Students' creation: An event that taught you an important lesson in life

Okay, so I did an essay question with my Form 5 students. A narrative actually. They were divided into groups and each group wrote a paragraph. After peer checking and teacher's guidance, they rectified their mistakes and rewrite the story in their notebooks. They managed to come with a funny story that I think should be read by all of you. Okay, for this one, I did take some liberties in making it a little bit more polished, but as a whole, this is totally their creation. I hope you will enjoy reading this!

Simplified question:

Write about an event that taught you an important lesson in life.

English Paper 1, Question 2 (An SPM-related question)

Many people have experienced an event that gave them precious lessons in life. Well, I was not spared from it, and how I wish I could forget it. It was a hot afternoon Monday and I just came back from my swimming lesson. My throat was as dry as the Sahara Desert. As I walked home, my eyes suddenly saw a piece of a heaven on Earth – a cendol restaurant. It seemed to call my name, so I dashed to the place with the hope of quenching my thirst.  I made my way to the ordering counter, looked at the menu, and opted for durian cendol.

While waiting for my order, I killed my time by watching a music video by BTS. The choreography was so mesmerising, my eyes were glued to the screen. Moments later, I heard the waiter called my number. My cendol was on the countertop waiting for me. I walked slowly with my eyes still on the video, took the cendol, and zigzagged my way towards a table at the back of the crowded restaurant.

Weirdly, I heard chuckles and small laughs while walking. At first, the laughs did not bother me, but as seconds passed, I realised that many people were observing me. Some even pointed their fingers at me while talking to their friends, and those fingers were suspiciously pointing at my buttocks.

I put my right hand at the back of my pants, and felt… different. I was expecting denim texture as I was wearing jeans, but my bottom had an unusual sensation. It was as smooth as Egyptian cotton. That was when I realised, with an unrestrained horror on my face, that my pants were torn apart, exposing my hot pink boxer briefs. The restaurant erupted in laughter while my face became pinker than my undergarment.

Many teenagers started capturing photos and videos. There were also sounds of superzoom effect on Instagram Stories. I was terrified! I was not aiming to be popular around the nation this way! Malaysia did not need to know that I, a 16-year-old macho boy, wore a pink undergarment. I tried hopelessly to cover my buttocks using my hands but unintentionally let go of my cendol. I could only watch the fallen cendol in despair for a second before I sprinted away from the restaurant.

The lesson that I learnt from that embarrassing situation was simple – never forget to check the clothes to be worn before going out. Needless to say, I really regretted not examining my clothes before I left the pool. It was a lesson well learnt which I will never forget.