These are the pictures of nature around us.

Through "Leisure", William Henry Davies brings us to be aware of the nature that surround us. I, personally have taken some steps to make my children aware of nature. It is the duty of every being on earth to take care of nature. People who harm nature are selfish people. We should not take nature for granted!
Holiday trip to Maxwell Hill or Bukit Larut is one memorable trip for them. Here are some pictures of nature that I had photographed myself.

"Leisure"....What is William Henry Davies trying to tell us?

“Leisure”

by William Henry Davies.

In this poem, the poet asks us to look at our busy lives which leave us with no time for leisure.

The poem ‘Leisure’ has 7 rhyming couplets.

Couplet 1:

The poet questions the purpose of a life which is so full of worry. We are kept busy all the time. We cannot even stand still and watch the world go by.

Couplet 2:

Sheep and cows can often be seen standing still in vast open fields and staring into a distance. However, busy people do not have the time to stand under the branches of trees and enjoy watching the nature.

Couplet 3:

When busy people pass a forest (woods), they would be in too much of a hurry to notice the beauty of nature around them. They would not be able to notice the squirrels hiding the nuts in the grass.

Couplet 4:

If you look at the streams during daylight, streams appear to be sparkling under the effect of sunshine. It looks as if the streams are full of stars like the night sky. However, busy people  would not notice such beauty.

Couplets 5 and 6:

The poet states that the rush of life provides people with no leisure to turn at the glance of a beautiful maiden and marvel at her dancing feet. They are unable to leisurely observe her as her mouth shapes out a smile that started from her eyes. 

Another interpretation: The dancing feet and enchanting smile refers to various aspects of the beauty around us.

Couplet 7:

The life which is so full of worries is indeed a miserable life.

Leisure

By William Henry Davies

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this is if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare. 

This is a beautiful poem. I hope the form 3 students enjoy reading it.

Do something worthwhile!

Salam and greeting to everyone,especially the form 3 students who have just seated for their PMR! So,what's your plan? Are you going to skip school? I hope not!I have always love school and I first stepped into school when I was 3 (as my dad was a teacher) then. As far as I could remember, I could already read before I entered school. I used to read the passing cars' plate number and I read all the signboards in my small town. I even read the old magazines used to wrap the groceries my mum bought. Sometimes, I found many beautiful pictures of home magazines, flowers and animals. I cut all the pictures and made scrapbooks. As a kid, I was so engrossed exploring and creating new things from anything I got hold on (usually with my mum's permission). The word "boring" was never included in my list of vocabulary. To me, everyday was an exciting day. If I could not find anything to play with at home, I would pick the dried leaves, eye their "veins" and draw them on some white papers which were generously given to me by one of my so many uncles (my dad has 4 brothers who were still single then...they gave me a lot of presents ...pen, story books,jeans etc) When I entered primary school, I fell in love with writing. I had written a lot of short stories and poems since then. I used to write a diary but it was only for a short while because I fell asleep halfway. I used to draw cartoon for friends too. You know the picture of cartoon on the pencil box? I used to get first place in class and my teacher gave me a beautiful pencil box as a present.I continued drawing until I was at the university.In fact, I am still drawing ( but not as much as I used too). Even now when the retiring age is nearer, I still have a lot of ideas and things to do.When all my energy has been drained by my own busy routine, I still have the time to read. Reading a book a week is the least I can do.(but..I have to make sure meals are ready for the mischievous boys at home. Their sister isn't home to help me) So my dear, I hope all of you won't waste your time. Do something worthwhile!Do something that you are passionate about. May you get the results you desire. Aamiin.

The Types of Transportation Used in "Around The World in 80 Days" (edited version for Malaysian school students)

The theme "Adventure"

The theme “Adventure” is depicted clearly by Jules Verne in the novel “Around the World in 80 Days”. The first adventure Fogg has encountered is in India. There, the railway track is discontinued at Allahabad. Yet, Fogg finds his way out. He manages to buy an elephant and hires an Indian guide to take him to Culcutta. As the guide takes him and his company through the jungle, they come across a gang of robbers taking a daughter of a rich merchant as a hostage. Instead of ignoring what they have seen, Fogg and his company go on a rescue mission. So, Fogg then has to take the girl named Aouda with him on his travel around the world in 80 Days. In Hong Kong, Fogg’s journey is threatened by the missing of his butler, Passepartout. He also misses the ship which should take him to Yokohama. Yet, Fogg remains calm and finds a boat which is willing to take him to Yokohama. It is not an easy ride though for the sea is rough and the wind is strong. In Japan, he finally reunites with his butler while the poor man is performing at a circus. Fogg’s adventure does not end in Japan. In America, he faces yet more adventures. While on a train from New York to California, the train is robbed by a gang of bandit who later kidnaps Passepartout. He embarks yet on another rescue mission and missed the train. However, being adventurous, he uses a sledge to continue his journey. In this novel, Fogg as the main character has indeed encountered a lot of interesting adventures. Therefore, adventure is definitely one of the themes of this novel.

Synopsis of Around The World in 80 Days

The story begins in England. It is about a man named Fogg. He is a rich bachelor who lives alone in a big house with a butler. However no one knows the source of his wealth. He has a few regular habits and very fussy. He fires his former butler, James Foster for bringing him his shaving water two degrees too cold. He then hires Passepartout , a Frenchman of about 30. Later that day in the Reform Club, he gets into a conversation with his friends as to whether it is possible to go around the world in 80 days. He believes it is possible and takes the challenge with a bet of 20,000 pounds. So he and his butler go on their adventure carrying only a carpetbag containing a few clothes and a lot of money. During the travel, he is followed by Detective Fix who assumes that Fogg is the bank robber. Fix believes Fogg is the robber as he matches the description of the bank robber. While in the journey, Fix befriends Passepartout. Fix makes Passepartout wonder whether his master might be the robber. However Passepartout trusts that his master is a good and honest man. Fogg has to face many problems throughout his journey. One of them is when the train in India is discontinued and he has to buy an elephant to continue his journey. There he runs across a gang of bandits and bravely saves Aouda. While in Hong Kong, he also misses the ship to Yokohama. Another problem is when the train from San Francisco to New York is robbed by a gang of robbers and Passepartout is kidnapped. He then misses the dateline when Fix arrests him at Liverpool. However, in the end, everything goes well. Fogg wins the wager and finds a beautiful Aouda as his wife.