Well, today ends it all. It was fun, we've learnt much and best of all, we've grown up. We would like to thank our friends, our teachers, our year-heads, our tour manager for all the guidance and support that they have given us. It's a meaningful trip and we're sad to leave. We had good times and bad times together as a batch, and we learn together as a batch. We've changed and so has everything else. Yet while some don't accept change, some realize one important fact, just like the fact we realized ourself throught this trip...
"Change leads to progress"
Joseph 5:12 PM
This day was probably the best day in the whole trip. Why? Because it changed us personally.
The team building activities were really meaningful. They changed our character inside out. We, through all these activities, realize the importance of teamwork - how something that isn't good for you is not good for me as well, the importance of servant leadership(to care about the people), the importance of unity and sacrifice and much much more...
Our change in character obviously led to progress. After the team building activity, we were totally changed and we could care for others better. This is progress in growing up! Ultimately, this MM trip would be wasted if we don't grow up. "And some of us need to realize that they're being selfish by holding the whole bus back" - Ms. Liew...=]]
If we are more considerate, we would not waste other people's time. We would not be a burden to society. What we would be is useful people - caring for others - making the world a better place...
Well, after that, we went to the wedding and guess what！ An RI guy was getting married... woohoo... it was really funny but this whole experience led to a change in my mindset - how people can lead simple but happy lives. It inspired all of us to be content with what we have - STOP COMPLAINING! When we're finally content with what we have then only can we appreciate the people around us. This change in our mindset led to progress in us because we're all happier and content. That's great!
"I complained and complained that I have no shoes until I saw a person with no legs."
Joseph 5:02 PM
This day was a really memorable day, but the first event was most memorable.
We went to a turtle sanctuary today and the heartwarming thing is to see how changes actually make a whole lot of difference. We saw an article about turtles getting extinct by 2003(this article was written in 1998) and we thought - this is ridiculous! It's 2008 and turtles are not yet extinct. But we thought even deeper and further - Why?
Because people change. People realize their mistake that they're killing turtles and they change. If the prediction was correct, we would not have seen the beauty of these turtles when they're extinct. Fortunately, the people out there has taken steps to change, because they know when they change it'll lead to progress!
Progress for who? Progress for the turtles - they won't be extinct; Progress for humans - they get to earn money from tours seeing turtles, they get to enjoy the beauty of these turtles...etc.
Obviously, our trip to the turtle sanctuary has not been a waste. We've learnt that we must make changes if we want to progress previously but now we've learnt that if we do not change, not only do we not make progress but we will go in the other direction.
Joseph 4:56 PM
Hi all. Here to blog again. We realize we have a really good driver you know? While others take the old route, our driver took a new route. He changed so that the route that we took actually lead to faster travel. This itself is progress! If the driver had stayed on his usual route, no progress would be made, it would still be as slow as before! This thought us that we have to step out of our comfort zone with change and should adapt a positive mindset to change so that we can progress by learning despite all hardship.
Next, we went to the Deer land, which we saw many many examples of Change. Don't believe? First, the environment for animals totally changed for the animals, now they're well-pampered and well-fed. Compared to being hunted down, surely this change leads to progress. But it doesn't only apply to animals, the change to open the place to public although it was built for hobby also led to progress. How you might ask? Money!!!!!!!!!!!!!$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
After that, we went over to the Elephant Sanctuary, where Change was ever so prominent. There are 4 changes we noted: - Elephant’s habitat – from abandoned to adopted - Food – Well-fed - Environment(Surroundings) – taken care of well - Elephants made to perform and be made a public spectacle. Also punished when the elephants disobey trainer’s orders. (This also as a result of changing habitat)
As seen from the changes, these changes led to progress for elephants being taken care well and humans having money from the elephant's public spectacle.
Therefore, we feel we've learnt today about change leading to progress not only for humans, but elephants!
Joseph 4:48 PM
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Today was an exciting day on the MM '08. Let us have a trip back memory lane, back to where we started. We had a long bus ride and the guide was very informative. She talked about WWII which brought much change to Malaysia. WWII is a chaotic change according to us as the war was predictable but irregular. This change brought us a new insight that change will lead to progress. With the WWII, this change has brought progress to Malaysia as now Malaysia has became more independent and more reliant on themselves instead of the British.
We went to the tea leaf plantation after a long bus ride and we've learnt much there as well. We saw the weighing machine that could weigh up to more than few thousands of kilos. We also saw machineries that helped human labour such as instead of the tea leaves being hand plucked, it was cut off by shears of machines. This shows the technology that was brought and introduced to the plantation. The introduction of technology was a change that brought progress as production increased and as new technology keeps being introduced, more progress was visible. This changed farming methods to suit the need for progress. We believe that this change is a stable change as it was constant and predictable as new technology are always being discovered and we can predict that new technology will change for progress constantly in the future.
We also learnt from the guide about floods and this is a random change as we couldn't predict nor was it regular. This led to progress as the people will be more resilient and try to prevent this. Also, it induced research on technology for better infrastructure which was also progress for Malaysia.
Soil erosion is also a chaotic change as it appears irregular but we can predict it to a certain extent such as places with poor soil, a steep gradient and high rainfall. This leads to progress in farming as the people are more aware that they shouldn't farm there.
In conclusion, we've learnt today that change leads to progress to a large extent.
Joseph 6:01 AM
We live in a changing world. Change and the absence of change are important features of both scientific and non-scientific processes. Change can occur in simple and predictable ways or more complicated and unpredictable ways.”
Change. What does this word mean to us? At the beginning of our Malaysian Montage trip, we knew very little about change. However, change is ever so apparent in our lives and this journey has provided us with the experience and the insights to view change in a different light and with different perspectives.
We had an experienced guide who explained to us many changes that happened in Malaysia. An example of that is the WWII when the Japanese came and invaded Malaysia. Now, we would classify this as a chaotic change because although it does not happen regularly, that event could be predicted. Malaysia definitely could not control the change that was happening although they tried their best but instead they were controlled by the changes that were happening so rapidly and we feel that with this point, it is better to control change than to be controlled by change. Now let us imagine a situation where Malaysia could control the changes that were happening, obviously, the change that Malaysia would be going through would be good ones. There wouldn’t be bloodshed or unnecessary loss of lives. If only they could control change… Now for our experiences in MM ‘08
This Malaysian Montage trip has taught us much about the nature of change. Enjoy our blog as we present to you our journeys through these blog entries.