Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Day 2
We visited Shanghai High School, an elite school on par with Singapore Raffles Insititution. However the students we interact with were humble and nice. One boy told us that he had visited Singapore in 2005 and like Singapore. The SHS students bombarded us with questions pertaining to our country and school. We were quite taken aback (I guess). They had obviously done research about Singapore and SRJC and prepared questions to ask us. The questions they asked shown that they had put in thought to be able to came up with the questions. We managed to answered their questions. Next we spilt up into 4 different groups and the interaction begins. We found out that to get into university, chinese students had to take an entry exam which will determine their future. University was divided into 3 levels. 1st level : Univeristy , 2nd: Something similar to Polytechnics in Singapore ,3rd: Something like ITE in Singapore. The 1st level was what the chinese students were striving for. Competition was intense as everyone work hard to achieve their goal. This was similar to us, SRJcians. Next year we would be striving hard, competing with top notch JCs in Singapore to get into the 3 universities in Singapore, especially NUS. At that point of time, I felt that SHS students and SRJcians were the same. We had to work hard to get into the university of our choice.
The SHS students also shared with us that Chemisty, English and Chinese were compulsory subjects to be taken. The rest of the subjects were sometimes not what they want but had no choice but to take it, for the sake of the entrance exam to univeristy.
we sit in for 2 lessons namely math and english lesson. FOr maths lessons, functions were taught. We observe that the SHS students do not have lecture noted but a notebook instead for them to take down notes. Moreover the teacher explain to them how the formula was derived. In Singapore, we were lucky to have good and passionate teachers who were willing to go the extra mile for our sake. LEcture notes were well prepared with solutions. IN SHS, the scene was different. The students were fully enganged as they do not want to miss important points the lecturer had said. No one was sleeping, chatting nor looking out of the window.
This was something that Singapore Students could learned from them. Subjects were taught not with the aim of achieving good results but also the aim of deveoping interest and passion for the subject itself. In singapore, we were brought up to view academinc to be extremely important than all other factors such as our interest in the subject. All we know was to do well in the subject. Who cares whether you like it or not.
SHS has a conducive environment for the sutdents to sutdy with the huge garden they had. Imagine studying there as each season changes.
( taken from yahoo )
For dinner, we had interaction with NUS students who were studying and working at the same time in shanghai. For my table, we had joyce. She was a 3rd year student from NUS who is working and studying at Fudan University.She told us her experience and what she had learned in Shanghai. We also displayed the 'HABITS'valuse which is to ask questions.
Dreams ended @ --*11:23 AM*--
Well, I am officially back from SRGCE SHANGHAI 2009 ;)
The trip was trully an eye-opener which allowed me to gain experience and learned about China's culture.
DAY 1
I woke up at 3.45am and arrived at the airport at around 4.55am. Next we waited for everyone to arrive before we check in. This is my second time taking a plane after so many years. I was nervous but at the same time filled with excitment. SO 30 hunks and babes, together with literally 6 teachers ( 1 from Xinmin Secondary VP and 1 teacher from North Vista Primary school joined us for this trip ).
First thing I was greeted with was a strong smell coming from people smoking right in the airport. This was something that you couldn't find in Singapore Changi Airport. Well, this is just the start of the 8 days journey surrounding the 'Smoking culture of China' (Barry's theory ).
We were greeted by our tour guide for the next 8 days. She was really a nice peron and is from Hangzhou. She bought us to put our luggage in the bus as we proceed to the airport for our lunch. The weather in Shanghai when we touch down was cold for me. Lunch was great and cheap ;). We proceed on to take the Maglev Train which was pushed forward from the last day to the first day.
Maglev train was super fast, able to travel up to 430km. It was a good experience for all of us as we would never be able to find it in singapore due to limited land capacity.
(taken from yahoo. Pictures taken by me to be uploaded on facebook)
NExt we arrived at XIN TIAN DI. A palce which was home to poor people, renovated in the 1920s ( If don't remember wrongly)and turned into houses known as SHIKUMEN with the merger of western and eastern culture. We tour around the place and learned from our tour guide that XIN TIAN DI was a place where westerners living in Shanghai like to come at night to have a drink at the bar. Locals do not usually visit XIN TIAN DI. The weather was then Super cold and night falls in at 4.30pm.
( taken from yahoo)
Dinner that night was horrible as team publicity found out food filled with some strains of hair and the food did not taste good. We headed to our hotel ( EXPRESS BY HOILDAY INN ) at PuXi ( Old shanghai), greeted by a heavy traffic jam. Many fall asleep, while i look out of the window. Roads in shanghai were now undergoing renovation, preparing for EXPO 2010. Every corner in Shanghai was taken over by the EXPO 2010 mascot ' Haibao' as well as the banners telling people to be gracious and the theme for EXPO 2010 : Better City Better Life.
Learning point: Singapore Youth Olympic Ganes is going to be held next year but yet we seldom see any banners nor advertisements showing the spirit of YOG 2010. The atmposphere in Singapore shown nothing of passion and excitment for YOG 2010. Unlike Shanghai, you would find shops selling sourveniers for EXPO 2010 and signs of EXPO 2010 was seen everyone. I find that Singapore could actually learned from the Shnaghainese,to shown more passion and excitement for YOG 2010. It was not easy for Singapore, a small country with no natural resources and limited land capacity, to be able to win the bid. So I urge all SIngaporeans to shown concern and to be proud of Singapore. The Chinese authorities are trying their best to change the bad habits of the people by putting banners everyone telling people to be more gracios. This coincide with the goal : BEtter City Better life.
Dreams ended @ --*11:00 AM*--
Friday, December 04, 2009
Hoilday is finally here , after a month + of hard work and anxiety.
1) A-level H1 chinese exam
2) Project work Oral presentation + Q & A ( Op = My best presentation in 17 years of my life )
3) Re-exam
4) 2 weeks of supplementary lessons (In fact is a full school day)
5) NExt year our whole class will upgrade to 2A07 :p except Emma who is going to 2A04 due to different in subject combination. I guess the class will miss her together with shafiqah, glenda, nila & annissa.
Hoilday Hw [ lots and lots of them ;( ]
- Maths tutorial chapter 17 & Intergration
- GP articles
- H2 Chi Lit hw : I got to read through the entire book on '雪山飞狐'. Why don't they choose something nicer . I rather read '射雕英雄传', '神雕侠侣' than '雪山飞狐'whose storyline seems boring to me. Mom study it before and she claims that '雪山飞狐'is boring to her too. Well, in order to complete my homework, I guess I have to read throguh the entire book.
- H1 geography : GOt to revise through 3 lecture books and completing the Graphic Organiser.
- Econ : Revise through 3 lecture books and complete the entire tutoril in Market failure and prepare for test when sch re-opens
YEAR 2009 last chapter
- Shanghai and Suzhou trip
-meet up with besties
-Going out for a movie with yi ting
-Meet up with altos ;O
-meet up with primary sch besties
-Christmas
YEAR 2010 : A-level exam
When Sch reopen, it is going to be a hetic year just like the whole of last year . Filled with TESTS TESTS and MORE TESTS + NAGGING and Reminder from teachers constanly + REVISION DAILY 24/7 if possible.
PAST
PSLE = most important exam to me back in P5
O-level = the one exam which determine where you end up in for the next 2-3 years and most likely affecting your future too
PRESENT
A-level = Most difficult and hardest exam on EARTH for the past 17 years, and it is going to be the one exam which really determine your future .
So anyway people, happy hoildays !!! Stay cheers
Dreams ended @ --*9:58 AM*--
