Our Story, Our Experience ... Welcome to RSP@VS's Blog
Saturday, March 13, 2010
My Trip to Bintan
Hi all,
Although I may not be in the programme already, just allow me to share with you guys about the experience I had over in Indonesia recently.
Just yesterday, I reached Singapore and immediately when I stepped down from the vessel, I totally felt that I had came into a new civilisation. The conditions at Bintan wasn't that good as expected, with those Beach resorts as exceptions. Let me start off by sharing with you guys the experience I had at the kelong villages over in Bintan.
It was the first day of the trip when we were sent to the Charchoal factory located right beside the kelong village. We can see from the conditions of the Kelong village that their standard of life were low and from what I know, they make their own Charcoal and will then sell it to overseas at very low prices. Despite the fact that they were poor, they still lead a very happy and stable life. Recently, the people there were forbidded by the government to produce charcoal and they had to rely on fishing now to earn money.
Following are some pics I took at the village.
Besides, I also visited 2 orphanages where we were given a chance to interact with the kids. From what I know, the kids became orphans mainly due to financial issues in the family. The kids lead a cheerful life despite not having parents. I really envy the cheerful lifestyle they lead. Given a chance, i hope you chance could visit these orphanages too.
Well, that's all I want to share and thanks once again for letting me express my thoughts here!
Zexuan
[9:10 PM]
Vietnam
Interesting Facts About Vietnam
• The official name of the country is Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
• The capital city is Hanoi while the currency is Dong.
• The official language is Vietnamese while the major religion followed is Buddhism.
• People in Vietnam have potbelly pigs
• Vietnam has a life expectancy of 72 years.
• Literacy crate in Vietnam is 94 per cent.
• Vietnam stretches 1,600 kilometers north to south, but is only about 40 kilometers wide at its narrowest point near the country's center.
• In Vietnamese schools, instead of bells, gongs are used to call children.
• Ha Long Bay is considered to be the most beautiful vista in entire Vietnam. It consists of 1,969 islands and islets situated in the Gulf of Tonkin. This zone is known for its spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Ha Long Bay has been recognized as a World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO.
• Vietnam is famous for its bio-diversity and has world’s six biosphere reserves.
• Vietnam has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the Third World.
• Vietnam is one of the ten member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
• Another World Heritage Site in Vietnam is the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.
Done by Yuan Wen and Adam
Labels: Vietnam
[9:23 PM]
Imports And Exports Of Malaysia
55% of Malaysian exports to U.S. are computers, computer accessories & telecommunications equipment while 43% of Malaysian imports from America are semiconductors.
United States of America consumes about 19% of Malaysian exports. Other major clients for Malaysian exports include Singapore (15.4%), Japan (8.9%), China (7.2%), Thailand (5.3%) and Hong Kong (4.9%).
Leading Malaysian exports are electronic equipment, petroleum and liquefied natural gas, wood and wood products, palm oil, rubber and textiles.
Japanese products account for 13.3% of imports into Malaysia, followed closely by America at 12.6%, China at 12.2% and Singapore at 11.7%. Thailand (5.5%), Taiwan (5.5%), South Korea (5.4%) and Germany (4.4%) furnish considerable import amounts to the southeastern Asian nation.
Principal imports from Malaysia include electronics, machinery, petroleum products, plastics, vehicles, chemicals, plus iron and steel products.
In 2007, Malaysia exported an estimated US$181.2 billion worth of goods onto the international trade marketplace. Malaysian imports totalled roughly $145.7 billion, resulting in Malaysia’s $35.5-billion overall trade surplus last year.
Labels: exports, imports, malaysia
[5:38 PM]
Major exporter of rice in Southeast Asia
Major Exporter of Rice in Southeast Asia
Jarryl and Muhd.Danial
[3:17 PM]
endangered species by daryl lim and marcus lee
The Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus), sometimes known by the name of its nominate subspecies, the Indian Elephant, is one of the three living species of elephant in Asia, and the only living species of the genus Elephas. The species is found primarily in large parts of India, Sri Lanka, Indochina peninsula and parts of Indonesia. It is smaller than its African relatives, and the easiest way to distinguish the two is the smaller ears of the Asian Elephant. The Asian Elephant tends to grow to around two to four meters (7-12 feet) in height and 3,000-5,000 kilograms (6,500-11,000 pounds) in weight.
The Asian Elephant has other differences from its African relatives, including a more arched back than the African, one semi-prehensile "finger" at the tip of its trunk as opposed to two, 4 nails on each hind foot instead of three, and 19 pairs of ribs instead of 21. Also, unlike female African elephants, the female Asian Elephant lacks tusks. The forehead has two hemispherical bulges unlike the flat front of the African. Some males may also lack tusks and they are termed as makhnas. The population in Sri Lanka has a greater number of makhnas.
This animal is widely domesticated, and has been used in forestry in South and Southeast Asia for centuries and also for use in ceremonial purposes. Historical sources point out they were sometimes used during the harvest season primarily for milling. Wild elephants attract tourist money to the areas where they can most readily be seen, but damage crops and may enter villages to raid gardens.
[3:16 PM]
Thailand is the major exporters of rice before Vietnam
Jarryl and Danial
[3:13 PM]
Malaysia
Hello ! This is malone pun and linus wong here.
Rain Rain Go Away, Come... On The Other Hand, Hold A Second...
Let's sing together now...
Rain rain, go away
Come again another day
Rain rain go away
We want to go outside and play today...
Beware, when dark clouds are invading the Taiping skies.. don't you ever dare to sing this song, especially if you are at the market building at Kota Road. Somebody's luck is depending on the presence of this dark rain clouds.
Well, Taiping which is a town located in northern part in the state of Perak. It has the very first train station, museum and prison in Malaysia. It is also known as the wettest and the rainiest town in Malaysia. Thus, it has created an one of a kind betting games. Put away your cards, roulette or dice... you don't need them here. Just look at the sky and bet what time does the rain going to fall. Sounds funny? Think again if the bet involve from 10 Ringgit upto thousands of Ringgit and people are known to become bankrupt while betting about the rain.
According to one of the punters, the betting game have been played since 1950s. What they do is to bet among the players, the time the rain start to fall.For everybody's information, their definition of rain fall is "When the water drops from sky hitting the roof a building and then flow continuosly on to the ground."They don't depend on the weather reports telecast but purely on personal experience. Most of them have their own way of prediction, some by just hearing the sounds of thunder, looking at the clouds formation, feeling the flow of wind directions and sometimes just purely their guts.
So, when the dark rain clouds are hovering on Taiping skies and you see some crowds at the market area, don't wish the rain to go away yet. Someone's luck is depending on it, even though betting is not a good habit...
Labels: Malone Pun and Linus Wong
[3:09 PM]
Information on Indonesia Done by Reuben Goh and Timothy Chow
Interesting facts on Indonesia
Indonesia is home to 35cm miniature deer, fish that climb trees to catch insects and spiders that catch and devour small birds in giant webs.
Ape-man - Java is one of the earliest places in the world where ape-man lived. The skull of an ape-man who lived at a time when most of Europe was under ice was discovered here.
Population - Indonesia has the fifth largest population in the world(+-180million) which equals the combined population of all other South East Asian countries.
Indonesia An ethnological goldmine - the variety of ethnic groups is unparalled anywhere else in the world(316 ethnic groups).
Indonesia Volcanoes - Indonesia sprawls through a part of the western pacific known as the "Ring of Fire". With over 400 active volcanoes, there are over 3 earthquakes per day.
Size - Indonesia has a total of 5million km2. One million more than the USA, although only 2 million km2 are land.
Indonesia Islands - Three of the ten largest islands in the world are found here.
Climate - Wet season is Nov - March and hot season May to October.
[3:07 PM]
East Timor
Hi! This is Tong Hoe and Isaac and we will be telling you about East Timor!
Flag:
Hi, this is Tong Hoe and Isaac, we are here to tell you about East Timor!
Capital: Dili
Official Languages: Tetum & Porturguese
Government: Parliamentary Republic
President: José Ramos-Horta
Prime Minister: Xanana Gusmão
Established: 1702
Declared: November 28, 1975
Recognized: May 20, 2002
Population: 1 134 000
Timor Leste is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor.
East Timor was colonized by Portugal in the 16th century, and was known as Portuguese Timor until Portugal's decolonization of the country. In late 1975, East Timor declared its independence, but later that year was invaded and occupied by Indonesia and was declared Indonesia's 27th province the following year. In 1999, following the United Nations-sponsored act of self-determination, Indonesia relinquished control of the territory and East Timor became the first new sovereign state of the 21st century on May 20, 2002. East Timor is one of only two predominantly Roman Catholic countries in Asia, the other being the Philippines.
East Timor is a lower-middle-income economy. It continues to suffer the aftereffects of a decades-long independence struggle against Indonesia, which damaged infrastructure and displaced thousands of civilians.
The island of Timor was originally populated as part of the human migrations that have shaped Australasia more generally. It is believed that descendants from at least three waves of migration still live in the country. The first were related to the principal indigenous groups of New Guinea and Australia, and arrived before 40,000 years ago. Around 3000 BC, Austronesians migrated to Timor, and are possibly associated with the development of agriculture there. Thirdly, proto-Malays arrived from south China and north Indochina. The mountainous terrain kept these groups separated, and this is why there is so much linguistic diversity in East Timor today!
Hope you felt this was interesting and thanks for reading!
[3:05 PM]
thailand
Thailand
Thailand (pronounced /ˈtaɪlænd/ TYE-land or /ˈtaɪlənd/[5]; Thai: ราชอาณาจักรไทย Ratcha Anachak Thai, IPA: [râːtɕʰa ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k tʰɑj]( listen)) is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Burma. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast and Indonesia and India in the Andaman Sea to the southwest.
The country is a kingdom, a constitutional monarchy with King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the ninth king of the House of Chakri, who has reigned since 1946, making him the world's longest-serving current head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history.[6] The king is officially titled as the Head of State, the Head of the Armed Forces, an Upholder of the Buddhist religion, and the Defender of all Faiths. The largest city in Thailand is Bangkok, the capital, which is also the country's center of political, commercial, industrial and cultural activities.
(josh kovac and patrick tsan)
[3:03 PM]
Brief Info on SEA
Hi everyone, this will mark the start of your journey into seeking knowledge and finding out more about the wonders of SEA. take some time to do your research before you post an entry. Feel free to comment on the posts done by your friends.
Enjoy!
-mS
[12:31 PM]
thailand pattaya
this is the video that we watch during rsp
-darius
[9:29 PM]
Problems of Prostitution in Thailand
Hi guys,
Just want to share some of my thoughts towards the problems and phenomenon in Thailand.
Problem 1 - Sex Trade Problem
As you all know, sex trade has been like a frequent and regular problem happening in Thailand nowadays. Like what is being shared in class today, I personally feel that there are 2 perspectives in viewing this, mainly 1. People doing it for a living
2. People not looking for other jobs other than being brothels.
Well, in Thailand, most families normally sell the young ones (usually female) to different anonymous "organizations" in the cities. Why is this so? People in Thailand lead a low standard of living and most of them are working as either farmers in the outskirts of Thailand or textiles workers in the factories, and the pay there are too low to lead a living. This is why they sell their daughters to be brothels in the big cities of Thailand, as what they earn there are much higher than what they earn working. Most females are usually forced to become brothels,though some might, the up-most purpose is to earn more for the family.
Similarly in Singapore, the problem still goes on, but not as that serious. Immigrants from different parts of the world, like China, Indonesia, Vietnam and even more, come here to work as prostitutes. Well, we do agree that they are causing disturbances to the people, especially those living around the areas where they do their business at, but on the other hand, we should pity and not look down on them. What most Singaporeans may think, is that they are doing it for fun, but in actual fact, they are doing such scandalous activities for a mode of living.
What do you think the people in Thailand feels about prostitution? Now, even the government there do not put much effort into helping them finding a job and what they did to so called tackle these, was in turn to provide them with such streets like the "Walking Street" in Pattaya. Is the problem of prostitution that serious in Thailand until the government cant even control? There is no definite answer to such questions, some can say that, the government there are allowing mass prostitution to take place, well some may agree with the statement too.
Well, these videos may help in understanding the problems.
Showing how Nightlife is like in Thailand:
regards
Zexuan
[10:04 PM]
Photos
[11:23 PM]
Moments in Bali
Hi I'm Daniel Kong and here are some of the pictures I took in this beautiful island we call Bali...
I took this picture at the gates of Tanah Lot. It seemed strangely calm. Outside was a busy market for tourists and then there was this gate into a different and more tranquil world.
Sunset at Tanah Lot. The lights bounced on the surface and it was really mesmerizing. It was really peaceful despite the hordes of tourists crowding the place. Looking at the horizon I think one can leave the noise behind and feel at peace.
The beach is a combination of craggy rocks and strong waves, shaping a bizarre and beautiful landscape. Rock formations tower on cliffs. The sun shines bright as it begins to set, casting a golden glow on the place, near the shore green mollusc grows, oddly looking like grass with the waves just a few metres away.
I saw these sights.
And this is only a glimpse at what I have seen...
Daniel Kong
[10:49 PM]
Bali Pic's
Hi, this is Joseph here.Here are some of my pic's
Nice photo of the sun, eh?
And a pretty nice ocean pic
A sunset pic.
And a pic of a padi field.
and a nice flower pic.
[10:18 AM]
Hi everyone, Zhi Hao here.
The rsp trip to bali was very fun. My favourite part of the rsp trip is the part when we went to uluwatu temple to watc the kecak dance, it was very interesting and I like it a lot. My favourite part of the play is the white monkeys with magical powers escaping the fire. There were also monkeys at the temple, they snatch away your stuff.
Here are some pictures but they are not mine.
A monkey
kecak dance
[3:41 PM]
Hi this is Francis here :D.
Basically the trip was really fun with loads of amazing scenery. The different places were also very busy and a lot of tourists were walking around.
Especially when we drove past the padi fields, it was actually very interesting to witness firsthand whatever we've learnt about in Geography lessons. This entire trip was good in the sense that we experienced firsthand whatever we've learnt about during RSP lessons.
The sunset at Tanah Lot was quite a sight to behold, especially since it provided an alternative view of the architecture there.
Stairway to heaven at Uluwatu :)
The trip also challenged our perceptions of the things around us, such as our perspective on life. It was a refreshing change to hear about how the Balinese lead their life and how money isn't always a guarantor of success, at contrast with how the world views things currently. Although some of the school facilities were lacking some as compared to VS, the students were very enthusiastic during the lessons that we conducted and I think that I enjoyed it immensely.
Also, a lot of things had a lot more nuance and depth to them in stark contrast to first impressions. Although it might seem that a simple Barong Dance might be just another ritual, questions that could be raised are that is it really a ritual, the one that we were seeing. It raised questions about the effect of tourism on Bali, and even Indonesia as a whole. Of course, we were not really in a position to comment about the negative impacts of tourism as we were there as tourists also, however it is an interesting question to raise.
Sunset at uluwatu
It was an amazing trip.
[2:03 PM]
Bali trip Photos
Hi,
I am Joejyn, here are some of my photosa that i have taken in the trip.
These are about nature...
Here are some more...
I really enjoyed this trip and feel that I really learnt alot from it, especially about the balinese culture. I really hope that i could upload more pictures but there's no time now. Maybe later...
I hope that everyone enjoyed themselves and that we all learnt from it.
Here's my favorite photo...
I like it as it shows that Bali is not a very boring(city) country and that it is full of diversity. I feel it also shows the animalism believed in Bali. And this is my best photo!
Hope you enjoyed my photos!
[1:57 PM]
After the days in Bali, its good to be back home, but the memories will always be with me. 5 days there, there were activities ranging from dance to rice planting to home-stay. We also went to scenic places like Tanah Lot, Bedugul Lake and Pura Uluwatu.
The dances we viewed were the Fire (Kecak) Dance and the Barong Dance! Also everyone of us had an experience at rice-planting, like making a scarecrow or making a small shelter.
And the home-stay would be one of the most unforgettable experiences I'd ever have.
As for the other days, it was scenery, some culture and food! Though at some points I really wished I could go home, there too were days where I really wished I could stay on.
The life of the Bali people. They never fail to make the best of the day. Whether it rains, whether they are having fun, or when they are working, each day would be made fruitful, one way or another.
[1:52 PM]