Musings of a barefoot traveller

Tim and I and the only ones left in the 100% club, so termed because we are the last two standing who have gone for every single pre-dawn dive to measure the photosynthetic efficiency of corals in response to sponge extracts. Today marks the 5th time this cruise that I've woken up at 4am (for the first week 4x in a row), and I've not been blogging much as all this lack of sleep have left me pretty much *$^%#^#* tired. Today the sting is felt hardest of all, as the rest of the cruise participants are going for a wonderful dive at the Pinnacles, while Tim and I have to sit out to avoid reverse profiling....SOBS.....no point hovering at 60ft either, cos thats where the Pinnacles actually start...Ahs, the sacrifices one makes in for the sake of science. Well, to console myself, the dive this morning was actually rather nice. The water was warm and clear, the corals were pretty, fishes darted about, and we finished the dive witthout Tim stabbing me in the forehead with a pair of sc...

Well, we've packed stuff away in totes (we call them tubs :)) and loaded the trailer today, and planned the meeting times and places for tomorrow. So crossing our fingers for good weather, and speedy work processes, and not to forget anything too important. Looking forward to the diving :) ...

After a long and painful two days, I finally revised my literature review for my thesis prospectus, and hopefully this time it is worthy enough to greet the hallowed eyes of my graduate thesis committee. One more proposal to go this weekend, for a scholarship application, and then another mega-application for a big fellowship, due July. Faugh! I definitely need to get some ice-cream now...

I'm pretty upbeat today, despite the fact that my thesis project is going down the toilet. Why, you ask? Well, although, I've already scrapped Plans A and B, and have to come up with Cs and Ds as we go along, at least I know what's not working out, and can do something about it. Definitely better than plotting and planning all semester, and pinning all my hopes on a piece of paper. As those in the know would realise, you have to be a little insane to do research on ecology. Sure, there are perks, such as the very obvious one of diving for work (no-one tells you of the seasickness and the long long hours), and getting paid (albeit peanuts) to dive on coral reefs in exotic locations (sometimes). For me, one of the major thrills is the challenge of unravelling the mysteries behind each organism that make up an ecosystem. Each time I dive, I'm just amused and amazed at the wonderful complexity that can arise from a driver as simple as natural selection, something akin to fr...

After four looong looong days of waiting, we finally got to dive today! Even then, things looked a little uncertain in the morning- waves were 5-7ft high, with the occasional 8 footer rolling in. But the dive boats were going out, and as Steve said, we would be wussies if we didn't! Things seemed steady at first, but as we left the shelter of the shallows, I could begin to see why small craft advisories were in place for the past week. Stomachs churned as we rocked and bobbed on the roiling sea towards Conch Reef. As we geared up and strapped our BCs on, I finally threw in the towel, and decided that donating my breakfast to the sea was preferable to holding it in and spewing cereal on my labbies in the boat. It was definitely preferable to stay deep down underwater then bucking about on the surface, so we decided on super-short intervals, changed tanks quickly, and jumped right back in. Coming back wasn't too easy too. Slammed myself against the boat while hanging on the ladde...

Okay, here are the photos of the shaving process! I still have to get used to not needing to tuck my hair behind my ears anymore :). It was really hot in Key Largo, had to stick pins all over and tie it up just to keep the hair off my neck and out of my face... See how long it was? The guys really enjoyed this part... I had a lot of hair... The finished product! Want to see the front? Gotta wait till you see me in person! :)

I finally did it! I had my hair shaved off. Not completely though, didn't want to walk around with a blistered head....but I now have a half-inch fuzz on my crown. Takes a little getting used to, seeing myself in the mirror, but gosh, I never knew it felt so cooling! And I certainly provided a lot of entertainment for the guys. They even skipped Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider to attack my hair with gusto and stainless steel scissors. Joe finished off with the clippers, set to #6. Now I have to apply sunblock to my scalp before going out! How strange...

What's blowing in the wind, you ask? My Masters thesis, that's what. Endured a 14 hour drive from Wilmington down to Key Largo yesterday, only to find out that because of gusty winds and rough seas, we might be grounded till Sunday...So everything's been pushed back almost a week, and we can't stay on longer than 5th June, so it'll be a mad scramble next week to get everything in before we have to return. On the plus side, I guess I have not slept so well as I did last night for weeks, and I took a very nice healthful walk during sunset today. Tim, Steve, and the NURC guys hooked up my pneumatic drill today, and we took it for a test run on a limestone rock sitting in the parking lot. Not too bad, I just need to find a way to start drilling cleanly, so I don't score the coral surface so much. We went to pick up Sven and Kyle from Miami airport 3 hours earlier than we planned, except Steve took a wrong turn and we ended up stuck in Miami traffic for about 2 hours...

I've recently xin xue lai chao again (gotta ask the divinebovine how to write in Chinese characters), and so, bear with me as I unleash prose on your unsuspecting eyes in the days to come... A thing of beauty in full bloom Your vibrant colours shining through The soft scent of fragrance that wafts from you O cursed time stole your youth That I could hold out my hand And stop this path of sand

Many people think the Pet Shop Boys are purveyors of corny dance music, but many many of their songs are imbued with meaning. This one helped me through some tough times and is one of my favourites. The Survivors Cross a windy bridge one winter night Past Embankment Gardens enter warmth and light Face the music (It's never easy) Forget the chill Face the future (It's never easy) Find the will If life is worth living, it's got to be done One might be forgiven for thinking it's a life on the run Many roads will cross through many lives But somehow you survive Look around, picture what's in store Is this the final edit, or is the subject now a bore? Don't shrug your shoulders (It's always easy) You can't ignore That life is worth living, it's still worth a damn One might be forgiven for thinking it's something of a sham Many words may make it sound contrived But somehow we're alive The survivors - Our heads bowed The survivors - At memorials for...

Was alerted to this post on Habitatnews : Notice - Environmental report for disposal of dredged material at designated containment site east of Pulau Semakau. 02 May 2007 . The Public Utilities Board plans to dredge sediment material from Sungei Punggol and Sungei Serangoon. The dredged material will be placed in the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore's designated containment site east of Pulau Semakau. Studies have been carried out to determine the environmental impact of this activity. The environmental report is available, for public viewing by appointment, at the Environment Building, 40 Scotts Road, Singapore 228231 for 4 weeks with effect from 2nd May 2007. To view the said report, please contact Mr Sim Hock Lai at 67313820 or via email at . Anyone who wishes to inspect the said report after 29th May 2007 can contact Mr Sim Hock Lai to make arrangements to view it. "First published in the Government Gazette, Electronic Edition , on 2nd May 2007 at 5.00 pm."

Whoever stole my bike handlebar yesterday, you have p***ed me off bigtime! Don't you have anything better to do with your seemingly useless time? I hope you cut yourself extracting the handlebar and contract tetanus! Humpf...

After a depressing afternoon studying about historical declines in coral reefs for my Oceanography final (coral reefs are DOOMED, DOOMED, DOOOOOMED!!!), had a thought about another reason for saving Singapore corals. Politicians may say that surrounding countries have much better reefs that are bigger and provide proportionally more ecosystem services to the region, BUT Singapore corals have a couple of rather unique characteristics: 1. They can survive in really elevated levels of sedimentation, levels more than one level of magnitude higher than those reported to KILL corals. Ain't that cool? 2. They seem to be more resistant to bleaching-related mortality brought about by elevated sea surface temperatures (SSTs) such as during the El Nino event in 1998. About 25% mortality (correct me if wrong) compared to massive die-offs such as in the Maldives? If these attributes have a genetic basis, as maladaptive corals around the world die-off in response to habitat degradation (e.g. inc...

Have some spare time on the first Saturday of June and want to get back to nature? Consider joining the Pedal Ubin ride on 2nd June, where you'll be guided around the less-known areas of Ubin, and get to know more about the history, culture and nature of the area. I kinda miss barrelling down the bumpy clay slopes of western Ubin! If you want to sign up and stuff, here's more info on the Pedal Ubin homepage .

Watched the Goo Goo Dolls LIVE in concert last night!!! What's more, I won free tickets to see them!!! How sweet is that?? Squeeeeee!!! And it was an AWESOME show..... Song delivery- spot-on, guitar playing- kick ass, crowd interaction- very personal, sound mixing- you could hear each individual guitar!, screaming fanatic hijinks- till I became hoarse, hehehe... I almost felt like I was fifteen at my first rock concert again :). The downside? I kinda obsessed with the Goos now. Just spent a good hour reading all the bios and meanings to the songs, and playing the songs from the new album ad nauseum, instead of working out the correlation between river discharge rates and sea chlorophyll levels....Also persuaded the Salted Fried Tempeh to book tickets to their show in UK! ....Ok, that didn't take much persuading, haha. They'll be playing in North Carolina again in July (4 days after the Manchester show! We can squeeeee together!!)! In Raleigh, 2 hours drive away! Should I go...

Saw this article in the Dallas Times today. Something that gets my goat to no end in these conservation debates is how people are so limited in their thinking! It doesn't mean that to go green, you have to suffer, lose money, spend more time at the sink, sit in the dark, or throw rubbish unwrapped down the chute! There are alternatives! Now, the root of the issue in this article is how convenient disposables are right? Not very possible to wash dishes for 100 people each week (well, unless EVERYONE is damn 'on'). There are BIODEGRADEABLE disposable tableware out there, made from materials like rice husks (yeah, you could even eat them if you wanted to, but not recommended ;)). Solves your landfill problem and the matter of inconvenience doesn't it? We just need to support such green initiatives and companies when they start-up! Get the products in the stores. Have choices! We have brains don't we? We can solve problems and be innovative with them! Think people, thin...

Went salsa dancing at Club Vida with Susanna, Wendy and Crystal last night, and realised I was waaaay out of my league man! Time to go back to salsa school... It was very fun though, we stayed till the club closed at 2.30am, and unlike other places, you constantly get people asking you to dance, and more importantly, teaching you how to dance. Wendy said it was just amazing that the guys continued to ask us at all, after seeing how much we suck on the dance floor, hahaha. Next time though, I'm going in running shoes.....oooh my feet......

Was really sad the read the news yesterday, about the shooting massacre that happened on the Virginia Tech campus Monday morning. I guess what was eerie about it was that it started out like any typical morning, students going to school, grumbling about assignments and tests, blearily shaking off the weekend's partying, and in a matter of minutes, their world turned upside down as they were plunged into hell, a lone gunman relentlessly stalking them down the hallways of their class building, shooting to kill as he moved along. What kind of world do we live in these days, that the first solution to spring to mind for life's problems is the use of lethal force? And the ready access to efficient killing weapons here is frankly terrifying. I know, guns don't kill people, people kill people, but people without guns would kill fewer people than otherwise. Sure, the assailant could have picked up a kitchen knife to go on a rampage, but he would definitely have been stopped before ...

I realised today that I've never bought a girly-girl top for myself before! Always relied on fashion-savvier Mum, who walks down the Orchard mall strip everyday on the way to the MRT to go home, or 'borrowed' clothes from my sister's office collection (heh..). That left me with experience only with buying dri-fit tees, outdoor/biking gear and tank-tops. Decided a little retail therapy was in order today, seeing as how I couldn't get the motivation to analyse nutrient data, the Azalea Fest was cancelled due to bad weather, my head was still a little fuzzy from last night's festivities, and I was supposed to go salsa dancing this Friday... So here's the top I bought! What do you think? It's not as red as it turned out in the photo (sorry Jani :P), a bit more burnt orange. If you have negative comments, just be sure to tell me within 30 days, so I can bring it back to the store for a refund, hohoho.

Okay, so I'm blogging my posts in a seemingly random fashion. What happened to the posts from Charlotte , Singapore and Berkeley you say (don't even mention East Africa )? That's what you get when I can only blog in between rotavapping sponge extracts. So last month, shortly after Spring Break, my lab headed to Atlanta , Georgia for the 36th Benthic Ecology Meeting. I was pretty excited as it was my first national conference, plus imagine meeting a whole bunch of scientists who are psyched about various spineless creatures! Try telling a dolphin researcher why you find boring sponges so interesting! I jest, dolphin researchers are actually very nice people :). We managed to loan a vehicle from UNCW to drive to Atlanta , and I picked Steve up early in the morning to go pick up the MPV. When we got to the holding area, lo and behold, someone had snuck in at 6am and taken our vehicle! Fortunately, there was another MPV available and we didn't have to squeeze in a se...