

• The Chilean Tsunami of 1960, which had waves that were 30 feet high and was caused by a 9.5 magnitude earthquake (the strongest magnitude earthquake in recorded history). Almost 2,000 people died and $550 million 34

• The Krakatau, Indonesia Tsunami of 1883, which was caused by the loudest volcanic explosion in recorded history (the explosion was heard as far as 4000 kilometers away). The tsunamis that the explosion created wiped out 65 villages in the islands of Sumatra and Java;

• And, the Indian Ocean Earthquake of 2004, where a magnitude 9.15 undersea earthquake created a series of tsunamis along the coastlines of Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, among others, killing close to 310,000 people in 12 countries, a third of whom were children whose families lived near the coastal areas.

The

Timid Dragon

By Justine Hong

Magic & Fantasy

Illustrations by Adeline Lim

Young Reader Club / Anniversary Issue

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E

“

The Timid Dragon

eeeaaaah!” Curry screeched, running around in circles. “Bug! There’s a bug!”

“Don’t be silly!” exclaimed Chilli, Curry’s brother, exasperated. “It’s just a bug! We’re 100,000 times bigger than it! And we’re dragons! DRAGONS! We’re known to be fierce and tough!”

“Well…” Curry trailed off as he watched the little green bug get squashed and squished by Chilli.

It was a bright and sunny morning and Curry, Chilli, Flare and Goldrock were playing hide-and-seek in the fields of Dragon Valley. The valley was a tranquil place with lush greenery, multi-hued flowers and sparkling waterfalls.

In the midst of the valley, playing along the rolling hills were Curry and Chilli, twin dragons born of the fire.

Curry was a timid dragon who could not breathe fire. Even if he tried his hardest, he just could not do it. Since he could not breathe fire, Curry felt as if he was a failure. “What sort of dragon am I if I can’t breathe fire!?” he thought shamefully. Even toddler dragons could puff smoke! He felt useless, and other dragons making fun of him because of this, did not help.

He later became afraid of everything and anything.

His brother Chilli, however, was the complete opposite, even though they were twins. Chilli was very brave and daring, and was a powerful firebreather.

The twins had friends - Flare and Goldrock. Flare was a funny dragon and always made his friends laugh.

Goldrock’s real name was Blazer, but 36

he was very steadfast and firm, so he earned his nickname after Mount Goldrock, Dragon Valley’s highest peak.

To the Dragon Palace

One day, while Curry and his friends were happily playing, they heard a loud flapping of wings.

Glancing around, Curry saw a big blue dragon flying towards them.

“It’s a dragon messenger,” Flare murmured as they watched the dragon land beside them. “I wonder what he wants.”

“Hello!” he said. “His Majesty, the King, wants to see all of you.”

“Us?” Chilli replied with a puzzled face. The dragon nodded and motioned them to follow him.

Flapping their wings steadfast, the gang gave each other quizzical looks as they were led to the Dragon Palace. A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination.

The Dragon Palace was made of gold and shone brightly. Jewels surrounded the turrets. Inside, a throne made of gold with a ruby dragon statue mounted at the top stood majestically behind the

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ou k now that t her ea oy D

st ill

dr

ag

ons

ex isti ng toda y

?

A

s scary as dragons in mythology are, do you know that there are still dragons existing today? They may not be the high-flying, firebreathing ones, but they are actually the closest things that we can get to a real dragon!

Probably one of the dragon’s “closest” relative is the monitor lizard, and their varieties which include the Komodo dragon, the Water Monitors, Mangrove Monitors, the Gila Monsters of North America, and the Goanna of Australia, to name a few.

These lizards are highly adaptive, forever hungry, and are very curious. For the most part, they have highly-developed senses of smell, and can identify new scents in their territories. Monitor lizards are called as such because they keep a watchful eye of the habitats they live in.

They also love to eat, since they eat almost everything – which makes their mouths a breeding ground for numerous bacteria, making their bite extremely deadly! So better watch out for these lizards!

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Amazing Journeys

Cambodia An Odyssey Into the Human Soul

g pot

eltin A new m

So little, yet so hap

py

Smile of

the centu

ry

Photos by Paulina Lee

Young Reader Club / Anniversary Issue

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Writing from The Heart

verything happens for a reason. There was a reason why I booked my eldest daughter’s ticket with STA Travel when we first sent her to Nottingham to read law in 2004. There was a reason why I went back to them again in 2006 for my second daughter who was traveling to Adelaide and every year from then on. Then in 2012, I understood the reason.

Writing from the Heart

When I started my journey of mentoring Young Authors to write a book way back in 2003, I wanted to give them more than just a sense of achievement. Yes, writing their very own book is so wonderful, so amazing

for my authors, but I had this rooted doubt that writing without compassion or just for the sake of seeing one’s name in print, doesn’t lead to developing the heart to feel. I’m glad to say that the Young Author Scheme has opened up many a young mind and heart .... Writing is so therapeutic and yes, didn’t I read many a young author’s hopes, angst, frustration and dreams in their very own book?

I wanted to do more to build their compassion, so in 2010, the Janus team undertook the Writing Buddies 46

Project with the Central Singapore Community Development Council, Singapore (CS CDC). The result: If I Were A Superhero, where my Young Author Award nominees worked with financially-hardy children from the CS CDC. They interacted, they discussed, and they realized, that though they come from very different backgrounds, they were after all sharing the same hopes and ideals.

In 2011, it was with the Spastic Children’s Association of Singapore (SCAS). This time parents were invited to be with their children as we spent a day with the children from the SCAS. What resulted and very sensitively designed by Soo Yong, staunch supporter of my adventurous projects and a great friend, was the I Care and Share Journal.

And so, the journey began. It’s an amazing journey for me, and for the people who were courageous enough to open their hearts and their minds to explore, to feel and to connect. There’s Mary, who believed that this journey with her two children, Eugene, 18, and Eunice, 13, would change their lives. There’s Vella, who came with

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Character strengths, how we have it and use it

person is born into the world, the start of a story, but by no means the end of it. Each person is nurtured into being, taught and trained by parents and peers, education and environment. From this trial by fire, one develops a set of strengths, be it critical thinking or spirituality, the ability to love or be cautious. Before the Journeyers started on their way, a mirror was held up to them…

Catherine Khoo

Paulina Lee

Wanying Tay

Ravella Koh

Mary Chee

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n Catherine Khoo, 54 Chief Journeyer 1.Creativity, ingenuity and originality 2. Forgiveness and mercy 3. Gratitude 4. Zest, enthusiasm and energy 5. Curiosity and interest in the world “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.”- in her book Love! Live Dangerously! And have Fun! n Paulina Lee, 22 Epiphany Girl 1. Creativity, ingenuity and originality 2. Perspective (wisdom) 3. Social intelligence 4. Humour and playfulness 5. Appreciation of beauty and excellence “This trip has made me realised that we are spoilt. Spoilt to the extent of not even realising we are.”- reflecting on the second day. n Wanying Tay, 19 Curious One 1. Curiosity and interest in the world 2.Capacity to love and be loved 3. Honesty, authenticity, and genuineness 4. Humor and playfulness 5. Hope, optimism and future “My father wanted me to come, and I also wanted to come. Because my father said that I need to go to a kampung to try their life, to understand how happy and fortunate I am.”- when queried on why she joined the trip to Cambodia. n Ravella Koh, 43 Investigator 1. Curiosity and interest in the world 2. Hope, optimism and future-mindedness 3. Judgement, critical thinking, and open-mindedness 4. Capacity to love and be loved 5. Love of learning “People in Cambodia had weathered years of bloodshed, poverty and political instability. Somehow they have come through the experience with smiles still intact.”- four days into the Amazing Journeys Cambodia trip. n Mary Chee Chiaw Pik, 48 Love Advocator 1. Forgiveness and mercy 2. Capacity to love and be loved 3. Honesty, authenticy and genuineness 4. Perspective (wisdom) 5. Curiosity and interest in the world “Forgiveness of self is just as important as forgiveness of others [...]

Happiness is a choice.”- reflecting on what she had seen in the Tuol Sleng Museum.

Yuen Mei Hui

Raymond Khaw

Wong Sook Ying

n Wong Sook Ying, 40 Teacher 1. Forgiveness and mercy 2. Gratitude 3. Industry, diligence and perseverance 4. Judgement, critical thinking and openmindedness 5. Citizenship, teamwork and loyalty “There is really no difference teaching beading to the villagers or to city folk back in Singapore.”- while teaching women to do beading in the women’s commune kitchen.

n Yuen Mei Hui, 9 The Innocent 1. Humour, playfulness “There were skeletons and skulls and killing + torturing instruments!

I’m upset and I pity them that those people were unlucky, and ‘Pol Pot’ was a very bad person. He was cruel to other people!”- on Tuol Sleng Museum. n Raymond Khaw, 47 Peacemaker 1. Spirituality, sense of purpose and faith 2. Fairness, equity and justice 3. Appreciation of beauty and excellence 4. Caution, prudence and discretion 5. Hope, optimism and future-mindedness Quote: “How can men do such senseless deeds to his fellow men is incomprehensible to me.”- on what he saw in the Tuol Sleng Museum.

Eunice Tan

n Eunice Tan Qi Hui,13 Emerging Artist 1. Appreciation of beauty and excellence 2. Fairness, equity and justice 3. Creativity, ingenuity and originality 4. Citizenship, teamwork and loyalty 5. Honesty, authenticity and genuineness “Seeing the sunset reminds me that even though today’s a bad day, tomorrow might turn out to be better like how the sun is rising and setting.”- reflecting on the Tonle Sap River.

Mabel Khaw

n Mabel Khaw, 15 Awakened Student 1. Spirituality, sense of purpose and faith 2. Industry, dilligence and perseverance 3. Social intelligence 4. Humour and playfulness 5. Creativity, ingenuity and originality “Smiles are the world’s international language.”- after teaching the Cambodian locals beading

Kerdelle Khaw

n Kerdelle Khaw, 13 Observer 1. Spirituality, sense of purpose, and faith 2. Social Intelligence 3. Appreciation of beauty and excellence 4. Kindness and generosity 5. Citizenship, teamwork and loyalty “Children in Singapore are very spoilt, they think that they can just buy the prizes.”- during Catherine’s interview.

Young Young Reader Reader Club Club // Anniversary Anniversary Issue Issue

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Amazing Journeys: Cambodia

Eugene Tan

n Eugene Tan Zi Hao, 18 Thinker 1. Judgement, critical thinking and open-mindedness 2. Creativity, ingenuity, originality 3. Fairness, equity, justice.

4. Humour, playfulness 5. Social Intelligence “I contemplated what Cambodia would have look like, what it would have been if they had not [suffered] the downfall they faced during PolPot’s rule.”- after visiting the Tuol Sleng Museum.

First Lesson

Learning from the Past: What went Wrong?

Upon touching down in Cambodia, the Journeyers was led by a local guide to visit the National Museum there, but what defined the day was a visit to the Tuol Sleng Museum, also known as the Museum of Genocidal Crimes, which was an actual detention and torture centre, one of many during the rule of the Khmer Rouge. For some, it was a first odyssey into the darkest corner of humanity. For the rest who knew, a meeting with a familiar spectre standing at the horizon.

Chun Mey, defying the Khmer Rouge one smile at a time.

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MEI HUI: “There were seven survivors only, out of a few hundreds to millions or so. We interviewed one survivor. His name was CHUN MEY! He told us all about his life and what he had to suffer. Babies were thrown at a big fat tree if their mother looked weird or not innocent to the soldiers, especially Pol Pot! Also, Chun Mey said that there was a bottle for urine and poo. If you make a mess, you had to lick it up, using your tongue!”

“I’m upset and I pity them! Those people were unlucky, and ‘Pol Pot’ was a very bad person. He was cruel to other people! I’m so sad!”

Second Lesson

Time travel back to the Kampung era

Live Simply, so others may Simply Live

Even after Pol Pot’s reign however, there is still much beauty in Cambodia. After a harrowing realisation of the truth at Tuol Sleng Museum, after bearing witness to the devastation that continues to affect the lives of Cambodians today, the Journeyers discovered the simple pleasures and comforts the locals would turn to as their nation recovers.

There is a solution to every problem, urban or rural

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Third Lesson

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll never go hungry For most of their stay, the Journeyers worked to provide aid to the people of Chambok, one of the poorest villages in the region. Knowing that material goods could only go so far before they were run through, they strove to make a lasting impact on their lives.

The best smiles are often those that shines from the darkest corner of the world

Someone stole this kid’s smile. It’s everyone’s duty to put it back

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Make love, not war

Face, n. A universal language built into every human being

Fourth Lesson

Games are for Life

Education is so important it took up half the mural

Learning could come in many forms, however, not just work and lessons. Singaporeans knew this far too well, sometimes to their detriment – and so as if by some heartless cosmic balance, the people of Chambok knew less of it. The Journeyers seeks to correct this oversight in their effort to aid the people of Chambok.

Eugene: Loading...

Monopoly Lesson Plan v1.5.6.

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PAULINA: “I did not know that Monopoly would work when it was suggested since I thought it would be too hard to learn? However!

It actually works and they had formed a community around playing it.”

Fifth Lesson

Live! Love! Laugh!

That’s Life!

As night descends upon Chambok, the village seems to take on a whole new atmosphere altogether. As if a shy child warming up to a new friend, the village came alive with costumes, traditional Khmer music and games.

RAYMOND: “The people were friendly and very open to interacting with foreigners. The kids go out of their way to dress up in traditional dance costumes, to put up a show for us and I am very appreciative of this. ‘Dar’, one of the boys, told me he was very happy that I am happy when I was doing the dance item.”

Girls in green uniform soldier on

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Sixth Lesson

If You Get, Give.

5 sacks of rice, innumerable feelings

Although lessons were taught and educational games were played, efforts in these areas alone won’t be enough.

Be it a fortune or misfortune, it is the way of the world – humanity began in the prologue of their story as hunters, gatherers and farmers first, then businessmen, artists and scientists much later. The group was prepared to provide aid in both aspects, not just in the latter.

In doing so, the group experienced the human condition in its unadulterated form.

RAYMOND: “24% of the population lives below the poverty line. The sacks of rice we repacked and distributed made me think of how fortunate I was that I did not have to go through the hardship of not being sure where my next bowl of rice would come from. The villagers gladly and with much gratitude accept what was given. I could see it from their expression.

We, on the other hand, have things overflowing and we seem to have lost much of our sense of appreciation and gratitude. We took a lot for granted and our youngsters have weakened a lot in terms of our physical strength and hardiness.

All is not lost, however, as our education is compensating for that in the area of intellect.”

On the yellow dirt road to find a heart

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Seventh Lesson

People are people, no matter where they come from On the last day, the group found themselves in a school run by the People’s Improvement Organisation, a charity organisation that seeks to reduce poverty through non-formal education and training. As it had been in previous days, and through the PIO children, the group learnt of how much two separate people could have in common, and how much they could learn from each other.

They’re absorbing the lesson like a blockbuster movie

The school as a beacon of light in the middle of Cambodia’s reconstruction era

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Eighth Lesson

Toilet Horror

“I will swallow your soul!” said the toilet.

But the good thing about old toilets is that trees that sprout from it. The newer ones just create brown rivers

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Not every toilet is made to 5-star hotel specifications, especially public toilets.

During their stay in Chombok, the group makes a foray into another dark side of humanity.

While Chombok’s toilet was understandably grimy, it was still a cut above historical toilets. It was only in the 20s that the flush system was adopted in America, and it was much later elsewhere. Before, it was just a hole in the ground.

Experiencing Chombok’s toilet is but a small taste of the sanitation of yesteryears.

Bonus Lesson

What goes into a plate of chicken rice?

That said, the Journeyers were, by any definitions, heroes of their story and to the people of Chambok. Heroes, or protagonists, however, are only one of many types of characters in any stories.

There were many others, heroes of their own stories just passing through, and not all of them were larger than life. In a final bonus feature, consider exploring the story of one unlikely and poor heroine, and what transpired from her.

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Epilogue

Sunset Reflections By the end of The Amazing Journey: Cambodia, the Journeyers, consisting of those who live by love and rationality, emerging sages and learning children, had taken back home with them valuable lessons that may never be had any other way. After all, it is far too easy to be a saint in paradise.

In visiting the Tuol Sleng Museum, the group gained a deeper and closer understanding of humanity’s darker side.

For the kids, for any children, it is essential to show them the dark and scary path, least they tried to take it and could not come back. They were shown their choices, and there is no doubt that these children will take the right one.

The signs were already there, as in the course of rendering humanitarian aid to the people of Cambodia, they had shown remorse, care and dedication just like the wiser parents responsible for them. From the looks on the local villagers’ faces one can tell that the children had leapt years in mental age.

In helping the people of Cambodia, the group gained a far deeper and closer understanding of the good that humanity could offer. They transcended the trappings of city folks, returning to the natural roots of their ancestors. In this way, like Chun Mey, they had helped undo some of the damage and dark legacy of the Khmer Rouge regime that devastated Cambodia, inasmuch as what a small group of 12 ordinary individuals could do.

The power of change is in our hands, should we choose to take it. This was well demonstrated by the Journeyers.

While this journey may come to a close, a new one could begin any time, should anyone else choose to acknowledge the power of change in their hands.

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C

I Can Write, So Can You

hildhood memories are indeed worth remembering.

Catherine Khoo shares a snippet of her childhood through her latest book release in this installment of the YRC.

By Catherine Khoo

I come from Singapore, a place where resources are limited. My father came down south from Penang, a picturesque town where we speak a kind of singsong Hokkien dialect. I think my grandfather migrated from Fujian in China, settled in Malaysia, then for some unknown reason, decided to move down south. I don’t know anything else about my paternal grandparents.

Daddy never spoke much about them. But Mum used to tell me that my grandmum ran a gambling den in Geylang. And because he saw how the many men who walked through the doors of Lorong 27A Geylang came out a financial mess, Daddy swore off gambling! I wonder if I’ve inherited my grandmother’s streak....

Running a gambling den needs guts, gumption and a whole lot of people management. Mum used to tell me during Chinese New Year, whenever she visited the Khoo family, the angpows were especially huge. You put your hand into this huge bowl and whatever coins you could grab were yours. I think Grandmum was trying to teach a very important lesson: it’s yours only if you can handle it.

He told me once, right after dinner, when I was just eight, that he would sleep atop his scooter on warm nights.

There if you look up, you have the chance to see the stars do magic things.

What magic things, I would ask. It would tell you stories .... you see, Daddy would say, people die and then they become stars. So, if you look hard Young Reader Club / Anniversary Issue

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