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Faith_Megan_ Cultural Tour and Music 4 Fun_30th Nov 2016

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Faith_Megan_ Cultural Tour and Music 4 Fun_30th Nov 2016

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Day 2 !!! We visited Vigor Kobo to make our very own pineapple tarts wow !!! It was a really pleasant and fulfilling experience although our pineapple tarts did not look very pleasing... We also visited the Music 4 Fun factory where we got a rare chance to make our own musical instrument (recorder,harmonica and the piano model) We also got to see how recycled materials could be used to make music :))) We also went to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall to learn about Taiwan's history and the founding fathers of Taiwan. The amount of respect given to their founding fathers is similar to how much we respect our founding fathers in Singapore ! In the afternoon, we went to visit Eslite Book Store and got to explore the different Chinese books and also tried out the delicious fried chicken !!! Lastly we went to Xi Men Ding to shop and bought even more food and clothes ! Can't wait for another exciting day tomorrow ! :')

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fro day2 we went to the pineapple tart factory. we learnt how to make pineapple tart ourselves and also were given the chance to learn how pineapple tart grow. after that we went to the music 4fun factory and learnt how piano is made.
also there are musicla instrument made from recycled materials such as bottles and broken pot. from this section we also learnt that even though some things may appear useless or be deemed as trash in one area, they are still useful in other areas. we both agree that the same thing can be apply on the our humans. sometimes we may be upset with ourselves who are not good at certain areas such as academy, but we can never forget that we are still skillful at otheareas

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fro day2 we went to the pineapple

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Germerio_Preston_2nd Day in Taiwan_Nov 30th

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Germerio_Preston_2nd Day in Taiwan_Nov 30th

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Day 2: On the first full day of the trip, we first paid a visit to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, a Memorial hall dedicated to Chiang Kai-Shek, the First President of Taiwan. The building itself faces the West, as a symbol of Chiang Kai-Shek’s ambition to one day retake China, originally under his rule, in contrast to other Memorial Halls and buildings that traditionally face the South. We learnt a great deal about the formation of Taiwan, Chiang Kai-Shek’s importance to the nation as well as some chinese history dating back to the Second World War. However, we missed the ceremonial changing of the guards, which felt slightly disappointing.

Next, we visited the Vigor Kobo, a factory that produced a wide assortment of delicious snacks and desserts. There we were treated to a DIY session of molding pineapple tarts using prepared ingredients. We were also given a detailed tour around the place, as well as a brief lesson on the pineapple. Then, we had a dessert buffet provided to us by Vigor Kobo, where we tried the many varieties of snacks and desserts they had to offer and took some time to purchase some of them to bring home.

Then, we headed to the Music 4 Fun Factory, where we immediately got hands-on to assembling either a recorder, a harmonica or a small wooden piano model, which was an interesting experience by itself. We then went on to learn about how a real piano was made, from exploring the concepts of how to build it, to taking a look at an assembly line for constructing the piano. Ranging from the initial framework, to the tuning and even the painting, each step was meticulous and the process seemed painstaking, even to an observer. We moved on to a room where many games and musical instruments consisting of odd parts were. Enjoying ourselves there making merry, we proceeded on to travel to our next destination- Lunch time.

On the tour bus, we were briefly given a history on how the restaurant we were eating at came to be, as well as how the soup dumpling became a defining dish in Taiwan and its culture. At the soup dumpling restaurant we were eating in, we enjoyed an assortment of soup dumpling and other dishes, having fun as we went along.

Next, we headed to the Eslite bookstore to do some shopping. However, with the chinese books mixed in with the English books, it felt hard to find a specific book and we settled on just roaming the grounds and eating some of the food in the basement. The size of the bookstore did surprise us, as for a bookstore, it seemed comparable to a shopping mall. While we did not buy anything at the bookstore, it was still intriguing to find a bookstore as large as the Eslite bookstore.

We then went to have dinner at a local restaurant, where we continued to make merry and enjoy the great feast that we were given. Regardless of that, our minds were more preoccupied with the next visit to Ximending, where we enjoyed ourselves a lot. We went to buy even more food, went around and found countless interesting shops and bought a few souvenirs to bring home for ourselves.

All in all, the first day in Taiwan was very enjoyable and we quickly picked up on the fact that their government too, was very invested in the idea with recycling, much like in Singapore. That combined with all of our take-aways at the various tour locations made us even more excited to finally have a musical exchange with another school tomorrow.

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Our first destination today was the pineapple tart factory. It was our first time making pineapple tarts and it was a really fun experience! The best part was probably eating the samples as we got to try the different types of tarts which are new to us.
The Music 4 Fun programme was also an enriching experience for us. We got to assemble our own instruments and play with the percussion instruments which were made from household items. This just shows how percussion instruments can be made from anything and that music is all around us.
The highlight of day 2 however, was probably Ximending. It was a really big shopping district which included not only clothes shops, but also street food! We got to experience the night life in Taiwan and it was different from Singapore in a sense that there were many street shops with cheaper items in addition to the branded goods around. Although it was a weekday, it was still bustling with life and this is what makes Ximending so special :)

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On the 2nd day of our Taiwan trip, we started it off by making pineapple tarts at Vigor Kobo. Kneading the tarts were exciting as we didn't experience making it ourselves before. We were also happy to have the free flow of desserts as they were extremely delicious. Afterwards, we visited the Chiang Kai Shek memorial hall. It was tiring to climb the many flights of stairs to reach the top but the spectacular view was worth it. There, we learnt about the history of Chiang Kai Shek and how he wanted to reclaim China back one day which is signified in his statue facing the west to China. Later on, we went to Music 4 Fun where we got to play around with musical instruments. It was exciting as we are percussionists and there was an area dedicated for percussion. We then went to the Eslite bookstore and we were surprised that it was so big. Singapore's culture is really similar to Taiwanese culture in the sense that we have immensely large shopping malls.

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There were many activities on this day, including visiting the Chiang-Kai Shek Memorial Hall, where we witnessed the intriguing respect and perseverance demonstrated by the guards watching over the Chiang-Kai Shek statue, firm and still for long periods. We have learnt from the tour guide that the guards are trained to yawn to wet their eyes before practicing to not blink for an hour. Other activities we took part in are the Vigor Kobo pineapple tart factory where we participated in a DIY pineapple tart-making session. We were also treated after that with a dessert buffet which allowed us the many choices of Taiwanese dessert items to taste and subsequently purchase for our friends and families. One similarity we can think of between Singaporean and Taiwanese culture is that both countries have their own very unique cuisines and specific food items they are famous for, and pride themselves with it. Something I took away from the Music4Fun part of the day was that pianos' sounds are varied from mellow to bright by polishing the felt portion of the hammers to change their densities.

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We went to a pineapple tart factory, and learnt how pineapple tarts were made. We even got to try making our own pastries, which we could then consume ourselves. This session was incredibly enriching as we both did not know the effort behind the making of a pineapple tart. We feel that SIngapore and Taiwan culture both focus heavily on food. After that, we went to Music 4 Fun, where we constructed our very own harmonica from scratch. We also learnt how standing pianos were made. The visit to the music factory left us fascinated by the sheer amount of time and effort needed to construct good instruments.

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On the second day of our Taiwan trip, we started off the day by making our pineapple tarts at Vigor Kobo. It was kind of exciting touching the dough and molding it into the shapes that we want. Afterwards, we had our dessert buffet and it was so delicious while being supplied freely at the same time. The next place we went was the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. Over there, we climbed up many flights of stairs before we reached the top where there was a spectacular view.

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On this day, we went to a pineapple tart factory to learn more about how the tarts were made, and were given the opportunity to make our own ones by hand. We were given dough and pineapple filling, and had to push the filling into the dough, thereafter placing it into a mould. We first thought that it was gonna be easy, but after several tries, it turned out to be quite challenging to place the filling in fully without leaving any gaps for the filling to burst out of during baking. This session allowed us to understand how pineapple tarts were made in the past and how automation has taken pineapple tart making to the point where only a small team is needed to oversee mass production.

Through visiting the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, we have also found that Taiwan, like Singapore, both hold their founding fathers in great regard. In the memorial hall, we saw a great giant statue of Taiwan’s first president, Chiang Kai-Shek, guarded by two guards of honour. While in there, looking up to the giant statue, we could really feel that there was a sense of grandeur surrounding him, with his principles carved onto the walls of the memorial hall. Even the direction of the memorial hall different from most buildings, facing mainland China rather than the South out of respect for him.

After visiting the pineapple tart factory, we went to Music 4 Fun, which produced pianos. While there, we learned about the various essential parts of a piano, as well as the mechanisms involved in the piano keys. We also had a chance to try making music from recycled household objects, and even make our own harmonicas, recorders and small piano models. This experience really provided us with greater insight into the science behind music.

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1. We went to the pineapple factory farm and learn about how to make pineapple pastries. We got to taste how it is like, which is quite nice (not too sweet) and our product was not as bad as we had expected it to be

2. We find that food is something that both Singapore and Taiwan share in terms of culture, where in Singapore we are famous for our Durians and its pastries, while Taiwan is famous for their pineapple tarts

3. The most interesting thing we learnt is how piano is being made, the entire process, from a piece of wood to an upright piano. From all the process we see, it made us more aware on how our band instrument could also have to take so much time and effort to create such wonderful instruments

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Caiheng_Anjali_Cultural Tour and Music 4 Fun_Nov 30th

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Caiheng_Anjali_Cultural Tour and Music 4 Fun_Nov 30th

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Caiheng
1. We made our own pineapple tarts by wrapping the inner pineapple stuffing with the outer layer. Then we insert them into the models which are in different shapes. I learn to be careful and listen to instruction
2. Both do recycling
3. The manufacturing process of the piano

Anjali
1. We made pineapple tarts (not from scratch), then went for Music 4 Fun (this place really cool!). Finally we went to Eslite book store. This place was good in showing the 'atas' side of Taiwan. Their branded items were much more expensive than Singapore (a pen that is S$1.95 is around S$2.10+ at that bookstore!). Day 2 was an eye opener and really showed me the modern side of Taipei. And we also went to Ximending (i really hoped we had more time there :'))

2. They have the same modern items e.g. the same brands that you can find in Singapore, we share the same modern culture. Just that their items are much more expensive than Singapore.

3. Music 4 Fun was a cool place (especially to see the percussionists performing spontaneously there!). As someone who has no music background and can literally only play Ode to Joy on the piano, i learned the significance of the piano and the hard work behind its manufacturing process.

Ximending was love! It was where I found my xiaogua never going to forget that place :). But i still have regrets because i still want to buy a few more items from there :').

(it was going good until that metal thing fell hehe, but cool bah)

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We visited the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial hall, where the tour guide explained to us the importance of this person to Taiwan. Even though we did not spend much time there, it was indeed very informative and we got to understand more about the history of Taiwan

Then we went to vigor kobo to make the traditional pineapple tarts. I must say, it was certainly an unique experience and we had lots of fun there

We then went to this huge warehouse where they stored various instruments made from recycled materials and even got a chance to try them out.

Finally we visited the elite book store and it was truly an eye opener! Even though we didn't buy much, the place was filled with different varieties of books and it was truly a memorable experience! Sadly the day came to an end, looking forward to the next day!

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Jerome_JingYuan_ Cultural Tour and Music 4 Fun_30th Nov 2016

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Jerome_JingYuan_ Cultural Tour and Music 4 Fun_30th Nov 2016

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On the second day we went to visit the Chuang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. At that place we learnt about the founding forefathers of taiwan and their significance to the country. This led us to learn and understand a bit of Taiwan's history, which was certainly really interesting.

We then headed off to the Vigor Kobo to make some pineapple tarts! We had our very first experience of making out own pineapple tart and pressing it into the different shapes. Honestly some of them didn't really look like the shapes we were supposed to make but all in all it was fun! We then learnt about how pineapples are grown and are known in Taiwan, just like how ginseng known in Korea.

We visited Music 4 fun afterwards. We learnt about how the piano was made and how the different parts like the soundboard is able to create a wonderful sound on the piano. We also got to play around with some of the instruments made from recycled materials! The whole band had loads of fun trying them out. The percussionists were just rocking!

And finally we went to Eslite Book store. The place was huge, they were selling not only books but other souvenir items as well. We spent most of our time around those sections.

Though we didn't get anything in the end it was still such an amazing experience to walk around the book store and see the kinds of books they sell. Taiwan doesn't just have many food but many books too.

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Lance Wu_Ryan Chung_Day of run and eating (lots of it)_30 Nov 

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Lance Wu_Ryan Chung_Day of run and eating (lots of it)_30 Nov 

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Lance:
1. The DIY pastry making made us intently follow instructions to craft the pastries from scratch. We were doing something we had never done before and we had a real heartwarming satisfaction once our pastries were done and our hard work eventually brought about success for us.

2. One similarity is that we both treasure our passion for food and their respect for the founding fathers as seen from the memorial hall.

3. The most interesting thing that I learned is the inner workings of the sound board in pianos which I never knew about before which was an interesting experience.

Ryan:
*Day 2*

1. Today we went to the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial hall.  What fascinated me was the great effort and detail put into making the memorial hall (eg. 89 steps = 89 y/o). It showed that the Taiwanese were really grateful for the great things he has done for the country.

2. Both Singapore and Taiwanese culture have been influenced by many of other origins as both were a melting pot for various cultures due to colonial powers.  This let's both Taiwan and Singapore have their own unique blend of flavours and cultures,  allowing for a great diversity.

3. The most interesting thing I learnt in the Music 4 Fun programme was seeing the process of how pianos we're made.  It showed the tedious process from tuning to painting of the keys and explained why a piano was so expensive.  It was an enriching behind the scenes experience for me and made me more aware of the dedication and effort put into making the instruments in our band.

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Venedict_Keith_Cultural Tour and Music 4 Fun_Nov 30th

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Venedict_Keith_Cultural Tour and Music 4 Fun_Nov 30th

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We started off the day by visiting Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, where we learnt more about one of the founding fathers of Taiwan, as well as the significance and meaning of each detail in the vicinity of the Memorial Hall. Although we weren't able to spend a lot of time there, we were able to take back quite a bit of information and the history of Taiwan! We also learnt that here in Taiwan, founding fathers are well respected and looked up to, just like in Singapore! After that, we went on to Vigor Kobo to make pineapple tarts. Although not pleasing to the eye, we learnt how to make delectable pineapple tarts in various shapes, learning about the manufacturing process and what goes into the making of these irresistible treats! Afterwards, we visited Music 4 Fun, where we chose to make our very own harmonica! This was extremely eye opening for us as both of us were unaware of how a harmonica worked. A piano tour came after that, where we could see how pieces of wood and wires could turn into a huge musical instrument. We then went on to a huge warehouse where there were many different instruments made of recycled materials. This particularly excited us as we were percussionists and many of these were percussion instruments! We then went on to Eslite Book Store, where we were able to see many books and items on display. We both came back empty handed but were definitely amazed but the vast variety of books on display! Sadly, the day had come to an end and we cannot wait to see what tomorrow will bring!

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1)         Describe the activity (e.g. DIY Traditional Pastries) that you were in, and what your takeaways from the session were.

2)         What is ONE similarity between Singapore culture and Taiwanese culture?

3)         What is the most interesting thing you have learnt from Music 4 Fun?