Monday, December 29, 2008

Wild Geese

In this beautiful poem I finally found a voice that so closely echoed all that was whispering in my heart one distilling dawn by the remote sea at Beting Bronok. There then I felt a gift had been given me - an epiphany of light and truth and the passion and joy of life screaming out to celebrate and to share. I felt so happy and I have learned so much. I am glad too the fleeting moment of my wondering at Beting Bronok I did capture. I called it Passion.

Mary Oliver's Wild Geese should move you out from wherever you may be into the light of living in the freedom of a priceless life, of discovering who you are and the world about you... i.e. if you chose to... fearlessly and lovingly... with acceptance and reckless abandonment. There is no time to lose.


Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal in your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue sky,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Source: Dream Work by Mary Oliver
published by Atlantic Monthly Press

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Dead Colugo found near Chestnut Drive

This is a belated sad news: a colugo had been found dead by the roadside near Chestnut Drive on Monday morning of 22nd December 2008.


Clarence Chua, who found it, commented:

"The specimen was laid out on the kerb. I think the driver put it there after hitting it. It was an adult I think. Hardly damaged, with only small drops of blood from mouth. Estimate that it died last night as the blood had dried. The spot was by a small sparsely wooded area in between Dairy Farm and Chestnut Drive Roads, about 1km off BTNR. I think it got hit by a car as it tried to glide from the wooded area to bukit gombak forest across the road.It's indeed saddening to see a relatively rare mammal die this way".


That morning, Clarence gave me an SOS call and started me off on a series of frantic phone calls to people who can help. Mr Leong Kwok Peng of nearby Diary Farm Adventure Centre responsed most expeditiously. He collected the specimen near Lamp post no. 142 within minutes of my call. He took photos and later called staff from Bukit Timah Nature Reserve to take it off his hands.


Thanks Clarence, thanks Kwok Peng, for your concern and speedy action. The colugo may have died, but because of you, some invaluable data (which could well be revealed by expert studies of a rare fresh carcass) did not die along with it. Interestingly, the first people I called - RMBR (Raffles Museum) - turned down my offer of a fresh specimen.

[Photo credit: Leong Kwok Peng]

Monday, December 15, 2008

Trilobite Larvae: The Peter Pan of the Insect World

On a recent outing up Buikit Timah Hill with some wonderfully-kind folks from sponsor SPRING SINGAPORE and beautiful kids from BEYOND, I had the rare opportunity to explain the natural history of the Trilobite Larvae and how special it is. We found one (about 8cm long) crawling on a rotting log. Interestingly, this one remained completely still (as if pretending to be dead or lifeless) when we moved closer to look.



A fascinating account of the Trilobite Larvae can be found in the blog Bianca Sunshine.


Along the way, the Creepy Crawlies - a centipede, a millipede, a leafhopper, stingless bees, giant forest ants, a palm nettle caterpillar, a longhorn beetle, butterflies, a bush cricket, plenty of pond-skaters, a jumping spider, a super long-legged cranefly and a forest cockcroach - came out in force to entertain the kids and opened up for them a little window into the incredible world of the Rainforest! : )

Saturday, October 25, 2008

New Book: The Bridge at the Edge of the World

New Book Recommendation:
The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability - by James Gustave Speth, Dean of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

Excerpts: Seeing an “emerging environmental tragedy of unprecedented proportions,” Speth says the book’s aim is to describe a non-socialist alternative to capitalism. That alternative includes moving to a post-growth society and environmentally honest prices, curbing consumerism with a new ethic of sufficiency, rolling back growing corporate control of American political life, and addressing the enormous economic insecurity of the average person.
“My point of departure is the momentous environmental challenge we face,” Speth says. “But today’s environmental reality is linked powerfully with other realities, including growing social inequality and neglect and the erosion of democratic governance and popular control.” Speth examines how these seemingly separate areas of public concern are intertwined and calls upon citizens to mobilize spiritual and political resources for transformative change on all three fronts.


Enter here to listen to the author as he speaks about the challenges we face today and how real transformative change can come about.

More about the book at: http://www.thebridgeattheendoftheworld.com/

Friday, October 24, 2008

Consume Less!

I was wondering what photo to use in this post of mine when I chanced upon the photo below: an outdoor toilet or 'jamban' in Pulau Ubin.

'How appropriate!' - I thought - abstract but absolutely dramatic! It brings to bear the 'shit-house' of a dwelling place we have built for ourselves through consumeristic wanton-ness and consequential waste in an otherwise sustainable earth.

To be true, our 'jamban' may be small (considering how insignificant the human species is in the scheme of earthly life), but our self-destructive hunger for more leaves no corner of the earth unfouled. And this is exactly what modern society tells us to do day-in-day-out: it tells us to CONSUME more and more, BUY more and more!

The following short film by Leo Murray and an essay by James Gustave Speth - 'Environmental Failure: A Case for a new Green Politics' - tell us what we CAN and MUST do. Simply put, we are being called to revolutionary actions beyond our personal footprint-watch.

Short Film: Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip

James Gustave Speth: 'Environmental Failure: A Case for a new Green Politics'

Here's an excerpt from the short film (written by Leo Murray):

"There is no great mystery about what we need to do to reduce emissions in line with the science; we simply need to consume less.
But that is out of the question in a society which is founded on the ever-increasing consumption of materials and energy.
Nobody has all of the answers; but we do know that this is not the only way to live, and given that it is almost certainly going to kill us all, we had better start looking urgently at some of the alternatives. It is now very clear that in order to actually win the fight against climate change, making big changes to the way we each live our own lives is not going to be enough; we’re also going to have to actively confront powerful vested interests who will stop at nothing to prevent the changes we need from taking place. We have to be more than just consumers.
These are extraordinary times. Preventing runaway global warming is the single most important task in all of human history – and it has fallen to us to do it. If we don’t, then everything else we work to achieve in our lives will be destroyed, or become meaningless. Those who came before us didn't know about this problem, and those who come after will be powerless to do anything about it. But for us, there's still time! We'd better get a move on though."


CONSUMING LESS - it is the only way to go.

Read also New Scientist: Endless Growth is Folly

cheers,

Joe Lai

Sunday, October 12, 2008

My Sundew Has Grown!

My sundew has grown! It has caught its first insect! I am so proud : )

Take a close look. See how the red stalks rising from the leaf surface bear droplets of mucilage that hold the insect. The photo below shows how the stimulus of the contact makes adjacent stalks bend toward the insect, tying it down more securely. These same glands that secrete mucilage then exude digestive enzymes and later resorb the digested products as nutrition for the sundew.

Recently, I conducted a special leaf workshop called 'Leaves You Captive' for 25 homeschool kids. We learned what is a leaf and why a leaf is so important to the plant. We learned through many examples the great diversity of leaf forms and functions. A leaf can be very special - like the sundew, for example. In the wild, the leaf can make a difference to the survival of the plant. Besides helping to receive sunlight and produce sugar-food for the plant through photosynthesis, a leaf can help a plant to do all sort of marvellous things - to climb, to hold water, to provide food and home to symbiotic animal-friends, to attract pollinators to the flowers, to float, to protect the plant from predators, to trap insects, and yes, to help the plant reproduce vegetatively too!

John (above) is one of the homeschool kids who attended my workshop. He likes to share his learning experience with all his friends. [Thanks John! I am glad you enjoyed the workshop.] This is what he wrote:

What Uncle Joe showed us:
Uncle Joe showed us a plant called “Doodle”(Sounds like noodle; and looks like yellow noodles).He also showed us a type of fern that can make a silvery white mark on things. It is called Silver Fern.


What we did:
We went for a treasure hunt and I found the following plants: Sea Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, Barrel Cactus, Bromelid, Kalanchoe, Sundew, Dischidia and Pitcher Plant.

Facts:
Leaves can be oval shape, heart shape, round shape, sword shape, fan shape, oblong shape, spoon shape, toothed, feathery and lobed. The Pitcher Plant (also called monkey cup) and the Sundew are CARNIVOROUS!! Under the dead leaves of the Bird’s Nest Fern, there may be BATS.

What I saw and how I feel:
I saw a water skater, a LARGE SPIDER and a strange insect. I feel very happy because I learned a lot of things and I saw lots of INSECTS.

Other Information: 1) Leaf Workshop 'Leaves You Captive' 2) How to pot sundew and venus fly-trap from culture.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

New Young Writers Inspired by Pulau Ubin and Chek Jawa

Hurray! Three bright young ladies have joined Flying Fish Friends as Young Writers!

Meet Koo Ning, Samantha and Phoebe! They are all cheerful homeschoolers and happy learners.

Koo Ning has many friends who are already Young Writers. Beside taking part in dance performances, she wants to be a writer too.

Samantha and Phoebe are sisters. They have a natural flair for writing. I am particularly pleased by the fact that they were inspired by Pulau Ubin and Chek Jawa to start blogging.

[Photo above: Samantha (in pink) and Phoebe (green-striped shirt) at Pulau Ubin]

Here are their new blogs:

Koo Ning's Swimming Bird

Samantha's Shimagoma

Phoebe's Pandagoma

May I invite you into the wonderful world of Koo Ning, Samantha and Phoebe!

CHEERS!

Uncle Joe : )

Friday, September 12, 2008

How to pot Sundew and Venus Fly-Trap from culture



(1) Open bottle only when ready to pot plant. (Potting mixture should be peat mixed with perlite)

(2) Wet potting mixture thoroughly with overnight boiled water or preferably rain water.

(3) Lift plant gently out with tweezer and wash off agar by swishing it gently in a small tub of water.

(4) Plant it in the potting mixture and put under indirect sunlight. Do not water plant directly. Instead, put plant pot in shallow tray and ensure tray has sufficient water at all times.

(5) It will take a week or two for plant to slowly acclimatize to external environment. This process can be done using a clear plastic bag and rubber band to cover the top of the pot or seal the top with an airtight cover. Over a period of two weeks, make small holes on plastic cover, increasing the number of holes everyday, or sliding off the cover for 5 minutes on the first day and extending 10 minutes, 15 minutes, half an hour and beyond every subsequent day. After two weeks the plant should be fully acclimatized to the external environment, after which you can expose it to direct sunlight but not for the first month at least.




Saturday, August 30, 2008

Botanical Workshop: Leaves You Captive

Leaves You Captive is a captivating hands-on learning journey for children to explore the fascinating world of leaves. [Photo below (by Alex Teoh): Drosera burmannii, native sundew of Malaysia]

With the aid of as many as twenty plants, the workshop showcases leaves of various shapes and sizes, colours and textures. Specimens include the leafless Dodder Plant and plants with leaves that float, climb, help pollination, produce nectar, provide homes for insects, etc.

The carnivorous Sundew and Venus Fly-trap - whose leaves lure and trap insects - are the highlights of the workshop. These are used effectively to tell the story of how plants adapt and survive in their own unique environment. Each child will be presented with a sundew for growing and study at home.

Leaves You Captive serves to capture the imagination of the child to the wonderous diversity of leaf forms and functions and understand profoundly how the basic building blocks of life on earth start with the LEAF in its ability to capture energy from the sun and render plants as primary producers - direct or indirect food - for almost all living creatures. Little wonder the Chinese saying of old: See the World in a Leaf.

[Photo above: Drosera nidiformis]

[Photo above: Drosera spathulata, a native sundew of Malaysia]

[Photo above (by Richmond): Dionaea muscipala, Venus Fly-trap caught a fly]

Sunday, August 24, 2008

A Rare Native Tree 'Uncovered' in Serangoon

It is a native tree, Cordia dichotoma - one very rare living specimen in today's Singapore - finally 'uncovered'!

Why 'uncovered' and not 'discovered'? Well, it's because I have long known the tree in Serangoon (Rosyth Road) but its identity has eluded me till now; it's fruiting! I don't usually come this way, so I might have missed some previous fruiting spells if any. But yesterday's encounter was simply MAGIC... 'uncovered'! : )

It's a tree of back mangrove and coastal hills. In former days, it must have been found everywhere in Singapore, not just primary rainforest. I bet, if we look hard enough, there is a high chance some can be found in the relatively undisturbed southern islands of Singapore today, e.g. Pulau Senang or Pawai, and not discounting outbacks like the Western Catchment (which is off-limit to the public) and Pulau Ubin.

The fruit contains a sticky pulp and favoured as gum to the extend of being introduced into the villages of old in Ponggol, Changi and Chua Chu Kang. One name given to it attests to its gummy property - Birdlime Tree. The other common English name is Fragrant Manjack. A quick chat with the taoist nun living in the adjacent temple revealed it was planted by the temple's keeper more than 30 years ago.

Literature also tells of a tree which is highly diverse in its leaf shape and colour of its fruit. In exceptional circumstances it has also been found to thrive as a woody climber in Malaysia. Not surprisingly, three 'species' were previously recognised instead of one - all due to taxonomic confusion arising from wrong identification. It does make my present 'un-covery' all the more satisfying, doesn't it? : )

For those tree-lovers out there, don't wait too long to pay homage to this tree. More photos are found here in my Companion Guide to Wayside Trees of Malaya.

In the meantime, I have collected seeds which I will donate to the Singapore Botanic Garden and yes... Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve! Yeh!! This is definitely a native tree of cultural significance to be preserved.

The other two Cordia species in Singapore are Cordia cylindristachya and Cordia subcordata.

Joe Lai : )

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Salads: Love Food by Busy Dads

Dear friends,

lately I have been concocting salads for myself. Firstly, it is a health choice for me. Now that I am reaching fifty in two years, I thought I had better have a good early start now than later down the road to a golden robust age. My second reason for going the way of the vegetables concerns animals. Recent news reporting sadistic physical abuse on cattles by ranchers in USA turn me round finally from eating meat today. Call me silly, but I felt better each day not eating meat in solidarity with the animals. However, I have decided to adopt a slow approach to my diet change, i.e. eating seafood still but not big animals - poultry, pork, beef and mutton. So far, I am glad to say I have not suffered any withdrawal. Actually, it has been a breeze. Who knows, one day, a vegant I be.

But my unashamed profession here is not the reason why I am writing to you now. It is the busy dads of homeschool kids I like to reach out to here. Why? Read on...


You see, I have also begun introducing salads to my son Min. I remember the pleasant smile beaming from his face when I presented it to him the first time [see photo above]. I caught him by surprise with a dish decorated evidently with lots of love. The wonderful thing is: I was taken by surprise too - stumbling as I did into a simple but profound way to shower him with love!

Since that wonderful day, I have been inventing new salad combination for Min. It is not a daily routine but at least twice a week I feed him with my 'love food'. : )

So, this is what I like to share with busy dads of homeschool kids: You Can Make a Beautiful Salad once in a while to show your love for your child. It is as easy as ABC!

Hope this will help dads with teens who are growing out of the 'hugs and kisses' phase and looking for ways to capture their hearts still... : ) Here's a few other photos of my love food.

Photo above: Experimenting with fennel that I have never eaten before. Delicious!

Photo above: Baby cucumbers really easy and refreshingly quenching.

Photo above: Mixing fruits with vegetable adds colours and vitamins.

Photo above: Miso soup with Mushroom-noodles and Scallop-mushrooms.

Photo above: You can mash up broccoli and chinese-cabbage after steaming. Very interesting texture. I experiment with dried papaya strips (red in colour).

Photo bove: Yummy! Cute cubes of tea-tofu with Miso!

Hey! Maybe we dads should organise a gathering of sort to start tasting vegetable and stuff, eh? I don't mind sharing my little discoveries! hee hee!
Joe Lai : )

Friday, July 25, 2008

Min's Poem: Volcano


A dormant volcano,
seemingly forever at peace with the world,
awakens with rage and new-found power
burning within.
The land trembles with fear
as the volcano vents its anger
on everything near it.
In the aftermath,
the land is bruised -
bleeding profusely.
And the volcano falls asleep,
unremorseful of its actions.

- by Lai Min, July 2008

Thursday, July 3, 2008

New Book: Parasitic Flowering Plants


I am delighted to introduce you a fantastic book (shown above) on Parasitic Flowering Plants (of the world) by Dr. Henning S. Heide-Jorgensen who gave me the rare opportunity and honour to contribute some of my photographs of our native parasitic plants, namely, Lepionurus sylvestris, Olax scandens, Scleropyrum wallichianum, Cassytha filiformis and Striga asiatica.

More information on the book can be found in Dr. Hennings' website:

Here below are three other parasitic beauties I have documented from our forests (and the fourth is a saprophyte):


What are you waiting for! Go buy this great 438-page reference book!

cheers : )
Joe Lai


Saturday, June 21, 2008

Say What? Habitat Destruction?


We should look no further than the backyard of the Singapore Zoo in Mandai to know what is habitat destruction. This is where the zoo and other interested parties are invading a forest with the construction and promotion of a spa retreat for tourists and zoo visitors alike.

We may not have mega-fauna favourites like the Orang Utans, but the many shy and secretive animals that we have (including our leopard cats, pangolins, etc) deserve a safe and undisturbed corridor for their movement across the forest blocks surrounding the zoo. They certainly do not need the spa retreat.

While the zoo is preaching loud the dire effect of habitat destruction atop the Singapore Flyer with Orang Utans in hand, they certainly do not practise it.

We should be utterly disgusted when the Singapore Zoo preached, 'Broadcasting the conservation message through the juxtaposition of the orang utans against the backdrop of the city skyline serves to remind urban planners, developers and plantation owners that the orang utan habitats are fragile areas and, once destroyed, almost impossible to replace'.

Read more about the issue of the Spa Retreat invading Mandai Forest here: Forest Science Crapped in Singapore

The above quote by the Singapore Zoo is part of its response to Mr Chang Qizhong's online letter 'Putting Orang Utans on Singapore Flyer Bad Move'.
Read the full report here: 'Orang Utans at Singapore Flyer - Zoo Clarifies'
and Orang Utans Frightened on Singapore Flyer.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

On Brave Shores

Ubin's Shores, 10 June 2008

I found no braves
on brave shores,
I found waves
but no open doors.


I found hearts so cold
with fears,
I found not one bold
shedding tears.


I found dreamers
dreaming by the day,
I found lovers
lush-green in the bay.


I found toys
lost abandon,
I found boys
braver than men.


I found earth's first
heavenly lights,
I found thirst
to scale the heights.

Truth found me
by the rocky shores,
And set me free
doors or no doors.

- Joseph Lai, on Ubin's magical shores.


Sunday, June 1, 2008

Happy Ardour Day

Happy Ardour Day, Singapore, 1 June 2008

Valentine's Day notwithstanding, I think we ought also to have an Ardour Day or Feeling Day to keep our hearts intact with Life's little love stories embodied in everything as unassuming and discrete as a tree in one's own backyard. Why?

To borrow the feelings of wordsmith Randy Kennedy, I like to put it my own way: 'Our public gardens may have a million trees, but it sometimes takes one to steal your heart'.

I know my friend Gabriel has his own tree of priceless memory in Simpang Bedok, but how about you? Is there a story you would like to share? Maybe an Ardour Day or Feeling Day would make you sit up and think about intrinsic values. Perhaps it would move you to take life out of the fast lanes to smell the frangipannis and love life for once.


Let's walk the alleys of our memories. Allow priceless things like a tree or a spoon to touch us. Let's reward ourselves a piece of heaven here before it's too late. Happy Ardour Day!

Read on my friends: Ardor Day; Let Them Count the Ways - by Joseph Huff-Hannon

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

A Sorrier Sight We Are Than Death Stars

Orchard, Singapore, 26 May 2008


A Sorrier Sight We Are than Death Stars

I took a walk in Cathay
A picture house they called today
Didn't take me long to get away
From a horror house of decay...

What can I say?

Geity gay
Mindless play
Forever stay
Our spirit sold for a price to pay...

And lose sight of stars in Milky Way.

- Joseph Lai



I came across this sickening sight in an interior deco shop inside Cathay on 26 May 2008.

Friday, May 23, 2008

You Can Help Gabriel Save a Tree

Appeal to Save a Mango Tree, Simpang Bedok, 23 May 2008

The backyard of this row of terrace houses is baking hot. It is also the carpark of Bedok Shopping Complex run by Kenwood Property Consultants Pte Ltd on behalf of property owner Far East Organisation.


Look closer and see what Angie and I encountered when we visited Gabriel on Wednesday 21st of May. Gabriel is the man behind the appeal to save another tree - a mango tree - near his shop. He and other concerned residents and tenants want to save this tree from ending up like this ill-fated tree.


Yes, the contractor of Kenwood Property was disposing the stump of a recently felled tree! (photo of stump below taken on 19 May 2008)

The bobcat was shredding the stump to bits! What a sad end to a healthy shade-providing tree of 240cm girth size. Without it the carpark looks and feels like a sizzling desert of tarmac! It was destroyed for the sake of reclaiming one parking lot which the tree had invaded! Yes! For one parking lot - one income-earning parking lot - one magnificent tree was sacrificed!!

Now, do you know why the temperature is going up and up? Don't just blame the slashing and burning of plantations and deforestations in Indonesia. Don't just wonder why the inaction there. Start looking in your own country, your own neighbourhood, your own backyard! Are you doing your part to save some trees and mitigate climate change?

Well, at least, one man in Simpang Bedok is! Gabriel wants to help his fellow residents and tenants save the mango tree pictured below. See his clear and concise appeals (below the photo) and response from Far East Organisation.

APPEAL BY GABRIEL

Dear Sir,

I am looking to save a beautiful fruit bearing mango tree which is facing the threat of being cut down to serve the interests of the Management Committee here in Bedok Market Place in Simpang Bedok. I believe this estate belongs to your company and according to an NParks officer I spoke to, only the owner of the land can have a final say in the matter. Thus I am appealing for your assistance to prevent the unnecessary cutting down of a tree which provides much needed shade in a Singapore that is getting hotter by the day.I have attached a copy of the protest letter I wrote to the Management Committee, which will give you a quick understanding of the situation.

You can also refer to this web page for mor info and pictures. http://flyingfishfriends.blogspot.com/2008/05/offering-help-to-tree-on-vesak-day.html

Hoping to hear from you soon.
Gabriel Tan

FAR EAST ORGANISATION replied, saying it no longer manages Bedok Market Place (aka Bedok Shopping Complex) on its own. It will, however, forward Gabriel's concerns to its appointed estate management agency for response.

COUNTER-RESPONSE FROM GABRIEL

Thank you for your quick response. I know that the estate is runned by Kenwood Property which was appointed by your Corporation. However the chairman appointed by Kenwood practises a steam roller management style. This has created significant unhappiness on the part of owners and tenants here. My main and urgent mission is to save a mature tree from a totally unnecessary destruction.

The Management has already cut down one mature tree. This has even created unhappiness for the owner of a private house next to it. This tree was providing shade for the house owner for at least 15 years. The management claim that that tree was breaking up the tarmac of the car lot next to it. I have seen this to be true but the management could have save a car lot for the tree's roots to grow into. It would have taken at least another 20 years fot it to outgrow that. By then the lease on the land here would be near its end and it would be another chapter in that tree's life. Unfortunately for that tree, the management here wrote the last chapter for it. I understand that the management has the right to do what it wants on its own land. However it should for the sake of neighbourliness, a green environment and the fight against global warming do what is right.

It may be too late for one tree, but I will do whatever I can to prevent another tree from being cut down. All I am asking at this point is for a stay order on the cutting down of the tree until the next AGM which is within the next two months. I am hoping by then that there will be enough agitated tenants and owners to make a difference to the final outcome of that meeting. I believe that your Corporation being the employer of Kenwood Property would be able to make this happen. I am aware that one tree may seem insignificant.but I am hoping that Far East despite being a giant of a corporation can also be personal enough to make a difference to the many little people here who cares about their environment.

Hoping for some good news from you.
Regards
Gabriel Tan

CAN YOU HELP GABRIEL AND HIS FELLOW RESIDENTS AND TENANTS?

The National Parks Board (Nparks) has informed us that their role is purely advisory where trees of private properties are concerned. In the case of Bedok Shopping Complex, Nparks can only advise Kenwood Property and Far East Organisation on the right thing to do but powerless if it choses to exercise its right to do whatever it wants within its own property.

As you can see from Gabriel's letters (above), he is trying very hard to convince Kenwood Property and Far East Organisation to see what is right - for the tree - for the environment - and for the people - residents, tenants and patrons. You and I can also help!!

What You can Do:

1) Write a simple appeal to Kenwood Property and Far East Organisation, and

2) Tell your family and friends about the issue at Bedok Shopping Complex.

Please find the email addresses and phone number below!

1) Shopping Complex Owner - Far East Organisation: feoca@fareast.com.sg

2) Property Management - Kenwood Property Consultants Pte Ltd: Tel 63372516 About Kenwood Property and its affiliation to Keng Soon Group

3) Write to The National Parks Board's Feedback to seek its assistance on this issue at Bedok Shopping Complex.

Don't let another tree end up like this... Please HELP... thank you! : )