SPM essay

One of the stories I wrote back then in preparation of SPM. I thought it is worth sharing. Enjoy the wall of text..

Write an essay starting with, " The hunger had made me weak as I didn't eat anything for three days..."

   The hunger had made me weak as I didn't eat anything for three days. The feeling of regret and remorse was perhaps one of the few reasons why i had managed to keep myself alive despite being lost and stranded in the middle of the Grand Canyon for the past 72 hours. I vividly remembered the movie '172 hours' which had instilled a great fear within my inner self. The movie was based on a true story of an adventurer who had fallen into a small cliff, with his right hand being stuck by a big boulder of rock. Interestingly, I had never thought that I would need to experience the same situation as the actor did in the movie.

   I participated an adventurous invitation with my childhood friend, James. Being a prominent and popular explorer among my colleagues, I couldn't resist myself from accepting such invitation. To me, every expedition promises a new kind of experience that awaits the most daring explorer, who had the guts to venture into the raw nature of the wilderness, except that this time, into the vast world of inhospitable landscape of the Grand Canyon.

   James had told me, there was a hidden treasure somewhere in the canyon, left by some unknown ancient civilization. He stated that if we somehow managed to find it, the worth would be up to millions of dollars of jewelleries and relics. 'We would be millionaires!' He said. And of course, being a millionaire at such young age was not something I neglect to dream of. By then, if I were any better, I would be twins!

   Without much hesitation, James and I went on to our plan accordingly. We brought foods, drinks and other necessary survival kit for our expedition. We had enough food for 3 days. We brought along a map, with markings of our campsite location, and of course, the location of the 'expected' treasure as well.

   In the beginning, everything went well. We had managed to cover the distance more than we expected, which was a good indicator that we might finish the expedition earlier than we thought, As the sun was going to set off from its view on the horizon, we set up a campsite. We gathered up firewood and some leafy bushes to help cover us from the freezing cold wind. We sang songs, to help replenish our much needed worn out soul after the strenous day. The hills and landscape are indeed very challenging even for the most experienced explorer like myself. The exceptional heat and dust of the dry desert could have just easily send anyone into heat stroke.

   We went through the night horrendously. We never thought that it would be this cold -- it was well below 10'C that night. It was quite a surprise at what I saw the desert being exceptionally hot during day and being indispensably cold at night. When the sun was finally going to reveal itself, we sighed relief.

   We had just another 8 kilometers to cover that day. We were eager to complete this adventure and reap the treasure once and for all.That alone had driven me into dreaming of living in an ostentatious and wealthy life -- far better than the current full and boring life. Finally,we reached the intended location. Strange enough, the physical characteristic of the location was incoherent with the ones in the map. Quickly, frustration grew. The previous ecstatic and joyful atmosphere was no longer present.

  I blamed James for being such careless and that he was the cause of the expedition. James neglected my accusations and began blaming instead. Knowing that this would not resolve anything for the better, we decided to go back home. That was when all things started to go very wrongly. The wind suddenly blew ferociously, dispersing the sand and dust into the atmosphere. We could barely see anything in front of us. Having caught in the sandstorm, James told me that it was better to lay low and wait for the storm to settle. But I was ignorant, and still in my frustration and anguish to James. I left James behind, and continued retracing our track home.

   Out of nowhere, I slipped and fell into a cliff. In a split second, a big boulder of rock fell onto my arms, disabling myself from climbing back the clift again. I was screaming in pain and yelled for help. But no one was there. I was hoping for James. He was my only hope.

   Two days had passed by, I was still stuck in between the rock and the wall of the cliff. I saved every drop of water, trying desperately to keep my water supply available. But all my efforts was hopeless. On the day three, I finished my last drip of water. The clock was now ticking. I knew that without the much needed water supply, I could not survive much longer. I was severely dehydrated.

   I vividly remembered the day that I successfully rode my bicycle on my own. My mother was there. I could still remember her cheerish smile and laugh. Every single thing about her was at the back of my eyes -- even the fond memory when she hugged me after achieving straight A's in SPM examination. It was a strange feeling. Tears broke their banks and scalded my cheeks. Now, I could finally join my mother in the after life.

   Just as I thought death was very near, I heard a familiar voice calling out my name. I thought it was James, and it was James! He had brought along the local rescue team, some water and food. I was relieved that I was going to be alive. But then, " The rescue team had to amputate your arm. It was long dead and could no longer function. I hope you will be strong. I will always be with you my dearest friend, " James whispered. Again, tears broke their banks and scalded my cheeks. Only if I were to neglect my own ignorance and stupidity, I would have saved my arm.

   Three years had gone by since the incidence. Nothing much had been going on except trying to adapt to my new mechanical arm. To me, life and friendship values far better than my lost arm.

Muhamad Hafetz bin Md Yatim
18457

Chemical Engineering