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A large, unfamiliar object was spotted lingering in the sky over Singapore today. The extremely bright disc, approximately the diameter of a human thumb held at arm's length, moved along a path almost perpendicular to the ground, passing near the zenith at about 1 pm, and the object appeared to move the length of its own diameter approximately every four minutes. Residents were apprehensive but not alarmed at the mysterious object, which was accompanied by a shocking shortness and lightness of today's rain.
However, despite a wonderful reprieve today, the heavy rainfalls of this month have been resulting in the island getting flatter and soggier in surprising chunks. Besides the landslide at the National University of Singapore, yesterday also had a landslide at Bukit Timah Hill, tallest point in Singapore, in the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve; and another at the MacRitchie Nature Reserve. The Bukit Timah landslide damaged part of the Tiup-Tiup trail. Novice walkers are advised to use the Dairy Farm Loop or the Seraya Loop and leave Tiup-Tiup to the experts.
Already, though, Singapore's had twice the average rainfall for the entire month of January, and Sunday had a rainfall of 163.22 millimeters, the highest since last January 24 (177.8 mm). They're projecting over 600 mm for the month, which would top last year's January as the wettest month in 50 years. It's been cold, too -- Wednesday reached 22.5 Celsius, which for here is cold.
On the ever-so-fascinating laundry front: I got some lime-dissolving compound and rinsed it through a couple of washer cycles. I also cleaned out the filter when I realized I had no idea when I last did that, and I've got a load drying from it. The clothes I put on the indoor rack yesterday didn't quite dry all over yet, but I only belatedly thought to turn on a floor fan on them.
Trivia: Between the 1854 opening of the Camden-Atlantic Railroad and 1857 fifteen train stations opened between Camden and Atlantic City, New Jersey, despite the terrain being largely forest and swamp. Source: Boardwalk Empire, Nelson Johnson.
Currently Reading: The Romans, Donald Dudley.
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-13 04:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-13 06:28 pm (UTC)I get out many times each day; there hasn't been anything like that in the sky this year.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-13 09:16 pm (UTC)Until yesterday, at least.
--Chiaroscuro, curious over how tall said hill is.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-14 03:51 pm (UTC)It reaches 162 meters above sea level, at the peak. The name is literally Malay for ``hill of tin,'' which is curious since there's never been any tin found at it, though some tin was found along Mandai Road, not too far away as these things go.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-14 06:33 pm (UTC)Heck, your player standing atop the hill would raise the vertical by 1.3%.
--Chiaroscuro
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-16 02:48 pm (UTC)It's a very flat place. Come to think of it, some of the skyscrapers may well be above the peak of Bukit Timah.
The top of the hill has got trees, so you can get a little bit higher yet, too.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-13 09:42 pm (UTC)If you're starting out from Camden, forests and swamps look like promising destinations.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-14 03:46 pm (UTC)Camden was a lot cheerier in the 1850s. They had an economy and stuff then. And across the Pine Barrens there was pretty much ... well, the occasional glass factory and the enclave of refugees from the Revolutionary War living completely cut off from society with only the original copy of the Declaration of Independence to keep them going.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-14 02:06 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-14 03:43 pm (UTC)So far, as much as I've heard, there haven't been any mudslides too near rail lines, although Bukit Timah is near the Malaysian National Railway. Based on the Nicoll Highway collapse last year they might be convinced in the stability of a terrain after a day or two, but I missed if there were specific deadlines or waiting periods in place.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-14 06:40 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-14 03:37 pm (UTC)Don't look at me; the Pacific Northwest is getting sunk too.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-15 08:26 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-16 02:45 pm (UTC)As it happens, it's been two days with only normal rain since then.