Class Reflection (6)

Indigenous people of Australia, or otherwise known as the Australia Aborigines. They are the world's most ancient living culture, having a continuous history of at least 50, 000 years. Currently, they make up about 2.7% of the Australia's population. The majority of them live in the south-east of Australia, centred along the Murray River.

The Aborigines were mainly hunters or gatherers, having a unique knowledge of the land and its seasons. They moved about in groups as the seasons change. At the start of the European settlement, Aborigines had over 250 languages, but these languages are now in danger of becoming obsolete, with around 15 of the languages still in use. Each tribe had their own specific language.

Also, the early Aborigines are observed to be naked. The men and women of different tribes only worn belts made of animal fur, hair skin or fiber around their middle to enable them to carry weapons and tools efficiently. This, compared to the modern world, where people are fully clothed shows the differences in our way of living.

The diet of the Aborigines are mainly berries, plants, eggs and insects. They go around to hunt for food and lived near resources that include rivers or the seas, building canoes from the barks and trunks to aid them in fishing. This suggest that they rely on the practice of catching and hunting for their food supply instead of cultivating rice field and padi like the society we live in.

The culture of their people is very different from us. They lead simple lives and enjoy simple entertainment compared to us, who cannot live in a world without the use of technology. The various indigenous Australian communities developed unique musical instruments and folk styles. The didgeridoo. which is widely known to be a stereotypical instrument of Aboriginal People, was traditionally played by only the people of the earstern Kimberley region and Arnhem Land, and then only by the men. They used clapping sticks to maintain rhythm for songs. The melodies, tunes, harmonies and rhythms of Aboriginal music included traditional ceremonial songs that were handed down from generation to generation, which is very meaningful to them. Another form of culture was dancing with the music and movement that imitated the animal movements, hunting prowess, battles or ceremonies of initiation that had

been conducted for thousands of years.

In conclusion, the Aborigines were highly traditional people. Aboriginal Australia is a living legacy of spiritual knowledge, understanding of land, culture, people and the connectedness of all things shared through rituals, art, dance, music, secret stories and journeys into the mysteries known as Dreamtime, the time when ancestral spirits came to Earth and created the landforms and all life. The landscape today is a map of the spirits, journeys and stories created thousands of years ago to describe these journeys are the same that you will hear today.

According to Aboriginal belief, the spirit ancestors of the land and its people descended from the sky, emerged from the earth or sprang from waterways. These ancestral spirits possessed supernatural powers, enabling them during the Dreamtime of the worlds creation to change into human, animal or other forms. Thus , they do not want to have a switch of lifestyle as they respect their religion very much. They lead simple lives with a tight family kinship which is not has commonly known in the society today. I really respect the Aborigines for their determination to survive and the means that they took to ensure that their culture is alive :)

Class Reflection (5)

Sorry for very late post .

On thursday March 3 2011, we had our Geography lesson and it was on the topic about the functions and uses of the Forests. I cannot imagine that just a typical forest has actually so many hidden resources behind it. It was very interesting ! They can help maintain the water supply, nutrients in the soil and even replenish oxygen and remove carbon dioxide. Forests are also known as a habitat for flora and fauna , protecting the coast and provide useful materials for people. It even allows for recreation activities and research and education purposes.

There are so many functions and uses that i learnt of only today ! In the past, when teachers were talking about the subject of protecting the forests to maintain human survival, i did not truly cared about it. But now, i finally realised the importance of the forests around us.

Next, we also learnt about the forests playing an important role in the water cycle. The leaves and branches of the trees helps reduce the impact of falling water to prevent the decrease of surface runoff. I also just learnt that quality of water is affected by the area which it is found. Compared to an urban area, the water in forested area is much cleaner and purer as the soil found in forested areas help in filtering the impurities found in rainwater by trapping them in their pore spaces. I can actually support this fact as i have tried the water found in a small river in the forest during KOREF ! It was really tasty and refreshing !

This cannot happen in places where we are living in as the concrete surfaces found in urban ares does not help to fliter the impurities. One more interesting fact is that mangrove forests can help in reducing the impact of natural disasters ! They absorb most of the wave impact and thus can help in saving the lives of many people who are living in areas when tsunamis often take place.

I'm looking forward to the next geography lesson to learnt more about the cool advantages of Forests ! :):)

Class Reflection (4)

8 Febuary 2011

For this lesson, we are supposed to reflect on the article talking about the Mangrove Swamps in Singapore.

The article was really interesting as it tells us how Singaporeans are not familiar with the Mangrove forests around us. It also tells us the main mindset of us citizens, complaining about the standard of cleanliness and how muddy the areas are that they do not even want to take the initiative to enter these Mangrove Swamps to increase their knowledge about them. When i was young, i practically had the same mindset as them, not daring to step into one. However, as time passes and i am able to realise how fascinating and beautiful the Swamps are.

The author stated that these Swamps are poorly understood or misunderstood and i totally agree with what he wrote as when you ask most people , they will answer you that those mean nothing to them and they rather use the land for new development. In real life, the Mangrove Swamps are one of the most amazing part as you can experience something different from the fast-paced life that singaporeans are living in.

The way the author talked about the Swamps made me even more interested in them. They can actually help in many areas that not known to many people. Due to the variety of wildlife living there, if they were to be removed , we will not get the seafood that many of us love to eat. It also provides medicinal needs and essential items in our life.

Also , since i have been to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve before, this article made even more sense to me. I could remember seeing some of the animals like the giant mudskipper and even mudcrabs and the different kinds of trees. Seeing them in real life is indeed fascinating to me ! I even went there the second time as the place was so huge that we did not manage to visit all the different parts on the first visit. It was a new experience for me and it was not as ugly or smelly as what people think.

So , do not judge the Mangrove Swamps just based on your own knowledge of them, we should take our time to understand them better and see the hiddent beauty in them. The mangrove forests are precious to us and we should do what we can to protect them .

Overall , i really enjoyed this article as it really explains the misconceptions about the Mangrove Swamps and made me appreciate them more ! :)

Class Reflection (3)

25 January 2011 !

We finally finish up on the topic on Tropical Rainforest. I learnt about the different methods that leaves , fruits & flowers , barks and roots use in order to adapt to the surroundings in the Tropical Rainforest. The trees there have shallow and widely spread roots , the reason was actually due to the climate in the Rainforest, I have no idea that trees can even use these very simple methods to help themselves survive.

Next , we started learning about the Tropical Monsoon forest. It was definitely very interesting as this type of forest is not commonly seen in Singapore. I realised that there is some similarities and differences between the Tropical Rainforest and the Tropical Monsoon Forest. While Rainforest consists of 5 layers, the Monsoon forest consists of only 3 layers ; Canopy layer, Understory layer and Ground layer. However , they also have some special parts that are the same, such as the waxy drip tip and broadleaved leaves.

Having learnt all this , I could relate more to the different forests around me. Not all forests have the same features and climate, every kind of forest is special in their own way. Without Geography, I will never have learnt all these, I now know that Geography is an important subject in its own way. I know more about nature than those student who did not take Geography. I hope to learnt more along the way and understand more about the secrets of the different forests . Looking forward to the next lesson ! :)

Class Reflection (2)

20/01/11, I had my second geography lesson this year.

From this lesson , i had learnt more in depth about the Natural Vegetation around me. I am now able to differentiate and identify the features of a Tropical Rainforest.

We learn things like Biome and different kinds of Natural Vegetation such as Tropical Mangroves and Temperature Coniferous. I was shocked that there were actually so many types of Vegetations. I learnt where different Vegetations grow at depending on the climate, they are greatly affected by the amount of rainfall and temperature in a specific area. There is one type of forest that i thought was interesting , the cold desert. I did not expect that there will be a forest in the cold and cool countries, it makes me wonder what there are out in the world that i do not know.

It was a interesting lesson and it made me realise things that i have never known before. It is indeed surprising to find out that the annual rainfall can even determine the main type of forest. There are so many information in nature that i have yet to find out and I hope to be able to do so in the next few lessons !

Class Reflection (1)

Our first geography lesson was on the 11/1/11, tuesday. Our teacher had just started briefly about the chapter on Natural Vegetation and I am already looking forward to completing the chapter. The topic is very interesting and it motivates us to want to learn more about it.

I now know more about the different trees around me and their functions. The rainforest really contains a lot of things that most of us have no idea about unless we study in depth on in. In addition, we just went for our secondary 3 camp last wednesday , enabling us to have a clearer image of what teacher had taught us. We stayed in an Organic Rice Farm in Malaysia and there were many types of vegetation there. We even trekked up a mountain located in a tropical rainforest. I could almost see everything that my teacher had taught in school , like the waxy drip tips on the leaves and the thin, tall bark that most trees are structured like. It allows me to visualize and relate to the recent geography lesson i had.

After my first geography lesson , i am able to understand the wild nature around me better. From their different structures, functions and uses, every vegetation is special in their own way. I hope that in the next few lessons, i will know more about geography and improve my knowledge in it. I really enjoyed my first geography lesson and i know there will be many more to come.