My New Year Clothes

I'm gonna spend my next few days learning how to use this.

GE2018/SSA2215 Lab 1

Today is the first lab for my SS module SSA2215, Biophysical Environment of Singapore. Guess what we did for the lab.... We took a little walk around NUS. Yes... NUS. Objective of the walk is to look out for some terrestrial problems arising from the modification of the natural environment into urban environment. Here's a brief walkthrough of the landscape we observed.


1. This is just an ordinary photo of a footpath just outside LT 11 which may not seems to tell much about how urban landscape affect the natural environment. But the very fact that the footpath is there is due to people constantly walking along the same stretch, exerting pressure on the soil beneath and making it so compact that even cowgrass cant grow on it. Eventually, the stretch is being laid with concrete. An example of soil disturbance caused by constant trampling.

2. Slope Modification. This is a slope near the School of Design and Environment where it is being urbanised and had man made structures built on top of it. This results in large amount surface runoffs during heavy rain and when the soil is unable to hold the sudden influx of water, landslides can occur. It is said that a landslide occured at this location 3 years ago. Ironic isn't it... at the School of Design & Environment.


3. Just a candid picture of everyone chionging to go take the pipes at the drain. Just like what Neil Humphrey said, we all just rush to some place, snap, and go. Come on, the drain isnt gonna run away.


4. Ok.... to the drains.... These drainage pipes are installed to run beneath the slope so that they can drain excess water away from the soil during heavy rainfall. However, we didnt see any water draining out from these pipes although the drain is running with water after the rain that just stopped.


5. I once remembered someone (Probably another Geography lecturer) telling me what are these structures for. Apparently, they are built to hold excess water in an event of sudden surge of water coming in, so that the drains wont overflow. Too bad I didnt take to show how it is like top down.


6. Just another candid pic. Not sure what the lecturer is explaining though.


7. The third site we visit, showing how we can modify a slope to stabalize it. Again this place is prone to landslide. Improvement to the slope includes drainage holes, concrete slabs to stabalize the ground and a fence built to prevent the rocks from falling down in an event of a landslide.


8. Showing the concrete slabs (half covered with grass) implemented to stabalize and hold the soil on the slope together.


9. The fence to prevent the huge chunk of rock from rolling down to the footpath below.


10. Not sure what are they for, perhards to prevent landslide also.


11. Lastly, this place is just before the round-a-bout at YIH showing urban vegetation and the soil and how it impacts the grass growing on it. The grass here seems to grow on "spots" and its like they are just newly planted. But no on closer observation, its just because the bare spots are quite unsuitable for plant growth.


12. Close up of a bare spot with clay, rocks and sand.


13. Pile of unused soil left here after a recent construction.


14. Close up of the pile. What can grow on this?


15. Lastly, a picture of a drain pipe outside LT 11 to show how poor construction of drains can cause flooding during heavy rainfall.(According to what the lecturer says) Water splashes out when it tries to go round the perpendicular drain and that causes quite abit of problem.


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17. And lastly, I end with a sunset taken in HDR.

Pasta Mania 27th Jan 2008

1. Double fork Double Spoon


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3. Garlic Bread, Soup and Potato Salad


4. Chicken Carbonara


5. Prawn Aglio Olio.


6. All these for $24.50. Who says its affordable pasta?

Ice Cube Again. 22nd Jan 2008

1. I found out I never introduced the places I eat before and I'll try the best I can for this one. This is a ice cream desert cafe at Serangoon Gardens called Ice Cube. I think its a really nice place with cool ambience and relatively cheap price for ice cream and waffles and cakes. The reason I decide to give this place a formal introduction is because a really close friend of mine doesnt want this place to collapse. There isnt much ppl visiting today, but it'll be more crowded on weekends.


I like the blue-lighted table tops of the place. My friend suggested making the table of ice so that her ice cream wun melt (it always does) but I think it'll cost too much to maintain.





Student's Special with some fine prints below, but I din bother to see. Refer to the pic above for it.


Tuesday has 50% off crepes, though we never tried the crepes before.


We ordered Alcoholic Anonymous today. Its Rum 'n' Raisin Ice Cream on a layer of cookie and butterscotch sauce topped with almonds and raisins. Its highly recommened and I like the sweet ice cream coupled with slightly salty cookie base and rum soaked raisins.





Next this is called 6Cs. Its made up of 4 sticks of chocolate coated marshmallow kebabs on a cookies n cream and chocolate ice cream.





Thats wat I eat, molten ice cream.





Lastly, finally some evidence that its not your fault that your ice cream melts.

Sunset 21st Jan 2008

The East Revisited 20th Jan 2008

1.Changi Chapel Musuem. No photography allowed. Only took this REPLICA chapel. It doesnt have the realistic feel coz everything here IS REPLICA.


2. Johore Battery. Another disappointment. All there is is one BIG Replica gun. Again.... replica.....


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8. Flower blooms inside.


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10 .Changi Beach Park. A nice place for a picnic if u live in the East. Not as crowded as ECP.


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22. Bedok Reservior. Nice and soothing place for an evening walk or jog.


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28. This pic is discovered by chance by resizing the above pic.


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30. The Panoramic Views.


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Credit goes to Cherry for this pic. I learnt something new from her today. =)


Something I tried myself.