Flying Fish Friends

Gordonia penangensis: A Treasure on Keppel Island

2012-01-18T05:49:00.000-08:00

Standing wild and free on the northern face of Keppel Island is a veritable grove of native trees of undisputed rarity and antiquity. It is really a miracle how they could have survived against the relentless pace of urban and economic development engulfing them from all sides. Yet they did.

Tall and brave I see them now as soldiers defending their fort on a knoll facing ultra-modern Reflections by the Bay in defiance. True courage, like flowering, comes spontaneous and pure and lives forever. It may wilt but never die. The spirit lives and re-appears again and again.

Finding Gordonia penangensis and finding it flowering thus is metaphorically so profound. It is as rare as courage standing up to the threat of extinction from its native soil. We must stand on their side and fight the good fight.

I am glad I came on Sunday (15 Jan 2012) to explore. It is my first visit to the island though I knew it since 1981 as a young navy man called to the Fleet at Pulau Brani. Back then, Keppel Island was known as Pulau Hantu. Few would have known there were actually 2 Pulau Hantu's in Singapore. But we did.

It was just a tiny island with a shack or two and a small untidy wharf on its southern shore. Over time it grew a little bigger and now completely transformed into a playground for both the rich and poor, young and old. I am glad its forest persisted. We ought to treasure it and keep for good.

To those interested in history, geography and botany of Singapore, I present you some old maps (below) which bear the old name, and also a hearty roll call of plant names proudly served to you as a first flora of Keppel Island. May these soldiers live forever in our heart and mind.

First Flora of Keppel Island listed right below of this blogpost. Notable find in bold and exceptionally significant in red.

Northern shore of Keppel Island (indicated by black arrows) where the grove of trees are located. The new coastal walkway runs along the yellow line.

The pre-transformation look of Keppel Island.

Old map no.1

Old map no. 2

Old map no.3

First Flora of Keppel Island

Acacia auriculiformis

Acacia mangium

Adenanthera bicolor

Adenanthera pavonina

Alstonia angustifolia

Bhesa robusta

Buchanania arborescens

Calophyllum inophyllum

Canthium confertum

Carallia brachiata

Casuarina equisetifolia

Cerbera sp.

Champereia manillana

Cinnamomum iners

Clerodendrum laevifolium

Commersonia bartramia

Diospyros lanceifolia

Dracaena maingayi

Fagraea fragrans

Ficus grossularioides

Garcinia sp.

Gordonia penangensis

Guioa pubescens

Gynochthodes sublanceolata

Indorouchera griffithiana

Ipomoea pes-tigridis

Lasianthus cyanocarpus

Litsea elliptica

Macaranga heynei

Melastoma malabathricum

Memecylon edule var ovatum

Morinda umbellata

Oncospermum tigilarium

Palaquium obovata

Pouteria obovata

Pteris vittata

Rapanea porteriana

Rhodomyrtus tomentosa

Rodamnia cinearia

Sapium discolor

Scaevola sericea

Streblus elongatus

Symplocos adenophylla

Syzygium glaucum

Syzygium grande

Syzygium palembanicum

Syzygium zeylanicum

Tetracera indica

A Light Above Pedra Branca

2011-10-18T04:08:00.000-07:00

There is a Light
above a Rock
called Pedra Branca
and I hope it will burn forever bright.

Burning, I hope, not so much a guiding star for sailors, but for the people I belong to: Singaporeans.

Indeed, for me, Horsburgh Lighthouse, stands out not so much as an engineering feat than as a monument; a monument to the people who built it. They were our first dream team ever - a team comprising none other than the Malays, Indians, Chinese and Caucasians. And you know, wrought they did their finest mettle against the 'first test' to build a common light together. It was, as I found out, a task exceedingly difficult and seemingly impossible in so many ways.

With only sail-driven ships, raw human muscles and simplest of wooden rigs, planks and lashings, they transferred and hoisted huge pre-hewn granite blocks (doughnut-shaped sections originating from Pulau Ubin) onto steep treacherous rocks against the rough open seas and getting caught out often in the middle of tempestuous storms tossed by wind and waves, or tormented by the blistering sun otherwise.

However, the most difficult of all is the barrier of mistrust and misunderstanding confronted by the different ethnic groups working together in tight confines for the very first time. Fortunately, the situation managed to resolved unto itself (after some very bitter start); a job had to be done, and it finally got done. The final capping of the finished product must have been a very sweet moment for every hand on deck and rock, I can imagine.

In year 2002, I first learned in detail of the struggle of this first dream team in a neat little booklet entitled "The Horsburgh Lighthouse" by John Hall-Jones. My heart naturally went out to the workers, many of whom did not even know what they were in for and left with no choice marooned on a rock.

John's writing, in particular, left a big gaping void that could otherwise have contributed to our understanding of the workers' predicament and their psychology as a migrant worker looking for a better life or that of a convict worker hoping for a much cherished pardon. It was obviously a book much-ado with Thomson the man and the lighthouse he designed and built. John's characterization of the workers could have been less harsh at times, I felt, had he understood how no one (given a choice) would want to put one's life at risk for a job.

So it was with great personal satisfaction that I finally found (in the Epilogue) the photo and description of a silver farewell testimonial presented to Thomson 'by a group of leading citizens of Singapore' that I felt honoured the sweat and blood of these humble workers themselves, albeit in a very subtle yet respectable manner. We will never know who designed this beautifully intricate epergne, but I bet he certainly felt in his heart (like I did) the injustice of the underdogs and gave them back the credit they deserved.

My Own Epilogue

All this searching came about in 2002 because having been told of stories of indentured workers working the quarries at Pulau Ubin, I visited some of their unmarked graves. I remembered feeling very sad seeing them for the first time. They were graves with no names; unmarked gravestones of poor souls who died alone and whose last thought must have been the home across the seven seas they never got back to. I had made a promise then to write something in their remembrance. This I do here. To the indentured workers and convict labourers, we owe you lots.

In conclusion, whatever false start the first dream team have had, they certainly pulled themselves together quickly to weather the storm and conquered positively with resolution and endurance. They must have learned a lot working together and I believe we can learn a lot from them too. It is more than a lighthouse we inherited; it is a light that will burn forever bright to guide us in our multiracial society today.

Footnote: If we can spend tens of millions obtaining sunken Tang Dynasty Treasures to depict the history of our maritime trade, why not seriously consider repossessing this little silver of burning light for our future generations. I believe, it is presently with the descendants of John Turnbull Thomson in New Zealand.

Other information: Mok Ly Yng on "Horsburgh Lighthouse: 160th Anniversary" (Sat 15 Oct 2011)

Description of the Silver Epergne in the booklet: Before he departed a group of leading citizens of Singapore banded together to present him with a silver testimonial in appreciation of his service to the Settlement. A unique and intricate silver epergne was fashioned by a master of the craft and presented to Thomson on the eve of his departure in August 1853. Significantly it was engraved with etchings of the Pedra Branca rock and the Horsburgh Lighthouse and surrounded with figures to represent the Chinese, Indians and Malays who had worked under him.

Tree Felling: The Saddest Sight in CIAG (City In A Garden)

2011-08-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

This is one of the most vibrant part of Singapore City - the lively busy junction at Singapore Management University (SMU) where trees gracefully line both Bencoolen Street and Bras Basah Road. This is the 'happening' place - a happy place, I must add - where students, young people and tourists mingle, have a great time with food, museum visits, attend school and churches and going to cinema and open-air concerts with family and friends.

But what do we find here today - 26 August 2011 - eve of our Presidential Election 2011?

SHOCKING - 7 large tree stumps of felled Yellow Flame Trees lined in a death row along Bencoolen Street for the whole world to see!

That's not all. If you are as familiar as I am with trees in Singapore, you will know that 3 more big trees fringing Hotel Rendevous (white building; below photo) have also been cut and cleared of almost all evidence on the opposite side of the street.

It is simply the saddest sight in CIAG (City In A Garden) and it hurts.

Each stump a face of destruction, a real bad education, that immediately bring up images of deforestation, climate change, and - not by a long stretch - a worse possible counter- advertisement for CIAG's promotion of urban greenery and ecology. Bencoolen Street is so treeless, ugly and hot now.

But what awaits the fate of the remaining trees fringing Plaza By The Park along Bras Basah Road?

Will they be felled too?

The common man in the street needs some answers. It hurts, really hurt to the core! Why, o why did we cut these lovely benign trees that is so much a part of everything beautiful here? WHY? : (

New Mangrove Record: Rhizophora x lamarckii

2011-07-26T08:02:00.001-07:00

20 July 2011: Can you imagine the excitement and elation I felt on discovering a mature Rhizophora x lamarckii in Pulau Ubin - a new mangrove record for Singapore? I was grinning with joy the whole day and went to bed so very happy that night. Sometimes, somehow, I cannot help but think I live a very charmed life indeed! [Haha] But profoundly though, I do feel quietly affirmed that my calling which I believe I have is real.

So as you can also imagine, my nature-loving friends were equally happy for me too. When I told them that R. x lamarckii is a natural hybrid of R. apiculata and R. stylosa, they were very intrigued and wanted to know more.

Here it is then, my friends - on your request - some simple diagnostic features of R. x lamarckii you can remember and use in the field. Happy exploring!!

A closer look at Rhizophora x lamarckii: flowering specimen for the herbarium (below).

It was the stalk of the inflorescence (the peduncle) which blew me away the instant I laid eyes on the tree. The length of the stalk is so much shorter than R. stylosa and R. mucronata, but longer than R. apiculata! Fallen flowers at the base of the tree told me much more...

Compare the stalks of the inflorescences (peduncles) of R. apiculata, R. x lamarckii, R. stylosa and R. mucronata (from left to right).

Compare the style and sepal width of the following 4 flowers: Differences and similarities described below.

Rhizophora apiculata (below): style very short - less than 1mm long.

Rhizophora mucronata (below): style sharply pointed; appearing like a conical tunic with ovary.

Rhizophora stylosa (below): style long; sepal width narrow to lanceolate like those of R. mucronata.

Rhizophora x lamarckii (below): style long like R. stylosa; sepal width broad like R. apiculata.

The density of the dots on the underside of mature leaves is markedly different for R. stylosa (left) and R. x lamarckii (centre) and R. apiculata (right); the last two being similarly and densely dotted though faint to see. R. stylosa, on the other hand, is similarly and spaciously dotted like R. mucronata (not shown here).

The claw of R. x lamarckii (located at the distal end of the sepal) is prominently sharper to the touch than R. stylosa. The claws of R. apiculata and R. mucronata on the other hand are rounded instead.

A dried petal of R. x lamarckii turns brown; margin white hairy.

A good botanical drawing (shown in part below) of R. x lamarckii can be found in The Botany of Mangroves (by P.B. Tomlinson, The University of Cambridge,1986 ). Besides other features, the sharp claw of the sepal, hairy petals, bi-lobed stigma and long style are very well illustrated.

R. x lamarckii is known to be vegetatively robust and vigorous. Our specimen is multi-stemmed and has prodigious flying buttresses and aerial roots bearing down in a messy tangle from up to 3m above.

Bark rough and shallowly cracked. The biggest of the 5 major trunks measured 47cm girth.

It lives in the soft substrate at the uppermost reach of a long snaking tidal creek.

At about 12m tall, it is already towering a head above the surrounding trees.

Detailed description and adequate photos of R. x lamarckii can be found in Australia's Mangroves by Norman C. Duke, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 2006. This hybrid can produce hypocotyl (seedlings) but fruit rarely develop beyond the immature fruit stage.

Coralline Record in Singapore Botanic Gardens

2011-07-18T07:44:00.000-07:00

It is the most unusual place to find corals - Singapore Botanic Gardens. Coralline boulders of all shapes and sizes, intact or fragmented, line the garden paths and flower beds even today. As is evident to me at least, these were used as decorative borders long ago at the infancy of the garden during the colonial days. Their numbers and the impressive size of some of these marine relics easily suggest a time when our island is surrounded by a most spectacular 'garden in the sea' brimming to the shores with livid corals of all sorts and harvested as readily available material for such purposes. I have found them similarly employed in Ss. Peter and Paul Church at Waterloo Street.

Such grand visions of pristine seas may be lost forever but if one were to be interested in the study of corals in Singapore waters, I think a visit to Singapore Botanic Gardens is a most invaluable trip to the past. Who knows, a never-before recorded taxa might be found amongst these relics. Taken at the microscopic level of enquiry, one might even find traces of micro-fauna entombed within the recesses of their silent calcareous walls. Her coralline record could certainly hold many secrets waiting your discovery.

For a start, you may want to venture down to Area G [photo above] where most of the corals can be found. It is nestled somewhere between Swan Lake and the car park of Ginger Garden. Two or three narrow stairways will lead you down to a lower labyrinth of narrower pathways bounded by relatively high walls of corals resembling limestone gullies where even the enigmatic single-leafed herb Monophyllaea horsfieldii (a limestone specialist) grows in the company of mosses lush and plentiful. [plant photos right below]

coral1coral2coral3
coral4
coral5coral6coral7coral8Monophyllaea horsfieldii plants

Monophyllaea horsfieldii flowers

Monophyllaea horsfieldii inflorescense

Prismatomeris glabra: A shrub called Haji Samat

2011-06-28T05:56:00.000-07:00

In Singapore it is a rare jewel sparkling white in the shadows as an understorey shrub of the great rain forest known to aborigines and remote kampong folks as a powerful aphrodisiac. It has very thin and greenish secondary veins so delicately etched as to appear absorbed into the lamina of the leaf.

Flowers are exquisitely scented and glossy; the petals, five to six, discreetly folded.

The fruits ripens purple and should easily fool you into thinking it a Memecylon species.

Alas, it is not. The single seed is gloved on one side and a coffee bean it is... Rubiaceae! : )

Red-Nosed Cicada and Glochidion brunneum

2011-04-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

I never knew Glochidion brunneum as a host tree for the Red-Nosed Cicada. Today I found that out most serendipitously. A pair of mating Red-nosed Cicada (Huechys sanguinea) fell off the lower branch I was examining. I promptly scooped them up from the ground with a fallen leaf, and before restoring them onto a leafy twig, I took liberty of documenting their mating.

Close-up of copulatory organs.

The pair continued their mating up on the tree.

There were many others on the tree. Some were clearly seen sucking sap from the tree, especially the younger branches.

April must be their season for emergence into adulthood. I saw one halfway getting out of its nymphal coat. No sooner do they emerge, they sing, eat, and mate - all under the canopy of a lovely providential tree named Glochidion brunneum. : )

Uvaria curtisii: Remembering James Sinclair

2011-04-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

When it beckoned from above one beautiful morning, I leaped for joy; a glorious green star lighting up an epiphany of a priceless moment. How so heartwarming it felt to know a native is still around in our treasured forest. Yes, Uvaria curtisii, you are still around in our midst! We thought you were gone for good... 'Nationally Extinct' as listed in the Singapore Red Date Book (2nd Edition, 2008). And could I ever forget James Sinclair (1913-1968) in moment like this? No, not by any chance. His prolific work on Annonaceae here in Singapore Herbarium I admire and appreciate so much. If only wishes could come true upon a green star, how I would love to have him standing next to me that morning. His collection of Uvaria curtisii - Sinclair S.F.N 39652, collected 27th May 1953 at Kruing Path, Bukit Timah - is the first and only record for Singapore.

Here, below, I took license to piece together some of his words for you in the remembrance of a dedicated botanist...

Large climber; expanded flower 4.5-5 cm, petals greenish-yellow, tomentose on both surfaces; calyx entirely covering the petals in flower bud up to the time of opening.

* Flowers extra-axillary.

Flowers solitary or often 2. Leaves thinly tomentose beneath on the entire surface and on the margin, the hairs rather soft and short, stellate.

Leaves oblong-lanceolate or slightly oblanceolate, apex acute, narrowed to the rounded base; nerves 11-14 pairs, prominent beneath, curving and interarching about 2-3 mm from margin.

James Sinclair at his desk in the Singapore Herbarium (old building,1959).

The above photo, and an obituary and an appreciation of James Sinclair 1913-1968 by H. M. Burkill, can be found in The Gardens' Bulletin Vol. 23, 30th December 1968.

Footnote: * Flowers extra-axillary: a description by Hsuan Keng, The Concise Flora of Singapore; Gymnosperms and Dicotyledons (1990)

Mitrephora maingayi

2011-03-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

Tree: intact flower with 3 inner petals fused distally to form an open hanging basket.

Fallen outer petals.

Ash-colored trunk.

Poem: Shared Memories

2011-03-05T18:23:00.001-08:00

Shared Memories

Precious still
from each day snatch
and save till
long past fetch
two old doves
on a window sill
love rehatch

Joseph Lai, 5 Mar 2011

Myrialepis paradoxa: Paradoxically Yours

2011-02-04T18:15:00.000-08:00

Myrialepis paradoxa - a climbing palm also called Rotan Kertong in Malay - is both monotypic and monocarpic. 'Monotypic' because it's a taxon possessing only one singular species, and 'monocarpic' because it's biologically programmed to flower only once in a lifetime, set seeds and then die. What can be more paradoxical than an event that involves a great burst of life, setting numerous seeds for posterity, yet ushering death, dying, of a mother in the end. A swansong to be true.

And should no one look at its fruit and not be confounded and surprised by its numerous tiniest of scales which, as if were, numbering the stars hidden in unfathomable scale of light-years but sparkle unmistakably just enough to illuminate one in wonderment? This, if not, is paradoxa in the greatest poetic tradition.

Fruit

Scales

Sepals

Remnant of stigma

Inside of fruit wall

Thorns

Myrialepis paradoxa (formerly M. scortechinii) compared to Plectocomiopsis geminiflora as found in one of my treasured books Palms of Malaya (by T.C. Whitmore). You may delight to know more of Plectocomiopsis geminiflora, a recent new record of Singapore, in the recently published paper in Nature in Singapore 2011 4: 1-4 (NUS) by L. L. Teo, S. K. Y. Lum and A. H. B. Loo. More photos of Myrialepis paradoxa are found there.

Erythropalum scandens: A most royal liana

2011-01-29T19:27:00.000-08:00

Erythropalum scandens is a relatively uncommon liana in Singapore's rain forest today. Kulim (last photo below) and Petaling are some of the more illustrious local trees related to it in the family Olacaceae. Even if you do not know these trees, you probably heard of them by their namesake Malaysian towns. Littoral Hog Plum (Ximenia americana) - another family member - might ring a bell too.

Erythropalum scandens is a slender liana with fruits so showy as to make any keen gardener envious and eager for garden introduction. The fruit is actually a drupe enveloped entirely by an olive-green calyx which splits and recurves into irregular segments to reveal an electric burst of colours when ripe.

The inside of the calyx is a screaming red carpet upon which the royal indigo-blue seed sits like a resplendent king for all in audience to bow with adoration. Dangling freely as they do from boughs on high, I am disposed to think they attract winged creatures such as bats and birds for dispersal.

The liana climbs by peculiar tendrils which may either be singularly or doubly fashioned.

Fallen seeds expelled on the forest floor minus the coats. They reminded me of the proverbially-vain king adorned with an 'invisible coat', too proud to acknowledge his nakedness (Haha).

Note: The young leaves are known to be eaten by the Kammu Tribes.

Leaf and trunk of the garlic-smelling Kulim Tree (Scorodocarpus borneensis).

Speedy Dragonfly: Pseudothemis jorina

2011-01-13T05:39:00.000-08:00

This dragonfly is a speed demon. The white-banded male loves to fly very fast and never ever seem to stop. For me, this is the first time seeing the yellow-banded female, and so different it proves to be.

Much thanks to Dr. Cheong Loong Fah who expertly identified it for me. For a brief moment, my excitement went up a few notches finding no matching species recorded in the guide book Dragonflies of Singapore by Tan Hung Bun et al. So, as it turns out, it is a species I have seen before and according to Dr. Cheong, not exactly rare but hard to capture on camera.

I am indeed lucky to cross path with this one perching restfully and have its photograph taken for all enthusiasts to see and to study. Enjoy!

[Found in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, 12 Jan2011.]

Human Affairs Naturally

2011-01-06T07:25:00.001-08:00

They are human affairs naturally - Capitalism and Food Politics - but nothing short of an ecological learning for wanting to know them more as we do flowers and trees, seastars and worms, birds, butterflies and bees. I do believe they make essential reading for anyone who cares for the earth and wants to understand the depth and degree human impact has on the environment. These engaging books I thus recommend you, most delightfully, to weigh and consider the issues in today's world.

They can be found in our public libraries; readings guaranteed to make your train rides a breeze! Sample reviews below. Cheers!

23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism by Ha-Joon Chang

Read Review

Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know by Robert Paarlberg

Read Review

Book: The Beautiful Tree - by James Tooley

2010-11-20T05:18:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed and learned so much reading this heartwarming book by James Tooley that I felt it necessary to have you read it too and discover for yourself the miracle of how poor parents, poor entrepreneurs (of low cost private schools) and poor communities across the developing world are helping themselves educate their children in the best possible way forward. And as James Tooley will tell you, much much more can be done to help the poor help themselves.

James Tooley discusses his book The Beautiful Tree on ABC News at CATO Institute website.

See James Tooley's own website on his book.

See documentary Victoria's Chance and hear poor parents speak of education.

Learn more about how you can help at Geneva Global (Performance Philanthropy)

Mistletoe Taxillus chinensis in Singapore

2010-09-11T06:51:00.000-07:00

I think it was not long ago that Dr John Yong first recorded this species of mistletoe in Singapore but to its whereabouts I do not know. Today, however, I am pleasantly surprised to encounter one living specimen parasitic on a Curry Leaf Plant (Murraya koenigii) - a small tree about 5m tall.

This beautiful mistletoe is flowering and young fruits abound at the moment. Called by its TCM medicinal name Guang Ji Sheng, its natural distribution ranges from Southern China, through to Indo-China, Malay Peninsular to the Philippines.

Here below is a series of photos showing the various characters of the mistletoe. More info can be gotten from the Flora of China website here.

Flower: Greenish-brown, scurfy hairy; anthers 4 red; stigma red; corolla lobes 4.

Leaves: elliptic, brittle, 3 to 4cm long, edge wavy; young leaves golden brown, scurfy hairy.

Haustoria: slender, snaking; host stem seemingly swollen locally when infected.

Fruit: round to cylindrical; surface wrinkled.

New Book: A Selection of Plants for Greening of Waterways and Waterbodies in the Tropics

2010-07-23T00:37:00.000-07:00

Generous: it's the word that stands out for me in describing this wholesome book. It is like the life-giving rain that falls down on us here in the tropics - loads of it and no holding back. The completeness to which related subjects are treated seamlessly in this book underscore the genuine effort of the main author (Bio-chemist Dr Jean W.H. Yong) and his research team to tell all there is to know and understand by bringing out the essential sciences - chemistry, biology, ecology, environmental science and engineering - in a simple crystal-clear language that any layman can wade through without trepidation. In fact, this book should bring you knee and chest deep in intimacy with the living system of water bodies.

So, go buy this book and dive in. Nature has and still is giving us so much good stuff (some stuff we only give names to not so long ago, such as bio- or phyto-remediation) that you ought to be grateful for. It is the stuff of Life we need to understand and to cherish.

Footnote: The scope of this book is truly one hard act to be replaced. Many beautiful drawings and diagrams accompany the text. Plants are sufficiently represented and photographed, but like any compendium, it is never exhaustive. Here below is the beautiful Water Balsam or Marsh Henna - Hydrocera triflora. It is a naturalized aquatic plant of Singapore rarely found today.

Dillenia excelsa var. tomentella: A new phenotype arising

2010-06-24T21:40:00.000-07:00

Perhaps I ought to qualify my sub-title with a question mark, but I decided not to. I am quite willing to bet on my belief that a real significant change is indeed happening to this one tree - yes, this particular wild Simpoh tree in the rain forest of MacRitchie.

By all account - the leaf, flower, fruit, and tree structure - the tree is Dillenia excelsa var. tomentella; all, that is, but for one dramatic difference - it is flowering without petals. It ought to have but it has not. Never have I come across a tree of this species behaving apetalously.

In the course of my investigation, I visit the tree ten times within two consecutive weeks at different period of the day hoping to sight a flower with petals intact or fallen on the ground, but none whatsoever. Then, on the tenth day, after a much exhaustive search, I managed to find one on the forest floor.

This singularly detached petal, however, is abnormally small and hardly matching the documented size to say the least. It is even smaller that the sepals produced by the tree. For good measure, I opened up the few mature flower buds I could find but found no petals within any one of them. [Detailed photos below]

So, change is afoot though not a complete one. I do believe a new phenotype is arising but not quite there yet. As to what caused such a response from the tree, I do not know. Mutation? Effects of the environment or climate? A geneticist, a chemist or a climate scientist can tell us more. This tree certainly presents itself an opportune subject for scientific studies outside the confines of classical taxonomy, e.g. ecology and climate science.

The important test is, of course, sustainability of this new apetalous character. I would like to confirm it and also prove the viability of the seeds if any. The coming flowering seasons should hold the key.

Relative size of flower; sepals 5, white with tinge of pink, fleshy and waxy.

Buds and open flowers: no yellow petals in sight.

Some mature buds found.

Buds opened for investigation: no petals found.

Result of a 10-day search: one abnormally small petal found.

Leaf elliptic, densely hairy beneath; leaf blade 8 to 10 inches long; margin entire.

Leaf stalk densely hairy; 2 to 3 inches long.

Leaf stalk deeply grooved above.

Bole straight; bark smooth; buttress roots none.

Athyrium accedens: New Record of Fern for Singapore

2010-06-08T09:01:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to present you today a new record for Singapore - Athyrium accedens (Family: Woodsiaceae). I have found a small population of this fern in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

The late Prof. R. E. Holttum described it as a fern of shady mountain stream-sides, found in Malaya only on the Main Range and Taiping Hills. The specimens that I discovered were also near a stream. They are about a meter in height - simply pinnate, tufted and erect, and producing plantlets (asexually) on the rachis besides the usual spores (for sexual reproduction).

Some major characteristics below:

Pinnae (leaflets) - up to 15 per frond (leaf)

Each plantlet arising from the pinna (leaflet) axil.

This mature plantlet is ready to drop off and grow on its own.

Size and shape of pinna: tipped and broad; margin crenate or shallowly lobed.

Sori linear, forming the characteristic V-shaped arrangement.

Close-ups of sori (group or arrangement of spore cases / sporangia).

Stipe (stalk /stem) green, covered with minute and spiky protuberances.

Close-up of the protuberances: each one is actually a remnant stalk that has held a scale (thin membranous hair).

The rachis (branch extending from stipe bearing pinnae / leaflets) is grooved above.

Footnote: A New Record is a species already known to science but not known to occur previously in a certain botanical area in question. Now that Athyrium accedens has been found occurring in its natural state here, it can be added to the flora of Singapore as a native species. So in total, we have now 11 species of Athyrium in Singapore.

Chek Jawa, 2 June 2010: Timeless Embrace

2010-06-02T19:25:00.000-07:00

Faith is the bird that feels the light
and sings when the dawn is still dark... (Tagore, Whisperings)

The world speaks to me in pictures
my soul answers in music... (Tagore, Whisperings)

Sometimes I feel like a
bird
free in its flight,
but constantly aware
of looking for a place to rest;
searching for food to fill
the hunger within. And in my
freedom of movement, like the
bird,
we both are creatures of needs.
They must be fulfilled...

(Walter Rinder, Sometimes I feel like a bird)

It is only with the
heart
that one
can see rightly;
what is essential
is invisible to the eye... (Antoine de Saint Exupery, The Little Prince)

Chek Jawa, may you be free forever.

All is well and swell; no oil slick at lagoon and sandbars.

Footnote: These 2 Great-billed Herons (above 3 photos) are often seen feeding at low tide in Chek Jawa. Today I saw them curling their necks in embrace. They stopped and embraced 4 times while walking together in the lagoon. Then they flew apart to resume feeding.

Chek Jawa, 31 May 2010: Post Oil Spill Report

2010-05-31T19:11:00.000-07:00

I am very happy to bring you good tide-dings! Chek Jawa looks no worse for wear. She looks great! [Above photo is the same oil-filled beach published in the newspapers!]

I believe the impact had been quite minimal and the stupendous effort by MPA and Nparks had been enormously successful. The speedy deployment and coordination of the clean-up of Chek Jawa was carried out so admirably. Both agencies should deserve our utmost praise and admiration. So too are our intrepid volunteers who responded so expediently to put on boots, gloves and shovel to the oil slick at the earliest hour of the spill. Bravo!

Chek Jawa... as usual... bring out the very best in everyone. Singaporeans... be proud.

It is a good time to thank and appreciate the many (I think 100) foreign workers deployed at Chek Jawa clean-up. Their service and contribution to our society is so so invaluable.

Photos below: Chek Jawa looking good and pristine as ever. When you look at the pure white sand and the unstained rocks and roots of mangrove trees... and the clear water at the shore... you can easily imagine Chek Jawa smiling at all of us! : )

Buchanania sessifolia: The Other Sparrow's Mango

2010-05-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

The Sparrow's Mango (Buchanania arborescens) or Otak Udang (meaning "prawn's brain") is a tree of the rocky coastline. Some of these trees can still be found in Changi Village along the coastal boardwalk at Fairy Point. It is the tiniest 'mango' one could ever imagine; a fruit would sit perfectly on the ball of your last finger.

The early Malays who lived as they did intimately with the rain forest, recognized quite accurately the relatedness of plants in their midst and instinctively assigned vernacular names which today we know reflect natural groups now put systematically into genera and families of modern-day plant classification. This is some mean feat and profoundly so by the fact we know now that Mango Family Anacardiaceae is most abundantly represented in South-east Asia. With some 250 species out of 600 worldwide found here, South-east Asia should rightfully be crowned 'Mango Kingdom'. In the rain forest where they are found, many are awesomely tall giants. They have tiny flowers which are disproportionately nectariferous; E. J. H. Corner aptly described them as 'honey-sweet'.

So there are Otak Udang trees of the coastlines, and yes, there are also Otak Udang Tajam trees of inland forests. For this International Day of Biodiversity 2010, I have chosen to share this little known tree with all my nature-loving friends out there who are fervently documenting life in the intertidal plain and in the rain forest of Singapore. The unfamiliar Otak Udang Tajam (Buchanania sessifolia) - like so many plants rare and vulnerable - is ours to protect and conserve.

Today is a day we should remind ourselves not to be complacent even if there are sufficient cause to celebrate our extent biodiversity. The danger of habitat fragmentation or destruction is ever-present and every concern individual needs to be vigilant.

[Photo above: green fruits of B. sessifolia; ripening red.]

Underside view; on close-up examination, minute hairs can be found on the midrib.

Pointy leaf-tips.

Swollen red leaf-stalk.

[Footnote: Sometimes, B. sessifolia is written as B. sessilifolia.]

Orania sylvicola: Palms Punctuated but Keystone

2010-05-02T02:01:00.000-07:00

Palms are ever-present in the Lowland Dipterocarp Forest but they do not dominate like Nipah would in mangrove. The many species we have do not colonize, and even if they do sometimes, like the lofty Ibul or Orania sylvicola (featured here), they remain considerably small and limited.

I really like to think of palms as punctuation marks - small but significant - spatially spread out amongst the letters of woody trees in the sentence of a rain forest. With a minor stroke and a simple dot or two here and there, these punctuation marks breathe life to the sentence with eloquence and depth of texture and intonation. Collectively, the palm population is like that. Add all these unobtrusive individual palms in the rain forest together, you will quickly realize what a reckoning force they are. They give life to the forest.

Like energy bars they provide bountiful supply of nectar and pollen to a whole range of beetles, bees and flies throughout the year. These tireless workers swarm as cars and trucks would to patrol stations. The power food they get from palms fuels in no small part the dynamism of the entire forest ecosystem through the myriad services that they provide as pollinators of other plants, for example.

Palms also provide fruits all year round for birds, civet cats and many other arboreal creatures such as monkeys. Their leafy crown is a roosting haven for bats, snakes and lizards, and under their often broad leaf-bases the flying lemurs wait out the day in shade and security. And colonies upon colonies of ants have made rattans (climbing palms) their ubiquitous home.

So it can be seen how keystone palms are - as keystone as fig trees. When reforesting disturbed areas it bears well to remember to introduce native palms as second-stage planting under re-established trees.

In present-day Singapore, the Ibul palm (reaching 20m) are exceedingly rare and hard to find; the showy golden-brown leaf-bases is often hidden high up in the sub-canopy and obscured from view by the leafy crowns of smaller understory trees below. We are indeed fortunate to have a few living specimens extent in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve today.

Silvery greyish-brown leaflets with drooping tips.

Close-up of jagged leaf-tips.

Greyish trunk with warty protuberances.

Adventitious roots seeking the earth beneath the leaf litter.

Immature green fruits with 3 petals.

Mature fruits are highly poisonous.

Cratoxylum arborescens: Giant of Lower Peirce Trail

2010-04-25T00:02:00.000-07:00

You may not have taken notice of its lofty canopy and long ascending branches as you walk under smaller trees shading the Cyathea section of the Lower Peirce Trail...

but its solitary trunk near the boardwalk would have stopped you in your path with its imposing size and height.

Its fissured bark is as deeply arresting as the meandering stream that trickles past its shadow below, and if you would allow it... into the very recesses of an endearing memory.

Geronggang or Cratoxylum arborescens can grow to a giddy height of 50m on dry land or peat swamp forest. At almost 30m tall and a meter diameter, our ancient giant stands out easily as the largest tree along the boardwalk at Lower Peirce Trail today. The tree, however, remains a confounding mystery for visitors. There is no educational plaque or label to its honour.

Yet, verily, the expressive branches above never fail to shower hints of its identity with leaves green and yellow like calling cards for those native souls who want to befriend a native tree of home but stops affront - clueless - with neither flowers nor fruits nor seeds to hold, to see, to examine.

For these are truly hard to find... tiny scarlet petals and small cryptic-brown capsules with persistent sepals and ever smaller winged seeds... they fall from the great heights and scatter asunder like stardust into the cosmic zone of the forest floor... lost into its myriad cracks, layers and darkness.

To find them would take the pace of a snail, the eyes of a crested serpent eagle, and a mind that can only be human: one who would dedicate time and energy scouring not for food gains or rest as forest animals instinctively do but for something keenly epistemological - knowledge and truth.

And as luck would have it, a little scarlet bud sit prim and proper on the ball of my finger after one inconspicuous hour inching up and down the boardwalk beneath the tree.

Two capsules later and a 4m tall sapling nearby complete the joy of my inconsequential botanical life. There is hope.

My mind happily gravitates towards Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (BTNR) not far away. I am again reminded that here in Peirce lies a hinterland of contiguous mature-secondary forest linking and giving BTNR its resiliency against the backdrop of forest fragmentation. It is literally a sea of green lapping at its eastern foot.

In return, Peirce takes seeds of regeneration from BTNR through bats, birds and wind, and share essential pollinators for its successional right to becoming a primary forest again one day. Peirce in proximity to BTNR is such a potent showcase of regrowth, and the presence of the very rare Geronggang [red arrow below] adds poignancy to this potential.

Footnote: I have also found to date a Geronggang on the western part of Peirce [blue arrow above] which touches base with BTNR, and another in the forest of Mandai.

Earth Day 2010: We can live life with a little bit of dirt

2010-04-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

Today is one special 'dirty' Earth Day for me. Through the invitation and support of a kind soul, I have the opportunity to put together a workshop called Toxic-Free Cleaning and have 30 enthusiastic listeners chanting 'Change We Can!'

We can change the way we clean in the knowledge that we can certainly live life with a little bit of dirt, have a lot less detergents and be a lot smarter and selective in using them, knowing them. That we are masters of detergents and not slaves.

Yes, today, we hold up high a common belief that we can be a little bit more dirty for a cleaner and safer earth. We can say no a lot louder to plastic and harmful chemicals.

And importantly, we also know we have options to choose safer alternatives. Look no further for valuable lessons than the collective wisdom and folk knowledge of our innovative grannies. We can make cheap and safe and natural cleaners from scratch right in the kitchen.

If only we go ask our elders how they managed housekeeping in the good old days without the modern 'you-must-have' detergents. I am sure you can extend the list that I have in my workshop and go beyond the used tea bags, baking soda, Epsom Salt, lemons and limes, vinegar and wood ash, lye powder (kansui) and a good rub of coconut oil or two.

Today we also celebrated trees in our backyard - the Coconut, the Acacia and the Tamarind trees. We make liquid soap with Acacia pods (above photo) and return the original shine to my much-tarnished copper trophy with a good rub of tamarind pulp. We make them without ever raising a degree from the stove.

Yes, today we give ourselves the power of Change. All we need is to give it a good shake here, a good rub there, and a healthy dose of innovation, imagination and fun making toxic-free cleaners. Change We Can... we certainly can! : )

Precious relic of village life below Bukit Timah Hill

2010-04-18T08:41:00.001-07:00

This must be one of the last (if not last) communal washing point left in Singapore today. It is located at the foothill of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in a quiet corner off old Senapang Road where a village once stood - a precious relic of village life in the past.

While most communal washing points in old Singapore came equipped with hand-pumps and underground wells, some like this rare one had free flowing water coming off dependable sources like surface drainage off abutting hills.

Senapang's communal washing point gets its constant supply of water from the stream in the adjacent Taban Valley.

Fortunately for us, the construction of a new condominium nearby did not encroached upon the communal washing point. Being part of an existing drainage system probably saved it.

I earnestly invite you to drop by here and marvel at the little bit of history we still have. Bring the children too. Perhaps, after a good hearty nature walk up the hill, we can take a moment rest and ponder over its crystal clear water and be inspired to reflect and discuss topical issues such as climate change, rising temperature, water depletion and pollution... issues that are akin to environment degradation, forest destruction and lost of natural habitats and sustainable water catchments.

If a nature walk should end this way, it is a way truly forward in hope.

Direction: Walk halfway up Hindhede Drive, turn right into a small open field where there is a trail lined with sawn logs. Follow it into the wooded area till you see the communal washing point. It should not take you more than 5 minutes.

Phoenix canariensis: Canary Island Date Palm

2010-04-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

I like to introduce you this spectacular exotic palm, Phoenix canariensis (commonly called Canary Island Date Palm), planted along Sentosa's roadside. It has a massive trunk measuring 222cm girth, a size not readily associated with the lanky and wispy palm image in our mind.

It is fruiting at the moment.

The feathery fronds are long, narrow and tapering to a point.

The thin pulp is eatable but too little to consider as food except perhaps in famine.

You can find a few of this palm near Sentosa bus station in the vicinity of the Beach Station. Happy plant-hunting! : )

The World of Rubiaceae and Pavetta wallichiana

2010-04-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

Brilliantly white and elegantly erect, the flowers of the Pavetta wallichiana herald their presence against the shadows of the rain forest interior and, like little trumpets, serenading the greatness of its family Rubiaceae. Why? Well, for one, Rubiaceae is the biggest family of trees in Malaya and has members in such significant number and diversity in the understory that their presence and density is a measure of the intactness of the rain forest on a whole.

So, seeing Pavetta and other rubiaceous shrubs is good news. The forest has a healthy measure of composition indicative of minimal disturbance, or showing sign of regeneration, at the lower strata. In fact, in climax condition, the forest teems not only with rubiaceous trees and shrubs, but a whole kaleidoscope of fascinating herbs, climbers and epiphytes such as Hydnophytum formicarium, an ant plant. Rubiaceae happens to be the fifth largest family of flowering plants in the world too.

However, the fascination do not stop there at the grand level; Pavetta wallichiana gives us an insight into the microcosmic niche of bacterial association. This is what E.J.H. Corner described in the Wayside Trees of Malaya: "The species of this genus are interesting because there occur in the little oblong, dark green, thickened flecks or warts on the leaves nitrogen-fixing bacteria like those on the roots of leguminous plants and Casuarinas. As a consequence, Pavettas are said to give a rich manure and to be useful as a cover-crop under shady conditions".

Close-up of warts below.

The useful bacteria are pass into the seeds and into the next generation of plants and the association remains unbroken. (Photo of fruit below)

Such is the wonder of Rubiaceae and Pavetta wallichiana. : )

Floral Complexity of Strophanthus caudatus

2010-03-27T19:18:00.001-07:00

Strophanthus caudatus, a liana, flowered recently in MacRitchie. It belongs to the family Apocynaceae - the same family to which belongs the towering Pulai tree at Kampong Melayu, Pulau Ubin.

In Singapore, we have on record two species of Strophanthus, and possibly, an unknown third yet to be identified. Strophanthus spp. are well-known in medicine, yielding Strophanthins, glycosides used to treat heart disease. In their countries of origin - basically of the Old World, stretching from Africa to Asia - these climbing shrubs or lianas are famed for their lethal poison for hunting. There are currently about 38 species known.

Today, we find a much bigger Apocynaceae expanded under the relatively new APG II system of classification. It has been combined with the closely allied family Asclepiadaceae, the family of the familiar Hoya plants; both families having exquisitely intricate floral designs if one care to examine closely.

Besides the beguilingly long slender red 'tails' (some measuring about 14cm), the corolla of Strophanthus caudatus is crowned with a corona of 5 paired creamy lobes. Projecting from the middle one might assume at first glance to be the stigma and style, but no, it is not.

Take the flower apart and you will see it is actually the distal long extensions of the anther-tips joined together; the anthers being short, arrow-shaped, huddled together to form a cone arising from the throat of the corolla tube (see photo above).

Going further along, try taking the anthers apart. You will realized immediately they are also joined... yes, to the stigma. From here, your investigation compels you towards the complexity of such a floral arrangement and how you might wonder the kind of pollination strategies or pollinators are involved here and what advantages there are to advance such a seemingly successful plant group.

Looking further into the inner cryptic chamber of the corolla tube, I found the special structure called the clavuncula. It is an enlarged drum-shaped stigma of which the sides and lower surface are the receptive zones. The clavuncula is found to be coherent with the anthers, stuck together with sticky white exudates (third from the left, the rest being stamens).

I am tempted to think the pollens are to be found at the pointed top of the anthers which is facing inward around the sterile apex of the clavuncula. As of now, I cannot confirm it. The rotten mass that I found there is undefinable at the time of my investigation. Come next flowering season, I will definitely head straight to MacRitchie to look for fresh specimens and fresh pollens if I can. Wish me luck.

New book: Trees of Tropical Asia

2010-03-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

Have you seen flowers that astound you with their quiet beauty and wished they speak to you and you knew them and call them by name?

Or pick a fallen fruit and marvel its shape and texture, and wondered which mother tree, amongst the bewildering many towering overhead, is shedding it for new grow, new hope?

If only we could, we lament. (See footnote for identity of the flowers and fruit pictured above)

For those who are inspired by our magnificent forest and want to find out more, you will find a great resource in James V. LaFrankie, JR. He has just published a fantastic illustrated guide book to diversity, Trees of Tropical Asia. For more information, check out the book here: http://www.blacktreepublications.com/

Footnote
First photo: flowers of Gomphandra quadrifida
Second photo: fruit of Vatica pauciflora

Note of Appreciation: Jim, thanks so much for allowing me the pleasure of contributing, in a small way, photos to your guide book. I believe it will become the most popular addition - 'bible' - to the introduction of tropical forest plants accompanying the classic Corner's Wayside Trees of Malaya. Cheers : )

Rare strangling fig hanging on

2010-03-21T01:40:00.000-07:00

A year or more had gone by since its host tree died and felled, but the strangling fig is still alive today. Good news though. This fig - Ficus xylophylla (meaning woody-leafed) - is relatively rare in Singapore .

It can be found leaning out at the forest edge near the beginning of Lornie Trail Boardwalk (See photo below: it is located between the two giant trees - behind the jogger in the photo).

Photo below: Closer look at the gap created by the fallen host tree.

The fig has made quick recovery: leafy sprigs ascending from its prostrated trunk.

Close-up of its robust leaves.

What is Explore?

2010-02-03T06:30:00.001-08:00

What is Explore, or rather, explore.org? Thanks to Jon Kolker's introduction, I have found another new and exciting medium to learn and be inspired by the selfless act of people in the far flung corners of the world who have devoted their lives to extraordinary causes.

In the words of Explore, it 'is a brand new concept that combines philanthropy, travel, and learning. Led by Charles Annenberg Weingarten, and with support from the Annenberg Foundation, the explore team embarks on fact-finding missions to identify potential grant recipients and document the great works of nonprofit organizations through films and photography'.

I invite you to experience Explore, and add it to your list of portals to explore our beautiful world and feel the heartbeat and soul of humanity in all its challenges.

Cheers : )

Felled

2010-01-08T20:44:00.000-08:00

If you can hear, my inner voice speaking behind these written words is soft to the point of void in a vacuum. I make the effort though. A giant Shorea ovalis (of about 250cm girth) has been felled by humans. I wished it not. A tree in the wild state of the Rain Forest in the Singapore Botanic Gardens; fruited July last year 2009; visited again recently and witnessed its full glorious crown... before it went down... and now an empty space of sky in the forest canopy.

8 Jan 2010: I saw the stump. It is healthy to the notch. Open flesh fresh a-lingering still. A few steps away lies two other stumps; trees of the same fate... silent... in the forest.

I make noise today though. A soft voice it is to speak the grievances the trees spoke to me that day. I want you to know how the wind came. Coming hardly the 10th minute of my wandering, it took post so strong and swept the sunlit floor into the gloom of angry clouds gathering above. Within the minute, wind and pelting rain released together. I hid and huddled below some trees with umbrella as I watched. And it rained and rained so forcefully; time standing still. The whole forest shook. How acutely I felt a great life force wrenching itself off the forest into the void above... so powerful and ominous a remonstration. Today this incomparable little voice tells you it happened. I cannot begin to ask why.

[Note: if you want to see the site of destruction, it is at the last bend along Liane Road, on the right as you approach the side-gate at Cluny Road.]

1) Fruits found July last year 2009.

2) Close-up of winged fruit.

3) Health stump of Shorea ovalis.

4) Galls on underside of leaves.

5) More galls of a different type. Amazingly I also found these same hairy type in an old herbarium voucher of the Gardens' Jungle Shorea ovalis collected by H.N. Ridley (no. 6393, dated 1894).

6) Looking for answers, a few days later, I went to ask the garden staff I found in the Potting Yard and to my horror saw the remains of the tree's trunk. [photos below by Angie Ng]

Trees that touch and inspire

2009-12-20T19:03:00.000-08:00

I planted the fig saplings more than a decade ago and she painted them years on as handsome trees that they have become. This is a sweet chapter of my life unfolded to me by chance a couple of weeks ago when I found the painting in a students' art exhibition at Lasalle, our famed school of the arts.

You can imagine the pure joy I felt then seeing my past effort rendered on canvas in beautiful colours. It felt like a fairy tale; sweet as memory-dews, coming full circle at a time for me to recall every step I took in the early life of these trees. I knew I had to share my experience with budding artist Ms Denise Jillian Tan (above). She should know, I thought; the story that enriches must be told and she is so much part of it now. I found her contact in due time and wrote her.

This is the story of the fig trees I shared with Denise:

"These fig trees were destined for the rubbish truck when I found them as forlorn-looking two-meter tall wiry saplings in torn-up bags at the waste-yard. They caught my heart and I salvaged them from sure destruction. I am happy for them now - so strong and spreading - providing figs for animals and shade for man, and not to mention, inspiration for Denise to paint them so beautifully."

[Photos above & below: Ficus benjamina var nuda (synonym: Ficus nuda)]

Subsequently I met up with Denise and her mum Catherine for a memorable lunch together. In her own words, she shared how the trees inspired her:

"I chose that tree [foreground] in particular because of its beauty. Its many branches stretching towards the sky, giving shade to the pathway, and its roots were most perculiar: emerging from the ground, almost like a reflection of the branches above - an assymetrical beauty of nature".

I must say I am extremely blessed with Denise's generosity of heart as she presented the gift of the painting to me. For this I remain forever thankful. I hope she will realize her dream of becoming a successful artist.

I also hope this charming story ends not here but continues as a first chapter to many many other stories of people drawn to the life of these trees. May they continue to grow, touch and inspire anyone who come under the spell of their generous loving embrace.

[Footnote: the 3 trees are figs: 2 nos. Ficus microcarpa and 1 no. Ficus benjamina var nuda (synonym Ficus nuda); located above slope overlooking Symphony Lake, Singapore Botanic Gardens]

Two notable trees of MacRitchie Reservoir Park

2009-12-12T03:04:00.000-08:00

Two notable trees worthy of special attention can be found in MacRitchie Reservoir Park today. Both are mature trees and both coincidentally exhibiting drooping branches of leaves. They are Anisophyllea griffithii, a tree of considerable rarity, and Shorea acuminata, a possible new record for Singapore.

Though I have known Anisophyllea griffithii or Griffith's Leechwood (photo above, centred) for many years, never have I the privilege of witnessing it in bloom. For this very reason the tree has become a necessary first-stop before starting my explores of the forest nearby. I must say I have grown very fond of this lovely tree over time. It is so graceful and elegant; so quietly enduring to the heart.

Shorea acuminata or Meranti Rambai Daun (photos below) on the other hand is conical in form, almost as if accentuating the lofty summit spot it hails - on the hillock above my lovely leechwood. Surprisingly, to say the least, I only discovered it recently in June this year 2009; this hillock being so small and I thought I knew all the trees there. I was proved wrong.

On that fateful late afternoon, the weather had taken a turn for the worse just as I was finishing surveying my lovely leechwood. Dark ominous clouds had gathered rapidly overhead. Not wanting to be caught in a storm within the forest, I decided to abandon my explore for the day. But not wanting to waste my long bus trip down from home, I thought I could make speed surveying the trees I know on the hillock before the rain hit the ground. So climbed I did, and ran straight into the tree - in quick time - serendipitously.

I realized pretty soon after why it had eluded me so far - the tree was completely entombed within an imposing fortress of tall hedging. If not for my habitual leechwood-stop... the weather a-fouling... the desperate quick-silver in trying to have some meaningful work done with precious little time on hand... and of course, a healthy dose of curiosity to investigate... it would have eluded me still.

To the non-discerning crowd, it may not come readily to think of the present immaculate MacRitchie Reservoir Park as a forested area decades ago. There are indeed a fair number of mature forest trees that had survived past development of the park. They remain as living signposts of the former forest there.

The need to know them presently comes at an urgent time when soon the summit will see the development of a new restaurant in place of the nice old canteen we are so familiar with. For this, I hope to document and map these trees soon with some civic-minded tree-lovers. Here again is another scope for what I call folk conservation.

Good friend Shawn in the foreground of Shorea acuminata atop hillock

Bole

Drooping branchlets

Earth-pointing leaves

Fallen leaves and stipules

Aralidium pinnatifidum is NOT 'nationally extinct'

2009-12-10T06:58:00.000-08:00

Aralidium pinnatifidum is NOT 'Nationally Extinct'. It should not be.

I am surprised the newly revised Red Data Book (2nd edition, 2008) still listing it as such.

Quite a few of these rare small trees are to be found barely inches away from the boardwalk at MacRitchie Nature Trail. Historically, they were only reported through collections from Bukit Timah and Jurong. Leaves are lobed as shown below but they can be entire too. The entire-leafed trees are also found at the boardwalk.

A Family Gathering

2009-12-05T20:53:00.000-08:00

I find myself in the field again today. Like so many times before it's like home. And it's the best home to be, this field of openness. The sky for the roof, the billowy clouds for my head and the breeze of familiar green giving thoughts quiet pools for reflections in the forest. And when it rains, you feel so alive.

Today I am with friends again, brothers and sisters that they be. A spider I bow to speak, a tree I raise my brow to in adoration... and then from on high descends a bird of rainbow light brightening a branch above. Funny how it seems that we are so complete: a spider, me, a tree and a bird. We are family; family in the depth of time and space; a moment in time as a family gathers around a spot of earth away from the artificial world.

A solitary ant-like spider the size of a 10c coin.

Ternstroemia penangiana flower.

Aborted female flower.

Chestnut-winged Cuckoo.

Rethinking Schools

2009-01-06T07:29:00.000-08:00

If you think the future belongs to our children and that a good start to solving any of tomorrow's problems created today (example, the environment) is through education, you are right! Where should we start? Well, look no further than early childhood education!

I get goose pimples reading enlightened words from the Rethinking Schools. Check it out if you are passionate about education! Visit Rethinking Schools at:

http://www.rethinkingschools.org/

The following words should excite you like it did me. It's thoroughly breathtaking!

'Rethinking Early Childhood Education is alive with the conviction that teaching young children involves values and vision. This anthology collects inspiring stories about social justice teaching with young children. Included here is outstanding writing from childcare teachers, early-grade public school teachers, scholars, and parents.
Early childhood is when we develop our core dispositions — the habits of thinking that shape how we live. This book shows how educators can nurture empathy, an ecological consciousness, curiosity, collaboration, and activism in young children. It invites readers to rethink early childhood education, reminding them that it is inseparable from social justice and ecological education.
An outstanding resource for childcare providers, early-grade teachers, as well as teacher education and staff development programs.'

[Orignal excerpt can be read here.]

WOW! Take heart! Ecological Education!

Joe Lai : )

Wild Geese

2008-12-29T14:46:00.000-08:00

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

by Mary Oliver

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

Dead Colugo found near Chestnut Drive

2008-12-27T07:20:00.000-08:00

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]

Trilobite Larvae: The Peter Pan of the Insect World

2008-12-15T05:57:00.000-08:00

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! : )

New Book: The Bridge at the Edge of the World

2008-10-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

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/

Consume Less!

2008-10-24T08:27:00.000-07:00

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

My Sundew Has Grown!

2008-10-12T02:12:00.000-07:00

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.

New Young Writers Inspired by Pulau Ubin and Chek Jawa

2008-09-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

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 : )

How to pot Sundew and Venus Fly-Trap from culture

2008-09-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

(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.

Botanical Workshop: Leaves You Captive

2008-08-30T06:01:00.000-07:00

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]

A Rare Native Tree 'Uncovered' in Serangoon

2008-08-24T04:46:00.000-07:00

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 : )

Salads: Love Food by Busy Dads

2008-07-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

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 : )

Min's Poem: Volcano

2008-07-25T04:10:00.000-07:00

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

New Book: Parasitic Flowering Plants

2008-07-03T06:15:00.000-07:00

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:

http://www.viscum.dk/eng-sider/eng_index1024.htm

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

1) Macrosolen retusus

2) Cansjera rheedii

3) Ximenia americana

4) Burmannia coelestis

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

cheers : )

Joe Lai

Say What? Habitat Destruction?

2008-06-21T05:08:00.000-07:00

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.

On Brave Shores

2008-06-10T08:07:00.000-07:00

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.

Happy Ardour Day

2008-06-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

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

A Sorrier Sight We Are Than Death Stars

2008-05-28T06:01:00.000-07:00

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.

You Can Help Gabriel Save a Tree

2008-05-23T01:32:00.000-07:00

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! : )

Offering Help to a Tree on Vesak Day

2008-05-19T06:10:00.000-07:00

Simpang Bedok, Vesak Day, 19 May 2008

While faithfuls by the tens of thousands made their way to offer their prayers at Buddhist temples all over the island on Vesak Day, I went about offering help to a mango tree growing along the perimeter of Bedok Shopping Complex in Simpang Bedok.

The previous day saw me taking up an SOS call from a distressed Gabriel Tan. A tree outside his audio equipment shop (ZENN) had apparently been earmarked for the chop by the shopping complex management. He wanted it saved and asked if I could help. I said yes as a matter of fact, of course. How could I turn him down on the eve of Vesak Day? Moreover, how could I not lend a helping hand to a courageous man such as he? His dharma was too hard to resist.

Days earlier, by a stroke of fate, he had parked his Toyota pick-up right under the mango tree. Not long after, to his dismay, he was summoned to move his vehicle away so that the tree-cutters can start cutting the tree. What he did next was truly admirable. He simply refused to barge an inch and stood his ground even when the Police were called in. The Police, to their credit, made no arrest nor reproach. Instead they decidedly turned the tree-cutting operation on its head for further deliberation by the opposing parties. That gave Gabriel precious time to query his shopping complex management about their decisions and to raise concerns amongst his fellow tenants. He also found me through Google and got me up and running as his trusted tree-inspector and advisor. So... in a nutshell, that was how it all came about... [Photo below: mango tree arching over narrow 1-laned road.]

Vesak Day: The first thing that strikes me as I arrive below the mango tree is its cooling shade; it is voluptuous and inviting to no degree of exaggeration. By mid-morning, the sun is already screaming down for boiling blood and running sweat on the brow. At 10 metres, and against the slanting light, its luxuriant head of leaves reflects the green vigor of health as any robust tree should be and it is fruiting by their dozens too.

I estimate it to be no more than 20 years old and this is promptly confirmed by Gabriel's father and mother who arrive at the scene within a heartbeat of mine.

Senior Tan enthuses, 'it is as old as our first grandchild and he is now 17 years old'. 'Look', pointing at the canopy above, 'it is always fruiting. People living and working around here enjoy harvesting the mangoes because they taste great. It has really been good to everyone here'.

Senior Tan is obviously at one with this giving tree. He is also hopeful that these same people would come forward to help save the tree in gratitude. He sums up his feelings by saying matter-of-factly, 'we can all save this generous tree together'.

Gabriel briefs me once again the accusations that have been levelled against the mango tree by the shopping complex management. All I have to do is to systematically debunk them one by one and add fresh insights on my part. It is that simple as the tree is in perfect health and has no signs of infestation or affliction of any kind.

No.1 Accusation: Tree damaged drain.

Findings: No damage to the drain whatsoever!

Fresh Insights: The drain is not an ordinary drain. In fact, the side of the drain which bolders the tree is a solid retaining wall of immeasurable strength. In other words, it is technically not a 'side' of the drain in the normal sense. See picture below.

No.2 Accusation: Tree damaged road.

Findings: No damage to the road whatsoever!

If you don't believe me, ask the cat below the van! : )

Hello Kitty-Kitty... nice flat road to sleep on, right?

Fresh Insights: The 1.4m girth tree stands on a relatively wide and generous grass verge which, in fact, afforts a great deal more room for the roots of the tree to stretch out lengthwise parallel to the road and the drain. The roots of the tree have therefore no propensity for invading either structures. (See photo below)

Occasional trimming of the branches will keep the tree's branch-to-root ratio balanced equally for sustained growth. Present state shows no sign of root-girdling or eruption above the surface of the soil. The roots are very happy growing within the grass verge!

Now, here's the best part of my investigation...

No.3 Accusation: Tree is littering the adjacent terrace house with fallen leaves and the owners WANT the tree cut! [In other words, the shopping complex management is saying, 'Go blame the owners of the house next door but not us, OK!!]

Findings: Yes, indeed! The tree is littering the house with fallen leaves - and if I may add - fallen fruits too. But the owners only want the tree to be trimmed, NOT CUT!!

Fresh Insights: We spoke with the nice owners of the house and found out the truth ourselves. It turns out to be quite proverbial: to find out TRUTH and celebrate the LIGHT on Vesak Day! The owners do collect the mangoes to eat too, so they definitely do not want to cut the tree down. As the photo below shows, the tree juts ever so slightly into the compound of their house. Only minor and occasional trimming of the branches will be required to solve the problem.

Conclusion: The accusations levelled against the mango tree are all unfounded, untrue or exaggerated. It begs the next most important question: How authentic is their claim about Nparks giving them approval to fell the tree in the first place?

Recommendations: In all eventuality, it would be in the best interest of the shopping complex management (Far East) to keep and value its trees as extensions of goodwill to its immediate neighbourhood where most of its regular customers come from. But beyond dollars and cents and customer services, it makes good sense to work actively with the community in bringing about an environment which is greener and healthier for all. Afterall, we all share the same air.

So keep the mango tree. Do not cut it down. It is the first step to winning hearts and dollars. Together we can teach our children the right attitude to loving both the community and the environment.

Epilogue: At the end of our investigation, Gabriel invited me to his audio lab to listen to some of his fabulous music. As I drifted with the music at length - meandering through my own thoughts and wonderings - I begun to understand the extra dimension ZENN (coined from Zen) had on my own existential experience with Vesak Day today. Music can be so so pure without words. It is the language of the heart. I am not a Buddhist, and I have no words of prayer at the temple's door, but I think I have responded to my heart and followed a path Buddhadasa Bhikku has taught... to enter momentarily a Time beyond Present. If this is a prayer, so be it. The joy and peace within my heart today cannot be taken away.

'Listen to the trees speak, hear the stones teach dharma.'

- Buddhadasa Bhikku of Phra Paisan's Temple School (Thailand)

Turtles in Cyrene

2008-05-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

Happiness is drawing turtles in the sand

And seeing them return to the sea at high tide.

Joy is following them in my heart!

Intel Involved: Labour Day of Love for the Earth

2008-05-14T23:54:00.000-07:00

Celebrating 40 Years of Changing the World
by David Chung 15 May 2008

2008 is the International Year of the Reef (IYOR), celebrated worldwide to raise awareness about the value and importance of coral reefs and threats to their sustainability. So, as part of Intel’s 40th anniversary celebrations, a group of Intel Singapore employees from CPLG, Finance & IT and their families turned our Labor Day holiday into a labor of love for the Earth. Together, we volunteered in a variety of activities at Chek Jawa – a wetlands nature reserve tucked away on Pulau Ubin, an island off the north-eastern coast of the main concrete jungle of Singapore (details below).

We teamed-up with a group of passionate nature enthusiasts, as well as a community of home-schooled children & their families, forming a contingent of over 100 volunteers. The naturalists that guided us inspired us with their love & respect for our natural environment. The home-schooled kids inspired us with their enthusiasm and abundant curiosity. And in return, Intel inspired them with our grand goal of one million volunteer hours.

Photos by Peggy Khoo
Photos by Ria Tan (WildSingapore)

The Details
So, what did we actually do?

1) We reached out to visitors as Dugong Ambassadors, sharing with them fun facts about this endangered creature (and learning for ourselves along the way). What’s a dugong? What do dugongs have to do with Singapore? (Click on these links to find out more) And thanks to professional artist/nature-guide Andrew Tay, each volunteer received a beautiful badge with a custom logo designed by him for this occasion.

2) We cleared bagsful of trash from the shore, and got a sobering reminder about waste and pollution – styrofoam and plastic bags really do stick around forever; nasty! You’d be amazed at the kinds of unexpected trash that wash up along our shores… just join one of these trash-clearing expeditions during low tide and you’ll see what we mean.

3) We painted a mural at House No. 1 – the visitor center at Chek Jawa. Why a mural? Good public art says something about the community. It says: this is who we are - this is what we think - this is where we came from - this is what we want. Murals show the concerns, hopes, values and memories of the community where the murals are painted. We hope this mural conveys to future visitors our pride and love for our environment and the wonderful biodiversity of the sea and shores around Singapore (video link).

Learn More

Read more about the event at these blogs:
http://flyingfishfriends.blogspot.com/2008/04/chek-jawa-may-day-outreach-unveils-2008.html
http://iyor08singapore.blogspot.com/2008/04/dugong-ambassadors-for-may-day-outreach.html
http://wildfilms.blogspot.com/2008/05/shore-extravaganza-dugong-ambassadors.html

This event was also featured in a newspaper report in the May 11th issue of the local Chinese daily《联合早报》
Thanks!

Thanks to the CPLG, Finance & IT leadership teams for funding this event out of our Q2 team building budget, and adopting it as our quarterly team event J

CPLG: Cai Ding Zheng and Mel Davies
· CPLG sponsored the painting materials

Finance: Kristin Lim, Ravi Rao and Jeffrey Phua
· Finance sponsored the transportation to Pulau Ubin and Chek Jawa, and the Dugong ambassador badges

IT: Satish Kumar and Chang Tsann
· IT paid for the snacks and drinks that fed more than 100 people

And a big thanks to Peggy Khoo & the Intel Involved Singapore team for making this possible!

Heartfelt Responses for May Day Outreach

2008-05-13T02:42:00.000-07:00

13 May 2008

Below: a chorus of heartfelt responses from all over!
Thank you - one and all! : )

Peggy Khoo (Intel) says:
To many of us who spends more than 10 hours a day in the office, this May Day 2008 outreach event is an excellent opportunity for us to reach back out to nature, to contribute our little effort to make a difference and to reflect on what other things we can do to save the environment. Our employees had so much fun that day in exploring Chek Jawa whilst putting on their volunteer hats in carrying out their task they set out to do. The end results of a beautiful mural wall at House No.1, a cleaner coast at Chek Jawa and more informed visitors who are now aware of the dugongs, are just immeasurable and valueless!

For me, I have personally learnt a great deal from Joseph Lai, while working with him on this project. He has exposed me to a world of nature that I would have never been able to see by myself and has inspired me to want to do more with nature. I now know that there are also many people out there who are so passionate about conserving nature and would contribute selflessly to achieving this goal.

On behalf of Intel involved team, I would like to thank Joseph Lai for pulling everyone together to make this community project a success for us. Also thanks to Robert Teo and his NParks team for the excellent support rendered to us. Big thank you to the artist team lead by Pui San and the volunteer guides for making it such a great experience. Cheers!

Ria Tan (Wildfilms / WildSingapore) says:
It was wonderful to share a day on Chek Jawa with many 'old timer' volunteers who had worked on Chek Jawa before deferment. Even more special was the opportunity to share the love of Chek Jawa with a new generation of young adult volunteers and with the young children of the homeschool families. Pui San and his team of artists also added a fresh element to the conservation effort. With NParks and Intel involvement, it is an excellent example of meaningful 3P engagement and of active citizenry.

I hope this event can be an annual event. It is a powerful celebration of what Chek Jawa means to ordinary Singaporeans.

Puisan (Master Artist) says:
The idea of getting kids to have a field day at CJ to learn about the environment was well conceived. Not only were we well rewarded, it resulted in some very lasting and profound learning experiences for the kids and parents alike.

They got to know the environment better and their participation in the activities enriching enough to imbue a sense of belonging to this treasure spot in our beloved Chek Jawa. As Dugong Ambassadors they certainly did their part to help raise concern and awareness of living things around us, marine creatures included. Participation in the beach cleanup made them understand how trash could pollute our beaches and its effects on the environment.

Sharing their ideals of a healthy marine environment through artworks on the wall mural was very popular with many of the kids. Unfortunately we were not able to accommodate all the kids’ enthusiasm for more to be painted, due to the pressure of time and available space.

Comments from Homeschool Parents

Eileen Nathan says:
Since the blogging workshop organized by Mr Joe Lai in conjunction with the IYOR 08, I have never been so aware about animal conservation. Yes, we occasionally watch National Geographic and visit Underwater World, but it's just information. However, when the kids started blogging (another promise they made to Uncle Joe after the workshop) about the sea animals that they have learned, our family began a journey of discovery and learning.

Now when we go to the beach - we look at the sea and the creatures along the beach with a different lens...one that is filled with more compassion about the sorry plight of Mother Nature because of human invasion. I remembered my son crying after watching an internet presentation about a terrible decision of human housing development which will cause a certain kind of sawfish to be extinct!

Our involvement on 1 May is a natural follow-up. We certainly want to do our best to be a voice to the helpless creatures sent by God to help us...but mankind has foolishly plundered Mother Nature. We want the next generation to see the animals that still exist today.

When the purpose of something is not understood or ignored, ABUSE is inevitable!

Jacqueline Thng says:
My family spends most of our free time in the Nature, and i hope we could do our parts to take care of Mother Nature, so that our future generations would continue to enjoy the beauty of nature. ... May Day Outreach is one rare opportunity that allows my children to start their baby steps in taking care of the environment and be more aware of the environment calling.

And I would like to share a quote from Daisaku Ikeda, "Life is a chain. All things are related. When any link is harmed, the other links are affected. We should think of the environment as our mother -- Mother Soil, Mother Sea, Mother Earth. There is no crime worse than harming one's mother. ". so let do our parts... taking action.. & ... also educating the young ones.

Po Ting says:
I am glad that my family gets close to the nature once again. We appreciate and would like to preserve it in our little way.

Wei Lin says:
I think the May Day Outreach will be a wonderful experience to teach our children, the next generation about preserving the sea creatures for a good cause.

Pui Yee says:
Our Precious Gem: I always thought that we have to travel very far to see 'live' underwater creatures in Tioman or somewhere in Malaysia or in other further shores. I remember when we paid our first visit to Chek Jewa few years back, we were so thrilled to see that we have these little beautiful creatures moving around in Singapore shore. A long, hot day passed in our exploration like breeze. How much more we love to see our future generation in Singapore will be able to explore this for themselves in our own shore! I hope this May Day Outreach will bring more awareness and public interest in protecting this very precious gem!

Kay Hoon says:
It's a privilege to be part of this unique project that will bring art into the public sphere. We're proud to be making a statement about the nature around us!

Jin Hua says:
As a parent, I could not wish for a better project for my child to undertake. He learns more about environment and social responsibility, science and art, community and humanity, from people who are passionate about them.

Jean Law says:
Our children are city children; they live in the concrete jungle. I appreciate all these activities and outings, which bring them closer to the Mother Nature and appreciate its wonders. We learn together to love our earth more and become more environmental friendly.

Littly says:
This is a chance for our children to stand up and be counted as caretakers of our planet.

This is a chance for our children to crystallize the reasons they enjoy, and should be respectful of, our natural world.

This is a chance for our children to feel the responsibility of imparting a love of nature to others.

Mei Sie says:
It is a great opportunity for my boys to be involved - to understand and care for their environment and not to take it for granted. I think it will be quite exciting to work together in this project involving a diverse group - homeschooling kids, naturalists and Intel staff.

Queenie says:
I count it a privilege for my son to be able to participate in the May Day activities at Chek Jawa, thanks to Joe Lai. I hope that in getting our children involved in nature activities, they will learn to respect and care for the animals and plants that we share this earth with.

So Mei says:
From the sea;
I find my peace,
The sea has so much to offer;
I will want to conserve with all the others.

8-year-old Shanil says:
... I was very sad about the pollution.

Read Shanil's account of his experience in Shanil-The-Great Blog and Auntie Jenny's absolutely beautiful encouragement for him, his writing and his fabulous artwork (in the Comment).

10-year-old Luke Tay says:
Dugongs are cute lovable things and they should be saved.

9-year-old Vere Nathan says:
It's fun! It's good for the environment and should be done more often.

Guest (Prof) Yap Von Bing says:
Good Activity... good for environment and family bonding.

See other postings / photos of May Day Outreach below:
Pulau Ubin Stories Blog
Wildfilms Blog
FlyingFishFriends Blog
Naked Hermit Crabs Blog
Art in Wetlands Blog
TeamSeagrass Blog
Lazy Lizard's Tales Blog
Photo Galleries at:
Wildfilms' Flickr.com and Peggy Khoo's Flickr.com

Removing Snaring Nets and Mind Traps

2008-04-19T23:28:00.000-07:00

Pulau Hantu, 19 April 2008

Evening descended upon us fast, and as the ferry cast off from its berth, the sky painted the hues of a finished day behind Pulau Hantu.

I was quite 'finished' too for the day; exhausted by the weight of the abandoned net I have come to remove at the central lagoon. But my son's presence make up for any hardship I might have felt. I felt really happy he was by my side and learning by my own example what it would take to care for our natural world. He rewarded me with this magnificent shot above. I must say he has an edge - 'the eye' - to capture it the way he did. A spirit-catcher he would be, I thought, smiling to myself when he showed it off to me. Can a father not be happier? : )

Thanks to my newfound friends - Faizal, Faizul, Yanti, Sarah, Diyana, Nas, Famy, Shahidah and Izean - I got the job done.

I must have had the look of a contented sailor relishing thoughts of a hotmeal and a nice cosy bed waiting for me to dive into dreamland...

and leave all my weariness behind in Hantu?

Well, no; not by any good measure. I woke up from a deep slumber at 6am the next day profoundly haunted by an incoming email concerning the Straits Times report (by Tania Tan) about IYOR 08 and realized just how much more hard work lay ahead of me and it cannot wait. A report with serious omission of facts must be challenged. People cannot be left mis-informed.

And so I wrote... till day break. The result: a rebuttal (below). It immediately became apparent, as I finally put pen to rest, that there are worse snaring nets to be cleared than those from the sea, and that is - the mind traps. This is systematically more damaging to any conscientious efforts for nature conservation in effect. There is so much more to be done, isn't it, my friends? Sigh : (

Rebuttal:

This report has serious errors by omission.

Firstly, Mr Lee may be reported as 'overseeing' Singapore's participation in the IYOR 2008 campaign, but really, he should not be interpreted as having an authority over the activities being organized to celebrate the reefs this year. These activities are being created and sustained independently by self-motivated individuals. I am one of them. Mr Lee does not figure at all in my plans for IYOR.

Secondly, the report has unfairly put all IYOR participants under the same umbrella as a people supporting the idea of 'coral relocation'. I, for one, do not support coral relocation at all. In the same vein, I would rather words be used to the effect of 'maintaining Singapore as a coral paradise' than 'turning Singapore into a coral paradise.' The word 'turning' is dangerously manipulative here.

Save corals reefs we must but not the way it has been suggested. Readers should not be led to think this is the true nature of conservation, neither should they believe that the voice of conservation belongs to only a selected few. The true picture is - in Singapore today - hundreds of ordinary Singaporeans are rallying nature conservation on their own right. The nerve of conservation, in effect, has been de-centralized. The report appears to me as having pirated that folk ownership somewhat.

So, read reports in our main media if you may but be wary of selective truths - even when someone seemingly knowing (a scientist or a bureaucrat) speaks, be mindful that something may be missing in translation. The best bet is for you to get involved and and get to know the hundreds of humble people working the ground in Singapore. You can be one of them too.
April 20, 2008 8:40 AM

Chek Jawa: May Day Outreach Unveils 2008 Logo

2008-04-13T04:30:00.000-07:00

We are proud to present our 2008 logo for the first May Day Outreach at Chek Jawa by homeschool kids. Yeh!

Its creator is none other than professional artist-cum-nature-guide Andrew Tay! Every participant will get to wear a button badge printed with this logo. [Please note: The above is a raw template from which the circular logo will be cut.] The button badges will be manufactured by Grace Tan.

Come this May Day, 32 homeschool kids (and their families) will be:

1) painting a Mural at House No. 1 of Chek Jawa
The mural will be depicting our fabulous sea creatures.
2) reaching out to visitors as Dugong Ambassadors
Turned educators, the kids will be sharing facts about dugongs.
3) removing rubbish from the shores
Kids learn about waste and pollution through beach cleanup.

May Day Outreach has been made possible by the following collaborators.

1) Sponsor Intel Singapore
Not only is Intel financing the whole event, up to 40 Intel staff (and their families) will be joining and helping the kids with their various activities on May Day. Special thanks must go to Peggy Khoo for inspiring her esteemed colleagues toward a common effort for the environment.
2) Master Artist Tham Pui San and fellow artists - Deborah Tay, Evelyn Mah, Joyce Lim, Evonne Tay, Hermie Van Laar, Adelene Yuen and Amy Sammy
They will be teaching the kids how to paint mural and will be guiding the kids on the actual painting of the wall.
3) Naturalists & Volunteers Ria Tan of WildSingapore, Angie Ng, Andrew Tay, Dr. Chua Ee Kiam, November Tan, Andy Dinesh, Ivan Kwan, Marcus Ng, the Naked Hermit Crabs and Siti Maryam and the Team Seagrass will be helping as co-facilitators on May Day.
4) Marina Country Club & MCC Resort for the gracious loan of their three beautiful fibreglass dugong-models to be exhibited at the lawn of House no. 1 (Chek Jawa) on May Day.
5) Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve for providing its facility for our art-training 26 April.
6) Last but not least, our May Day Outreach would not have been possible without the endorsement and help from the Pulau Ubin Management team (Nparks) headed by Mr Robert Teo.

Words of Appreciation:

Truly, I find no words adequate in expressing my deepest appreciation to all you wonderful people listed above for volunteering your time and energy and money to make May Day Outreach a reality.

I would also like to thank all the parents of the homeschool kids for believing in the cause to which we all strive for - that in the International Year of the Reefs 2008, we stand shoulder to shoulder with our kids in speaking up for Nature (sealife) through art and action. As Intel Singapore puts it sweetly- May Day Outreach will be a Labour of Love for the Earth!

Powerful and Extraordinary Words from the Heart of Intel Singapore:

Intel has indeed a grand goal: One Million volunteer hours worldwide! And Intel Singapore is showing the way for corporate responsibility to the local community and the environment. Recent words of empowerment for her staff about the mural painting show just how well she understood her role in community and environment work. This is what she said:

"What is a mural? A mural is a painting done directly on the wall. It comes from the Latin word murus, which means wall. Murals often show the concerns, hopes, values and memories of the community where the murals are painted. Murals are not like other paintings. They have a different purpose, a different kind of effect on the lives of those who see them. They are public art in the best sense, because they are actually created in public, with the community looking on. Good public art says something about the community. It says: this is who we are - this is what we think - this is where we came from - this is what we want. And it says these things in a way that everybody can understand and enjoy." [Source: Taken from a presentation by Peggy Khoo. The event is co-organised by CPLG, Finance and IT, represented by Kristin Lim, Cai Ding Zheng & Satish Kumar.]

Well said, Intel Singapore! Truly well said!! : )

Singing in the Rain

2008-04-12T07:21:00.000-07:00

Western Shore, Ubin, 11 April 2008

I have come a long way and I don't mean the boat ride. There was a time I cried in the rain - a young someone somewhere in time past - and I realized then firsthand that in the rain no one knows you are crying. But today... this - me - today... I am singing in the rain. I am singing! Yes, sink however low I may in the mud today, my spirit shall soar forevermore! I have friends... friends left and right - Ria and Ee Kiam, and newfound friend Vivian; I have them in the best place we can ever be - Nature. I have found freedom... freedom in her purest sense, you see. I can feel 'us'; I can feel 'we'; I can feel the wind, the sea, the lightning, the sky, the clouds and the rain; I can feel it All as One! I am no more me, you see; I am Free!

Yes, today, I can't be happier! Even if I should lose all knowledge, my heart will overflow with shouts of joy and I will shout them atop all the boulders I can find today! Yes, even if I shall not know or forget all the plants by their names, I will still celebrate with them in their uniqueness and wonderness of the unknownst. In this pure state, I and we are all free!!!... my inner self and my outer me! : )

But if you must know... here are some old plantpals I met today... : )

[Above: Gymnanthera oblonga, a rare scrambling shrub]

[Above: close-up of G. oblonga]

[G. oblonga exhibits 2 leaf forms: oblong and lanceolate (above) ]

[Above: Fagraea auriculata, a rare epiphytic shrub growing on granite boulder (Vivian below the magnificent clump)]

[Above: Ficus deltoidea, a rare epiphytic shrub growing on granite boulder]

Don't forget to live, will you? Every day beckons for your re-invention...

[Above: Cyrene Reef, 10 April 2008]

Urgent Appeal: Bear Truth

2008-04-08T19:34:00.000-07:00

My heart sank so low I wanted to cry but anger kept me from doing so!

I must share this with you. It is a truth you must know: that there are many bears hurting in captivity now. Please, please, share this truth with everyone you know - your family and friends.

This act of cruelty cannot be condoned! It simply cannot be condoned!! It's so inhumane!!!

ACRES is working closely with Animals Asia Foundation to tackle the situation.

Please visit Animals Asia Foundation's blog and read about the fate of this poor bear cub (above). It is so important to support the rescue work of this foundation. See a video of a rescue operation.

PLEASE HELP! This is an urgent appeal!

I urge you to subscribe to ACRES's e-newsletter to get updates on their work too.

Joe Lai : (

The Ethical Fisherman - where are you?

2008-04-07T03:18:00.000-07:00

Pulau Huntu, 6 April 2008

Whatever happened to the Ethical Fisherman? Extinct?

Time and again, we find driftnets lost or abandoned at sea and lodged in the seabed as permanent death traps for animals. Why? Why??

I would believe this to be true: the Ethical Fisherman would keep an unfailing and unbroken watch over his net as soon as it has been cast. Never would he leave it in the sea unsupervised for any length of time. He would retrieve it as soon as he leaves the fishing area. This is the unwritten code of honour of the Ethical Fisherman. But where is he today?

If I have any before, I would have certainly lost all faith in finding him in our local driftnet-user-community now, seeing what I saw at Hantu last Sunday: another driftnet, another rescue, and another anguishing period to wait before mastering enough manpower to unearth it on another day. In the meantime, I know for sure that many more unwary animals will get entangled and drown or starve to death as each day passes. If I cannot find help soon, 19th April will be the nearest date I can reconcile myself for a return to remove the net personally. That is almost two weeks from now. Sigh...

[photo above: one of two mosaic crabs rescued]

One day, someone - a human - will be drowned by an abandoned driftnet. Mark my words.

Do we have to wait for such a tragedy to happen before taking a more serious approach to licensing driftnets as control items or banning it altogether in Singapore? After all, we banned chewing-gum, didn't we?

Or can the local fishing community in Singapore take it in its own stride to self-regulate?

Is there an Ethical Fisherman somewhere in our midst who can stand up and stand tall to institutionalize a Fishermen's Chapter in Singapore and make us all proud of having a local fishing community which is both professional and responsible?

Please... please stand up and be counted, if you can. It is not impossible for nature lovers and fishermen to work together to clean up this mess. At the very least, this is my hope.

[photo above: curvy black line indicates location of abandoned driftnet in central lagoon]

Intel Involved: Pulau Ubin Beach Cleanup

2008-03-31T03:38:00.000-07:00

Story by Peggy Khoo, Singapore Intel Involved coordinator [captions by Joseph Lai]

[photo above: Tim Bailey planting a tree of hope for the environment.]

On the afternoon of 27 March, 43 Intel employees spent a very meaningful afternoon on Pulau Ubin, an island off Singapore. They represented two teams who volunteered their time to clean the beach at Chek Jawa and Sungei Jelutong, by “converting” their traditional team building activity into one that is primarily focused on community service. Not only did they learnt about how rubbish like plastic bags, straws, foams and batteries can pollute the sea, prematurely killing the sea creature and indirectly affecting the human’s well being through the food chain, they also realized that no matter how small the effort they may contribute, it does make a difference to the environment.

[photo above: a sea-change from corporate executives to rubbish collectors and caregivers of the environment!]

Tim Bailey led his PPMG team to plant a nutmeg tree at House No 1, Chek Jawa, symbolizing their love and care for the environment, then subsequently picked and collected rubbish along Chek Jawa. They finally closed their day activity by identifying the winning team for their interesting “rubbish” game. The other team was led by Lee Buan Seng and Satish Kumar. This team cleaned up Sungei Jelutong under the supervision of our N-Park ranger and they learnt that not all rubbish are actually rubbish. For example anything “organic’ should be left behind as it will naturally biodegrade into the environment. Finally, after spending their time under the rain, sprawling the beach, they proudly presented almost 8 large bags of rubbish they collected for the day. The team then spent the remaining evening having a team dinner at the Season’s seafood restaurant on Ubin, before they headed back to Singapore.

[photo above: bagging a first prize for 'talking rubbish' - telling a most interesting tall tale about how an aircon panel ended up on ubin's shore!]

Singapore Intel Involved team would to commend Tim Bailey, Lee Buan Seng and Satish Kumar for their leadership and role-modeling, in leading their teams to think and act for the community!!

More photos are found in our flicker.com album

A Special Poem by Verasha: 4 My Sky

2008-03-27T23:53:00.000-07:00

Through her simple yet poignant words, a child speaks to the world...

Verasha (a homeschooler in Singapore):

'I wrote this poem thinking about the pollution of our environment....We should take care of this planet, because it's the only one we got!'

4 My Sky [original post]

The mood of the sky depends on you,
Whether you care and love it too,
Purple, red, blue and grey;
Are the colours of the sky.
And I just can't say
Why there's no more red,
And why there's no more blue
Who knows it might lose its colour really soon.

It now looks sad and hurt
Just because
All Sam, Dick and toothless Curt,
Have dirtied the world so clean.
So go green
And it may help
Our world to become bright and clean.

Message from Uncle Joe to Verasha and all homeschool children:

I understand your feelings, Verasha. Sometimes, I feel like that too. You know, I was at Pulau Ubin yesterday with friends from Intel corporation. There were 48 of us and we spent some quality time cleaning up the beaches at Chek Jawa and Sungei Jelutong. We were an assorted bunch of nationalities actually - from Japan, India, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, United States, New Zealand, etc. (Photo below)

[More photos at Intel Involved's flicker.com album]

Though the sky opened up for a while and the rain unleashed itself upon us with thunderous abandonment, we were wet yet undampened in spirit. We were quite glad to do our bit - no matter how small it seemed - to clean up the polluting mass of rubbish at the shores. And as if to reward our 'international' effort, the sky turned a glorious spectrum of colours on our return journey across the waters to Singapore mainland (first photo above). It was then that - on the bumboat - I suddenly recalled your poem.

I remembered the simple words you use and the plain matter-of-fact way you say it. It was very clear in my mind. I actually felt sad reading it at first, I must confess. But sitting there in the bumboat and recalling your poem and admiring the beautiful sky... I felt my heart brimming over with hope... hope that we can turn things around. We CAN resolve the issue of waste and prevent and reduce pollution at all levels. Yes, we can! It only have to start with ourselves (the ME & I!) and also with people around us - at home, in school, our community, etc. That was exactly how I felt after cleaning up the beaches with my friends, and at the sametime, reminding ourselves not to create waste in the first place.

Thank you, Verasha, for your rich poetry. Your poem, 4 My Sky, is a timely reminder for all of us to act for the environment. Most of all, I want you to have hope - lots of it - just like my friends and I have. We all must have hope... for a better tomorrow! : )

Keep writing and keep smiling! There is hope!

Uncle Joe

BBC Audio & Video : to learn more about plastic and the harm it does to the environment and to animal life too.
[Footnote: Special thanks to Robert Teo of the National Parks Board and volunteer Angie Ng for making our outing so memorable, and Peggy Khoo for galvanizing the enthusiastic response from her Intel team.]

I am a Dugong-Ambassador (Part 2)

2008-03-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

I hope you have discovered for yourself some interesting fact about dugongs by now. In this 'I am a Dugong-Ambassador - Part 2', we will take a peek into the world of seagrasses! : ) It is the principal food for dugongs!

Do you know that there is a wonderful organisation called Seagrass-Watch which is based in Cairns, Australia? It's primary concern is seagrass beds throughout the world.

Take a look at Seagrass-Watch website and see a world map of seagrass distribution.

Do you know that we have a group of seagrass-enthusiasts who regularly monitor the conditions of the seagrass beds in Singapore? It is called Team Seagrass and it is one of the international partners of Seagrass-Watch. Siti is the young lady incharge of Team Seagrass.

Do you know that Siti and her friends discovered several dugong feeding trails last year at Chek Jawa? Hurray! See the photo here.

Please visit Siti and her Team Seagrassers in their blog. They are a wonderful bunch! : )

I have found a beautiful drawing of a dugong for your viewing pleasure - from the American Museum of Natural History. See drawing here.

Isn't this exciting! Seagrass beds are extremely important habitats for dugongs. If we want to speak up for the dugongs as ambassadors, we must also speak up for the seagrass beds in and around Singapore! I did! I wrote a short essay about the plight of the seagrass bed in the estuary of Sungei Pulai (Johore, Malaysia). It is presently threatened by the expansion of a shipping port there. Read my essay here.

Cheers,

Uncle Joe : )

An Easter Surprise

2008-03-22T21:56:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday: 23 Mar 2008

Dear friends,

by some strange coincidence, I came to adopt a bunny for Easter. I found her abandoned in Peirce Reservoir Park on Wednesday while guiding some Raffles Girls. I could not find the heart to leave her there exposed to the merciless elements and the alien forest nearby. I thought, if the monkeys do not taunt her to death out of curiosity and rough play, the common red ants might... to an agonisingly slow death.

Happily, I found her again after my guided walk and took her home. Our cat Gila seems to take to her very quickly and they are becoming quite pally.

We enjoy looking at them... so chummy!

Gila is learning to eat grass too. Ha ha!

I don't have a name for her yet. It could be a 'him' though. I may just have to wait a little bit longer to gain enough of her confidence before turning her over to ascertain the gender. Well, at least for now, I am pleased she know how to go to the toilet to poo-poo and pee-pee! : )

Joe Lai

I am a Dugong-Ambassador (Part 1)

2008-03-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

I will be coming up with the outreach material for the kids to become Dugong-Ambassador on May Day in Chek Jawa. This is something unique the kids will be doing besides mural painting. Don't worry, I will keep the outreach protocol simple. More will be explained as we move along.

As a start, let us get familiar with Dugongs! Here is a very nice video showing how a dugong feed, swim and breathe. Let us admire a beautiful photo of a dugong in National Geographic! It provides a simple account of the natural history of the dugongs and a world map showing where they can be found. Do examine the map closely. It is actually a good opportunity to use an atlas to find such places as the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, Andaman Islands, etc.

Have fun learning with your kids!

Uncle Joe : )

Have you been to Avenue Q?

2008-03-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

Have you been to Avenue Q?

If not, maybe you might want to give it a try. And if you like what you see and hear, maybe you might have your teens tag along the next time.

They will probably meet someone nice and funny, who speaks in a cheerful sing-song way about anything ranging from racism, sex and homosexuality, self-worth, politics, unemployment, etc.... many multi-faceted things and questions Q ? that are as much a part of growing up for young adults as hormonal growth within them.

Well, have a try yourself... I am going there with my son today anyway : ) I think it will be a fun-filled way to explore these questions together... father and son. Have a nice day!

This Way to AVENUE Q

Cheers,

Joe Lai

Introducing BBC Radio Programme - Heart & Soul

2008-03-02T04:57:00.000-08:00

Dearest friends,

May I introduce to you a fabulously enriching radio programme from

BBC World Service - Heart & Soul

I hope you will find it a great learning tool, especially for teens. I am using it for my son Lai Min.

Cheers,

Joe Lai

Synopsis (by BBC):

" My son was dead, but six Israelis now have a part of a Palestinian in them, and maybe he is still alive in them. "
The words of the Palestinian father Ismail Khatib who donated his son Ahmed's organs to Israelis after the 12 year old was accidentally shot dead by Israeli soldiers in 2005.
In an award-winning programme first broadcast last year, Heart and Soul explores what happens to a person's spirit when their organs are donated after their death ... Vera Frankl hears the remarkable story of the Khatibs, and also that of the family of Yoni Jesner. He was a young Jewish student who was murdered in the bombing of a Tel-Aviv bus, and whose kidney went to save the life of a Palestinian girl.
Yoni Jesner and Ahmed Khatib, two vicitims of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict who ended up giving life to people who are traditionally their enemies ...

Tagore: My Heart Beats her Waves at the Shore

2008-02-23T20:49:00.000-08:00

The world speaks to me in pictures,

my soul answers in music.

Wayside grass, love the star, then your dreams

will come out in flowers.

My heart beats her waves at the shore of the world

and writes upon it her signature in tears

with the words, 'I love thee.'

Let my love, like sunlight, surround you and

yet give you illumined freedom.

He who does good comes to the temple gate,

He who loves reaches the shrine.

- Whisperings of Rabindranath Tagore -

Footnote: See corals and other marine treasures of the seagrass lagoon of Semakau at my flicker.com album

Embracing Nature Conservation: How?

2008-02-16T20:50:00.000-08:00

Dave Santucci's ready label for critics as 'elitist' should meet with his own label 'parochial'. His view has no logic and does not deserve any rigorous debate. [See reports here]

Look to Jacques-Yves Cousteau and other universal beings like him instead for true goodness-to-nature education and stewardship - yes, minus all the 'carnival' and dark logic. Then, go and explore your local beach, and take your time to sample the wonderous arrays of marine animals found there. Make sure you enjoy the wind, the sky, the waves and the sand beneath your feet too. Then tell me, please tell me, do you need to see and ride a whale to appreciate it or nature better?

Nature appreciation is such: it is eclectic in spirit and allows you to embrace universal truths about nature conservation, our world, our home, our heart, without molestation and self-centeredness. It frees us - not entrap us.

See through the bright lights of the carnival and teach our children well.

'Do not linger to gather flowers to keep them, but walk on, for flowers will keep themselves blooming all your way.' - Whisperings of Rabindranath Tagore

RELATED:
1) Read a hilariously written rebuttal to Santucci's argument at:

Hell Hath No Fury Like Nature Scorned Blog

2) May I invite you to read what it takes to be The Stupa Man - in an unpublished cautionary landscape-essay of mine : )

Two Prolific Young Writers Rising from the Horizon!

2008-02-14T07:19:00.000-08:00

Dearest young writers,

I like to inspire all of you with the recent discoveries and writings of our mutual friends - Blue T. Rex and Vere Nathan.

Blue T. Rex's Blog is Nautilus. << Click here.
He has recently visited Pulau Ubin and also a coral reef in Sentosa! Wow!

Vere Nathan's Blog is Naturalsea. << Click here.
He has had some exciting experiences to share from the seas off Kuantan!

Thanks, Blue T. Rex and Vere.

Keep writing and keep smiling!

Uncle Joe : )

Didactic Short Films of Lasting Values

2008-02-07T07:24:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,

lately I have become a fan of Petronas's 'Meaningful Ads' series (Iklan Raya Petronas, Malaysia). My son and I enjoy watching them together. They are not commercial advertisements but didactic short films that teach values such as compassion, filial piety, courage etc. I highly recommend them for children.

Delightfully, many of the main actors are children themselves. The stories revolve around the family and the community against the rich tapestry of our shared asian heritage.

Difficult themes like racial harmony, childhood, identity crisis, aging, are so well explored by some. By contrast, our Singapore TV channels look terribly poor and 'vulgar'. And the few short films by our local schools that came through are overtly 'patriotic', I find. Yaks!

I have linked a few below for your sampling. Just click on them to view. Happy Viewing with your children!

Filial Piety: We will be old too one day

Identity: Be proud of who you are

Racial Harmony: We can live as one

Love: Life lesson from Granny

Filial Piety: The reality of loneliness

A Sea of Compassion: Raising the universal soul

Home Capsule: Are we in a hurry to leave it?

Filial Piety: True reward for our aged parents

Filial Piety: A father's love revisited

Joy of having children: Beef... not the whole cow!

Love is Forever: Our shared journey

Filial Piety: Love is priceless

Common Humanity: Children, angels, our light of hope!

Family Bondage: True Legacy and Endearment

Charity: A lesson on humility

Deepavali: The Light of Goodness

Virtue of Hard Work: Reap what you sow

Filial Piety: A Mother's Love is Forever

Children: Our one true United Nation!

Courage: Don't let setbacks stop you moving forward

Family: Lessons from an orphan

Hope: For our angels... our sleeping beauties

Please share these beautiful short films with your loved ones.

Joe Lai : )

Photos: Massive Reclamation off Labrador

2008-02-05T02:51:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,

I was exploring Siloso last Friday morning (1 Feb 2008) when I spied a few large barges in the distance off Labrador. The huge granite rocks they were carrying glared white-hot against the greying sea. Several tugboats were in attendance and keeping the barges in position. In fact, the whole sea lane off Pasir Panjang Wharf and Labrador was abuzz with boat activities. Small harbour (personnel) crafts were criss-crossing about between the stationary vessels and the bouy and mooring system. I also caught sight of a long floatline flagging an 'all red' notice of retricted waters around what seemed like a dredger-cum-piling platform. It was like a gigantic floating factory of sort.

The scene before my eyes took on an ominous sign as the backdrop of the western sky darkened with approaching rain. It must be the staging of a huge reclamation operation readying itself to bury the sea below, I told myself. As I watched from atop the sheer Siloso cliff, I issued a silent prayer hoping no marine animals, no dugongs or otters, would be within the zone when they start dumping the rocks. It was then that the sky parted and started to drizzle as if in reply. I gave the scene a last look, and stowing away my trusty camera, I headed back to mainland.

Below are some of my photos for the history books. Ria Tan has posted details on the impending reclamation around Singapore at her Wildfilms Blog:

Young Writers: Notes to Angels

2008-02-03T11:41:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,

I like to call children angels. I am sure you will agree. They have wings... wings of bright-eyed wonder, quite naturally. And with a healthy dose of encouragement, they can indeed soar to the highest heights with them! I like one particular advice that goes... 'Give your child two most important gifts: roots of love and wings of imagination.' Yes, even Albert Einstein pitched in, saying, 'Imagination is better than knowledge.' Imagine that!!

In writing, we find both... readily shared! : ) May I introduce to you three more young writers below. Do share some encouraging words with them, will you? : )

cheers,
Joe Lai

Comments to Ethan:
Hi Ethan, I am so glad to see you at the blogging workshop. I hope you found it interesting. Did you like it? I think you did. I saw you smiling all the time during the workshop. In fact, all the kids were - grinning from ear to ear! Ha Ha! Me too! And who's not? Everyone looked so happy that night. I think we can call it the 'Smiling Workshop' instead! Ha Ha! It is so wonderful to share happiness, don't you agree, Ethan? : ) It is like seeing a rainbow suddenly and pointing it out to others to see too. Writing can be like that too, Ethan. When we write about the rainbow or the seas or the tall majestic mountains or the wonderous night sky of twinkle twinkle little stars, we are like pointing them out to others. It is like saying to them, 'Look.. look how beautiful and special they are!' Wow! I feel so happy already, just by writing this note to you! Thanks Ethan, for being the special 'you' and giving me the chance to write to you and feel this happiness. Do keep writing and do keep smiling and help spread this special joy to everyone. Yes! We can! YAY! : )
February 3, 2008 11:38 AM

Comments to Luke aka Gold Shark:
Hello there, Gold Shark! Wow! It looks like sharks are quite popular with boys, isn't it? Besides you, there's 'Kidshark' in our blogging workshop too. I wonder why... hmm? It is because they are fearsome and powerful predators of the seas? Am I correct? : ) They are indeed magnificent creatures. Part of their beauty lies in their awesome strength. As for me, I am fascinated by their great diversity. 'Diversity' means many and different. Yes, there are as many as 400 species of sharks as there are in rays (i.e. stingrays) in the world. Every species is special not only in the way they look, but also, the way they behave - i.e. the way they find food, the way they reproduce, the way they do their everyday things in the seas and the different places they hang out on their own or with a great many others of their own kind in the oceans. This is what we would call the natural history of sharks. It is the study of everything that they do as sharks. I find them very special... oh, yes, as special as you, Gold Shark! In fact, all you young writers are special to me. I am looking forward to hear from you and read what you write in your newfound blogs. So keep on writing and keep smiling! Ok? : )
February 3, 2008 10:57 AM

Comments to Mark:
Hi Mark, you are right. : ) The seashore is truly an amazing place to visit. Exploring it is similar to going on an adventure. You will encounter things which will be new and exciting to you. The seashore never fails to excite me too. I have found sea creatures looking so strange that sometimes I wondered if they had actually fallen down to earth from outerspace like some alien creatures from the other side of the universe. Ha Ha! : ) They are so weird... so bewildering... so... monster-like... especially if you see them up close with a magnifying glass. Oh yes, it is such a fantastic tool to have - the magnifying glass. Can you imagine yourself staring down the wide open mouth of a worm and seeing the rows of teeth moving about as if they are snapping at you! Wow! Believe me, if you want real excitement, don't forget to bring along a magnifying glass to the seashore the next time you visit it with your family. In the meantime, do keep writing and keep smiling! : )
February 3, 2008 12:52 AM

Inspiring Words by Young Writers & Responding with Encouragement

2008-01-29T19:51:00.000-08:00

30 Jan 2008
Dear young writers,

some of you are quite creative in using monikers. I especially like this Jediforce70! So cool!Wonder if Jediforce70 owns a light saber like all the Star War heroes. : )

Thank you for sharing with us your experiences at Changi Beach in your respective blog. I look forward to seeing you more at future shore walks and yes... more writings on your blogs too!

See below: another six young writers I have provided comments for.

Uncle Joe : )

Comments for Jabez:
Dear Jabez, you must be one of the youngest bloggers in town! Wow! I am glad you enjoyed blogging and 'typing' away at the computer. Writing is fun but let me tell you a secret of mine - something that helps me in my writing. I think it will help you alot too. You see, my 'secret weapon' is my trusty notebook. In fact, I have so many; each special in its own way. Whenever I read or see or hear or thought about something interesting, I write it down in my little notebook. I also draw or sketch inside. If you ask me how my notebooks have helped me in my writing, I must confess to you that I am quite forgetful. By recording interesting facts and words in my notebook, I know I will be able to find them again if I need them. You see, I often use facts and words that I have recorded long ago... even several years ago. So, do keep a notebook. That's the way to write. When you have finished writing, for example, a story about a snail you have seen, you can ask your mum or dad to allow you to type it into the blog on your computer. Now that I have shared my 'secret weapon' with you, keep writing and keep smiling! : )
January 29, 2008 10:50 AM

Comments for Jared:
Wow! What a beautiful hymn! Even without the music, I could hear the rhythm of the beautiful lines in my head. Thanks for sharing it with us. Jared, I must say I am very impressed by your English Language proficiency. I can tell, not only by the natural way you write, but by the way you speak. If you keep at writing, I believe you will be even better. So, keep on writing and keep on smiling. I like saying this to children because I truly believe a happy writer always writes well. Try writing a poem, will you? I believe you can. : )
January 30, 2008 2:26 AM

Comments for Jediforce70:
Ha ha! You are so chirpy and so honest! I feel happy reading your blog. : ) Well done! I am also pleasantly surprised by your snake blog. What an expert you are with snakes! If you like to learn more about snakes, or have a snake you like to identify, please ask your mum or dad to visit a very interesting blog with you. It is called SLOG. The link is: http://singaporesnakes.blogspot.comYou will definitely find SLOG incredibly informative. It has lots of interesting photos of snakes in Singapore. In the meantime, keep writing and keep smiling, ok? : ) Uncle Joe
January 29, 2008 9:16 AM

Comments for Natasha:
Hi Natasha! This is Uncle Joe. : )You are most polite to thank me, aunty Ria, ko ko July and jie jie November. We would also like to thank you and your family for coming along with us to Changi Beach. Do you know why? It is because it makes us very happy just by showing children the marine creatures that are living in the shallow seas around our home country Singapore. You see, all these creatures are alive and have been living here long long ago. If you ask me how long, I would say 'millions of years ago!' The place where they live is called their Habitat. Have you come across this word? Animals - whether in the seas or on land or in the air - share the same habitat as us human beings. So, in taking care of the animals and their habitat, we are also taking care of ourselves. We share the same habitat call Earth. Isn't it wonderful to be surrounded by so many interesting animals! I look forward to another shore walk with you and your family. In the meantime, keep writing and keep smiling! : )
January 29, 2008 8:56 AM

Comments for Tze Kay:
Hello, Mousey! hee hee! : ) That is a cute moniker that you have chosen for your blog. A moniker is not a monkey, ok. It is a nickname, a 'fun' name, that you and I call ourselves. But sometimes, other people give affectionate monikers to us instead, esp. to children. My aunties and uncles used to call me 'egg' because I was crazy over eggs when I was very young. Hee hee! I eat lots of them - steamed eggs, boiled or half-boiled eggs, tea-eggs, and even century eggs and salted eggs. Every time I eat eggs, I must eat two at once. So greedy, me! Well, enough about me. I think your little sister is so cute and so inquisitive too. Please do explore more beaches with your mum and dad, but do take care of your little sister, ok. Sometimes, sea snails can give a nasty sting. So, never ever pick one with your bare hands, ok? I like your writing, so keep writing and keep smiling! : )
29 January 2008 08:26

Comments for Masterblogger:
Hi Masterblogger! : ) You know what? You have just inspired me with a wonderful idea! Just imagine how nice it would be if I could convince our national parks authority to put up educational signages that are written by children like yourself. I think your message would be double or triple times more crystal clear and powerful in moving the adults into positive actions. Yes, I truly believe in this. Your well-taken photo also show how pollution really looks like! Yaks!That's another powerful way to tell the sad story of our polluted environment. But with you and other young writers writing, we can change the world for the better! Yes, keep writing and keep smiling! : )
January 29, 2008 8:06 AM

Heartfelt Comments for Young Writers and Bloggers

2008-01-28T20:10:00.000-08:00

29 Jan 2008
Dearest young writers and bloggers,

I am looking through your new blogs one by one. It makes me very happy to see how well you write and how much you enjoyed our little shore walk in Changi, as well as, learning how to blog! : ) I have posted the following 6 comments - one each for Vere, Vera, Ezekiel, Juni, Flipper and Zack (aka Kidshark!).

As for the rest of you, be patient; I am definitely going to read your blogs one by one and tell you how much I enjoy your writing and give you a tip or two, ok?

Dear parents, see how well the homeschoolers are writing! Be proud! You have done a good job raising them! Go visit their blog [by click on their name below] and give them some encouraging words too! I'll be making permanent links to their blogs in my flying fish friends blog. We will fly together... to greater heights!

Joe Lai : )

Comments for Vere:
hermit crab is a good 're-cycler'. You know why? It does not build its own home, but go around looking for an empty shell to shift into once the shell it is using is too small for its body. It does not bother itself too much about having 'new things' as long as it is a comfortable home. I like a saying that goes - 'A house is not a home'. You know why? A house is just a house. What makes it a home is the people living in it and fill it will love and warmth. It is then a true home, otherwise, a house is just a hollow shell. You see, when we go into wild places - feel the wind, hear the waves, see animals roaming free in their natural home - we not only learn sciences but also about ourselves by staying in touch with our good feelings. It's really wonderful... seeing 'beyond' the hermit crab... and muse! Hee hee! Keep writing and keep smiling! : )
January 28, 2008 8:06 PM

Comments for Vera:
Wow! Thanks for teaching me about the surgeon fish. I have not seen one before. This is because I do not snorkel except once many years ago when I visited Tioman with friends. I can still remember my experience - some 20 years ago, I think! Oops... I am an old man now! How time flies in a wink of the eye. Ha ha! : ) I am glad you are enjoying outdoor adventures with your family. I hope you will write about your coming trip to the sea and share with me and other bloggers your experience. Till then... keep writing and keep smiling! I find you a very good writer indeed.
28 January 2008 07:53

Comments for Ezekiel:
Wow! Wonderful! You have just featured three different marine animals which belong to the same family. In another word, they are related - like 'relatives'! Ha ha!The one that looks like an octopus is called a brittle star. It has long slender arms and a very flat body, and can easily squeeze itself into any cracks or holes in rocks or even corals and sponges. It is hard to imagine how a sea cucumber can be related to the seastar eventhough it is not star-shaped. Why don't you find out more information about the sea cucumber (and the sand dollar too) in your neighbourhood library? Can you do that for me? Keep writing and keep smiling! : )
January 28, 2008 7:39 PM

Comments for Juni:
Wow! It is good you see an animal like the mooncrab burrowing in the sand. You definitely cannot get this kind of experience in a book. You see how fieldwork is so important? You get to find things for yourself and see the 'real stuff'! It is also fun too, especially when you explore nature with your family. For your information, seastar, sea cucumbers, marine worms, solefishes, stingrays - all these, and many more, like to burrow in the sand! ha ha! Keep writing and keep smiling!
January 28, 2008 7:26 PM

Comments for Flipper:
Oh yes, we have to be very careful putting different kinds of creatures in the same viewing container. The poor things... they may attack each other. However, I think it is a valuable experience for you so that you can avoid doing the same thing again the next time. But most important of all, you wrote and shared your experience with others. Wow! By sharing your experience with others, you are also teaching others about the correct way of handling animals. Isn't that great? : ) I am so proud of you! Keep writing and keep smiling!
January 28, 2008 8:16 AM

Comments for Zack aka Kidshark:
Hi Kidshark! : ) I am so proud of your effort. Now that you have written your first blog, can you see how easy it is for you to write a few precious words about nature and inspire people to take care of the environment, esp. our sweet sweet sea! Keep on writing and keep on smiling! I am looking forward to bring you and your family for another shore walk in Singapore soon. : )
January 28, 2008 11:53 PM

Homeschoolers Celebrated LIFE in IYOR 2008

2008-01-26T01:57:00.000-08:00

The Leafmonkey Blogging Workshop (25 Jan 2008)

[More photos at: IYOR08Singapore & NIE Green Club & The Leafmonkey Worshop blogs.]

Dearest friends,

one word - just one word - can sweetly describe last night's blogging session, and that is: CELEBRATION!

Yes, looking on as I did at the happy faces lit up by smiles and laughters that shone through their lively mini-discussions and parent-child communions, I cannot help rejoicing at the purity of human endeavours such as this which embraces the loving heart, the learning mind and the living being. Above the mundancy of everyday life - which so engrosses us at most times - we find ourselves elevated up a plain (with friends & strangers) to find ourselves unified and soaring to the heavens. We became universal brothers and sisters all at once.

So we celebrated... we celebrated parenthood, we celebrated children, we celebrated children's potential, we celebrated writing, we celebrated Nature... our shores and marine life, we celebrated friendship, we celebrated volunteerism... all these unified in our common celebration of the International Year of the Reefs. But above all, we celebrated LIFE together!

May I thank everyone for making these workshop so wonderfully embracing. It is you - people - parents and children - who made our work as nature volunteers so much more meaningful and sanguine. We thank you. I have no doubt I speak for all my nature-volunteer friends that our dedication to our work lies in no other place that in the children and the future before them.

In this and everything, we share with you - as well as to inspire your children with - our joie d' vivre and raison d' etre!

Let us all look forward to more shore walks together in Singapore this IYOR 2008! YAY!!!

Joe Lai : )
26 Jan 2008

ps: thanks a million, Carissa! Thanks for the fine food you brought for us that night!! : )