Regional Studies Programme@ Victoria School

My Trip to Bintan

2010-03-13T21:10:00.005+08:00

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

Vietnam

2010-03-06T21:23:00.011+08:00

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

Imports And Exports Of Malaysia

2010-02-13T17:38:00.001+08:00

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.

Major exporter of rice in Southeast Asia

2010-02-11T15:17:00.001+08:00

Major Exporter of Rice in Southeast Asia

Jarryl and Muhd.Danial

endangered species by daryl lim and marcus lee

2010-02-11T15:16:00.000+08:00

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.

2010-02-11T15:13:00.002+08:00

Thailand is the major exporters of rice before Vietnam

Jarryl and Danial

Malaysia

2010-02-11T15:09:00.013+08:00

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...

Information on Indonesia Done by Reuben Goh and Timothy Chow

2010-02-11T15:07:00.014+08:00

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.

East Timor

2010-02-11T15:05:00.005+08:00

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!

thailand

2010-02-11T15:03:00.003+08:00

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)

Brief Info on SEA

2010-02-11T12:31:00.005+08:00

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

thailand pattaya

2009-09-30T21:29:00.000+08:00

this is the video that we watch during rsp

-darius

Problems of Prostitution in Thailand

2009-09-25T22:04:00.003+08:00

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

Photos

2009-07-14T23:23:00.000+08:00

Moments in Bali

2009-03-29T22:49:00.006+08:00

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

Bali Pic's

2009-03-29T10:18:00.006+08:00

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.

2009-03-27T15:41:00.003+08:00

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

2009-03-27T14:03:00.006+08:00

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.

Bali trip Photos

2009-03-27T13:57:00.006+08:00

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!

2009-03-27T13:52:00.005+08:00

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.
- Best Picture.

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.

Bali - Photos

2009-03-27T13:41:00.009+08:00

Hi all! :)

My trip to Bali was great! I liked my stay at my foster home, the sunset at Tanah Lot and shoppoing at Ubud the best! :D

I took a lot of photos with my camera, and here are a few of them: =P

This is a photo of flowers at the Fruits and Flowers Market. There's a bee in one of them.

This is a photo of two monkeys with a beautiful scenery at Tanah Lot. (The monkeys stole my glasses... ...)

Rangda Dance! :) Even the youth are interested in it! XD

Have you seen such a beautiful dragonfly before? :)

My last photo before leaving for Singapore at Alam Sari!

So this was my trip to Bali. :)

Hope you liked the pictures! =D

Lie Wen :)

Bali Trip (Exchange with local school) Keliki No.1 Elementary School

2009-03-20T22:47:00.005+08:00

Bali Trip - Informations

2009-03-06T20:41:00.003+08:00

Hi guys,
The following are details about the trip, however, do visit more often as the packing list has not been confirmed till now.
1. Do read up more about Bali before the trip
2. Packing List (To be uploaded after briefing on Monday)
3. Do bring your camera as there might be a photography competition.

4. Do take note that you guys have to meet at Changi Airport T2 @ around 11.30 am. You are to go to airport directly and there would be no lessons on that day.
5. Passports are to submitted latest by Monday
6. The plan for the English Lessons are to be submitted and approved by Mr Leo before the trip, latest by Wednesday. It is good that you get it ready by either Monday or Tuesday

7. Students in-charge of the IT stuff, do meet me on Wednesday to pack the items that we will be bringing to Bali.
8. The make-up lesson for Mathematics would be on Tuesday from 2.45 pm to 4.30 pm.

9. Please be notified about the following in-charge
Tristen - Overall student IC of trip
Dev & Melvin - Student IC of Logistics
Ze Xuan,DK & Matt - IC of IT stuff

10. I wish you all a Happy Holiday

To your parents
Keep updated of the activities we have done in Bali, which will be posted at the end of every day.

Regards,
Ze Xuan
RSP IT REPRESENTITIVE

Research Paper

2009-02-01T16:28:00.001+08:00

Hi guys, here are some references for writing a research paper.
Writing a Paper Slides

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Theses Academic Work research paper

Thanks,
ZX

awards for rsp students..

2009-01-16T09:54:00.001+08:00

New Special Awards for Students
1Starting from 2010, two new Lee Hsien Loong Awards will be given out to outstanding students. One award recognises post-secondary students who have attained outstanding all-round achievements, including academic and non-academic outcomes. The other award recognises outstanding bicultural students from the Bicultural Studies Programme (Chinese) and the Regional Studies Programme.

The two new special awards will be supported by the interest income generated from the endowment fund contributed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Lee Hsien Loong Award for Outstanding Bicultural Students
This award recognises top bicultural students who are conversant in Chinese/Malay, and are able to engage China/our regional neighbours, as well as relate to the West. The award will be given to two top students from the Bicultural Studies Programme (Chinese) and one top student from the Regional Studies Programme. Each winner will receive an award of $500.

Diverting of New Site

2009-01-13T21:17:00.002+08:00

Notice & Upcoming events can be found on @ vs-rspupdates.blogspot.com

2009-01-13T21:16:00.001+08:00

I’ve recently read this book and thought that it would be of some interest to other RSP students. ‘Finding George Orwell In Burma’ is an account of a journalist’s stay in Myanmar and her thoughts of the political situation of the nation. It is a political and thought-provoking book. Given that it is based in Myanmar (One of the countries in SEA that we will be studying this year), it holds relevance with what we are currently learning.

The book is a mixture of politics and history. George Orwell lived in Myanmar when he was young and worked there as a colonial police officer. He came to resent the system of monarchy and the British presence in Myanmar. It is there that he found his inspiration for his book ‘Burmese Days’, and quite possibly Animal Farm and 1984. The books reflect the effects of a totalitarian society and the pressed masses of Myanmar.

The author takes us deep into the heart of what society is like in such a totalitarian nation. There are many interviews of locals who hide under pseudonyms but who are eager to express their views to the world. It also tells of the oppression of monasteries and schools run by them who are being shut down or kept under close watch. Leaving a gap in a fundamental education system which has given Myanmar the highest rates of literacy in the world. However, with the implementation of government schools which don’t teach students anything else other than to be loyal to the regime, that rate will fall.

In Myanmar, the regime sees all. Fear keeps citizens in line. Harsh penalties are imposed on political prisoners and the media is technically government-run. Names of old places are changed, buildings torn down, heritage lost, memories erased. The citizens of Myanmar have become faceless, standing in the aisles, every face is the same. The tired face, the sunken eyes and finally, the broken spirit. Some stand with hope, others in pain.

I strongly suggest that you read this book.

Get Inspired!
Daniel Kong

Welcome to RSP!

2009-01-09T18:54:00.002+08:00

A warm welcome to all Sec Ones,
In order to get you guys to have a better understanding in cultures of SEA, we had organize a day whereby there will be an orientation for you guys. It will be held next week (14th Jan 2009, Wednesday)

You are reminded to bring along you PE-Attire on that day as you will not possibly be wearing your school uniform as this will be "sweaty".

With regards,
RSP

VS SEC ONE REGISTRATION

2008-12-11T21:12:00.004+08:00

Hi all,
We are seeking for volunteers to help out next Firday at the Sec One Registration. If you are going, kindly e-mail me @ zexuan@live.com.sg
Your help will be greatly appreciated.
We require a minimum of 10 - 15 person.

With Regards,
ZX

Sec 1 Orientation 2009

2008-11-28T10:01:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

How should we orientate our second batch of Sec One RSP students?

As seniors, I think, everyone should play a part in introducing and welcoming them into our not-so-big family (except for ZX). Perhaps, the first week of the term, or the second week provided we are going to Bali, we can throw a small welcome session for these Yr 1s. Besides that, what can we do? Any suggestions? 'Amazing Race' in Kampong Glam? A game of sepak bola/sepak takraw?

Pls post your ideas here so that we can discuss about it.

Oh yes, read and keep abreast with things happening around the region. For example, try to find out why there is a standoff in Thailand.

For those of you who are going to any of the SEA countries, do buy some artefacts, postcards, goodies and whatever you can find to share with us. Take lots of photos and post them here. We need your contributions!!!

For your info, next week I am heading for Sarawak! Headhunting! Tattooing! White-water rafting! Crocodile-hunting! Looking for the elusive Penans! Back to nature with the orang utan, pitcher plants and probosics monkeys! This is also a partial study trip for me as I would like to get contacts from there so that it would be easier for us to organise our immersion programme up there in future. Oh yes, can't wait to see the hornbills too!

Have a good break.

Leo

Pictures (Camp)

2008-11-16T22:54:00.003+08:00

RSP BBQ

2008-11-16T22:49:00.002+08:00

Hi guys,
The RSP BBQ will be held on this Friday from 4.30 - 8 pm.
You are to bring along $5 each for the BBQ.
On that day itself, there will also be a briefing for a project, thus, attendance for that day is compulsory. There will also be fun and games, and also an award presentation for the activities.
thanks!
zx
(info provided by mrdleo)

Group Photo (Group 1) RSP Camp

2008-11-14T21:09:00.001+08:00

RSP CAMP INFORMATIONS

2008-11-13T16:19:00.002+08:00

RSP CAMP 14TH NOV 2008

8.15am rsp room

wear yellow pe tshirt, brown shorts.

bring pncho/umbrella, water bottle, extra tshirt.

RSP CAM 15TH NOV 2008
You are to be in the RSP room by 7.30 a.m. tomorrow. Remembered that you are to be in your black t-shirt and pants tomorrow.
More pictures taken in Pulau Ubin will be uploaded soon.

For all Sec 1 students of 2009

2008-11-12T16:12:00.002+08:00

For any other more informations for admission to our programme,

1) Feel free to glance through the webpage for more info of what we do during the programme

2)Click HERE

to have an idea of how we accept applicants for the programme.

3) You may contact the teachers in charge of the programme: Mr Donald Leo and Ms Shyamira at 6291 2965 or e-mail us at vs.regional@gmail.com for any further enquiries.

Thanks,
VS-RSP

For all anklung performers

2008-11-12T16:10:00.000+08:00

Please be reminded that there will be anklung practice tomorrow at 3.30 pm.

PLEASE REACH THE ROOM 5-10 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACTUAL PRACTICE TO PREPARE FOR THE PRACTICE.

Cultural Camp Info.

2008-11-12T13:04:00.003+08:00

hi all, im Melv, here's the details of the cultural camp that will take place on the 14th, friday, and 15th, saturday.

The Cultural Camp for RSP students will be held on 14 and 15 November 2008. The proposed programme is:

1) 14 Nov (Friday) - Camp will be held in Pulau Ubin. Students will experience hands-on activities on Malay culture such as batik painting,traditional games, Malay dance, ketupat weaving etc. The camp is from 9am to 5pm.

2) 15 Nov (Sat)- Camp is held in Victoria School. We will engage a Gamelan group that will teach students on wayang kulit and gamelan.

Fri - meet in sch at 8:15 attire: PE ( I asked Mr Leo, we REACH pulau ubin at 9am.)

Sat - meet in rsp rm at 8:45, angklung performers 8:15 for rehearsals.

Thanks. See ya then.

Ideas For What We Should Focus On For The Peranakan Museum

2008-10-28T21:59:00.002+08:00

Hi all, i have an idea of a point that we should stress upon for our exhibition.

Globalisation and the Effect On Culture In SEA

With the rise of western and American pop culture, tradition and practices around the world are being slowly forgotten. SEA is a perfect example. SEA has a rich variety of culture and tradition. However, with the rise of western global figures like Macdonald's, much is being forgotten.

One of the main reasons this is happening is because of our young. Ask any Singaporean child on the streets, and you will find out that he probabaly know more about MTV than the practices of his own ethnic group. This is because he has grown up in a western environment, watch western TV programmes, be influenced by western cultures.

During the exhibition, i hope that we can raise awareness of this evergrowing problem. We, as asians, should hold on to our traditions, never rejecting them and treasuring them proudly as a legacy that our forefathers have built. If not, we will just be dilluted into a western culture.

I feel that this will be an interesting and meaningfull point to share and focus on at the exhibition.

Thank You
Daniel Kong

VS Roadshow @ Gongshang

2008-10-24T23:11:00.000+08:00

Videos(Adapted from Mr Siow's blog)

(Francis, Daniel Kong, Ze Xuan, Devenand)

Anklung and Arumba 1st Practice

2008-10-23T13:04:00.005+08:00

Boys playing Angklung

Boys playing the Arumba

Borneo--A Brief Introduction

2008-09-13T18:46:00.001+08:00

Hi guys, here is a brief video about the tribes in Borneo example penan tribe.

Dayak Challenge in the 21st Century - Cultural Displacement

Videos on Asmat Tribe

2008-09-11T21:30:00.003+08:00

To find out more, click on both links. '

Cannibalism

The Asmat Tribe

The Asmat Tribe - Cycles of Revenge and Skull as your Pillow

2008-09-11T07:54:00.006+08:00

The Asmat, who number 65,000 people, live in the coastal swamp forest of southern Irian Jaya. Although they are a Papuan people, many of their beliefs and traditions resemble Austronesians ideas about life and death. They live in pile houses along the banks of the tidal rivers.

The Asmat are famous for their cycles of revenge.

The dead are always living in their society. They believe that no matter how a person dies, be it old age, illness or an accident, this is caused by the enemies. Hence, revenge needs to be carried out. To remind themselves of taking revenge, they will raise totem pole in their compounds. The earlier the revenge is sought, the better it is because an unavenged death would bring misfortune for the living.

The dead are ususally buried in front of the man's houses with their feet towards the river. If the dead happens to be an important warrior or leader, the body would be left on a platform in front of the men's house to decompose. The skull is then removed and decorated before being placed in the men's house. Often a living relative will wear the skull around his neck, and use it as a pillow, so that the spirit of the deceased will help the living.

Now I have linked you to two clips for your reference. I have yet to establish if they are Asmat, but they are still close to what we watch in the Ring of Fire.

Lastly, would you turn your back on modern life and join me in search of the last cannibals in our fascinating world?

Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTRvcROcWHg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DeVovHw1RY

The Kris

2008-08-16T12:53:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone, I am ZhiHao. I am going to share with you share with you a book -The Kris written by Edward Frey.
Introduction
The kris is a distinctive weapon or the Malay world. There are many different type of krises. Typically, the kris is an elongated dagger or short sword with of slender proportions with a blade of rough textures sharpened on both ends. The blade may be sinuous or straight and is often damascened with beautiful patterns forged into the steel.
The Magic and the Power of the Kris
The history of the kris abounds with stories of its magic powers. Many stories are told of krises that are slew by the mere act of being pointed at the victim. This is much a superstitious lore, and the Malays in particular believed in a form of magic called tuju. With appropriate incantations, and the deliberate pointing of a finger, human bone or kris at a person could bring bad luck or disaster upon him. Some of the old magic krises were credited with having strong wills, an animus, of their own. One kris kept on display in the museum at Taiping in Malaysia would thirst for blood, sneak away after dark, kill someone, wash and wipe itself and return to its showcase in secret.
The Kris as Cultural Talisman
For the past hundred years or forty years in some parts of the Malay world, the kris has ceased to be worn for personal protection. Because of the presence of the Dutch and English in South-East Asia from the seventeenth century onwards, the need or right to carry a weapon gradually fell into abeyance. The Western colonizers gradually impose their own laws and controls upon the native society. Throughout this process the kris has been retained in ceremonial as a symbol of the heritage it represents.
The deadly Kris
For all the magic, and mysticism and ritual associated with the kris, it was for the first few hundred years of its existence, primarily a weapon of defence and sudden assault. The very smallness of the weapon, fitted as it was with a bent-over or pistol-like grip, made it a perfect stabbing instrument. It was easy to make a straight line thrust to the belly or kidney of a victim while the elboe was bent. This made it effective in confined space and no doubt contributed to its reputation as a weapon of ill repute.
The Kris and Its Blade
The blade is the most important part of any sword. The kris is forged by a technique known as ‘pattern welding’-one in which two or more layers of different steels were pounded together while red-hot, folded or twisted, pounded more and folded more until the desired number of layers, or laminae, were obtained. The rough sword blade so achieved was then filed and polished smooth and finally acid-etched to bring out the contrasting colours of the low and high carbon steels.
The Sheath, Hilt and Fittings
The Javanese say that a kris should be drawn from its sheath carefully and with respect. It should be replaced in the same manner and thus kept from harm and abuse. The sheath of a kris is usually light in weight and not very sturdy. The wood itself is often selected for is ornamental appeal rather than for its strength. However, kris sheaths cannot be considered flimsy as they all seem to be fitted together well. In addition, they are carried in a wide band or sash close to the body, which manner surely offers adequate protection to the sheath and its contents.

Languages Day

2008-08-15T21:57:00.001+08:00

Hey guys, please be reminded that the ASL is tomorrow.
Please meet in school by 7.30 a.m. sharp at the foyer.
Bring along your class t-shirts.

Help spread this message. Thanks.

A Cambodian Prison Portrait - One Year in the Khmer Rouge's S-21

2008-08-06T21:01:00.003+08:00

HOLA everyone,

Lie Wen here again.

I'm going to be sharing on the book - A Cambodian Prison Portrait by Vann Nath.

~INTRODUCTION~
Vann Nath is a talented artist, who was one of the lucky 7 survivors of the Khmer Rouge's S-21, known as Tuol Sleng. S-21 was a secret prison where at least 14000 prisoners were tortured and executed! This Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, last from April 1975 to January 1979. The high school, Tuol Sleng, was converted into this prison. Besides the 14000 who were killed, others were indirectly affected. Hundreds and thousands more died of starvation, overwork, or disease. The estimated death toll was MORE than 1 000 000!

~INFORMATION OF THE AUTHOR~
Vann Nath was born into a farming family in 1946 (he is 62 now, with a wife and 3 children). He lived in Battambang, a city northwest of Cambodia. He took up painting, and the 'wonderful' paintings of people being tortured in the book are painted by him. Vann was 'arrested' in December 29, 1977. He did not commit any offence but he was still tortured. Then, Vann became ONE OF THEM! He klled at least four or five people, and some new-born babies. Yes, but he had no choice. If you had a choice, would you become one of them to survive, or rebel and perhaps get executed?

~IN CONCLUSION...~
This book shows the pain and suffering Vann Nath got in the S-21. Though some parts are slightly disgusting ( torture scences, cruel acts ), you will find the book VERY INTERSTING. You will realise how fortunate you are, for being able to live in a safe country like Singapore. Imagine, if you lived in Cambodia, and this happened. Would you be as lucky as Vann and have that SLIM 0.05% chance of surviving? It also adds on to the History of Cambodia, as now S-21 is no longer existing.

IF YOU HAD ENJOYED MY REVIEW, I'M SURE YOU WILL TOO ENJOY THIS BOOK!

THANK YOU!

To really end off, as my previous post had promised, I will show you a video on YouTube about some Americans visiting the Iban Headhuntes.

Roll the 9:38 video and ENJOY!

Um, click here to view the video. You might want to open another page of this blog while the video loads. Once again, ENJOY!

Speech Day

2008-08-05T18:43:00.002+08:00

Hi guys, as I had observed, good job done on speech day. (being seen by me myself, the camera man)
The now focus is on your CA2. Work Hard!
Besides that,as ibu christina had mentioned, we are having our rehersal for the asian languages day on the 15th of August. I think this only applies to those who are performing. (Gamelan people)

The details are as follow:
Activity: Asian Launguages Day Rehersal '08
Date: 15th August 208
Time: 2.30 p.m.
Venue: MOE LC

Regards,
Ze Xuan

speech day 2008

2008-08-04T11:53:00.002+08:00

Yangon -- Shwedagon Pagoda

2008-08-01T13:47:00.002+08:00

Hi guys, here aer some facts of the famous Pagodas which can be found in Yangon. Enjoy.
History of Yangon
The history of Yangon is related with the history of the Shwedagon Pagoda. Wherever your are, whether in the East, West, South or North, you are able to see the Shwedagon.
The Shwedagon Pagoda
Shwedagon Pagoda is found back to the days of enlightment of Gaudama Buddha when he first discovered the cause and effect of the suffering of people. It was on the 49th day after the Enlightenment when two brothers, Taphussa and Bhallika, merchants from Ukkalapa in the land of Mon people in Lower Myanmar, came before Buddha. A nat (spirit) who had been the mother of the two brothers in a previous existence had guided them to the Buddha. The brothers offered honey cakes. After Buddha had eaten the cakes, the brothers asked for gift. Buddha passed His hand over His head and, obtaining eight Hairs, gave them to the brothers. Buddha, perceiving that the three previous Buddhas had caused their possessions to be enshrined in a pagoda on Singuttara hill in the country of the two brothers, bade them to do likewise.
(adapted from http://www.myanmars.net/myanmar-travel/myanmar-yangon/yangon.htm#History_of_Yangon)

Pictures

2008-07-31T16:18:00.002+08:00

Hi there, here are some pictures taken during the "Enchanting Indonesia" and the Gamelan Practices.

Bengawan Solo

2008-07-31T16:10:00.001+08:00

Hi guys, just found a music video of Bengawan Solo. It is faster in speed as compared to the previous one provided by Ms Shyamira.Enjoy.

Bengawan Solo

Ze Xuan

Bu Perjan Suka Usil (The Annoying Mrs Perjan)

2008-07-31T15:46:00.003+08:00

Hi, I am Daniel Kong and here's a review of a short Balinese legend.
Mr and Mrs Perjan lived in a village.Unknown to Mr Perjan, Mrs Perjan is able to transform into anything. She uses this power to turn into a monkey to steal fruits from her neighbour and a jewelry box to steal jewelry from a wealthy man's daughter.She transforms into a ghost to scare the villagers but ends up being cut on the nose by her own husband who bravely fights the 'ghost' with a knife. She lies that she had injured herself while cooking. Greedy Mrs Perjan gets her head stuck in a pot while trying to lick the food remnants inside. While trying to break the pot to free her, Mr Perjan accidentally hits his wife's head. This knocks some sense into Mrs Perjan and she decides to turn over a new leaf.

Iban Values, Beliefs and Rituals

2008-07-26T14:59:00.007+08:00

Hi all

This is Lie Wen,

and I'm going to tell you all about...

IBAN VALUES, BELIEFS AND RITUALS

Let's start of with a brief introduction...

The Iban tradionally lived in a forested world replete with beast, myraid insects and thousands of other living organisms. By sharing this dynamic environment, The Iban have interpreted their existence as a state of continuos balance with other beings, whether natural or supernatuaral. This forms the basis of their philosophy: all objects have souls. However, many of traditional beliefs and customs associated with longhouse living and rice cultivation have been affected by mordernisation as well as changing religious and social influences.

SOCIAL VALUES

EGALITARIANISM is one of the most important central values of the Iban and is ardently practised at all levels of their social organisation, be it within a family or longhouse community. A spirit of cooperation exists in all aspects of life collective and in endeavours such as house building, rice cultivation and ritual festivals.
AS the Iban expended their teritory, primarily to acquire land to cultivate rice, their spiritual beliefs provided the rationale and psychological support to subdue their adversaries. In their mythology and sacred texts, such as behaviour was accepted as the right way to ensure the continuity of the group. The past practice of taking heads as trophies or as symbols of courageous achievements arose from this. Iban soldiers in the Malaysian armed forces have exhibited their legendary courage during incursions and have been awarded medals for bravery.

--An Iban in his warrior costume complete with a feathered headdress and ceremonial sword. IMPRESSIVE!

--The Ibans take heads as trophies or symbols of courage, OOH SPOOKY!

--Someone getting a tattoo for his achivement, a nail dipped in ink is hammered into his skin to get the colour in. COOL, YET "OUCH-ish"

GAWAI

Gawai mark important times in the life of the Iban. The main ones are Gawai Batu and Gawai Memali Umai; Gawai Ngintu Orang Sakit; Gawai Kenyalang; and Gawai Antu. The gawai follows a genaral pattern of rituals, beginning with miring, followed by biau, and ending with timang by lemambang. The timang, which are chanted in polyphonic prose and imageries, narrate the journey of the lemambang's soul as he invites the gods to attend the celebrations. The rituals may go on all night, and include dances to welcome the spirits.

The following translator is to... TRANSLATE? (of course, for the Italic-ised words) It could sharpen your BI, or at least thats what I think the language is... or is it?
Translation:
Gawai - Festivals
Gawai Batu and Gawai Memali - Cultivation of rice
Gawai Ngitu Orang Sakit - Health and longevity
Gawai Kenyalang - Warfare and bravery
Gawai Antu - Death
Miring - Offering of food
Biau - Invocations and chanting
Timang - Ritual incantations
Lemambang - Ritualists

--Someone performing the gawai. Is he the lemambang?

The Ibans actually have what you can call a "complex" way of life. Besides what I mentioned above, they also have souls and beliefs, customs and adat, etc.

Reading this article, I actually found the Ibans really interesting, with all the rituals, social values...

MAYBE WE COULD PAY THEM A VISIT... HAHAHA...
ANY TAKERS???
wouldn't that be nice?

I wanted to end off with a video... but my computer can't go to YOUtube... *sniffle*

In our next post, I'll inroduce to you A Cambodian Prison Portrait
Vann Nath, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge's S-21, writes about his experience of one year of pain and suffering... Poor Vann...

And also, I'll show you that video I promised. It is about the Ibans and their heads they keep as trophies. ( remind me if I forget )
Till then, I'LL SEE YOU!!!

Water puppetry

2008-07-25T18:55:00.000+08:00

Vietnamese water puppetry literally means "puppets that dance on water." The tradition dates back as far as the tenth century when it originated in the Red River Delta area of northern Vietnam. When the rice fields would flood the villages, villagers would entertain each other using this puppet form.

The puppets are built out of wood and the shows are performed in a waist-deep pool. A large rod supports the puppet under the water and is used by the puppeteers to control them. The appearance is of the puppets moving over the water. When the rice fields would flood the villagers, would entertain each other using this puppet form.

Eventually, villages would compete against each other with their puppet shows. This led puppet societies to be secretive and exclusive, including an initiation ceremony that involved drinking rooster blood.

Only recently were women allowed to join the puppet troupes.

Devanand

Gawai Dayak part 2

2008-07-25T18:47:00.001+08:00

Gawai Dayak is the important annual festival celebrated in the state of Sarawak, the Land of the Hornbills. This festival is celebrated by Sarawak’s indigenous people, particularly the Ibans and the Dayaks. Sarawak’s harvest festival is known as Gawai Dayak and has only been celebrated on a large scale by the tribes since 1964.

Gawai Dayak features the conduct of a ceremonial offering which is held in towns and longhouses alike. Offerings of various foodstuff and ‘tuak’ or home-made rice wine are made to the gods of rice and prosperity. The poet of the tribe then recites a poem specially meant for the occasion and smears blood of a sacrificed cockerel over these offerings.

Once the ceremonial offering is over, the traditional celebration of the gawai begins. The community gathers around the ‘ranyai’ or ceremonial tree at the common verandah of the longhouse. Celebrations centre around the ranyai with decorated foodstuff and drinks. This festival is a combination of merrymaking, feasting and drinking of rice wine.

During the Gawai, the wearing of traditional costumes and a display of the Orang Ulu’s priceless antique beads and the Iban maiden’s silver jewellery are seen. The end of the gawai is signified by the removal of the ceremonial tree.

Devanand

Book review.

2008-07-25T17:43:00.002+08:00

Hi, i am Joseph, and my book is the man eating corcidiles of borneo.
it is a extremely interesting book, as it tells you real life tales about croc's, like one about a crocidile who ate at least 6 men, and killed more then 10.It also tells you about some croc legends.

Here are some facts about croc's
1) The laregest and most aggressive crocidiles are salt water cocdiles, who are kind enough to live around the region.
2) If you even see a croc, don't panic or scream, just run for your life.
3) Croc's won't attack you unless you attack them, or unless they are guarding eggs.
4) Unless you climb more then 7 feet up,you won't be safe in a tree as croc's can leap 6 feet from the water.
5)The largest croc found was 25feet long and 5 feet wide.
6) croc's like to eat their food rotten.

Anklung (A brief information of Anklung)

2008-07-25T17:11:00.001+08:00

Angklungs, or tuned bamboo slide rattles, have been used throughout Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Generally, these rattles have two or three vertical bamboo tubes (tuned in octaves) attached to a handheld horizontal bamboo rod. When you shake them, the tubes slide along grooves cut into the rectangular frame and strike a bamboo or wooden rim. There is a small segment cut out of each tube which also affects the pitch they produce.

Usually, performers use pairs of anklung, one held in each hand. Occasionally, these instruments are suspended so that musicians can play two or more at a time.

JOURNEY THROUGH YANGON ... (some facts on the Religon, Enthic Religon) to be continued soon

2008-07-25T16:24:00.006+08:00

The legend of Shwedagon
1. Enthic Religion
People in Yangon had a unique dressing whereby some women had rings on their neck as they may think that that is a form of beautiful, people with "gold powders" on their faces. Below is a picture of different looks of citizens of Yangon. (Their different type of enthic costumes, religon, their make-up)

(Image of the woman with powder and make-ups on the face)

(image of woman with neck rings)

2. Religon
Most people in yangon believe in the buddisht religon. However, not every citizen of Yangon is a buddhist, many Karen and Kachin abd Kayah are Christians and the city consists of several chinese temples, churches and Malay Mosques.
(Until Now, I think that you all must be asking what Karen, Kachin and Kayah are)
Karen
Most Karen people live in the eastern border region of Burma in the Karen State, with some in Kayah State, Southern Shan State.
Facts: (As with many widely-used ethnonyms (e.g., Miao — Karen was originally applied pejoratively by enemies. However, the term has since been claimed by the Karen themselves as a badge of pride.) It was counted that in 2006, there were about 7 000 000 population of Karens in Burma. Other than that, there are another group of 400 000 Karen living in the hilly area of Thailand.

(above is a image of a Karen Village in Thailand)

Balinese Hindu Temples

2008-07-24T22:31:00.007+08:00

Hi, I am Daniel Kong and here is a write-up on Balinese Hindu Temples.
Hinduism is practised by 93% of the population of Bali. There are 2 basic kinds of Hindu temples.The house temple attached to every living compound is called 'sanggah' or 'merajan'. A temple in the public domain is called 'pura'. Temples are grouped into 3 important groups: kin group temples; agricultural and irrigation temples; and village and regional temples. These temples are associated with the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva.

Temple structure: comprises a number of shrines and subsidiary pavilions, surrounded by an enclosing wall cut by a gateway, which is an imposing brick or stone structure. There are a few courtyards within, depending on size.

Pura Besakih, on the slopes of Mt Agung, is the 'mother temple'of Bali. In 1963, the volcano erupted and destroyed several nearby villages but Bersakih was untouched. Bersakih has a large number of 'merus'(wooden structures with pagoda-like roofs covered in palm fibres piled up on top of each other). These symbolise the seat of the Gods. The number of roofs is an od number from 3 to 11. The temple site is divided into 3, symbolising the trinity of Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu.

Another 'supremely holy' temple in Bali is the Pura Luhur Uluwatu, which I visited during my Bali holiday in June 2008.It is majestically located on a raised seabed called the Bukit, which is connected to the main island by a narrow stretch of land. Uluwatu is dedicated to the spirits of the sea and it sticks out like a finger 250 feet above the crashing waves.

Si Cerdik LABEDU

2008-07-24T18:07:00.002+08:00

Hi i am darius,
This story is about a lad name Lebadu,he was an intelligent boy. One day, he met mr Lamasia, a rich man in that village. Then the story begins, the young lad will ask Mr Lamasia some weird and annoying questions.The young lad will go to Mr Lamasia house and meet Mr Lamasia daughter. The truth is then revealed, actually, Lebadu was asking very intelligent questions and his daughter too had in mind the same questions as what Lebadu had asked. Then at last they...hmmm....married yay. This is a great book. Got english words too!!!

Shamanism in Sarawak

2008-07-24T17:53:00.002+08:00

Hi all I am DARIUS,

i will talk about shamans today. Shamanism is basically a group of people who embrace themselves to Islam and Christianity using a variety of dramatic twchnics, shamans work alongside other rituals specialists to perform a number of useful functions in their community,the most common being healing. Changing religious and secular influences,however, are now altering the shaman's traditional position. will continue later....

Book Review: Lots More Lat

2008-07-24T17:31:00.002+08:00

hi, Joejyn here. i am about to tell you about the Lots more Lat.

this book, as you all already know is a comic which has a bit of BI or BM(Bahasa Malayu), i am not sure, in its content. some of the bi is simple but i cannot understand most of them. many of the comics are very funny, telling you about cultures in other countries, like the pubic bath in japan, what kampong life was like etc. some talk about traffic, and one even talked about the malay puasa.

this book is very interesting. dont miss it!

Gawai Dayak

2008-07-24T16:33:00.001+08:00

Gawai Day or Gawai Dayak, a festival celebrated in Sarawak on 1 June every year is both a religious and social occasion. The word Gawai means a ritual or festival whereas Dayak is a collective name for the native ethnics of Sarawak; Iban, Bidayuh, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Lun Bawang and others. Thus, Gawai Dayak literally means "Dayak Festival". Dayak would visit their friends and relatives on this day. Such visit is more known as "ngabang" in Iban dialect. Those far away would receive greeting cards.

-Devanand

Hinduism

2008-07-24T15:23:00.003+08:00

hi, this is Joseph.
I'm here to talk to you about...Hinduism(duh)
Hinduism is the oldest major religion, and it is the world's third lagrest religion.
it has approximetly 1 billion followers, with 905 million from india and Nepal. It means persion name for the indus river or something like that.It comprises of gods(duh) and each god has a myth surounding it.

Brahams are the priests , and in the pasttheir support of the kings , or their lack of it was instrumental in the king's rule.Pretty big role, huh? The braham, in indian society were the most important, their rank surpassing even rulers and warriors

2008-07-24T15:14:00.002+08:00

yawns! im doing a very..INTERESTING! write up on Siberut:Souls in fragile harmony

at first i was going HUH? er yeah u might go that too, but lemme tell u more!

Siberut : largest ( 4,000 sqaure kilometres ) and most northern island in the Mentawai Archipelago to the west of sumatra..i don't blame u for taking a period of time to understand

Social structure : Islanders cultivate root crops and sago, as well as keep chickens and pigs ( they keep me? jsut kidding ) They also hunt fish. ( By the way do indonesian eat pork? )

For many generations! Traders from sumatra have exchanged iron tools, textiles and glass beads for coconuts and forest products.

The population of siberut is divided into exogamous patrilineal clans which trace their origin from a common area in the northwest of the island. Descendants of these clans stay in longhouses (Uma) sited at varying distances from one another along rivers.

Traditional uma's hold between 5 to 10 families. Wow its big, larger than bungalows, right?

Inside the uma there is an ideology of cooperation and trust. Without it how to live in harmony? Also there is a master of ceremonies (rimata) and often one or more shamans(kerei)

Oh yeah, tensions between families are rules rather than exceptions

Souls in fragile harmony : Islanders believe evrything has a soul(simagere)-humans,animals,plants..(and yes for some who think they have no soul)

There are specific taboos in each Mentawai important undertaking, and if u fail to obey, the "bajou", a kind of impersonal force present in everything that has a soul, is aroused. The frequent consequence for offenders is illness and eventually death.

The soul of a person can detach itself from the body and wander about freely and so they are the cause of dreams, but if a soul encounters unpleasant adventures, it seeks refuge with ancestors, to counter this each man and woman shld lead a life that please their souls ( yes live happy eat good..abalone for everyone? )

Sorry for the long post, too many interesting stuff..ok shorten this.

Festivals : Puliajat -- 1. Meat is shared out for a ritual banquet by members of the "uma"
2. At the start of the ritual the master of ceremonies invokes the leaf-bud of an aren palm, symbolising the unity of the "uma"
3. All participants adorn themselves with parts of the leaf-bud.
4.Evil forces are driven out of the "uma" by the officiating shamans.
5. The souls of the ancestors are called dto join the living.

well i'll end here with these pics of the aren palm, sorry for long post, thanks and

bye

Melv

Mae Nak

2008-07-22T10:41:00.004+08:00

Hi Alvin,

The story of Mae Nak was made into a movie. Recently, they even have one movie on the return of her ghost.

The legend of Mae Nak is famous throughout Thailand. I think almost everyone knows about her. In fact, she is worshipped these days and is made the patron saint of smmoth delivery for women. Couples who don't have kids also go to her to seek her blessings.

Now this is a trailer from the movie Nang Nak.

Leo

Book Review on the Pontianaks

2008-07-21T15:59:00.002+08:00

Hi, I'm Alvin and I am teaching you tips to ware off these horrendous creatures.

This book is a survival guidebook as it depicts to you the eyewitness scene of the monstrous pontianak!!!

By the way,a pontianak is a pregnant woman who died during childbirth that transforms into a monster!

They look like ugly women with long unruly hair and fingernails and are almost always seen in white shrouds with the feet facing in the opposite direction.

Tips to survive!

1. The mother must not be separated with the baby.

2. Place a few nails with the corpse after burial.

3. If you are desperate for someone ahem... special, try hitting a nail at the back of her neck, you could end up with a beautiful wife.

4. If you are soooooooooooo afraid, then strip naked!!! (only works for pontianaks)

5. If you are caught unprepared, say a few prayers and stare at her.

6. If you can't, play dead.

7. If all above measures fail, then... panic!!!

This book, "Pontianak with survival guidelines", is a horror book. Turn the pages over as you feel the cold, gripping fear in your heart...

Tengger: the Hindu Javanese

2008-07-20T20:33:00.003+08:00

Introduction

According to the Javanese legends, when the great Hindu-Buddhist court of Majapahit fell to Muslim armies in the 1520s, many commoners among the vanquished Hindu population are said to have fled to the Tengger mountains, a large massif east of Majapahit.

The Tenggerese

The Majapahit refugees and highland people became the ancestors of the present-day 'Tengger people' (wong tengger). The 50,000 Tenggers residing in 28 settlements are the only Javanese to have preserved a non-islamic priestly tradition directly descended from the Sivasism of the Majapahit era.

Priestly and Popular Interpretations

Until the emergence of a Hindu reform movement in the 1970s, a similar tension between priestly liturgies, deeply Sivate in content, and popular religious culture, much closer to folk-javanism, characterised much of Tengger ritual.

The Priestly Liturgies

Preserved over the centuries in small, palm-leaf(lontar) manuscripts which only the priests read, the liturgies provide a remarkable perspective on the priestly tradition. At many ceremonies, the priests otensibly invoke the ancestors, the priestly liturgies that are recited make no mention of any founding ancestors.Instead, the prayers indicate that the rite is an appeal for world renewal directed towards the god Siva. The liturgies bear a striking resemblance to those of modern Bali's resi bulangga, a commoner and non-commoner priest.

Hindu Reform

The reform movement was pionerred in the Tengger highlands by school teachers and villages who had travelled to and in two instances, studied in Bail. In the early 1970s one of the most learned Tengger priest made a detailed study of Balinese and Tengger prayers and discovered that the two traditions were intimately related. From then on, most villag leaders rallied to support the Hindu reform movement.

Tenggerese children at a wedding in traditional attire

Some ceremony?

A Tenggernese

Luke

The Penan Community and Traditions

2008-07-20T17:27:00.012+08:00

Hi, Joejyn here. i am going to indroduce to you today the penans(not the Mentawaian people). hope you enjoy this!

Introduction
They are traditionally nomadic people, living mainly in the most remote parts of northern interior Sarawak although the majority have settled. Only a few hundered penans are still nomadic, the forest providing them with food and building materials for both houses and culture. They continue to practise resource tenure unique to their community and is very famous for their exceptional rattan weaving and blowpipe making skills. Although majority of penans have ambraced christianity and the minority islam, they still adhere to age-old values and norms.

Settlements
There are 2 groups of penans, the eastern and western penans. The eastern penans settled along the Baram River while the western penans settled along the Rajang River. Penans live in bands, each consisting about 40 people. Nomadic penans live in camp huts which they abandon as they migrate. Those that have settled live in either longhouses or single houses in vllage settlements. The penans are led by a headman, or pengajau uma, who looks after affairs of the villages.

They are famous for - Rattan weaving
Want to weave mats from rattan but dont know how to? No problem! The penans are here! They(paricularly the western penans )are the best rattan weavers in Sarawak. its process involves splitting each length of rattan into eight strips which are then shaved for waeving. They are left to dry and then woven into mats, which might take at least three weeks to a month to complete. They are major producers of mats and baskets, but face a growing scarcity of rattan due to over-exploitation of the forest and development.

They are famous for - Bowpipe making
i am sure that you are more interested in this(well, i am!). The penans make excellent blowpipes, perviously made solely for weapons and hunting, they are now produced for sale. Wood from some 14 species of trees is used for making blowpipes.

Picture time!

Bored of me just talking? Now lets have the pictures do the "talking"!

Such a loving father, dont you think?

Some penans hunting using the blowpipe

Some penan woman weaving

The Bisaya

2008-07-20T11:31:00.008+08:00

Where are they found

They can be found in parts of...
>Philippines
>Brunei
>Malaysia

Best known for...

>music
>buffalo races
>and their efforts to retain and to promote their enriching cultural traditions

Amazing facts!!!

>among the best gong musicians in Sarawak (juz like me)
>sickness is beleived to be caused by evil or angry spirits, ghosts or charms
>healing rituals to appease those spirits to restore the soul of the person
>ritual has 3 stages
1. diagnosis
2. negotiating and peace making
3. ceremony after sickness is cured

Beliefs...

>traditionally beleive in the mighty spirit, Al Talaq and many other spiritual beings

Buffalo race

Buffalo race taking place

We have come to the end of this post

Alvin

2008-07-18T16:10:00.009+08:00

Hi, Francis here. Today I'm going to use the 100th post on this blog to talk about the BIDAYUH =)

Brief Introduction

The Bidayuh make up over 8% of Sarawak's population, and are believed to be the first people to settle in the original territory of Sarawak. Although they are one community, they speak 5 main different dialects. They were traditionally Swidden rice farmers, however they now grow more permanent crops after the government urged them to do so.

Society

The Bidayuh are an egalitarian people(They believe that everyone is equal). They have a customary law which is known as adat. Families are close-knit and share strong kinship ties. It is not uncommon to see three generations living together under the same roof.

Bidayuh villages are separated by natural boundaries such as a river or rock. It consists of the people's homes and other buildings, such as the baruk. The baruk is round in shape with a Hornbill(Sarawak is known as the land of the Hornbills) at the apex(highest point) of its circular roof. It serves as a place for discussion of adat. It is also a venue for ceremonies, and a place for men to make handicrafts, weapons and work tools. It is their cultural icon

Each village has several key personnel, such as the headman(piayuh kupuo), and a ritual expert, a pinyigar.

Social customs and religions.

The Bidayuh were mostly animalistic(they worshiped animals), and they believed that they had to maintain a harmonious relationship with the spirit world. They also emphasized greatly on maintaining a harmonious relationship between members of a community.

However, as the Bidayuh started embracing Christianity, the adat had to be secularized(not based on religion), so that they would have a common code of conduct.

Bidayuh : Then and now

Bidayuh farmers have moved on to cultivating pepper, cocoa, rubber, coffee and oil palm, and many have diversified into the construction, hotel, food, petroleum, gas and fishing industries.

However, the Bidayuh are not forgetting their roots, and have set up various organizations such as the Dayuk Bidayuh National Association to teach children traditional songs, dances and music. They are also encouraged to use the Bidayuh language at home.

A picture of the baruk

Bidayuh women wearing their traditional dress.

Hope you enjoyed this =)

bintang kecil

2008-07-16T19:22:00.003+08:00

bintang kecil (small stars)

Bintang Kecil - Aksi Mat Yoyo

this is another popular indonesian children song... my personal favourite. =)

Bintang kecil, di langit yang tinggi (small stars, up in the sky so high)

Amat banyak, menghias angkasa (so many, decorating the skies)

Aku ingin, terbang dan menari (i wish i can fly and dance)

jauh tinggi ke tempat kau berada (up far, to that place where you are...)

Bengawan Solo

2008-07-16T16:51:00.002+08:00

Bengawan Solo (Bengawan Solo)
Riwayatmu ini (this is your lifestory/history)
Sedari dulu jadi (it has been since long ago)
Perhatian insani (became the observation of Man)

Musim kemarau (During dry seasons)
Tak berapa airmu (there isn't much water)
Di musim hujan, (During rainy seasons)
air meluap sampai jauh (Your waters flood over to yonder)

(Chorus)

Mata airmu dari Solo (Your well springs source from Solo)
Terkurung Gunung Seribu (Surrounded by thousands of mountains)
Air mengalir sampai jauh (your water flows far)
Akhirnya ke laut (till it reaches the sea)

Itu perahu (That boat)
Riwayatnya dulu (its past history)
Kaum pedagang s'lalu (it was always the merchants/traders)
Lalu Naik perahu (pass by and board that boat)

bengawan solo

2008-07-16T16:43:00.004+08:00

Bengawan Solo - Krontjong

hi guys,
it has been requested that VS put up a performance for our RSP camp in september. One of the songs mentioned, either we sing or play gamelan is the song above. here's a brief history about the song:

Bengawan Solo is a famous Indonesian song about the Bengawan Solo River, which flows through central and eastern Java, Indonesia and is that island's longest river.

The song describes the legendary river in a poetic and nostalgic way, that it is surrounded by mountains, its sources are near the city of Surakarta, that it ends in the sea, and that the merchant class always makes use of it.

Written in 1940 by Gesang Martohartono, it is in the local kroncong style, a popular folk style with influences from Portuguese. The Japanese, who occupied the country during World War II, brought the song with them to Japan after returning from the war. There, and also in the rest of Asia and later worldwide, the song became very famous.

The song's widespread popularity began soon after its composition, and locally it is strongly associated with the period of war occupation and the society of the times. In 1940 Gesang, then a young, destitute and untrained musician, composed the song on a bamboo flute and began to sing it at local functions and gatherings in his hometown of Surakarta. It soon became well-known and liked among the local Javanese community; the song then achieved national acclaim after it was broadcast to a wider audience by various radio stations.

The melodies of the song also appealed to both the occupying Japanese soldiers, and the non-Indonesian prisoners (mainly Dutch civilians) in the internment camps. The song was taken back to Japan by the returning soldiers, where it (with the lyrics translated to Japanese) gained great popularity after various singers such as Toshi Matsuda released recorded versions of it which became best-sellers. The song has become almost synonymous with the perception of Indonesian music in Japan.

you can go search and find out more about the bengawan solo river.

i will blog the liriks and what it means the next time...

so longggggg...enjoy the sooothing melody of the song.

-ms shyamira-

Java - Between Myth and Reality

2008-07-12T12:05:00.013+08:00

A woman carrying her child and begging amidst the traffic jam of Jakarta

There are many monuments in Jakarta. Most of these often symbolise triumph over adversity in the search of nationhood and independence

Borobudur - One of the world's biggest Buddhist monument

A statue of Buddha overlooking the rice field

Statues of Lord Blonyo going for a ride

What is she doing? Who is she praying to? What favour is she asking for?

A scene from Ramayana when the troops of Hanuman are preparing for the final attack

Rice terraces near Dieng

Useful Websites for Learning of Bahasa Indonesia

2008-07-08T09:22:00.005+08:00

Hi all, just found some useful websites to help you with the learning of BI.

Do check these sites out.

1. http://www.expat.or.id/info/bahasa.html

2. http://www.hello-indonesia.com/HelloIndonesia/Language.htm

3. http://www.indonesiantranslationservice.com.au/faq.html

By far, these three are user friendly and they links to useful sites too.

Oh, who was it who asked me why I didn't make known to you guys that I was going to Indonesia?

To answer your question, I thought I did tell some of you that Ms Shyamira and I would be going to Indonesia last month. Didn't I?

As a whole, it was kind of a learning trip for both of us and I must say that it was good returning to Java. Jakarta hasn't chnaged much. The traffic jam is still there. Yogya (pronounced as Jogja) is still the same as almost everywhere you go there is a sense of mystique enjoining nature and human kind, which is best exemplified by its volcanoes and its people.

We didn't really get to see Mt Merapi when we were there. The sky seemed jealous and was rather determined to hide the majestic mountain away from our sight with its wayward clouds. As one of the giants of the land, we could sense that Mt Merapi would not take this lying down. Fortunately in one of the last days of the trip, as we were travelling to Dieng Plateau, we managed to catch sight of Mt Merapi. It was not really an impressive sight as we could only see its smoke-filled summit. Nevertheless, this slight view of Merapi had readily imposed its towering presence on us and we know that nothing within its close radius could rival its dominance.

That's all for now. Will write again soon.

Leo

Oh ya, will be posting Ms Shyamira photos soon. Akan datang.

2008-06-26T18:36:00.001+08:00

Hi ppl this is Bok Woon's Group here (actually its just Bok Woon himself) & we are going to post about our trip to Lor Buangkok (not 'Bangkok') & Geylang Serai Market. For my Group, we did our interview part in Lor Buangkok. We were given some questions to ask the interviewed person.

Name:
Absah
Age:
76
Occupation:
Never worked.
Education:
Never went to school
How long has she stayed in the Kampong:
About 50 years (pretty old)
Family members:
8 children + Mother + Father(passed on)only youngest son stays in the Kampong; the rest moved out (sad)
Why does she stay there:
Last time very few flats. Anyway, she prefers the Kampong. (incredible)
How was the Kampong like last time:
There used to be a river but then grew plants became a forest. (wow)
How was your childhood like:
Used to live in the Kampong in Telok Kurau. Like to collect things from the sea. Some can be eaten. (Jellyfish?Sharks?Loch Ness?)
Any major happenings in the Kampong?
2 of them: Once there was a big flood that was up to the neck; another time there was a big snake (10m) outside her house. In the end, it was captured.
How do people treat one another in the Kampong:
They are very close to one another (not that the land very small) as there are very few of them. Whenever there is a funeral, everyone will rush over to help.
Rental amount in the Kampong:
$10! Water & electricity bills about $100.
Any supernatural happening in the Kampong:
Not at all (surprising). However, people did go over there to film a horror movie before. Other than that, nothing else. No beliefs/ rituals either.
Any changes to the Kampong:
last time there was no drain, so when the rain came, it flooded the place.
Anything that remains the same after all these years:
Everything is pretty much the same, except for the rising food prices.

Well, that's about it. Anyway, we also had to do some boring pre-trip thoughts & post-trip reflections (zzz...)

PRE-TRIP THOUGHTS:
The whole place would be outdated, with stray animals straying around. The place would also be very dirty with small houses filled with wood. The air would be filled with insects, & there would be a language barrier. It is very likely that we would despise to live in such conditions, more comfortable in our own homes.

POST-TRIP THOUGHTS:
The place is almost what we imagined it would be like. We also had an eye-opening experience & we learnt how the people living in the Kampong deal with daily problems like snakes. Although it would be tough for us to live in the Kampong due to the inconveniences, we don't really have to pity the people living in the Kampong. Actually, They prefer to live in the Kampong, since they're used to life in the Kampong. Anyway, this trip was interesting & well worth it!

ps: the pics come some other time... i ghot some problem uploading the pics...

Trip to Lor Buangkok and Geylang Serai Market

2008-06-17T17:10:00.005+08:00

Hi all, my group would want to share with you guys about our trip to the both places stated! Enjoy!

The Interview with the hawkers at geylang serai Market Visit to Geylang Serai Market 1. Describe the market.
(e.g. surrounding, atmosphere, activities, environment, people, etc.)
The market is quite a busy place, but it is still organized. Most of the customers here are Muslims. The shops close early because there is no business in the afternoon. This is a temporary market. The original market is under renovation. The people here are quite friendly when we approach them.

2. Do a survey on the number of stalls and what who are selling what in the market. There are at least 120 stalls. They sell food, spices, clothing, medicine, cosmetics and fruits, etc......

3. Name as many different types of food, fresh produce, goods, etc. that you can see. Food: Tauhu Goreng, Nasi Lemak, Ayam Goreng, Goreng Pisang, Mee Goreng.
Fresh Produce: Poultry, Dairy Products, Fruits. Goods: Perfume, Clothing, Dried Food, Medicine.

4. Identify some of the unique features of the market such as things you don’t normally see. Unlike any other markets, this one is very organized. The food sold here are mostly Malay food. This market not only sells food, it also sells fruits, poultry, clothes, dried food stuffs etc.

5. Why do you think this place is so popular with the Malay community? Most Malays are Muslims. Hence the food stalls here do not sell pork. The products, such as perfume are non-alcoholic. The clothes here are mostly Malay clothing.

Interview with a stall-holder
a) Name: Azhar
b) Age: 33
c) Occupation: sell dried food & spices
d) Education: SMU, studying tourism
e) What is his business there? Weekdays-slow Weekends-good
f) Why there? Family business
g) How was the market like in the past? Very busy
h) What are the changes of the market? It is a temporary market now and is smaller than the previous one.
i) What are the things that still remain the same in the market? The things they sell.

Pre-trip thoughts The market would be slippery and smelly, but we will try to cope with it. We would do our best to interview the stallholders and customers. The market may look like a normal market but I think we will enjoy it.

Post-trip Reflection I felt that trip to the two places: Geylang Serai and Lor Buangkok. It was a good one as we are able to know more about people life in a kampong and the different kind of many foods. It is an enjoyable trip.

Just the appetisers...=)

2008-06-06T13:59:00.002+08:00

Be Reminded tht the gathering has been changed to 16th June! Do check your email sent by MR Leo...

I would like to share with you guys a little bit abt our 8days trip to INdonesia. There will be ore updates with proper pictures taken using the school camera( which is not with me now). as of now, the updates will be random things based on the pictures i have in my personal camera. None of the pictures uploaded here should be reproduced or circulated without our permission.. or else... MR LEO.. will be very angry as in the picture on the right...

We really wished you guys were there so the first shot taken were dedicated to you guys...

We went to Borubudur, World's biggest Budhist temple constructed in the 8th century which im sure all of you are all too familiar with. There really is so much that we have to see there that even the 2hrs we were there were not enough. every level has its own story to tell... going clockwise, there are inscribed pictures on the walls to be read, deciphered. Sadly, there are many parts of the buddha statues missing, either the head, arm, fingers etc. Some were stolen by those who claimed they were doing excavations etc.

MR Leo, a teacher during the day, professional photographer at night.hee.. he was climbing and squating and squeeezing through to get good shots which he will upload when he gets back...

Again, MR LEo here.. well there is a belief that anyone who can put his hand through the holes of the stupa and touch the buddha's hands is said to have his wish granted. Of cuz our dearest MR LEO will not pass out the chance to get his wish(es) granted... hmmm, i wonder what he wished for... anyone want to guess?

One interesting place we visited was at Dieng Plateau Tour where there was a bubbling sulphuric crater ... here in the picture, you can see behind us the smoke from the bubbling sulphuric liquid from the crater. Even before we reached that spot, we saw some muddy areas bubbling which means the content below it is really hot. One thing to be known is that, the place is really smelly because of the sulphur. Apparently if you dig a hole and put an egg, it will cook. Do not forget to bring some the next time we go..=)

This last picture was taken at Prambanan, Indonesia's most beautiful Hindu Temple constructed 9th century.It was really badly damaged by the earthquake before this and restoration work is still ongoing to mix and match the pieces like doing jigsaw. The night before we went to restaurant which was facing this temple.. it was really nice to eat and see the temple illuminated in the background. After which we watched a Ramayana Ballet. THese pictures have to be uploaded sooon so we can share how nice the show was.

as for now, i guess the little updates are quite enough to entice you guys further... hee.. see all of you soon on the 16th!

By the way, we're planning to get RSP tshirts for all of u! any aspiring designers to design the tshirt?

TIll then, be safe.

love,
MS Shyamira.

Ghosts Of South East Asia

2008-05-26T15:02:00.002+08:00

Hi, its Bok Woon here. Today, I'm going to talk about ghosts in South East Asia. There are many kinds of ghosts in south East Asia. Below are a few:

TOYOL
The toyol is a spirit kept inside a jar with a foetus & some special liquid to preserve it. It is kept by people to do their bidding. However, that comes with a price. Whoever who keeps the Toyol must feed it with their own blood EVERYDAY. Now, would you do that?

PONTIANAK
The pontianak. One of the most famous, or should I say, infamous ghost in South East Asia. The Pontinanak is the spirit of a woman who died at childbirth. The spirit is usually very beautiful, but has razor sharp teeth & spends the night stalking for men or pregnant women to suck blood from.

KUM KUM
The Kum Kum is an old witch who attacks young virgins in her attempt to regain her youth and beauty. According to legend, she got her name as she cannot say the whole Malay greeting and can only say these 2 syllables.

JIANG-SHI
Jiang-shi is the Chinese vampire. Does the same thing as Dracula and sucks blood, but they can only hop around with their arms outstretched. They don't talk at all & you can escape them by throwing a handful of glutinous rice. The grains will hit the Jiang-shi like little firecrackers, giving you time to make your get-away.

Now that you know some of them, I hope you have gained more knowledge, more experience, & more fear... tonight, sleep tight...

Gathering Session 17th June 9 am

2008-05-23T09:24:00.002+08:00

hi guys, don't forget about the gathering on 17th June at 9am, Tuesday. The estimated ending time is approximately 4pm (?). the meeting venue is in school. The possible places would be : Kampong Glam, Round the island, of singapore.. , and NOT MY HOUSE. For the gathering there would be food, games and courses.

Check the blog for more updates in case there are any changes in the gathering.

Thanks.

Melvin.

Nil Sine Labore.

ACM Weekend Viet Fest

2008-05-15T09:47:00.002+08:00

ACM Weekend Viet Fest

31 May 2008 - 01 Jun 2008

It's a weekend of fun and treats from Vietnam for families to enjoy. Come celebrate the festival with us at ACM!

Highlights:
-Exciting lion dance performances on stilts
-Spectacular performances on stone musical instruments all the way from central Vietnam
-Bazaar featuring authentic Vietnamese food and handicrafts
-Demonstrations by a Vietnamese artist and a Cham weaver
-Storytelling sessions on Vietnamese folktales
-On-the-spot art competition for children
-Craft activities for kids
-A traditional Vietnamese game where the whole family can take part
-Face painting and balloon art
-Free entry to ACM galleries

Also check out...

Viet Nam! From Myth To Modernity
21 May 2008 - 30 Sep 2008
Experience the rich legacy of Vietnam's unique cultural identity.

This exhibition will focus on one of Asia’s fastest growing economies – Vietnam - from its mythical origins to the rising economic power it has become today. Visitors will be able to explore Vietnam's unique cultural identity, as seen in the diverse material cultures that developed over the past 2,500 years. This rich legacy is the result of different cultural influences, which were absorbed and adapted. The advanced bronze technology of the Dong Son culture of northern Vietnam some 2,500 years ago, shared similarities with Chinese traditions and was also exported to other parts of Southeast Asia. The Viet culture of the northern Red River region, was heavily influenced by China during the first 1,000 years of the common era, when the region was under Chinese rule. In central Vietnam, the Hindu Buddhist kingdom of Champa left an important legacy of temples and sculpture, inspired by Indian traditions. In the highlands and other remote areas, tribal communities involved in cross-border trade also engaged in the process of cross-cultural adaptation.
Important pieces from national museums around Vietnam, will be exhibited in this exhibition, including archaeological materials, sculpture, textiles and ethnographic objects. Some exhibits will come from private collections and the ACM’s own collection.

Myanmar's Misery

2008-05-15T08:17:00.003+08:00

In 2005, the ruling generals of Myanmar moved their capital from Yangon to Naypidaw probably after receiving advice from fortune-tellers who foretold that there would be revolt and disaster in Yangon.

The revolt was staged in last September by monks in saffron robes. It was suppressed easily by an army with little qualms of shooting at unarmed protestors. Now natural disaster came and on an unimaginable scale. Tens of thousands have been killed, many were left without shelter and most of the survivors were at risk of disease and hunger.

The junta, military government of Myanmar under General Than Shwe, unlike the uprising were slow to response to the disaster that killed many of its own people. Soldiers were missing from the disaster-hit areas until much later. The junta again displayed their incompetence by delaying foreign aid from pouring into the country.

What is wrong with these people?

First, even after India informed Myanmar authority 2 days in advance that the cyclone would hit Maynamar inland, the inept government just briefly announced it over the stations and did nothing to evacuate nor prepare its people for nature's wrath.

Second, even after the disaster struck, instead of heeding the cries of the needies who were affected by the cyclone, the junta still decided to go ahead to hold a referendum on a new constitution. What for? Just to safeguard their own power?

So much has been said. It's sad that such things are happening in the world due to greed and selfishness of human beings.

At the end of this, let's just hope that Myanmar would be able pick itself up as soon as possible and its government would come to some good sense to deliver its people from suffering and most important of all, its incompetence.

In the tempest's wake, this is a futile call.

The little book of Hindu deities

2008-04-09T21:51:00.002+08:00

Selamat malam. I am Tristen and i will give a book review on the Book of Hindu Deities. This book provides beautiful cartoon drawings of the Hindu Gods( no offence from the author, he a Hindu too). One of the gods is Brahma. A single day in his life lasts more than four million years. Hindus believe that he is the creator of the world and all the living things upon it. It is rumored that that he created a goddess, Sarasvati, when he was making the universe. Sarasvati was uncomfortable with Brahma's adoring eyes and tried to hide from his gaze. But each way she turned, Brahma sprouted a head so that he could always watch her.Beside having four heads, Brahma also has four arms busily grooming his beard. Sometimes he rides a magical goose or white swan endowed with the ability to differentiate good from evil. He also carries a carafe of water with him at all times. The water is not only for quenching his thirst,it is also the source of life. Together with descriptions and drawings of other gods and goddesses, this book provides a enjoyable read, together with insights on the Hindu Religion.

Tristen~

Balians: Traditional Healers of Bali

2008-03-27T22:47:00.003+08:00

Hi, Lie Wen here! :D The book I am reviewing on is Balians: Traditional Healers of Bali, ENJOY!

This book is very interesting, telling the strories of a few balians and how they heal sick people. Towards the end of the book, it shows lots of magical symbols, each having a certain power. Balians are far more superior than regular doctors in their treatment. Some have the gods to enter their bodies and treat the patient. This may sound ridiculous but one story went like this:

A man once woke up with a pain in his right shoulder. His family thought he had just slept in the wrong position. A few days past and nothing happened. Even after several trips to the doctor and intakes of medicine, nothing was working. They decided to consult a Balian. The Balian said that the kitchen roof needs to be separated from the main part of the house. The man heeded the advice and changed it. Immediately, the pain went away. Shocked, eh? Suprised?

I think that everyone should read this book to enhance their knowledge on Balians and their way of healing. Reading this also helps one learn more on other countries and their culture. :P

Book review

2008-03-27T22:07:00.003+08:00

Hi, this is Yek Teng here. I am writing on this book The Fugitive. It about aa platoon leader who led a failed nationalist revolt againast the Japanese forces occupying Indonesia.Betrayed and forced to disguise as a beggar, he sets out to find his fiance while dodging the japanese forces as if they capture him they will kill him. This book is an interesting book and I suggest all to read it.

Book Review

2008-03-27T20:19:00.004+08:00

Hi guys.I am Bryan,The book i am reviewing on is called The Long Road Ahead.Basically,this book talks about the economics of southeast Asia.it deals with the issues,policies and other stuff in all the ten countries that form Southeast Asia.One of the interesting things this book talks about is the agriculture of Southeast Asia.Did you know that plantation crops such as rubber and oil palms,unlike rice,are mainly grown to earn income and foreign exchange for other countries?Or that Thailand,Indonesia and Malaysia are the three largest natural rubber producers and exporters in the entire world?
Besides agriculture, there are also many other interesting thing to read on,Industrialisation,Economic Regionalism etc.If you are interested in facts about Southeast Asia, this book is a must have.To find out more,you have to read it.Hope you enjoy reading it.See ya!!

Visit to Indonesian School Singapore

2008-03-24T09:13:00.012+08:00

Happy watching! We'll be having the Visit part 2 this wed! Get ready your soccer attire..... =) ms shyamira

Book Review

2008-03-20T20:45:00.009+08:00

Hi everyone! I am Tomus Yong. The book I am reviewing is a Malayan Horror called The Disused Well and other tales of horror and mystery. This book tells mainly on "Ghost" (unsure whether its true or not) Stories that happens in Malaysia and sometimes even Singapore! :O This book tells short stories on ghost. One such story was on a haunted room in a hotel somewhere in Indonesia, where mysterious bodies appear on empty beds at night emitting a dim light, people get pushed off the bed by no one and having a dream of a woman walking into the room.
it doesn't say much on culture of other countries but in all, the stories are really interesting. Hope you enjoy it... as in if you are still alive when you finish reading it. Lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol =.= ... Haha. :D

book review

2008-03-16T18:19:00.002+08:00

Book:Know Your Asean

the book know your asean is not a tour guide book in fact it gives you informationon why they form aseanand when other countries join in such as myanmar and Vietnam. asean work together to prevent terrorism and war in south east asiaand crimes such as drug trafficking. asean also help each another to provide economical growth.asean also help each another if disaster strike onto a country. like the tsunami in 2005, singapore send aid reliefs to indonesia. therefore this is a very good book that gives you an insight of what is asean all aboutand if you want to know more visit
www.aseanec.org.

jiapeng

First They Killed My Father

2008-03-16T10:01:00.002+08:00

Hi all! Daniel Chin here and i would like to share with everyone a book that caught my eye. It is a book told through the voice of a young and fearless Loung. I only read the 1st chapter though which is a brief introduction about life in Phnom Penh.

Already at 6a.m. the city is bustling with activities. I doubt most of you guys wake up that early on weekends, right? By midday, temperatures there climb to over a hundred degrees! The streets go quiet again as people rush home to seek relief from the heat, have lunch, take cold showers, and nap before returning to work at 2p.m.

There are no traffic lights there. Imagine that in Singapore! We would never have peace from the horning of cars. People in Phnom Penh like to get around the city in cyclos. A cyclo resembles a big wheelchair attached to the front of a bicycle.

The author is a girl but does not behave like one. Her mother is always trying to teach her how to walk like her a lady but she never gets it right. According to her mother, a propr lady walks like this. First, connect your heel to the ground, then roll the ball of your feet on the earth while your toes curl up painfully. Finally you end up with your toes gently pushing you off the ground. All this is supposed to be done gracefully, naturally, and quietly. Whoa! I didnt know a proper lady has to go through so much pain just to take a step.
This is a great book.Hope you enjoyed the introduction!

My Trip to Cambodia

2008-03-15T20:10:00.004+08:00

Hi all, just want to share with you a little about my trip with the sec 2 boys to Cambodia. Anyway, where are the postings from the rest who have not done so?

Yes, finally we have escaped from the scorching heat of Cambodia and returned to our less humid but still hot Singapore. The boys sure had good fun there and we teachers were glad that everyone returned safe and sound. Of course, we enjoyed ourselves too.

Camodia is a beautiful country with a sad past. Its people have gone through alot of pain and suffering under the Khmer Rouge regime. Many were killed and hurt. Those who survived are still angry with what happened to them, their families and their country. It was a good lesson of NE and History for our boys to see with their own eyes what fellow human beings could do to one another.

In terms of nature, we were greeted with the splendour of the Tonle Sap lake. Definitely many times bigger than Singapore, the Tonle Sap has been a source of life for many Cambodians. Since ancient days, the lake has been a source of food, water and transport and things are still very much similar today. As a whole, many of us just hope that nature would be kinder to the many families who depend on it for their livelihood as well as the authority would do more to improve their lives.

Despite being a poor country, Cambodia does have its glorious past presented in the brillant forms of it temple complexes in Siem Reap. The grandeur of Angkor Wat, the mystery of Bayon, the nature-overpowered Ta Prom and many others just simply take our breaths away as we imagine how the whole Angkor Empire was like in the past. They must have been one of the best architects and builders in the world in those days. You just have to see it for yourself.

Photos of victims from S21.

Deep-fried spider. Guess, who tried it?

Our CIP in an orphanage

Khmer girls in the school we visited

Our boys teaching English to Cambodian kids

Mystical Bayon with a filter-twist

Who could have built this near-perfect symmetry?

Apsaras of Angkor

Thank you.

Leo

Traditional Festivals in Thailand by Ruth Gerson

2008-03-14T23:52:00.002+08:00

Ceremonies and festivals abound in Thailand contributing colour to its life. Many Thai festivals are based on the lunar calendar, with December being the first month of the lunar year. Here are some festivals which you may have heard of.

Buddhist Festivals

Thailand is predominantly a Thervada Buddhist country. The 3 main Buddhist festivals are Maka Bucha, Visaka Bucha and Asalaha Bucha. People flock to the temples and pay their respects to Buddha and his teachings. Rituals are performed in threes. Devotees bow 3 times before the image of Buddha; they bring 3 items as offering( a lotus bud, a lighted candle and a burning incense stick ); and with these, they circle the ordination hall of the temple 3 times.

The Royal Barge Procession is held when the king travels from the Grand Palace, once the home of all royalty, to Wat Arun( Temple of the Dawn ), to present a robe to the abbot. As keeper of the Buddhist faith, the king is customarily the first to present the robes to the monks. It is a majestic event of grand vessels and colourfully dressed men, recalling days of glory. The most distinguished is the Suphanahongs, the golden swan, modelled after the vehicle of the Hindu god Brahma. This barge carries the king during the Royal Barge Procession. The crystal tassel, ending in tufted yak's hair, is suspended from the golden swan's beak and indicates the king's presence on the boat.

Agricultural Festivals

Divine forces are consulted annually to ensure a good crop, particularly of rice, the staple food.These festivals mollify the spirits and elicit their help in creating favourable conditions for the harvest.The Ghost Festival is one such festival. It is also a coming of age rite, with the ghosts portrayed by boys and young men. It celebrates the return of Prince Vessantara after his exile by everyone, including ghosts.

Cultural Festivals

Songkran marks the change of season from arid heat to humid rains. It embraces the very popular water-splashing revelry. Water is used for cooling, for symbolising the act of purification and for invoking the life-giving monsoon rains.Buddha images are taken out of temples for ritual bathing and are sprinkled with lustral water by devotees.People gather to sprinkle or more likely to splash water at each other.

In Loy Krathong, people head to rivers, ponds and canals to float their krathong, a lotus-shaped cup made of banana leaves and decorated with flowers.These are sent to the goddess of the waters to appease and ask her forgiveness for abusing and polluting the water throughout the year.

Royal Festivals

These are linked to the Chakri dynasty, from Rama I to the present Rama IX, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.The Thai king and queen are deeply respected and revered by Thai people. The king's birthday has been adopted as official Father's Day in Thailand. Similarly, the queen's birthday is observed as National Mother's Day in Thailand.

Sorry guys, forgot to add that the book was reviewed by DANIEL KONG.

Book Review: Gateway to Peranakan Culture

2008-03-14T19:09:00.003+08:00

Hi! I am Joejyn and i am here today to tell u about the amazing Peranakan Culture. I am a Peranakan myself thats why i chose this book. A brief introduction. Peranakans are people who are 'half chinese half malay'. Understand? Okay,okay. When a malay and a chinese marry together, they become Peranakans. A male Peranakan is called a Baba and a female Peranakan is called a Nyonya(sometimes spelt as Nonya). In history, Peranakans didn't know the chinese language even though they looked like chinese. Did you know that Mr Tan Tock Seng was a Peranakan? Didn't know that did you! here are some very interesting facts about Peranakans:
1)Once a girl turned 12, her life of freedom would end.She would not be allowed to leave the house and would learn proper behaviour, cooking, sewing, embroidery, beadwork,etc.
2)You might not even know that some of the foods you eat such as 'Arhar', 'Ngoh Hiang' and 'laksa' are Peranakan food. Peranakan food are mainly spicy or eaten with chilli.

Hope you enjoyed it.See you later! Bye bye(baba malay for goodbye in case you did not know).

The keris

2008-03-14T14:51:00.005+08:00

hi, it's me,
Mr. sorry-cant-tell-u-my-name-or-else-i-will-get-smashed-and-mashed-and-squashed-and-in-short-die-a-horrible-death
here. Today, i will be talking about the keris('kris' in english). The keris is a mystical weapon. it is in the form of a short dagger. read on 4 more info....

there is an old sultan's palace that contains an iron meteorite. The meteorite resembles a large, pitted rock about the breadth of a man's arm. This meteorite was brought to the palace in 1797. it had fallen some 50 years before @ an ancient temple. This mece of meteorite is regarded as holy;offerings of flowers & fruit are made to it.

This piece of meteorite is actually a larger mass which signalled its violent arrival by bursting into two seperate pieces. The smaller piece of meteorite was brought to some palace's master swordsmiths. They forged a few weapons from the piece of meteorite.
They believed tat the weapons forged would possess magic or talismanic properties. Some of this weapons, in dagger forms known as the kris, are in various mueseums. Others that are long lost to record, are no doubt in the hands of unsuspecting collectors.

Although the kris is a weapon with a blade of steel, it is rarely used in battles. Because of its lightness & inherent @ the tang, the kris is seldom used in aggressive combat & certainly was not adequate in defence against heavier weapons. Most writings about the kris talk about the magical & supernatural aspects of the kris. One would find it difficult finding writings on how to use the kris in defence or attack.

The keris's principle function has long been that of cultural association rather than a weapon for attack. This makes the keris unique among all other weapons.

till next time,
Mr. sorry-cant-tell-u-my-name-or-else-i-will-get-smashed-and-mashed-and-squashed-and-in-short-die-a-horrible-death

ps: comment if u tink the way i present this review has something seriously wrong with it.

where would i want to go in indonesia

2008-03-14T13:09:00.004+08:00

If i want to go to an island in Indonesia, i think i would like to go to Irian Jaya. In Irian Jaya there are nice places for example Biak ( a town in Irian Jaya ) and Jayapura.
The Asmat people who live along the remote southeast coast around Agats in Jayapura are famed for their artistic "primitive" woodcarving. Agats has an interesting museum filled with woodcarvings and other objects. The area, however is still largely untamed widerness. There are places in the vicinity of Jayapura such as Skyline and Lake Sentani which is not far away.
In Baik, there are villages where visitors are welcomed, so people can see how the locals live and how their houses are built. There are also wonderful beaches. The water is crystal clear, you can see the bed of the sea clearly, and plenty of beautiful corals. Some of the beaches, you can see enormous rocks which can be a small hill.

By Jerry

Book Review

2008-03-14T12:40:00.002+08:00

Hi all, I am Jerry. I would like to share with all of u the book i read which i found it quite interesting. The book title is called " Gateway to Indian Classical Literature ". There are four chapters in the book, but i read the last chapter. This book talks about those famous people in India and famous stories.

In the last chapter, they wrote about Rahim, Ardha Kathanak ( is a story not a person ), Bahadur Shah Zafar, Mirza Ghalib, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Gurajada Venkata Appa Rao. I feel that of all these peeople and stories, i admire Abdul Rahim Khankhana most. This is because, he gave alms to the needy, but whenever he gives, he will look down, because he just wanted to help the needy and does not want them to see him as a giver.
If you are interested in the book, go borrow it.

Gateway to Malay Culture

2008-03-13T15:22:00.002+08:00

Hi guys Peaco (Melvin) here. Well as you can see from the title, you know what i mean. Although its a bit off from BI, but hey its Regional studies...Anyway i don't want to pick a chapter whereby people will sleep reading it, so i chose some interesting stuff.
One of it talks bout Animism. No its not turning into an animal, its where Malays believe in the existence of spirits in everything(and they mean everything). which (spirits) was known as semangat.Sometimes, to secure a good ctch, the fisherman would worship the semangat laut by giving offerings such as a miniature boat filled with food. In the Articles of Islam Faith, their god is known as Allah. In the book, there are some Supernatural Entities of Islam Hantu Raya-It has the ability to disguise itself as someone's husband or lover and lure its victims with an astonishing sexual prowess(er..). Pontianak -This is the spirit of a woman who died while giving birth. It lures victims by disguising itself as a beautiful woman or by imitating the cry of an infant. In Islam women who died in childbirth is known as a matyr. (woah i don't want to meet her-Touch wood.Toyol -It was originally thought to be the spirit of a baby that had been exhumed and bound to serve a sorcerer who would be sent to harm people. In Islam, they are regarded as a welcome inhabitant of heaven. For social etiquette, i won't go much into it,but i would share some facts i find interesting. 1.A woman does not shake a man's hand unless there is a direct relationship between them such as father,son,brother,husband or religious teacher of extremely high standing. 2.At mealtimes it is polite to start with dishes close to you before reaching for those further away. 3.As they are Muslims, they eat with their right hand. 4.If you want to point at something,make a soft fist and point with your thumb. There is a superstition that pointing at a rainbow or celestial body will cause your finger to drop off. 5. Seating-for men they should seat with their legs crossed. Women should seat with their legs tucked beneath their body,preferably on the right and hidden under the hem if their dress.(wow if it was me,my fratured leg wouldn't stand it!)

Well guys that's all i have for you.

See ya next week!

Signing Off, Peaco
Se

2008-03-13T15:14:00.001+08:00

I'm Francis and I'm going to summarize the book I read called :" The bomoh: Magician and spiritualist"

This book is about the witch doctors, or bomoh. It describes how the bomoh acquires his ilmu, or knowledge, and how intricate every single ritual is. It is read that this knowledge cannot be explained, and it is also not contained in books. It must be spiritually inherited and the recipient of this ilmu is sworn to secrecy regarding the origins and the meanings.

People would approach them to control weather, cure mysterious illnesses, exorcise evil spirits, conjure charms for success in love, business and gambling, create talismans to give the wearer control over influential people and to receive protection from enemies. They are also approached for protection by pregnant women seeking to protect their child.

There is however a strong opposition to supernatural practices in Islam, some people who had age old and deep rooted animistic and Tantric (Hindu/ Buddhist writings of mystical nature) still carried on.

It is interesting to note that a tolerant attitude adopted towards them, as evident in The Ninety-Nine Laws of Perak written in the 18th century, noting that the Muslims must feed the bomoh.

There are two classes of bomohs, the first being the hereditary bomoh peseka, whose knowledge of the supernatural far surpasses that of the initiated pawang, but his knowledge would suffice in simple procedures, but he would not suffice in the event of fatal illnesses, divination and séances.

This book is interesting and it would make a good read.

Where to ???

2008-03-12T15:39:00.000+08:00

Hello!I am Alvin and I am going to share with you where would I go!

I would go to ... BALI !!!!!

It is between Java to the west and Lombok to the east and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking and music.

It also has 1 of the best elephant parks in the world.

You can go water rafting in the Ayung river.

It also have lots of beautiful coral reefs andother wildlife.
It has lots of jungles too.

There are lots more...