Devendiran’s feats have thrilled Malaysians for over 10 years. One may think that he spends an enormous amount of money on shampoo, conditioner and treatment therapy to keep his “Samson” hair in good shape.
But Devendiran, who takes mere minutes to pull lorries, buses and even a fishing boat effortlessly, has been using the same “shampoo” for the past 20 years – Lux soap.
“I have to be cautious about using the right haircare, in case my hair becomes brittle,” he said.
Devendiran, who has not trimmed his tresses and beard for 11 years, added that it takes years to perfect the technique known as Sando.
“It takes a lot of patience. Many people have come to me for lessons but they are impatient. They drop out because they want to acquire the skills in the shortest time possible,” said Devendiran, who hails from Sungai Buloh. He admitted that it took him seven years to master the technique after starting training at the age of 18.
Devendiran has now moved on to higher and weightier projects. Next he plans to tie his hair to a crane and be suspended about 15.6 m in the air. He plans to stage a show in March at either Shah Alam Stadium or Dataran Merdeka.
(Adapted
from Star )
WORD LIST
|
|
Malay |
| 1. airborne | di udara |
| 2. feat | pencapaian yang hebat |
| 3. thrilled | menggetarkan |
| 4. enormous | tersangat banyak (jumlah) |
| 5. treatment | rawatan |
| 6. therapy | pengubatan / terapi |
| 7. good shape | keadaan baik |
| 8. cautious | berhati-hati/berwaspada |
| 9. brittle | rapuh |
| 10. trimmed | merapikan |
| 11. beard | janggut |
| 12. patience | kesabaran |
| 13. impatient | tidak sabar |
| 14. acquire | memperolehi |
| 15. hails | berasal |
ENRICHMENT LIST
| 1. mere | sangat singkat (masa) |
| 2. effortlessly | dengan mudahnya |
| 3. tresses | rambut panjang |
| 4. weightier | lebih berat |
| 5. suspended | tergantung |
13b SURVIVORS FIND REASON IN FOLKLORE
A shrine in Anjar is drawing throngs of visitors convinced that an explanation for India’s earthquake last week lies in a young couple’s sad tale. The shrine, devastated along with the rest of Anjar, contains the mausoleums of Jassal and Toral. They are side by side, separated by a 30-cm gap.
According to legend, the tombs have been sliding towards each other for centuries. The locals believe that the world will come to an end when they finally meet. Nobody knew if this happened during the earthquake.
The Jassal-Toral shrine was one of the famed sights of Anjar. Sadly, the tombs are now buried under tons of brick and mortar.
Locals said that when the mausoleums were built they were three metres apart. In present memory, they have always been 30 cm away.
(Adapted
from Star)
WORD LIST
|
|
Malay |
| 1. survivors | orang yang terselamat |
| 2. folklore | cerita rakyat |
| 3. shrine | keramat |
| 4. drawing | menarik (perhatian) |
| 5. convinced | yakin |
| 6. earthquake | gempa bumi |
| 7. tale | kisah |
| 8. devastated | dibinasakan |
| 9. mausoleums | makam-makam |
| 10. side by side | sebelah menyebelah |
| 11. separated | dipisahkan |
| 12. gap | jarak |
| 13. sliding | melongsor |
| 14. buried | terbenam |
| 15. memory | ingatan |
ENRICHMENT LIST
| 1. throngs | berpusu-pusu |
| 2. legend | legenda |
| 3. famed | masyhur |
| 4. sights | pemandangan-pemandangan |
| 5. mortar | campuran simen, pasir, air dan kapur |
13c
INCORRECT STUDY METHODS CAUSE OF POOR
ACADEMIC RESULTS
Research has shown that the causes of poor academic results are incorrect study methods and techniques. According to Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) vice-chancellor Professor Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, teachers and lecturers should teach students the correct learning techniques to improve their academic achievements.
“It is not true that our students lack enthusiasm to study especially when they have the full support of their parents but they fail to achieve excellence because they do not have the right studying techniques,” he said.
Another contributing factor was the students’ poor command of the English language. Problems arise when students felt discouraged and were embarrassed when they could not converse in English and this affected their studies.
He urged teachers and lecturers to provide more support and motivation to students. Students should not ignore the importance of the English language as they will lose out in this technology era where English has proven to be important.
(Adapted from Malay Mail)
WORD LIST
|
|
Malay |
| 1. incorrect | salah / tidak betul |
| 2. methods | kaedah-kaedah |
| 3. poor | lemah |
| 4. techniques | teknik-teknik |
| 5. correct | betul |
| 6. improve | memperbaiki |
| 7. lack | kekurangan |
| 8. enthusiasm | minat |
| 9. support | sokongan |
| 10. parents | ibu bapa |
| 11. command | penguasaan |
| 12. arise | timbul |
| 13. converse | berbual / bertutur |
| 14. affected | mempengaruhi |
| 15. ignore | mengabaikan |
| 1. vice-chancellor | naib canselor |
| 2. contributing factor | faktor penyumbang |
| 3. motivation | dorongan |
| 4. lose out | rugi |
| 5. technology era | zaman teknologi |
13d GOLD WORTH £80 BILLION FOUND
Reports from the Far East recently said the wreck of a Russian warship which sank nearly 100 years ago contains gold worth £80 billion.
The ship, Dimitri Donskoi, sank near South Korea in 1905. 400 sailors on board the ship drowned. Now, there are reports in Seoul and Moscow that divers have found the ship – and the gold bars.
Dimitri Donskoi was a 5,800-tonne warship which was used to secretly carry the huge cargo of gold to a safe place. At the time there was a war going on between Russia and Japan.
During its voyage, the ship and its crew were attacked by Japanese warships. At first they managed to escape unhurt and headed for Korea. However, the following day, the Japanese warships caught and attacked the ship again. This time the Dimitri Donskoi was destroyed and it sank to the bottom of the ocean.
The recent discovery has caused the Korean stock exchange to rise. It has also created a diplomatic debate between Russia, Japan and South Korea. The question is – to whom does the gold belong ?
(Adapted from Malay Mail)
WORD LIST
|
|
Malay |
| 1. wreck | bangkai |
| 2. warship | kapal perang |
| 3. sank | tenggelam |
| 4. contains | mengandungi |
| 5. sailors | kelasi-kelasi |
| 6. drowned | mati lemas |
| 7. secretly | secara rahsia |
| 8. war | peperangan |
| 9. crew | anak-anak kapal |
| 10. escape | terselamat |
| 11. headed | menghala / menuju |
| 12. destroyed | dimusnahkan |
| 13. bottom | dasar |
| 14. discovery | penemuan |
| 15. belong | kepunyaan |
| 1. divers | penyelam-penyelam |
| 2. cargo | barang muatan |
| 3. voyage | pelayaran |
| 4. unhurt | tanpa kecederaan |
| 5. stock exchange | bursa saham |
Eight climbers conquered three mountains within eight days in Sabah last December to prove that anything is possible with proper planning. Although only eight of the twenty expedition members completed the mission, several others did well enough to reach the peaks of two mountains.
Most of the climbers had already climbed Mount Kinabalu. It was relatively easy for them to scale Mount Trusmadi and Mount Tambuyukon as they were not as high as Mount Kinabalu. However, some climbers claimed that Mount Tambuyukon was more challenging.
The oldest member of the expedition, 65 year-old Fong Yoke Mun said he had climbed Mount Kinabalu in 1998. Fong, a former marathon runner said it was not hard for him to adjust to mountain climbing. He said he was fond of outdoor activities and took up mountain climbing when he was 58 years old. He had just retired and had plenty of time to participate in the activity.
(Adapted from the Star)
WORD LIST
|
|
Malay |
| 1. conquer | menawan |
| 2. peaks | puncak-puncak |
| 3. climbers | pendaki-pendaki |
| 4. mountains | gunung-gunung |
| 5. anything | apa-apa sahaja |
| 6. possible | mungkin |
| 7. completed | menamatkan |
| 8. reach | mencapai |
| 9. most of | kebanyakan daripada |
| 10. scale | mendaki |
| 11. some | beberapa |
| 12. member | ahli |
| 13. fond of | menyukai |
| 14. outdoor | luar |
| 15. plenty of | banyak |
| 1. expedition | ekspedisi |
| 2. mission | misi |
| 3. relatively | agak |
| 4. marathon runner | pelari maraton |
| 5. adjust | menyesuaikan |