Tang Dynasty

Tang Dynasty resulted in the economic growth of China. This is because the Silk Road was opened during the Tang Dynasty.  The Silk Road is opened during the Tang Dynasty, and this opened up trade between the western countries with China. The Tang Dynasty paid special attention to the west, and made an effort to keep good relations and trade with the western powers. That was the main factor that caused Singapore to become such a successful country. Also, in the Tang Dynasty, there were many educated people that caused many businesses to successfully happen. Just like the Tang Dynasty, Singapore is well educated and most of us are bilingual and we can speak in English and Chinese. This allows us to be able to communicate with countries that are economically rich such as China. Today, the port is one of the busiest in Asia. So, Singapore is like the Tang Dynasty as it opened up trade, and that was what made singapore successful.

Suzhou industrial park reflection

This Suzhou Industrial Park is a collaboration between singapore and China. However, the chinese back then did not welcome foreign investment as singapore held majority of the shares. Because of this, there was competitng park where the local government had a hug her share and this made the government to focus on the local park instead. I think singapore have a lot to learn from other countries and improve as a whole. To truly cooperate with other countries is not easy and I'm glad the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew gave us an opportunity to do it well and make singapore proud.

Reflection on China economic

Reflections ( calyn )
China is the largest exporter of goods in the world and is a global hub for manufacturing. The factors that explains why China has so many imports from other countries is because of he  lower standard of living, which allows companies in China to pay lower wages to workers. Over the past 30 years or so, seizing the opportunity of the world economy's long-term prosperity and the deepening economic globalization, China has opened wider to the outside world, attracted and utilized foreign investment, introduced advanced technology, transformed and upgraded domestic industries, and achieved rapid development in foreign trade through all-round participation in the international division of labor and competition, thus opening up to international trade.

Life in Singapore in 20 years

I think Singapore in 20 years time may either be really advanced or poor. Firstly, we are a first world country now and is a really prosperous country. However, we depend a lot on other countries for resources etc. If we continue to prosper, our country can be really successful and be technology-advanced so on and so forth. However, if more foreign people enter out countries, the number of jobs available for us Singaporeans would not be enough and we may be really lazy or go against the government. If this is the case, we will be less successful than before. Hopefully, life in 20 years will be more relaxed and carefree. 

Poverty in Singapore

Photo source: http://singaporematters.blogspot.sg/2013/06/wait-our-prime-minister-does-have-point.html

This is a quite common sight for us in Singapore, a simple picture yet displaying a scene of poverty. This is an elderly woman lying on a bench at night with her belongings in a small plastic bag. From my recent research online, according to some campaigners, they said that $5 is what nearly 400,000 Singaporeans are left with paying for utilities, rent, school, loan installments and healthcare. This is a rather shocking find as what can you do with $5 per day to survive? Nowadays, life in singapore becomes more and more tough and poverty gets worse. Hopefully this situation will improve soon and the government will take action.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26349689

My experience:

I have seen many poor people and sights of poverty in Singapore. Most of them sell packets of tissues while some with musical background play instruments to cajole people in giving them some money, earning a living. There's an old man below my block, always playing a instrument and begging for money. I gave him a couple of cents before and he thanked me. I always feel happy when they smile and thank me as it makes me feel that I have helped someone in need and that makes me feel good. However, I feel sorry for them as they are already aging and yet need to resort to begging to survive. This makes me appreciate what I have in my life and I shouldn't take things for granted. 

December Holidays Reflection (Calyn)

During the November and December break, I enjoyed myself thoroughly after the stressing EOYs and really let my hair down. Even though there were still the tiring CCAs, I went to Australia (Melbourne and Adelaide) for a 2 weeks holiday.

The scenery there is very breathtaking and beautiful. We went sightseeing and visited tons of tourist attractions such as "The 12 Apostles". It was a once in a lifetime experience for me as the color of the waves was around turquoise and dark blue, sand was bright golden and the "apostles" stood at its finest.

There was a day when my family decided to do some strawberry picking. It was my first time and I was really excited. Once I entered the area to pick the strawberries, I was amazed. The strawberries were all very fresh and red and it looks really juicy as well! We could taste some of them and it tasted delicious. We picked the strawberries and weighed them. It was a great experience and I'll definitely do it again in a heartbeat!

In Melbourne, there are lots of shopping outlets which I was glad about as it means I could literally shop till I drop! The food there is great too and the people there are warm and friendly. I also went to the famous Queen Victoria Market. The things sold there are ranging from bottle of jams to candies to skin care products. It was a fantastic experience for me as I could learn about other people's cultures and understand how they live and heir standard of living etc. I love traveling overseas and had a great time last December! :)

-Calyn ^_^