Hey! Hi all(:
I'm here to do the reflection for our 2nd pre-trip session today on IDENTITY..
What our group probably found interesting was that the characteristics that made up our identity were actually those we had taken for granted.
If you are a girl.. you ought to wonder.. what if you were a guy?
If you were a guy.. you ought to wonder.. how life would be as a girl?
Apart from gender, our race and our name, things like our school and CCA can actually be part of our identity allowing others to know whether we are sports or musical-inclined for e.g.?
The purpose of the australian trip is prolly to uncover the truths about the Australians, and find out more about their identity. In that way, we would be able to understand their culture and practices better.
Identity is actually a very abstract concept that can be very unique to any one person or to a nation. And through this trip, let's hope that we can learn more about ourselves and hmm.. better cherish what makes us whoever we are(:
till then, tata!
i can alr imagine myself sitting on a plane flying to aussie alr!
whew..
TATA!
Wednesday, 16 May 2007
Reflection for the second pre-trip session
Kinda late...but better late than never.
I have to admit, the movie was more like a documentary than a movie. I felt that the issues that were being dealt with were deep, complex and meaningful.
It is indeed depressing to see such racial discrimination occurring in the past. It makes me think twice about taking for granted the racial harmony we enjoy in Singapore.
I have once read a book on Darwinism, and it states an amazingly offensive view - that apes evolved into Africans, then Africans into Asians and Asians into Europeans. It seemed to imply that Europeans were superior to people of other races.
It seems that such a mentality was at work in the movie, explaining the need to "promote" the half-caste children and assimilate them into the social structure of the Caucasians.
From a pragmatic point of view, it is no doubt beneficial to "help" the aborigines in the film by introducing them to the European way of life, especially in the light of capitalism. But the main issue about this that disturbs me seems to be the fact that the Caucasians in Australia back then seems to feel that the Aborigine's lifestyle is inferior to that of European civilisation. They did not seem to appreciate the diversity of culture.
In fact, the incident seemed to me as being similar to what the Nazis did. There seems to be a tinge of social Darwinism in the issue...
The film made me feel uneasy... I feeling that I am still quite unable to properly explain.
I have to admit, the movie was more like a documentary than a movie. I felt that the issues that were being dealt with were deep, complex and meaningful.
It is indeed depressing to see such racial discrimination occurring in the past. It makes me think twice about taking for granted the racial harmony we enjoy in Singapore.
I have once read a book on Darwinism, and it states an amazingly offensive view - that apes evolved into Africans, then Africans into Asians and Asians into Europeans. It seemed to imply that Europeans were superior to people of other races.
It seems that such a mentality was at work in the movie, explaining the need to "promote" the half-caste children and assimilate them into the social structure of the Caucasians.
From a pragmatic point of view, it is no doubt beneficial to "help" the aborigines in the film by introducing them to the European way of life, especially in the light of capitalism. But the main issue about this that disturbs me seems to be the fact that the Caucasians in Australia back then seems to feel that the Aborigine's lifestyle is inferior to that of European civilisation. They did not seem to appreciate the diversity of culture.
In fact, the incident seemed to me as being similar to what the Nazis did. There seems to be a tinge of social Darwinism in the issue...
The film made me feel uneasy... I feeling that I am still quite unable to properly explain.
HI HI!~
I know it's a little late but yeah.
This is just a short reflection of what happened during the first pre-trip session.
We were first asked to draw the outline of the continent.
The whole group's reaction = O_O
JunHan: "I think it looks like a car"
so I drew a car.
and turns out it doesn't really look like that after all.
^_^
all of us couldn't really picture it except the psycho yiling who remembered the outline from dont know somewhere...
Then we were asked to go into a room full of products to see which is Australian and which is not.
And after the answers are announced, we were really shocked at some of the products we always thought was made in Australia.
AND... we got to know more about what kinds of products are produced in Australia.
So in the end...
Australia = koala eating eucalyptus + kangaroo hopping around
Australia is much more...
I know it's a little late but yeah.
This is just a short reflection of what happened during the first pre-trip session.
We were first asked to draw the outline of the continent.
The whole group's reaction = O_O
JunHan: "I think it looks like a car"
so I drew a car.
and turns out it doesn't really look like that after all.
^_^
all of us couldn't really picture it except the psycho yiling who remembered the outline from dont know somewhere...
Then we were asked to go into a room full of products to see which is Australian and which is not.
And after the answers are announced, we were really shocked at some of the products we always thought was made in Australia.
AND... we got to know more about what kinds of products are produced in Australia.
So in the end...
Australia = koala eating eucalyptus + kangaroo hopping around
Australia is much more...
Tuesday, 15 May 2007
Sunday, 13 May 2007
Weather Reproting...Still cold, I like!
Alright, Teh 1337 weatherman speeks
Weather at Sydney airport on 13th May Sunday
Sunday evening is going to be fine and partly cloudy with light northwest to northeast winds.
Ah...Shifty winds again but hey no sailing at night ya?
Temperature as of 1640 hrs (Aussie time) is 21.3 degrees.
Maximum temperature: 23.7 degrees Minimum temperature: 15.8 degrees
Well, it's still cold (duh). AND THAT'S GREAT! WOO! Imagine camping in LT 1 and that's Australian weather for you. Heh heh heh
Wind speed will hit 17 knots or 31 km/h. Ahh, not as bad as last week but the wind is still gonna howl and scream.
General reprotings:
Same as last week, nice and cool. Fine and cloudy weather so we don't get baked in the sun.
That's all folks.
Teh 1337 weatherman has spoken
Weather at Sydney airport on 13th May Sunday
Sunday evening is going to be fine and partly cloudy with light northwest to northeast winds.
Ah...Shifty winds again but hey no sailing at night ya?
Temperature as of 1640 hrs (Aussie time) is 21.3 degrees.
Maximum temperature: 23.7 degrees Minimum temperature: 15.8 degrees
Well, it's still cold (duh). AND THAT'S GREAT! WOO! Imagine camping in LT 1 and that's Australian weather for you. Heh heh heh
Wind speed will hit 17 knots or 31 km/h. Ahh, not as bad as last week but the wind is still gonna howl and scream.
General reprotings:
Same as last week, nice and cool. Fine and cloudy weather so we don't get baked in the sun.
That's all folks.
Teh 1337 weatherman has spoken
Friday, 11 May 2007
Pre-trip Session 2 - the aftermath
Hi folks!
I hope today's session was both an eye, as well as a mind-opener for you! I apologize for the technical difficulties that delayed the start of the session, causing many of you to miss the later part of the film (doesn't seem quite right to call it a 'movie' huh?). I know the film was rather heavy going but I think it did a pretty good job in bringing a personal account onto the screen.
So now what do you do?
Read the notes we've provided - absentees, please collect your copy from Hsien Liang. The notes will give you a more complete picture about the Stolen Generations.
Do note that the film is based on a personal account - so it is biased. But there is always two sides to the coin right? Try to keep this in mind while you try to find more information and you may come to understand why some members of the Australian public refer to them as the "Stolen Generations" (in quotation marks).
Then its time to reflect and blog! We've provided you with some questions you should look into and we look forward to reading your answers.
It would be good if we can hear from every group - so each group member may want to take turns to blog after every pre-trip session.
Come on, share your views!
I hope today's session was both an eye, as well as a mind-opener for you! I apologize for the technical difficulties that delayed the start of the session, causing many of you to miss the later part of the film (doesn't seem quite right to call it a 'movie' huh?). I know the film was rather heavy going but I think it did a pretty good job in bringing a personal account onto the screen.
So now what do you do?
Read the notes we've provided - absentees, please collect your copy from Hsien Liang. The notes will give you a more complete picture about the Stolen Generations.
Do note that the film is based on a personal account - so it is biased. But there is always two sides to the coin right? Try to keep this in mind while you try to find more information and you may come to understand why some members of the Australian public refer to them as the "Stolen Generations" (in quotation marks).
Then its time to reflect and blog! We've provided you with some questions you should look into and we look forward to reading your answers.
It would be good if we can hear from every group - so each group member may want to take turns to blog after every pre-trip session.
Come on, share your views!
Thursday, 10 May 2007
reflections from the most punctual grp
i feel the unique-est thing and the strength of the Australians is their ability to do things as a whole and understand each other. The Australians really embody the spirit of "One people, One nation". The Australian government has called for a 4-minute shower thingy in a bid to conserve water during this period of drought that Australia is facing. And also the effort to reduce greenhouse gases by turning off lights when not in use. The Australians have effectively done these such things and are terminating greenhouse gases with entreme prejudice. So that's what I feel is so special about the land down under.
I'm looking forward to the trip and seeing things from a different perspectives which I did not do in my past visits to aus. The pre-trip session last friday was meaningful and made me feel excited bout going to aus
I really appreciate to get a rough idea about the culture and icon of Australia, so that we can get correction or prove of the imagination in our minds during the trip.
Kangaroos and koala bears were the first things that came to my mind when someone mentions australia, but now it's vegemite. The pre-trip session has shown me that there's much more to australia, only waiting to be discovered.
grace andreathomasyiliangyuhang
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