The Apple

The apple is the kind of fruit that people around the world like to eat. It has many advantages for your health. When you have it in your hand, you'll know that there are three difference main points in apple, such as good taste, difference color and healthy fruit.

It has good taste. If you frees it in the fridge for long time, its taste will be better than before. After you take it from the fridge, you should cut it into four parts. Then you take a piece among of fours into your mouth, soon. Because the pieces of apple are cold, you'll enjoy it as well. So you'll think it is tasty.

The apple came into difference color. Such as red, yellow and light blue etc. Somehow, people like it due to its color too. Some people like red apple, but some like other light blue. For my idea, the colors of apple are good, and it looks tasty. The favorite of apple of people is up to its color.

It is healthy fruit. It contains to many advantages of vitamins. For instance, vitamin C which can be good for your eyes. Vitamin B can make your skin become lightly and smoothly. Sometime, when you go to the hospital, you'll hear the doctor says " If you eat an apple for a day, you won't be sick. " All in all, the apple is the most popular fruit which is eaten by people all over the world. Its good taste, difference color and healthy fruit. It hasnt only above three points, but it has also many other advantages for your health. One other thing is you won't be sick if you eat one apple for a day.

My first day at school

My mother accompanied me to school on the first day. Other parents accompanied their children as well. We all waited in front of the school office. Soon a teacher came and led us to some classrooms. There we were put into four separate classes. This was when some children began to cry as the parents were not allowed into the classrooms. I did not cry because I had been to kindergarten before. Actually my mother went home soon after for she knew I would be all right. It was an enjoyable time for me as I got to know my new classmates. The teacher was very busy writing down our particulars so we had plenty of time to ourselves. Meantime some children continued to sob while their parents looked in anxiously through the windows. Soon recess came. Some of us headed for the tuck-shop while the rest headed for their parents. I bought a drink with the money my mother gave me. Getting to know my new friends had made me thirsty. After recess we went back to out classroom and my new friends and I managed to coax two boys to stop crying. In fact, soon we were laughing and playing together. Once in a while the teacher had to tell us to keep quiet as we were making too much noise. Still some parents looked in anxiously through the windows. Finally the bell rang for us to go home. Some of us were very relieved to be reunited with our parents. I too was glad to see my mother waiting for me at the school gate. I had made many friends. It had been a wonderful first day at school. sob tuck-shop coax to cry noisily A shop where candy and other sweets are sold to persuade someone gently to do something

Road safety
Everyday many people are involved in road accidents. Some are killed. Many more are injured or maimed. So it is important for us to learn to use the roads properly and safely. No sane person would like to be involved in an accident. As the roads are very busy nowadays, we should be very careful when crossing one. It is safer to use a pedestrian crossing or an overhead bridge whenever one is available. Never cross a road by dashing across it. That is inviting trouble. If there are no crossings, then we must look carefully right and left and cross only when it is safe to do so. Some of us take the bus to school. It is important that we do not try to get on or off a bus while it is still moving. I tried to get on a moving bus once. It dragged me a short distance and nearly ran over me. I was lucky to escape with only some scratches on my legs. Also we must not fool around while in the bus. A suddenly lurch can send us knocking our heads against something hard. Using a bicycle can be dangerous too. We must pay attention on the road and never cycle too far out to the middle of the road. We must obey all traffic rules. Also we must make sure our bicycles are in good condition with working brakes, lights etc. These are some things we can do to avoid accidents. However there is no guarantee that we will never be involved in one. The important thing is to stay alert at all times while using the roads. We must know what is happening around us. In that way we can take necessary action to avoid danger whenever we see one. Road safety is very much up to how we use the roads. Use them carefully and we may be able to use them for a long time. Use them carelessly and we may never be able to use them again. maim to injure a person so severely that a part of their body will no longer work as it should move quickly to move in an irregular way, especially making sudden movements backwards or forwards or from side to side

dash lurch

An unforgettable experience
Carrying a passenger on a bicycle is an offence punishable by law. Everyone knows that but still some of us do it. I had done it many times before until something happened to teach me never to do it again. It was not the police. Rather it was an unforgettable, and unpleasant, experience. It happened one evening when my friend Segaran and I wanted to go and visit another friend who lived some distance away. I had a bicycle. Segaran did not. So, as usual, he sat side-saddle on the horizontal bar of the bicycle while I pedalled. We had done it many times before, so it should not be any problem. Near my friend's house, we got onto a gravel path made slippery by the recent rain. Still we managed to wobble along, thoroughly enjoying the rough ride. As we passed by a stream, I made the mistake of going too near the bank. The rain had softened the soil and it could not hold our combined weight. One moment we were going along merrily, the next we were tumbling head over heels into the stream as the bank gave way beneath us. Splash! Splash! Splash! We plunged into the river bicycle first, followed by Segaran, then me. Normally the stream is only a few centimetres deep with clear water. When we fell in, it was a metre deep with foul black water. The water prevented us from getting badly injured but we also had to pay the price of gulping some of it. It tasted horrible. Segaran got the worst of it for being sandwiched between the bicycle and me, but it was not too bad. We had only a few cuts and bruises. Our pride was far more hurt. We retrieved ourselves and the bicycle from the stream. We were both dirty and soaking wet. Obviously we were in no condition to visit anyone. So we decided to go home. We walked all the way home. I had to push the bicycle because its front wheel was bent out of shape. From that moment I vowed never to carry anyone on a bicycle again. Never again do I want to be dirty and wet with cuts and bruises all over my body. Once was enough.

gravel wobble

small rounded stones, often mixed with sand shake or move from side to side in a way that shows a lack of balance to fall quickly without control

tumble

My Classmates
We are a noisy lot, that is what our teachers say about us. This is largely due to Ah Keong. He is the noisiest of us all. His voice is like that of a bull frog but volumes louder. It seems that he cannot talk softly. Actually he does not talk, he shouts. Perhaps his living with his family of ten children has something to do with it. In this noisy bunch lives a boy who hardly ever opens his mouth. This is Padma, the boy who sits next to me. He is such a gentle and soft creature that one would think that he is a sissy. This is not so. No one dares call him one for he is a member of the school's Karate Club. Then there is Doris, our class monitor. She sits right in front of the teacher's table. She is such a model student that all the teachers love her. We all love her for she does notboss us around. She has given up doing that long ago. All she does is to make sure that the teachers have sufficient chalk and that the classroom is clean. Right at the back of the class sits our class sleepy-head. Mat seems to need more sleep than others. He catches cat-naps in between lessons. The astounding thing is that he can fall asleep almost instantly. The moment the teacher leaves after a lesson, Mat's snores start up and we know he is at it again. Remarkably he wakes up when the next teacher arrives. Every class has a clown. Our class has Jack, otherwise known as "Jacko The Clown". He is always up to some prank or other, putting tails on the boys' pants, frogs in the girls' desks and powdered chalk on the teacher's chair. So when we hear a girl scream or see men-teachers strolling around with chalk on the seat of their pants, we know that Jacko has struck again. The other classmates too have their own unique personalities. Each contributes his or her part to our class. All in all we are a group of young children who perhaps are a bit noisy at times, but on the whole are well-behaved and pleasant to be with. sissy a boy who other boys dislike and laugh at because they think he is weak or interested in activities girls usually like, or a person who is weak and cowardly Tell someone what to do, give orders

boss around

astounding

very surprising

My neighbours
Many of us live in housing estates. I live in one myself. The one thing about living in a housing estate is that we have many neighbours. Next to my house on the right lives a family whose parents seem to be always scolding the children. I do not know them very well because they always appear angry. Never a day passes without hearing the children crying and the parents shouting at the top of their voices. On the other side of my house, however, lives a very quiet and polite family. Mr. Verghese is a quiet man who seems to manage his family very well. Though he has four children, which is one more than the other family, I never hear him scold his children. So his children never cry. What a wonderful family they are. Further down the road is a family whose radio is switched on most of the time, except late at night. His immediate neighbours must have a tough time putting up with the noise of the radio. Then there is a family whose members seem to live in a world of their own. Many times we have met along the road and not once has any of them even nod his or her head in acknowledgement. They are not blind or deaf. Yet they can walk straight past as if I am not there at all. I would not say that they are unfriendly. I guess they are simply not interested in knowing their neighbours. On the opposite side of the road live Mr. Lim and his family. Mr. Lim is a birdcollector. So everyday a dozen or more birds sing melodious tunes right beneath his front porch. It is preferable to the blare of the other neighbour's radio. However the bird droppings can give off an awful stench. These are some of the neighbours living near me. There are others that I have yet to meet. However I am careful not to intrude on their privacy. The friendly ones smile or raise their hands. The not-so-friendly ones look away. I have to live among them, friendly or not.

put up with stench intrude

to accept an unpleasant situation or experience a strong unpleasant smell to go into a place or situation in which you are not wanted or not expected to be

A Journey by Car
My father bought a new car one day. We were all very excited. He promised to take us to Melaka to visit my grandparents the coming Sunday. Sunday morning was bright and breezy. We hopped into the brand new car and soon we were heading out of Petaling Jaya towards the expressway. My mother sat in the front passenger seat while my father drove. I sat behind with my younger sister. As it was Sunday the roads were not very busy. Soon we were on the expressway travelling at a leisurely pace. My father is a careful driver and he does not drive too fast or dangerously. This proved to be good for there was a speed-trap manned by the police along the expressway. I saw some cars stopped by the police. They had obviously been speeding. Driving along the expressway tend to be monotonous. I actually fell asleep once we passed Seremban. When I awoke, we were already at the Ayer Keroh toll gate. My father paid the toll and steered the car towards Melaka Town. On the way we passed many interesting sights. My father promised to stop by on our way home. We had to visit our grandparents first. We left Ayer Keroh and all its factories behind as we journeyed into the town itself. Like all towns, there were many cars and other vehicles. Also there were many tourists. Melaka has many places of historical interest and thus this was not

surprising. Finally we arrived at my grandparents' house in Klebang Besar. The journey had taken about two hours. We stepped out of the car. My grandparents greeted us happily. expressway a wide road built for fast moving traffic travelling long distances, with a limited number of points at which drivers can enter and leave it staying the same and not changing and therefore boring to visit someone brief, usually on the way to another place

monotonous stop by

A Picnic by the Sea

Teluk Kemang is about 12 kilometres from Port Dickson town in Negeri Sembilan. It is a popular beach where many people go to and relax on. It was on one of the days of the Chinese New Year holidays that we had a picnic at Teluk Kemang. I went there with my uncle and his family. There were five of us, my uncle, his wife, their two young children and me. My uncle drove us there in his car. We arrived there at about ten in the morning. The beach was already crowded with other holiday-makers. Anyhow we managed to get a place in the shade of a large tree and we put our things there. My aunt laid out a mat for us to sit on. In double-quick time we were enjoying ourselves in the sea, except my aunt. She just sat on the mat watching us. The water was cool and refreshing and I loved splashing it on my cousins. However the hot sun above can be quite uncomfortable. So after about an hour or so, my uncle told us to sit in the shade for a while. The sun was getting increasingly hot. So we reluctantly came out of the sea. In the shade of some trees we built some sandcastles.

Time passed so quickly. Soon we heard my aunt calling us to have lunch. We ran to her and helped ourselves to the delicious curry she had brought. Then we had several glasses of ice-cold drink from the Thermos flask. After lunch we played a while more in the sea. The sun was just too hot. So we walked over to one of the hotels nearby and washed ourselves with clean freshwater. When we returned, my aunt had already packed everything in the car. So all of us got into the car and my uncle drove us back home to Seremban. lay out mat In double quick time to arrange something on a flat surface a small piece of cloth very quickly

My Hobby
My hobby is reading. I read story books, magazines, newspapers and any kind of material that I find interesting. This hobby got started when I was a little boy. I had always wanted my parents to read fairy tales and other stories to me. Soon they got fed up and tired of having to read to me continually. So as soon as I could, I learned to read. I started with simple ABC books. Soon I could read simple fairy tales and other stories. Now I read just about anything that is available. Reading enables me to learn about so many things that I would otherwise not know. I learned about how people lived in bygone days of magic and mystery. I learned about the wonders of the world, space travel, human achievements, gigantic whales, tiny viruses and other fascinating things of our world. The wonderful thing about reading is that I do not have to learn things the hard way. For example, I do not have to catch a disease to know that it can kill me. I know the danger so I can avoid it. Also I do not have to go deep into the jungle to learn about the tiger. I can read all about it in a book. Books provide the reader with so much information and facts. They have certainly helped me in my daily life. I am better equipped to cope with living. Otherwise I would go about ignorantly learning things the hard way. So I continue to read. Besides being more informed about the world, I also spend my time profitably. It is indeed a good hobby. bygone cope with informed happening in a past time to deal successfully with a difficult situation having a lot of knowledge

A birthday party
Fiona is my neighbor. She turned twelve recently and her parents held a birthday party for her. I was one of those invited. The party began at about three in the afternoon. There were about twenty of us children gathered in Fiona's house. We were all dressed in our best clothes. Everyone, especially Fiona, wore a happy smile. We gave our presents to Fiona and she happily opened them. It must really be exciting to receive all those presents. After that Fiona's mother served us soft drinks and delicious tidbits. We then played some games like "Musical Chairs" and "Treasure Hunt". The winners were given prizes. At about four-thirty Fiona's mother brought out the birthday cake. It was beautifully decorated with pink and white icing. Twelve colorful candles sat in the middle of the cake. We all sang "Happy Birthday" to Fiona after which she blew out the candles and cut the cake. We clapped out hands eagerly. We helped ourselves to slices of the delicious cake. Then we continued our games. Finally at about six in the evening the party came to an end. We were all tired but happy. The parents of the other children came to collect them. I helped Fiona and her mother clean up the mess we made. After that I walked home which was only two doors away. dressed titbit / tidbit clean up wearing clothing of a particular type small item of pleasant-tasting food to make a person or place clean and tidy

A Robbery
Sam helps his uncle look after the latter's sundry shop. Business is brisk and Sam is kept busy most of the time. One evening at about 8 p.m., just as Sam's uncle was about to close for the day, two men on a motorcycle stopped outside. They got off and walked into the shop. Sam thought that it was odd that they should be wearing dark glasses at night. Anyway who was he to question what another should wear? Sam was about to ask the men what they wanted when both of them drew pistols from their pockets. One pointed a pistol at Sam and the other at Sam's uncle. Sam froze and stared at the pistol pointed at him. He could not believe his eyes. These two were robbers wearing dark glasses to conceal their identities! The next moment Sam and his uncle were made to lie face-down on the floor. Sam heard the cash register ring and the drawer open. Then he heard a shuffling of feet, the roar of a motorcycle starting up and suddenly all was quiet. Sam looked up. The robbers were gone. Sam shook his uncle who was still prostrateon the floor. They got up. Sam's uncle ran to the cash register. The robbers had taken every cent from it. The robbery had happened so quickly. It took less than a minute for the robbers to come and vanish with the day's takings. Sam's uncle shook his head. At least the robbers did not harm them. The only thing left to do was to inform the police and let them handle the case. As for Sam, he learned to be wary of strangers who wore dark glasses at night. brisk conceal prostrate active to hide something lying with the face down and arms stretched out

Visiting a durian orchard

My cousin has a durian orchard about five kilometers from town. I visited him once during a fruit season. I reached the orchard at about 9 o'clock in the morning after having cycled all the way from my house. My cousin was waiting for me in his modest little wooden house in the middle of the orchard. Around the house, about 5 acres of it, was the orchard. There were hundreds of durian trees all over the orchard. Clusters of durians hung on the branches. There must be thousands of these spiny fruits. Suddenly a loud crash sounded from a distance. I was startled. However my cousin said that it was only a ripe durian dropping from a tree. I breathed a sigh of relief. Then I followed him to where the sound came from. To my delight I found the fruit among the undergrowth. I picked it up and carried it back to the house. There were dozens of other durians piled up at the back of the house. My cousin had collected them earlier. They were for a buyer who was coming later. Anyway my cousin opened a couple of them and I enjoyed eating the delicious flesh inside. So I spent the morning picking up fallen durians. It was a great time for me. Only the mosquitoes, which kept attacking me, spoiled the fun somewhat. At about noon, I bade farewell to my cousin after thanking him for the wonderful experience in the orchard. I then cycled home. cluster spiny a group of similar things that are close together Bearing or covered with spines, thorns, or similar stiff projections gather together

pile up

Grandma
Grandma is 88 years old. Her hair is snowy-white, skin wrinkled and teeth all but gone. She is also quite deaf. Otherwise she is strong and active, often arguing with my mother over who should mop the floor. The doctor said she has Alzheimer's disease. In other words, she is senile. It is a sad fact but true. The one glaring symptom of her disease is that her memory is very bad. She cannot remember things or gets them all mixed up. So she forgets where she has kept things and often will frantically search for them. Then she forgets what she is searching for, which adds to her frustration. When she misplaces her spectacles, she will donsomeone else's pair and happily go about the house. How she manages to see with the wrong spectacles baffles me. As much as she cannot remember recent things, she can recall her younger days vividly. She rattles off the names of people she knew then and get my name and other family members' wrong. She cannot remember whether she just had dinner but can remember an event that happened fifty years ago. Sometimes she can be very difficult. Her being almost deaf does not help matters either. We have to speak loudly for her to hear. Sometimes she says we are scolding her. We shout to say we are not scolding her, which makes things worse. We got her a hearing-aid. She would not wear it. In between bouts of crankiness, she sometimes seems normal. But this seems to get lesser as her disease progresses. So we do our best to keep her out of harm's way. We lock the medicine cabinet and doors and hide dangerous things from her. It would be disastrous if she swallowed a bottle of pills or got lost while wandering in the streets. The latter has happened before. A kind neighbour brought her home. It is unfortunate the last years of her life has to be like this, but it is so. We can do nothing but to help her along as much as we can. senile showing a lack of mental ability because of old age, especially a lack of ability to think clearly and make decisions

don rattle off

to put on to say or read aloud very quickly a list of names or items

My favorite subject in school

My favorite subject in school is Mathematics. It is my favorite because I never have difficulty with it and always get good marks in tests. I suppose I am lucky to be born with a clear-thinking brain. So ever since young,manipulating numbers and figures came easy to me. The wonderful thing about Mathematics is that, besides some formulae, there is nothing else to remember. Every step in solving a problem is done logically. Other subjects like History and Geography require a lot of memory work. Remembering dates and other facts is hard work compared with the ease and simplicity of mathematical reasoning. While Mathematics is simple to me, some of my friends have great difficulty with it. I do not really understand why. They get stuck with simple problems and often give up. So I help them out when I can. The one advantage I have in being good in Mathematics is that I do not have to spend a lot of time on it. Homework and tests are a breeze. So I have plenty of time left over to study other subjects. Sometimes I feel sorry for my less fortunate classmates who get scolded in class for not completing their Mathematics homework. Anyhow I have come to realize that human beings can be so different in their abilities while they look similar otherwise. Some of us are lucky to be good in some things. Others may not be so lucky. manipulate reasoning to control or influence skillfully the process of thinking about something in order to make a decision

breeze

something which is easy to achieve

The day I lost my wallet

When I was seven years old, I was given a small wallet to keep my pocket-money in. It made me feel grown up and I carried it proudly in my hip pocket. One day, during recess in school, I discovered that my wallet was missing. I searched all my pockets but could not find it. There were a couple of ringgit or so in the wallet and without it I could not buy anything to eat. I was close to tears. It was not so much because of losing my precious wallet but because I might get a scolding from my parents. Anyhow I went hungry that day. After recess I was in no mood to study at all. I kept thinking about how I lost my wallet and what my parents would do to me. How was I going to explain the loss? I did not know whether someone had pinched it from my pocket or it had merely fallen out. I prayed that someone would find it and return it to me. My prayers came to nought. Fortunately I did not have to pay to get on my school bus. My fare was paid for monthly. When I told my mother about my loss, she was clearly angry. I received a long lecture about my carelessness. When my father came home, I received another lecture. Also I was told that there would not be any more wallets for me until I got older. So for the rest of the year and two years following, I carried my pocket-money (which became only a ringgit) in my pocket, without any wallet. I am glad to say I never lost any money again. I had learned to be more careful. It is not pleasant to lose something and then get scolded for losing it. ringgit mood nought A basic unit of currency in Malaysia. A temporary state of mind or feeling nothing

Danger at home
Our home is usually our favorite place to spend time in. However many accidents occur at home. There are dangerous things in the house and we should be aware of them. Thus we can avoid unnecessary pain or injury. Electricity runs many of our home appliances. It is a very useful thing. It is also a very dangerous thing if used carelessly, for it can kill. Electrical sockets and power points are to be handled with utmost care. Young children should never be allowed to go near them. Unless we are very sure of what we are doing, repairs should only be done by a competent electrician. It is only too easy to get electrocuted. Old or faulty appliances should be discarded. If used, they are likely to start a fire somewhere or kill someone who touches it. The kitchen has many dangerous things. Sharp knives can draw blood, mishandled gas-cylinders can explode, hot water can scald and stoves can cause nasty burns. Flies and rats can contaminate food. Thus the kitchen is not a place to be careless in. If we are careful and know how to handle things there, then the chance of an accident occurring is lessened. The biggest danger in a bathroom is when the floor is slippery with water or soap. I have heard of many incidents of people, especially old folks, falling in the bathroom. Sometimes the fall is fatal. Often it leaves the victim bedridden. Utmost care is needed here. Finally the medicine cabinet should be inaccessible to young children. Dangerous drugs and pills can look like sweets to these young ones. If taken, the consequences can be disastrous. Other dangers do exist. It is up to us to watch out for them. electrocute to kill someone by causing electricity to flow through their body to burn the skin with boiling liquid or steam Confined to bed because of illness or infirmity

scald bedridden

Walking in the rain

As I descended the steps of the bus, I saw dark clouds in the sky. It looked as though it would rain. I walked briskly toward home which was a good kilometre away. My mother had warned me about getting caught in the rain. I might catch a cold or something. I wondered if I could get home before it rained. As if in reply to my thought the rain came down. I wanted to run for it but my heavy schoolbag discouraged me from doing so. So I walked on. Soon it was raining cats and dogs. In a short while I was drenched from head to toes. Instead of feeling miserable I was actually enjoying it. The feeling of cool water running down my wet body was quite pleasant. Finally I reached home. My mother was shocked to see me soaking wet. She hurried me to the hot shower after which I put on clean dry clothes. She was worried that I might get sick. Well, I did not. In fact I felt great, having had such a wonderful experience walking in the rain. briskly drenched soaking wet quickly wet with water thoroughly wet, totally wet

Teachers' Day
One day every year, we celebrate Teachers' Day in honour of the teachers who spend so much time teaching us so many things. This year, Teachers' Day began with a school assembly in the hall where the headmaster delivered a speech. After that we adjourned to our classes, not to have lessons, but to enjoy ourselves. My classmates gave a small party for the teachers who taught us. Each of us contributed a small sum of money to buy cakes, drinks and other titbits. On that day we arranged the chairs and desks so that they surrounded an empty space in the middle of the classroom. So began a round of eating, drinking and playing games with the teachers. Most of the teachers were very sporting and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It was so different from having lessons. The other classes gave parties too. So the teachers had to move from class to class and participate in the fun. I would think that this was quite tiring on the part of the teachers but they managed it. After all it was their day to enjoy and have fun. One class even gave a short play for their teachers. I did not get to watch it as I was busy tidying up the classroom after the party. All in all it was a great day. The whole school was immersed in an atmosphere of gaiety. So when the school bell rang for dismissal I felt a little sad that it should end, but end it must. The day was over and we went home tired but happy. adjourn to somewhere to finish doing something and go somewhere, usually for a drink and some food a small piece of interesting information, or a small item of pleasant-tasting food to become completely involved in something

titbit/tidbit

immerse

Games I like to play

The games I like most is badminton. All it takes is a willing partner, two rackets and ashuttlecock. We do not even need a net. After all we simply enjoy hitting the shuttlecock to each other. My sister and I spend hours doing this just about everyday. We are not going to be world champions. It is simply great fun. We used to do this with two old toy rackets. Since then our father had bought us two real, although cheap, rackets. I must say we enjoy the game even more. Sometimes even my mother comes to join in the fun when she has the time for it. The other game I like to play is table tennis. We have an old table, two bats and some balls. So on some days we play table tennis instead. This is a game that requires more skill. We cannot even hit the ball onto the table half of the time. This can befrustrating. So we go back to badminton which is far easier and more fun. Since we play outdoors we are at the mercy of the weather. We often have to pause when the wind is too strong. It is difficult to hit the shuttlecock properly when the wind blows it away. Sometimes it rains, making it impossible to play. I do play other games in school like basketball and football. Somehow they do not seem to be much fun. So I stick to badminton and table tennis. shuttlecock a small light object with a rounded end to which real or artificial feathers are fixed and which is hit over the net in the game of badminton making you feel frustrated, discouraging to be in a situation where someone or something has complete power over you

frustrating at the mercy of sb/sth

Pests in the home

The biggest pest in the home is the mosquito. I notice that there are at least 3 different kinds of mosquitoes. Some bite in the daytime and some at night. Some are large while some are tiny, but they have one thing in common -- they bite. So we use mosquito repellents, coils, nets and sprays to keep them at bay, but somehow they still manage to get past our defenses. I am very sensitive to mosquito-bites, so I sleep under a mosquito-net. Some people seem quite unaware of their presence and do not seem to know that they have been bitten. Well, these are lucky people until they come down with malaria or denguefever. Another persistent pest is the common rat. These animals are very active during the night, looking for food everywhere. They eat anything, even soap. So any food left uncovered overnight is likely to be contaminated by these pests. Furthermore rats make nests in nooks and corners of the house. They nibble into floorboards, ceilings and even electrical wiring. They are really a big nuisance. Cockroaches too are pests. They have the habit of crawling all over the place. Sometimes they even crawl onto one's body. These dirty little creatures contaminate food too. They also emit a strong stench. It is never pleasant to encounter them. There are other pests like flies, ants, moths and assorted bugs. It would be nice it we can get rid of them but it is obvious we cannot. They are here to stay. The only effective way to minimize them is to keep the house clean. In this way they have less places to breed and less food to eat. The less pests we have in the home, the more pleasant the home is. keep at bay If you keep someone or something at bay, you maintain a safe distance from them. every part of a place a strong unpleasant smell

every nook and corner stench

Birds in my garden
I live in a bungalow surrounded by a fairly large garden. There are a number of fruit trees growing here along with many plants and a lot of grass. At first glance the garden appears very quiet but actually many birds and animals live in it or visit it frequently. Every morning I am awakened by the shrill songs of a magpie-robin. The sound is so sweet and I just lie in bed listening to the songs until the bird flies away. All through the day I see various birds come and perch on the trees and plants. Some come to sing or rest a bit. Others come to look for food. So it is always a pleasure to see them. I just sit quietly and they go about their business undisturbed. I have seen the oriole, spotted-dove, pigeon, yellow-vented bulbul, mynah, fan-tailed flycatcher and various other little birds which I cannot name. They sing, dance and display their beautiful colors. It is quite a treat. On the other hand there are those pesky little sparrows that come into the house to steal food. One morning I saw a white-breasted water hen sunning itself just next to a mango tree. This normally shy bird must really be feeling the pinch of progress to take refuge in my garden. Sad to say, the surrounding area is being developed and the wildlife are being chased away or destroyed. Some people keep birds in cages to listen to their songs. I say it is far better for the birds to live freely. Then they sing, or not sing, their songs naturally. It is wonderful to see them fly freely among the trees. It is not so wonderful to see caged birds unable to move more than a foot in any direction. shrill pesky feel the pinch high-pitched and sharp tone annoying be affected by hardship