Si Han's reflection ( 1b ) Proverty in SG

On the outside, Singapore looks like a very prosperous and thriving country, where most of the people who live here are wealthy. However, that's just not the case. Based on reports, it has been estimated that approximately 26 percent of Singaporeans live in poverty and rely on money from charities to buy basic necessities. Singapore is ranked as the most expensive city to live in based on the most recent statistics. This would of course mean that people would need a larger sum of money as compared to other countries to buy groceries, pay for electrify and utility bills etc. Singapore being the most expensive city to live in would of course mean that more people would live in poverty in Singapore. Although we do not see beggars that often on streets as compared to other countries such as Thailand and Vietnam, beggars can be found in Singapore. The number of beggars in Singapore fluctuates every year and but it has been increasing for the past years. Begging is an offence in Singapore . I believe that Singaporeans in financial distress do not have to beg. They can approach the Community Development Councils, Family Service Centres or grassroots organisations for help. In addition, there are many voluntary welfare organisations, religious and civic organisations that provide assistance to the needy. Once they accept help from charities, they will be able to be more financially stable and will at least have enough money to buy the basic necessities. There are also financial assistant schemes which helps the underprivileged to pay subsidized school fees and have enough money to buy books and uniforms. If the underprivileged can have better education, they will not end up as beggars and can at least have a stable job with income. They can then escape the outcome of being in poverty.

      

                             Singapore has approximately 26% of people living in poverty. 

            

ShinYoung's Reflection ( 1b )

Poverty in Singapore
Fortunately, poverty is not as common as those in other countries as Singapore is a more prosperous country We rarely find beggars begging for money in Singapore. However, we do find disabled people on the streets playing instruments or singing to receive from people. We also find old people selling tissue papers at the side of the streets. Furthermore, Singapore have quite a number of families who are unable to support their children for education. However, Singapore has a program called Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) which helps families who are struggling to support their families. This provides help to those families who are struggling due to family issues or family circumstances.
So can we break this cycle?
The answer is actually yes. Nowadays, there are many programs such as money management workshops that help teenagers or even adults to know how to use money wisely and grasps the concept of money. Furthermore. if you consistantly stay in the education system provided by the government, you will be able to learn skills and gain knowledge for future use. This will help you to break the poverty cycle. 

❃ Zi Qiu's reflection ( 1b ) Proverty in SG

Singapore recently ranked as the world's sixth most expensive city according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, and its property market is among the top 10, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. However, this also means that there is quite a lot of people living in poverty, in Singapore. 

During our last lesson, we watched a video where we saw the living conditions of foreign workers living in Orchard Road, one of the richest and most luxurious parts of Singapore. When we saw what their conditions were like, we were all very shocked. It turned out that their dormitories are all very dirty, hot and smelly. The quarters were extremely cramped and they didn't even have proper and clean toilets. Everything was so not the way I imagined living at Orchard Road, the central of Singapore. 

Although we don't see many beggars in Singapore, there are still many families, in fact, more than 100,000 families are struggling in poverty, right here in Singapore. 

In another lesson, we watched a video of a family with a single mother. Life was very difficult for her family as her family members all had to depend on only her salary to get by. They couldn't afford luxurious items or lavishly spend their money on things that they wanted. However, the mother was still strong and worked very hard for her children, taking up several jobs and even working into the wee hours of the morning. Her children also opened up blogshops selling squishies and other small and cute toys which they can get for very cheap prices at the nearby one dollar shop. They were also very cheerful and did not give up on life just like that. Instead, they worked hard and were not selfish, giving part of their money to their mother for housekeeping. They also earned their own pocket money to relieve stress of their mother. 

This really touched me, and I feel that we are genuinely very lucky, being able to live in spacious homes, being able to buy what we liked, but yet many of us still complain. There are many poor kids who would love to switch places with us, and yet we take many things for granted. 

We should learn from this lesson that we should not take our comfort for granted and always think for less unfortunate people. 

Si Han's Reflection ( 1a )

One thing that I had learnt and really understood from last week's CID lesson is that everyone has a background story and that we should never ever make judgements about people without knowing the background story of them.

In the two pictures that our CID teacher had shown us, I chose to help the man under the given circumstance as I felt that the man was able to get help from his family members when given the extra dollar. He had a board in front of him that stated that he would use the money that people gave him to call his family for help. I also find the woman carrying the baby really pitiful but if only given one dollar, I would help the man. The dollar that I give to the man can help him get back on his feet and stop being a beggar. But if I gave the one dollar to the woman, she might live her entire life as a beggar and not want to work anymore since she can get money by begging. When our teacher revealed the background story to us, we were all shocked as we didn't expect the lady to come from a syndicate which uses beggars to gain money. I guess this shows that there is always more to what it seems and that we should always know the background story first before setting judgments. There is no way to know whether a person is good or bad just by looking at his/her appearance. Only by knowing their background story and interacting more with them then only can we set fair judgments about them. That is the reason why more people are starting the hesitate when giving money to beggars. There is no way to know whether the money given to the beggar would be used to buy necessities or be used to buy alcohol and drugs. We might be helping them to get back up on their feet if we give money to them but we might be harming them even more by giving them money because we are encouraging them to continue begging. I believe that I am helping them by giving them money but then again, who knows? Society has shaped us into people who doubt everything and question the intentions behind everyone and everything. While that might be a good thing, the problem is that we can no longer give money to a beggar and think that we have done a good deed when we in fact, we might be harming them even more by giving them the money.

      

 This cartoon shows a man hesitating before giving spare change to a beggar, showing that people are now starting to hesitate before helping the needy, in fear that they might be causing more harm to the beggar.

         

Sarah's Reflection ( 1 )

上了这堂课，我获益不浅我学到看事不能只看外表，不能以貌取人。我觉得面对任何情况或事也一样，一定要先深入了解事情的来龙去脉，才下定论。在课堂上，我看着两张图片，认为男生四肢健全能去找份工作，所以会将一块钱给那位母亲。因为我担心有了宝宝，就会不方便去找工作。可是看了他们的背景，我突然觉得被欺骗了。

我举个例子：看看这张图片，虽然那位男子的头发像似个坏人给花给一个小女孩看象是另有居心，但是他的背影是名天使。相反的，外貌看似温柔可爱的小女孩，背影却是尾巴和头上带着刺，指了中间的手指，是个恶魔。这张照片要传达的信息是不能光看外表而去定义个好与坏。

小五时，我的小学带了一些学生去中国郊游，我很荣幸是一名参见那次郊游的一名学生。在中国，我们准备到一条街购物买一些纪念品。巴士上，导游千叮咛，万嘱咐，告诉我们不能给钱给那些会围着巴士的乞丐，否则会与团队分散。下车后，正如导游所言，真的有很多乞丐围绕着巴士的门。我一下子吓呆了，我看他们想他们有能力找工作为何要乞讨钱，又他们的遭遇心想他们有可能有些难言之隐而同情他们。我在去中国前，到网上查一查发现中国会有很多乞丐而许多背后有诈骗集团。我便不敢给他们一分钱，因为我不想鼓励他们继续乞讨下去。

Shu Hong's Reflection ( 1 )

Shu Hong's 

CID Reflection ( 1 ) 

During this CID lesson, i learnt that it is important that we cannot judge a book by its cover. Furthermore, before we express our opinions, we should always see a bigger picture.

During the 1 hour lesson, our teacher showed us two picture, one of a guy sitting on the street holding a sign : please give me money, i just need to make a phone call. And other picture of a man and a woman holding a baby. The woman is looking at the man's map.

At first, i thought that the woman in the second picture was related to the man, thus, when i was given a choice on who to help, i picked the picture with the man and woman. If you looked at how i looked at it, it is actually rightful to help the "family of three" rather than the one guy. In addition, there is a child so it is hard for the mother to work, thus i would rather give the $1 coin to that mother.

However, after the teacher revealed that the woman in the picture was part of a syndicate and are known for using babies to deceive the unsuspicious locals and tourists to beg money from them.

After hearing that, i was shocked and felt cheated. Hence, when we were given another chance to choose who i will give the coin to, i changed sides as the guy  just needed to call to help him back on his feet.

From this exercise, i can conclude that we should always look beyond what we see before analysing the situation. Therefore, we will never know the truth, till we find the truth beyond what we see.


In Singapore, it is a developed country. Most people thinks that there is no poverty occurring in Singapore. And that includes me. However, after researching, I realised that Singapore is still suffering from poverty.

  





















Lets use this picture as an example. In Singapore, people who suffer from poverty leads a very tough life. They do not have a house to stay in, much to say their family warmth. Sometimes, the situation becomes so bad that they have to look through rubbish bins to find food or anything that can be recycled for money. Hence, we should not be take what we have for granted as we were lucky to have what we have. Cherish our friends. Cherish our family. Cherish your house and keep it clean. Cherish......there are many more things that we can cherish but we all did not see the value in them, thinking that we can always find them...

❃ Zi Qiu's Reflection ( 1a )

During our last lesson, I have learnt a lot about backgrounds of different people and how we should never carelessly make judgments without knowing people's background story.

We were showed two pictures with different beggars begging for money. One depicted a man sitting by the road, asking for money. The other showed a disheveled-looking woman with a young baby, asking money from a man. Then, we were told to choose a person to help. 

I chose the man sitting by the road. He seemed more desperate and he seemed to need just a little bit of money and it will make a big difference. Hence, I can make an immediate difference in someone's life. Meanwhile, although the young woman also needed the money, I can tell that it is not urgent or an emergency. 

Later on, it was revealed that the man was actually robbed and needed one dollar to call his family so he could get home. The young woman was part of a scam group that staged it to gain pity and hence to con unsuspecting tourists and even locals of their money. 

From this lesson, I have deeply learnt that we should never simply judge a person without knowing their background story. We can never be sure by judging and instead, we should have different perspectives to understand something properly. 

I am very grateful for this lesson that prepared us.

Shin Young's Reflection ( 1a )

Through this CID lesson, I have learnt many things. However, the most important thing learnt is that we should not judge a book by its cover. In this case, I felt that I should understand the beggars background before I decide to help them. During lesson, Ms Huang showed us two pictures of people begging, a woman with a baby and a man with a plank card in front of him. On the man's plank card, it said that he lost all his belongings and need some money so that he can call his family and friends. When we were asked to choose between the two to help if we only had a dollar. For me, I chose to help the man as I felt that with the one dollar that I will give him, he will be able to contact his family or friends and not beg anymore. However, there were much more people who chose to help the woman. Many of them said that they felt that the woman and the baby looked like they needed more help than the younger man. 
After the discussion, Ms Huang told us the backgrounds of this two beggars. We were all shocked to be told that the woman was from a syndicate and she felt alcohol to the baby so that it would not cry when she was begging for money. I was really shocked when I was told about this as I thought that the woman was someone that was worth helping. Through this exercise, I have learnt that one should look into the background of the person before making judgements as we do not want to regret our actions.
Once, on a Sunday afternoon, my mom and I was at the bus stop waiting for the bus when a man who was barefooted, had dishevelled hair and torn and tattered clothes came up to us and asked money from us. I was actually quite scared when he came up to us as this was not something usual. When I looked at mom, I realised that she was ignoring the beggar and so I did the same thing. Soon, he gave up and went up to other people that were at the bus stop. After he left, I asked my mom why she was ignoring him as I felt that we could help him. My mom told me that he looked very healthy and that if people continuously help him when he begs for money, it will lead to the man having a habit of begging. Since he is healthy, he should not beg for money and find a job to support himself. When my mom told me this, I finally understood we should not help some beggars as it will cause them to be very lazy and would not work in order to support themselves. 

Sarah's Holiday

To describe my holiday with just a word "enriching". Even though it was quite boring, I realize I improved myself in terms of my CCA and interest wise. 

CCA - Badminton:

My training are on fixed days, Monday and Wednesday morning and Friday afternoon. For morning training, my team have to run 8 rounds until the end of November we were informed by our CCA teacher to run 10 rounds. I was thinking when I run 8 rounds I pant heavily and my leg turn jelly like, what will happen if I run 10 rounds. 800 meter more! This might not meant anything to some of my teammate who have no problem running but for me even 100m means a lot for me. However, through the run, I realize our team spirit improve as we will often cheer on for one another. As my coach is very strict, none of us dares to slack and we train seriously hoping to get a place in national top 4. Even though training tiring, we endure and after training we have a sense of satisfaction. Some time after training, we will have group lunch together and go out. I think training even though it is tough, I realize my skill and stamina improved. I understand more fully the phrase 'No pain No gain' through this months of training. As my competition is up, I know the need of training hard improving myself like doing the last revision for EOY. I am thankful that I have my teammates with me to past through all the pain and sour time during training and allowing me to understand even more the importance of teamwork.

Sports camp:

During the holiday, our senior host a 2D1N sports camp from 18 November to 19 November. This was my first sports camp so I was eagerly looking forward. I made many friends of different gender different CCA different group. I was in Jordan 3 and I was glad to have Jun Rong my classmate to be in the same group as me. During the camp, I get the chance to experience different CCA such as floorball, softball, volleyball. I felt honored to be able to see some of Team SG player and I was motivated. However, the most memorable activity was to uphold our goal for 15min. We wrote our goal in terms of CCA and personal on a piece of paper and hold it up straight for 15min. This test our perseverance and will to our goal. I learnt much stuff throughout the entire camp like to work hard as our facilitators always stress on 'Hard work beats talent, when talent fails to work hard'. In the entire camp, the theme was 'One RV', it means that we RV are a family we would work together as a family. At this point of time, a word appeared in my brain 'ohana' it's definition is family. 

Interest:

On usual days that I stayed at home, I spent my time watching dramas and variety. I watched the entire episode of Running Man a very funny variety show. It helps me to take a break from the bush and hectic schedule. After that, I watched some China palace show as it rose my interest. After a watching a show "Sound of the Desert", I had a sudden interest in reading so I went to the National Library to borrow the book. As the story is split into two book, I took 3.5 days to read each book which was an accomplishment for me. I actually enjoy watching show but after reading the book, I realize reading book is also a great hobby to develop.

Study:

Besides completing my homework, I didn't do much of revision as I was quite addicted to my shows. However, after I can't find any other show, I started doing a bit of revision like for math as I was quite weak and a common test is coming up. I was able to revise and understand more points and formula. 

Family bonding:

Even though I didn't go oversea, my family went for a feast at Marina Bay's Thodai international buffet. We enjoyed the happy moment as my family love eating. During Christmas, my family gathered at my cousin's new house, together with my relative, to celebrate Christmas happily together. We ate food prepared by my aunts and chatted happily, having a whale of a time. I think family members is a very important part in my life and is something that cannot not have. I learnt to treasure my relationship and time with my family members and cousins and not take them for granted. 

In conclusion, I learnt many things that cannot be taught in lessons like to treasure relationship with my family and teamwork. This is important and is essential to our daily life now and the future. I think that holiday is a break kids look forward to after about a year of tiring study. However, teachers always stress on not only taking a break and to catch up with studies. Even though it sounds to boring and some might disagree, after much reflecting they actually make sense. I wonder if I didn't revise Math in the holiday, I might not be able to catch up with a strong foundation. To end of I will end with a quote by Benjamin Franklin " Lost time is never found again ". Thus, we should treasure time and make every second meaningful.

Shin Young's Holiday

December Holidays

During the long December holidays, I, sadly did not go overseas like other classmates. Unfortunately, my trip was cancelled due to some reasons. Hence, I had to stay in Singapore and enjoyed my holiday here in Singapore. 

I have always thought that I did not do anything during my December holidays but looking back, I have realised that I actually did many things. I went cycling with my church friends at East Coast Park, went to Sentosa with Susan and Xinrong and watched loads of movie with my friends.

However, the most exciting thing that I did was going to Sentosa with Susan and Xinrong. :) 

We met at Vivo City and went to Beach Station. Once we reached the station we were really excited and were eager to find the beach. Therefore we decided to go to the beach first. When we reached the beach, we played different games and also had many punishments like burying half our bodies into the sand. After getting sick of playing games, we played with the water. However, we did not bring along an extra set of clothing and this caused us to not be able to go inside the water but just to soak our feet. After much fun at the beach, it started to grt too hot so we decided to go to another place. 

That was we walked past Luge and decided to take a ride. It was a great challenge for Xinrong as she was afraid of heights, it was good to see that Xinrong was not so scared during the skyride. We also had alot of fun riding the luge down from the top of the hill. 

After that we had explored Sentosa and after realising that we had nothing to do, we went to Vivo City for dinner. :)))

Also, as I have said ealier about watching loads of movies during the December holidays, I feel that Paddington was a really great movie. It is about a young Peruvian bear with a passion for all things British travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he begins to realize that city life is not all he had imagined - until he meets the kindly Brown family, who read the label around his neck ('Please look after this bear. Thank you.') and offer him a temporary haven. It looks as though his luck has changed until this rarest of bears catches the eye of a museum taxidermist. It was a very interesting movie and I feel that this movie is going to be my all-time favourites from now onwards. Through this movie, you will fall in love with Paddington's stupid but cute actions. If you have not watched it, I would highly recommend this movie to you. :))

❃ Zi Qiu's Holiday

MY 2014 DECEMBER HOLIDAYS 

During the December holidays, my family and I took a trip to the Bahamas Islands. They had mesmerisingly breathtaking views and the weather was absolutely delightful! The waters were not very chilly in the winter, but it definitely wasn't warm either. I would prefer to go during a warmer weather next time.

There are many various historic attractions and busy marketplaces in Nassau, which is the island we went to. It kept us very busy and I had such a fun time learning about the culture there. The people there were friendly, laid-back and very down-to-earth.

There were a lot of gorgeous beaches and the food was delicious! We ate a lot of Bahamas' specialty: seafood! We had fish, lobsters, crabs and conch, which I had tried for the very first time. We also got to try tropical fruits, rice, peas and potatoes. The flavours were exotic and very new to what I was used to eating in Singapore. However, it all tasted very fresh and succulent and I completely enjoyed the food in the Bahamas!

***

As my CCA was NCC, I also had to go for several camps in the December holidays. One camp that was really fun and educational was the FSD (freestyle drill) camp.

FSD is where you make up your own moves to several songs. River Valley's FSD team has been winning top awards for the past few years and it could even be said to be one of NCC's unique cultures, as we are quite known for our FSD.

At the camp, we learnt about a lot of fun things, like the different movements of FSD. The camp was very fun and contrary to what I originally thought, the camp wasn't "boring"! We bonded with our platoon mates and even got to make up our own routine to perform at the end of the camp.

Overall, it was an educational yet enjoyable experience and I have definitely learnt a lot from it!

ZIQIU :D

Si Han's Holiday

My Holiday Trip

Over the holidays, I went to Sydney for an eight day trip. It is a tradition for my family to go overseas at the end of every year as we can discover new cultures and traditions. In addition to that, it is a time for us to relieve stress and bond together. We went to Sydney when it was the summer season and the weather is similar to Singapore's. However, it is not as humid and it is very windy. It is also gets super cold at night. In Sydney, they also use ferries as a mode of transport and I find it very cool as there are only buses, taxis and MRTs as mode of public transport in Singapore. Also, there was no internet connection in the apartment where we stayed and although I was very unhappy about that at first, I now feel that my family and I really bonded. With our hectic schedules in Singapore, it is very hard to find time to sit down as a family and interact.

It was already noon when we arrived in Sydney and checked into our apartment. My family and I were pretty tired from 8- hour midnight flight and we ended up spending the entire day in the apartment resting. Sydney is three hours ahead of Singapore time and it was pretty weird getting used to the time difference there, especially during mealtimes when we were still used to Singapore time. On the second day, my family and I went to Sydney Harbor Bridge and Sydney Opera House. It was very cool to see world famous landmarks up close and the grandeur of the architecture amazed me. We also caught a violin orchestra in the evening in the opera house. The sounds of the music surrounded us and I was entranced at how effortlessly the violinists played their violin.

The famous Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. 

We visited many places during the subsequent days and one of them was the famous Chinatown. We were bored of eating western food and missed local food from Singapore. Chinatown was brightly lit with festive decorations and it was very vibrant. The shops were all adorned with colorful and bright decorations and we bought a lot of souvenirs there. We ate in a Thai Restaurant that was known for their delicious food and went back to our apartment after that. 

We also went to a beach called Bondi Beach.  The beach was picturesque, with its clear blue waters, bright blue skies and soft golden sand. Luckily for us, the weather was good on that day and we got to stay at the beach from noon till the evening. To others, spending so much time at the beach would probably be boring to them. But for me, I simply loved every second spent on the beach.  The strong sea wind was a huge contrast to the scorching sun beating down on us. I loved standing close to the waters and waiting for a wave to hit me. Even though I got sunburnt the next day, I had no complaints as the day spent at the beach was simply one of the moments I had experienced that no amount of money can buy. 

Clear blue skies and fluffy white clouds:)

Waves crashing against the shore.

  

We also went to a zoo called Taronga zoo. We took a ferry there and there were many different enclosures in the zoo with various species from different countries. My younger brother was really excited to see that there were exhibitions of "dinosaurs" that could move and roar.  I really enjoyed myself at the zoo, especially the animals show as I loved seeing the animals do tricks and interacting with the trainer. 

In the blink of an eye, our eight day trip came to an end and it was time for us to return home. While boarding the plane with a heavy heart, I felt very sad to leave Sydney as I had grown accustomed to the weather and the friendly people here. However, I know that all good things comes to an end and I know that there will be more things to look forward to in the new year. I can't wait to visit another country this year and experience the culture and beauty of the country. Let the countdown begin!

Bye Sydney! 

Shu Hong's Holiday

December Holidays

        During the December holidays, me n my family went overseas. We went to Hong Kong, Macau and lastly Taiwan for a 14 day trip.

Hong Kong

 When we reached Hong Kong, it was already at night thus, the only transport was to take bus to the rental apartment. I remember that my dinner for that night was a delicious bowl of steaming hot fish ball noodles. After that, we returned to the apartment. The apartment was pretty small but was still liveable. At least it had a television and also free Wi-Fi!
        The next day, we went to a theme park, Ocean Park. However, as it was a weekend, there were a lot of people and all the rides were crowded. But, the theme park was not only meant for rides. There were animal shows and also and aquarium. In the aquarium, we saw a huge stingray, almost the length of a shark. Next, we went to see the sea animal show. At the animal show, dolphins were doing fabulous tricks, diving in and out of the water with synchronisation. The seals were waving at us with their tails and flippers, they were so adorable. After the show, we had to take the cable car back to the entrance and the queue was longer than you can imagine. The wait was about 30 minutes I guess?
        That was not the end, when we took the bus to the MRT station, it was the peek period. Traffic was heavy and it was another hour before we were able to alight at the bus-stop.
          The following day, we decided to go to Mongkok, one of the tourist attraction. There were many items sold there ranging from USB thumb drive to belts. It was our last night in Hong Kong so we decided to have a 'higher-class' dinner. We found a dim sum shop and ordered to our fill, it was really delicious! The buns were decorated like a pig and it was a very cute!

Macau

        Goodbye Hong Kong! And Hello Macau! We set off for Macau on a boat ride that was estimated to arrive at Macau in an hour time. When we have settled down, we decided to go a nearby 'market' to have dinner. We explored the place and discovered a bubble tea shop, the green tea latte was really good! In addition, we found a food that is only found there, curry Yong Tau Foo. Due to the travel time, we called it a day was we were all exhausted and returned to our hotel room.
        The next day, we went back to the place and decided to try the Portuguese egg tarts as Macau was famous for it. It was so delicious, the is a sensation of crisp when you put it into your mouth and it feels as if it is melting in your mouth. After that, we walked to the tourist attraction, Senator Ruins. The attraction is a front view of a castle that is suppose to have been preserved for a few 100 years. After taking many photos with it, we decided to proceed to have our dinner. In a small alley, we found a shop named "House of Tomato". To me it wasn't really what I expected but what can I say...
        2 days past in Macau and it was time to travel to another country, Taiwan! The following day, we had to catch a boat to go to Hong Kong airport and then transit on the plane to Taiwan. However, the transit time was approximately 3 hours. Thankfully we were applicable to a lounge and had a comfortable place to eat and relax.

Taiwan

        Upon reaching Taiwan, the sky had darken, we had to buy tickets for a bus transport that brings us to a city. The bus ride is about 1 hour. In the end, when we reached there we had to take a cab to the hotel as it is not within walking distance. We had to take in separate cabs as one cab was unable to fit my family of 5. After settling down, we decided to go the night market to have our dinner. The fried mushrooms were really nice! I even bought a shoe for school!

       Rise and shine, we had to wake up early as we had hired a chauffeur that will fetch us to a place called Alishan and bring us around the place. Even though the vehicle was not what we had expected, the ride was still comfortable. As we had stopped along the way, by the time we started ascending the mountain it was almost dark. To make the situation worse, there is no streetlights on the roads. Isn't it dangerous? Alishan is on a mountain and it is very cold there, fortunately, for the 民俗, there are heated blankets that are able to keep us warm.

       Having a wonderful sleep, I woke up all fully energised and was prepared to have a full day ahead. The same driver picked us up and brought us to a higher point where there are many tourists bus there. Its was like a garden just a bigger one such that there are huge trees planted. Something like Bukit Timah Reserve. It was very crowded. Our driver says that in the time when the flowers blooms, the number of people over there will be 5 times more than during the winter season.  After the tiring walk, the driver recommended a shop to us, it is a hotpot shop and the ingredients served there were really big!. After the meal, we went down the mountain and proceeded to Chiayi. By the time we reached Chiayi, it was already dark and our driver will be leaving us.

        Waking up early in the morning again, we had to catch an early train. The train ride was about 5h long to Guan Shan. However, we had to transit. During the 5h train ride, I was looking at my brother's phone as he was playing a game. After awhile, I began to feel dizzy and did not really feel well. Fortunately, I recovered over a period of time and we had arrived at the hotel. The hotel provided bicycles and we could use them to cycle on the bicycle path. Guan Shan is a place meant for cyclist to cycle. The path was up slope and it was quite a tedious one. After the ride, I was so exhausted that I could barely walk. Later on that night, I began to feel feverish. This was when the nightmare began.

        The following day, we had to catch another train to Tai Tung. Finally we could wake up later as the train was bound to leave at 12.30pm, thus, there was no need for rushing. Arriving at Tai Tung, we had to wait for an hour for the driver to pick us up as they forgot the appointment. Yet, the driver was still friendly with us and showed us some of the famous food stalls that we should try. The bungalow looked very grand and luxurious. We went to a nearby park and walked for awhile. That was when I started to feel dizzy. I was running a fever. We went back to the hotel and I was told to rest while my family go to the Night Market to buy some food back.

           After several train rides, it was time to move in a car! We had hired a cabby that was also a tour guide. The driver brought us to many places. One of the special places is the place where the river flows upwards instead of downwards. Amazing isn't it? However, during the ride, I was feeling more and more dizzy. I could not really remember much about the trip as I was in the car for most of the time. When I woke up, it was already 5-6 pm. Taiwan gets dark earlier than Singapore. The driver recommended some food to us and my father and mother went down to buy the pack food. Upon arriving at the hotel, we were greeted by the owner. The owner showed us our room and we realised that the room is so huge.  There was even a coffee table where we ate our food there. As I was sick, I did not really have the appetite to eat so I could only drink some of the beef soup and eat some noodles. Then, I took a shower and prepared to have a night's rest. The following day, I was feeling energetic. I was not sick anymore and even decided to go down to the breakfast area to eat with my family. However, my brother was the one who is sick. Looks like I had transferred my virus to him.

        The place we stayed was near the pebble bay. In fact, it was right beside it. However, it looked different from the previous time when I went there. which was probably 4-5 years ago. We were given free rental bicycle coupons that came with the hotel room and rented bicycles to cycle the path provided. It was really refreshing as the wind would be blowing in your face when we cycle. In the end, as the area was quite remote, there wasn't any restaurant or night market, hence, all we could do is to go to the nearest convenient store and buy the pre-made noodles. I enjoyed it as I liked eating maggi mee!

       Our days at Hua Lian had ended and the owner kindly called a cab to pick us up. Upon arriving at the train station, we had to take another train ride that was about 3 hours. Arriving at Taipei, there were many exits and we were unsure which was the right one. Fortunately, there was a kind lady who offered to show us the way to the hotel.  During the 3 days spent in Taipei, we had shopped for countless hours and visit many shops. It is the last day of the trip and I was glad yet disappointed that we had to go back home.

       This concludes my overseas trip and I hope that I will return to these countries soon! :D

                 

Group Introduction

(From left to right) Park Shin Young (17), Wang Zi Qiu (23), Sarah Chua (5), Lang Si Han (11), Heng Shu Hong (29)

Shin Young and Si Han are from concert band, Shu Hong is in Choir, Zi Qiu is from NCC and Sarah is from badminton:)