On my way to work, I saw a beautiful sight

A flock of Litte Egret in the far end.

Zoom-in view of the flock of Little Egret.

Little Egret

School of Tilapia

Today, as I was walking to work, I saw a flock of Little Egret feeding in the canal while crossing the Kampong Java Green Bridge. The beautiful sight lifted up my spirit and it stayed there for a long time.

ECE Book Prize Award Presentation 2013 (18 Nov)

Outing with International Students to Sungei Buloh

On 9th Nov ’13 (Sat), See Pan, Dr Chen Ming and I brought 13 international students to Sungei Buloh. See Pan shared with us very nice rambutan from his garden. The Chinese students were very appreciative of it because it is new to them and they like eating it. See Pan even bought Attap seeds for the students to try. He related that he had a hard time looking for it in the supermarket because it was manned by foreigners. The first one that he approached for help was from Philippines and the second lady was from China. Both have never heard of Attap seeds.
There are a lot of Attap plants in Sungei Buloh. In the olden days, houses were built with Attap leaves. This is why such houses were called Attap house. The sap from the bud gives an alcoholic drink called toddy. The fruit has edible seed which can be found in ice kacang.
On the bus, See Pan lectured and conducted a pop quiz with instant prizes to be won.  Students, who gave the right answers, have an array of snacks to choose from.
The board walk that goes right into the swamp area is made from the wood of mangrove trees which have adapted to the local conditions like extreme humidity, muddy soil and seawater. This is a brilliant engineering solution: sustainable, economical and environment friendly.
On the way out, we saw a hornbill bird which is quite rare in Singapore. Apparently, it is not shy of people. It stayed calm and collected while the many of us were clicking away and chattering noisily.

HOME TEAM FESTIVAL 2013!, 8 Nov, Singapore EXPO Hall 4

A. Snow-blind Stun Gun

B. Walking Stick for the Elderly

C. Tracker Ball

A. The SP student was holding a snow-blind stun gun that was made by a 3-D printer. Using LED, the gun can momentarily blind a person with its powerful beam. No live ammunition is allowed in the exhibition hall so we did not have a chance to see it in action.
B. This walking stick for the elderly comes from HCI. It features a torch for the user to see in the dark and a blinking light for others to be aware of a physically challenged person.
C. Skunkworks Electronic Camera Scout: An Android controlled tracker ball that can send live video back to its controller. The tracker ball can be driven around remotely using an app and was modified from a toy!

The ECE Staff Team in NP Regatta 2013 (1st Nov 2013, Friday)

Rowing on land

Kiss the dragon for good luck.

Leaving the pier.

Click here for more photos.
After we arrived at Marina Barrage at about 1 pm, we gathered at a corner for a pep talk, followed immediately by dry simulation as we were lacking in practice. The rowing action involves a lot of body twisting movements and Yoga is the perfect warm-up exercise for it. All Yoga lessons begin with conscious breathing exercises and opening up of the spine’s 6 degrees of moment. That was what we did minus the breathing part. As we still have time on our hand, we went for a jog to get us in the mood for a tough fight. We came in second in Heat 2 and therefore qualified for the Final. However, rain cut short the event and we did not have the chance to show our mettle in the Final. Even though we did not win based on timing, I saluted Nancy and Khee Peng for their tenacity. A lesser soul like me would have sought the easier way out by combining with another division to form the staff Dragon Boat team. At the end of the day, it is still more meaningful to form our own team however hard it is, as we would be rowing for ECE.
I am the parachuted-in captain who did not know much about Dragon Boat race. I learnt a lot in the process, from YouTube, Chong Kit, Karthikeyan, Kee Long, Nan Bun, etc. Khee Peng is the real captain and figure head. My role is that of a sergeant.
 I want to express a big Thank You to the ECE Management for their support and encouragements besides the other goodies like T-shirt, lunch and drinks.

Scones and English tea at Suzie’s house

I followed my wife and daughter to bake with our friends on 26 Oct. With so many girls in the kitchen, it was too hot for me so I stayed in the living hall, watching TV instead. After a while, Carol came to me and showed me her Facebook. She had just uploaded pictures of their freshly baked scones and almost immediately it received many ‘Likes’.  Now I really know the meaning of Social Influence.