A Day at the Seaside

The day dawned bright and sunny. It was ideal for a picnic by the sea. We quickly packed
some refreshments and swimming costumes, not forgetting our cameras and deck chairs.
Excitedly, we drove off from the city of George Town through the picturesque fishing village
near Tanjung Tokong in Penang, waiting to catch a glimpse of the sea.
At last, we sighted the blue waters, sparkling in the sunlight. We looked out for a clean and
shady spot to spend the day as we cruised along. It was a joy to see the graceful coconut
palms swaying in the breeze. We saw, too, fishermen's little houses on stilts scattered along
the share.
Finally, we parked our car at a shady spot under some coconut palms. The white, sandy
beach was full of tiny crabs scurrying about. My sister and I could not resist catching them.
The shells we picked were also interesting. Some were shaped like conical hats, others like
fans and there were some spiral-shaped ones tinted with grey and brown hues. One large,
grey shell with a long, narrow slit produced the sound of sea waves as I held it to my ear. The
pieces of driftwood brought in at high tide by the waves were of artistic shapes. These we
collected for flower-arrangement.
After a while, we swam in the sea which was cool and pleasant. I saw sailing boats in the
distance and fishermen busy with their catch. Then we sat on the beach and ate sandwiches,
cookies, peanuts and fruit followed by iced drinks.
The sun was now fiercely hot, and we felt tired and sleepy as we lay on the sandy beach. My
brother took snaps of us playing in the sea and climbing up high rocks. After our lunch of curry
and rice, we swam again till the late afternoon before we changed for our journey home. It
was an enjoyable day by the sea as it was a welcome change from our usual busy and
monotonous routine in the city.
scurry

to move quickly, with small short steps

slit

a straight narrow cut or opening in something

monotonous

staying the same and not changing and therefore boring

A trip to the beach

One Sunday afternoon, my parents and I went to the beach. After packing some
food and drinks, we set off.
When we reached the beach, it was very crowded. The light breeze felt good as it
brushed against our cheeks. We found a place under a shady tree to put our things.

After changing into our swimming suits, we had a swim in the crystal clear water. A
short while later, out stomachs were grumbling. so we changed into dry clothes and
had a snack.
My sister and I went picking seashells after that. We then built a sand castle
with the fine, while doing that, we saw beautiful small crabs walking on the sand.
Our family watched the sun set before we went home. Although tired, we were
happy because we had a great time at the beach.

A Picnic by the Sea

Teluk Kemang is about 12 kilometres from Port Dickson town in Negeri Sembilan. It is a
popular beach where many people go to and relax on.
It was on one of the days of the Chinese New Year holidays that we had a picnic at Teluk
Kemang. I went there with my uncle and his family. There were five of us, my uncle, his wife,
their two young children and me. My uncle drove us there in his car.
We arrived there at about ten in the morning. The beach was already crowded with other
holiday-makers. Anyhow we managed to get a place in the shade of a large tree and we put
our things there. My aunt laid out a mat for us to sit on.
In double-quick time we were enjoying ourselves in the sea, except my aunt. She just sat on
the mat watching us.
The water was cool and refreshing and I loved splashing it on my cousins. However the hot
sun above can be quite uncomfortable. So after about an hour or so, my uncle told us to sit in
the shade for a while. The sun was getting increasingly hot. So we reluctantly came out of the
sea.
In the shade of some trees we built some sandcastles.
Time passed so quickly. Soon we heard my aunt calling us to have lunch. We ran to her and
helped ourselves to the delicious curry she had brought. Then we had several glasses of icecold drink from the Thermos flask.
After lunch we played a while more in the sea. The sun was just too hot. So we walked over to
one of the hotels nearby and washed ourselves with clean freshwater.
When we returned, my aunt had already packed everything in the car. So all of us got into the
car and my uncle drove us back home to Seremban.
lay out
mat
In double quick time

to arrange something on a flat surface

a small piece of cloth
very quickly