INTEGRITY

INTEGRITY

Alicia grew up in a country village nestled among the picturesque Swiss mountains. She had always cherished her dream of being the top athlete.

At the age of fifteen, Alicia was already training under a famous coach who used to train the national team for the Olympics.Her goal was to qualify for the national team and towards this end, she had been training particularly hard for the upcoming qualifying race. Her daily schedule was packed tight with her training activities,which mainly consisted of long-distance runnings with weights. Each day ended with a meeting with her coach to evaluate her performance.

The coach seemed increasingly fidgety as the days went by. Finally, one day at a meeting, the coach told Alicia bluntly,"Alicia, I... ... know you have potential, but you must understand that other competitors may have gone through better training ... ... so, i was wondering if you might require some boosters."

Alicia was dumdfounded. Her blank mind was suddenly flooded with images of news headlines about herself using prohibited substances to boost her performance. Just then, her coach stuffed an envelope containing sachets of food supplements into her hand before striding away without giving her a chance to reply.

That night, Alicia did not sleep a wink. She tossed and turned, contemplating as to whether she should take the food supplements. Late into the night, Alicia finally came to a decision. She would choose the hard way out, bearing her strenuous daily training with clear conscience.

On the day of the race, as soon as the starting gun was fired, Alicia shot off like an arrow and thundered down the track. Amidst the cheering and thunderous applause, Alicia was the first to cross the finishing line.

As she held the trophy joyfully, Alicia also enjoyed a quiet victory for keeping her integrity.

MY REFLECTIONS

Integrity is standing by your word. Not backing out of commitment. Integrity is when you say something or promise something you are true to your word. Not saying something to schmooze another person or to make yourself look good in another persons eyes.

DONE BY JIA QI ONLY

GOD - FEARING

It is extremely important to be a God-fearing person. An example of a God-gearing person is one who attends church every Sunday, some still worship where their parent's parents received the Lord. They are mostly Baptists and are very holy. God- fearing people do not bear false witnesses to their neighbours and obey the Ten commandments, they are Gospel-spewing pious devouts.

-Dai Ling only

MAXIMIZING YOUR POTENTIAL

To maximise your potential, you must first study very hard to improve and strive to be the best. If you are lazy or complacent, you will not be be giving the world your vey best and hence not maximizing your inner potential.
To unleash your potential, you must be determined and strong- willed, not giving up easily as you may face many tials and tribulations, obstacles may come into your way and you have to think of pragmatic solutions to solve these problems.
I think that it is very important to maximise your potential and be dilligent.


-Dai Ling only

GRACIOUS AND HEALTHY LIFESTLYE

GRACIOUS AND HEALTHLY LIFESTYLE

Our body needs over 40 different nutrients to stay healthy. All these nutrients are found in food but no one food supplies all the essential nutrients in the amounts and proportions we need. Hence we need to include a variety of food in our diet.

A regular exercise regime is important for keeping a fit and healthy body. It helps to:
control weight
build strength and stamina
improve flexibility of joints and prevent injuries
relieve stress
improve appearance and self-esteem
strengthen bones and joints
reduce menstrual cramps
maintain strength and independence in old age

How to get started on exercise?

Get your friends, colleagues or family members to join you
They can keep you company and provide encouragement to carry on
Choose a game or sport that you enjoy or are interested in so that you will keep it up.
Start slowly - don't be too ambitious or impatient. If you do too much too fast, you may injure yourself or become discouraged.

MY REFLECTIONS

I feel that matain a gracious and healthy lifestyle is important as it keep us fit and healthly.

DONE BY JIA QI ONLY

FREEDOM

FREEDOM

A poem about freedom:

All I want is freedom

Is that too much to ask

All I want is freedom

To take all the tears away

All I want is freedom

To never feel that way again

All I want is freedom

To love you my own way

All I want is freedom

To make all fears go away

All I want is freedom

To do anything I want to do

MY REFLECTIONS

I feel that everyone should be given freedom regardless of anything because life without freedom is as good as death this is how important freedom is to me.

DONE BY JIA QI ONLY

LOVE

LOVE

"Your son is here," the nurse said to the old man. She had to repeat the words several times before the man's eyes opened. He was heavily sedated and only partially conscious after a massive heart attack he had suffered the night before. He could see the dim outline of a young man in marine corps uniform, standing along side his bed.

The old man reached out his hand. The marine wrapped his fingers around the old man's limp hand and squeezed gently. The nurse a chair, and the tired serviceman sat down at the bedside. All through the night, the young marine sat in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering words of encouragement. The dying old man said nothing but a kept feeble grip on the young man's hand. Oblivious to the noise of the oxygen tank, the moans of other patients, and the bustle of the night staff coming in and out of the ward, the marine remained at the old man's side.

Every now and then, when the nurse stopped by to check on her patient, she heard the the young man whisper a few comforting words to the old man. Several times in a course of the long night, she suggested that the marine leave to rest for a while. But everytime, the young man refused.

Near dawn the old man died. The marine placed the old man's lifeless hand on the bed and left to find the nurse. While the nurse took the man away and attended to the necessary duties, the marine waited. When the nurse returned with words of sympathy, the marine interrupted her.

"Who was that man?" he asked.

startled, the nurse replied,"He was your father."

"No, he wasn't," the young man said."I've never seen him before in my life."

MY REFLECTIONS

Love is that which can give the most without asking or demanding anything in return.

DONE BY JIA QI ONLY

JUSTICE

"Juliet, you are a liar and a cheat." I'm standing in front of the whole fifth grade class wishing I could disappear, as my teacher, Miss Shreiber, shouts, shaking her plump finger in my face. The whole class sits stone-faced, watching to see if I'm going to cry. I'm breathing loud, fast snorts and holding in the tears. I feel ashamed, though the part about being a cheat isn't true.
"But, Miss Shreiber, I did dot the "i".
"Don't give me those innocent eyes, Juliet.” Her finger points to my spelling paper. "You dotted that "i" after Sara took off credit for no dot on the "i" in "deceit”. You sneaked in a dot. Back to your seat and don't sneak in any more dots.”
I am ashamed even though I didn't do anything wrong. For the first time my record for perfect spelling is broken and I won’t win the fifth grade weekly spelling prize. I already have a swallow pin, a magpie pin and a mourning dove. Daddy is so proud of me. He boasts to everyone that soon they'll run out of birds.
Sara's jealous. She never wins anything which is why she took a point off me. Everyone in the clas says she’s stuck up with her one stupid long braid snaking down her back.
"Look, Sara,” I tell her," there's the dot. See it? "
"You sneaked it in after you took your paper back, Juliet," Sara whirls her head around so fast, her fat braid smacks me in the face.
I'm nervous heading to the front of the classroom to tell Miss Shreiber. Old fat face Shreiber probably won't believe me. "A liar and a cheat!" she yells, right in front of the whole class. I'm no cheat.
I start crying and run to the coat closet with my spelling paper in my hand. I grab my scarf, mittens, hat and coat. I speed out of the classroom, down the steps and out the heavy school door. I run down Bedford Avenue carrying all my outer clothes in my arms. It’s freezing. A good thing I only live half a block away.
"Miss Shreiber called me a liar and a cheat," I sob to Mother.
"So, you left school?" Mother asks. "You just walked out?"
The telephone rings. It's Mr. Beisham, the principal. Mother talks to him putting on her sweetest voice, then grabs her winter coat. "Come Juliet, put on your coat" Ten minutes later we're in his office with Miss Shreiber.
"I never called her that," says Miss Shreiber.
Boy. I think, What a liar.
"Wait one minute," says Mr. Beisham. He points to my spelling paper. "Juliet didn't dot the "j" in justice."
A minute later they are all smiling and agreeing. I get a point back for "deceit" and lose it for "justice".
I'm not smiling.
I head back to class with Miss Shreiber, the liar, wondering about "justice".

MY REFLECTION

I think that justice is a very important value. We should all be just and impartial, treating everyone fairly, regardless of languuage, race or religion.

-DONE BY DAI LING ONLY

TRUST

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for helpers. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the ocean, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. And there were few applications.
Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good helper?" the farmer asked him.
"Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.
Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the helper's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!"
The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."
Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away.
The farmer then understood what his helper meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.
When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The helper in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm.
We with faith secure ourselves against the storms of life by putting our trust in the God, Our Prophet and his ahlul bayt, We don't need to understand, and we just need to hold His hand to be secure in the midst of the storms.

MY REFLECTIONS

I think that this story is very meaningful. We should always trust in God and believe that whatever he does is for our good. Trust is an extremely important value that we must have, it is vital in our daily lives. We must not only trust others, but also gain trust from others.


TRUST IS

-Done by DAI LING ONLY