tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53799375172286450342024-02-07T10:22:19.499-08:00The Green Beans : If it's green, we've been thereAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-8679819690390382282015-03-29T09:04:00.002-07:002015-03-29T09:07:48.419-07:00Walk at the Venus Loop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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During the our walk around the Venus loop, we came across a great variety of plants and animals which our friends Becky and Ingg sind took great patience to explain to us. We learnt about how plants in the forests developed special characteristics to defend themselves against predators. How organisms developed symbiotic relationships. We learnt to spot different types of squirrels and had the luck to spot a rare lizard ‘yellow striped tree skink’.<br />
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<b><b>Fishtail palm:</b> </b></div>
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The irregular leaf ends imitate that of a leaf which has been eaten, acting as a deterrence for other animals to eat them.<br />
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<b><b>Zanzibar yam:</b></b></div>
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This plant is poisonous so stay CLEAR! if consumed, it could cause temporary or even permenant loss of voice. (No wonder its leaves are not eaten)<br />
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<b><b>Macaranga:</b></b></div>
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These plants have established a symbiotic relationship with ants, where it houses and provides shelter for the ants in its hollow stems, and in turn the ants protect the plant when there is a foreign predator around.<br />
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<b>Rare yellow striped tree skink</b></div>
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<b>Draco sumatranis</b></div>
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<b>My personal favorite: Strangling fig</b><br />
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One of my personal favorites that we stopped by was the Strangling fig. It was a special kind of tree that grew on pre-existing trees, wrapping itself around it to gain height and support. In doing so, the strangling fig would suffocate (hence the name ‘strangling’) the original tree causing it to die. As Kris had explained, this was an adaptation that the species had developed such that it could survive in the highly competitive rainforests, where light and resources were scarce. By growing on other trees and finally completely engulfing them, the strangling fig was gaining advantage of the energy and time the original tree had spent to grow. As such, it could reach a greater height and receive more sunlight to carry out photosynthesis in a shorter time. I found this phenomenon extremely interesting and was drawn to the way in which organisms within nature evolved such traits to ensure their survival. Being a biology student, I gained could relate these observations to Darwins theory of evolution, where organisms in an environment were in constant competition for survival, and thus the conception of ‘the survival of the fittest’. Looking at the fig tree, I was reminded that the rainforest was not as amiable an environment as we would like to imagine. In reality, if we were to look more closely, we would discover that it is a space where animals and plants are constantly acting to defend themselves and ensure their survival. The predator and prey reality was real, and as an ‘external’ observer, it was important to have a heightened sense of the place around us. As Becky had warned, we must not take for granted safety when we are in wild natural spaces. As a green bean leader, I was reminded of how important it was to remain vigilant and careful when bringing my fellow beans on a green bean walk.<br />
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<u>Ending off the walk</u><br />
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There is a rich biodiversity in these forests and it would a real pity if the cross island line were to disrupt the natural habitat. Being part of this special guided walk by environmental advocates and nature lovers such as Becky, Ingg sind and Kris was an absolute privilege and looking at the green spaces through their eyes has made me discover the diversity of life around us and how important it is to care and protect it. As a green bean leader myself, having the chance to be guided by other passionate, external members has been both a humbling and eye-opening one for me. The experience truly enforced my belief in what the green beans represented and stood for; to foster a sense of appreciation and wonder towards nature. Judging by the feedback we had at the end of the walk by our new junior beans, they saw the value of fighting for the natural environment and preserving the rich biodiversity of our primary and secondary rainforests.<br />
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Post author: Jedrek Koh<br />
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Also posted on: https://greenbeancas.wordpress.com/2015/03/29/walk-at-the-venus-loop/<br />
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(Jedrek's other green beans reflecton blog- check it out! click on the link.)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-65022612682246705172015-02-04T21:47:00.000-08:002015-03-19T22:08:01.373-07:00Pasir Ris Mangroves: New BeansFor our first walk with our newly minted beans, we decided to take a quick trip to Pasir Ris Mangroves. Lady Luck was shining down on us, and we had good weather, along with interesting finds during the walk.<br />
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The guides for the day were Jia le, Kristin and I (Vanessa), and we split up into small groups on different paths. The new beans were great walking companions and wildlife spotter: We spotted a large amount of mudskippers, found a grasshopper or two and other various insects or birds.<br />
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Pasir Ris Mangroves is a place particularly close to our hearts. Walking from the forested entrance of the mangrove, one can observe how the land melts seamlessly into silty land. Midpoint into the park, you need only look left and right to see the contrast between the dense verdant trees and the byzantine network of Mangrove roots and trees steeped in salt water. It was a effective means to get to see in person the connection between the different types of green spaces, reminding us how nothing in the nature is ever really isolated, and how our impact on one area may very well trickle down to other green spaces. The boardwalk kept us away from compacting the soil while we get to soak in the greenery, away from our usual concrete walls.<br />
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Looking forward to a new year with the Green Beans 2015/2016! Keep checking this space for updates on our various walks and exploits. :)<br />
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01/02/2015 Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-55306900418659617432014-11-09T22:32:00.000-08:002015-03-19T22:33:34.381-07:00Exploring Southern RidgesUs beans have been busy, and we've been exploring the Southern ridges, graciously guided by our guest nature guide Mr. Pinto. The Southern ridges covers a long stretch over Singapore. For many of us, we can easily identify the Southern Ridges trail via the iconic Henderson Waves, one of the many walkaways and paths that make up the Southern Ridges.<br />
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From one place to another, we spotted and saw a great number: Saw towering tembusu trees, smelt the leaves of the eucalyptus tree, peeked at the horticultural gardens at the Hort park and many more. We got to see the hidden landscapes in Singapore, and at times, the view was so different from the usual concrete mass that it seemed as if we were on another island.<br />
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Here's some photos from out walk:<br />
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<i> Fig fruit from a fig tree that has leaves with white undersides</i></div>
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<i> Us in front of the Simpoh Air, and a towering bamboo plant</i></div>
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<i> Pepper Potts: these grow well in the shade</i></div>
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<i>Eucalyptus Tree!</i></div>
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Until next time!</div>
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Post Author: Vanessa</div>
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Photographs: Darryl </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-78881453512070607982014-09-09T06:48:00.000-07:002015-01-15T07:03:44.619-08:00Green Beans at Pasir Ris Mangroves<div style="text-align: justify;">
Just last week, some of us beanies signed up for an engaging (and thoroughly exciting) walk with the Naked Hermit Crabs in the Pasir Ris Mangroves. The walk was conducted in the late afternoon, and to our luck, it seemed as if all the wildlife in the mangrove were out to meet us.</div>
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Bird calls filled the sky, butterflies danced in the rays of the setting sun, and mudskippers basked in the glow of the warm evening. We even spotted a shore pit viper! An <i>adult</i> shore pit viper at that, complete with red eyes and dark grey scales. It was camouflaged and calm amongst the general excitement and silent frenzy of cameras coming in from us on the boardwalk.</div>
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A little photojournal of details from the walk:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRWPAZ60JkCox1cW_PCwkoMp9Z9BMUsVsCb5tIeZZX7xcklcK_5cK6FiGKbQ32li1XVwUitW3YglUFf226Qj9MQTpoTBHSY862LwJHEFekM_uJK90H6-j-_wSGy06R7arvkorcFLxKTUI/s1600/P1015319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRWPAZ60JkCox1cW_PCwkoMp9Z9BMUsVsCb5tIeZZX7xcklcK_5cK6FiGKbQ32li1XVwUitW3YglUFf226Qj9MQTpoTBHSY862LwJHEFekM_uJK90H6-j-_wSGy06R7arvkorcFLxKTUI/s1600/P1015319.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmR6eVyf98kPat-J6smQp45cg75ehdz2SGgpiQoBhyXPwI_rlN-aGojhpEefVC8Uds5Faa7RdYyj9sWekfsvorFa2hAw5fk9QG0xzxFC-w0xBsz_gu7jMTp05UQ30zt9ahkYjz15Sv-NA/s1600/P1015335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmR6eVyf98kPat-J6smQp45cg75ehdz2SGgpiQoBhyXPwI_rlN-aGojhpEefVC8Uds5Faa7RdYyj9sWekfsvorFa2hAw5fk9QG0xzxFC-w0xBsz_gu7jMTp05UQ30zt9ahkYjz15Sv-NA/s1600/P1015335.JPG" height="249" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Spot the mudskipper!</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIozQGSZLpzK8HkXkRhRLbHzM9BjqznTX_8NJxQTq0t_zo3enAH0nR0vOtqBQSeLnKcrFfnaOQWbv13AuYMQJwUk2rZMbhBLcVprQPfGPdT_t5Zj0977lvHDGgzDbzIRIzwn4JwT9DrY/s1600/P1015339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIozQGSZLpzK8HkXkRhRLbHzM9BjqznTX_8NJxQTq0t_zo3enAH0nR0vOtqBQSeLnKcrFfnaOQWbv13AuYMQJwUk2rZMbhBLcVprQPfGPdT_t5Zj0977lvHDGgzDbzIRIzwn4JwT9DrY/s1600/P1015339.JPG" height="235" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Male mudskippers impress the ladies with pushups in the mud, flexing their pectoral fins. </i></div>
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<i>(We humans must have learnt it from them)</i></div>
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<i>Spot the shore pit viper curled around a root</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFK_3FIJA8yFUxC6BhKs7f0ctIQZ22cK6I1WOWGPSq-1B25s2P1U7kc0S_v3THsNqBVk3tTjM-g3yldl6opDoQdfQ3yjP8DAEnHKxjWb1_lYsqIQeE9pOWFr4mGhDb6RkOcsZLJ3NlGU4/s1600/P1015353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFK_3FIJA8yFUxC6BhKs7f0ctIQZ22cK6I1WOWGPSq-1B25s2P1U7kc0S_v3THsNqBVk3tTjM-g3yldl6opDoQdfQ3yjP8DAEnHKxjWb1_lYsqIQeE9pOWFr4mGhDb6RkOcsZLJ3NlGU4/s1600/P1015353.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGHpmQL3PWGUq68N66aoTb-A89G3toJvY-7hHsoGiKxeZoO1El5xqOroBAIxSm1k213ShHmbutrO-_0cUpREOgS73OeFYhg1wz9MEMI48iWhMbEcdGcpA6ZK92TUECMdV6fYaz5f1E80/s1600/P1015356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGHpmQL3PWGUq68N66aoTb-A89G3toJvY-7hHsoGiKxeZoO1El5xqOroBAIxSm1k213ShHmbutrO-_0cUpREOgS73OeFYhg1wz9MEMI48iWhMbEcdGcpA6ZK92TUECMdV6fYaz5f1E80/s1600/P1015356.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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For a parting note, here's what Jia le, a fellow Green Bean, had to say about his experience during the walk:<br />
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"My memories of Pasir Ris Park were of the many races I had with my friends to the top of the spider web playground. Until recently, I was unaware that a mangrove actually existed in the park. </div>
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Hidden behind all the horse riding, cycling and playgrounds, there lay a small 5 Ha mangrove, home to many species of trees and animals, and of course plenty of mudskippers grazing in the mud. Despite playing an important role of housing many endangered species and a protector of coastal areas, the mangrove may still remain <span style="background-color: white;">transcendent</span> to the public. But perhaps, this is how it retains its mysterious and captivating attributes that only reveal its little intricate ‘features’ like the Shore pit viper or the hermit crabs if one were to look hard enough. It seemed to me that nature likes to play hide-and-seek with us and is rather playful. I guess that is what draws me towards nature."<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-15615105054364984642014-07-21T04:53:00.001-07:002014-07-21T05:01:23.377-07:00Seen@: Weaver Ants!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The weaver ant gets its name from literally weaving their nests out of leaves, using silk from the young ant larvae (or, as Moffet jokes, using child labour). A good way of identifying these nests is to look for anything from an opaque leaf folded into itself, to a oblong-shaped collection of leaves with white silk holding it together along the seams. The </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">creamy </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">larvae is also considered an important source of protein-rich food for communities that harvest them.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13F8dOCQHTqyLHbuF9SfhsQ4pOdawgn7k2Gyp4y0NJkd7-PgKNx_2X_n7-lg1PK4Tf35MzUYMdtmhxm1tz57OmKNnYU3Z3YwwGT_OpSIEVQep1j4iwSguijXjCpuAaSG1BPvmmphVWY8U/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-21+at+7.28.23+pm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13F8dOCQHTqyLHbuF9SfhsQ4pOdawgn7k2Gyp4y0NJkd7-PgKNx_2X_n7-lg1PK4Tf35MzUYMdtmhxm1tz57OmKNnYU3Z3YwwGT_OpSIEVQep1j4iwSguijXjCpuAaSG1BPvmmphVWY8U/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-21+at+7.28.23+pm.png" height="263" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-b2915bd5-58a7-c251-1d14-d4de6a4239e9" style="font-weight: normal;"></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="goog_160792317"></span><span id="goog_160792318"></span><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These ants are highly territorial, and do not hesitate to spit formic acid into their bites, so take care not to come in contact with their trial! Don’t worry - formic acid isn’t toxic, unlike the venom from fire ants. It actually has antibacterial properties, and the ants have been harvested and crushed to be used in traditional medicine. (Formic acid also contributes to the weird smell of a crushed ant.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They are also mimicked by (aptly named) spiders - the ant-mimic jumping spider and the ant-mimic crab spider - and a caterpillar. This mimicry allows the spiders to hunt weaver ants in close proximity without being suspected, and provides protection to the latter.</span></span><br />
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JxX4UN5dDD8Ankb58AnSmtM9PoW0cpKrdyumi8Dc8IEUQznj3Y3NPFmhmlpk3i6KQ1qVGk4v2MNxWnnTQd8ekNRWx1wXaejUEBp5NSb4VvoR50ARYWyXTxfSU9QCt9n4NE5GqFfsyd0V/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-21+at+7.42.34+pm.png" height="228" width="640" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In case you haven’t noticed, the weaver ants in school have been around for a while - they nest among the vertical greenery on the sixth and seventh levels, and travel between Block A and B via the string of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bamboo segments</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Yes, you have been walking under them all this time! Here’s the fun part: traditionally, Chinese farmers used them as ‘live pesticide’ to eliminate pests in fruit trees, and encouraged the colony to migrate and expand by placing </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bamboo poles between the trees. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(And we have done that unintentionally.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9L3eYICfBAe_OvIDdJX6D8MFrtyzdSaOkK2XOprbe0oE068a9X7s0Sr04YBg5RqmAqVHhNWhYiuWQMMZjwKsD94oMXRzMFj2mmoRT9e909EFfwf6yv74nTjLZvjkP8FiUTzk7G7Kfgrm/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-21+at+7.47.07+pm.png" height="235" width="640" /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Their nests are highlighted in red above!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hope you’ve enjoyed learning about these interesting critters - here are a couple of links where you can learn more about them in detail, as well as where we got our information from:</span></div>
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<a href="http://sgmacro.blogspot.sg/2012/02/weaver-ant-mimicry.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://sgmacro.blogspot.sg/2012/02/weaver-ant-mimicry.html</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/inverts/weaver_ants.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/inverts/weaver_ants.htm</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://npss.org.sg/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=9862" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://npss.org.sg/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=9862</span></a></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For photos of the mimics:</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://orionmystery.blogspot.sg/2011/05/ant-mimicry-mimics-vs-models.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://orionmystery.blogspot.sg/2011/05/ant-mimicry-mimics-vs-models.html</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://allplantprotection.blogspot.sg/2012/04/weaver-ants-living-pesticide.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://allplantprotection.blogspot.sg/2012/04/weaver-ants-living-pesticide.html</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For Moffet in his element: </span></div>
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<a href="http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/magazine/ngm-weaver-ants" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; text-decoration: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/magazine/ngm-weaver-ants</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The Seen@ Team</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13465496275418700425noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-7316569209666085342014-06-14T05:57:00.000-07:002014-06-14T06:04:55.133-07:00Seen@: Olive-backed Sunbird (Nectarina Jugularis)<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: sub; white-space: pre-wrap;">You’ve probably seen them around – these birds resemble hummingbirds and can often be seen feeding on nectar of the morning glories blooming all around school. The olive-backed sunbird can be identified through (obviously) having an olive back and yellow belly – the males are more rarely spotted and have a metallic blue chest.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: sub; white-space: pre-wrap;">This tiny bird has adapted from its mangrove home to building nests near, and in our concrete jungle. (Here you see a pair of sunbirds perched on a chandelier.)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha78LK07pTSF22YF2f6DyRaK_cWTOXXZsS6XafB7qqQgkteoCeiCGKFffRHLci2aF3UNNiE2xyZHMfZ2E5-Yfu5UipjY1oTQ1r_DFMz7gjNOtZoMgYE5k_z1Kz1fP_FdE-j54kDsdxJ9vG/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-14+at+8.08.38+pm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha78LK07pTSF22YF2f6DyRaK_cWTOXXZsS6XafB7qqQgkteoCeiCGKFffRHLci2aF3UNNiE2xyZHMfZ2E5-Yfu5UipjY1oTQ1r_DFMz7gjNOtZoMgYE5k_z1Kz1fP_FdE-j54kDsdxJ9vG/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-14+at+8.08.38+pm.png" height="270" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s understandable how people mistake sunbirds for hummingbirds, as they are physically similar, but here is a funfact: there are no hummingbirds in Singapore!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The sunbirds mate between April and August, so if they do nest at or near your home, let them be! If you’re lucky, you might be able to observe their mating dance, where males show off tufts of saffron feathers at their throat. To photography enthusiasts: try to take photos or videos of them form a distance zooming in. Getting up close may be invasive and disruptive to nesting birds! </span></div>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1ogbmNC8_VnPNGC4sJ8SBeYuHrx6e2KaTT69lLGdSbhAtOYB4F_xh0z606AmtCIR-Hpjmraa7VQyxkjmZUgNSHrunJCAIRxNkmSsEIXjyI_SSGlvxDqDJ-3ViMqDW_wwSlv0sqrre28/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-14+at+8.14.58+pm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1ogbmNC8_VnPNGC4sJ8SBeYuHrx6e2KaTT69lLGdSbhAtOYB4F_xh0z606AmtCIR-Hpjmraa7VQyxkjmZUgNSHrunJCAIRxNkmSsEIXjyI_SSGlvxDqDJ-3ViMqDW_wwSlv0sqrre28/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-14+at+8.14.58+pm.png" height="245" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: sub; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you would like to find out more about this species, we recommend you to check out the Sungei Buloh Wetlands website </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: sub; white-space: pre-wrap;">(<a href="http://www.sbwr.org.sg/wetlands/text/93-05.htm" target="_blank">here</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: sub; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: sub; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">p.s. Sungei Buloh is also reportedly a good place for sunbird watching!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: sub; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">p.s.s. here’s how the sunbird sounds like: </span></span></div>
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<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/4faGJ_4Fdhg/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/4faGJ_4Fdhg&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/4faGJ_4Fdhg&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Seen@ Team</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-711a07c8-9a6e-a71b-afa6-816608829fb0"><span style="font-family: Calibri; vertical-align: sub; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ysanne and Kristin</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: sub; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">sources:</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://mynatureexperiences.wordpress.com/2014/01/04/olive-backed-sunbird-courtship-dance/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: sub; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://mynatureexperiences.wordpress.com/2014/01/04/olive-backed-sunbird-courtship-dance/</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.asiaphotostock.com/itemimages/female_sunbird27422.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.asiaphotostock.com/itemimages/female_sunbird27422.jpg</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1512_2009-04-27.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: sub; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1512_2009-04-27.html</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4faGJ_4Fdhg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: sub; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4faGJ_4Fdhg</span></span></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13465496275418700425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-26686231794456805402014-05-15T09:17:00.000-07:002014-05-15T09:17:00.147-07:00Save That Pen: Pendamonium Installation on 5th April 2014 (More updates coming soon)<div class="userContentWrapper aboveUnitContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14.079999923706055px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
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<span class="userContent">After 2 months of hard work, commitment and problem solving, the Green Beans STP team has finally installed our installation (Pendamonium) on 5th April for Save That Pen Day. This installation is constructed from hundreds of used, non-func<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">tioning pens collected by Save That Pen, an organization that refills and donates these unwanted pens to underprivileged children.<br /><br />During the day, many visitors interacted with the chromatic curtain of pens and were (literally) hit by the sheer scale of waste. It was indeed heartening to hear unique yet valid interpretations of our installation during a feedback survey conducted by our group members. For instance, one participant commented that she felt that the installation was an apt representation of "the unity" in the various schools present to save their pens.<br /><br />On the whole, we would like to thank Save That Pen for the opportunity and the memorable experiences we have gained from the project!<br /><br />In the picture (from the left):<br />Darryl Cheong, Ang Qing, Jessica Chua, Trina Sim, Kristin Low from SOTA and Hui Shan from Save That Pen.<br /><br />(not shown)<br />SOTA: Clara Teh, Annabelle Ong, Jedrek Koh, Nicole Ng<br />The Green Beans Leaders: Rebecca Lee, Almira Farid, Ang Qing</span></span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">All Photos taken by SQ Photography © 2014 All Rights Reserved<span class="userContentSecondary fcg" style="color: grey;"> </span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-47831275249122744052014-04-23T18:58:00.000-07:002014-04-23T19:05:13.059-07:00A Macritchie Photo Journal from Our First Walk in 8th February<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHW_Ysj7LT2jc4EjrYTJpFeMybaKZ0ISJsxB4bMFwboh5gc_6S3u6tNz3a1aLIpIqSxxGbd5fVNCcTS4taY7YiYjY2r71Q7ld74pvTDpVafjSAizE7zaHfb41j0Z9DFfogv_YVduCGi4/s1600/IMG_7585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHW_Ysj7LT2jc4EjrYTJpFeMybaKZ0ISJsxB4bMFwboh5gc_6S3u6tNz3a1aLIpIqSxxGbd5fVNCcTS4taY7YiYjY2r71Q7ld74pvTDpVafjSAizE7zaHfb41j0Z9DFfogv_YVduCGi4/s1600/IMG_7585.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsqCLK40nTKVVHMO1ls9aStDTy_R4xGMXpOr0r84zHkceuh6HW8JxYgjMeksdiElPzusy-tq8eJJCPt7c5j_VF8pXHtafuri2m5PJQQmc0uOp68SeU5W3h9V61IZEl2pDhQ-kVrAfAk0/s1600/IMG_7605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsqCLK40nTKVVHMO1ls9aStDTy_R4xGMXpOr0r84zHkceuh6HW8JxYgjMeksdiElPzusy-tq8eJJCPt7c5j_VF8pXHtafuri2m5PJQQmc0uOp68SeU5W3h9V61IZEl2pDhQ-kVrAfAk0/s1600/IMG_7605.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remnants of the Rising Sun</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning about the Gambier Plants</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serene view of the Central Catchment Reserve</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wolf Spiders hunting as a Pack</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Secondary of Primary?</td></tr>
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<i>Photos by Veda Sutedjo</i></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-55849596120096236702014-04-10T08:40:00.004-07:002014-04-10T08:42:14.122-07:00Have the Beans been to Ubin?<br />
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<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
The
Green Beans went for our 7th Ubin trip yesterday, and despite being
initially disappointed that out of 50 Green Bean members only 3 had come
along with us, we enjoyed the walk so much and even had NMP (Or
Almira’s Mom haha) Ms Faizah join us for a short while together with
Andy, an experienced birdwatcher. The small group enabled a much better
dynamic and facilitations, and with 5 people altogether, we also got to
know our Year 5 Beans better. Furthermore, we will be having another
Ubin walk next week, with Vanessa, XiaoLi and Monisha guiding the group.</div>
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The
day started out with the sight of a Falcon enjoying it’s meal; a
pigeon! Our surprise when we stepped onto the Island and met Andy, an
experienced birdwatcher who immediately pointed out the scene and even
gave us to opportunity to see it close up with his telescope. What an
amazing experience (albeit slightly disturbing one), especially when the
poor pigeon’s feathers began falling down from the tower onto the spot
we were in. </div>
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The scene of the bird gore on the tower, and here we see the video of the Falcon enjoying its meal being capture on an iPhone </div>
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Going
to Pekan Quarry and then Butterfly Hill, we saw loads of egrets and
learnt about the various types of egrets that we do have in Singapore.
Along the way we had the chance to see a artificial hornbill mating box,
purposefully attached to a tree by NParks. Once having 3 recorded
species of Hornbills in Singapore, the Rhinoceros Hornbill, the Helmeted
Hornbill and the Oriental Pied Hornbill, the population has been
narrowed down to merely the Oriental Pied, as the Rhinoceros and
Helmeted Hornbill went extinct before the 1900s and in the 1950s
respectively.</div>
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Made
to encourage hornbills to mate, so as to increase the population of the
Oriental Pied which was once believed to be extinct, the artificial
nests has come with much success and over 100 Hornbills now reside in
Singapore. However which the increasing population of Hornbills comes
the question of what its impact is, and many believe that the rapid
increase of Hornbills in comparison to other groups of birds in
Singapore (that may be more endangered) may actually be more detrimental
than beneficial. </div>
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The artificial nesting grounds for Hornbills</div>
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The
ecological system is definitely one of an extremely complex nature, and
every single fluctuation within in will definitely introduce impacts
onto the rest of the system. And this also reflect the various global
environmental issues; as with the Palm Oil Industry in Sumatra. While
some may choose to blame the Palm Oil Industry for all their negative
impacts of the Indonesian forest, one cannot ignore the fact that Palm
Oil is essential to their economy. The environment and economy are
intrinsically linked, and having a more holistic view of environmental
issues allows us to comprehensively understand the larger framework, so
as to make better judgements and opinions. Every single thing will
affect another, and that’s what casts such importance upon maintaining
this delicate balance between everything, whether it be the economy and
environment, or the hornbills and other birds. And this is where we come
in, to play our own roles as members of this Earth!</div>
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At
the Butterfly Park, we saw so many different butterflies (none of which
we could identify haha), and learnt about the different flowers and
fruit we saw along the way. One of them was the Torch Ginger, and if
you’re Singaporean you should definitely know this for being in our
Rojaks! Another was the Fig Tree, which we learnt is pollinated by
wasps. Unfortunately the Fig trees in Singapore apparently either don’t
taste too good or are inedible.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIq6M7nRfOgeeZt65qDdi91rGBhj8CZp0WnLPd9wFHvQP6qfyWnQ0zg3Gx4fXxtAfZLjMZLg87mCT_G-o7dg6BD2OpxsQXC47KjENpBaWMda75NiwreSRdhadxK6_haS5UrlzrARfQHVOJ/s1600/IMG_3917.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIq6M7nRfOgeeZt65qDdi91rGBhj8CZp0WnLPd9wFHvQP6qfyWnQ0zg3Gx4fXxtAfZLjMZLg87mCT_G-o7dg6BD2OpxsQXC47KjENpBaWMda75NiwreSRdhadxK6_haS5UrlzrARfQHVOJ/s1600/IMG_3917.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCatLs6YHS5j7mMOT8_QSp4z54r4C2syZK_kwux7BAzUVoHdZh0plWc6067ES_NNlS0i38ecSIrm0v0idkenO9r3FzkLpVOZUnOiMLTP4WEnDe2koAvjGfzuzJCIg0QC20vyRPveaPgyN/s1600/IMG_3924.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCatLs6YHS5j7mMOT8_QSp4z54r4C2syZK_kwux7BAzUVoHdZh0plWc6067ES_NNlS0i38ecSIrm0v0idkenO9r3FzkLpVOZUnOiMLTP4WEnDe2koAvjGfzuzJCIg0QC20vyRPveaPgyN/s1600/IMG_3924.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIq6M7nRfOgeeZt65qDdi91rGBhj8CZp0WnLPd9wFHvQP6qfyWnQ0zg3Gx4fXxtAfZLjMZLg87mCT_G-o7dg6BD2OpxsQXC47KjENpBaWMda75NiwreSRdhadxK6_haS5UrlzrARfQHVOJ/s1600/IMG_3917.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWExAuEtNbAX411mEK2kOmL4nwY-hseg-c_-qb7UH2ftO1iHqbcbLBP6uGaB6QlTtZSRid66l1pgFiDt3IyOnnFUSC2rWOHy2h-Wj_1lhtXAAyL3lqa80oDYcpIkQKRsTgbrgSXhOI3DX/s1600/IMG_3914.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWExAuEtNbAX411mEK2kOmL4nwY-hseg-c_-qb7UH2ftO1iHqbcbLBP6uGaB6QlTtZSRid66l1pgFiDt3IyOnnFUSC2rWOHy2h-Wj_1lhtXAAyL3lqa80oDYcpIkQKRsTgbrgSXhOI3DX/s1600/IMG_3914.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
After
that we parted ways with Ms Faizah and Andy, and headed off to Chek
Jawa! Wild Boars as usual came around the corner and of course, the
cameras came out.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWfJmqMhoZ0a_vM6AvL_IdWlsrdFr30lIuCCQn0HdApBjZGDjiz2kEMfW9R8MsSU9vqw2YBRKaYESgUtk2XHP9q65Fulwb3KeBd9Qx1w1dStJX2-FhRcbtmDxQvrHnf8pIkroF6Xr2hVA/s1600/IMG_3931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWfJmqMhoZ0a_vM6AvL_IdWlsrdFr30lIuCCQn0HdApBjZGDjiz2kEMfW9R8MsSU9vqw2YBRKaYESgUtk2XHP9q65Fulwb3KeBd9Qx1w1dStJX2-FhRcbtmDxQvrHnf8pIkroF6Xr2hVA/s1600/IMG_3931.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQirQNbc3rGOMLL154EIOjRQorBBlzcd7a5qROu_X6MgLAZmTus7XLyMNGw-4Eoon4GNABWvM4_MtEKG1VZSHuvlWaSGpIVmWfb_m620pQsalwCGbEXdkY1yB3Dv_pSg51OIAH78CBqpRX/s1600/IMG_3944.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQirQNbc3rGOMLL154EIOjRQorBBlzcd7a5qROu_X6MgLAZmTus7XLyMNGw-4Eoon4GNABWvM4_MtEKG1VZSHuvlWaSGpIVmWfb_m620pQsalwCGbEXdkY1yB3Dv_pSg51OIAH78CBqpRX/s1600/IMG_3944.JPG" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
The
Fish-tail palm (Caryota), it’s jagged edges makes it appear as though
it’s been eaten already, warding of potential predators.</div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVG03DpKOW-COmnXdOBq1H08MUzYeYIVF3zLad6ftUKRYu0A5cauz8MfXDCQ9GnYItg4FzGa0itgQB3EZ5DmkRXZgd5EJiQVERq0vPTBe28VQmhN0TYlwqJa7WiFvVwpe7aQYslkAcwuqf/s1600/IMG_3949.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVG03DpKOW-COmnXdOBq1H08MUzYeYIVF3zLad6ftUKRYu0A5cauz8MfXDCQ9GnYItg4FzGa0itgQB3EZ5DmkRXZgd5EJiQVERq0vPTBe28VQmhN0TYlwqJa7WiFvVwpe7aQYslkAcwuqf/s1600/IMG_3949.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
The
Vinegar Crab, also known as the tree climbing crab. With the ability to
climb up to 6 meters high on trees, it’s also more famously known to be
pickled and eaten with black sauce and vinegar in porridge. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsnHgxrtHbodyECCs1Vqwxu6qNIlbKvifK5SvPnyI6ruJGlo_quuPDLST-i-Ey11poo2BZOlAbKX7b_py-qEuNrI7h0brTNzstLY_wJSqEh2nVyHtnyL9N0OzSZUQuf6Y1U9C8r13QdNc/s1600/IMG_3953.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsnHgxrtHbodyECCs1Vqwxu6qNIlbKvifK5SvPnyI6ruJGlo_quuPDLST-i-Ey11poo2BZOlAbKX7b_py-qEuNrI7h0brTNzstLY_wJSqEh2nVyHtnyL9N0OzSZUQuf6Y1U9C8r13QdNc/s1600/IMG_3953.JPG" height="400" width="265" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1WNyIHHixXWW32BrdFuQxKptATHuQKhpRmdaiOPjrRNGaQKaV-Qdhdmhh3FCU7x4Y7GWOptexGGTKJI-v5KYMzXojvuSctnfjccZv1k9YJJTqseBXnDEg_MwgFGqdo4GFaeUi_1HwpdI/s1600/IMG_3964.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
The
Attap tree, also known as the Nypa Palm. Known for being in South East
Asian desserts (that terrible tasting thing everyone avoids).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKAW3oSc1k5h3z4mkBRCD7CoZgV4hH8I88cMxRAHT6rtnOB5L-z4LkXvpj3678FqJFYM3LkZncQv56pb-_y81e56NmCxM2KlRdUme3NpbZZUuL2-XjzeQtjxnBomJUOBCHkIJ9nu7rKA0/s1600/IMG_3958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKAW3oSc1k5h3z4mkBRCD7CoZgV4hH8I88cMxRAHT6rtnOB5L-z4LkXvpj3678FqJFYM3LkZncQv56pb-_y81e56NmCxM2KlRdUme3NpbZZUuL2-XjzeQtjxnBomJUOBCHkIJ9nu7rKA0/s1600/IMG_3958.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
Mangrove
Roots are specially adapted to survive in the soft, loose soils through
structural adaptations that allow them to keep upright and standing.
There is so much more to Mangroves, such the the ability of their leaves
to control their stomata, as to conserve freshwater; vital in a saline
environment. Some species have the ability to retain salt in their
leaves, and discard them when content gets too high. Even the way they
reproduce is amazing! Seed grow until they reach a stage where they
become large, long and cylindrical. It is then dropped into the soil,
and over time grows to resemble pencil-like roots, before becoming a
full-grown adult tree.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQ32J-K-OTfENOZaaoI_KERMpnjYslD3sRt1RIWIPUlUqBXYQZ_uCE0EK9EFoyIvrfJcauRPEpQGGhzK_tDel_jDQ8cKo_3Cxx7BTvhVNA1zSg-j8nwobqxHJFgaIqzCpuhtXkWAeMjrQ/s1600/IMG_3964.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQ32J-K-OTfENOZaaoI_KERMpnjYslD3sRt1RIWIPUlUqBXYQZ_uCE0EK9EFoyIvrfJcauRPEpQGGhzK_tDel_jDQ8cKo_3Cxx7BTvhVNA1zSg-j8nwobqxHJFgaIqzCpuhtXkWAeMjrQ/s1600/IMG_3964.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SFm18pqXTmud7W5II30Nte4nW4NMMT6gNjeGIw_vJ61pyVB7ZbgtpvQ8rpePO4ZneXJKzt1fBL4Ce8Kh4GSmSUIj4CEw61gEKH_CTsMgGg0c_0WIq00kUbmlZeKFPiIEZg4mRyCa3GZN/s1600/IMG_3967.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SFm18pqXTmud7W5II30Nte4nW4NMMT6gNjeGIw_vJ61pyVB7ZbgtpvQ8rpePO4ZneXJKzt1fBL4Ce8Kh4GSmSUIj4CEw61gEKH_CTsMgGg0c_0WIq00kUbmlZeKFPiIEZg4mRyCa3GZN/s1600/IMG_3967.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQ32J-K-OTfENOZaaoI_KERMpnjYslD3sRt1RIWIPUlUqBXYQZ_uCE0EK9EFoyIvrfJcauRPEpQGGhzK_tDel_jDQ8cKo_3Cxx7BTvhVNA1zSg-j8nwobqxHJFgaIqzCpuhtXkWAeMjrQ/s1600/IMG_3964.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
The mangrove seed and the pencil-like roots</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZXlpX8YVhuq1P2eCnQfQbd-hVQU2xDhp1NFbVUT8DmrB6KxPJJ78fkk40yJH9FWPvxUTJIOsNO_bbJ8nL-3qOl_Vqeph4j1umNbNC_eTyNTYZ1cAZxA0iR7qa-5OMfCAbfGofnkVCf6j/s1600/IMG_3986.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZXlpX8YVhuq1P2eCnQfQbd-hVQU2xDhp1NFbVUT8DmrB6KxPJJ78fkk40yJH9FWPvxUTJIOsNO_bbJ8nL-3qOl_Vqeph4j1umNbNC_eTyNTYZ1cAZxA0iR7qa-5OMfCAbfGofnkVCf6j/s1600/IMG_3986.JPG" height="320" width="212" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9uJ6qlOCpic8UPjnClqY6QKMpyrxmTBCIvYZbrYZfmm-wU_r53W1uvydIEINQ2mjhphltA4tbGogAkvNAndOvDElnwQ3FN2WKa1widZkXllUsWXVJ0Oz8w-1yEnuuqrkHrsd6fE3dTTyX/s1600/IMG_3988.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9uJ6qlOCpic8UPjnClqY6QKMpyrxmTBCIvYZbrYZfmm-wU_r53W1uvydIEINQ2mjhphltA4tbGogAkvNAndOvDElnwQ3FN2WKa1widZkXllUsWXVJ0Oz8w-1yEnuuqrkHrsd6fE3dTTyX/s1600/IMG_3988.JPG" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
A short break for the Beans.</div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
When
we got back to the visitor centre at Chek Jawa, we witnessed some
people feeing the Wild Boars. The Boars began to get excited and started
to fight over the bit of bread these people were handing out. We asked
them to stop, and when the people stopped feeding them and walked away,
the Boars started to follow them around. Highlighting the dangers of
such actions, feeding animals in Nature Reserves is definitely not a
very smart thing to do, and it’s important to consider the ethical
implications of one’s actions, not just doing as we please.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMSTIVtxQ-0hyphenhyphenklvq6bVuRl24a_j3HpJR_Gg2DNNBCarM-PfhFG0Kj2ptX1h4qV6N0-4DEVnIiyBt6a7FpqhKK5j1RT7Q0Qq2yJVi3zBf_3FIqrFQvBhi7oSPE2qf3mG6oVXODfowgkmd/s1600/IMG_4026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMSTIVtxQ-0hyphenhyphenklvq6bVuRl24a_j3HpJR_Gg2DNNBCarM-PfhFG0Kj2ptX1h4qV6N0-4DEVnIiyBt6a7FpqhKK5j1RT7Q0Qq2yJVi3zBf_3FIqrFQvBhi7oSPE2qf3mG6oVXODfowgkmd/s1600/IMG_4026.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4m734vCw1B-3l5wevYYPO1xnhWEFu6DRqI5Jqic9JIlzwp_AT20qOOwt4ydXkdnoDTa2L3hDN2Atqdkiktvc6kHKGd-2yUk7d5hO_MhFApFnmuNuiky3HB5Lw-fLeWzSqDtwzt_nRbhs5/s1600/IMG_4035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4m734vCw1B-3l5wevYYPO1xnhWEFu6DRqI5Jqic9JIlzwp_AT20qOOwt4ydXkdnoDTa2L3hDN2Atqdkiktvc6kHKGd-2yUk7d5hO_MhFApFnmuNuiky3HB5Lw-fLeWzSqDtwzt_nRbhs5/s1600/IMG_4035.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhok_jeS9Oaf1M2hX6wLFFXZB-ARyl4zi6hfICqAU4kKa7Pe04g5_0nOzCmD0XlBNU7pcMW_zCr5VM_R1nqrk-vEHBlVCWmRhimlz9E9AHZCf_RTgqXM0jsByKoIwRZTbKGFKV1SRd36ndL/s1600/IMG_4028.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhok_jeS9Oaf1M2hX6wLFFXZB-ARyl4zi6hfICqAU4kKa7Pe04g5_0nOzCmD0XlBNU7pcMW_zCr5VM_R1nqrk-vEHBlVCWmRhimlz9E9AHZCf_RTgqXM0jsByKoIwRZTbKGFKV1SRd36ndL/s1600/IMG_4028.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Ended the day with the ride back to mainland, and Lontong and Ice Kacang!<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">treesandlove.blogspot.com</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-79686260974372278362014-03-31T09:16:00.002-07:002014-04-01T04:49:27.643-07:00Clay and trees; art and nature<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>The relationship between art and the natural environment
</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">I
took up ceramics about 2 years ago, and throughout these 2 years I’ve
had the opportunity to learn so much about the medium and the amazing
ways that clay can be manipulated with our hands. I’ve grown to love
clay more and more, and my love for the medium has evolved not just
through my handling of the material, but also through understanding its
origins; the way that it came from the ground and the way that the
material we treasure so much originated from nature.<br /><br />There are 2
things, and these 2 things are one of my greatest loves. The first as
I’ve mentioned, is ceramics, but the second is nature. Nature is
something that similar to ceramics I’ve grown to love over the years
more and more, and the appreciation I have to the natural environment
translates into a concern for these current environmental causes. My
love for these two things however, becomes rather problematic when
certain aspects of ceramics are scrutinized, and may not sit very well
in the heart of those who love the environment. There is certain
contention within ceramics, due to the firing process which takes up a
great deal of energy, and results in the release of greenhouse gases.
And it is this contradiction that creates tension between the two of my
biggest loves. The contradiction between ceramics and the environment
leads me to question the relationship between the two, and the way that
these two can influence each other in the negative aspects but also in
positive ways. Art is powerful and it is used for communication, for
expressing ideas, and for influencing the masses. The influence that the
arts has can be seen in both positive and negative ways, and through
the tangible and intangible impacts that it has on nature.<br /><br />It is
definite that the communicative capability of the arts has the power to
spread awareness of issues in the environmental scene, as well as the
way that art can influence one to appreciate and see the beauty in
nature. It was also the arts for me, that aided me to see the more
beautiful and promising elements nature has, rather than focusing on the
“unfavorable” aspects that as urban dwellers, we tend to see more.
Living in Orchard Road, the heart of the city in Singapore, I grew up in
an extremely metropolitan society. Growing accustomed to the sounds of
cars honking or speeding by, or by the sight of office workers rushing
from the bus stops to the buildings, or just the hustle of city life in
general, it was really easy for me to loose sight and completely unaware
of what nature has to offer, or the importance of nature to us not just
in the tangible sense, but also intangibly. The environment provides
not just food, oxygen, water, or timber, or any of these daily
necessities, but also has so much more to offer with the its beautiful
bird calls and magnificent trees. Nature’s extremely multi-sensory
traits give us the opportunity to connect with something on a completely
different level, a level that us as Singaporeans may sometimes be
unaccustomed to. I’m not saying we forgot all our troubles when we
surround ourselves with green, but I assert my belief that nature’s
power to heal and soothe has the ability to open our eyes to all the
good in the world reminding us of the endless possibilities and
opportunities that life gives us. Surrounding ourselves in nature
humbles us, and encourages us to appreciate the details that we often
ignore. We realize the extremity of the Earth, and just how much
diversity there is, and through this realization and immersion in these
green spaces, one can become so aware of just how small a single
individual may appear when surrounded by just so much. <br /><br />But I
digress from my point, and coming back to how the arts influenced me to
see nature in a different light, it was painting that brought me to see
the beauty in nature. I began painting landscapes; mountains, trees,
sunsets, birds, in Secondary 2, and I never really looked too deep into
concepts or theories made in the arts. To me, it was just to paint what I
saw, and paint to it realistically and in “pretty” ways. Despite that
mindset back then, it is now that I look back and realize how painting
those images; those images that I never accustomed myself to (because of
living in the city) actually brought me to appreciate the environment
not merely for it how it gives us food, or provides us with oxygen, but
also for the more intangible qualities. The way that nature just manages
us to make us so happy. The way we can forget all the stress and the
troubles for just a mere moment, as we take time to appreciate how
amazing the colors of the sunsets are. They way we relax as we take time
to marvel at how complex and intricate the branches display themselves
on a tree. The act of painting, and of seeing other paintings which are
representations of natural imagery, encourages this appreciation of the
environment, and it is this appreciation that when combined with
environmental awareness, will eventually translate into a concern for
the current environmental issues. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzOe_h3i_mbuxYxdNZPhFpmL4XwyXIZacQ4PhBDw6Qe8MvT2QpXaSZl9CBV4Par95dg1QNQkPlLdxl04TVneKb3jP15CWd-VpAUNlXPmsNbPD_6AGNfIWevsikXaV7Z1vDCqZ-GgHgEg/s1600/paintings+and+wesley%2521+073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzOe_h3i_mbuxYxdNZPhFpmL4XwyXIZacQ4PhBDw6Qe8MvT2QpXaSZl9CBV4Par95dg1QNQkPlLdxl04TVneKb3jP15CWd-VpAUNlXPmsNbPD_6AGNfIWevsikXaV7Z1vDCqZ-GgHgEg/s1600/paintings+and+wesley%2521+073.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Earlier paintings of mountains done in the Secondary 2 days</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Photos taken during a 2 week stay at the Gunung Leuser National Park of Sumatra back in 2013 with schoolmates</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br />These are the intangible
qualities that nature offers us, and also the intangibility of what art
can offer the environment; through the encouragement of nature
appreciation. But while we do see the amazing ways in which our works
contribute to a larger cause, it is important as art students to also be
aware of how our art can have negative tangible aspects. The practice
of art requires resources; painting requires paint/ canvases, ceramics
requires clay/ firing processes, sculpture requires wood/ metal / etc,
and on it goes. These resources come from nature, and when used in
excess may cause degradation to our ecology. And so despite the positive
ways that our art can impact the environment, it also comes with
certain drawbacks. But awareness of both the pros and cons gives us a
more holistic view of our practice and the actions we undergo in our
artistic pursuit, and it is through this knowledge that we learn to
balance what we take from the environment, together with what we can
give back. But of course this is merely my own subjective view, and
different art students will have varying perspectives on this issue. Art
is objective, and encompasses a huge range of ideas and opinions, and
so I clarify that although I hold this view, I acknowledge the different
beliefs that other people have too.<br /><br />Nature does not just give to
art in terms of materiality; how clay comes from the Earth, or how the
physicality of our works compose of materials originating from the
Earth. But also in terms of how nature influences artworks, in terms of
subject matter, aesthetics, or ideas. I mean, Van Gogh wouldn’t have
been able to paint his sunflowers, without the sunflowers themselves! As
a student I myself also find so much inspiration in the natural
environment, and motifs that occur is nature represent themselves very
frequently in my works. Interested in capturing the similarities between
us as people and the natural environment, nature influences me very
much and in my process of conceptualizing or idealizing my works. And
these similarities present themselves not only through the mere fact
that we are all living organisms, but also through characteristic
traits, such as the things we do or the way we react to certain
situations.</span></div>
<div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenTNec38cFYCLOWVUIMz2ptZmeAW4fwn36F2i5RxLPkeTK-UNL_IZRLM9AQi54kHQdZ6SZRZ0gFvlYinDfXKkZjI1xt7KyHHNJh3HRGfIWXKLXaiYHF3NlVJudZir8uQ_8eWLA2-NNxMh/s1600/IMG_3684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenTNec38cFYCLOWVUIMz2ptZmeAW4fwn36F2i5RxLPkeTK-UNL_IZRLM9AQi54kHQdZ6SZRZ0gFvlYinDfXKkZjI1xt7KyHHNJh3HRGfIWXKLXaiYHF3NlVJudZir8uQ_8eWLA2-NNxMh/s1600/IMG_3684.JPG" height="320" width="212" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsfcBUam8EqVzIuu-jYsC91KRFym34_QVhyphenhyphenCSoN_6mwibT5qmoLHDe3l_GKvVodJ8sI1FKAYUOZMuxuPSmyhkaabgSih40c-T1ypZzDDPdyjVkENw3GbDRso_7kE_QZtETNnUQ1-niCnK_/s1600/IMG_3642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsfcBUam8EqVzIuu-jYsC91KRFym34_QVhyphenhyphenCSoN_6mwibT5qmoLHDe3l_GKvVodJ8sI1FKAYUOZMuxuPSmyhkaabgSih40c-T1ypZzDDPdyjVkENw3GbDRso_7kE_QZtETNnUQ1-niCnK_/s1600/IMG_3642.JPG" height="320" width="212" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvpZtWTmRcbJ_rC4TzvsL_m3UmYqu5c9pa7DSd-KbGvRRb1sY_WsdTz4u6D8GJ1eX0Kj-wBsELJS7zQIkCMoS2SdNrHX43AFTxoyhtctZgMEoKZX_N-kC_aCtoWXousgnDf-Ngl5Hjgdp/s1600/IMG_3661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvpZtWTmRcbJ_rC4TzvsL_m3UmYqu5c9pa7DSd-KbGvRRb1sY_WsdTz4u6D8GJ1eX0Kj-wBsELJS7zQIkCMoS2SdNrHX43AFTxoyhtctZgMEoKZX_N-kC_aCtoWXousgnDf-Ngl5Hjgdp/s1600/IMG_3661.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><b>"Erosion #1, #2, #3"</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Over
time natural external forces weathers and erodes natural material,
wearing off the surfaces of stone and rock. These forces create crevices
and cracks, imprinting their mark onto the exterior and divulges
histories and stories behind the life of the rock. Their experiences
give them their physical appearance, just as how we too are shaped by
experiences.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyfpldgpYyw_W7aWQ0oXQQ5hFBQl_WJiFfrjSM9k1rUCeGV2hBMwZajtfXo6rYGMDIzwhuib3DF9EvsjIDCeh7f16N8cJON9Bxt2FjFHjbwnXZBGlSKwdPPas1-O37iuH5HBONmA4bXEaC/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-03-31+at+PM+11.56.23.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyfpldgpYyw_W7aWQ0oXQQ5hFBQl_WJiFfrjSM9k1rUCeGV2hBMwZajtfXo6rYGMDIzwhuib3DF9EvsjIDCeh7f16N8cJON9Bxt2FjFHjbwnXZBGlSKwdPPas1-O37iuH5HBONmA4bXEaC/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-03-31+at+PM+11.56.23.png" height="195" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGY8e5M9Eg3IUBoSMHb6GZHilmyr0YPMiOzTwv6amIFHblLZ9IlGvI-KbAvXOQOwjVBxP-Rffc8PTGJqgrM-GNu0yxQTgo8x8O0AJk-Exe1-KZJr5wOdEIHiUljJSGPXpJ6PoYHsbmAPPH/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-03-31+at+PM+11.55.37.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGY8e5M9Eg3IUBoSMHb6GZHilmyr0YPMiOzTwv6amIFHblLZ9IlGvI-KbAvXOQOwjVBxP-Rffc8PTGJqgrM-GNu0yxQTgo8x8O0AJk-Exe1-KZJr5wOdEIHiUljJSGPXpJ6PoYHsbmAPPH/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-03-31+at+PM+11.55.37.png" height="200" width="161" /></a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><b>"This is how tendrils pretend"</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Tendrils
of parasites wrap themselves seductively around a living organism,
slowly sucking away its life. The function of a pot fused together with
the aesthetic qualities of tendrils hopes to illustrate the dangers of
safety and the poison of having too much comfort.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br /><b>"Below the surface lies more than 8/9 of the iceberg’s form"</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">The
iceberg hides more than 8/9 of its form underneath icy waters. As do
those surrounding us who hide themselves underneath the exterior they
exude.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg319WhDG33RAmzgnQuM57Q0dv4Ky7xbzJSrdzLtcGMEZmohfORY9FYguSiVxC3emPJnBgA1OPx8SNzGtQtMDmBlKRo58DaMStZ8TYH94YzyX0yfHFuYufH2no5rzSEZ4TnyCwHr3mOSuoS/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-03-31+at+PM+11.56.06.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg319WhDG33RAmzgnQuM57Q0dv4Ky7xbzJSrdzLtcGMEZmohfORY9FYguSiVxC3emPJnBgA1OPx8SNzGtQtMDmBlKRo58DaMStZ8TYH94YzyX0yfHFuYufH2no5rzSEZ4TnyCwHr3mOSuoS/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-03-31+at+PM+11.56.06.png" height="208" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">I
end this by telling myself to remember that despite my personal beliefs
and opinions to art and its relation to the environment, I also have to
remember the objectivity that surrounds art itself. Someone once told
me, that art “should never be anything,” and we cannot say that “art
should be (this) or (that).” Instead we keep our own opinions and share
them, remembering not to impose your beliefs on others. Art was how I
began to appreciate nature, and nature is what inspires me in my
practice, and so it is so important to me that I balance what nature has
given my works, and what my practice can offer to the environment.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">(treesandlove.blogspot.com)</span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-16898698838379634612014-02-22T00:01:00.001-08:002014-02-22T23:31:28.738-08:00Greenbeans Walks @ Macritchie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's a brand new year for the Green Beans! And its only gotten busier and beanier for us. In light of the Cross Island Line , the Green Beans visited the Macritchie Nature Reserve again, this time with 37 Greenbeanies (some old, some new) on 8th, 9th and 15th Feb.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVh3l_i9NVFKdhmId70nlp6FPeoDeu_bstPRFywVEYS6LP5YbFGJamhx2Vlufgmgc3QcVN4cHAv1Nk1GdtLdiC60YlnOT0HwHn-yOH0O5HtE0rmsx43UKN7X1aIfXKkfQJJ81yq1DAuw/s1600/1798800_10151959608198367_924427564_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVh3l_i9NVFKdhmId70nlp6FPeoDeu_bstPRFywVEYS6LP5YbFGJamhx2Vlufgmgc3QcVN4cHAv1Nk1GdtLdiC60YlnOT0HwHn-yOH0O5HtE0rmsx43UKN7X1aIfXKkfQJJ81yq1DAuw/s1600/1798800_10151959608198367_924427564_n.jpg" height="253" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>First Greenbeans outing of 2014!</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZ2KT8HgxW8g01_fqyo_CJhj8vtJfp54XawGlOut_vE9uZhfVBixEfh0h6ryBUMsX7WpthtTUkvkXPJ8nwPQqgISQyigDgMKTuwZWw6_oKQJ3VmOBwroa2ib1mkxkF5fDnbhBseuHSPQ/s1600/1604711_692279474157096_1226005062_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZ2KT8HgxW8g01_fqyo_CJhj8vtJfp54XawGlOut_vE9uZhfVBixEfh0h6ryBUMsX7WpthtTUkvkXPJ8nwPQqgISQyigDgMKTuwZWw6_oKQJ3VmOBwroa2ib1mkxkF5fDnbhBseuHSPQ/s1600/1604711_692279474157096_1226005062_n.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>The Greenbeans on 9th Feb</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4HzEU9USh4fBh8lHTCr1ttyTsknU3v4P5WViPRpINqd14SWUKGuRv1zRDfoDpJfn6Tk0sf1GYao3E6wZxuBUH4F37MJuuHqHAWsH8o8wqk5XWtNyo2u3i1SP3rggzy5pboJQQh8SFU18/s1600/1654057_695329887185388_610884309_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4HzEU9USh4fBh8lHTCr1ttyTsknU3v4P5WViPRpINqd14SWUKGuRv1zRDfoDpJfn6Tk0sf1GYao3E6wZxuBUH4F37MJuuHqHAWsH8o8wqk5XWtNyo2u3i1SP3rggzy5pboJQQh8SFU18/s1600/1654057_695329887185388_610884309_n.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>The Greenbeans on 15th Feb</i></div>
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<i>Becky explaining the symbiotic relationship between the ants and the Macaranga plant</i></div>
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<i>"Joggers: the new species of Macritchie" - Qing</i></div>
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<i>Learning about the Central Catchment Area and the effects of the Cross Island Line</i></div>
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<i>The Senduduk and The Bee</i></div>
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<i> Infobites: Did you know that this sweet purple and yellow shrub has many uses for both humans and animals? The plant is commonly found in many wild places in South East Asia (including coastal area) is known as the Singapore rhododendron although it is not a rhododendron.</i><i>The sour young leaves of these plants are not only edible, its roots and leaves are used in traditional treatments of diarrhea and dysentery. When powdered, these leaves may also be sprinkled over wounds and can be used to treat elephants! Interestingly, the fruits may also be used to produce a black dye to yield a very juicy artwork</i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Adapted from: http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/plants/others/melastoma/malabathricum.htm</span></i></div>
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<i>Plaintain Squirrel</i></div>
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<i>Greater Racket-tailed Drongo</i></div>
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<i>The Road Not Taken</i></div>
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<i>Everything is connected...</i></div>
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<i>Lalang... People...</i></div>
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<i>Almira and Becky teaching the Greenbeans the Lalang game that they learnt from locals at the Sei Betung Reforestation Site in Sumatra</i></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-51590036899159965962013-12-30T07:54:00.002-08:002013-12-30T07:55:09.332-08:00GPS Sumatra (May-June)Earlier on in May this year, Becky and I spent 16 days with 13 schoolmates from SOTA and 2 teachers in the Sumatran rainforest, learning from and working with the Restoration team there, doing Reforestation work as well as conducting environmental based programmes for primary schools there.<br />
This was part SOTA's Year 5 Global PerspectiveS (GPS) program.<br />
<br />
Click on the link below to read more about my thoughts as the 16 days progressed.<br />
It was a very meaningful and musical journey, learning about the forest, the issues with oil palm plantation encroachment, and the most important discovery - learning about ourselves and our connection with our natural environment.<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1074193150"><br /></a>
<a href="http://globalperspectivessumatra.blogspot.co.uk/">Read about our journey here</a><br />
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Have a very happy new year!<br />
<br />
~Almira, Green Beans.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-41756605388856837972013-12-26T21:45:00.000-08:002013-12-30T04:27:54.230-08:00The simple act of eating fish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">View from the Moon Rock</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Taken by Ms Kong</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In early November, Almira and I went on a school expedition to the Anambas Islands 1 day from the coast of Batam. For a period of ten days on the South China Sea, we sailed on Captain Blake's Four Friends with 12 other students. During the expedition, we spent out time kayaking and snorkelling in the crystal blue waters as well as combing the white beaches of uninhabited islands.</span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Having participated in many environmental activities in 2013 such as starting the environment group, the Green Beans I have had frequent opportunities to preserve nature. However, my participation in this expedition has prompted me to reflect on the environmental friendliness of outdoor sports and expeditions such as these.</span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Firstly, my hesitation for such outdoor activities was seeded when we hauled our kayaks across an extensive live coral bed due to the low tide on the third day. This accident which culminated in a brief bout of night kayaking was unforeseen but bore profound effects on many corals.</span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsxcrCSf2xyD0URD6Z2KnWKhAWS9E19jvDEO4htwKA2hqiY_XrkFUXZgzuUQxwGLFmrl3q-QkSBGGoSZ-HUdWLTJfeELl6q5olRVNvFBSrFSfxN44UPL6Ex2TsJ3oir8IA8nl6Y6-Q0k/s1600/CORAL+BEDS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsxcrCSf2xyD0URD6Z2KnWKhAWS9E19jvDEO4htwKA2hqiY_XrkFUXZgzuUQxwGLFmrl3q-QkSBGGoSZ-HUdWLTJfeELl6q5olRVNvFBSrFSfxN44UPL6Ex2TsJ3oir8IA8nl6Y6-Q0k/s320/CORAL+BEDS.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Lugging our kayaks across the coral bed</span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Taken by Ms Kong</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> This was compounded on the third day of the expedition when we "scrambled" up a 30 m high black rock. In the process, Almira and I began identifying the types of forest on the island. Interestingly, the medium sized island foliage was similar to that of Singapore and would probably have been the same if the islands were inhabited. Nevertheless, the island betrayed that it was indeed a secondary forest as seen by the well trodden paths. Why was that so? A shorter, mowed undergrowth of sprawling plants soon betrayed the old marks of mankind’s hands, probably for agricultural purposes.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AJGO-EYrG6ZinzRa6re6plrNH9DsyEsIZEst-XNI90ErsjAvtBU_6lAO2hSuSk042vlslglf-Xm86Ns7LbJkQOYrIUOCDI10cIFqEA1Nab9NfwqU3waijj6Ppm93qOrTIk9RUKVZvik/s1600/Pulau+Bawa+BLACK+ROCK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AJGO-EYrG6ZinzRa6re6plrNH9DsyEsIZEst-XNI90ErsjAvtBU_6lAO2hSuSk042vlslglf-Xm86Ns7LbJkQOYrIUOCDI10cIFqEA1Nab9NfwqU3waijj6Ppm93qOrTIk9RUKVZvik/s320/Pulau+Bawa+BLACK+ROCK.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Emerald Lagoon, Pam's Island (centre) and Sobreno Island (right) at Pulau Bawa</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Taken by Amrita</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At the top, the Captain told us a short story about the future of the island. In approximately 10 years or even less, Pulau bawa would be transformed into a resort for tourists to immerse themselves in the natural beauty of the island. Often, throughout the trip, the Captain would wax lyrical about how we should have been born 40 years ago to see the bustling marine life. For instance, turtles and whales were once spotted frequently in the serene, rippling lagoon from the rock that we had just climbed.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The white, lifeless smoke snaking in the distance, eating away at the dense trees could only mean one thing. People. Material laden boats would soon follow shortly into the tranquil lagoon bearing their toxic, metal cargo. The pristine, colourful corals we had snorkelled in yesterday would probably crumble sooner or later under such an unnatural load. Upon reflection, I recalled the beach resorts that I had visited and wondered if the value of mankind’s temporal pleasure for a short 5 days was valued over the potentially marine life that probably once was much more abundant than the few we ‘ooh and ah’ over.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Whilst descending the rock, I realized that we were also chopping down the very plants we claimed to protect. Every little action we created killed one plant (as insignificant as that may sound). But the plant is more than a plant. It is a young tree that will take another 5-10 years to grow again to where it was or maybe never grow again. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Were we much better than the men building the resort? Were these outdoor expeditions creating their own tiny environmental impact instead? This led me to realize the importance of ‘ecotourism’ and an environment ethos when travelling. Often, it is easy to forget the implications of our actions when we possess the ‘I want to have fun’ mentality. If we want to protect the beautiful wildlife that we encountered and ensure that 40 years down the road our future generations can enjoy the same crystal, aquamarine seas, our actions to minimise impact is a prerogative. I realized that it is not about being anal but being considerate.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFW12Z2kf-tf66aKMmG7IElOmjga0IS5Hekn4ehtdZfrAbKBgpW3pKjbZGdJhcYqN-ZaI2Cc0fnyjKd5wgN08eg6OTUbSdcv8dieZCA4phJ9LoNokRj6SBLIqRMJ5eTi-zte9GFLB0xo/s1600/NEMO+BAWA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFW12Z2kf-tf66aKMmG7IElOmjga0IS5Hekn4ehtdZfrAbKBgpW3pKjbZGdJhcYqN-ZaI2Cc0fnyjKd5wgN08eg6OTUbSdcv8dieZCA4phJ9LoNokRj6SBLIqRMJ5eTi-zte9GFLB0xo/s320/NEMO+BAWA.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">A scared clownfish (not Nemo) at Turtle Reach, Pulau Bawa</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Taken by Ms Kong</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Another issue eating and environmentally consciousness was raised once again during the trip when a group of us decided to eat oysters and sea urchins in an uninhabited island on the 9th day. Previously, we had learnt to pluck coconuts and catch sea urchin the day before around Rainbow Cracker Beach and Pulau Acah in the SOTA archipelago. That day we began to consume large quantities of oysters clammed to the rocks and hunting for sea urchins. However, some people were clearly disturbed by this action and brought it up later that night. Upon the reflection, I realized that I had caught a sea urchin with the same ‘I want to have fun’ mentality. If no one had eaten the sea urchin, I would have killed out of excess. Thus the lesson was learnt that just because these creatures don’t have large eyes and fur doesn’t mean that they deserve to die. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nevertheless, I personally think that being careful when eating doesn’t equate to completely rejecting meat when it is offered. During a discussion with friends when we were stranded amidst the coral beds on the second day, we concluded that rejecting the meat resulted in more food wastage if no one was willing to eat it. This would mean that the animal’s life which was sacrificed for the meal was wasted. In the one of the later days, we experienced this when we killed fishes caught by the locals (one of them was a rainbow fish). Initially, many of us felt irked at the idea of consuming a life. Mutely, we watched the final, painful breath of a beautiful brown and black striped fish as one of us hacked it apart. However, not eating the fish also mean that the fishes were killed in vain. Almira's philosophy (which I fully agree) is that it is more worthwhile to consume and appreciate the value of the fish's life instead.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Zb3mFmdYNW0omRcZ2f1ZdNyyY5rjijDBzi27_7DMFiPVx0mwZspCGx8he7jb11yA-jvKHWfukCVixUC7JMFTSnILj3mzwXqnuBKdi5Q8STH2LqVhfugNPlq0Vu_uZdxWNWvWM3WRQSM/s1600/RAINBOW+FISH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Zb3mFmdYNW0omRcZ2f1ZdNyyY5rjijDBzi27_7DMFiPVx0mwZspCGx8he7jb11yA-jvKHWfukCVixUC7JMFTSnILj3mzwXqnuBKdi5Q8STH2LqVhfugNPlq0Vu_uZdxWNWvWM3WRQSM/s320/RAINBOW+FISH.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">The meal before the chopping</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Taken by Ms Kong</span></div>
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<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Living in an industrialized city like Singapore often disconnects us from the roots of food. I too find myself forgetting that the soya sauce doused steamed meal decorated with fried garlic on the table was not just a frosty ice block in the supermarket but a live, flopping fish in the sea. After the bloody incident, many people expressed that they will not eat fish for a long time after witnessing the death of one fish. How ignorant we must appear to be in the eyes of the locals! However, this points us to a larger problem that we Singaporeans lack the practical experience of basic skills. This is probably the reason why we conduct outdoor activities like these. Through this experience, students are able to appreciate nature which is unobstructed by concrete towers or muddy waters. Nevertheless, we must also remember that our actions inevitably impact environment and enjoy the breathtaking views with restraint (e.g refraining from overconsumption of sea urchins or the amount of plastic waste generated). But aside from making resolutions to be environmentally conscious in the future during expeditions, why not start now from home and start reducing the amount of waste thrown away?</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Credits: All the photos in this entry were taken by members on the trip (Ms Kong and Amrita).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Note, the contents may not be approved by the Grammar police as this was adapted from a reflection.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Written by Qing</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-529283259332544122013-10-02T00:02:00.002-07:002013-10-02T00:02:48.641-07:00Just look, look and chill (Ubin Happy Day)<div class="article-content entry-content" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 10px auto 5px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZlKye-6eGmabJVrdVf7RgsuBPSfNmaU9O4Otkox7cEJSYWjEGPXrbtYNIxGJtWV5TUNcndIhXiLMlkIzcjCeFE2-JXC-NUIMFs7z8D1FLnJOyK25CMdLkq_qeVkFvwB-B_YvsaZW1pN2/s1600/2013-07-27+11.19.49-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s; color: #009eb8; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px !important; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.3s;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZlKye-6eGmabJVrdVf7RgsuBPSfNmaU9O4Otkox7cEJSYWjEGPXrbtYNIxGJtWV5TUNcndIhXiLMlkIzcjCeFE2-JXC-NUIMFs7z8D1FLnJOyK25CMdLkq_qeVkFvwB-B_YvsaZW1pN2/s640/2013-07-27+11.19.49-1.jpg" style="-webkit-border-image: url(data:image/png; border-image-repeat: stretch; border-image-slice: 9; border-image-source: url(data:image/png; border-image-width: 9px; border: 9px none; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; height: auto; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOTG7mwnopBgn9z1BwVdHD7rh3uv667v6AXQC4EzovP2qFlP2RTI4fHkkBOhiON1vRrnv5fi5_ZoQCU46PYiG6BQQzd43CsQIHNTsPV_oUqwfTuI8ecxCIXxBmXsSrb8xwKhOiGSP58Y0/s1600/2013-07-27+11.25.02-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s; color: #009eb8; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px !important; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.3s;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOTG7mwnopBgn9z1BwVdHD7rh3uv667v6AXQC4EzovP2qFlP2RTI4fHkkBOhiON1vRrnv5fi5_ZoQCU46PYiG6BQQzd43CsQIHNTsPV_oUqwfTuI8ecxCIXxBmXsSrb8xwKhOiGSP58Y0/s640/2013-07-27+11.25.02-1.jpg" style="-webkit-border-image: url(data:image/png; border-image-repeat: stretch; border-image-slice: 9; border-image-source: url(data:image/png; border-image-width: 9px; border: 9px none; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; height: auto; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="480" /></a></div>
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Pictures taken by Becky</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-23651747784788602202013-09-06T11:44:00.002-07:002013-09-06T22:35:44.283-07:00Macritchie Memories<div class="p1">
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Previously, the furthest I had gone into Macritchie reservoir was the door, literally. It was a brief visit with my family and the most memorable part of the dusty compound was a bare grey structure of a cafe that sold expensive, average tasting drinks. That was certainly enough to stamp a big red "commercial place" in my childhood list and effectively strike it off the list of potential trekking sites. And as most stories go, there was certainly definitely so much more to it than the entrance. Moral of the story, don't judge a book by a cover, likewise don't judge a place by its appearance but its true worth.</div>
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In fact, one can enter from all points imaginable, not just the official upgraded entrance. Our small crew consisting of all things green, fingers and horns, enthusiasts and guides, began our journey at Sime Road somewhere opposite Island Country Club. Mirroring the color scheme, our conversation buzzed with life about life itself.</div>
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Indeed the wildlife in the Central Catchment is admirable, not only is it the last primary forest left in Singapore, the thick undergrowth is one of the rare pieces of land that weren't razed down by the gambier farmers when they arrived before Raffles. This was all thanks to that strip of bank, a piece of knowledge kindly imparted by one of our nature sages/guides. </div>
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From leaf birds to sea apple tree relatives, the morning was milked for its worth as we rediscovered Singapore and appreciating nature not in textbooks or negative production externalities but by experience. For the matter, no words or numbers can quantify the experience of being in nature and the wonders a foliage can bring. There is this sense of reclaiming the enthusiasm of what once was lost as if the passage of time has been reversed and one is a child again like spotting squirrels and bird watching.</div>
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Some might ask, why bother when it is going to be gone eventually? What the future generation doesn't know won't harm them.</div>
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Exactly. Rediscovering a place beyond the shopping districts and omnipresent street lighting. Appreciating the lone piece of foliage swamped in a deluge of construction sites and towers. People might say that the quest is a cause that will ultimately fade off and die. One thing I would like you to remember is that our house is not just a home to us alone. The relationship is symbiotic, meaning that we're all dependent on one another and coexist harmoniously. Yet all this will change slightly with the construction of the MRT line through a part of the forest.</div>
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Imagine this. One day, a big shoe lands in your backyard and only grows bigger every second. The shoe starts to negotiate with you at first but eventually takes it as its right to step anywhere it wants. After all, you can't argue against a shoe.</div>
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The moral of the story is, we should take what we need and return what we don't. The walk opened up our eyes to a whole complex world of relationships between flora and fauna that can be a big problem if altered. This reminds me of documentary I watched in Year 1 called Darwin's Nightmare whereby a man's simple act of dropping a bucket of fish into a river ruined an entire ecosystem. Inevitably, we will affect nature, as told by the guides, whenever we enter it. For example, one road eroded over a long period of time after being trod repeatedly due to the nature walks conducted. That's why we need to conserve certain areas, especially the primary forest which holds a trove of bustling biodiversity. To name a few, we saw a rare lizard just along the edge of the Central Catchment Forest so just imagine how many other species there are in there!</div>
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Is the risk necessary? The crux of the issue is that we have no idea what the building of an MRT would do to a tropical primary forest as no one has actually built an MRT line, much less a train station, through a reservoir. and negative ramifications of loud noises, interruption to water supply, destruction of trees are impending, since if one wants the animals and plants to adapt to the noise, they can't do so overnight. When lives are involved, the risk is too high to take </div>
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Perhaps the biggest issue comes back to the whole notion of price, pricey drinks are just the least of the problems. What price do we pay in the long term or short term? Nature is something that once lost , becomes harder to replace. No matter how desperate you are, a tree doesn't age a century until a century happens.</div>
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My challenge to whoever that reads this is to ask yourself "what can I do to change this?" and not believe that cutting through our primary forest is an inevitable fact. We can still change it if we try <span style="background-color: white;">(<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">http://lovemacritchie.wordpress.com).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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At the end of the day, I've learnt that there is no point if everything solely functions on a theoretical basis and justification. What's important is that you loosen up a bit and go out to experience what you want to save before saving it. The last step is to act on the impulse and do something. So lastly, do something for the environment today not just because other plants and animals depend it but also because we depend on it too.</div>
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<span class="s1">Mentioned article</span></div>
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Darwin's Nightmare :</div>
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<a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2006/feb/10/entertainment/et-darwin10">http://articles.latimes.com/2006/feb/10/entertainment/et-darwin10</a></div>
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Do watch the documentary as it is quite interesting and informative</div>
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Qing,</div>
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The Green Beans</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-91385332108329374332013-08-24T09:54:00.001-07:002013-08-24T10:15:21.479-07:00We the MacRitchie Lovers<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, Qing and I went for a 'Love MacRitchie advocates training', which was a nature guide training for the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. The training was conducted by local nature guides who have been advocates for the environment, some for 30 years already, and we could really feel their passion and dedication in saving Singapore's natural green spaces. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">To sum it up, this training was part of the campaign 'Love Our MacRitchie Forest' which was initiated in response to the government's proposed Cross Island MRT Line, that is set to cut through the Nature Reserve through the MacRitchie forest, including the precious primary rainforest within it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Proposed Cross Island MRT Line through the CCNR</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Picture from http://lovemacritchie.wordpress.com/about/</span><br />
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<img alt="Macritchie_CRL" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-268" height="425" src="http://lovemacritchie.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/macritchie_crl.png?w=940" width="640" /><br />
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So instead of talking about the birds that we heard and saw, foraging reptiles and mammals that we stared at in silent awe, insects we photographed, or the many trees that we identified, I want to present my own personal experience and takeaways from today. Everyone in the group went through the same physical journey and saw the same things, but each and every one of us experienced them very differently - and that's the beauty of nature. It provides you with whatever you require - tangible or intangible.<br />
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We already know that we get a lot of our stuff from nature, that's the material, 'practical' aspect. But there is so much more that nature provides us with, beyond what you can buy, sell or wear.<br />
What I've learnt throughout my 17 years of growing up with nature is that our relationship with Mother Nature is much more than just a transactional and material one. There must be a reason why we ascribe the name "Mother" to nature isn't there?<br />
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By calling her Mother, nature becomes a person to us. Not just a person, but a mother, someone who cares, nurtures, and provides for us. Like the oldest trees in the forest, she is grounded and always there with us. Like the birds in flight she looks after us wherever we may be. And through the entire ecosystem, she shows us how, just like the symbiotic relationships we see in nature, we too must remember that we are part of the ecosystem, and that anything that we do to it, will not only affect others in the web of life, but will affect us as well - and so like all mothers and mentors in our life, she teaches us to think before we do, to be people-centered and think a little bit more about the other people who are in our lives.<br />
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Mother Nature, right here, is a teacher, a friend, and is our family, and the least we can do to give back to all her generosity of all these years of bringing up our human race, is to respect her and say thank you. Are these not universal teachings that we value among people? Why should our relationship with nature be any different?<br />
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Just as how our relationship with other people reflects who we are as a person, so does our relationship with nature. How can we cut through the nature reserve (is it not called a 'nature reserve' for a reason), and assume that nature will adapt to its new concrete surroundings? Just as we have learnt never to take people for granted, the same goes for nature. We have a biodiversity richer than you can imagine, though sad to say, it is declining rapidly. I implore you to think about what you would like to do to give back to the forest, as you would do for your parents, grandparents, children and loved ones.<br />
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So why do I write all this? Is the issue not about stopping the MRT line from being built and to protect our forests through raising awareness of the issue at hand?<br />
Yes, but for me, it is not at all about getting angry at the government, seeing them as an enemy that seems to be out to destroy everything that we love. You probably know this little saying, that when you point your finger at someone, there are three fingers pointing back at you.<br />
I was in London 3 years back, and I came across a sign that said;<br />
<i>You are not stuck in traffic. You are Traffic. </i><br />
How often do we fail to realise that we are part of the problem?<br />
When will we begin to realise that the fact that this issue exists in the first place, is in itself a reflection of our own society and of ourselves?<br />
How many times have we wanted the quick fix to a problem, the shortcuts and the cheat sheets?<br />
How many times have we complained that there is <i>never enough...? </i><br />
We are not the only ones on this planet, and we part of an <i>Ecosystem, </i>and not an <i>Egosystem. </i><br />
How often to we pause to reflect on our own lives?<br />
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I'm throwing out a lot of these questions, questions that are perhaps not meant to be answered but are somehow answers in themselves. Just by thinking about these questions, we raise our awareness that the issue at hand is not an issue external to ourselves but more of a reflection of ourselves. So I guess the more fundamental, underlying question at hand is not about MacRitchie (though it is indeed a big issue important to us), but is (and I leave you with this thought) :<br />
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<i>What kind of person do you want to be? </i><br />
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Stay tuned, we'll be posting more information about the actual names, statistics and stories from our training today soon!<br />
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<i>Almira </i><br />
<i>The Green Beans. </i><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-86914498406069917792013-07-28T05:21:00.001-07:002013-07-28T05:21:09.966-07:00Back to Ubin Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pyBk26XOiMaQgGSIzVgsSur30fDdXBXUOKt_ve6R6pMZ8cdL-syh2FK4C3DKmm7zX2NEUHES_IcvuRnSt4bZz007ar2L16L9BHkjXelAqeCnqz2d4tRdBb_29oFdg80fCaEZr8Mz2lQ/s1600/74008_10200378569573973_103815182_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pyBk26XOiMaQgGSIzVgsSur30fDdXBXUOKt_ve6R6pMZ8cdL-syh2FK4C3DKmm7zX2NEUHES_IcvuRnSt4bZz007ar2L16L9BHkjXelAqeCnqz2d4tRdBb_29oFdg80fCaEZr8Mz2lQ/s320/74008_10200378569573973_103815182_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Green Beans at Ubin (photo taken by Lemuel)</div>
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Baby <i>Periopthalmodon schlosseri </i>(Giant Mudskipper)! The Green Beans revisited our favourite island yesterday and dug deeper into the beauty of Ubin.<br />
We've got one more Ubin visit, part 3, happening on the 17th of August, Saturday, to finish up our series!<br />
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Coming up next is a trip to MacRitchie Reservoir, not just any trip to MacRitchie visit though. Qing will take you to the former Shinto Shrine deep in the forest, which was built by the Japanese Imperial Army during WWII.<br />
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It would be a great time for all nature and history enthusiasts!<br />
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Check it out at this link:<br />
<a href="http://joyloh.com/blog/?p=2803" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.875px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://joyloh.com/blog/?p=2803</a><br />
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Do join us if you're interested!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-8746550484779171382013-07-22T07:59:00.001-07:002013-07-22T08:20:19.988-07:00Nature's Bucket List in the making<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40AOtQco3juB7h7NKAluzLYMWlNpmPmX4vmDRw5hhtMyQjV_LTw4_uvy-d0Sv6aplq5rUdmZIJZifMafvoY_l5p4m3sa11u2UFKdoiNOC0kuuxAMj1TcEEWsPjtcRcaHAasHCnZBgPSs/s1600/the-15-craziest-things-in-nature-you-wont-believe-actually-exist-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40AOtQco3juB7h7NKAluzLYMWlNpmPmX4vmDRw5hhtMyQjV_LTw4_uvy-d0Sv6aplq5rUdmZIJZifMafvoY_l5p4m3sa11u2UFKdoiNOC0kuuxAMj1TcEEWsPjtcRcaHAasHCnZBgPSs/s320/the-15-craziest-things-in-nature-you-wont-believe-actually-exist-7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMg-aSN1ivc5-UdbO7fIHBUYJgRkdMWORarzjkA4CfjSdwHQmsLNRnsS-e3T1_jlM_h-CZsexlS6V9VfynDlN9gdcrmxYX_danxtQNjkK8qSpIy1HHALelrin0exDeynb9VhO0Q4qyt-E/s1600/the-15-craziest-things-in-nature-you-wont-believe-actually-exist-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMg-aSN1ivc5-UdbO7fIHBUYJgRkdMWORarzjkA4CfjSdwHQmsLNRnsS-e3T1_jlM_h-CZsexlS6V9VfynDlN9gdcrmxYX_danxtQNjkK8qSpIy1HHALelrin0exDeynb9VhO0Q4qyt-E/s320/the-15-craziest-things-in-nature-you-wont-believe-actually-exist-8.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: LeagueGothicRegular, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 1em;"> Underground natural springs, Spiderweb cocooned trees in Pakistan, Blood waterfalls are just the tip of the iceberg.</span><br />
<h2 justify="" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: grey; font-family: LeagueGothicRegular, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Dive deeper in this website which captures on camera sights that you might never see at all.</h2>
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In this new series, we feature the lost, the hidden and the found of nature's wonders.<br />
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Do share your experience with us if you have found or encountered any other stunning natural phenomenon or perhaps just the everyday, rose lined sunset.</div>
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Now click on the link to discover the 15 things a green bean would do:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmJRdTtBBQ9ylHYUjAQL0XyoB5LHlGk7fVVxH6Cv36_4l2I3ywFz5jVqUDNaeD6qUGLEt687dkFr5-QimQ23JQaRxmOqKNaAi2zwLVNNmw3tq1nyDb9rp8nT_p3eMxs4xx8QAVd4TiNw/s1600/the-15-craziest-things-in-nature-you-wont-believe-actually-exist-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmJRdTtBBQ9ylHYUjAQL0XyoB5LHlGk7fVVxH6Cv36_4l2I3ywFz5jVqUDNaeD6qUGLEt687dkFr5-QimQ23JQaRxmOqKNaAi2zwLVNNmw3tq1nyDb9rp8nT_p3eMxs4xx8QAVd4TiNw/s320/the-15-craziest-things-in-nature-you-wont-believe-actually-exist-6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.nature-pictures.info/the-15-craziest-things-in-nature-you-wont-believe-actually-exist/">http://www.nature-pictures.info/the-15-craziest-things-in-nature-you-wont-believe-actually-exist/</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-38334204208609893342013-07-17T08:44:00.000-07:002013-07-17T08:44:51.559-07:00Adrift : A love letter to the mist<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/69445362?badge=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/69445362">Adrift</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/simonchristen">Simon Christen</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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This short film, entitled "Adrift" was shot by Simon Christen and has won a Vimeo Staff Pick nomination.<br />
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As said by the photographer, "Adrift is a love letter to the fog of the San Francisco Bay Area" that he chased for two years to "capture the magical interaction between the soft mist, the ridges of California and the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. This is where "Adrift" was born."<br />
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We hope you enjoy this tranquil interaction between architecture and nature.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #f4f5f7; color: #71767a; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-8821269681239971292013-07-16T08:16:00.001-07:002013-07-17T08:44:43.172-07:00Ubin/Chek Jawa Series Part 1<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XQsQrDTBK2XZR06xu4N2JR4Xyih-xuk6yjW__94ula2t4IAjRr7qYjuFgU8S_fhhO5bzYvlgrpwAazitS5wGIcsXD4oUTETkR1gJYlNBiNXrZe7uQ8_UGxGs_GjG_HrE3KhLvugs4mM/s1600/971666_10200305380304287_97486922_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XQsQrDTBK2XZR06xu4N2JR4Xyih-xuk6yjW__94ula2t4IAjRr7qYjuFgU8S_fhhO5bzYvlgrpwAazitS5wGIcsXD4oUTETkR1gJYlNBiNXrZe7uQ8_UGxGs_GjG_HrE3KhLvugs4mM/s400/971666_10200305380304287_97486922_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Location 1 by Lemuel Poh and (Film) by Nicholas Goh</td></tr>
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Beyond the tourist front, not too far from mainland lies a hidden world waiting to be discovered.<br />
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Last saturday, the Green Beans began their first official venture into the wild at Ubin and Chek Jawa on our brave hors-bicycles.<br />
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Aren't photo montages just so conventional nowadays? Catch a slice of the walk in an iridescently euphonic sound montage by Almira (<a href="https://soundcloud.com/almira-farid/green-beans-pulau-ubin-13th">Ubin through sound</a>).<br />
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As you listen to chatter and nature, we hope that our voices would go beyond your distant ambience and shatter the image of nature as a sticky unpleasant matter.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5379937517228645034.post-72158864992903394492013-07-13T21:27:00.003-07:002013-07-16T08:47:56.218-07:00About The Green Beans <h2>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Who are we? </span></h2>
<i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Green Beans </i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">is a CAS group initiated by 3 year 5 students from the School of the Arts Singapore; Becky (Visual Arts), Qing (Theatre) and Almira (Music). </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) is a mandatory component in the</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> IB Diploma Programme, the genesis of <i>The Green Beans</i> was formed primarily on our love for the natural environment and our hopes to share this love with other youths.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What do we do? </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>The Green Beans </i>aims to encourage Singaporean youths like ourselves to explore and develop a love for our local, natural green spaces. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Aside from its therapeutic qualities, we also strongly believe that nature is a great source of inspiration for the arts and the creative process, which is important to us as arts students. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We believe that immersing ourselves in nature is not only a way of connecting with the world and learning about the ecosystem, or a form of relaxation, but is also what pushes us to pause a little and reflect on the lives that we live. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Everyone has different experiences with and takeaways from nature, such as environmental conservation, botany, physical and mental wellbeing, nature in the arts and so on. We all have different experiences because we're all different people. What <i>The Green Beans </i>aims to do is to provide the opportunity for these experiences. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In Singapore, our rich natural green spaces are rapidly being replaced by concrete jungles, and we have seen for ourselves the many youths who unconsciously suffer from a disconnect with nature, as well as the loss felt by the many who have known these green spaces for decades. These spaces hold memories for many Singaporeans, and our greater aim is also to document the green places that we visit. Documentation through any way possible; blog posts, pictures, plant samples, sound montages, and stories. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Go back to the basics. Treasure the small things in life with The Green Beans. </i></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01232578994975244926noreply@blogger.com0