Finally found time to post. I just took my 2.4 km run today. I felt quite exhausted after the run. My timing wasn't that great either: 14 min 30 sec (or something like that) That's a D grade. I don't care. The point is, I passed. :P No motivation to run anyway... For the 5 stations I did 2 weeks ago, it was pretty okay. I improved a lot in Standing Broad Jump (as compared to what I did in Primary School) and almost all the other stations. But, I was very angry with myself for not reaching 21 Inclined Pull-ups, which will give me a B grade. I did 20! The problem was, we weren't even informed about the gradings!
Well, that's pretty much everything I can say about NAPFA 2008. Some lucky people whose birthdays were after the NAPFA tests had the easy way out. Their requirements to reach the gradings were lower than those who were 13.
Now, on to the main point of the post. Today did not start out well. The weather was terrible. Oh, by the way, the 2.4 km run was postponed from last week to today. So when it started raining cats and dogs, I thought the run will be postponed again! But alas, good luck does not come around every time, as the heavy rain was reduced to a slight drizzle and then, NOTHING. Also, when I reached Bishan in the morning, the torrential downpour caused me to be partially drenched by the time I reached RI. This was partly because I had to share my umbrella with a classmate. But what made it worse was that my shoes and socks were totally soaked as I had stepped on huge puddles of water collecting on the depressions of the sidewalk. (Yes, there were lots of depressions along the pavement to RI. And of course, in order to cross, stepping into them was inevitable.) Sometimes, there were flows of running water, as seen on the pavement outside Junction 8. (There is a gently slope there.)
When I reached RI, I changed into my PE Attire, which was slightly drier. Also, I had to wear my shos without socks as they were too wet. This caused many hours of discomfort for me. (I had to bear with it even through the 2.4 km run!) After reccess, I had to change back to uniform again as there was a formal ceremony held later. How inconvenient!
But the worse thing was, my Biology textbook and personal file (along with all the pieces of paper inside) were affected too, especially the Bio textbook. (Now, even after using the hair-dryer, the pages still looked slightly crumpled.) Talk about bad luck! I decided to bring a raincoat as a substitute for my umbrella next time.
By the way, I only arrived in class at 7.31 am, which was about 10 min late. But there were people later than me. >_<
After that, lessons proceeded per normal...
- DarkAbyssXx
4:07 PM
As usual, it's been more than 2 weeks since I last posted. Sigh... I really have not much time to update. Been very busy recently... Tests, Projects, Assignments... Not to mention a lot of studying. Speaking of that, this post is about my results for Term 1 in RI. Before I reveal them, I have to inform you that the subjects are graded based on a system called GPA, which stands for Grade Point Average. Not all secondary schools use this system, but it is very famous. Here's a table to illustrate the grading.
This is my Academic Report for Term 1. Actually, my scores were pretty okay, except for Mathematics! I got 2.0 GPA for it! ARGH!!! I vow to improve my Maths and grasp unclear concepts for the future tests. As for my MEP, the GPA was 2.8 because my first theory test was terrible! I only scored 13.5/25 marks! I almost failed it! But luckily, for the test in Term 2 which I took not too long ago, I scored 24/25 marks! Haha, not bad right? This was because I put in more effort in understanding what I was weak at. (Identifying chords, in this case.)
My overall GPA is 3.37. In my opinion, it is not really a bad score but not that good either. So, there's a lot of room for improvement. As for goal setting, my target is 3.6!
That's all for now. Hope all my friends are coping well with their academics! :P
- DarkAbyssXx
9:29 PM
Hi... It's been a long time since I posted. I know, the Hong Kong post is still pending. I will find some time to upload everything later. Anyway, this post is about my visit to the Urban Redevelopment Authority centre at Maxwell Road yesterday. Oh just for your information, it was a school field trip. And best of all, it was during school hours! R.I. allocated three days for all levels (Secondary 1-4) to conduct something called "Special Programme". In this educational programme, students are to visit places based on their respective subject groups and at the end of it, collate data and share their findings with everyone. The subject groups are: English, Chinese, History, Mathematics, Science and Geography. As you may have guessed, the visit to URA means I'm in Geography.
Well, I could say that the trip was pretty meaningful. I learnt a lot of things and took some photos of the place too. It was a guided tour called the "Singapore City Gallery". The Gallery is a three storey interactive arena which consists of:
1) The only 3D model of the entire island of Singapore
2) The only aerial photo map of Singapore (on the floor!)
3) 140 city images from around the world
4) Larger-than-life Planner's Table that lets you play at being an urban planner
5) Temporary exhibitions on architecture and urban design
And much, much more!
The first stop at the Gallery was a room where a zany interactive quiz ("Know Your Singapore?") was shown to test your knowledge about Singapore, with Gurmit Singh as your game master! You could answer the questions by pressing either the button A, B, or C on the answer panel. The quiz is humourous, yet educational at the same time! I will now share with you some photos and also what I've learnt on the trip!
First up, at the same place where the quiz was shown, there were the 140 city images from around the world. It was a pity you can't see the stunning pictures but I do have something interesting for you.
The photo may not be very clear, but that logo on the wall is unmistakably Starbuck's!
This is no fraud. Even Wikipedia has a photo and short summary for this! The Starbucks location in the former imperial palace in Beijing closed in July 2007. The coffee shop had been a source of ongoing controversy since its opening in 2000 with protesters objecting that the presence of the American chain in this location "was trampling on Chinese culture".
So, now you know what cities do.
Next, I went to see a model of the island of Singapore. Here are some pictures.
Oh, for your information, this is the Marina Barrage. The S$226 million project will be completed some time after 2007, and turn the Marina Bay and Kallang Basin into a new downtown freshwater reservoir.
Have a look at this photo I took inside the models of the building. Looks like a real street at first, right?
Following that, there was a part of the gallery where information and models of some houses in the olden days are displayed.
The following are photos of shophouse designs. Shophouses first appeared in Singapore when the Town Plan of Sir Stamford Raffles dictated the subdivision of the land into smaller regular lots. They were narrow, long terrace houses with various facades, creating an attractive unified streetscape. The shophouse was built to be flexible, either to be used entirely as a house, or a home upstairs with a shop downstairs. It can be thought of as the original "home office"!
Now, for some information. Singapore is a medium-size city. Yet it is also a country and needs to pack all that a country needs - like airport, water catchment and military training areas - into a compact 697 sq km. And it not only has to provide for now, but also for the future.
Keeping land for water needs
Today, half of Singapore's land area is used as water catchment areas. These can be forested areas or areas where urbanisation is controlled. As the population grows, more land needs to be set aside as water catchment areas.
Securing land for defence
20% of Singapore's land is used for military training grounds, camps and installations. This is uncommon for a city but necessary for a nation.
Limits to building higher
Expanding vertically is one way to make better use of limited land. Areas around airports have height restrictions so that planes can take off and land safely. This is why flats in towns like Tampines and Simei are at most 12 storeys high.
How Singapore's land area has increased
In the 1960s, the land area of Singapore was approximately 580 sq km. Since then, Singapore has grown by 16,000 football fields in size, that is by more than 20%. This figure will hit 25% when a number of other large reclaimation projects are eventually completed to cater for a population of 5.5 million or more.
~~~
Reclaimation is generally not carried out beyond 20m depth of the sea as it gets too expensive. Here's a fun fact: Marine Parade was the first housing estate to be built on reclaimed land. It was part of the East Coast reclaimation project completed in the late 1960s. More than 25,000 residents live there today. So, can reclaimation go on forever? Of course NOT! Our ports need sea-space to continue their business. Most of Singapore's territorial waters have been dedicated to port use. About 115 sq km of sea-space is set aside for anchorage space!
Finally, some information on the conservation of Singapore's heritage.
Conservation Basis
Conservation is continuity - from past to present. It is about sensitively adapting and optimising the use of buildings for current needs so that the nation retains its historical memory and so that they can continue to be relevant today.
What is Built Heritage?
Our built heritage is made up of a wide range of buildings and structures including civic buildings, schools and institutions, places of worship and bridges. It is as diverse as the number of racial and ethical groups in Singapore. From entire streetscapes to individual buildings, architectural styles to details, Singapore's built heritage is an interesting melting pot of different cultures.
The two most commonly known building types in our built heritage are the urban terrace shophouse and the suburban bungalow.
Why Conserve?
Our built heritage links us to our shared past. By conserving our historic buildings, we are keeping important reminders of the achievements of our pioneers. Conserved buildings and areas help to give our young nation an identity, a sense of history and memory. They also contribute to charm and contrast, adding visual diversity to our streetscape. We should conserve these buildings for future generations so that they too can understand and share in our common past.
Once quoted by MM Lee Kuan Yew in 1995, "We made our share of mistakes in Singapore. For example in our rush to rebuild Singapore, we knocked down many old and quaint Singapore buildings. Then we realised we were destroying a valuable part of our cultural heritage, that we were demolishing what tourists found attractive and unique in Singapore. "
~~~
Overall, the trip was wonderful as I got to know a lot more about Singapore. The gallery has a truly fantastic display of our nation. Special thanks to the URA Centre for providing the information. Well, if you have not been there, I strongly recommend you to visit the place. Trust me, you will find the trip fun and enjoyable!
- DarkAbyssXx
1:16 PM
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