Jia Ren (^_^)

Preserved sites
One other preserved site in Singapore that I have researched on would be Sri Thendayuthapani Temple, also known as the Chettiars' Temple. It stands as a living testimony to the Chettiars' contributions to Singapore's colonial economy. I agree with this decision to preserve such a site.
One, the general public would definitely benefit from preserving the temple. With the temple, others will remember the contributions that the Chettiars have made to Singapore's economy in the past. Additionally, the citizens, especially students, can visit the temple to understand the Chettiars' contributions which aids in their general knowledge of Singapore.
Secondly, when tourists come over to Singapore, they may want to visit this heritage site to understand the contributions of the Chettiars. This may allow visitors to learn more about Singapore's history, interest them further about Singapore.
Thirdly, the Indians will also want to leave a living testimony to show others what their ancestors have done to help Singapore's economy improve. They can also go to the temple to pray for religious purposes.
Thus I agree the decision to preserve the Sri Thendayuthapani temple

Can Singapore afford to be complacent?
No, Singapore should not ever be complacent no matter how successful we are right now. Since Singapore was declared an independent nation, we have indeed come a long way. And this is to the credit of our founding fathers who have selflessly worked hard to build Singapore to what it is today. However, even as we are proud of our success, we should never be too smug about our achievements. We are still a young and small nation compared to other large countries, whatever turmoil in the society can easily affect. Thus, we should avoid the mistake of becoming complacent. We need to continue to learn from others and strengthen as a country and society in order to flourish in the longer term. We have to constantly change and keep up with the others so we will be better prepared to tackle problems that may arise unexpectedly. After all, we are a tiny city, vulnerable to a lot more dangers than others. Like the folktale "the hare and the tortoise", we should never be like the hare, and be too complacent if we want to stay as one of the best. Hence, we should exercise the values of our founding father, never be complacent and strive for the best.
Before I interact with the students in China,
I think that the students would be more confident in themselves, since they are the only child in the family, they receive more attention from their parents, thus developing a higher self esteem in them. also, I believe that they would keep more to themselves even as they interact with other people. Since at home, they do not have siblings to room and share secrets with, they would tend to be more private than other people, not because they are spoiled, but because they need more space. When there are lesser people at home to depend and rely on, it will cause the child to be fairly independent. They may have good friends surrounding them, but they will still enjoy spending time alone.
However, despite all this I believe that the students in China would not have trouble making friends in school. In my class, there are also several friends who are the only child in their family, and they do socialize well with other people and enjoy making friends. Hence, I feel that the students from China would likely be as friendly as we are.

3 things I have learnt:

1. I have learnt that one-child policy was implemented due to the growing population and government inability to provide for the people. This causes them to restrict the number of babies each household can have.
2. I have learnt that the one-child policy has forced a lot of women to go through the pain of  losing their child, which has caused a lot of social tension. people are upset at the government for forcing them to abort their child, and due to the one-child policy, china is also facing an ageing population, where there were more elderly than young.
3. I have learnt that Singapore face similar circumstances. As Singapore is small, it will not to provide for the increasing population, thus the Singapore has to ensure that birth rate is not too high. however, at this rate, less woman are giving birth, Singapore is also facing a crisis of having more elderly than children.

2 perceptions I gained

1. I found out that china and Singapore both used to deal with high birth rates, and right now, have to deal with an ageing population.
2. The government has to make use of incentives and posters to persuade the citizens to give birth or control the amount of babies they can have.

1 question I have:

1. Did China or Singapore not suspect that the one-child policy may cause such problems like ageing population or social tension?

Chingay 2016 Reflection

This year, my batch, the Year 2s, were invited to the Chingay preview, and naturally, I was excited for it. It is also my first time watching the Chingay live, after having to sit at home and watch from the small screen. On the day of the Chingay, my classmates and I took a bus to the F1 pit building, however, the ride was especially long. I could have taken a nap, but the amount of adrenaline from the excitement coursing through my blood prevented me from doing so. Eventually, when we finally reached, I couldn’t stop myself from bouncing on my heels as we were guided to our seats, and awaiting the performance from starting.

The opening act “Voyage SG 100” was put together several youths from the Youth Association Singapore and many other generations of Singaporeans. It is to signify the start of the journey to SG 100.

Here, many youths are dressed in lighted costumes dance on the street to kick off the event. Many other performances include the different dragons “flying”, one put on LED lights, another was on fire and was lit up with firecrackers…and many more!! It was spectacular

There were the Chinese, Malay and Indian cultural performance to remind others that Singapore is a closely-knitted multicultural society who live in harmony.

From what I managed to catch, the emcees mentioned that this performance was performed by many other talented artists from overseas like USA, Korea and Malaysia. This international cast managed to put on such a great performance left me in awe.

This part was so cool! I saw hip hop dancers, graceful ballerinas, pole dancers and many other types of dance being showcased. It got me on my feet and moving to the beat.

It’s the finale, “Lights of Legacy”, and as the name says, it is all about the lights. It was bright and bursting with colours, illuminating the whole street and for some reason, warmed my heart. The audience were also asked to wave our own light bulbs given in the fun pack, creating a wonderful sea of lights.

The theme this year is “Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore”, and I believe that the purpose is to gather everyone to celebrate the core values valued by our founding father as we take our first step into SG100, and look forward to better future for Singapore. Our several founding fathers, including the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, has been through so much to make Singapore the wealthy and flourishing city it is today. The core values such as Racial and Religious Harmony and Caring for one another proves that every Singaporean, regardless of race or religion has a part in building Singapore. These core values are what makes us One Singapore, a place people from diverse background will come together. As we proceed to much brighter and better SG 100, we should continue to embody these important core values and make Singapore a country where different people living together in harmony.

From research, I have found out that the word Chingay is equivalent to the Chinese expression “妆艺”. In 1973, the then prime minister Lee Kuan Yew decided to organise the first formal Chingay parade in compensation for the ban on firecrackers. The People’s Association (PA) teamed up with Singapore National Pugilistic Federation for a grand show in the Year of the Ox, depicting aspects of Chinese culture – dragon and lion dances, martial arts and street opera. It was so well-received that the PA made it an annual event to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Now, other the traditional cultural Chinese performances, the Chingay parade has become a national festival that is celebrated by people of different races and religions. Even the performances depicts a much more diverse and wide cultures, and there are also international artists and troupes invited to participate. Today, age, language or race are no barriers as we celebrate together as one, and while it started small, now it has grown bigger and with lesser limits and a more meaningful value to this Chingay.

I think the fact that Singapore has grown from an insignificant tiny island surrounded by many other large countries to become a rich and bustling city with people of different backgrounds one of the reasons the Chingay parade is constantly changing. There are not only Chinese in our society, but instead a large group of citizens of different age, race and religion. To signify Singapore a big family accepting of others and their differences, more people will be involved, different cultures will be incorporated into the performances. Maybe this is why, so much changes have been made since the first official Chingay parade.

I think that the organisers have successfully fulfilled the purpose of this year’s Chingay. So many people have worked tirelessly for months just for this Chingay, watching the spectacular show they have put up makes me a tad proud of them. The performances were all bright and breath-taking, adorning the streets with colours. The different cultural dances clearly highlights a multi-racial society living in harmony, the opening act and finale tells us to continue exercising the important core values and proceed towards Sg100, and the finale certainly was a magnificent end to the eventful night, leaving a lasting impression in other’s heart. It will serve as a reminder to constantly care for one another, live harmoniously with people of different backgrounds, practice resilience and meritocracy in whatever we do.

Last but not least, I think the organisers definitely did not disappoint us. They manage to engage us, the audience, to join in by waving light-sticks, pom-poms and lightbulbs and getting us into the mood. That night, we all celebrated as one people, one Singapore. I still remember leaving the venue with wide grins plastered on my face, and it didn’t even drop even when I reached home.

Overall, this Chingay was an enjoyable and exciting experience for me, and I definitely wouldn’t mind watching it again next time.

Does being rich necessary means being happy?

In my opinion, it depends on the person and the environment he stays in. Of course, having money allows one to spend on things they will want and need, this will make them happy. Especially, if the person is materialistic and greedy. However, not all the time, being rich can make someone happy.

Even though a richer person has money and much more privileges than others, and can indulge in certain activities that the rest would never dream about, I believe that those who keep a simple life can be as happy as them, if not, much happier. Most of the times, the relatively rich people are often busy, thus they may not be able enjoy the things that those who have a simpler life do. At least, those who do not have that much responsibility to carry on their shoulders have a much carefree and honest life, with more time and freedom to have fun. Even without money, people can stay happy and contend with the environment they live in.

As many surveys have shown, even though Singapore is a relatively prosperous country, our citizens' happiness index isn't that high. This further proves how having money may not necessarily make us happy. Being happy does not equal to having ones and spending on items we want, although it differs with people. Still, living in poverty does not make one less happier, just makes us more open to different ideas of 'fun'.

Someone rich and blessed with a leisure life may find happiness in spending money and extravagant items, since it is something attainable for him, but a someone less privileged can also find joy in playing in the rain with his friends. Being rich may make certain people happy, but that does not make those who are poorer than them less happy.

Rv60 reflections

We started RV60 preparations early back in October last year. There were countless trainings after school, even during the holidays. We all had to stay back till late in the evening to practice and ensure a splendid performance on the day itself. It was very tiring and draining, I woke up with sore arms and legs, only to realize I had a long day ahead of me once again. I think, because of this, many of us Rvians were upset and tired, leading to us complaining about this RV60 celebration. To be honest,  I did too. It was so much to do in a day, I was exhausted and I still had to complete homework and assignments given by teachers. People around me complained about this too, thus I thought it was fine if I did too. We all shared the same thoughts, that this celebration was a waste of time, effort, and money. And now, as the celebrations are over, students claim that they have more time to juggle cca activities and homework. I can’t help but to agree, but now that I think back on it, it wasn't all that bad as we had claimed.
During the times we had trainings, everyone were working together with one goal in mind, to make rv60 celebration a grand success. It was quite enjoyable in fact, while everyone were tired, we still smiled and laughed along with friends. Even through those trainings, I had many people supporting me. Friends who were working hard with me. My family that made me laugh when I came home, drained. The teachersthat stayed back with us to support and help us. Even the cleaner gave me an encouraging smile when I was laying on the table in the canteen, hoping for a wink of sleep. I had smiled back, before returning to training feeling much more energized. Additionally, even though teachers still gave us homework, they still have much less homework or providing a longer deadline to hand up our homework, since they know we need ample rest. If many of us managed our time well instead of complaining to each other on Whatsapp, more time will be provided for us to play or sleep. So, I think that all of us should have talked less and worked harder to impress the teachers who were also tired from staying back with us.

Even though I am only year 2, I had many memories in the short one year I had spent in River Valley. And I know I’ll make more as I grow older in this school. This celebration is my chance to show my potential as a fellow student in RV to the many generations of alumnus. After all, it is the school’s 60th anniversary, I like to show how much I will want to learn and grow in River Valley. Because of this celebration, many of us have to work together to complete the splendid performance. It brings all of us together, forging a stronger bond between our friends and seniors. I learn more about River Valley and as the school celebrates this anniversary with everyone involved and everyone not.

I am proud of everything River Valley is. The friends I have met here make a huge difference in my life. And even if I still dislike studying, the teachers do make it all a little more bearable. To my surprise, I find myself enjoying all these classes. I know in the academic and sports area, I know RV is pretty well known, and I can't be anymore happier for everyone who contributed it this. I glad the school gains recognition for what they have done and I want to be part of this school’s pride and glory.

Extraordinary

  On January 16th, the school celebrated their 60th anniversary! The picture above is a balloon custom-made for RV 60. I think that this picture is very beautiful, and that this balloon is very special since it has the RV60 symbol on it. At night, it looks like a moon in the night sky. It was very beautiful from far and near. To me, the round balloon symbolises unity and we should be together no matter.
 I am part of the dance society and I'm involved in the mass dance display. I'm the one wearing the pink costume and holding the fan. Before the performance, I saw many seniors coming back to celebrate RV60 anniversary. It was very touching and spectacular to see the number of people coming back to join in this celebration.

  After the performance, I noticed that several of the alumni teared because of our performance, and I was honoured to have known that our performance could lead such a big impact on them. The whole dance CCA worked very hard for this choreography/ mass display. We had to stay back till late hours in the evening for almost all days in the two weeks upon school start. Although it was very tiring, I was glad that the performance was a great success and our hard work paid off. I felt very accomplished. I hope next time, after I graduate from River Valley High School, I will be able to come back and watch a similar performance as grand as this.

Self introduction 

Hi, my name is Lee Jia Ren and I am from class 2K. I am the class CCE representative this year. I stay in Jurong East and I am part of the dance society. I enjoy my cca and I joined dance society in River Valley since I had background in it in my primary school. I am not a very sporty person, but I do enjoy occasional games. I like to read, although I do not find my English improving even though I read rather widely. I do think that I should read more Chinese books though. I really need to improve my Chinese language skills.




Personally, I think that I am a lazy person, but I do know my priorities. I do like learning history, but it is difficult to apply what I learn and infer from passages during examinations. Thus, I am not sure whether I will enjoy this year’s history since I have to learn more tactics to use during tests. I hope that my studies will go well this year. This year, for CID 2, I am excited for OELP. It will surely be a enjoyable and fruitful experience to fly overseas with my classmates. I am definitely looking forward to learn about the country we will be going to.