The vitality of cleanliness

by Ayeen Jafery. 

          When we were just a toddler, anything our parents or something that was being taught to us will held firmly and implanted in our mind. It is essential to have a good habits at an early age and being clean and tidy is vital and most important in our daily life basis. 

            From a very young age, formation of certain habits like washing hands before meals, regular brushing of teeth, and bathing are a must. These are entirely personal habits. And, since we live in a society it is essential to follow certain rules like keeping our surroundings clean, avoiding littering in public places, refraining from spitting on the road, and many more. 

           Any habits, good or bad, taught or even picked up at a young age, get embedded into one's personality. Unfortunately, today, many adults themselves do not set very good examples of cleanliness. In fact, habits like smoking, chewing tobacco , and spitting on roads and sidewalks, are a sick heritage handed down from our parents and elderly relatives. Many public places used for defecating are left messy and stinking, leading to any number of diseases. 

         If litter on the road and poor sanitation is being practiced all the time, just imagine these will make an excellent place for those creepy crawly animals as well as infectious diseases to occur. A healthy environment is necessary if we want to stay healthy. If the environment is dirty it badly affects the health of the people living around. 

       Wherever we live, it is important for us to keep it clean. Let's start with our individual homes. If our homes are clean we will obviously enjoy a healthy life. In society it is the responsibility of each and every human being to maintain certain hygienic standards. A clean environment, besides being a pleasure to live in, is a healthy environment.

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Book Bonanza and iCharacter Competition

by Hedwig Mui & Izzati Sufri.

If you can read this, thank a teacher.

The heading itself says it all. Reading, why do we read? Why do we need to read? What’s so important about it? Well, on Thursday, 12th April 2012, our school had a Book Bonanza and our guest of honour, a wise man told us about how reading will help us in our future lives and how it would be essential and beneficial for us. 

Take some time to think about it, what if you could not read? You wouldn't even be reading this then. It would be difficult for you and people around you in your everyday lives. It would be difficult in terms of education, your social life and even looking for jobs. In the society we're living in today, not many people would want to employ someone who cannot read. So be thankful to your teachers and parents who taught you how to read. 

On the same day, we had presentations by the iCharacters participants. iCharacter is a competition among students to dress up as their favorite book character. The participants were asked to dress up as their favorite book character and make a poster out of it including the character’s appearance description and why they choose this character. They were given 4 days to finish the poster which was due on the 7th April. The competition is judged based on their posters and presentation. The judges are Miss Aida and Miss Joyce.

Each participant went up stage, dressed up in their desired characters. They explained to us about their role, their reason why they chose that character and how their personality matches up with their character's personality. There were a lot of interesting information told that we never knew.

According to Tinah Marzuki, one of the contestant. “ I had spent a lot of time on icharacter actually. I did a lot of research and I reread some of the chapters of the book that I chose (Alice the Wonderland). I also had to pick a suitable costume to fit my role as the White Queen.”

“I thought the iCharacter was a way to encourage people to get involved with books. Nowadays, books have become last resorts and by this, it's a start to restoring the habit of reading once again. The presentation was a good way of showing people how well you knew the book you were talking about, and hopefully it was appreciated that we spent time to share why we love the book we presented” said Yassamin binti Ahmad Zainal.

The first place went to "The Three Musketeers", second place went to Alice in wonderland's "Queen Of Hearts" and third place went to "The Joker". The other participants were also there dressed beautifully. Here are some pictures to share.

Yassamin Zainal as 'Queen of Hearts'

 Jeeah Phm and her friends as 'The Three Musketeers'

Haziq Sheh as 'The Joker'

 Izzati Sufri as 'The White Queen'

Tinah Marzuki as 'Cleopatra'

Revised by Joanne Lim.

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Swimming Competition

by Frederick.

A swimming competition known as '20th Brunei Age Groups' took place at the national stadium from 12th April to 15th April, 2012. On this particular event, many strong teams of swimmers such as MICIA, MASA, SKIM, JIS, RBRC, and DSC from various schools have participated in this event. They were very confident and some looked even stronger than ever.

Among all of these swimmers, one was actually from PTEK and her name is Patricia Chong. She and her team had been to many competitions before and she was ready to face another challenge. Parents of the participants showed up at the event and were seen sitting together watching the competition take place. The race was 100m. Patricia with her opponent of the same age did the butterfly swim, rushing towards and back to the point.

After the event had ended smoothly, the results were out. All the swimmers were very nervous, eagerly wanting to know the outcome. The results were as expected, we congratulate our beautiful swimmer from DSC (Dolphin Swimming Club), Patricia Chong for winning 2 golds, one silver and one bronze and were satisfied by it. If there is another swimming competition, we sure know that Patricia will be up against it and will be hungry for even more gold medals.

Here are some pictures to share.

Patricia posing with her medals that she won 

Revised by Joanne Lim.

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The Mass Movement Trip

by Haziqah Amin.

On Saturday, the 7th of April, geography students from PTEK had a trip around Brunei-Muara district called 'The Mass Movement Trip'. Its purposes were to visit places in the district where there are mass movement or hill slopes occurring. There were 20 students who take Geography from PTEK involved in this trip. 

The trip started at around 2.15PM. They first went to Bukit Katok, which is located only a few meters away from PTEK. After having a few sights on hill slopes, they left the place and went to Bukit Telanai next. Mass movement, also known as mass wasting, is the downward movement by gravity of rock, regolith (loose, weathered rock) and/or soil on the sloped top layers of the Earth’s surface. It is a significant part of the process of erosion because it moves material from high elevations to lower elevations. It can be triggered by natural events like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and flooding but gravity is its driving force. Fortunately for us, there has not been any reported cases of earthquakes or volcanic eruptions happening in Brunei. In Brunei, having tropical rain forest as its climate, what usually triggers these processes is the soil erosion caused by heavy rainfall. 

'The hill slopes in Mabohai were the most obvious ones. You could see patches where there used to be trees growing and not see them there anymore after being washed off by heavy rainfalls' said Aziemah from AE 20, describing the sight she was having when they visited some hills in Mabohai. 

It was a knowlegdable trip as they had learnt a lot regarding mass movement and hillslopes from it. Hopefully the trip could help them in their understanding about this particular topic and thus, assisting them in their exams. 

“Knowing where things are, and why, is essential to rational decision making”- Jack Dangermond, Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI)

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Japanese Club Learning Session

By Fazrenna Mks.

On Monday, 16 April 2012, the Japanese club had a short session whereby the president, Khariul Ariff, taught the Japanese language to the members of the Japanese club, both AEs and BEs.

The students were informed that they have to be in the session at about 2:30PM at the english room 15. As many as 20 students turned up for the session. As the session got to a start, the students became very enthusiastic in learning the Japanese language.

Some of what they learned in the session:

Youbi (days)


Sunday - Nichiyoubi
 日曜日 

Monday – Getsuyoubi 月曜日 


Tuesday - Kayoubi
 火曜日 

Wednesday - Suiyoubi
 水曜日 

Thursday - Mokuyoubi
 木曜日 

Friday – Kinyoubi 金曜日 


Saturday - Doyoubi
 土曜日

President's favourite word:

Holidays/break –Yasumi

休み

Info for Japanese club members: The next meeting will be on next Monday. Time will be from 2.30 until 4.30PM.
 The venue will be announced at a later date ;)

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New year, New school, New opportunities!

by Chok Siong Wee and Hedwig Mui.

On 12th and 14th of April 2012, the young and new generation of PTEK, fresh off of high school, came for interviews to join the student authority of the school ie. The student council and prefects. “ I’m so nervous, I really don’t know what to say !” says one of the candidate. Fortunately enough, the prefects and student council members helped them ease up on the stress by writing up motivational and uplifting messages on the boards to help calm their nerves.

“At first I felt so stiff, I couldn’t even breathe, but after the prefect gave a gentle laugh and smiled at me, I really feel more comfortable with them. I could actually be me with them” says a student after an interview with the bureau of CCA and Public Relation. This interview helps strengthen and mould the students, the future of tomorrow, to be ready for the problems that they may face in the future when they apply for job and be well-motivated before any future confrontation with their senior colleague at work.

There are numerous outstanding students, equipped with grades that shot sky high and well-mannered personality stumble upon answering the question “So what makes you think you’re up for the tasks we handle here as the student council”. The answer that came about after the question would start off a bit shaky, but the sentences are finished with a bang, bringing the student council shocked in awe.

“From my point of view, the students did quite well. They had injected great confidence and shown immense passion during the interview” said Joanne Lim, a prefect from the bureau of Public Relations.

Although the students may not know what obstacles that lies behind the duties of the student council, the student council and prefects know what they saw in them. Their potential--potential to be the next leaders that guides PTEK into a better college of tomorrow.

“It isn’t only just how they look, dress and the way they talk during the interview. It is how they how they show us their true individual selves that makes the difference. We want to know what they can do, and how would they do it.” Says one of the prefects on duty. A large number of different candidates may show a large variance in attitude and presentation-wise but only a few could stand out with a difference in personality, the interviews tests both their ability to perform well as well as testify their words through the their personality behavior.

Working swiftly and efficiently, the members of the student authority worked, asking questions and writing reviews on the individual candidates. At the end of the day, the student council members who gave the interviews, smiled; heart filled with hopes, to feel that the next generation could do so much better.

“I can do it” said the candidate, pumping himself up before entering the interviewing room.

 We can do this.

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VIP Day

by Caroline Tan.

FRIDAY,16TH APRIL 2012 – We had our 1st VIP day for upper sixth students. It was held in the Multi-Purpose Hall in Pusat Tingkatan Enam Katok from 8.00am to 11.00 am. It was a huge success because most of the parents, and even the students themselves showed up. The parking lot was all filled with cars. One parking space would be quickly filled by another car, that’s how much the parents care about their children’s education you see. 

The most common questions asked were: 'How’s my child doing academically?', 'Why is my child not doing well?', 'What should be done to help my child?', 'How’s my child’s behavior in class?'. The best thing about VIP days is that teachers are not afraid to tell you what they think when they are asked. They might tell you positive things like: 'Congratulations, you are doing well! Keep it up!', 'No problem at all, just keep up the good work and keep working hard', 'Maintain where you are and the future is in your hands!' or negative things like: 'You have to focus harder in class', 'You could have done so much better', 'Practice more, revise more, you will achieve more'. 

Whatever kind of feedback you get from your teachers just now, they are useful ones. If it’s a positive feedback, then you use that to motivate you to maintain where you are right now! If it’s a negative one then don’t be too sad. Don’t be demotivated at all! Motivate yourself, change yourself and the next time VIP day comes, you will surely get lots of positive feedbacks! After all, VIP days are held to help you realize what your flaws are so you could improvise them! Make good use of that! So in the end, parents were satisfied with useful information. 

Students who had gone with their parents on the other hand, knew exactly what should be done to obtain better grades now. Upper six students are reminded that, AS exams are very near. I will be posting up another article on how to prepare for that one!

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Geography Field Trip To Tasek Lama

By Al Faidz

One way of learning geography is to study them hands on and on 30th March 2012, geography class L2.1 consisting of the lower six students had a field trip to Tasek Lama. This trip is lead by the geography lecture himself, Sir Ramarao. With the permission PTEK, permission slips were given to the student who are participating to inform their parents about the educational trip. PTEK conducts these kind of trips not just for the geography students, but also for students who are interested. It all depends on the subject and availability of the lecturers. 

The trip to Tasek Lama was enjoyed by students where they were given chances to observe up close and also given on field explanation on the respective subtopics of Hydrology. As many as 18 students were given the opportunity to observe the shape of the drainage basin of Tasek Lama, the seepage of water, the process of percolation and also some other upcoming topic which haven't been taught to the students. Judging from the students' response, many of those contribute in the trip by asking questions, observing the process and also increase their understanding and ability in answering questions on spot and off spot. Such that student can imagine what they see.

At the end of the day, Sir Rama quoted “What’s more important is not what you need to learn, but what you know. Don’t just be a book smart person, be a smart person, be an A* student!”

Revised by Joanne Lim.

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Public Transportation in Brunei and London

by Ayeen Jafery. 

To be honest, public transportation in Brunei is quite limited. Even though, over the years we could see some improvements being made, there is still more room for Brunei to make the public transport more popular to the locals and tourists. As you can see, they are mostly only used only by the foreigners who reside in Brunei and is not favoured by the locals. This is because they are limited. There is still much to be done to improve  and promote public transportation in Brunei. Just imagine Brunei having these MRTs, won't you want to start using it? 

Public transportation over here are made up of mostly taxis and bus services. Taxis are scarce and limitedly available at hotels, shopping centres, the Brunei International Airport and in the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. As for buses, there are only six bus routes in daily operation in Bandar Seri Begawan - the Eastern Line, the Southern Line, the Western Line, the Central Line, the Circle Line and the Northern Line. The buses are purple in colour and quite small and mainly used by foreigners. From what I had observed, most Bruneians do not use these services. Do you ever wonder why? Are they really easily available? 

It's time for us to think about why this is happening. Public transportation should make our daily lives easier but in Brunei, most people drive their own cars and get caught in traffic jams! When I was in London recently, I noticed that their public transportation was highly popular amongst the locals and tourists alike. Same goes for other countries for that matter! 

In London, the main source of public transport is the Underground or tubes as they call it and they are really reliable. It’s a very extensive network and you can go to all places in London quickly. The tubes are properly labelled so it is easy to reach your desired destinations without getting lost. For example, at the front of the train, at the platform indicator, it will show the ultimate destination of the train and when the train will be arriving. The tubes arrive at every station in a timely manner. The stations also have maps to show you the all the alternative routes you can use to reach your destination. Each tube station is within easy distance with each other and if you are confused or if by mistake, you use the wrong tubes, you can always get off the tubes at any one station and change your direction. The tube attendants are very helpful too so there would be no problem at all. On top of that, the tube stations are decorated really beautifully and is very clean. In terms of price, Londoners usually opt to buy tube tickets called Oyster Cards where you can top up and use instead of having to buy a ticket all the time.

Buses are also quite reliable in London and they're quite cheap. In some areas where tubes are not available, we could hop into buses. The bus stops are well signposted and each stop gives information about all the bus destinations, alternative stops nearby for other buses, frequency, etc. The buses in London are easily identifiable because they are red in colour and two stories, it is known famously as Double Decker buses. They are also quite nice to ride especially on the top deck where we could see London's beautiful scenaries. There are night buses and 24 hour buses in London where it generally runs all through the night and from hourly to 4 rides an hour, seven nights a week. So it is so easy to look for public transport in London compared to Brunei where buses are available during the day only. 

Apart from tubes and buses, there are also taxis in London. Although taxis are less popular due to the high cost, they are also beautifully decorated and the taxi drivers are very friendly and helpful. 

In conclusion, to be successful in promoting the public transportation in Brunei, it is very important to know what is wanted and favoured by the people. The most important thing is knowing how to change the mindset of the people so that they could accept the idea of using these services and the only way to achieve that is to have proper and reliable service and on top of that, to give good promotions to the people so they would start to get used to the idea.

Revised by Joanne Lim.

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Juniors Tied Down The Veteran

by Wadud Yussop.

On Tuesday, 10th of April 2012, there was a match between Pisako FC and K-Knights. It was a match between the teachers and juniors. 

The match kicked off to a start at 4:00PM. Both team started the match off competitively and was both constantly exchanging attacks. Unfortunately, both failed to hit the target and half-time came to an end with a score of 0-0. 

As the match for second-half started, players form Pisako tried to control the tempo of the game. They were very close to opening the score sheet but failed to after their goal had been disallowed due to it being offside. Pisako got another chance to take the 3 points as they were given penalty but Sir Reizal failed to hit the net. Final score ended with a tie of 0-0. 

It was a competitive match and Cikgu Roslan walked home with the man of the match award. Referee of this match was Azizi Roslan.  

Revised by Joanne Lim.

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Securing The Top Spot In The League

by Wadud Yussop.

On Tuesday, 10th of April 2012, Intut-Intut FC won their third match after defeating Starjan. There was a rumour that Starjan will not have enough players but fortunately, they did. It was due to the class extension being cancelled. Nevertheless, both team fought well as the game kicked off at 2.30pm. 

Starjan opened the scoring chances after a brilliant breakthrough but failed to finish. As the game went on, Muadz Hairel opened the score for Intut-Intut after a long dropkick by Intut-Intut's goalkeeper. Not long after that, they scored once again, leaving a score of 2-0 from Khalid Mahmud's thunderous shot brilliantly set up by Cassidy Liew. Half-time ended with a score of 2-0 with Intut-Intut taking the lead.

As the second half started, Intut-Intut failed to dominate the possession like they did during the first half. Starjan showed the audience that they had great determination to stay on the game but that didn't last long as Khalid Mahmud scored the third goal for Intut-Intut. Final score came down to 3-0 with Intut-Intut winning the match. With this victory, Intut-Intut stayed on top of the list and Khalid Mahmud, who walked away with the man of the match award, now takes the spot as the top scorer with 5 goals.

Revised by Joanne Lim.

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Wet Field? No Probs For Selungsung FC

by Wadud Yussop.

Yesterday, 9th of april 2012, there were 2 scheduled match for the K-League. The first match was between Selungsung FC and Tenggiling. Both team lost in their first match and so were striving to win this time. Selungsung was the favourite team for this match as they had more supporters, supporting them and they looked strong on paper. 

The match kicked off at 2:40PM. Most of the supporters had thought that Selungsung would dominate, but they got to see an entertaining match that afternoon as Tenggiling didn't back down after their 9-0 lost against Batis United. Both team fought well enough as Selungsung controlled the tempo of the match. They started off well as Abu Ahfam, a player from Selungsung, scored a goal with a tap in after a brilliant cross by Amin. Not long before the first half was going to end, Abu scored his second goal for his team after a simple touch. The first half of the match ended with a score of 2 - 0 with Selungsung leading the match. There was a bit of conflict during the first half of the match between Selungsung and Tenggiling's defender but the referee quickly put it to a stop. 

As the second half began, Tenggiling seemed like they were to stop Selungsung's momentum but Selungsung was way too strong. They dominated the match. Md Aisam scored Selungsung's third goal with a cheeky long range chip freekick which kept Tenggiling's keeper out of reach. Selungsung wanted to widen the score gap for Tenggiling from a penalty but they failed to after Amin blasted the ball right at the keeper. Amin tried to repay his mistake and he succeeded as he scored the fourth goal for Selungsung after a defensive mistake by Tenggiling players. Abu, who was one goal short for hatrick, completed it with a cool finish after a defensive mix up in Tenggiling's backline. To finish off the match, Afiq Amsyar scored the sixth and final goal for Selungsung after Acap's long pass confused Tenggiling's defense. It was a good result for the favourite, Selungsung and another bad result for Tenggiling. 

Abu Ahfam took home the man of the match award after his hatrick brought Selungsung to victory. This match was refereed by Abd Nasir Saupiey.

Revised by Joanne Lim.

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Winning Streak

by Wadud Yussop.

On 4th of April, Wednesday, there was K-league match between Intut-Intut Rovers and K-Knights. Both team won in their first match and they look to win again to capture the top spot. 

The match started off at 4:00PM. Both teams started very competitively as the possesion was equally shared. It was unfortunately, not a good start for Intut-Intut as they looked out of position most of the time. K-Knights's style of counter attacking frightened players of Intut-Intut but with the leadership of Ron Junior Philip, their defense managed to cope well with the fast runner, K-Kinghts. Khalid Mahmud, player from Intut-Intut, scored the first goal for his team after a solo run passing by K-Knights defenders and ending with a close finish. K-Knights seem to wake up from the early goal and they've got the opportunity to score from a penalty spot after Ron Junior Philip foul K-Knights's maestro. K-Knights equalised the score after Najmi put it onto the right post of Intut-Intut's keeper. This left a score of 1-1. Intut-Intut was not demotivated by K-Knights's goal and they tried to lead K-Knights once more. In the case of K-Knights, they were motivated after that goal. As both team continued to exchange shots, Ilyaas Zulfikri from Intut-Intut changed the score to 2-1 after he scored from a scramble defence at K-Knights penalty box. The halftime ended with a score of 2-1 with Intut-Intut leading.

As the second half began, Intut-Intut controlled the tempo of the game right away. Once again, Khalid Mahmud scored the third goal for Intut-Intut after a fantastic volley leaving the goalkeeper with no chance to stop it. Cassidy Liew scored the fourth goals for Intut-Intut with a beautifully executed one time half-volley into the top corner. This goal might be the candidates for the goal of the season. As Intut-Intut was up by 3 goals, Munir Bakar showboat a bit as he danced on the football field during the game to give entertainment to the fans. The final score was 4-1 with Intut-Intut walking away with the victory. 

It was a great win for Intut-Intut as they now shared points with K-Gunners. Khalid Mahmud took the man of the match award. This match was refereed by Abd Nasir Saupiey. 

Revised by Joanne Lim.

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Another Win For The Gunners

by Ahmad Rusydan.

The 2nd match to follow on Thursday, 5th April 2012 was between the team that consisted of lecturers, the "veteran" team Pisako FC and one of the favorites to win the K-League, K-Gunners. Pisako FC field a strong line up with 7 lecturers starting the match. 

The match started off slowly with Pisako keeping the possession away from the Gunners. Few minutes on, K-Gunners had their first chance of the match. After few attempts of attack broke down on the right side of the field, the ball fell kindly to Abdul Hadi whose shot was bravely blocked by Pisako's keeper leaving the goal wide open only for Ahmad Rusydan to place the rebound shot few inches wide off the crossbar. The game was then in control by the Gunners in which they won a corner shortly afterward. K-Gunners made fully use of their corner. It was a well planned corner with Jafnie Junaidi and Abdul Hadi catching Pisako's defense off guard and crossing in the ball for Afif Ali to head home their first goal. Another chance came begging when the ball was squared into the penalty box only for Abdul Hadi, just a touch away from adding another goal for K-Gunners. The game was pretty one sided for quite awhile and soon, K-Gunners's constant attack paid off. Afif Ali added his goal tally of the day to two when he broke away from  Pisako's defense and finished off cooly. Pisako did gave the Gunners's back line few scares when they couldn't manage to get possession from the brilliance of Cikgu Tamin and Cikgu Roslan. Najwan came close with the end product of the beautiful gameplay only resulting in a goal kick. Minutes from the interval, Afif Ali scored his third goal of the day. Again, Pisako's defense couldn't keep up with his pace and similarly to his second goal, he slot home the third cooly. Just before the whistle was blown for the end of the first half, there was a heated complaint from Pisako's leading defense due to the dangerous tackle from Dinie Mohaimin although, he won the ball cleanly. 

The second half started off similarly to how the first half ended. K-Gunners strive to increase the scoreline but Pisako have stepped up their game with the introduction of Sir Amir and Syazwi Taib into the heart of the defense. The change proved effective as Gunners' attack were shut by Pisako and their back line was tested, when again, Cikgu Tamin and Cikgu Roslan combining only for the quick counter to break down. Few moments later, after a wonderful through ball by Nasir Saufi to Abdul Hadi, who beats the offside trap, added his goal tally of the league to two with a textbook finish. Pisako has now a mountain to climb if they were to gain a point from this match, trailing 0-4 behind. Pisako never gave up. They kept on attacking only to fail in getting the finishing product. Whilst Pisako were busy breaking K-Gunners defence down, Abdul Hadi missed another great chance when his header connected with the ball only for it to bounce off the crossbar and out for a goal kick. Soon after that, he redeemed himself with point-blank shot goal with the ball squared in by Aiman Hafizan into the box. Although they were down by 5 goals, Pisako still made life hard for K-Gunners. The score was then 6-0 when Jafnie Junaidi, with a chipped through ball which went above Syazwi Taib was slotted in by Nasir Saufi who was one on one with the keeper. To end the day, Abdul Hadi added his third of the day. This took him to the top of the goalscoring chart. The match ended with a 0-7 scoreline and was the 2nd biggest scoring match. 

Afif Ali was named man of the match. This was the first loss for Pisako. This match was also refereed by Ron Junior Philip.

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Greentea To The Rescue As Starjan Shellshocked

by Ahmad Rusydan.

The K-League on 5th of April started with a match with MIC playing against Starjan. Both team went into this match, without a single point, looking to bounce off from their first game defeats. MIC started the match without one of their key players, Khairun Akmal while Starjan was in full strength with Muein "Dragon" Hamsyari leading the backline. 

It looked like we were only moments away from Starjan scoring the first goal. MIC on the other hand defended well to keep Starjan at bay. 15 minutes into the game, both teams exchanged attacks from one end to the other. Starjan came close with a chance when MIC failed to retain possession in their own half. MIC's captain called for a resurgence from the team as they set to overcome the 6-0 thrashing from their first game. Starjan then came close with Fuad Jaos's freekick only for him to hit it high over the bar. The game then became dull throughout the first half.

Second half started with Khairun Akmal coming in into the midfield of MIC. This half of the match was much better than the first with both team playing with a purpose of breaking the deadlock. It was anybody's game but MIC looked threatening this time with quick counter attacks. Starjan's defense was finally broken down by another quick counter from MIC. A mistake from Starjan's defender pave way for Amirul "Greentea" Azmi to score MIC's first goal of the league. MIC then held on to their lead until the final whistle was blown. It was an unexpected win for MIC as the match looked like it was to end with a goalless draw. Final score was 1-0 with MIC taking the lead.

Khairun Akmal was named man of the match. This match w3as refereed by Ron Junior Philip.

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Chinese Club

by Hedwig Mui & Chok Siong Wee.

Hey guys! I’m a Chinese and I’m here to tell you some interesting facts about the Chinese language. First of all, the Chinese language (华语-simplified chinese/華語-traditional chinese) is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages. About one-fifth of the world's population, or over one billion people, speaks some variety of Chinese as their native language. Some examples of dialects are such as Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka, FooChow and etc.

As some of you guys may know, there’s a new club that just started this year and it’s the Chinese Club! It’s supervised by 4 Chinese teachers in the school and its president is Chai Kah. On the first meeting of this club, we had a Chinese New Year celebration with lots of biscuits, cakes and drinks! Too bad I have no pictures for that but I’ll show you some from a Chinese New Year celebration at home. 

Traditional cakes eaten during Chinese New Year

Just two weeks ago, we had our second meeting and the president taught us numbers in Chinese. It was so much fun. We learned how to write, how to pronounce and how to put them into use. Last week, during the third meeting, we learned how to address our family members, such as father, mother, brother, sister, etc.

Chinese characters

This club is not only open for Chinese students, it’s for everyone. So if you are interested and want to join, just look for the president, Chai Kah!

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Having a rabbit as pet : The Do’s and don’t’s

by Ayeen Jafery.

First and foremost, in my opinion, rabbits are the cutest creatures alive. It is quite peaceful to have them as they are very quiet and gentle. Having a rabbit can be a handful but once you know the basic way to care for them, it can be a whole lot of fun. 

Rabbits have a list of breeds and they can be found in different parts of the world. Breeds such as the Alaska from Germany, American White from the United States, Blanc de Hotot from France, we’ve got Britannia Petite from England and lots more! Having owned a rabbit myself for almost four years, I know the experience firsthand.  Based on that experience, let me explain the do’s and don’t’s on how to take care of a rabbit.

The do’s :

à Pat them every single day. Rabbits love to be patted on the head and their whole body. However, at certain times, they do not like to be patted. When this happen, we should just let them wander on their own.

à Rabbits love vegetables, especially carrots! When giving them vegetables, carrots, for instance, you should not cut them, leave it as it as and if you put your rabbit in a cage, just hang the carrot on the cage bars. The same goes for other vegetables, preferably broccoli or any other local veggies from the super market. You should give different varieties of veggies to see what they like.

à Preferably, give vegetables during the night and during day time, you should give them pellets available at the local pet store.

à  Give them lots of hays. Hays could be found at most local pet stores so its easy to find. These hays are one of the important diet of rabbits. Rabbits need to chew all the time for the health of their digestive  systems. Fresh hay will pick up their interest on munching as well!

à  Give rabbits lots of water because rabbits need to hydrate themselves all the time.

à Let the rabbits out of their cage a few hours a day. Rabbits love to exercise and stretch. So for those who put their rabbit in a cage, always make time to let them out for a couple of hours at least.

à Cut their nails once in a while, although you might need an advice from the vet first on how to cut them. Rabbits’ nails are prone to bleeding if you cut through their veins so you should always avoid the red lines and cut the white part only. If this occur, the best way to stop the bleeding is to put their hand in a lump of flour.

à Give rabbits things to chew. They love to munch on hard things, this is to exercise their teeth. If they don’t have anything to munch on, their teeth will be itchy and it is uncomfortabl  to them. Having a pellet will definitely help them but you should also give them hay ( also available at the local store ).

à Clean their cage everyday, discard the poos and make the cage clean and tidy.

The don’t's :

à Don’t pull the rabbit by the ear! ( It hurts them and they seriously do not like it ) .  If they need to be carried around, hold them close to your body and lift them from their bottom and their front feet.

à Don’t give rabbits a bath. They don’t bath and they don’t need to, they can clean their body all by themselves. Also, having a bath is uncomfortable to them and they don’t like cold water.

à Don’t leave them in their cage for too long, they will become fat and inactive. Their lack of activities will lower down their physical being and leads to all different sorts of ailments.

à Don’t carry rabbits too high. Rabbits are afraid of heights and sometimes don’t like to be carried around.

As mentioned above, having a rabbit/rabbits can be quite handful but they are a quiet and vulnerable creatures.  Although they don’t make any sound they do have feelings and very well aware of their surroundings.  They are also so cute and cuddly and its been so joyful to have rabbits around the house.  

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The Giants Have Awoken

by Wadud Yussop.

On Wednesday, 4th April 2012, there was a K-League match between Batis United and Tenggilling. It was a must win match for Batis as they had already fallen behind in the league after their shocking loss on the hands of K-Knights. On the other hand, Tenggilling also had to show the K-League teams what they've got since it was their first match of the season. 

The match got to a start at about 2:30PM at PTEK's field. Both team looked quite competitive during the first half. The first goal of the match went to Batis after a rebound shot by Adiib Syazwi. They then continued their strong start with a second goal from an incredible solo effort by Hayatul Akhbar. The second goal proved to be the last goal of the first half as the sound of the whistle was heard. Score was 2-0 with Batis taking the lead.

During the second half, Tenggilling still couldn't seem to build up their confidence as players of Batis continued to dominate. This match surely was a one-sided match as Hayatul Akhbar scored once again for his team, Batis. They then soon added their fourth goal through a fine finish by Rafique Roslan. Shalfira, another player from the same team, increased the misery for Tenggilling as he scored the fifth goal for this team and the fifth goal of the match. Ali Yusri quickly made an impact after being introduced into the game to score Batis's sixth goal. It was due to a poor defence from Tenggilling. The goal fiesta did not stop at six as Zamri Joffri added another goal, making it the seventh goal for Batis. Shalfira Tamimi added his second goal after a fine one-two with Waiz Maidin, leaving a score of 8-0. To finish off the game, Batis's captain, Azizzulhilmi Baha scored the ninth and final goal of the match with a thunderous free kick. In the wake of this game, the giant, Batis United had shown that they have finally awoken after their loss against K-Knights. It was a bad day for the players of Tenggilling but it sure was a wonderful game for Batis players. Final score was 9-0 with Batis United in the lead. 

Shalfira Tamimi received the man of the match award after a superb performance, collecting 2 goals and assisting 4 for his teammates. This game was refereed by Azizi Roslan. 

Revised by Joanne Lim.

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Personal Statements

by Caroline Tan.

Time flies and before we know it, it is our turn, the upper six students of PTEK to write our own personal statements! Before everything else, I would like to ask, what is the most common country that Bruneians tend to want to go to in order to further their studies after graduating from sixth-form? I can assure you that out of 10 people, more than half would answer “UK”.  Good! Now if you have always wanted to go to UK to further your studies, you most probably have heard of UCAS. It’s a website which students make use of to find suitable universities in the United Kingdom! Here, take a look: ucas.ac.uk 

Ok now, back to writing our personal statements. What is a personal statement, you ask? The UCAS personal statement is a 47 line (or 4000 character) piece of writing that allows you to tell the universities and colleges you are applying and to why they should offer you a place on the course. In order to do this successfully, you need to convey your passion and enthusiasm for the subject to the admission tutors, as well as demonstrate your suitability to the course. I suggest you have to have a pretty good idea of what course you want to study before continuing much further with your personal statement. Generally, personal statements are quite specific, so if you decide to change the course you are applying for you would need to rewrite your personal statement. 

Don’t know what you want to be in the future? Don’t know what course to go for? It’s time my dear, to do some research and set your mind already! Actually, having a right goal in mind and being determined in what you want to be in the future helps to motivate you to study. Personally, it is the only thing that is pushing me forward, really. Take a look: http://www.studential.com/applying/choosingadegree After you have chosen a degree, all you need to do is, “sell yourself”. You should know by now that it’s really up to a university whether to accept you or not. The slots for international students are very limited and so they will judge you from how well you construct your personal statements and how well you are! Just a bit of a story, in my math class, my teacher told me to look into your own refection in the mirror, and ask yourself : ‘Who is it that person in the refection?’ And whatever comes to your mind after that, write it all down with honesty. Then, link your qualities with what you should be accepted as, into your choice of university. 

Don’t be too afraid to write and ‘sell yourself’ totally! It’s a personal statement. It is supposed to be about you. It’s about you and only you. My advice is to not to just study, but also join some clubs. Perhaps play some sports and music and tell your choice of university that you are not only good academically, but also physically and mentally! It always helps to get a part time job during school holidays too, universities would be grateful to know that besides having to study, you still have time to go to work and gain some experience. One thing that you should never do is make up stories and lie about yourself in your personal statements. Some degrees like medicine, require you to go for an interview and from there, your true colours will reveal. So do not put your future at risk. Personal statements are like trust-based systems. Once it’s broken, you’re never trustworthy anymore. We all are still students, so none of us are experts in this. I have requested one of the teachers in the career section to give a talk in the multipurpose hall on how to write personal statements. He reassured me that there would be, and not to worry. 

For more information , visit : http://www.studential.com/guide/write_personal_statement.htm

Revised by Joanne Lim.

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PTEK's Netball Champions

By Tinah Marzuki.

Thursday, 5th April 2012 - Congratulations to the PTEK Netball Team for winning the Interzone Netball Tournament! After winning their way through matches against Sekolah Menengah Serasa (2nd April), SM Lambak Kiri (3rd April) and PAP Masna (4th April; Semi-finals), lastly, the PTEK Netball Team won against the PTEM Netball Team, in the Finals, with a score of 18 -16. PTEK is very proud of our players.

Big congratulations to:
Azyan Filzah Nadhirah Abdullah (BE 22)
Nurul Bahriah Bte Manap (BE 18)
Elsie Anak Ijong (BE 15)
Yassamin Bte Ahmad Zainal (BE 13)
Nur Afiqah Bte Arifin (BE 20)
Yvonne Lim Yee Wen (BE 12)
Dk Nur Fatin Syaafi'ah Pg Shahrin (BE 16)
Dk Nur Atikah Pg Metussin (BE 13)
Nur Harizan Abdul Rahman (BE17)

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K-Leaugue Schedule

To those who are supporting the K-League, here is the schedule:


Monday, 2nd April 2012         - Batis Vs K-Knights (0 - 1)
                                                    - II FC Vs MIC (6 - 0)


Tuesday, 3rd April 2012         - Starjan Vs Pisako FC (1 - 2)
                                                    - K-Gunners Vs Selungsung (2 - 0)


Wednesday, 4th April 2012   - Tenggiling Vs Batis (0 - 9)
                                                    - K-Knights Vs II FC (1 - 4)


Thursday, 5th April 2012        - MIC Vs Starjan (1 - 0)
                                                    - Pisako FC Vs K-Gunners (0 - 7)


Monday, 9th April 2012           - Selungsung Vs Tenggiling (2:30-3:55PM)
                                                    - Batis Vs MIC (4:00-5:45PM)


Tuesday, 10th April 2012       - II FC Vs Starjan (2:30-3:55PM)
                                                    - Pisako FC Vs K-Knights (4:00-5:45PM)


Wednesday, 11th April 2012 - Batis Vs K-Gunners (2:30-3:55PM)
                                                    - Tenggiling Vs MIC (4:00-5:45PM)


Thursday, 12th April 2012      - Selungsung Vs Pisako FC (2:30-3:55PM)
                                                    - Starjan Vs K-Knights (4:00-5:45PM)


Monday, 16th April 2012         - K-Knights Vs K-Gunners (2:30-3:55PM)
                                                    - Batis Vs Starjan (4:00-5:45PM)


Tuesday, 17th April 2012       - Pisako FC Vs Tenggiling  (2:30-3:55PM)
                                                    - Selungsung Vs II FC (4:00-5:45PM)


Wednesday, 18th April 2012 - MIC Vs K-Knights (2:30-3:55PM)
                                                    - K-Gunners Vs Starjan (4:00-5:45PM)


Thursday, 19th April 2012      - Batis Vs Selungsung (2:30-3:55PM)
                                                    - Pisako FC Vs II FC (4:00-5:45PM)


Monday, 23rd April 2012        - K-Gunners Vs II FC (2:30-3:55PM)
                                                    - Pisako FC Vs Batis (4:00-5:45PM)


Tuesday, 24th April 2012       - Selungsung Vs Starjan (2:30-3:55PM)
                                                    - Tenggiling Vs K-Knights (4:00-5:45PM)


Wednesday, 25th April 2012 - II FC Vs Batis (2:30-3:55PM)
                                                    - K-Gunners Vs MIC (4:00-5:45PM)


Thursday, 26th April 2012     - K-Knights Vs Selungsung (2:30-3:55PM)
                                                    - Tenggiling Vs Starjan (4:00-5:45PM)


Monday, 30th April 2012         - K-Gunners Vs Tenggiling (2:30-3:55PM)


Tuesday, 1st May 2012          - MIC Vs Selungsung (2:30-3:55PM)


Wednesday, 2nd May 2012   - II FC Vs Tenggiling (2:30-3:55PM)


Thursday, 3rd May 2012         - MIC Vs Pisako FC (2:30-3:55PM)


* SEMI FINALS'S AND FINALS'S SCHEDULE WILL BE RELEASED ONCE ALL MATCHES HAVE FINISHED. 
* CHANGES MIGHT OCCUR.

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Gunners Shot Down The Seabass

by Wadud Yussop.

The second match for Tuesday's K-League was scheduled for a match between K-Gunners and Selungsung FC. This was a match that everybody was looking forward to watching as both teams are known to have strong players. Unlike the other 8 teams that are competing in the K-League, Selungsung FC is the only veteran team that has been participating in the K-League for a continuous 3 years. They are a two time semi-finalist and this time round, they are planning to put their name in the winning list. Maybe, they might have a chance to win this time. 

The match started at 4:00PM. The match started off strongly with captains from both team, Abdul Hadi and Faiz Afif from K-Gunners and Selungsung FC respectively, being competitive since the start of the match. The match was so competitive that the score stayed 0-0 until the whistle for half time was blown. 

As the second half of the match got to a start, the players of K-Gunners was aiming to open the score sheet first. On that day, the supporters of the match got to see two wonderful free kicks at PTEK's field. The first one was from the first match earlier that day with Pisako FC going against Starjan and the second was from Abdul Hadi Abdullah who scored the first goal for K-Gunners and the first goal of the match after 10 minutes into second half. He was the top scorer for last year's K-League and it seems like he is looking to keeping that title. The day got worse for Selungsung FC as Faiz Afif's scored an own goal due to his backpass going too high for the keeper to reach. Abu, a player also from Selungsung FC, also received a yellow card that day for a hard tackle on a K-Gunners player. The final score of the match was 2-0 with K-Gunners as winners. 

It was a hard loss for the players of Selungsung FC but they surely will come back strong. This match was refereed by Ron Junior Phillip and the man of the match award goes to Mateen Qusyairi from K-Gunners after a brilliant form at the backline. 

Revised by Joanne Lim.

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The Teachers Rocked PTEK's Field

by Wadud Yussop.

Tuesday, 3rd of April 2012, was the second day of K-League and there was a match between teachers (Pisako FC) and students (Starjan).

The match started off at 2:45PM. It was a 10 vs 10 match at the beginning as Starjan did not have enough players. To be fair, the teachers also lined up 10 players. Both team started the match competitively as both wanted to score the first goal. After a poor scramble in Starjan's penalty box, Sir Reizal tapped in the ball easily to open the score sheet. This was due to Starjan's keeper being unable to catch the ball properly due to the slippery condition at the goalpost area. As Starjan was just starting to build up their momentum, the players of Pisako FC would not see past that and stopped all chances for them. Not long after the first goal, Pisako FC widened the gap through Sir Amir. It was a wonderful executed shot leaving Starjan's goalkeeper 'mati langkah'. The score remained the same until the whistle for half time was blown. Pisako FC led Starjan by two goals to nil. 

For the second half, both team played with 11 players. Starjan dominated the position in the second half as they tried to equalise the scoreline. As the match was left with only 15 minutes to spare, Ampuan Fuad, famously known as Fuad Jaos, scored from a fantastic taken freekick. This changed to score to 2-1. Later in that match, Cikgu Husaini was given a yellow card after a foul tackle on a Starjan player. The match came to an end as Starjan failed to equalise the score. The final score for the match is 2-1 with Pisako FC walking away with the victory. 

Cikgu Roslan was given the man of the match award after a superb performance for Pisako FC. This match was refereed by Amin.

Revised by Joanne Lim.

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Strong Start For Intut-Intut FC

By Wadud Yussop.

After the first match of the K-league which was held on Monday, 2nd April 2012, it was followed up by a second match which was held on the same day, with Intut-Intut FC going up against MIC. 

The match started off at 4:00PM right after the match between K-Knights FC and Batis United ended. It was once again refereed by Md Nasir, who refereed for the first match too. The match got to a friendly start as players from both team are very much  familiar with each other. Qawiem Yusri from Intut-Intut FC opened the score sheet after a fine pass from his teammates. With that one goal, they wanted to show that they had not finished as Munir Bakar, also from Intut-Intut FC, scored the second goal after a solo run by himself. This leaves a score of 2-0 with Intut-Intut FC in the lead. As the match continued on, it got harder for the MIC players as they conceded penalty spotted by the captain of Intut-Intut FC, Ron Junior Philip. They got into penalty when Aminuddin from MIC brought Cassidy Liew of Intut-Intut FC to the ground. It was a bit controversial as Aminuddin claimed that it was because Cassidy had accidentally kicked him. Before the fist half ended, Intut-Intut FC managed to score another goal leaving a score of 3-0.

During the break, there was a bit of conflict as the school security guards had asked for the match to come to a stop. It was then found out that they were not informed by the teachers that there was a match going on at PTEK's field. After the committee of the K-league, Ron Junior Philip and Hadi had sorted the problems out, the second half of the match got to a start at around 5:00PM. 

Intut-Intut FC once again, controlled the game right away. As they kept on a dominating position, Khalid Mahmud scored the fourth goal of the afternoon for Intut-Intut FC and the substitute, Ilyaas Hadi scored the fifth goal after a thunderous run leaving the defender swept behind and finishing it smoothly. Muadz Hairel  scored the last goal of the day for Intut-Intut FC. Although they had plenty of goals, they wasted  quite a few opportunity to goal. Final score boils down to 6-0 with Intut-Intut FC taking the lead.

The man of the the match goes to Ron Junior Phillip, Captain of Intut-Intut FC!

Revised by Joanne Lim.

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Great Start For The Juniors

By Waddud Yussop.

Monday, 2nd April 2012, was the the first day of K-league 2012. We have altogether 9 teams competing in this league. The first match that was held was a match between K-Knights FC and Batis United. 

The match kicked off to a start at around 2:30PM. Both team started the match competitively as they each exchanged strong attacks towards their opposing team. Although the players of K-Knights were at pressure for making their first appearance in the K-League, they did a good job in coping well enough with the pressure. Eventually, Md Aleiyuddin of K-Knights took advantage of the miscommunication between Batis's defenders and slot pass the goal keeper easily and brought a goal to his team leaving a score of 1-0. After their first goal, K-Knights still stayed strong and continued their attacks but failed to hit the target after numerous tries. The first half of the match came to an end with a score of 1-0 with K-Knights taking the lead.

The second half of the match got to a start at around 3:15PM. This time, Batis players tried to equalise the score. They created plenty of chances to score a goal but with their striker failed to take the pass. The game soon heated up as Batis player, Ali Yusri was given a first yellow card of this league after Amirul Ya'iisyuddin of K-Knights received a hard tackle from him. The game continued on and the score stayed 1-0 until the final whistle was blown. It was definitely a good day for K-Knights FC's players but Batis United surely won't let this one match bring them down!

Revised by Joanne Lim.

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No Styrofoam Saturday

By Frederick.

As most of us might have known, we had the no Styrofoam day last Saturday and rumor has it that no Styrofoam day in PTEK would only last for a day with food vendors selling food without the use of Styrofoam plates and cups. But is that so? NO. We're here to prove that wrong. We are to work together to make every Saturday, no Styrofoam day in PTEK. With everyone's help and cooperation, I am sure that we will definitely succeed. 

First of all, what is Styrofoam?  

Styrofoam is actually made from foamed polystyrene which starts off as small spherical beads that contain an expanding agent called hydrocarbon. The polystyrene beads are then heated with steam, as the expanding agent boils, the beads soften and expand up to forty times their original size. The expanded beads are left to cool down before being heated again. However, this time the beads are expanded within a mold. The molds are designed in a variety of shapes depending on the desired end product for example: Styrofoam cups, cartons, wig stands, and more. The beads completely fill the mold and also fuse together. Styrofoam is about 98% percent air.

Who is the inventor of the Styrofoam?

Ray McIntire

How did he thought of inventing the Styrofoam?

The Styrofoam was invented accidentally. According to Ray, his invention came when he was originally trying to find a flexible electrical insulator during World War II.

How is Styrofoam harmful?

Styrofoam which was created by Dow Chemical Company scientist, Ray McIntire in the 1970′s as a insulation device has no made a huge impact on our daily lives. You can see Styrofoam almost everywhere. It is being used as hamburger cartons, coffee cups and even house hold construction products were made out of Styrofoam. The production of Styrofoam products included the use CFC. CFC is an organic compound that contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer and thus, the use of CFC was then banned in 1989 that so many companies stopped using products made with Styrofoam including McDonald’s (voluntarily). Production methods changed so there was no longer CFC pollution in production but many of it's ill effects remain. Styrofoam also does not decompose and breakdown easily and it releases chemicals when it gets in contact with water and therefore, contaminating our water supply when it is not disposed properly.


By 1986, styrene was found in 100 percent of all samples of human fat tissue taken as part of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Human Tissue Survey. Researchers found that Styrofoam cups lose weight when in use, meaning that styrene is oozing into the foods and drinks we consume. It then ends up stored in our fatty tissue, where it can build up to levels that can cause fatigue, nervousness, difficulty sleeping, blood abnormalities, and even carcinogenic effects.

What are the real health effects of eating and drinking food from Styrofoam containers?

As styrene from Styrofoam is said to ooze into the food and drinks we consume using Styrofoam containers, World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer had stated that long-term exposure to small quantities of styrene is suspected of causing:

– low platelet counts or hemoglobin values;

– chromosomal and lymphatic abnormalities;

– neurotoxic effects due to accumulation of styrene in the tissues of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves, resulting in fatigue, nervousness, difficulty sleeping, and other acute or chronic health problems associated with the nervous system.

Now, take some time to think about it. Everyday in school, we use AT LEAST 400 Styrofoam containers per day. My question is, is it really worth it, to use the very convenient Styrofoam even though the effects of it affects our health? I have asked several students how they feel about the Styrofoam day and most of it said that it is not quite helpful as the stall vendors are still using Styrofoam cartons when it is not a Saturday. 

What do you think?


Revised by Joanne Lim

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