:: talfryn.net ::

Whoa... it's amazing... the things I've accumulated over my years in Sydney. The little things, and the bigger things, that I've come to learn to rely on... and can't do without. I'm spoilt, I admit. So on my list of 'bigger' stuff, I've got a rice-cooker, scanner, printer, speakers, iron, water-boiler, table lamp... plus a sack of rice. Crazy, I know, but the people I've met who've studied (or are studying) in the UK advise me to bring them there, instead of buying them there. Thank goodness my dad's coming with me to help me carry the stuff... I'm trusting to his PPS status to disregard the miserable 20kg baggage allowance - it's impossible for me to go under 20kg... I almost always hit 40kg and above when I go/come from Syd. Also, thank goodness that I'm willing to (or have no choice but) sacrifice my scope, tripod, and SLR. Next time... hopefully...

Been packing the whole day. 90% of my room's floor is covered by my luggage, clothes, files, boxes... no time to write long blogs...

An uneventful day... shopping, mainly. Stocking up. Going to the doc's (again) to collect my report. All's well. Erm... not quite. Still haven't started seriously packing.

4 nights and 3 days left, and I still haven't started packing... am still in the midst of tidying up my room first. I've no heart to pack... I dread Thursday yet look forward to it as something that is best gotten over with asap, knowing that I've to go through it sooner or later. Somehow I imagine myself going back to Sydney and I don't feel any reluctance if that were the case. It'll be a whole new world for me now, like my mom said.

Just got a printer and a scanner (it's a set bargain) to bring over with me... also got a new mp3 player to replace my n-years' old one, which is big and old and small-memory-ed and no longer works.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Yup - again.

'Twas a good day, lots of nice sightings, with the rainbow lorikeet and the flying dragon to top them off. Saw the common kingfisher again, but I keep losing track of it when it flew into the bushes... spent a long time trying to spot it but couldn't locate it. Sometimes I wished kingfishers wouldn't stay in the same position for such a long time.

Had a chance to play with a praying mantis, found on a leave along the way. It was a pretty aggressive one, and kept wanting to pinch my fingers.

Met a Japanese couple who were obviously into birding and photography - they were in 'full gear' too. The lady asked me to confirm with her some bird species, and asked about which were good spots to see birds.

Just when we were about to leave, a girl next to me exclaimed, pointing to a tree trunk, that she saw a lizard flying onto it. I went, "Flying dragon!" and so that was how we came to see the little Draco. It was clinging onto the darkest part of the trunk, right under the foliage of the leaves. I could hardly see it with my naked eye, let alone take a good picture of it through the scope. What I have is the best I could muster out of numerous attempts.

But... I made the horrible mistake of having my camera set to ISO400... without me knowing it. The result? Grainy effects.

Took 124 photos in all today.

Yay! I love computers and tech. I've added a new feature to my blog page - *points to the right*. A new thingy called a phlog, aka phone log. Now I can post via sms. How fun. Hope it will work in London too, though I might have to use it sparingly since it'll be charged as a global sms.

Rrright.

I've only just received my college accomodation application form. One would've thought that we should be well past this stage by this time.

And it's only a faxed copy.

They said that they only process the original copy.

So I called them up, and asked them about it.

"You see, that's the automatic process. Since you're late, we'll be using the manual process."

Ok.

Then I asked about how it was possible that they sent me a package in April, and again in August, and I still did not receive it.

"You gave us the wrong address."

And if my address with IC is the wrong one, then how across the seas did I get my acceptance letter? I did no such thing as send them a change of address, or give them a different address other than the one I gave to UCAS. I do not understand.

"Look, the further we pursue this matter, the longer we will take to process your application. All you need to do is fill up that form and fax it back to us."

Since I did not receive the London-U accommodation leaftlets or IC halls' booklet, naturally I'd be concerned as to what other important materials would have been lost on their way to me... if indeed they had ever been sent my way.

"We very well can't fax over booklets now can we?"

No, I'm sorry but that's not quite I mean... I'm just wondering if...

"You fill up that form, and return it. There are no choices now, we will give you a place wherever we have a place. This is no longer a question of choice."

I am biting my lips now. Arrrgh.

Of course. I'll do that right now. Thank you.

"Thank you."

If Imperial is of a Standard British Working Efficiency Speed then I don't know how I'll survive the next three years.

Arrrgh!!

Received a list from ICSS regarding the halls of residence of members of the ICSS, as well as the flight details of most of us. I still haven't received my accoms letter from IC... getting anxious, but IC guarantees us international freshers a place in a hall, so I'm not that worried. I just want to know where I'll be staying, and with whom.

Most people are flying off on the 1st (Children's Day!), and some have already gone off today.

I've less than a week left; it doesn't feel like it though.

Went for the x-ray this morn, just a part of the usual medical check-up proceedings. Gotta get a health cert before going to the UK.

My nose is horribly sinus-ed, stuffed and sneezy today. The bad weather isn't helping at all. It's raining "giraffes and elephants", to quote the radio DJs.

Met one of my juniors from my patrol in Guides... supposedly in JC1 now. Bumped into her in Taka, where she's just started work as a promoter in one of the shops. I doubt if she remembers me though...

SBWR volunteers' outing this year will be an overnight stay at Tanjong Piai National Park, Kukup, Johor, Malaysia. It's a new 4500-hectare National Park (more than 30 times the size of SB). Mangrove habitats... similar to SB's. There'll also be firefly observations in the night, and of course bird-watching opportunities. Unfortunately, I'll won't be here/there - it's in mid-October. It's just my luck to have missed, and to miss, all the volunteer outings in the past and also most likely in future.

Some sad news. A friend of my friends in Sydney has fallen in her battle against meningitis. For those of you reading this, please do pray for her friends and her family.

Went for my meningitis jab at my good 'old family doctor's... found out that he's also from Imperial. Well, not directly, but he was from a college of medicine which is now under Imperial (it wasn't then).

Bought the two books (as mentioned in yesterday's blog)... I'm gonna put aside Wallace's Malay Archipelago and start reading The Blind Watchmaker, since I'm starting to get a little bored with the natural history of Timor... I've been at that chapter for ages. I need to clear up some space on my shelves for my science and nature books... they're all over my floor and covering more than half my desk.

Went out... movie with ZF.

Still no word from SBG about my poor lost binos. :(

Spoke over the phone with my uncle in HK... he's so happy that I'm doing Ecology, and not some overly-popular business-related course... commerce... hmm *cough* those few months in USyd was really enough to repel me from anything to do with accounting, finance, economics and the likes.

There are two books which he highly recommends for some light laymanish scientific reading -

Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything, and
Richard Dawkins, The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design

Gonna get them tomorrow.

Only 9 or 10 days left, depending on how you look at it. Countdown starts... again. Gotta start preparing. Thank goodness I've nothing too much to buy, besides food, since I'll be carrying most of my stuff from Sydney over to London.

Did some 'research' on the web and found out that the pink eggs belong to those of the Pomacea species - aquatic apple snails.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Botanic Gardens today was better than most days. I saw most of what I've been wanting to see there, and the weather was good. Well, sort of. Dark clouds, but, at least it didn't even drizzle.

Took pics of a red tent spider which was in full view, surprisingly, for they are usually hidden and well-concealed in one of the many dried leaves that are suspended in the middle of the web. It may have just spun the web, and had not went around collecting leaves yet. It was a pain to photograph - near it was a suspected black ants' nest, and so I kept having the irritating black ants crawling around my legs and back, biting their little bites... the spider was also right smack in the centre of the web structure, so it was difficult getting the camera close enough for a good macro without destroying its web.

Discovered these clusters of small pinkish round balls that were stuck onto the freshwater plant stalks, by the Eco-lake. They look like eggs, but of what type of animal, I am not sure.

Went to both the east and west ends of the Gardens. Saw the common kingfisher (I knew it had to be there around Swan Lake somehow, it's just that it didn't appear last Thursday, diving into the lake and swopping into the nearby bushes. Keeping an eye on it wasn't easy - it was so small and fast, and the dive-bombing swallows only made it more distracting. Finally, once, after training my scope on it, I lost it and didn't see it again. :( Didn't even have the chance to digiscope it. Saw the visiting blue-throated bee-eaters, but they appeared at the same time as the common KF did so being of a 'lesser priority', they were shunned aside while the KF had our attention (TH was there too). In the end... I had shots of neither. Throughout the day I took shots of rock pigeons, spotted-neck doves... and some other common urban birds.

Left the Gardens at around 4pm, after having been there for 6 hours. Took a total of 73 shots. There're more in the gallery, not linked from here. In the car I realised that I didn't have my binos with me... I had left it behind somewhere, sometime, without knowing how. Wanted to go back to look for it by my mom wasn't feeling well, and not wanting to spend so much time on the roads, we went back home. I called up SBG to let report the lost binos, and they said they'd contact me if anybody has managed to find it and return it.

My binos... wahh... ! :(

Woke up at noon today. Didn't go to church, and didn't go for the coastal clean-up either. My thigh muscles are all tensed and strained... and I've a little stiff neck... side effects from playing the chair game. :P

Stayed at home a while; watched Discovery Channel VCDs, and Jurassic Park III on SCV. That one was a joker... haha... no further comments. Was showering outside.

Went to East Coast Park for about 45 mins in at around 5pm. My dad and I drove to the lake near carpark D1... which is the more popular spot for birding. There were no more blue-throated bee-eaters (I last saw them there in mid-August), and no kingfishers. I saw many sunbirds though, the most colourful of which was the brown-throated sunbird. Didn't manage to scope them, since they were too quick on their wings.

The highlight of the short trip was this particular parrot. I had my scope centered on a sunbird when I saw this small green thing hanging upside-down on the same branch, just a few centimetres behind the sunbird... it had a blue crown, so it was unmistakably the blue-crowned hanging parrot! It's a lifer for me... a new tick in my checklist. Sadly, I did not manage to digiscope it. See an image of it at the OBC image db.

I should be going to the Botanic Gardens tomorrow... hope the weather'll be fine and the birds aren't feeling that shy...

Sojourn '03 - ICSS freshers' orientation camp

Just came back from Sojourn 2003. The camp actually ends tomorrow morn but due to some events I came back early, and so did quite a few others.

Took place (erm, or rather, it is still taking place) on Sentosa, mostly on Palawan Beach (why not just make it Padawan? lol). Stayed in the Sentosa Holiday Chalets. Actually, I'm not so sure. It's a very informal lodging, and I can't see the office anywhere although there was a sign pointing to it. Most freshers and a few second-year seniors went... my estimate is around 40 or 50 odd people, but don't trust me on that; numbers were never my strong point. :P

It was fun, though sometimes, some activities were boring, but all with the motive of ice-breaking and familiarising ourselves with one another, and I think they worked well in that aspect. The usual group-based round robin-type crazy wet and dirty games... water bombs, orange juice bombs, egg bombs... toothpaste-smearing on the face, 'pick the fruits up from this place to that without using your hands', 'go through a tunnel of water and eat up the hanging apple on the other end in pairs', hunting things in a plate of flour, beach games, three-legged soccer, spiders' web, wargames, and some other stuff. We all stunk like rotten eggs and mint toothpaste the whole day, and I had salt crystalising on my skin.

My group was the Halflings (we went into groups named after races in the LOTR-era ie. Highelves, Humans, Orcs, Dwarves etc.)... and our flag bore a horseshoe and a clover, fashioned into a coat of arms kind of thing.

Lots of sitting in a circle and chatting... about the College, about London, about ourselves, the degree courses, the politics behind the different faculties, about work... about studies... and concluded that this is why people call Imperial students, geeks. Camp, and discussions of work dominate our conversations. Hahaa... I suppose this is one reason why we're here - to know how it is like over there. Met lots of people (duh), interesting people... and I am always asked, "Why Ecology??" or "Why not stay in Sydney?" I always have a steady answer for the first but although I do answer the second too, I am never too sure about that one. I have grown to love Sydney, the life there, and the friends I made there... but anyway, that's beside the point. I've been there and I shall keep the experience with me... as well as my friends...

To digress a little more, I must mention the cockatoos and parakeets and the koels on Sentosa, and especially those always hanging out around Palawan Beach. They... are an annoyance. Not in the least bit due to their presence, but because of the absence of my SCOPE. If only I had brought my full gear with me... such wonderful pictures of them I could take. Them, koels, and kingfishers. It's always the case - the burden of being a nature photographer, the "Arghh... why didn't I bring my scope along with me?" feeling. The birds are such a distraction. Sometimes I can't help myself but answer back whenever I hear them calling - squawking or ko-el-ing... but most of the times I have to refrain myself from doing so lest the people around me think I'm nuts or something. It's such a torture... 'Answering back' seems to have become a habit of mine; mimicking the call of the birds (sometimes unsuccessfully, sounding like I have a sore-throat coupled with a horrible distorted whistle from the throat, if that makes any sense).

There were quite a number of beetles (species undetermined) in and around the chalet blocks... on the front steps, in the kitchen, simply on the floor, and on the trees. I had the pleasure of playing with three of them, and at 4cm they are among the bigger beetles I've handled. I keep forgetting that beetles do have wings, and 'have wings can fly', so when one just takes off one of a sudden and go buzzing into my face, I automatically take a little jump backwards and shield my face, for they look too much like bees in that manner.

Right... getting back to the camp. Besides the activities mentioned earlier, there was also this thing called the Haunted House, which took place at night, of course. Now this isn't just a name in itself, since it is, we believe, a real haunted house. Or so the seniors say, with all sincererity - if that is possible. It's a huge mansion, two or so storeys, and dozens of rooms. They said that when they went to check it out during the daytime, it was even scarier, since it was then when you could see the things you wouldn't be able to at night... like the fans in some rooms that rotate even when there's no wind, whereas in some other rooms the fans are totally still. Then there's this great lock of hair in this sink which has been there for goodness knows how long (when we went on the walk, in isolated pairs, we saw it, and at first we thought it was fake). A toy baby in wrapped in a towel (was it? couldn't see clearly in the dark) was also found in one of the corners of the rooms. The floor was full of dried leaves, and in some places, broken glass and pieces of brick. We could smell bats dung and could hear them screeching and flying in some rooms when we walked past them. Some of the rooms had never been stepped into, they said.

Some of us found this haunted house walk quite funny, while the rest were totally freaked out. I didn't feel anything at first, just a little anxious at what kind of surprises the seniors would spring upon us... and trying to prepare for it before 'it' came. The house didn't particularly scare me, not the haunted bit, but the old bit, as it was real old... and looked as if it could fall apart any moment. We found out that it was actually put out of bounds to the public, and we 'hacked' into it. The seniors were real good at what they did, and so were their costumes, expressions, and layout of the walk - though one or two did grin a little, and made us giggle. There were periodic screams of fright and yells coming from somewhere in the house, which did add to the ghoulish atmostphere. Otherwise, it was fun and had a few 'shocking' scares. We pitied the seniors who had to stay there all night.

We slept at around 3am, after playing some games in the room with around twenty-something people sitting in a circle... games like hmm... don't know what most of their names are but you know, the usual coordination games, guessing games... and this not-so-quiet game called The Polar Bear Game, which was quite a hit.

The next day saw us playing beach games - 'Milky Way', 'Poison Ball' and others... and it showered in the late morning and we were forced to seek shelter. We took this time to discuss this skit we had to perform at night during the campfire. My group was given the theme: Legally Blonde. (Our plot something along the lines of: Elle Woods comes to Sojourn, and she's disappointed as her dog wasn't allowed to go with her. She then tries to bass this bill - and asks the people - the audience - to give a vote the 'Polar Bear [Game] Way' that gives her dog the rights to go to camp. They do so, the dog joins the camp, and when it's given a few water bombs, happily targets -whoever is chosen as the victim-.) When it slowed to a drizzle, we went out again... and the damp and hardened sand hurt our feet at first. After a while of ball games, we went back to the chalets for lunch, and it was then when I and some others packed up and left... amidst shouts of "See you in London!".

Hmm... did I leave out anything else? If I did, I'll add them tomorrow... mind's blank now.

I think I'm too tired to help out with the Int'l Coastal Clean-up at Changi tomorrow. Gotta tell them. Tired... in the sense of sleepy-tired, panda-eyes tired... no-sleep tired...

Gotta get ready for the freshers' orientation camp (Sojourn) now. Won't be here this weekend - Fri to Sun.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Went to the Botanic Gardens at around 9am. The weather was fine at first but it turned nasty, and rained heavily for the most part of the trip. My mom went to tend to her flowers, making sure that they would survive till Sunday (or the rest of the day until at least when President Nathan comes to open the Festival later this arvo. :P), when the Festival would end.

TH came along today... Nothing much, 'cos of the rain I think. No bee-eaters, even when it's the season for the blue-throated; didn't catch the visiting common kingfisher either. Only managed to take photos of the white-throated kingfisher, lesser treeduck, oriental magpie robin, and the Eurasian tree sparrow, all rather dodgy shots. In most of them you can see the rain droplets on the birds' head...

Gained a mozzie bite, a few black ant bites, another discouraged trip to the Botanics, and 32 shots of 4 birds.

Orchid Festival

My original plan was to go to the Botanic Gardens in the afternoon, before my mom, but it was raining too heavily, so... :(

In the late arvo my mom and I went to an auntie's house to collect the flowers which she had arranged yesterday... and brought it to the Botanic Gardens to prepare for the Orchid Festival (http://www.singorchidfest.org.sg/). She's exhibiting in the Ikebana section, and has three little matching vases of carefully-arranged flowers with orchids as the subject. The other aunties in O'Hara also came along to prepare their exhibits.

By the time my mom and I arrived at the Gardens, it was fast approching dusk. I carried my gear with me anyway, and tried to do some birding. I kept hearing calls, but couldn't see any. I heard my first wild owl hoot ever... a slow, haunting and booming 'Hooo-OOT', right in front of me. It struck me how eerie it could sound, but since I haven't seen any owls in Singapore before, I was more excited than nervous or anything... scanning the branches and leaves, I couldn't see anything except for unidentified shapes. I kept hearing it though, and I wished I had brought my torch along... but who'd knew I'd come this late. I gave up a little while after, and walked along. It was boring... dark... misty... wet... my back was already wet with sweat after a short while. Walked a circle from the visitor center to the end of Swan Lake, and back again. There were small hopping things along the path which I assumed were toads. Back at the visitor center and at the Orchid Festival set-up, I started taking pictures of... orchids. I'm not into flowers but that was better than nothing. There're so many different kinds of orchids, hybrids, foreign and local, plain, colourful, patterned... some of which I have never seen before. After that, I took shots of the Ikebana exhibits.

After my mom and the aunties were done, it was already past 9pm. Went to Baker's Inn at United Square for dinner... and came home past 11. Am planning to go to the Botanics again tomorrow morning.

Nature in my condo

Went down today with my sis, first with Dofu, but she was a nuisance after a while (I was trying to take macro shots of the butterflies), we returned her home.

It was a lovely little trip. Around the swimming pool to the 'wilder' areas... to my sister's 'secret place', trying to look for insects, butterflies, praying mantids and lizards.

There was a changeable lizard which bolted from the tennis courts to a little wall... it couldn't climb up, so we had it cornered. It was a small female, not fully-grown, but no longer young enough to be considered a juvenile. I squatted down and caught it the way I've learnt to hold agamids - its neck would go between my pointer and third finger which are bent in a loose hook, and the rest of the fingers would support the weight of its body. I'd hold it straight and firm, but not tight, so that it would feel safe and not twist and hurt itself.

It has been more than two years since I've held a changeable lizard, and I miss the feeling of looking at one at close quarters. It's such a beautiful creature... bright round black pupils, delicately-patterned scales of all sorts of shapes, and its colours are amazing. When we first saw it and when it was in my hand, it was a cool golden-yellowish brown. Then after I released it, and it was almong the leaf litter, it turned darker... and even darker still when it climbed up the trunk of a tree, till it was a greenish-brown. Although I love the green-cresteds, my favourite is still the changeable lizard.

I'd say it was a tame one, since it let me pick it up without so much of a struggle, but after a while when I loosened my hold it turned around and bit my fingers a few times - though it wasn't hard, my natural reflex was to let it go, and it sprang off and ran a little ways further from my foot. I took a few more pictures of it, and afterwards we let it be.

Here's a shot of it in my hand:

Notice the change in its colours in each successive photograph (click for a bigger image):

Besides the lizard, I also took photos of a copulating pair of handmaiden day-flying moths and a handmaiden day-flying moth caterpillar. The small lesser-blue butterflies have not been cooperative in the least, so I did not manage to take any good shots of them.

Yay! I'm done with my Jap course... no more classes for me. Ha - kudos and good luck to those who're continuing to Intermediate 1. I seriously doubt if I'd be able to take it on... even if I'm still going to be around. It's tough...

Passed by the ECP this morn; there was the magpie robin on the green fence. That's the third time I've seen it there.

Banded Bullfrog

Just went down to the basement carpark. Sure enough, there was a banded bullfrog, a nigel. At first I thought that it'd be near the place where the long stretch of plants and soil are, but it was actually in the slit where the glass doors slide through. It's a wonder it doesn't get squashed in that narrow space. See the photo - where the arrow is. It was deep in there when we found it. I do hope it'll survive... there's hardly any food in there. It's also a wonder where it came from, since the only water source nearby belongs to the 'waterfall' and fountains, in which the management puts in bleach (?) sometimes.

As for the frog itself... (click to get a larger picture)

My sis was browsing through my amphibian and reptile guidebook, and pointed out a frog she saw last night as the banded bullfrog. Said that she saw it near the security glass doors downstairs, while coming in from the carpark... a bullfrog, here? Whoa... gotta check that out tonight. If there's one of them, there's bound to be more.

This must be the season for the visiting barn swallows... there're quite a number of them twittering to and fro outside my window. The pacific swallows too. I can see some of them dive-bombing into the pool when there's no-one around... how cute.

ZF called and sms-ed me telling me some joyful news - her hamster had given birth to some pups. :)

A boring Sunday... lunch outside with my family and a couple of other familes, came back home myself...

A whole section of today's blog is private. :P

Sungei Buloh

Went to SB today... my last Saturday at SB this holiday. My parents sent me there, and TH and FW both went too.

Just got off the car, and FW came by with a video-cameraman filming everything he was doing, including greeting me. Then the man filmed me trying to open the car boot (in vain, a few times) to get my gear. He told me to say "Hi". I was like, "Ehh?" and shot FW a look meaning What's this??. He shrugged and mouthed, Don't ask me. Anyway, I hope that guy will cut those bits off. Found out later that it was for some Disney channel programme or something, even FW wasn't sure. I thought I remembered SH mentioning something about this before though.

The cameraman came with us - initally 'us' - all the way from the roundabout, visitor center, main bridge, main hide, route 1... filming, getting FW to point to something and explain about it, etc. And he'd turn around and ask TH and I to keep quiet while FW talks. After a while, we strayed away from them both.

Did the 10am tour, and it was the Exxon-Mobil group again - some familiar faces from last week, some new people. Did the mangrove boardwalk, and only a bit of R1. At the end of it, as before, they handed us gifts - this time it was a black water coolant bag, with a turbo fan, a towel, and a bottle of water inside. They also gave us a mini radio, and treated us to Snapple and some munchies. Heard from H that many of them seem to be quite a regular bunch of visitors.

When I went into admin, I asked about the un-IDed caterpillars from last week. The brown one died, much to my surprise, since it was still very much alive when I last saw it. In addition to the surviving green one, there was another caterpillar similar to it, except that it was much 'yellower' - but still a hawk moth caterpillar, that much I'm certain. I only saw its pics though, since they had released all those caterpillars.

Went to Kranji Nature Trail in the arvo, where the Toddycats from the RMBR and some others whom I did not recognise were having the International Coastal Clean-up. It was a messy affair, looking at them. Like mudwalks, except it looks (it undoubtedly is) a lot more tiring. They were bringing out trolley-fulls of trash bags, tires and other rubbish. Passing a group of them on the path, we saw an old Pooh bear soft toy 'wearing' a straw hat... which formed but a fraction of the trash. Met HQ helping out there too. Also met a... an... old SBWR volunteer (I think), who took one look at me in the SB shirt, scope, camera and tripod and all, and asked if I'm now working at SB full-time. I shook my head no, "Nah, I'm still just a volunteer." That's the problem with me nowadays. I can't remember people's names properly... I can't even put a link to the face sometimes... SBWR volunteer? NSS? Nparks? Or GVN? Too many people... these recent months, and indeed years. And new faces and names are still coming. Are there such things as face-memory-self-exercises? I'd need them.

Was drizzling on and off throughout the day. Sightings include: a terek sandpiper; barn swallows; many mangrove sunbeams; a common kingfisher; a sac spider; many grey herons, most of which were flying overhead; a 'tame' dragonfly; lots and lots of grasshoppers (locusts), a mating pair of horseshoe crabs; and a brief glimpse of a Japanese sparrowhawk... and I think those are all the notable mentions. I'm too lazy to put up links to the names but their pics are up in the gallery.

Took 75 shots in all today.

Again the dilemma strikes. Either I go to SB tomorrow, or on the 27th, which will be my last Saturday here before I head off for the UK. Asked my mom. Told me to ask my dad. He's not home yet.

Sugar Jr.'s leg miraculously got back into place. Hamsters are so little and fragile; it's easy to underestimate their ability for survival and for natural healing. She's using that leg every now and then when she walks, although it's still 'floating' in the air sometimes.

Mid-autumn festival. The usual - mooncakes. No lanterns though. I miss mooncakes... don't remember having any for the past 2 years when I was in Sydney. Oh, wait, just once, at my guardians' house. That was it I think. I also miss the little piglet thingees. Went out for dinner... some seafood place down at Turf City at Bukit Timah. Haven't heard of such a place till today. Not bad.

The white-throated kingfisher was there at the same place on the fence along ECP this morning. It's been a while since I last saw it there. There was another one on a tree branch, a few metres after that first one. Kingfishers are such bright and jolly beings.

Nothing much has happened today, I should say. Watched unwatched VCDs at home, photographed a teeny weeny moth in my bathroom, continued reading Wallaces' The Malay Archipelago and his adventures (and misadventures) with Orang Utans. Blogger has been down, and now I know why. ;) New features... more fun options.

An old nature logbook

Was digging up some old stuff in my drawers when I found this nature logbook which I kept during 1997-98... I was barely 13 then. There're some interesting observations, drawings and diagrams, and 'statistics'. I've got detailed notes on the handmaiden day-flying moth (Syntomis huebneri - yup, I even had its scientific name), its mating behaviour, its caterpillars, food plant... basically its whole life cycle. Also included in even fuller details were those of the changeable lizard, Calotes versicolor, which remains one of my favourite reptiles. Besides those, I've written about geckoes, crickets, grasshoppers, and toads. Looking back now, I do wonder how and where I managed to get some of the creatures from, but I do not doubt the integrity of those records... I'll just go along with them.

Here're some stats from those good 'ole days, when I was an avid bug collector (or rearer). Not anymore though; I've turned to capturing them in photographs.

Wild animals caught 1997-98:

Moths and butterfiles
Painted Jezebel: 4
Cycad blue: 8
Lesser blue: 68
Lime: 8
Yellow chocolate: 5
Yellow emigrant: 10
Pansies: 2
Day-flying moths: 61
Tussock moths: 2
Lime caterpillars: 14
Yellow emigrant caterpillars: 2
Tussock moth caterpillars: 2
Hawk moth caterpillars: 1
Day-flying moth eggs: >100

Other animals
Geckoes: 37
Frogs (incl. tadpoles): 22
Toads (incl. tadpoles): 49
Dragonflies: 8
Damselflies: 5
Jumping spiders: 3
Daddy long legs: 6
Sand fleas: 7
Grasshoppers: 26
Grasshopper nymphs: 16
Crickets: >50
Locusts: 3
Bagworm moth caterpillars: 39
Carpenter bees (female): 1
Carpenter bees (male):1
Honey bees: 4
Wasps: 4
Centipedes: 14
Millipedes: 1
Giant snails: 7
Garden snails: 26
Water snails: 10
Man-faced stink bugs: 7
Cockroaches: 6
Hermit crabs: 9
Lobsters: 4
Crabs: 2
Mudskippers: 3
Gobies: 2
Archer fish: 1
Half-beaks: 2
Young cuttlefish: 1
Horseshoe crab: 1

Received an email from N just now, in response to my snake sighting report. He's writing up the final snake report (in conclusion to the snake survey carried out throughout the past few years), and will send me a copy of it when he's done. I'm looking forward to that. :)

Ater spotting that notice at the bus stop yesterday, I've started seeing those same notices all over other bus stops... I guess I've not been observant enough in the past??

Went to Times bookshop today, and after spending hours in bookshops (including Kinokuniya), so far, I still have no luck in identifying those un-IDed insects and caterpillars. I've got a few leads, but nothing substantial enough to point me to a specific genus. :( Time to hunt down and email the experts? Do we have any?

There's a dog barking downstairs. It's that basset hound with the unproportionately-long tail.

The news say that a man in S'pore has been tested positive for the SARS virus... ouch. As if we didn't have enough of that dreaded virus. 25 people are now under home quarantine... hope it'll stay under control.

Today's Jap lesson was tough. The class is getting so discouraged... when the coordinator came to ask who was interested in continuing to Intermediate 1, only 4 people gave nods.

When I was walking back from the bus stop, the notice boards there had pieces of paper in them, saying "No notices are to be placed in this shelter. Any offenders will be referred to the police." Hmm... that's the first time I've seen such notices in a bus stop. It's funny if you think of it - it says 'no notices', and it in itself is a notice. :P

Aww... noooo... just remembered something. The official launch of the KNT, cum ceremony for the HSBC/NYAA Youth Environmental Awards is on the 20th, and so I'm supposed to be going to SB on that day. J and the others helping out in the International Coastal Clean-up will be at Changi Beach on the 21st, and I had expressed my interest in joining them. But - a big BUT... IC's SingSoc orientation for freshers (called Sojourn) at Sentosa takes place from the 19th to the 21st. Grrr... bad timing... now I've to weigh the situation out again.

Besides that, we also went to watch Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. I wanted to watch Pirates of the Caribbean but my sis was afraid, saying that it's a ghost story. Sinbad was ok - a child's animated adventure film, but still suitable for the older ones... :P (including my parents).

Of science and puffer fish

Spent the day outside. Went to the X-periment exhibitions at Suntec. To say the truth, Dad and I expected something better... and not that 'simple', although there were a few interesting exhibits. (http://www.ntu.edu.sg/studorgn/solar/x-periment_prog.html) It was more suited for the younger ones, I suppose, like primary school kids. There's this aquarium full of puffer fish that was behind the reception counter, though even after reading the sign next to it (it was in the shape of a fish and contained info on DNA) I have no inkling as to the significance of the puffer fish. One poor puffer became so stressed in that environment that it started sucking in mouthfuls of water and inflating itself into a big, round ball. I haven't seen a puffer doing that before, so I was quite excited to witness such a sight. However, it remained inflated for a few whole minutes, and after that, it started trying to suck even more water! I had my camera with me and took three quick shots of it. The people at reception started to get worried, saying that it was going to die that way. A little crowd formed near the tank, and the 'official' photographer came round and started snapping shots, camera lights flashing, to my dad's disapproval. They covered the tank with a piece of cloth and switched off the lighting to give the fish some quiet and 'rest'. I doubt if it made any difference... it's just that the environment was not right for it. It's not meant to be kept in a tank... a normal, goldfish kind of tank. I just hope it'll survive.

Click for a bigger image:

Sungei Buloh

Took the staff bus to the Reserve. When I (we) arrived, there were already crowds of people. Arrgh. Was supposed to help out NSS this morn [see Thursday's blog] but SH had me down for guiding the Exxon-Mobil Group 1... the VIPs. Certainly a diverse, interesting group of people. Thing is, 2 weeks ago I was actually down on the list to conduct this particular tour, but last week, I had to pull out of today's so that I could attend last week's KNT familiarisation session. Nevermind that. Personally, I'd rather do the guided tour instead rather than milling about doing something for the NSS - I didn't know what I was supposed to do, and I still don't. :P Anyway, did the boardwalk plus the whole of Route 1. 'Traffic jams' all the way along the boardwalk - too many students (and teachers)!

I was right in thinking that there would be nothing much at SB today. There were just too many people... that a fellow volunteer could even joke that half of Singapore has flocked to SB. Perhaps that might have be an exaggeration, but not too much so. There was absolutely nothing in the first half of the day; I didn't even need to touch my camera in my waistpouch. Used the scope a couple of times, but that was only on a collared kingfisher and a few waders. Nothing special. Wasn't expecting anything special. Oh, there was this dog-faced water snake swimming (more like rushing) from the mangrove edge, across the Buloh Besar river, to climb up one of the pillars of the shelter in the middle of the bridge. It was a straight wall, up vertical, and I've no idea how a snake can just climb surfaces like that. It was amazing.

Those lovely people in the Exxon-mobil group treated us guides to a Snapple and an ice-cream, and they also handed to each of their guides a small token - a cute miniature golden clock. After they left, I went around twice on the mangrove boardwalk, then to the main bridge, before heading for lunch... solo. The NSS people and the 'race officials' in their dark green shirts were sitting at the next table, chatting away about birds, places, field notes, and the race. I was tempted to join them, but didn't want to invite myself over. That'd be impolite. They didn't ask me either, so I just sat there munching on my nuggets and examining the pics in my digi. SL, the VP of the NSS noticed me and we talked a while. Said that he always sees me at SB when he came, so he's wondering what I do and study. Told him... and he offered to pass me contacts of the bio and natural science students (from this region) who are studying at London-U... I thanked him.

The rest of the day, after noon, was blissfully peaceful. Mananged to get some good shots of mainly insects and butterflies.

Sightings include: a small shore pit viper which has been in the same spot since last week, or indeed for the past few weeks; many, many mangrove sunbeams; a weird unidentified moth with wings that appear torn, but are not; a cooperative common tit; a rather huge-sized evil-looking weevil which landed on my leg and bit me where it landed (I thought it was a weaver ant and just slapped it, when it flew off and rested on a leaf); pied fantails; magpie robins; many sun skinks; changeable lizards, a green-crested lizard, a mating pair of water monitor lizards; a few whip spiders... and also lots of garfish for some reason. Wasn't lucky enough to see the otters though. Rb and TW saw them at Platform 2. An entry in the sightings record book also listed a great-billed heron and black-crowned night heron at Platform 2. I had doubts about the great-billed heron, since I didn't think we have it in SB, but chatting later with SH, she said that she thought she saw one today at P2 too. Went there in the late arvo to check it out. Saw nought but a grey heron, straited heron, and a dollar bird. Heard woodpeckers but didn't see them.

'No business' for 3pm, and R was down for 4pm so I was a free wanderer. Walked around R1 once more, and twice to Platform 2, and again to the boardwalk... to the staff carpark, to the carpark outside, along butterfly walk, around the roudabout... circling the place aimlessly. Kept bumping into the same people over and over again - they must have thought me to be either so dedicated, or plain weird for a person. I met and passed this Indian couple so many times that in the end we just laughed when we saw one another. Some Cantonese-speaking people, visiting Kiwis, lone birders, photographers... all these I chatted with a while and talked about the birds or butterflies that were flying around. On my last trip across the bridge, while heading back to the VC, I passed a group of elated students and a teacher talking about their prizes, which were still in neatly-wrapped boxes. - I suppose they're the winners for the Race. Helped them take some group photos.

While I walked away I heard them shouting about something swimming in the water. "Crocodile!" they exclaimed. I sighed softly to myself. So much for being winners... that's a monitor lizard and they don't even recognise that. But then after a few seconds they realised that it was just an old monitor, and I heard one of them go, "Those monitor lizards! *sigh* They're the bane of my eyes!" I grinned... it was true. Well at least they've proven my thought wrong. They did learn a lot, and I hope the other teams did too.

There're two unidentified caterpillars which H said were handed to the Reserve by someone. Kept in a tank in the admin office. Went to take a look, and spent some time photographing them. The green one looks like the caterpillar of some species of hawk moth, since it's got that characteristic rear horn and diagonal markings. I've no idea about the brown one. Both feed on lime leaves, and the green one looks like it's about to pupate.

Came back from SB at around half past 7... been half-sitting, half-squatting on my chair working on my laptop to publish my new photos to the web and also to carry out some 'research' on the internet in an effort to identify the undetermined fauna species. My exhibitions are having an increasing number of 'unidentified' species... and nobody knows what they are. The caterpillars lead the way... it's a pity I can't go around collecting those caterpillars to see what they'd turn into. Singapore really needs a caterpillar guide book...

Btw I didn't get a single mozzie bite today. Thanks to the masses of people who kept the mozzie population busy. Hehee...

Took 99 shots in all today.

K, gotta get ready for tomorrow. Waking up early. Gotta clean my tripod... it's got dirt and sand stuck on its legs from last week. Gotta clear up some space from my memory cards too. Wouldn't want to spend valuable time and batt to delete them in my cam.

Politics. Sigh... it dominates everything... it's everywhere. Places where you didn't think it existed... something about APYEN and other similar networks. Hmmm. It mightn't be called politics but that's the way I see it. Just like sovereignty of states; each organisation strives to uphold its own. It would be a tad idealistic to aim for a society of organisations... hmm does that term apply to organisations? Anyway, it's the governing body which plays a vital role... have faith in the leaders. I do. Let's pull it up and through.

Bah. I guess I just miss my World Politics tutes.

Finally... apyen.org emails are working. Don't know what's up with that server... it takes such a looong time. Also came up with a draft version of a logo for APYEN. Am bored... I like to play in PhotoShop (and therefore hang My Precious) when I'm bored.

Took a miss at Jap class again today, and of course, once again, with my mom's approval. Heh.

And... surprises of surprises... I'm allowed to go to SB this Sat! Both my parents were indifferent... a wonder. Need to get there by myself again though, so I think that's why. One main reason is 'cos it's so darn far away. I'll need to wake up at five-ish, unless I'm hopping on the staff bus. So I'll primarily be helping NSS this time round, unless they've got enough manpower, or SBWR needs more volunteers, then I'll do the usual guiding duties. I hope I'll have some time in between duties to take pictures.

I guess I'll have to miss helping SEC at East Coast Park then... better tell TKG.

Funny... someone whom I've no direct contact with before has me down on her email address list as 'Jacqueline Lau Lizard Fan'. Other recipients include 'birder ~', and 'birder ~'. I wonder?? She's from the Nature Society.

Coincidentally that email's asking for volunteers to help out with that event at SB on Sat. They're short of 6 more volunteers. Grrr... now, as before, I'm undecided. Sigh. Mom's really gonna be really mad.

Watched Guarding Tess on SCV. Nic Cage et al.

Tuesday, September 30, 2003

Monday, September 29, 2003

Sunday, September 28, 2003

Saturday, September 27, 2003

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Friday, September 26, 2003

Thursday, September 25, 2003

Wednesday, September 24, 2003

Tuesday, September 23, 2003

Monday, September 22, 2003

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Sunday, September 21, 2003

Saturday, September 20, 2003

Sojourn '03 - ICSS freshers' orientation camp

Thursday, September 18, 2003

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Wednesday, September 17, 2003

Orchid Festival

Tuesday, September 16, 2003

Nature in my condo

Monday, September 15, 2003

Banded Bullfrog

Sunday, September 14, 2003

Saturday, September 13, 2003

Sungei Buloh

Friday, September 12, 2003

Thursday, September 11, 2003

Wednesday, September 10, 2003

Tuesday, September 09, 2003

An old nature logbook

Monday, September 08, 2003

Sunday, September 07, 2003

Of science and puffer fish

Saturday, September 06, 2003

Sungei Buloh

Friday, September 05, 2003

Thursday, September 04, 2003