Apologies....

A big sorry to everybody who was expecting/waiting for my review on last night's episode of Once Upon a Tree on seafood. Don't know why I was so tired yesterday that I just KO-ed on the bed. Think that was around 9 or so... (Remember looking at the clock then and thinking that I won'd miss the episode) Whoops... Seems like the lure of seafood and seeing our very own chatterbox of a tidechaser at Changi wasn't enough to keep me awake... And after I told sassy-jiejie that I would.... Real sorry folks. Guess any comments and discussions of the show would have to go to the wildfilms' pre-show summary over here. Unless someone recorded it and I can still watch? If not, will just try and catch the 4th instalment next week..

On a side note, ashira made it to the top 100 on the nature blog network~~~ Thank you all for your blog stalking readership!

Click for the rambling...

LEAP YEAR ENTRY!!

Okies, so I am SLOW.... If not for Tony's blog entry, I would have completely missed this chance to post a once-every-4-year entry~~ So, yep. It's 29th February, it's a leap year, and it's the International Year of the Reef.... And it's my zodiac year of the rat! My year!! So here's a real quickie entry to mark today. Proudly presenting a selection of photos taken in the past 6 months or so of intertidal and marine wonderings in Singapore!! All just to mark this special day that only comes round once every four years. *q(^-^)p* Do click on the image below to see bigger sizes on Flickr. Looks much better full sized!

Also, not to forget that it's also the INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE FROG!! Poor little froggies tend to be a bit neglected since it's IYOR and Year of the Potato as well.

Read more about the Year of the Frog here at Monkey's blog. She has done a nice succinct write-up there.

So happy 29th Feb and see you in 4 years!!

Click for the rambling...

Keep the Faith [KAT-TUN]

Never really took note of KAT-TUN's songs despite them being around the scene for quite a while.... And honestly, have only heard of 2 of their members, namely Kamenashi Kazuya (亀梨和也) and Akanishi Jin (赤西仁), and of these 2 I can only recognise Kamenashi mainly due to dramas like Kindaichi, Nobuta wo PRODUCE and Tatta Hitotsu no Koi, as well as 1 Pound Gospel that's currently airing in Japan at the moment. There's just something about his features/attitude that intrigues me. Heh... So I guess it's because of him that I started taking note of the group? Speaking of which, this song is also the theme song for Yukan Club. Don't know about the show but found this song rather catchy. ^^ Pretty interesting seeing how far this group has comed since starting off as a dance support group for KinKi Kids' Domoto Koichi... However, despite the upbeat tempo, THERE WASN'T ANY DANCING in this PV.... Just loads of gothic attire posing... Haha..



わがまま　言ってたけど　
I had said many selfish things
ここなら You know, baby　居場所があったし
If you’re here, you know baby, I have a place to be
“信じること”　口で言えても傷つくから
Because even saying, “I believe” leaves scars
小さな声で優しさ探し歩き　
I walk, looking for kindness said in a small voice
疲れた羽根でしゃがみこんでいる
I’m crouching down with tired wings

No No No　You show me the faith
No No No, You show me the faith
必ず　I'll keep it for you
Definitely I'll keep it for you
一人じゃ明日見失うから　
Because alone we will lose sight of tomorrow
派手に叫ぶのさ　Keep the faith
Yell it out loudly, Keep the faith

敵無し不可能もなし
No enemies and no impossibilities
飛ばすぜ　燃え上がれ本能
Fire it up, let your instincts burn
つまらねえ　毎日抜け出すぜ
Sneak away from the boring everyday
固い約束さ　Keep the faith
My solid promise to keep the faith

間違いだらけの街
A town full of mistakes
何かが自分変えようとしても
Even when I feel like changing myself in some way
おびえないで　心の中は変えられない
Don’t be afraid, I can’t change what’s inside my heart
足りない言葉　消えぬ痛み抱え
Insufficient words, the clown carries its pain
作り笑い立ち尽くしてる
Faking a smile, I’m standing still

No No No　You show me the faith
No No No, You show me the faith
必ず　I'll keep it for you
Definitely I'll keep it for you
俺らが灯りをともすから　
Because we will light the lamp
一人泣かないで　Keep the faith
Don’t cry alone, keep the faith

その声離れてても　心はこの場所にある
Even if the voice goes further away, the feelings will be here
夢見て倒れて立ち上がれ　
Have a dream, fall down and get back up
全て賭けるのさ　Keep the faith
I’m betting everything on it, so keep the faith

誰も何も見ない振りで　君を傷つける
I hurt you by acting like I don’t see anyone or anything
俺ら側に感じるだろう　君をそこから救い出すよ
You may feel us close by, I will rescue you from that

Count down 開始　5 to the 4
The countdown begins, 5 to the 4
Don't touch センサー 3 to the 2
Don’t touch the sensor, 3 to the 2
I don't wanna change da style, keep da faith
I don’t wanna change da style, keep da faith
自分のpaceでrace これはGame
Race at your own pace, this is a game
そろそろ着火 Runaway 1, Lifeをかけた愛撫で Blahh...
It’s time to ignite, runaway 1, bet your life on a caress, blahh…

だから近くに… “Sweetie”
So nearby… “Sweetie"

No No No　You show me the faith
No No No, You show me the faith
必ず　I'll keep it for you
Definitely I'll keep it for you
一人じゃ明日見失うから　
Because alone we will lose sight of tomorrow
派手に叫ぶのさ　Keep the faith
Yell it out loudly, Keep the faith

敵無し不可能もなし
No enemies and no impossibilities
飛ばすぜ燃え上がれ本能
Fire it up, let your instincts burn
つまらねえ　毎日抜け出すぜ
Sneak away from the boring everyday
固い約束さ　Keep the faith
My solid promise to keep the faith

夢見て倒れて立ち上がれ　
Have a dream, fall down and get back up
全て賭けるのさ　Keep the faith
I’m betting everything on it, so keep the faith

Click for the rambling...

Once Upon a Tree: Tides and Coastlines episode 02 - Old Singapore

After a day spent at sea, baking in the sun hard day's work diving, this divejunkie of a fish grabbed a quick meal after a much needed de-salination. Following which, promptly sat down in front of the tv. This time with a notebook and pencil in hand to scribble things down (and hopefully make this week's summary and review a tad bit more coherent. Timing today was utterly impeccable since the screen came on mere seconds before the episodes theme/title came on...

Old Singapore
We are given a quick history 101 by Assoc. Prof. John Miksic (Dept. of South East Asian Studies, NUS) who specialises in coastlines. The few minutes given to him really was an eye opener for me. Hearing about Pulau Saigon (that has since long been absorbed into this large solid mass of land that is mainland Singapore), one of the islands that used to be in one of our rivers, how the size of our shellfish has decreased not so much due to overfishing but more to the overall decline in water quality..... The decrease in fish sizes and the long gone days of amazingly clear waters aren't news to me, largely due to the time spent on local boats, with elderly boatmen who are more than happy to share stories from their good old days. Good to know that a few more people in Singapore get to hear about this not-so-wellknown heritage we have. Liked how he summed up on the connection/outlet to the sea being important to the wellbeing of our modern society.

Focus then shifts to probably the most wellknown of our intertidals, Chek Jawa. Quick history on CJ for those who don't really know about it. Gazetted for reclamation in 1992, saved at the 11th (or maybe even the 12th hour) in 2001 due to public outcry, currently a protected area managed by NParks, status up for review in 3 years.... Zaki's acting as Sue-Lyn's guide this time. Don't know him, and haven't had the chance of meeting him but has a write-up on him here.

CJ being an utterly unique area that includes a number of ecosystems, they are kinda all mentioned in this portion of the episode. All with little stories about seahares, garlic bread sea cucumbers, horseshoe crabs (aka king crab), crab moults, and tubeworms woven together nicely.


Shawn brings us back to the presence of the past through a series of nostalgic reminiscence of times long gone when Singapore had pristine, clear crystallin blue seas. Times when Beach Road WAS at the beach, when Thian Hock Keng temple had the sea lapping it's steps, when Raffles Hotel attributed its popularity to having a beachfront.... All part of our UNwritten history. After hearing that the actual target audience for this series is actually 15-year-olds, this "hidden" history and heritage of Singapore feels even more important. Especially the need to preserve at least part of it to be passed down for generations to come...

This week's take-home message is to take notes (as detailed as possible with sketches, descriptions, colors etc.) instead of bringing an organism home.... Love to say this while guiding, and I'll say it here again. Take nothing but photos and memories, leave nothing but footprints. Also, taking notes and stuff also help in the learning process of understanding our environment (coastal or otherwise). Definitely of great help for guides-in-training and guides-to-be!

Shawn rounds things up with a story familiar to all of us. How as a child, a simple seashell would seem to hold the sea, beckoning to us.... "Tides give inspiration" How apt that is, even if tides also represent changes.....

Interesting how the episodes start off with an academic, then some form of guided walk at an intertidal area, and ends with a take-home message in the form of how to reduce our ecological footprints.... Super structured, and in a way good to know roughly what to expect when the advert ends. Here's to looking forward to the future with my Draco sp. friend form CJ, and may the tides continue to inspire us even as we reflect on the past that they have observed.... More to come next week!


Ria has also provided a quick sum up/preview at the wildfilms website here:
http://wildfilms.blogspot.com/2008/02/once-upon-tree-episode-2-on-26-feb-tue.html

Click for the rambling...

Once Upon a Tree - Tides and Coastlines episode 01

Just caught the first episode of the new season of Once Upon a Tree. Not that I knew about watched the first season that focused on Singapore's terrestrial environment.... Thanks to Ria for pointing out the screening of the first episode (as well as a synopsis)! How apt that the second season is on our marine and intertidal environment, especially with the International Year of the Reef and ADEX 2008 in Singapore.


I may have heard wrongly but I think This new season marks the beginning of a 6 week journey with Dr Shawn Lum and Ong Sue-Lynn as they talk to people and find our more about our shores and intertidal life. A real quick 30 minute slot targeted at the general public with enough snippets of information on our intertidal and marine life, yet rich in messages. Way too general for the usual buncha intertidal/diving enthusiasts that I willingly squander time, sweat and whatever else with. But hey! This show's not aimed at us! In fact, a few of us are involved (or actually) in it!! Did try to memorise the scientific names of critters that flashed by on the screen but there were too many.... There's always my guiding notes for those anyway. ^^

Nice pacing from the start with Shawn introducing little links that tie our lives with the shore, as well as the quick sharing/interview with Dr Beverly Goh. Then we were whisked off to Kusu with co-host Sue-Lynn, to get to where the action life is. The intertidal flats!!! Kusu being one of my more frequented intertidal abodes, it was thrilling yet a little weird to see it onscreen. A quick introduction of the island (which I should take more from to weave into my guiding script...), and off she goes to meet YC, her guide for the day. Interesting how he has this bag with all those interesting (and familiar) looking apparatus hanging that wasn't put to use. Yet another guide that I can learn loads off. Pity they could only fit in a general introduction to anemones, marine snails, and hermit crabs. So much more that we can see!! But for that, I guess you'll have to join BWV on their next guided walk there. Hopefully there would be more critter introductions as the season progresses. Ria has also posted some feature articles on Kusu at the IYOR Singapore blog:
Isle of History
Isle of Shrines

We bounce back to Shawn in the heart of town where he hears a bit more about the marina barrage that is being built (and expected to be completed this year). Also introduces us to the shelled (and not shelved) life that's along Singapore river despite the canalization and all. That's before we end off with the take-home message of not littering and thoughlessly chucking out rubbish since somehow the trash all ends up in our waterways and sea....

See what I mean by rich in messages? Definitely hitting breadth (and as many issues as possible) instead of depth. Stay tune for the next installment next week!!

Click for the rambling...

La Rose de Versailles [Nemesis]

OKies, I can only understand a smattering of basic Korean phrases from dramas, so not much into Kpop let alone Krock. However, came across this MV and it is a rather attention grabbing song. Music just hits you and comes across as simply PRETTY!!! The MV is rather unusual and I just like the way the different scenes transit into each other. Now, if I could actually understand the lyrics.... (other the the "sarang"s that is...) Anyone who knows Korean interested in translating for me? ^^



잠들지 말아요 아직은 안돼요
Chamdulchi malayo achigun andaeyo
난 여기 있으니 눈을 뜨고 날봐요
Nan yakee issuni nunulkkuko nalbawyo
받기만 했어요 처음부터 항상
Padkiman haessoyo choumputa hangsang
갈 곳을 잃어버린 나로인해 물든 사랑
Kal kosum ilhoborin naroeenhe moldun sarang...

잠들지 말아요 아직은 안돼요
Chamdulchi maleyo achigum andaeyo
난 여기 있으니 눈을 뜨고 날봐요
Nan yoki issuhi nunul kkudo nalpayo
받기만 했어요 처음부터 항상
Pakkiiman haessoyo choumpuda hangsang
갈 곳을 잃어버린 나로인해 물든 사랑
kal kosul ilhaparin narueenhae muldun sarang
이젠 그대에게로
eechaen kudae-e kero.

언제나 함께할게요 이 몸은 당신의 그림자
Onchaena hamkkehalkeyo eemomun tangshinwi kurimja
그대와 함께했던 이곳도 이제는 세느강 저편으로
Kudaewa hamkkae haessdon eekodo eechaenun senukang chopyonuro

사람들이 원하는건 사랑보다 더 큰 변화
Saramnuli wonhanungon sarangpoda datun pyonghwa
다른 세상 그때엔 그대만 사랑할게 난
Darun sesong kutae-en kutaeman saranghalkaenon

미안해말아요 당신이 필요한
Meeanhaemal-ayo tangshini pilyohon
이곳에 남아서 조금만 더 견뎌요
Eekosae namaso chokumman do kyondyo-yo
그대와 함께한 행복했던 시간
Kudaewon hamkkaehon haengbokhaesston shidan
그 기억만으로도 괜찮아요 잠시면 돼
Kukionmakurodo kwaenchanhayo chamshimyon dwae
그댈 기다릴게요
Kudael kidarilkaeyo

사람들이 원하는건 사랑보다 더 큰 변화
Sarangpuree wonahnungon sarangpoda dokun pyonhwa
다른 세상 그때엔 그대만 사랑할게 난
Darun sesang kudae-en kudaeman saranghalkaenan

잠들지 말아요 아직은 안돼요
Chamdulchi malayo achigun antaeyo
난 여기 있으니 눈을 뜨고 날봐요
Nan yaki issuni nunul kkuto nalpwayo
받기만 했어요 처음부터 항상
Padkiman haessoyo cho-umpoto hangsang
갈 곳을 잃어버린 나로인해 물든 사랑
Kal kosul ilhoporin naroinhae mooldun sarang
이젠 그대에게로
Eejaen kudae-e-kero

Click for the rambling...

Nudibranchs Encyclopedia

IT IS HERE IN SINGAPORE!!!! Thanks to Ivan for delivering it to office ^^ As well as making me one of the first few in Singapore to receive it!! *goes into fangirl mode* Rather heavy hardcover book but more nudi photos to oogle and glomp~~~ Photos much bigger that those in the 1001 Nudibranchs book.... Ria of WildSingapore has contributed a number of photos too (and is mentioned in the special thanks!), meaning Singapore slugs have made their mark in the book too!! Quite a thrill to see ^^ Shall I do a review of it? hmmm....


Order from I-NSC now!!

Click for the rambling...

The way it should be ^^

Kudos to Nat for putting this up on his blog. Really strikes a chord in my heart, reminding me that CNY's more about spending quality time with family and loved ones rather than anything else.... Actually, LIFE should be lived this way and not just CNY~~

Click for the rambling...

Welcomed back to the blue by DOLPHINS!!!

Was back at Semakau today. Missed diving, missed my coral nursery, so yep, this divejunkie sure was glad to be back in the blue~~ Was high and dry for a MONTH!! Has got to be a record for me....

Anyways, we were out at the nursery doing some relatively much needed maintenance, as well as bring the Once Upon a Tree filmcrew out to video the nursery and Semakau. Just as I was getting back on the boat, the boatmen went "Dolphin dolphin!" And lo and behold, there they were. 3-4 of them grey ones (think probably bottlenoses) were breaching every once in a while as they went with the currents..... The last time I saw dolphins was more than 6 months ago at St John's, so this was a great treat. Both to welcome me back to the sea, as well as an early CNY ang pow or should I say "blue pow"? And there I was telling one of the filmcrew folk that some of us volunteers suspect that dolphins have a 5-day week since sightings have seemed to be on weekdays only.... *lol* Too bad the delphines were a tad bit too far for either my camera or the video camera to grab any decent footage.... Do hope to see more of these gentle and shy creatures since the boatmen keep telling us they spot the dolphins regularly around the nursery when we are down there doing work...

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL!!

Click for the rambling...

We have moved!!!!

*phew*
After all that hustle and bustle of packing and getting things organised and all, our office has now officially moved to our new premises. House 6. No, am not gonna be taking any photos of the place until all the works have been done. We're all slowly settling in. Slowly but surely. Probably have a better handle of things and figure out how to sort out the common stuff after CNY. Works should be done by then also.

In the meantime, am kinda missing the old place, as rundown as it is. Where else would you find such a nice tranquil looking "instant-pond" after a particularly heavy rain? ^^ It only lasted a few hours before draining off though....

Click for the rambling...

Sharkwater!!

So glad that Gill Divers organised a screening of Sharkwater at Lido last night. Nearly thought I wouldn't be able to catch it before Shaw stopped screening. Kudos to Jacki and his staff! *round of applause* Know you guys were a tad bit worried about filling up the cinema theatre since news only went out on last Friday and the movie screening just last night! More tribute to the crew of Gill Divers for making the screening all the more sweeter by actually doing a 1-for-1 "promo" for friends and friends of friends by actually paying for one ticket for every pair!! Thanks to peizee for the heads up about the news, so that not just me but pig, ginger and their friend benefited and managed to catch this. *bows*


Pretty cool seeing a rather vast range of people settling in for the show. Even bumped into a couple of labbies for a quick chitchat, and was pleasantly surprised when orang_asli appeared at our row. After settling in, after a quick advertisement for Jay Chou's latest movie, off we went to the blue. Liked the presentation style of the facts and the narration and flow of Rob Stewart's experience and stories when preparing this. Not so much the ecological facts that were giving an insight and something new when talking about sharks fin but the starkness of how much the demand for shark's fin soup is driving the market. The realness and seriousness of mafia linked industry, the danger in recording these events, the grisliness of the butchering of sharks, the heartwrenchingness of seeing leatherbacks, sailfish, etc. being caught on longlines....


The interview snippets of the guy from Rabbit Brand Shark's Fin (yesh, they put his name and company up in the film) really made me ashamed of being part of the culture that actually encourages the lucrative shark fin's trade... Not that there's any perfect culture/heritage per se, but how and when do we decide that it's time to discard unsupported beliefs and oldwives' tales for something greater. Time to throw away some of the "old" and obscure for the sake of our children? Being a divejunkie, despite my fear of sharks and to a greater degree, snakes, I would still be greatly saddened if my children or my children's children and so on are robbed of the chance to see these pretty fabulous creatures that have survived millions of years. Especially my personal favorite behemoth of the great blue. The whale shark (Rhincodon typus). Pity that more wasn't done up on the TW habit of fishing these understudied gentle giants for not just their humongous fins but also their meat. There's a reason why whale sharks (as I like to call them, jinbei from their Japanese name ジンベイザメjinbeizame) are also known as tofu sharks to the Taiwanese....


Being largely more of a pacifist than an activist, I kinda have mixed thoughts on the Sea Shepherd way of doing things. I do see the point that they are kinda trying to make that since the world is lacking a Mithril-like organization to monitor and regulate fisheries in international waters, we are really driving our seas down the route of the dodo. Yet, being self-proclaimed vigilantes, would they be contributing to the friction rather than elevating problems? Yar, I know that this aspect of conservation is really really really effie, but I still like to try and persuade (aka psycho) people rather than ramming something down their throats (or their boats as in the case of the film). I applaud their aims and their singlemindedness yet I really wonder at their methods.... Upsetting governments (no matter how corrupted you may think or are convinced they are) is probably not the best strategy for nature.....


More reviews here:
Eco-pathic
Blue Eden
Letter from Public
I guess what we all have in common is the thoughts on the silliness of killing sharks, as well as Rob Stewart being great eye-candy. It does help an environmental cause when it's champion (1) know what he/she is doing, (2) is charismatic/has screen presence, AND (3) is good enough to drool on. ^^ I know I have found my second nature hero after Sir David Attenborough. Someone who is willing to spread the message, to educate and enlighten others in hopes that we can and WILL change our ways for the better.

Click for the rambling...

IYOR01: Introducing Singapore’s Coral Reefs 「シンガポールの珊瑚礁を紹介する」

今年は「国際サンゴ礁年」だから、シンガポールの珊瑚礁の事を日本語でブログしようかなと思った。そして、これから時々シンガポール潮間の活動を簡単に書くよ～～
Since this year is the International Year of the Reef, I thought that I should try blogging about Singapore’s coral reefs in Japanese. So from now on, some of the intertidal activities would be written in very basic Japanese (with English translations/versions of course!) All the better to reach out to the Japanese people both in Singapore and overseas!



じゃ、始めましょう～　シンガポールは小さな国から、もちろん珊瑚礁の地面も小さい。けれど、種類がいっぱいあるぞ！！すごいじゃないの？熱帯国のシンガポールの位置は東南アジアの珊瑚三角の中心だからさ、海の暖かさとか日光の強さとかもちょうどいい。それで、珊瑚の生きる易い場所～
So let’s start. Singapore’s a small country so the area covered by coral reefs is also small. However, the species diversity is AMAZING for such a small area!! Being the tropical country it is, Singapore is situated in the middle of the South East Asian coral reef hotspot area, thus the ideal conditions of warm temperatures, constant sunlight etc. for coral growth.


残念だけど、進展のためにシンガポール本島の珊瑚礁もなくなってちゃった…… o(TT.TT)o 今、珊瑚礁があるところは、大体は南島々である、少ないは東北島々である。私はいつも行くのは南島々（時々友達と一緒に他の潮間所も行く）… だから、ブログの時多分南島のことを書くんぞ！今年ももちろん毎低潮色んな潮間を行くぜ～～
It’s a pity but we have lost the coral reefs surrounding the main island of Singapore to the development of our shoreline…. Presently, our coral reefs are found mainly around the southern islands, with some at the northern islands (and shores). Since I tend to visit the southern islands (with occasional forays into the northern shores with friends), these special IYOR08 entries would largely be on Singapore’s southern islands. Chasing the shores at lowtides again this year!


さぁぁぁ…英語版と日本語版のブログは違うところもあるし、変な事もあるし…本とに本とにごめんね～～日本語は一年半もあんまり使わないから… もっともっと楽しい事を教えるけど…じゃ、頑張ってなきゃぁぁ～～またね！
OK, so the English and Japanese versions aren’t exactly the same since there is so much more I can say in English but can barely express in Japanese but I do hope I get better as time passes! Stay tuned~~

Click for the rambling...

Blogging workshop @ NIE

Just got back from yet another blogging workshop hosted by NIE Green Club. This time, Monkey was teaching a nice big group of young 'uns how to blog!

You can tell from the ghostly images in the center why it's not a good idea to try panoramic shots with people. They just move about too much!

You may wonder what I was doing there since I don't belong to NIE nor their Green Club. No long story here. Just that I was free and korkor said he needed quite a few trainers/facilitators...

The children and their parents were all rather cheerful and excited during the entire session, and I am sure they all learnt lots! Everyone of them went home with a spanky new blog. Looking forward to seeing and reading about nature in Singapore from the mouths of all these babes!


And to wrap up the session, Ria and Monkey did some realtime demonstration of how quick and easy it is to blog!

Yes, July's expression is just *weird* while Ria is tinkering away....


And *presto* Ria takes screenshots of all these new blogs and puts them at the new Seashore Blogging Workshop here.

Special thanks to Joe Lai for organising this entire activity from the intertidal visit at Changi to this blogging workshop. The best part is that, he's actually one of our not-so-recent "graduates" from the NHC "From-Blockhead-to-Bloghead" workshop we had last year. Flying Fish Friends was the immediate result from that workshop, and I am really glad that he has encouraged so many young minds to join their voices for Singapore's nature!

To see the list of all the new blogs:
Check out our very own IYOR08 webbie
Also, some other photos are here as well:
Seashore Blogging on Flickr

Okies, time to KO. Tagging along for yet another Green Club activity -> walk around Yunnan Garden in NTU tomorrow morning... Click for the rambling...

Flavor of Life - Utada Hikaru

ありがとうと君に言われると
なんだか切ない
さようならの後も解けぬ魔法
淡くほろ苦い
The flavor of life...... The flavor of life......
When you say thank you to me,
for some reason it hurts,
like a magic spell that doesn’t
get undone even after the good bye.
a hint of bitterness.
The flavor of life.... The flavor of life...

友達でも恋人でもない中間地点で
収穫の時を夢見てる青いフルーツ
Stuck midpoint between friends and lovers,
like an un-riped fruit dreaming about the day of harvest

あと一歩が踏み出せないせいで
じれったいの何のってBaby
because of being unable to just move one more step forward
what’s causing this frustration baby

ありがとうと君に言われると
なんだか切ない
さようならの後も解けぬ魔法
淡くほろ苦い
The flavor of life...... The flavor of life......
When you say thank you to me,
for some reason it hurts,
like a magic spell that doesn’t
get undone even after the good bye.
a hint of bitterness.
The flavor of life.... The flavor of life...

甘いだけの誘い文句
味気のないTalk
そんなものには興味をそそられない
Sweet talk and tasteless conversations.
it sparks no interest in me

思い通りにいかない時だって
人生捨てたもんじゃないって
even when things do not go the way you want
it doesnt mean you’ve thrown your life away

「どうしたの？」と
急に聞かれると
「ううん、何でもない」
さようならの後に消える笑顔
私らしくない
When asked ‘ whats wrong?’
I answer ‘its nothing’
The smile that disappears after goodbye
It’s unlike me

信じたいと願えば願うほど
なんだか切ない
「愛してるよ」よりも「大好き」の方が
君らしいんじゃない
The flavor of life…
The more i wish to believe in you,
For some reason it hurts even more
‘I like you a lot’ instead of ‘I love you’ sounds more like you
the flavor of life

忘れかけてた人の香りを
突然思い出す頃
降り積もる雪の白さをもっと
素直に喜びたいよ
The period when you suddenly remember the scent of someone you had almost forgotten,
I want to be able to openly and honestly cherish the white purity of the falling snow more

ダイヤモンドより軟らかくて
温かな未来
手にしたいよ限りある時間を
君と過ごしたい
A future tender and warmer than a diamond
I want to grasp it, in this limited time we have,
I want to spend it with you

ありがとうと君に言われると
なんだか切ない
さようならの後も解けぬ魔法
淡くほろ苦い
The flavor of life......The flavor of life...
When you say thank you to me,
for some reason it hurts,
like a magic spell that doesn’t
get undone even after the good bye.
a hint of bitterness.
The flavor of life.... The flavor of life...
Click for the rambling...

Only Reminds Me of You - MYMP

Hauntingly sweet song....

+++++

I see you, beside me
It's only a dream
A vision of what used to be
The laughter, the sorrow
Pictures in time
Fading to memories
How could I ever let you go
Is it too late to let you know

Chorus
I tried to run from your side
But each place I hide
It only reminds me of you
When I turn out all the lights
Even the night
It only reminds me of you

I needed my freedom
That's what I've thought
But I was a fool to believe
My heart lied while you cried
Rivers of tears
But I was too blind to see
Everything we've been through before
Now it means so much more

Chorus
I tried to run from your side
But each place I hide
It only reminds me of you
When I turn out all the light
Even the night
It only reminds me of you
Only you…

So come back to me
I'm down on my knees
Boy can't you see…
How could I ever let you go
Is it too late to let you know

Chorus
I tried to run from your side
But each place I hide
It only reminds me of you
When I turn out all the lights
Even the night
It only reminds me of you
I tried to run from your side
But each place I hide
It only reminds me of you
When I turn out all the lights
Even the night
It only reminds me of you
You, You,
It only reminds me of you


Click for the rambling...

3 weeks into 2008...

Just a quick entry before I get back to doing the one week's worth of paperwork backlog. Two weekends ago, went treeclimbing at Kent Ridge Park with 5 other fellow NHC guides as part of our "evolution" from hermit crabs to treeclimbing crabbies. Yesh, I was climbing trees despite me having a cold of sorts (finally succumbed after 1.5-2 months of barely keeping the bug at bay). Spent the rest of the weekend recuperating somewhat before the week of helping out in hosting and running of an ACBD workshop at SBG. With the entire office mobilised, we are all now back at our desks trying to deal with all the things that came in while we were at SBG... And missing all the food that we were treated to during the week...

Spent last weekend aka the weekend that just past restfully. No naturey activities ^^ As much as I like love going out for nature forays, and as much as these activites re-charge me for work, still need some bum-around time as well. Especially since I still have some sniffles. KO-ed for like 14 hours after I got home from PCG on Fri, meaning it was pretty much teatime when I woke up. So much for jogging.... There goes the shortlived resolution to jog regularly?! Hope not!! Especially with the amount of food that was consumed recently....

Well, it's soon back to the regular rhythm of life with work during the weekdays and nature rambles during the weekends. Joining the NTU/NIE guides for a walk at Yunnan Garden this Sat morning, followed by a refresher session during the Semakau guide training session in the afternoon. Let's see if I can squeeze out one evening to go watch Sharkwater as well. Anyone feel like joining me?

Click for the rambling...

cleaning up (part of) Chek Jawa

Chek Jawa is probably the most well known of our local intertidal areas, and I find myself heading there a few times over the few weeks between Christmas and now. Pretty amazing considering that it has been years since I actually went done to Ubin. All three trips were for different reasons. The first one was just some fun exploration of the intertidal area with the Semakau guides, then came the help-KS-out-with-his-project (cum Christmas) trip. Then last Sat, went down again with some of the Naked Hermit Crabs to do part 3 of our intertidal cleanups (Part 1 being Berlayar and Part 2 being Sekudu). Our target area being the mangrove area just past house 1, somewhat opposite Sekudu.

Budak was meeting us directly at CJ, so the rest of cleanup crew loaded ourselves into the van for the ride from the Ubin jetty. When we got to the shelter just outside the CJ gates, budak was pretty much acting as a guard dog guard-duck at one particular tree. Knowing that flying dragons are commonly spotted on the trees around that area, we initially thought that that was what was being guarded. But alas! He was guarding something else of the legless, slithering kind! There was a keel-bellied whip snake (Dryophiops rubescens) on the tree, any pretty much within duck human reach! Apparently this fellow just made a meal out of one of our many flying lizard friends, and was just WAY too satiated to crawl up the tree again. *drats* And we just missed all the action. Not too sure if that's good or bad. Anyways, budak managed to catch it all, so do go and read his entry on the legless and the luckless.


So off we went into the much less explored section of the CJ intertidals. The tide was still rather high, so we set off to look for nets stuck within the small mangrove patch. That resulted in us spending quite a bit of effort moving roots while trying to free them from clutches of those abandoned nets. Most were rather entwined round the roots, proving to be quite a bit of a challenge for us!

Nets weren't the only things caught and tangled against the roots. There were all kinds of debris ranging from sacks to glass bottles to even a comforter!


And then the rain came... Nothing unexpected since it's monsoon season, AND we have already been blessed with near to 2 weeks of sun. Thankfully it was more of a passing shower than a pail of water tossed on us. No lightning either so we could continue searching for nets to clear from the flats. However, when we looked across to Sekudu, it seemed like the froggy rock was getting its fair share of visitors too. What are those people doing there when Sekudu's clearly part of the restricted area around CJ?


Exploring the muddy and slightly soft flats just beyond the mangroves was where all the work started coming in. We just kept finding medium to large nets (quite a few times bigger than us even!) one after another. Reddot estimates at least 20 fairly "good" (meaning medium to large) sized nets spewed all over, with quite a number washed up to the hightide mark. By then, the tide was starting to come in, so in addition to working on cutting up huge driftnets into manageable sections, we also had to watch the water, and where we were stepping (especially with heavy/huge bundles of nets in tow).

Ria seems somewhat happy that we found the monsters. So that we can clear them off...

One of the longest, meanest nets that we tackled. See the long long "tail"? That's like only maybe a third of the actual net. Most of its actually part-in-part-out of its mesh covering at the pile where we have 3 people figuring out how to get the net outta there...

Still looking somewhat cheerful before the chopping and hauling began

Yes, it was definitely a "work in process" til the tides threatened not to just leave the net stranded, but us as well...

And the dragging begins. Or at least part of it. The nets and various rubbish had to be dragged hurled carried transported to our "base camp" at the edge of the mangrove area before we started to transport the lot of them further inland for proper disposal


Our dynamic avian duo of duck-man and robin birdhandling manhandling one of the biggest chunks to base camp. Definitely hardwork, and messy too!

Things got trickier as the load seems to have a mind of its own, and started drooping off in bits and pieces. And in the stickiest portion of the area mind you! Here's when reddot came along to rescue our (un)caped crusaders of the intertidals.

Here's duck-man looking rather unlike his normal ducky self, having survived the net. He even had clams and crabs and mussels sprouting outta his pockets!

Sadly, despite all that net wrestling and moving, we still had to leave behind much of the junk. Truly a tale of too much to do, too little time, too few hands.


Read more at:
RedDot - CJ, Fishnet Graveyard
WildFilms - CJ cleanup

Click for the rambling...

[Updated] Cake seastar madness on FB ^^

Seems like we still can't get over our starry Christmas spade of intertidals. First came Jun's, then July's, then KS's..... What am I talking about? The mini-invasion of cake seastars on our facebook profile pics ^^ And to top it all off, I think we were ALL posing with the same individual!! Definitely a diva star! And here's the cake seastar's version of the walk of fame ^^ Oh... Why are there FOUR photos when I mentioned only THREE people? 'Coz I still owe peizee her photo..... Hehz. Sorry girl~~

Update:
KS, our resident CJ "daddy" has pointed out yet another photo for our star album! This time of Shuyi (photo courtesy of her)

Click for the rambling...

イケナイ太陽 Unreachable Heaven (Irresistable Sun) by Orange Range

チョットでいいから 見せてくれないか
お前のセクシー・フェロモンで オレ メロメロ
Just for a while, won't you let me peek?
I'm falling down drunk with your sexy pheromones...

Ah ふれちゃいそう でも イケナイの!
徐々に高なる鼓動 止められないわ
Ah, I might get rejected, but it's impossible to resist!
My heart beat's gradually increasing, I can't stop it

交わす言葉の 記憶遠く 口元の動きに揺れ動く
濡れた髪を撫でた そして Ah?
The lips are trembling, but the words are far away...
I brushed your hair gently and now, heh?

ABC 続かない そんなんじゃ ダメじゃない
だって ココロの奥は違うんじゃない?
オレの青春 そんなもんじゃない 熱く奥で果てたいよ
きっと キミじゃなきゃ やだよ オレは イケナイ太陽
ABC, I can't go further... is it not OK, is it a no,
isn't your heart feeling differently?
My youth was nothing like this, I want to extinguish this fire
If it's not with you, for sure it's an unreachable heaven

「赤い糸」なんて絵空事 でも下心でさえ信じたいの
俺は正しい キミも正しい とにかくもう左右されないゼ
What's with this "red thread"? I don't get it, but still want to believe in it...
I'm right as you're also right, but even so I hate this control

騙し騙され胸うずく 下手な芝居が より盛り上げる夜
息が耳に触れた二人 Ah
Trying to fool my own heart, this bad acting's taking over the night
I get excited just by hearing us breathe Ah...

ABC 続かない そんなんじゃ ダメじゃない
だって ココロの奥は違うんじゃない?
あたしの青春 そんなもんじゃない 熱く奥で果てたいよ
きっと キミじゃなきゃ やだよ あたし イケナイ太陽
ABC, I can't go further... is it not OK, is it a no,
isn't your heart feeling differently?
My youth was nothing like this, I want to extinguish this fire
If it's not with you, for sure it's an unreachable heaven

交わす言葉の 記憶遠く 口元の動きに揺れ動く
濡れた髪を撫でた そして Ah?
The lips are trembling, but the words are far away...
I brushed your hair gently and now, heh?

ABC 続かない そんなんじゃ ダメじゃない
だって ココロの奥は違うんじゃない?
オレの青春 そんなもんじゃない 熱く奥で果てたいよ
きっと キミじゃなきゃ やだよ オレは イケナイ太陽
ABC, I can't go further... is it not OK, is it a no,
isn't your heart feeling differently?
My youth was nothing like this, I want to extinguish this fire
If it's not with you, for sure it's an unreachable heaven

絡み合う糸は 君と俺を結ぶ赤い糸
The red thread is entangled but it ties us together, Na Na Na~ Click for the rambling...

New year, New template ^^

Saturday marked the day I finally kicked my lazybones outta bed and actually went jogging all by myself! ALONE! WITHOUT ANY NAGGING!!! OK, so it was only a short distance around my area but at least I mysef up and running! ^^ Let's just hope I keep that up.

And to top things off, ASHIRA here is welcoming the new year with a new look ^^ Yep, managed to meet my self-imposed deadline of 01 Jan 2008 to do up a template in XML. Whoppee! Did wish I went to borrow some books on XML before trying this out but since it's up and running, am just glad. Nothing really special since I was too lazy missed out on having a constructive conversation with my muse, so no nice design. Doesn't help that the 3 or 4 designs I came up with ages ago (but didn't have time to do up) were planned using html coded iFrames...

Do give comments on how to improve etc. Verbal abuse is allowed, so long as it's constructive! So do be nice~

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL!!! Click for the rambling...