RSBS @ Pulau Ubin!

It was a bright and sunny day... okay that's too cliche, but it really was -- at least, it was until about 3pm in the afternoon. We met in the morning at Tampines Interchange before heading to Changi Beach via bus 29. There, it was just a short wait before we boarded the bumboat to Pulau Ubin. I thought we were lucky that the queue built up quickly since the boats would only take us if there were 12 passengers. Perhaps it was due to the weekend, since there was a constant flow of human traffic through Changi Point Ferry Terminal, and there was an even longer queue of people going to Perengang. There was this Chinese family on the boat with us, and they seemed to be running a provision shop on Pulau Ubin. They seemed rather bemused when we asked them to take a photo of us, but they kindly acquiesced. Here it is!

On the bumboat, making our way to PU

Boarding the Pulau Ubin jetty, we were then immersed in a quaint, rustic charm of a place modernization had only left the wispiest of touches. That said, however, there were still vans making the trips around the island every now and then that forced us to move to the road shoulder to wait for them to pass. Bike rentals there were cheap, since the market was cut-throat. The first stall we passed had a sign saying "$2, really?" in response to a stall down the road which advertised "Bicycles for $2". Eventually we managed to settle on $5 a bike at another stall, after some haggling, and off we went!

Beside a quarry with our bikes

Very soon, we found ourselves at Ketam Mountain Bike Park, the only dirt trail park in all of Singapore! It was then that we decided to give it a shot, and so we ventured in. Slowly, asphalt roads gave way to gravel trails, and then dirt trails, and the going became tough, with undulating paths on hill tops that were uneven, making for a bumpy ride going up, and an equally bumpy ride coming down. But it was worth it, for with the wind in our hair and a spectacular view of the ocean ahead, it validated our brave efforts, slipping and sliding our way down the path.

Sea view @ Ketam Mountain Bike Park

There were really a host of photo-taking opportunities there too! With its location by the sea, and the many grassy trails snaking up hilltops, it proved irresistable and we caved in.

Wei Fen is so talented at biking!!! Only Yisheng's eyes can be seen, it's normal actly! :)

I wonder... Can bikes float? Smiles of satisfaction after a gruelling ride

We made a short pit-stop at the sea-side, the hide-out of many "sea cockroaches", as we discovered! Actually we started out skipping stones and then proceeded to compete to see who could throw comparable stones the furthest, which led to our discovery as the heavier stones were lifted up.

Most of the afternoon was then spent playing ball and lazing at a small, cozy hut at the top of a hill, which offered us shade from the afternoon sun. The thorny vines lining the empty area not far away from the hut did not deter us from indulging in ball games like "monkey" and volleyball, after which we sought shelter in the hut, digging into our stores of green tea, chocolates and biscuits for nourishment. Feeling refreshed and unwilling to venture out into the hot sun, we played card games, amusing ourselves with the antics of a few ^.^

Then came the trying part of the trip: the Pine Trail ride. After the rounds of card games, we started biking again, and soon came across the Pine Trail, diverging from the main gravel trail and leading upwards into a shady patch of forest, winding near Ketam Quarry. We embarked on this trail, and soon found our cycling abilities sorely tested by the rough and bumpy trail, merciless in its up and downs and snaking turns. We paused for breath more than once, especially near the steep uphill parts of the trail. This was where some picturesque shots were taken!

Pictures taken along the scenic but testing Pine Trail

It proved rewarding, however, as the trail ended in another hut overlooking the quarry, offering a splendid view of the red sandstone cliffs and the greenery all around! In terms of elevation, it was much much higher than the previous hut we had been too and there was almost a 360 degree view of the surroundings.

We've reached the top!

To say that the ride up was exhausting is an understatement; nevertheless, after taking some time to rest, we then zoomed down the hill and returned to the main village.

For dinner, we returned to Changi via bumboat, ordered takeaway at Changi Village's hawker centre, and selected a choice spot along the beach, eating our dinner and at the same time, enjoying the cool sea breeze and the lovely beach scene. As the sun set, we delighted in the breeze ruffling our hair, the memories of a day well spent, and most of all, the companionship and camaraderie.

=p Let's hope we have another outing soooooon!

Quotable Quotes, et Tertium

Live blogging from Library workshop for little kiddies. =D

Huimin: Aren't you going to colour your picture?
Girl: No, I'm pale. =)

Boy: *Scribble, scribble*
PuHwai: "Huh? Why does your ideal self have a walking stick???"

Boy: "Let's have a paper plane match!"

[Boy used Throw Paper Plane]

[Critical Hit!]

[Enemy Tue fainted!]

Huimin: "A phenotype is an expression of...."

Boy: "Yay! I AM PHENOTAAAIIIIIP"

Huimin: "Cells arise from pre-existing cells."

Boy: *GASP*

Huimin: "Kiddos!~ <3" 

Huimin: "... and no, that is not an eyeball, that is a cell."

Huimin: "What is DNA?"

Boy: "Its made up of alot of colours on a backbone! =)"

Boy: "Its a twisted jumping thing BOING BOING BOING BOING"

Huimin: "..." *Facepalm*

Huimin: "I'm gonna cry."

Boy: "Crybaby!"

Readon: "Watermelons have more DNA than humans"

Boy: "So if we eat watermelons we will get more DNA?"

Readon: "Why do you think the pig's snout is yellowish-green?"

Boy: "He got diaper rash!"

Carrot Juice is Murder

Figure 1: A humourous take on plant rights

Society has long recognized the need for human rights and animal rights – to allow all people to live in dignity and enjoy equality of status; and to ensure animals are treated in a humane and compassionate manner. However, a third “right” is about to be added to the list: Plant rights.

A recent development in Switzerland has thrown up this question:Do plants have dignity too? Back in the 1990s, the Swiss constitution was amended in order to defend the dignity of all creatures – including the leafy kind – against unwanted consequences of genetic manipulation. When the amendment was turned into a law, known as the Gene Technology Act, nothing specific about plants was mentioned. However, it included a provision requiring "account to be taken of the dignity of creation when handling animals, plants and other organisms."

But in early 2008, the government asked the Swiss Federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Biotechnology to deliberate on the "dignity" of plants. This panel voiced their finding that the arbitrary killing of flora is morally wrong, published in the report "The Dignity of Living Beings with Regard to Plants". This treatise lays out that vegetation has an inherent value and hence the "need for moral consideration of plants for their own sake", and "decapitation of wildflowers at the roadside without rational reason" infringes upon their "dignity".

Figure 2: Is pruning plants a punishable crime?

Those who are supportive of the law argue that it is a logical progression in the ongoing effort to curb unsanctioned treatment of all organisms that disregard the sanctity of life. It also goes some way towards meeting the issue of genetic modification of plants meant to improve the qualities of those plants grown for human consumption. With this rule, the days of raging debate regarding the wisdom of creating transgenic plants will be a forgotten memory. No longer will there be the fear of escaped genes contaminating the gene pool, nor will there be trepidation over food safety such as the one Bt food crops sparked off. But to many, this is both specious and incomprehensible.

In their landmark decision, the ethics panel expressed the view that the “dignity” of plants would be encroached upon if they lost their reproductive or adaptive ability as a result of human intervention. However, Dr. Poirier, a molecular biologist at the University of Lausanne, pointed out that traditional plant breeding has already led to widely available sterile fruit, such as seedless grapes, and the triploid modern watermelon. Additionally, many have questioned the validity of plant “dignity” since there is no nervous system in plants for them to have any feelings, which is one of the major substantives for animal rights.

Figure 3: (left) A picture of a triploid, seedless watermelon.
(right) How triploid watermelon plants are bred.
3n plant is a female, fertilized by a male plant.
Because of the odd number of chromosome sets,
no viable seeds will be produced so the plant is seedless.

Meanwhile, scientists in Switzerland rail that their jobs have been made all the more tougher by what they perceive as a superfluous rule. Swiss plant scientists are hoping for the moment that this rule only applies to large-scale field trials, while laboratory experimentations will be spared. Concerns were aired over the extent to which the law’s unilateral crusade against those deemed to have infringed this rule will hobble the development of biotechnology.

In another unusual move, the people of Ecuador also recently voted for a new constitution that is the first to recognize ecosystem rights enforceable in a court of law. Thus, the nation's rivers, forests and air are no longer mere property, but right-bearing entities with "the right to exist, persist and...regenerate."

Figure 4: Do plants have legal status?

Will these spark off a new wave that will carry plant rights to the fore? Is this issue a valid consideration that humans, as “pinnacles” of evolutionary development, have to take into account? Or is it merely a frivolous claim arising from fanatic thinking?

Carrot juice is murder, indeed.

Figure 5: Recognition of plant rights gives rise to the slippery slope problem