SELF-INTRODUCTION
Age:14Birthday:24th February 2002
Hobbies:reading, playing games, sleeping, basketball
Hi all. To start off, I am Ng Simin, currently stuck in the class 2G. In case you can't tell, I am a female. I am a vegetarian from young due to my religion and I have G6PD deficiency. Fortunately, these two factors did not affect my childhood life.
I was born in the year 2002, on the 24th of February. As you may be able to conclude, I am a pieces. My friend told me that pieces are emotional, but I chose not to believe her. After all, it doesn't matter what other people think about me. In a month's time from now, I shall begin my 14th year of freaking out over stuff.
I spent six years of my life in Woodgrove Primary daydreaming. Afterwards, I miraculously ended up in RV. I once belonged to 1Galaxy before being promoted to 2Gameover. I retired from being a treasurer and became the history representative of the class instead.
English and Chinese are my first two languages. I started learning German last year because I was offered a chance. It is an interesting language, but not easy to learn.
A while ago, RVGG(River Valley Girl Guides) welcomed me into their big family even though I was hesitant about joining. Now, I have already accepted my fate with the help of my level mates and seniors. Later, I realized that there is much fun involved in CCA sessions. I learnt a variety of skills that might prove useful in the future. Soft skills are often emphasized on. There are also many
platforms for me to take on leadership roles.
All in all, this is just a very short introduction of my life. Forgive me for the poor vocabulary and grammar. Thanks for the attention.
The extra in the ordinary
Hi all. Today I will be showing you guys a photo of an extraordinary place in RV and I will tell you why I find this place so special.
A long, long time ago, the student council decided to hold an "egg-citing" event. The event includes having to roam around the school for egg-shaped balls that will allow you to exchange for points.
Because I had nothing better to do, I wasted my time and hunted all over the school for those
"invisible eggs". Of course, I did not find any. Instead, me and my friend came across this amazing place. We felt a sense of achievement, as if we had discovered a hidden pot of gold at the end of a
rainbow.
The picture may seem normal, but if you take a closer look, you will realize that it is not just any random entrance to the staff room. It is not the common entrance at the volley ball court, nor is it near
the pigeon holes. In fact, this is another door that students rarely see teachers entering or exiting
from. I showed the photo to many of my friends, and almost all of them do not know where this place is even if they had been in the school for a year or more. This shows that RVians have not been observing the school compound thoroughly. If you are guessing, I will tell you that it is definitely not somewhere very obvious. If you do know where it is, please keep it a secret.
the pigeon holes. In fact, this is another door that students rarely see teachers entering or exiting
from. I showed the photo to many of my friends, and almost all of them do not know where this place is even if they had been in the school for a year or more. This shows that RVians have not been observing the school compound thoroughly. If you are guessing, I will tell you that it is definitely not somewhere very obvious. If you do know where it is, please keep it a secret.
All in all, the reason why I find this place so special is because I feel that for someone to recognize every nook and cranny of RV, it is indeed an indication that he or she knows and loves the school very much. In time to come, I wish that I will be able to explore more of RV's magical corners. I will
be sure to share my experience with others so that they will realize there is more to RV than only
what they can see.
Does money equals to happiness ?
Hi all. This is my third blog post and I will be discussing on whether being rich can bring happiness
to one's life. This is my own opinion, so please do not fault me if it differs from yours.
Being rich has its own pros and cons. Besides being able to pay the necessary living expenses, rich people can also afford extraordinary goods like designer clothes,spacious housing and more.
However, nothing is permanent, especially happiness. They will soon get bored of what they have
and desire more, to the extend of spending all their cash. When they do not get more of what they
want, they suffer. The poor, on the other hand, accepts the truth easily and appreciate what they
given. Indeed, happiness is impermanent, but they learn to treasure it as long as they can.
Money does not grow on trees. Rich people are willing to make huge and unnecessary sacrifices in
order to gain wealth and satisfy their greed. Making these sacrifices may often result in a broken
family, poor health, and in the long run, unhappiness. Poor people, on the other hand, have no choice but to work hard in order to allow them and their family to survive. They too, have to make even
bigger sacrifices that might lead to a broken heart and more negative impacts.
What is the definition of rich? According to an online dictionary, the most common definition of rich is simply having a great deal of money or assets. One of the advantages of this is that you can contribute back to the society financially once there is a chance. Small acts such as donating to the poor can really help those people in need and brighten up one's life. Research have shown that happy
people donates more often and people who donates more are often happier. However, when you are
poor, there is very little that you can do for the society because you are one in need for help. Nevertheless, you can still choose to contribute back via other methods.
All in all, if you ask me whether being rich is equals to being happy, I will be sure to sit on the fence.
After all, it all depends on how you see things.
Chingay 2016
Chingay is an annual street parade held in Singapore as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations. The term “Chingay” is derived from the Chinese term zhuangyi, meaning “the art of masquerading”, a
reference to the original stages or floats depicting religious and historical scenes that were carried in
procession on the shoulders of men.
Processions to honour Chinese religious deities were already a frequent occurrence in 19th-century
Singapore. On 16 December 1906, at a large meeting of Hokkien Chinese led by clan leader Lee Cheng Yan, Chingay processions were denounced as a financially extravagant and culturally
backward practice. A unanimous decision was taken to abolish Chingay processions, stop public subscriptions for such events, and use the funds saved for educational purposes instead.
In June 1972, a bill was passed banning firecrackers due to deaths and injuries from fatal explosions. The absence of traditional firecrackers to celebrate the Lunar New Year caused unhappiness and
reduced public enthusiasm for the occasion. As an alternative, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew suggested the staging of a Chingay parade similar to those held in Penang.
The first modern Chingay procession in Singapore was held on 4 February 1973 and involved about
2,000 participants. The event introduced clowns dressed in costumes with oversized heads, and also featured lion dancers, jugglers, stilt-walkers dressed in ancient Chinese costumes, and members of the Kampong Glam community. Based on its initial success, the Chingay parade thus became an
annual event.
Since 1974, the event has also incorporated regional influences and foreign participants, with the
parade that year including a Walt Disney train carrying cartoon characters Mickey Mouse and Donald
Duck. It has become even more international in recent years and has been compared to large street parades held in other cities, such as the Mardi Gras parade in Brazil. (This shows great success in Singapore maintaining good relationships with other countries all around the world.) Furthermore, it was held in the daytime until 1990, when it became a night procession for the first time. (From what I can infer, there is no need for people to suffer from the horrible heat at night and this will encourage
more people to come and witness the parade. Also, carrying out the parades at night can really
highlight the use of LED lights and make the final firework showcase seem more magnificent.)
This year, Chingay 2016 is themed "lights of legacy, brighter Singapore".
It doesn't take me more than 3 minutes to figure out what this year's parade is all about just by looking at the theme. To make a quick conclusion, it is to celebrate the legacy and the wisdom of our founding prime minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew and other founding fathers. It is also to remind Singaporeans to stay true to the core values preached over and over again. Such core values includes
Can-do Singapore spirit, Social Cohesion, Racial Harmony and many more. This is to allow Singapore to progress on in the next 50 years to come towards SG100.
With all the floats and the hidden messages, I truly think that the organizers have successfully
fulfilled the above purpose. Take for example, the many sky lanterns signed by
Singaporeans.Drawing on the Sky lantern how we define each of our core values is similar to
pledging that we will do our best to live side by side with these values. Now, if you take a closer
look, you will realize that how we define these values is actually directly affected by how our society already displays them. Simply saying, we have done a great job for the past 50 years and should keep up our good efforts, and maybe even improve.
All in all, Chingay 2016 is a success. Thank you.
3-2-1 lesson reflections
Hi all. Today, I will be giving a reflection about what I have learnt during the past two CID lessons using the 3-2-1 format.
Three things that I have found out:
-I realize that no scheme can ever be perfect. Take the One Child Policy as an example. Indeed, it will be successful in curbing a surging population and allowing a country to progress on. But one must keep in mind that these benefits are impermanent. Have the government officials ever sat back and considered what issues this scheme will bring about?
Right now, many countries are currently having an aging population. Take China as an example. Even after the One Child Policy has been changed, people there are still not inclined to raising a second or third child. This is probably because raising a child is indeed not cheap in today's society. In time to come, with this trend still on-going, this probably means that the only child of the family would be held responsible to support the 5 to 6 elderlies at home by him or herself. Can you imagine how
stressful it is to fork out big bills of money just to provide for your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents even when the economy is tight? Can you imagine how stressful it is when you do not
have a sibling to share these responsibilities?
Also, if the retirement age remains fixed, and the life expectancy increases, there will be relatively more people claiming pension benefits and less people working and paying income taxes. This might result in a lower revenue for the country.
I am not saying that we should blame the Chinese government. In my own opinion, I do not think that
they have much choice given the situation back then. I believe that they have tried to strive for the best. Remember, results are not always positive. After all, thinking up a policy that will affect 20
percent of the earth's population is not easy.
So, what exactly took them so long to change the one-child policy?
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-In order to publicize campaigns, one must come up with methods that could effectively convey a message to an audience. These methods can easily end up as utter disasters or magnificent successes.
Take example the "stop at two" campaign in Singapore that started in the late 1960s, after world war 2 ended. The government desperately wanted the public to be educated on this topic and they did so through posters and slogans. Many middle-aged Singaporeans can roughly remember the poster of two cute girls sharing an umbrella and an apple. The umbrella fits two nicely, and three would have been a crowd. After all, who would be able to forget such a strong message?
Also, abortion and sterilization were strongly encouraged back then, and there was also a gradually
increasing array of disincentives penalizing parents for having more than two children, raising the
per-child cost of each additional child.
Disadvantages includes:
-/Workers in the public sector would not receive maternity leave for their third child or any subsequent children
-/Hospitals were required to charge incrementally higher fees for each additional child.
-/Income tax deductions would only be given for the first two children
-/Large families were penalised in housing assignments.
-/Third or fourth children were given lower priorities in education;
-/Top priority in top-tier primary schools would be given only to children whose parents had been
before the age of forty.
Due to these actions, it was obvious to Singaporeans that the government clearly did not want them to
have more than two children in each family. Therefore, the campaign ended up as a very successful one.
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-Today, Singapore is still struggling with the low birth rate. Therefore, actions are taken to help improve the situation. "I love children" campaign is one of the example. It aims to help Singaporeans understand more about male and female fertility so as to encourage parents to have children while they are still young. In other words, this non-profit organization is set up with a mission to advocate early parenthood among couples.
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2 perceptions:
-Singapore and China both underwent birth control at a certain period of time. Although Singaporean government officials stated that it was highly encouraged to stop at two, most Singaporeans feel that it was as if they were forced to do so. This was because of the high pressure from the society back then. On the other hand, the one-child policy in China had to be strictly abide to. In fact, it was not even a campaign; it was a law they couldn't afford to disobey.
Such rule left emotional, social and economic scars the both country and its citizens will be dealing with for many years to come.
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-I realize that it is essential for humans to learn from each other's mistakes. For the past 50 years or so, Singaporeans have learnt of so many ideas, policies, and culture that came from countries all over
the world. We improvise and apply what we learnt in these lessons in order to allow progress for our nation. Have you not realized that how our government run our country is highly similar to how other nations organize their society?
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1 Question:
-What are possible solutions to curb a surging population other than the one-child/two-child policy?
Complacent
Hi all. Let us begin with a short story.
A long time ago, most Chinese in China had a sino-centric worldview. To them, China was Zhongguo (δΈε½) which meant the center of the world. They believed that they were the most important and powerful country.
The reason why they had such mindset is because the Chinese had developed an advanced way of life
and highly organized society long before the Europeans. Through the centuries and under different dynasties, China had had many technological advancements and territorial conquests. Proud of their achievements, the Chinese thought that they had little to learn from the outside world. In fact, they saw themselves as superior to foreigners and regarded nations with different types of government as
barbaric.
Such complacency resulted in a weak and corrupted government which leads to the fall of a dynasty and eventually the abolishment of the dynastic system in China.
So what can we learn? What are the lessons that came from thousands and thousands of years?
We can probably learn that Singapore is still a few thousand years too early to start being complacent. Firstly, we carelessly let Shanghai retain its tittle as the world's busiest port for the fifth consecutive year. We have an ideological location for trade, a safe port, the best deals and yet, why are we still
lagging behind China? We are not the one dominating the markets, so there is nothing to be proud or complacent of.
Secondly, Singapore must plan further ahead. One way is to ensure that today's younger generation is thriving well in the society. China's top officials study at Singapore's knees. So what? We cannot become complacent just because of that. In fact, we have to realize that this means Singapore will
face even stronger competition from other countries in the near future. We can survive if we make sure that our strongest resource, human resource, is used efficiently in order to allow progress for our nation. If we cannot achieve this, there is nothing to be proud of.
Thirdly, we need to maintain our relationships with other countries and perhaps, patch up on some areas. One might argue that Singapore is already doing a flawless job, but I beg to differ. Take the haze issue as an example, can anyone dare say that no tension exist between the Singapore and
Indonesia? Singapore's relationship with Indonesia is just like a rubber band. When there is too much
tension, it will snap and that is no good news for us. Indonesia is a significant trade partner that we cannot afford to lose. Therefore, if things like maintaining relationships cannot be done easily, there is absolutely no room for being complacent. There is only room for improvement.
All in all, I am not trying to say that we should not be proud of our achievements. In fact, we should be thankful and appreciative of what we are able to enjoy today. I am only trying to stress that Singapore must not get overly confident, even in a few thousand years time.
The Merlion
One way our government think we can enhance our military defense is through the use of better military technologies. I agree with them. Because of efforts put in, the Defense Science Technology Agency Integrated Complex is now open to house some 3,000 defence engineers and technical staff who can hopefully boost the republic's defense science capabilities. Advancing in this field of
technology will prove invaluable in upgrading and building not just discrete components of the Singapore Armed Forces but also integrating them to multiply their effectiveness. Therefore, military
technology is indeed a factor of a good military defense.
It might seem that Singapore is currently doing an excellent job protecting the livelihood of its citizens. However, let us ask ourselves, are we underestimating our enemies? Is it alright to become too complacent? I hope this reasoning explained my drawing and please do not fault the editing of the photograph.
Pre-trip reflection
Before, I have always imagined OELP as a leisure trip. Thanks to the weekly CID lessons, I now
have some topics to explore when I go on this learning journey. For example, I can study and gather useful informations about China's education system, heritage and standard of living. Afterwards, I
can compare these informations with Singapore's education system, heritage and standard of living. Knowing such differences or similarities between the two nations will allow us, students, to understand how and why the mainland Chinese view things differently from us.
The part of the trip that I look forward to most is the Industrial visit to SAIC Volkswagen. SAIC Volkswagen is an automobile manufacturing company headquartered in Anting, China. It is a joint venture between Volkswagen group and SAIC Motor. It was founded in 1985. I can't wait because personally, I am interested to find out how a German company managed to make a fortune in a foreign land like China. I hope to find out how the company adapts the design of cars in order to gain the interest of the mainland Chinese. Surely there must be changes made.
Of course, other than learning, I will definitely want to have fun and bond more with my classmates.
3 days to go!
Post-trip activity 1
2016-Suzhou OELP-Reflection-NgSimin-2G.doc
Reflection:
I wanted to go on this trip because I hope to learn more about China's economic and standard of living, China's education system and lastly, China’s heritage and culture. Merely listening to what the teachers talk about in lessons can never be compared to really stepping out of the classroom and learning real time from what we see, hear, feel and experience. Therefore, I am grateful that I am offered such an opportunity to be able to go overseas to Suzhou, China. During this period of internalization experience, I aimed to seize every single moment and learn the most of what I am exposed to. I want to apply what I have learnt into my daily life.
For example, I understood some struggles and the debates on whether to preserve a heritage or to destroy it in order to allow further progression for the country. In this way, I am able to understand and appreciate some actions taken by our Singapore government. Sometimes, it is not easy for the government to make such major decisions and we should not complain about why things are not going our way.
During the trip, there were many situations I came across that I felt strongly about. I shall mention one because this particular situation allowed me to learn one fact that impacted me the most.
On day two of this learning journey, I visited a Silk Factory. I didn't really get to observe much about the life cycle of silkworms. Neither did I learn anything about mulberry planting or silkworm raising. I was very disappointed. But I did get to learn a lot about silk embroidery. Simply saying, it wasn't really a factory. It was more like a museum, where beautiful pieces of work(and their price tags) were displayed. There was even a hands-on activity to allow us to get a brief feel of how it is like to hand make a piece of silk embroidery work. It was during the activity that I happen to see an elderly worker working on a magnificent piece of work. Just experiencing the hands-on activity was not enough to allow me to imagine how much hard work, perseverance, concentration and support is needed for her to complete that one piece of quality hand-made work that could be sold for thousands and thousands of dollars. Later on day three, I reconsidered what I saw at the silk factory when I visited Shantang Street. There, I could easily purchase a piece of factory-made embroidery work for less than a few hundred dollars. One would probably argue that perhaps the 100% handmade work would look prettier and be of better quality than the ones made by machines. But let me reassure you, some of these factory-made work were so beautiful and perfect that they are even better that the hand-made ones. One possible reason could be because with machines, human errors are reduced.
Let us think deeper into this matter. With technological advancements, a similar piece of quality embroidery work could be completed within a shorter time frame with so much less effort required. Furthermore, a factory-made work is more affordable and can be purchased by even us, students. On the other hand, because it is manufactured by machines, it is much harder to be appreciated by common folks like us. But then again, what is there to be appreciated? What are the messages that aims to be brought out through these pieces of work? I realize that what is being hand made by the workers are simply pieces of embroidered works that resemble images found on Google. There is not much creativity involved when it comes to creating these pieces of work. There are no meanings or values behind them, except to attract the attention of potential buyers. Am I the only one who feels that hand making these pieces of work is just another way to earn a living and to supposedly increase the price value of a piece of work? And so what if this dying trade is not appreciated? Tourists nowadays purchase such works for souvenir sake and they do not strive to understand the traditions, values, and meanings behind them, if there is any at all. Therefore, one thing we should all consider is whether or not to preserve the tradition of hand making embroidery works. Personally, I do not think that such a tradition is worth preserving. I do not mean to insult anyone, but let me just apologize first.
Lastly, I would like to mention a person that taught me more than what I could achieve in class. She is Ms Phuar, the teacher who is in charge of my group during this trip. All credits goes to her and her debriefs. Although her debriefs cannot be described as something short and sweet, they are really insightful. For example, everything that I have mentioned above about silk embroidery is definitely inspired by one of her debriefs. I am honored and grateful to have her around for this trip.
All in all, let me conclude this reflection by just stating that through the learning, I had fun.
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