Meeting Lauren Oliver

by Kaye Leong, Junior 1 Higgs, Class of 2015

Friday, the 21st of March 2014 has officially made it into my personal list of “Favourite Days in the Year 2014”. It was the day I had the once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet my New York Times Bestselling Author, the one and only Laura Suzanne Schechter, otherwise known as Lauren Oliver. A proud owner of 5 out of 6 of her young adult books - namely Before I Fall, Delirium, Pandemonium, Requiem and Panic - I think it’s needless to say that she’s my all-time favourite author. 

Around 20 of us exhilaratingly boarded the bus to Mid Valley after Puan Farah bid us goodbye and told us to have fun. After about half an hour or less I descended the bus with a big smile on my face - that shows how thrilled I was to meet Lauren Oliver.

Soon after lunch, we made our way to MPH Bookstores. The minute we reached there, we were greeted by Ms Julia, who was one of the organizers of this event. We settled down on the row of chairs which were orderly arranged close by the entrance of the bookstore. After a few minutes, Ms Luna – my English teacher and I – had a little trip to the toilet. While walking back to the bookstore, I did not realize that Lauren Oliver herself was behind us until I got into my seat in the bookstore. 

She made an entrance at the bookstore with a very loud and enthusiastic “Hello!”. The meet and greet session started as always, with an introduction by herself. It was quite interesting as she made me feel like she was one of us – a teenager. She started writing at a very young age of just nine years old. She also talked about how she grew up in a house that was filled with all kinds of books. Apparently, her parents are both literature lecturers – that explains why she used to live in a book-filled house. Other than being a literature lecturer, her father is also a renowned thriller and horror story writer who goes by the name Harold Schechter.

After telling us a little about her family, she talked about how her writing career started. When she was a teenager, she had a strong passion of reading. As everyone may know, most books end with cliff hangers which force you to keep imagining what would happen after the last chapter of the book closes. Having a creative little mind, young Lauren would write fan fictions of the book she has just read instead of keeping those lingering thoughts in her mind. As a teenager, she would write funny magazines for her best friend, Jackie which were made up of different columns such as horoscopes, embarrassing stories, and so on. 

While she was still pursuing her studies, she started working at the well known company, Penguin Books in the young adult division which was called Razorbill. That was when she started working on her first book, Before I Fall. Then she gave brief descriptions of what all her books were about. 

Having attended the meet and greet session. we were fortunate enough to have the chance to know what her upcoming books were about. One of the books is her first-ever adult book, known as Rooms, which will be released in Fall 2014 (around September 2014). It will be about an affluent man who had died which caused his house to be inhabited by ghosts. The other book is called Vanishing Girls, which is about two sisters who meet in a car accident and get separated. She may have only told us very small snippets of the two books but being one of the first to know - definitely a plus. 

After the whole book-introduction part of the day, the signing session started. I joined the queue to get all five of my books autographed by her. When it was my turn, I stood there timidly while gazing at her signing my books and writing sweet messages on each and everyone of them. She was benevolent enough to allow me to take a picture with her after signing my books. 

Photo Credit : Kaye Leong

Last but not least, I would like to thank Ms Julia for inviting us for this not-to-be-forgotten event, Ms Luna, Ms Lina and Ms Helen for being our teacher chaperones and most importantly Lauren Oliver for coming all the way to Malaysia for this event. 

Handball MSSKL 2014 (Qualifying Rounds)

written by Amanda Lee Yue Ping, Junior 2 Cempaka, Class of 2014

Last year proud handballers brought back the hard-earned Challenge Trophy, winning gold for both U-18 teams and U-15 girls team as well as bronze for U-15 boys team. This year, players walked onto the pitch with heavy expectations weighing on their shoulders, but also with camaraderie and team spirit - two things that never change about the Cempakan Handball Team. 

Photo Credit: Amanda Lee

The girls matches were held on the first day - a blessing due to the dry courts which you could actually bounce a ball off and not have it land with a splat. The first match started late as usual, right after a short briefing about rules and regulations. At which, we learned that all boys were strictly not allowed on the field that day - causing a bit of a commotion. Besides the fact that the boys then had to hang outside the fence and peer through like convicts, things set off to a pretty good start. Both teams won their consecutive matches with only minimal shouts of ‘EH MONGEK, BUTTERFINGERS AH?  from En Salleh. 

Photo Credit: Woon Tyen Yee

Once the first matches were over, the girls got into their game and proceeded to breeze through the rest of the competition. As for the boys? They were allowed back in around 1.00pm when school was out and the school authorities pretty much couldn’t be bothered anymore (probably cause they noticed that other boys had started coming in through the very large hole in the fence). 

“We were fortunate that the group we got placed into in the qualifying rounds were teams that we were quite confident in dealing with.”

- Woon Tyen Yee, U-18 Girls Captain

Bereft of adept goalie Shi Jinn and star center Sher Lynn, it was questionable as to whether we would put up as formidable a fight as before. Thankfully though our defenses remained strong and though a little careless here and there on the attacking side, formations played out right and goals were scored. 

Photo Credit: Amanda Lee

The weather took a turn in the middle of the second day. The boys played on dry, brittle grass in the morning, then on wet puddles of mud in the afternoon. There were quite a few amazing ballet and skiing moves executed, as they flailed and skid in the pools of water. The boys teams had surprisingly clean sheets this year, with no two minutes given at all. More spectacularly, like the girls teams previously, they also conceded no goals to the opposing teams! It was a close call though, with one ball almost rolling through Seshan’s legs. Both the Under-18s and Under-15’s won all their matches, qualifying the entire Handball team into the quarter-finals tomorrow.  

Below are the scores for the two days: 

Under 18 Girls
1st Match: Cempaka vs SMK Taman Yarl ( 8 - 0 )
2nd Match: Cempaka vs SMK Bandar Baru Seri Petaling ( 2 - 0 )
3rd Match: Cempaka vs SMK Vivekananda ( 5 - 0 )

Under 15 Girls
1st Match: Cempaka vs SMK Bukit Bandaraya ( 3 - 0 )
2nd Match: Cempaka vs SMK Bandar Baru Petaling ( 2 - 0 )
3rd Match: Cempaka vs SMK TTDI ( 2 - 0 )

Under 15 Boys 

1st Match: Cempaka vs Saujana ( 5 - 0 )

2nd Match: Cempaka vs Taman Desa ( 3 - 0 )

3rd Match: Cempaka vs Hartamas ( 4 - 0 )

Under 18 Boys

1st Match: Cempaka vs SMK Petaling ( 5 - 0 )

2nd Match: Cempaka vs Desa Perdana ( 8 - 0 )

3rd Match: Cempaka vs Taman Yarl ( 9 - 0 )

4th Match: Cempaka vs Sentosa ( 4 - 0 ) 

And to the teams who shrugged and said ‘It’s only Cempaka lah’, we definitely showed them. Good luck to everyone tomorrow, play your best! #harderbetterfasterstronger

Women's History Month (March)

A NOTE FROM THE HEAD DESIGNER:

How time flies! In a blink of an eye, it's already March and April is quickly approaching. Between designing for the new theme of the Lumen Studet and training a new set of designers, monthly themed designs has unfortunately been neglected but it’s back this month with an important theme: “Women’s History Month.” This month, we commemorate the contributions of women and ladies worldwide, regardless of their profession and race. 

We're also extremely excited about the new Lumen Studet theme that has been upgraded from the previous template to a fresh and new design. It’s now easier to navigate around the Lumen and hopefully much more convenient for readers. We hope that the new improvements such as the sliders will provide a more visually pleasant experience for readers. 

Lastly, I hope that you will enjoy the designs and celebrate the women in your life and also those in the past (and present) who has made their mark in history. For more information about Women’s History Month, visit: http://womenshistorymonth.gov/

Law Veng Yee, Junior 2 Cempaka, Class of 2014.

(Note: To have a clearer view of designs, simply click on the picture and zoom in by pressing: for MAC users, command and +; for WINDOWS users, control and +. However, should your cursor change into a magnifying glass, you can just click on the design one more to zoom in.)  

Submitted by Lim Wei Xin, Junior 2 Cempaka, Class of 2014

Submitted by Law Veng Yee, Junior 2 Cempaka, Class of 2014

Submitted by Rachel Chua Junior 2 Cempaka, Class of 2014

Submitted by Aw Kah Yan, Form 5 Science 1, Class of 2014

Submitted by Sarah Crompton, Junior 2 Cempaka, Class of 2014

Submitted by Choo Li Ling, Junior 1 Venter, Class of 2015

No School!: Living Through The Haze

written by Chua Zi, Form 5 Science 1, Class of 2014

Design by Valerie Law Yeng Yee, Class of 2014

In a country that houses one of the most diverse ecological systems of wet rain forests in the world, Malaysians have just lived through a dry spell. The haze is back, for the third time in the past 6 months, and despite the sporadic rainfall, temperatures have been observed to hike up to 42°C. It’s almost hot enough to wish we had a polar vortex affect Malaysia. Almost.

The haze situation became hazardous on Friday, and Cempakans were given the option of not attending school. With readings of up to 350 API, schools in Port Klang and Kuala Langat were ordered to close by Selangor’s Education Department. 

Last week, the water supply tightened in Selangor, Malaysia’s most populous province, forcing water rationing. The Wall Street Journal blog reported that at the Sungai Selangor dam, which provides 60% of Putrajaya’s water supply, water levels had dropped below 50%. Two water treatment plants at Sungai Langat had also stopped operations due to a case of ammonia contamination. Meanwhile, our school toilets stank.

In another part of the world, Mainland China, the sunset starts being televised on giant TV screens because Beijing is so clouded in smog. Once again, human irresponsibility forces us to rely on a piece of technology to fulfil one of the prerequisites of life. The trend continues.

The smog is so severe that it has been declared a ‘health crisis’ by the World Heath Organization. The level of pollution in China’s capital, Beijing is due predominantly to small dangerous particles of pollution. The levels constantly reach more than 20 times the internationally recognized safety limit — thick enough to mask China’s tallest building.

There have been calls for a strategic transition to greener technology to alleviate the plight of the Chinese. However, calls for change often go unheard as China faces the challenge of balancing its economic growth and controlling pollution in its major cities. One leading environmental scientist, Professor Thang Shiqui of Peking University says,“if the government wanted to slow down the economy to get a greener environment, the public would not have agreed.”

Back home, we’re still pointing fingers trying to isolate some neighbouring Southeast Asian country whose open-burning or industrial activity caused the haze to come back. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says he may take over management of the hazardous open-burning situation which has caused periodic smog in the region for years. At least it’s not only us to blame this time.

It’s a recurring trend in human nature to disregard anthropogenic sources of climate phenomena. Along with our skewed sense of risk, it seems natural to treat the haze as a occasional thing and not a result of our collective contributions to the deterioration of our environment. As the BBC has stated about China, it will take “years or even decades to reduce [its] pollution problem.” That applies for everyone. For now, public action is imperative.

Conspiracy Theories That Will Change The Way We Think

written by Ryan Yoong, Class of 2014, Form 5 Science 1

Conspiracy theories have always fascinated me. The sheer thought that there could be another possibility to a story than what we are led to believe excites me and even more so when there is suspected “proof” supporting such claims. It is with this passion, that I chose such a topic for my Oral Examination Test this year. 

Every once in a while, a particular story comes along that has the world taken aback and in shock and awe. I am no exception. The following were events that had my eyes glued onto the television, computer screen and just about anywhere where news of the stories would pop up from time to time. Do note that the the theories presented in this three-part article are in no way intended as a form of defamation or misrepresentation; please proceed with an open mind. 

1. Conspiracy Theory #1: The NASA Moon Landing

On the 20th of July 1969 a miraculous feat, previously thought to have been impossible, was achieved by the United States; the world’s first manned mission to land on the moon proved to be successful. Or was it? For years, it has been speculated that the event was a hoax, and just an effort by the U.S. to assert their victory in the space race against Russia at the time. The next question in your mind must be something along the lines of, “Where’s the proof?”. With that, I urge you to read on; and I guarantee, you will never look at the 1969 moon landing the same way ever again. 

Perhaps the most baffling occurrence that signals towards the hoax region is this very picture taken from NASA’s collection of pictures that were taken during Apollo 11’s mission to the moon. Let’s take a look. 

At first glance it appears that everything seems normal and that Neil Armstrong (above picture) is standing on the moon’s surface with a U.S. flag stuck into the ground. However, upon closer inspection you would notice something else. It has been made extremely clear, through the many science lessons I’ve had over the course of my life, that there is no air in space; hence the need for the special astronaut suits. In the picture above, we can clearly see that the flag appears to be “swaying”, almost indicating that a breeze was present at the time. Then we ponder, how is it possible that there was a breeze when there isn’t even air to begin with? With countless explanations being put forward for the phenomenon, it still remains a mystery as to how such a thing could happen. 

Next on the list of weird sights in space is the following picture; also one from NASA’s extensive collection. 

At night, on earth, there are many wonders that light up the sky, giving us the infinite impression of the wide space above our heads. Yet, we see none in the picture above. A puzzling thing don’t you think? That in space, you see, what appears to be a star count of zero. There are no clouds on the moon, so stars are perpetually visible and significantly brighter than what we see through the filter of Earth’s atmosphere. The argument here is that NASA would have found it impossible to map out the exact locations of all stars for the hoax without being rumbled, and therefore left them out – intentionally falling back on an excuse that the quality of the photographs washes them out (an excuse they did actually give). Some photographs are high-quality, however, and yet still no stars are shown in such pictures. Certainly eerie, considering you can take pictures of stars from Earth in much lower quality and still see them.

The next shred of proof that conspiracy theorist put forward to support their claim has a connection to the following picture.

The most obvious feature about the above rock is what appears to be the letter “C” engraved into it. The letter appears to be almost perfectly symmetrical, meaning it is unlikely to be a natural occurrence. It has been suggested that the rock is simply a prop, with the “C” used as a marker by an alleged film crew. A set designer could have turned the rock the wrong way, accidentally exposing the marking to the camera. NASA has given conflicting excuses for the letter, on the one hand blaming a photographic developer for adding the letter as a practical joke, while on the other hand saying that it may simply have been a stray hair which got tangled up somewhere in the developing process. The final decision? It’s yours to make. 

Last but not least, is the following picture that was taken from the Apollo 15 mission, a few years later. 

The two photos from the Apollo 15 mission shown above clearly have identical backdrops, despite being officially listed by NASA as having been taken miles apart. One photo even shows the lunar module. When all photographs were taken the module had already landed, so how can it possibly be there for one photo and disappear in another?

NASA has suggested that since the moon is much smaller than Earth, horizons can appear significantly closer to the human eye. Despite this, to say that the two hills visible in the photographs are miles apart is incontrovertibly false.

Ultimately, it is you, the reader, who has the final say in what you want to believe is the truth. With all this “proof” that I have presented, I certainly it has opened your eyes to a different possibility of the moon landings. Once again, I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that the article was in no way intended to cause any harm to any party. My decision on what to believe has certainly been clouded by the statements and pictures above. Has yours? 

Side-note: All pictures are property of NASA and all credit goes to the organisation.

Hope for the Horizon, Pray For MH370

written by Chua Zi, Class of 2014, Form 5 Science 1

Photo Credit: Amanda Lee Yue Ping

It has been more than a day since the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which has caused upheaval in many parts of the world. The plane was carrying 239 passengers of 14 nationalities.

According to a statement released by Malaysia Airlines, flight MH370 was scheduled to land in Beijing International Airport at 6.30am local Beijing time (22:30 GMT). Subang Air Traffic Control lost contact with the plane at 2.40am local Malaysia time on 8 March.

Air and sea rescue teams from Malaysia along with China, Vietnam, Philippines, Singapore and the US have widened their search area in hopes of locating the missing plane. The teams have been searching the area of the South China Sea south of Vietnam where it went off the radar more than 24 hours ago. Malaysia Airlines has an extremely strong safety record and the Boeing-777 is one of the most popular long-distance planes today.

In a recent press conference, Hishammuddin Hussein, who is also the defence minister, said that there are at least four names on the passenger list who are suspect. “All the four names are with me and I have also spoken to the international intelligence agencies.” These include the FBI and other "relevant countries".

"Our hope is that the people understand we are being as transparent as we can, we are giving information as quickly as we can, but we want to make sure information has been verified," he said.

Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, Malaysia Airlines chief executive officer said that 80% of the families have been contacted. The BBC reports that relatives and friends awaiting to meet passengers from the missing flight have been brought to a hotel close to Beijing Airport’s Terminal Three. They are distressed and have expressed frustration at the lack of information from authorities.

While the case remains at an open end, do keep in mind that it is one that may have also affected the lives of many around the world, if not already. #PrayForMH370

The public may contact +603 7884 1234. For media queries, kindly contact +603 8777 5698/ +603 8787 1276. All information above is cited from international news networks.

March Issue: Keep Calm and March On

A NOTE FROM THE EDITORS

As hard as it may be to believe, February has already passed us by and our calendars now mark the first week of March. Whether you were spent your days in a dance studio perfecting your choreography, drawing layouts and buying buckets of paint, packing Valentines' Day candies or counting your ang pow money, I'm sure most of us were kept well-occupied during the month of February.

March, on the other hand, has not kicked off to the most favourable start. The water shortage and hazy weather has set a rather gloomy mood for the month. Entering the toilets in school now seems like stepping into a terrifying cloud of death. Fortunately the weather seemed to be looking up this afternoon, hopefully in time for us to commence Sports Day trainings.

Speaking of Sports Day trainings, be ready for hours of stomping your feet and shouting your lungs out under the hot sun. It's that time of the year again where I can bet that your seniors will be using these quotes very often :- "Louder! I can't hear you!", "Guys! Pay attention!" and "Baris, luruskan barisan!". From years of experience, we'd say a cap or hat plus uncomfortable layers of sunblock would definitely be helpful, along with tonnes of water and maybe some Strepsils would come in handy too.

Imperative advice for this month would be to keep calm. Understandably, it is hard not to get frustrated when you're sweaty, sticky, tired and absolutely dying for water but it is just one of those unfortunate turn of events. Water cuts and sports trainings do not go hand in hand but it will all work out eventually. Keep your head up and wait till the end of the month as we will be having our First Mid Semester Holidays. Something to look forward to! 

The activity-packed month of February has done its job of setting things in motion for the year. Now, the new month of March sings promises of an eventful Sports Day, MSSKL competitions, P.A. Weekend and other activities. Remember to look out for our updates on all these events and more! In addition, YJC will now be having themed months for their articles and designs. This month kicks off with Women's History Month. The team here at YJC will keep you in the loop with all the latest school events and serve you a healthy diet of interesting articles to be read.

All the best of luck!

Amanda Lee & Chin Wye Mun