Pre - OELP reflection

I hope to learn about the differences between China and Singapore . it can be the study environment , their lifestyles , their traditional beliefs . I would also like to learn more about China's history simce China has a long history , it would be fun to learn more about it .

Some questions I may have :

- How is their classroom like ?

- How many people is in one classroom ?

- What are some of the superstitions ?

- Is their school rules different from Singapore's ?

I am looking forward to visiting their school . Since I am a student , it is interesting to find out how they study and how they behave during their break time . I hope that our class can be more bonded after the trip .

Singapore in the future

One Child policy poster

Exploring China's education system

1. All citizens must attend school for at least nine years, known as the nine-year compulsory education , which the government funds. It includes six years of primary school , starting at age six or seven, and three years of junior secondary education (middle school) for ages 12 to 15. China's system represented a pyramid; because of the scarcity of resources allotted to higher education, student numbers decreased sharply at the higher levels. Although there were dramatic advances in primary education after 1949, achievements in secondary and higher education were not as great.

2. We still do not know which school we are going to . 

3. - Do they have any special methods to study ? 
    - Do most students have private tutoring ?
    - If they have private tutoring , does it help them ? 

How much is our school fees- Pin Shin

School fees after subsidy is usually $5.00

Standard miscellaneous fees is at$10.00

Autonomous Schools collect Autonomous School Fees, ranging from $3 to $18 per month

Reflection on One and Two Child Policies- Pin Shin

3 Things I found out
-Singapore supports two child policy as Singapore lacked resources such as space and wanted to focus the resources on less people to make the quality better
-Singapore supports two child policy also because Mr Lee feared that the overgrowing population might burden the society
-Having similar situations, Singapore and China had different solutions
2 Perceptions I gained
-Adapting other country's solution is acceptable and might help more than we think
-There are always pros and cons of rules and policies
1 Question I have
-Are there other solutions that could have solved the problem China and Singapore face?

Why Singapore must not be complacent in her achievements-Xin Qian

"We have got to build on this culture. We can do more and we need to do more as our environmental challenges grow. For example, climate change. You will remember this year earlier in February, we had our longest dry spell ever. The reservoir water levels dropped below normal; everywhere the grass in our parks turned brown. We had lalang fires all over Singapore and even one or two forest fires in the nature reserve. Fortunately, our lives were not disrupted because we ran our desalination plants at 100 percent and we increased our NEWater output to meet our needs. First of all we had desalination plants and we had NEWater plants, and that is why we could respond. We did not have to ration water as we have planned for a margin of safety, so we endured the draught and eventually the rains came and Singapore became green again. But we cannot become complacent because climate is changing. I think we can expect more such extreme episodes, more draughts, more heavy rains at different times, and we must be able to cope with it." This was quoted from Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong. Mr Lee Hsien Loong addressed the time when we had our longest dry spell. It was an achievement to us, a country with limited water resources, and yet, due to the many solutions and preparations beforehand, we were not disrupted by the change of climate. Even though we have gotten through it, we must not be complacent as we never know what more may come our way. Obstacles while continue to rise but if we remain humble, we will steadily go through them as a nation

Reflection on One and Two Child Policies -Xin Qian

">3 things I found out:

- I learnt that the reasons behind Singapore implementing the two-child policy are to create better eduction for the children, the lack of space and resources for the increasing population and to lessen the burden for families with financial problems.

- I learnt that China had implemented similar policies due to the similar problems that were occurring in Singapore

- I learn that Singapore had received some side effects from the policy that was implemented, like a decreasing population as many couples do not want to have kids

2 perceptions I have gained:

- Creating rules and policies might have unwanted side effects and consequences

- Learning from others while applying it to our own lives in your own way can help with the situations we face

1 question I have:

- Is it helping with the problem by reversing the two-child policy Singapore initially had?

Why must SG not be complacent - Wan Jing

"We have a blueprint and I think we have enthusiasts. We need to work together and make sure that it translates into real outcomes. I hope you will all step forward – give us your ideas, take part in the activities, and do your bit for the environment. Especially the young people; you have got the talent, energy, drive and passion to change the world. This is your future, this is our home. No one has a bigger stake in Singapore than the young people here. So look around and ask yourself: “What can I do to make our environment better?” Imagine it, decide it, make it happen – we will partner you to do that. Together, we will make Singapore better, cleaner and greener. A home for ourselves and our children. " 

- Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's Speech at Clean & Green Singapore 2015 Launch yon 8 November

I agree that we should not be complacent . Just like what Mr Lee Hsien Loong has stated , no one has a bigger stake in Singapore than us , ourselves . We can play a key role in continually improving Singapore by not be complacent and being pro-active in helping out . There is always room for improvement and we can always learn from neighbouring countries . If we do not help ourselves to improve, nobody would do so and in that case , we would fall behind . Hence , in order to improve Singapore , we must not be complacent and do our very best to improve Singapore and overtake others . 

Why must SG not be complacent-Si Yan

Even though leaders of China are taking lessons from Singapore, we should not be complacent in our achievements as bilateral ties are now a two-way street, with Singapore learning as much from China as China does from Singapore. 

"We cannot be complacent. We have a special and close relationship with China. We have to continue to work at it, bring it to new levels, upgrade it, recognise the new changes in Singapore and in China, and bring our bilateral cooperation to new levels.  " PRESIDENT TONY TAN KENG YAM, on Singapore's relationship with China

I agree with this point as this relationship with China is important as we learn from each other, and being complacent will not allow us to improve. 

From the articles, I found out that Shanghai retained its title as the world’s busiest container port for a fifth consecutive year after widening the gap with Singapore. Shanghai, Shenzhen and other ports in China are dominating the global container-shipping market. Hence, we need to work harder to improve and not fall behind while the other countries take the lead. 

Reflection on one and two child policies-Si Yan

3 things I found out:

-China started the 2-child policy recently

-China and Singapore started the one and two child policy respectively at about the same time

-The aging population is putting stress on China 

2 perceptions you have gained: 

-Reversing the policies help to improve the current situation 

-There are cons to reversing the policies also 

1 question I may have: 

-

Reflection on One and Two Child Policies - Wan Jing

3 Things I found out :

- Singapore started the Two-Child Policy before China started the One-Child Policy .

- Aging population is when there are more elders than children .

- An aging population will post stress to the future generations .

2 Perceptions I have gained :

- There is both pros and cons to the policies .

- When we try out something new , there will always be an outcome that might not be in our favor .

1 Question I may have :

- How long would it eventually take to reverse the aging population ? 

Chingay reflection by Si Yan

I think the purpose is to celebrate Chinese New Year and also the fact that people of different races and ethnic groups can come to celebrate this special occasion. With all its voice and gaiety, would compensate for the ban on firecrackers, a customary New Year practice to drive away evil spirits. 

The first chingay was just a grand show in the year of ox, depicting aspects of Chinese New Year, dragon, lion dances, martial arts and street opera. Chingay has changed and it has adopted a multicultural flavour since 1976. The organizers have succeeded in making this change happen, because this yearly street parade is now a national festival, celebrated by Chinese, Indians, Malays and Eurasians alike. The different cultural dances emphasizes on this point, showing that people from different races come together to make this a wonderful performance. The Chingay Parade would well be a treasured glimpse into the different cultures of Singapore and the world. Now, age, race and language are no barriers. Here, we celebrate together as one.

My thoughts and feelings:

The chingay celebration performance was magnificent. The colourful floats were really nice. I'm amazed by how people from different races and ethnic groups come to together to make this a wonderful performance. I know that they have put in alot of effort in practicing and perfecting their skills and I really hope that more people would go and watch their performance on the actual day. The gymnastics was my favorite as it was really cool to see them hanging on the ropes and doing stunts in the air. Many of the volunteers who helped out in this event also played a great role in maintaining the place, and I really appreciate it. Even though it ended quite late, I was still glad that I had an enjoyable evening. However, I was sad to see that some of the students did not clean up after themselves and cleaners had to pick up the litter for them. In the future, I hope that people can remember to clean up after events. 

Jing Wei's reflection on Chingay 2016

The purpose of the first Chingay was to compensate for the ban of firecrackers a customary New Year practice to drive away evil spirits.
Chingay 2016 is different, its intend is to bring all Singaporeans together and move together in building Singapore's next 50 years. There are participants from all over the world and from all races, it shows harmony. It was also colorful with festival dresses that were the culture of many, the programmed intend to bring people together as one regardless of race, religion and language.
I think the organizers of Chingay 2016 had successfully accomplished this purpose, I can tell this from people singing along with songs, and pledge to make a better Singapore in the future. The atmosphere was brought up and flows into every Singaporean's heart, warm and soft.

Chingay 2016 Reflection - Pin Shin

In my opinion, Chingay 2016 was to celebrate Chinese New Year, and also to start the next 50 years towards SG100. The show is also to showcase Singapore's unique multiracial society.

The first Chingay Parade was back in 1973, was organised by the PAP, featuring only simple performances such as lion dance, flag bearers, clowns and juggling acts. The parade then also was not located where it is today, it was a 3 kilometre road from old Victoria School to Outram Park before moving into the housing estates, then to Orchard Road in 1985.

This year's Chingay featured more foreign performing groups, together, the Singaporeans as well as the foreigners put up a fantastic Chingay 2016. Without anyone of them, it would not have been a success!  This year, we had light bulbs painted and drawn by students showing Singapore at SG100. I believe that it displayed the theme really well, and was a good way to lead the audience to think about what SG100 would be like. In my opinion, Singapore at SG100 will be a more racial harmony, more developed and more advance country than today! I think that Chingay is a good way to unit Singaporeans together, too!

In conclusion, Chingay 2016 was a successful one, marking the start of the journey towards SG100. 

Chingay Parade 2016 Reflections -Xin Qian

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I think that the purpose for Chingay 2016 was to celebrate and mark the first year of Singapore's next 50 years towards SG100, therefore, explaining the theme,"Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore", to pledge to live by the core values of our founding fathers, and to move forward as a nation to be a brighter Singapore.

The first Chingay held in Singapore was came about when Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister as well as Chairman of the People's Association, started the event to compensate for the ban of fire crackers in Singapore and celebrate the Chinese New Year by the noise to chase away bad spirits. However, now, it is not just about celebrating the Chinese New Year, it is also for everyone to celebrate the New Year together, and that includes all different races. Many foreign countries have also been invited yearly to participate in the Chingay Performances. In today's Chingay celebrations, regardless of race, language or religion, we come together as one and celebrate the New Year. I think this is because we live in a multi-rational country, our friends and neighbors around us are from all different races. Our country wants us to be able celebrate the festive occasion with all our friends, and not just the Chinese race in our Country.

I think the organizers have successfully shown Singapore that in the next 50 years, SG100 will show a bigger, brighter and better Singapore. The cubes that were hand-drawn by Singaporeans really play a big role in bringing out the theme. It showed us how and what Singaporeans wanted the future Singapore to look like, and that we would work hard as a nation to achieve the dreams of every Singaporean that are drawn carefully and thoughtfully on each of the light-up cubes. 

Chingay 2016 Reflection - Wan Jing

I think that the purpose of Chingay 2016 was to celebrate the new year of 2016 and also to celebrate the fact that we have passed a milestone of SG50 in 2015 together as one country despite of the difference in races . In my opinion , " Lights of Legacy , Brighter Singapore " means that we should keep moving on and look foward to a better amd brighter future Singapore .

I think the first Chingay was to just celebrate each and every New Year that we experienced but I think now Chingay is to not only celebrate each and every New Year but also to celebrate the fact that we are sucessful as a country . 

There are many more different segments of different people performing , such as Parkour segment , the Chinese segment , the Malay segment and etc . It shows that we are able to live togther sucessfully despite experiencing many differences . 

Happiness and Poverty -Xin Qian

I think that we are a happy country. I think that being rich doesn't necessarily mean you will be happy. I go out with my family to parks and see families getting together happily. Going to a simple park does not require money like going to USS, but it is the people who we spend the time with that matters. However, what adds on the happiness is that we can live our daily life without constantly worrying about if we have sufficient money or daily necessities to survive. We simply need to appreciate and be contented with what we have to live on happily. If someone's happiness depends on money, that is just greed. Money can't buy everything in the world, definitely not happiness.

Happiness and Poverty -Pin Shin

In my opinion, being wealthy or not does not necessarily relate to your amount of happiness. It depends on your mindset. For example, Singapore's HPI score, which is a score that measures a country's happiness level, is only 39.8, whereas China's HPI score is 44.7! Compare to China, Singapore is not only a more developed country, but also a more wealthy country! However, I have friends who are always positive and happy. Thus I think that it is the mindset and personality that is affecting whether or not we are happy. We can be poor yet happy over small things such as being in good health, kindness of strangers... We can also be extremely rich yet puzzled by not being able to get a limited addition bag... I believe that it all depends on the mindset.

Happiness and Poverty - Wan Jing

I think being rich does not necessarily bring us happiness . I feel that when you are poor , you will see the world in a different light and definitely learn how to really cherish the things you have and not take it for granted . Money cannot buy you everything , it is limited to some things . It might make you happy if you have money but I do not think it is true happiness like money cannot buy love .