Taiwan OELP reflection

Taiwan day 2

On day 2, we went to the Hakka museums, and learnt more about the Hakka culture. I learnt that Hakka is a race in Taiwan, and they migrated from China. In the early days, they settled into the hilly areas of Taiwan, and despite the difficult terrain, they turned swamps and riverbeds in farmland. A unique life style adapted to the hills developed, and that formed the basis of Hakka culture.  We also learnt about some Taiwanese culture, like the oblation furnace (敬字停）they believed that papers with words are precious and cannot be anyhow thrown away, and it's a practice still upheld now. I'm very impressed with how the Taiwanese preserved their culture. Seeing how the many museums are preserved, and how many of the tour guides explaining the museum to us were volunteers, I can really feel their enthusiasm towards their culture. I think they have done it better than Singapore, as even though we have museums, we don't go there, and do not have an enthusiasm like the Taiwanese. I think that we can learn a lot from the Taiwanese, and try to learn and preserve our culture. Especially us, the youths of Singapore. We cannot treat our culture lightly, as it defines who we are and gives us identity. We should learn to treasure and preserve them. 

Taiwan day 3

On day 3, we visited the an ping fort and the liu he night market. I thought the an ping fort was very significant, as it was a symbol of their independence, a story of how Taiwan prospered. It is very important, as it could be something all Taiwanese could relate to and be proud of. Just like singapores story of raffles, the Taiwanese story of zeng cheng gong. It embodies the values the people of the country all admire, so they can all be proud of the person. I think that this is the importance of a monument. It is significant by representing important memories of the locals, and form a common story, or thing all the people can be proud of. Whether it's the Singapore story of raffles or the Taiwanese story of zeng cheng gong, it is all something people of the country can be proud of. After this, we went to the liu he night market. I saw a lot of Taiwans famous snacks. I learnt a lot of the Chinese food culture, and I tried a lot of them.

Taiwan day 4

On day 4, I went to our sister school, sacred hearts high school. We went to their classes to see what it was like, and also we performed a dance for them, and they also had a few performances prepared for us. At the performance, I was very impressed by their discipline. They were very attentive during our performance, and there was none of the fidgeting and noises that we always make. They clapped and cheered loudly, and gave us an impression that they were enjoying the performance very much. It made us feel very welcomed and impressed. I also went to their science class, and it was a debate class, about the merits and demerits of zoos. The teacher was very supportive, and always guided us on how to answer, and help us summarize our points. He made the atmosphere very conducive, and thus helped spark the exchange of ideas. All in all, I think that the Taiwanese students have very good discipline, and their teachers are very friendly and supportive.

Day 5

We went to zhengxin for robotics and balloon sculpturing lessons, and I learnt a lot of new things. For the robotics lesson, I learnt how to transfer the program into the robot, and then assemble the robot. It was very fun, and interesting. We also went for balloon sculpturing, and that's the time we were able to bond with the seniors who led us, and as they taught us how to make the balloons, while we keep popping them, I felt that they were really people I can depend on. In the afternoon, we went to the cake towel shop. I was impressed with their creativity, as they made.... All sorts of things from towels, such as cats, cows.... I learnt that because of the climate, the cotton used to make towels are hard to grow, but they worked around that by coming up with this creative way to boost sales. 

Day 6

We went for a FCE lesson in the morning, and I was very surprised when I learnt that we will be cooking our lunch. I was worried at first, as during the FCE lessons in RV, the food I cooked was.... Not horrible, but not all that tasty either. However, through the guidance of the seniors there who taught us how to cook, I had a very enjoyable lunch, and I'm happy to say that the food was delicious. In the afternoon, I went out with my buddy, and I learnt a lot about the Taiwanese culture, through our visit to a temple. It has a lot of gods there, and the buddy introduced them to me. We also went to a street that is very famous in Taiwan for its paintings of the cats, and the paintings were very creative, as on a 2D wall, they created a 3D feeling, and we had fun and interacted with the cats. 

Day 7

It was the day where we returned to Singapore, and we went to the  911 earth quake education centre. It was designed very well, with a bridge that has markings on it that can measure the earth quake. We went to a area that was preserved to record the scene of the earth quake, and we can see the extent of the damage for ourselves. Classrooms was tore into two, and you can see the steel poking out. Seeing the power of the earthquake, and the damage it can cause, I'm all the more thankful that I can live in Singapore. We are special in the fact that we can avoid these earth quakes, and we must realize how fortunate we are. We must not forget to help those who are less fortunate though, and always be ready to help someone in need.

Three questions I would like to ask about Taiwan

1. How do the Taiwanese cope with the four seasons

2. How is their education system different from Singapore

3. What are their different type of dialects, are they understandable by us.

Is Merlin the best national icon?

I think that the Merlin is not the best national icon. It is no doubt recognizable to a lot of people, but I feel that it can't represent the modern Singapore. What the Merlin represents is the finding of Singapore, and its origin is shrouded in legend. How can we use a creature that is not even real to represent Singapore? It stands only as an icon of sangnila utama, about how he found Singapore. But today's Singapore is a modern first world country, and I think that the Merlin cannot represent that. We can use perhaps changi airport, it is the place all foreigners will see when they arrive at Singapore, and it is one of the top in the world. It can represent Singapore  technological advance, and can symbolize modern Singapore.so, I feel that the Merlin comes out from a myth with no great significance, and does not represent Singapores core values, or things that we come to appreciate about Singapore, so the Merlin is not the best representative of Singapore.

Tang Dynasty, how it reflects singapore

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. The Tang Dynasty conquered the eastern Turks, and the Silk Road lengthened it self towards the west, establishing trade all the way to Rome. This is like Singapore, as singapore flourished due to trade, and it is still the main income source for singapore today. Like the Tang Dynasty, singapore payed special attention to the west, and though it was not the one who opened the trade route, it became an important stop in it, and many counties merchants stop there. 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.

Reflection on Suzhou industrial park

The Suzhou industrial park was a collaboration between singapore and China. China wanted to use singapore as a role model for their growth, and this collaboration was used to let China learn from singapore. Thus, the signed the agreement, and Singapore started the project. However, what Singapore didn't realise is that prders from the top do not nessecarily carry out to the bottom, due to the fact that Singapore has a higher share in the park, and there was a competing park where the local government had a higher share, this caused the local government to neglect that park and focus on the local park instead. Singapore then lowered its shares, and it now turns in a profit. I think that this shows that Singapore had a lot to learn from working with other countries. Singapore is a small country which makes it easier to carry out the order, so the government is much more efficient and all orders are carried out from top to bottom. However, other countries are not like that. Thus, I think that to truly cooperate with other countries, they will need to use these methods, and make sure that the agreement is carried out.

Reflection on CID presentation

I think that in this presentation, we all didn't make use of the time well. We were afraid of going over the time limit and being deducted marks so we shortened our speeches to make sure we stayed within the time limit. However, when I presented, I was nervous and forget things, so my speech became even shorter. So, I think that we should not worry so much about the timing, as when there is 30 seconds left, we can end of our point and conclude, and not go over the time. I think I should have done that instead of trying to plan out everything, as this way, it will be more flexible, and made use of our time better.

Comment on group threes presentation

I think that the presentation was good as it was funny and engaged the audience. Yizhuo was able to use humor to attract the audience and his voice was loud and clear. Furthermore, he held in his laughter when telling the jokes. So, I think that he didi well as he was able to articulate clearly and engage the audience 

Reflection of China's economic growth

China gains its economic growth from its mass of unemployed workers and natural resources. This allows China to produce masses of goods for export. They also make it easier to set up factories by undervaluing the currency and charging low taxes. Coupled with the mass of unemployed workers, resulting in low salaries, China is a very attractive place to start a business. 

The implication on singapore is that many people will want to start a business in China and not singapore, resulting in a lower number of businesses in Singapore. As more and more business man goes to China to start a business, there will be less business man in Singapore. On the other hand, the cheap goods increases living standards of Singaporeans.

Life in singapore in twenty years due to aging population

If the population ages in Singapore, then the work force will become smaller and smaller, resulting in a drop in singapores economy. As singapores economy drops, the living standards will detiorate, and more people will live in poverty. When this happens, the government will have to implement policies to help increase the working population, such as increasing benefits and lessening the burden of having children. Also, the government would increase the age limit of those eligible to work, and will be encouraging old people to take up intellectual jobs to offer reprise from the problem.

Poverty in Singapore

Poverty in Singapore mainly reminds Singaporeans of the aunties and uncles selling tissue papers at hawker centers. I think that it is a good thing that Singaporeans do not simply wait at home in their old age, but try to earn a living for them selves. Even if they are poor, they do not wait for assistance. Singapore has a very efficient social structure, so it is uncommon to see a lot of beggars. I think that the poor should try their best to earn a living, and not simply wait.

December holiday reflection

During the December holidays, I went to Bali, Indonesia, on a 7 day trip. My most memorable expereince is going to lembonggan island to scuba dive. They equipped us with scuba diving gear, and drove us on a boat to the ocean a distance away from the coast, and we went down to the ocean to scuba dive.

   The scuba diving was memorable as we get to see a lot of beautiful coral, and trying out the scuba gear was a new experience. When I first started using it, I drank a lot of sea water, but I carried on, and soon, was able to use the gear. I was very happy that I was able to scuba dive, and I stayed there for a long time. The coral was really very beautiful and colorful, and there was a lot of fishes darting about. I would really want to come back next time again, and see the coral.

  On our return to the beach, our guide caught us some hermit crabs on the beach.

    The hermit crabs were very small, and the guide held it in his hand for us to see. I even held it in my hand(first pic with the hand in blue sleeves), and it was really fun to feel them scuttling about in your hand. It was my first time seeing a hermit crab up close, and it was really fun and entertaining for me.

  In conclusion, the trip to Bali was very fun and I would want to come again.