Education Systems In Cambodia, their syllabus is taught in Khmer and French. Myanmar has CCAs and Student Councils, which is really similar to Singapore! All Thais are Scouts! Indonesians don't always get to choose their schools. They are allocated to schools which teach them either agriculture,
arts, legal clerking etc based on economic needs. Indonesian schools are called Jemaah Islamiyah! Brunei citizens have completely free education, even till they study overseas! China and South Korea are 2 super hardcore countries when it comes to academics - they spend up till 16 hours a day studying.
When not in school, they are at tuition. Considering they have 8 hours of sleep, their lives revolve entirely around books!
Music Cambodian folk music is popular even amongst youths! Burmese and Indonesian youths are mostly hip-hop kids! Laos actually has a pretty strong local music scene. The Vietnamese, despite their quietness, love dance music and clubbing! Thai techno is surprisingly popular! Don't talk about music in Brunei - There barely is any! Japanese rock is enjoyed by many people from many different countries!
Sports Muay Thai is a proud national sport of Thailand. Soccer is really universal. Most countries are filled with passionate soccer fans! Basketball is also really popular, especially in the Philippines. China is excellent at sports so don't try to question their athletic capability. South Korea's sportsmen are UP AND COMING!
Fashion Teens in Laos like to wear Western-style clothes. The Philippines has a lavish fashion scene. They're GLAMOROUS! :D Japan has really unique styles of fashion - people make themselves look like anime characters, or dress like dolls, or even
vending machines XP Majority-Muslim countries generally wear clothes that cover up. Most ladies wear a veil, long sleeves, and long pants or
dresses.
Dating Dating is accepted in most ASEAN countries. In majority-Muslim countries such as Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, dating is less practised. Especially in Brunei, dating
is actually frowned upon. Thais place importance on the family's opinion of the boyfriend/girlfriend. In The Philippines, it is okay for couples to live together without even being married! Pre-marital sex is TABOO EVERYWHERE!
Attitude Most Asian societies are conservative and so physical intimacy or contact is generally discouraged. This is most prominent in
majority-Muslim countries. The Burmese are very polite and soft-spoken, especially upon meeting someone for the first time. The Vietnamese are very filial and very open with their parents. Youths are generally quite influenced by the West in terms of entertainment like music, TV, movies, Internet etc.
To sum it up! Most youths in ASEAN are really similar! But there is still cultural diversity for us to appreciate. We can easily relate
through our similar interests and through appreciating out differences!
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
8:14 AM
Since Sze Ning, Jocie and I have decided to do our review on Indonesia, I thought a profile of the area might be helpful.
Indonesia has a very unique culture. It is somewhat similar to the Malays, but it is distinctive in its own way.
Indonesia has around 300 ethnic groups, each with cultural differences developed over centuries, and influenced by Indian, Arabic, Chinese, Malay, and European sources. Traditional Javanese and Balinese dances, for example, contain aspects of Hindu culture and mythology, as do wayang kulit (shadow puppet) performances. Textiles such as batik, ikat and songket are created across Indonesia in styles that vary by region. The most dominant influences on Indonesian architecture have traditionally been Indian; however, Chinese, Arab, and European architectural influences have been significant. The most popular sports in Indonesia are badminton and football; Liga Indonesia is the country's premier football club league. Traditional sports include sepak takraw, and bull racing in Madura. In areas with a history of tribal warfare, mock fighting contests are held, such as, caci in Flores, and pasola in Sumba. Pencak Silat is an Indonesian martial art. Sports in Indonesia are generally male-orientated and spectator sports are often associated with illegal gambling.
Indonesian cuisine varies by region and is based on Chinese, European, Middle Eastern, and Indian precedents. Rice is the main staple food and is served with side dishes of meat and vegetables. Spices (notably chili), coconut milk, fish and chicken are fundamental ingredients. Indonesian traditional music includes gamelan and keroncong. Dangdut is a popular contemporary genre of pop music that draws influence from Arabic, Indian, and Malay folk music. The Indonesian film industry's popularity peaked in the 1980s and dominated cinemas in Indonesia, although it declined significantly in the early 1990s. Between 2000 and 2005, the number of Indonesian films released each year has steadily increased.
The oldest evidence of writing in Indonesia is a series of Sanskrit inscriptions dated to the 5th century CE. Important figures in modern Indonesian literature include: Dutch author Multatuli, who criticized treatment of the Indonesians under Dutch colonial rule; Sumatrans Muhammad Yamin and Hamka, who were influential pre-independence nationalist writers and politicians; and proletarian writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Indonesia's most famous novelist. Many of Indonesia's peoples have strongly rooted oral traditions, which help to define and preserve their cultural identities. Media freedom in Indonesia increased considerably after the end of President Suharto's rule, during which the now-defunct Ministry of Information monitored and controlled domestic media, and restricted foreign media. The TV market includes ten national commercial networks, and provincial networks that compete with public TVRI. Private radio stations carry their own news bulletins and foreign broadcasters supply programs. At a reported 25 million users in 2008, Internet usage is limited to a minority of the population, approximately 10.5%.
Indonesia's estimated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2007 is US$408 billion (US$1,038 bn PPP). In 2007, estimated nominal per capita GDP is US$1,812, and per capita GDP PPP was US$4,616 (International Dollars). The services sector is the economy's largest and accounts for 45.3% of GDP (2005). This is followed by industry (40.7%) and agriculture (14.0%). However, agriculture employs more people than other sectors, accounting for 44.3% of the 95 million-strong workforce. This is followed by the services sector (36.9%) and industry (18.8%). Major industries include petroleum and natural gas, textiles, apparel, and mining. Major agricultural products include palm oil, rice, tea, coffee, spices, and rubber.
Indonesia's main export markets (2005) are Japan (22.3%), the United States (13.9%), China (9.1%), and Singapore (8.9%). The major suppliers of imports to Indonesia are Japan (18.0%), China (16.1%), and Singapore (12.8%). In 2005, Indonesia ran a trade surplus with export revenues of US$83.64 billion and import expenditure of US$62.02 billion. The country has extensive natural resources, including crude oil, natural gas, tin, copper, and gold. Indonesia's major imports include machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, and foodstuffs.
In the 1960s, the economy deteriorated drastically as a result of political instability, a young and inexperienced government, and ill-disciplined economic nationalism, which resulted in severe poverty and hunger. Following President Sukarno's downfall in the mid-1960s, the New Order administration brought a degree of discipline to economic policy that quickly brought inflation down, stabilized the currency, rescheduled foreign debt, and attracted foreign aid and investment. Indonesia is Southeast Asia's only member of OPEC, and the 1970s oil price raises provided an export revenue windfall that contributed to sustained high economic growth rates. Following further reforms in the late 1980s, foreign investment flowed into Indonesia, particularly into the rapidly developing export-oriented manufacturing sector, and from 1989 to 1997, the Indonesian economy grew by an average of over 7%.
Indonesia was the country hardest hit by the East Asian financial crisis of 1997–98. Against the US dollar, the currency dropped from about Rp. 2,000 to Rp. 18,000, and the economy shrank by 13.7%. The rupiah has since stabilized at around Rp. 10,000, and there has been a slow but significant economic recovery. Political instability since 1998, slow economic reform, and corruption at all levels of government and business, have contributed to the patchy nature of the recovery. Transparency International ranked Indonesia 143rd out of 180 countries in its 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index. GDP growth, however, exceeded 5% in both 2004 and 2005, and is forecasted to increase further. This growth rate, however, is not enough to make a significant impact on unemployment, and stagnant wages growth and increases in fuel and rice prices have worsened poverty levels. As of 2006, an estimated 17.8% of the population live below the poverty line, 49.0% of the population live on less than US$2 per day, and unemployment rate at 9.75%.
Yep that's kind of it. I'm going to observe all the Southeast Asian countries to see if there's any kind of link between the economic activities of a country and the cultural development of it. :D
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
7:59 AM
Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic and volcanic activity.
Southeast Asia consists of two geographic regions: the Asian mainland, and island arcs and archipelagoes to the east and southeast. The mainland section consists of Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia (or to be more precise, Peninsular Malaysia). The maritime section consists of Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore. Some definitions include Taiwan at the north. Austronesian peoples predominate in this region. The major religions are Buddhism and Islam, followed by Christianity. However a wide variety of religions are found throughout the region, including many Hindu and animist-influenced practices.
Hmm I found this off Wikipedia. But I still feel that something is lacking. The geography do not make the region, but culture is sorely lacking in this introduction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Asia
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
7:54 AM
Prices of rice and other basic food items are increasing in the world. The global food price crisis is affecting millions, possibly billions of people. Food policies are challenged. Governments are imposing emergency measures to calm down their restless constituents. The Southeast Asian region, home to several emerging and developing economies, is also struggling to cope with the situation.
For want of a better title more or less sums up the problem in the region:
“The biggest problem with our rising rice prices is that it’s more a distribution error than a problem with the rice yields. It’s more about politics than it is about agriculture…What’s probably going to happen though is an even higher rise in rice prices. The thing about a necessary product is that when price goes up, people buy more. And since they’re spending more on rice, they’ll spend less on the things that accompany that rice.”
Even Singapore, one of Asia's richest countries, is now scrambling to offer cheap food prices as reported by Singapore News Alternative.
Rice exporting nations are also gripped with panic. Thanh Niencites that “Rice fever runs hot in several Vietnam provinces.” Details are Sketchy is worried because nearly half a million kids in Cambodia are expected to start missing meals in the coming weeks as a result of the rising cost of rice.
“The rice price is remarkably increasing in Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh residents have been buying and stocking rice. All type of rice price is increasing too fast and making Cambodian people worried. The price of rice is going up across the nation by more than 20 percent, comparing to the previous year. Rising the rice price is helping the farmers but it is hitting badly the poor such as garment workers, teachers, civil servants who have low-income.”
But Cambodia’s government is optimistic that rice production will improve. Im Sokthyexplains:
“Cambodia has about two million hectare of land for rice production. Its existing irrigation system can cover 30 percent of the land. It can expand to three million hectares for rice production. Adding to this, Cambodia could cultivate about two to three times per year on the same land areas. Based on this, it is seen that Cambodia has huge potential to become the world's largest rice exporting country.”
Youthful Insightnotes the anomaly in policymaking in Indonesia, which may be applicable as well to other countries:
“On one side the government must keep inflation and food price low enough so its does not hurt the poor. But on the other side the government must maintain a reasonable high price to give incentive to farmers to increase their production and increase rural welfare. Is there any policy to achieve both objectives above? Yes! Give high subsidy to the farmers like what the developed countries are doing. But the problem is our government does not have the money to do it.
“Cheap food price is good for poor urban, whose main sources of income are the service and manufacturing sectors. But bad for rural poor whose main source of income is agriculture sector. Lower food price means lower income and also lower welfare for rural area. The government sacrifices the rural for the sake of the urban. Why? Because urban poor is more attractive politically than rural poor.”
New Mandalamentions the ongoing debate in Thailand about the extent to which farmers will benefit from high rice prices. Thailand Crisis is surprised to hear the Thai Prime Minister exhorting the people to eat less so that Thailand can export more rice.
The Malaysianquotes a politician who is asking the Malaysian government to stop the space mission program so that the money can be used to develop Sabah as a food producing state.
Filipino journalist Ricky Carandang points to another reason for the rising food prices:
“Yes, there are real supply and demand factors driving up rice prices, but one must concede that a big chunk of the increases in the prices of oil, gold, and rice, are due to speculation on the international commodities markets.”
Lengua et Plumablames the economic policies of the Philippine president:
“The government is quick to blame the traders, when it hides on the background its policies that pave the way for cartel operations and the declining rice production in the country. This crisis that has brought about the overdependence on the importation of food, and an agriculture that is geared mainly towards the production of raw materials for export, has put on the forefront the long-running problems that beset our agriculture and farmers –lack of irrigation, lack of subsidy on the production of our farmers, land use and crop conversion, and the monopoly of land by a few land owners and transnational corporations, to name a few.”
Local Freakonomicshopes the Brunei government will continue subsidizing the price of basic food items:
“While I don’t expect the government to subsidize all food but I do expect some food price subsidies/food security packages are being planned for Brunei’s staple food (in addition to rice and sugar) such as cooking oil, flour, milk, eggs, chicken.”
Ohwell. This is an essay written by Mong Palatino, taken from http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/04/28/southeast-asia-rice-and-food-price-crisis/ on the global rice and food price crisis.
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
7:43 AM
STOLEN FROM SZENING!
But yes, its the reliable information on the Asian Youth Games 2009, hosted by none other than
SINGAPORE
1st Asian Youth Games Singapore 2009 AYG Fact Sheet
Event Background
- The Asian Youth Games (AYG) was first mooted as part of Singapore's Youth Olympic Games (YOG) bid in 2007
- The Olympic Council of Asia's (OCA) Executive Board unanimously agreed to award the hosting of the 1st AYG to Singapore on 3rd April 2008
- The decision to let Singapore host the first ever AYG was approved by all 45 members of the OCA on 6th April 2008
Event Objectives
- To gather the youth from around Asia in a celebration of youth, sports and learning
- To provide a platform for youths in Asia to engage in friendly competition and imbibe the Olympic sporting values of excellence, friendship and respect
- To provide a forum for learning, cultural exchange and friendship among the youth
Official Slogan
"Asia's Youth, Our Future"
Official Logo
- The highly vibrant and energised star symbol is a unique combination of two overlapping and complementary starbursts. This visual closeness of two stars that merge into one reflects the strong ties that have bonded over the years amongst the Asian countries for this international sporting event.
- The star also symbolises the excellence each participating sportsman and sportswoman brings, and we salute their sportsmanship with a blue-green athlete embedded within the star symbol.
- A synergy of dynamic colour palette highlights the diverse participating Asian nations that come together in celebration of youth, sports and friendship.
- Official Logo Designer: Brainwave Brand Development & Communications
Event Details - Dates of competition: 29 June - 7 July 2009
- No. of sports competed: 9 sports - Aquatics (Swimming and Diving), Athletics, Bowling, Basketball FIBA 33 (3-on-3), Beach Volleyball, Football, Sailing, Shooting and Table-Tennis
- No of Sports Events: 90
- Age of athletes: 14 to 17 years old
- About 1,400 athletes from 45 countries are anticipated to compete at the 1st AYG Singapore 2009
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
8:36 AM
ASEAN+3
It's a new phenomena comprising the 10 ASEAN nations plus Korea, China and Japan. Its formation was due to several reasons.
.ASIAN FINANCIAL CRISIS.
.COLD WAR IN ASIA.
It was a battle between the Independents (USA) and the Communists and Socialists (North Korea and Vietnam). There was little interaction between the Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia. In order to stop the influence of communism, 5 countries formed ASEAN, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand. These 5 countries also initiated programmes with other countries such as China.
.POST COLD WAR ENGAGEMENT.
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the post Cold War era began. This resulted in more involvement in East Asia as a whole. However, there was no discussion on ASEAN+3, as it was all on an ad hoc basis.
.ANCIENT TRIBUTE SYSTEM AND COLONIAL RULE.
.GEOHISTORY OF SOUTHEAST ASIA AND EAST ASIA.
WHY ASEAN+3?
.GROWING TREND OF GLOBALISATION AND REGIONALISATION.
The liberal economic policies of the EU (European Union) and the North America FTA (Free Trade Agreement) involved Latin Americans, which in turn created response from Asian readers, ad caused Asian regionalism.
.ASIAN FINANCIAL CRISIS: REGIONAL RESPONSE.
During the 1997-1998 financial crisis, many in IMF (International Monetary Fund) helped. The stringent conditions at that time forced many countries to change their economic systems. The countries were reluctant and so, they decided to solve this locally. Hence, in 1998, the 1st ASEAN+3 Summit took pace. China initiated it, and it required great interstate cooperation and resulted in phenomenal trade growth.
.GROWING SALIENCE OF REGIONAL CHALLENGES.
WHAT DOES ASEAN+3 DO?
.ADDRESS SPECIFIC ISSUES (MOSTLY ECONOMIC).
Discuss financial, trade, non-traditional security issues. Which means that there are no territorial disputes. Deals with drugs, terrorism, piracy, human trafficking and diseases etcetera. Other issues discussed include the Chiang Mai initiative, which states that if any country has financial difficulty, the other countries can help and the money can be repayed at a later date.
.PUSH FOR COMMUNITY BUILDING VIA BILATERAL FTAS.
Many FTAs such as the ASEAN-China FTA, ASEAN-South Korae FTA, and the ASEAN-Japan FTA all assure more goods of better quality and at a higher price. It basically means that the region is pretty much fraught with conflict at the moment and peaceful living without suspicion of each other and easy access to each other's resources is the goal of ASEAN+3.
CHALLENGES
.ECONOMIC, CULTURAL, AND POLITICAL DIVERSITY.
Economic: Developing countries are very poor as they are chiefly agricultural. Political: Vietnam, China, North Korea etc. are all classified communist. Thailand has a civilian government, and Myanmar is run by the military junta. On the other hand, Japan has had democracy since WWII, Taiwan has recently achieved independence, and South Korea is a full-fledged democracy, making it impossible to intervene due to human rights, etc.
.DISTRUST WITHIN ASEAN+3.
Due to our history, it makes it impossible for complete trust. For example, the tension between China and Japan makes it practically impossible. The Japanese blame the Chinese for their war crimes during the Nanjing Massacre. The Japanese farmers are also against this FTA as they are afraid that Southeast Asian products will flood the Japanese market and this would reduce their profit margin. Both countries also saw each other as the greatest competition for regional leadership and wanted to provide more than the other for ASEAN+3, hence they ended up both providing the same amount for the federal reserves. Japan, on the other hand, wanted ASEAN+1. In addition, during the post Cold War era, ASEAN saw China as a threat, as China was communist and the smaller countries were worried that China's rapid development would result in its dominance. This resulted in ASEAN-China tension.
.DOMESTIC POLITICS.
Simply put, it is difficult to get all 13 countries together.
.SENSITIVE SECURITY ISSUES.
Mostly involving territorial disputes over the East China Sea and the South China Sea, which Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei all lay claim to. Singapore and Malaysia both claimed Pedra Branca in 2008.
.GROWING AMBIGUITY IN GEOPOLITICAL BOUNDARIES.
What is East Asia? The geographical boundary is yet to be defined. Australia counts themselves as part of East Asia because they have been involved in East Asia for decades, and so does India because of its importance in East Asia in light of their rapid development, and the USA considers themselves part of the Asia-Pacific community.
.PRESENCE OF OTHER COMMITTEES.
Other commmittees or forums exist and different countries give these different priorities. For example, others include APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation), East Asia Summit, ASEAN Regional Forum (which handles security issues), Asia-Pacific Community, G2 (Chimerica), US-Japan-China trilateralism, Japan-China-South Korea trilateralism. As such, China sees ASEAN+3 as more important while Japan prioritises the EAS in terms of regional integration. In the G2, China and the US are the main leaders, while ASEAN continues to weaken and also, the leaders of China, Japan, and Korea meet more than they meet ASEAN.
CONCLUSION
.ASEAN+3 becoming 3+ASEAN? .ASEAN GRADUALLY LOSING DRIVER'S SEAT POSITION IN TERMS OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION? .ASEAN+3 IS AT A CROSSROADS?
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
7:35 AM
AYC!
We kind of underwent alot of cultural training for this! Like we got plenty of exposure and new knowledge about the other ASEAN countries, and also the ASEAN +3, which was basically ASEAN (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Brunei, Myanmar, Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia - in no particular order) and also, Korea Japan and China, basically all the countries closer to the East of the world.
Okay now I shall give some information about the ASEAN +3 countries. In the order that I listed,
SINGAPORE Head-of-state: President S.R. Nathan Head-of-government: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Capital: Singapore :D Land area: 697km2 Main languages: English, Chinese, Malay, Tamil Currency: S$ (Singapore dollar)
MALAYSIA Head-of-government: The Honorable Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak Capital: Kuala Lumpur Land area: 330 257 sq. km Main languages: Melayu, English, Chinese, Tamil Currency: Malaysian Ringgit
INDONESIA Head-of-state: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Capital: Jakarta Land area: 1 890 754 sq. km Main language: Bahasa Indonesia Currency: Rupiah
THAILAND Head-of-state: His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej Head-of-government: Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Capital: Bangkok Land area: 513 254 sq. km Language: Thai Currency: Baht
LAOS Head-of-state: President Choummaly Sayasone Head-of-government: Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh Capital: Vientiane Land area: 236 800 sq. km Language: Lao Currency: Kip
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM Head-of-state: His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah Capital: Bandar Seri Begawan Land area: 5 765 sq. km Language: Malay, English Currency: B$ (Bruneian Dollar)
MYANMAR Head-of-state: Senior General Than Shwe Head-of-government: Prime Minister General Thein Sein Capital: Nay Pyi Taw Land area: 676 577 sq. km Language: Myanmar Currency: Myanmar Kyat
PHILIPPINES Head-of-state: President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Capital: Manila Land area: 300 000 sq. km Language: Filipino, English, Spanish Currency: Peso
VIET NAM Head-of-state: President Nguyen Minh Triet Head-of-government: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung Capital: Ha Noi Land area: 330 363 sq. km Language: Vietnamese Currency: Dong
CAMBODIA Head-of-state: His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni Head-of-government: Prime Minister Hun Sen Capital: Phnom Penh Land area: 181 035 sq. km Language: Khmer Currency: Riel
http://www.aseansec.org/74.htm
But you know what, this site is really really outdated. Like Mrs Arroyo is already deceased. Oh well, it was last updated in 2004, so it's not their fault. :D I'm going to search all the new updates!
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
7:37 AM
Nasi Padang
A Minang cuisine originated from West Sumatra, Indonesia.
Made with gulai lemak daging, rendang sapi, gulai lemak ayam kampung, udang balado, sambal lada hijau and sambal tumis udang which makes it hard to handle for some people.
Main ingredients are candlenuts, cloves, cardamom, star anise and coconut milk.
Each of the dishes are served in small plates instead of piling everything on one plate, hence one only pays for what dishes they eat.
Fairly well-balanced with meat, fish and vegetables.
Glutinous rice, coconut milk, sugar (sometimes with corn) cooked in hollow bamboo poles, with banana leaf in it to prevent sticking.
Prepared for festivities
Usually eaten with rendang, durian, or tapai (type of fermented food)
Demand for Lemang increases in West Sumatra after durians are harvested
Popular in Indonesian Malay and Minangkabau communities.
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SOUTHEAST ASIAN COUNTRIES
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
1:04 AM
Similarities:
Agriculture
Music: angklung
South of China, East of India
Used to be colonized (except Siam/Thailand)
Diverse cultures due to immigrants (multiracial, diversity [as in mixed blood]) ->rich heritage
Tropical area
Depend on natural resources a lot: Mekong River
A lot of forest land / Largely forested, densely vegetated, rainforest ->mangroves, rivers Nature ->beautiful scenery
Import harvest from agriculture: rubber, spices
Monsoon season ->tropical climate
Diverse wildlife
“truly asia”
Music has similarities: gongs, drums, etc.
Rice is a staple
->food
->agriculture
Experience with colonialism (except Thailand)
Belong to ASEAN as a political group
Emphasis on musicdance as integral part of culture ->Timor Leste ->Philippines (guitar)
20million Laotians in Thailand (most of South Thailand is Laotian) , Malaysian and Australians in Timor Leste from 40000 years ago due to mountains, resulted in segregation->no homogenous countries
Poverty ->a grave issue in Southeast Asia?
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
12:39 AM
INDONESIA
Most number of islands in this world [17 508] 16th Highest land area Anklung [comes from Bandung, the place] Kuda kepang Wayang kulit Multiple languages Tourist attractions Kulintang Food Subcultures [e.g. Javanese] National motto: UNITY IN DIVERSITY Vast areas of wilderness Supports second highest level of biodiversity Natural resources Population originated from Taiwan Wet-field rice cultivation Java: the world’s most populous island High agricultural fertility Rapid economic development and urbanization
HAHAHA.
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
Monday, October 27, 2008
9:04 AM
Malaysian female's clothes!
Burmese female's clothes!
Ahh, this is a Burmese male traditional costume.
Laotian females! The males seem to have disappeared though. I can't find male clothes, although sources suggest that they are similar to Burmese clothes.
Cambodian clothes Thai clothes!
this is a Vietnamese wedding couple!
Vietnamese women's clothing.
This is basically a summary of some of the Southeast Asian clothing.
For example, the Malay males wear traditional costumes and a large black square-resembling hat, known as the songkok, one of the most distinctive features of Malay males.
Anyway, you might notice that most of the costumes look the same as they consist of:
FEMALE:long-sleeved blouse floor-length skirt
MALE: long-sleeved shirt long pants
Scarily similar, no?
Each has its own distinctive characteristics, such as embroidery which reflects the culture, but in the end, it comes back to the conservative Southeast Asian society which it reflects.
Interesting insight. Southeast Asian fashion strangely reflects the theme of my blog:
UNITY IN DIVERSITY
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
8:45 AM
And now for the universal favourite.
FOOD.
Food is perhaps one of the most distinctive features of Southeast Asia. And look at this interesting article.
MALAYSIANS TOLD TO SAFEGUARD DISHES SUCH AS SATAY
PETALING JAYA - Malaysians need to safeguard their food heritage before other countries adopt it as their signature dishes, a government official has said.
"Before we lose our satay (picture) and roti canai like we lost our chilli crabs to Singapore, we must find a way to make our signature dishes synonymous to Malaysia and no other country," said Mr Rosly Selamat, an official with Tourism Malaysia.
He was speaking during the launch of the Malaysia Truly Asia Cuisine Showcase on Wednesday, which presented a range of Malaysian dishes that appeals to global tastes.
The event was also held to suppoer the government's Malaysia Kitchen project, which plans to set up 3, 000 Malaysian restaurants around the world by 2010.
The government has allocated RM200 million ($87 million) for the project, with RM60 million more for promotional efforts.
"Take Thai restaurants, for instance. They are reeling in the big bucks because even the smallest town in Europe has a Thai restaurant," Mr Rosly was quoted by the Straits Times as saying.
According to him, Malaysian cuisine is seen by Londoners as a sexy cuisine because of the exotic mix of Indian, Chinese, Malay and Thai flavours. "Malaysians must jump rather than watch the opportunity pass them by," he said.
That's the end of the article.
WHY CAN'T WE SHARE OUR FOOD???
The article mentions that Malaysian cuisine appears to be an exotic blend of other Asian cuisines. That is only natural, considering we all stay in the same region anyway, so there must be many similarities.
Some of these similarities include lots of rice and lots of spices (there's a lot of spicy food in Southeast Asian cuisines).
And our assignment was to find a recipe for a dish of Southeast Asian roots. So here it is:
Preparation time less than 30 mins Cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour
Ingredients! 1 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tbsp green curry paste (according to taste) 1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar 1-2 thick stalks lemongrass, fat ends bashed with a rolling pin (optional) 750g/1½lb skinless, boneless chicken, cut into chunks (use breast and/or leg meat) 6-8 kaffir lime leaves, torn into pieces (if unavailable, use the grated zest of 1 lime) 400ml/14fl oz coconut milk good shake of Thai fish sauce or light soy sauce small handful of coriander, roughly chopped ½-1 lime, juice only
Method 1. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the green curry paste and sugar and cook over a fairly high heat for about a minute, stirring with the lemongrass, if using. Reduce the heat slightly and stir in the chicken pieces and lime leaves or zest until coated in the paste. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce or soy sauce and bring to a simmer, cooking for 25-30 minutes until thickened slightly. Stir in the coriander and lime juice. Check for seasoning, adding more fish sauce or soy sauce if needed. 2. The curry is now best left to sit for a few minutes so the sauce becomes creamier. You will also taste the true flavours of the curry paste ingredients when it's slightly cooler. Serve with lots of fragrant Thai jasmine rice.
Jasmine rice is a particularly fine, medium-grain type of rice. It is fragrant when cooked, hence the name. The polished white rice is prepared without salt to balance the Thai flavors. Please do not serve ordinary rice from the supermarket with Thai meals!
The secret of perfect rice lies in the quantity of water used-measure holding your finger on top of the rice-the water should reach just below your middle finger's first joint. All the water should be absorbed during cooking, leaving the rice firm and fluffy.
Rice only takes 20-25 minutes, with little attention (but don't let it burn!).
Traditionally cooked in an aluminium pan over a charcoal burner, here in the West, we use a modern stove. With the introduction of electricity across the country, today the electic rice cooker is more common in Thailand.
Ingredients 2 1/2 cups Thai jasmine rice 3 cups water
Method Place rice in a small saucepan (approx. 2-1/2 qt). Rinse rice by running cold water over two or three times to cover and pouring the water out. This rids the rice of excess starch powder and broken rice which makes the cooked rice mushy and sticky. Add just enough water to cover the top of the rice by 1/2-inch (approximately 3 cups). A convenient trick is to place your middle finger, just touching the top of the rice in the pan. The water level should be just below the first joint of your finger, from the tip. No measuring needed. Cover the pot with the lid. Place over medium to medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, another 10 minutes, until the water has completely evaporated. Turn off the burner and allow rice to sit, covered, for at least another 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature (especially with spicy curries). Serves 2 to 3.
fascinating, no?
I'd talk more about food, but it's making me abnormally hungry so I shall stop here. Maybe another time. :D
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
8:36 AM
In one of our lessons, we went throught the legend known as
PUTERI GUNUNG LEDANG
This translates to "Princess of Mt. Ophir" which is a mountain in Malaysia.
Here is the legend:
Most people in Malaysia knows the legend of Puteri Gunung Ledang, however, not many realised this legend happened in the district of Muar, north of Melaka.
According to Malay belief in the old days, there was a beautiful jin princess who lived on top of Ledang Hill and was called Puteri Gunung Ledang. The princess had seven sisters originated from Java. Her other relatives in Malay peninsular were Puteri Gunung Banang in Batu Pahat, Puteri Gunung Panti in Kota Tinggi and Puteri Gunung Beremban in border of Johor and Pahang.
These jin princesses cannot be seen by human beings. However, some people like Malay traditional medicine man and people who lost their way in the forest, sometimes meet and talk to them.
According to the Malay story told verbally, Puteri Gunung Ledang stayed at the top of Gunung Mahligai (Mahligai Mountain). She had a lover who lived on top of Gunung Rundok (Rundok Mountain). Every night the mountain top of Gunung Rundok will approach near Gunung Mahligai, and the two lovers met and spend the time until early morning. After a few years, one night, while spending the time together, they did not realised the time had passed early morning. The act was against the curse of jins causing the mountain top of Gunung Rundok slanted until today.
If we were to climb Gunung Ledang from Kampung Asahan (Asahan Village) in Melaka, we will encounter a deep crater before reaching the mountain top. This large crater was belief to saperate the mountain top of Gunung Rundok and Gunung Mahligai along Mount Ledang.
The mountain top of Gunung Rundok cannot straightened itself. So the jin prince have to stay at the top of Gunung Mahligaitogether with Puteri Gunung Ledang and were married.
After the wedding, they went for honeymoon to Pulau Besar (Besar Island) at the Straits of Melaka. One day, while Puteri Gunung Ledang was sewing under a coconut tree at the seaside, her husband came from behind to surprise her jokingly. She was shocked and accidently stabbed her husband's hand with her sewing pin. Immediately, her husband fell to the ground and died, as it was a curse on him to die if stabbed by a pin. She was very sad and hug her husband's body and said:
"Oh my love, Putera Mambang,I swear I will never marry again until I die."
She went back to Gunung Ledang soon after.
MARRIAGE PROPOSAL TO PUTERI GUNUNG LEDANG.
As the story goes, wife of Sultan Mahmud of Melaka died and he mourned for her death for quite a while. This caused some concern among the heads and ministers of Melaka. They asked the sultan to get married again. Quite a number of beautiful princesses and daughters of ministers and nobles were presented to His Majesty. he refused them all with all kind of reasons. His Majesty still loves his late wife.
One day, while His Majesty was missing her late wife, his Bendahara (Prime Minister) came and presented the story of Puteri Gunung Ledang to him. The Bendahara suggested to His Majesty to marry Puteri Gunung Ledang and becomes his queen. His Majesty agreed.
A few days later, His Majesty sent a team of messenger to propose marriage to Puteri Gunung Ledang. The team consist of his famous general Hang Tuah and Sang Setia. Tun Mamat was the sherpa. During their journey, they reached the foot of the mountain. There was heavy storm and they could not climb up and Hang Tuah have aged.
Tun Mamat went alone through rough terrain and through deep forest, until he managed to reached the mountain top of Gunung Ledang. He was surprised to discovered a beautiful garden full of flowers with birds chirping and flying around it. The garden gives a very extraordinarily beautiful and happy feeling. While Tun Mamat were impressed with the beauty he encountered, an old lady came an called him. "Who are you, and where are you going?" asked the old lady.
"I am Tun Mamat from Melaka, instructed by His Majesty Sultan Mahmud to propose marriage to Puteri Gunung Ledang, and may I know who are you?" asked Tun Mamat curiously.
"I am Dang Raya Rani, servant ot Puteri Gunung Ledang. If that is what you wish, please wait a moment, while I refer this to Her Majesty." answered the old lady.
She disappeared for a moment and came reappeared after a while and said, "Tun Mamat, please send Puteri Gunung Ledang's regards to His Majesty . Her Majesty said, if His Majesty want to make her his queen, His Majesty must grant her these special presents that is 7 trays of mosquito's heart, 7 trays of germ's heart, one barrel of tears, one barrel of young pinang juice, one bowl of His Majesty's blood and one bowl of blood of His Majesty's son, Raja Ahmad. She also requested His Majesty to build a silver bridge connecting Melaka and Gunung Ledang.
Tun Mamat went down to Hang Tuan and Sang Setia and they return to Melaka. The wishes of Puteri Gunung Ledang were presented to His Majesty and he agreed to grant it all except to give one bowl of his son Raja Ahmad's blood.
Puteri Gunung Ledang's nonsensical wishes for those special gifts were just an excuse not to accept the marriage proposal from His Majesty the Sultan of Melaka as she is still loyal to her late husband who died in Pulau Besar.
This is unbelievable. Who would have known that a mere legend would have made such a great film and musical???
On the other hand, it's made me see how polite the Malays are. Instead of telling the King "I dont't want to marry you", she makes absurd requests as conditions for marriage. She's cunning and can think on her feet, I concede.
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
8:29 AM
THE SHOCK.
THE HORROR.
HOW CAN THIS EXIST???
Yes, those were my first thoughts when I watched my first video of kuda kepang.
you may wonder, what IS kuda kepang???
The Kuda Kepang is a very interesting dance from Johor. The dance was once a form of totemic worship. The dance had strong links with spirit possession and often dancers went into a trance-like state. However with the Islamisation of Malaysia, this dance now generally renders the tale of nine Javanese men who spread the Islamic faith in the interior of Java. The nine Muslim evangelists rode on horseback and dramatized stories of the battles waged and won for the cause of Islam to draw and hold the attention of the congregation. Kuda Kepang is performed by nine dancers who are seated astride a two dimensional 'horse' made of hide or pleated rattan. The dancers re-enact the early Islamic battles in enthusiastic gestures and vigorous action. Naturally as time as moved this dance is seen very much more for its entertainment value. This dance is performed in accompaniment to a rich and exotic rendition of traditional music played with indigenous instruments such as gongs, tambourines and angklungs. http://www.dancemalaysia.com/Dance/Traditional/Folk_Dance/Kuda_Kepang/kuda_kepang.htm
Just a little video to make it more visual for you.
anyway, at first I thought it was really sadistic.
then I thought maybe not!
when I watched the video, it was quite... shocking. the music was really violent, what with aggressive banging of drums, and the whole scene was really noisy as well.
and it only got worse when I saw some of the dancers being whipped. and forced to step on crushed glass, and being fed PLANTS.
WOULD YOU DO THAT??? EVER???
to your fellow human?
apparently yes.
That's because these dancers are in a TRANCE. Like those scary fortune tellers/ crystal ball gazers you see in cartoons. only its for real this time.
but its not THAT bad.
the female dancers are like any other dancer and they aren't the main highlight of the juda kepang. the male dancers, on the other hand, are the key.
they danced with cardboard horse cut-outs between their legs and then *gasps*
BECOME THE HORSE :O
as a result, they feel no pain when they are whipped and forced to step on crushed glass. They're in a trance-like state, and have to wash their faces in cold water to come out from their trance.
is this humane?
it could be.
it could NOT be.
but its still an integral part of the Javanese culture, and we should respect that. There are still performances ongoing in Singapore as well. I suppose human rights activists may question the "rightness" in kuda kepang, such as letting a 13-year-old boy perform in such a performance. but is there anything wrong with demonstrating the uniqueness of the Javanese culture.
this is, i suppose, a question which has no answer.
when things seem horrifying, look back for a second glance, and then you'll realise, that it wasn't what you've just seen.
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
8:14 AM
Now I shall first discuss the Malay language.
It's actually pretty similar to English, just that the spelling's pretty different.
The 'k' is pronounced as 'c', so 'komputer' is pronounced 'computer' and it IS a computer.
The 'c' sound, on the other hand, is pronounced as 'ch', so 'cuba', which means 'try', is pronounced 'chuba'.
It does look complex at first sight.
I still recall the first time Cikgu Melhan read out a passage to us.
WHY IS HE SPEAKING SO FAST???
DO WE HAVE TO SPEAK THAT FAST TOO???
OH NO I AM GOING TO FAIL MY ORALS!!!
yes, but then we realised
*DUMDUM DA DUM*
Cikgu Melhan is a native speaker. Obviously he speaks extremely fast. But then we stopped marvelling at his prowess and actually focussed on our work.
Generally, I don't see things at first sight. Undoubtedly.
So when I first read from the textbook, I felt that Bahasa Melayu was unbelievably complicated. But that, on second glance, I felt that it bore an odd resemblance to Chinese.
No, I don't mean the characters, but I mean the way each word has its own
MEANING
SIGNIFICANCE
It's like Chinese. Every word has a history behind it. It's not like English, which is a compilation and then modification of all sorts of languages ranging from Greek to Latin to goodness-knows-what.
Each word has its history. It may not be something I'll ever understand in this lifetime, seeing as even native speakers may not know everything, but I'm going to strive for it anyway.
Malay is a different and unique language. It is worth learning. I can feel it.
IN MY BONES :D
Malay refers to a group of languages closely related to each other to the point of mutual intelligibility but that linguists consider to be separate languages. They are grouped into a group called "Local Malay", part of a larger group called "Malayan" within the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family.[2][3][4] The various forms of Malay are spoken in Brunei, Indonesia (where the national language, Indonesian, is one form of it), Malaysia, Singapore, and southern Thailand.[5]
Malay is an official language of Brunei and Malaysia, and one of the official languages in Singapore. The national language of Indonesia is Indonesian, formally referred to as Bahasa Indonesia which literally translates as "Indonesian language". It is also called Bahasa Kebangsaan (National Language) and Bahasa Persatuan/Pemersatu (Unifying Language) in Indonesia. Indonesian is also used in East Timor, a consequence of more than 20 years of Indonesian military occupation. In Malaysia, the language is now officially known as Bahasa Malaysia ("Malaysian language"), though constitutionally it to be called Bahasa Melayu. Singapore, Brunei and southern Thailand refer to the language as Bahasa Melayu ("Malay language").
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malay_language
Thats kinda like a brief summary of the language!
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
1:11 AM
Now, you may begin to wonder.
WHY ARE WE EVEN STUDYING THIS?
there are the reasons based on personal gain, I suppose.
- to gain more knowledge so that we can get good jobs and earn lots and lots of money!!!!
but it just doesn't seem right, does it?
yes, when we applied, it MIGHT have been for that reason, but not anymore, or for me, at least.
A great variety of reasons were explored when we discussed this during our first lesson.
Some of them are:
We're surrounded by Malay-speaking countries. Naturally, it would seem quite disadvantageous if we were to speak only English. Communication is of utmost importance in order to form a cohesive society, whose bonds have now been stretched, limited by our geographical borders and even some politicians. Singapore has already been disadvantaged as our political system and economic activity is more stable, and hence we are not as similar to the other Southeast Asian nations as they are to each other. This is practically a necessary requirement.
We need to learn more about other cultures and accept them. How would YOU feel being an oddball? Being a Chinese-dominated society in a Malay-dominated region, we are somewhat distant and unrelated to the other Southeast Asian nations. Since we can't BECOME them, then we'll have to UNDERSTAND them and leave it at that. That's about the best we can do.
We need to be better equipped for our future. Of course. We wouldn't take a course on this if we couldn't use it to benefit the region. Studying this knowledge will allow us to learn more about the region and then we can put this knowledge to good use in the future, hence benefitting the region.
and those three are basically the main reasons why I think the RSP was set up in the first place.
Also, I seem to vaguely remember Ms Lee asking us to research on Esperanto during our first lesson.
So here it is:
Esperanto - is by far the most widely spoken consructed international auxiliary language in the world. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto, the pseudonym under which L.L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887. The word esperanto means 'one who hopes' in the language itself. Zamenhof's goal was to create an easy and flexible language that would serve as a universal second language to foster peace and international understanding. Esperanto has had continuous usage by a community estimated at between 100,000 and 2 million speakers for over a century. By most estimates, there are approximately one thousand native speakers. However, no country has adopted the language officially. Today, Esperanto is employed in world travel, correspondence, cultural exchange, conventions, literature, language instruction, television, and radio broadcasting. Also, there is an Esperanto Wikipedia that contains over 100,000 articles as of June 2008.There is evidence that learning Esperanto may provide a good foundation for learning languages in general. Some state education systems offer basic instruction and elective courses in Esperanto. Esperanto is also the language of instruction in one university, the Akademio Internacia de la Sciencoj in SanMarino.
that'll be scary but what I don't understand is how such a language could die out. Even when the Japanese invaded China during World War II and forced the Chinese to speak Japanese, the Chinese never fully gave in. To this day, the Chinese language is one of the most powerful languages, and it is one of the more ancient scripts as well. It never died out, and became stronger after enduring such obstacles.
So why did Esperanto die out? After it was declared to be the world's second language, I thought that maybe there would be a surge to learn it. But instead, it just fell off a cliff and vanisheddisappeared.
sometimes mysteries aren't meant to be solved.
so I guess I'll just leave you to decide for yourselves.
and apart from that, I realise that we learnt this major new word in our first lesson.
its called
Assalamualaikum
oh wow the longness of this word! its arabic, and the proper reply is wa'alaikumsalam.
Some information on the word is: As-Salāmu `Alaykum (السلام عليكم) is an Arabicspoken greeting used by Muslims as well as Arab Christians and Jews. The term Salam in Arabic means "Peace". The greeting may also be transliterated as Salaam 'Alaykum. It means "Peace be upon you". The traditional response is wa `Alaykum As-Salaam, meaning "and upon you be peace."
The greeting is almost always accompanied by a handshake.
In Arabia the greeting is associated with two or three light kisses.On the Indian subcontinent, the saying of Salaam is often accompanied with an obeisance, performed by bowing low and raising the right hand till it is in front of the forehead. In Indonesia, greeting is usually accompanied by a kind of two-handed "handshake". None of these is derived from Islamic custom, but they are based in cultural traditions.
Many Turkish people, including more Secular and non-religious people, say "Selam" as an equivalent to "Hello" or "Hi".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assalam_alaikum
and another word
Shalom
its not too long haha :D its hebrew
Shalom (שָׁלוֹם) is a Hebrew word meaning peace, completeness, and welfare and can be used idiomatically to mean both hello and goodbye.As it does in English, it can refer to either peace between two entities (especially between man and God or between two countries), or to the well-being, welfare or safety of an individual or a group of individuals. The word is also found in many other expressions and names. Its equivalent cognate in Arabic is salaam, sliem in Maltese, Shlomo (ܫܠܡܐ) in Syriac-Assyrian and sälam in Ethiopian Semitic languages from the Proto-Semitic rootS-L-M.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalom
and also, the classic malay one
Selamat sejahtera
see?
they all mean the exact same thing.
basically, they all translate to peace be with you
and for example, the other variations also sound alike
its exactly like ESPERANTO
like an international second language but with lots of twists around the words.
it just shows how the different societies were linked, even in ancient times. After all, they couldn't have developed these shocking similarities without interacting. maybe the ancient world wasn't as underdeveloped as we thought.
MY EVERYDAY NEED`
Sunday, October 26, 2008
5:34 PM
Yes, welcome to my RSP blog! 8D
This entry is dedicated to briefly explaining the RSP to allow the reader to gain a greater insight into the RSP before reading more about it.
The RSP actually stands for Regional Studies Programme, and this programme has also been implemented in 3 other schools:
RAFFLES INSTITUTION (RI) VICTORIA SCHOOL (VS) ANGLO-CHINESE SCHOOL (INDEPENDENT) (ACS(I))
but RGS is the only girls' school to have such a programme! :D
This is the first time such a programme has been implemented in Singapore, making sec1'08 batch the pioneer batch.
The programme differs from MSP, the Malay Special Programme, in which students are taught to speak, read and write in Bahasa Melayu.
The Regional Studies Programme, on the other hand, features two components, the language component, and the USEA component.
The language component is basically the study of Bahasa Melayu and we learn to read, speak and write the Malay language.
But the unique component in the RSP is the
Understanding Southeast Asia Module I really cannot describe this module in just a few words cos there's just too much, but suffice it to say that it encompasses studying the culture, politics, economy of the various Southeast Asian cultures, and this can be studied by visiting various ethnic enclaves in Singapore.
There's too much to describe for this module, so I would suggest reading my other entries :D
The 'slogan' of the RSP is Our Region, Our Heritage, Our Future
This basically means the study of Southeast Asia, since we ARE in SEA anyway. And we have to know about our past, reflect on our mistakes and our glories, which all contribute to who we are today, as a nation, region, and as one Southeast Asia. The study will leave us better equipped to deal with what is most likely to happen, and this will create a better future for Southeast Asians.
With this, I end my introduction and move further in depth to reflect on the curriculum. :D
While we're introducing everything, I might as well introduce myself.
My name is Vivian Chew I'm in RGRSP My other CCAs include NCC(Air) Math Society LYFE (Environment Club) I love my house WADDLEand my class110'08
I love playing the piano travelling the world reading doing math
The aspect I'm going to focus on for this blog is fashion
My overall theme of my blog is unity in diversity
I joined the RSP because
I thought it was fun.ITS AWESOME<3 The USEA module fascinated me. I love studying politics, economics etc. I thought it would be a chance for me to travel the region while staying in Singapore. I wanted to know more about the culture. I knew that this programme would give me the exposure I wanted and would never have have received. that's how I would introduce myself. But how would I introduce myself as an RSP student?
I guess it would be something along the lines of
avid reader of Southeast Asian culture
lover of our region
believer in our future
scholar of RGS :D
I really think that that is all that is needed to make a good RSP student. She need not be a youth ambassador of Singapore, but she needs to have the love for our region, to bother to make an effort to help make Southeast Asia a better place for all. She needs to be optimistic, to believe that Southeast Asian nations have a lot ahead of them, and we have to have courage to overcome any difficulties we may encounter. We need to believe that the future is bright, and must be sufficiently well-read and aware to make the apprioprate choices.
And of course, because the school is offering a scholarship for most of us to take the RSP, we're a scholar of RGS too! :D
I believe this programme is going to work. Our batch has the hunger for new knowedge, the willpower to never give up even when it's hard to cope, and most importantly, the desire to do what is best for our region.
RGRSP rocks our socks. I suppose I should explain my blogskin first. Basically, this blogskin is about how fashion is an international language, and everyone can learn much from understanding others' clothes, jewellery and such. It has been said that Math is the international language, but I feel that while Math is an international language, fashion is too. It is a statement of an individual's personality, and more importantly, their cultural background and personal beliefs. Hence, fashion is an integral part of Southeast Asia, and is unique to each and every Southeast Asian country. This is the theme that I will be focusing on in this blog in order to explain culture of Southeast Asian nations. Fashion is something that will always change, yet is a constant in our very own Southeast Asian culture.
VIVIAN!
