OELP trip day 2

Today, we had left the hotel early in the morning as it was time to proceed to Yangzhou next. The bus ride to Yangzhou was approximately five hours long. The only break that we had on the way was to a minimart where we went to the toilet before buying some food for the bus ride. Finally, when we had reached Yangzhou, it was time to eat our lunch. Next, we went to Ge Yuan. There were many beautiful rock sculptures in the Ge Yuan. Following that, we went to the paper cutting museum. In the museum, there were plenty of intricate paper cuttings. However, some problems cropped up when we realised somebody else was still doing their paper cutting and we could not start yet. Hence, we decided to go to the Beijing-hangzhou Grand Canal first. After we toured around the entire Grand Canal by boat, we returned to the Paper Cutting Museum. Once we started to do the paper cutting, I realised that my initial thoughts of paper cutting were wrong. At first, I thought paper cutting was child's play. However, I found out paper cutting was a very hard thing to do and required a lot of patience. In the end, my end result was a very torn and tattered cat. Finally, we went to one of the local supermarket's in a shopping mall. China's supermarket were huge. There were practically anything in the supermarket, like food products, daily household items, electronics, shoes, and bags. Even Singapore's hypermarkets lose out to the supermarkets in Yangzhou. In fact, the supermarket was so big me and my friend ended up getting lost and we were unable to find our other group mates. Luckily, we still managed to locate them at the last minute. Basically, Yangzhou is also quite modernised, as it has new shopping malls. This was out of my expectation, as to me, I thought Yangzhou was a village-like city.

OELP trip day 4

Today we proceeded to Shu Ren School again. However, today was to the older branch. First, once we were at the school, we exchanged presents with our China buddies. While we exchanged presents we also talked amongst each other. In fact, we realised that we had one common topic with them , which was about games. After the students rushed off for their lessons, it was time for us to learn how to make something that seemed like a friendship band to me. However, they said that the band was meant for luck. After one and a half hours of trying to complete the band, it was time to go and perform for the students of Shu Ren School. We took turns with the students from Shu Ren to do our performances. All the performances done by Shu Ren School were splendid, which showed that they had put in much effort for the performance. Of course, we also did quite well. The whole thing was wrapped up with everyone singing the song "朋友” and we all squeezed on the small stage together. Before we left, they also gave us one salted duck egg each. Now it was time to eat our lunch. Of course, it was the usual like 狮子头 and some other food. Having completed our meal, we went for our next lesson which was on calligraphy. Basically, we wrote a few phrases like what we normally do in school during RV literature last year, as we were learning calligraphy. Finally, it was time for us to say good bye to the people of Shu Ren School. Thereafter, we went to Xinhua Book store. We realised that China's book store sold a wide variety lf things instead of just books. They also sold electronics and sports equipment. In fact, the book store was six storeys. Finally, we were allowed to roam freely in shopping mall. China's shopping mall is quite close to that of Singapore. It sold shoes amd clothes. However, the supermarket in the shopping mall was really very big. They sold practically anything that you would want or need. It was like twice or thrice the size of Singapore's bigger supermarkets.

OELP trip day 7

Today is the last day that we would be in China. First, we went to Qibao guzhen. The place was very quiet and there were not many people around the place, compared to Chenghuang Miao or Dong Quan Men Alley which were noisy and crowded. The place basically sold daily household items, food and of course, costumes, which was the main thing in Qibao Guzhen, as many people would wear the costume and take photos, based on our teacher. Next, we proceeded to the Shanghai museum. The Shanghai Museum was a total of four storeys high, and there were many different sections on each level. Some sections displayed the old coins used in China in the past, jades items in China, the way the people in China dressed, displays of art works and many more. After that, we were supposed to go to the Shanghai Urban Planning Centre. However, we found out that it was closed on the day that we went. Therefore, we decided that we would just go to the airport earlier so that we could do our own thing first. Overall, I feel that this OELP trip was quite a fruitful one. We had learnt about China's culture and tradition and how does their education system work. We have also made new friends and bonded with our classmates. Lastly, we also learnt how to be independent and take care of ourselves, our belongings and the people around us, instead of relying fully on our parents to do everything for us. We also learnt about situational awareness and "protocol" from our form teacher, that we must know when is the right place and right time to do something. I believe everyone has enjoyed this overseas educational trip to China and they to have learnt a lot from it.

OELP trip day 6

Today, we woke up early yet again. It was time to return back to Shanghai. After the long and tiring 5 hour journey, we finally returned to Shanghai. First we went to Chenghuang Miao. It was a bustling place. It was just like Singapore's own Orchard Road. Our next location was the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. Sadly, we only had very little time to view the place so we only took pictures of the stuffed animals. We also bought our CID group identity here, which was a pendant with a clover leave inside. We also watched a short 4D film about how antibiotics were not very good for our body. Next, we proceeded to the Oriental Pearl Tower. The tower was humongous. When we were in the viewing platform, people like me who had a fear of heights battled with our fear and stood on the glass platform to take the CID group photo. After taking the photo, I quickly got of the platform and bought as snow globe with the Oriental Pearl Tower inside. This was when we realised my friend had been cheated of his money, as he had bought the exact same snow globe in Chenghuang Miao for 96 yuan while I bought mine for 52 yuan. Following that, we went to the Old French Concession. The entire place was unlike the rest of China due to its western influence. The place was very high class and expensive looking. Finally, we went to Tian Zi Fang before we went for dinner. Through the Old French Concession, we could see that foreign influence greatly impacted parts of China such that they were totally alien compared to the whole of China. So we wonder, is foreign influence a good or bad thing for China? Well, basically, the answer can be found by comparing China with Hong Kong and Taiwan, which were both part of China in the past but was separated due to foreign influence.

OELP trip day 5

Today, we went to the Dongguan Street first thing in the morning. Actually, Dongguan Street was not exactly counted as a street. It was full of shops that sold many different things. There were also quite a few shops that sold "precious gemstones" which I believe were meant to trick unsuspecting tourists. However, there was one thing that was very obvious in Dongguan street. There were many shops that sold pets, such as hamsters, rabbits, cats, and most commonly, dogs. This attracted our attention as some of the puppies were really cute and many of us took photos of them.  After we had finished taking photos, we proceeded to our next destination, which was the Slender West Lake and 24 Bridges. The scenery at the place was beautiful. There were plenty of flowers and the lake was magnificent. After walking for a very long time, our stomach was grumbling. Hence, we went for lunch. The former residence of Zhu Ziqing was our next destination. The place taught us quite a bit of facts about Zhu ziqing and his entire life. 175

Finally, we proceeded to our final destination for the day, Dong Quan Men Alley, which was also the last one in Yangzhou. Dong Quan Men Alley looked majestic, with the huge entrance towering over everybody. The shops inside had the design of China's past buildings, which brought out the cultural sense of the entire place. Most of the shops sold souvenirs, snacks. There were also a few tea leaf shops. I bought some snacks for my family, relatives, and neighbours. After we shopped our to our hearts content, it was already afternoon. Therefore, it was time to leave for dinner. Throughout the day today, I realised that Yangzhou was actually quite a popular tourist attraction even though it was not as modern as Shanghai. Instead, it made use of its old culture and tradition to attract tourists.

OELP trip day 1

The first day of the OELP trip was not a very memorable one. During the long flight from Singapore all the way to Shanghai, I ended up vomiting in the plane, as I was air-sick. Right after the horrible flight, we went to eat our dinner at a restaurant. Having eaten our dinner, we proceeded to our next location, The Bund. We took a ferry which went alongside The Bund, where we took many photos of all the brightly lighted buildings. Finally, after a tiring day, we went to our hotel for our debrief and drowsily went to sleep after that. 

Actually, if you take a look, Shanghai is very similar to our very own home Singapore, as both cities have tall skyscrapers which crowd up the entire city. In fact, if you did not know both Singapore and Shanghai very well, you probably might have mistaken one country for the other one. The only few differences between Singapore and Shanghai is probably that Shanghai's skyscrapers are brightly lighted up at night unlike Singapore's skyscrapers which remain dark and that the weather was comparatively colder in Shanghai. Another difference was that people in Shanghai mostly spoke Chinese while we Singaporeans speak english. In the past, the Huangpu River, was used for ships to enter Shanghai, which was an important port in China in the past, based on what our tour guide had said on the bus. However, now the Huangpu River is a famous tourist attraction which many tourists would come to. Shanghai's economy mainly consists of banks, which could be seen, and its many tourist attractions, just like The Bund and the Huangpu River. Shanghai is definitely a city which is very active, whether day or night, and would be a place for people to experience city life in a different light.

OELP trip day 3

Our day at Shu Ren School was a fruitful and enjoyable one. At the school, we first when to their school hall, where we learnt Wushu with the students from Shu Ren School. One thing that made me respect the students was that greeted us with zest unlike us, which we actually did not do. The moves that we learnt were relatively hard. However, the students from Shu Ren School did not complain Or procrastinate at all. instead, they learnt the moves seriously. After that, we performed our school's 立化拳. They clapped enthusiastically after we completed the performance, even though it was obvious that we did not do it very well. This showed that they were very respectful. We went to the teachers canteen for lunch next.

We had a scrumptious meal which we ate tomato omelette, braised pork, fish and the delicious  狮子头. We also had a watermelon and a banana. 

Having eaten our lunch, we proceeded to our next destination, which was the garden. Shu Ren school had a very huge and grand garden. We toured around the whole garden, taking photos along the way.

The waterfall and pond in the garden was extremely beautiful.

Right after the tour ended, we went back to the hall, where we were going to take part in some games and activities. The games included pairs having to hold a ball using their backs, jumping in a sack, holding ping pong balls with the paddle going to and fro and finally throwing shuttlecocks into a basket. While the games were going on, we cheered for everybody with all our might, which was something that the students from Shu Ren School did not do. After the games ended, it was time for a basketball match against their school basketball team. Although we lost in the end, with the points at 9-18, but we still cheered our lungs out, not just for River Valley, but also for Shu Ren School. Finally, it was time to go and eat our dinner, so it was to say farewell to the school.

Oriental Pearl Radio and TV Tower

The Oriental Pearl Radio and TV Tower is a TV Tower in Shanghai, China. Its location at the tip of Lujiazui in the Pudong district by the side of Huangpu River, opposite The Bund, makes it a distinct landmark in the area. The Oriental Pearl Radio and TV Tower features 11 spheres, big and small. The two largest spheres, along the length of the tower, have diameters of 50 m (164 ft) for the lower and 45 m (148 ft) for the upper. They are linked by three columns, each 9 m (30 ft) in diameter. The highest sphere is 14 m (46 ft) in diameter. The design of the Oriental Pearl and TV Tower said to be based on a verse of the Tang Dynasty poem Pipa Song by Bai Juyi about the wonderful sprinkling sound of a pipa instrument, like pearls, big and small falling on a jade plate 大珠小珠落玉盘/大珠小珠落玉盤. The 468 meter Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower is a multifunctional venue with sight-seeing, restaurants, shopping, entertainment, Shanghai History Museum, Cruise Dock and a theatre for cultural performances. It has already become one of the most symbolic venues and tourism resources in Shanghai and it is acclaimed as one of the ten best views in Shanghai.

 

National icon

The Merlion is Singapore's national icon. Why is there a need to have a national icon? Well, a national icon is what represents us. Without it, we will have nothing special. The Merlion is our national icon as a guy called Sang Nila Utama thought he saw a lion when he first arrived in Singapore, and Singapore was a fishing village, and so we decided to make the Merlion the national icon, which is half mermaid and half lion. Actually, we also have other things that can represent us, like our Marina Bay Sands, Changi Airport and so on, but as the Merlion came earlier, it was therefore chosen as the national icon of Singapore. This is why whenever tourists come to Singapore, they will most definitely go and take some photos with the Merlion. The Merlion has the head of a lion and the body of a mermaid which makes it look very special and unique as other countries would not be able to think up of something like that. However, we are not really very sure if Sang Nila Utama had really seen a lion or a tiger. Once the Merlion became our national icon, everybody would finally learn and know about it, as it was most likely unknown to them at first as it is not a creature that we can see in real life. The Merlion would then become the pride of all Singaporeans, as when the people from other countries think about our Singapore, the image of the Merlion would automatically appear in their minds. After we made the Merlion our national icon, we would also become more popular with the tourists as we will become more interesting to them. All in all, I think that the Merlion is suitable to be Singapore's national icon.

Remembering LKY

Mr Lee Kuan Yew is our founding father, he is our first prime minister, he is our great leader. He was born in 1923, and he experienced the World War 2 at the young age of only 19 years old. Finally, after the cruel war had ended, and the Japanese retreated out of Singapore, he and his other colleagues decided to go to England in 1959 to ask for free governance of Singapore from the British and succeeded in their negotiation. Finally, in 1962, Singapore managed to finally break free of the British completely and merged together with our neighboring country Malaya to form Malaysia. However, Singapore's bond with Malaysia ended very quickly due to the difference in the views between the two countries which caused riots, in 1965. At that time, Mr Lew Kuan Yew broke down and cried. However, he did not give up and built Singapore to what it is today. If fact, because of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore now has its very own version of the "Golden Age". From a small little sleeping fishing village, Singapore has now transformed to become a very well known metropolis. Singapore's kampongs have changed to HDB flats, so as to accommodate to the limited space available while being able to hold many households. Mr Lee Kuan Yew also started National Service after what had happened in World War 2, which all Singaporean males of age 18 had to go and train to be soldiers, so that they would be able to protect Singapore if there would be another war like that, and we do not require to count on others. Lastly, Mr Lee Kuan Yew also encouraged all the major businesses to start their business overseas and now Singapore has become a popular country and many countries come to Singapore to sell their products.This is why I say that this is Singapore's "Golden Age".

Reflection on China economy

China's economy growth and also the opening up of their country to the international trade will most definitely have quite a few implications on Singapore, and that includes two good implications and two bad implications.As Singapore is one of the many active business partners of China and we have plenty of big businesses that we are working with them, Singapore will be able to benefit really a lot from it if China's economy is able to grow as we will in turn be able to gain more money from our businesses with China, and that would help Singapore's economy to be able to grow quite a bit.Furthermore, China is now catching up with America in terms of their economy, which might mean that Chinese may eventually become the main language everywhere and that will be good for Singapore as Singapore students also learn Chinese in school unlike some other countries, which would allow Singapore students to excel compared to other students from countries where they do not teach Chinese in school. Although there are a few good implications for Singapore if China's economy manages to grows, there are still bad implications from this. If China's economy grows, China might start to become very competitive with all the countries and in the end, our relationship with China might get strained and no longer have a good business relationship between the two countries.The other bad implication of China's economic growth may be that more and more China people may come to Singapore to get good jobs and so the younger generation of Singapore may therefore have less jobs to go to as all of them are not willing to go to the jobs with a lower pay, and the unemployment rate in Singapore will rise significantly, which will do bad for the reputation of Singapore.

Singapore- dwindling population

I predict that Singapore would end up having more and more older people and lesser and lesser youths in the future due to the problem of a dwindling population growth. This might probably lead to the lack of manpower as all the people from the older generation are retiring but there is not enough people from the younger generation to help take over their jobs, if they are even willing to. Another thing is that given the dwindling population growth and the increase in the death rate, Singapore's population would become smaller and, eventually, after many years, Although it is quite impossible, Singapore may disappear forever. So that Singapore will be able to prepare and overcome these problems,there are certain measures that Singapore may need to take. Firstly, Singapore should start using robots to take over some of the jobs that were once done by the older generation. In this way, there are now not too many jobs that need manpower so there are enough youths to take over. However, some of the youths may dislike the job and rather have a job with a better pay, so school may also have to inculcate in the students not to just care about the pay, but also how meaningful is the job, so that when they grow up, they do not just care about the pay of the work they are doing. Secondly, the government can start more policies that will give people premiums when they have more kids. This will encourage many of the couples to have more babies and so the population would not drop. Of course, another way is to solve these two problems is to bring in more foreign talent so that there are more people to do all the work and also more people to add to the number of people in Singapore.

A Picture Paints a Thousand Words

After listening to the CID lesson on Friday, I realised that there are really many people out in the world that are suffering very badly from poverty, which is more than what I expected, as I believed that the modernizing world was already free from the problem of poverty. During the lesson, there was a slide with a picture of a black kid that was abandoned in the wild and was trying to kill himself. That made me find that poverty was a horrible killer, as it forced those poor people to want to kill themselves so as to end their own misery. In another slide, there were two pictures featuring a woman and a man. The man was carrying a signboard that said that he was homeless and broke, and needed a few cents so as to make some phones calls to his relatives. As for the woman, she was trying to sell something to a man. At first look, I looked down on the man straight away as I thought he was able-bodied yet he still was begging for money. For the woman, on the other hand, I pitied her as she was carrying a baby yet she had to try and sell stuff to people to earn money. That is why when the teacher asked us who we would give our money to, I straight away chose that I would give my money to the woman.However, after knowing more details about the picture, I realized that my judgement was completely wrong. The man only had one hand so he was unable to work. The woman, instead, was from a group of syndicates that cheated people's money by gaining their pity, which made me despise her, as no matter how much we need money, we should earn it with our own ability. Therefore, after finding out the truth of the matter, I changed my decision and decided that I would give the money to the man.

My December 2014 Holidays

During the December Holidays, I did not do much. Most of the time, I just went for my co-curricular activity which was on Monday, Wednesday from 9am to 12pm. After that, I would go to the nearby Jurong Point with my CCA friends and eat with them. This had boosted our relationships greatly and we became even closer. The next thing that I did most was go bowling. It had started when my classmate asked me to go bowling with him and since then, I became interested in bowling and went out with my family members and relatives to bowl, so I got better at bowling. In fact, there was also one time when my entire year 1 CCA mates, now year 2, went out together to go bowling and we all had a lot of fun. Other than that, I also went ice-skating with a few of my classmates. Altough I kept falling at first, but after a while, I got better and did not fall and could go faster without having the fear of falling. 21st December was alos a very busy day for me. In the morning, I went to SAFRA Toa Payoh to celebrate my grandpa's 79th birthday and we had a scrumptious feast. Not long after that, I went for my CCA's christmas party. Again, I had a hearty meal and after that, we had a session where we exchanged gifts with each other. Overall, my holidays was still not too bad as I still had some time to relax after finishing my work.