Her Reply:
是的如此考试繁忙，可是我还是很拖拉的呢 *\(^o^)/*。现在是轻松多了…我现在在借用朋友的电脑回
Email to my Buddy:
Hello!!
你好吗？我已经几个月没有和你沟通了，希望你还记得我。听说你几个月前过了一些重要的考试，非常的忙。现在会比较轻松了吗？希望如此! :) 。我们在新加坡，再过了2 个星期就会考终年考试了。我们新加坡的人都称它 “EOY”，代表 “end of year”。因此，我们最近也很忙，有很多作业需完成。但是，我很期待考试后的那段时间，因为那时，我们就可以要做什么，就做什么了:) looking forward to your reply!
-Michelle :)
1st and 2nd Day
啊～好久不见萌萌哒～
是的如此考试繁忙，可是我还是很拖拉的呢 *\(^o^)/*。现在是轻松多了…我现在在借用朋友的电脑回
ಥ_ಥ
希望你收到我的回复哟，再次鼓励你Eoy考得顺利！
加油！fighting！
萌萌哒～～
Email to my Buddy:
Hello!!
你好吗？我已经几个月没有和你沟通了，希望你还记得我。听说你几个月前过了一些重要的考试，非常的忙。现在会比较轻松了吗？希望如此! :) 。我们在新加坡，再过了2 个星期就会考终年考试了。我们新加坡的人都称它 “EOY”，代表 “end of year”。因此，我们最近也很忙，有很多作业需完成。但是，我很期待考试后的那段时间，因为那时，我们就可以要做什么，就做什么了:) looking forward to your reply!
-Michelle :)
1st and 2nd Day
On the first day, my class went to
visit the Maglev Museum and we also experienced boarding the Maglev Train. I
learnt a lot about the Maglev Train and many other modes of transport, such as
the coach, automobile, etc. I am quite amazed by the Maglev Train because I
feel that it is one of the most innovative and useful inventions that have been
created.
I also learnt that the main reason
why China wants a Maglev Train in their country is because it wants to show its
good reputation as a world-class country. I was a bit surprised by this because
I thought the purpose of the Maglev Train is to allow public transport in China
to have greater efficiency. My first thought was that it was kind of a
waste for China to build the Maglev Train just for the purpose of its
reputation, since it must have been very expensive and time-consuming. However,
on second thought, I realised that it was also essential for countries to keep
up their reputation because it would show their standing in the world. With a
good reputation as a modernised and world-class country, more people would
think highly of China. This would result in more goods imported from China,
more tourist business and also more dealings between other countries and
China.
On the second day, we visited
Zhouzhuang, Hanshan Temple, Tiger Hill and Guan Qian Street.
When I was visiting Zhouzhuang, I
felt very at ease because of the relaxing scenery. I wish I was living there in
the time when Chen Yi Fei first rowed over and painted the peaceful place. At
that time, it was still just a little town with no tourists, only quiet people
living in peace. Now, I wonder what the original people from Zhouzhuang think
of their hometown. If it were me, I would feel kind of upset that my once
peaceful hometown has now become a tourism area with inquisitive tourists
checking out every nook and cranny. I feel that we as tourists should cherish
and take care of Zhouzhuang, so that the original sense of place of Zhouzhuang
will not be destroyed.
Tiger Hill was fun. Unfortunately,
when we arrived at Tiger Hill in the early evening, it began to rain rather
heavily. We had to trudge through the cold rain, holding umbrellas or wearing
raincoats. It was extremely uncomfortable and I didn't enjoy one minute of the
visit. However, if the sun had been shining, I think I would have had a great
time there. There was a lot of pretty nature and I would have had fun climbing
up the hill. We could have also taken many good pictures! From this experience,
I learnt that I should have looked on the brighter side of things. I could have
appreciated Tiger Hill more properly instead of moping about the rain.
Guan Qian Street was the best part
of the day. There were many shops and most of the things sold cheaper than they
would have in Singapore. I think most of us enjoyed that part the most.
In conclusion, I learnt a lot in
these two days and they were fun.
Day
3 and 4
On Day 3, we finally got to meet our buddies! It was the first time we were
meeting face-to-face. I felt both excited and nervous at the same time. I was
afraid that my buddy would find me childish, since I was younger than her.
Fortunately, she was very nice, although she was a bit shy at first. We didn’t
immediately hit it off but I still had quite a good time with her.
We also visited YiLi Factory. The amount of cleaning the YiLi Factory Workers do to make sure their hands are properly sanitized amazed me. They have to wash their hands every three hours and they also have a 16-step handwash they have to go through. I feel that this is very commendable because it is obvious that YiLi is trying to make sure their products clean and safe for consumption, so that people will stop associating them with the 2008 poisoning. They are putting in a lot of effort to let people realise they no longer have poisoned products and all their products are safe for consumption. I feel that the efforts they are putting in are very good and they should be rewarded with more customers buying their products.
We also visited YiLi Factory. The amount of cleaning the YiLi Factory Workers do to make sure their hands are properly sanitized amazed me. They have to wash their hands every three hours and they also have a 16-step handwash they have to go through. I feel that this is very commendable because it is obvious that YiLi is trying to make sure their products clean and safe for consumption, so that people will stop associating them with the 2008 poisoning. They are putting in a lot of effort to let people realise they no longer have poisoned products and all their products are safe for consumption. I feel that the efforts they are putting in are very good and they should be rewarded with more customers buying their products.
On Day 4, we had a few hours of school immersion again, and we visited Suzhou
Industrial Park and Master of the Nets Garden.
In Xinghai Experimental School today, we had 2 extra activities aside from
being in class together with our buddies. Firstly, we had a lesson which gave
us more knowledge to Suzhou. I learnt that Suzhou is a city with many water
bodies, with almost every street having one.
We also had a paper-cutting lesson. However, I messed my paper-cutting project
up because I had not enough patience and perseverance to complete it. I learnt
from this that in order to succeed at something, patience and perseverance is
required even though at present the situation is not looking good. (I stopped
cutting carefully with attention when I realized I had done a few cuts
wrongly.)
Next, we went to Suzhou Industrial Park. I felt very amazed by the technology there but also quite bored.
Lastly, we went to Master of the Nets Garden. I learnt from there that men in the past had to study A LOT so that they would succeed better in life. We also learnt that men in the past had to be extremely reliable, because the entire family depended on him for survival. I feel that it is still the same here, except now, this includes women too. Women in the past did not need to study because they had to take care of the family. The Chinese word “好”, with a 女 and 子 making up 好 means that it is only good and happy when women have children. Actually I am really glad that all these traditional way of thinking have slowly become less and less. If not, our life at present as girls would really be quite sad, having to be confined at home all day and the only main purpose to give birth to children.
Day 5 and 6
On Day 5, we went out with our buddies. My buddy and Yixuan's buddy grouped together, so the four of us went out together.
At the beginning of our trip, my buddy's grandmother treated us to a traditional Suzhou Chinese dough bread, which had meat fillings in it. Before we ate, my buddy warned us of the oil it contained. She told us that it may seem oily, but it tasted really good when we bit to the middle where the meat fillings were. She seemed a bit worried and frazzled when she told us about the oil. To be honest, I had not known that people in China actually knew that people outside their country thought their food were oily. This experience with my buddy gave me a little insight into how the Chinese viewed foreigners, rather than how we viewed them. I discovered that some of the Chinese might feel slightly ashamed of some aspects of China that foreigners criticised. I had not thought about that before. My buddy's sensitivity towards us made me feel rather touched.
Also, she told us that her grandma had woken up really early in the morning just to get us the dough bread. I felt really touched that she had actually done that for us, when she had not even known us. This simple action of hers just added on to my changing opinions of the Chinese.
After eating the dough bread, we headed over to a shopping street with many stalls. The stalls were modern, but the street was very traditional, with old buildings. Many shops lined the street, selling different kinds of things. I felt that the street was a cross between modern and old, and it was very interesting to see it come together so perfectly. I think it is a good thing that the Chinese traditional buildings were still being retained despite the continuous modernization of China. Instead of being a drag-down, the olden street made the place look even more interesting and meaningful. My buddy also mentioned that the street only recently became such a popular tourist attraction, and that it was still a quiet place just a few years ago. This shows how fast China is growing and modernizing.
Next, we went to a shop near Guan Qian Jie, where many different things were sold, such as notebooks, bags, hairbands etc. I was very wishy-washy in the shop, picking out many items but choosing which to buy and which to take out, and so I didn't have enough time to look at other stuff in the shop. I learnt that I have to make quicker decisions, so not so much time would be wasted.
The last place we went to was one of the modern streets in China. We did not buy anything there; we just walked around and rested, because we had had a tiring day walking about.
Throughout the day, I kept being amazed at our buddies' generosity. Even their parents were nice! (They drove us to some places.) Our buddies kept spending money on us without blinking an eye. There was an incident which struck me rather heavily. I had seen a framed 剪纸 picture at the beginning of the street, but it had seemed quite expensive, so I didn't buy it. My buddy had also told me that there would be cheaper ones if we walked on. However, as we walked on, the one that we saw was even more expensive. I guess my buddy felt bad about it, because she ran all the way back to the front of the street and bought it for me. She even refused me paying her, saying it was nothing. At that little gesture of hers, I felt really touched and grateful. Also, our buddies kept treating us to stuff, and when me and Yixuan offered to buy them milk tea, they kept refusing, insisting that they buy it themselves.
This entire day was a fulfilling and fun experience. I really enjoyed it and I think our buddies really deserve many thanks for what they did for us today.
On Day 5, we went out with our buddies. My buddy and Yixuan's buddy grouped together, so the four of us went out together.
At the beginning of our trip, my buddy's grandmother treated us to a traditional Suzhou Chinese dough bread, which had meat fillings in it. Before we ate, my buddy warned us of the oil it contained. She told us that it may seem oily, but it tasted really good when we bit to the middle where the meat fillings were. She seemed a bit worried and frazzled when she told us about the oil. To be honest, I had not known that people in China actually knew that people outside their country thought their food were oily. This experience with my buddy gave me a little insight into how the Chinese viewed foreigners, rather than how we viewed them. I discovered that some of the Chinese might feel slightly ashamed of some aspects of China that foreigners criticised. I had not thought about that before. My buddy's sensitivity towards us made me feel rather touched.
Also, she told us that her grandma had woken up really early in the morning just to get us the dough bread. I felt really touched that she had actually done that for us, when she had not even known us. This simple action of hers just added on to my changing opinions of the Chinese.
After eating the dough bread, we headed over to a shopping street with many stalls. The stalls were modern, but the street was very traditional, with old buildings. Many shops lined the street, selling different kinds of things. I felt that the street was a cross between modern and old, and it was very interesting to see it come together so perfectly. I think it is a good thing that the Chinese traditional buildings were still being retained despite the continuous modernization of China. Instead of being a drag-down, the olden street made the place look even more interesting and meaningful. My buddy also mentioned that the street only recently became such a popular tourist attraction, and that it was still a quiet place just a few years ago. This shows how fast China is growing and modernizing.
Next, we went to a shop near Guan Qian Jie, where many different things were sold, such as notebooks, bags, hairbands etc. I was very wishy-washy in the shop, picking out many items but choosing which to buy and which to take out, and so I didn't have enough time to look at other stuff in the shop. I learnt that I have to make quicker decisions, so not so much time would be wasted.
The last place we went to was one of the modern streets in China. We did not buy anything there; we just walked around and rested, because we had had a tiring day walking about.
Throughout the day, I kept being amazed at our buddies' generosity. Even their parents were nice! (They drove us to some places.) Our buddies kept spending money on us without blinking an eye. There was an incident which struck me rather heavily. I had seen a framed 剪纸 picture at the beginning of the street, but it had seemed quite expensive, so I didn't buy it. My buddy had also told me that there would be cheaper ones if we walked on. However, as we walked on, the one that we saw was even more expensive. I guess my buddy felt bad about it, because she ran all the way back to the front of the street and bought it for me. She even refused me paying her, saying it was nothing. At that little gesture of hers, I felt really touched and grateful. Also, our buddies kept treating us to stuff, and when me and Yixuan offered to buy them milk tea, they kept refusing, insisting that they buy it themselves.
This entire day was a fulfilling and fun experience. I really enjoyed it and I think our buddies really deserve many thanks for what they did for us today.
On
Day 6, we left Suzhou for Shanghai. Once we arrived at Shanghai, I could feel
that the atmosphere had changed. Over in Suzhou, the people had felt more easy-going
and relaxed. Suzhou had also felt more history-related, with old buildings
rounding the corner every now and then. There was also more free space around. On
the other hand, in Shanghai, the people were more sophisticated and serious.
When we stepped out of the airport, we were greeted with the impressive sight
of tall skyscrapers and modern buildings.
Our
first place of visit was the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre. Next,
we visited Nanjing Road. We thought that it would be another free and easy shopping
area like Guanqian Street, and we all bounced in excitement on the bus ride
there. However, our hopes were kind of crushed when we walked the roads of
Guanqian Street, because it was more high-end than we thought. It was a
shopping area more comparable to Orchard Road, with expensive
products and brands.
After
that, we went to have a delicious Haidilao meal. It must have been an expensive
one because the food was delectable. The service there had to be highly commended
as well. There were great services provided. For example, one of the waiters
helped us carry our heavy backpacks to the side just to make sure we had enough
free space and our backpacks would not get dirty. Hot towels were even provided
for us to put on our faces for relaxation! It was indeed a first for me to
enjoy such great services. The waiters and waitresses also answered all of our
questions politely and with friendly smiles.
From
then on, I understood that my opinion of the Chinese were really wrong. The
services there were not lacking whatsoever and instead exceed what I had
imagined. I was thoroughly impressed.
Lastly, we ended off our day at the Bund and
Hungpu River. The scenery there was breathtaking with all the night lights.
Day 7
It was the last day of our OELP
Trip, the day all of us were dreading. It felt like only yesterday that we
boarded the plane to Shanghai. It was the same thing, pushing our luggage and
going up the plane, but we were all a little different, filled with newfound
knowledge and experience.
Before we boarded the plane, we
went to Oriental Pearl’s TV Tower. The view from up there was great. Everything
looked so small. At that moment, I felt like I was so tiny, an insignificant
being in this world.
Next, we went to visit the
Municiple History Musuem. The wax figures were alarmingly lifelike and it
creeped some of us out. However, it was also interesting as I had never seen
anything like it before. Visiting the museum gave me insight into the history
of the Chinese, and I felt like I had travelled back in time.
After that, we had our last lunch
in China. Then, pushing our luggage, hoisting our backpacks and walking into
the plane, we said goodbye to China.
Reflection for Entire Trip
To me, this whole trip has been a
roller-coaster ride, with its own ups and downs. I have felt so many emotions
during the course of these several days! So many memories have been created in
this trip, and so many things learnt.
This trip opened up doorways to many new things that were closed before, and allowed us all to see a different side of people we hadn't known. Who knew Mrs Tan GL was such a warm-hearted teacher? To be honest, before the trip, I had thought Mrs Tan was a mean and stern teacher, but to my surprise, she was very warm and funny, and she was like a mother figure to me during the trip. It was also very nice to have Ms Lin open up to us. Through all the talking, making jokes and photograph-taking, it feels like we've become much closer to her. My friends and I also formed closer ties to each other during this trip. It was a great experience to be with them and have fun throughout the whole of 6 days.
One thing I learnt from this trip was to be independent. Almost everything we did on the trip had to be done by ourselves, and it required our own independence and maturity. We had to take care of our own hotel room and we were responsible for ourselves. It felt really good to know that I was relying on myself.
Over this trip, after having experienced being in the company of the Chinese, I also realized that I had really misjudged the Chinese in the past. I had thought that all of the Chinese in general were rude, uncaring and selfish. However, this trip allowed me to open my eyes wide and I realised that many of them were actually well-mannered and nice, despite the general idea of Chinese that people in Singapore and Malaysia have. Many people from China who we met during this trip were polite and good-natured, especially the people we met at Xinghai Experimental School. All our buddies and their parents were very kind and nice to us too. Our tour guide, in particular, had perfect manners, with a welcoming and gentle voice. She was very nice to us.
Another thing I have learned is that the Chinese students really have good behaviors towards learning. Whenever the teacher asked a question, they would not keep quiet and look away, like Singaporean students; rather, they would answer immediately. Also, the class was very attentive. When the teacher spoke, the other students rarely talked among themselves. The class was extremely quiet. They seemed to be listening carefully to the teacher. This makes me feel kind of guilty because I cannot say this of myself during my own lessons. Maybe I should learn from the students in China.
I feel that this trip was fun and fulfilling and gave us many new things to learn. It might be one of the best learning ideas ever for teachers to come up with! :D
This trip opened up doorways to many new things that were closed before, and allowed us all to see a different side of people we hadn't known. Who knew Mrs Tan GL was such a warm-hearted teacher? To be honest, before the trip, I had thought Mrs Tan was a mean and stern teacher, but to my surprise, she was very warm and funny, and she was like a mother figure to me during the trip. It was also very nice to have Ms Lin open up to us. Through all the talking, making jokes and photograph-taking, it feels like we've become much closer to her. My friends and I also formed closer ties to each other during this trip. It was a great experience to be with them and have fun throughout the whole of 6 days.
One thing I learnt from this trip was to be independent. Almost everything we did on the trip had to be done by ourselves, and it required our own independence and maturity. We had to take care of our own hotel room and we were responsible for ourselves. It felt really good to know that I was relying on myself.
Over this trip, after having experienced being in the company of the Chinese, I also realized that I had really misjudged the Chinese in the past. I had thought that all of the Chinese in general were rude, uncaring and selfish. However, this trip allowed me to open my eyes wide and I realised that many of them were actually well-mannered and nice, despite the general idea of Chinese that people in Singapore and Malaysia have. Many people from China who we met during this trip were polite and good-natured, especially the people we met at Xinghai Experimental School. All our buddies and their parents were very kind and nice to us too. Our tour guide, in particular, had perfect manners, with a welcoming and gentle voice. She was very nice to us.
Another thing I have learned is that the Chinese students really have good behaviors towards learning. Whenever the teacher asked a question, they would not keep quiet and look away, like Singaporean students; rather, they would answer immediately. Also, the class was very attentive. When the teacher spoke, the other students rarely talked among themselves. The class was extremely quiet. They seemed to be listening carefully to the teacher. This makes me feel kind of guilty because I cannot say this of myself during my own lessons. Maybe I should learn from the students in China.
I feel that this trip was fun and fulfilling and gave us many new things to learn. It might be one of the best learning ideas ever for teachers to come up with! :D
Investigation: Can we use the Merlion as our national icon?
I
feel that there is a need to have a national icon because national icons help
to include and represent all the people of a national community, giving them a
sense of belonging and unity. A national icon also represents the country in the world. The purpose of us making the Merlion our icon is
to give all of us Singaporeans a common symbol that everyone can call theirs,
one that belongs to all of us, so that we will feel a greater sense of unity
and belonging in Singapore. (Purpose)
In my opinion, the Merlion is representative of Singapore because of its unique
story connected to our past. In the days of Temasek, what Singapore was known as
before the arrival of the British colonisers, Singapore was a port city and
heavily depended on maritime trade. Using the fish in the design of the Merlion
alludes to this idea. The part of the lion is from a well-known tale written in
the Malay Annals, which talks about how a prince from Palembang, Sang Nila
Utama, encountered an unknown animal when
he first stepped on the shores of Temasek, so majestic that it awed everyone.
Sang Nila Utama decided to stay on in Temasek and reign there, because he
thought that Temasek must be a fine place if it bred such beautiful strong
animals. After finding out that the animal he saw was a lion, the king decided
to name his new kingdom ‘Singapura’, which means ‘Lion City’. (Information)
I
believe that there are some alternatives to the Merlion as our national icon,
such as the Changi Airport, or vanda miss Joaquim.
Our
national flower, vanda miss Joaquim, could also be our national icon because of
its uniqueness. This flower is a hybrid, known for its vibrant colours,
hardiness and resilience. I feel that this really reflects Singapore’s spirit
as a resilient and strong-spirited country, able to go through hardships and
still persevere on. Its ability to bloom throughout the year
could also signify what the vision for Singaporeans could be like: able to do well all
through the year, at any time. Also,
it also reflects Singapore as a mixed-race country, as it is a hybrid flower. (POV)
However,
I do not really think that the Changi Airport could be our national icon. It is
one of the best airports in the world, and it is the pride of Singapore, but it
does not reflect Singapore’s people and qualities. Also, every country has an
airport. Hence, it would not be a special icon. It will also not bond people
and make them feel like they belong here. (POV)
I
think that having the Merlion as our national icon will change people’s
perspective of the Merlion. Before, people might have been thinking that the
Merlion is just a normal old sculpture made for fun, which signifies nothing
but old legends that may not even be true. However, after having it as our
national icon, people will start to take the Merlion more seriously and have
more respect for it. They will take more notice of it and when they think of Singapore,
the Merlion will pop up in their mind. (Implications and consequences)
If we make the Merlion our icon, it will be more widely known in the world. More products will bear the emblem of the Merlion, such as key chains, notebooks etc. More tourists will come to visit the Merlion as they would want to see and find out more about this unique mythical animal that represents Singapore. More infrastructure will be built around the site of the Merlion to cater to the needs of the tourists, for example food courts and bus stops. (Implications and consequences)
If we make the Merlion our icon, it will be more widely known in the world. More products will bear the emblem of the Merlion, such as key chains, notebooks etc. More tourists will come to visit the Merlion as they would want to see and find out more about this unique mythical animal that represents Singapore. More infrastructure will be built around the site of the Merlion to cater to the needs of the tourists, for example food courts and bus stops. (Implications and consequences)
In conclusion, I feel that we can, and we should, use the Merlion as our national icon.
Reflection on T2W3’s Lesson
In
this lesson, we learnt more about the different ruling systems of different
countries.
Singapore
has a dominant one-party system. This means that we have controlled democracy.
Its definition is: a category of parties/political organizations that have
successively won election victories and whose future defeat cannot be envisaged
or is unlikely for the foreseeable future.
Some
other countries that have a dominant one-party system are China and Malaysia.
What
are the advantages of this ruling system?
1. There is no need to waste
effort/resources/money when rallying and trying to persuade people to vote for
them.
2. There is more efficiency in getting a
consensus for the ruling system.
3. There is much lesser need more
populist policies in the country.
What are the disadvantages of this ruling system?
1. Failure to appoint good leaders,
because after appointing someone as your leader, there is no other way to kick
them out.
2. You will not be well-represented in
the country, as you will not have any say in country decisions.
Next,
I will talk about China’s ruling system, which is the Communist Ruling System.
In this system, everyone shares their wealth. No matter how hard you work, in
the end, everyone will get equal amount of salary.
I
feel that this is not really a good way to rule a country. Because everyone
will get a fair share of reward in the end, people will start to think that
there is really no point in putting in more effort, and they will not be
motivated to study/work hard. Not everyone has a high sense of integrity. Some
of the citizens may even be dishonest enough to do only very little work. When
people do not work hard, the results will not be good as well. This causes
people in Communist Systems to starve and suffer. People who work hard and put
in effort will not be rewarded fairly too. If the results are bad, they will
suffer too.
I
feel that Singapore’s ruling system which is based on meritocracy is a much
better way to govern a country. In our system, you reap what you sow. If you
work hard, you are rewarded, and you will do well in life. If you don’t, you
will not be rewarded and successful. In this system, everyone is treated
fairly. People will not be so prone to being lazy, because there is a big risk
of failing in life. They will be more motivated to work and study hard so that
they will be successful.
Golden Age of China
The Tang Dynasty was the
Golden Age of China. There was peace and progress during the Tang Dynasty, and
literature and arts reached the height of their developments. The arts included
painting, poetry and pottery. I think that the people who had lived during this
dynasty are really lucky. They got to live a life of prosperity and joy, mostly
free from worries. I think that it is very rare to have such a golden age.
Hopefully, I will be able to see one in my lifespan, but it might not be so
easily possible.
In the first lesson of Term 1, besides having the presentations done, Mr Chua also talked about Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
On Monday, when the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew was announced during assembly, I did not feel much. All I knew was that an important political leader had passed away.
However, as the days went by, with the lesson packages about Mr Lee and live broadcasting, I began to learn more and more about him, and my respect and admiration for him grew tenfold.
Mr Lee was a great man. He gave his entire adult life to building up Singapore, bringing her up from a third-world country to a first-world country. The road to Singapore's present success must have been very hard, and he must have faced many challenges. However, he did not give up. Instead, he gritted his teeth and persevered on. He sweated for us, went through pain for us and even teared for us, all because of his deep love for Singapore. Without him, we would still be a small fishing village.
Thinking back, I feel embarrassed of the complaints about Singapore I sometimes give, such as the lack of space in Singapore, stressful education and boring TV shows. Mr Lee put in so much effort to build up this country in which we now enjoy comfort, luxury and safety, and yet we still complain so much about Singapore. He has already tried his very hardest, maybe even more than his hardest, to build up Singapore so that we can live happily. Complaining some more is ungrateful.
I feel really regretful that I did not know Mr Lee Kuan Yew better before his passing. Why is it that we only know someone great after they pass away?
I hope Mr Lee's legacy will still continue on, even though he is no longer around. May you rest in peace, Mr Lee. You will always live on in our hearts. We will miss you.
Reflections on Presentation of What Represents Singapore to Me
My
picture for this presentation is an ant. I did not really think much about
choosing the picture, because this was what first struck me, and I felt that it
was a good idea because it seemed unique to me and I felt that there were
indeed similarities I could mention in my presentation.
While
I was writing up my script and doing the slides, I went online to search for
content to write about, because I was not entirely sure if what I knew about
ants were totally correct. To my surprise, there was actually a website full of
information about what we could learn from ants! My information mainly came
from there. I was very happy that I found such an informative website.
I
presented on the last day of presentation in the first week of Term 1. In the
last CID lesson of Term 1, Mr Chua had told us that he would have higher
expectations for those presenting in Term 2 than those who had presented in
Term 1 because we had more time to prepare. I was kind of stressed upon hearing
that and I feared that I would not be able to do as well as I wanted to. Hence,
I practiced my speech many times before Monday, and I memorized it totally!
On
the day of my presentation, I felt nervous and scared. However, I also felt a
bit excited, because I had grown to like talking in front of the class. Thanks
to the repeated times of practicing my speech, I spoke quite smoothly, smoother
that I would have done had I not practiced it so many times. However, I think I
spoke a bit too fast. I should have practiced the timing of my speech more.
From
this task, I have learnt that to be able to give a fluent speech, you really
have to memorize everything completely. It really helped me. Of course, you
have to practice many times too. I did not practice the timing enough and hence
I spoke too fast.
In
conclusion, this task was an enriching experience for me, and I enjoyed it as
well.
Possible Impacts of China's Growth on Singapore
With the population of China increasing, there will be lesser jobs available to the people in China. This will lead to more Chinese coming over to Singapore for employment. Hence, Singapore will have more manpower to do jobs. This is a good thing because most of these people who come over to Singapore are much more willing to do certain jobs than other Singaporeans.
However, there are bad sides to
this too, because Singaporeans will start to rely more and more on this foreign
workers, and be too dependent on these people to do the less desirable jobs.
What will happen, then, when Singapore no longer employ foreign workers?
The income of the people in China will increase too. With a higher income, they can travel to Singapore with for tourism and business. This will have a positive impact on Singapore's economy because there will be higher tourism.
There will be more joint ventures between Singapore and China. For example, the Suzhou Industrial Park where Singapore provided the expertise to build the industrial park. This will be a win-win situation for both China and Singapore as Singaporean companies can expand overseas and China can also tap on Singapore's expertise.
With the rise of China's economy, there will be an increase of price in the goods and services over in China, because China will no longer need to place their prices so cheap in order to attract more customers. This will affect Singapore negatively, because Singaporeans will have to use more money to buy Chinese goods. They will not be able to obtain as many Chinese goods as before.
Short Reflection on China’s Economy
I feel that the huge size of
China’s population can be both good and bad. It is good for the firms which
employ workers, because they will be able to pay their workers a lower wage, so
their burdens will be reduced. However, it is bad for the workers as their
salaries will decrease, so they will not have as much money to spend.
China’s GDP per capita is only
at about US$2000+ per capita. This is not good because it means that on the
average, each Chinese citizen does not get a high amount of goods and services
to consume, even though the country has been experiencing increasing amounts of
GDP. The rich-poor divide is widening. I feel that this is quite unfair,
because the workers have been working hard, but they do not get back what they
deserve, even though their work has been helping the country to prosper. If it
were me, I would be very annoyed and upset with this situation. I feel that
China should give the workers what they deserve.
Dwindling Population Growth of
Singapore
With the dwindling population
growth, Singapore's economy will have a decline.
This is so because with lesser
people, there will be less needs, and so less money spent on buying things,
which in turn leads to the decline of Singapore's economy.
Another consequence of the
dwindling population growth is that more taxes are needed to be paid by people
living in Singapore. This is because with lesser people, there will be not
enough money paid to the government for the country's own use through taxes,
and so to solve this problem, the amount of taxes needed to be paid will
increase.
I think people will be unhappy
about this, and they will start complaining about the increased taxes. They may
be upset with the government for implementing higher taxes, and stop supporting
and cooperating with the government. If it gets really serious, people may even
start rebelling and rioting against the government.
To prevent this worrying
problem, perhaps the government should try to explain to the citizens their
reasons for increasing taxes before actually implementing them. They could
explain through media, which is a good form of spreading messages. For example,
the government could make a short and interesting commercial during show
breaks, or they could make a song and have the different radio stations play it.
To add on, the number of
Singapore talents will decrease. With lesser people, there will be a smaller
number of talented people among the general population. There will be lesser
talented people in Singapore to be successful and bring both name and pride to
Singapore. The number of Singapore talents is already so small. It would
be terrible if this really happens.
Thoughts on CID Lessons Week 4
and 5
On Week 4, Mr Chua told us to
sit in our groups vertically, one column down. He told us that we were going to
play a game. It was pretty similar to the “telephone message” game, except in
this one, we used a picture instead.
I was the first person. I
remember feeling nervous as I waited for the picture, scared that I would not
be able to remember enough things or give the wrong details.
In the end, I did give a wrong
detail! I told Yijin, the person behind me, that there was a ladder, but I did
not explain correctly what it was. It was actually people standing on raised
platforms!
Through this game, I learnt the
importance of proper observation, importance of effective and clear
communication, and the importance of passing correct messages.
Firstly, we have to look at
everything with a sharp and observant eye. It is good to take notice of things
around us. If we do not have proper observation, everything ahead of it, such
as proper passing of messages, will all go in the bin because what we are
passing on is wrong.
Next, it is crucial for us to
have effective and clear communication between each other. If we do not have
this, we may create misunderstandings between each other, and the wrong message
will be passed down. People will not know the correct original message, and may
do wrong things. What we tell other people will affect what happens in the end.
Reflection on One-Child Policy
In my opinion, I feel that the
one-child policy is a bad idea. With only one child in each family, there will
be some consequences that I think will not be good.
Firstly, the only child of the
family will carry a huge burden on his/her shoulders.
As he is the only child of the
two parents, he is naturally expected to take care of them both by himself when
he grows up. He is in charge of their medical bills, food and lodging, and has
no one else to share the burden with.
Also, the child will feel extra
stressed, because his parents are banking on only him to do well and become a
successful person in life.
Number two, the child’s
character will be affected.
Studies have shown that
children without siblings are more introverted than those who do have siblings.
I feel that this is probably because the children without siblings feel
lonelier and hence they keep to themselves more as they grow up.
Also, children without siblings
will be more selfish than those who do have siblings, because they have never
had to share from young and they are given everything they could want from the
beginning.
Not to mention, the old Chinese
tradition is to have a son, so that they can keep the family line going on for
other generations. Some people still hold on to the wrong belief that girls are
inferior to boys. Because of this biased belief, many families used to kill the
baby girls when they were born in hopes to have a son in the near future when
the one-child policy was first implemented.
Just reading about this
information makes my skin crawl. I am thoroughly horrified by the cruelty and
immorality of these parents. The baby girls are their very own daughters, and
they have their blood running in their veins! How could these people be so
heartless to kill an innocent newborn baby girl’s life! They haven’t even done
anything wrong but to live. I am so thankful I was not born during that time in
China.
Because of this practice, the
ratio of females to males in China became 1:10. This is also not too good,
because with so little women, many men would not be able to have a wife and
have kids. There would also be a downfall in China’s population.
However, there are indeed pros
to the one-child policy. I am certain that the government do have their own
reasons for implementing it.
Holiday Reflection
During the holidays last year,
I went back to school quite often, as I had CCA two to three times a week. I
spent the early part of my holidays lazing around, reading books. I feel like I
wasted my time lazing around. I really did nothing at all, inclusive of my
homework, and I just sat around reading. I didn't even complete my homework
when I went for holiday overseas, even though I had promised my mum I would do
so. I even told myself I would finish them in a week. I know what I did was
wrong. I should have stuck to my plan and completed my homework on time, so I
didn't have to rush when I came back from holidays. When I returned from
overseas, I began to clean and tidy my table. I had to juggle that with my
homework. I really regretted not completing my homework or tidying my room
before, because it was a rush for me to finish everything. I didn't even get to
tidy my room! There were so many things that I wanted to do but had left
undone. Hence, what I have learnt from last year's holidays is that I have to
stick to what I planned and not keep procrastinating. I have to start doing the
things I need to do before it gets too late.
Poverty in Singapore
I think that poverty in
Singapore is a serious problem. Although Singapore is one of the wealthiest
countries in the world, there is a hidden poverty problem in our wealthy
country. There are more people who live in poor living conditions than we
suppose. Some of them are just children living in complicated neighbourhoods,
some are single mothers of many children with not enough money to spend, and
some are homeless people living on the streets.
I wonder why the gap between
the rich and the poor is so big. Some people in Singapore have problems
deciding which powerful car they want to buy, while others are worrying if
there will be enough money to buy food the next week.
I feel like society can take a
greater step towards helping the poor. Perhaps there can be more free courses
available for the poor to upgrade their skills so they will have a better
chance at getting a good job. Also, there could be more financial aid schemes,
such as providing free breakfast in the morning at school. This will ensure
that children from poor families will have a full meal in the morning, since
breakfast is the most important meal of the day. There could be more free
tuition given out by volunteers for children after school, so that parents do
not need to fret about giving their children expensive tuition, since Singapore
is highly competitive in education.
Before I researched on this
topic, it had never occurred to me that such a high-class country could have so
many people struggling with money issues. I never imagined that children my age
would see such morbid things like suicides and glue-sniffing around their
neighbourhood. I thought that kind of things only happened in books or on
television.
After finding out more about
poverty in Singapore, I realized that I am much more blessed than them. I am so
fortunate to be able to live in a much better environment than them, with
enough money to spend without having to worry about my meals. I hope that when
I grow older and have the power, I will be able to help the poor.
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