Undergraduate / 'Mr. Sharil's impact' - Texas, Someone who has made impact [4]

When I search my mind for someone who has impacted on my life, Mr. Sharil James steps out the first. He is an English teacher who i met during my secondary school life. I am really surprised at the truth, for my respect and hatred for him are way too complex.

I was graduated from a Chinese primary school where the only teaching medium is the Chinese Language. Thus, my English profiency is kind of low. I had very limited English vocabulary in mind and I cannot speak fluently in English . Realizing the importance of English language, my parents decided to send me to an English secondary school in order for me to boost up my master of English language. I was really scared when I first thought of entering a 'foreign' school; I was sure my nightmare would begin soon. Yes, indeed. My bad dream started when I met with Mr. Sharil on the first day of secondary school life.

When Mr. Sharil first entered the class, he began bawling at us to greet him. He made us repeating the greeting until he was satisfied. He then proceeded to introduce himself and his class rules. I was shocked when he claimed himself as a walking dictionary and told us never challenge him. I was sure he was insane and only lived in his own pride. I had never met someone as haughty as he was, never in my life. Then, it was our turn to present ourselves. Finally, I stood up and began to introduce myself. I was paused by him when I said I was from a Chinese school. With a tone filled with sarcasm, he asked, " Oh a typical 'half-blood' Chinese man who fights to retain his personality as a Chinese. So, why don't you return to China, your beloved homeland? Pathetically, you will not be a pure Chinese in this country." My face turned red in embarrassment as I couldn't answer him. Since then, my hatred towards him grew unrestrained.

Throughout the five years in my secondary school, I had never enjoyed English language class. The presence of Mr. Sharil was a black spot on my life yet his presence was my best motivator. Mr. Sharil had never failed to fill his class with his scornful criticisms, unfair bias and exacting demands. He would not miss the chance to lecture students who had made mistakes in his class. Consequently, my broken English had always caused me to be the target of his blame. I always belive in the old cliche, ' where there's a will, there's a way'. In order to free myself from his mock, I decided to improve my English skills in every way I could. I started to read my first English novel, 'Among the Hidden' written by Margaret Peterson Haddix and I even listened to English songs. Besides that, I realized the importance of writting and thus poured in more effort in my essay writing. However, I was nearly daunted by him a few times as he would read out loud in class a few essays including mine in order to discuss the mistakes made. Fortunately, I was sturdy enough not to give up easily. From then, my English skills improved tremendously and I was no longer Mr. Sharil's laughing stock.

Obviously, Mr. Sharil's impact on me can neither be ignored nor erased. Even though I may not agree with his teaching method and his sarcastic remarks, but I really appreciate them as they pushed me all the way through the struggles to where I am today. Though my hatred for him has yet to diminish completely, my respect for him grows stronger and stronger.

Undergraduate / "Public Cleanliness in Malaysia" -University of Texas Austin Essay B:Importance issue [2]

In today's world of technology advancement, everything changes rapidly in the twinkling of an eye. More and more people are living better lives. However, there is something that still lacks among every soul that resides in my hometown. I think you have got what I meant, cleanliness. Well, the particular type of cleanliness which I concern is not about personal hygiene but public cleanliness, the sense of responsibility to keep the surrounding clean. Obviously, many Malaysians are still unaware of its importance.

I was born in Melaka but raised in Kuala Lumpur. I have witnessed the drastic changes that the city has undergone over the years. Unfortunately, I cannot sense any improvement in the way Malaysia people behave. Recreational area is always the victim of eyes pollution; even the public toilet, sidewalk, and many other facilities are spotted in an appalling condition. Signs and posters have been put up to remind people to keep the surrounding clean, but all the efforts are in vain. I have actually witnessed a man spitting on a park bench when there was a rubbish bin few steps ahead of him. Factually, the condition of public cleanliness portrays the hygiene level of the people, the civilization of a community. Yet, many apathetic 'black sheeps' are willing to label themselves as uncivilized while many others are toiling hard to keep the city clean.

In my school, I was a member of Environmental Care Society. I can still remember vividly a survey which I had ran in my school as a club's project. The theme was "What will you do when you had finished chewing gums as you are walking in the park? Are you going to spit it out anywhere or just keep walking until you find the trash can? " . The question sounds simple but it actually indicates one's sense of public cleanliness. I was shocked by the statistics I had concluded: half of the participants chose to spit the chewing gum wherever they like. Apparently, Malaysia's education system has yet to improve in order to increase the student's awareness of public cleanliness.

Malaysia is one of the countries to have the most cases of death due to dengue fever. As we know, dengue fever is a fatal disease which is caused by Aedes mosquito bites. Malaysia's drainage system is always the ideal breeding sites for Aedes mosquitos. Used plastic bottles and polymer bags block the flow of water and thus cause stagnant water to be found everywhere. Although the government has run campaigns to clean the drains and rivers, the problem is not solved completely without actually increasing the public awareness of cleanliness. I am clear at this point that an unknown like me can't really impact the community enough to look into the problem seriously. However, I do play my part as a 'conscious' resident to clean up my residential area. Every month, I would join the members of residents association to do major cleaning to dredge the blocked drains to ensure the neighborhood is free from the threat of dengue fever.

Personally, I think that everyone should play his role for the country's pride. We should never allow trivial things such as public cleanliness oblivion to be a drawback that harms our country's reputation, Malaysia in my case. Anyhow, Rome was not built in one day. The process of instilling public cleanliness among the people should be done slowly but well-planned. As an individual, you should think your deeds of maintaining public cleanliness as a charity and start it from your neighborhood. At the end of the day, 'when the fruits ripe', you will experience self-satisfaction towards your contribution to your hometown.