6 June 1987 (Sat) Shanghai/Singapore
All packed up and dressed up in our formal uniform (again!) we checked out of our hotel and were on our way.
We arrived at Dr.Sun Yat Sen’s residence. Dr.Sun Yat Sen (1866-1925) the “Father of the Republic”, fought for democracy in China after the Manchu rule.
We weren’t allowed to take pictures of the inside of his house. Cameras and even handbags had to be left in a cupboard and we had to wear plastic shower caps over our shoes so as to preserve the cleanliness of the house! The kitchen served as the main entrance to his residence and was where all our belongings were temporarily with-held from our use.
The house was spotless and looked quite new in fact! Many objects were encased in glass so as to preserve them. Everything was extremely well-kept. We were impressed by the preservation of his residence and its contents.
The spacious house was full of antique furniture, and books, shelves and shelves of books. There were bookcases to be found in the hall and upstairs landing. He must have loved books because he had 2,700 of them! The subject matter of these books varied from economics to psychology, sociology and history.
He appreciated literature, Shakespeare amongst them. He also displayed an appreciation for art as can be seen in the pottery, figurines and other works of art around the house. He also owned several maps. A very intellectual man indeed, this Dr. Sun! He even owned a radio!
We then proceeded to the garden to take photos before leaving the place.
The Shanghai International Airport was our final destination in China. We checked in our luggage, which by now had multiplied (but thankfully not doubled!) in number. But since we were such a large group, we were safe.
We said our farewells to Xu Xiaojie and Mdm. Zhao, our Beijing tour guides who had accompanied us to Xian and then to Shanghai, and our Shanghai tour guide Miss Chou and our bus driver Mr. Su. We then proceeded through customs. Those of us who had excess Chinese currency changed it back to Singapore notes.
We finally boarded the plane at 2.25 pm, the time of our scheduled take-off, so that explained why the crew hurried us up and tried to get us settled as fast as possible.
Our three and a half hour flight was indeed a memorable and fitting end to a successful history tour of China. Since SIA was celebrating its 40th anniversary, they served champagne (we got orange juice!) and cake and gave us each a neck-rest as a souvenir.
We took 30 of SIA’s 40th anniversary menus as our autograph books and passed them up and down the aisle.
They didn’t show the inflight movie because there was so much activity in the rear of the plane (That’s where we were!) and people didn’t seem to miss it anyway!“Here endeth” our historical history tour to China, but the memories we made together in that ancient land of beauty and history would linger on in our hearts and minds for a long time yet.
Monday, 14 April 2008
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
moi history ca2...aya juz one more measly mark and im top..sob
No, I do not agree. Japan faced economic constraints in its goal to become a world power. This is because of its lack of resources such as land and raw materials. Japan relied on other countries, especially the USA, for resources. While it was a factor for Japan’s move to war in the Asia Pacific, it was not the most important. The other factors are Japan’s fear of Western colonisation and the rise of militarism in Japan. The Japanese were a very proud people. They considered relying on the USA for resources as dishonourable and it was seen as a weakness. They wanted to be an autonomy. Since they did not have enough of the necessary resources, they decided to take over land that had these resources. They did this by invading parts of China and colonies of Western powers in South-east Asia. This provoked the Western powers and was seen as an act of aggression. In an attempt to prevent the US from making any immediate counter-attacks, the Japanese bombed the US fleet at Pearl Harbour without first declaring war. However, I think that the most important reason for Japan’s entry into the war in the Asia Pacific is its fear of expanding Western colonisation. Japan had observed how the Western powers had conquered most of Asia. It had also seen how its neighbour, China, had been defeated when it refused to conduct trade with the Western powers. It did not want to be colonized. Japan saw that the only way to prevent itself from being colonized was to become a world power. To do this required resources such as land, oil, scrap metals, ammunitions, etc., that Japan scarcely had. So, it adopted militarism and decided to take over areas that had it. From this we can see that Japan’s entry into the Pacific War, as it had also influenced the other factors.
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
haiyo..
very tiring lately..got so much hw..and studying to do..need to go into overdrive(well sorta)..i will never use 100% of my energy unless last resort..need to meet a lot of demands..can't wait until i start to do the demanding
Monday, 24 March 2008
Monday, 25 February 2008
My Favourite Food
My family is the type that has no qualms about eating, save two. First of all, the food must be good. Second, there must be a lot of food. So, as you would have guessed, I’ve been exposed to all sorts of food since young. To date, these are the types of food that I have eaten - North Indian, South Indian, Chinese, Malay, Korean, Japanese, British, American, Indonesian, Thai, Taiwanese and Arab.
There are wonderful dishes that make my mouth water. There is this shop in Little India that makes one of the most delicious Sri Lankan Crab Curry I’ve ever tasted. There is also a Korean restaurant called ‘Seoul Garden’ that allows us to mix and cook our own food using the marinated ingredients provided.
However, if asked to point my finger at the crème de la crème, I would say that it is my mother’s specialty meal: rice with beef curry and French beans with eggs. As side dishes, ‘dhal’ curry and yoghurt are also served.
Although this meal may seem ordinary and insignificant at first glance, I can assure you that it will be a savoury experience you will never forget. Just looking at the juicy pieces of beef and potato that have been sliced, diced and cooked into hunger-inducing pieces makes me slobber.
Finely chopped garlic and ginger, coarsely chopped small onions, diced tomatoes, quartered potatoes and diced beef that has been marinated with chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder are the ingredients used to make this delicacy. Garam masala and pepper is sprinkled on top before serving for the aroma.
The French beans with eggs is made by adding together coarsely chopped onions and French beans, finely chopped garlic and eggs beaten with salt and pepper.
The ‘dhal’ curry, although easiest to make, is what makes the meal complete. It consists of split green beans with skin, finely chopped garlic, coarsely chopped onions, milk, turmeric powder, cumin powder and salt.
For those who may not be able to take the spiciness of the meal, I suggest adding yogurt. It complements the ‘dhal’ curry and mixes the beef curry. The unique combination of this meal is also very filling. I can confidently say that anyone will affirm a fourth, fifth or even a sixth helping.
There are wonderful dishes that make my mouth water. There is this shop in Little India that makes one of the most delicious Sri Lankan Crab Curry I’ve ever tasted. There is also a Korean restaurant called ‘Seoul Garden’ that allows us to mix and cook our own food using the marinated ingredients provided.
However, if asked to point my finger at the crème de la crème, I would say that it is my mother’s specialty meal: rice with beef curry and French beans with eggs. As side dishes, ‘dhal’ curry and yoghurt are also served.
Although this meal may seem ordinary and insignificant at first glance, I can assure you that it will be a savoury experience you will never forget. Just looking at the juicy pieces of beef and potato that have been sliced, diced and cooked into hunger-inducing pieces makes me slobber.
Finely chopped garlic and ginger, coarsely chopped small onions, diced tomatoes, quartered potatoes and diced beef that has been marinated with chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder are the ingredients used to make this delicacy. Garam masala and pepper is sprinkled on top before serving for the aroma.
The French beans with eggs is made by adding together coarsely chopped onions and French beans, finely chopped garlic and eggs beaten with salt and pepper.
The ‘dhal’ curry, although easiest to make, is what makes the meal complete. It consists of split green beans with skin, finely chopped garlic, coarsely chopped onions, milk, turmeric powder, cumin powder and salt.
For those who may not be able to take the spiciness of the meal, I suggest adding yogurt. It complements the ‘dhal’ curry and mixes the beef curry. The unique combination of this meal is also very filling. I can confidently say that anyone will affirm a fourth, fifth or even a sixth helping.
Sunday, 24 February 2008
Essay on Globalisation
Globalisation. Globalisation. Globalisation. A buzzword. It’s what everyone is talking about. Some understand it. Some are ignorant. Some are for it. Some are against it. Why make a fuss about some old thirteen-lettered, five syllable word? I think I better start with the definition.
Well, according to our revered social studies textbook, globalisation is defined “as the process by which people, their ideas and their activities in different parts of the world become interconnected or integrated.” As anyone could have guessed through common intuition, none of you grasped anything from that sentence. This demands a careful and detailed explanation. I know you readers are not entirely stupid, so I humbly request you to reread the definition of globalisation, but this time more carefully. Consider the keyword ‘interconnected’. From it, we can already decipher that there are two or more locales that are linked in some way. They could be linked through transport, communication or transnational corporations (TNCs).
Transport and communication are the oldest of the three links. Ever since the ancient and medieval adventurers and conquerors set out from their native countries or kingdoms to explore, discover and conquer lands that were not their own, globalisation had begun. These people introduced their religions, habits and cultures to the local people. This is the ‘integration’ of foreign culture in local societies. This fact contradicts the conventional idea that the invention of the steamboat was what sparked the ‘flame of globalisation’.
Communication is the transfer of ideas or information from one point or place to another. This can take the form of speech, letters, telephone, fax, SMS, MMS, video calls, video conferences, the internet, online instant messaging, services, e-mails, online portals and forums and so on and so forth. Also not forgetting the mega social networks like ‘Friendster’, Facebook’, Orkut’ and ‘blogger.com’. These are the factors that are spearheading the accelerated growth of globalisation in this day. At the rate at which they are going, it is totally unsure how far the entwining creeper of globalisation will reach.
Then, there are those new chaps down the street. The TNCs. And they make a huge splash. They are companies or organizations that operate globally. For all their operations or projects, they set up bases in a number of regions worldwide. Their motives in doing so may vary. Large quantities of skilled labour, abundance of necessary resources, exploration of new markets that could potentially reap profits, low production costs, special economic benefits, etc., are but a few of the many factors that influence their actions. In the process of these developments, the economies of various countries may become integrated as a result of transactions conducted between those countries.
I had earlier mentioned about the ‘flame of globalisation’. Much can be gathered from this phrase. Fire, at a distance, provides warmth and light. Go too near and you will get burnt. This signifies the fact that globalisation has its pros and cons. Many countries, mostly developed or the upper quartile of the developing ones, greatly enjoy the plus points of globalisation. Their economies prosper. Their trade and foreign investments flourish. This in turn generates large amounts of revenue that is used to improve the already high-class life of people living in these nations. Not content with their success, these countries try to attract TNCs in the hope of further growth. Thus, increased competition is formed as a result of unnecessary competitiveness.
While the more competitive ones may advance in leaps and bounds, this competitiveness literally forces the less competitive ones to degenerate in leaps and bounds. So, naturally, these unfortunate persons or countries will be left worse off than when they originally began. The rich become richer. The poor become poorer.
A shift in attitude towards culture is also part and parcel of the phenomenon known as globalisation. A growing number of people know more about external culture than their own. So focused are they on mordernisation that they forget their own identities.
To start talking about the environmental impacts of globalisation would mean not stopping. Deforestation; pollution; extinction of species; accelerated global warming; in general, environmental degradation. All of these are by-products of globalisation. While all of them can be linked to each other, they also have their own different causes. How do you undo this unfixed, mutating threat? By using globalisation itself. No one person, organization or country can singlehandedly stop this disaster. Only a combined effort by humanity as a whole can put a halt to this. Only with globalisation can this happen. The world is smaller than that it has ever been. Its six billion citizens are closer than ever before in history. Only if this advantage is utilized fully, can an attempt to set right what has been done, is successful.
If and only if the solution is implemented can the problem be solved? At present, this is not the case. The ‘crème de la crème’ of the world’s nations, prefer to work towards what they think is the ‘greater good’. Who cares if millions of people die of starvation? Who cares if countries collapse? Who cares if traditions are lost?
The metropolitan become futuristic.
The rural become prehistoric.
This is the height of ‘survival of the fittest’.
I have nothing to complain about. I do my homework using a Japanese pen; bathe with water from Malaysia; carry American bags; wear French perfume; study on Swedish tables and chairs; upload this essay onto my blog using an American site. I live in Singapore. It is the epitome of globalisation.
There is nothing that I can complain about.
Well, according to our revered social studies textbook, globalisation is defined “as the process by which people, their ideas and their activities in different parts of the world become interconnected or integrated.” As anyone could have guessed through common intuition, none of you grasped anything from that sentence. This demands a careful and detailed explanation. I know you readers are not entirely stupid, so I humbly request you to reread the definition of globalisation, but this time more carefully. Consider the keyword ‘interconnected’. From it, we can already decipher that there are two or more locales that are linked in some way. They could be linked through transport, communication or transnational corporations (TNCs).
Transport and communication are the oldest of the three links. Ever since the ancient and medieval adventurers and conquerors set out from their native countries or kingdoms to explore, discover and conquer lands that were not their own, globalisation had begun. These people introduced their religions, habits and cultures to the local people. This is the ‘integration’ of foreign culture in local societies. This fact contradicts the conventional idea that the invention of the steamboat was what sparked the ‘flame of globalisation’.
Communication is the transfer of ideas or information from one point or place to another. This can take the form of speech, letters, telephone, fax, SMS, MMS, video calls, video conferences, the internet, online instant messaging, services, e-mails, online portals and forums and so on and so forth. Also not forgetting the mega social networks like ‘Friendster’, Facebook’, Orkut’ and ‘blogger.com’. These are the factors that are spearheading the accelerated growth of globalisation in this day. At the rate at which they are going, it is totally unsure how far the entwining creeper of globalisation will reach.
Then, there are those new chaps down the street. The TNCs. And they make a huge splash. They are companies or organizations that operate globally. For all their operations or projects, they set up bases in a number of regions worldwide. Their motives in doing so may vary. Large quantities of skilled labour, abundance of necessary resources, exploration of new markets that could potentially reap profits, low production costs, special economic benefits, etc., are but a few of the many factors that influence their actions. In the process of these developments, the economies of various countries may become integrated as a result of transactions conducted between those countries.
I had earlier mentioned about the ‘flame of globalisation’. Much can be gathered from this phrase. Fire, at a distance, provides warmth and light. Go too near and you will get burnt. This signifies the fact that globalisation has its pros and cons. Many countries, mostly developed or the upper quartile of the developing ones, greatly enjoy the plus points of globalisation. Their economies prosper. Their trade and foreign investments flourish. This in turn generates large amounts of revenue that is used to improve the already high-class life of people living in these nations. Not content with their success, these countries try to attract TNCs in the hope of further growth. Thus, increased competition is formed as a result of unnecessary competitiveness.
While the more competitive ones may advance in leaps and bounds, this competitiveness literally forces the less competitive ones to degenerate in leaps and bounds. So, naturally, these unfortunate persons or countries will be left worse off than when they originally began. The rich become richer. The poor become poorer.
A shift in attitude towards culture is also part and parcel of the phenomenon known as globalisation. A growing number of people know more about external culture than their own. So focused are they on mordernisation that they forget their own identities.
To start talking about the environmental impacts of globalisation would mean not stopping. Deforestation; pollution; extinction of species; accelerated global warming; in general, environmental degradation. All of these are by-products of globalisation. While all of them can be linked to each other, they also have their own different causes. How do you undo this unfixed, mutating threat? By using globalisation itself. No one person, organization or country can singlehandedly stop this disaster. Only a combined effort by humanity as a whole can put a halt to this. Only with globalisation can this happen. The world is smaller than that it has ever been. Its six billion citizens are closer than ever before in history. Only if this advantage is utilized fully, can an attempt to set right what has been done, is successful.
If and only if the solution is implemented can the problem be solved? At present, this is not the case. The ‘crème de la crème’ of the world’s nations, prefer to work towards what they think is the ‘greater good’. Who cares if millions of people die of starvation? Who cares if countries collapse? Who cares if traditions are lost?
The metropolitan become futuristic.
The rural become prehistoric.
This is the height of ‘survival of the fittest’.
I have nothing to complain about. I do my homework using a Japanese pen; bathe with water from Malaysia; carry American bags; wear French perfume; study on Swedish tables and chairs; upload this essay onto my blog using an American site. I live in Singapore. It is the epitome of globalisation.
There is nothing that I can complain about.
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