Where are we going? (Joan)

I have never been to China before and I hope that I can learn more about China's heritage, economy and mostly education as it is something that I can relate to from this 7 days in Shanghai. I would also like to change some of my stereotypical assumptions on people in China. There are a few questions I have and two of them is regarding their education. I am wondering about their standard of English over there in Shanghai and why are they so motivated to study. During this trip, I really hope to see our class bond together and become closer to each other and maybe solve the gender segregation problem in our class. And most importantly, create more memories as a class and enjoy this trip as this is our last year as a class together.

Pre-Trip Task: Cost of Living in Singapore

Standard 4/5 Room HDB Flat in Punggol : Around $400000

Current cost of a brand new Toyota Vios : $120000 to $140000
Cheapest 10kg packet rice : $12
Cheapest one litre drinking mineral/distilled water : $0.50
Cheapest fresh whole chicken : $4.70
Do we provide plastic bags and how are they used?
Yes, plastic bags are provided whenever we buy something from any shop to allow us to carry our
items conveniently.
Who are the cashiers (age, nationality) and what kind of service do they provide?
The cashiers are normally aged 25-60 and are mostly Chinese, although there are some who are Malays and Indians. They provide good service by helping us pack our items properly into plastic bags.
Cheapest one litre of cooking oil : $3.20
School fee : $28
One litre of petrol : $2.19
One movie ticket on a weekend : $12-13
Average salary of a Singaporean : $2000-5000
Big Mac Meal : $8

To keep or not to keep( ziyuan )

I feel that the Christ the redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro should be preserved as the Rio de Janeiro is recognised by this statue. This is a symbol of Rio de Janeiro and should be kept not just as a tourist attraction, but also as a symbol of Rio de Janeiro. If the statue was destroyed, the Christians in the world would not be happy as this statue represents Christianity throughout the world.

Angkor wat, is a temple complex situated in Cambodia, and it is the largest religious monument in the world.
Angkor, in Cambodia's northern province of Siem Reap, is one of the mostimportant archaeological sites of Southeast Asia. It extends over approximately 400 square kilometres and consists of scores of temples, hydraulic structuRes as well as communication routes. For several centuries Angkor, was the centre of the Khmer Kingdom. With impressive monuments, several different ancient urban plans and large water reservoirs, the site is a unique concentration of features testifying to an exceptional civilization. The architecture and layout of the successive capitals bear witness to a high level of social order and ranking Khmer Empire. Angkor is therfore a major site exemplifying cultural, religious and symbolc values as well as containing high architectural, archaeological and artistic significance.
Therefore, it should be preserved.

To keep or not to keep(Joan)

The Changi prison is a site that should be preserved. In 2000, the prison was demolished. However, In view of its historical significance, the preservation of monuments board worked with the Singapore prison service and the urban redevelopment authority to allow the front gates of the old prison to be preserved and moved to the new prison. I think that whole of the prison should be preserved.

Changi Prison was designed to be a maximum security prison to house up to 600 criminals sentenced to long-term imprisonment in British Singapore. The remaining structures of the original prison – the entrance gate, wall and turrets – stand as an enduring symbol of the suffering of those who defended Singapore and the tumultuous years of the Japanese Occupation (1942-1945). This site also showed how far Singapore came from one subjugation to another and finally independence and that this journey was not an easy one.

The government should have preserved the whole site but at least the heritage, culture and history behind this prison are preserved and not lost.

To keep or not to keep(yiting)

The Giza pyramid complex consisting of the three pyramids of El Giza, Egypt is one of the most popular preserved sites that still exists till today. In fact, it is the oldest, as well as the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World to remain largely intact.
I believe and agree that this site should be preserved for the following two main reasons.
Firstly, the construction of this site took an incredible amount of work, requiring tens of thousands of workers over decades, because of the lack of advanced technology then and the size of the pyramids. It was estimated that the pyramids were built around 2530BC, with the largest pyramid towering nearly 150metres high and covering 5.2hectares. This shows the perseverance and dedication of the ancient Egyptians who constructed these pyramids. So, to me, this site represents the product of resilience of these Egyptians, and thus, preserving this site shows and teaches us an example of great resilience, a value all of us ought to have and impart into our lives, allowing us to learn to never give up and to strive to always complete what we started.
Secondly, in general, history comes alive when people not only read about the past, but also when one is able to visit here historical sites, examine the artifacts, etc. Thus, preserving such sites preserves the physical structure as well as the heritage, culture, meanings and history behind these sites, allowing us to learn about the history of the particular country, the monument, their people, etc, and also ourselves as humans.
In conclusion, I believe in the preservation of historical sites and monuments not only because of their physical beauty, but mainly because of the stories behind the sites.

Why must Singapore not be complacent in her achievements(Joan)

Singapore is one country that trumpets our achievements to the world. We are not afraid to tell everyone we have done well. Even so, we should not be complacent over our achievements, we may have a fast growing economy and a lot of achievements. It's not only Singapore that have achievements, China is way ahead of Singapore in terms of economical progress by shipping and the container-shipping market. We can be proud and show everyone but not be complacent. If everybody in Singapore becomes complacent, what will happen to Singapore? Everybody will not work as they are over satisfied with what we have done and thinks we are good enough. Singapore's economy will collapse. Also, the economy in the world is fast pacing and ever changing, we have to constantly catch up and work towards the common vision of a better and more prosperous Singapore. Thus, we do not have time to be complacent over our achievements. This is further emphasized by the bilateral ties between China and Singapore is a two-way street as we are both learning from each other and how to improve our own country. Therefore, Singapore can be proud but not complacent over her achievements in this 50 and coming 51 years of independence.

Why Singapore must not be complacent in her achievements. (Ji Yin)

Singapore has definitely made many achievements over the years. Yes, I think Singaporeans should be proud of our achievements, there is nothing wrong in being happy or pleased with oneself. However, not necessarily complacent. In my opinion, complacency hides our weaknesses. How are we supposed to go forward without knowing our weaknesses and how to improve them? There is no such thing as perfection, there is always room for improvements. In the articles, it shows that Singapore still has a lot to work on despite her achievements, and being complacent is in no means helpful for improvement. This is something like the story of the tortoise and the hare. The hare got complacent during the race and decided to take a nap. In the meantime, the tortoise overtakes the hare and won the race.We live in an ever changing society and to maintain where we are, we have to continue striving. Being complacent makes us stop working hard. What happens if Singapore stops working hard? We will soon be overtaken by other countries. After we've come so far in these 50 years everything goes down the drain. So, does Singapore want to be the hare, or the tortoise?

Why Singapore must not be complacent in her achievements (Yiting)

Complacent - showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements
Indeed, as a small and young nation, Singapore has obtained numerous achievements through the hard works and efforts by mostly our pioneer generation. However, we must not be complacent, or rather, haolian (a common Hokkien term used in Singapore, suggesting arrogance). Yes, complacence and arrogance hold two different meanings but I feel that any complacency may eventually lead to  arrogance. Despite our outstanding titles, we should still continue to strive for improvement and work hard to build our nation. I believe that even the sky isn't the limit and there is always room to make things better. Even if Singapore ranks #1 in every single positive aspect, there is still no reason for complacency as the difference between us and other nations show that there is still much more to learn from others as what we see as flaws in others may actually be a good learning point for us. "Look beyond the surface". I've forgotten where I've heard this quote from but it holds a strong meaning. We should always look beyond the surface as even what we see with our own eyes may not be the truth. So despite our achievements, we should always still strive to be better then how we were before, and learn from others, be it from their flaws or achievements. Complacency will prevent us from striving for improvement as we will be overly proud of ourselves, thinking that we are already the best and unbeatable, causing us to just live life as it is now, not making any positive adjustments to better the lives of our nation. Thus, I feel that in order to further improve ourselves, we must not be complacent in our nation's achievements.

Why Singapore must not be complacent in her achievements? (Shalyn)

Singapore has progressed and grown a lot over the years. We have many achievements, be it the economy we have now or even our social status. Even though we have obtained so many achievements over the past 50 years, we must never be complacent. In fact, we as a nation, need to work harder to overcome even more challenges as we progress through the years.

If Singapore becomes complacent, we will start to think that because of the many achievements and things we have accomplished, there is no need to work hard anymore as we are still able to accomplish great things with minimal effort. This attitude that we have when we are complacent will affect us because other countries will be able to see that flaw of ours and will do their best to be even better than us.

It is just like how students should not be complacent because they scored really well in a test or topped the class. If they become complacent, they will not make any effort to improve and will start to take the tests lightly. In actual reality, when they have received their next test results, they will realise the drop in their marks or grades and will start to buck up again. This shows that for Singapore to maintain our 'level' or to continue to get many achievements, all of us have to work hard together and grow as one country. Complacency? No, forget it.

Aging Population (Zi Yuan)

3 things I learnt
That plans may backfire
Proper family planning is important for a country
A country can only become prosperous if the population is at a sufficient number
2 perceptions
Government is trying to help maintain the population
People do not want or want babies
1 question
Why do people not try to help the government

Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore (Yi Ting)

  CHINGAY - an annual street procession held in Singapore as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations.

  The first Chingay Parade held in Singapore was on the 4th of February, 1973. It was initially suggested by our late Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew to stage a Chingay parade similar to those held in Penang. His purpose was to create a festive mood for all Singaporeans. This was because the ban of firecrackers in Singapore, due to the deaths and injuries caused by its fatal explosions, since June 1972  had led to the absence of traditional firecrackers, which is a customary New Year practice to drive away evil spirits and also for simply celebrating the Lunar New Year, causing unhappiness and reduced public enthusiasm for the occasion. Thus, with all the noise and gaiety of Chingay, the ban of firecrackers was compensated.

  Today, Chingay has become a uniquely Singaporean Lunar New Year Tradition, held during the first weekend of the Lunar New Year. This annual street extravaganza is now a national festival that
epitomises the dynamism of Singapore's vibrant and multicultural society, and is celebrated by Chinese, Malays, Indian and Eurasians alike.In addition, This national event is the largest street performance and float parade in Asia.

  This year marks the first year towards Singapore's next 50 years and hence, Chingay 2016 is aptly themed,"Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore". Singaporeans from diverse backgrounds will come together to celebrate the core values, which were advocated by the Founding Prime Minister and other Founding Fathers, which also are important to Singapore as we take the first step towards SG100. These five core values include:

1) Racial harmony and social cohesion, including inter-religious harmony;

2) Building a warm and caring community;

3) Having resilience as a nation;

4) Every citizen adopting a can-do Singapore spirit, for example, we should confront, have courage, and get things done;

5) Upholding high moral values, such as integrity, honesty, fair-mindedness, and prudency.
In Chingay 2016, these values will be brought to live. Quoting PA Chief Executive Director Mr Ang Hak Seng, "Chingay 2016 represents the first step towards SG100, as we celebrate the Singapore Spirit and our shared values that have transformed us from a fishing village into a modern metropolis. We celebrate these values that have brought us this far, and will take us into the future with confidence.". 

  Based on my personal observations and understanding of the annual Chingay parade, I feel that the parade's original main focus and purpose, of simply celebrating the Lunar New Year, has been lost over the years. This year's Chingay parade carries the purpose of marking the start of our nation's next 50 years, with the illuminated opening act of  "Voyage SG100". But how and why has the purpose changed since the first Chingay parade in Singapore?

  Firstly, as our nation grows, we gradually learn to understand and include our diverse society of different races and religions which will be included in our range of national events and activities. In this case, Chingay slowly grew from a Chinese-centric parade, to the Chingay as of today, where the floats designed, performers participating and performances included in the parade include people of different age, race, language, religion and creed. This allows multi-cultural Singapore to come together and celebrate as one, whether we are one of the 8000 performers enjoying ourselves as we perform with pride, or one of the 10000 audiences sitting comfortably in our seats as we watch the spectacular show. Also, as our parade grabs global attention and recognition, we also include international acts in our parade, such as the Eurasian Association and the Everlasting Illuminating Passion with Awa Dance with the SJ50 float, both as of Chingay 2016. In addition, for the first time in Chingay's history, the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) has collaborated with 30 religious groups to present an item at Chingay 2016, called "Because We Are Different, We Are One", taking on a special meaning as the racial and religious harmony we enjoy today was forged through trials of fire, something we must never take for granted. This item reinforces the important message of mutual respect and universal brotherhood. Thus, due to Singapore's multi-cultural society and with the Chingay parade being a national event, the team of organizers has to support the idea of an 'inclusive society' by including performances featuring people of all walks of life. Gradually, the participants audience is no longer just the Chinese, but everyone. Therefore, the purpose and main aim of the Chingay parade changes from celebrating Chinese New Year, to themes related to the nation instead, allowing it to be relatable to all national viewers of diverse backgrounds, and to reflect our multi-cultural heritage to foreign viewers.

  Secondly, as the number of people in Singapore who have experienced celebrating Lunar New Year with firecrackers decreases, and as those who have experienced celebrating Lunar New Year with firecrackers gradually learn to accept the ban, people are no longer angry, affected or concerned about the ban of firecrackers in Singapore. Thus, the focus on compensating the absence of firecrackers eventually fades away and the purpose of Chingay focuses mostly on the appropriate national affairs that year, or simply just to reflect our multi-cultural nation. However, some parts of the parade will still suggest the idea of celebrating the Lunar New Year, such as the 'flying dragons' and firecrackers.

  Therefore, I feel that things change as time passes, and we have to adapt to new changes and accept our differences, so the purpose of the Chingay parade changes over the years to appeal to people of all walks of life.

  Whether it is to make up to the absence of firecrackers for the Lunar New Year or to set a mark to our nation's first year to our next 50, I believe that the organizers have successfully fulfilled the respective purposes. However, I can only be certain about the successful purpose fulfillment of this year's parade as it is the only one that I have ever witnessed. Chingay 2016 is themed "Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore". The lights used at Chingay 2016 signify the wisdom of out founding fathers leading Singapore towards a brighter future. "Lights of Legacy" is represented by the sky lanterns illustrated by residents pledging their support towards upholding values such as resilience, social harmony and integrity. These sky lanterns were part of the parade finale. Thus, the first half of the theme suggests the continuation of upholding our Founding Fathers' core values and learning from the wisdom of them who have brought Singapore this far. "Brighter Singapore" is represented by the lighted cubes and the opening and finale items of the parade. The cubes are decorated by children and youths, depicting our ideal Singapore in 2065, and are later signed by friends and family members to show their support for the youths' aspirations for the future of Singapore. The opening and finale performances of  "Voyage SG 100" and "Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore" respectively, signify that our nation's progress so far can only be sustained if we are a caring community, where no one is left behind, as 800 out of the 3000 performers of these two items are youths. Thus, "Brighter Singapore" suggests that unity improves our nation as our nation progresses.
  Our multi-cultural society is an evidence of our nation's progression, thus people of all walks of life was included in the performance. This society also proves the work and effort made by our Founding Fathers to make our nation an inclusive one, where no one is left out, for the past 50 years of Singapore history. This supports the second half of the theme "Brighter Singapore", where unity is strength, when we come together as One People, One Singapore. This also suggests the marking of our nation's next 50 years as a multi-cultural society is the result of the efforts of our Founding Fathers since 50 years ago. Additionally, as an audience, I could see the bright smiles on the faces of the performers as they presented their stunning performances to us. This shows the joy in our multi-cultural society and success in our Founding Fathers' nation-building efforts. Thus, this also shows that we, the new generation, must continue on the legacy of their wisdom and high values to build a better Singapore, support the theme "Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore".

  I have seen many student volunteers involved in the Chingay parade this year. A group of my
friends are involved in as performers and I have seen many teenage students at where we, audiences', were seated at. This adds on to the point of a caring community as not only adults are involved in this major national event. Hence, this also proves the second half of Chingay 2016's theme "Brighter Singapore".

 

The "Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore" float at the finale of the parade has left a deep impression on me as it has strongly promoted "Lights of Legacy", displaying the five core values beautifully on the light-bulb-shaped float. This allows us the younger generation to understand these values and start living by them, because honestly, if it wasn't for this year's Chingay parade, I would have never known about the existence of these core values advocated by out Founding Fathers.

  I think that another way they have stressed on the theme is by including the LED light bulb into our
goodie bags. This leads us to having a deep impression on the theme "Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore" as we can relate the light bulb to the first half of the theme, which leads us to recalling the whole theme and finally link it to the mark of Singapore's next 50 years.

  Due to the above factors, explanations and personal thoughts, I conclude that the organizers have successfully fulfilled the purpose of setting a mark to our nation's next 50 years with this year's Chingay parade, by linking most of the performances to the theme, which reflects the message of  "Voyage SG 100".

  This year's Chingay parade was the first one for me as an audience and it had left a really deep impression on me. I enjoyed the performa
nces a lot. Chingay parades to come are definitely not to be missed! I am extremely grateful and thankful for this great opportunity to watch the Chingay parade NE show for the first time, especially when it is on the year where we first step foot as a nation to our next 50 years.

  I hereby wish all Singaporeans to carry on the LIGHTS OF LEGACY of our Founding Fathers and to strive and work hard for a BRIGHTER SINGAPORE. VOYAGE SG 100!





(photo credits to all rightful owners of the images)

Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore (Zi Yuan)

I think that the purpose of Chingay is to let Singaporeans know about the values that our founding fathers believed in. The purpose of the first Chingay is to keep the spirit of Chinese New Year as firecrackers had just been banned. On 4 February 1973, the first Singapore Chingay parade was held partly as a result of the ban on firecrackers a year earlier in 1972 as a result of fire hazards. This ban was viewed unfavourably despite the safety issues involved. Some people felt that the ban would result in a much dampened festival mood for the Chinese New Year period. To address this issue, the People's Association and the Singapore National Pugilistic Association jointly organised a street parade from Jalan Besar to Outram Park featuring the signature floats, acrobatic acts, lion and dragon dances, stilt walkers, and the like, to bring back some cheer to the general public.
Now Chingay is no longer only a parade to celebrate the Chinese New Year. It has become a parade to entertain and educate people. The organisers have definitely fulfilled the purpose because the audience were all captivated by the performances and floats. We also learnt about the values that Singapore's founding fathers wanted to promote. Chingay has changed over the last 43 years from a small parade to a large-scale event that is aired all around the world.
Chingay became a multi-cultural parade from 1977 when Malay and Indian groups started joining in the performances, which was to mark a major precedent in the overall flavour of the parade into one which has become largely multi-cultural in character, despite the continued presence of traditional Chinese acts such as lion dances and stilt walkers to this day.
Chingay became an international event in 1987 when a group from Japan participated for the first time with their float sponsored by The Straits Times.
Therefore, Chingay has been very successful and our founding fathers had great vision to be able to see that Chingay would be accepted by the Chinese over the ban of the firecrackers. From a small scale event for the Chinese to an international event for all races in Singapore, Chingay has definitely been a success. The purpose of Chingay has been fulfilled as Singaporeans have definitely known about the values that our founding fathers believed in.

Aging Population (Yi Ting)

3 things I found out:
1) China's one child policy was implemented in the year 1979, was eased in 2013, and ended in 2016.
2) Singapore's two child policy was implemented in 1972, and ended in 1987.
3) Both policies were implemented to reduce the countries' high birth rates and slow the population growth rate.
2 perceptions I have gained:
1) We should think about the long-term consequences instead of focusing solely on achieving the short-term goals. In this case, in order to quickly decline the nations' populations, the child limit policies were made, causing the population to decrease too much and too rapidly.
2) Although more effort may be needed, the government are able to think of ways to slowly rid the negative impacts of their initiatives. In this case, after realizing the sudden and rapid over-decline in the nation's population, the Singapore government came out with the "Baby Bonus" plan to encourage more child births to increase the youth of our aging population.
1 question I have:
1) What other actions are taken by the Singapore government to tackle the aging population?

Eco-systemic Tensions (Yi Ting)

  As a nation strives to grow quickly economically, there are bound to be side effects that comes along with it. An example of one of the Eco-systemic Tensions is education. In this blog post, I will be sharing my opinions about this side effect on the rich and the economy, and vaguely about how it consequently affects one's health, mostly or entirely in the Singapore context.
  The rapid economic progression results in a bigger and richer upper class. Due to our naturally 'kiahsu' (Hokkien term, meaning: afraid of losing) nature, almost all parents will want education for their children in maximum quality and quantity (in other words, the best education for their children), so that their children will grow up to be outstanding and successful in all aspects of life in future, especially career-wise. High-income families have the most ability to do so, causing their children to eventually fall 'victim' to what appears to be beneficial to them.
  With the high level of wealth possessed by the parents of the high-income families, they are able to hire top-notch private tutors to give their children extra tuition classes on almost all subjects so that they will be far ahead of their peers. Also, to build a strong foundation for their children, these children will be sent to elite primary schools. In order to achieve a higher possibility of getting into these primary schools, parents may even buy a property within a 1km radial distance from the school. Apart from academic education, most parents will also send their children to be educated on extra activities such as music and sports. All these will lead to immense amounts of stress in the children due to their packed schedules, allowing them hardly any rest, and also the loads of knowledge they need to absorb and the uncountable work and revision to be done, causing the children to be extremely pressurized.
  Other than providing the children with these material 'needs', the high social statuses of the parents and them talking about the great achievements of their friends or relatives also pressurizes the children as they will stress themselves to work extremely hard to be as successful as their parents so as to not let them down and cause the lessons spent on them to be wasted, and also not to let them 'lose face' or be speechless about their lack of achievements when chatting with their friends of equal statuses about their children's achievements, future plans etc. This adds on to the already very 'jialut' (Hokkien term, meaning terrible) amount of stress suffered by the children.
  On the surface, outsiders may feel that it is a luxury for these children to be receiving such excellent education, giving them promising futures. However, these children are actually 'victims' of the stress and pressure caused both directly and indirectly by their 'kiahsu' parents. The high level of stress experienced by these children may lead to psychological illnesses, such as depression and anxiety disorders, and also physical illnesses, such as gastrointestinal problems and those caused by obesity.
  Therefore, I feel that with the younger generation of rich people suffering from illnesses caused by stress, their bodies will fail them and may cause natural deaths or serious body failures that prevent them from working and gaining an income. Also, with their lives evolving solely around education and education-wise competition as children and youths, they will feel the lack of point of living, causing them to commit suicide even before reaching adulthood. Even if they grow into adults, their lives still solely evolve around earning money and work-based competition,causing them to attempt suicide as well, or just simply death or body failures due to stress. This causes the bigger and richer upper class to decrease, which gradually leads to an economic downfall.
  As the saying goes, "slow and steady wins the race". I believe that a slow economic progression that stabilizes will be much more efficient than a rapid economic progression which will eventually lead to economic failure.
  In conclusion, I feel that these major decision makers should think thoroughly about the consequences and implications to come before making major adjustments to and taking major action on the society, in order to minimize, or even prevent such Eco-systemic Tensions.

Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore (Ji Yin)

As a result of the ban of firecrackers in 1972, people's association decided to organise a street parade on the 4th February 1973 in order to satisfy the dampened festive mood from the banned firecrackers. This was how it all started. Since the Chingay Parade was so well received by the public, this has been carried on since and celebrates its 44th anniversary this year.

The theme for this year's Chingay Parade is "Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore", celebrating the legacy and wisdom of our founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, and pledging our support and live by the four core values: Racial Harmony and Social Cohesion, Caring Community, Resilience as a Nation, Can-do Singapore spirit and Uphold high moral values. The theme suggests that Singapore would be brighter, more successful in the future. It might also be a metaphor for the lights at the Chingay Parade.

The first Chingay Parade was not only to bring the festive mood back after the ban of firecrackers but also toward off evil spirits and in other countries, to celebrate the birth of Chinese deities. The main audience of Chingay Parades were Chinese. Starting from 1976, Chingay Parade took a multicultural flavour and is enjoyed by the Malays as well as Indians and Eurasians. On one of the floats, it says "Because We Are Different, We Are One". Here in Singapore, age, race, language, and creed are no barriers. We celebrate as one Singapore, together.

I think the organisers have successfully fulfilled this purpose. The Organisers have successfully made people of all ages, races, languages together to enjoy the Chingay Parade, and as could be seen in the photos, the Chingay Parade was beautifully brought together by performers. Everyone enjoyed themselves watching the Chingay Parade and that was what mattered the most. As a fellow Singaporean watching the Chingay Parade I felt very proud of my country, which was why I felt the organisers have successfully fulfilled this purpose.

"Regardless of race, language or religion to build a democratic society based on justice, prosperity and progress for our nation". I feel that we should accept everyone of all races and most importantly remember the four core values and make Singapore a brighter place for everyone together.

Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore (Joan)

Dating back to 1972, due to the ban of firecrackers as a result of fire hazards, the first Chingay parade in Singapore was held on the 4th of February 1973 by Mr Lee Kuan Yew to bring back the  festive mood during the Chinese New Year period. 

The theme for Chingay 2016 "lights of legacy, brighter Singapore" as shown in the picture above, suggests that Chingay 2016 will be the brightest over the last 43 years history of Chingay parades and with the biggest full-scale illuminated show. Chingay 2016 represents our first step towards SG100 after our 50 years milestone. Our nation progress with the 5 core values fostered by our founding fathers and exhibited by our pioneer generation which are Racial Harmony and Social Cohesion, Caring Community, Resilience as a Nation, Can-Do Singapore Spirit and Uphold high moral values. I think that the purpose of Chingay 2016 is to celebrate as one nation the core values that have brought us from a Malay fishing village to a prosperous and modern Singapore we are living in now and create a brighter future for Singapore and to bring different races, religions and people of all walks of life together.

The first Chingay parade was started as a compensation for the ban on firecrackers which is a Chinese New Year practice to drive away evil spirits with its noise and it involves only the Chinese performing to welcome the new year. However, the Chingay parade now involves people of different ethnics and religions to celebrate the diverse culture and a cohesive and harmonious society that we are living in. The racial harmony we have today cannot be taken as granted as at our 4th year after independence, 2 racial riots happened and the Chingay parade is a good time to remind ourselves that the harmony is hard to come so we should cherish it. 

These changes were made to let everybody living in Singapore feel accepted and that Chingay is also a unique platform in which all religions and races can come together to show other countries our spirit of racial harmony and our multicultural society. Also, performers from overseas travel to Singapore to celebrate and take part in Chingay to usher in the Chinese New Year which not only the Chinese can celebrate but everybody regardless of race, religion and language. This too can strengthen the bonds between Singapore and our overseas friends. With vibrant floats, and performers of different races in their traditional costumes and many more performances, this yearly street parade has truly becomes a uniquely Singaporean tradition. 

I think that the organisers have successfully fulfilled the purpose as Chingay 2016 is the first year to introduce a joint performance by 30 religious organisations and groups. This will give Singaporeans  a sense of pride that Singapore is a nation that has inter-racial and inter-religious harmony. Also, from the item shown above "Because We Are Different, We Are One", it is a reminder that the racial and religious harmony that Singaporeans enjoy today was forged through trials of fire and to reiterate something that we should not take for granted. The organisers have effectively brought together 30 religious organisations and groups and that people with different races and religions come together as one family to perform and forge friendship and care. Thus, the core values of Racial Harmony and Social Cohesion and Caring Community have been shown. Representing 'Lights of legacy', the organisers had Singaporeans from all walks of life to customise 7500 sky lanterns with their wishes and hopes for Singapore's future. Representing 'Brighter Singapore', the organisers too had children and youths to show their ideal Singapore in SG100 as they pledged to ensure a brighter Singapore. 

As we walk the journey towards SG100, without forgetting the 5 core values fostered by our founding fathers and pioneers by taking them into our hearts and instilling them into us to create a brighter Singapore and become a more united and caring nation as ever. 

Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore (Shalyn)

Chingay 2016 represents Voyage SG100, which is our first step towards SG100 after the SG50 celebrations last year, where Singaporeans from all walks of life come together to celebrate this milestone for Singapore and the core values that are important to us. These values have made us who we are today, once from a fishing village, to a modern metropolis. Chingay 2016's purpose is to bring us into the future with confidence, as we look back at all of these values that made us uniquely Singaporean.

Picture Source: http://www.nas.gov.sg/blogs/archivistpick/the-first-chingay-street-parade-1973/

The first Chingay was celebrated on 4 Febuary 1973, when the People's Association (PA) teamed up with the Singapore National Pugilistic Federation for a grand show. It was the Year of the Ox. It depicted aspects of the Chinese culture-dragon and lion dances, martial arts and street opera. The first Chingay was so well received that the PA made it an annual festival. Ever since then, many changes have been made to this event. 

The first Chingay had only a few chinese performances, but now, there are so many various different kinds of colourful performances. These performances are performed by many different people from diverse backgrounds. Ever since the first Chingay, the festival has reached out to many different races-Malay, Indian, etc and not just the Chinese. Chingay 2016 has also evolved to be more than just a local event. This year, 14 international groups from 9 countries are also participating in this event, letting the audience experience the dynamsim of different cultures even beyond Singapore. 

These changes were made to let everybody-regardless of race, language or religion to come together to celebrate this event, to usher in the new year. It bonds all of us together, as one Singapore. It also encourages racial harmony and to learn and understand everybody's different cultures.  Involving other countries will help us strengthen our ties with other countries as we celebrate this event together. This shows that this event is accepted by all, and it means that you do not necessarily need to be a Singaporean to attend and share the joy of this festival. With different people participating in this event, we get to appreciate the meaning of Chingay more, and we can even get to meet new people from countries even beyond Asia.

I feel that the organizers have successfully fulfilled their purpose. As you can see in the picture about the Post Office Saving Bank, the title of the float is "Building Stronger Communities". This can be depicted in the future Singapore. We will build stronger communities, without forgetting our core values. By enforcing these communities, we will have a stronger connection with different people. When we are all connected as one, we become one Singapore. For the future years to come, for the future Chingay festivals to come, Singapore will become stronger, and our future will be brighter. When we celebrate SG100 in the next 50 years, we will look back and think about the core values which shaped us, and the core values that are instilled in us. 

Aging Population (Ji Yin)

3 things I learnt:

- Singapore implemented the two-child policy in 1972 while China implemented the one-child policy in 1979.

- Both Singapore and China has abolished this policy.

- Both Singapore and China implemented this policy due to an aging population 

2 perceptions I gained:

- One of a disadvantage of this policy is a drastic drop in population

- One advantage of this policy is that it keeps the nation young

1 question I have:

- How long would it take to balance out our aging population?

Aging Population (Shalyn)

3 things I found out:

• Compared with countries in its income group (the middle fifth of all the countries in the world), China’s crude birth rate of 12 (the number of live births per 1,000 people each year) in 2013 is significantly lower than the group’s average of 19.
• The 24,037 marriages in 2014 involving one Singapore citizen was the most since 1997.
• The one-child policy came about after a rapid growth in the Chinese population in the 1950s and 1960s. It was strictly enforced in urban areas, with reports of forced abortions, sterilisations, as well as heavy financial and social penalties for those who transgressed the one-child law.

2 perceptions I have gained:

• Child policies may work well sometimes, but when it is stretched too far, parents will start to stand their ground about the difficulties in raising children, etc.
• The call for more children was announced because of an increase in the number of adults who do not marry and couples who postpone having children. Thus, these married couples will have to make up for this by giving birth to more babies to maintain the birth rate, while the government tries to get more people to marry.

1 question I have:

• Why do we still need so many children to balance out our aging population?

Aging Population (Joan)

3 things I found out

1) Singapore started the two child policy in 1972 while China started the one child policy in 1979

2) Similarly with Singapore, China too has an aging population thus the government removed the policy recently

3) In Singapore, a lot of incentives were given to married couples so that they will want to give birth. A good example of an incentive is the Baby Bonus

2 perceptions I have gained 

1) Policies are made with short term goals, in this context, controlling the population by restricting people to give birth to only an amount of children. However, the policies may have long term implications thus making it hard to reverse the problem.

2) Being a relatively fast growing country, there are always tensions caused in different areas such as education, family, infrastructure, economics and health by the decisions made by the government 

1 question I have 

1) How long will it take to balance out the aging population and the amount of youths and working citizen in Singapore? 

Group Poster

against one child policy

Eco-Systemic Tensions (Shalyn)

Every country wants to grow quickly economically. There is no doubt that Singapore also has a mission on becoming more successful. Over the years, Singapore has been growing and developing rapidly as a country ever since we were a fishing village. We have been becoming more and more successful, with our strong currency. This leads to having hierarchical social categories. The upper, middle and lower classes. When these different classes try to attain the same type of education, infrastructure, health care, etc, problems may arise.

For example, getting health care for the people might differ for each class. The upper class will not have any problems on treating their illnesses as they can afford the expensive treatments, vaccinations, medication for prevention and even afford for better technological facilities, thus having better health.

 However, for the middle and lower classes, they may not be able to afford for such facilities due to their lower income. Firstly, this is unfortunate and unfair for them as they cannot have the benefits of these vaccinations and prevention of diseases, Because of this, they might fall ill more easily and are more prone to deadly diseases and viruses. When they are sick, they will not be able to afford the medical bills for hospitalisation or for the medication. This puts them in greater risks at not being able to recover and if they cannot afford medication to treat deadly diseases like cancer, their lives will be in danger. 

However, with regards to the problem for the middle and lower income, the government has integrated some schemes to help the needy. There are government subsidies of

80% when a patient is hospitalised and has chosen a Class C ward. People can also receive subsidy when visiting GP clinics. The government has also built polyclinics, with medical fees that are cheaper than the clinics. For the middle or lower income, the government has set up the Community Health Assist Scheme which lets them receive subsidies on medical and dental care at participating GPs and dental clinics near their homes. There are also the Medisave. Medishield and Medifund which also aids in providing the needy with more affordable and better health care. Last but not the least, there is also a Medical Fee Exemption Card for the unemployed, needy, low-income households and people with disabilities. 

Eco-Systemic Tensions (Joan)

Singapore has been growing rapidly economically since independence in 1965. Singapore is ranked number one as the costliest city because of our strong currency and rising price inflation. With this quick progress, this can result in a bigger and richer upper class. In terms of family, the richer class will have lesser children compared to family living in poverty as the poor have this mindset that if they give to a lot of children, at least one of them will success and improve their life's when he grows up. however, due to the high cost of living in Singapore, married couples give birth to lesser children as a lot of money is needed to raise a child.

Singapore is a prosperous city but we have a low birth rate and that our population is aging. It is also estimated to have 900k elderly citizens and 1.9m working citizens in the year 2030. Tension arises when we have a big richer class however due to the rapid growth and high cost of living our birth rate stays low. Also, Singapore's life expectancy is one of the highest in the world. With increasing life expectancy and low birth rate, we face the prospect of a shrinking and ageing citizen population and workforce. More citizens will be retiring and singapore has fewer people entering the working-age band, our workforce will decrease significantly as we have lesser manpower. In addition to worsen the problem, the young generation are more educated thus they can choose to leave Singapore and work at other cities. 

However, the government is trying their best and giving incentives to married couples to increase our birth rate and balance out the old-age ratio. 

Prosperity vs Happiness (Ji Yin)

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

Singapore has a happiness of 39.8 and ranks 90 out of other countries analysed. That is rather low compared to the other countries. Being a relatively prosperous country, we are not happy. In my opinion, the main reason might be due to stress and pressure. Since Singapore is a relatively prosperous country, we have to work hard to maintain it. The harder we work, the more stressed we get, thus resulting in such a low score in our happiness index. Another reason might be because of Singapore's competitive spirit. Singaporeans tend to be very competitive, whether it's a competition, our examinations, we want to be the best in everything. When we don't win, we would be very displeased, thus resulting in a low score in our happiness index. Lastly, I think Singaporeans are always discontent with what they have. Most children of our generation are unaware of how fortunate we are to live everyday knowing that we would not die of hunger. Instead, Singaporeans are always complaining about the tiniest detail. These might be some of the reasons why Singaporeans are not happy.

Does being rich means happy?

I cannot lie that I have never dreamt of being rich. But besides buying the things I desire, I don't think money means happiness. Singapore is a prosperous country, yet we're not happy. After all, all of the best things in life cannot be bought. Like love, friendship, and laughter. Some might be poor, but content with what they have, and that makes them happy. In my opinion, happiness is a different definition to everyone. To some happiness might be money, to others happiness might be being loved. To me, happiness is not wealth, but laughing with my friends, having a meal with my family, and doing a good deed. Does being rich means happy? In my opinion, no.

Prosperity vs Happiness (Zi Yuan)

Singapore has been a very successful business society, but that the relationships among its community members need to be better groomed. According to data by theglobalist.com, In terms of GDP per capita, Singapore is the third richest country in the world. However, the relationship between people is much less stellar than their GDP per capita. However, Singapore has a happiness index of 39.8 and ranks 90 out of the other countries analysed. This is despite the fact that Singapore is a prosperous country. This shows that Singaporeans may be rich monetarily, but they are not happy. Singaporeans complain a lot and about anything and everything. So, it is a fact that Singaporeans are not happy. Therefore, I can conclude that Singaporeans are rich but unhappy.

Prosperity vs Happiness (Joan)

Singapore has a happiness index of 39.8 and ranks 90 out of the other countries analysed. despite Singapore being a relatively prosperous country as we can see from the statistics that we have a gdp per capital of 57932 which is 1.2 times more than USA's while Costa Rica with the happiness index of 64 has a gdp of 10184 which is about 5 times lesser than the gdp per capital of Singapore. i think we are not a really happy country as work is taking up most of our time and we don't have a lot of time to carry out leisure activities that we enjoy doing. we have to balance between the pressure of work and leisure time. results too have shown that being prosperous does not mean we are happy.

"money does not buy happiness" I feel that it's the relationships you have with people that makes you happy. being rich, one will start doubting if the people around him are his true friends or are they just trying to get near him for the money. even if one have all the money in the world, at the end of the day, he lost trust in relationships and become sad. is it all that worth it to give up happiness for money? 

having a lot of money will make one want more and more as the saying goes "money makes the world go round" and money too is important for survival. working the whole day to earn more money and not relaxing will not make one happy as he has lost the interest in life. thus, I think being rich does not make one happy.

to me happiness is when I'm with people I'm familiar with; when people even strangers wave and smile at me. It's the little things in daily life that are powerful enough to make one's day and one happy. 

Prosperity vs Happiness (Shalyn)

Everyone has a different definition of the word 'Happiness'. Starving African children receiving a small bowl of rice from volunteers, to them, that is happiness. A group of volunteers who donates and helps raise funds for cancer patients, to them, that is happiness. A wealthy couple who is able to have whatever they want, to them, that is happiness. As you can see, there are so many different meanings to this word, that there are far too many to name. 

In my opinion, I feel that in Singapore, we should feel happy, because of how lucky we are and how much more prosperous we are when compared to other countries. However, we are not happy, and here are a few facts and reasons why.

Comparing the two articles that I have read (http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/SGP and http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/CHN), I have noticed that Singapore’s gross national income (GNI) per capita (2011 PPP$) is a whopping 75,628.2 while for China, it is a 12,547. That is a 63,081.2 difference. However, the suicidal rate of males (per 100,000 people) in Singapore, is 9.8 while the suicidal rate of males (per 100,000 people) in China, is 7.1. This shows that more males committed suicide in Singapore. Based on this information, I can tell that Singaporean males are unhappier. If you think about it, why would they kill themselves if they were living in bliss? I was curious about it, so I did some research. Based on an article (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/curious/201405/why-do-people-kill-themselves-new-warning-signs), I found out that people kill themselves because of sense of burden, sense of emotional pain, escaping negative feelings, altered social world and hopelessness. They weren't happy even though they were more prosperous. Another example that can be shown in the article is the expected years of schooling. For Singapore, it is on average, 15.4 years while for China, it is 13.1 years. This also means that we study 2.3 years more than the students in China. As far as I know, most students absolutely do not like school and studying. The only time when students are happy is when we take a break from school, like going on class outings, having school holidays, or even after our examinations. We work so hard 80% of the time and the 20% goes to our rest time from our hectic schedules. Even though we have that short while of the rather satisfying result or reward in the end, our happiness time span is really very short.

Wealth might mean happiness to some, but to me, it’s not. We are wealthy, but are we happy? No. And that is my opinion.

Prosperity vs Happiness (Yi Ting)

According to the site http://www.happyplanetindex.org/countries/singapore/ , Singapore has a Happiness Planet Index (HPI) score of 39.8 and ranks #90 of all the other 150 countries analyzed. It is also stated that Singapore has a GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per capita ($PPP) of 57,932, which is more than 1.2 times the USA's.
Despite our high level of prosperity, our country still ranks as one of the least happiest countries analyzed by the site.
Supporting the idea that people in richer countries are less happy, the site has analyzed that Qatar achieves a HPI score of 25.2, ranking #149 of all the countries analyzed, despite having a GDP per capita ($PPP) of 80,944, more than 1.7x the USA's.
Costa Rica has a HPI score of 64.0, ranking #01 of all other countries analyzed, has a GDP per capita ($PPP) of 11,569, which is around a quarter of the USA's.
Despite their low level of prosperity, they're still the happiest country analyzed by the site.
This shows that living in a prosperous country may not necessarily bring happiness and living in poverty may not cause one to be unhappy.
However, there are still exceptions where prosperous countries are also happy. For example, according to the site stated above, Norway achieves a HPI score of 51.4, ranking #29 of all the countries analyzed, and has a GDP per capita ($PPP) of 57,231, more than 1.2 times the USA's.
These data prove that although most of the time, rich does not mean happy, there are rare occasions where rich countries feel a high level of joy in life.
In spite of being a relatively prosperous country, I feel that we are not a happy country. This is because of the large amount of time spent on work and studies, causing us to have very little time for leisure activities or just a proper break to get a good rest. Due to our overly competitive society and having the fear to lose ('kiahsu'), we are constantly working harder to upgrade ourselves further, causing us to spend almost all our time on work and having little or no time to enjoy ourselves, or just to catch a breather from our packed schedules and huge workload. For students, apart from school work, we are still involved in external activities that our parents send us to, like music and martial arts lessons, which is squeezed into our already-tight schedule, making it more packed and causing us to have even more things to stress about and much less time for ourselves. Therefore, I feel that our country's prosperity is the result of the sacrifice of our happiness. For prosperity, we become competitive and slog ourselves out to fight to become the best, causing us to have almost no time to enjoy life, and even receive pressure from ourselves and everyone else, making us unhappy, but wealthy. Also, being wealthy adds to our stress as we guard ourselves against everyone, questioning to ourselves whether people have motives for befriending us. The lack of trust and true relationships adds to our unhappiness. Due to the factors I have stated and supporting evidence from the HPI score site, I conclude that although Singapore is prosperous, we are an unhappy country.

The Extra in the Ordinary (Zi Yuan)

It's very ordinary for people to say that we keep losing. But the problem is that nobody sees the hard work that we put in. We train hard during training, play during recess and give our all during the match. Even if we are tired, we still keep pushing on. Sometimes people say that we don't work hard enough and that's why we don't win. But what they see is the result and not the process. So they cannot say anything about us because they don't know what we do. "The game of basketball is a game of accepting failure; of accepting imperfection; of realizing that the perfect game has never been played, never will be played, or ever could be played. It is far better to shoot an airball than to not shoot at all for fear of missing." Tony Alfonso. You miss 100% of the shots you don't make. So we as basketballers make it a point to try a hard as we can. "I want to practice to the point where it's almost uncomfortable how fast you shoot, so that in the game things kind of slow down." Stephen Curry.

The Extra in the Ordinary (Ji Yin)

When people look at this photo they might think this is simply just a ordinary classroom in an ordinary school. However to me, I look at this classroom very differently. This classroom was where I spent my first year in my secondary school with new friends I have never met before. This classroom is filled with memories from when I was in year one, like how boys would grimace at the thought of sitting next to a girl. It reminded me of times where we would fight over the littlest and the stupidest things like who should sweep the floors that day, or wipe the windows. This classroom reminded every single bittersweet memory and all of the tears we shed together. It reminded me how we would stand up for each other and always have each others backs and how we went through thick and thin with each other. I missed the times when we had our orientation and we would put our arms around each other and sing together. Whereas now as a year two, we have juniors to be a good role model for. I chose this picture for the extra in the ordinary as I feel that unless that person was there, that person would not understand the extra in the ordinary of this classroom. I hope that the year ones this year would treasure their secondary one days and have fun and look back at their classrooms and think of all the good times they had.