MYANMAR/BURMA

Mr Azahar showed us an interesting PowerPoint during one of our RSP lessons. It was about Myanmar/Burma. and through it, I have learnt a lot!

Some Information:

RELIGION

From the PowerPoint, I can infer that religion plays a very big part in the lives of the Burmese.
The reason for my inference is:

( taken from http://www.sacred-destinations.com/burma/images/yangon-rangoon/schwedagon/bamboo-scaffolding-gold-maintenace-cc-flappingwings.jpg)

1.The main stupa in the Pagoda( a Burmese temple) is completely solid, every inch is covered in gold.
2.The upper parts are studded with diamonds totalling over 2,000 carats.
3.At the very top of the spire is the diamond orb - a hollow gold sphere studded with 4351 diamonds totalling 1800 carats. On the very tip rests a single, 76-carat diamond.
Since the people were willing to spend so much money to build their place of worship, they must really take their religion as a big part of their lives.

( taken from http://www.sacred-destinations.com/burma/images/yangon-rangoon/schwedagon/shwedagon-pagoda-from-hotel-roof-c-awfulsara.jpg)

Sometimes, even during a blackout, where all the buildings are cut off of their electricity, the Pagoda is the only building that still has the electricity supply, and the only building in the city that is shining brightly.

PEOPLE

There was a part of the PowerPoint, in which there was a quote, The quote was something like this:

“For centuries the Burmese have been famous for their gentile, soft-spoken manner. Indeed, they talk at a rather low volume and use very polite speech in whatever language they are speaking.”

From this, we can infer that The Burmese are probably gentle, and courteous people, who can probably come across as sweet-natured and polite people.

MALAYSIA

KUDA KEPANG

Mr Azahar showed us a video on the Kuda Kepang that day.

In the first part of the video, there was a group of female dancers who carried little horses(like the one seen above). The tempo of the drums were relatively slow, and to me it was just another Malay dance.

However, in the later part of the video, there was a group of male dancers with the same type of horse, and the dance looked rather similar to the female one. However,the males were made to breathe in some smoke, and the tempo of the drums quickened. Apparently, they were being possessed by spirits. The males started going a little "crazy" and "galloped" around the whole area. There was a male, whom I thought was the leader, and he started whipping the male dancers. The whipping sound was very loud, so it was probably very painful. I was wondering why the males didn't seem to be in agony. The people around there didn't display any shock at all, which made me even more bewildered. After awhile, there were fed glass pieces, and made to step in glass pieces. My friends all gasped with horror-I could tell that they were as shocked as I was. The males ran and shook their heads, and they didn't seem to be in pain at all. Mr Azahar said that they were probably in a trance. Eventually, some of the guys broke out from the trance(I think) as they laid on the ground, probably because the "spirit" had escaped from their bodies. I was really shocked.

HOW COULD THE AUDIENCE BEAR TO LOOK?

HOW COULD THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE OF THE PERFORMANCE TREAT THE GUYS LIKE THAT?

WHERE THE MALES WILLING TO GET POSSESSED?

WAS IT A WAY FOR THEM TO ACHIEVE A "GREATER SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIP" WITH THEIR GODS?

The video really left me confused, and the questions kept popping out in my mind. Therefore, I decided to do a search on it.

Basically, Kuda Kepang is a dance performed by Malaysians, mainly of Javanese descent. It is a legless horse-shaped puppet that is straddled by the performers.

Source: Wikipedia

Hmmm, so it didn't really answer my question): However, I think that...

The males were really in a trance and thus didn't feel any pain. They probably wanted a personal encounter with their gods, and agreed to do it. Even though we might think that the people in charge of their performance seem evil, but to them and the people who believe in this practice, they were probably respected. In my opinion, these people were to them, what priests were to Catholics, and monks to Buddhist. After all, to be able to be in charge of such a spiritual practice,they must have to have some social standing in society, for people to trust them to carry out the ritual properly.

You might probably disagree with what I've said, or don't even understand what I'm saying at all, but this is just my opinion of things(:

Although the practice of Kuda Kepang might seem ridiculous to us, I believe that there is a reason behind it, a reason that we do not know. At first, I thought that this practice was absolutely ridiculous, but after much thought, I have concluded that even though our cultures might seem different, we should accept each other's cultures!

Video on Kuda Kepang. ENJOY!

SINAGPORE

(taken from http://www.mymalaysiabooks.com/images/Flag_Spore.jpg)

Not forgetting sunny Singapore! The capital of Singapore is Singapore! Singapore's closest neighbour is Malaysia. Singapore used to be a Malay fishing village, but due to the large migration of Chinese, the main race in Singapore now is Chinese. Singapore used to be part of Malaysia, but she gained her independance in 1965. On 9th August every year, Singaporeans celebrate Singapore's national day. Singapore used to be a British colony. Sinagpore is a Multi-racial society, and the 4 main races in Singapore are Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian.

(taken from http://itclub.vs.moe.edu.sg/cyberfair2005/images/esplanade.jpg)

One of the most famous tourist attraction in Singapore has to be the Esplanade (Singapore's performing arts venue), which is shaped like a durian. isn't it cute?:D

LAOS

(taken from http://www.faqs.org/docs/factbook/flags/la-lgflag.gif)

The capital of Laos is Vientiane, which is also the largest city. Its official language is Lao. It is bordered by Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Laos traces its history to the Kingdom of Lan Xang or Land of a Million Elephants, which existed from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century(Some information from Wikipedia)

EAST TIMOR

(taken from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Flag_of_East_Timor.svg/800px-Flag_of_East_Timor.svg.png)

The capital of East Timor is Dili, which is also the largest city. Its official languages are Portugese(as it was colonized by the Portugese before) and Tetum. The country is rather small, and it is located above Australia. 97% of the population are Roman Catholics.

MYANMAR/ BURMA

(taken from http://www.britannica.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/myanmar-flag.gif)

Myanmar's/ Burma's capital city is Naypyidaw, and its largest city is Yangon. The national language is Burmese. Myanmar/ Burma is the largest country in SEA geographically. The main religion in Myanmar/Burma is Buddhism

A Burmese traditions:
It is an insult to touch someone on the head as the head is considered the "crown".

Some Buddhist celebrations that are celebrated in Singapore include:-
1. Water Festival (Thin Gyan)
-This Myanmar New Year celebration normally falls around 13-17 April every year. During this festival, people devote themselves to offer and bath Buddha images with scented water. They pay homage to the elders with cool water and other offerings. Splashing water at passers-by may be interpreted as symbolizing the washing away of the immoral stains accumulated during the past year,

2. Vesak Day
-This festival occurs on the full moon of May.

Buddhism was actually split into two different vehicles-the smaller vehicle and greater vehicle. The greater vehicle believed in helping devotees to achieve enlightenment, however the smaller vehicle does not do that.

PHILIPPINES

(taken from http://members.shaw.ca/gthemidwife/images/800px-Flag_of_the_Philippines.svg)

The capital city of The Philippines is Manila, and The Philippines comprises of many islands, just like Indonesia, except that The Philippines has more islands. The Philippines is a multi-ethnic country.The national language is Tagalog.

INDONESIA

(taken from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Indonesia_flag_300.png)

The capital city of Indonesia is Jarkata. Indonesia consists of many different islands. The currency of Indonesia is Rupiah. The main religion in Indonesia is Muslim. The national language is Bahasa Indonesia, which is rather similar to Bahasa Melayu.

Sometimes, I really wonder why our domestic helpers are mainly from Indonesia. Why not Malaysia, or Thailand? These two countries are closer to Singapore, wouldn't it be more pratical to get domestic helpers from these countries instead of Indonesia, which is further?

BRUNEI

taken from http://www.world-flags-symbols.com/_img_nations2/brunei_flag.png

Brunei is located in the island of Borneo. Borneo consists of Sarawak and Sabah too. Both of them are states of Malaysia. Since Brunei and Malaysia are so close to each other, it is no surprise that the main race of Brunei is also Malays!

THAILAND

Taken from http://www.crosscountrytravel.co.uk/data/thai_flag.gif

Thailand's capital city is Bangkok, which is also the largest city. Thailand shares its borders with Laos and Cambodia. Its main religion is Buddhism. When I visited Thailand a few years back, I was deeply impressed by the Thais as they were all very courteous(: Mango and sticky rice:D (taken from http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/2628302142_9d7ec43dcd.jpg)

I enjoyed the Thai food alot, especially the MANGOES! It's like a mango wonderland:D Mango with sticky rice was indeed mouth-watering. The mangoes there are sweet, juicy and super yummy!! They also sold fried insects like worms and crickets, which according to our guide, was a delicacy in Thailand!

Thailand is indeed a shopping wonderland too! While visiting Chiang Mai, we went to the night market every night, but we did not get bored of it, because everyday there seemed to be too much of a variety of things to choose from!

We also visited the Golden Triangle-the place where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet, and we took a boat to visit Laos! The Golden Triangle is indeed a wonderful place. Not only is it the place where 3 countries meet, it is also the place where 3 cultures meet! In my opinion, with countries just a boat ride away from one another, it probably is inevitable that the cultures of these countries influence one another. One clue is that the main religions of these countries are all Buddhism.

Thailand is indeed a beautiful place to visit, and their mangoes have left a lasting impression on me!:D

VIETNAM

(courtesy of http://www.tofocus.info/images/flags/vietnam-flag.gif)

Vietnam's capital city is Hanoi. Vietnam was actually under Chinese rule for about a thousand years, before becoming independent in the 10th century. The currency of Vietnam is called Dong.

I went to Vietnam last year,2007, during the December holidays. We visited Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City. It was extremely enjoyable for me, and I really enjoyed the food there! Some of the food include

Pho

FRESH Spring rolls

(courtesy of http://www.digsmagazine.com/images/nourisharticles/

vietnamesespringrolls/vietnamesespringrolls.jpg)

FRIED spring rolls

The spring rolls were really good! Both fresh and fried:D

When we arrived at Ho Chi Minh City, my first impression was that the roads were very packed, and the traffic system was quite messy as there were no traffic lights! First, we watched the Water Puppet show(:

We also visited a place called the Governor Palace, and it was extremely grand. They even had a helicopter landing pad!MEETING ROOM in the palace!

Later, we visited Chu Chi Tunnels, which was very. very interesting! The Chu Chi Tunnels are an immense network of tunnels connected to each other. These tunnels were used as a military base during the Vietnam War. The place used to be filled with landmines, which could cut seriously injure a person if they stepped on it. It was also full of booby traps(like the one seen below). The booby traps were quite scary! After seeing these booby traps, i realised that the Vietnamese were actually very smart-the had little resources, but they managed to make something as effective as using technology! The tunnels were very small, and quite claustrophobic. I even crawled inside for awhile(: It was quite an experience!

This is actually one of the secret passages used by the Vietnamese soldiers to get into the tunnel. That's my brother! The passage was covered by a "lid", and covered with leaves to disguise it.

Trap door!(picture courtesy of Wikipedia). Isn't it scary? The trap is covered with leaves, so the soldier steps on it unknowingly, and poof, he lands on sharp bamboo sticks. So tragic!

At Hanoi, we visited Halong Bay. Halong Bay was awesome! The scenery is BREATHTAKING. There were also alot of caves at the bay! We stayed at Halong Bay(on boat) for 1 night!

A cave at Halong BayHalong bay.. A lady selling food on her boat to passengers like us! We bought oreos, and alot of crackers! Haha, isn't it cool?:DThis is how the deck of the boat looks like! It's a good place to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery and the fresh air(:(taken from http://www.vietvaluetravel.com/vietvaluetravel-images/news/img1/nu-sinh.jpg)

This is the beautiful national coustume of of Vietnam! It is made of Vietnamese silk. It is like a long dress, and it has long slits on both sides of the dress. It is paired with long pants also made of silk. The outfit is paired with a wooden bamboo hat, which is usually used by workers working in a padi field.

In conclusion, Vietnam was really an interesting and fun place to visit! I learnt alot more about the Vietnamese culture:D

MALAYSIA

(flag courtesy of http://www.mapsofworld.com/images/world-countries-flags/malaysia-flag.gif)

Ok, so let's talk about Malaysia!

Malaysia is just above Singapore, so they're our closest neighbours! I'm a Malaysian, and my cousins live in Malaysia, so i visit Malaysia very often! Usually, I only visit Kuala Lumpur and Klang, Selangor. Malaysia is divided into two parts, Peninsula(East) Malaysia and East Malaysia.

The 13 states of Malaysia are:

1.Kuala Lumpur

2.Johor

3.Meleka

4.Perak

5.Pahang

6.Kelantan

7.Perlis

8.Selangor

9.Kedah

10.Negeri Sembilan

11.Sarawak

12.Sabah

13.Terengganu

The most famous landmark in Malaysia has to be the TWIN TOWERS!

Isn't it spectacular(:

(courtesy of http://touringmalaysia.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/petronas-towers-kl-malaysia.jpg)

The national anthem of Malaysia is actually called "NEGARAKU", which means my country! NEGARA=country KU=my!(:

i have visited East Malaysia, mainly Sabah:DIt was an interesting trip. However, I went for that trip 5 years ago, therefore I have forgotten some facts, but i always remember something about Sabah-their pineapples are REALLY GOOD!:D

INTRODUCTION!

HELLO!
Welcome to my RSP blog! RSP is the Regional Studies Programme and we are the pioneer batch. In RSP, we learn more about South-East Asia(SEA). It's really fun and exciting because we get to learn alot of cool and interesting things about the culture and traditions of other countries(: We get to go on field trips too! Talking about field-trips, I remember the time when we went on the RSP field trip. We went to a Burmese temple, Lucky Plaza, Peninsula Plaza and Golden Mile Complex

Burmese Temple:

This is one of the statues in the Temple!(courtesy of http://www.moeyyo.com/MM/archives/IMG_1024.JPG). The temple had alot of teak wood, because the Burmese are famous for that:D

The Burmese Buddha is different from the Buddhas of other countries. Some differences include:-

1. Burmese Buddhas have a rounder face than other Buddhas, and have a potruded skull or a bun on their head their head to signify their wisdom.

2.Burmese Buddhas' ears are dragged to signify his nobility, unlike the Thai Buddha

3.The Burmese does not have a birthmark unlike the Thai and Cinese Buddha

4. The Burmese Buddhas' toes are mostly of the same length

Some Burmese words I found at the temple:

Agga Maha-->the valuable one

U-->used to address older men(like Mr.)

Ma-->used to address girls

GOLDEN MILE:

This was the Thai Super Market we went to. It was full of Thai food and the packaging was all in Thai too! Haha and we bought some Thai Instant noodles, and all of them were like Tom Yum flavour, typical of Thai food!

Golden Mile looks like Thailand don't you think? Maybe that was why this place was used to film a Channel 8 Drama scene that was supposed to be in Thailand! All the stalls have Thai names, so when I went inside i really felt like I was in a Thailand Shopping Mall!

Peninsula Plaza:

This shop is called GOLDEN PRINCESS PTE. LTD(: At first, the shop keeper, who is a Burmese, was rather wary of us, as we asked her questions about where her goods were from. According to what the tour guide told us, some spies are sent by the Burmese government to spy on these Burmese immigrants, so she might have suspected that we were spies at first. However, after we told her that we were from RGS, she started showing her true self, and was nice and friendly to us. She answered the questions we asked her! She even showed us how to..
Make this! I'm not too sure what it actually is, all I know is that it has alot of spices and is eaten by pregnant women(if i remembered correctly).
Group Photo outside Peninsula Plaza:D

We bought these 2 packets of Maggi Mee from Golden Princess Pte Ltd.(: Left, me. Right, Symone!

Lucky Plaza:

Lucky Plaza was full of Filipinos! Most of them are domestic workers. Some Filipino words:

Tuloy Kay o-->welcome

Mabilis-->requirement

Mataas ang palit-->work permit

In conclusion, this field trip was really an eye-opener for me, and I learnt more information about other countries, that I could have never experienced from a book. It also allowed me to learn about the cultures of other countries that I have not visited, like Burma, the Philippines and Indonesia. I also learnt more about Buddhism, and how it can come in different forms(i.e. different kinds of Buddha statues). I really enjoyed this trip!