Tag: LO2

Due to the worsening of the NCoV outbreak, I think continuing to record and track my activity for CAS is going to be much more counterproductive. As a result, I will perform my postmortem reflection on the whole process in February as opposed to March. From 6 months of activity I think the overall trend that I saw was an overall improvement despite some fluctuations in between months.

However, the improvement was not my main goal but it was rather to revitalise my spirit of adventure which did certainly dip during IB because of stress and stacking commitments. I think I achieved this sector quite well as the habit of going out to explore has become near second nature. Alongside that, I also did kickstart a desire to pick up running as a regular hobby from making short bursts of sprinting speed – resulting in the 9km/h top speed (for some reason 9km is the fastest the pedometer can record) represented in most if not all of the pictures of my data – which is certainly a transferrable skill in the future.

However, no postmortem is complete without a critique too. I think the biggest flaw in this is the fact that I was not as vigilant with recording data as I was before. Compare the evidence made here and the information made here to the ones I had made in 2018/2019 and the difference is quite apparent. I did get disheartened as the effort I had to put in had to be multiplied 30-fold in order to correctly prove my continued attendance and effort so I think the month-by-month basis I ended up adopting is a good balance for this sector. If I had to redo this I think I would be more thorough with recording data as well as more substantial evidence as to why some months didn’t have as much data as others – A thinly veiled excuse doesn’t fly by a coach for instance.

I did quite enjoy this in the end as it hit upon many different things that I really appreciated like a break in the stress and work and would absolutely do more of this in the future as things continue to ramp up.

By looking at my existing skills and reflecting on how they improved, I achieved LO1 and LO2.

Because of the Christmas break, I wanted to sort of relax on the vigilance of my activity, so I this month only had a singular instance that had tangible data and was worth writing about:

While there were smaller instances which I also did, the time taken for it was quite inconsequential or were cut short because of weather.

There wasn’t any very prominent sights to see this time as I ended up treading old ground but in a way which I hadn’t done before. As a result of this lack of things to talk about. I would like to take this time to discuss both the area around me and my current progress.

Singapore does possess a variety of species endemic or available, in part due to the NEA’s efforts to revitalise Singapore and cement its reputation as a garden city. There have been many instances when I’ve spotted White-Breasted Eagles which are quite common here as well as Australia and Southeast Asia. Often I’ve seen them in pairs or as alone. That alone is quite unique, but the animal I want to talk more about is the Asian Water Monitor. They often have very varied habitats and can be seen in quite a lot of places. Places where I have seen them are in Chinese Gardens in west Singapore, along the Kallang river and near where I live: Stadium, with the common binding thread between these areas is the fact that they have marshy conditions. These marshy conditions are of particular relevance to where I live as it was one a low-lying shipyard for minor ship repairs before being converted into a residential district and sports hub.

As a whole, I think my activities have made me glacial progress towards my goals but definitely tangible. I’ve noticed that after I’ve began recording these and thus creating a tangible goal to work towards, I’ve began to walk faster and further with a notable difference being my willingness to walk from school to the MRT station. It’s also imperative to address the fact that throughout the process of recording these, I’ve become less vigilant with making thorough evidence with this month as a particular sore thumb. This is something I would absolutely want to try and resolve but with growing deadlines and looming exams it is maybe something that I cant control for.

With a 5.9km/hr speed and a 7.08km distance, the two value beat out last month and speed currently sits at its highest thus far. As per my goal, there has been definitely progress but I would like to try and maintain it next month.

By considering my progress in regards to my goals, working towards them and looking back upon my previous progress, I achieved LO1, LO2 and LO4

Because of the October break, I decided to attempt to maximise the amount of instances I had done in between work on my EE. From last month, the values I would like to compare against are : 5.37km/h over 8.37km

This month had 4 instances:

This month I explicitly wanted to explore the area surrounding the botanic gardens as it was an area I hadn’t quite fully roamed around in alongside my experiences in project week giving me a strange sense of longing for the area. However those two places I did not find as interesting as the other two.

The first being the area around Paya Lebar. Since the opening of the downtown line to Tampines, it became the fastest route to get home and as a result I never went to Paya Lebar on the way home and I couldn’t observe the rapid transformation it took from a lot of development that was made in the area. Alongside this, I reminisced about project week here too as our group had done a pottery class for the creativity aspect of project week but never stopped to pick up the fired earthenware we made. I received it in a small package which was incredibly unwieldy to carry which made it quite useful that I picked it up on the way home.

The other place I had wanted to explore was West Coast Park. The park itself was quite underwhelming in comparison to East Coast Park, yet I found it quite serene. It’s small size meant that the amount of people there was of a low number, letting me reflect surrounded by the sounds of cicadas and the faint sound of trees. However, what I found most memorable about the journey was the monkeys in the park. After I left the park I ended my jaunt at Dover station. The area itself carries some interesting wartime history as the location surrounding NUS was previously the location of several extrajudicial executions carried out by the occupying Japanese. Perhaps next time I return I would like to fully explore the area surrounding UWC Dover and the NUS grounds.

This month had an average speed of 5.675km/hr with an average distance of 7.245km. Whilst the average speed was up from last month (and from the month before, making it my current record), the average distance was much lower which I attribute to the relatively low duration of the instances. Next month I would like to work towards a longer average distance in addition to increasing my average speed.

By considering my progress in regards to my goals, working towards them and looking back upon my previous progress, I achieved LO1, LO2 and LO4

As the second month of activity, I now have baseline values I can use to work on and try to improve from last month. These values are : 5.65km/hr average speed and 7.45km average distance which I want to try and top.

This month I had 3 instances:

Perhaps the two most interesting journeys were the one two the Lower Pierce Reservoir and the jaunt around Fort Canning. Lower Pierce Reservoir is situated just near the Upper Pierce Reservoir and MacRitchie Reservoir, within the Bukit Timah area – Where the zoo and night safari are. The reservoir, in addition to the AMK Park have an abundance of marsh flora and fauna although it is less pronounced in the reservoir with the only hint being sparse reeds and a handful of dragonflies buzzing around. Also apparently wild boars can be found in the area with signs denoting what to do in the event of an encounter – Which i find quite strange. I did take a nice panoramic shot of the reservoir.

As for Fort Canning, besides its’ strategic relevance during world war 2 has been the site of a lot of interesting history. Archaeological digs such as the modicum open to the public along the paths reveal that it was the site of a palace during the 14th century which in 2018 – When archaeological excavations resumed – was believed to have had interactions with Thailand. It was here where I also learned that Singapore’s name before Singapura was Temasek. Interesting to note is that it was also the site of Sir Stamford Raffles’ original botanical collection before expanding into the original botanic gardens contained in the location where SMU stands today.

Overall this month had an average speed of 5.37km/h and an average distance of 8.37km which beats out last month’s 7.45km due in part to a 9.95km distance during my visit to the reservoir. However my average speed is lower than last month’s so perhaps I would want to try to improve that next month.

By considering my progress in regards to my goals, working towards them and looking back upon my previous progress, I achieved LO1, LO2 and LO4