Thursday, April 29, 2004
Just my bad luck again, I suppose. It always has to happen when I'd have returned to whatever-country-I'm-studying-in. Ria is organising a series of intertidal trips (for what she calls the 'Beach Fleas') from 6-9th May. Among the crazy trips (since we wanna go when the tide is at its lowest, some of the trips require you to be up at 3am in the morn)... are Chek Jawa, and my favourite little frog island... Pulau Sekudu!! Nooo... gonna miss them again...
A week after the Nicoll Highway collapse, here comes another similar tragic incident: 1 dead, 4 missing in Ayer Rajah worksite cave-in, 29 people injured.
Went past the site - a scene of Civil Defence officers, engineers and ambulances - this arvo after going to RMBR to meet up with Siva... I'll be helping him revive the (print version of the) Asian Otter Newsletter.
Went past the site - a scene of Civil Defence officers, engineers and ambulances - this arvo after going to RMBR to meet up with Siva... I'll be helping him revive the (print version of the) Asian Otter Newsletter.
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
A must-read... go to this website for the photos.
*********************
Barn swallow's death draws thousands of responses on Net
2004/4/24
TAIPEI, Taiwan, The China Post Staff
A series of photographs capturing a barn swallow mourning over its dead mate have taken Taiwan Internet users by storm.
These unusual photographs, captured by bird lover Wilson Hsu, show a barn swallow crying over its dead mate, refusing to leave its side, trying to revive it and even trying to grasp its corpse and fly away with it.
Hsu posted his photographs up on the Internet and in less than a month, he received over 400 written responses. A further tens of thousands of Net users visited the site.
Hsu, a manager in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. described how he set off to Hsinchu on the day of the presidential election to bird watch and take photos.
On the road were a flock of swallows. Then a truck roared past and some swallows did not fly away quickly enough. Several were hit by the truck. Hsu pulled out his camera and caught the barn swallow grieving for its mate.
Hsu, a member of Taiwan's wild bird protection society, said that in the process of capturing the barn swallow on film, he could not help but feel its grief too. He said when he saw the love and pain in its eyes, he had to stop filming. When he posted the photographs up on the Internet and tried to describe what he saw, he said, the feelings rushed back and he had to stop writing.
Hsu said he was concerned that the grieving bird would not pay attention to traffic on the road, and put the corpse on the side of the road.
After this the barn swallow seemed to realize that its mate would not revive, uttered several cheeps and flew away.
The photographs raised questions about the safety of animals on the roads in Taiwan. In Western countries, such as Australia, it is common to see warning signs urging drivers to pay attention to wandering animals, such as kangaroos. Taiwan's system for protection of wildlife from traffic is not so developed.
Hsu urged drivers to take care on the roads and protect wildlife, saying careful driving could save lives.
Some net users wrote that the photographs reminded them of pets they used to have; it provoked others to discuss the philosophy of Confucian thinker Mencius and his theories that there are not many differences between humans and animals.
Barn swallows are the world's most widespread swallows. Their name derives from their affinity to nest in wooden barns in old-style farmhouses. They are characterized by their glossy, steel-blue upper side, white underside and chestnut forked chin and throat.
They are very sociable birds. Males and females usually construct a nest for their young together. Sometimes this can take eight full 14-hour days to complete.
*********************
*********************
Barn swallow's death draws thousands of responses on Net
2004/4/24
TAIPEI, Taiwan, The China Post Staff
A series of photographs capturing a barn swallow mourning over its dead mate have taken Taiwan Internet users by storm.
These unusual photographs, captured by bird lover Wilson Hsu, show a barn swallow crying over its dead mate, refusing to leave its side, trying to revive it and even trying to grasp its corpse and fly away with it.
Hsu posted his photographs up on the Internet and in less than a month, he received over 400 written responses. A further tens of thousands of Net users visited the site.
Hsu, a manager in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. described how he set off to Hsinchu on the day of the presidential election to bird watch and take photos.
On the road were a flock of swallows. Then a truck roared past and some swallows did not fly away quickly enough. Several were hit by the truck. Hsu pulled out his camera and caught the barn swallow grieving for its mate.
Hsu, a member of Taiwan's wild bird protection society, said that in the process of capturing the barn swallow on film, he could not help but feel its grief too. He said when he saw the love and pain in its eyes, he had to stop filming. When he posted the photographs up on the Internet and tried to describe what he saw, he said, the feelings rushed back and he had to stop writing.
Hsu said he was concerned that the grieving bird would not pay attention to traffic on the road, and put the corpse on the side of the road.
After this the barn swallow seemed to realize that its mate would not revive, uttered several cheeps and flew away.
The photographs raised questions about the safety of animals on the roads in Taiwan. In Western countries, such as Australia, it is common to see warning signs urging drivers to pay attention to wandering animals, such as kangaroos. Taiwan's system for protection of wildlife from traffic is not so developed.
Hsu urged drivers to take care on the roads and protect wildlife, saying careful driving could save lives.
Some net users wrote that the photographs reminded them of pets they used to have; it provoked others to discuss the philosophy of Confucian thinker Mencius and his theories that there are not many differences between humans and animals.
Barn swallows are the world's most widespread swallows. Their name derives from their affinity to nest in wooden barns in old-style farmhouses. They are characterized by their glossy, steel-blue upper side, white underside and chestnut forked chin and throat.
They are very sociable birds. Males and females usually construct a nest for their young together. Sometimes this can take eight full 14-hour days to complete.
*********************
Sunday, April 25, 2004
ANZAC Day - The ANZAC Dedication:
For the Fallen
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.
Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables at home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.
But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.
Laurence Binyon (1869-1943)
For the Fallen
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.
Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables at home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.
But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.
Laurence Binyon (1869-1943)
Saturday, April 24, 2004
When Su Hooi emailed to asked if I would be willing to guide Dr Sam Lau, a visiting wetland scientist from Hong Kong, I was at first enthusiastic, then I raised an eyebrow. He is after all a wetland scientist, a wetland ecology major from Cambridge, and a leader in his field. What could I possibly tell him that he might not know about wetlands and the mangroves?? Besides the history of Sungei Buloh, which he'd no doubt already know (since he's on the last day of his attachment with the Reserve), there was really nothing else. Reading his profile, I became a little twitchy. Messa's only small fry, you know.
There was nothing to worry about. Sam (the joke was that he's my 'cousin') was as friendly and approachable as anyone who's friendly and approachable, even more so since there're obviously connections in place to speed up the getting-to-know-you process. Somehow all these big impressive-sounding resumes and titles really do affect an acquaintance's view of a person. Eeeks, my, how we have really come to brand people... just like that. :| Thiha also commented that he had expected someone older...
Anyway, Sam later gave a talk to an audience of SBWR volunteers and NParks staff on "Hong Kong Wetland Parks and Wetland Restoration". Interesting. The main focus was on how HK does not have any significant extant wetland areas (which they define as freshwater, and not mangroves) and so this team of scientists, ecologists and civil engineers go around picking sites in which to create patches of wetland. He also touched on conservation issues and threats to existing wetlands like the famous Mai Po Marshes.
We exchanged contacts, and when I told him of my past difficulties in gaining access to Mai Po (since 'they' wanted months of advance booking for an entry permit), he offered to bring me around the next time I went back to HK. Nice...
--------------------
While trotting around during the rest of the afternoon, I came across a British birder, struggling in the Main Hide to identify some of the waders. He said he's from Kent ("Do you know where Kent is? Canterbury?") I nodded yes, and that I'm studying in London. "Oh...?" Then we started comparing birding experiences in both countries, and we talked about how lovely Singapore's weather is, and yadda yadda... after more bird-talk and ID tips, he gave me his name card, and told me to email him should I ever feel like visiting Kent - "You'll need a local to bring you around to experience the countryside".
That mades the fourth British birding contact I have on my list... all kindly old(er) men (and women).
--------------------
Didn't see any birds of interest. Managed to see the croc again though, plus a few roosting Lesser dog-faced fruit bats. Robert saw a hornbill at the Mangrove Boardwalk, but by the time I got there, it was gone! :( He said that the groups of noisy students most probably scared it away. Grrr... there were too many school groups this Sat. Told two groups off - I could hear them laughing and singing and running, even, from up to a kilometre away!
There was nothing to worry about. Sam (the joke was that he's my 'cousin') was as friendly and approachable as anyone who's friendly and approachable, even more so since there're obviously connections in place to speed up the getting-to-know-you process. Somehow all these big impressive-sounding resumes and titles really do affect an acquaintance's view of a person. Eeeks, my, how we have really come to brand people... just like that. :| Thiha also commented that he had expected someone older...
Anyway, Sam later gave a talk to an audience of SBWR volunteers and NParks staff on "Hong Kong Wetland Parks and Wetland Restoration". Interesting. The main focus was on how HK does not have any significant extant wetland areas (which they define as freshwater, and not mangroves) and so this team of scientists, ecologists and civil engineers go around picking sites in which to create patches of wetland. He also touched on conservation issues and threats to existing wetlands like the famous Mai Po Marshes.
We exchanged contacts, and when I told him of my past difficulties in gaining access to Mai Po (since 'they' wanted months of advance booking for an entry permit), he offered to bring me around the next time I went back to HK. Nice...
--------------------
While trotting around during the rest of the afternoon, I came across a British birder, struggling in the Main Hide to identify some of the waders. He said he's from Kent ("Do you know where Kent is? Canterbury?") I nodded yes, and that I'm studying in London. "Oh...?" Then we started comparing birding experiences in both countries, and we talked about how lovely Singapore's weather is, and yadda yadda... after more bird-talk and ID tips, he gave me his name card, and told me to email him should I ever feel like visiting Kent - "You'll need a local to bring you around to experience the countryside".
That mades the fourth British birding contact I have on my list... all kindly old(er) men (and women).
--------------------
Didn't see any birds of interest. Managed to see the croc again though, plus a few roosting Lesser dog-faced fruit bats. Robert saw a hornbill at the Mangrove Boardwalk, but by the time I got there, it was gone! :( He said that the groups of noisy students most probably scared it away. Grrr... there were too many school groups this Sat. Told two groups off - I could hear them laughing and singing and running, even, from up to a kilometre away!
Friday, April 23, 2004
I'm sure many Singaporeans are unaware that we do have what could be called a mini natural history museum, even if it only occupies a section of a level of a building at NUS. First question to asked would be, "What natural history??" Then, "What museum??" And just to confirm, "In Singapore, of Singapore??"
They'd be surprised. Most people would estimate the number of, say, bird species in Singapore as roughly a 100 (the actual figure is more than thrice that figure). They wouldn't be able to name 15 local birds (Try, without consulting field guides. I dare you... those in London, lunch'll be on me!).
Allow me to introduce...
RMBR houses more than 50 000 specimens of animals and plants from the Southeast Asian region, with a particular emphasis on Singapore. With specimens dating back to the 1880s, and a showcase of the locally - even globally - rare and threatened animals (which you'd never have guessed could be found here!), it's a valuable, educational, dirty-less, mosquito-less, introduction to our natural heritage. Anyone up for trips to the Museum? Events Officers??
They'd be surprised. Most people would estimate the number of, say, bird species in Singapore as roughly a 100 (the actual figure is more than thrice that figure). They wouldn't be able to name 15 local birds (Try, without consulting field guides. I dare you... those in London, lunch'll be on me!).
Allow me to introduce...
RMBR houses more than 50 000 specimens of animals and plants from the Southeast Asian region, with a particular emphasis on Singapore. With specimens dating back to the 1880s, and a showcase of the locally - even globally - rare and threatened animals (which you'd never have guessed could be found here!), it's a valuable, educational, dirty-less, mosquito-less, introduction to our natural heritage. Anyone up for trips to the Museum? Events Officers??
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
I missed the Lord of the Rings exhibition while it was in London. It's just my luck that it's in Singapore during my hols here, so I went for it at the Science Centre with Thiha and Jeanne this morn. I suffered from a brief pang of 'outsiderness' when the lady at the ticketing counter rejected my Imperial student ID, saying that only students "from Singapore" could be considered for the student entry fee. !?!? I've used my USyd student ID for months to gain discounts at numerous places of attraction in S'pore without trouble before! (Nassty ticketing people... trying to trickes us of our money...)
The exhibition was, to pick a word, educational. Lots of behind-the-scenes details, close-up views of the costumes and weapons and props used in the films. Learnt more about Massive, the technology/software used for the digital components. Impressive! I fell in love with the swords, replicas of which were available for sale, but unfortunately they're too costly for pieces of metal-coated... material.
I didn't know that former Sungei Buloh staff and volunteer Deborah's now working at the Science Centre. We bumped into her... and she managed to get us complimentary tickets to be used for our next visit to the Centre... including the Omni theatre. :)
-------------------
Went cycling cum birding at East Coast Park after that. Cycled carrying my gear. I knew what I was looking for - the bee-eaters. Managed to find one at one of the lakes... did a little digiscoping. We stopped near one of the rock bars along the beach, and... spotted a horseshoe crab lying on the sand! I love them... those ancient creatures. :D
The exhibition was, to pick a word, educational. Lots of behind-the-scenes details, close-up views of the costumes and weapons and props used in the films. Learnt more about Massive, the technology/software used for the digital components. Impressive! I fell in love with the swords, replicas of which were available for sale, but unfortunately they're too costly for pieces of metal-coated... material.
I didn't know that former Sungei Buloh staff and volunteer Deborah's now working at the Science Centre. We bumped into her... and she managed to get us complimentary tickets to be used for our next visit to the Centre... including the Omni theatre. :)
-------------------
Went cycling cum birding at East Coast Park after that. Cycled carrying my gear. I knew what I was looking for - the bee-eaters. Managed to find one at one of the lakes... did a little digiscoping. We stopped near one of the rock bars along the beach, and... spotted a horseshoe crab lying on the sand! I love them... those ancient creatures. :D
I was supposed to take bus no. 14 home yesterday from the Botanic Gardens. But my mom called. "Nicoll Highway has collapsed! I just heard the news. I'll be picking you up." Nicoll Highway... what did she mean by 'collapsed'? I was curious. I didn't quite know how to picture a 'collapsed' highway in my mind. At first I thought the bridge over the Kallang River had broken across.
Later, I heard the radio. From the ECP, I could see police and civil defence vehicles and officers around Nicoll Highway. I saw the images on TV... and was aghast at how much like the scene of an earthquake the area looked. Oooo... scary. Knowing that the highway could be extremely packed at times, I was concerned about the casualty rates and vehicles trapped. "One dead, three hurt, three missing" was what was reported. Not as bad as what would have been expected, but it's a little shock to the system nonetheless. What could have caused it to happen? What about other areas which lie above the circle line tunnels? And other questions. These are all answered in the ST articles.
And... just a little thought. This incident is only a small one on the scale of 'disasters and accidents', and yet the whole nation is creating such a hullabaloo out of it. This was not a terrorist attack; this is not an attack of any sort, but it is something that happened on home ground. Imagine the shock, horror, shaken confidences and I-can't-believe-it mentality of the people of America, Spain, and countless other countries affected by acts of terror... I say God bless us all.
Later, I heard the radio. From the ECP, I could see police and civil defence vehicles and officers around Nicoll Highway. I saw the images on TV... and was aghast at how much like the scene of an earthquake the area looked. Oooo... scary. Knowing that the highway could be extremely packed at times, I was concerned about the casualty rates and vehicles trapped. "One dead, three hurt, three missing" was what was reported. Not as bad as what would have been expected, but it's a little shock to the system nonetheless. What could have caused it to happen? What about other areas which lie above the circle line tunnels? And other questions. These are all answered in the ST articles.
And... just a little thought. This incident is only a small one on the scale of 'disasters and accidents', and yet the whole nation is creating such a hullabaloo out of it. This was not a terrorist attack; this is not an attack of any sort, but it is something that happened on home ground. Imagine the shock, horror, shaken confidences and I-can't-believe-it mentality of the people of America, Spain, and countless other countries affected by acts of terror... I say God bless us all.
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Sunday
Witnessed Thiha's baptism with Jeanne at one of their church member's home. They were baptised in the swimming pool... This was my first time seeing people being baptised in a pool! My church has a hidden water 'bath' under the stage...
Went for dinner together after that...
Monday
Stayed at home... bludged and mugged. Uploaded some Italy pics but the Italy exhibition is not open for viewing yet.
Today
Botanic Gardens again. I knew I'd be hanging out around Orchard today (had to pass the stuff to Alex's friend and Lionel's sis :P) and so I brought my gear along. It was so quiet there today. A little too cloudy and overcast for digiscoping; I made do with however much of sunlight there was. There was a slight drizzle and lightning at one point, and a kindly man who walked past me smiled, and pointing at my tripod, warned, "You better be careful eh. There's lightning." :|
Despite appearances, today was gooood. Saw the little gem of a Blue-crowned hanging parrot, and Rainbow lorikeets! Digiscoped some Long-tailed parakeets! And a Common flameback woodpecker! And a Olive-backed sunbird building its nest (filmed it too)! And had a few good shots of a Yellow bittern. Eeeks... gotta brush up more on my Mandarin. Had a hard time explaining to a Chinese couple what a bittern is (ie. it's not a duck. It's not a chicken ~ serious... they actually asked! That it's something like a heron. It's a 'waterbird' ~ duh... etc etc.)
Romance is in the air... literally. It's the resident bird nesting season. Everywhere I go, I see nests up in trees, male pigeons wooing females, or swan pairs parading. Even the sparrows chase after their mates. :)
Witnessed Thiha's baptism with Jeanne at one of their church member's home. They were baptised in the swimming pool... This was my first time seeing people being baptised in a pool! My church has a hidden water 'bath' under the stage...
Went for dinner together after that...
Monday
Stayed at home... bludged and mugged. Uploaded some Italy pics but the Italy exhibition is not open for viewing yet.
Today
Botanic Gardens again. I knew I'd be hanging out around Orchard today (had to pass the stuff to Alex's friend and Lionel's sis :P) and so I brought my gear along. It was so quiet there today. A little too cloudy and overcast for digiscoping; I made do with however much of sunlight there was. There was a slight drizzle and lightning at one point, and a kindly man who walked past me smiled, and pointing at my tripod, warned, "You better be careful eh. There's lightning." :|
Despite appearances, today was gooood. Saw the little gem of a Blue-crowned hanging parrot, and Rainbow lorikeets! Digiscoped some Long-tailed parakeets! And a Common flameback woodpecker! And a Olive-backed sunbird building its nest (filmed it too)! And had a few good shots of a Yellow bittern. Eeeks... gotta brush up more on my Mandarin. Had a hard time explaining to a Chinese couple what a bittern is (ie. it's not a duck. It's not a chicken ~ serious... they actually asked! That it's something like a heron. It's a 'waterbird' ~ duh... etc etc.)
Romance is in the air... literally. It's the resident bird nesting season. Everywhere I go, I see nests up in trees, male pigeons wooing females, or swan pairs parading. Even the sparrows chase after their mates. :)
Saturday, April 17, 2004
Sungei Buloh - I was on duty for the 9am slot yesterday.
Was afraid that I might have to guide the group of 120 boy scouts... but they didn't want a guided tour; and there were other volunteers to take on the other school groups. Phew. I dislike guiding sec school students. And big groups. I guided a couple instead. As in... adult, parents kinds of couple. After I said a few sentences the father asked me, "Are you from the UK?" I raised my eyebrows, "Erm, I'm not from there, but I study there..." He went, "Ahh... I thought so. Your accent..." (-_-)' Sigh... I am certain I do not have an English accent! Aussie, maybe, but not British English! Anyway, he asked me where I was studying, and it turned out that he was from Imperial! He joked, "Is it still male-dominated? When I did engineering then, there wasn't a single girl in my course." To which his wife gave him a playful push. Heee... they are planning to send their daughter -who is in my batch- to Imperial to study Medicine. Asked me how it's like there... how I'm finding it... the lecturers, London in general, etc etc. ;)
Besides that little bonus, the day was extremely rewarding.
I sighted a lifer - a Chinese pond heron. Or a Javan pond heron, for all I know. Even the experts can't really tell. According to my field guide: "Chinese Pond Heron, adult non-breeding plumage: Possibly indistinguishable from other pond herons but may tend to show more obvious dusky tips to outermost primaries than Javan" and "Javan Pond Heron, adult non-breeding plumage: Possibly indistinguishable from other pond herons but may tend to show less obvious dusky tips to outermost primaries than Chinese". Rrright... veeery helpful.
I managed to photograph and film, through the scope, a milky stork feeding on a mangrove whipray.
Lots of migratory waders are still here, even when 'officially' their stopover break in S'pore should have ended.
I digiscoped a Pacific Golden Plover in all the slendor of its breeding plumage.
I saw and took a pic of an orange jellyfish.
I didn't get any sandfly bites, even though I went to Route 3 and Kranji Nature Trail as well.
It didn't rain, although the forecast said it would.
... and best of all, I saw a CROCODILE from the Main Bridge!! :)
I didn't see it at first. Rather, I was looking at a bird (the Chinese pond heron) which was perched on a branch above the croc... and trying to figure out what species of heron/bittern it was. I walked towards Robert who was in the middle of the bridge (he went there earlier) and pointed in the direction of the bird.
I asked, "Do you see that?"
He went, "Yah."
"Do you know what that is?"
He nodded, "Yah. It's a crocodile."
"?!?!!!"
Then I saw it. I practically whooped with excitement, and started shooting away with my digi.
Very often, you just need to be at the right place at the right time with the right people, a combination which is not that easy to come by.
More new pics: Birds, Herptiles, and Fish and Others exhibitions.
Ps. The pics of the 'rooster' I took on Friday is not an ordinary rooster! It's a male Red junglefowl, the ancestor of the domestic chicken! In other words... this is the great, great great etc. grandfather of all chooks...
The croc (which I presume is a Siamese aka Freshwater croc... or a hybrid Saltwater-Siamese):
Edit: Ooh... one more anecdote... we (Thiha - yeah, he was there the whole day as well -, Robert, and I) were having lunch in the cafeteria, and this annoying person kept playing with his phone ringtones for a good 15 mins or so, and Robert said at first "I wish phones have a self-destruct function. You play more than 5 ringtones in a row and it goes 'BOOM'!". Then when the ringing failed to cease, he got up and left, "I go to the main bridge. If they follow, I jump." lol. Quite a humorous guy for a German, as TH likes to say.
Was afraid that I might have to guide the group of 120 boy scouts... but they didn't want a guided tour; and there were other volunteers to take on the other school groups. Phew. I dislike guiding sec school students. And big groups. I guided a couple instead. As in... adult, parents kinds of couple. After I said a few sentences the father asked me, "Are you from the UK?" I raised my eyebrows, "Erm, I'm not from there, but I study there..." He went, "Ahh... I thought so. Your accent..." (-_-)' Sigh... I am certain I do not have an English accent! Aussie, maybe, but not British English! Anyway, he asked me where I was studying, and it turned out that he was from Imperial! He joked, "Is it still male-dominated? When I did engineering then, there wasn't a single girl in my course." To which his wife gave him a playful push. Heee... they are planning to send their daughter -who is in my batch- to Imperial to study Medicine. Asked me how it's like there... how I'm finding it... the lecturers, London in general, etc etc. ;)
Besides that little bonus, the day was extremely rewarding.
I sighted a lifer - a Chinese pond heron. Or a Javan pond heron, for all I know. Even the experts can't really tell. According to my field guide: "Chinese Pond Heron, adult non-breeding plumage: Possibly indistinguishable from other pond herons but may tend to show more obvious dusky tips to outermost primaries than Javan" and "Javan Pond Heron, adult non-breeding plumage: Possibly indistinguishable from other pond herons but may tend to show less obvious dusky tips to outermost primaries than Chinese". Rrright... veeery helpful.
I managed to photograph and film, through the scope, a milky stork feeding on a mangrove whipray.
Lots of migratory waders are still here, even when 'officially' their stopover break in S'pore should have ended.
I digiscoped a Pacific Golden Plover in all the slendor of its breeding plumage.
I saw and took a pic of an orange jellyfish.
I didn't get any sandfly bites, even though I went to Route 3 and Kranji Nature Trail as well.
It didn't rain, although the forecast said it would.
... and best of all, I saw a CROCODILE from the Main Bridge!! :)
I didn't see it at first. Rather, I was looking at a bird (the Chinese pond heron) which was perched on a branch above the croc... and trying to figure out what species of heron/bittern it was. I walked towards Robert who was in the middle of the bridge (he went there earlier) and pointed in the direction of the bird.
I asked, "Do you see that?"
He went, "Yah."
"Do you know what that is?"
He nodded, "Yah. It's a crocodile."
"?!?!!!"
Then I saw it. I practically whooped with excitement, and started shooting away with my digi.
Very often, you just need to be at the right place at the right time with the right people, a combination which is not that easy to come by.
More new pics: Birds, Herptiles, and Fish and Others exhibitions.
Ps. The pics of the 'rooster' I took on Friday is not an ordinary rooster! It's a male Red junglefowl, the ancestor of the domestic chicken! In other words... this is the great, great great etc. grandfather of all chooks...
The croc (which I presume is a Siamese aka Freshwater croc... or a hybrid Saltwater-Siamese):
Edit: Ooh... one more anecdote... we (Thiha - yeah, he was there the whole day as well -, Robert, and I) were having lunch in the cafeteria, and this annoying person kept playing with his phone ringtones for a good 15 mins or so, and Robert said at first "I wish phones have a self-destruct function. You play more than 5 ringtones in a row and it goes 'BOOM'!". Then when the ringing failed to cease, he got up and left, "I go to the main bridge. If they follow, I jump." lol. Quite a humorous guy for a German, as TH likes to say.
Friday, April 16, 2004
Yesterday's meeting at my alma mater TKGS was extremely fruitful. From the SEC/GVN (S'pore Environment Council/Green Volunteers Network) are Joe, ThiHa and myself. On the TKGS side... is this new teacher, the Subject Head for 'Community Service and External Partnership'. She joined the school only last year, and seems like a nice lady.
We discussed feasible projects for the school to undertake... the actual events to take place around Youth Day celebrations and Project REAP (Respecting the Environment, Appreciating the People) in July, as well as long-term projects, or 'sustained partnership' as Ms Hamidah likes to call it. Yikes... they want me to hold an assembly talk... a presentation to introduce the students to nature and environmental issues, and to the project/s that they will be undertaking. Gulp. But... it'll be a good opportunity to 'reach out'.
The meeting was held in the staff room lounge. It was weird... a place formerly strictly out-of-bounds... and there we were sitting on the sofas sipping water while teachers walked in and out. It was funny, though. More than once a teacher bent over, looked at me, and went, "Are you Jacqueline? You're Jacqueline, right?" then I'd go, "Hello Mrs (or Mr) so-and-so!" I spent some time before and after the meeting to chat with my teachers. They still remember the lizards that I used to bring to class. :) Most also asked about Tania and ZF or Lydia... our foursome used to be known as the Four Musketeers. All nodded their heads as I told them how I had switched to Ecology. "I never imagined you doing Business", they'd say, "Why did you do that in the first place?" And... I found out that my prefect mistress was actually in Venice with the choir girls when I went backpacking there! Reminds me of Turn Left, Turn Right...
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Today was originally set aside for a field day out at the Central Catchment Nature Reserves and Sime Forest, but... I ended up at Sungei Buloh instead. Wanted to do some proper digiscoping at the Reserve without the hassle of needing to tend to members of the public. No guided tours on Fridays... much, much less visitors during weekdays... so it was all cool.
There was a school talk scheduled for today, and Jeanne was supposed to be the one presenting. But her recent sorethroat left her voice edgy... and she asked if 'we' could 'take over' her... (as Outreach Officer, she has been doing the same 'school talk' at a rate of 12x3 per year... so I guess it must've become pretty dull for her :/) So while ThiHa supervised a school group doing their CIP coastal clean-up, I clicked powerpoint slides and 'talked' to a theatrette-full of P6 students from New Town Pri. Bleh... general stuff. Intro to Sungei Buloh, the different habitats, intro to the fauna and flora, uses of mangroves, a little bit of ecology (my field! :P), and a heated quiz... a quarter of the theatrette had raised hands and they practically 'fought' to answer... 'tis the power of prizes :P. Only thing that got my throwing my hands in the air was when they ended with a "thank you auntie Jacqueline". Arhhhh!! I think I prefer schoolchildren as audience (heehee: "Teacher, how can the monitor lizard catch birds?"). It's easier to entertain them... make things funny... get them interested. Adults... they are capable of dozing right in front of you, and they are much more difficult to please.
'Old Man' Fu Wei came today, after a long period of absence from guiding. He cycled here and arrived with a badly-bleeding knee. He's grown much taller... arrgh! He used to be shorter than me! :P (That was what, 3 yrs ago?) He'll also be going to Australia... going to Perth... this Fri... for high school. So there goes... Sungei Buloh's officially 'lost' its three youngest volunteers to the land Down Under. The staff are wondering... what's so attractive about Aussieland? :P
New pics from today: in the Birds, Arthropods, and Herptiles exhibitions.
We discussed feasible projects for the school to undertake... the actual events to take place around Youth Day celebrations and Project REAP (Respecting the Environment, Appreciating the People) in July, as well as long-term projects, or 'sustained partnership' as Ms Hamidah likes to call it. Yikes... they want me to hold an assembly talk... a presentation to introduce the students to nature and environmental issues, and to the project/s that they will be undertaking. Gulp. But... it'll be a good opportunity to 'reach out'.
The meeting was held in the staff room lounge. It was weird... a place formerly strictly out-of-bounds... and there we were sitting on the sofas sipping water while teachers walked in and out. It was funny, though. More than once a teacher bent over, looked at me, and went, "Are you Jacqueline? You're Jacqueline, right?" then I'd go, "Hello Mrs (or Mr) so-and-so!" I spent some time before and after the meeting to chat with my teachers. They still remember the lizards that I used to bring to class. :) Most also asked about Tania and ZF or Lydia... our foursome used to be known as the Four Musketeers. All nodded their heads as I told them how I had switched to Ecology. "I never imagined you doing Business", they'd say, "Why did you do that in the first place?" And... I found out that my prefect mistress was actually in Venice with the choir girls when I went backpacking there! Reminds me of Turn Left, Turn Right...
--------------------------
Today was originally set aside for a field day out at the Central Catchment Nature Reserves and Sime Forest, but... I ended up at Sungei Buloh instead. Wanted to do some proper digiscoping at the Reserve without the hassle of needing to tend to members of the public. No guided tours on Fridays... much, much less visitors during weekdays... so it was all cool.
There was a school talk scheduled for today, and Jeanne was supposed to be the one presenting. But her recent sorethroat left her voice edgy... and she asked if 'we' could 'take over' her... (as Outreach Officer, she has been doing the same 'school talk' at a rate of 12x3 per year... so I guess it must've become pretty dull for her :/) So while ThiHa supervised a school group doing their CIP coastal clean-up, I clicked powerpoint slides and 'talked' to a theatrette-full of P6 students from New Town Pri. Bleh... general stuff. Intro to Sungei Buloh, the different habitats, intro to the fauna and flora, uses of mangroves, a little bit of ecology (my field! :P), and a heated quiz... a quarter of the theatrette had raised hands and they practically 'fought' to answer... 'tis the power of prizes :P. Only thing that got my throwing my hands in the air was when they ended with a "thank you auntie Jacqueline". Arhhhh!! I think I prefer schoolchildren as audience (heehee: "Teacher, how can the monitor lizard catch birds?"). It's easier to entertain them... make things funny... get them interested. Adults... they are capable of dozing right in front of you, and they are much more difficult to please.
'Old Man' Fu Wei came today, after a long period of absence from guiding. He cycled here and arrived with a badly-bleeding knee. He's grown much taller... arrgh! He used to be shorter than me! :P (That was what, 3 yrs ago?) He'll also be going to Australia... going to Perth... this Fri... for high school. So there goes... Sungei Buloh's officially 'lost' its three youngest volunteers to the land Down Under. The staff are wondering... what's so attractive about Aussieland? :P
New pics from today: in the Birds, Arthropods, and Herptiles exhibitions.
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
I know... I really should be blogging about my trip and putting up the photos... but I didn't. My laptop not having access to the 'net in my first few days back home was a major... badness. :P Then there's my collection of a massive 600+ photos... gotta edit those (ie. crop and tone down the res., sort out blurry ones... duplicates... etc etc) and Photoshop, as usual, keeps freezing my poor preciousss. I'm half-way through! Then... there's also 'no time' to simply sit down and write properly, and I'm sure no-one would appreciate a rough, broken-English-ed statement-by-statement journal of the trip. Right?
Bottom line is... give me time!
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First night back... had shabu-shabu dinner. Yummm... Jap beef! Jap mushrooms! Yam balls! Home! Mom's desserts! Slept till mid-noon the next day... a little jet-lagged... was out whole day Sunday... watched some HK movie (The Twins Effect) at night... the best HK movie to date! Cool! Action-packed! Studied a little on Mon... bummed around, and forgot what else I did. Watched a bit of Black Hawk Down on HBO... the gore doesn't really show on the small screen.
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Today... went to Hello SingTel to take a look at what phone models I could upgrade to... my 8310 keeps hanging on me... no camera... gettin' outdated... then... spent an hour in the 'camera shop' settling (finally) my order of the scope-camera attachments. I placed the order last Aug, I think, and when I came back in Jan I didn't bring my scope with me... so... they told me to come back 'another day' to try out the combinations... and that 'another day' just so happened to be today... at last! Haha... my new toy! Got a high-tech remote cord as well. 4 new sets of accessories. A few hundred bucks. Sigh... I guess the Swarovski scope will have to wait another few more years... or maybe I'll get a digital SLR... (yeah I know... dream on!)
Had the chance to play and experiment with the new gear at the Botanic Gardens. I love it! It makes me wonder why didn't I get the attachments sooner... the difference is so great... quality is much higher. :) Just gotta experiment and get used to the new functions and possibilities. Mozzies gave me kisses. Ants gave me bites. Thiha gave me a belated birthday card signed by some of the Sungei Buloh staff... :)
Bumped into Keith and his wife (and his Golden retriever) at the Botanics... talked for quite a while... he said he didn't realise that it's been 5 years since he's known me and since I've started guiding at Sungei Buloh... and that in his mind I was only 16! Haha... it's been too long since we've last met.
More new pics can be found in the Birds, Arthropods and Herptiles exhibits.
Bottom line is... give me time!
----------------------
First night back... had shabu-shabu dinner. Yummm... Jap beef! Jap mushrooms! Yam balls! Home! Mom's desserts! Slept till mid-noon the next day... a little jet-lagged... was out whole day Sunday... watched some HK movie (The Twins Effect) at night... the best HK movie to date! Cool! Action-packed! Studied a little on Mon... bummed around, and forgot what else I did. Watched a bit of Black Hawk Down on HBO... the gore doesn't really show on the small screen.
----------------------
Today... went to Hello SingTel to take a look at what phone models I could upgrade to... my 8310 keeps hanging on me... no camera... gettin' outdated... then... spent an hour in the 'camera shop' settling (finally) my order of the scope-camera attachments. I placed the order last Aug, I think, and when I came back in Jan I didn't bring my scope with me... so... they told me to come back 'another day' to try out the combinations... and that 'another day' just so happened to be today... at last! Haha... my new toy! Got a high-tech remote cord as well. 4 new sets of accessories. A few hundred bucks. Sigh... I guess the Swarovski scope will have to wait another few more years... or maybe I'll get a digital SLR... (yeah I know... dream on!)
Had the chance to play and experiment with the new gear at the Botanic Gardens. I love it! It makes me wonder why didn't I get the attachments sooner... the difference is so great... quality is much higher. :) Just gotta experiment and get used to the new functions and possibilities. Mozzies gave me kisses. Ants gave me bites. Thiha gave me a belated birthday card signed by some of the Sungei Buloh staff... :)
Bumped into Keith and his wife (and his Golden retriever) at the Botanics... talked for quite a while... he said he didn't realise that it's been 5 years since he's known me and since I've started guiding at Sungei Buloh... and that in his mind I was only 16! Haha... it's been too long since we've last met.
More new pics can be found in the Birds, Arthropods and Herptiles exhibits.
Thursday, April 08, 2004
I'm back!!! *Fred Flintstone voice*
What fun! What an experience! Backpacking across Italy... covering 5 cities within 8 days... with a 9+kg rucksack.
We came back at 3+am this morn, and I slept till mid-noon, through a series of phone calls and door-knocks...
No time to blog in detail... I'll save that for later. Took a total of 626 photos during the trip - it'll take a while to sort those out.
My room is in a total mess. Gotta unpack and pack. Am flying back to S'pore tomorrow... I'm open to orders and requests now. ;)
The others who went to Germany are back too - thanks guys for getting me the little hedgehog and Lego AT-AT. :)
What fun! What an experience! Backpacking across Italy... covering 5 cities within 8 days... with a 9+kg rucksack.
We came back at 3+am this morn, and I slept till mid-noon, through a series of phone calls and door-knocks...
No time to blog in detail... I'll save that for later. Took a total of 626 photos during the trip - it'll take a while to sort those out.
My room is in a total mess. Gotta unpack and pack. Am flying back to S'pore tomorrow... I'm open to orders and requests now. ;)
The others who went to Germany are back too - thanks guys for getting me the little hedgehog and Lego AT-AT. :)
