Wen Rui =P

To preserve or destroy?

   
  One place I have researched on that Singapore has done well in preserving is the Singapore Botanic gardens, which is also a UNESCO world heritage site. Singapore botanic gardens has been more than 150 years old, and has created many fond memories of fellow Singaporeans since 1859.  It even houses the largest orchid collection of 1,200 species and 2,000 hybrids in the world.

  I think that the Botanic gardens has been preserved very well as a heritage site and could be done better if Singaporeans could contribute too, by perhaps gardening or conducting tours. I hope that the Singapore Botanic Gardens could be cherished forever both as a place of historical significance and fond memories.

Image of Singapore Botanic Gardens

Should Singapore be complacent in our achievements?

 

  “What I fear is complacency. When things always become better, people tend to want more for less work.” as quoted from our founding Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew.

   

  Singapore has indeed achieved many feats since the independence of Singapore, after separating from Malaysia. Some of these achievements since the 50 years of independence include political stability, ethnic harmony, strong military and economy, clean water and public safety. These are indeed something that we, as Singaporeans should be proud of.

  However, Singapore also has a very small land area, and Singaporeans here have a weak national identity. In addition, Singapore as a small country also face threats such as weaknesses in public transport, rising housing prices, rising resentment towards foreign talent etc. 

  Singapore should never be proud of her achievements, as we are only a small country and being complacent means to stop working hard, and to stop progressing, and this is fatal for Singapore. There are many large countries such as China and America that have a stronger economy and military than Singapore, and we should look up to them and progress towards a better future.

The nightview of Singapore.

       Reflections on the children in China

  As what we have learnt last week, China has been implementing the one child policy for more than 4 decades. Thus resulting in most families with only one child since giving birth to more than one is illegal and the families have to pay more money for their passports and birth certificates or the additional children  will not be able to attend school or even go to work.

Before I interact with my China buddy, I think that..

  Children born in China will be more independent, since they are the only child in the family, and therefore they have learnt to depend on themselves as they have no elder siblings to look up to. Also, they will probably be more stressed with their schoolwork as their parents place all their expectations and pinned high hopes on the only child that they have. In addition, the students in China would be more enthusiastic and outgoing, probably because of the adults around them have taught them to be more enthusiastic and to interact with other people.

  Students in China also face a much greater stress in school dealing with Leaving school examinations. Last year June, there are 9.42 million of high school students taking the National Higher Education Entrance Examination (also named as Gao Kao). With comparison, Singapore has only 14 thousand students taking the A-levels. Therefore, we could see how much competition in China there is, for places in the universities.

(Obtained from Google)

This picture shows how enthusiastic the students in China are, with all the students raising their hands to answer the questions, or to ask questions.

After I interacted with my China buddy, I think that...

(To be completed after trip to Hefei, China)

               
                     

Reflection post on Chingay Parade 2016

Chingay 2016- Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore

     On 30 January, a Saturday, the whole Year Two cohort from River Valley High has gone to watch the Chingay Parade 2016  preview at the F1 pit building, which is located near the Singapore Flyer.

The purpose of Chingay 2016

  Chingay 2016 marks the first year of Singapore's next 50 years towards SG 100, thus Chingay 2016 is aptly themed " Lights of legacy, Brighter Singapore". This year's Chingay Parade, we celebrate the legacy and wisdom of our founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew and other founding fathers. In addition, the core values  such racial harmony, social cohesion, integrity, prudence and a can-do Singapore spirit which are fostered by our forefathers will also be highlighted in this year's Chingay Parade.

  Also, this year's Chingay Parade has involved 8,000 performers this year and a total of 50 parade contingents:40 contingents from Singapore (local) and performance troupes from 10 countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia. The other countries are also involved so that we could have a more multi-racial parade and that Singaporeans will also be able to experience the culture of the other countries too.

  Chingay Parade 2016 is to celebrate our first year of Singapore's next 50 years as we progress towards SG 100, which by then we will be a much stronger country, with a steadily growing population, a strong military force, and good economic development too. Also, we are still going to make sure that the four different races in Singapore will continue to get along well and with the different ethnic groups, we make one Singapore.

The change since the first Chingay Parade

  Back in year 1973, when the first Chingay Parade was hosted, the main reason for the starting of the first formal Chingay Parade was because the People Associations chairman, also the then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew decided to compensate the ban of firecrackers, which is a customary New Year practice. This is because the Chingay Parade would produce the noice and happiness that the fire crackers would, which was actually true. The Chingay Parade also brought all Singapore citizens together to watch the street parade. In the end, the reaction was so good that they have decided to host Chingay Parade annually.

  This picture features the first Chingay Parade, the parade is mainly made up of local people and there is hardly any high technology used at that time, 1973. Even the photography is not advanced, causing the picture to be black-and-white.( Picture obtained from Google)

  After three years of hosting the Chingay Parade, the People's Association made Chingay Parade to be a multi-racial one, so that all races in Singapore could be involved in the Chingay Parade. Even international groups have been introduced to perform in Chingay Parade. I think that the reason for the change is due to the fact that Chingay Parade would be able to showcase the diferent cultures of Singapore and the different countries of the world, where age, race, language, and creed are no barriers.

This picture has been taken before the start of the Chingay Parade. Features the 40m high motor/ stage above the ground, which is next to the Singapore Flyer.

This marks the start of the Chingay Parade, with 800 youths dressed in lighted

costumes which illuminate the dimmed 360-metre parade route in an upbeat choreography. The teenagers have probably practised very hard for this performance as they seemed to be in unison.

This performance is put up by the Chinese community, they are holding on a red and yellow coloured shield and are dressed in red. I think this probably is believed by the Chinese that it brings good luck to the new year.

 This performance is put up by the Malays. This urges us as citizens to appreciate local culture heritage and legacies.

This performance is also put up by the Malays. they are holding on to small miniature wooden houses, which probably is meant to represent kampongs. Kampongs now no longer exist and are replaced with Housing Development Board(HDB, in abbreviation) flats. This reminds Singapore citizens of the kampong spirit, which is to share and give when needed.

This is one of the 11 mega floats that has been put to display in the Chingay street parade. This float is sponsored by Singapore Pools , Tote Board and etc.

  This picture features the four LED-lit dragons. This picture could show how brightly-lit the dragons are, in comparison with the dark background. High technology has been used, with more frequency, referring to the LED-lit dragons and the 40m high motor.

 

  I think that the organisers of the Chingay Parade 2016 have done a very good job. Even though it is only the preview, of Chingay Parade, but they have tried to minimise the mistakes made by the performers through the many rehearsals and practices. Also, I would want to give recognition to the 8,000 performers and the volunteers who have voluntarily gave up their free time which they could have used to revise their work and to do their what they wanted to. I have a similar feeling and thus could empathise with them. Most of the River Valley students have already grumbled a lot for rehearsing for the River Valley 60th anniversary celebration which only lasted for about 1 hour, much less to say the amount of time and effort they have spent on the close to 2 hours Chingay Parade.

  Through Chingay Parade 2016, I have learnt to appreciate the different races of Singapore and that only with the different races in Singapore, we are one Singapore! Also, I got to experience the different cultures of the different countries through the traditional costumes that the performers are wearing. Thus, I would say that this year's Chingay Parade is very educational as this could teach students to be accepting to all races, and to have a can-do Singapore spirit. This shows that the organisers have successfully fulfilled their purpose.

Reflections on China's one-child policy

The impacts of the one-child policy implemented in China

(Lesser working adults to support the economy)

3 things I have found out

  I have found out from today's lesson that China's one child policy implemented in 1970s (to be specific, 1978 to 1980) is to control childbirth and to have lesser children due to the overpopulation of China citizens during that period of time.

  China's one child policy turned out to be quite successful as the population growth has been largely reduced, however, this also contributed to imbalanced sex ratio by encouraging families to abort baby girls and try for male heirs. This led to a few millions of males being born more than the females, causing some males unable to find partners.

  The one child policy implemented by China has also caused negative impacts, namely forced abortions, female infanticide, and under-reporting of female births.

2 perceptions you have gained

(Perceptions in this case, means how you view and see China's one-child policy)

  In my opinion, the one-child policy is indeed useful to control the rapid growth of population of China, however, the abortions of young women if they exceeded the plan of one childbirth is extremely harmful for their health, especially if they have been pregnant for more than three months. Thus, many women from that time might have suffered tremendously.

  Therefore, I think that the one-child policy should be scrapped, since there is now a greater aging population and a shrinking workforce, which the government has already done in October 2015.

1 question I might have

  Why has the policy only been scrapped after 3 decades, after all the harm and damage has already been implemented on the Chinese citizens?

One of the posters to show the rapid drop in the fertility, shrinking of the workforce, and the labour shortage which China might face in the early 2030s are all the negative imoacts caused by the one-child policy that has been implemented since 1978.

This poster has been circulating in China since the 1980s to urge the China citizens to only give birth to 1 child.

Being a relatively prosperous country, are we a happy country?

                   

Does being rich equivalent to being happy?

  Singapore is a rather prosperous country, as compared to the other countries in Southeast Asia and as compared to most of the countries in the world, as we have the world's one of the highest GDP(which means gross domestic product). But are we really happy?  Singapore's wealthy population is the unhappiest -less happy than the populations of Iraq, Haiti, Afghanistan, and Syria and even some countries in Southeast Asia such as Philippines and even Thailand. Only 46% of the Singapore population have positive emotions everyday according to the survey conducted by the Gallup survey.

  So money can't buy happiness? This is not exactly true. However, the sense of satisfaction with our present life is also important in happiness. Some high-earning families might be wealthy but they are not necessarily happy. Everyone have many wants and when they have achieved what they wanted, they will end up wanting more and being not happy with their present life. So, for example, a fresh graduant from universities would want to find a high-paying job, and after they had found their dream job, they would end up wanting a pay rise, or an even higher job position.

  So, instead of being unhappy or unsatisfied, we could try to be more optimistic and tell ourselves that they are many people in the world that does not have a clean supply of water, pocket money given from their parents, and plenty of children that are too poor to attend schools, and there is still a large population of people that still suffer from diseases or hunger! Knowing this, we are luckier than more than 70% of the world population!

  Since now we know that the rich does not equivalent to feeling happy, the poor does not necessarily feel unhappy too! For example, the poor children has been borne poor and they have learnt that they are unable to have many things like toys and good living conditions. Thus, they have learnt to be satisfied with the things that they own and when they have received old toys or that they have known that they are able to go to school, they will actually feel gratified

  In a nutshell, money can't buy happiness, but the sense of satisfaction with our current life will allow us to be happy.

River Valley 60th anniversary Reflections

  Recently, there are several and a variety of student sentiments (which is a view of or attitude toward a situation or event) on River Valley 60th anniversary celebration. Some of the students in River Valley High School think that it is a waste of time and the student's welfare has been neglected due to the fact that the afternoon trainings that took place almost everyday for the first two weeks of school until the 16th of January could be exchanged with more lesson time and more time to study. I agree that this is absolutely true especially for the Year 6/JC 2 students, as they really need more lessons to help them cope with their subjects and that they would definitely need more studying time to prepare for the A levels. However, this does not really apply for the rest of the levels in River Valley High School. For the years 2 to 5s, our study schedule is definitely not as tight as the Year 6s, and as long as we do not procrastinate our work and we revise in advance of our lessons, the staying back after school is definitely not a problem, especially that it is only the start of the year and we do not have that much homework. 

  

  Instead of grumbling about the staying back after school for rehearsals, we should see it from another point of view. Performing in the RV 60th anniversary celebration is probably the way to give back to the school after being in this school for a whole year! Being able to perform as a cellist in the String Esemble is really great as I have not been able to attend any performance with the String Esemble before when I was Year One.  Also, I have really improved on my playing skills and bonded with my other String Esemble seniors through the rehearsals for RV 60. So it is really a great experience for me to perform in the RV 60 celebration.

  This 60th anniversary celebration is really important to us RVians and for the whole school as we get to bring the whole RV students and the alumni together! We also get to showcase our RV spirit to the ministers that are invited to our 60th anniversary.

  In a nutshell, I am really proud of River Valley as River Valley has been a huge part of my life and that the teachers and seniors are really encouraging and friendly. I will always remember the River Valley spirit which is to lead for progress, hand in hand. (携手共进).

Extra in the ordinary 

This picture taken during RV 60's grand finale.

  This picture was taken on 16th January 2016, on the actual day of River Valley High School 60th anniversary. The atmosphere during the performance is electrifying and the school alumni, of all ages are present on that day. When the choir sang the school song, I could remember vividly that all audience stood up at their seats and started singing along with the choir. That moment was really touching. The 60th anniversary had also brought together the alumni of all generations, and they had witnessed the growth of River Valley High School. 

  I was involved in the 16-minute overture, which means orchestral piece at the beginning of a celebration since I am in the cello section of String Esemble CCA. The overture piece is composed by Phoon Yew Tian, whom is a famous music composer in Singapore. The overture involves 3 Performing Arts CCA, which includes String Esemble, Chinese Orchestra and Band. 

  

  The overture piece is made up of about 6 pages and the three CCAs involved will have to memorise all pages preferably even though the recording would be played through from the loud speaker as well. All the school mates except Year Ones are involved in the performance, even those that are not required in their CCAs will have to take the job as ushers. 

  The reason why I had chosen this picture was because this picture had shown case of all the performing groups on the field.  And I believe that  the success of the RV 60 performance as the hard work of everyone, as all of us had stayed back to rehearse and practise our parts for almost all days of the two weeks upon school start. The journey was really tiring and tough for all of us and it had eventually paid off! 

Self introduction  

  Hello! I am Wen Rui from 2K. I am the group leader of CID group 3. I might be a person that is quiet around people that I may not really know, but I am a person that has a burning heart. I love making friends that have the similar interests with me. I like to have breakthroughs, and I do not compare with others, but instead, I compare with myself. I am a rollercoaster that only goes up. (The line in 'The fault in our stars')

   I have travelled to many Southeast Asia countries, such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia since my father is a person that really likes to travel. I think travelling is a really great experience as I get to know the culture of the other countries, and I will often be glad that I live in a civilised country and I more fortunate than the other people in the world. I have travelled to Egypt and United Arabia Emirates (U.A.E) this December holidays. It is the first time that I have travelled to a country that is not located in Asia so I am really exhilarated when I knew that I will be going Africa to spend five days. I visited the 6 pyramids in Cairo including the Sphinx(the man-faced lion), I also visited the Museum of Egypt, which featured many artefacts that are found inside the tombs of the ancient kings. Egpyt has a very rich history.
Below are some of the pictures I have taken in Egypt and U.A.E (United Arabia Emirates)

 This picture is taken in Cairo, Egypt
I am standing beside The Sphinx of Giza which is also named as the lion-headed man.

 This picture is also taken in Cairo, Egypt. This pyramid has been standing for more than hundreds of years. It has been exposed to too much rain and shine that the top of the pyramid has been worn down, thus requires much repairing.

This is one of the pictures taken in the Egyptian Museum of Cairo. (Sorry for the unclear of the picture due to the reflection of the glass) Heard that recently 
the famous mask of King Tutankhanmun in the same museum I have went few months ago had been damaged and scratch marks have even been left on the mask









  My hobby is playing cello. My CCA is String Esemble and I am in the cello section. I also have cello lessons outside and I am going to have my cello exam, either Grade Four or Grade Three this year. I always try to make time to practice cello at least three times in a week, in order to be more proficient in the music instrument. Personally, I really like music a lot, as music could soothe us down and relax our feelings whenever we are really tired or frustrated in the day.

  Last year, I set a goal of GPA 3.5 and ended up exceeding my expectations. Therefore, this year I will continue to work hard and achieve my goals of this year. Ultimately, I think it is the studying habits that matters, so I intend to be more efficient in doing things, and to spend lesser online time.

   I do have my insecurities, I am afraid of being betrayed and I hated to be inferior to the others. So this is me.