China's One-Child Policy

Si Rong

One-Child Policy is a policy imposed of the residents of China, whereby the residents are allowed to only have one child per family and fines will be imposed if a family has two or more children. 

One of the more obvious advantages of this policy is that it will effectively reduce the large population in China and therefore reduce the growing poverty. As China is a huge country trying to support and feed its residents, a smaller population will ensure that a large amount of its people will be fed, and it will be easier to do so. 

On the other hand, it may be expensive for pregnant couples to apply for abortion in order to ensure that the number of children in the family does not exceed one. Also, many families would prefer sons due to religious or personal reasons, for example, to carry on the families' legacy, therefore they would chose to abort their baby if it was a girl. This will result in an imbalance between the amount of female and male children. All these however, merely scratch the surface of the situation. The issue with One-Child Policy is that it challenges to moral values of people. Some residents may argue that abortion is a cruel and heartless act as it is essentially murder due to the fact that the embryo is a living thing. Therefore, to abort one's baby was equal to killing a living child. However, the residents are compelled to abort their child due to the fact that having two or more children in China is not allowed. Couples are encouraged to have only one children. Does that mean that China is essentially encouraging murder? 

Tzeh Yuan

Obviously there are many problems. Such as an aging population due to the to fact that there are less children. Also the population size will decrease. This may result in a country where the majority of the citizens are old people. Besides it may cause the children to be lonely as most of the adults in china is working and the children will not have any siblings and thus feel lonely.

Hai Shu

Con: Forces abortions and human rights violation:

One child policy has been challenged both in practice and in principle for violation human rights to identify the size of one’s family. The proclamation of the International Conference on Human Rights in the year 1968 revealed that parents have the right to determine responsibly and freely the spacing and the number of children. In the execution of one child policy, a lot of local governments demand abortions once pregnancy violates some local regulations.

Pros: Poverty Eradication in China:

In the poor areas in the country, too many births and cultural and economic backwardness mostly interact as cause and effects. Chine government has started to take steps in providing support to develop those poor areas in order to alleviate poverty. The government is doing so by family planning, raising quality of life of the population in such areas and holding the growth of population under control.

Reduce number of Population:

The number if population in China is constantly rising that is why it is important to make necessary actions to reduce its number of population. One child policy is one of the most effective ways that the government of China had realized to do this.

YiDe

Pros:

Social problems alleviation: this policy was introduced in 1978 and initially applied to first-born children from 1979. It was created by the Chinese government to alleviate social, economic, and environmental problems in China, and authorities claim that the policy has prevented more than 250 million births between 1980 and 2000, and 400 million births from about 1979 to 2011.

Lower the fertility rate: After the introduction of the one-child policy, the fertility rate in China fell from 2.63 births per woman in 1980 (already a sharp reduction from more than five births per woman in the early 1970s) to 1.61 in 2009. However, the policy itself is probably only partially responsible for the reduction in the total fertility rate.

Poverty eradication: In China’s poor areas, economic and cultural backwardness and too many births often interact as both cause and effect. The Chinese government has taken a step in giving support to the development of poor areas to alleviate poverty by promoting family planning, holding population growth under control, and raising the life quality of the population in those areas.

Public support: a 2008 survey undertaken by the Pew Research Center reported that 76% of the Chinese population supports the policy.

Cons:

Policy benefits exagerated: Another criticism is that the claimed effects of the policy on the reduction in the total fertility rate are exaggerated. Studies by Chinese demographers, funded in part by the UN Fund for Population Activities, showed that combining poverty alleviation and health care with relaxed targets for family planning was more effective at reducing fertility than vigorous enforcement of very ambitious fertility reduction targets.

Human rights violation and forced abortions: The one-child policy is challenged in principle and in practice for violating a human right to determine the size of one’s own family. According to a 1968 proclamation of the International Conference on Human Rights, “Parents have a basic human right to determine freely and responsibly the number and the spacing of their children.” In 2002, China outlawed the use of physical force to make a woman submit to an abortion or sterilization, but it is not entirely enforced. In the execution of the policy, many local governments still demand abortions if the pregnancy violates local regulations, or even force abortions on women violating the policy, such as Feng Jianmei’s case.

The “four-two-one” problem: As the first generation of law-enforced only-children came of age for becoming parents themselves, one adult child was left with having to provide support for his or her two parents and four grandparents. Called the “4-2-1 Problem”, this leaves the older generations with increased chances of dependency on retirement funds or charity in order to receive support. If personal savings, pensions, or state welfare fail, most senior citizens would be left entirely dependent upon their very small family or neighbours for assistance.

Possible social problems for a generation of only children: Some parents may over-indulge their only child. The media referred to the indulged children in one-child families as “little emperors”. Since the 1990s, some people have worried that this will result in a higher tendency toward poor social communication and cooperation skills among the new generation, as they have no siblings at home. No social studies have investigated the ratio of these over-indulged children and to what extent they are indulged. With the first generation of children born under the policy reaching adulthood, such worries were reduced.

Unequal enforcement: Government officials and especially wealthy individuals have often been able to violate the policy in spite of fines. For example, between 2000 and 2005, as many as 1,968 officials in central China’s Hunan province were found to be violating the policy, according to the provincial family planning commission; also exposed by the commission were 21 national and local lawmakers, 24 political advisors, 112 entrepreneurs and 6 senior intellectuals. Some of the offending officials did not face penalties, although the government did respond by raising fines and calling on local officials to “expose the celebrities and high-income people who violate the family planning policy and have more than one child.”

Birth tourism: A way to escape the strict rules of the one-child policy is for Chinese women to give birth to their second child overseas. A favourite destination was Hong Kong. Hong Kong is exempt from the one-child policy and the Hong Kong passport, which is different from a China mainland passport, provides additional advantages. Recently though, the Hong Kong government has drastically reduced the quota of births set for non-local women in public hospitals. As a result fees for delivering babies there have surged.

Jing Qing

China has it's reasons for imposing the one-child policy on its people. 

For one, lesser resources are required to be able to support the population. This will help the Chinese economically, as with lesser children to support, there would be lesser money spent. 

The one-child policy also helps to slow down the increasing world population. Resources in the world are decreasing at an alarming rate due to the increase in world population, and the one-child policy will help to prevent that.

However, the one-child policy is also a bad thing.

Many women are being brutally forced to go through abortions against their will. There are families which do not agree with abortion, especially Christians, and the government should not be  forcing them to do something against their beliefs. 

Furthermore, the moment a baby is being developed in a woman's womb, it is a human's life. To take away that life is to commit a murder.

Because of the preference for boys instead of girls, many girls are being aborted or killed shortly after birth. This results in many more males than females. As the males are unable to find any more women, sexual assault and violence is on the increase.

In my opinion, the one-child policy should be abolished. It has caused so much murder, violence and sexual abuse. Why should the people of China suffer such injustice?

OELP Personal Reflection

This trip allowed me to expand my horizons, as well as to learn more about the importance of heritage and culture. As our presentation suggests, history is easily overlooked by our current society. This trip to Taiwan has changed our initial idea that history is unimportant. After visiting many different museums and old streets, we got to experience the refreshing change from 'new' to 'old'. I learnt many things in the trip, and the museums opened my eyes to the intriguing culture of the Aborigines in Taiwan. Even though people may argue that changes are implemented for a reason, I feel that this may not be necessarily true. The many 'old' culture and item we have seen on our trip have convinced me otherwise. New things take the place of old things because the old things are slightly lacking in certain aspects, but sometimes, old things have a benefit and meaning to their own. Needless to say, this was truly a memorable and inspiring trip.

Si Rong

 

Overall, this was an inspiring, fun, and beneficial trip. It made us appreciate the things that we have overlooked in our lives. We learnt the culture of the Taiwanese and gained so much knowledge. But what made it an experience of our lifetime was that we got to share such wonderful memories with our friends.

Jing Qing

The trip allowed me to walk out of my comfort zone, and learn to do things by myself. When we went to the chiang Kai shek, and sun yat sen memorial hall, I got to experience and learn Taiwan history first-hand, instead from the textbooks. I got to learn more about their history, and saw a lot of real life artefacts from the memorial hall and the palace museum. When we went to the aborigine museum, we got to learn about the culture and tradition of the Taiwan aboriginal groups. All in all, the trip made me experience things, I also gained knowledge from the trip, it was very enriching.

Hai Shu

This trip allowed me to have a better understanding of Taiwan’s culture. My main impression is that Taiwan has been influenced by Japan and they are very respectful. For my first point, I would like to say that many sign in Taipei is also written in Japanese and many buildings has a Japanese touch to it.  For my second point, I see that there are many memorials in Taipei. From the memorial of Sun Yat Sen and Chiang Kai Shek, to the martyr’s shrine, I observed that the Taiwanese valued their history and culture and that impressed me. Another thing I observed is that  Taiwan economy is just as strong as Singapore’s. I always thought that Singapore economy and technological state was very high, but after seeing things like Taipei 101, I realized that Singapore may not even be on the same level as Taiwan. Overall, I feel that the trip to Taiwan is an eye-opener and was very enjoyable.

Tzeh Yuan

The trip was very interesting and enriching. We were able to visit many different museums and have a taste of how the aborigines lived. Also, the stories behind the old streets and museums were very interesting to learn about. This trip taught us many different lessons, like how the new may not always be better than the old, and that old things have their own benefits. Also, the museums showed the vibrant culture of aborigines. As Singapore does not have aborigines, it was extremely enlightening to discover more about the culture of the aborigines in Taiwan. All in all, the trip to Taiwan allowed me to learn new things and experience new cultures, and it showed the importance to culture and heritage.

Yide

Trip Advisory

I'm sure after our trip to Taipei, many of us must have mixed opinions about the places we visited. This is what my group thinks in regards to all those interesting places~

OELP TRIP ADVISORY 

Hotel

Throughout our entire visit to Taipei, our accommodation was a hotel in Taipei called RF Pretty Hotel. After staying there for seven days, here are our opinions on the hotel.

Pros

• The room was spacious and large enough for two people, which was the number of people allocated to one room. 

• The beds were very comfortable, which allowed us to have a good night's rest in preparation for the long day.

• The staff were friendly and provided good service, e.g helping us keep our key cards, clearing up our rooms for us, etc.

Cons

• The food served during breakfast the same everyday. It was rather dull having to eat the same food everyday.

• The wifi was slow - only a few of us could connect to it at once. This was a hassle for us as we were instructed to post daily reflections on our blog.

• The walls of the hotel rooms were thin - noise from the corridors could easily be heard from inside the room.

• The lobby of the hotel was very small and the limited space made it inconvenient moving around.

Overall, we would give the hotel a rating of 3/5.

Taipei 101

We visited Taipei 101 on the first day of our trip at night, primarily visiting the 89th floor. It was certainly a unique experience on the fastest lift in the world. We also got to see a Gemstone Coral collection, where we saw the world's tallest Gemstone Coral. Here are our opinions on Taipei 101.

Pros

• The device which the guide gave us was unique and useful - it provided us with information of different landmarks.

• We were granted a magnificent bird's-eye view of the brightly lit city.

• The souvenirs sold at the gift shop were very unique.

Cons

• There was only one lift for the huge number of visitors. We had to queue for quite a long time to get up to the 89th floor.

Overall, we would give Taipei 101 a rating of 4/5.

National Palace Museum 

We were rather stunned by the huge collection that the museum hosted. A must-visit for connoisseurs interested in the rich and fascinating history of Chinese art. Here are our opinions on the National Palace Museum.

Pros

• The museum is filled with interesting artefacts that were able to portray the ancient way of living in greater detail. 

• The museum was also able to flawlessly capture the Chinese's love for art and literature. 

Cons

• Due to its fame, the museum is constantly packed with people. It takes a long time to get from one place to another due to the throngs of people, and the long queue to view the 翠玉白菜 (Jadeite Cabbage) gets easily on one's nerves. 

Overall, we would give the National Palace Museum a rating of 4/5.

Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines 

A museum about the many aborigines in Taiwan. It was an enriching trip it It gave us a deeper understanding about the aborigines in Taiwan. The well-maintained exhibitions caught our attentions, as well as the rich culture of the aborigines that it displayed. Here are our opinions on the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines.

Pros

• It is complete with many detailed descriptions and painstakingly collected artefacts

• The snippets of information found beside each display was able to help us further understand the interesting and intricate lives of the aborigines in Taiwan.

Cons

• Some of the exhibits had information that overlapped and should have been placed together.

Overall, we would give the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines a rating of 4/5.

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall & Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall

Both these places were built in remembrance of two of Taiwan's greatest leaders, Chiang Kai Shek and Sun Yat Sen. At the memorial halls, we got to learn about the contribution for the two leaders that made Taiwan what it is today. Here are our opinions on the two Memorial Halls.

Pros

• We got to see the change of guards at both memorial halls, which were breath-taking.

• We learnt much about the two leaders and their history though both the artefacts in the museum and the through explanation of the guides.

Cons

• The tour led by the guide was rather boring as there was very little hands-on activity we could do, which made the tour seem rather dull.

Overall, we would give the two Memorial Halls a rating of 3.5/5.

Ximending

A popular shopping district bustling with life even at night. There were many different shops selling all sorts of different things, catering to many different people of all ages. Here are our opinions on Ximending.

Pros

• This shopping district had many different shops which sold so many different things, some of which we would never find in Singapore. Etc. Manga shop~

Cons

• The place was really huge, which made it really easy to get lost, especially since there were no maps or anything similar provided.

Overall, we would give Ximending a rating of 4/5.

Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School

We visited Jianguo for two days for an immersion programme. On the first day, we got to explore the school and watch performances by the students. On the second day, we were attached to a buddy and attended their classes. Here are our opinions on Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School.

Pros

• The students and teachers were very welcoming and warm. They always made sure that we were comfortable in their school.

• The classes which we attended were interesting. All their classes except English class was taught in Chinese, which was a whole new experience for me. Also, unlike our school, they had compulsory third language.

Cons

• During lessons, some of the students weren't paying attention, which affected our impressions on the school.

Overall, we would give Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School a rating of 4.5/5.

National Revolution Martyr Shrine

A place built in remembrance of the soldiers who died in war. Here is our opinions on the National Revolution Martyr Shrine.

Pros

• The changing of guards was breathtaking and was made better by the fact that is held at a longer path than the memorials and is located outdoors, providing a better view. 

Cons

• There was no guide to explain to us about the up history of the shrine.

• There was nothing interesting to see or learn and it was rather boring.

Overall, we would give the National Revolution Martyr Shrine a rating of 2.5/5.

Eslite Bookstore

A bookstore which is a tourist attraction in Taipei. It is a huge bookstore selling a variety of books. It is one of the best places which we have visited in Taipei. Certainly a must-visit, especially for those interested in novels and books. Here are our opinions on the Eslite Bookstore.

Pros

• It sells a huge variety of books, ranging from classic literature to manga, catering to the likes of many different people.

• The books sold there are relatively cheap compared to other bookstores.

Overall, we would give the Eslite Bookstore a rating of 5/5.

School in Wulai

It was a different and unique experience, visiting a school for aborigines. We got to learn some of their language and participate in their lessons. Here are our opinions on the school in Wulai.

Pros

• The students were very friendly and helpful, making us feel welcomed. They welcomed us with a performance and helped us when we're encountering difficulties during lesson.

• The lessons were very different from the lessons we had - they were very hands-on and interesting. One of their lessons involved going out of the classroom, which was extremely fun.

• The students were very bonded. This can be seen in the way they waited for everybody to be ready before eating meals together.

Cons

• The toilets were really small and not very well maintained.

Overall, we would give the school in Wulai a rating of 3.5/5. 

Wulai Old Street

We visited a street in Wulai which sold mainly food. Here are our opinions on the Wulai Old Street.

Pros

• The stallholders were extremely friendly and had conversations with us when we bought their food.

Cons

• There were very little number of stalls on that street. There also wasn't much to see.

Overall, we would give the Wulai Old Street a rating of 3/5.

Raohe Night Market

A night market mainly for teenagers, selling food, clothes, toys and many more. It is a long, broad road with many stalls in the center, shoppers walking at the left or right of the road. It is a must-visit for teenagers and tourists as the items sold there would certainly appeal to them. Here are our opinions on the Raohe Night Market. 

Pros

• There was a huge variety of food for us to try, which were all very affordable and delicious. 

• There were many different things sold there which were all very appealing, especially to youngsters.

Cons

• There was no nearby toilets for us to use - the nearest one was a small cubicle across the road which was extremely dirty.

• There was insufficient preparation for when it rained. There was not enough shelter for us to walk under.

Overall, we would give the Raohe Night Market a rating of 3/5.

Confucius Temple 

The temple adds on to our knowledge of Chinese culture. It was immensely educational and the history behind the temple interested many of us. Also, we learnt more about Confucius himself. Here are our opinions on the Confucius Temple.

Pros

• The temple is decorated with many significant wood carvings that depict many aspects of the Chinese culture. Each carving has its own meaning and it was interesting to learn them all. 

• The video that was shown was educative, and it further explained the temple and gave us further insight on its history.

Cons

• The huge temple can be a hassle to explore. It takes a long time to view each carving, and other aspects of the temple. 

Overall, we would give the Confucius Temple a 3.5/5.

Gold Museum

Located in Jinguashi, it was able to capture our interest, not only because of its history, but also because of the multiple exhibits that showcased it in its former mining glory. Recommended to those who are fairly interested in the many famous landmarks in Taiwan.

Pros:

• We learnt about the rich history behind the Jingguashi itself. The many information provided beside the exhibitions informed us about the little details in the heritage of the location. 

• There were interactive exhibits that were extremely fascinating, such as an exhibit that allowed us to view our weight in gold. Needless to say, those exhibitions were extremely amusing.

• Train tracks ran around the building itself, partially serving as a decoration, and the overall look of the museum was pleasing to the eye.

Cons:

• Most of the exhibits were about gold or mining. Although they were fairly interesting, some exhibits were quite repetitive, and wore off our initial enthusiasm and interest.

Overall, we would give the Gold Museum a rating of 4/5.

Jiufen 

The lack of hygiene in Jiufen is made up for by the wide array of items up for sale. The souvenirs beckon to the tourists, and the food sold are delicious as well as unique to Taiwan, which makes it even more special. Here are our opinions on Jiufen.

Pros:

• Jiufen is yet another old street that is home to many unique souvenir shops and food stalls. What makes it slightly unique is the history that the town has. The numerous shops were fun to explore, and there are many food items unique to Taiwan available for purchase.

Cons:

• Many of the alleys were in a state of disrepair, the stairs were not well-maintained, and it was difficult to locate the toilets and bins. 

Overall, we would give Jiufen a rating of 3.5/5.

All in all, we did not dislike any of places we visited a lot. Although some places might not have appealed to everyone, they had their advantages and learnings points. >.> I'm sure all of us enjoyed the trip, even if we did not particularly enjoy some of the places. XD

And there you have it~

'Tis pretty late now >.>

China's Dilemma

Reflect on China's dilemma between pursuing higher economic growth and escalating pollution due to industrialisation

Tzeh Yuan

If China continues to develop, it will continue to industrialize and this will lead to rapid economic growth. However, by building more factories, this increase pollution. However, in my opinion, China will choose to continue developing. The government and environmentalist will try to encourage people to stop pollution however they can not stop the economy growth. If they stop, china cannot progress and this is important as many Chinese still fall under the poverty line. Also, the humans are selfish and the Chinese citizens would prioritize their money over the environment. Yet, only when the effect of pollution affect them will pollution measures be placed.

YiDe

As one country pursue higher economic growth, air and noise pollution is created and this damage the environment. Thus, one can't have both and must work hard to create a balance to keep the country going with minimal environmental issues.

Hai Shu

Although China's economy has been growing rapidly, environmental stress is also added on to the citizens as their lives are threatened by pollution in various forms. China's air pollution has became one of the most serious in the world as 80% of the cities that emit the most carbon dioxide is in China, these high rate of carbon dioxide emission has led to fatal health problems. I think that the health of the citizens are much more important than the industrial development of china. Since a good government is one which cares for its citizens, I think china should think about the suffering and decrease the amount of carbon dioxide released by green technologies

Si Rong

China is a country going through rapid industrialisation. In order to fuel it's economic growth, it has taken to building more and more factories in order to earn more money, which in turn, escalates the pollution. I feel that China should prioritise the environment over its economy instead of the other way round. Not only does the increased amount of factory cause air pollution, it also contributes towards global warming, therefore affecting the world. Hence, I think that China should try to reduce the amount of factories it is building in order to reduce the air pollution that it is suffering under. However, China might find it extremely hard to make a choice between industrialisation and decreasing air pollution. Honestly speaking, I feel that it is impossible for China to achieve economic growth without adding to the air pollution. Hence, if China were to choose between industrialisation and decreasing air pollution, I feel that China should choose the latter. Even though China might not benefit economically from this move, it will benefit the health of the people in the long run. 

Jing Qing

China has had a huge economic growth within the last two decades. However, it's economic growth came with escalating pollution from its industrialisation. Every year, industrial air pollution alone killed hundreds of thousands of citizens. It's pollution is not restricted to China itself, but it has spread to other countries, even to Los Angeles and the USA. The health of the citizens in China should be the government's priority, and not China's economic growth. Furthermore, the industrial pollution is even affecting other countries, which shows the large amount of industrial pollution from China's industries. Therefore, I feel that the government in China should cut back on trying to improve its economy, and instead help to reduce the pollution.

Oral Presentation Reflections

YiDe

I learnt that I must remain calm and not freak out because it affected my performance and I under-performed. I should keep calm and carry on but I was too nervous and didn't do as well as expected and instead, I read the wrong slide when presenting. I also learnt that I should be aware of the audience and keep eye contacts with them to keep them interested and listen to me. During the presentation, I could tell that some of my classmates were bored by the large chunks of information thrown to them and I learnt that I must be more funny and throw some humour into the presentation to make it more entertaining and engrossing.

Si Rong

During our oral presentation, I learnt how important keeping calm during a presentation is. I understood the importance of verbal communication, and using our oral presentation skills, tried to express our thoughts of the Chingay Parade to others. If I could try again, I would try to maintain eye contact with the audience, and enunciate my words clearly.  

Hai Shu

I should be more calm, and have a better standing posture as I kept leaning against the white board, and it showed that I was sloppy. I should have more confidence in myself, and memorized the script a bit, as I had very little eye contact with the audience. I was nervous as well, as when one of our teammates said the wrong slide, I forgot to change the slides according to the script.

Tzeh Yuan

It was not very very good as I stammered and did not pronounce some words properly. I attribute that to the fact that I was very nervous during the oral presentation. Also we did not practice well enough. However it was a good learning experience as I wasp forced to present when I usually won't. I will try not to rush in pronounce my words as during the presentation I rushed in speaking resulting in my words being unclear and mispronouncing some words.

Jing Qing

I should have been more confident as i had memorised some of the script but I still kept looking at the script, even for the parts that I have already memorised, which reduced my eye contact with the class. I should also have spoken louder and clearer as I was a little to soft and some of my classmates could not catch what I was saying. We should have made our presentation more humorous as it was evident that the class got bored listening to our presentation. 

Chingay Slides

Lesson 3 Reflection

Si Rong 

Today's lesson required us to find an item to 'sell off', in a sense, and we had to present and promote the 'item' to our class. We also had to do a poster, which would aid our presentation.

During our discussion, my group decided to sell off one of our group members. Because we were trying to 'sell off' someone, we had to find some interesting and useful factors to promote. Our group was honestly one of the more rowdy ones, and the discussion was very lively to say the least. We had fun pointing out certain aspects of our group member and penning it down into a coherent 'poster'.

I suppose that we were attempting a more humorous approach at presentation when we sent Tzeh Yuan up. 

Also, the lesson gave us a bit of a leeway to explore Tzeh Yuan's presentation abilities, and by observing him, we found areas which we could improve on. Today, I learn how presentation skills were quite crucial in life, and some of the criteria in judging someone's presentation. It was a very interesting and fun lesson.

Jing Qing 

In this lesson, I learnt about how to deliver a good presentation. We learnt to be able to speak loudly, clearly and cohesively so that our audience will be able to hear what we are saying. Our presentation should be engaging so our audience will be interested and will pay attention. We should also be careful of our hand gestures and we should have eye contact with our audience. To practice, we were tasked to advertise an item to the class as if we wanted to sell it. We didn't do too bad but our speaker, Tzeh Yuan, spoke too fast and used to much unnecessary hand gestures. Overall, I learnt about good presentation skills that is very useful in our school life.

Yide

I learnt that the volume and clarity of the speaker (Tzeh Yuan) is very important as the it help ( him or her ?) broadcast ( his or her ?) message across to every single one of the audience.

I also learnt that it is important for the speaker to have eye contact with the audience so he can share himself openly with the audience and demonstrate sincerity and honesty in his message.

Tzeh Yuan

During the class we learn presentation techniques. It was then tested by trying to sell off an object. In my case our group tried to sell off Yide. Why? Firstly, I think that the most important thing about a presentation is content. Though I could pick an object that I truly felt was useful and bring out its good point, I chose a comedy route instead. Selling a human is so much of a moral issue that even the thought of it is hilarious. By capitalizing that and stressing out the funny things, I thought that it would be more engaging to the audience. However I am well aware that I don't have very good presentation skills which I will try to improve on. In the end, I realized I made a mistake. By stressing out the funny points instead of stressing out the good points of Yide, I did not really made Yide look like a desirable product to buy. So sadly, no one bought Yide. Hai Shu In this lesson, I learnt about how to deliver a good presentation. We learnt to be able to speak loudly, clearly so that our audience will be able to hear what we are presenting to them, and not make them guess what we are saying.We should also be careful of our hand gestures and we should have eye contact with our audience, so as to make the audience feel engaged or involved in the presentation. To make us practice our presentation, every group was supposed to make a poster to sell of something. Tzeh yuan was the presenter thus the teacher gave feedback based on him.

Thoughts of Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year Thoughts

Hai Shu

1 colour- Red. It symbolises happiness, prosperity and good luck, thus it is the best colour of new year.

1 symbol- 

We give red coloured hong bao to people on new year to wish them happiness and a good year ahead 

1 image- 

People always eat new year eve dinner with all family members, it is symbolises that everyone is together, and the atmosphere is happiness.

Si Rong

1 colour- Red. The Chinese view it as a lucky colour as it scares away the 'Nian'.

1 symbol- 

The inverted '福' means '福倒'. It can also be read as '福到'. 

1 image- 

Of the many things I look forward to during Chinese New Year, it is the firecrackers and fireworks I love.

Yi De

1 colour- Yellow

Yellow is hope everyone will be cheerful and be positive.

1 symbol- 

The rabbit is not to forget who you are. (Because Yi De is a rabbit)

1 image-

The image is hope that everyone have a good and prosper (work or study) year.

Jing Qing

1 colour- Yellow

1 symbol-

Feeling happy about upcoming CNY

1 image-

 To me, Chinese New Year is a happy and joyous occasion

Tzeh Yuan

1 colour- red

Chinese new year everything is decorated in red

1 symbol- 

That was something I looked forward to

1 image-  

In the end it is all about wishing for good luck

Lesson 2 reflection

Reflection 2

Si Rong

This week, we learnt that a picture speaks a thousand words, and we must look underneath the underneath. We were showed a few photographs, and told to infer from them. There were many suggestions, and I learnt there are ways one may perceive a picture. We also had a short introduction about poverty in many countries. I also learn how fortunate we are compared to many others in the world. I feel guilty that I take so much for granted when others have nothing at all. 

Hai Shu

Poverty is everywhere on the world, but people may be poor for different reasons. Some people are beg cause they really need the money and the money they beg 100% go to them, while some people beg for other people , and thy use children to assist them to help beg for money. And most of the money they beg go to the boss(the person ) in charge. My feelings is that some people may be poor, but they really need the money, and they beg for themselves, thus we should give them empathy. Others may be working for other people, though they may be poor, but they do not use righteous ways to beg,  thus we should not give them empathy , as they do not get the full amount.

Tzeh Yuan

During the class, we were shown two picture of poverty. One was a picture of a homeless man and the other was a picture of a lady and an infant. After learning that the lady and the infant was part of a syndicate, most people say that they will help the man. Well logically helping the man is the better choice....or is it? See, the man is able bodied and he can earn the money himself. Also he does not need much. The lady however is part of a syndicate (unwillingly) and in terms of who needs help more, it is definitely the lady. However donating won't help her. In her situation, I wonder what can anyone do to help her. 

Jing Qing

We learnt about poverty around the world. We were shown two pictures depicting poverty. The first picture had a man who was very poor and made a living collecting and selling unwanted things. However, one day the cart he had to store his things had been stolen, and he was left with nothing. Another picture had a woman carrying a baby asking a man for money. She was actually part of a syndicate, and most of the money she collected would be given to her boss. After seeing those two images, I realised that we are all very lucky to have a roof above our heads. I find the two people very pitiful. They both worked so hard and yet whatever they had earned was taken away from them. It made me realise that we should cherish whatever we have and not take things for granted.

Yi De

I learnt that poverty exists, even in Singapore. However, as long as people work hard, the government will help them by giving them money to encourage them.

However, in European countries, the people don't have to work and they will be paid. This is a bad policy as people are lazy and will not be motivated to look for jobs.

I also leant that beggars can be in a syndicate. They beg and the money go into their bosses' pocket. I picked up the lesson that looks can be deceiving and we should think before donating money. However, they are genuinely poor and I pity them.

In conclusion, poverty exists in every part of the world and the government and people should help the poor and needy.

Poverty in Singapore

Poverty in Singapore

Singaporeans these days can be very self-centred, with only themselves in mind. How often do we stop to spare a second thought about the others that are less-fortunate? In Singapore, we hardly see poor people begging on the streets. However, this does not mean that they are not there. As we were searching, we found a story that struck us.

Vincent Thor, cheerful self-taught flautist, believes in living life with an outwardly vision whenever he finds the chance. 

Visually handicapped himself, he scarcely hesitated when the Singapore Association of Visually Handicapped asked if he could take to other visually handicapped men who had been rejected by their families into his two-room flat. He considers it a heavenly calling to care for these men. His housemate have difficulty caring for themselves independently and Vincent gladly helps in his capacity. Under Vincent's care, Andrew and Steven found sufficient stability in their lives to be actively engaged by the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped. 

Vincent strives for independence and believes in the dignity of work. Making his way around Bugis, Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio, he would busk heartily; after all, he believes that soothing music from the Chinese flute improves people's mood. On the plus side, an honest week's worth of work yields him up to $300 - on better weeks. 

But life poses its challenges: Diagnosed with kidney failure in mid-2012, Vincent finds his body strength waning, and can no longer move about and play the flute so frequently. His physical capability is further undermined by his suffering from diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol for close to 20 years. The same can be said of his financial capacity; without taking into consideration the $600 incurred per dialysis session, medication alone costs him more than $1000 every month. 

Thankfully, most of this cost is subsidised or covered by his Medisave monies. Against all odds, these challenged inspire rather than break his spirit of generosity. Vincent observed how the poor in his neighbourhood sell empty drink cans for a living. It occurred to him that he could contribute by collecting those in his house to donate to them. "Even though we are in need, we can still do something to help other people."

In his simple, unassuming way, Vincent's example shows us how handouts, while helpful, are insufficient. Even in the face of hardship, he seeks to make his life meaningful in his relationships with others, and through the dignity of work. The question is: As a community how are we going to respond appropriately?

The article above tells us about the life of Vincent. It is very in-dept, and the author posts many questions that set us thinking. Vincent's story touched us, as there is not many people who are willing to open their doors for handicapped strangers. However, this man is an exception. Even though he himself is in need, he still offers help. His actions set a good example for us.

Life In RVHS

a) The environment is very quiet, because the conductor expects silence before we can start. Everyone is serious and ready, and we are grouped by the type of instruments we play.

b) Her expression is quite apprehensive as there is a concert coming up. Her expression is very stoic and tense, but there is a hint of enjoyment when she is playing.

c) There are a lot of posters notifying everyone of the upcoming concerts, and there is a calligraphy drawing of a group of mice playing instruments, which is quite adorable. Also, there are many signs taped around the Instruments storeroom for Lost&Found ect. 

d) The thing that impresses me most is huge card that says '加油SYF' on the notice board that was made by everyone to cheer on the SYF team. The fact that everyone put in effort to do the card was very touching, and the RVCO President has yet to take the card down.

e) School life is very enjoyable, as everyone is very spirited. We are fortunate to be able to experience so much. 

Photo challenge

a) School Spirit

The school's 58th anniversary celebration. Many students are clapping as the Principal cuts the cake.

b) Happiness

Two students happy that they have received birthday cards from their friends.

c) Fear

The fear of getting caught on camera (It's Tzeh Yuan, by the way)

d) Life

A young plant next to a bigger plant

Holiday Reflection

CID 2

Reflection

Si Rong
During the holidays, my family, along with my cousins, went to 九寨沟 in China.
I am not a mountain person. 九寨沟 is located around 1000-3000 metres above sea level, and after walking for a short distance, my cousins and I felt like dying. We went skiing, mountain climbing, and generally enjoyed the snow. We also visited pandas and a native village, where we leant about the culture and heritage of the aboriginal mountain people.
I realise that most of my trip was spent trying to locate WiFi, and I feel guilty about the fact that neither me or my cousins bothered to really enjoy the beautiful scenery. Besides that, the rest of my holidays were spent either doing homework or writing. Mostly writing.

Jing Qing
I spent my December holidays writing. I loved to write fictional stories but I would never have the time to write during the school term. Since I had more time during the holidays, I chose to spend the time writing. We still received holiday homework for the holidays but there was still enough time for me to write a few stories.
I also watched a lot of videos on YouTube, mostly gaming videos. I also watched a lot of funny skit videos that made me laugh. Despite knowing it was bad for my eyesight, I still spent a lot of time watching those funny videos on YouTube as new videos were posted everyday and they never failed to make me laugh.
Other than that, I spent the rest of my holidays trying to complete my holiday homework.

Hai Shu
Play and study during the holidays, continued this schedule for sometime, the last few weeks were monotonous. Nothing interesting happened, and was very boring. That time I wished I was at school, as it was more entertaining to listen to lessons, rather than studying alone. During the three weeks when there was no CCA, I went to the chalet with my family members , it was quite fun , considering we went to sea aquarium, in the resorts world Sentosa.

Yi De
During my holidays, I did nothing but eat, sleep, and play First Person Shooters. I really busied myself doing nothing.
But one day, I went to Universal Studios with my family. I liked the Shrek world the best, especially watching the 4d movie in the cinema.
The movie was so real that I thought I was inside the movie. The seats were special and would move and rock according to the plot of the movie. The roller coasters were really fast and I was so scared. I could not help myself but keep screaming for the entire ride like other people 'enjoying' the fun.
Playing at Universal Studios took an entire day and my family and I went home all tired and slept within seconds.
And the very next day, I continued my schedule of doing nothing.

Tzeh Yuan
During the holidays, I spend my time in games as I did not have a lot of CCA practice. I really had nothing.
However, I went to Penang, Malaysia during the first week of December. I enjoyed my time there as there was a lot of interesting places.
I watched movies twice in Malaysia as it was much cheaper compared to watching a movie in Singapore. I watched Catching Fire and Frozen.
When I came back to Singapore, I tried to finish all my homework as I had a lot of homework left. I finished my homework in one week.
After I finished my homework, I had two weeks before school re-opened. I continued playing games.
I think the holidays were uneventful.