Unexpected goodbye

It pains me so much at my dear Mata's departure.Today was the very first time that i experience such a feeling.My friendship with Mata was no less than 2 weeks but it was trully a memorable one.Today was the first time that i teared for an animal that i barely know but had some sort of a magical connection with.When i see her took her last breadth,i went completely numb.For a second,the journey back from the lab to FCT seem so long.

Whats left are only memories.Her playful and curious nature.Her pretty eyes.Every animal is different and the memories that we have of them will keep them alive.I was hoping for a miracle as i cycled to and fro to the lab to check on her.

My dear Mata,your exit was an unexpected one.I treasure every single second with you.Rest well.Now whats left are only memories...

Crazy week

+Morning view at Fishing Cat Trail..i loike!+

Its been a crazy week..well at least i've survived it!School is fine,just that i can feel the stress building up.I'm starting to do notes to prepare for my exams.Knowing how long i can take to do notes on just one lecture,i better start early.hehe..

Theres alot of independent learning required at work.Alot of initiative and confidence needed too!haha..of course at times,i do feel frustrated when i cant seem to be delivering my best.well,one step at a time!Its a huge transition i must say,1year ago i was a volunteer,following and doing as told,sometimes without knowing why.But now,its completely different,greater responsibilities and alot alot of thinking and decision-making.Haha!sometimes i have to really pause and talk to myself!muahahaha!But behind all these adaptation,lies a beautiful experience-observing my animals.

Lisa,our binturong might be giving birth anytime!never seen a baby binturong before.extreme excitement manz!hehe..i'm most excited for Bobby to come home!the vet did an x-ray on him and they say he looks good!*jump for joy*..Bobby is LOVe!hehehe..

+Mata having her beauty sleep!+

Our new pangolin,Mata is adapting well.Yesterday when i entered her den,she headed straight towards me and climbed up my leg.Not to forget that pangolins grip are super strong and tight,i had a pretty hard time getting her back to her nest-box.haha..

+A very rare capture of Frodo!+

Frodo had his hoove trimmed yesterday.It was the first time that i touched him,well he was sedated of course!haha..the last time i called him,he banged his horn against the fence.I find him really funny,the way he's so protective over his girls.Sometimes when he's not happy,he'll sneeze!really!

Simple joy-thats what i call it.I've been down with flu and fever.woke up this morning and i sound no less like mickey mouse!bwhahahahaha..

HPAI drill

And so,i was made to announce over the walkie that 10 birds were found dead in the aviary.After that i was quarantine in my section restroom.Eventhough this was an exercise drill,the funny thing was i forgot to unlock the door to the aviary.i rushed to the aviary to open the door.By the time i reach there,there were a few of the keepers and Dr sonia in their 'bird flu' suit.Hehe..when they see me,they shouted "Aiyoh!Bird flu!Bird flu!Shooo!Shoooo!"..hehehe..Dr sonia teased me,"I'm afraid we're gonna have to kill you"..muahahahaha!it was a good experience though.

On another note,i'm excited to share with you our new female pangolin.I named her Mata which means eyes.She got really nice and large eyes!really cute but we dont want to stress her too much,so most of the time,we just make careful observations of her =)

+My dear little Mata+

And some pictures of my quiet time with the himalayan tahr.And i'm really glad that Bobby is doing good!He'll be coming back soon.I love making trips to the lab everytime i work just to see him and give him some carrots,long beans,bananas or sweet potatoes.He's got great attitude and is recovering well!

+SMILE!+

Simple joy

Presenting to you our Himalayan Tahr,Aman!hehe..Aman is such a sweetheart.To me he is a very special and extremely lovable tahr.If you pucker up ur lips near him,he'll give you a kiss!hehe..the people at my section thinks that i'm pampering the tahrs too much by giving them treats like corn leaves,vege,mango,ciku,avocado..muahahahaha!I enjoy seeing them eat and hearing them munch the food.Seeing my animals happy and well brings about great joy to me!

Sometimes watching their curious nature or looking at the young ones who knows nothing about the world,seeing them smell the air..little little things like these will always assure me that i'm not in the wrong direction.The joy of working with animals can never be found elsewhere.No matter how big or small the animal is,every individual has its own beauty and story to tell.

Aman leads the way with his troop of leading ladies =)

We did enrichment for the Indian Gharial today.I've never seen them feed.Today was my first time.When we started throwing the chicken,oh my the way they go for the food is -WOW!Splashing water,growlings,piercing eyes and more growls made my hair stand,not because of fear but rather i was in a state of awe!It was kind of like watching those steve irwin's croc feeding demostrations..hehe.

Sometimes i have too many stories to tell my mother at the end of the day.It can be pretty hard because my family are not animal people.So halve the time when i'm talking,they would zzzzz...hehe.But i do know that deep down they are slowly accepting my passion in animals.

Tomorrow i want to spend my time with Lisa,our binturong.She's suspected to be pregnant and may give birth anytime!!!..Simple life,Simple joy..i cannot ask for anything more =)

Part of the Ocean

I'm done with my first lab test!It went fine.Had a good run and read this favourite part from Tuesdays with Morrie again..

"I heard a nice little story the other day",Morrie says.He closes his eyes for a moment and I wait.

"okay.The story is about a little wave,bobbing along in the ocean,having a grand old time.He's enjoying the wind and the fresh air-until he notices the other waves in front of him,crashing against the shore.

"My god,this is terrible",the wave says."Look what's going to happen to me!"

"Then along comes another wave.It sees the first wave,looking grim,and it says to him,'Why do you look so sad?'

"The first wave says,'You dont understand!We're all going to crash!All of us waves are going to be nothing!Isnt it terrible?'

"The second wave says,'No,you dont understand.You're not a wave,you're part of the ocean'

I smile.Morrie closes his eyes again.

"Part of the ocean,"he says,"part of the ocean".I watch him breathe,in and out,in and out"

I really miss literature class!haha..the other day i read Twelfth Night by william shakespeare again.Literature is all around us.Its interesting and it helps us to understand people better,though it can be pretty complicating at times.haha..To be or not to be?

Fishing Cat=)

Something to share with you..i find the fishing cats really interesting.I love them alot.We have 9 of them here and they're all so pretty!i think i want to name all of them!haha=)

When swimming, the fishing cat may use its short, flattened tail like a rudder, helping control its direction in the water.
Part of the fishing cat's scientific name, viverrinus, comes from the taxonomic family Viverridae. Like the fishing cat, civets and other members of this group have long bodies and short legs, and many have stripes or spots along the body, and banded tails.

Fishing cats are are listed as vulnerable on the World Conservation Union's Red List of Threatened Species. They are threatened by habitat loss and hunting for food and fur. People have drained many wetland areas to make room for farmland and roads. Pollution from industries has poisoned rivers and streams where fishing cats once fed. However, fishing cats appear to do well in suburban habitats, so they may prove adaptable to human activities that some other species.

Reminiscence

I was browsing through my secondary school picture folders and i was reminded of the times when i was in JSS.Those 4 years were the years that i grew and learnt so much.Student Council and Basketball has moulded me into the person that i am today.

23rd Student Council...hmmm where should i start?Always Ready,Ever Willing -our motto.Those camps,those big big events,those fights,those sweat,those tears,those laughters,those pranks,those hugs..all build together to make 23rd a strong batch.We made each other change and become better.Little did we know that we have some kind of effects on each other.My job as a sec2coordinator aint easy.Grooming 24 future leaders of the school was a challenge but thanks to 23rd,the rocky path seemed smoother.Haha..i remembered during our graduation,we talked on and on about the memories and we couldnt find a way to stop.haha..i'm thankful to be part of this warm family=)

+Those lazing moments before camp.hehe!+

And how can i forget basketball?those early morning road runs,never-ending gym sessions,training under the hot sun,competitions,ugly fights(haha!),screamings from sir!i remembered how we'll huddle at the end of the day cause during training we hit,smack,squash each other.haha.well thats how its like when we meet other teams.we ran together when one of us got a punishment.those breakfast,those late supper..those sweat,those funny moments,those moments in the court when we slowly discovered our strength and weakness.Lovely teamates..well being the only melay in the team has the advantage.I got to learn mandarin!hehehe...

Swift as the wind.Quiet as the forest.Quick as fire.Immovable as mountain..coach's favourite line=)

Those times in secondary school were precious.Happens only once.Gosh!i miss those times.But now,we have grown to be independant.I'm happy to have choosen this path that i've taken now,though its a path less taken,working with animals.its gonna be 1year since i joined the singapore zoo family.how time flies.i'm also enjoying and learning alot at night safari.the animals there are love!get to meet alot of different people.theres laughter and joy=)

Well,i have to get back to my books.Until then...ta!=)