RVHSCID2A6: Huang Yuan 2A (27)

Overall reflection for the OELP trip

After the trip,I had a lot of experiences but the top three experiences will be the rice planting in Toucheng Farm,Life in JianGuo High School and the experience of the high speed rail.

I was shocked at first when the tour guide told us to remove our shoes and step into the wet mud to plant the shoots during the rice planting in Toucheng Farm.I reluctantly took off my shoes and stepped into the mud and do the dirty work.I was disgusted at first by the mud and the water striders but I slowly stepped out of my comfort zone and I soon grew comfortable after time.This experience increased my knowledge about some Taiwanese in Taiwan;some of the Taiwanese are farmers and need to do this dirty work all day so as to harvest rice for citizens like us to consume.This made me realise the importance of not wasting food.These Taiwanese worked all day and put their sweat,blood and pain into growing rice so as to make a living;we should not waste rice as this means all the efforts they had put in will be in vain.

Life in Jianguo High School is totally different from Singapore's River Valley High School.Students received less homework,allowed to bring food and water into the class,sleep and are allowed to freely discuss among each other about the lessons they are having.I am generally shocked about the students' lives in Jianguo High.Out of curiosity,I interacted with the students at there and they said that they have a lot of freedom,mainly because they are able to withstand the temptation to slack once a new topic is being taught.That means they slept and play in class because they already knew the topic but immediately became serious once they learnt something new.They also planned their time well.This could be supported by the free time they have left to read novels even after tuition and dinner around 6-7pm.This experience increased my knowledge about students in Taiwan.Taiwanese students are hardworking in academics and also in playing but are able to differentiate when it is the right time to do the correct thing and this impacted me to work hard like them so as to be able to play harder.

Group picture with Jianguo High students

Picture of Jainguo High's classoom

Picture with my buddies

Experience of the high speed rail is very extraordinary for me.I had taken high speed rails in China before and I am not surprised by the speed because China is a huge country,but the high speed rail in Taiwan surprised me because Taiwan is a smaller country compared to China but they have the same quality of high speed rails.This could be supported by the high prices of the high speed rail ticket at about $12-13 dollars each in Singapore.This increased my knowledge about the technology of Taiwan.Taiwan actually has advanced technologies despite its small area and I did not expect that probably because I believed that Taiwan is still a small,developing country.

High Speed Rail Ticket

High Speed Rail

From this trip,I became more aware about the importance of rice,the advanced technology in Taiwan and the "hunger for knowledge" spirit.This made me realise that I should not waste food,should not take everything for granted and should always work hard in school regardless of academics or aesthetics.I probably realised these because I led a busy,hectic lifestyle in Singapore and thus wasted food occasionally,not planning time well enough and always felt unhappy with my life.Through this trip,I could realise my mistakes and hope that I would change my mindset for the better.

My reflection for Day 7(31/5/2015)

We went to the National Palace Museum, Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines and Pobiliao(剥皮寮) old street.All the places contained historical information about the early days in Taipei..
Through these trips,I learnt more about the history of Taiwan based on their lifestyles and their traditions.These places contained historical information which is priceless and should be preserved for future generations for many years to come.They should know about this because they are the locals and they should know more about what their forefathers did so as to appreciate the luxury and peace they are having.
Although Singapore also have such places,but they did not contain much more information than the Taiwan's one.This might be due to Singapore's small land area,thus not being able to build a bigger memorial hall.Nevertheless, we still have to know the history of Singapore so that we will appreciate what the luxury we are enjoying.

National Palace Museum

My reflection for Day 6 (30/5/2015)

For today,my buddy brought me to a crowded place full of people and shops.We shopped for some souvenirs and brought snacks for me to bring back,He also brought me to an arcade to play games which I seldom play in Singapore.
During lunch, we chatted about Taipei and Singapore while eating.We chatted about the cost of living in both countries as part of the CID mission, and also how they prepared for exams and whether is he happy in Taipei.Their answer is a yes,saying that he is relatively happy about living in Taipei as he has the freedom to do what he wants and also being able to focus on what is important like learning a new topic in school.I envy him for all the benefits he is enjoying and though this outing, I learnt from my buddy to plan my time very well and should treasure what I had back in Singapore and of course, have the hunger for learning,

Jianguo High School

Taiwan's MRT map

My reflection for Day 5 (29/5/2015)

Finally at last! We reached Jianguo High School and we were being welcomed by a lot of students.During lessons, I watched how they paid attention in class and found out that while some are paying attention and participating actively in group discussions,some chose to play mobile games or sleep.I am guessing that they might have known the subject too well and thus slack.I feel that Singapore's way of teaching should be more flexible so as to increase efficiency in generating ideas to learn better.
At night,we visited a local supermarket to do our CID homework on the cost of living in Taiwan.It was really an eye-opener as it cost less money than the products we buy in Singapore.We still need to pay extra money for the plastic bags and this is conveying that Taiwan is encouraging citizens to be environment-friendly.The local workers there even stopped and answered me when I wanted to interview them.This shows that they are very friendly and led a slower paced life than Singapore citizens.
We also visited the Raohe Night Market and I had a whale of a time. I tried all the delicious food and played arcade games.It is truly a night well spent there.

Classroom of Jianguo High School

Oil price in Taiwan(one litre)

My reflection for Day 4 (28/5/2015)

After a breakfast in hotel,we headed to the Taipei Confucius Temple to explore more about the values of Confucius. What I find interesting will be 4D show about Confucius, because through the animations, I understood better about Confucius and his values.
We went to Sun Sat Yen Memorial Hall in Taipei and found out that it is bigger and contained more information than the memorial hall in Singapore.I also witnessed the changing of guards ceremony which is very unique to Taiwan and this is never seen in Singapore.
To end the day,we visited Taipei 101 but could only reach the 89th floor due to the bad weather.The view is magnificent and I also saw the water damper found in the tower.Taipei 101 made me realise that in life, we have to build a strong foundation, be extra efficient and extra safe.For example, Taipei 101 need a strong foundation as it is a tall skyscraper,thus it will be less prone to earthquakes that will occasionally occur in Taiwan.Suspended from 92th floor and 87th floor is the water damper that swings to offset movements in the buildings.Taipei 101 also has the fastest lift in the Guinness World Record and Taipei 101 is a shopping center, a workplace and a tourist attraction,which explains why it is efficient.

Taipei 101

Water Damper in Taipei 101

My reflection for Day 3 (27/5/2015)

After a breakfast at our new hotel in Taipei called Hotel B Taipei, we boarded the bus to the High Speed Rail which we will be taking it to Hsinchu, another part of Taiwan so as to visit Hsinchu Science Park, Spring Pool Glass Factory,Inner Bay Old Street then back to the hotel.
All the places are equally fun and interesting but I find the trip to Hsinchu Science Park the most interesting because at there,I saw a lot of interesting technological devices which piques my interest as I always loved technology.From this,I could infer that technology improved our lives buthowever also causes us to be lazier.
Besides that, the High Speed Rail and the Spring Pool Glass Factory also amazed me.Taiwan is smaller than China,yet their High Speed Rail are of the same standard as China.The Spring Pool Glass Factory aims to reuse used glass bottles and made them into other kinds of glass which is more worthy than its original ones.Most of the glass are reused and made it for the painting of walls.The end product will be a lot of different types of colours of glass on the walls itself which is really elegant.The message being conveyed is that Taiwan has advanced technologies which improved lives of the people living in Taiwan.
So far,the journey is fun and I am anticipating more to come in the following days in Taiwan.

Glass "fruits" made in Spring Pool Glass Factory

Trip on the High Speed Rail

My reflection for Day 2 (26/5/2015)

I had breakfast in the farm and it is a different experience for me because all the food available are mostly vegetables.
I toured around the farm and enjoyed cultural activities such as mud oven baking,planting of rice plants,feeding of animals and T-shirt printing.What I find interesting and unique is the planting of rice plants.I had to step into the mud barefooted,bend our backs and plant the rice plants.It is really fun yet disgusting as I did not dare do the dirty work but find it interesting doing the farmer's job in overall.This activity also make me realise that we should not waste food and should treasure and appreciate what we have.This is something that I did not experience before when living in Singapore and through this,I understood the hardship of farmers working under the hot sun so as to produce rice for us to eat.
One more which I find interesting is the mud oven baking too.To build the "oven", we have to start everything from scratch using only rough rocks given to us.We have to use only rocks to support each other to build that oven.It is very challenging and a daunting task but with determination, thirty minutes later, we finally succeeded!
Through this activity, I learnt the importance of a good foundation and this could be implemented on my six years of study in River Valley High School.To pass with flying colours during Year 4 onwards,I have to build a strong foundation when I am in Year 1-3.

Paddy fields

Group picture with the finished mud oven

My reflection for Day 1 (25/5/2015)

The travel with my friends and teachers to Taipei is very unique and I am excited about this tip even when I was at Changi Airport.
Our first destination will be the Toucheng Farm.When we reached Taoyuan Airport, we still need to take an hour and a half trip to reach there.I did not expect the trip to be that long but overall Taiwan is a beautiful city.
We reached Toucheng Farm around 10pm and started our sky lantern immediately as it is late at night,thus the scenary will be beautiful and breathtaking.The sky lantern is used to send well-wishes and dreams up to the sky.It is a really unique experience as this is the first time I am decorating a sky lantern and releasingit up to the sky as Singapore does not have this kind of activity.This might be due to the high urban density and the small land area of Singapore.Watching it rise up until it extinguishes among the skies is an enjoyable thing to watch and I hope I have the chance to do that again in the future.

Sky lantern in Toucheng Farm

CID lesson on 28/4/2015

Create a Montage using any app that you have that will represent Singapore's Youth Culture and what I think will represent Taiwan's Youth Culture.Include a short write up on why you choose what you choose.

Singapore's Youth Culture

I choose the following pictures because Singapore is being influenced by western countries as Singapore is an international trading port.It is also because of the fact that youngsters like us are addicted to social media and that we are using it everyday to keep us updated,socialise or improve the efficiency when working on school projects.I also choose pictures that relates to school and one which many have heard of: SYF. This is because students put high priorities on studying as their grades could affect their jobs that they are taking in the future.

Taiwan's Youth Culture

I choose the following pictures which I think that best represents Taiwan's Youth Culture because firstly, bubble tea is a drink that is well liked by Taiwanese and even most Singapore Citizens like us.In Taiwan,cellphones are sold at a cheaper price because of the many functions in the cellphones and their high use which makes them popular in Taiwan that they are selling cheaper to attract Taiwanese or foreigners to buy.Internet cafes are popular with teenagers as they often sell food so that gamers could eat and game in there.The reason why I choose Jay Chou is because he is very popular among youngsters and gained international fame.Thus, he toured Asian countries like Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.

Reflections of CID lesson on 10/4/2015

Do you think the Merlion would make the best icon for Singapore?

The merlion does not feature in local myths of Singapore,and was only used in Singapore initially as the logo for the tourism board.The story of Merlion actually comes from the a Palembang prince named Sang Nila Utama.In search of a new city, he found an island with a white sandy beach and saw a creature whom he believed to be a lion when he went hunting.He believed that it is a good omen and thus named the place " Singapura",which is none other than Singapore today.The merlion is then built in memory of him.

However,that was 600-700 years ago and Singapore was still a fishing village despite his efforts in building the place.Besides that, that was a legend and it may not be true.Thus,Merlion is not the best icon for Singapore as it clearly shows how this icon represents Singapore based on its name and not about who built this garden city.

I think that Marina Bay Sands is a better icon for Singapore than Merlion.Firstly,Marina Bay Sands is one of two winning proposals for Singapore's first integrated resorts,the other being the Resorts World Sentosa.It is officially open on 23 June 2010.Tourists visiting Singapore would have a better impression of the Marina Bay Sands as its design is very unique and is a grand hotel.It also has a SkyPark which allows tourists to take a good beautiful view at Singapore.It is still attracting tourists despite being opened for two years.From a recent report, it showed that tourists' arrivals from January to March were a healthy 15 per cent more than the same period last year,with about 3.6 million tourists coming in from January to March.

Thus, I think that Marina Bay Sands is a better icon for Singapore because it leaves a deeper impression on the tourists,wanting them to come back to Singapore once more to explore this garden city.

Reflections of CID lesson on 27/3/2015

With what you have learnt about the golden age of Tang dynasty,reflect on the things you have learnt about Lee Kuan Yew and how can be seen to be at its own version of the "Golden Age".

A golden age is a period in a field of endeavor when great tasks were accomplished.In the Tang dynasty,it would be the woodblock printing,clockworks and timekeeping and many more.The woodblock printing actually made written words available to other audiences while the clockworks and timekeeping showed that technology is advancing during that period.

Woodblock printing

For Singapore's case, Mr Lee Kuan Yew has changed Singapore in many ways.He turned Singapore from a small fishing village into a garden city which is envied by most.He has built housings for citizens to live in, ensured a supply of clean water,set laws to prevent crimes from happening and believed that all children must have a good education and to be bilingual.He also cleaned the Singapore River which was dirty back then and also planted a lot of trees in Singapore,believing that all Singapore citizens would be able to live a better and happy life with an unpolluted environment.

Thus,this is considered a Golden Age for Singapore as all the citizens lives have changed for the better all thanks to Mr Lee Kuan Yew.However, we should not take all of this for granted and must treasure what we have now,for the lives we are enjoying now are exchanged with the blood and sweat of Mr Lee Kuan Yew and all of our forefathers.We must continued to strive for excellence and to live on with his legacy.

Reflections of CID lesson on 17/2/2015

Reflect on China's economic growth and opening up of their country to international trade. Explain the possible implications on Singapore.

Based on today's lesson, it dawned on me that China is actually so wealthy and powerful. China is big, has closing a 1.4billion population and an abundance of natural resources. Now, in everyday lives,all the stuffs we used are mainly all made in China. This could be due to several reasons. One might be the increasing population in China which leads to an low employment rate and the abundance of natural resources which thus made the price of the items lower.

China started to open up for international trade.If China starts to make items from different countries, that means more people will be employed to become manufacturers which speeds up the whole entire process. It is a win-win solution as more items will be manufactured and more people will be employed so as to make ends meet. With the abundance of natural resources, the items manufactured will thus be cheaper and more people will be willing to buy it which helps with the economic prosperity of China.

Chinese manufacturers making Barbie dolls

There will be possible implications on Singapore due to this. There will be strong competition between China and that will lead to the stressful lives in Singapore due to its dwindling population.Singapore will also be forced to being opened up to international trade for other different countries all over the world and more countries might even stopped making trades with Singapore and chose China instead which will lead Singapore to a loss of profit.

Reflections of CID lesson on 6/2 /2015

One child policy and link to Singapore

One child policy is a population control policy in the People Republic of China.36% of the Chinese in China could only have one child while another 53% of the Chinese could be allowed to have another child if the first child is a girl.Fines will be imposed if the Chinese failed to follow.

Singapore,given the dwindling population growth,would be advised not to have the one child policy.Singapore citizens must be encouraged to give birth and not be busy with their stressful lives.With the dwindling population,it will affect Singapore economically.There will be a decrease efficiency in the work force and with that,there will be less products being exported out of Singapore,less products being inported into Singapore for business.Besides that,there will be less local talents too.There will be less doctors to save lives,less teachers to educate childrens etc.

To prepare for such possible situations that might happen,we should organise campaigns about the importance of families and how it is lucky and blessed to have a child of their own.We could convey this message via the media like the television so as to let more singapore citizens to know so as to be encouraged to give birth to start a family.

Reflection of CID lesson 30/1/2015

Today,I learnt that whatever we see may not be what we thought it is and not to judge a book by its cover.

Today,Miss Huang told us a short story about how a man abandoned his wife during a ship incident.The man jumped on a boat which has only one last capacity,leaving his wife behind.One would immediately regard him as a coward,selfish person,but realizing what his wife shouted at him immediately shocked me.She shouted,"Please take good care of our children!".His wife is actually diagnosed with a terminal disease and is incurable.What her husband did is actually a wise thing as he needs to take care of his children,thus he could only watch his wife sank beneath the seas.I felt touched upon hearing this and also learnt that we should not judge a book by its cover.

Miss Huang also showed us a picture of an Indian riot that occurred in Singapore.A lot of my friends thought that what the Indians did is unforgivable.However,when Miss Huang showed us a video about foreign workers in Singapore,we immediately sympathize them.In that video,it showed the living conditions of the foreign workers in the basement of the construction building which is going to be a high rise condominium.The living conditions are poor and the stench is unbearable,yet they are willing to come to Singapore to work,thus I see no reason why they shouldn't start a riot to vent out their frustrations.Thus,from this,I learnt that we should not judge a book by its cover and to think twice before judging.

Singapore Poverty

Based on my experience,there are still some families suffering from financial difficulties although Singapore is a rich country.Some families have the FAS(financial assistance scheme) for their children's studies so as to subsidise part of the cost of books and other educational purposes.There are also some families with only one parent,thus the whole family rely on him or her as the breadwinner.
Some poor families who are poor may turn to loan sharks for loans or even try their luck in gambling dens or casino,but in the end,never do they realize that their financial problems became bigger and their lives will be at risk too.

I felt blessed to be in a great family with my parents and without having to struggle to meet ends meet.If I ever have a friend who experiences difficulty,I will try my best to render him my help to go through this difficult times.

December Holiday reflection

During the December holidays,I went for a 5-day trip to Bali.I stayed at a countryside hotel and saw many farming patches,stray animals and sandy beaches.The people there are friendly and will pester us to make business.I soon get used to their friendliness,but what I do not get used to is the food there.On the 4th day of the trip,I suffered from gastric pain and had to visit a 24-hour clinic at 1am.Fortunately,I managed to "survive" and landed Singapore.It is indeed a bad experience for me.

A vandalism which I had seen in Bali

However,I went to Korea one month later and indeed enjoyed myself.Despite the cold weather,I visited temples,small street markets and tried kimchi for the first time.I even see snow for the first time in my life!Before heading back to Singapore,my mother bought a lot of kimchi so that when we are back in Singapore,we would still be able to eat Korea delicacies.

Besides travelling overseas,I went to a Sports Camp held by River Valley High School.During the two day one night camp,I get to understand more about sportsmanship and persevere more to clinch 3rd runner up in competitions.Besides that,Mediacorp came to River Valley High to film our kallang wave so as to support the Singapore Sports Team on the upcoming South East Asian Games.The floorball,softball and netball Singapore Teams even came to River Valley High to play with us and teach us sports.I felt very lucky to be a part of this and wished them success.

Rvians forming a "RV SG50!" on the football field