New (organised) Life in the New Decade

I first heard of Bullet Journal (BuJo) when I was still a teacher. Pre-BuJo, calendar planners are essential lifesavers because there are soooo many aspects and areas that a teacher covers and these planners really helped me to organise and manage in a timely manner. However, looking back on the many planners I used over the years, there always seemed to be an incredible amount of waste in terms of the unused pages. So BuJo offered a very attractive solution to that especially when I became more and more particular about the aesthetic design of a planner. Moreover, I love writing!

very well used!

In 2017, I began a very basic BuJo using a beautiful journal with blank pages courtesy of NUS. It was mainly for work and the concept of index is so simple yet so effective in finding all the minute details that popped up anytime anywhere in my role as a teacher! It is also so usage efficient that I continued to use the same journal for 3 years even as the whole ball game of bullet journaling evolve and become oh-so-gorgeous. Don't take my word for it, just search Pinterest on it! 

I wanted to start a new one but there was so much information and so many possibilities about it that I constantly felt I'm not ready. So I began a prototype version in the final pages of the same grey journal in September 2019 before I can finally say to myself "let's do it!" for the new decade. 

I decided to indulge in a Leuchtturm 1917 dotted journal in Nordic Blue and the hubby is very pleased that it is an excellent product originating from Germany. Love that it is already paginated and even come with a pocket on the back cover. I even bought a matching calligraphy brush!

I am incredibly proud of my BuJo thus far. So much so I considered opening an Instagram account just to document my progress in it. Nah... I will share my "achievements" here instead... 😊

What is a BuJo without the KEY?

Here are some collections I decided I must have after doing up the prototype..

My favourite part of BuJo-ing is definitely having the space to unleash some creativity! 

Forgot my dive log during the trip so this page became it!

Should I blog about future pages of my BuJo?! Yay or Nay?

T-talks over K-dramas and N-flixs

During long commutes on public transport, beside Two Dots, I really enjoy my TED app.

On this particular day, out of the long list of suggested videos, Alejandro Duran's "How I use art to tackle plastic pollution in our ocean" caught my attention. Of course, the issue of plastic pollution has been on the forefront of my mind and especially so having witnessed the devastation on many of my dives in various parts of the South East Asia. This is exceptionally intriguing as it brings in the art aspect which I enjoy too!

The beauty of TED is it suggests other related and relevant videos right after you finish one. Having only completed a quarter of my journey, I let Jason deCaires Taylor's "An underwater art museum, teeming with life" to play. It reminded me of a phrase I heard from Dr Goodall about the "resilience of nature". Naturally (pun intended), she finds her own way regardless on land or under the sea.

The next video which continued to play was Zaria Forman's "Drawings that show the beauty and fragility of Earth". From the coldest and most remote of oceans to beautiful low-lying islands, nowhere is spared from the damaging effect of human behavior.

I chose the first video because I wanted to know how others deal with this seemingly unsolvable issue of pollution. By the end of the third video, I definitely felt uplifted. Which is really why I enjoy TED talks so much. To be made aware of amazing people, incredible projects and unimaginable ideas from all over the world every single day. Watching one TED talk is actually an item on my daily habit tracker list.

Perhaps none of the three speakers, all of them artists, made any direct difference in the production of plastic or the pace of climate change but I can see the potential impact of their art. Art is not useless. In fact, I feel it is very relevant. In our current situation, we need to tug the heartstrings more than ever to effect change. The work of these artists are beyond words and I can't think of a better way to stir emotions than being dumbfounded by what you experience.

I hope to participate in a beach cleaning that yields art materials, and personally swim through the underwater art museum, and behold the magnificence of the finger painter's compositions. Three items on my bucket list which would not come to be if not for these short and sweet TED talks.

What have you learnt from TED recently?

Our history is a lot more than meets the eye..

And this particular eye had thoroughly enjoyed the visual treat whilst on The Bicentennial Experience! I have never really like History as a subject finding it dull and mostly sad thus I quite promptly dropped it in Secondary Three. But being a patriotic Singaporean, missing this would be out of the question and boy am I glad I made time for it. Surprised myself with the number of pictures I had taken; it shows just how successful the organising team is in making history come to life. It was not sufficient to enjoy the various presentations in the flesh. 

Here are some of my feeble attempts to make memories and capture how impressed I had been with what I saw.. 

The Time Traveller

Right from the start at the Atrium, with some clever light trickery, visitors witnessed how rain (real water!) freeze in mid air and then rise instead of fall! The commentary stated that this "provides insights into how weather played a significant role in the rise and fall of civilisations and cities" but I much preferred the symbolism of time being turned back more than 200 years. 

Took a video but of course the optical illusion no longer works after being processed by a camera.......

  Act 1 1299 - 1613 Beginnings

As I attend this exhibition with zero expectations, it took me quite some time before I was finally convinced that the actors before my eyes were performing live. Given how close they were to the spectators, it was quite an intimate set and they were so professional even after the nth performance?! The use of the moving travelator is incredibly clever and seamless in implementation together with the multimedia projections. I noted with astonishment that the martial art choreography was the product of Lim Yu-Beng!

trying to capture how the multimedia projection is all immersive being both in front and behind the stage - and failing miserably - unless you can see shadows of flames on the transparent screen?!

 Act 2 1819 Arrival

 
I love how visitors get to sit in a pseudo ship and enjoy a panoramic view just like one would when out at sea! However, the concept of seeing the narrative through the eyes of animals was totally lost on me up till the point of the dragonfly.. it just was not that evident.. 

My History classes had taught me that Farquhar was Raffles's right hand man but apparently not....

Act 3 1867 - 1941 Connectivity

"Moving screens and rotating seats, which simulate the turning of the wheels of machinery" brought us from Act 2 to Act 3 without us even getting off our butts. And physically feeling the motor of the revolving platform really emphasised the "mechanical strength that powered the rise of industralisation". Then there was also the colourisation of actual photographs of families from that era which contrasted with the darkness and grime of inevitable social ills. The first hint of the sad component of history but totally cool presentation.

 

Act 4 1942 - 1945 Occupation

Hands down my least favourite part and no fault of the exhibition itself, just the content. The setting of dimly lit spaces and cracked walls in narrow tunnels effectively forced visitors to feel the oppressive atmosphere. The re-enactment of an actual survivor of Sook Ching also felt too real for comfort.

 

Act 5 1950s - 2019 Destiny

The most talked-about act of the entire experience! It was supposed to provide "an uplifting finale" but for a long while I could not get past the fact that I really personally bear witness standing at the Padang, drenched to the bones by the downpour that fell on the day of LKY's funeral procession. But yes, there were downs and there were ups. We have achieved so much which made me so proud to call myself a Singaporean and I am ready to weather any storm as a nation.

  

 

This part of the experience ended with a closing question asking every visitor to vote "Which DNA trait is most important to Singapore? Although I can certainly see how "Multiculturalism" and "Openness" play a part to our success, I chose "Self-Determination" because ....cue music! there was a time when people said that Singapore won't make it, but we did

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pathfinder

This part of the experience reminded me a lot of Singapore Biennale as you can explore various outdoor pavilions on Fort Canning Hill artistically designed to reveal Singapore's place in the world through different themes. Love it!

The map - of course I tried to follow it in sequence

Emporium of the East - white clay replicas of trading goods in early Singapore and some VR surprises!

House of Maps - beautiful redesign and representation of blown up maps depicting Singapore in various names

Lookout - the exterior

Lookout - interior 1

Lookout - interior 2

Seed Conservatory

Seed Conservatory - my favourite spice!

Seed Conservatory - this is one of the better surviving ones

Lightbeam - Need to visit this at night!

Pavilion of Words - Quite a collection of books on Singapore; browsed through one of TNP

Pavilion of Words - my "tweet"

Reflections of our Past - deep in thought

Observatory

Observatory - VR fun!

 So what are you waiting for? Go see it already before the tickets run out again!! You "paid" for this massive nationalistic project, you know?

how about a journey down down down under?

A friend who has been helping me keep a lookout for sustainability related jobs forwarded the Antarctic Sabbatical link to me. A special program organised by Airbnb and Ocean Conservancy. I have to say it both excites and scares me a little. I mean what an opportunity this will be! It will certainly be a great stepping stone into the industry I have so much interest in. But I am one of those who would rather die of heat than cold and the idea of working in such extreme conditions is daunting. 

Well, you will never know till you try right? So I gamely took up my friend's challenge/recommendation and applied for it! I definitely meet all of the basic requirements and I also needed to pen a less than 500 words essay about why I want to be part of this program to investigate the presence of microplastics on the most isolated continent on Earth. 

I spent quite some time crafting it so have decided to post it here although I have also just received confirmation that I had not been selected for the program. I am kinda glad for that. 🤣

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For an ordinary someone from a tiny country located close to the equator, the South Pole in Antarctica feels as unattainable as space travel. I am certainly not immune to the beauty of Antarctica – magnificent glaciers, mysterious icebergs and that vastness of ice and snow. But being familiar with its reputation as being extremely remote and harsh, I have never considered the possibility of setting foot on the continent, until now.

I have a wanderlust which sees me travelling out of my little red dot at least twice a year. Surprising to most of my peers, I have a preference for roughing it out while trekking in Nepal and Bhutan – two destinations on my bucket list – compared to luxurious vacations in Europe. If I am selected for this expedition, Antarctica will become the third place I never knew was on my bucket list until I was made aware of this sabbatical. I love the outdoors and being surrounded by nature. Having spent most of my life in sunny, warm and developed Singapore where the closest I can get to nature is a rustic island named Pulau Ubin, Antarctica will be a drastic but an exciting change of environment for me to reconnect with nature. Perhaps that is exactly what I need, a 360 degrees switch to experience nature in a different and deeper way.

Besides riding snowmobiles and seeing penguins in their natural habitats, what excites me the most about the expedition is the opportunity to apply my training in Science Communication and contribute to scientific research that will make a positive difference for our planet. I am that friend whom others refrain from using plastic when I am present. I am often the odd one out rejecting plastics and bringing out my personal reusable items at a social gathering. Some times my friends ask me for opinions and insights relating to environmental issues. In fact I would not have found out about this expedition if not for a friend who knows just how concerned I am about the plastic problem plaguing our planet right now. Being an avid diver, I have seen first hand the negative impact humans have on our oceans. But one can only do so many clean-up dives and I know I can contribute much much more. This expedition feels right up my alley.

There had been times when I felt one individual’s effort cannot make a difference to the humongous crisis of plastic we face right now, but I now truly believe every small action by any individual in the right direction steer us closer towards the path to sustainability. I have always try to lead by example; I hope this will be the most impactful example I can show the world. Finally, this might be my only chance to see a whale up close and personal!