Kevin ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

To Keep Or Not To Keep

"Where is this place?" many of you might ask. In fact, if I were to conduct a survey, 99.9% of Singaporeans would probably not know what and where and even the existence of this building (except my friends because I am pretty sure 100% of people who know me know my primary school because of how enthusiastic I am about it).

"If no one knows about this site, then what's the point of conserving it?" Well, on the perspective of the nation and most Singaporeans, this site should not be even considered for conservation, for it has very little, if any, artistic, contextual, and informational values, but since the question asked about what I think should be preserved so I shall just truthfully answer it since this is the site I feel most strongly for. And furthermore, I would not put my heart into a reflection which is not what I would really want to write, right? :D

The 6-storey Olympia Block 

"Well then, why conserve your primary school?" First and foremost, this was where I spent half of my life, 6 whole years to be exact, more than half a decade, so most of my memories are in it. A walk through Greenridge is literally a walk through memory lane to me. The mere sight of the Olympia block would flood my mind with all the memories, the joy and the sad. The run up the 6-storey stairs, the Fortius-Olympia bridge - it's hard to describe, but those memories are real. If you were me, you would certainly also do not want this awesome building to be destroyed, and wish to be able to, 20 or 30 years down the road, walk around the marvellous school garden and relieve all these memories. Even if Greenridge had to be destroyed, I would probably steal a Google Street truck and drive it around the campus so I could keep it in my iPhone forever.

Secondly, it's a matter of appreciating the past. My friends, teachers and everyone in the school got me to who I am today, set the foundation for me entering RV (both character and result-wise), and really, who I am today is because of them (and my RV friends of course, but still, I might not be able to come here if not for them). From when I stepped into the school and left it with my PSLE results, my character has been transformed - gladly, for the better. I have too much to thank, too much to repay to this school that I - just can't bear to have this school destroyed. If you were in my shoes, you would think the same way as me - right?

Greenridge is love, Greenridge is life. You might think otherwise, but I just love Greenridge so much, it just can't, musn't, I just can't bear to watch it be demolished. And that's the only simple reason why I want to conserve it. It might be selfish of me, not even thinking of the nation, but it's just my one little wish.

This ending couldn't be more abrupt but it's already 9pm now, my brain's running out of juice and there's History common test tomorrow, so bye! :)

#ForeverAGreenridgean

Can Singapore Afford To Be Complacent?

Singapore is a global commerce, financial and transportation hub, noted for its effective, pragmatic and incorrupt governance and civil service. In fact, a simple Google search of the world's only island city-state would list some of its impressive standings and rankings, including being Asia's most influential city and 4th in the world by Forbes. A complete list of Singapore's countless achievements would probably take an entire year just to read through it, despite our relatively short history of only 5 decades.

But can Singapore, with such an incredible history that many envy, afford to be complacent?

I don't think so.

After all, Singapore's iconic city skyline was built up from scratch by our founding fathers, most notably our founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who transformed Singapore's Third World economy to First World affluence. When Singapore gained independence in 1965, we had no natural resources, no land for agriculture, no military and only a tiny manufacturing capacity. The only thing we had was a tiny population of largely illiterate immigrants torn by ethnic tensions. Almost the entire world expected that we would collapse, but we did not - not only did we survived, we thrived. Singapore's position today as a global city is largely because of the hard work and sweat of our founding fathers.

Despite this, Singapore is still only a tiny little nation, one that only appears as a "little red dot" on global and regional maps. Our economy is one of the world's most reliant on trade, being strongly dependent on exports. If we are complacent about our achievements and do not improve and innovate, we will soon become irrelevant on the world stage. If Singapore companies are reluctant to expand overseas, they would not grow. No one would also want to set up a business in Singapore if no new policies reflecting the global economy are implemented. No one would want to stop at Singapore's port if its efficiency does not improve with the latest technology. No one would want to trade with us if our shine is diminished.

The list of Singapore's competitors is never-ending. Singapore thus would easily fall back and lose its international standing if it does not constantly improve. For Singapore to be able to stand on the same stage with global powers such as China and the United States and maintain its significant influence on global affairs despite its size, it needs to remain relevant to the world through constant innovation and cannot afford even the slightest complacency.

Hence, we must not take Singapore's many achievements for granted. Today's prosperous and vibrant Singapore is the result of the hard work and perseverance of our founding fathers. To be able to further our success for the next 50 years, we Singaporeans need to work even harder than that of in the past 50 years through constant innovation and we certainly, definitely, must avoid a great danger - complacency.

My China Buddy (What I Think)

Before I interact with my China buddy,  I think that he would be more of an introvert than an extrovert due to what we have studied about China's one-child policy. I also think that he would be quite timid and less competitive, as he, being born after the implementation of the child control measure, did not experience the joys and heartache of sibling rivalry and would be more self-centred and less co-operative.

I am afraid that I would have trouble getting along with him as numerous studies show that Chinese children born after the one child policy are less altruistic and trusting, more pessimistic and less conscientious. Hence, he might not trust me as I might seem like a stranger to him and might not be willing to voice his thoughts or share some interesting stuff with me.

However, despite what I have learnt from the handful of articles which I have read, I am still confident that I will have a whale of a time with my buddy!

Aging Population

3 things I found out:

- I found out that Singapore implemented child control measures (the two child policy) in 1972, which was quite unexpected as I thought that Singapore had a low birth rate throughout its entire history.

- I learnt of the devastating impacts of the one child policy in China, which I previously thought was quite successful in lowering China's birth rate and had little to no negative impact on the society.

- I found out that China abandoned the one-child policy last year, which was quite surprising to me as most of China's rulers supported the policy.

2 perceptions I have gained:

- I learnt that some seemingly harmless actions could possibly have disastrous long term implications (China's one-child policy).

- I learnt that if a mistake has been made, it is extremely difficult and challenging to reverse it (Singapore's and China's attempts at reversing their respective child control measures were not successful).

1 question I have:
- Is there an efficient way to solve the problem of ageing population?

Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore!

Most of us have probably heard about the Chingay parade before, but do we really know what it is about?

I did not really know what the parade was about ­­­­­­­­­­­– I was not very fond of watching long and seemingly "boring" live broadcasts, and did not even know why Chingay was even called "Chingay" (I only loved making fun of the name by separating it into "chin" and "gay") – until last month, when my classmates and I watched the Chingay National Education show at the F1 Pit Building, where we experienced the true "Chingay spirit" – the electrifying atmosphere, magnificent floats, and the enthusiastic performers and volunteers.

The first modern Chingay procession in Singapore was held on 4 February 1973 and involved about 2,000 participants. Mooted by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, the Chingay parade, with all its noise and gaiety, would compensate for the ban on firecrackers, a customary New Year practice to drive away evil spirits as the parade purged all the evil spirits in one shot instead of letting Singaporeans purge them one by one. (If that's the case, we should probably hold it in Changi Hospital next year.) The term  “Chingay” is derived from the Chinese term 妆艺, meaning “the art of masquerading”, a reference to the original stages or floats depicting religious and historical scenes that were carried in procession on the shoulders of men. 

The first Chingay parade was so well received that the People's Association made it an annual festival. Since then, the parade has evolved, together with Singapore, into a uniquely Singaporean Lunar New Year tradition that celebrates Singapore's vibrant and multicultural society. It has become a national festival that is celebrated by Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians alike and is also the largest street performance and float parade in Asia.

I think that this immense change – from a parade just to satisfy Singaporeans' superstition and to solve the problem of reduced public enthusiasm for the occasion after the ban on firecrackers, with traditional Chinese lion dancers, jugglers, stilt-walkers and flag bearers, to an epitome of the dynamism of Singapore's multicultural society, featuring dazzling LED-lit dragons, fireworks, multicultural and international performances – occurred because of globalisation. Over time, Singaporeans become less superstitious about the need to produce a large amount of noise to drive away evil spirits and thus the parade has instead become a celebration of Singapore's culture. As a result of globalisation,  the event has also incorporated regional influences and foreign participants since 1974. The change also supports the efforts of our founding fathers to build a multiracial society in Singapore, with the parade taking on a multicultural flavour in 1976.

A panorama of the enthusiastic students I took during the Chingay NE Show

Chingay 2016, marking the first year of Singapore's next 50 years towards SG100, celebrates the legacy and wisdom of our founding fathers based on the core values advocated by them and pledges our support to live by it and move forward together towards a brighter future. With 11 intricately designed mega floats and performances by 8,000 local talents from 150 organisations and some of the best performers from around the world, Chingay 2016 is more than just a visual delight, it is a treasured glimpse into the different cultures of Singapore and the world, where age, race, language and creed are no barriers.

If you were to ask me if the organisers have successfully fulfilled this purpose, the answer has to be an astounding "Yes! Yes! and Yes!" Based on the 8000 enthusiastic performers, 2000 diligent volunteers, the smiles of the audience and the electrifying atmosphere which my classmates and I have witnessed during the NE show last month and also the actual parades, the Chingay parade is undoubtedly a success.

Performers performing in the rain on Friday (19 February)

The "Chingay spirit" is especially showcased in the first parade on Friday. It was raining heavily that night but the rain definitely did not deter the performers, volunteers and the audience. In the miserable and cold downpour, the sight of the stilt walkers that carried on despite the slippery road; the ushers that smiled through the chaos; the cleaners that tirelessly cleared any puddles they saw; and all the spectators that stayed through the performance, armed with umbrellas and raincoats, in the live broadcast, warmed my heart. We Singaporeans have certainly demonstrated the core values advocated by our founding fathers through the Chingay parades.

Even our Prime Minister was not spared from the rain

PM Lee Hsien Loong, who braved the rain as well, said in his opening address on Friday that this year’s parade is a sign that Singapore will be blessed with 年年有余 – a play on the word 余 which has the same pronunciation as 雨.

智慧灯海，璀璨新加坡！

With the tenacity and resilience that we Singaporeans have showed during the parades, I think he might just be right: Singapore will indeed be prosperous even till SG100 and beyond.

Can Money Buy You Happiness?

It’s an age-old question: Can money buy happiness?

According to the Happy Planet Index and the United Nations, although Singapore is one of the most prosperous countries in the world, with a significantly higher Human Development Index, experienced well-being and life expectancy, our ecological footprint is very large, thus contributing to our Happy Planet Index (39.8) being much lower than China's (44.7) and our neighbouring country Indonesia's (55.5). In other words, Singapore requires much more resources to achieve the same degree of happiness as compared to China and Indonesia.

Why is this so? In my opinion, this is because Singapore, being a relatively prosperous country, is also very competitive. Singaporeans are not easily satisfied and contented with what we have and sometimes strive for the impossible. We tend to compare ourselves with others, causing us to be unnecessarily stressed and worry about things that are probably never going to happen. Long working hours of Singaporeans cause us to have little rest and time to spend with family and friends. We are also quite materialistic and value our finances more than our health and relationships. The following table further illustrates my point, stating that compared to other countries, most Singaporeans are unhappy because of their finances, instead of other aspects of life such as our health and relationships.

I personally think that being rich does not necessarily mean happiness as we do not need to live a rich and glorious life to be happy. Happiness is laughing at the little things in life that matter. We can still be happy if we lead a simple life so long as we are optimistic and contented with what we have. For example, people living in our neighbouring country Indonesia are much happier than us despite the fact that we are much more prosperous than them.

Let me put this problem into more relatable terms. Would you rather be very rich and live a splendid and glorious life but constantly worry about the future, causing you to feel extremely stressed or live a simple and ordinary life without worries?

However, I believe that although being rich does not necessarily mean happiness, our finances could increase our happiness level if spent wisely. We should not be so materialistic in items that we purchase and should focus more on experiences as life experiences give us more lasting pleasure than material things. As illustrated in the following table, although most people think material purchases offer better value for the money, when people looked back at their purchases, they realised that experiences actually provided better value.

In conclusion, I think that everyone can be happy regardless of whether we are rich or poor, as long as we are optimistic and contented with what we have!

"RV60 Complaints"

RV60.

Almost every single RVian knows what RV60 is, but not everyone feels the same about it.

Walking to the canteen on a typical Monday afternoon during the RV60 preparation weeks, it is hard not to pick up a handful of different opinions about RV60. Some lament in colloquial Singaporean English, "Wah today got RV60 ah, so sian...", whereas some happily exclaim, "I'm definitely looking forward to the RV60 celebrations on 16 January!"

I am part of the Infocomm Club and my role was to provide media coverage during the RV60 rehearsals. The video clips that we had taken were to be used to create a 10-minute montage to be shown to the VIPs and alumni in the event of wet weather (which fortunately did not happen). Because of this, I was not required to be in school on the actual day of RV60. However, I was present during a handful of RV60 rehearsals and also watched the videos my CCA seniors took on 16 January and could tell that the celebration was a success.

However, scrolling through my social media feeds after the event ended almost made me change my mind. Many were lamenting about the hard work they had been "forced" to put in for the celebration, the "ungrateful" and "rude" treatment by the teachers and organisers and that "torture" had finally ended. Some claimed that they were locked in the hostel canteen or forced to go home after their performance and some even said before the celebration that they hoped that it would rain. These negative student sentiments and comments were so common that they have been termed by some as "RV60 Complaints".

Almost. Why did I say it "almost" changed my mind? Scrolling past the negative posts, I saw many positive ones too. Some said that they were very proud that they were a part of the celebration and some even commented on the negative posts, saying that they should understand the actions of the teachers and organisers and the rationale behind them.

RV60 is the commemoration of RV's 60th anniversary, or, as I quote from its motto, our spirit, our heartbeat and our story. 我们的精神，我们的情感，我们的故事。To me, RV60 is all about celebrating our RV spirit and our amazing 60-year history, and showcasing it to the VIPs and our alumni. It belongs to all of us, and would not exist if not for the efforts put in by every single one of us - the students, teachers, alumni, and more.

The negative comments made by many of the participating students were worrying, if not alarming, as these students showed a low level of school pride. All of us belong to RV and we should be proud to commemorate its 60th birthday. However, many were complaining that the teachers and the school treated them unfairly and some even questioned the rationale of the celebration, saying that it was "unnecessary".

Although I was not there on the 16th of January, I was there during most of the rehearsals and saw the hard work that both the students and teachers put in. Yes,  both the students AND the teachers. No one forced the teachers to scold the students, no one forced the teachers to go through every single step of the performance, no one forced the teachers to correct every single mistake the performers made. Although they might have done it in a pretty harsh way and there were also some other mistakes that they might have made, no one forced them to do it. They could well be not so committed and have taught the students substandardly but they chose not to not because they enjoyed scolding or standing under the hot sun, but because they truly wanted the event to be a success.

Despite this, I would be lying if I said that the teachers/organisers were perfect and nothing could be done better. No one is perfect, and it is normal for people to make mistakes. There is always room for improvement. Firstly, before the rehearsals have even started, the school should inform the participating students about RV60 and explain to them the importance and rationale of it, possibly inviting seniors and alumni to share their past experiences of past commemorations of RV’s anniversaries so the students would not feel "forced" and reluctant to attend RV60 rehearsals. This could be held during Thursday’s assembly in the auditorium.

Secondly, when trying to correct the mistakes made by the students/performers, the teachers need not “scold” the students in such a harsh manner. Instead, they could firstly commend the students and show appreciation for their hard work and then suggest ways in which they could improve. This would encourage the students instead of discouraging them. Finally, the organisers should not force the students to go home or lock them in the hostel canteen after their performance, if the claims were true. RV60 belongs to every one of us, and every single RVian deserves a right to enjoy the event.

All things aside, the RV60 celebration was a very successful and spectacular one. Good job and well done to all RVians! :)

爱我立化! Loving our RV, because we belong to it and should be proud of it.

The Extra in the Ordinary

I chose this picture to represent the extraordinary in our ordinary school life because I think that the  greatest we will gain after our six years in RV would be the valuable friendships we have forged over the six years. This picture was taken a year ago during our orientation. We have changed much since then but the friendships forged during our orientation have only strengthened.

As the saying goes, "The greatest gift of life is friendship." In my opinion, our friends are one of the most important people in our lives. They help us up when we are down and help us through the darkest moments of our lives. Without my friends, I would not be who I am today as friends are there when we need them.

As Lucius Annaeus Seneca once said, "One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood. " Friends understand us and encourage and support us when we are down. I am very grateful to all my friends for all they have done for me and hope that these friendships would last forever.

All About Me in 200 Words

Hey there! I am Kevin Khoo and am proud to be one of the 60th batch of RVians. Turning 14 this year, I live in Bukit Panjang, Singapore and graduated from Greenridge Primary School in 2014.  

My School (RVHS)

My eyes first saw light on 7 November 2002. An easy date to remember, my birthday is similar to the name of the popular convenience store 7-Eleven. It has been a long and exciting journey since then.

I love to read, swim and cycle. I make an effort to read The Straits Times every day after I complete my homework. I will also read books or magazines during my free time. I swim or cycle every Saturday if the weather permits. I feel that swimming and cycling is good for my health as it is helps me to keep fit and relieve stress.

I also love to travel. As the saying goes, "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." Travelling broadens my horizons and my knowledge expands with every place I visit. I hope to travel to more places in the future!

 

My family and I at Grand Canyon, Arizona

This concludes my self-introduction. I hope that you know more about me through this post!