Visit to MacRitchie Reservoir

Visit to MacRitchie Reservoir

MacRitchie Reservoir was the first reservoir built in Singapore, and is the oldest reservoir. The reservoir was completed in 1867 and has remained since. The reservoir has also undergone several renovations. The reservoir has several amenities, including a Fishing area, kayak lanes, etc.

Our class chose to visit the reservoir on the morning of 9 May, when it would be less sunny, and we would thus be more likely to see more animals. Upon reaching the reservoir, we began looking for the first checkpoint (Out of five on our list) --- A tree stump. Unfortunately, we read the map wrongly, and walked in circles for the first five minutes or so. Luckily, we found the tree stump soon, on top of a small hill, where there was some ongoing construction. The tree stump was next to a healthy adult tree- the tree stump was formed when lightning struck that part of the tree, while the rest of the tree survived. The stump had began to rot, and was a home to several organisms. We saw many plants including epiphytes and ferns. We also noted that there was a colony of ants living there, as well as several spiders. There were also several Tembusu trees growing around this part of the reservoir (The tembusu tree is pictured on the back of the Singaporean Five Dollar Note).

The next checkpoint on our list was the reservoir where the rainwater was collected. We noted the water quality - The water quality can be gauged through certain measurable criteria - The amount of debris in the water, the color of the water, the turbidity of the water (How murky the water is), the temperature of the water, the dissolved oxygen, and the pH level of the water.

Although the water of the reservoir was slightly murky, that was due to the tannin which is a brownish pigment from dissolved leaves. Since it was a nature reserve, rotting or decomposing leaves would be left alone so as not to disrupt nature in progress.

Heading onwards, we reached the kayak lanes, where several university students were carrying out kayaks for their training. They had set up several kayak lanes with buoys. Several people were also jogging, while some people were heading into the forest for nature walks. Also, we reached a fishing zone along the jogging path where no one was fishing yet. At the water’s edge, we could see some small fishes, red Dragonflies, and some Blue Damselflies. We then headed into the forest.

The forest was filled with different kind of plants and animals. However, since the gravel made a loud and obvious grating noise, most animals had long darted away before we reached them. We saw several types of plants, including rattan plants, which had long hard spikes to deter herbivores which might feed on it. We also saw a plant which bore large berries (The berries would turn red when ripe to attract animals to eat it.) However, since the fruit was meant to be safe to eat, I broke the fruit into two and licked the inner layer. However, the fruit was quite tasteless (being not fully developed).

Having finished most of the trip, we headed back to the amenities centre where we had a rest and a snack.

This trip was an interesting learning experience for me as I could see how what we learnt in class connected with nature. For example, the Turbidity in the water would change over the course of the day - The water would become murkier in the afternoon - as more tannin would be dissolved in the water. We could also see the human impact on the reservoir and nature - for example, the Kayakers would disturb the fish in the water, but also helps introduce oxygen into the water. Another example would be fishing - By fishing, people would decrease the number of fishes in the water, and fishes act as a natural control for mosquito larva - so the mosquito population might increase as an effect. However, on the other hand, there is only a limited zone for fishing, so the fishermen help to keep the predator population down.

GE 2011 Results

The 2011 General Election has attracted much attention from the day it was announced. All GRCs and SMCs were contested by opposition parties, with only one SMC, Tanjong Pagar, being a walkover. This is a large change as in previous years, 7 or more constituencies were walkovers. Several constituencies had never been contested for a decade or more .

The general election has also been widely followed online. Political Apathy is no longer a term that can be used to describe a majority of the youth in Singapore. Many youths, whether of voting age or not, were able to follow the election through social media such as Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook. These examples of social media allowed opposition parties to get their message across and also reach out to the youth.

Furthermore, in an attempt to reach out to more youths, both ruling party, the PAP, and the opposition have fielded “Young candidates” who are supposedly more able to reach out to the younger generation of voters. These two candidates are Tin Pei Ling of the PAP, and Nicole Seah of the NSP, who were both contesting Marine Parade GRC.

Also, several issues have made this election a much more contested one. Several issues have struck a chord among Singaporeans young and old alike. For example, the rising cost of living, the Lack of Care for elderly citizens, etc. Many people have also been outraged by the significantly higher salaries of the ministers, while people from the lower class are struggling to make a living. These issues have been mentioned frequently by the opposition during rallies, finally resulting in PM Lee Hsien Loong giving an apology to the citizens of Singapore about those aforementioned issues.

Indeed, the results of the General Election have been unprecedented - this is the first ever time that a GRC has been won over by the opposition, in this case, Aljunied GRC. This PAP’s vote margin has also fallen significantly. What has caused this change in the attitudes of the electorate?

This change might be caused by the voters trying to vent their frustrations about the issues mentioned. However, it should also be noted that more talent is being recruited by the opposition. A good example of this would be Mr Chen Show Mao, part of the team which won Aljunied GRC. Mr Chen returned to Singapore to take part in the General Election. His motives were frequently questioned, as many were interested to know why he had chosen to return to Singapore at such a opportunate moment. However, it should also be noted that Mr Chen was a Rhode Scholar, and was very well educated, apart from being an excellent orator.

Thus, the General Election of 2011 is truly a “watershed” election..

War Poetry - In Flanders Fields

In class, we have started (actually restarted) poetry. In this case, we are doing War Poetry.

Most of the poetry we analyzed or annotated are from World War One. The poem which I found most poignant was In Flanders Fields:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

---

Background: This poem was written in 1915 by John McCrae, a field surgeon in World War One. He was inspired to write the poem after the death of his friend. McCrae later died in 1918 of Pneumonia. The term "Flanders Fields" actually refers to the general battlefield area in Part of Belgium and France. In this area, the most notable battles were the Three Battles of Ypres- This poem was written during the Second Battle of Ypres, hence the name.

Another Poem, We Shall Keep the Faith (Referring to the last stanza), was inspired by In Flanders Fields.

Furthermore, In Flanders Fields inspired people to use the Red Poppy as a symbol of Remembrance for Fallen Soldiers in World War One. The Red poppy is also worn on Remembrance Day to commemorate the soldiers who died .

The poem is also quite unique as the last line of each stanza actually breaks the rhythm of the line. This seems to emphasize "In Flander's Fields" since it is the last line of Two Stanzas.

EDIT: Also, I feel that the poem is very poignant. My favourite Stanza would be the second Stanza, as I feel that it truly brings out how abruptly the soldiers died. I feel that this is brought out effectively as the last line breaks up the rhythm, thus also emphasizing the sudden change in rhythm - seemingly conveying their sudden and unnatural death.

Appendix: We Shall Keep The Faith by Moina Michaels

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
In Flanders Fields we fought

Postscript: Moina Michaels began selling red (fake) poppies to raise funds for disabled veterans of the Great War. In 1921, the red poppy was recognised as an official symbol of remembrance.

Maycomb Tribune - Tom Robinson's failed escape attempt.

The Maycomb Tribune

Negro convicted of rape tries to escape, Shot dead.

Maycomb, Alabama. Tom Robinson, convicted of Rape barely a week ago was shot dead while attempting to escape from the Enfield Prison Farm yesterday. Robinson had rushed towards the perimeter fence around the Exercise field, and had almost made it past the fence. Ignoring warning shots, he was shot as he reached the top of the fence.

A prison officer, who declined to be named, said, "He was running so fast, if he had two whole hands, the nigger would have made it. It was a close one. "

Robinson had been convicted of raping a Mayella Ewell, 19, in a much observed trial. Despite the best efforts of Mr Atticus Finch, the lawyer appointed by the state, Robinson had been convicted of his crime and sent to Enfield Prison Farm pending the outcome of his appeal. Before the appeal could be heard, Robinson tried to escape.

When interviewed, Mr Finch stated, "I didn't expect this to happen... I told Tom that we had a good chance of overturning the judgement..."

A Mr Ewell, the father of the rape victim, was not surprised on hearing the news. Mr Ewell stated, "These niggers (sic) have it coming to them. Living around here, devaluing my property, they'll all get what's coming to them. The Electric Chair is too Good for them."

The Challenges of Life bring out the best in young people. What are Your views?

I believe that the challenges of life helps to develop young adults to become more resilient, as well as develop other traits.Firstly, life poses many challenges to young adults who are have just headed into the world to begin a independent life. However, these challenges allow them to become more adaptable, etc.

Challenges can be broadly defined as a demanding situation which prompts a certain reaction. Thus, the challenges of life might refer to the difficulties one might encounter when going through the process of life. Therefore, such challenges may include finding a job, and adapting to different lifestyles, etc.

These challenges bring out the best in young adults in their response to the challenge. For example, a challenge might be difficulty in finding a job- if the individual is repeatedly turned down. In such a case, they would probably respond by working harder or trying to gain new skills to make themselves a better candidate for the job. This example encompasses the values of perseverance and hard work. These values will be valuable to them in the later stages of their life. Thus, these challenges do bring out the best in young adults.

Some people might say that young people might give up in the face of adversity. An example might be students who drop out of Secondary School or University. However, some of these dropouts actually learn more from life than from their school, and later become successful people. An example of a university dropout is Steve Jobs, who dropped out of Reed Collage. He later went on to establish Apple, an extremely successful computer company. Another such example would be Bill Gates, who after dropping out of university, set up Microsoft, a software company, which produced the widest used Operating System.

Therefore, the challenges of life does bring out the best in young people.

A Day in the life of a WWII housewife

We're fighting the war on the home front. They say that every day. In London, the streets now are littered with debris and corpses, that no one has cleared up yet. Both my children, have been relocated to the country, to escape the Luftwafte's cluster bombing, daily, nightly. The air-raid sirens have become our daily song of despair. Rations too are become stretched even tighter, the queues at the rationing centre stretching into the hungry hundreds hoping for their food. Everything is rationed. Food, meat, clothes. The war stretches ever longer, as the government tries to assure us that everything will go well.

When will the tide finally turn?

Descriptive Essay based on below picture

The soldier ducked as he leaped over the debris, an hour before, a peaceful village, another victim of cluster bombing. Smoke and gunpowder hung heavily in the air, gunfire breaking into their thoughts, the bitter acrid taste of burning villages around them, This was a destroyed village. They leaped over the shrapnel and crushed houses on the ground. A gate swung loosely on its crushed hinges, a slow rhythmic back and forth. Back and forth.