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.

The Extra in the Ordinary (Shalyn)

This picture seems ordinary. It's just a girl standing there, looking out at the Year 1 block. However, do you see the structure of the block itself? Yes, the structure of the block is indeed quite unique, with 'box'-like shaped construction added to the walls of the building. 

As you can see in the picture, the ‘boxes’ are uneven. To others, they might simply think that it is part of the school building, but to me, I feel that there is more meaning to it than just an architectural design.It represents our lives. Life is full of challenges and obstacles. It is inevitable to have a smooth sailing on anything we do and thus it becomes an everyday thing to overcome these obstacles to achieve our desired results in the end. The ‘box’ like structures, as mentioned before, are uneven. This shows the 凹凸不平 in our lives. We must always remember to persevere and never give up in our hardest times.

The girl in the picture is also significant too because she shows us that when times are tough and when there are many challenges ahead of us, we should take a step back, breathe and think about how we can overcome these problems. Be it academics, co-curricular activities, family matters or even friendship. There will always be a ‘boulder’ (障碍) in every aspect of our lives.

The meaning I derived from the structure might be a message the person who designed it, wants to put across to the students, and it really is interesting on how one can implement such meaning to the school building, and that is why I snapped the picture.

The Extra in the Ordinary (Joan)

  the arch may look plainly an arch in other people's eyes but in my eyes it's extraordinary in my ordinary school life. to be honest, when I first saw the arch when school reopens for the new school year, i didn't really like the design but after knowing that the arch is built by using the money of the school alumni as a gift in gratitude and to give back to RV. I felt very bad as I thought of the amount of money they spent just to sincerely thank RV; even a drawing of it cost a bomb moreover paying for the construction that lasted for a few months long. It is also saddening that despite the money spent, I read a lot of complains and negative comments about the arch all over the Internet. I think that we should stop complaining and try to appreciate the arch as it is something that make us stand out more from most of the other government schools in Singapore and we should be proud of it. The arch is also painted in our school colors: red symbolizes radiance, progress and vitality, blue symbolizes steadfastness, graciousness and serenity while white symbolizes purity and receptiveness to innovation. In a nutshell, the RV arch gives me a sense of identity thus making it extraordinary.

  the alumni too showed the value of 感恩立德 and after I graduate from RV, I would also give all my best to contribute back to the school.

The Extra in the Ordinary (Yi Ting)

A roundabout is a traffic circle. In my opinion, a circle represents infinity as there are endless points to a circle. In the image, a roundabout can be seen in the foreground.
The alumni has forked out money out of their own pockets to sponsor the construction of the school arch, for our school. 这证明了我们的校友们表现了他们在立化培养的精神—感恩立德。Thus, I feel that the school arch represents the gratitude felt by the alumni towards our school for the education provided. This arch can be seen in the background of the image.
Since the roundabout, which exhibits infinity, and the school arch, which symbolizes our studies in River Valley High School, are pictured in the image shown, what I find extraordinary about this picture is that it reflects endless education, which displays our school spirit of lifelong learning (好学不倦).
I think that it is important to learn as we live (活到老，学到老), because as we gain more knowledge, we can learn from past mistakes, be it experienced by others or ourselves, and not let history repeat itself. From our past experiences, we are able to reflect on ourselves and our actions, learning from them to become better people, and be able to show appreciation towards the education provided by the government by contributing back to the society.
Thus, I feel that the hidden meaning of 好学不倦 in this ordinary picture shows the extra in the ordinary (平凡中的不平凡).

Ng Zi Yuan

I am Ng Zi Yuan from class 2A. My CCA is basketball. From basketball, I learned how to be a better team player. My favorite subject in school now is FCE and I am also the FCE representative. I was from Radin Mas Primary School and was in the school's soccer team. I have made many new friends in RV and have a lot of fun in school. My favorite NBA team is the Los Angeles Clippers. They have three of my favorite players, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Clippers compete in the NBA as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Clippers play their home games at the Staples Center, an arena shared with the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA, the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. The Clippers' fortunes turned in the early 2010s with the acquisition of core players Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Chris Paul.

Kevin Carter's Picture

This photo taken by Kevin Carter shows a vulture waiting to prey on a starving girl who was awaiting death. This photo too reflected on the terrible state of children starving to death and malnourishment. After Carter took and published the picture, netizens criticised him for not helping the girl and left him many negative and hateful comments. After a few months, he felt guilty and remorseful as he should have saved the child from the vulture since he was there to take the photo. He then committed suicide from depression and guilt.

We have many different points of view on this situation. Firstly, we feel that the people should be more understanding of his job. He is a photo journalist, and their jobs are to take pictures of what they are appointed to and not intervene in the situation. It was not his fault that he could not help them however bad he felt for them.

Secondly, we feel that by ending his own life, Carter could not change anything. He could have taken more photos and published them to create more awareness about Africa and at least try to make a difference to help the people there.

Thirdly, after looking at the picture we felt very sympathetic towards the children that are starving and felt that we are very privileged to live in Singapore. I think that Singaporeans should be more aware of what is happening around the world and not take our supplies for granted. Many Singaporeans, totally unaware of these situations waste many of Singapore's resources.

Other than that, we hope that the picture he took would raise awareness people who were oblivious to what is happening around the world and we hope to see more charity taking place for children who are starving all around the world. This way Carter would've helped the people in one way or another. He would have then sacrificed himself for a reason, to save hundreds of lives.

After all, as the saying goes, "a picture speaks a thousand words" we would never know the real story behind the picture as we were not present when the picture was taken. These are just our own thoughts and interpretation on the picture. In conclusion, we feel that we should be more aware of all these things happening around us, and always extend our helping hand to those in need. We have also reflected on treasuring everything that we have-about how privileged we are and that we should not make any foolish decisions, like what Kevin Carter did.

Lee Wen Xuan, Shalyn

Hello I'm Shalyn! I come from an average, middle-income family, with an older brother whom is turning 21 this April. My brother is currently serving National Service and is in the Officer Cadet School. My mother works as an accountant and my father works as a manager. I'm turning 14 in March and this makes me a Pisces. When I was younger, I learnt ballet for 6 years (I started when I was 4) and I completed my swimming lessons with the gold award. I like dancing but I wouldn't count that as a hobby since I don't take classes at the moment and sometimes can't find the time to learn new choreography. Well, I guess my hobbies are sleeping and eating because I love food and my bed so much that I probably spend all my free time there. I'm also in netball and I play wing defense. If I knew that it wasn't that tiring, I would've joined a performing arts CCA. I frequently listen to pop and kpop, however, I like all genres as I feel that each type gives a different vibe.I guess that's all I can tell you, coming from a typical average girl. 

Ang Shu Ee Joan

hai im joan !! 

My index number is 01 and i play the flute in the school band. Even though I chose to be in a performing arts CCA as im a more music person, i feel that I don't have that amount of commitment towards my cca due to other commitments outside school. 

As i was born on the 5th of december(how i wish i were born on christmas🎄), im a saggitarius. Coming to my family, i have a younger brother of 12. Also, I have been playing the piano since i was 9 years old. So im legit only good at the piano, i guess i can say its a hobby and it gives a sense of achievement after playing a piece well; drawing too as i find it very therapeutic and lastly sleeping. I think that everybody loves sleeping and I always do it when I have done what im suppose to finish up. 

In other words, when I'm free:))

I like to listen to both kpop and epop

I think that's all as i don't have a super interesting life anyways:D

Tay Yi Ting

Hey, I'm Yiting.
My index number is 18.
I was born on the first Saturday of the year 2002, making me a Capricorn. Since I was born before Chinese New Year that year, my birth year is the year of the snake, like most 2001 babies.
I share a HDB apartment with my amazing parents and two antagonizing younger sisters, one's 13 and the other's 8, as of this year.
I am part of the school's Chinese Orchestra and I play the gaohu, an instrument of a higher pitch than the erhu. Also, I was in the school choir in primary school, singing in soprano. Coincidently, I've been performing in high pitch throughout my Performing Arts life.
I enjoy doodling a lot, especially on white surfaces, so it is not unusual to find doodles on any white solids under my possession.
I also love music so I'd often sing, practice the gaohu or just listening to pop music during my own free time.
Finally, I've been having Wushu (a form of chinese martial arts) trainings weekly since I was 8. I've taken a liking to sports and the like since, thus making me athletic, and I love playing sports, especially basketball.

Soh Ji Yin

We were given a task to write a 200 paragraph about ourselves, and I'll try, although I feel that I can never talk so much about myself in real life. My name is Soh Ji Yin from class 2A, and I was born on the eve of mid-autumn festival of 2002.
They say that girls born on the fifteenth day of the month in the lunar calendar are supposed to be beautiful, and I missed it by just one day. Being born on the 20th of September in the solar calendar, I'm a Virgo. Virgos are said to be analytical, observant, helpful, reliable and precise, but I only wish I had half the of those qualities.
I also play for the school's table tennis team, but to be honest I would much rather join any other CCA. It's not because of the people - they're great - but I'd prefer to do things that require minimal movement for survival.
Some people argue that sleeping is not a hobby, but I do it in my leisure time, and I enjoy doing it, so I proudly say that sleeping is my legitimate hobby. I listen to almost all genres of music, and I would refuse to tell you which I particularly like - because all people have guilty pleasures- and to quote Hamlet Act III scene iii line 87, no.