Dear All,
We returned to Singapore safely during midnight on 6 June 2011.
All has come to end but our friendship has also blossomed.
Below are some of the fond memories during the trip found in Mr Sam Soo's Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150334023644616.425587.739934615
And one video in the Maze:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150334023644616.425587.739934615#!/video/video.php?v=10150334044464616
Tuesday 7 June 2011
Sunday 5 June 2011
5 June 2011
Hello Everybody, we are back at Habitat HQ again (our hostel)!
Today, we had a long ride back to Melbourne from Apollo Bay. We reached back Melbourne at around 1pm. We went to a shop called Something Aussie which is owned by a Singaporean Boss. He gave us, students, 15% discount and that really helped us!
After that we went to Victoria Market which was something like a Pasar Malam in Singapore. We bought many things for our family members and friends.
One lesson we learnt today: Try to budget your money and do not overspend! Some of us do not have money by the time we went to Victoria Market. But temptation was something that was difficult to resist. WE WANT TO SHOP!
After which we went to Melbourne Museum but it was showing Egyptian stuff which Singapore had last year. Thus, we cut short the duration in the museum and we went to Little Brooke Street.
Where was Little Brooke Street and what was it all about? Well, LITTLE BROOKE STREET WAS LIKE ORCHARD ROAD IN SINGAPORE! And we were so excited because many of us had not finished shopping for our family members and friends. This was because Little Brooke Street was very "atas" something like Orchard ION. We could draw many similarities of the shopping centres in Australia and Singapore and we thought the only difference was the working hours. They closed their shops at 5 o'clock but in Singapore we could shop all the way until midnight.
That's all folks! We are going for dinner now...
Later on, the teachers are bringing us to supermarket to finish up our coins.
The programe for tomorrow is a visit to a college for food etiquette. Sounds interesting to us. And then we will head back to Singapore. We will most likely reach Singapore tomorrow at around midnight at Changi Airport, Terminal 1.
Sorry, we couldn't upload the photos because Habitat HQ did not give us adminstrative right again.
So see you in Singapore. Bye Bye...hope you have enjoyed the trip together with us!
Today, we had a long ride back to Melbourne from Apollo Bay. We reached back Melbourne at around 1pm. We went to a shop called Something Aussie which is owned by a Singaporean Boss. He gave us, students, 15% discount and that really helped us!
After that we went to Victoria Market which was something like a Pasar Malam in Singapore. We bought many things for our family members and friends.
One lesson we learnt today: Try to budget your money and do not overspend! Some of us do not have money by the time we went to Victoria Market. But temptation was something that was difficult to resist. WE WANT TO SHOP!
After which we went to Melbourne Museum but it was showing Egyptian stuff which Singapore had last year. Thus, we cut short the duration in the museum and we went to Little Brooke Street.
Where was Little Brooke Street and what was it all about? Well, LITTLE BROOKE STREET WAS LIKE ORCHARD ROAD IN SINGAPORE! And we were so excited because many of us had not finished shopping for our family members and friends. This was because Little Brooke Street was very "atas" something like Orchard ION. We could draw many similarities of the shopping centres in Australia and Singapore and we thought the only difference was the working hours. They closed their shops at 5 o'clock but in Singapore we could shop all the way until midnight.
That's all folks! We are going for dinner now...
Later on, the teachers are bringing us to supermarket to finish up our coins.
The programe for tomorrow is a visit to a college for food etiquette. Sounds interesting to us. And then we will head back to Singapore. We will most likely reach Singapore tomorrow at around midnight at Changi Airport, Terminal 1.
Sorry, we couldn't upload the photos because Habitat HQ did not give us adminstrative right again.
So see you in Singapore. Bye Bye...hope you have enjoyed the trip together with us!
Saturday 4 June 2011
3 and 4 June 2011
We are now having fun at YHA hostel. After a delicious fish and chip dinner, we are now having our own time to chit-chat with our new-found friends.
We couldn't update our blog yesterday because Kangaroobie farm did not have internet access. Anyway, we were having so much fun and learning that there was hardly any time to upload our photos.
These are the photos for the past 2 days:
We went to Great Ocean Road and learnt that the road was built by World War One returning Australian soldiers. Many of them had a hard time returning back to civilian lives and were jobless. Thus the Australian government created this job opportunity for them. However, it was certainly not an easy job because it took them 30 years to complete the project. Even with today's technology, Australian government feels that it is a heavy cost to widen the Great Ocean Road. Can you imagine the hardship the returning soldiers had in the 1940s?
We went to stay at Kangaroobie farm and Miss Diana was giving us instructions and the programmes for the next activities.
We went to the one of the 7 wonders in the world: the 12 Apostles.
The boys were sitting on the cushion bush and it was really comfortable.
We really had a great time at the hidden beach!
Behind us was the London Bridge!
3 things I learnt today:
1) We learnt that kangaroos can be eaten!
2) More ferns grow in Australia temperate forest than Singapore tropical rainforest
3) Some worms can glow!
How can I apply what I have learnt in daily lives?
1) We cannot assume too much and must learn more!
2 things I look forward to:
1) Farm activities
2) Volcanic walk
1 sweet memorable thing:
Look at the night sky together during winter in the temperate forest.
Today we had team-building activities in the farm.
Help us! We are locked up! We were on our way to feed the cattles.
Cute little calf.
We went to Tower Hill to learn about the history of the volcanic hill and the aborignes.
How can I apply what I have learnt in daily lives?
1) Learning how to throw a boomerang is exactly like learning how to do 'O' level questions: YOU NEED TO PRACTICE AND PRACTICE AND PRACTICE!
2 things I look forward to:
1) Shopping at Victoria Market
2) Art Museum
1 sweet and memorable thing:
Feeding the cows and how to get through the farm obstacles with team work!
We couldn't update our blog yesterday because Kangaroobie farm did not have internet access. Anyway, we were having so much fun and learning that there was hardly any time to upload our photos.
These are the photos for the past 2 days:
3 things I learnt today:
1) We learnt that kangaroos can be eaten!
2) More ferns grow in Australia temperate forest than Singapore tropical rainforest
3) Some worms can glow!
How can I apply what I have learnt in daily lives?
1) We cannot assume too much and must learn more!
2 things I look forward to:
1) Farm activities
2) Volcanic walk
1 sweet memorable thing:
Look at the night sky together during winter in the temperate forest.
We also learnt how to throw a boomerang (primitive way of hunting).
3 things I learnt today:
1) Trees have gender.
2) The testicle of the bull is as large as the can of Coca-Cola!
3) How to throw a boomerang
1) Learning how to throw a boomerang is exactly like learning how to do 'O' level questions: YOU NEED TO PRACTICE AND PRACTICE AND PRACTICE!
2 things I look forward to:
1) Shopping at Victoria Market
2) Art Museum
1 sweet and memorable thing:
Feeding the cows and how to get through the farm obstacles with team work!
Thursday 2 June 2011
Debrief on 1 June 2011
Today we were very lucky. Mr Sam Soo managed to find an Internet Cafe at the Penguin Parade area and they allowed us to upload our photos!
3 things we learnt today:
1) We learnt that Singapore is the only country with different flavours of Yakult while the rest of the world only have original flavour of Yakult. And we are very proud of it! The main reason is simply because there is a competitor called Vitagen.
We also learnt that Yakult contains 2.5 billions of good bacteria and it helps in our digestive system. If we don't like fruits maybe Yakult can be a good substitute.
2) We realized that the process of making chocolate requires much effort, time and innovation. It is somewhat similar to making of wine.
3) We also learnt that penguins come home at a particular time in the evening and the Aussies can actually predict the timing quite accurately.
How can we apply what we have learnt today in our daily lives?
1) We are proud of our country! And it comes from each and everyone of us.
2) The accuracy prediction of the penguins coming home tells us that there is a time for everything. There is a time to eat, there is a time to sleep and there is a TIME TO STUDY!
Before the penguin parade, we were given the opportunity to build houses for the penguins. We really found this hands-on activity very meaningful! We learnt that helping others can be a great form of happiness rather than shopping for ourselves. By the way, most of the time we are shopping for our family members, relatives and friends in Singapore!
3 things we look forward to:
1) Better hostel. We expect hotels but teachers explained to us that Melbourne is somewhat like Orchard Road (things are very expensive here) and if we stayed in hotel, the price of the trip will jump to $3000 easily which is not really that worth it. 6 of us are in one room and we find it quite weird because most of us have our own rooms in Singapore. However, we also learnt to give and take especially when it comes to the use of toilet! (Excuse, are you done in the toilet? Got 5 of us waiting outside leh!!!)
2) Farmstay and playing with sheep, cows and baby kangaroo!
3) Glow worm caves!
A few sweet and memorable things:
1) Walking with penguins and knowing that we have done a part for nature. That feeling is really great!
2) The stars in the night sky! There are so many of them! We don't really see many stars in Singapore because of "light pollution".
3) The care and concern we show for one another.
Compiled by Group Leaders: Joshua, Amani, Suyee, Hayati and Ivory
Teachers' comments (Mdm Diana, Miss Rafiyah and Mr Sam Soo):
1) Students are very well-behaved and the tour guide commented that they are too well-behaved for a neighbourhood school. And we are proud of that!
2) Group leaders have the initiatives to cut down the debrief time by writing down the notes along the way and doing a debrief with their own group first. For this, we are proud of you! Good! You have initiative and really think for the welfare of the group members. Well-done!
3 things we learnt today:
1) We learnt that Singapore is the only country with different flavours of Yakult while the rest of the world only have original flavour of Yakult. And we are very proud of it! The main reason is simply because there is a competitor called Vitagen.
We also learnt that Yakult contains 2.5 billions of good bacteria and it helps in our digestive system. If we don't like fruits maybe Yakult can be a good substitute.
2) We realized that the process of making chocolate requires much effort, time and innovation. It is somewhat similar to making of wine.
3) We also learnt that penguins come home at a particular time in the evening and the Aussies can actually predict the timing quite accurately.
How can we apply what we have learnt today in our daily lives?
1) We are proud of our country! And it comes from each and everyone of us.
2) The accuracy prediction of the penguins coming home tells us that there is a time for everything. There is a time to eat, there is a time to sleep and there is a TIME TO STUDY!
Before the penguin parade, we were given the opportunity to build houses for the penguins. We really found this hands-on activity very meaningful! We learnt that helping others can be a great form of happiness rather than shopping for ourselves. By the way, most of the time we are shopping for our family members, relatives and friends in Singapore!
3 things we look forward to:
1) Better hostel. We expect hotels but teachers explained to us that Melbourne is somewhat like Orchard Road (things are very expensive here) and if we stayed in hotel, the price of the trip will jump to $3000 easily which is not really that worth it. 6 of us are in one room and we find it quite weird because most of us have our own rooms in Singapore. However, we also learnt to give and take especially when it comes to the use of toilet! (Excuse, are you done in the toilet? Got 5 of us waiting outside leh!!!)
2) Farmstay and playing with sheep, cows and baby kangaroo!
3) Glow worm caves!
A few sweet and memorable things:
1) Walking with penguins and knowing that we have done a part for nature. That feeling is really great!
2) The stars in the night sky! There are so many of them! We don't really see many stars in Singapore because of "light pollution".
3) The care and concern we show for one another.
Compiled by Group Leaders: Joshua, Amani, Suyee, Hayati and Ivory
Teachers' comments (Mdm Diana, Miss Rafiyah and Mr Sam Soo):
1) Students are very well-behaved and the tour guide commented that they are too well-behaved for a neighbourhood school. And we are proud of that!
2) Group leaders have the initiatives to cut down the debrief time by writing down the notes along the way and doing a debrief with their own group first. For this, we are proud of you! Good! You have initiative and really think for the welfare of the group members. Well-done!
Photos on 1 June 2011
Photos on 31 May 2011
Wednesday 1 June 2011
31 May 2011
3 things that Zhenghua Secondary students learnt today
1) We learnt the relevance of herbs in our daily lives such as the medicinal value of lavender and thus the importance of protecting forests.
2) We learnt that strawberries are not grown on trees! They are grown from the ground and during havesting time, it is a painstaking job to keep bending under the hot sun. Simultaneously, farmers need to differentiate the different grades of strawberries which require years of experience and judgement.
3) We learnt how wine are created. The process is long and tedious. Chemistry is the most important subject when it comes to wine-making.
How can we apply what we have learnt today in our daily lives?
1) The creation of good wine needs time, effort, determination, patience and seeking help from experts. Getting A1s in our subjects require the same "ingredients"!
2) All along we thought that strawberries are found on trees! We assume too much in life and ignorance happens! We need to be more pro-active when it comes to things we don't really know. Quotation: "Seek and you will be given."
3) Forests come alive in Australia because we really get to see temperate forests. Learning does not happen in textbooks and surfing the web, we need to go out and experenice the real thing if we want deeper understanding of our knowledge.
2 things they look forward to:
1) Chocolate factory
2) Penguin parade (Yes, the penguins will be JUST BESIDE US!!! So excited!!!)
A few sweet and memorable moments:
1) There are mist coming out of our mouths when we speak!
2) We are given the time and opportunity to pick and choose our own strawberries in the farm! (Mr Sam Soo suggested that we can do the same thing in school: Choose and pluck out all the weeds in the garden!)
Compiled by Group Leaders: Joshua, Amani, Suyee, Hayati and Ivory
We cannot upload our pictures because we are not given the adminstrative right in the hostel. We will try again later.
Teachers' comments:
1) Students are very time conscious. Good, keep it up!
2) Someone in the hostel complained that they were making too much noise in the night. We have told them to lower their volume otherwise they risk sharing room with the teachers!
1) We learnt the relevance of herbs in our daily lives such as the medicinal value of lavender and thus the importance of protecting forests.
2) We learnt that strawberries are not grown on trees! They are grown from the ground and during havesting time, it is a painstaking job to keep bending under the hot sun. Simultaneously, farmers need to differentiate the different grades of strawberries which require years of experience and judgement.
3) We learnt how wine are created. The process is long and tedious. Chemistry is the most important subject when it comes to wine-making.
How can we apply what we have learnt today in our daily lives?
1) The creation of good wine needs time, effort, determination, patience and seeking help from experts. Getting A1s in our subjects require the same "ingredients"!
2) All along we thought that strawberries are found on trees! We assume too much in life and ignorance happens! We need to be more pro-active when it comes to things we don't really know. Quotation: "Seek and you will be given."
3) Forests come alive in Australia because we really get to see temperate forests. Learning does not happen in textbooks and surfing the web, we need to go out and experenice the real thing if we want deeper understanding of our knowledge.
2 things they look forward to:
1) Chocolate factory
2) Penguin parade (Yes, the penguins will be JUST BESIDE US!!! So excited!!!)
A few sweet and memorable moments:
1) There are mist coming out of our mouths when we speak!
2) We are given the time and opportunity to pick and choose our own strawberries in the farm! (Mr Sam Soo suggested that we can do the same thing in school: Choose and pluck out all the weeds in the garden!)
Compiled by Group Leaders: Joshua, Amani, Suyee, Hayati and Ivory
We cannot upload our pictures because we are not given the adminstrative right in the hostel. We will try again later.
Teachers' comments:
1) Students are very time conscious. Good, keep it up!
2) Someone in the hostel complained that they were making too much noise in the night. We have told them to lower their volume otherwise they risk sharing room with the teachers!
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