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OELP Daily Reflection

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07:47
Day 1

这是来到中国杭州的第一天,或许是因为还没适应,感觉周边的一切都异常新鲜。虽然坐了五个多小时的飞机,但是当我们来到宋城时还是兴奋不已。杭州宋城是中国人气最旺的主题公园,年游客逾600万人次。秉承"建筑为形,文化为魂"的经营理念,这里到处都有着宋朝的气息。店主们都穿着传统的服装,还有着很多属于宋朝时期的建筑。看着周围的一切,我们仿佛回到了过去。到处转了一圈后,我们终于迎来了最大的震撼,大型歌舞表演“宋城千古情” 。宋城千古情,就是宋城的灵魂。它用歌舞的形式向人们呈现演绎了古人的传统和艰辛,梁祝和白蛇许仙的千古绝唱,把丝绸、茶叶和烟雨江南表现的淋漓尽致。从中我也体会到的近代和古时候的相同之处与差异,表演中先进的技术见证我们的发展与进步。而一些传统也流传到了现在,比如喜欢庆祝的天性,每当有什么节日或喜事,中国人一定会聚在一起庆祝。虽然并不是每一位游客都能从中体会到中国古代的精髓,但是却都会有着一些属于自己的领悟。而这一切我们都有可以带回新加坡,比如从历史中吸取到的教训运用在我们的日常生活中,对我们来说,这一次的体验都非常之珍贵。


Day 2


在第二天的旅程,我们先是去了哇哈哈工厂,又来到了胡开文墨厂和程大位珠算博物馆,最后还去了呈坎茶博物馆和茶园。在哇哈哈,我们见证了一个校内小卖部转变成中国最大全球第五的食品饮料生产企业。从这励志的过程中,我学会了创业成功最主要的几个重点。首先,我们要有勇气和决心开始一段全新的旅程,不惧怕失败;要学会有效地运用手里的资源,包括人才的分配和奖金分红等来鼓励员工尽心工作;再者,我们越得勇于创新,领先于起跑线上。而这一切哇哈哈都做到了,所以它才有了今天。而胡开文墨厂和程大位珠算博物馆则代表着传统与历史。在没有笔和纸还有计算机的时代,墨汁和算盘的发明可谓是带给了人民许多便利。而这些发明在现在已不是非常必要,但是还是有许多人在学习和运用,把这些文化传承下来,而不是流逝在悠久的历史中。疲劳的神经在看到茶园的一瞬间松懈下来。茶叶的清香向我们袭来,满眼的嫩绿色让在新加坡看不到农业的我们惊喜万分。在呈坎茶博物馆和茶园,我们学到了茶叶的品种和采摘方法,并且还有机会品尝茶叶。在体会茶香的同时,我也不禁想起那荒山上的茶叶种植。在新加坡,因为土地有限所以并没有很多农业,所以说像中国这样的大规模种植还是非常珍贵的,但是却因为气候的变化并且人们现在更偏向于酒或汽水的口味,茶叶种植逐渐减少了。但如果就这样让茶文化渐渐消失,会是文化的一个巨大损失。


Day 3



经过昨天众多的参观后,我们的第三天则是充满了视觉上的冲击。那天,我们去到了屯溪老街,宏村居民区和西递居民区。被称为活动的“清明上河图”,屯溪老街保存着完整的古代风格建筑和街市,悠久的历史为屯溪留下了丰厚的文化遗产,包括许多传统的手艺和小吃。除了安徽特产的的毛笔和茶叶外,还有一种古老的零食吸引了我,那就是那麦芽糖。手工制作,老人们把热化了的焦糖做成了一个个甜美可口的小人儿买给了我们品尝。除了传统的龙和凤状,现今流行的卡通人物也在他们的灵巧的双手下变出,真是又可爱又好吃。但虽然这个古老的小吃已经为了融入到现今的社会已经做出了改变,但是还是变得越来越少见,越来越不那么普遍了。就如新加坡,如今的人们多喜欢去吃快餐冰激淋,为了贪图那点速度和刺激,去慢慢的遗忘了那些历史留给我们的成果。而在宏村和西递,我们也再次见证了古人留给我们的震撼。宏村被誉为“中国画里的乡村”,原来只在照片上见过的美丽风景被一一展现在我们面前,那古老的村庄,精致的小桥,如水墨画般的河水与莲花。在导游的带领下,我们在那古老的住宅中领悟这前辈们的的智慧,在没有任何现代的科技下,古人么如何通过房屋的设计和装饰来分辨每个人的地位,用地洞的方式来建出天然的空调来保持温度舒适,并且通过完美的人工水系和牛形设计来确保每户人家都有着足够的新鲜水源,而这一切也都吸引着世界各地的旅客们来探索。古人们在什么都没有的情况下都能做出这一切,拥有着各种科技与帮助的我们则需更加努力来创造奇迹了。


Day 4


黄山是中国十大名山之一,而我们很幸运的有机会来到它的顶端。在吃饱喝足后,我们憋足了精神在旅程的第四天开始了我们的爬山之旅。我们先是坐缆车去到半山腰,那天正好云雾很多,在隐隐约约间看到各各山峰,那种朦胧之美让人惊叹不已。当我们真正开始步行爬山时,导游带着我们来到个个古松前,有卧龙松,凤尾松等,这些都是大自然的鬼斧神工。我们也去到了传说中发现灵芝的地方,那里有着巨大的灵芝形亭子,为已经感到疲劳的我们提供了一个休息之处。在下山的时候,天气忽然变得极为寒冷,虽然我们都穿着厚厚的褂子,但还是免不了冻的脸蛋通红,呼出的气也变成了白色。但是知道马上就要到了,我们都咬咬牙继续坚持了下去。后来在去餐馆的路上,老师们留给我们了一个问题,在这么多旅游活动影响下,黄山还能保持原状吗?我认为其实是不行的,因为游客们留下的垃圾会污染黄山的环境,就算有垃圾桶也因为上下山的不便而难以清理,人们不小心的踩踏可能会破坏植物,也会因为发出的声音吓坏或影响动物,这样久而久之,黄山的生态被破坏,它也就不会再那么美丽漂亮了。但是不能否认的是,通过黄山的旅游活动,人们可以更加享受大自然,学到全新的知识,并且从繁忙的生活中偷一分闲。


Day 5


还记着几天前的我们还在悠闲地练着要呈现的节目,没想到今天就要表演了,我一边练着演讲台词,一边想象着寿春中学的模样。但在这之前,我们先是来到了合肥美菱。美菱和前几天参观的哇哈哈一样,也是一个非常成功的品牌,它通过和 Electrolux 和 Panasonic 等国外知名品牌合作,在国内外打下了很大的市场。听公司的员工说,通过和那些已经很出名的品牌合作,美菱不但不用重新在他国宣传自己或或开分公司,还能在减少开支的情况下开辟市场并争取更多利益,而且危险性大大降低。除此之外,美菱也和哇哈哈一样勇于创新,开发新产品来吸引顾客,如智能冰箱,可以提醒有快过期的食物等。这或许就是那些成功的大公司与众不同的地方吧。终于,我们迈进了寿春中学的大门。学生们都在上课,整个校园都安安静静的,但是当我们经过那些教室时还能感觉到学生们向我们投来好奇的目光。我们在来之前都与新同学们联系过了,所以当他们坐在教室里迎接我们时,虽然很尴尬,但很快大家就混在了一起。中国同学们为了迎接我们,放弃了他们许多宝贵的时间,甚至还在墙壁上画了一个小小的新加坡,这让我们马上把前一晚练节目练到半夜的苦和累忘却了。后来表演的的时候我们也尽了最大的努力,听着他们的掌声让我们感到荣幸至极。这让我明白只要我们肯花时间去准备,那我们就能收到回报;只要我们能舍得努力准备,就能得到想要的结果。

Day 6


今天我们把我们把大部份时间都留在了寿春,跟着那里可爱的孩子们上了几堂难忘的课。寿春的学生们上课的场景让我非常难忘,而且是今天我们才真正的体会到了寿春的热情。在课堂上,同学们会为我们着想,把课本和笔记借给我们,还为我们讲解难懂的部分。我发现,寿春的学生们都非常积极,老师每问一个问题,几乎每一位学生都会一起回答。他们对待学习的态度认真,老师在上面讲课,他们每个人都会在下面抄笔记,很少有窃窃私语的情况。这不仅让我联想到中国的人口问题。中国拥有世界上最多的人口,这也代表着中国的竞争力非常之大,大学毕业后还找不到工作的大学生遍地都是。这或许就导致了现在的状况,中国的学生们从小就非常的重视学业,想要长大后出人头地必须从小就作出努力。这一切不禁让我明白在新加坡生活的我其实是多么的幸福,虽然竞争依在,但是却少上很多。而且可能难以相信,寿春的同学们直到现在还跟我们联系着,确保着我们的友谊长久。今天是见到他们的最后一天,我的心里很是难受。

Day 7

现在离回到新加坡已经进入倒计时了,但是今天对我来说却是异常重要,因为我将近距离地认识我的伙伴,去她的家中感受合肥特有的文化。我们怀着兴奋的心情早早地到达了寿春中学,没想到我们的伙伴们和家长来得更早。在腼腆地打过招呼后,我的伙伴带着我们在一些附近的地方景点逛了逛。首先去到了一个公园,听说每天早上都有许多人去那里锻炼,呼吸新鲜空气。但是和新加坡大部分都是老人相比,我们在这个公园里见到了各个年龄段的人,他们偶珍惜这段时光,老人强身健体,年轻人则是放松一下心情。在新加坡,许多年轻人都以繁忙等理由窝在家不出去,和中国有很大的反差。中国人口这么多,竞争压力这么大,他们都不闲忙为什么我们会囔囔着喊累呢?我们应该学习他们的心态,学会享受生活并且放松自己。这之后,我也见到了年了许久的包青天的坟墓和有幸见到了他的棺材,也通过李鸿章故居了解到了许多新的历史。我也在他们家吃了一顿阿姨亲手做的美味佳肴,感受到了他们招待人的热情与礼貌。再分开的时候,我们真诚地向伙伴和她的家人道谢,感谢他们抽出时间和精力来招待我们,让我们更加了解中国的待客之道和更真实的一面。

Day 8


终于,我们到了回家的那一天。我们第一次坐上了轻轨,发现了一个比地铁更平稳,速度更快的交通工具。这不仅让我联想起从新加坡通道马来西亚的高铁,它们都是链接人与人的工具,希望通过这个高铁的存在,人们的交流更加普遍,加深视频新加坡和马来西亚的关系和友谊。我们也来到了海底捞吃火锅,海底捞因为他良好的服务而出名,当然他的食物也异常美味。我还在那边遇到了一群可爱的小孩子们,因为中国的儿童节就在后一天,六月一。这让我回想起中国的食物。比起新加坡的偏甜,中国安徽这边的食物则是更加油腻,咸,或许是为了补充身体里因为工作丢失的盐量。在在飞机上度过了五个小时,但大家都因为马上要回到家而兴奋不已。这次的旅程让我们获益不浅,感谢学校和老师们给我们这次难得的机会,带领我们去其他的国家。我们会把这次的收获和得到的经验收藏在心中,在以后的生活中让它们派上用场。


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Fashion of the Chinese

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07:58
古代

中国服饰艺术不是突出人体美,从中国清朝以前的服装款式来看,遮蔽人体的宽袍大袖是中国传统服饰的主流。即使某些人的形体很美,这种服装也不去展现这个美的形体。

唐朝

唐代国家统一,经济繁荣,形制更加开放,服饰愈益华丽。唐代女装的特点是裙、衫、帔的统一。唐朝女服较之其它朝代,具有强烈的自信心与流行意识,更加追求大气飘逸与华丽绚烂。

 

清朝

清王朝时段推行剃发易服,男子剃发留辫,辫垂脑后,穿瘦削的马蹄袖箭衣、紧袜、深统靴。清代女装发展情况不一。汉族妇女在早期时期还保留明代款式,时兴小袖衣和长裙;乾隆以后,衣服渐肥渐短,袖口日宽,再加云肩,花样翻新无可底止;到晚清时都市妇女已去裙着裤,衣上镶花边、滚牙子,一衣之贵大都花在这上面。满族妇女着“旗装”,梳旗髻,穿“花盆底”旗鞋。



辛亥革命(1911 revolution)结束了2000多年的封建君主专制,中华民族的服饰进入了新时代。

中山装是由孙中山先生创导并率先穿着的,综合了西式服装和中式服装的特点,曾被赋予了革命及立国的含义和“三民主义”(民族、民权,民生)。封闭的衣领显示了严谨治身的理念,穿起来收腰挺胸,舒适自然。中山装夏用白色,其它季节用黑色;外观轮廓端正,线条分明,有庄重的美感。

 旗袍本是满族女子喜爱的服装,20世纪20年代以后,汉族女子也开始穿着,它经历了无数次的变化,终于成为具有独特民族风格的中国女性的主要服装。旗袍的流行,原因有二:一是简洁;二是具有东方神韵。旗袍加上高跟皮鞋的衬托,最能体现出东方女性的优雅俊美。



现在
 
中国的服饰渐渐变得开放,和西方文化渐渐结合,但是在重要场合时,国人的衣着依然带着典型的中国味道。




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Is Merlion the best national icon for Singapore?

0
18:54
To me , the Merlion is indead the national icon of Singapore . 
A national icon is something of entity that represents the country . It can show the rich and mysterious history of the country , the goal that it is trying to achieve , and the life of the people in that country. 
The Merlion is a majestic creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish . The name combines "mer" meaning the sea , which represents Singapore's origin as a small fishing village which was called Temasek , while "lion" represents Singapore as the busy and prosperous city now .

The choice of the Merlion as a national icon for Singapore has its roots in history . The Merlion commemorates the legend taken from the "Malay Annals" explaining how Singapore received its present name . It describes how a prince from Palembang , Sang Nila Utama , reportedly encountered the majestic lion , which leads to him deciding to settle  here when he first stepped on the shore of Temasek , and to rename the island Singapura , which means " lion city ". This is the reason for its lion head , which now also reminds us that Singapore is a vary powerful country and well-respected in the world , just like how the lion is the king of the jungle.

Having the fish as the body of merlion also highlighted the fact that not only is Singapore a small fishing village from the past , but also a port city which was known for its maritime trade , which was a big factor in making singapore one of the richest country now .
Even though the story of Sang Nila Utama was just a fiction tale , it was still very impactful and a lot of people believe that the merlion will foretell the future of Singapore . This is showed when the Merlion in the Merlion Park was strucked by lightning in 28 February 2009 . Some people were worried that it was the Omen of bad times ahead for Singapore, that singapore was going to face a more difficult time . This means that people in Singapore really put trust in the Merlion , and not only treat it as any other statue . Hence I think Merlion is truely the national icon for Singaporeans .
Another significance of the Merlin is that we love it so much that as of February 2013, all new $1 coins feature the mythical creature !

I think another reason for the Merlion to be the best national icon for Singapore is because it teaches foreigners more about Singapore and its origin . The US-based and internationally respected Internet outfit, Trip Advisor website , has made many comments on the Merlion over the years . 421 reviewers commented on the Singapore merlion, 93 rated it excellent, 205 very good, 89 average, 25 poor and the remaining 9 terrible. Based on this, we can conclude that the Singapore merlion has been accorded a favourable world-wide endorsement by a diverse group of generally well travelled and worldly visitors . It has become our marketing icon because of all its specialties and has become a national personification of Singapore, where both the foreigners and us can better understand and learn more about Singapore and how we got to where we are today. 

Everyone will have different views on the Merlion .Tourists may find the Merlion just as an icon of Singapore as they see it when they come over to our country , but for us Singaporeans, we are proad of the Merlion . This is because the Merlion will always reminds us the hardwork our pioneers had put in to develope Singapore from the small fishing village to the successful country we have now . The Merlion encourages us to strive on to make Singapore a better place for us to live in . 
Thus I think that the Merlion is the national icon for Singapore as it make Singaporeans proud of our country and understand the country better

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Golden Age of Singapore

0
07:57
Just like the Tang Dynasty , behind every successful country is a great leader . This truly explains the relationship between Mr Lee Kuan Yew and the Singapore we have now .

Mr Lee Kuan Yew was the founding father of Singapore , who lead the country through all the hardships , overcome all the difficulties and make what Singapore is today . He was a person who is respected by everyone including the world leaders , and the love he received from all his citizens was truly showed when people came together to pay their last respect to him . Mr Lee Kuan Yew passed away on 23 March 2015 peaceful . He was 91 .

During the short week of mourning , both Singaporeans and even foreigners queued up at the Parliament House to pay respect . People had to queue for long hours thoughout day and night , but everybody waited patiently as we belived that this was the last chance to thank Mr Lee for what he have done for us . I belive that all of this happened due to the great impact of what Mr Lee contributed to the country . Without him , Singapore will remain as a small fishing village from fifty years ago .

Mr Lee Kuan Yew , who was the former prime minister of singapore , dedicated his whole life to build Singapore from a third-world to a first-world country . Singapore was just a little red dot on the world map with no resources . But because of Mr Lee , people from different races and religions coexist peacefully in Singapore . Because of Mr Lee , everyone of us in Singapore have a roof on top of our head . Because of Singapore , we have sufficient clean water running in our taps . Because of Mr Lee , students in Singapore receive very high standard of education . Because of Mr Lee , our country is called the garden city .

To me , Singapore is at its " golden age " now , being one of the leading countries in the world . Our standard of living is very high compared to most of the countries , and the society is organised and safe . Singapore is also well respected by many other huge countries because of Mr Lee Kuan Yew's hardwork . As mentioned in Mr Obama's tribute to the late Mr Lee , he was the " giant of history " . Singapore had made a really great progress in all aspects during the last fifty years after our independence . We citizens do not need to worry about riots caused by racism as racial harmony is ensured in Singapore , with everyone with different skin colours living peacefully together . The blue sky and white clouds in Singapore is also a rare sight in other countries , as Singapore is famous for being a green and clean city with Mr Lee himself planting a tree for Singapore . With HDB flats all over Singapore , poverty is greatly reduced with everyone having a cosy house to live in , and different ways to increase water supply ensured enough clean drinking water for everyone .

 However , as the future generation of Singapore , we have to understand that if there is no one to keep the legacy that Mr Lee left alive , Singapore will no longer be at its “ golden age ” . We need to take up the responsibility in our own hands and continue to develope Singapore and push it to a even higher point . The only way to not dissappoint Mr Lee Kuan Yew is to live Singapore to the better .
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Economic growth of China and Singapore

0
08:18
During today's CID lesson we learnt about China's economy . China is the world's fastest-growing major enconomy , with growth rate averaging 10 % over the past 30 years . It has even overtook Japan and is now in second place in terms of GDP ( Gross Domestic Product ) .

Some of the reasons is probably China's high population and large land area . China's population is currently 1.4 billion , which results in very cheap labour as more people is available to do the jobs . China also have a large land area of 9.6 million , hence builing facteries is not very expensive , enabling mass production of goods without actually using a lot money . These factors encouraged the GDP of China to increase steadily .

China also opened up their country to international trade , proposed to keep China open to trade with all countries on an equal basis . This opened a new and bigger market to China . Singapore was one of the countries th trades with China because Singapore do no have a lot of natural resources . This will hopefully increase and strengthen Singapore's business trade . 

However , even though Singapore's ranking in terms of GDP is not as good as China , we are doing quite well in terms of income per capita . This means that Singapore is developing itself in a bakanced way with most people being able to follow the steps . I think that being small in land area might be an advantage for Singapore too as it is easier for the government to take care of every resident and provide additional help to the poor .

 If we continue to develope this way , I feel that Singapore will eventually become one of the best countries in term of balanced society .
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Dwindling Population Growth in Singapore

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17:44
The birth rate is one of the most basic and important measures in demography and it affects public policy and budgeting for education and health systems , and can have major impacts on the well-being of a country's population .

During our CID lesson , we learnt that China is enforcing one child policy due to the fact that too many children were being born every year . However , Singapore has a completely different situation . Singapore has one of the lowest birthrate in the world depite being one of the richest countries . Right now the total fertility rate in Singapore is at about 1.2 and at times it has slipped down as far as 1.16 .

If the dwindling population growth continue to occur , it will results in population ageing which contribute a lot of problems for a society . This can adversely affect the quality of life for the young as an increased social and economic pressure in the sense that they have to increase output in order to support an infrastructure with costly and intensive care for the oldest among their population . A smaller population may also results in less competition for work and resouces . This may not be an advantage because the amount of work for each indivitual will increase and the work quality may also decrease as there is less competiotion thus less stress . 

In order to prevent these situation to occur in our future , we need to prepare for them now . The most common reason for couples that refuse to have children is because they felt that raising children uses up a lot of their energy and money . Singapore government can help by providing more support for health care and school fees for low income families . We can also do our part by behaving and listen to our parents to reduce their stress .

Therefore , I think that in order to maintain our society's balance , everyone must do their part to help each other and encourage more couples to have children when possible .
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Poverty in Singapore

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03:20
             Poverty is a state where one individual is unable to cover certain basic necessities , taking into account the circumstances and social requirements of the environment . This includes not having enough food to eat or have no shelter.

             During our second CID lesson  , we were shown two pictures on poverty : a man sitting on the floor holding a cardboard that states that he lost his belongings thus need money and a lady carrying a baby begging for money . I was asked who would I help if I had only a dollar ? I chose to help the lady as she was carrying a child and would definitely need more money to support themselves as compared to the single man . However , I was shocked to be  informed that the man in the first picture was a handicap while the  was part of a syndicate organisation which earns money by taking advantage of the sympathy of others . I feel cheated by the lady but I understand that she was also trying to earn a livingby working for the organisation , so I tried to understand her by stepping in her shoes . 

            From this lesson , I learnt that we should not judge a book by its cover as not everything we see is true , thus we should get more information about the certain subject before trusting its content and information .

            Singapore is one of the world's richest countries but I believe that there is still a lot of poverty existing . But unlike those begging money on the street in other countries such as China , people who are poor in Singapore either sell tissue or perform by playing musical instrument to earn money . Even through these actions seems useless and not essential for us , but I think those poor people must have gathered a lot of courage to do this kind of thing to earn money . However , there is more campaign nowadays to raise awareness for the poverty in Singapore , such as the " ONES SIGAPORE " campaign and the " Singapore against poverty " caimpaign which aim to raise awareness on how the poor lives in Singapore . As we know more about the living conditions of these people who are poor , we will appreciate more of their effort put in to earn money , and more of us will be willing to donate a dollar or two .

           With the help of government and campaigns , I believe that poverty in Singapore will be greatly reduced and their living condition will improve gradually . However , I think we should not only depend on them to help the poor , we should also do our part by being more concerned about their life and also donate when possible . Because as all our donation add up together , the poor families might finally have a delicious meal to reward them for their hardwork .






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December Holiday 2014

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16:31
                During the December Holiday , I spend most of my time staying at home and going for CCA trainings . However as time passes , I started to get bored and spend the precious time aimlessly , watching dramas or just lie on the bed for the whole day .
                Finally , I decided to make this holiday more meaningful than just slacking off . I recalled how the teachers advised us to use the time during the holiday wisely , trying out new things that cannot be accomplished in school . After much thought and consideration , I informed my parents that I would like to take up table tennis as a new hobby .
                Due to my passion in table tennis , my father found me a coach from the Singapore Table Tennis Team . With his help , I managed to get hold on the correct pose and the right rhythm when hitting the ping pong . He also advised me not to be so tense in my shoulder or use my waist too much . Instead I should try to be flexible when changing positions and relax when playing . After less than five lessons with the coach , I  could actually hit several ping pong without a flinch !
               Even through my skill now is still not enough to play a proper table tennis game , but I'm still glad that I have made the decision to take up table tennis as a hobby . While learning table tennis , my consentration skills and agility was greatly improved . I learnt the importance of co-ordination ,especially after messing up the rhythm and the speed of hitting the ping pong when I loss the co-ordination of my legs and arms . I really gained a lot while learning table tennis and I enjoyed the experience very much .
               I will continue to learn from my fabulous coach and improve my table tennis skills untill I reach the point where I can actually play a game with those who really are good at table tennis . After my experience with table tennis lessons , I would also like to try out hip-pop during June Holiday and contine to develope my holistic developement .

Birthday present from my parents to encourage my learning for table tennis 

 

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