The Quiet World by Jeffrey McDaniel

In an effort to get people to look

into each other's eyes more

and also to appease the mutes

the government has decided

to allot each person exactly one hundred

and sixty-seven words, per day.

When the phone rings, I put it to my ear

without saying hello

In the restaurant

I pointed at chicken noodle soup

I am adjusting well to the new way.

Late at night, I call my long distance lover

proudly say I only used fifty-nine today

I saved the rest for you.

When she doesn't respond

I know she's used up all her words

so I slowly whisper I love you

thirty-two and a third times

After that, we just sit on the line

and listen to each other breathe.

Marina Barrage

Another interesting place that I went with the Exchange program group was Marina Barrage.

Background Information--

Being an island with little natural resources to speak of, the supply and regulation of water has always been a critical issue in Singapore. In 1857, a philanthropist by the name of Mr. Tan Kim Seng donated the then princely sum of $13,000 to begin work on Singapore's first piped water supply system. An earth embankment was completed in 1867 to retain water in Singapore's first reservoir then known as Thomson Road Reservoir. This was later renamed MacRitchie Reservoir. A second reservoir, Peirce Reservoir was completed in 1910. Singapore has 14 reservoirs and a network of stormwater collection ponds that help prevent flooding during heavy rains. By the end of 2009, the island's total water catchment will increase from half to two-thirds of Singapore's land surface once the Marina Reservoir and Punggol-Serangoon reservoir are completed.

PUB(Public Utility Broad) has set up two galleries to educate the public about water supply in Singapore. One of them is the Marina Barrage.

It is a first a dam built across the Marina Channel, creates Singapore's first reservoir in the city area. This project has three main overarching aims, they not only want to produce a new source of water supply and flood control, but is a lifestyle attraction that will offer a host of recreational activities and water sports to Singaporeans. Marina Barrage is a government-commissioned dam built across the mouth of Marina Channel to create Singapore's 15th reservoir, Marina Reservoir. Officially opened on 31 October 2008, it separates the water in Marina Basin from the seawater.

Function-

There are six galleries at the Marina Barrage that showcase Singapore's efforts in promoting the environment, conservation and sustainability. Visitors can go back in time to learn the history of cleaning up Singapore's rivers, as well as admire an actual working model of the Marina Barrage itself.The S$226 million project turns Marina Bay and Kallang Basin into a new downtown freshwater Marina Reservoir. It provides water supply flood control and a new lifestyle attraction. It also acts as a tidal barrier to keep seawater out, helping to alleviate flooding in low lying areas of the city such as Chinatown, Jalan Besar and Geylang. It is also as a tourist attraction and as a national icon, as people say it is, as it was newly constructed and it has many different exhibitions held in it often. Not only so, the exhibitions are also interactive and they include many different exhibits to make us interested in the knowledge and background information of the Marina Barrage. This interests the tourists to learn more about it.

How does the dam work?

When it rains heavily during low-tide, the barrage’s crest gates will be lowered to release excess water from the reservoir into the sea. If heavy rain falls during high-tide, the crest gates remain closed and giant drainage pumps are activated to pump excess water out to sea. When the crest gates are lowered, it is almost equivalent to using an arm to push down a 70 tonne weight obstruction. Therefore, to move this heavy object, it will take about 30 minutes. Therefore, in order to avoid flooding while the crest gates are being lowered, the crest gates will be able to sense that the water level is rising and that the crest gates must start being lowered now. As the water in the Marina Basin is unaffected by the tides, the water level will be kept constant, making it ideal for all kinds of recreational activities such as boating, windsurfing, kayaking and dragon-boating etc. However so, only rain will affect the water level’s highs and lows. During the high level of rain, excess water will be drained out and this causes the water level top continue being the same. The building of the Marina Barrage required the relocation of Clifford Pier from Collyer Quay to Marina South. The innovation barrage demonstrates how marina barrage works. When the rain falls and water builds up at the back of the barrage and the pumps at work and show the 3-fold benefits of the dam.

Solar panels-alternative source of energy?

The largest solar park in Singapore covers 1200 m ². The 405 solar panels in the solar park of the Marina Barrage generate electricity used for indoor lighting and power points in the Marina Barrage.

With these solar panels covering a large land area of 1200 m², there is 1 solar panel on each 3 m ² of land. This just shows how much space solar panels need for just the generation of electricity for the Marina Barrage. This also shows how efficient the solar panels are in the generation of electricity for the Marina Barrage, and this also shows that it would be possible for Hwa Chong Institution to be solely supported by solar panels only. With only 405 solar panels supporting the whole of Marina Barrage, this shows that there will be more solar panels needed to support Hwa Chong and with the large land area, it would be possible.

Reflection-

After visiting the Marina Barrage and understanding more about the water in Marina Reservoir, I feel that I have had an invaluable experience while visiting the barrage. I felt that I had learnt more about how a dam works and how they are able to use it to generate electricity through the hydro-electrical energy dams, and how they will allow the excess water to escape from the Marina Reservoir when there is much excess water found in the reservoir. Not only so, but I have also learnt that Singaporeans are getting more superstitious, with the architecture of the Marina Barrage even being a number 9, said to be a very important number to the constructors of Marina Barrage.

I have also learnt more about the usage of alternative sources of energy, such as through solar energy, by the use of solar panels to store the solar energy to be converted into electrical energy. Solar panels also take up a lot of space as about 1 solar panel takes up about 3 m². Solar panels are also expensive and they require much cost to build up and maintain.

URA -Singapore City Gallery

The second one I want to share with you is URA- Singapore City Gallery.

It is just found next to the famous Maxwell Hawker Centre and the price for each ticket is $10, which is quite cheap because with that $10 in hand, you can gain knowledge to how Singapore developed, is developing and how it will develop in the future. It is all about Singapore, inside out and we learnt more about our history in Singaporean context, instead of just learning from the dead words in the textbook. It was very interactive and fun. This is the website for the Singapore City Gallery in URA, http://www.ura.gov.sg/ .

History of URA (Urban Redevelopment Authority)

URA set up in 1974, is the statutory board under the Ministry of National Development. It is national urban planning authority that is of critical importance in land scarce Singapore, ensuring the most efficient and judicious allocation of land, as well as improving the city's overall quality of living and standards. Restrictions such as water catchment areas which

make up some 40 per cent of Singapore's land area, as well as height restrictions on buildings near areas such as airports make it an interesting challenge for the planners at URA to find solutions that will meet the needs of Singaporeans at the same time.

URA Singapore City Gallery has a large gallery showing their efforts with several 3-D scale models of Singapore that are very impressive. One shows the island as a whole, including major developments and features. The old one shows the city area with buildings accurately represented. A third is just the downtown area at a larger scale with the buildings more accurate as to their architectural appearance.

The first two floors of the URA Building are home to the Singapore City Gallery, a regular and ever updated public urban planning exhibition. Everything you need to know about how Singapore was transformed into a vibrant metropolis for 4.1 million people and yet has space for greenery, built heritage and gracious living is here.

The Singapore City Gallery offers you an amazing bird's eye view of Singapore's central area, and a fascinating 11 by 11 metre architectural model, the only one of its kind in the world, gives you a three-dimensional and multimedia overview of the development of Singapore as a city.

What can you find in the Gallery?

First scene that I saw was the handsome picture of Gurmit Singh, a very prominent comedian and actor in the local scenes, such as Phuah Chu Kang. You may want to test yourself how well you know about Singapore's land use, heritage, nature reserves and other intriguing facts in a fun, interactive quiz show hosted by Gurmit Singh. You can also put on the urban planner's hat and decide how you would solve the dilemmas in balancing the different land use needs. Try your hand at the various planning tools for urban design at the Planners' Table.

So it’s a summary of the entire Singapore and how the Land and Transport Authority handles things and questions to allow us to know Singapore’s minute but important details. On the stand right in front of the screen, there are some stands that have the buttons A, B and C on top of it. During the questionnaires, we would have to press the button that will show our answer that we have chosen.

Next,“The integrated transport system, a well oiled machine"is the entire transport system found in Singapore, including our Mass Rapid Transit, by car or even by escalator.It shows our very efficient transport system in Singapore, fast and up to standards, with the MRT train going so fast that in the blink of an eye, the MRT train in the image was gone. It really emphasizes on how fast the transport system is in Singapore, with different modes of transport all around Singapore. With the pace of living and moving around so fast, it is really hard to imagine what we would be able to do without our well-planned and well-oiled transport system around Singapore.

The Singapore City Gallery also offers you an amazing bird's eye view of Singapore's central area, and a fascinating 11 by 11 metre architectural model, the only one of its kind in the world, gives you a three-dimensional and multimedia overview of the development of Singapore as a city.

We can see that in fact Singapore’s land usage is being maximised by a lot. As compared to the last model of Singapore, it has grown by leaps and bounds. This is where our history come into place, where the explanation of why there is so much sea around us and why we have so much reclaimed land in Singapore. I explained to our Australian guests from Hutchins, “Well, this is because in the past, before World War I happened, Singapore was called Temasek and it was still a fishing village instead of the nice, expensive metropolitan city that it is as of now. Then Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore, came to Temasek and developed it into a sea port, where sailors from all around the world would come here to barter trade, and without the payment of taxes. This was how Singapore thrived with a growing economy that allowed it to become what it is today, although with some hardships and difficulties in between, like during the Japanese Occupation.”

Reflection-

After the visit to the Singapore City Gallery at URA, I believed that I had known more about Singapore and I believed that the Hutchins students have also improved in terms of their knowledge of our Singaporean culture and of our history. When we were viewing the miniature version of the map of Singapore, I also knew more about the location of each road is and where can I find bus stops and MRT stations and also a few other prominent buildings that were asked by the exchange students. I have also known more about the history of Singapore by a hands-on experience just below the boards of our history. Our history is also shown to be rich and fulfilling, in which there are much areas to be covered in our textbook. There are much more knowledge at the Gallery than in the textbook. We should also learn about the history of Singapore and the growth of Singapore, rather than stammering and stuttering out your answer when someone asks you a question.

As Singapore,I feel ashamed of ourselves when someone asks us a question,but we are unable to answer.We should know our history of Singapore because without the past and present,there would be no future,life would just go on the way it is.When we know about our history,then we would understand the true meaning of being a Singaporean.

carbuncles bacteria infection part 2.

Just in case you are wondering how my dad's wound ended up. Here is the latest photo after 6th post surgery checkups on 22nd April,2010.

It's totally healed and the concaved wound sealed up nicely on dad's left thigh,left behind some stitched marks.

I have learnt some new lessons behind this incident-

1-treat your illness and never drag or take it lightly.

2-buy more medical insurance,like what my parents said.So when you fall sick,you have the best medical treatment and needn't have to worry about the medical charges.

The Ford Motor Factory

As I joined the Foreign Exchange Program ,I didn't want to miss out any contact time with the OZ peers.I visited few Places of Interest with them and I wanted to share it with you.You may want to go there to take a look during this June holiday.I benefited a lot in these outings and I hope you will enjoy it too.

First ,The Old Ford Motor Factory.It opened in October 1941, Ford Motor Factory was the first auto assembly plant to begin operations in Southeast Asia. The factory was used by the Royal Air Force to assemble fighter planes during the Malayan Campaign. However, most of these aircraft were never used for Malaya's defence. They were flown out of Singapore towards the end of Jan 1942, when prospects for Singapore looked bleak.

The Old Ford Factory building is significant as it was here on 15 February 1942 that Lt.-Gen. A. E. Percival, Commander of the British Forces in Singapore, surrendered to General Yamashita of the Japanese forces in the same room. Lt.-Gen Percival received permission to surrender Singapore to the Japanese and together with two staff officers and an interpreter, left the bunkers at Fort Canning and arrived at the Ford Motor Works at 5.15pm to meet General Yamashita and his officers.

On 16 February 1942, Singapore was renamed Syonan-To (Light of the South), an ironic name as it marked the beginning of the darkest period in the island's history. The people of Singapore would remain in darkness for the next three years and eight months while under the rule of the Japanese.

During the Japanese Occupation, the Ford Factory was used for the manufacture of Nissan trucks and as a depot for servicing army vehicles. Continued to be a service depot for the military two years after the Japanese Occupation ended, catering to British army vehicles. Thereafter, it resumed its original function of being a car assembly until 1980, when it was closed. For several years after, it was used as a warehouse.

Since then, it has remained a prominent landmark in the Upper Bukit Timah area. The National Archives of Singapore, an institution of the National Heritage Board, has restored this gazetted national monument (gazetted on 15 February 2006) and now unveils Memories at Old Ford Factory, a permanent gallery featuring the exhibition 'Syonan Years: Singapore Under Japanese Rule, 1942-1945'.

Scenes Found In Old Ford Motor Factory

Walking up to the main building, visitors are greeted by a granite stone on which "Taking History as a Lesson" from Emperor Tang Taizong. Take time to reflect on the consequences of war as you take in the inspiring words.

Nearby, a "Peace" sculpture can be seen.

In the exhibition gallery, the Board Room where the historical surrender took place is a must-see. Visitors can watch actual footage of the events that took place on the fateful day. Catch a glimpse of what life was like during those days through the display of photographs, artefacts and oral history accounts.

Syonan Garden--Outside the building, the Wartime Garden shows an assortment of “food crops” that were widely grown during the Occupation. Tapioca, sweet potato, yam, banana, coconut, pineapple and rice are just some of the crops that you will find there. Accompanying each of these crops are storyboards that reveals the ingenious ways in which people used these crops to fight hunger, malnutrition and diseases.

Talking Map--At the centre of the exhibition gallery is our Talking Map featuring a mosaic map of the Malay Peninsula, Thailand, Burma and Sumatra, and a 3-D model of Singapore reconstructed from 1945 topographic maps of Singapore. Follow the route of the Japanese as they advanced down the Malay Peninsula into Singapore during the Malayan Campaign in December 1941. History has been given a permanent place in the map. Press any of the 41 buttons on the console to listen to oral history accounts of significant events, which took place during the Japanese Occupation.

A secret tunnel is found there too.

Reflection of walking down the memory lane

As I walked through the gallery, I learnt the important lessons of creativity, adaptability and entrepreneurship from the annals of history, displayed by those who lived through the Occupation years It refreshed my memory of 2^nd World War which I studied last year and I have a better understanding of Post WW2. I have learnt different aspects of Singapore compared to yesterday’s URA Singapore City Garden. I really feel thankful to ProEd consortium for letting me participate in such a beneficial Foreign Exchange Program which I have a chance to tour around Singapore and walk down the memory lanes and learn more about the 3 years and 8 months of Japanese Occupations.

carbuncles bacteria infection

My dad was admitted to Parkway East Hospital on Monday midnight after he discovered that there was discharge from his small puny red “pimple” on his left thigh. A renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr Jeffrey Chew came to examine my dad and confirmed that it was Carbuncle Bacteria Infection. An emergency operation had to perform immediately the next morning. This was to remove the infected flesh and drain the pus and impurities out from the wound. As the surface area of the wound was as big as a fifty cent coin and it was concaved, it would take a long time for it to heal by itself. As the medical cost wasn’t a concern to us, Dr Chew suggested that dad should use Vacuum Suction Machine to help the wound to keep clean and simultaneously to drain the impurities in the blood. This in turn would help the wound to heal faster. As a result, a week later dad could have his last operation to stitch back the open wound. All these events happened within the past 8days. I have taken many photos on my dad’s raw wound as well as the advanced Vacuum Suction Machine which my dad relied on for 24 hrs/5days. I have learnt a lot in this week especially life science on Carbuncle Bacteria and I decided to share it with all of you.

03/04/2010 12 days after surgery, the carbuncle infected wound on dad’s left thigh has been stitched up by Dr Jeffrey Chew. It took about an hour of operation and with more than 10 stitches on this concaved wound. I spoke to Dr Chew during dad’s dressing, he told me that he had sliced open the inner flesh and did some underlying stitches before he could seal up the external flesh with stitches. Dad still has to go back to hospital for another 2 dressings before he is fully healed. Presently dad is on stronger antibiotic and there isn’t any more pain.