to be of benefit; to be beneficial; to be useful; to do one good; to be good for one
growth; development; one's early life; upbringing; personal history
fiend for work; workaholic; career-minded person
parents' observation day (at school); parents' visiting day; open day
guardians; parents; father and older brother
established practice; custom
wealthy; rich; affluent; well-off
lower grades of primary school (first, second, and sometimes third grades)
dark-natured; gloomy; dour; moody; insular; glum
(human) embodiment (of); incarnation (of)
to mope; to brood; to be in low spirits; to have the blues
to smile cheerfully; to crack a smile
to be harboured (of negative feelings or thoughts); to be rooted in one's mind; to coil; to curl around; to become tangled (e.g. of roots)
slovenly (appearance, work, etc.); sloppy; untidy; weak; feeble; weak-willed
proper; appropriate; due; suitable
blind (devotion, faith, etc.); reckless
looking out for oneself; putting one's own skin first; prioritizing one's own safety above all else
(act of) violence; vicious crime; murder
to establish an emotional bond with; to reach out to; to relate to
repetition; repeat; reiteration; repeatedly; again and again; continually
to take another good look at; to reconsider; to analyze; to reexamine
to open up to someone else; to divulge one's true feelings; to be openhearted
to be broken into pieces; to be in a jumble; to be in disarray; to be thrown into turmoil
heavy rain; torrential rainfall; downpour
overflowing; flood; inundation; oversupply; plethora; abundance (esp. of something undesirable)
bank; weir; embankment; levee
to chirp (of a swarm of insects); to sing; to gather; to swarm
return; coming back; second coming (e.g. of Christ); second advent; reincarnation
to become hoarse; to become husky
worn-out; run-down; beat-up; shabby; dilapidated
fierce battle; hard-fought battle; hot contest; severe fight
self-assessment; self-declaration; self-certification; personal statement
Merlion; official mascot of Singapore, depicted as a mythical creature with a lion's head and the body of a fish
better than nothing; better than none at all
veneer; outer layer that conceals something's true nature; (lit.) one layer of skin