Croc encounters again!

We had the transfer of the indian gharial from night safari to zoo =)

The Law of the garbage truck

How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood? Do you let a
bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive colleague ruin your
day? Unless you're a robot, you are bound to blow your top off. However, the
mark of a sucessful person is how quickly he or she can get back his or her
focus on what's important.

Two days ago, I learned this lesson.Here's what happen.

I hopped in a taxi. We were
driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a
parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes,
skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches!

The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident,
whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was really
friendly. So, I said, 'Why did you do that? This guy almost ruined your car
and sent us to the hospital!'

And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now called, 'The Law of the
Garbage Truck'.

Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full
of fustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage
piles up, they need a place to dump it. If they happen to dump it on you,
don't take it personally.

You just smile, wave, wish them well, and moved on. You'll be happier if you
did that rather than fight them.

So this was it: 'The Law of the Garbage Truck'.

I started thinking, how often do I let garbage trucks run right over me?
And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at
work, at home, on the street? It was that day I said, 'I'm not going to do
it anymore.' I see garbage trucks everywhere and everyday. I see the load
they're carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my taxi driver,
I don't make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I
move on.

Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents
know they have to welcome their kids home from school with hugs and kisses.
Teachers and parents know that they have to be fully present and at their
best for the people they care about.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take
over their day. What about you? What would happen in your life, starting
today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by?

Here's my bet. You'll be happier.

So...love the people who treat you right.
Forget about the ones who don't.
Believe that every thing happens for a reason.
If you get a chance, TAKE IT!
If it changes your life, LET IT!
Nobody said it would be easy...
They just promised it would be WORTH IT

Cheers!
'Life is short. Enjoy the journey.' 

Turning eighteen

And so!i'm 18!
March has been the climax of 2008 so far.Things that i never expect to hit me..hit me right at the heart!haha..i'm still at lost for words but i guess everyone has to go through it sooner or later.and yes..love makes the world go round =)

It suddenly feels like i'm entering a new door.This time round it felt abit unpredictable cause the word independence starts playing around you.But i'm glad to know that i'm still myself and my passion towards my animals is still as strong as ever.

Heres a special thanks to everyone who made my birthday a memorable one!

+The breeze is super nice!+

+Heres where we search for ants and termites for our pangolin+

+Dropear,u'll be dearly missed+

+Aman's style..haha+

Momentum

Eversince 2008 folds in,i've been experiencing new things almost every single day.I've had my fair share of the good and the bad.haha.but then again,thats life!

I'm starting to get the momentum going.My body system is slowly adjusting to the night shifts.Actually i do realise something.The best time to really observe my animals is at night.During the day,their behaviour is altered because we,the keepers bring about that change.For example,when we are in their den,their behaviour is either to stay or move,because we bring about that altered change.But at night,when they're in the exhibit,they're simply doing what they do in the wild for they dont have any restrictions.Very interesting =)

When we are looking after a variety of animals ranging from big to small,all in one section,it can get pretty hard or even messy when trying to get to know them all as an individual.Someone gave me a very logical advice.To start,focus on just one animal for each month.Thats the key to understanding each animal.So!starting march,i've decided to start with my fishing cats =)

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This picture wasnt even planned.But i find my gharials extremely unpredictable!haha..

And how i can ever forget my super noisy frens?Otters!!!

...and they said that love makes the word go round =)

Certificate!

Like finally!The University of Bradford has approved our award for Foundation Certificate in Biomedical Sciences and will be releasing the certs soon. The release for the certs has been delayed and we've been waiting since forever!haha..

Seems so fast.3years from now,degree in biomedical sciences!taking things one day at a time.right now,my full focus lies in my work with my darling animals!

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Yesterday was Janice's last day at work.Wish you the best in your studies!Its been nice knowing u!..we went to leopards trail at lunch time.they ordered alot of KFC.me,dino,michael,yusof played basketball while kughan was trying to play gasing!ahahaha..it was very funny.to end it all,we played zero point.haha..went back to work perspiring.haha..keeper bonding =p

Okays!i've gotta run.working night shift today.trying out new enrichment for my birds and bats!

When hardwork pays off =D

Yesterday was my first solo night shift.haha..1 whole night with my animals and some not so nice guests. I still get that nervous reaction but i always have to remember what my head-keeper told me!

I came out with a new enrichment for my fishing cats!
Its fish wrapped with gunny cloth tied to a log and then smeared with chicken blood.
I was prepared to see what their reaction would be.Surprisingly!they took the whole night to check on the device.They ripped it off,sprayed on it and some even rubbed their face and body against it.Thats something which i rarely see during the day!As a result,their display for the night was awesome!

Everything went smoothly when it comes to confining my animals.To top it all,i wasnt the last one to report in over the walkie!I was calm and yes,singing to my animals again.haha..Michael and Faizal were clapping and cheering for me like small kids when they saw me at the bus-stop.haha..

I handled yesterday well.Though i did daynight shift,i managed to keep myself focus and prioritise.by the time i reached home,i'm busted!haha..and i'm spending more time observing my animals.oh ya!i passed my SOP (standard operating procedures) test.and so they say,hardwork does pays off!=)

The sweet smell of success

I went home smilling from ear to ear after my last 2nd shift understudy...

I went to work telling myself that i have to make this work.My head-keeper had a talk with me and it helped me see things in a clearer perspective.I actually felt so inspired!He pointed out things that i didnt even know.well of course,he knows everything about fishing cat trail for he's been here for like 10years or so..he pointed out that work wise,he sees that i have no problems with it.but he pointed out that every single animal is an individual and it takes time to get to know them,reading their body language,knowing what they're going to do next and they can see what we're feeling.They can tell if we feel intimidated,excited,nervous,anxious..thats why when working with animals especially when releasing or confining them,its important to stay calm and relax.He tells me to spend some time each day at work simply observing them and get to know them.Yes!thats what i need to work on.Before he left,he gave me a pat on my shoulder and told me that i can do it.i didnt want to disappoint him and the people at fishing cat trail =)

And so,when i was confining the animals,i was very very calm.i had a clear mind and i was prepared for anything.one by one all my animals went in..there was 1 funny incident.knowing that my markhor are always the stubborn ones,i sang to them..and the next moment,they're all in!heys!you cant laugh at me ya..everyone has their own way of doing things.hahaha!

After i reported in over the walkie,my head-keeper called and asked me how it went.haha..it was like 12midnight and i was talking loudly over the phone.haha..i dont why but i'm super happy!this success means alot to me.i mean i know to other keepers,this is simply kacang as they have been doing this for years.haha!i guess everybody starts from somewhere.But i'm not getting big-headed now.i'm sure there are more challenges ahead.I will push myself and continue to work harder!

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On another note,i created an enrichment for my bharal yesterday.Its a stick,entwined with hay.Got a mixture of comments from others but i'm glad that my bharals' display was pretty good last night =)

and ya!HaPpY VaLentines to ALL!!