Collaborative project in progress
No rest for 4 days

We had an unique visitor yesterday

An olive-backed sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis) flew into our house

Mum said that she saw this poor little bird stuck in between a huge plant
So she picked it out
It flew but landed at our window
Seems like it's a baby bird learning to fly
It then flew into our house
Knocked onto the wall
& dropped behind the TV cabinet

We thought it was dead

But then we heard it chirping few minutes later
*Phew*

We pushed it out of the cabinet gently
& it flew & knocked onto the door

Luckily
I have a large tank in hand
& we placed the bird in for it to rest

At the corridor
There was constant chirping
A pair of sunbird was flying around
It's the Mama & Papa sunbird

The baby bird chirped to its parent's chirps
& the corridor was so 'chirpy' for the half hour

Baby bird tried to fly out of the tank
But it fell & landed on our flower pot rack
After few minutes
Baby bird flew off together with its parent
So scared it might have plunged down to death from 11th storey

I witnessed the whole searching process
So impressive
Even for birds
Parents dont give up on their baby

I believe they are gonna fly back
Because I hear them at the plant outside almost everyday

& I'm gonna get them a nest
Keeping birds as my 3rd pet?

Maybe
=)

Poor Cookie

It was hit by the wild boar
Had a puncture wound
Refused first aid when we approached
Wound got bigger
Infested with maggots
Limping
Cant eat

Today
It cant stand
We applied first aid
Picked out maggots from its deteriorating flesh
Washed wound with antiseptic solution
Bandaged

It didnt retaliate
I think he knew it's for his own good at this point

But it's probably too late

Sigh

I told Cookie I will be back tomorrow
Be strong
Be a good boy
& wait for me

ARGHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Why are you crying so badly, Mum?
Cheer up for a super bright day tomorrow OK?

You're deeply missed by me & Leena for the morning spring low tide
& we love you always

From this
to this
What do you think?

Sigh

Just my luck

Wanted to go Bangkok
Got riot

Want to go Bali
Suspect to be the next bombing target

Will these people grow up
& let life be peaceful
& let me visit these places first?

Waited 3 hours for the despatch boy to pick up my parcel

DHL Express?

My ass

I spent 2 hours working on Infra-Red spectrometry on my snails' shell

The fastest experiement done ever
with satisfactory results too =)

4 out of 10 experiments completed

Cant sleep
=(

Snails in bottle

What's happening?
Where are you guys?

My snails had gone missing from my rock
Used to be hundreds
Now it's only tens!

The heavy downpour on Sunday couldnt have caused this
Because the abundance today is even lesser than that of yesterday
& there was no rain yesterday!

Ohgaki mentioned that 90% of the abundance in E. radiata had decreased after a heavy rain
This is true from my observation
But his abundance increased thereafter
Whereas mine?
It decreased further

I had to halt my data collection meanwhile
& return 2 weeks later

Right now
I'm starting to start my indoor experiments
Still cant start because my lab has almost nothing
Right now
I'm sourcing for lab items that we do not have
& why am I the one sourcing?
The lab technicians should be doing this!
It's bloody wasting my time doing all the liaisons

I can somehow start some of my experiments though
But the lab needs abit of cleanup
I also have to shift my hotplates, lamps & whatever outside the air-conditioned lab
Because I'm studying the thermal effect of snails
Low temperature affects!

Ah.. why dont I just do it at home?

Another collaborative project on the way
This is a major one
I hope I can get involved

I didnt think that the rain can travel so fast from West to East within 30 minutes
This had seldom happened
Approximately 10% chances ever?

But today
The rain wanted to prove me wrong again

The sky was still pitch-dark when I was travelling along PIE
Until I reached Bedok
The sky looks pale orange

"Shit"
I only hoped that it doesnt rain at Pulau Ubin

When I reached Changi Point Ferry Terminal
It started raining
& then subsided
I looked across to Pulau Ubin
I COULDNT SEE PULAU UBIN!
The heavy downpour had arrived

The raindrops were small but of large amount
It's like whoever's up there watering Earth's plants
The rain was also drifting in the direction from the wind

I was wet even while standing at the sheltered boarding platform

Horrible

I quickly called my chauffeur in Pulau Ubin to cancel my trip
He too said it's thunderous heavy on the island
I then called my mainland chauffeur, who just left 15 minutes ago, to fetch me home

Sigh

I was so tired that I fell asleep on the cab
& also collapsed immediately when I reached home
My whole body was like jellyfish
That might explain my exhaustion after 3 restless nights

I hope the weather is better tomorrow
& please dont screw my data collection

I guess my sampling rock is almost barren now
Given the heavy rain that could have dislodged all my littorinids
I had only less than 50 data yesterday instead of the usual hundreds!

Oh well
Mother Nature

Got to know this from my diver friend
They're heading to P. Mantanani this weekend
An island that I was damn desperate to go
& didnt have time to visit when I was in Sabah during May 09
In fact I'd mentioned about this island earlier on in my previous entries

P. Mantanani is popular for her wild residential dugongs
This diver friend told me a devasting news
Which made my heart crumbled almost instantly
He said that the villagers there are killing the dugongs
For food

!!!!!!!!!!

I believe that the population of the dugongs there are not plenty either
& P. Mantanani had been on TV earlier
Documenting the only area with wild dugongs
Malaysia is so damn proud of it
So why are they eliminating them?

Dugongs are vulnerable to extinction
& now they're adding fuel to the fire!

DarDar said
Given there's no food for survival
One has to hunt

True
But that's also the reason how animals had led to extinction

I so wanna return Sabah
I want to see them
SERIOUSLY!

Seems like being an environmentalist/ ecologist is so damn busy
One has so many animals to care about
Seahores, dugongs, sharks & other endangered animals

If only humans can be wiser

I'm looking for people who are keen to do this with me

Pygmy seahorse project

Glad to know that Min Sheng wants
But his free week in August is my occupied week in August

=(

Furthermore
My school term is starting soon
With 2 modules to study
4 experiments to rush
1 collaborative project to complete
& 4 chapters of thesis to draft

Probably next year
& hopefully Min Sheng can make it next year too
& more people to join me

It'll then, however, be my turn to be extremely busy
Preparing for my wedding

Forgive me, littorinids
Who ask you to be one of my research interests?

Almost got shocked to death this morning
I thought my ceiling was going to collapse when I heard the loud drills above
I hid inside my blanket
& only realised
THE FUCKING RENOVATION STARTED AGAIN!!!

Grrrrrrrrrrrr

Woke up & changed almost instantly
Left for school
Never had such enthusiasm to go school ever

Wanted to calibrate the thermometer
Only to realise I cant do it!
Coz I cant bloody put the sensor into water of 40deg C
Zzzzzz

So now I'm in the dead lab
Working on the hot plate
My siamese fighting fish had apparently been playing with bubbles during my absence

I'm trying to get my target temperature of my granite tiles placed on a hot plate
The temperature scale of the laboratory hot plate ranges from 0 degC (OFF) to 300deg C
I want 30degC on my rock
With trial & error for 3 hours
I still cant get the temperature!!!
Why cant they make a hotplate with smaller temperature scale?!

Sigh

Really wish to start working on my indoor expt soon
So I can too start to write up my 5 M&Ms
But equipments are lacking
Waiting for them to arrive one by one

BLEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Modules starting soon
Additional brain damage starting August

While I'm still perfectly sane
Please make my days cheerful

I love my Auto-focus Polaroid camera & its old skool color films...

The 3 months' wait for its arrival from USA is worth it

While fixing a new book shelf...
"Oi, can you do something to get this properly framed up? It has been in the Government Service brown envelope for its longest moment!"
"What's that?"
DarDar opened to see
"Wah... We'd been married for two years already ah..."
"Now then you realise?"

Time flies
Entering our 3rd year in 4 months' time

DarDar baked durian puffs!
Yummy yummy

I just revamped my room AGAIN!
& we now can watch TV right in front of our beds!

=)

Im not afraid of anything in this world
Theres nothing you can throw at me that I havent already heard
Im just trying to find a decent melody
A song that I can sing in my own company

Youve got to get yourself together
Youve got stuck in a moment
And now you cant get out of it
Dont say that later will be better
Now youre stuck in a moment
And you cant get out of it

I will not forsake the colours that you bring
The nights you filled with fireworks, they left you with nothing
I am still enchanted by the light you brought to me
I listen through your ears, through your eyes I can see

And you are such a fool
To worry like you do
I know its tough
And you can never get enough
Of what you dont really need now, my, oh my

Youve got to get yourself together
Youve got stuck in a moment
And you cant get out of it
Oh love, look at you now
Youve got yourself stuck in a moment
And you cant get out of it

I was unconscious, half asleep
The water is warm till you discover how deep
I wasnt jumping, for me it was a fall
Its a long way down to nothing at all

Youve got to get yourself together
Youve got stuck in a moment
And you cant get out of it
Dont say that later will be better
Now youre stuck in a moment
And you cant get out of it

And if the night runs over
And if the day wont last
And if our way should falter
Along the stony pass
Its just a moment
This time will pass

I finally achieved my financial goals
But I believe that's pretty short-term
Because I need to pay for my handphone bill
Which I'd exceeded 6X more than my usual amount!!!

It's fucking SGD$200 for June!

Good thing the government gave out SGD$200 as the GST rebate
So it kinda off-set for the handphone bill

No gain, no loss
But of coz I'd love some gain!! >_<

Brought DarDar's family for dinner at Villa Bali
All of them love the food & the place
=)

After I'd paid my bills
I'm gonna save up!