New Zealand
The Armoured troopers
This giant Weta can only be found in limited area of New Zealand. It can grow up to 10 cm in length, 5 years in lifespan. Giant Wetas can weight more than 60g, which makes them one of the heaviest of all insects.
The name ‘Weta’ was derived from New Zealand Maori words, meaning ‘spirit of ugly things’. The physical appearance of this insect may looks like katydid, grasshopper or cricket but the hind legs are enlarged and spiny. Many of them are wingless and predators.
Wetas are not great leapers like their cousins – katydid, grasshopper and cricket. But with the surprisingly speed and the power of the rear leg, and tough skin he always put on, this solider is like an army trooper with fully armoured protector in the battlefield.
12) An Extraordinary Doctor
In National Cancer Center, Singapore, if you chanced into seeing a doctor moving around with a wheelchair, he is Dr William Tan, a medical doctor and a neuroscientist. To many, he is not only a diligent doctor but also one of Singapore Heroes.
Dr William Tan contracted polio at the age of 2 and was paralyzed from the waist down. Life was not easy for him, as his father was the only breadwinner in the family. Despite the odds, Dr William works all way out towards his dreams and challenges.
He is a wheelchair athlete and was the first person in the world to finish a wheelchair push in the Antarctica in April 2007. Same year on 19 December, Dr. William achieved another world record by becoming the fastest person in the world to complete 7 marathons across 7 continents in 27 days. This amazing race took him across countries like Antarctica, Chile, Egypt, Thailand, Japan, Kenya, Italy, England, New Zealand, and USA. Apart from all these achievements, Dr William has raise millions of funds for charity locally and internationally.
Dr William has been diagnosed with end-stage leukaemia in 2009. But with his passion in life, the bone marrow transplant operation is already a success in his mind. The disease is just another mountain to climb and conquer.
Being a sportsman, a medical doctor, a scientist and an inspirer, Dr William Tan has turned adversity to advantage. He said, “I don’t have the use of my legs but I shall make the best of my brain and my arms that are not paralyzed.” By reading so much good Dr William has done, I salute him and say “We can’t hold a candle to you, Dr William, thanks for all you have done for the community!”
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