An essay about describing my sister.

It was a beautiful, sunny day, in the middle of March. It was my final year in
secondary school. I just sat for my Progress Test One, two weeks ago, and I got
2As, 5Bs and 1C. You might think that is all, but it isn’t. I failed one subject:
History.

You might think this story is about me, but it isn’t. It’s about Khalsom, my
eldest sister. She is just two years older than me, two centimetres taller than me
and smarter than me. She got straight As in her SPM and now she is studying
medicine in Universiti Malaysia Sabah in Kota Kinabalu. I am confident that I was
the one born with the looks, because we both have the same wavy long hair, big,
brown eyes, sharp nose and pink lips. We are both fair, tall and beautiful. My
sister was back for the semester holiday.

Sitting on a chair at Sarina Beach, I looked to the furthest point at the sea.
Khalsom noticed that I looked sad.

“Masnah, you look worried,” she said. “Is there anything wrong?”

“I’m worried about SPM. I failed History,” I said sadly. A couple was holding
hands while walking along the beach. Some children were building sandcastles. I
saw some of my classmates swimming in the sea. They looked happy.

Khalsom put a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, my dear. I’m sure you will
do well in your SPM.” Khalsom was my role model. She spoke in a gentle voice
and she never scolded me. When I had a problem, she would give me the wisest
advice. She was very kind to everyone.

“I’m not sure, Som. I don’t think I have time to study. I was busy with debate
competition and I didn’t have any time to do revision. I am going to represent
Tawau for a dance competition in August. How am I going to cope with
everything?”

The waitress served our ABC on the table. “Thank you,” Khalsom said politely.
The ABC was served in coconut bowls and there were green umbrellas stuck on
the bowl. The ABC contained beans, corn, grass jelly and lychee drenched in ice
and coconut milk. We scooped the contents and drank the milk. Khalsom then
took out a planner from her handbag.

“Masnah, remember how I loved drawing and doodling? This is how I manage
my studies. Here, take a look!”

Khalsom showed me a small black book. On the pages, were drawings of

organs and human body. They were labelled in different colours. She also drew
mind maps of different kinds. She asked me to quiz her. She answered all the
questions correctly. I was impressed! She drew a timetable and created drawings
to remind herself that she needed to cover important topics. Graphics always
works for her. When she felt stressed, she would draw sceneries or comics, to
take her mind away from the stressful moments.

“See Masnah. You need to be creative when doing your revision. You can try
this method. It worked for me, it could work for you too!” she said assuringly.

I felt much better after our conversation. We sipped our ABC and watched the
sunset at Sarina Beach. It was a magnificent day.