沈谣，真谢谢你那么热情地招待我，让我对苏州有更深的了解！当我踏进你们的课室，就能感受到你们的热情，真的令人非常感动。虽然我不习惯老师用华文来教课，你也很耐心的解释老师正在讲解的内容，还和我分享你的作业，让我看出了新加坡和中国教育系统的分别！还有，真的很谢谢你们抽空带我们到处走走，让我们看到苏州的美景。很遗憾没有更多的时间和你说话，但我非常感谢能有那么亲切又热情的朋友！能到你的学校，和你交朋友，是个非常难忘的体验，所以我希望你有一天会来到新加坡，让我也一样热情的招待你！谢谢你让我在苏州玩得非常开心，把美好的记忆带回了新加坡。
Today, we arrived in China. It was an eye-opener for me as this is the first time I have come to China. We boarded the Maglev train, and I was amazed to see it go up to such a high speed in a very short amount of time. After visiting the Maglev museum, I learnt about the development of public transportation and how the Maglev train worked. At dinner, what shocked me was the argument between our tour guide and the restaurant staff. This matter would probably not happen in Singapore often, as one party would relent to avoid embarrassment. Also, the restaurant staff were smoking in their own restaurant. The restaurant was air-conditioned, hence the smell of the smoke would stay in the restaurant. Despite putting up a no smoking sign, they were the ones who were smoking. I feel that this is completely different compared to Singapore as I have never seen anyone smoking in a restaurant, especially a restaurant with air condition. The first day to China has already shown me differences in the technology and culture between China and Singapore, and I look forward to the next few days of OELP to help me better understand China's culture.
OELP reflection (Day 2)
Our first destination was Zhouzhuang. I had higher expectations of the scenery of the place but nonetheless, it was quite an enriching experience. I learnt that the river was very important in the past, and people sold things on their boats. Up till now, there are still people washing clothes in the river, a sight that can never be seen in Singapore. I got to see an example inequality in the past there, as the women's hall was so much smaller than the men's hall. Shopping at Guanqian street was interesting as we got free time to walk around and buy the things that we want. Today, I noticed another part of China's culture that is vastly different from Singapore's. In Singapore, we cross mostly at traffic lights, and it is orderly and prevents any accidents from happening. However, in China, people just cross the road at any point of time, despite the busy traffic. This is dangerous as the cars would not wait for them to pass and they might get knocked down. Even at zebra crossings, the cars do not stop. Despite the rain that ruined the visit to the Tiger Hill, it was an enriching day as I learnt more about the past of China and the importance of the old places that we visited.
OELP reflection (Day 3)
Today, we went to Xinghai Experimental Middle School to see the study environment of students in Suzhou. The students gave us a very warm welcome and they were very friendly to us. My buddy, Shen Yao, did a brief introduction of Suzhou and what they normally do in lessons. I noticed that they were still using blackboards instead of the whiteboards that we have in Singapore. Also, when the teacher is talking, the students pay attention, and take the intitiative to answer questions asked by teachers. This is very different from Singapore, as students would keep quiet until the teacher picks someone to answer. They are also very disciplined, doing the homework that the teacher does not check without copying the answers behind. I feel that we can learn from the China students. Even though we have slightly better facilities, our learning attitude is not as good as the students here. We also went to the Yili factory and understood the process of making yogurt. Today, I saw how the China students behaved and was very impressed with them.
OELP reflection (Day 4)
Today, we went to Xinghai Experimental Middle School, Suzhou Industrial Exhibition Hall and the Master of the Nets garden. At the school, we had special lessons on Suzhou's history, and an arts and crafts lesson. This made me understand more about the details of Suzhou and its iconic places, and what Suzhou symbolizes. The arts and crafts lesson was on paper cutting, and we even got to laminate our end product as a souvenir. Next, we went to the Suzhou Industrial Exhibition Hall. The previous day, when we went to Suzhou Industrial Park, it was very crowded because there were two classes and we could not hear nor understand anything. This helped us to clear our doubts. With the advanced technology, it was easier to understand the tour and it was more interesting. Lastly, we went to the Master of the Nets garden. This place is full of cultural knowledge, and we learnt that status was very important in the past. The sill (门槛) was a representation of status, and the higher it is, the higher status the family had. The sill also reminds people of their status, and not to overestimate themselves. The garden was beautiful, and we took many pictures there. The place was also rich with culture. In conclusion more of Chinese culture was shown to us today, and it was an enjoyable day.
OELP reflection (Day 5)
We went out with our buddy today. It was quite a fun experience as we got to do what we liked and managed to buy some souvenirs. My biggest regret today was not thanking my buddy properly. As she had an online debate competition, she did not accompany us when we went shopping. I thought that she would come back after the competition, but I did not manage to meet her after that. I was quite disappointed that we could not spend the whole day together as I would want to know her better. Her personality is very warm and she was really nice to me and could bear with my chinese that was not as good as hers. She even tried speaking to me in English as it was more comfortable for me. I really hope to meet her again :) We visited Guanqian street again, and saw women selling flowers. They pushed the flowers into the hands of people walking by, then demanded them to pay. They refused to take the flowers back and told the children that they brought along to thank the "customer". This behaviour really appalled me as it is ridiculous to force someone to buy something. This is the first time I have seen such a thing. People would give up and just pay, which would be what they want. Also, many cut queues, which I feel that they should be ashamed of, especially when they are adults, hence they should be mature enough to know what is right. However, no one seemed to look guilty for cutting queues, so I think that they feel that there is nothing wrong cutting queues since everyone is doing it.
OELP reflection (Day 6)
Everyone was quite sad when we had to leave Suzhou for Shanghai as we did enjoy our time here and wanted to continue staying there. I was surprised at the difference between Suzhou and Shanghai. With many buildings and roads in Shanghai, it was buzzing with life and activity everywhere, and the pace of life was definitely faster and more urgent. This was a huge difference to Suzhou, as it was more quiet there, and people were more laid-back. After coming to Shanghai, we visited the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre, where technology led us through the urban planning of Shanghai and how it has developed to the metropolis it is now. After going to the centre, we visited Nanjing Road, where we got to buy even more souvenirs before going back. As it was quite similar to Guanqian Street in Suzhou, I did not manage to get many souvenirs. After the visit to Nanjing Road, we were extremely excited as this was what everyone was waiting for - Hai Di Lao! We were looking forward to the meal very much as others have praised it so much and we really wanted to try it for ourselves. Indeed, it did not disappoint. Not only was the food great, their service was even better. They provided hair ties so that girls would be able to tie up their hair, and were friendly and very efficient. There were even board games provided to keep us entertained! When we had all eaten our fill, we had one more surprise awaiting us. Everyone feasted their eyes on the picturesque night scenery of Shanghai when we were at the Bund.
OELP reflection (Day 7)
The last day of OELP! Knowing we were going home today brought mixed feelings to all of us as we did not want to leave, yet we were starting to miss our parents back in Singapore. The last tourist attraction that we went to was the Oriental Pearl Tower, where everyone was busy taking pictures for memories. Standing on the transparent glass floor was an exhilarating experience as I could clearly see the cars below me, that seemed like small ants scurrying around. Bidding goodbye to the tour guide was more emotional than I thought as I did grow to like her direct personality and hence it was not easy bidding goodbye. Boarding the plane back to Singapore, the last six days of adventure were all etched clearly in my mind, and I am sure that it would still be, for many years to come.
Overall, this OELP trip has been fruitful and enriching. Instead of learning about the culture of China through the CID lessons, we got to come to China to see it for ourselves. There are similarities and differences between China's culture and Singapore's culture. The best memories I have are visiting the historical places, and also going out with my buddy. The historical places were beautiful and had much meaning to them, and I understood and learnt more with the help of the tour guide's explanation. Also, going out with the buddies was very enjoyable as we had no schedule to stick to and had freedom to shop. We also used the time to ask them questions and learn more about their school life, such that we would be able to compare the education system of China and Singapore. Through this trip, I learnt about the relationship between Suzhou and Singapore, and got to experience an environment that was in some ways vastly different from Singapore. Also, this trip has bonded our class even more deeply than before. Many shed tears, knowing that this experience would be a once-in-a-lifetime one, and we would never be able to do the same thing with each other again. I am extremely thankful to have had this opportunity to go overseas to learn more about the different aspects of other countries, and am even more grateful to have been able to share this special experience with my classmates.
Chinese culture (Part 2)
In this CID lesson, we continued with learning more about the culture of China. We started off the lesson by seeing some popular internet lingo used in China and tried to guess what they meant. Personally, I have never seen nor used these internet lingo, hence I found it difficult to decipher what they meant and could not make sense of the words. Fortunately, there are students in our class that come from China and use these lingo frequently and they were able to explain to us what it meant and how to use the lingo. Here are some example of popular internet lingo in China:
->给力 (great)
->神马都是浮云 (meaningless)
->羡慕嫉妒恨 (admire,jealous,hate)
->鸭梨 (压力-> pressure)
->Ungelivable (not 给力 -> not great)
-> 7456,886 (气死我了，拜拜喽)
-> 8147 (不要生气)
-> 5201314 (我爱你一生一世)
Almost all the lingo is in Chinese, which is not surprising as after all, the lingo is used in China. I will most probably not use these lingo, as it is more work to type the Chinese words, and I will not get used to them.
When we go to China for our OELP, it will be a great chance to learn more about China's culture there as we can see everything with our own eyes. We must remember to observe, suspend judgement and understand at all times, and even though there might be cultural clashes, we still have to remember to always respect the culture of others. We should not offend your host, and instead be polite and offer a logical explanation.
In China, there are four big principles that are essential to its culture.
4 big principles
关系 (relationships)
reciprocity
Rank (eg. bus driver is called 师父)
面子
We have to always keep in mind and follow these 4 principles in China, such that we would not accidentally offend someone. For example, in China, we are not allowed to call people "小姐", as that would mean that she is a prostitute. That is very rude and a huge insult to the person, hence we have to be very careful of what we say. I am looking extremely forward to this OELP trip, as I would get a chance to be able to experience the China culture and see for myself what it is like. There was also a slight mention about youth culture. Youth culture is the way adolescents live, and the norms, values and practices they share. Culture is the shared symbolic systems, and processes of maintaining and transforming these systems. Youth culture differs from the culture of older generations. This will be elaborated further in the next CID lesson.
26/4/2015
In this CID lesson, we learnt more about cultures, and focused on the Chinese culture. I feel that culture is the way of life of people, their religious beliefs, as well as their food and traditions. Every race has a different culture, and we should learn to accept and try our best to understand their culture, as that is showing respect to the races. Even though we might find the culture of others totally different from ours, it is still important to them, hence we should observe, suspend judgement, and understand. Both parties would benefit if we learnt more about each other's cultures. In Dongyang, China, virgin boy eggs (童子蛋）are a traditional delicacy. It is made by cooking eggs in urine collected from young boys. Every year in early spring time, the urine of prepubertal school boys preferably under 10 years is collected and boiled with eggs and sold for 1.50 yuan, around twice the price of a regular boiled egg. In 2008, Dongyang recognized the eggs as "local intangible cultural heritage." Urine is collected from school toilets or boys urinate directly into collection buckets set out by vendors. The eggs are soaked and boiled in the urine. The shells are cracked and cooked more on low heat like tea eggs. Cooking the eggs takes all day. Dongyang residents believe "the eggs decrease body heat, promote better blood circulation and just generally reinvigorate the body." When I first heard about it, I was shocked and disgusted. I could not believe that people would eat eggs that are soaked in urine, and even treating it as a delicacy. I could not see what kind of health benefits it would have, as the urine is very unhygienic, and the germs might cause the people to actually suffer from health problems. However, after thinking for a while, I decided to accept the fact that the virgin boy egg is already integrated into the culture in Dongyang, hence I suspended my judgement, and tried to understand why they would think that the eggs provide health benefits for them. In the end, even though I still could not really understand why they would do that, I no longer feel as disgusted and shocked, as I understand that the people in Dongyang have their own beliefs and views, and we should respect them. However, if my buddy in China offers me this delicacy, I would show no hesitation in refusing his or her offer as I would not be able to appreciate it. Hence, if given a chance to try this virgin boy egg, I would not take it.
20/4/2015
I feel that there is a need to have a national icon as that would be part of our identity as Singaporeans. We should feel proud of our national icon as that would be what other countries think of when they think of Singapore. Hence, the national icon is very important as it represents Singapore. For Singapore, the Merlion is our national icon. (Question at issue)
The purpose of having the Merlion as our national icon is because it is a very important part of Singapore's history. The Merlion has a lion head and a fish body resting on a crest of waves. The lion head symbolizes the legend of Prince Sang Nila Utama. When the Prince first landed on Singapore's shores, he sighted a mystical beast which he later learnt was a lion. He decided to name the island "Singapura" which meant Lion City.The fish tail of the Merlion symbolizes the ancient city of Temasek and represents Singapore's humble beginnings as a fishing village. The Merlion is also the guardian of prosperity for Singapore, and it guards the river mouth. With the Merlion as our national icon, we are frequently reminded of how Singapore transformed to a small fishing village, to the metropolis we have now. (Question at issue)
I believe that there is one more alternative national icon for Singapore, which is our national flower, Vanda Miss Joaquim. It was selected as Singapore's National Flower on 15 April 1981. Singapore has the unique distinction of being the only nation to have a hybrid as its national flower. The choice of an orchid as Singapore’s national flower is most appropriate because orchids have long been identified with Singapore. The Vanda Miss Joaquim was picked from among 40 flowers, out of which 30 were orchids, as Singapore’s national flower. Among the several varieties of Vanda Miss Joaquim, the variety “Agnes” was chosen particularly for its vibrant colours, hardiness and resilience. These are qualities that reflect the Singapore spirit. Also, it has the ability to bloom throughout the year, so that we can admire its beauty anytime. (Information)
However, if I were to choose between the two, I would pick the Merlion to be our national icon, as it is a very important part of Singapore's history, and is also the guardian of prosperity for Singapore. It is installed at the mouth of the Singapore River, and spouts water from its mouth continuously. The water symbolizes prosperity, and the water spouting continuously from the Merlion's mouth symbolizes the continuous prosperity of Singapore. (Information)
When the Singapore Tourism board (STB) was searching for an easily recognizable symbol which represents Singapore, they chose the Merlion and the statue would be installed at the mouth of the Singapore River such that both locals and tourists would be able to admire the majestic creature. It was officially unveiled publicly by the founding Prime minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, in 1972. In 2002, the statue was lifted from the ground and moved by crane to a nearby more spacious reclaimed land site of the Marina Bay, complete with a new Merlion Park. Visitors can now command a better view of it both on land and from the sea. (POV)
If we recognize the Merlion as our national icon, it would be valued more by Singaporeans and there will be more pride for it. Even though some people feel that it is stiff, ugly, too massive and not deserving the title of being a high quality art piece, majority find it charming, pleasing to the eyes and well crafted by an outstanding sculptor. There would be more emphasis placed on the Merlion, and people will learn to admire the beauty of the Merlion and how it represents Singapore and her qualities. (Implications and consequences)
In conclusion, I feel that the Merlion is indeed worthy of being Singapore's national icon, as it has played an important part in our past, our present, and will play an important part in our future as well.
19/4/2015
One-party system
For this lesson, even though I was not present, I managed to get a rough idea of the content covered with the help of my peers. We learnt about the different party systems, and the pros and cons of them.
Singapore has a one-party system. The PAP is the dominant party in Singapore. There are 90 seats in the parliament, and only 7 are opposition members. The PAP holds most of the power and Singapore is making a lot of progress because of them. I feel that we are very lucky to have such a competent and capable parliament. The advantages of having a dominant one party system is that there are less resources required to convince people to vote for them, as a consensus can be quickly reached since only one party is dominant. Hence, they can use the resources in other ways to benefit the country. However, the disadvantages are that if an incapable leader is chosen to lead the country, it might lead to the downfall of that country. The people would have to live with the bad choice that they have chosen until the next election, where they can vote somebody else if they think that that person is capable enough of running the country. Also, without an opposition party, Singaporeans have little say in the decisions that the parliament make. They might think that what they are doing are the best decisions for us, but we might not agree. Furthermore, if there is no capable person to replace the leader of the country, this would affect the country badly as well.
However, despite the disadvantages, I still feel that the one-party dominant system is better than the Communist Ruling system in China. The communist ruling system ensures that everyone receives equal shares regardless of the effort that they put in, people would become lazier and lazier, and would no longer want to work hard for the country, and soon, the country's economy would take a large hit as no one is helping the country, and would lead to their downfall. This is also not fair to those who consistently work hard and actually deserve the things they get.as they get dragged down with the others as they belong to the same country. With Singapore's meritocratic view, we can be assured that those the work hard, will achieve what they want and likewise, those that don't, will not go very far. This would motivate us to strive for the better and while doing so, Singapore would be constantly progressing when the people work hard for the country. Hence, I support the dominant one party system in Singapore. Even though we are just a little red dot on the world map, we are making our strong presence known globally with the effort we put in to push Singapore to greater heights.
18/4/2015
The golden age
For this CID lesson, we learnt more about the Golden Age of China. The Tang Dynasty was the golden age of China, with a large amount of development during the three centuries of Tang. It was the golden age of literature and art, as no other areas reached the height of the development of art despite having great progress as well. The progress made during the Golden Age brought prestige to China and made the Chinese Empire the envy of countries throughout Asia, Europe and Africa. The empire of the Tang Dynasty was to become a world center for trade and cultural exchange. Hence, I feel that it exposed China to the world, enabling communication and the building up of relationships with other countries, which contributes to the success China has now. Life in China was comfortable and there was minimal conflict with other countries.
5/4/2015
Thank You, Mr Lee Kuan Yew
There was still some time after the speeches, hence we spent the time learning more about Mr Lee Kuan Yew. I am deeply saddened that our founding father passed away on March 23, 2015. To be honest, I did not know how much Mr Lee had contributed to Singapore, but I did know that without him, Singapore would not be where she is today. During the one week mourning period, there were lesson packages and television shows that allowed me to understand how much Mr Lee had contributed to Singapore. What left the deepest impression on me was when he cried because of the separation of Malaysia and Singapore after he had worked so hard to merge these two countries together. He feared that without Malaysia, and the lack of Singapore's natural resources, our country would crumble. Despite this major setback, he did not give up, and continued building this nation from nothing, to something. From a third world country, we have become a first world country. With his love for Singapore, he has achieved what many thought impossible, and I really look up to him as a role model. He had big dreams for Singapore, and worked hard for these dreams. The things we take for granted now are what Mr Lee painstakingly fought for us to have. He has inspired me in so many ways, and we Singaporeans will mourn the loss of a great man, but honour his legacy for generations and generations. Thank you Mr Lee, for you are the reason why we are able to call Singapore our home.
29/3/2015
Reflection on the process of the speech and the speech itself
Sourcing for pictures
At first, I did not know what picture best represented Singapore. Even though there were many ideas, but I did not feel like they truly represented Singapore. Hence, I thought, what made Singapore different from other countries? What do we have? Then I suddenly realized - racial harmony was what represented Singapore. There is no racial discrimination here, and we live harmoniously together. We even have a day to celebrate racial harmony! Without the support of each other and the wisdom of every race, we might not be who we are today. Hence, with this sudden inspiration, I searched the internet for pictures that represented Singapore's racial harmony. I finally found a picture with children of the four major races in Singapore, and decided to use it, as I felt that it best represented our racial harmony.
Putting the slides together
It was not easy as I thought it would be. I had to constantly ask myself questions on how racial harmony help build Singapore to the what we have now. Also, I had to take note of how many words I put on the screen, as too many words would make the slides seem more boring. As I reread the points that I had written, I was learning more and more about the importance of racial harmony in Singapore. I had tried to put in more pictures to engage the audience but I was still afraid that my content was too ordinary as I felt that racial harmony would be the typical choice. After that, I started to write my speech. The speech was an elaboration of the points on the slides, hence it was not that difficult to write the script for me. However, the real problem was memorizing. As a person with very bad memory, no matter what I tried, I was not able to memorize the script. Also, I knew that I would be nervous on the day of the speech itself, hence that would lead me to forget whatever I had memorized. Luckily for me, my speech day was delayed to the first day of term 2, and I had a bit more time to memorize it, and I did.
The speech
I was the first one to present on that day. I was really nervous as I felt that it would not be excusable if I did a bad job as I had much more time to prepare than the rest. As I started speaking, the speech flowed through my mind too, and to my surprise, I could remember the whole speech. However, I stumbled at a few sentences, which I am not happy about as I felt that it could have been avoided and my speech could have been better if I did not stumble.
Reflection
I am not entirely satisfied with my presentation, but I feel that this has been a valuable learning experience for me. Even though it was not as easy as expected, with deadlines to meet and memorizing to be done, I have learnt a lot about Singapore through my research of racial harmony, and also through the speeches of my fellow classmates. I hope that for my next presentation, I can be less nervous and more fluent in my speech.
29/3/2015
More on China's economic growth
Compared to China, Singapore is indeed just a tiny red dot. With 3854082 square miles of land mass, there is a lot of space for office buildings, residential and commercial buildings etc. As a result, rent will be competitive with other countries and there will be a lot of free space for economic activities to be conducted. As more factories are built, more products are made and therefore sold, causing China's economic growth to rise. China has a corporate tax rate of 25%, one of the lowest in the world.
The Americans have been accusing China of keeping the Chinese Yuan undervalued. I think that this is a smart strategy. Previously, the ratio was 1 Singapore dollar to 6 Chinese Yuan. Now it is 1 Singapore dollar to 4.7 Chinese Yuan. If Chinese Yuan is undervalued, the products bought in China would be cheaper, hence attracting people to visit China and buy their products. Although cheaper, they would still be able to make a profit from the products sold.
What has this got to do with America?
With the inexpensive goods from China, more people are buying from China, and less are buying from America. In fact, less countries are importing from USA and even Americans are importing from China. Hence, China is stealing business from America. This shows that even though America produces goods of higher quality than China, most people would rather pay a lower price and get the same thing, but of lower quality. As I have mentioned in my previous post, I chose China products over others at first glance because of the relatively lower price. However, these consumers might regret after buying the product as it would be probably less durable than products from other countries.
China has a low cost of living.
Norway has a high cost of living as it has very little resources. With the high demand, comes an increase in price. China has many natural resources, such as coal, natural gas and steel. Hence, there is no need to import factors of production, and close proximity to these important factors will help firms save on transportation taxes.
Impact of economic growth on China
Social
Income inequity - no fair chance -> rich poor gap
Employment
More people have jobs
Standard of living
Buying more high end goods (eg branded bags, cars)
Environment
Pollution (Air and noise)
There are pros and cons to China's economic development. Even though more people have jobs, and more are able to afford a higher standard of living, there is an increasing gap between the rich and the poor. Also, the price to pay for having so many factories in order to produce more goods result in serious air pollution that might be life threatening and definitely unhealthy. However, China is undeniably growing stronger economically, hence Singapore would benefit if we were to maintain a good relationship with China and continue our steady economic growth.
22/2/2015
China's economic growth
The economic growth of China has been rapidly increasing over the last two decades. In 2009, China surpassed Japan to now rank second in the world in terms of GDP. GDP is the total value of goods and service produced in a country within a given period of time. This is a huge achievement and also hints that China might even surpass the United States to rank first in GDP in the near future. However, with the rapid economic growth, the gap between the rich and the poor is also widening. With a large population of 1.4 billion people, more jobs are available, and the large pool of unemployed workers can be recruited. However, they are given low salaries. This will lessen the burden on films as they pay their workers a low wage. China also joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, and gained access to more international markets. This is why products that are made in China are commonly seen in Singapore, and other countries. Even though there are various products that are made in China, ranging from our daily necessities to many food products, I have to say that I have little faith in the products made from China. In the recent years, there were reports of many fake food products, such as eggs or baby formula. I am shocked that it is even possible to imitate these food products, and how little regard they have towards the safety and health of the consumers. It seems to me that they only care about money, and they want to make the most money they can, hence they use ingredients that they know could pose a danger to our health. Having used multiple China products before, the products that I have used are generally of lower quality than those made in other countries, and they spoil or malfunction within a short period of time. However, I chose to buy the product in the first place as it was cheaper than other products. Hence, I think that China sells its products at a lower price as it is of lower quality and it will still not be disadvantageous to them as people would usually buy the item of a lower price compared to one that is of a higher price if they have the same functions. However, I am now more cautious about buying products made from China after the many disappointments when the products failed to meet my expectations. Hence, I do have my doubts when I purchase things made from China, but I must admit that it is a country with rapid economic growth. China is responsible for many major brands and it will be advantageous to Singapore if we can maintain a good relationship with China and work with them. This would help to boost our economy as well.
15/2/2015
Dwindling population growth of Singapore
I do not think that Singapore faces an issue of having too many children. In fact, there is an issue of Singaporeans mostly having only one or two children. The government does encourage higher birthing rates, however, in Singapore, I feel that the career is more important than family. Singaporeans are career driven, relentlessly pursuing excellence in jobs. In a higher income society, people tend to want the best for their kids, so they devote their resources on just one or two kids. This might spell trouble for Singapore, with more of an aging population than a growing population. The government has come up with many schemes to encourage Singaporeans to have more children, such as the recent scheme of SG50 babies getting special bonuses and hampers. Despite the efforts of the government, Singaporeans are still reluctant to give birth to more children. Perhaps, they do not want to give up their career to take care of a child, or they might not be mentally prepared for the love and devotion that they need to have for their child, hence I think that the government can arrange for more talks for couples to encourage them to take on the challenge of having a baby. I do have a baby sister myself, and taking care of a baby is indeed very taxing. However, the rewards that you get, such as seeing her grow day by day, is every bit worth the exhaustion. Also, the government can encourage people to have higher birthing rates by giving more baby bonuses, such that the parents can use the money to buy necessities for their child. Things in Singapore are quite costly, and babies outgrow many of their clothes very fast, so parents have to keep buying clothes. With the large amount of expenditure we have to spend on children, most people would rather not have a child and save the money up for rainy days. Hence, the government can give more baby bonuses, such that
couples that are thinking of having a child would not have so many financial struggles, and they would be more encouraged to have a child.
7/2/2015
One child policy
As a result of the rapidly increasing population in China, there will be a lack of resources, such as clean water, for everyone. Hence, China has implemented the one child policy.
How will the policy affect China?
Economic
Greater tax burden on the younger generation
Slower economic development due to aging population
Social
Shortage of 'women'
Generation which is less altruistic, less trusting, less trustworthy more risk-averse, less competitive,
There are pros and cons to this policy. I feel that the one child policy is necessary in order to stop the already large population to grow larger. However, I really pity female infants that are thrown away or killed by their own parents as a result of the one child policy. There is a strong belief that sons are superior to daughters, and are essential for carrying on the bloodline of the family, so when they can only have one child, they would only want a son and not a daughter. If the baby is a girl, she would most probably be killed. I feel that this is extremely cruel as it is still a life after all, and they should not take it so lightly. Both genders are equally important and they should not have this mindset anymore.
Also, the economy will be affected. The younger generation would have to provide for more people, and also pay more tax. The aging population would increase, and they would not be able to work, hence the younger generation would have to support them, and also pay more tax as there are less people. All of this contributes to the burden on their shoulders.
The lack of company would affect the child in one way or another. Without the understanding and empathy from someone around the same age as them, this would affect their character and personality, and they would grow so used to being alone, they might be socially awkward when they grow up and would not know how to interact with others.
However, the one child policy does has its benefits as well. If the population keeps on increasing at this rate, with no action from the government, they would soon run into a lot of trouble, and the situation would get out of hand. China will suffer greatly from the lack of resources, and without a doubt, the economy would be affected too.
In conclusion, I feel that the one child policy brings more disadvantages to the younger generation than advantages. Also, it has caused many deaths, hence I feel that the China government can reconsider if it is really necessary.
7/2/2015
As a result of the rapidly increasing population in China, there will be a lack of resources, such as clean water, for everyone. Hence, China has implemented the one child policy.
How will the policy affect China?
Economic
Greater tax burden on the younger generation
Slower economic development due to aging population
Social
Shortage of 'women'
Generation which is less altruistic, less trusting, less trustworthy more risk-averse, less competitive,
There are pros and cons to this policy. I feel that the one child policy is necessary in order to stop the already large population to grow larger. However, I really pity female infants that are thrown away or killed by their own parents as a result of the one child policy. There is a strong belief that sons are superior to daughters, and are essential for carrying on the bloodline of the family, so when they can only have one child, they would only want a son and not a daughter. If the baby is a girl, she would most probably be killed. I feel that this is extremely cruel as it is still a life after all, and they should not take it so lightly. Both genders are equally important and they should not have this mindset anymore.
Also, the economy will be affected. The younger generation would have to provide for more people, and also pay more tax. The aging population would increase, and they would not be able to work, hence the younger generation would have to support them, and also pay more tax as there are less people. All of this contributes to the burden on their shoulders.
The lack of company would affect the child in one way or another. Without the understanding and empathy from someone around the same age as them, this would affect their character and personality, and they would grow so used to being alone, they might be socially awkward when they grow up and would not know how to interact with others.
However, the one child policy does has its benefits as well. If the population keeps on increasing at this rate, with no action from the government, they would soon run into a lot of trouble, and the situation would get out of hand. China will suffer greatly from the lack of resources, and without a doubt, the economy would be affected too.
In conclusion, I feel that the one child policy brings more disadvantages to the younger generation than advantages. Also, it has caused many deaths, hence I feel that the China government can reconsider if it is really necessary.
7/2/2015
Thoughts on last week and this week's CID lessons
For the past two lessons, we focused on the importance of proper observation and communication, and also the one child policy in China. I did not think that effective communication and proper observation was that important, until we played a game similar to the broken telephone, except that the message that was supposed to be passed down was replaced by a picture. I had to listen closely to what the first person had said, then relay the information to the third person. I found it extremely challenging as I have a very bad memory, and I could not remember what the first person told me. In addition, there was a time limit for us to observe, relay information and draw. This added more stress as every second we wasted was time we could have used to relay more information. It was interesting to watch the information that got relayed on getting less and less, and we ended up with a drawing that looked nothing like the picture at first. Through all the laughter and teasing about how the drawing looked like, I understood the importance of proper observation and effective and clear communication. The picture was an infant supporting two adults, that probably were his parents, that were supporting many elderly people, whom probably were his grandparents. This picture clearly showed the burden on the infant's shoulders, as he was struggling to hold up the many people he had to support, which depicts the one-child policy in China. My thoughts on the one-child policy would be in my next blog post.
7/2/2015
Holiday reflection
Many things happened during the holidays, but the most memorable one for me was a camp. My CCA required me to attend this camp. To be honest, I was not looking forward to the camp at all and got really nervous as the days drew closer and closer to the camp days. However, I definitely do not have any regrets going there. I met many others from different schools and became friends with them, and experienced many new things as well. I will never forget the hike that took place on camp day 2, where we hiked from Clementi Town Secondary School to the Old Ford museum and back. Throughout the hike, we encouraged each other, and persevered on together. We were very proud of ourselves and each other when we realized we were the first to reach our destination. This experience really is unforgettable to me as I never thought that I would be able to accomplish this hike. As a person with low stamina, there were many times when I wanted to give up. However, the encouragement of the people around me spurred me on. I learnt from this experience that perseverance is the key to success. We should not give up just because of the obstacles standing in our way. After the camp came to an end, I then realized that so many friendships had been forged, and precious memories made. Even though the camp was tough, but as a platoon, we overcame all the obstacles together, got punished together, and bonded together. This valuable experience means a lot to me, and I am glad that I got the opportunity to be able to attend this camp.
18/1/2015
Although Singapore is an urbanized place, with many high-rise buildings and a modern society, poverty still exists in many places.
I often see many old people, trying to sell tissues at crowded places such as a MRT station. I feel that majority of the poor people in Singapore are the elderly. People might not want to hire them as they are too old, and might not be able to work as well as others. They might not have any children, or their children have no time or money to take care of them. Either way, they are left to fend for themselves.
I feel sorry for them as they might not have enough money to make ends meet, thus they have to rely on the sympathy of people to buy tissue from them in order to make some money. I think there should be less syndicates that control beggars in Singapore as compared to other countries. Therefore, I think we should help these people when we can, as the small amount of money we donate might make a huge difference to them.
Also, there are many reality shows where we can see what kind of environment the poor in Singapore live in, and their everyday struggles. To see the state of the one-room flats on the television is really heart wrenching for me. To come back to a home that is messy and dirty after a long day of work must certainly be difficult for them. I feel sad for them when I hear their stories, with some parents not having enough money to let their children receive proper education. However, it is heartening to see many people trying to help the poor. I think helping the needy is very meaningful. Seeing the smile on their faces would make everything worth it. Indeed, a little kindness goes a long way.
Despite there being many poor people who are in really need money, there are still some who fake injuries or disabilities to get people to donate to them. Then, they would use the money to feed their bad habits, like gambling. I feel that if they are able to, they should get a job instead of making use of the public's sympathy. Hence, I feel that we should still be wary about who we are donating our money to.
Having said all that, I feel that donating to reputable charities or helping these needy people by volunteering are the best ways to truly help them. At least, if we donate to reputable charities, we can be at ease, knowing that the money will go to those who need it. All words and no actions do nothing. We can also be volunteers and interact with them to get to know them better. Volunteering can be in many forms, such as offering to clean up their houses and distributing food. I would like to be a volunteer as I want to change their lives for the better.
After learning more about the poverty in Singapore, I feel very fortunate that I come home to a home that is although not very big, but warm and welcoming. We should learn to be more appreciative and grateful for what we have now, and not take it for granted.
18/1/2015
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