Innovation

Thursday 20 September 2012

Review on Book



Mad Dogs




I have just recently finished the novel Mad Dogs by Robert Muchamore which is the eighth book in the action packed series. Mad Dogs is best for readers who are willing to endure the suspense and exhilaration of this beautifully written novel. This book comprises of different elements that make this book a great read.  The author has described the setting excellently. So well, that you can almost imagine yourself there watching the story unfold. Muchamore uses a great variety of vocabulary that grips the reader and doesn’t let go. 

Cherub is a an organization that turns orphans into highly skilled agents. The plot revolves around two major drug dealing gangs in the turf war surrounding the collapse of KMG(Class A Second Book) Gabrielle O'Brien and Michael Hendry  are sent to infiltrate the infamous 'Slasher Boys', led by a man who calls himself Major Dee. Later on Gabrielle is stabbed badly in the stomach and back and is sent back to campus. Michael Hendry still stays. Meanwhile back at campus, James Adams and Dana 16 years old, are helping on the last few days of Basic Training as instructors.  

Once Gabrielle recovers, James and Bruce are sent back to finish what she started. They are sent to infiltrate the group known as the Mad Dogs. James uses his past relationship with Junior Moore to make infiltrating the gang much more simplistic. He is soon accepted into the gang and given a major role. An older gang member, Wheels, takes him on a hotel robbery, where they bind and gag the two room occupants. Wheels and James take out of their bank account and steal their car. However, James being given a high role annoys Junior, who Sasha Thompson, the Mad Dogs leader, is trying to protect. Junior then gets sent to jail for an armed robbery and is sentenced for 6 years in a juvenile prison. 

My two favorite scenes include the armed robbery and the basic training compound. The armed robbery was very detailed and contained real intensity. Muchamore uses key points that signify how wealthy those occupants were.  

The basic training compound was a very intriguing and exhilarating scene. The scene comprises of twelve young recruits suffering through the excruciating few days of basic training. James Adams, along with fellow training instructors are teaching the reaming twelve how to survive in the wild. Robert uses great vocabulary that describe the setting of this beautifully written scene.

 “Punchy, humorous and whats more, you’ll completely wish it was true”. This is what is written on the front cover and yes, it is utterly true. 

Short Story




The Beach




There I was, out at sea listening to the fire of machine guns and shells exploding. But those days of the war were over, well at least for me. There was thunder above us and an occasional flash of lightning. The howl of the wind sprayed water in my face or maybe it was the rain. There were others there, on the boat. Hundreds of young american soldiers waiting to go home. Some talking, others as silent as the grave. But all with one thought, how did I survive? I was one of them. I still could hear the fire of machine guns or maybe I was just imagining them. Whatever the case was, the war had certainly influenced my life in a big way. 

I still remember the worst part of the war. It wasn’t the gas chambers that killed millions of Jews. Or seeing a hundred million american soldiers getting killed. It was losing my best friend in the fight for the Normandy Beach. It was a few weeks ago but I can still remember every bit of it. Three machine guns, mowing down american soldiers one at a time. They gave us no chance, not even a chance to fire back. I was crying now. Just the thought of Paul dying was just too much for my heart to handle. A soldier must have seen me and  waded over. I saw him in the corner of my eye and tried to wipe of as much tears as I could, sadly it was not enough. He came over and crouched down next to me and said in a sympathetic way, “I know what you have experienced, its not easy believe me I know. By the way my name is Jim”. 

I managed to smile a small smile. “Hey Jim, I’m Tom”. 
“You lost someone too in the Normandy landing too huh?” he said in a calm, soothing voice.
“Yeah, My best friend”.
“My brother”. He had tears in his eyes too. I kept quiet for a long time and I could see what war had done to him. I could see flashbacks appear right in front of me. The sand is a pale yellow with very few rocks and the tide is at the lowest point. There are mines on the beach too but no one knows that. I could see Paul now, running across the beach shouting and cursing under his breath. He would occasionally fire a few rounds of his rifle. He is screaming at me now. His hand movement implies he wants me to move up. Then, a flash. I shut my eyes to avoid damage and lay flat on my stomach with my hands on my helmet. When I open my eyes, Paul is lying on the sand with his eyes staring straight at me.  Suddenly, I was back to reality tears were streaking down my face and this time I couldn’t stop. There was a message on the loud speaker saying we will be arriving soon. I picked up a cigarette out of its pack and lit it. The smoke covered my vision as I looked back to the distant shores of Normandy. 


Sunday 9 September 2012

Reflection

1. One thing that I have learned in this class so far is how to use literary devices to your benefit. Previously, I used to use them occasionally or whenever the teacher demanded it. Now, I use them to create better pieces of writing. However, I did enjoy using metaphors and similes  in my writing but not so much personification.

2. The thing I enjoy about this class is the fact that there is so much enthusiasm during our discussion. When there is a question on the table, the majority of the class has their own input on the situation. There are also a lot of thoughtful debates which come in to action if there is a popular topic. The class discussions are actually a great part of english as it enables you to participate freely and let out your perspective.  

3.  I wish that we could have more in depth conversations. Although lots of people participate in the group conversations, they usually only last for a short period of time. I wish we could have some more thought into the conversations which then enables it to go on. With this, new opinions will come in and more debates will happen.

Sunday 2 September 2012

4 things that Describe Me


Universal Studios 


It was the first day of summer break and it started with a true tragedy, my best friend, Jack’s last day in Singapore. Me and a couple of close friends decided to throw him a surprise leaving party at Universal Studios. It was just going to be the four of us and the whole day ahead of us. As we walked through the gate to Universal Studios, we knew it was going to be a day to remember. The park was packed with tourists, families friends and people on their cell phone. We walked over to the star attraction which was surprisingly empty. We looked up at the massive dual roller coaster and realized why no one went on this ride. The massive attraction loomed over us as it showed off an impressive structure filled with spins, cobra rolls and hangers. But that wasn’t the worst part. Oh no, that was just the beginning. The ride had rows of floor less seats where your feet were just dangling off the edge as the roller coaster hit a top speed of 90 km. We knew it was going to be one of the scariest things we had ever done. But Jack was really enthusiastic about the fact that we were going to have our face reshaped by the wind. We walked through the entrance to hell, knowing we might not make it out alive. 

The Battlestar Galactica was a popular TV series in the 90’s. So as we walked through the misty hallways, it felt like a scene from Star Wars. There were futuristic fighter jets stationary, near generators pumping fuel into their engines. The walls were coated with a red, slimy goo, with mechanical worms made up of plaster creating holes and crevasses in the dented walls. There were cabinets filled with body armor, weapons, masks and messed up costumes. Above, there was a overhead TV with a women instructing us like this was the third world war or something. Then it all stopped. Like it was on pause. All eyes were on the TV screen displaying Battlestar Galactica footage. The people on the video looked as if they were being tortured. I glanced a look at all my other friends, they looked petrified. We were all having second thoughts, but it was too late. We had reached the front of the queue.  

As we boarded the seats at the front, we were all having jitters but tried to not let it show. The ride began at a slow pace climbing the drop. In a flash, it boosted to 90 km and dropped us  down 40 stories. We were all screaming as the coaster did a cobra roll and flipped us upside down for what felt like an hour. It then plummeted us down a foggy area inches from the ground and did a loopty loop.  By the time the ride ended, our legs felt like jelly and our hair looked like the  amazon jungle. But we didn’t care. The ride was simply AWESOME!






Shashank 
8JRa