The last few days in London went by so quickly, I can hardly recall what happened. It was frantic packing after the exams, meeting with relatives, dinner at Holland Park, then more packing, dumping out stuff, and such. Amar came down during the weekend, so after another dinner with my aunt on Saturday night... my last night at Emperor's Gate, was spent like how most last nights were usually spent - a few people snuggled on a bed, watching a laptop or something to that effect. Someone had the bright idea of watching
Dark Water (from the makers of the
Ring). Classic Japanese horror stuff, freaky and disgusting. I daresay we'll never think of a stained ceiling or dripping water the same way again.
Sunday morn, last-minute packing and moving boxes to Earl's Court for storage. Box count was 13 boxes. Urrgh... too much stuff. London cabs are freakin' ex. KFC for lunch while watching Naruto, halfway through which saw Fidel's departure. Kinda sad, come to think of it. The first from our household to leave... and we don't know if we'll see him again. (Fay-del! Come online more often ya'hear?) But then again, he's
'loaned' his belongings to quite a few of us, so we *will* have to see him when he comes back from his year away from London. Time-check... clock's ticking. Scrub the kitchen stove, floor, tables, sink, etc etc, clean the toilets (the guys' toilet is absolutely gross! :P), vacuum the floors, un-tac the blue-tac on the walls, chuck out rubbish, unwanted foods, old mags, yadda yadda yadda... then it was off to the airport. Poor Marv, all home alone for another 3 days to come.
Ahh... home. Again. Hmm, after like, what, not even 2 months? Heheh.
Sleep... zzzz... 15 hours straight. Then went to the airport to pick Xi and Wink, yep, the two Londoners who're in Singapore to experience a month of the tropics.
Jalan-jalan at Bugis, Popular@Orchard, Shaw. Watched
Mr & Mrs Smith - again, for the second time - I love that movie.
Today - rainy morn, but the Londoners wanted a bit of S'pore's parks. So - Botanic Gardens it was. Nothing too interesting today... sighted a little Common flying dragon flapping his gular flag (pic below) but that's about the only thing worth mentioning. Bird count for them so far in the SBG - around... 21 species?
Oh yeah, saw Prof Ian Owen's
Evoluntionary Ecology of Birds in the souvenir shop. Coolies... I want Ian as my personal tutor!
NParks' CNR team has reported sightings of a
Lesser mousedeer at the Lower Pierce boardwalk. Might be in time to check it out.
I'm done!
Parasitism was alright... generally quite satisfied. Answered questions about eusocial insects, aphids, plant-insect interactions and co-evolution of associations. Not bad, didn't need to mention nematodes or the protozoan parasites.
Gotta start packing now... and start moving stuff.
My aunt and cousin Jess are here from HK; visits are always nice, but this is bad timing.
Gotta do what I gotta do.
"Not the sun, but the moon..."
Managed to catch the almost-full moon, which was moving across the night sky with surprising speed! (Tuesday was Summer Solstice - the longest day in the northern hemisphere.) Full zoom at 300mm does an ok job but I wished I had my scope.
I am not very good at keeping myself away from cinemas and theatres.
I slipped off this evening to watch Andrew Lloyd Webber's
Woman in White with a few others from Emperor's and MSoc.
And lingered around in Chinatown for dessert. The musical's one of the best I've seen... suspenseful plot and superb acting, wonderful voices as well. Interesting idea and visuals for a backdrop. Still wanna see David Schwimmer's
Some Girls though... shall try our luck on Sat.
Am very happy with the Resource Management paper, save for one question. Fisheries, forest management, recreational impacts of ecology, and pest control. The choices don't get any better. Now fingers crossed that I'll get lucky for Friday's paper too... for that at the mo I'm only confident for half of the paper - the insects section. Details about small little micro stuff... the protozoan parasites... don't really stick in my mind much. Letting myself off this evening with a little light extra reading of journal articles on fig wasps and
Wolbachia.
The room floor's covered with boxes; Viv has started packing, and so has Fidel. Hope I've got enough time to pack up the room and move my stuff before I fly off on Sun; am planning to start packing only after the paper on Fri. Should be no problem.
Burp. I'm so full. Viv's been cooking for us these days :), and I've been eating too much for my own good. If I've put on weight, Mom'll make sure I lose them when I'm back home. Hee.
NASA's World Wind
Resource Management revision... fisheries management... fish hatching and larval development... phytoplankton bloom...
Which reminded me of this
neat little piece of software that NASA offers for free. It's a fully interactive earth explorer, combining satellite shots stored on a NASA server (updated daily) with sophisticated 3D imaging and the power of the internet.
Besides allowing you to zoom up to city level of any place in the world (while feeding you other info ie. latitude and longitude, altitude, distances etc.), to view aerial-like shots, landmarks, the geographical terrain, or the weather, it also allows you to search up recent and historial climate and environmental events and flashes a satellite image of the occurrence onto the grids.
This turns out events like global wildfires and volcanic activity or tsunamis. I thought I had also saw 'phytoplankton blooms' before, so I tried looking one up. Sure enough, one such bloom was caught on satellite yesterday, to the south of Ireland. I was wondering... if this correlates with the recent increase in temperatures around the region. Interesting. I hope some fisheries question comes out tomorrow and I can mention this. :P
Also, just for fun, I hovered over South Kensington in London and took a screenshot (did some labelling too, for the unenlightened). And the last shot's to cheer to Fort William and Ben Nevis, their mention in our answers, and the scaling of Britain's highest mountain (just 1344m!) which never happened.
Before you download the program however, do note that it requires a "fairly modern and powerful PC and works best with a broadband connection" and quite a bit of diskspace. 'Else you might end up getting gritty unintelligible graphics.
Ecology down, two to go!
Paper wasn't that hard; I had lots to write about, but there were bits here and there which I couldn't quite recall in the midst of exam flurry. As it turned out, there were 2½ 'winner questions'. Overall verdict: quite happy.
But if only they'd give us reclining seats and let us type answers into a laptop...
"We're smarter and more creative lying down than standing up," or so says a researcher at the Aussie Nat'l University. His findings will be published in the journal
Cognitive Brain Research and relates to "the difference in brain chemistry, specifically the release of the neurotransmitter noradrenaline, when lying down or standing up". Source:
ABC (FYI, the 'A' in the abbrev stands for 'Australian' and not what might have been otherwise assumed!)
One more day. I'm calm. I'm
too calm. I know I should be calm, but not
this calm. I have been re-reading my notes and texts, adding in some extra reading (well actually, the texts offer lots of extra reading), and can answer past questions to a degree of confidence. It's a bit of losing steam... there's only that long a time when I can go on studying hard, and that time's now up. It's also a bit of the feeling that the days are coming and I've more or less done my best to prepare myself, so I'll leave the rest to luck. ("Spin good questions, c'mon! Gimme a winner!") I just hope I'm not being overconfident; that's dangerous.
Cleaned out Darwin and Wallace's tank last night - "Why are you cleaning it at this weird hour?" asked Fidel. Caught a silverfish in the kitchen and spent some time observing it and taking photos, diddled here and there and stuff. I sat in front of the fish tank and watched one chasing the other. Come to think of it, I've never tried sexing them, 'cos I know it's not easy. Playfulness? Courting behaviour? Gay behaviour (males *do* chase other males in the absence of females)?
Fencing comm pressing for a meeting - them naive engineers and mathematicians thinking that everyone's papers are already over, people left right up and down enjoying themselves touring Europe, S'poreans snugging up back home. Oh man, I'm so looking forward to the exams.
Goodbye, Ubin-fowl
With the culling of all of Ubin's poultry and the resettling of farmers on the mainland, one can't help but feel that a rustic corner of our cultural heritage - whatever of it is left in Singapore - has been lost. For the few families on Ubin, it has been their way of life for decades, and it was one of those things which makes Ubin so unique in the hearts of many Singaporeans. I know that the authorities have their reasons for doing this, in light of potential bird flu attacks, and (perhaps?) rightly so. For some or most of the farmers, the amount offered as compensation would be considered welcomingly handsome by their standards, and maybe for them this could be counted as a blessing. Like they admitted, life by the poultry trade was becoming increasingly difficult to come by. The inability of practices from an older era to sustain its people... I suppose it was only in due time when the pressure would break through and people would be forced to urbanise, only that now, the call came sooner.
Now I regret not having taken pictures of the chickens near their kampongs on Ubin. I was, guiltily, like many countless others who took their mangy presence for granted.
More about the Ubin poultry ban on the Pulau Ubin stories blog
here and
here.
"Britain set for scorching weekend"
Source:
BBC news, Fri 17 June 05
"Forecasters are predicting the hottest weekend of the year so far, with temperatures expected to hit 32C (86F).
During the heatwave of 2003 temperatures hit a high of 38.5C in Brogdale, Kent, in August... Some 27,000 people across Europe died directly because of the heat that year. In the UK there were 2,000 deaths caused by the heat - 85% of which were people aged 75 and over."
And in
another related article:
"A range of opinions on what 2005 holds, then, but there is one thing most meteorologists are agreed on. Global warming means the UK summers are very slowly getting hotter."
Increasing temperatures worldwide is a global trend which "has seen previous records shattered with increasing regularity". The 1990s were the warmest decade for 1000 years, and the world is getter warmer still. The burning of fossil fuels (coal and oil etc) is the biggest single cause of global warming, in simple terms, by adding heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere.
The UK is on track to meet its targets set out in the Kyoto Protocol, but what difference can it make? The US and Australia have not signed the treaty, believing it to be flawed and potentially disastrous. It's true to a certain extent - the cost of implementing policies outlined in the Protocol will most definitely outweigh its benefits, if the beneficial effects are measurable at all. Even though the majority of the scientific world backs this treaty, many believe that technological innovation is the way to go, and funds should be directed towards dealing with future challenges rather than attempting to change current practices which may be detrimental to a nation's economy.
Hmm I'm in the essayist mode right now... if only the Resource Management paper came first...
Ps. Am I the only one who feels weird having pics of faces on my blog?
Submitted my final-year options today. It was a rather straightforward choice -
Population and community ecology
Applied ecology
Animal behaviour
Biodiversity and conservation biology
Am looking forward to next year's modules already, but I'm aware that there are, inevitably, a number of obstacles in the way which I must first tackle. Oh well,
divide et impera.
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Anyway... a short welcomed distraction from studying last night - The Warwickshireman who's in London for a while and the couple from Lexham Gardens. Some random faces, photos (mostly) courtesy of Amar.
*evil chuckle*
Aww hell. Been stuck at the same page all day, no progress. The connection's darn erratic, MSN keeps ringing me on and off, skipped lunch again, forgot to ring home (also, again) and simply too many things are buggering me to boot. Cursing too much under my breath; this isn't healthy. Allow me to join in all those bloggers who warn others to stay away, 'else I might just snap.
Took few hours off mugging last night when I went on a temptation trip to the cinema to catch
Mr & Mrs Smith with a few others from the Emperor's Gate gang. Man, what a screen couple! Action movies can't get any sexier and hunkier (hrm). Brad Pitt - almost - replays his role as the "good and bad" guy in the classic
Fight Club and Angelina Jolie, well, does her
Tomb Raider double-gun wielding shoot-outs. You need real talent to bring life and humour to such a script. Like what Fid said, a movie like this wouldn't be able to pull through with simple low-profile actors.
A quick count of the days -
- 5 more days to my first paper (eek!)
- 11 more days to home and a certain disordered daily lifestyle (I really should find some work, shouldn't I)
- 13 more days (?) to when that certain disordered daily lifestyle shall be made even more disorderly with the arrival of two Londoners embarking on their month-long Singapore expedition :P
Water in the fish tank is turning pink again. Gotta schedule a cleaning soon.
Little fresh air + late nights + lots of Walkers' chips + dried mango strips = pimples and panda eyes and other unwanted things. Tsk. Gotta hate the exam period.
If my days aren't so devoid of interesting bits to blog about then I wouldn't be posting this random picture up. It's the resident fly of the laundry room at 26 Emperor's. Mightn't be there anymore but when it was, it sure didn't wanna move, not even when I patted it (ick, I know, flies are filthy) and nudged it and all.
Hmm... my dad dropped by in London again, this time on the way back home. Passed him a whole baggage of won't-be-used-again-in-the-near-future stuff to bring back. Poor Dad... after all that travelling and still being subjected to such labour. Hee... thanks Dad!
What else. Hmmm... Fidel has baked a choc cake and it'll be fair to call the library his new home. Marv's also such a workaholic. Viv has been MIA quite a lot recently... since her friend popped by... and I've been indulging myself in textbooks and packets of Walkers Sensations.
BBC Springwatch
A pair of
Peregrine falcons are rearing three chicks in a tower in Marylebone, and they can be
observed live over a webcast. They're setting up a viewing platform in Regent's Park, to be ready on the 17th of June. Too bad I'm nerding for the exams, 'else I'll definitely go take a look. We'll see... maybe after my last paper, before I fly off. The platform will be there for a month, thereafter "a watch point will be set up near the Tate Modern gallery on the South Bank so the public can watch the adult birds".
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Ran outta tics for
Some Girls this weekend, so it's revision all the way. If only my brain could be defragged... methinks it needs a system cleanup.
The environment, doomsdayers and the Tragedy of the Commons
Garrett Hardin (1986):
"Ruin is the destination toward which all men rush, each pursuing his own best interest in a society that believes in the freedom of the commons. Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all.
Some would say that this is a platitude. Would that it were! In a sense, it was learned thousands of years ago, but natural selection favors the forces of psychological denial. The individual benefits as an individual from his ability to deny the truth even though society as a whole, of which he is a part, suffers. Education can counteract the natural tendency to do the wrong thing, but the inexorable success of generations requires that the basis for this knowledge be constantly refreshed."
Kensington the Gecko
Apologies in advance to any readers irked by geckoes and the reptilian kinds, but it's not often that one'll find a gecko in central London. In fact, the UK only has two reptile species recorded and they're both not geckoes. This little fella must've arrived here by mistake - either as an egg in somebody's baggage, or perhaps it's the escaped baby of someone's pet gecko. It's tiny, measuring 2.5cm TL, excluding a bit of the tail which was dropped off before I got him (it). Not sure what species, but it's definitely a House variety, not Forest. Looks Southeast Asian too. As luck would have it,
XiYu found it on her laptop bag.
So far, it's only eaten a little caterpillar, ignoring all else - aphids, ants, beetles. Poor thing's not gonna last at this rate. Perhaps I should release it, but it wouldn't survive long... it doesn't belong to this country. I don't know what to do with it. :|
Theatres and stuff
Stomp was way cool... not your average show on the West End. When my aunt came to London, whe watched it twice, and today, Dad and I went to check it out. It's but a show of rhythms and there's no story, but it's as original and innovative as any show can get. Total synchronisation in a symphony composed of the most mundane items - lighters, matchboxes, paper bags, bins, brooms... and more random things.
More exciting shows at the West End... these are unmissable!
1.
Some Girls - starring David Schwimmer (Ross in
FRIENDS!!), showing for a limited season till Aug only. 'Nuff said!
2.
Guys and Dolls - guess whooo's returning to the West End? w00t!! Ewan McGregor! This one's till Dec.
Anyone interested in the above (esp #1), drop me a note. Shall most prob be going this coming weekend.
Aside from that, we spent hours in Picadilly's Waterstones where I finally made up my mind to get some field guides - Collin's
Bird Guide and
Complete British Animals. I couldn't stand it... I was beginning to have too many photos of un-IDed British fauna.
Household treat at Texas Lone Star. Nice ribs. Good company, and there was live entertainment too.
Richmond revisited
Was barely awake when I crawled out of bed and made my way to the tube for the journey to Zone 4. Horrible weather today, rainy and cloudy and damp and all. Not a good day to shoot, but still we stayed at Richmond Park from the early morn till late arvo. Got a couple of decent shots... they're not that great, but in London almost anything I can see which I can't get in Hyde Park is enough to make me excited. Namely, deer, and rabbits. This time we sought out the ponds after scrutinising the maps a bit, and with the help of the compass we didn't lose our way like the previous time. In a 2000-acre-big (= 809 hectares; Sungei Buloh is 130 ha) park, navigating can be quite a tough job. :P Nothing much at the ponds - just the usual waterfowl, plus a some cute little ducklings and goslings. Too many people and dogs... too much disturbance.
Rest of the arvo was spent again in the grasslands, stalking deer and brushing ticks off.
Dad came to London today, so I had dinner with him. He brought with him Lionel's new D70s, so now that makes Raymond, LW, Lionel and myself a happy gang of Nikonians. :)
Younglings of the Canadian geese
Wild rabbit
An interesting behavioural observation - the Red deer taps his hoof
twice on his mate to prompt him to get up and get away from us
The last time I went to college was last Friday. So it was kinda weird walking to school this morn... it was almost like I just came back from the hols. Had a presentation to do - mine was on lymphatic filariasis, or elephantias. Felt guilty 'cos Xi came for mine, and I didn't go for her's yesterday,
plus she also passed me
Kensington the Gecko and a red coleoptera after school yest arvo.
London really has expensive camera equipment. Not gonna shop for stuff here 'nimore. Shall wait till I get back and I'll go bug my
lobang. And this time Xi's gonna be there and hopefully we'll ransack the place and perhaps get more freebies.
ICSO and ICU Choir was performing Beethoven's Symphony #9 and Bruckner Te Deum... Justin was in the choir, and a few of us went to watch. A nice little distraction from exam preparation.
Going for a little shooting session in the morn. Keeps me going for the rest of the week. Dad's coming to London tomorrow, so the night'll be gone. Sunday too. Which leaves almost exactly two weeks to get into full steam mug mode.
Feel like having some of that choc which Viv brought back from Leicester but it's too late and I shouldn't be having lollies at this time.
Am typing really really slowly today, no idea why. Writing in broken sentences too, kinda. There're three bites on my left arm... no idea what they are. Itching like mad. Might be flea bites or fungal infection... maybe from that field day out at Richmond, or maybe there're bed bugs on my bed...
Deep Throat & the Watergate Scandal
Interesting... very, very interesting indeed.
After three decades, the endless speculation of the political leaker who brought down former US President Nixon has come to an end.
Mark Felt, once FBI's #2, has admitted that he is Deep Throat.
I remember my high school modern history teacher faintly touching on the subject of Nixon's resignation and the Watergate scandal, and how much of a mystery it all was, and I was somewhat captivated and had been wanting to watch and read
All the President's Men since then (but haven't gotten round to doing so).
History and journalistic enthusiasts may want to read up the
Vanity Fair exclusive, and how everything came about.
Eating deer
Check this out - an animated gif of a munching deer, photo and ani courtesy of Kiat.
And while we're on the subject of animated images, I'm really tempted to post the one of Edwin which Marc made... but Edwin's not Marvin and I can't
malu (sp?) him here. That's evil.
