Age of Iron: there is birth in death

J. M. Coetzee's Age of Iron tactfully renders philosophical contemplation about life and death, personal struggles of beliefs, relationships and pain, and sociopolitical issues of South Africa under Apartheid in a beautiful, tragic, literary tale. It is a confession, an elegy of a generation, and a road to self-discovery. Her poetic style speaks to me …

The dystopian world of fiction

I recently got into Sci-Fi short films presented on DUST channel. They each condenses a whole new ambitious worldview into 10-30 minutes of storytelling, which seems quite remarkable. After drifting in and out of new planets in the galaxies, battles to emancipate synthetic robots, and immersive life counseling technologies, I cannot help but amaze at …

I have to confess …

No one has it all figured out in life, I know. But when things start to spiral out of control, it is high time to channel back my perfectionist side of persona, and resort to my old beloved method of self-medication: intellection (with a splash of self-loathing and buckets of forgiveness, chicken soup and self-love). …

It’s May baby! Long weekend getaway @ Jurong Lake Gardens and East Coast Park

It's finally May, which means Bioblitz is rolling at full speed island-wide, and Festival of Biodiversity is around the corner! Participate in a variety of bird, butterfly / bee surveys and habitat enhancements at a park near you, and make your weekend mornings meaningful and green-filled! Click on the links above to learn more if …

22/03/19 Nature Photography Attempt @ Singapore Botanical Gardens

First time in botanic gardens with my primitive nature photography gear -- iPhone plus a monocular mounted on the lens! I learnt how impatient and inexperienced I was woops :") Enjoy these few relatively decent photos, all taken with phone camera only (the distance only allowed me to capture with my phone)! 🙂 Many more …

16/03/19 Life Updates: biodiversity and beyond

So long, my friends! 🙂 It has been one month since I posted an article, and almost two months since I wrote a blogpost that is biodiversity-related. The graduating year of high school has been hectic for me, and striking the fine balance amongst all my commitments -- schoolwork, scientific research, biodiversity, friendships, college application, …

Philo-byte Friday #2

One day late... but wouldn't spoil the title of this segment 😛 Today's bit is on the never-ending debate on the nature of Mathematics: Is Math invented or discovered? Reduction of knowledge areas: is mathematics a science, or a mere analytic language game? Anti-realists: Math is invented Anti-realists argue that Mathematics is a pure invention …

Philo-byte Friday #1

Aesthetic expression D.W. Gotshalk. The Journal of Aesthetics and Art CriticismVol. 13, No. 1 (Sep., 1954), pp. 80-85Expression is some elements of an artwork (materials, forms) making some other deeper or more critical elements manifest (i.e. suggestive). To achieve such an effect, the elements must cohere well enough. Once achieved, such an expression becomes an …

How to identify a bird species from its nest? (Birders how-to series #1)

*Pssst, there is a Google drive for all the video clips of wildlife in my blogposts. You can access it here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1RCB9wnWZ56LPMoUj-PglJNXnypMpDIaL ;D It's the breeding season. A warm spring morning with brisk winds. You pace along the nature park trails, clenching at your binoculars and DSLRs, waiting for the sight of a rare bird. …

My Reading List 2018 Curation #2

Novels and plays that prompt your metaphysical thinking while tugging at your heart’s string Western Literature Copenhagen by Michael Frayn Why this book: recommended by a Physics major at Yale-NUS College. If you want to learn about quantum mechanics and all the jazz with modern Physics in an entertaining way, this is the perfect read …