improvised seismograph

Earthquakes generate seismic waves which can be detected with a sensitive instrument called a seismograph. Advances in seismograph technology have increased our understanding of both earthquakes and the Earth itself.

Seismic waves are the vibrations from earthquakes that travel through the Earth and they are recorded. Seismographs record a zigzag trace that shows the varying amplitude of ground oscillations beneath the instrument. Sensitive seismographs, which greatly magnify these ground motions, can detect strong earthquakes from sources anywhere in the world. The time, location and magnitude of an earthquake can be determined from the data recorded by seismograph stations. The sensor part of a seismograph is referred to as the seismometer, the graph capability was added as a later invention.

The goal of a seismograph is to accurately record the motion of the ground during a quake. If you live in a city, you may have noticed that buildings sometimes shake when a big truck or a subway train rolls by. Good seismographs are therefore isolated and connected to bedrock to prevent this sort of "data pollution." The main problem that must be solved in creating a seismograph is that when the ground shakes, so does the instrument. Therefore, most seismographs involve a large mass of some sort. You could make a very simple seismograph by hanging a large weight from a rope over a table. By attaching a pen to the weight and taping a piece of paper to the table so that the pen can draw on the paper, you could record tremors in the Earth's crust (earthquakes). If you used a roll of paper and a motor that slowly pulled the paper across the table, you would be able to record tremors over time. However, it would take a pretty large tremor for you to see anything. In a real seismograph, levers or electronics are used to magnify the signal so that very small tremors are detectable. A big mechanical seismograph may have a weight attached that weighs 1,000 pounds (450 kg) or more, and it drives a set of levers that significantly magnify the pen's motion.

Improvisation makes use of materials available at hand. In making an improvised seismograph, a heavy block of wood was used as a base in which a weight made of steel is attached to a rod using a commercial spring. The weight holds the pen which touches the rolled machine paper. However, movements must be intentionally executed because the paper is attached to a winding motor which needs to be switched on for the paper to unroll.

This improvised seismograph was made not to store any data of an earthquake. It intends only to demonstrate the features and functions of a real one.

Metro Cebu Subway

In the Philippines, subway construction is not yet that common compared to other countries. Hopefully, the completion of the Cebu Subway this year will mark the third and the longest subway and similar underpass in the Philippines -- the other two being constructed at the intersections of Katipunan Avenue - Serrano Avenue - Circumferential Road No. 5 in Quezon City and at the EDSA and Ayala Avenue in Makati City.

The Segment 3B – 2 is the subway section of the Cebu South Coastal Road Project as part of the Phase III of the Metro Cebu Development Project (MCDP), headed by Engr. Nilo Pamaylaon of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as the Project Director. At present, the DPWH is in the final stages of completing the whole project as it undertakes the last phase of the Segment 3B-2 Subway Section, a first-of-its-kind project in the country being undertaken by one of the most experienced contractors in the world, the Kajima Corporation. It is hopefully expected that its opening will attract investors and will improve the marketability of the 302-hectare South Road Properties (SRP).

The 977 meter Cebu Subway is divided into three sections: the 190 meter U-shape entrance, the 610 meter box tunnel and the 177 meter roadway. A cut and cover method of construction was used. Simple as it may seem but its location, which is at the reclamation area, was taken as a challenge by its contractor, the Kajima Corporation. For tunnels, much like this one, which is close to the seawater, one of the biggest challenges is keeping the water at bay. For this project, contractors had to excavate 30 meters underground and use sheet piles which are 25 meters thick to cut the water because the said project is 20 feet below sea level (Maeda, Kajima Corporation).

The construction of the Metro Cebu Subway started last June 28, 2006. It connects the highway and the South Reclamation Project coastal road. The boring of the tunnel began at the present gate going to the coastal road, then level off under Plaza Independencia and comes out of the Mc Arthur Boulevard.

The original design was a flyover, but was scrapped because it meant going through the historical site and had met oppositions from environmentalists, tourism and church leaders (Pamaylaon, MCDP III Project Director).

The Cebu South Coastal Road Project – Metro Cebu Development Project, Phase III (MCDP III) consists of three segments. Segment 1 – Talisay Section, Segment 2 – Causeway Section, and Segment 3 – Viaduct cum Subway section which comprises three sections: the viaduct, offshore ramps and tunnel sections.


Congratulations to the Queen City of the South!

alone again...

january 21, 2010
9:24 pm

i am now in agora terminal here in cagayan de oro sitting in one corner with my pen and notebook. i am waiting for the next bus bound for davao city. i will be waiting for an hour or two coz the bus in 10 pm sked is already full. the rain is pouring and i feel so cold. i am wearing a shirt, a jacket, a jogging pants and slippers. my stomach is rumbling but i can't leave my bulky things to buy some food. i feel sleepy. i see many passengers crouching under anything that provides shelter. too bad the terminal is still under renovation. i can't think of anything better. the discomfort i feel is killing me but i am left with no choice. i texted some friends but their replies connotes an end of a conversation. i feel so alone.

life is indeed full of battles... against people, against nature, against our own actions and even against our own self. oftentimes, we loose because of an unguarded decision, lack of preparedness and hopelessness. i am thankful for the 'not so good' experiences like this because it keeps my feet on the ground. i remember those glorious days inside the classroom when i was the queen, where mostly everyone listens and follows my instruction. i am a teacher and i govern all my classes but here in the outside world where nobody knows me, i am nothing.

i remember exactly the same feeling when i am on a plane. as i peep down below and see the miniature of everything, i realize how small i am. small but special of course. i'd like to believe that my existence is a big deal for those people i know, i love and i care. it doesn't matter if i get back what i give. what's important is i always choose to be happy and earn good lessons from bad experiences.

nothingness in a good sense makes me feel more worthy of His blessings. God knows whats best for me. i want to live a more meaningful life as a traveler, as a teacher, as a student, as a mother, as a daughter, as a wife and as a friend.. in my own little world.

a reason to live

2009: everybody's dying! my grandmother, my father, my nephew, my grandfather, one of my friends from high school, three from my neighborhood...and i was grieving. my heart breaks thinking of that big loss.

life has to go on..i've known and heard this adage many times but the question is: HOW?

i never yearned to become rich until the time when my beloved father died from renal failure. it was then that i realized that only the rich people have the right to become sick. i felt so small thinking that cadavers can't be checked out without paying the hospital in full or least, have a guarantor to stand before the claimants. i was bursting in tears seeing my father's body wrapped in white cloth, waiting to be picked up by the time i could find a way... i didn't know how. i am an only child and our relatives are miles away from where we live. it pains me seeing my mother crying on her knees not knowing what to do. i have never felt that agony before and i hated it so much.

i promised myself to be strong. sympathies from friends are helpful but the drive to stay and look calm must come from within me. God has been always with us and prayer was my only weapon. 2009 was a year worth reflecting but i'm not sure if its worth remembering..

right now, i'm pushing my whole being to move on! slow as it might be but i'm hopeful.. this is LIFE! this is a gift- *supposed to be* a priceless opportunity and it must be ended beautifully in His time.

i have countless reasons to live: my mother, my husband, my kids, my friends, my job, my students, the lessons in life that i need to learn, the experiences that i deserve to undergo, and the endless blessings that is yet to come.

i now have a clearer picture of the things that really matters to me.. outlooks will be changed, directions will be detoured, plans will be redirected.. but still, let His will be done.

time heals and as long as there are stars in the skies, there will always be faith, hope and love in my heart.

new year : new ME!

2010 marks the beginning of a new life for me. whatever comes next, let it be according to His will. the life traveled by a three and a half decade - young woman like me needs a change of gear.

before i close the previous chapters in my life, let me unfold some of the pages slowly and share what is bound to be shared. . . and as i continue to travel, i want to experience LIFE with you.

the best is yet to come. i don't have the power to make everything perfect but i will grab all the chances to make things right.

_ging