OELP Reflections
This
is going to be about my recent OELP trip to Shanghai and Yangzhou. Sorry to
keep you all waiting, I hope you enjoy. All pictures below are taken by me,
using my DSLR :p, unless otherwise stated.
Day 1
I knew that this was the first step to learning to be
independent. When we hoped into the airplane, everyone was super excited to
catch some movies. We were all seated at the back of the airplane, thus
resulting in less strangers around us :p 5 hours of plane ride felt only like
an hour.
When we arrived at our destination, Shanghai, everyone were very happy
and couldn't wait to experience the weather there in Shanghai.
Stepping out of
the airport, a sudden gust of wind blow across our faces and we enjoyed the
cool breeze. ahhhhh... it was like natural air conditioning, BUT BETTER:)Then,
we waited a while for our bus to arrive so that we could go for dinner! During
the bus ride, many of us observed that Shanghai was totally different from Singapore.
Like the buildings, roads, trains, cars and so on. Curiosity was the only thing
that was in our mind as we thought hard on why things were done this and that
way, unlike Singapore.
When we reached the restaurant, we were surprised by how
exquisite the restaurant was and we weren't expecting it. All 10 boys in the
class sat together and ate on the same table. The food served was excellent! We
were served with a scrumptious variety of food.
After that, we headed for the
Bund. When we were there, we took a cruise to the HuangPu River.
As we cruised
along the river, we saw many tall buildings around us, the scene was amazing.
We managed to catch sight of some familiar buildings.one of which was the OCBC
bank building. I wondered why the OCBC bank, which is a Singapore bank, is
located there in Shanghai. I realised that it is because Singapore has really
strong ties with China. Therefore with Singapore's bank working with them,
it'll help improve China's economy. I also found out that this area, along the
river, was very urbanised. This reminds me of CBD along Singapore River.
Day
2
Today is the day that we would travel from Shanghai to Yangzhou. I was
really excited to go there as I heard from my parents that Yangzhou was a very
beautiful pose to go to and that Yang Zhou fried rice was a must try there. We
took a four hour bus ride to Yangzhou( we played UNO on the bus to past time haha)
and then headed for lunch. We managed to
try Yangzhou fried rice! It was so nice that the entire plate of rice was left
sparkling clean!
Next, we went to geyuan garden.
It was drizzling then, and the
garden was very cooling. The garden was really huge. I realised that there were
many different types of flowers there and the most common plant was bamboos.
One of my favourite pictures:)
A
huge amount of bamboo plants were seen in geyuan garden. Our tour guide
explained to us that geyuan garden was very important to Yangzhou as it has
lots of historical value.
The next destination is one of my favourite places.
We went to the Chinese paper cutting museum. When we were told that we were
going there, I was slightly turned off as I was not keen in learning that. After
past experiences of cutting paper, I dreaded it. Upon arriving there, we were
welcomed by a few Chinese paper cutting teachers that were very friendly. In
our paper cutting package, it included an old scissors which was of really high
quality, some coloured paper which were thin, making it ideal for cutting, and
some Chinese traditional designs, like a dragon, sheep, and flowers.
The design
was really intricate and I thought to myself" this is going to be
difficult...Firstly, we had to staple the design and coloured paper together
.the we cut out the details in the picture, then we cut out the outline of it,
leaving us with the completed artwork.
Everyone suffered from a backache free
that but looking at the result, we felt that it was worth it. My impression of
Chinese paper cutting was completely different as I managed to appreciate the
art within it.
After that in the evening, we took a boat ride along the Beijing
Hang Zhou Grand Canal. The scene was spectacular and of we were to stick our
head out of the window,
cool gusts of wind brushed against our faces.
Now was
our most anticipated segment of the day: going to the supermarket. We were
really excited about going there as we were really curious about the things
that were sold in there and what the prices were. As we entered the huge
supermarket which was 4 levels high, we saw many shops on the first floor,
ranging from bags shop to fast food restaurant. We were tasked to compare
prices of products in China to Singapore's. We were shocked to find that most
of the things in that supermarket were way cheaper than Singapore’s. I think
that the main reasons is because China's land size was much bigger than Singapore,
making the land cheaper, so that the products would also be significantly
cheaper. in addition, I found out that almost all of the products sold there
were made in China, making them cheaper too. However, there was one section
that had all the imported good. They were all arranged according to country and
surprisingly, we find Singapore's product, Hello panda. But sadly, they were
more expensive as they were imported goods. Many of us bought cup noodles and
carbonated drinks for our supper later in the hotel. Most of the cup noodles
were beef flavour, somehow...
Day 3
We gathered at the common area of our hotel first floor only to find out that
there was a lady, dressed formally, waiting for us. Before long, we found out
that she was actually the principle of the school we were about to go to,
Shuren School. Our teacher, Mr Dela Cruz explained to us that she was here to
bring us to the school. And she did so to show her appreciation to us for going
to her school and that she treasured the friendship between Shuren School and
River valley high school. We left from the hotel immediately for the exchange
programme in Shuren School. When we arrived at the gate of the school, we were
amazed by the size of the school, feels like it was 5 times bigger than ours.
We were welcomed by a huge signboard stating, Welcome River Valley High School.
Firstly, we went to a special room where we would observe the students having
lessons from a one way screen. We sat in a room which was adjacent to their
classroom and watched them having lessons through the window.
The students were
really attentive! One thing that I found that was different between them and us
was that the students were very proactive when it came to answering and asking
questions during class. Despite proactiveness being a value in our school, I
felt that we were lacking of it and that there was a need for us to learn it
from them.
Next, we went to their garden. Before our trip, we were told by our
teachers that their school's garden was as big as a garden we would normally
find in Singapore. I was very sceptical about it as it was impossible for a
school to have such a big garden. But Shuren School proved me wrong.
They
really had an enormous garden located in their school. And I learn that many of
the plants and flowers in their school were donated by their students. The
gardens had many trees, making it very cooling and was an ideal place for
relaxing and studying as there were shelters there. In my opinion, this is a
good place for relaxing one's mind from the stress from studying.
Day 4
Today, we went to Shuren School again, but this time it is a different branch.
We were all ready for our OELP performance to perform to the school. We had a
whole of a time there. I was in charge of the sound system, making sure that
all the music is played at the right time. I observed that the students from
Shuren School who were performing were very impressive. They had solo piano
performance, solo saxophone performance, Latin dancing, and solo singing and so
on. They were very talented. As I observed at a corner, I came to realize that
most of their performance were very individualistic, not requiring a team or
something like that. I just wonder whether this is related to their culture or tradition?
But overall, I was so happy that very single performance when smoothly oh yes!
I almost forgot about the last part, which was everybody, including our class
and the students there all sang our hearts out to 朋友 by 周华健 as we stood on the stage.
We
also got a gift from the school, which was a salted egg.it was in conjunction
with the upcoming dragon boat festival. It was tied up in a beautiful string
bag, ready to be eaten. Right after that, we attended a calligraphy lesson
taught by a renowned Chinese calligrapher.
The teacher introduced to us the
history behind Chinese calligraphy and that all Chinese characters in the
dictionary has a story behind it.
After we bid farewell to the school and left,
we went to XinHua bookstore which was 6 stores high. Crazy right!? It was
humongous! The entire bookstore was filled with different types of books
ranging from cookery, to assessment books, to story books.
What's more, they
even sold sports equipment’s, cook ware(for example: rice cooker) stationaries,
electronic gadgets and so on. However, I was try really hard to find an English
book but there was none. I was surprised that all the books were in Chinese!
Day 5
Today is more of a history-ish day and we got to go to a couple of historical
places. First stop, Slender West Lake and 24 bridges (瘦西湖)
the view of the river was breath
taking and I cannot believe how beautiful Entire scene was!
Next stop,
the former residence of Zhu ZiQing. It was once where Zhu ZiQing lived.
The route to foormer Zhu ZiQing Residence
It is
now a place for people to go to and take a look at what he has contributed to
China. His house was preserved so as to allow people to come in and learn more
about him and understand what he has done to help china. With this, the Chinese
people could learn to be like him.
On to
the next destination: Dong Guan Street. To be honest, this is my favourite
place in the whole trip as the street was bustling with activities and there
were dozens of shops there. My CID group managed to buy lots of things, like:
unique tasting tea leaves, souvenirs, snacks, gift cards and so on. These are
some pictures I have taken:
I love this picture:)
Day 6
Our teachers have warned us on how crowded the place would
be and that we had to sick close with one another to prevent anything from
happening. Many of us spent a bomb there :p
Next destination Shanghai Science and
Technology Museum. The museum was filled with life like animal structures and
description on them.it was really easy to understand it as the description was
not only in Chinese but also in English. We also managed to see cool robots.one
of which was a robot that could solve a rubies cube way faster than the world
fastest human solver. Its speed was unbelievable.
After that, we journeyed to
the Oriental Pearl Tower.
Taken by YuHan
This was one of the must-gos in Shanghai. As we got
up the tower, the scene from above was just amazing as we could see everything
from afar. The best part of going to the pearl tower was the highest story,
where the floor was made of glass, which means we could see everything under
us!!! Although I have never been afraid of heights, I actually did feel a sense
of fear lurking in me for a moment.
i was being cropped out:/
Many of us made use of the opportunity to
take group pictures there. Next, we went to the old French concession it was
filled with westerners there and they were all eating or drinking.
Taken by YuHan
Our last
stop was TianZiFang was another shopping street, like DongGuan Street, but
smaller. It had many shops there which sold similar goods, resulting in them
being cheap. We had a great time there, window shopping:D
Taken by Valencia
Day 7
Oh no, it's the last day:/today was the
day the all of us were filled with guilt, not having to treasure the previous 6
days as it past so quickly. We tried our best to try every single moment we had
together.
First destination of the day was the Qipao Ancient Town.
This place,
once again reminded me of DongGuan Street we went to days ago. But it felt way
older and less developed. I could tell by the old buildings there that were
still around. This showed us how the things with historical value are still
being kept so as to show tourist the culture of the Chinese last time.(i too quite few pictures of people there:p)
Last but not least, we headed for the Shanghai
museum.
The museum had many old artefacts such as old coins during the Qing
dynasty, old paintings, and old clothes and so on. We realised that this was
somehow related to the things we were currently learning for history which had
to do with China's history.
After leaving the museum, we had to face the
sad truth. It was time to go back home. All of a sudden, we start to bind
together as we knew that this was the last few moments we could spend together
as a class there.
I hoped that you have enjoyed viewing my blog entry. Here are some of my favourite pictures that I have taken during OELP:
THANKS FOR READING!
Culture in China: Festivals ( Shanghai)
1) Shanghai Television Festival
The Shanghai Television Festival (STVF) has become the most influential and prestigious international TV festival in Asia, arguably the biggest TV market in the world. Highlights of the festival include showcasing excellent Chinese and international TV programs, the Magnolia Awards, press conferences, signing ceremonies of international cooperation, a program market, TV forums and special events such as the Shanghai Student TV Festival and other competitions.
The Festival includes the International TV & Film Market, which has proved to be more market-oriented than its predecessors. In addition to the exhibiting companies present, the market invited potential buyers to attend in order to establish their own trade platforms for the first time. A new rule established at last year's festival (June 2013) allows potential buyers exemption from registration fees, and other incentives for major buyers such as free air tickets to attend the following year.
Chinese people have a special love for peaches and for peach blossom, which symbolizes life, growth and prosperity. The flowers are a riot of colour, and this most auspicious of all plants in Chinese culture not only signifies long life, but is considered to be one of the strongest defences against evil.
2)Peach Blossom Festival
Shanghai Peach Blossom Festival is held annually in late March or early April, when the tens of thousands of acres of peach trees in Nanhui District, a suburb of Shanghai, are in glorious bloom.
3)Dragon Boat Festival
On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, this festival celebrates the national hero Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in the 3rd century, B.C. in protest against a corrupt emperor. Legend has it that people attempted to prevent fish from feeding on his body by throwing rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves into the sea and frightening fish away by beating drums. Today crews in narrow dragon boats race to the beat of heavy drums, and it’s traditional to eat sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves during this Festival.
IS THE MERLION A GOOD ICON TO REPRESENT SINGAPORE?
Our group had discussed about the topic 'Is the merlion statue the best icon to represent Singapore?'
And our answer is NO
We feel that there are many icons which can represent our country, Singapore, better.
These are some factors which can contribute to an icon in Singapore such as
-Age of the icon
-Uniqueness
-tourists attraction
-beauty
Here are some examples:
Hainanese Chicken rice
When we all see the succulent cooked chicken hanging neatly in a row at a food stall, one of Singapore’s national dish - Hainanese Chicken Rice.
Hainanese Chicken rice is famouse among Singaporeans especially youngstrers as it is very delicious.it can be served with fregrant rice and bite- sized pieces of chicken or even rice with an enitire chicken if you were to eat in a big group of people. Its taste is also complemented with delicious chilli and ginger paste.
Whenever a tourist asks me what they should eat in Singapore, this would be the first food that i would suggest to them!
Orchid
a.k.a Vanda Miss Joaquim
This is our national flower!
OELP Reflections
This
is going to be about my recent OELP trip to Shanghai and Yangzhou. Sorry to
keep you all waiting, I hope you enjoy. All pictures below are taken by me,
using my DSLR :p, unless otherwise stated.
Day 1
It was the 26 of May 2015, the day that we got to go as a class
to China for an immersion programme. I was very excited as this was the first
time travelling overseas without my family members, especially my parents, and
going with my friends. Upon meeting everyone at Changi airport, I could see
everyone being so lively and beaming like beacons. We first took attendance
then took a class photo. I thought to myself," I wonder what we are going
to do there..." " Since going out as class is such a rare chance, why
not just treasure it?" I felt a sense if unwillingness as I bid farewell
to my parents.
I knew that this was the first step to learning to be
independent. When we hoped into the airplane, everyone was super excited to
catch some movies. We were all seated at the back of the airplane, thus
resulting in less strangers around us :p 5 hours of plane ride felt only like
an hour.
When we arrived at our destination, Shanghai, everyone were very happy and couldn't wait to experience the weather there in Shanghai.
Stepping out of
the airport, a sudden gust of wind blow across our faces and we enjoyed the
cool breeze. ahhhhh... it was like natural air conditioning, BUT BETTER:)Then,
we waited a while for our bus to arrive so that we could go for dinner! During
the bus ride, many of us observed that Shanghai was totally different from Singapore.
Like the buildings, roads, trains, cars and so on. Curiosity was the only thing
that was in our mind as we thought hard on why things were done this and that
way, unlike Singapore.
When we reached the restaurant, we were surprised by how exquisite the restaurant was and we weren't expecting it. All 10 boys in the class sat together and ate on the same table. The food served was excellent! We were served with a scrumptious variety of food.
After that, we headed for the Bund. When we were there, we took a cruise to the HuangPu River.
As we cruised
along the river, we saw many tall buildings around us, the scene was amazing.
We managed to catch sight of some familiar buildings.one of which was the OCBC
bank building. I wondered why the OCBC bank, which is a Singapore bank, is
located there in Shanghai. I realised that it is because Singapore has really
strong ties with China. Therefore with Singapore's bank working with them,
it'll help improve China's economy. I also found out that this area, along the
river, was very urbanised. This reminds me of CBD along Singapore River.
When we arrived at our destination, Shanghai, everyone were very happy and couldn't wait to experience the weather there in Shanghai.
When we reached the restaurant, we were surprised by how exquisite the restaurant was and we weren't expecting it. All 10 boys in the class sat together and ate on the same table. The food served was excellent! We were served with a scrumptious variety of food.
After that, we headed for the Bund. When we were there, we took a cruise to the HuangPu River.
Day
2
Next, we went to geyuan garden.
A
huge amount of bamboo plants were seen in geyuan garden. Our tour guide
explained to us that geyuan garden was very important to Yangzhou as it has
lots of historical value.
The next destination is one of my favourite places. We went to the Chinese paper cutting museum. When we were told that we were going there, I was slightly turned off as I was not keen in learning that. After past experiences of cutting paper, I dreaded it. Upon arriving there, we were welcomed by a few Chinese paper cutting teachers that were very friendly. In our paper cutting package, it included an old scissors which was of really high quality, some coloured paper which were thin, making it ideal for cutting, and some Chinese traditional designs, like a dragon, sheep, and flowers.
After that in the evening, we took a boat ride along the Beijing Hang Zhou Grand Canal. The scene was spectacular and of we were to stick our head out of the window,
Now was our most anticipated segment of the day: going to the supermarket. We were really excited about going there as we were really curious about the things that were sold in there and what the prices were. As we entered the huge supermarket which was 4 levels high, we saw many shops on the first floor, ranging from bags shop to fast food restaurant. We were tasked to compare prices of products in China to Singapore's. We were shocked to find that most of the things in that supermarket were way cheaper than Singapore’s. I think that the main reasons is because China's land size was much bigger than Singapore, making the land cheaper, so that the products would also be significantly cheaper. in addition, I found out that almost all of the products sold there were made in China, making them cheaper too. However, there was one section that had all the imported good. They were all arranged according to country and surprisingly, we find Singapore's product, Hello panda. But sadly, they were more expensive as they were imported goods. Many of us bought cup noodles and carbonated drinks for our supper later in the hotel. Most of the cup noodles were beef flavour, somehow...
Today is the day that we would travel from Shanghai to Yangzhou. I was
really excited to go there as I heard from my parents that Yangzhou was a very
beautiful pose to go to and that Yang Zhou fried rice was a must try there. We
took a four hour bus ride to Yangzhou( we played UNO on the bus to past time haha)
and then headed for lunch. We managed to
try Yangzhou fried rice! It was so nice that the entire plate of rice was left
sparkling clean!
Next, we went to geyuan garden.
|
It was drizzling then, and the
garden was very cooling. The garden was really huge. I realised that there were
many different types of flowers there and the most common plant was bamboos.
 |
| One of my favourite pictures:) |
The next destination is one of my favourite places. We went to the Chinese paper cutting museum. When we were told that we were going there, I was slightly turned off as I was not keen in learning that. After past experiences of cutting paper, I dreaded it. Upon arriving there, we were welcomed by a few Chinese paper cutting teachers that were very friendly. In our paper cutting package, it included an old scissors which was of really high quality, some coloured paper which were thin, making it ideal for cutting, and some Chinese traditional designs, like a dragon, sheep, and flowers.
The design
was really intricate and I thought to myself" this is going to be
difficult...Firstly, we had to staple the design and coloured paper together
.the we cut out the details in the picture, then we cut out the outline of it,
leaving us with the completed artwork.
Everyone suffered from a backache free
that but looking at the result, we felt that it was worth it. My impression of
Chinese paper cutting was completely different as I managed to appreciate the
art within it.
After that in the evening, we took a boat ride along the Beijing Hang Zhou Grand Canal. The scene was spectacular and of we were to stick our head out of the window,
cool gusts of wind brushed against our faces.
Now was our most anticipated segment of the day: going to the supermarket. We were really excited about going there as we were really curious about the things that were sold in there and what the prices were. As we entered the huge supermarket which was 4 levels high, we saw many shops on the first floor, ranging from bags shop to fast food restaurant. We were tasked to compare prices of products in China to Singapore's. We were shocked to find that most of the things in that supermarket were way cheaper than Singapore’s. I think that the main reasons is because China's land size was much bigger than Singapore, making the land cheaper, so that the products would also be significantly cheaper. in addition, I found out that almost all of the products sold there were made in China, making them cheaper too. However, there was one section that had all the imported good. They were all arranged according to country and surprisingly, we find Singapore's product, Hello panda. But sadly, they were more expensive as they were imported goods. Many of us bought cup noodles and carbonated drinks for our supper later in the hotel. Most of the cup noodles were beef flavour, somehow...
Day 3
We gathered at the common area of our hotel first floor only to find out that
there was a lady, dressed formally, waiting for us. Before long, we found out
that she was actually the principle of the school we were about to go to,
Shuren School. Our teacher, Mr Dela Cruz explained to us that she was here to
bring us to the school. And she did so to show her appreciation to us for going
to her school and that she treasured the friendship between Shuren School and
River valley high school. We left from the hotel immediately for the exchange
programme in Shuren School. When we arrived at the gate of the school, we were
amazed by the size of the school, feels like it was 5 times bigger than ours.
We were welcomed by a huge signboard stating, Welcome River Valley High School.
Firstly, we went to a special room where we would observe the students having
lessons from a one way screen. We sat in a room which was adjacent to their
classroom and watched them having lessons through the window.
The students were
really attentive! One thing that I found that was different between them and us
was that the students were very proactive when it came to answering and asking
questions during class. Despite proactiveness being a value in our school, I
felt that we were lacking of it and that there was a need for us to learn it
from them.
Next, we went to their garden. Before our trip, we were told by our
teachers that their school's garden was as big as a garden we would normally
find in Singapore. I was very sceptical about it as it was impossible for a
school to have such a big garden. But Shuren School proved me wrong.
They
really had an enormous garden located in their school. And I learn that many of
the plants and flowers in their school were donated by their students. The
gardens had many trees, making it very cooling and was an ideal place for
relaxing and studying as there were shelters there. In my opinion, this is a
good place for relaxing one's mind from the stress from studying.
Day 4
The teacher introduced to us the
history behind Chinese calligraphy and that all Chinese characters in the
dictionary has a story behind it.
After we bid farewell to the school and left, we went to XinHua bookstore which was 6 stores high. Crazy right!? It was humongous! The entire bookstore was filled with different types of books ranging from cookery, to assessment books, to story books.
Today, we went to Shuren School again, but this time it is a different branch.
We were all ready for our OELP performance to perform to the school. We had a
whole of a time there. I was in charge of the sound system, making sure that
all the music is played at the right time. I observed that the students from
Shuren School who were performing were very impressive. They had solo piano
performance, solo saxophone performance, Latin dancing, and solo singing and so
on. They were very talented. As I observed at a corner, I came to realize that
most of their performance were very individualistic, not requiring a team or
something like that. I just wonder whether this is related to their culture or tradition?
But overall, I was so happy that very single performance when smoothly oh yes!
I almost forgot about the last part, which was everybody, including our class
and the students there all sang our hearts out to 朋友 by 周华健 as we stood on the stage.
We
also got a gift from the school, which was a salted egg.it was in conjunction
with the upcoming dragon boat festival. It was tied up in a beautiful string
bag, ready to be eaten. Right after that, we attended a calligraphy lesson
taught by a renowned Chinese calligrapher.
After we bid farewell to the school and left, we went to XinHua bookstore which was 6 stores high. Crazy right!? It was humongous! The entire bookstore was filled with different types of books ranging from cookery, to assessment books, to story books.
What's more, they
even sold sports equipment’s, cook ware(for example: rice cooker) stationaries,
electronic gadgets and so on. However, I was try really hard to find an English
book but there was none. I was surprised that all the books were in Chinese!
Day 5
Today is more of a history-ish day and we got to go to a couple of historical
places. First stop, Slender West Lake and 24 bridges (瘦西湖)
the view of the river was breath
taking and I cannot believe how beautiful Entire scene was!
Next stop,
the former residence of Zhu ZiQing. It was once where Zhu ZiQing lived.
It is
now a place for people to go to and take a look at what he has contributed to
China. His house was preserved so as to allow people to come in and learn more
about him and understand what he has done to help china. With this, the Chinese
people could learn to be like him.
 |
| The route to foormer Zhu ZiQing Residence |
On to
the next destination: Dong Guan Street. To be honest, this is my favourite
place in the whole trip as the street was bustling with activities and there
were dozens of shops there. My CID group managed to buy lots of things, like:
unique tasting tea leaves, souvenirs, snacks, gift cards and so on. These are
some pictures I have taken:
 |
| I love this picture:) |
Day 6
Today
is the last day at YangZhou. The first place we went to was ChengHuang Miao (城隍庙）. We
specifically chose this day to wear our bright neon class third as it was very
easily identifiable.
Our teachers have warned us on how crowded the place would
be and that we had to sick close with one another to prevent anything from
happening. Many of us spent a bomb there :p
Next destination Shanghai Science and
Technology Museum. The museum was filled with life like animal structures and
description on them.it was really easy to understand it as the description was
not only in Chinese but also in English. We also managed to see cool robots.one
of which was a robot that could solve a rubies cube way faster than the world
fastest human solver. Its speed was unbelievable.
After that, we journeyed to the Oriental Pearl Tower.
This was one of the must-gos in Shanghai. As we got
up the tower, the scene from above was just amazing as we could see everything
from afar. The best part of going to the pearl tower was the highest story,
where the floor was made of glass, which means we could see everything under
us!!! Although I have never been afraid of heights, I actually did feel a sense
of fear lurking in me for a moment.
Many of us made use of the opportunity to
take group pictures there. Next, we went to the old French concession it was
filled with westerners there and they were all eating or drinking.
Our last stop was TianZiFang was another shopping street, like DongGuan Street, but smaller. It had many shops there which sold similar goods, resulting in them being cheap. We had a great time there, window shopping:D
After that, we journeyed to the Oriental Pearl Tower.
|
| Taken by YuHan |
|
| i was being cropped out:/ |
|
| Taken by YuHan |
Our last stop was TianZiFang was another shopping street, like DongGuan Street, but smaller. It had many shops there which sold similar goods, resulting in them being cheap. We had a great time there, window shopping:D
|
| Taken by Valencia |
Day 7
Oh no, it's the last day:/today was the
day the all of us were filled with guilt, not having to treasure the previous 6
days as it past so quickly. We tried our best to try every single moment we had
together.
First destination of the day was the Qipao Ancient Town.
This place,
once again reminded me of DongGuan Street we went to days ago. But it felt way
older and less developed. I could tell by the old buildings there that were
still around. This showed us how the things with historical value are still
being kept so as to show tourist the culture of the Chinese last time.(i too quite few pictures of people there:p)
Last but not least, we headed for the Shanghai
museum.
The museum had many old artefacts such as old coins during the Qing
dynasty, old paintings, and old clothes and so on. We realised that this was
somehow related to the things we were currently learning for history which had
to do with China's history.
After leaving the museum, we had to face the
sad truth. It was time to go back home. All of a sudden, we start to bind
together as we knew that this was the last few moments we could spend together
as a class there.
Overall, I feel really happy to have been to
this trip as I have learnt lots of new things not only about China's economy,
culture, education but also about my classmates. This is one trip that I will
never forget :'(
I hoped that you have enjoyed viewing my blog entry. Here are some of my favourite pictures that I have taken during OELP:
THANKS FOR READING!
Culture in China: Festivals ( Shanghai)
1) Shanghai Television Festival
The Shanghai Television Festival (STVF) has become the most influential and prestigious international TV festival in Asia, arguably the biggest TV market in the world. Highlights of the festival include showcasing excellent Chinese and international TV programs, the Magnolia Awards, press conferences, signing ceremonies of international cooperation, a program market, TV forums and special events such as the Shanghai Student TV Festival and other competitions.
The Festival includes the International TV & Film Market, which has proved to be more market-oriented than its predecessors. In addition to the exhibiting companies present, the market invited potential buyers to attend in order to establish their own trade platforms for the first time. A new rule established at last year's festival (June 2013) allows potential buyers exemption from registration fees, and other incentives for major buyers such as free air tickets to attend the following year.
Chinese people have a special love for peaches and for peach blossom, which symbolizes life, growth and prosperity. The flowers are a riot of colour, and this most auspicious of all plants in Chinese culture not only signifies long life, but is considered to be one of the strongest defences against evil.
2)Peach Blossom Festival
Shanghai Peach Blossom Festival is held annually in late March or early April, when the tens of thousands of acres of peach trees in Nanhui District, a suburb of Shanghai, are in glorious bloom.
3)Dragon Boat Festival
On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, this festival celebrates the national hero Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in the 3rd century, B.C. in protest against a corrupt emperor. Legend has it that people attempted to prevent fish from feeding on his body by throwing rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves into the sea and frightening fish away by beating drums. Today crews in narrow dragon boats race to the beat of heavy drums, and it’s traditional to eat sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves during this Festival.
IS THE MERLION A GOOD ICON TO REPRESENT SINGAPORE?
Our group had discussed about the topic 'Is the merlion statue the best icon to represent Singapore?'
Our group had discussed about the topic 'Is the merlion statue the best icon to represent Singapore?'
And our answer is NO
We feel that there are many icons which can represent our country, Singapore, better.
These are some factors which can contribute to an icon in Singapore such as
-Age of the icon
-Uniqueness
-tourists attraction
-beauty
Here are some examples:
Hainanese Chicken rice
When we all see the succulent cooked chicken hanging neatly in a row at a food stall, one of Singapore’s national dish - Hainanese Chicken Rice.
Hainanese Chicken rice is famouse among Singaporeans especially youngstrers as it is very delicious.it can be served with fregrant rice and bite- sized pieces of chicken or even rice with an enitire chicken if you were to eat in a big group of people. Its taste is also complemented with delicious chilli and ginger paste.
Whenever a tourist asks me what they should eat in Singapore, this would be the first food that i would suggest to them!
Orchid
a.k.a Vanda Miss Joaquim
This is our national flower!
a.k.a Vanda Miss Joaquim
This is our national flower!
On 15 April 1981, Vanda Miss Joaquim was selected as Singapore's National Flower. It was selected from among 40 flowers, out of which 30 were orchids. Among the several varieties of Vanda Miss Joaquim, the variety "Agnes" was chosen in particular for its vibrant colours, hardiness and resilience – qualities that reflect the Singapore spirit.
This unique flower is used as a representative national flower "as part of an overall effort to foster national pride and identity". It was chosen as the national flower because it was popularly known, free flowering, colourful and attractive. In the end, the Vanda Miss Joaquim was chosen for its "resilience and year round blooming quality".
Singapore Zoo
Why is our Singapore Zoo so popular,some may ask?
these are some reasons:
1. It’s the No. 1 zoo in Asia
The idea of setting up a Singapore Zoo in the catchment forests around the Upper Seletar Reservoir was conceived in 1968 by then Public Utilities Board chairman Ong Swee Law. He envisioned a modern haven for animals kept in open-type enclosures amid landscaped gardens resembling their natural habitat.
The zoo, which attracts 1.7 million visitors annually, was recently ranked No. 1 in Asia by TripAdvisor in its Travellers’ Choice Awards 2014. It was ranked fifth overall in the world.
4. We get to meet the stars of the zoo
Ah Meng, the orang utan!!!
Ah Meng was the biggest star of the zoo, appearing in more than 30 travel films. The well-loved primate dined with everyone, from school children to royalty, in the famous “Breakfast with Ah Meng” programme launched in 1982.
There were conflicting claims about her background. The official version is that Ah Meng was born in Sumatra, and came to the zoo in 1971. She was taken from a couple who kept her illegally as a pet. But Australian oil rig worker Paul Carter, in his memoir, claimed that Ah Meng spent 15 years tending bar on an oil barge that plied the waters of South-east Asia. He said it was only when the ship was sold to new owners in the 1970s that the crew was forced to give Ah Meng up to the zoo.
When the orang utan died in 2008 at the age of 48 - or around 95 in human years - more than 4,000 people attended her memorial service. She was buried in the Singapore Zoo - the first zoo resident to be accorded such an honour.
Singapore airlines
Esplanade
Remembering our hero:Mr Lee Kuan Yew
As I write this blog entry reflecting on Mr Lee Kuan Yew,I am deeply saddened by the passing of Mr lee, a pioneer and transformational leader of Singapore. I feel that it is rare to find such a devoted and selfless leader who is willing to build a nation. In the morning on 23 March when I woke up, I was devastated by the news on his passing.i knew that we have just lost a very important person.
From Mr Lee, I have learnt a few things. As a leader,Mr Lee was made unpopular decisions which the citizens were not happy about.for example: making National Service compulsory for men.Because Singapore just gained its independence ,a strong army was needed to protect its country,thus, with Men going for National Service,Singapore would be prepared for anything. Right now,Singapore's army force is way stronger than any other countries near by. Mr Lee was being disliked by so many people for setting up this but it turns out that his decisions were for the better.in addition, the strict laws that he has enforced including fines or death penalties when people commit crimes,which made Singapore so safe. This was only possible because he had moral courage and he understood what he was doing
I also feel that Mr Lee lived out true transformational leadership. He did not see himself above others and raised his children to not feel they were ‘better than others’ or privileged, even when they were. He led with a spirit of service for the good of his country and not of himself or his family when he easily could have done so. He dedicated his life to make Singapore from a third world country to a first world country.
Without Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore would not be safe, international, clean and peaceful.i feel very lucky and privileged to be able to live in Singapore. When I travel overseas for holidays,I realised that not all of them have such an efficient transport system,safe roads and good education like Singapore.
I will always remember Mr Lee Kuan Yew as a resilient, selfless and honest leader of Singapore.Thank you, Mr Lee. You have done all that you could have for us. May you rest in peace...
China's economy and its impacts on Singapore
In China, on average each Chinese citizen does not get a high amount of goods and services to consume,despite the fact that their country has a high GDP. Singapore's case is contrary to this.During Cid lesson, I have learnt that this will result in the rich people becoming richer and the poor people becoming poorer.so much so that the people in China who are rich might be millionaires But the poor people are beggars that do not ben have a home to stay in.This can show that if China is rich,it does not mean that everyone in China is rich.
China is the world's 2nd largest economy. It is the world's fastest-growing major economy, with growth rates averaging 10% over the past 30 years. Singapore trades with china and With the growth of China's economy, Singapore can then enjoy many benefits.for example,there would be immigrants from China coming to live in Singapore and work those tough jobs that few Singaporeans are not willing to take up. Also,Singapore's income relies greatly on tourism and the mayor its of people who come to Singapore as tourists are from China .assuming if Chinese from China stop coming over to Singapore to live, Singapore will be affected greatly.firstly, food and beverage companies will loose lots of money as less people are buying from them.secondly, hotels will also loose money as there are few people living there.Therefore Singapore depends on China a lot.
This picture shows China's growing economy
China's One Child Policy
What is China's " One - child Policy"
It is a policy implemented by the Chinese government as a method of controlling the population. The one-child policy was introduced in 1979 in response to an explosive population growth, and mandated that couples from China's Han majority could only have one child.
My thoughts on China's One Child Policy
In my opinion, I fee that there are many advantages that resulted due to the implementation of the One Child Policy. The policy improved the overall economic stability of the nation. I think that without this,China would be totally different from what they currently are now. It is said that the policy created gender imbalance and inequalities.
I have found out that a drastic measure was necessary in order to secure the survival and well being of China
China was facing overpopulation,thus when The One Child Policy slowed down China's increase population growth problem. It lowered the population density in the eastern part of China. China's per capita incomes creased with the help of this measure.
I feel that there are some advantages of this policy
1) It can increase the food supply:
With fewer people in China,the supply of food could then meet the demand for it,thus decreasing the the number of people from starving
2) Increase in job availabilities
With fewer people in China, there would be less competition for jobs, allowing more people to have jobs,resulting in decrease in people living in poverty
3) Healthcare and education
Quality of healthcare, education and the society in general has fared much better with the one child policy.
DWINDLING GROWTH OF SINGAPORE
This is my prediction of the future of Singapore given the dwindling growth and my reflection about possible situations that might happen.
Firstly i believe that the reason why Singapore is facing this problem is because Couples have late marriages, some choose to remain single, and also because the cost of living in Singapore is high
Due to the availability of good education in Singapore, people aged at least 21 years old are still studying ,this results in them not getting married so soon,which then leads to them having late marriages. Late marriages will make couples have fewer child bearing years.
When adults choose to remain single, then there would be fewer marriages in SIngapore which means there will be less families. This causes a fall in birth rate.
Nowadays, couples want to have smaller families as the cost of raising a child is very expensive ans sometimes,they cannot afford it. The cost of living is high and thus, couples would rather not have children.
I feel that there might be some negative outcomes to this.
1) Singapore, a country that is facing an ageing population, will have an increase in burden on the working population as there are many elderly and fewer youth joining the workforce in Singapore.
2) I believe that when there are fewer people joining the workforce, it leads to higher taxes on each working person to fund the amenities and facilities from the government.
3) Lastly,there would be a smaller talent pool to lead and serve the country. I think that a country like us that already has a small population will suffer greatly from this problem
Singaporeans can prepare for this by spending less money and so that when you grow old,you don't have to worry about having financial problems.
POVERTY IN SINGAPORE
I feel that it is unlikely that we will find beggars lining the streets or see starving children walking on the pavements, begging for food. The poor and needy in our society struggle with little money to make ends meet.
After doing some research on the poverty in Singapore, i think that it is due to various factors like health issues and family circumstances, the poor people,for example the elderly people, struggle to survive on a day-to-day basis. Their children are often not able to do better than their parents due to lack of access to knowledge and educational support. For example, the child would quit school to work and supplement the family’s income, simply trying to put food on the table.
I have a suggestion to help with this problem, it is to focus on the younger generation like us students. Programmes like money-management workshops allow children to grasp the concept of money and how to use it wisely. By doing so, the younger generation will then understand how to cope with the challenges they face in their job like financial planning
A PICTURE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS
On 23 of January, during CID lesson,we had a really interesting activity.In one of the slides that our teacher prepared,one of them showed a picture of a man begging for money,holding a cardboard stating that he needed some money because his belongings were stolen. Beside that picture,there was a lady carrying a baby and asking for money.
So,our teacher asked us,"If you only had a dollar,who would you want to give the money to,the man or the woman carrying the baby? I was supporting the woman. Majority of use decided to give it to the woman as they felt that the woman not only had to take care of herself,but also her baby.whereas for those who wanted to give he money to the man,they felt that the man was capable of doing more things than the woman.
To our horror,most of us would have regretted for our decision. Our teacher revealed to us that this man was genuinely in need of his money because his things were stolen !but for the woman, she was actually working/begging for a syndicate. From what I know but syndicates is that, they kidnap people and get them to beg. is means that the money that we give her isn't for her but for the syndicate.
Through this activity,I have learnt that we need to understand the entire story before jumping into conclusions. Doing this will help us make better decisions and right choices.
All this things we learn is to prepare is for our overseas trip with the school.i think when I'm in China/ Taiwan, I will do things wisely and not make choices without thinking thoroughly so as to avoid getting scammed or cheated.
When I was having my vacation I'm Korea,I saw a man that was kneeling down and placing his head on the floor to avoid getting recognised.i realised that this beggar was not an old man but was a 30+ year old man. I knew that he was working for a syndicate too, because no young man would want to beg right?
Thanks for reading:)
On 15 April 1981, Vanda Miss Joaquim was selected as Singapore's National Flower. It was selected from among 40 flowers, out of which 30 were orchids. Among the several varieties of Vanda Miss Joaquim, the variety "Agnes" was chosen in particular for its vibrant colours, hardiness and resilience – qualities that reflect the Singapore spirit.
This unique flower is used as a representative national flower "as part of an overall effort to foster national pride and identity". It was chosen as the national flower because it was popularly known, free flowering, colourful and attractive. In the end, the Vanda Miss Joaquim was chosen for its "resilience and year round blooming quality".
Singapore Zoo
Why is our Singapore Zoo so popular,some may ask?
these are some reasons:
Why is our Singapore Zoo so popular,some may ask?
these are some reasons:
1. It’s the No. 1 zoo in Asia
The idea of setting up a Singapore Zoo in the catchment forests around the Upper Seletar Reservoir was conceived in 1968 by then Public Utilities Board chairman Ong Swee Law. He envisioned a modern haven for animals kept in open-type enclosures amid landscaped gardens resembling their natural habitat.
The zoo, which attracts 1.7 million visitors annually, was recently ranked No. 1 in Asia by TripAdvisor in its Travellers’ Choice Awards 2014. It was ranked fifth overall in the world.
4. We get to meet the stars of the zoo
Ah Meng, the orang utan!!!
Ah Meng was the biggest star of the zoo, appearing in more than 30 travel films. The well-loved primate dined with everyone, from school children to royalty, in the famous “Breakfast with Ah Meng” programme launched in 1982.
There were conflicting claims about her background. The official version is that Ah Meng was born in Sumatra, and came to the zoo in 1971. She was taken from a couple who kept her illegally as a pet. But Australian oil rig worker Paul Carter, in his memoir, claimed that Ah Meng spent 15 years tending bar on an oil barge that plied the waters of South-east Asia. He said it was only when the ship was sold to new owners in the 1970s that the crew was forced to give Ah Meng up to the zoo.
When the orang utan died in 2008 at the age of 48 - or around 95 in human years - more than 4,000 people attended her memorial service. She was buried in the Singapore Zoo - the first zoo resident to be accorded such an honour.
Singapore airlines
Esplanade
Remembering our hero:Mr Lee Kuan Yew
As I write this blog entry reflecting on Mr Lee Kuan Yew,I am deeply saddened by the passing of Mr lee, a pioneer and transformational leader of Singapore. I feel that it is rare to find such a devoted and selfless leader who is willing to build a nation. In the morning on 23 March when I woke up, I was devastated by the news on his passing.i knew that we have just lost a very important person.
From Mr Lee, I have learnt a few things. As a leader,Mr Lee was made unpopular decisions which the citizens were not happy about.for example: making National Service compulsory for men.Because Singapore just gained its independence ,a strong army was needed to protect its country,thus, with Men going for National Service,Singapore would be prepared for anything. Right now,Singapore's army force is way stronger than any other countries near by. Mr Lee was being disliked by so many people for setting up this but it turns out that his decisions were for the better.in addition, the strict laws that he has enforced including fines or death penalties when people commit crimes,which made Singapore so safe. This was only possible because he had moral courage and he understood what he was doing
I also feel that Mr Lee lived out true transformational leadership. He did not see himself above others and raised his children to not feel they were ‘better than others’ or privileged, even when they were. He led with a spirit of service for the good of his country and not of himself or his family when he easily could have done so. He dedicated his life to make Singapore from a third world country to a first world country.
Without Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore would not be safe, international, clean and peaceful.i feel very lucky and privileged to be able to live in Singapore. When I travel overseas for holidays,I realised that not all of them have such an efficient transport system,safe roads and good education like Singapore.
I will always remember Mr Lee Kuan Yew as a resilient, selfless and honest leader of Singapore.Thank you, Mr Lee. You have done all that you could have for us. May you rest in peace...
China's economy and its impacts on Singapore
In China, on average each Chinese citizen does not get a high amount of goods and services to consume,despite the fact that their country has a high GDP. Singapore's case is contrary to this.During Cid lesson, I have learnt that this will result in the rich people becoming richer and the poor people becoming poorer.so much so that the people in China who are rich might be millionaires But the poor people are beggars that do not ben have a home to stay in.This can show that if China is rich,it does not mean that everyone in China is rich.
China is the world's 2nd largest economy. It is the world's fastest-growing major economy, with growth rates averaging 10% over the past 30 years. Singapore trades with china and With the growth of China's economy, Singapore can then enjoy many benefits.for example,there would be immigrants from China coming to live in Singapore and work those tough jobs that few Singaporeans are not willing to take up. Also,Singapore's income relies greatly on tourism and the mayor its of people who come to Singapore as tourists are from China .assuming if Chinese from China stop coming over to Singapore to live, Singapore will be affected greatly.firstly, food and beverage companies will loose lots of money as less people are buying from them.secondly, hotels will also loose money as there are few people living there.Therefore Singapore depends on China a lot.
|
| This picture shows China's growing economy |
My thoughts on China's One Child Policy
I have found out that a drastic measure was necessary in order to secure the survival and well being of China
China was facing overpopulation,thus when The One Child Policy slowed down China's increase population growth problem. It lowered the population density in the eastern part of China. China's per capita incomes creased with the help of this measure.
In my opinion, I fee that there are many advantages that resulted due to the implementation of the One Child Policy. The policy improved the overall economic stability of the nation. I think that without this,China would be totally different from what they currently are now. It is said that the policy created gender imbalance and inequalities.
China was facing overpopulation,thus when The One Child Policy slowed down China's increase population growth problem. It lowered the population density in the eastern part of China. China's per capita incomes creased with the help of this measure.
I feel that there are some advantages of this policy
1) It can increase the food supply:
With fewer people in China,the supply of food could then meet the demand for it,thus decreasing the the number of people from starving
2) Increase in job availabilities
With fewer people in China, there would be less competition for jobs, allowing more people to have jobs,resulting in decrease in people living in poverty
3) Healthcare and education
3) Healthcare and education
Quality of healthcare, education and the society in general has fared much better with the one child policy.
DWINDLING GROWTH OF SINGAPORE
This is my prediction of the future of Singapore given the dwindling growth and my reflection about possible situations that might happen.
Firstly i believe that the reason why Singapore is facing this problem is because Couples have late marriages, some choose to remain single, and also because the cost of living in Singapore is high
Due to the availability of good education in Singapore, people aged at least 21 years old are still studying ,this results in them not getting married so soon,which then leads to them having late marriages. Late marriages will make couples have fewer child bearing years.
When adults choose to remain single, then there would be fewer marriages in SIngapore which means there will be less families. This causes a fall in birth rate.
Nowadays, couples want to have smaller families as the cost of raising a child is very expensive ans sometimes,they cannot afford it. The cost of living is high and thus, couples would rather not have children.
Due to the availability of good education in Singapore, people aged at least 21 years old are still studying ,this results in them not getting married so soon,which then leads to them having late marriages. Late marriages will make couples have fewer child bearing years.
When adults choose to remain single, then there would be fewer marriages in SIngapore which means there will be less families. This causes a fall in birth rate.
Nowadays, couples want to have smaller families as the cost of raising a child is very expensive ans sometimes,they cannot afford it. The cost of living is high and thus, couples would rather not have children.
I feel that there might be some negative outcomes to this.
1) Singapore, a country that is facing an ageing population, will have an increase in burden on the working population as there are many elderly and fewer youth joining the workforce in Singapore.
2) I believe that when there are fewer people joining the workforce, it leads to higher taxes on each working person to fund the amenities and facilities from the government.
3) Lastly,there would be a smaller talent pool to lead and serve the country. I think that a country like us that already has a small population will suffer greatly from this problem
1) Singapore, a country that is facing an ageing population, will have an increase in burden on the working population as there are many elderly and fewer youth joining the workforce in Singapore.
2) I believe that when there are fewer people joining the workforce, it leads to higher taxes on each working person to fund the amenities and facilities from the government.
3) Lastly,there would be a smaller talent pool to lead and serve the country. I think that a country like us that already has a small population will suffer greatly from this problem
Singaporeans can prepare for this by spending less money and so that when you grow old,you don't have to worry about having financial problems.
POVERTY IN SINGAPORE
I feel that it is unlikely that we will find beggars lining the streets or see starving children walking on the pavements, begging for food. The poor and needy in our society struggle with little money to make ends meet.
After doing some research on the poverty in Singapore, i think that it is due to various factors like health issues and family circumstances, the poor people,for example the elderly people, struggle to survive on a day-to-day basis. Their children are often not able to do better than their parents due to lack of access to knowledge and educational support. For example, the child would quit school to work and supplement the family’s income, simply trying to put food on the table.
I have a suggestion to help with this problem, it is to focus on the younger generation like us students. Programmes like money-management workshops allow children to grasp the concept of money and how to use it wisely. By doing so, the younger generation will then understand how to cope with the challenges they face in their job like financial planning
| A PICTURE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS On 23 of January, during CID lesson,we had a really interesting activity.In one of the slides that our teacher prepared,one of them showed a picture of a man begging for money,holding a cardboard stating that he needed some money because his belongings were stolen. Beside that picture,there was a lady carrying a baby and asking for money. 
So,our teacher asked us,"If you only had a dollar,who would you want to give the money to,the man or the woman carrying the baby? I was supporting the woman. Majority of use decided to give it to the woman as they felt that the woman not only had to take care of herself,but also her baby.whereas for those who wanted to give he money to the man,they felt that the man was capable of doing more things than the woman.
To our horror,most of us would have regretted for our decision. Our teacher revealed to us that this man was genuinely in need of his money because his things were stolen !but for the woman, she was actually working/begging for a syndicate. From what I know but syndicates is that, they kidnap people and get them to beg. is means that the money that we give her isn't for her but for the syndicate.
Through this activity,I have learnt that we need to understand the entire story before jumping into conclusions. Doing this will help us make better decisions and right choices.
All this things we learn is to prepare is for our overseas trip with the school.i think when I'm in China/ Taiwan, I will do things wisely and not make choices without thinking thoroughly so as to avoid getting scammed or cheated.
When I was having my vacation I'm Korea,I saw a man that was kneeling down and placing his head on the floor to avoid getting recognised.i realised that this beggar was not an old man but was a 30+ year old man. I knew that he was working for a syndicate too, because no young man would want to beg right?
Thanks for reading:)
  |
How I Spent my School Holiday!
My holiday was filled with lots of activities. I was really excited when the holidays just began. lots of plans were in my mind, but I just couldn't decide what to do first. So, I decided to complete my homework first.i had this thought that doing my homework first would be a great idea as I didn't want to be thinking of my homework while I'm enjoying myself. I always believe in 先甜后苦:)) within 2-3 weeks, I was 90% done with my work.
during my holidays, I participated in 3 table tennis competitions.the first was held on the 2 week of November. it was really fun! Although I didn't manage to get top 4 in the competition, but I still continued to work hard.this is because, I believe that participating in competitions outside of school allows me to know what my standard is among all players in Singapore and I can gain lots of exposure from there.Everytime I lose, I will still work harder everytime. competing will allow me to understand myself even better, know how much harder I have to train.my parents always encourage me by telling me,"赢输不重要,最重要的是在比赛中得到的经验。"
Now, the most exciting part of my holidays................MY TRIP TO KOREA :DDD I always yearn to go to Korea for vacation!!I went with my family of 6 to Korea for 13 days. we spent 5 days in Busan and the rest in Seoul. If I could,i would tell you everything that I have done there. But if i do,my fingers will break from typing too much...so i'll just tell you the best part of my trip to Korea:)
I have been to Korea 5 years ago but i could hardly remeber a thing.all that i remembered is going to Everland haha.
This was us at the airport
Because i dont want this to bee too lengthy,so i shall show u more poctures instead of words.(Please be prepared for a lot of pictures,I took more than 1.5k pictures there:)
I took Asiana Airplane(had to cut cost) used to be taking Singapore airlines:'/ Well, it still isn't that bad after all
When we arived Busan,this was our first reaction upon knowing that we could "exhale smoke"
We stayed in a service apartment.Travel advice:If you are traveling with your family,it is best to stay in service apartments instead of hotels. Firstly,it is way cheaper than hotels and secondly,it is much bigger;)
After checking in to our service apartment,it was around 6pm and so we decided to go to a street market.i realised that althoigh there are sooo manny stalls in the street market,but they sell almost the same things haha.like socks,waffles,some sweet pancake kind of thing a spicy food called"tteokbokki"
A very very interesting shop.How often do you get to see such a colorful shop that specialists in selling gift wrappers?
This Christmas tree was really huge!!There were even singers singing Christmas songs there!
The streets were packed as you can see in this picture.As my parents ordered some food,I saw a little boy,and also decided to take a picture of him��
The next few days, we visted fish markets.
Many of the fish there had their tails lying on the very very dirty ground...ewww...
Many of the fish there had their tails lying on the very very dirty ground...ewww...
Life is totally different from Busan and Singapore...
Speaking of fish,we ate the Alaskan King crab.250,00 won.which is around 300 Singapore dollars.Crazily expensive but crazily delicious��in comparison to the size of a hand:
This is Seoul tower!!
The most interesting part about going to busan is that my younger sister fell sick and my parents had to take care of her in the hotel,so my father gave me and my sisters around 40,000 won(around 50 SGD) and let us go amywhere we wanted and meet at a certain location by 7pm.so decided to go to Seomyon to take some random pictures of people.(Because i like taking pictures of people haha)it was 4pm then.Im amateur.
a few days later,we headed for Seoul. And we went to Everland.this is a comparison of us 5 years ago and now....quite cool right?
Forgotten memories began surfacing through my mine as i saw all the rides in the amusement park~
At night,I managed to get a picture of the beautiful lights in Everland
at 8pm, there was a firework show.honestly speaking,it us way better than Singapore's firework show during national day.furthurmore,this is just a show that Everlands has regularly.these are some pictures that i have taken using a long exposure of 30 secs.
On the second last day of our trip,we went to Jisan resort to ski.It was really expensive though.but I had a whale of a time.we skied for 3 hours.i managed to go to the advance one whereby the slope was the steepest,I was trying to be gung-ho.when I was at the top of the slope,I could hardly see the slope and the bottom of the ground. Wind brushed against my face so forcefully that I think my cheeks were wiggling. Luckily,I didn't break any bones or something as I reached the bottom safely.Words cannot explain how fun it was.Unfortunately,good things just can't last forever.
I'm starting to miss it so much now:(
All in all, I really love Korea.If I could I wouldn't mind going back again. there is something that I wished Singapore could learn from Korea. In Busan,it is very very difficult to find a trash bin,but yet their floor is ever so clean.Furturmore,it is also very rare to find cleaners around. Whereas for Singapore,we need so many bins.This shows how Responsible and considerate people in Korea are.Oh,I forgot to mention,eating and drinking is even allowed in train stations and train cabins,and yet it is still so clean. We as Singaporeans should learn to be as considerate and responsible as them.
And if you are planning to go on a vacation,I encourage you not to follow a tour package group.It is better to go free and easy.some might say that they are afraid of getting lost.Frankly speaking,if you have done your "homework" before the trip,everything will be fine. This means,you have to study the train system,understand where your hotel/service apartment is,plan your itinerary. Going on a free and easy trip allows you to learn many more things than going with a tour group.When you go free and easy,you are actually becoming more street smart,getting better sense of direction,the feeling of getting slightly lost is the best as you can put yourself to test and see how you can get out if this situation. but, as for going with a tour group,all you get to do is follow the tour guide blindly and taking buses with the group.Taking a train and bus is many times better.Hope this might make you want to reconsiders ether you should go for a package tour or free and easy.
Thanks for reading my first ever blog entry!:)
To end this off,I shall leave you with a picture of my younger sister eating fried Cicadas(very popular in Korea):))bye
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