hello again (:

yay! I finally managed to change my blogskin! (: I chose this skin because I think it's really cool and nice. It also relates to SEA (well, a bit, that is) because trains can bring you around (at least to Malaysia). oh my god, I sound so lame! D:

and special thanks to hazel, chelsea and sara who taught me how to change the blogskin. (:

oh and by the way, this blog will not only be solely an RSP blog..it will have *drum rolls*..Malay too! so now, I officially declare this blog A RSP AND MSP BLOG! (:





Hello again! XD

Anyway, this long post shall be about the RSP trip that I went on on 23 August 2008. We went to visit some Burmese, Thai and Filipino enclaves in Singapore.

Firstly, we went to the Sasanaramsi Burmese Buddhist Temple. We saw the white marble Buddha statue (which was actually the largest of its kind outside Myanmar). We learnt that Myanmar is actually famous for its white marble, Burmese jade and teak. Also, Burmese people don't touch people's head as the head is like the crown of the person. Statues of Burmese Buddha actually have toes of equal length to show that they treat everyone equally and they also have long ears that touch the shoulders.

Next, we went to Golden Mile Complex. Although I went there quite often to take coaches to Malaysia, I didn't really look at the cultural aspect (?) of the building. :\ Anyway, this place is a Thai enclave where Thais in Singapore gather to exchange news etc. As we were given free and easy time, my group (Annabel, Hui Zhen, Symone, Hazel and I) decided to go to the Thai supermarket called "Thai Supermarket" XD The packaging of the food sold there were in Thai language but we could still understand what it was. In the end, we sort of went shopping and bought tidbits and instant noodles xD

Peninsula Plaza was the next place we went to. I t is also a Burmese enclave. To the Myanmar community, it's a slice of home where the Myanmar people in Singapore gather together. We went to a shop named "Golden Princess Pte Ltd" where the shopkeepers were siblings from Myanmar. They were very nice and answered all of our questions (we were given the task of interviewing a shopkeeper and to find out where his/her merchandise came from). They told us that all the products are from Myanmar except for liquor and beer. They also made this thing called kunyar. Kunyar was actually betel leaves wrapped with lots of herbs (eg.cloves) inside. Oh! And I learnt a Myanmar word - mingalaba - which means good morning or good afternoon.

The last place of the trip was to Lucky Plaza. This is a Filipino enclave and it's also one of the earliest SEA enclaves in Singapore. I learnt from one of the shopkeeper that the Filipino word for welcome is tuloy kayo.

Yeah, so the above is the (long) descriptions of the trip. Though I was tired at the end of the trip from all the walking, I have definitely gained some knowledge. (:

P.S. photos will be in the next post :D










Singapore is one of the countries in SEA.

So this post is going to be about it. :D


On 9 August 1965, Singapore gained independence. This is why Singaporeans like me celebrate National Day on 9 August every year. This year, Singapore has celebrated it's 43rd birthday.

So far, National Day Parades have been held in the Singapore National Stadium (which was officially closed on 30 June 2007 and would be demolished to make way for the Singapore Sports Hub) , Padang and in Marina Bay. (This year it was held in Marina Bay.) During the parade, there will be events such as the marching-in of Colours Party and Guard-of-Honour, Inspection of Guard-of-Honour and the Ceremonial Gun Salute. There will also be exciting performances which are different every year.

Every Primary 5 student studying in Singapore also has the chance to watch the National Day Parade Preview. I watched it in 2006 and I really enjoyed myself. The atmosphere at the National Stadium (where NDP was held that year) was very overwhelming and the performances were simply awesome.


Ok, enough about NDP. We shall now travel back in time and look at Singapore's history..

In 1819, Thomas Stamford Raffles founded Singapore and Singapore became part of British colony.
Singapore was known as a trading port due to its geographical location and many people traded here. However, the work of ruling this island was the British's responsibility.

However, good times soon ended when Japan bombed Singapore on 8 December 1941. On 9 February 1942, the Japanese (who was previously focusing on conquering Malaysia) came into Singapore. They attacked and captured important areas in Singapore such as Bukit Timah and Sentosa where the British soldiers supplies and weapons were kept and located.

By 15 February 1942, the Japanese had taken control of most of Singapore. The British decided then that they would have to surrender Singapore to Japan as the British was running out of ammunition, supplies and manpower. In the evening, Lieutenant-General Percival met Lieutenant-General Yamashita at the Ford Motor Factory in Bukit Timah (which had become the Japanese headquarters) and agreed to surrender Singapore.

From 1942 to 1945, Singapore fell under Japanese rule. Life was a nightmare and the Japanese treated the people badly, especially the Chinese as they had helped China in the war against Japan. Many Chinese men were shot dead when they were suspected of being involved in anti-Japan activities.

On 12 September 1945, after a 3 1/2 years of Japanese Occupation, the Japanese surrendered at the Muncipal Building (now known as City Hall). Singapore was under British rule again. Although they welcomed the British, they no longer saw them as powerful and capable of protecting Singapore. Some even lost their respect for the British.

After the war, life remained difficult. People bacame unhappy with the British government and strikes and riots started. In fact, 1947 was know as "The Year of Strikes" as there were more than 300 strikes that year.


Ok, that was a lot of information. The information on Singapore's history was taken from "Social Studies Discovering Our World 4B - The Dark Years"





Hello everyone! :D

Basically, this is my Regional Studies Programme (RSP) blog and so the posts will be revolving around Southeast Asia. Over the next few posts, more information on Southeast Asia will be covered. I will also talk about the trips that I have made to some Southeast Asia countries, so do look out for them alright? (:

yi jun (: rgs 104'08 rsp rgsrcy <3 tarbetian


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