Dear TF Scalers who did Malang 2016,
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With best regards,
Andy Lee
10th day – 22/03 Tues – Today we went to the monkey mountain and Taman Safari. we fed the monkeys and get scared by the monkeys and we have a race in the pond.(paddling actually). We went to Safari, saw a tons of animals and went inside the funfair to play and stuff. The staff there tour us around the Safari and take us to the show they’ve prepared. I fell sick at the hotel and everyone are so caring and came to my room just to check if I’m okay.
11th day – 23/03 Weds – Depart from Sweet Garden to Selamat Pagi Indonesia at Batu. We have had a lot of fun watching the stage show(It’s amazing!) and they touring us around the school then we work on our project. Today’s milestone – we’re able to get the sensor working and sense the distance between the water with the sensor and display the output in cm on the screen and successfully turn on the relay and the pump successfully drew out the water from bucket A to bucket B(sensor insert at bucket B). We still have no idea what to do with the valve so we try to research and the code was done and the valve are able to function but no water was drained out from bucket B. Everyone’s tired so we called it a day after we have an QnA session with a few students there.
12th day – 24/03 Thurs – We went for morning exercise today, I fell down and injured myself after the exercise. Everyone are worried about my injuries. Shawn help me to get up and help with my wounds. Another stage show(It was totally amazing!), Faci later help me to clean up my wounds again and covered my wounds up. I’m appreciate what they done to me. working on our project. Finally found out that the valve needs water pressure to make it function and that’s what we don’t have on our prototype, so we change to a smaller valve that doesn’t require the need of water pressure and our project’s done on this day. We’re so happy with the result, everything’s working smoothly.
13th day – 25/03 Fri – Didn’t went for morning exercise. Everyone packing their own luggage. Continue for the project. Some of them went to the adventure session. Me and a few left inside the hall chatting for the time to pass. After that, depart to closing ceremony. All team present slides and show the functioning prototype, QnA session, performances. I sang on stage for the very first time.
14th day – 26/03 Sat – Depart from Selamat Pagi Indonesia to airport then fly back Singapore.
Overall – It was a really good experience to Indonesia. Most importantly we all step out of our comfort zone and learned together even the hard way. We became friends even family I can say, we share all the ups and downs together. In the future when I look back, I know won’t regret to have this family in my life.
TFSCALE II has come to an end. I’m glad to have made new friends and had the chance to experience new opportunities to allow myself to grow as a person. I bet everyone has formed some kind of attachment from this trip (e.g. wanting to go back to Malang to eat Mie Setan or having hangouts at room 111). But I’m very grateful to have been part of this family. I cannot express in words how thankful and how happy I am to have met different personalities.
One of the most beautiful things I have gained from this trip is to learn more about myself and my capabilities. In addition, one of the key things that I have learnt is that I am the only person who can define my worth and this has allowed me to love who I am instead of seeking validation from people. Also, I realised that I have a lot more to learn because everyday I notice I gain something new by even learning to venture out (to new opportunities, to new people).
I already miss the moments we had as well as you guys. Even though the trip is over, it didn’t feel like it ended yet. It feels like a new beginning. With all the new people I have met, it feels like a new journey of learning more about them now that TFSCALE is over.
I hope to see you all in TFSCALE III!
ONCE UPON A TIME..
Temasek Foundation Scale II, commonly abbreviated as TFscale II(2nd iteration), led me into a new experience, into an inland area called Malang, and made me feel so different, in a foreign soil. The pictures will explain my experience I’ve experienced here in Malang. I apologise, as I am supposed to do 2 RJs, but I shall compile these 2 RJs into 1 long one here, yet comprehensive one. It summarises the entire story I had experienced in Malang.
The flight was initially scheduled at 12pm, but it was delayed for 5 hours, however. Thus, we went to the transit area, had, a complimentary meal from Jetstar, and had window shopping & sightseeing at the transit area, including the butterfly gardens.
At 5 plus, we flew to Indonesia, Juanda International Airport. There, the Indonesians warmly greeted us at the arrival area.
The teachers in-charge, Mr Jason , and Mr Andy, also received a token of appreciation at the state polytechnic of Malang
For the next few days, we had many outings, and we went to many different places, such as the tourist-attraction of Mount Bromo, and water rafting at Probolinggo.
Fun? I’m sure it is. It’s a unique experience that I personally experienced, as I do not have much exposure to all these activities, which is an eye-opener for me. For the hiking up to Mr Bromo, we went there early in the morning to catch the sunrise. Admittedly, it may not be as spectacular as the Aurora Borealis in Iceland, but the crystal clear night sky, paired with the sunrise, is still wonderful, no matter.
If there weren’t the file size limit of 2MB per file, I would’ve uploaded the time lapse video of the entire sunrise here. But I hope the pictures will suffice. Many of our friends are delighted by the natural beauty of the landscape. For the next few days, we went to the State Polytechnic of Malang to do our objective – program a Raspberry Pi to solve/alleviate some of Indonesia’s inherent problems.
I’ve to be honest here, the state of their Polytechnic is nothing compared to ours, Republic Polytechnic. Their WIFI is s**t. Really. Its not even possible to even load Google Drive even to have collaborative e-learning. Plus, their infrastructure there is abysmal, Roofs unpatched. Wall paint peeling, whereas Republic Polytechnic have high standards,(Okay, maybe RP@Wireless is not so bad after all), but hey, I guess we pay about $7000 worth of school fees I suppose its worth?
Anyway, we worked on these, for a period of 3 days. Our team did the project on hydroponics. It was okay, but I think due to the lack of time, we barely managed to do the construction for the hydroponics.
We also visited many other areas in the vicinity of Malang, to do activities such as Orange picking and visiting the cheese factory. Interesting activities, and especially the Oranges. They’re unusually green in colour, and despite that, the flesh inside is Orange in colour, however.
Peculiar right? They have 2 different strains too, one is the sweet variant, and the other, is the sour variant. Surprisingly, Many people also liked the sour variant, probably due to the taste.
We also visited the Monkey (farm?) in Malang too. We also had some small paddle boat in the waters.
On one of the days, we visited the orphanage, in Malang, and we packed goodie bags, and we visited them, in a remote part of Malang, which is a rural area.
I felt sad for them. Some of them may not even know the whereabouts of their parents, on where they’ve been, or what even happened to them. Many people felt happy, but for me, I felt very sad. Some of them may not even know how their mum or dad looked like. Depressing. I really hope some celestial beings can help them in their later stages in life, and give them the strength to carry on.
For the last few days, we had a closing ceremony at the State Polytechnic of Malang. Honestly, we had many (unplanned) changes, and we did many various attempts to have an engaging feel with our Indonesian counterparts. Despite the conflicts in the RP students wanting a skit or a song, we had 2 songs, and used National Day Songs instead.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end. And so did we. We went to back to Surabaya and have a last minute shopping at one of the shopping malls, and we returned for a flight back to Singapore from Juanda International Airport. And we lived happily ever after.
THE END
14 days spending in Indonesia, Ma lang was a memorable experience that I would never forget. Learning in depth about their culture, education and most importantly, knowing their stories is a plus point for me.
You know, typical Singaporean parents will always emphasize you in doing well in everything you do otherwise you will not go far. That is exactly what I observe in Indonesia! They put their heart and soul into everything they do. I am not saying that we, Singaporeans are lazy. You just don’t see the same enthusiasm when we work. That is one of the takeaways I got from these 14 days.
I am blessed to be a part of TFSCALE II.
After the 2 weeks of TF-Scale at Malang, I have learnt two values in which I can apply in my daily life, Teamwork and Resilience. Firstly, the reason why i said teamwork was because during the water rafting adventure, we had to cooperate with one another in order to get to the end of the river. There were times when some of us did not listen to instructions clearly, which caused our raft to move in the wrong directions, thus causing our raft to get stuck in between rocks while traversing a waterfall.We could have been able to complete the course if we are more coordinated and cooperative. Secondly, in the Mount Bromo trip, if we did not press on and continue to the top, we might not have been able to endure the coldness lf the mountain. As some of us did not wear enough thick clothing to protect us from the cold, we had to endure the weather if we wanted to see the sunrise. Luckily, all of us were able to make it, although I felt very cold at that time and wanted to give up the trip, but i managed to push on and not give in to my temptations. Apart from learning these two life skills, I have also learnt that Raspberry Pi does not only have the ability to program a few LEDS, it is also able to make a fully functional water function. When me and my teammates finally finished the project, the final functional product truly amazed me when the water fountain actually blasted water from the solenoid valves. To conclude it all, these 2 weeks of TF-Scale is the most memorable experience I have ever, I have learnt many values and experiences which I may not be able to do so in Singapore, thus making it a very memorable experience.
It has been 3 weeks since we got back from Indonesia. To be honest, the whole trip seemed like a dream to me because it started and ended so quickly. Before the trip, I thought 2 weeks was a long period of time but now that it’s over, I wished that it was more than that. This is because the entire trip was too wonderful and fun for it to be over in just 2 weeks.
Looking back at those amazing memories and experiences I had with the rest of TF SCALE II members, I feel like rewinding back the time to when we were in Indonesia. I am currently doing my internship now but sometimes I feel like I shouldn’t be there sitting in the office and doing my work. I want to experience those thrilling and entertaining moments moments again if possible.
That is why I hope and pray that that I will be able to join TF SCALE III. 😀 I crave for some interesting and fun overseas experiences. I really think it was all too fun and exhilarating for it to be a one-time thing only. Besides that, I really enjoyed doing recording for TF SCALE II. To be able to see and capture the members’ great moments, their smiles, laughters and most importantly, receiving great appreciation for what my team and I did…it was indescribable.
Thus, I really hope that I’ll be lucky enough to join TF SCALE III. If there is a chance, I will see you again people. 🙂
Finally we all bid farewell, and our 2 weeks journey in Indonesia has finally ended. It was certainly a fun and exciting trip to start with. Even though this is my first trip away from Singapore, the experience I gain is something that I will never forget. Indonesia was just breath taking, from its beautiful scenery, to their great hospitality, and the authentic delicious food. Everything just sum up the whole journey. The trip from going to mount bromo, water rafting, orange farm, yogurt and milk factory and then to taman safari, the fun and the bond that we share, with the Indonesian students was just amazing. Certainly miss every single one and time we shared, within that two weeks I have learn not to take things for granted, we should try to learn like how the Indonesian do, by not complaining about a single problem they faced. If I were to give a second chance, I certainly will participate for TF SCALE 3 as it’s a fun experience, and I want to experience it again before I graduate.
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This 2 weeks of TF scale was a remarkable experience for me, having to say that it was my first time travelling out of the country, it was a splendid opportunity for me to experience the outside world and see the things with my very own eyes. The bonds that i make will perhaps last a lifetime and the skills that i have learn, to put in good use for everyone beneficial. The friends that i have made in Malang, Indonesia, i will remember their hospitality they gave us and learn to cherish one another. Even though we may be at different parts of the world, the heart that connect us together will never fade.
Warning! / Alert! :: No photo and words overflow!
1st day – 13/03 Sun – I was a bit fed up by the plane delayed on the first day, because I was so excited to meet them, can’t wait to see their faces! and also I don’t feel like carry my luggage either go back home or walking around inside the airport. I was disagreed to randomize the roommate before depart from Singapore, but luckily I was assigned with a talkative roommate which I’ll never be and glad that she’s talked first because I’m a very awkward person when it comes to communicating with people. Should give her a best roommate award! 😉 And am Satisfied with the guesthouse!
2nd day – 14/03 Mon – They took us to their campus – PNM (Still remember the taste of the dessert when opening ceremony, it’s so good.), they tour us around the campus and we get to see how their students study and working on their project, and their campus is incredibly big! I was amazed that they actually learned to build something out of raw material – The wooden door, concrete house, water flow system etc. I wish I could also build something out of raw material one day, I bet I’ll enjoy it a lot. I was also amazed by their drive to learn as they travel so far to school everyday just to study yet I’m exhausted just from 45 minutes travel time by MRT. Second place to visit – PKM, after dinner they started to tour us around the school also. They’ve showed us their current FYP project – Luthfi’s – which control the robot arm with different color light which represent different part of the arm and Novan’s – door locking system through internet which you can lock your door using phone or computer as simple as to open a browser key in the address then just pressed the lock button and it can capture the faces whoever stand in front of the door.
3rd day – 15/03 Tues – Today they tour us around Malang City with an open double decked bus, before the tour, they’ve took us to a place surrounded by flowers and have a water fountain at the center of the garden I can’t really tell what’s the name of that place but it’s absolute amazing and I know that place represent the center of Malang if I’m not wrong. We took a lots of photos and I actually didn’t listen to what the tour guide was saying because I was so amazed by the scenery, and the only thing I can recall is that they said their school named by numbers(I’m not sure if I’m correct). It was an exciting journey when you sit on the top deck – avoiding the branches and leaves. Later on we have our lunch near the Museum. Inside the Museum, I learned a lot about the History of Indonesia how many volcano they’ve had but fewer now, different believes, different stories, and how their system works. I was very excited to see a lots of antique inside the museum. We paint mask and make things out of clay as our souvenir.
4th day – 16/03 Weds – Today’s trip to Mount Bromo and went water rafting with Indonesian students was so fun. What I enjoyed the most about this trip is that we can relax and bond all over again with Indonesian students since the last time they’ve came to Singapore. I’m aware of how the people there trying to sell their stuff for a living when on reflection of that day. I can only said it may not be a cushy job but that’s what they do for a long time. I was also amazed by how they adapted the weather there so well as Daryl said they even wear shorts and t-shirt only.(It’s so cold there!) Throughout the whole trip I really appreciate that Indonesian students help us a lot with communicating by translating everything they’ve said to us and I remember that I fell down from the jeep’s hood and they catch me immediately right before I’m touching the floor, really appreciate that. Bonding session goes very well.
5th day – 17/03 Thurs – We went to visit the special needs school, looking at all of the kids there and I realized how lucky am I that my parents still by my side. Those kids are adorable, but I’m not so good at playing with kids so I just sit aside quietly. Think I need to learn to social more actively. Later on, I forgot where we’ve gone. I think we went to the “Pasar Burung”? A place which sells birds and some other small-size animals like kittens, mice etc.
6th day – 18/03 Fri – Today we finally get to touch raspberry pi for the first day since we touch down. I’m not that excited at first but as we drew out the prototype and discussed the things that we’ll be needed, I started to get a bit excited and done a lot of research and stuff. Again, the food they’ve fed us was amazing! We’ve finished drawing the prototype and done a presentation on this day. There’s nothing we really need to buy for our prototype. Weihan take the responsibility to buy the things we need, then we follow Anom to drill our bucket for the water to flow out. Later on that day we went for shopping at the near by shopping mall which required 10 minutes workout, I mean walking. Then we chill in Ryan’s and Ben’s room for some nice movies and games.
7th day – 19/03 Sat – Today visiting orange farm. quite a fun experience! When I first saw the oranges, I was thinking “great, now I have no orange to eat!” but turns out the green oranges not only edible, the taste are not sour at all as I thought it’ll be. I cut some oranges(found a new way of cutting oranges), eat some, give other some, and I climb an orange tree! After the orange farm, we went to cheese factory, I ate a lot of cheese there and bought some home. I joined the last team to went inside and I think they didn’t really show us the process of making cheese, but I enjoy their cheese and yogurt a lot.
8th day – 20/03 Sun – Today’s car free day until 10 a.m. so we formed a team and went to the morning market, buy some things, eat some things, nothing special. Later on as usual, chilling inside Ryan’s and Ben’s room with my ‘gangs’.
9th day – 21/03 Mon – Today’s another project day in PNM, due to our project is the simplest among, we finished our coding and some simple hardware setup in just a few hours. Then we facing the sensor not working because of the loosing wire connection, this and that. At the time we don’t really know how to test out the valve yet we finished the code and called it a day. For the rest of the hours in PNM, I’m playing my ukulele to entertain everyone including myself and teach them how to play and stuff. Later on as usual again, chilling inside Ryan’s and Ben’s room with my ‘gangs’.