7 January 2015
During the December holidays, strict routines have diverted to a more relaxed way of life. I had sufficient sleep, exciting outdoor fun and more chances to spend time with my friends and family. One of the most important lessons I learnt is to cherish friendship with my primary school friend. Since my first year in RV, my life seemed to turn so busy that my mind naturally priories studies. Thus, I did not find opportunities to meet up with her.
I started to adapt to days without her in my life. I begun to revolve around homework, assignments and tests. I started to realise that this isn't the life I would wish to lead. During the December holidays, I reflected on the year and found out that I wanted life more meaningful and astir.
Since my friend and I live near each other, we spent more time meeting up at the playground, playing games we used to play from childhood times. Whenever I am with her, I experienced what we called, "Never grow up". I came to recall that what we did when we were innocent little souls brought about the loudest laughter.
I would like to thank her for being a friend whom cares for me as much as how she cares for herself. It touched my heart whenever I think of how fate brought us together. In life, some people never found a true friend. I am grateful to have one.
When you feel that a particular good friend of yours does not suit you, find another circle of friends which you feel more pleasant with. This makes both parties happier, but don't define yourself as an unfaithful friend.
Entry 2 (Poverty in Singapore)
17 January 2015
Fig. This lady has a hunchback and feeble hands. She should be staying at home to enjoy her golden years, yet she has to take up odd jobs to afford high living expenses in Singapore. I would describe this as a society negligence as she has to live such a tough life despite getting on her years.
"That was my impression of poverty. Begging, homelessness. But in Singapore you don't see all that... There are 105,000 households earning below $1,500 a month. Poverty in Singapore is quite hidden."
Singapore's efficient infrastructure, safety and low taxes have attracted many of the world's millionaires. We believe that if you were successful, you had worked hard and deserve it; if not, it's your own fault. Our perspective contributes indirectly to Singapore having a wealth gap that is the second-widest among Asia's advanced economies, according to 2014 statistics.
The city-state has one of the fastest ageing populations due to the low birth rate, and many of the elderly, dubbed the "pioneer generation", are credited with the work that built today's modern, wealthy Singapore. Over the years, the government has been stepping up efforts to improve the welfare of Singapore, so as to relieve the burden of lower-income families and to show our gratitude to the pioneers.
Sources: http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/insight/story/the-invisible-poor-20131026
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26349689
Entry 3 (Dwindling population growth)
31 January 2015
Predict the future scenario of Singapore given the dwindling population growth. Reflect about possible situations that might happen and how Singapore could possibly prepare for them.
Consequences:
1) Demand for more healthcare services as more are prone to age-related diseases. On the other hand, demand for social services results in investing more money on building elderly friendly facilities
2) Vulnerable defence force as we have fewer men to serve the army
3) Reduction in competitiveness which arises from labour shortage which reflects lower productivity. 4) Strain on working population as children will have to pay more taxes to provide senior citizen. This becomes a financial burden.
Measures:
1) Reemployment act Retirement age extents to 65
2) Many-Helping-Hands Approach 3) Intake of big masses of foreigners into Singapore causes problems to arise, ranging from congestion on transport systems to pockets of conflicts between Singaporeans and foreigners.
Entry 4 (China Economy & US's view of Taiwan)
15 February 2015
Background Info on China's Economy:
China rank second in the world in terms of total GDP. However, China's GDP per capita is almost flat ($2000). This implies that rich earn more yet poor is neglected. China's large population of 1.3 billion resulted in a large pool of unemployed workers. Upon employment, however, they receive very low wages which only benefits the firms as their financial burden is reduced. China join WTO on 2001.Thus, China has assess to more international markets for export and allow foreign investors to enter country freely. China is endowed with natural resources such as coal, natural gas and steel. China's corporate tax rate is 25% (being one of the lowest) had attracted foreign investors to set up businesses here. Americans are unhappy that Chinese exports are deemed relatively cheaper with the undervalue of Chinese Yuan that results in less countries choosing to import from America.
Opinions:
China possess a variety of natural resources and a large land area to be used for both economical and recreational purposes. Low corporate tax rate attracts foreign investors to set up their businesses in China, it further improves China's economy. However, the low GPA per capital can poise as a threat to the China as it implies "lower living standards". It's extremely large population would thereby result in competitiveness(properties, jobs...)
US's view of Taiwan (Independent country/ Part of China):
The United States and Taiwan enjoy a robust unofficial relationship. The 1979 U.S.-P.R.C. Joint Communique switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. In the Joint Communique, the United States recognized the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, acknowledging the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China. The Joint Communique also stated that the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people on Taiwan. The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) is responsible for implementing U.S. policy toward Taiwan. The United States does not support Taiwan independence. Maintaining strong, unofficial relations with Taiwan is a major U.S. goal, in line with the U.S. desire to further peace and stability in Asia. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act provides the legal basis for the unofficial relationship between the United States and Taiwan, and enshrines the U.S. commitment to assist Taiwan in maintaining its defensive capability.
-http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35855.htm
Entry 5 (Grp's 2 product presentation)
20 February 2015
"Giovanne Magic broom"
Made of fine timber, Tian Gongs's fine hair
I feel that the presenters maintain their smiles throughout the presentation. However, they simply speak from the paper and lack audience engagement. They were unsure of their lines. Perhaps, it's because they didn't have sufficient time to practise. I suggest that Group 2 can make their product more creative than just a good quality broom. Just think deeper, yay! They may have to think of tactics to convince buyers to buy the broom. For example, giving real-life examples that creates lots of hassle, such that with this broom, all the problems will be solved.
Entry 6 (Speech Presentation)
22 March 2015
I feel that this presentation is an enriching experience for me. It allows me to reflect deeply on Singapore's achievements through these 50 years of independence. During the preparation for the speech, I faced problems such as forgetting my lines and nervousness speaking in front of a class of 40 pupils. I feel that I didn't put in my best for the speech as my content is too short and I didn't really engage the audience. Lastly, the overall performance of the class was good as I could see effort put in as their speech was engaging and fluent.
Entry 7 (Suzhou Industrial Park)
29 March 2015
It has been a loss to Singapore economically, in the investment of almost 3/4 of the shares into Suzhou Industrial Park. This is a platform for Taiwan and Singapore to foster relationships by working together. However, competition surge with the construction of Suzhou New District right beside Suzhou Industrial Park. Since Singapore incurred greater losses, we drew back and signed an agreement to own just a little portion of SIP's shares. In this way, Singapore's foresight that things would not improve saved quite a large sum of economic losses.
Entry 8:
3 April 2015
Tang Dynasty
Unification of the country, opening of Grand Canal linking north and south, creation of 21 huge capitals (Chang'an & Luoyang) and the expansion of interregional and international trade all simulated economic growth. Knowledge of the outside world was simulated by presence of envoys, merchants and pilgrims who came from tributary states in Central Asia as well as neighbouring countries. Foreign fashions, amusements and the arts all influenced the Chinese's practices and way of life. Aristocrats and the educated elite in Tang times engaged in a wide range of arts and learning.
Mr Lee Kuan Yew's passing
Mr Lee Kuan Yew had passed on on 23 March 2015. The entire nation is emotionally affected by his passing because we have lost a great man. A nation's father, who had devoted his life to build up Singapore from mud-slat to a modernised 1st world nation in just 30 over years, had showed iron passion in leading Singapore. He had made many unpopular but necessary decisions which are foreseen as important changes to be made on Singapore. He has zero corruption, and despite his status, he doesn't carry an air of superiority. He makes me proud to be a Singaporean. However, I have failed because I have taken everything for granted; from easy-obtainable clean drinking water to a peaceful multi-racial Singapore. I promise to pass on the patriotic spirit of Mr Lee to future generations and play my very part to further prosper Singapore.
Golden Age of Singapore
Golden Age refers to a period of great peace and progress which at the same time saw the development of the scientific, technological and cultural aspects of the Singapore. To ensure peace, we can continue to get along well with friends of the opposite race so that, scene of bloody riots will be thrown off our minds. Progression can be achieved if we adopt effective methods to make improvements and constantly build friendly relationships with neighbouring countries. Thus, when we meet with problems, neighbouring countries would graciously lend us a helping hand, and we do the same when they meet with crisis. Progression strongly require the flexibility to take in new ideas and the togetherness as a nation. Our mind-set needs to be positive and we also believe that as long as we all work together, we can overcome any obstacles in our way.
Reflections upon not bringing CID file:
I have forgotten to bring my CID file today. This is very forgetful and irresponsible of me as it showed that I cannot handle simple things like bringing my file. It is important to pack my bag every night before going to sleep so that I would not forget to bring anything for the next school day. I promise not to let this happen again.
Entry 9 (National Icon)
It is important to have a national icon because it represents a country. I believed that Merlion is our national icon as it marks the discovery of Singapore, the start of our history. Other icons like Changi Airport, Marina Bay Sands or vanda miss joaquim may represent Singapore, but they are not as significant as the Merlion because these icons only rose to importance when Singapore enters the stage of development. The Merlion signifies a lion with a fish body. This was dated back long time ago when Sang Utama spotted a lion when he first step onto the shores of Singapore, along with that, Singapore was a only fishing village. The main criteria to support that Merlion is our national icon is the fact that it marks the start of our Singapore history. This national icon change the perspective of the citizens and tourists visiting Singapore in the sense that we see how Singapore has developed from a small fishing village to a modern 1st world country. They will begin to be impressed and astounded of how much Singapore has changed in just half a century. In order to reinforce and bring our national icon-Merlion to significance, we would have to use it as our theme for various souvenirs and as Singaporeans, we should at least have a basic knowledge of our national icon.
Entry 10: Reflections of OELP Trip (Days 2-7)
Day 2:
Today, our itinerary included visits to 4 different places: Mei Nong Hakka Culture Museum, Mei Nong Folk Village, Kaohsiung Hakka Cultural Museum and Kaohsiung Museum of History, along with the Liu He night market and Carrefour supermarket.
Honestly, I was astonished at how Taiwanese make the efforts to preserve their unique Hakka culture by building so many museums for the locals and foreigners to visit. With the advancement in technology and the fast pace of life, it is inevitable for such unique cultures to be forgotten. I would really hoped to see Singaporeans learning to appreciate our various cultures and just like the Taiwanese, to make that very effort into preservation so that cultures would be passed on to our future generations. It was amazing how even the elderlies in Taiwan signed up actively as a tour guides. Our tour guide, Uncle Terry, enjoyed sharing knowledge all about Taiwan to students from Singapore. Whenever we asked questions, he would be most glad to answer them! In Chinese, I would describe him as, “敬业乐业" which means being up to task and doing it with enjoyment. Our next stop would be the Liu He night market which everyone had been looking forward to even before the OELP trip! Businesses would definitely be affected in the course of the rain, however avid shoppers will continue browsing through the shops and stalls! Thus, one word I would think of to describe night markets: "bustling". Night markets sell 小吃, souvenirs, clothings and accessories. Food sold in night markets is the highlight as 小吃 is renowned for its Taiwan flavor! Lastly, we visited a huge Carrefour supermarket to complete our first trip task on cost of living. Of course, we spent half the time shopping for chips, sweets and instant noddles! It has been a very fulfilling day 2.
Day 3:
Today, our itinerary included drum lessons, a tour around Ten Drums Culture Village and watching a majestic drum performance. On top of that, we went to Anping Old Fort, Anping Old Street, Eternal Golden Castle and Chikan Tower. The drum lessons have been very entertaining for us. The time span was just right and the rhythm was easy to follow. I learnt how important teamwork is. If anyone plays faster/slower, the mistake would be spotted easily and that little falter can ruin the whole song. Another thing is that through this drum lesson, I feel that the class interact with each other in the heart which is rather impressive. In Chinese, there is an idiom: “心有灵犀”as everyone played at the same rate throughout the piece except one part where everyone just started playing extremely fast. (It's so cool^^) After that, we moved on to a tour around Ten Drums Culture Village where I learnt of several key monuments within that area. On top of that, we watched a drum performance! It wasn't an ordinary boring one in which the drummers just plays pieces. It involved a transparent screen, water, lighting and the graceful movements of the drummers. They literally kept the audience in suspense! How we anticipated the next second of surprise^^ it was a really tiring performance for the drummers especially after months and months of practice. In Chinese, there's a saying: "先苦后甜" which means bitter first, sweet after. They may have practiced extremely hard before every performance, however, the sweet comes from the audience's standing ovation. Our next stop is the Anping Old Fort which is the first fort built by the Dutch in 1624, being used as an administrative centre of the Dutch regime and a trading hub. During the Japanese Occupation, the Dutch style buildings in inner fortress were completely destroyed. A square red-bricked step platform was constructed with a western style house on top, served as dormitory for Custom officials. Following that, we visited the Eternal Golden Castle. It is a defensive castle in Anping, built in 1874 by Qing official Shen Baozhen in order to safeguard the coast and defend the island against Japanese invaders. Lastly, we toured around the Chihkan Tower which is one of the many prominent heritages of Taiwan. It is established during the period of colonization. Chihkan Tower was designed and built in a Classical Chinese style with red tiles and cornices, along with 9 steles with craved poems by Emperor Qianlong. Today's itinerary was a little boring as we visited too many historical sites.
Day 4:
Today is our MOST EXCITING DAY as we would be going to our sister's school, 正心高中. I have been anticipating to see my buddy! I wonder how she look like, how nice she would be, where would she be taking me to on day 6... Before all my questions were answered, we were warmly welcomed by 丁校长, 刘秘书 and of course all the fellow students of Sacred Hearts High. There had been a formal ceremony in which 2H march onto a raised platform, in full view of our sister's school. After that, it was time for an performance exchange between RV and Sacred Hearts. We are finally able to showcase the three dances which we had practised hard for the past 2 months. It was a total of 28 dance practices, with each lasting for at least 3hrs. In my opinion, the Korean dance done their best on stage as all their moves were so coordinated! I expected that though, as they had really put in their fullest during practices! I am involved in the Chinese dance with 10 other classmates. It had been rather heart-wrenching and heart-warming at times. Our dance-in-charge, Eunice, had been very patient throughout, ensuring the smoothness of the practices. She told us right from the beginning that she don't expect very much from us but she definitely would want every single one of us to put in our 100% by treating things seriously. Honestly, I was extremely glad that the Chinese Dance Group members spent some time sharing our thoughts and views a week before the actual performance. It was then that I started realizing I haven't been treating the dance seriously. One word to describe how I feel after the performance in front of our fellow friends from Sacred Hearts: THANKFUL. why? I was so glad I managed to change my mindset and attitude towards this dance item because it would DEFINITELY be an EXTREME HUMILIATION if I performed onstage with a indifferent attitude. Important learning point: it doesn't matter how successful your performance is, what counts is your effort. audience can see it right away if you had done your very best or you have just performed for the sake of it.
After that, I could finally meet my buddy and have tea with her. From our short conversation, I have a greater a understanding of their school system. Similar to RV High, Sacred Hearts have junior high(国中)and senior high(高中)students. 国中 is separated into the normal class, art class and music class. When they first entered the school, all of them have to choose either to take the Art test or the Music test, once they have passed the test they can enter the class of their choice or back out. Those who fail would be in the normal class. Though Sacred Hearts is a mixed-gender school, girls and boys are put into different classes. On the other hand, for 高中, special classes are of mixed gender while the normal classes are of different genders. Also, the school focuses on art and music development where students are able to choose which area they are more interested in. This is similar to our CCAs, the only difference is that they emphasize on such activities in order to develop students holistically. In Singapore, the Ministry of Education has put much emphasis on holistic education too! That is why CCAs have become a must for all primary and secondary students. However, a downside of CCAs is that teacher-in-charge chooses you by your ability not your interest. Take for example: I am very interested in joining Dance Society. However, I did not become a member of DS because I have no foundation/knowledge about dance. I believe many Singapore students face a similar challenge of not being able to enter their area of interest due to lack of experience. This explains why many students dread CCA. If they spend after-school hours engaging in activities they enjoy, there is no reason to dread. Isn't it? So this was what I have been reflecting about after a short conversation with my buddy. For my group, we were arranged to go to a Physics class. Fortunately for us, Sacred Hearts' teachers have specially lowered the standards of the lessons in response to the request of our teachers. The practical lesson was very engaging and I was very amazed at how well the teacher is able to deliver the learning point behind every experiment without giving out worksheets/notes. In other words, students are able to learn in an lively yet effective manner. As one of the activities involved balloons, one guy skipped the activity and went to the teachers' table to make balloons. Yet, the teacher did not scold him. In contrast, RV teachers might have been too strict with us. They expect a good class to be obedient and quiet at all times, ask relevant questions at the right time and never left our seats during lectures. Perhaps, this is the RV culture the school wants us to have in mind; that's why teachers train us to be so. As for Sacred Hearts, the students may enjoy more freedom during lessons, but I believe the respect they give to the teachers is always there. At night, we attended a formal dinner with our buddy and parents. It was quite awkward throughout the dinner but before I left. I hugged her. I think such gestures bring us closer and in return, a memorable time together on Day 6! By the way, the food served was AWESOME.
DAY 5:
The first stop for today is a visit to Yunlin Cake Tower Café where we will be making our own towels!! Just by the mystery name, Cake Tower Cafe, I thought of a shop selling cakes and tea along with towels decorations? It sounds horribly impossible though! The fact that we are going to do hands-on activities have already kept me excited! Upon entry into the Cake Tower Cafe, I greeted with pleasant surprise. The interior of the shop was so nicely decorated from the floor to the ceilings. I felt I was in girls' paradise, hahaha. The shopkeepers wore fancy costumes too. One of the shopkeepers was my group's tour guide. She brought us around the 2-storey tower, explaining to us the significance of various decorations, 3step approach to main After that, we engage into the actual DIY towel making activity. The materials needed are a small towel, two clips, one bow-tie and a rubber band. We followed instructions closely and made a cat-shaped towel successfully! At that time, I really cannot wait to bring it home to show my parents. Lastly, I took almost an hour shopping for my favorite animal/confectionary-shaped towels! Our next stop would be the Yunlin Puppet Theatre Museum where we learnt about the significance of facial features and appearance of the puppet to tell us about the personality of that puppet. Shortly after, we watched a very special puppet show. The main message behind it was to urge humans to stop littering our Mother Earth. As for Singapore, the National Environmental Agency fixated one rubbish bin every 300-500m of walking distance in order to convenience Singaporeans when throwing rubbish and discourage littering. As for Taiwan, there are very few rubbish bins. Yet, Taiwanese carry a great sense of social responsibility by keeping the rubbish with them. On top of that, for Singapore, the government kept urging Singaporeans to return their trays after meals. However, for Taiwan, they would need to separate into three bins: unwanted food, recycled, utensils and yet they are willing to do it. The vast difference between Singaporeans and Taiwanese is that Taiwanese have the sense of social responsibility while Singaporeans portray an indifferent attitude towards public responsibility. In other words, the key to save Mother Earth is the a right attitude! Tonight, we have one more programme lined up for us. We are going to a extremely grand theatre to watch a musical put up by Sacred Heart music students! It involved the band and string ensemble. It was quite a 'romantic' backdrop while students played their instrument in the spotlight. Each music group performed at least 4 pieces and their combination of instruments differ from us. Thus, what we heard is a unique taste of music! How relaxing to sit in an air-conditioned spacious theatre and listening to music at night!
Day 6:
Today is another completely UNFORGETTABLE DAY in my life. It would not just be an incident, it would be a memory. In the morning, my group is assigned to 4 classes: computer, history, English and balloon sculpturing.
During computer lesson, my friend, Mingyee and I worked closely with 2boys from Sacred Hearts and successfully completed a robot! It was rather easy as all the instructions and steps are projected on the monitor screen and all we need to do was the follow the steps and construct our very own robot with Lego pieces. Sounds fun, yea? Mingyee and I gather the necessary Lego pieces while the boys help fix it. Everything was going well as we helped one another but the teacher was going a bit too fast that groups around me are struggling to follow. I was so grateful to work with these two guys as they are so friendly! Unfortunately for my friend, she had so much trouble making the robot as her buddy didn't help her at all! Although, Mingyee and I didn't contribute much, the boys let us play with our end-product first. They just sat there and watched. As for the History lesson, I literally understood nothing as everything was in Chinese. The teacher was really understanding and specially for us, she spoke much slower than usual, hoping that we can catch her words. She even prepared chocolates and sweets as gifts for us and Sacred Hearts students graciously won them for us by answering all the teacher's questions correctly. The class was very obedient and I was so touched when they decorated the whole blackboard with well wishes and greetings for Rvians. The teacher was trying to make use of the empty spaces by writing in some history terms ^^hahaha. As for the balloon sculpturing class, the school has employed an external coach to teach us how to make balloons of creativity. I made a swan and a heard-shaped wand. It was a test of courage as many of us were so afraid of balloons bursting! Following that, English lesson was a struggle for me as I had difficulties learning the cup song which involved hand-mouth-brain coordination. It was an extra-ordinary relaxing lesson though! So these are some activities teachers conduct to uplift the interest of students during English lessons. Close to noontime, the whole class went for this FCE lesson and fried carrot cake and cooked soup for lunch. It was a disaster for me as Sacred Heart students my group worked with was a little hostile. They seemed to be a little pissed off that we were doing all the cooking and they didn't had a chance too. I regretted not reminding my group members to give Sacred Hearts student a chance to get involved:( but I was very glad my group had fun working together and enjoying the food thereafter:) in the afternoon, all of us got dressed formally and from 1pm till 9pm today, it is going to be the highlight of the trip! It was so personal time we could spend with our buddy and family! I went with my buddy, Ida, her mother and her uncle (the driver, whoohoo) we travelled for a good 2hrs and I was so comfortable that I fell asleep throughout the journey, hahaha. I lost many hours of sleep the night before and I was so energized after that nice sleep^^ The main part of our itinerary was shopping. I made that request when Ida's mother asked me if there is any places I would particularly like to go and I told her honestly: "SHOPPING!!!!!!!!" I said that because I know it was the last day in Taiwan and I would like to do something I loved with my buddy:) I bought a beautiful pair of slippers, 2 T-shirts and 2 hairbands. Ida's mother was good at recommanding popular shops selling specific things I would like to buy. She was so hospitable and spent a lot on me as she paid for many of the items. After that, we went to this very big place where there are at least 60wooden cottages all made of wood (extremely rare, hard to find) inside them, is another shopping paradise selling things ranging from wood-based products to honey. However, as this is a tourist attraction, I did not tempt to buy anything as it's rather expensive. However, a great take-away was the greenery. After so, Ida's family took me to a very grand Japanese Vegetarian Restaurant. The buffet food was awesome! I was so full and Ida's mother arranged for the walk at the nearby night market (sadly, the last programme) It was so big and I really enjoyed myself thoroughly playing olden-day games with Ida :) this was so much better than the small Liu He night market! We had only 30mins and everything was just food food food. I don't feel the specialness at all! But the night market Ida's mother brought me to was so fascinating. I saw and learnt many things: the experience was unforgettable. It was so strong that the desire for rural life just struck me. The feeling whereby I just want to stop in my tracks and enjoy everything around me: the people, the pace of life, the scenery. The day just ended like this, so nicely^^ in the car ride I was dreading to reach the hotel so badly! I spend the whole time telling them more about Singapore and our nation father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. How he had been a great man who sacrificed his youth worrying for the nation, his ironed strong passion to build Singapore and how grateful every Singaporean was to be able to live a in first-world country luxuriously. The only thing I regretted was not asking her more about Taiwan in terms of their way of life. It would be interesting to interact more with her and know more about their culture, their people. This time, time flies not when I was having fun, times flies when I realized it was time to say goodbye. People say you can always continue to keep in contact through FaceTime/Facebook/messenger, but it would and will never take the place of face-to-face interaction. Friendship fades when we don't each other often, when it was just meaningless 问好over the phone, am I right? On the side note, I would like to thank the school for arranging such a meaningful programme for us to spend a day with our buddies. It fostered tears and joy, which visits to a thousand museums would never have that same power. I realized how beautiful Taiwanese are inside out^^OELP is a milestone of my life because? 我终于感受到人间的温情。
Day 7:
Today is short day as we would be flying off back to Singapore in the afternoon. We visited the 921 Earthquake Museum today! It was built in memory of the 921 Earthquake that took place on September 1999 with a magnitude of 7.3, destroying many infrastructures and causing many deaths. The highlight of the museum is the real-life debris that have been preserved. Along with that, there is a tool where we can use our palms to hit the platform and the machine will detect the strength and equates it to the magnitude. Another reason why Taiwanese government built this museum is to educate people on how to react in the course of an earthquake (measures to be taken) after the 1999 incident. The damage was disastrous because people were unprepared then. Economical drain comes when infrastructure have to be rebuilt, social impact comes when people mourn over their loved ones while some were unable to cope emotionally. It was a lesson learnt for Taiwan and we can see how fear can push people to take action, to avoid history to repeat itself. As the Chinese saying goes, "一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井绳” which means bitten once, twice shy. I am very grateful such natural disasters don't happen in Singapore
Trip task:
Postcard to parents:
Dear Papa and Mama,
How are you? I am having lots of fun in this trip! Today, I visited many iconic places. Some have such great historical value! One of which was the Anping Fort that has been around since WW2. I climbed the 4-storey high Anping Tower and from the top, I have a bird's eye view of the whole Anping Fort! The scenery was mesmerizing^^ Unlike Taiwan, the view I see on Marina Bay Sands is all roads and buildings! So far, OELP has been rather enjoyable except that we kept visiting museums:( I know its good for us as we get to expose ourselves to learn new things, but back-to-back museum visits really bored the trip a lot! Glad that there are fun times spent at the supermarket with my group! Don't worry about me okay? I am all safe and take care! Miss you too!
Sarah.
Chinese Poem:
充满活力的打鼓员
胸有成竹登入舞台
带给观众意想不到的惊喜
真是令人心服口服
OVERALL TRIP: Biggest Take-away
School life in Taiwan and Singapore turns out to be very different. In fact, school life in Taiwan was much more stressful than Singapore due to long school hours and back-to-back tuitions. I always ask myself what the purpose of life was? How I can survive my life: school, CCAs, tuition, homework, sleep (this continuous cycle)
However, why are Taiwanese students living so happily? The answer is, life isn't as simple, in fact it was tougher. Yet, life just goes on, 而是快乐地过，因为他们用微笑带过，
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