A movie based on the true story that affected me the most!

Hello everyone! I have been asked to make an entry about a movie based on true story and how it gives impact on my live. At first, I do not have any ideas but suddenly this one movie popped in my mind and I thought that I will just go with this one. Last year, my friends bet me to watch this movie without tears running down my cheeks and if I succeed, they promised to give me RM100. Of course I accepted the challenge and watched the movie entitle ‘One litres Of tears’. This story was adapted from a true story and based on the diary of ‘Kitou Aya’, a girl who died on 1988 after suffering a rare disease. I determined to win the bet and started to watch but from episode 1, I already lost. The story was so pathetic. I realized my tears flowing out so easily and I can’t helped myself from crying a lot! I started to feel so sad for Aya.

(The Ikeuchi Family)

The story is about a girl named ‘Ikeuchi Aya’ that had been diagnosed with ‘Spinocerabellar Degeneration Disease’ or what we called ‘Ataxia’. Let me help you to understand more about this disease. It’s a rare disease and incurable. Someone who had been infected with this disease, their health would never be perfect again. Ataxia is a disease when the cells in the cerebellum have degenerated and it is very connected with movement. It started with falling down often and suddenly, someone’s body can’t move when they wanted to move, then they will not be able to hold things perfectly and also unable to speak clearly. From that, they will walk unstably and slowly they can’t walk and talk anymore, and the worst part is, it will become very hard for them to make a simple movement even just holding a pen.

The main character in this movie is (Ikeuchi Aya), and she’s 15 when the movie start. She’s the eldest and smartest kid in her family. Cute, energetic, friendly and nice were always been her personality. She loves to play basketball so much. She passed the SHS test and enrolled ‘Higashikou’, the best school where she lived. Her father, (Ikeuchi Mizou) own’s a tofu shop and always being an energetic father. Her mother, (Ikeuchi Shioka), was a very beautiful and lovely mother who worked as a health consultant. The second children was (Ikeuchi Ako) who have a totally opposite personality from Aya-nee(her sister). She’s trendy and always joined the latest mode but she’s not as smart as Aya. Sometimes, she could be very annoying because her parent always admired Aya. The third children was (Ikeuchi Hiroki) who loves to play football and (Ikeuchi Rika), the youngest children in the family.

This story gave a huge impact in my life. I realized how cruel our society was toward disabled people. They just did not feel what this people feel because they’re not in their shoes. People just love to talk and mock them aimlessly without having any shame. I also realized how fortunate to be a healthy person and the ugliness of public perception at those disabled. They do not know that this people are struggling to continue their lives.

The story starts in Higashikou, Aya had been elected as a class president and met (Haruto Asou), who gave her a ride on the first day in Higashikou after she tripped and bleed her knees. They became closed as the time flew. Asou had been a good friend to Aya. He was the one who stands behind Aya after the world betrayed her and always encouraged her with his words. When the new semester begins, Aya decided to join the basketball team. On the boys team, (Kawamoto senpai), *senpai=senior*, was someone she’s had eyes for, which add the things she look forward to.

Amidst her happy days at school, Aya begins to experience physical difficulties. She often drops food from her chopsticks while eating, can’t pour drinks without spilling it and occasionally wobbles while she walks. Aya’s mother, Shioka was the only person who notices these changes. 

One day, Aya was about to leave home as usual when she started to run but suddenly tripped over her own feet and fall. She failed to use her hand to resist the fall, causing her to land straight on her face and making her bleeding heavily. This injury soon reveals the existence of Aya’s fateful disease from Dr Mizuno, a neurologist.

‘This disease, why did it choose me? Fate. It can’t put into words.’

Aya was really shocked and felt that her world had totally changed. From an optimistic girl, she turned out to a different girl, even though she tried to look normal in front of the family and her friends.

‘The view I see is same as yesterday. The street I walk on is still the same. But my whole world has changed. I definitely cannot smile like that again. Who I was up yesterday, will never show up again.’

I can see how her first crush shun her despite that he knows that she suffered from the disease. It’s when Kawamoto senpai invited her to join him watching the firework display. Aya was really in the cloud nine at that time. She even wore yukata, Japanese traditional clothes during the date. When they wanted to cross a street, Aya’s body failed to move again and she fall forward, striking her head on the road. She was bleed and had been taken to the hospital immediately. After that incident, her senpai avoided her. He even did not have a glanced towards Aya anymore. Kawamoto senpai’s friend told him that he chose the wrong girl to like. From that, Aya’s walk became unstable and slower. Aya stayed at the hospital for the whole summer and had to do rehabilitation twice a week. The quick progress of Aya’s sickness shocks Dr Mizuno and his colleagues. Dr Mizuno suggested Aya to write a diary every day.

Before I watched this movie, I truly believed that our family would be the one support us through thick and thin. Even the world betray us, we can always come back to them. But, in this movie, Aya’s brother, Hiroki felt ashamed of Aya. It’s when he had been bullied by his football friend over Aya’s condition. They make fun of how she walked which is like a penguin. Hiroki returned home upset and told her to not come during his football tournament. After she overheard Ako scolded Hiroki for not defending her, she broke into million pieces. She already prepared a present for Hiroki for the tournament but it’s all that she got.

A couple of months later, Aya’s condition worsen. She even need a wheelchair to move. She acknowledges that every day, a large piece of her dies in terms of the use of her body. Dr Mizuno pursues his research goals in order to find the cure for Aya’s disease but the results have been insufficient. He struggles between a general sense of hopelessness against and indomitable illness, and the courage example set by Aya which inspires him to fight for a cure in his scientific work.

I also realized that friends are not forever to help us. One day they will feel ‘tired’ and give up on us. It’s when the other student and parent could not accept Aya’s condition anymore. The student’s grades were falling because the lesson was slower than before because Aya was really slow at writing, the lesson always started late because she was late from the break. Even her best friends, Saki and Mari also express their tiredness to have to look for Aya everyday. Nobody supported her but Haruto. Then, Aya makes a decision to go to the disabled school so that she won’t troubled her friends anymore.

(Aya & Asou)

The time passed by, she has lost all ability to walk. She even could not hold the pen anymore which is too small. She now use marker to write a diary. This is the moment that she has long dreaded, as she knows this will be a depressing marker in regards to the severity of her illness and its eventual outcome. Aya’s friend and relatives respond in different ways to the harsh reality.

Aya’s own panic and intensify. She croaks out to her mum, ‘Kowai!’ which mean ‘I’m scared.’. but remembering her mother’s encouragement to share her feelings, she says earnestly that writing will be her reason for living. As long as she can write, she will survive and hope through writing, she will find a reason to live.

‘Writing is the only evidence that I’m still alive’.

But the relentless cruelty of Aya’s disease does not slowing down. She is clearly nearing the point where any voluntary movement will become impossible.  Aya continues to become more and more anticipated, until she have to use a ‘hiragana-card’ to spell out what she can no longer pronounce. Aya slowly falls into a deep sleep exhausted after not be able to open her eyes and move her body. The timeline has accelerated five years and Aya’s condition is now very critical. Dr Mizuno attempts to revive her but the true cruelty of the disease, the slowly encroaching moment of death has finally come……

I find that this story teaches me a lot. Aya was a great person. Friends will always come and pass but the best will stay. Although the storms hit us hard, they will always be a rainbow after that. It also makes me want to be a better, helpful and more concern toward disabled people. I always bear in my mind that it was not with their willing to have a disease. Don’t simply give up, even you have incurable disease. Keep motivating and fighting till the end of your life.

As I think of you, I remember all your struggles and I cry as you did facing them. Every time I fall, I return to your words :

‘ What’s wrong with falling down?

You can always stand up again.

If you look at the sky after falling down,

The blue sky is also stretching limitlessly

And smiles at me….. I’m alive

I’m alive. ‘

I will face each day and take things ‘step-by-step’ and ‘live on’…………just like you.

Thank you, Aya.

How would my life will be different if I have ten children?

Having a lot of children may be everyone's dream. Whenever you come back from your workplace, there's someone at home waiting for you and say,

'Mummy! I miss you...'

or

'Mummy, please buy me an ice-cream!'

Well, I found that children are the cutest person all around the globe. Just look at how they behave, smile, laugh, fall and stand up again, it was adorable. My life was about to change dramatically when I have ten children. Hahahaa it's a lot of number but yeah I know that I will be a good mother. Hm maybe the............cutest good mother! :)

People who do not have kids may think that having ten children is a nightmare. Trust me. They bet they have to handle every dried pudding on their jeans and struggled so hard to have the kids taking their medicines but hey! It's not that bad. By the way, before I have any kids, I already got an 'expert declarations' on raising children from my mum. In whatever events had been held, I would be the one keeping an eye on kids hahahaa. 

I agree with the fact that doing the simple things to your children are.....good enough. Children will not remember you for the fortunes you provided but for the feeling that you cherished them. Those who live simply, sleep soundly. For now, I already plan something to work out with my kids one fine day.

I will be a decisive mother but full of love. What I mean by decisive? My kids will never throw tantrums in public or the other word is 'behave'. Seeing other toddler raised their voices to their mother in public just broke my heart into million pieces. How can they become so rude? I will teach them how to be respectful person, not only to me but also to the eldest.

I will give my children nutritious food so they can grow up well. Well, of course I know that the green vegetables have been declared to be the first real enemy to them. To overcome this problem, I have my own way to make they eat all of that. It may takes some time to make such a cute meal box for every single of them but I know that it will be worth it.

I will make myself approachable. I will try my best to always be understanding and a good listener. So they know that they can go to their mom for friendship advice, homework help or just a simple hug. Not having someone to talk to can cause them to retire into a shell, so I will make sure that I talk to them about how they feel regularly.

 I will never compared them to the others. Everyone has their own passion and I'm aware of that. So does my kids. They have what they like and dislike. I will just accept them for what they are and give them some good advises to pursue their dreams as long as they're not crossing the human boundaries.

I will come to their bedroom at night. During my childhood, my mum always come into my bedroom to tuck me in and sing me a song before I sleep. She will read me a good story or she will just gave me some advises. I would love to do the same  thing to my own kids.

I will let them have some freedom. They need to learn how to live and work out problems on their own. This will give them confidence and allow them to become independent, successful adults.

I will let them play outside a lot. There's so many lessons they can get from outdoor activities. For example, when they fall and bleed from running too fast, they will learn how to stand up again and be more careful next time.

I will leave them my love notes every day. It would be my own kind of way in expressing my love for my kids. It's not mean that I will write them a letter full of my handwriting, but I will simply write 'Rise & shine my dear. You know I love you right?' or maybe I will write 'Take care kids. There are billions of cell in your body and all they care about is you, just like me.' and place it in their notebooks.

I will stick to 'what they give, then it is what they will get back'. They can't always get what they're ask me for, Life need struggle. Sometimes, they must give me something to get something. If they want a brand new hand phone, then they have to get a result with flying colors first in the examination! 

I will bring them to travel every year. I would always love to travel. It's not a bad idea to bring them along with me travelling across different countries. Besides, it can help them to understand how's the other cultures work and live. 

Money doesn't equal to love. I don't need to spoil my kids to be a good mother. If wealth is the secret to happiness, then the rich should be dancing on the streets. But only poor kids do that. Instead, I will spend valuable time with them whenever I had a chance to do so, It's important for me to bond because they will grow up fast. Love isn't a possession, it's an appreciation. I will love them unconditionally.....

10 Tips on how to be confident to speak in English

Scared? People always mocking you? Trouble grammatical errors? Well, don’t worry because you’re not alone :) In this entry, I’m glad to share some tips that I thought might be beneficial to all of you especially for the new English Learner on how to be confident to speak in English.

1.     Try to get out from your comfort zone. What I mean is try to do something that you are not used to become your habits. It’s weird and sometimes could be difficult to listen to English radio because you have to focus on it so you will get what it’s all about. Keep practice until you nailed it.

2.     You can also practice by watching English movies without having subtitles laying at the bottom of the movies. It’s quite difficult at the beginning but trust me, this method really works. Interesting but not too heavy movie like ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ would do.

3.     Like it or not, you have to practice to speak in English regularly. When you know the new words, use it right away so it will stay longer in your memory. At the same time, it can enhance and enrich your vocabulary. 

4.     Everyone is afraid to make grammatical errors. Well, in order for you to be able speak fluently in English, don’t study grammar too much, even native English speakers make grammar mistakes. Fluency is all about being able to communicate well. I don’t simply mean that grammar is not significant, just don’t overthink about it or it will complicate you even more. Remember, always do what you’re afraid to do.

5.     Most important is do not afraid to make mistakes. Yes I know, sometimes it could be difficult to put all those rules that we had learned and words together into simple sentences. Past tense, present continuous tense, past perfect tense, all of that have their own rules. Don’t let the fear of saying something wrong stops you from speaking at all.

6.     Everyone could be your teacher. You can’t only rely on the textbooks to understand grammar and your English teacher to practice speak in English. Anyone who can speaks English well can help you to practice. Find friends that will not underestimate your English level but the ones who will pat your back and say ‘when you need help, you can always come to me’. 

7.     Read, watch and listen to English in many different context. Read more English novels, English cooking books to help you understand better about English. Watch English movies like ‘The Last Song’ and ‘The Best of Me’ so you can learn how to pronounce certain words that you’re not familiar with. Listen to English songs more frequently and if you don’t understand it, look for the lyrics. This way may helps you to develop your senses so you will gain more confident and motivation to speak in English. Nothing you read, watch and listen to is useless.

8.     Find way to increase your vocabulary. A mind full of it will never come to you by simply sitting and doing absolutely nothing. You want it, then you have to work for it.

9.     If you shy and felt intimidated when spoke in front of the audience, you can practise to talk to yourself first. Many people built their self-confidence by talking in front of the mirror because only mirror will not laugh at you when you make mistakes. There’s no pressure to be perfect and the best part is nobody will hear your mistakes.

10.      The key to be able to speak with confident in English is don’t give up, keep yourself educated and never stop learning. If you’re not willing to learn, no one can help you. But if you‘re determine then no one can stop you.

An advice from me, no matter how many mistakes that you make or how slow you progress, remember, you’re always ahead of everyone who isn’t trying :). Mistakes are proof that you are trying. Fall down seven times, stand up eight. Best of luck!

Top 10 challenges in acquiring English

WHY ENGLISH IS SO HARD?

You may find a lone mouse or a house full of mice,

But the plural of house is houses not hice,

The plural of man is always men,

But the plural of pan is never pen. 

If the singular's this and the plural is these,

Should the plural of kiss be ever called keese?

    These days, due to global trend of internationalization, the ability to communicate well in English is needed as an essential skills. It is becoming more prominent because it reflects a person’s personality, self-image, knowledge of the world, ability to reason, skill to express thoughts in real-time. If they nailed the English language successfully, this will simply place them in a better position to secure work or communicate effectively.

     English language is popular around the globe even all walks of life had been using it but this doesn’t necessarily mean it is a simple language to master.There are many challenges that people faced in process of learning and acquiring English. For this entry, i had highlighted 10 top challenges that faced by me in acquiring English. 

1. Encouraging errors.

    People often felt intimidated, embarrassed or judged. The same goes to me. Having those feelings inhibit the new learner like me to feel more comfortable expressing myself in English. 

2. People surrounding.

    Having narrow-minded people around can be tough especially when I am in the process of  acquiring the new things like English. People keeps mocking me when I speak English which sometimes can be very frustrating. Remember, if you can’t give support to someone, then please don’t ever make them down. 

3. Do not have suitable materials.

    It's difficult to find any suitable materials in the market. For example, just a few english novels at the bookstore are suitable for beginner while the rest are for advanced learner. Not to forget, it takes a long time to digest what I have read. Having to repeat all again in order to understand the story better just make my passion flew away.

4. Fail to understand.

    When I attended English class, normally every single English teacher will teach in English. However, not all of what the teachers said I had exactly understand it crystal clear. At last, I just sat at the corner alone and wondering why everyone could talk and understand English better? Why it couldn’t be me?

5. Do not know how to express the ideas.

    Lack of vocabulary is the main problem for the new learner like me. I simply become frustrated when I have an amazing story line but I cannot adequately express it in the sentences in English to make it more interesting. For example, I always use big instead of huge and beautiful rather than gorgeous.

6. Insufficient knowledge.

    I am in a real trouble because I have really poor English grammar and pronunciation. I just don’t understand how it works. Past tense, present tense, when I have to add ‘s’ and when i shouldn’t add ‘s’? Ahh....so complicated:’( Common mistakes that I had always wrote in the past was ‘She cycle in the evening’ when it should be ‘She cycles in the evening’!

7. Having not supportive friend.

    Well, it's hard to find true friends who will always be with you through thick and thin. Living in the city in which everyone spoke in their native language make it impossible for me to speak in English with them. When I spoke in English, they will laughed at me like I just finished tell them the most craziest joke ever.... people are often unreasonable. Forgive them anyway J

8. Do not exposed to the English language.

    It’s like a habits for me, when I switched on the television, I will only watched malay movies. Why bother to burden myself watching English movies when I couldn’t even understand what they said? They spoke in the full speed and the worst part was it’s not clear at all what they had said.

9. Direct translating the mother language.

    Well, living in life lack of vocabulary was hard. It’s when the teachers asked me to make a perfect sentence and I seems cannot find a right word to write it down. How can ‘berat mulut’ i wrote it as ‘heavy mouth’?. Wow, it’s undeniable that my English level at that time was super terrible hahaha.

10. Easy to give up.

     I don’t have strong determination which is needed the most in acquiring English. My level of confidence instantly drops when I meet someone who is better in English. I know that giving up is the key to the failure but I don’t know how i just let it happened.

     Until this very time, I still in the progress to improve my English to make it better from time to time. Although I’m having a tough time facing all of these problems, I know I will be succeed at the end of time. Well, patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet. We just need someone to hold our hands in life’s toughest moments. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for someone’s help. You don’t need to suffer alone….

The new me :)

Hello & good evening everyone! *waving hand*


How's everybody? Hope all of you in the pink of health. Just to let you know that I just attended semester 2 and now I'm writing this in my one and only  foreign language class at TATIUC :). When the new semester comes around it seems like the perfect time for self-improvement. Isn't?


Well, I was only an ordinary girl living in an ordinary world. I'm a romantic person(not what yours thinking) in my own ways. I love to hug people, telling the people around me how much I love them so they know how much I appreciate their present. Sometimes, I found this habits of mine so childish but still I wanted to do it.

Oh, I also love to sleep late at night watching masterchef although I'm not quite good at kitchen and wake up very early in the morning, I don't know how I managed to do that but yeah I still survive till right now.

I have tried everything from being a less talkative to start my homework earlier to give up twitter and instagram. Each time after about a month (at most) I have given up. Why do I even bother? I don’t feel that bad when I break my resolutions but sometimes I wish I could do better.


I will be turning 18 just around the corner (29 nov) and it will be a sign of maturity. Unfortunately, I still live in my old lifestyle. I guess this is the huge turning point in my life to make myself become more noticeable and highlighted in the good ways.


Being a doctor was my childhood dreams. When I saw someone hurt or bleed, I want to be the one who can cure them because I can't simply say no escpecially at their most vulnerable state. I already promised to myself that I will become a great cardiologist. Great cardiologist means I need to give the great effort in everything  I do now if I want to keep that 'great' forever.  I know that I will be facing a lot of difficulties in the future to achieve my dream but I will survive. Yeah, life is not always about sweet and candy right? :)

In this new semester, I know that I will experience a great deal of stress where I have to brilliantly balance my studies and my social life and also have to ensure that i spend a great time with my family. The demands of doing many different things with very little time can be overwhelming. Yes I will be more exhausted because there just does not seems to be enough time in one day. Phew~

Even though I’ve always failed 'my very not ambitious target' every year but I promise myself that this time will be different. There's no more times to play pranks, no more worry about the little thing called love and make fun. I will make sure that i will become more discipline in studying and keep myself clean at most of the time.

Wise word says that fun increase after the real hard work and we will tend to enjoy more than those who had been lazy and wasted their time for useless things.

I will be the new me, full of spontaneity, be courage, more cheerful, update from time to time, be brand new and the most important is will spread the positive vibes only :)

Xoxo, umira.