The office is a ghost town. 80% of the workforce is out of the office, traveling, chilling or spending the holidays with family and friends. Operations have come to a near stand-still. The ghouls left behind in the office are also in their holiday spirit (in other words, lazy, unproductive and sometimes unresponsive to matters regarding work). They do what they can to stay awake and not get restless while clocking time. This is expected to go on until the new year dawns when things will start to pick up.
Well, I was given a small basket of work assignments by the boss before he went on his vacation but I've had to ration it out carefully for the whole of next month. If I finish them all eagerly like I usually feel compelled to tick off items on lists, I'm not going to feel too happy about coming to work in a couple of weeks' time.
It's funny to think I look forward to times of reduced workloads like these with the same enthusiasm a kid feels about waiting for the long school holidays or the occasional wish that the school burnt down, drowned in the floods or was bombed overnight (we had a civil war going on in the country at the time and this would not have been a surprise) while the kids and teachers were safely away in their homes. But this excitement dies sooner than expected, especially in the case of being trapped in an office for 10 hours a day with not much work and restricted internet access.
Nearer to the end of the long holidays, most kids (I was one of them) end up thinking "OH GOD, I AM SO BORED. I WANT TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL. I MISS MY FRIENDS. I DON'T WANT TO DO ANYMORE HOUSE CHORES AND GET BOSSED AROUND AT HOME."
At work, it's not much different, "OH GOD, I AM TERRIBLY BORED. WHY IS NO ONE SENDING ME ANY EMAILS?? SOMEONE GIVE ME WORK!! ARGHHH *fights the urge to pull out hairs* I WANT TO GO HOME *sobs*"
I discovered another vending machine in a remote corner of my office today. I was drawn to a new label on the list of options that said "Nestea Japanese Green Tea". It looked and tasted suspicious, like something that got washed off a sink so I couldn't really tell if it was genuine or if the machine was not working properly. With increased varieties of tea types in the market and their hyped health benefits, anything liquid-like with floating debris can pass off as tea these days.
That rant stretched longer than I planned.
On to more interesting things, I spent my Christmas day with birds.
Early that day, I set off to the Jurong Bird Park. It was probably my 4th time there. Let me begin with saying I never liked birds that much. A few years ago, I thought of them as just annoying, boring and useless creatures. But awareness and awe can change opinions very quickly. Birds to me are now a successful class of animals that have differentiated into so many species with unique adaptations, interesting behaviours and often with beautiful colours. This was yet another ingeniously landscaped award winning park home to over 5000 bird specimens from roughly 380 different species representing various habitats from around the globe. Like the zoo, it is primarily a leisure attraction, but the park also contributes actively to educating the public, conducting research in the field and in conservation of endangered species.
Rule No. 1: A day of adventure has to start with a good plan and a good meal
First off were the penguins, with their curious black coats and white under-bellies. They are flightless birds. Over the long years of evolution, their feathers modified into good insulation to keep warm from freezing temperatures and they became expert swimmers. Watching them dive underwater is just like watching a bird fly, only difference being the watery medium.
They are expert swimmers. The black and white shading stands to their advantage against predators from the skies and from the watery depths
I thought penguins only lived in the South Pole. I was wrong. The ones above come from warmer temperatures of Africa.
The exhibit of owls and other noctural birds was a recent addition. The lighting conditions were modified to mimick night time so that visitors were able to observe them in their active state. I never knew owls looked so adorable with their huge cat-like eyes and the know-it-all expression on their faces. There was a plump Snowy Owl, much like Hedwig from Harry Potter, that turned me to mush and nearly made me want to beg for a hug. It's no wonder these animals have been captured and separated from their natural habitats thoughtlessly to fulfill human fantasies.
The Scarlet Ibis get its pretty colour from a pigment called 'canthaxanthin' from the food it eats.
A flock of flamingos
Another interesting exhibit was the 'Dinosaur Descendents". This was another group of very large flightless birds - Ostriches, Emus, Cassowarys and the Rheas - and they provide a link between early reptiles (dinosaurs) and modern birds. It is believed that this group of birds evolved into such large sizes and lost the ability to fly as they didn't have natural predators. Until man drove some of them to extinction, that is!
A skeleton of an Elephant Bird at 12 feet tall. This species from Madagascar hit extinction only about 1000 years ago
Curious Rheas that seemed too friendly with the visitors
A Cassowary, with a bony head structure much like a flying species of dinosaur. Now the structure functions as a 'helmet' for it to get though dense vegetation.
The Emus were sleepy that day
Ostriches with well developed leg muscles are capable of out-running a horse in a sprint
In the bird world, the males are more attractive than the females (this is of course to please the ladies) and some are especially skilled at singing, making nests and even helping baby-sit later on. Another thing I noticed about birds is that they take romancing and family responsibilities very seriously. The parrots, cockatoos, conures were usually found in loving pairs. Male Hornbills feed the female (which remains inside a nest, never coming out until the chicks are ready to fly) and the chicks for 3 long months.
Victorian Crested Pigeon
A Crowned Crane...I wonder how they ended up with such unique fashion styles!
A loving couple of Mandarin Ducks. It's not hard to differenciate the very attractive male and the dull looking female.
The park boasts the tallest man-made waterfall. In a country where there are no such natural beauties, this was a welcome treat to the senses.
Lunch time!
And the final station of the adventure was the Breeding and Research Centre. The reason I wanted to visit the park again was to have another look at this place! It brings to mind scenes from the Jurassic Park movie, where dinosaur hatchlings were incubated and fed.
The Incubation Room
Eggs were taken care of with temperature and light controlled carefully
The Nursery for the hatchings
A newborn enjoying the attention of visitors or at least trying to make sense of it. The keepers have day/night shifts to ensure they are fed well and taken care of round the clock
At the Weaning Room, they are taught to eat their staple solid foods. These were a rowdy bunch, making loud noises and demanding attention.
Comparison of sizes (from the left): Elephant Bird, Ostrich, Chicken and Hummingbird eggs
A very entertaining show, it was definitely a crowd pleaser
After the bird park, I set off to a lovely, cozy Christmas dinner at Katy Kat's place. The food and company were just perfect. Katy, If I had a time machine, I would go back in time and enjoy that restaurant-quality mushroom and cheese pie again, several times over!
Shu u came from the bird park??!! OMG. Haha I would had been dead of exhaustion. Glad u enjoyed the pie.
ReplyDeleteI had a little time inbetween to go home, relax and shower! But I did bring a big appetite to yours ;)
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