Hi, I'm Rui Xuan from 2D. I like to doodle or draw random things in my free time, and I also enjoy listening to music. I am more of the aesthetic person, hence I prefer Art and Music classes over classes like Math.
In primary school, I was in choir, but I am now in NCC. I am also in this year's Freestyle Drill Team. We have many practices almost every single day in order to perfect our routine, and it can get tiring. But it is ultimately still worth it ^-^
During the holidays, my family and I went to Sydney, Australia. Even though it was considered winter time for most countries, in Australia it was summer, and the weather was actually quite similar to Singapore's. There were many beautiful sights to see, and I had taken a lot of pictures. I like traveling, thus I am looking forward to OELP :>
The Extra in the Ordinary
On the 16th of January 2016, it was our school's 60th anniversary.
This is a picture of the RV60 ballon that was put up during the event. Although it seems like a simple and small matter, it actually shows how much effort the school put into this. The balloon even lit up during the night. Not many schools put in a lot of effort into their anniversary celebrations, but our school sure did. Not only did they put up this giant balloon, they had also organised many special performances, like the wushu mass display, which comprised of over 500 students, including myself.
Many people were very touched by the performance, and it even appeared on the news. When the performance came to an end and everyone was standing on the field, clapping and cheering, I realised that there really was a happy vibe rushing through us.
I felt like this was "the extraordinary in the ordinary", as it is not every day that we would get to perform for our school's anniversary. It is also extraordinary in a way that not many other schools would be able to organise such a big event. However, RV has managed to do it, and it was really a night to remember.
RV60 成功!! :>
Reflection on RV60
I'm not going to say the cliche things like, "oh, I enjoyed RV60 so much, from the start to the end! The practices were amazing and I loved it!" Personally, I didn't really enjoy RV60 at first. The practices were long and boring, and all we did was to do the same thing over and over again. I thought they were a waste of time. There were so many practices during the holiday, and it was just so repetitive. At that time, I hated RV60. I wished that I was one of those lucky people who did not have to go through this.
I knew I wasn't the only one. Several people skipped practices as they all had the same mindset as me: "What's so important about RV60 anyway?"
When December was coming to an end and school reopened, we had to stay until 6 almost everyday for RV60. I didn't realise why it was such a big deal until the actual RV60 itself, on the 16th. Before we went out on stage, I was annoyed - we had been stuck in the holding room for a couple of hours, and there was nothing to do. However, once we went out, I saw the masses of people sitting on the grandstand. I was surprised. So many people had come just to see us, ordinary students, perform some routine? Wow. I was amazed. Those people were the alumni. They all had come to show their love for the school. Some of them were senior citizens. I was really touched. This event was really important to them. This moment, I realized why everyone was making a huge fuss about RV60 - it was our school's diamond jubilee. Our school's 60th year. And that's something to be proud of.
Does being Rich make us Happy?
Singapore is fairly well-off, and we have enough food, many facilities, good education... But we are not happy. Singaporeans are known for complaining, even though we have so many luxuries. However, in other countries that are poorer than us, the people are much happier than Singaporeans.
I feel that money is not the most important thing. Sure, it could bring you happiness - buying you a pass to a theme park, or a new game. But I think that what's more important are relationships. Rich people can often be very unhappy, because if they have nothing good to spend it on, their money is pointless. People who suddenly win a lot of money can actually lose their loved ones, as people may not treats them the same anymore. On the other hand, I do agree that people with a better fiancial status need not worry about how they will pay bills, or put food on the table. Overall, I think that wealth is not an essential requirement for happiness as plenty of poor people all over the world are happy, and there are plenty of unhappy rich people. Being rich could help you be happy, but it is not a guarantee of happiness.
Chingay Parade 2016
Last Saturday, the whole year two cohort went to watch the Chingay Parade, at the F1 Pit.
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| Panoramic View of the Area |
It was the very first time I had ever gone to the Chingay Parade, hence I did not know what to expect from it. Fortunately, I was not let down. The event consisted of many splendid perfomances, ranging from aikido to gymnastics. There was even a part where the performers hung down from a platform in the sky. Not only that, there were many colourful floats that passed by. It was an incredible experience.
I think that the purpose of Chingay 2016 was to welcome the new year, 2016, and to look forward to the upcoming years. This year is Singapore's 51th year, meaning that bigger, brighter things are about to happen. Since this is the first year after SG50, it means that Singapore is expanding, and is becoming a greater nation. "Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore". This means that we can all look forward to a brighter and better Singapore in the years to come.
This is different from the first Chingay Parade, where the purpose was to celebrate Chinese New Year. Now, it is not just for the Chinese, but for other races as well. There were even floats symbolizing other countries, like Japan. Now, the purpose is not only to celebrate the new year, it is also to celebrate another successful year as a nation. I think that this change has happened as Singapore has grown so much since the first Chingay Parade. Today, we are a multi-cultural harmonious nation, that has successfully passed its 50th year, and is moving towards greater heights.
I think that the organizers have succeeded at fulfilling this purpose. There were many floats symbolizing that Singapore is moving towards a brighter future. For example, there was a float with a sign saying "Voyage SG100". This shows that we are all slowly moving towards a greater, more fruitful SG100, with greater prospects for the whole nation.
The organizers also included several perfomances and floats which symbolized other countries, like a float full of lanterns for Japan, or a Malay dance for the Malays. This shows that Singapore has many links with other countries and races, signifying that Singapore is and will always be a culturally harmonious nation.
We were also asked to draw what we thought Singapore was going to be like at SG100 on a cube. I am not too sure, but I am quite sure that they will be using the cubes during the actual parade. This way, we would know what we want for Singapore and work towards it,
Overall, I think that the Chingay Parade was a great experience filled with wonderful performances that I had really enjoyed. Hopefully, we can strive towards a better future together as one Singapore, and achieve what we want to achieve in the next 50 years.
Aging Population
3 things that I found out:
- The one-child policy and two-child policy were to curb the rapidly growing population.
- The reason for reversing the Two Child Policy in Singapore was because the birth rate in Singapore fell drastically.
- There would be better healthcare, education and opportunities given to that one child.
2 perceptions I have gained:
- Parents wanted the best for their child, hence only had one child.
- It was due to the demands of the people that the policies were reversed.
1 question I have:
- Was there a better way to control the growing population?
Singapore must not be complacent
Singapore has had many achievements in its past 50 years, like being the best city for living in Asia, and even having the World's Best Airport. However, even with these great accomplishments, Singapore must not be complacent. If we are all stuck with the mindset that 'Singapore is the greatest', other countries will surely overtake us. Other countries would be continuing to work hard, while we do not do anything to become better. Instead of being complacent, we have to continue working hard as a nation, and striving for even better. This also includes learning from other countries. Yes, we might be labelled as superior to many, but the truth is, we still have a lot to learn. We can learn about how other countries solve certain issues, and can adopt them if we are ever facing similar problems. This way, Singapore can always continue improving ourselves, and striving for better.
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