Fong Sin (34)

Day 7 Oelp Reflection

It was the last day of the Oelp trip. We went to the famous Oriental Pearl Tower we had a view of Shanghai. It was nice to have a view of Shanghai from such a high level. However, I must say that it is similar to the Singapore Flyer, where both are just tourist attractions of no much learning points. In fact, the Singapore Flyer is a better ride than the Oriental Pearl Tower thus the Oriental Pearl Tower is not as special as I heard it was. The Municipal Museum was more insightful as we learnt about some historical backgrounds of Shanghai through the statues and videos It was nevertheless un to see and learn about Shanghai.

Day 5-6 Oelp Reflection

Day 5, my buddy and his friends whose buddies are also my classmates took us out. We first went to watch a movie. Their cinema is very special. We get to have a room to ourselves and there are a lot of movies to choose from. I also realise my buddy have a kind of card to pay for everything although I don't know what it was. We usually pay with cash but they have a card. Singapore do not have cinema similar to China. Not everyone can have a room to themselves. I feel that it is either they aren't many movie-goers in China or that Singapore do not have the land to cater a room to every customer. We also went to have lunch and it was nice. The shopping malls are pretty similar to Singapore. They then bring us to Guan Qian Street once more. However, with them taking us around, it seems much more convenient. Walking along the streets someone offered me to take a ticket and said many students took it. I was about to take it when my buddy stopped me in time. He told it was something illegal and to not take any ticket if I was offered again. I was a little shocked as this hardly happen in Singapore but it was something I learnt. The day was quite fun however my buddies seem to stick around more with his clique while I stick with mine. This was regrettable as we did not spend much time interacting. It was the last day to be with them but they left me thinking about their education system. It was their active participation that makes the education system successful. I hope that our class will change to be like them

Day 6, we left Suzhou and head to Shanghai. Having to revisit Shanghai, I once again noticed the development and the bustling cities. It was very similar to Singapore with shopping malls at Nanjing Road. It feels very familiar to Singapore. The goods are mainly imported from other countries thus they are pretty expensive. These high end goods are probably the reason why there is an economic boost there and in Singapore. For dinner, we had HaiDiLao. It was pretty much like a steamboat. The service was however much different from eating at a normal steamboat restaurant. The staff give the girls hair ties at my table, often asking if we want to have more drinks and were friendly. This might be why the place is so filled with people. It is not just the food but the service that attracted so many people. As there is also similar HaiDiLao in Singapore, it is definitely the great service that mkaes the different. All in all, Shanghai is definitely more developed than Suzhou however as it is similar to Singapore, it was not very special to me.

Day 3-4 Oelp Reflection

At the Xinghai Experimental Middle School, we gave a good performance for them. They too had a performance for us and it was great. I get to know my buddy and talked in the classroom. I thought that the class environment would be very quiet where all the students will just listen to the teacher and take down notes. However I was taken aback when I saw that they participate vividly. They are very vocal and often answer the questions the teacher ask. I even saw a student questioning the teacher when she feel that there was something wrong with the answer. The teacher and students are often in discussions and they share their thoughts. I find this very remarkable and we should learn from them. Back in our classrooms, it was just the teacher talking. Even when the teacher ask question, we might not answer and wait for the teacher to call out on one of us. We should be more proactive and not be a passive learner. With more ideas, we can then learn more. We also went to the supermarket to compare the prices. I found out that the goods in China are mostly cheaper as most of the goods are manufactured locally. The imported goods are about the same price as Singapore's. I feel that the cheap goods in China can lead to economic growth as more people want to buy the cheaper goods with higher demand the prices will slowly increase.

Day 4, we went to the Xinghai Experimental Middle School for another half day lesson. Lessons were as lively. We also went to listen to the history of Suzhou. It was fascinating to know how Suzhou was around for a long time. The talk was quite dry though. Afterwards we went paper cutting. We get to cut out the a picture of our horoscope. It was fun and at the same time we learn about the tradition of paper cutting in Suzhou. We went to Suzhou Industrial Park Exhibition Hall once more as we went there at Day 3. I learn more about Suzhou building and planning but the technology used to in the Exhibition Hall was even more amazing. There were many videos, touchscreens and there was testing of clothes through a screen too. It was much more modernised than I thought. I am quite certain that it was as advanced as Singapore. At night, I though about where my buddy will bring me to the next day.

Day 1-2 Oelp Reflection

It was the first time I have ever gone so far from home. First time going to China. I was excited and nervous at the same time at the airport. Our first destination was Shanghai, to try out the maglev train. Even though I read and know about the maglev train's speed, I was still thrilled to know that I will be trying it out. On the maglev train, I saw how the speed of the maglev increases gradually to the highest speed of 43km/h while it then decrease gradually when reaching the next station. The interesting thing is that there is only two station, as it was very expensive to build. They can no longer extend the track or have another station because of the high cost of building the maglev. I feel that the high speed maglev train is built to show China's development in technology and wealth. Much so in Shanghai it is a well developed area. I feel that the differences between the maglev and Singapore's MRT is that the maglev is faster but have only two station whereas Singapore's MRT can go for a lot of distance although not as fast. Singapore's MRT is for practical uses such as going to work or school while the maglev is to show their development in technology. We aslo went to the maglev museum on the first day. I thought there were many games in the museum but they don't seem to be very attractive except for a cycling game to test the fastest speed of your cycling. It was a very dry experience in the museum but I get to know about the transportation development and the magnetic power. We went to Suzhou afterwards and at night, I could hardly sleep as I was too excited, talking to friends and roommate.

On the second day at Suzhou, what left a deep impression was the trip to Zhouzhuang where we learnt about the door ledge. The higher the door ledge, the higher the status. At the Shen Ting, His door ledge was high because he was and official. To be an official, you have to pass the examinations. And at that time, education gets you to be and official and being an official is of very high status. I realised that the importance of education. In Singapore, we also treat education importantly even though I feel that studies is not the only way to be successful now. We also went to shop at Guan Qian Street. It was very modernise with many shops similar to Singapore. The contrast between Zhouzhuang and Guan Qing Street is very big. I was surprised at how Suzhou can keep the traditions and modernise at the same time. Singapore is very modernised but we did not have many traditions kept. At night, we rehearsed our performance for the school. I was very excited to see my buddy and I hope the performance will go well as I want to give a good impression for them.

Is the Merlion a suitable monument for Singapore?

The purpose of a monument is a national icon that represents Singapore, our country. It is the first thing that comes to people's mind when they hear Singapore. It is also something that only Singapore have. It is should be unique and it should also represent us.

The reason for the Merlion having a lion head is because Sang Nila Utama first saw a lion when he arrive to Singapore. The majestic and mystical lion then gave him the idea of calling the country Singapura, lion city. The fish body represents Singapore's origin as a fishing village when it was called Temasek which means "sea town" in Javanese.

Other possible monuments are such as the Changi Airport and the Vanda 'Miss Joaquim'. Changi Airport can represent the fast development in Singapore which made Changi Airport the best airport when it was just a flat platform a few decades ago. Vanda 'Miss Joaquim' is our national flower which is also a hybrid flower. It represents Singapore's uniqueness through the hybrid.

However, I feel that Merlion is the best suitable monument for Singapore as it contains the fruitful history of Singapore. Everyone will think of Merlion when they hear Singapore. The lion head even contributes to the name Singapore. The fish tail represents the sea trade in Singapore. What can be a better monument than something that represents the name, the history and the start for economy in Singapore.

Outside the Singapore Tourism Board, there is also a statue of the Merlion. The Merlion is also their mascot. When tourists see the Merlion they be fascinated by the Merlion and they will also want to know more about it. Keychains are also printed in the form of Merlion to sell and improve the economy.

Thus I feel that Merlion is a suitable monument for Singapore.

Golden Age of China

The Tang dynasty is the golden age of China. There were significant development in art and literature during this era of Chinese civilisation. In art, there were Chinese painting, revolving around the nature. There are also poems in literature wise. People started to make poems to describe their feelings. I feel that this is the beauty that China had, the beautiful painting and deep poems. There are also making of pottery and porcelain. The exquisite design is another beauty to appreciate. I really enjoy looking at the beauty created in the golden age of China and hope to know them better.

Remembering Mr Lee Kuan Yew

The passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew was not as significant to me as to my parents and grandparents. This is most likely because I am born in the generation where I don't get to see the great improvements Mr Lee had made for Singapore. However, my parents and grandparents did. They were grateful for him. After knowing him better, I am also grateful for him.

Singapore was just a fishing village in about half a decade ago. However, through the hard work and vision of Mr Lee, he changed Singapore from third-world country to a first-world country. With his vision, he worked his way through challenges and did not give up. When Singapore is independent from Malaysia, he teared because we had no natural resources to survive. However, through his perseverance, Singapore is now successful. Knowing that we should not just rely on Malaysia for water, he built reservoirs and created new-water. His strive for independence also touched me. He even learnt Chinese and had tuition from his thirties till the rest of his life.

Singapore is what it is today not just by luck but by vision supported by perseverance. I feel that something we should learn from him is how with talent is not enough. We need to persevere and not give up when facing obstacles. We should also constantly urge for improvement.

We should do our part to continue improving Singapore and make it more successful.

Rest in peace Mr Lee, we will strive to achieve a better Singapore.

My CID speech process

When I first came to know that I had to find a picture that best represents Singapore, I thought of racial harmony at an instance. Living in Singapore, I have interacted with many different races and it is really special to me.

Thus, I went to find some images about racial harmony.

The above was the photo I chose. It was really effortless to find a picture but what really difficult was how to explain. I thought about it for a while then decided to talk about the holding of hands. As racial harmony was shared often, I also find my picture really boring but I did not have a choice.
As I was not the first few to share, I tried to take in a few points my friends had said.

When it was finally my turn to speak, I felt really nervous and I find myself hard to hold a long contact with the audience. I finished it in a haste and forgot to say a few points I wanted to and thus the speech was really short.

Though the result of the speech was real bad, I learnt to appreciate Singapore more for the racial harmony we have now.

Impact of China population on economy and the people

The population of China in 2015 is 1,401,586,000 people. This large population results in high rate of unemployment. However, this can be of advantage for people investing in China. As there are many people wanting to get a job, the salary will be low to employ them. The salary for the employees per month is only about $43 to $86. This may be good for employers but the salary earned by employees are so low that they cannot support themselves and in 2012, due to stress and need for money, there were many suicide cases. I feel that the lives of people are more important than low money needed for employers thus this is something I feel is bad and can be changed by setting a minimum pay.

This large population increases the China's economy as more products are bought and there are more manpower and talents to support the country and increases the country economy. However, the GDP per capital is very low as the workers are paid very little. Even with the  increase in country economy, it does not help the people at all as there are too many people to support.

The increasing economy of China is also due to them joining World Trade Organisation in 2001 where they can trade more goods with other countries, reach out to other countries and allow more foreigners to enter the country freely. This is a very good approach as more products and goods can be traded and tourists and spend money on entertainment and goods there as well. This will thus improve China's economy significantly. Evidence to prove it is that we all see made in China products everywhere now.

I personally feel that the large population causes more harm to the people as they are paid very little. I feel that in the long run the workers will no longer want this unfair treatment and go on a strike. They should also put the welfare of people in their priority.

Singapore self implemented one child policy

I feel that the dwindling population growth will cause a gradual decrease in Singapore's economy. With high standards of living, parents want the best for their children and want to have lesser children. Dwindling in population growth in turn results in an ageing population where there is more old people than youngsters.

When there are more older people than youngsters, there the younger generation have to give money to the parents, resulting in lesser money for them to buy products in Singapore. The older generation will usually keep the money and save it for rainy days such as when they fall sick. They will thus not use the money to buy products. With lesser demand for products and lesser products bought, it will then cause a decrease in Singapore's economy.

Besides, lesser youngsters means lesser manpower to work and produce products for the country. With lesser manpower, Singapore's economy will thus decrease.

I feel that the ways to solve this problem is to encourage Singaporeans to give birth to more children. This, I feel is a very good solution. With more children, more products will be bought and there will be more manpower, increasing Singapore's economy. However, Singaporeans does not want to give birth to more children even after many promoting done by the government such as national night. This results in Singapore having to implement foreigners to work.

However, Singaporeans still complain about how the growing foreigners cause crowding in Singapore. Perhaps we can solve the problem by giving birth to more children.



One child policy-Singapore

Singapore did not implement any one child policy, instead it persuades our citizens to have more children to support the ageing population. However, it seems that people have set the one child policy for themselves, limiting the amount of children they have.

Reasons of why they do so will be because Singapore is a career driven country, adults are in a pursuit of excellence in jobs so they don't have the time and focus on having one more child and also because parents want the best for their children thus they only want one child as their income is not enough to give the best for more than one child.

I feel that their reasons are acceptable but having one child will have the same result as China. It will put a lot of stress on that one child due to the amount of people he/she have to support. I am sure that all of us would not want our children to suffer when they grow up. I understand that more children=more expenses. However, we have to think about what will happen in future. Will our children suffer? Will they feel stress? Can they cope?

As lesser children means there would be an ageing population and there will be a decrease in economy, the Singapore government have done their part to encourage child birth. There are offers of $15000 parental packages for each child, tax incentives, and extended maternity leave.  This is a very attractive way to let people have more children. It focuses on the expenses parents have to spend on children and thus have parental packages and tax incentives. I feel that these are effective methods and I hope more people will understand the importance of having more children.

Besides, having one child will result in the child being more selfish as they need not share anything and always have the best. This will pamper the child and the child would have poor personalities, resulting in lack of friends. Thus, it is very important to have more children. It is for the sake of both the country's economy and for the children.


Combined thoughts about communications skills and one child policy

• Communication skills

Last week, we played a game about passing a message about how a picture looks like and the last person have to draw the picture out based on the message passed down.

At first, I feel that this game would be very easy. However, when the after the message is passed down, the drawing we had differed a lot from the actual drawing. In this game, I did miss out some information and I wasn't very clear of what I was told. I felt that some of our group members also had the same problem and thus the information got lesser and differ more, with the ending result of a totally different picture.

Through this, I felt the importance of communications skills and how it is a team effort to make their part to remember the message and convey the entire message. Another examples to prove the need for good communication is that during a primary school camp, a teacher told me to tell the class to bring a list of materials. As I did not make the effort to write down what he said, I ended up missing a few materials. Also, some of my classmates did not clarify when they wasn't sure what I said so in the end we ended up lacking some materials for the camp. It is thus important to make and effort to take down the things we have to convey so that there would be minimal mistake. Also, this is about teamwork as everyone have to put in their part to remember the message and make the effort to convey the entire message.

I also feel that we should all acquire a habit of making efforts to take down the things we have to take note of or a message we have to pass down. This is thus to reduce the amount of mistakes we make. Also when we start working, some information can be important and we would not want a bad result. Thus, everyone should feel a sense of responsibility and do their part in conveying an entire message.

• One child policy

Also, this week we learnt that the picture shown for the game was about one-child policy, which is set in China. In the picture, a baby boy is carrying the weight of his parents and grandparents. This showed the huge amount of stress the one child carries as he have to support them when he grow up.

The reason why China implemented the one-child policy is because of the over rising population. As China did not have enough food, land and jobs for the people, the policy is implemented. This will result in enough food for the people so the people would not go hungry, enough housing and land for people so they would not be homeless and jobs for people so that they have a steady income. Despite all this, I disencourage this policy.

To control the child birth, there would be fines and even forced abortions. Abortion is a very heartless way of controlling child birth. It does not consider the feelings of the parents and kill an unborn child. This also results in parents, aborting baby girls as they want boys to help carry the family name. Thus, I feel that this will in turn make a shortage of girls and soon will have too little girls to support the population.

Also, the only child would have to work very hard as they isn't any siblings to help cover the expenses of the parents and grandparents. As the parents and grandparents are old and do not earn money for themselves, they would want to save the money their children give for rainy days. Also, since the child have to give a lot of their salary to the older generations, there wouldn't be much money left for themselves. This will result in people spending less money on products, affecting the country's economy. Thus, I feel that one child policy might not help in the country's economy.

Reflection for the poverty in Singapore

Living in a comfortable environment, we all feel that there are hardly any poor people out there. However, they do exist.

While we enjoy our meals, they are struggling to beg for money,sell tissue papers or even display their talents while begging for money to survive. I feel that we should learn to know how fortunate we are and that we should appreciate with what we have. Although our hearts are filled with compassion and pity, we should not give the beggar any money. From the CID 2 lesson, we learned that there are syndicates out there who uses beggar to help them beg for money. We should stop these syndicates by not giving the beggars any money. I feel that since we cannot give the beggars money, we can always buy them food and water. This is the most we can do for them. Majority of the Singaporeans are more fortunate and there are not many beggars out there. However, this does not apply to the world. There are people who are less fortunate out there who needs money to survive.

Also I would like to classify the two possible kind of poor people. One is the physically disabled and the other is the elderly. People who are physically disabled would not be able to perform tasks normally and thus are often out of jobs. They had no choice but to beg for money. As we do not encourage begging, I feel that we should provide more job opportunities for them. This way, they will have a stable income and would not resort to begging.

For the elderly, they are poor as when people grow old they start to become weaker and thus is out of jobs. I feel that if they have children, the children should take the responsibility of taking care of their parents. Piety filial is very important and thus we should not abandon our parents and live them to be poor alone. They took care of our lives when we were young and it is time we take care of them. Volunteering works can be done such as providing food for the old, helping them clean their house or restock their basic needs. We should all do our part to let the elderly live a happier life.

To end off, I feel that we should appreciate with whatever we have but we should not give the beggars money to support the many syndicates. We should also help the poor by offering jobs opportunities or volunteering works.

18/01/15

Holiday Reflection

During the December holidays, I actually wasted my time playing computer games. I regretted wasting the time to play computer games when i could have used that time to do many meaningful things such as exercising, reading and going out in the wilds.

I feel that throughout the holidays i have gotten weaker and I could no longer keep up with my previous stamina. This showed that I should have had the self initiative to keep myself healthy by exercising regularly. I honestly enjoyed outdoor activities but was to attracted to the computer. Now that I had to attend for P.E. lessons I found myself weak and was unable to cope. I decided that I should practise running and get myself back in shape instead of staring at the screen.

Reading is an important step to strengthen our language skills. However, due to my excessive use of computer, I did not really had the chance to touch a book. I was unable to cope with languages and I did badly for them. I feel that reading is also a world where we can relax our pace and immerse ourselves with the "storybook world". Compared to playing computer games, reading is far more soothing and relaxing. Thus, I felt that reading is something important and meaningful but I missed the chance to do it.

Lastly, I really liked to stay in touch with nature, be it animals or plants. I feel that we are closest to nature and they are where we start off with. I wanted to spend some time to go out to climb Bukit Timah Hill or the Zoo but I did not do so. I honestly feel that computer gaming will result in many loss of good opportunities to do better and more meaningful stuffs.

As much as I regret wasting my December holidays, time would not rewind for me. Thus, the best I could do is to learn from this experience and do better for the upcoming March holidays instead of just staring at the computer screen. Through this, I would like to remind everyone to look at our surroundings and find other wonderful things in life instead of staring at the screen.