An Autobiography: Approaching Full Circle

"What A Wonderful World" - A powerful 2 minute video that sums up what it is that we are going to lose if we don't change or get involved 

If we were to compare the Earth's habitable environment to a good family inheritance, we are not only spending it away faster than all the time it took our ancestors to save up, we are also borrowing credit from what might have been the inheritance of our descendants. As world's population increases and moves towards development, we have exceeded the Earth's natural capacity to supply in relation to the existing demand. Of course, we don't contemplate on this on a regular basis so the normal tendency is to passively navigate ourselves around the tell tale signs (and the not-so-obvious ones) towards comfortable and profitable goals that often provide instant gratification.

I'm guilty of it too.

Looking back from where I am now, my yearning to get involved in the conservation field has, somewhat ironically, taken me to United Arab Emirates and Singapore. These two countries topped the globe in terms of their ecological footprints (UAE at No. 3 and Singapore at No. 12) according to the WWF Living Planet Report of 2012. Not only that, I am currently an employee of the Oil and Gas industry which is largely responsible for the depletion of the Earth's natural oil and gas reserves and indirectly responsible for increased Green House Gas emissions in recent history. This is just one example of how our sophisticated lifestyles – just as they are interconnected with the Earth's biological ecosystems – are also dependent on activities setting the planet on an irreversible course of destruction. The way I see it, we are all (to varying degrees) part of the problem and part of the solution to this environmental crisis.

Sri Lanka is a country with abundant natural resources having one of the highest biodiversity densities of Asia and I called it home for the first 18 years of my life. As a child, I loved spending my time outdoors, doing regular rounds of “garden patrol”, observing various plants and animals that were a common sight and spending time by a river that flows beside my house. One of my greatest joys was rescuing injured, sick or abandoned animals and nursing them back to health. It was a role I took up very seriously and for which I had the full support of my parents. 

I was also fortunate to spend various phases of my childhood with my two grandfathers, from whom I have learned much about using resources in a "sustainable manner" - a term I didn't come across until many years later. My maternal grandfather was an advocate of “reduce, reuse and re-cycle” policy where he carefully made the best use of all paper, plastic, metal, glass and wood until they had no more uses. My paternal grandfather supported the livelihood of local farmers and he himself was a passionate planter who selflessly left behind the fruits of his agricultural labour for the benefit of his future generations. With those early influences, among others, caring for the environment that sustains us may be associated to me with a sense of obligation rather than being just a passion. 

Since arriving in Singapore in 2004 to do my undergraduate studies, I've had all my basic necessities and creature comforts. However, growing up was a slightly different affair in Sri Lanka. We had to live in a sparing manner since most basic resources such as water and electricity were limited and we were constantly affected by power outages and periods of drought. My village didn't have the infrastructure to tap into the national water supply, but we were fortunate enough to have naturally occurring wells and a river nearby for basic needs for water. 

Dubai was my home for a brief 2.5 years while I completed an overseas work assignment from 2010 onwards. The United Arab Emirates is a rapidly developing country and Dubai is a melting pot of foreigners from all over the globe. The new environment, new challenges, new acquaintances and my new-found sense of independence suited me well. My boss who was a co-owner of the company took an interest in my potential and supported me in becoming a certified ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems Internal Auditor to audit company policies and procedures, although it was not my main scope of work. After trying out various responsibilities within the company, I realised that my personal strengths and continued interest in relation to a career would lie in work that required careful observation, attention to detail and doing lots of writing.

It is easy to assume that a rich desert city such as Dubai which is heavily dependent on the abundant natural oil and gas resources in the region to maintain its luxurious artificial splendor would have zero interest in conservation. However, even there I found active conservation groups such as EWS-WWF and the Emirates Marine Environmental Group (EMEG) which organises environmental awareness and conservation activities (most notably their turtle rehabilitation and release programs). On a hopeful note, both these groups had a substantial number of passionate volunteers, young and old, supporting their causes. Within the UAE, I also managed to travel to places such as Fujairah (one of the seven “emirates” or states making up UAE) which had better weather compared to Dubai and coral reefs to be explored. Also within driving distance was Musandam (Oman) which was a popular location for dolphin watching. One interesting place that I could not visit in my time there was Bu Tinah Island - an official finalist for the “New7Wonders of Nature” competition in 2011.

The next phase of my life brought me back to Singapore in 2012 where I am currently employed as an ISO Quality Auditor. My work revolves around quality assurance for fabrication of FPSO (Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading) units and assisting with statutory/ regulatory compliance for these units sailing to offshore oil fields such as Brazil, Angola and the Gulf of Mexico. From an environmental perspective, my work contributes to ensuring that vessels leaving the port comply with the standards of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) – most notably the MARPOL (Marine Environment Protection Committee of the IMO) Standards - to minimise marine pollution resulting from the vessels' gas emissions, sewage, garbage, oil discharges, ship recycling, ballast water and use of anti-fouling substances. 

But ideally, I want to do more.

In the past, I have enjoyed short volunteering stints with Nparks at Pulau Ubin, assisting the staff with guided board walks at Chek Jawa and conducting forest patrols to remove traps and snares. As a SEC Earth Helper, I once participated in a Horseshoe crab rescue and rehabilitation project which required the assistance of volunteers to remove the crabs entrapped in abandoned fishing nets at the Mandai mudflats and at the same time, doing a population survey of the two species of horseshoe crabs (mangrove and coastal) in the area. 

After trying out a few similar experiences, I've settled as a volunteer Docent at the Singapore Zoo (in the Reptile Realm) where I feel quite at home. For the past 2 years, I've been part of a team of volunteers that engages the public and spreads awareness of animals (in my case, reptiles) and help spread the conservation message. This activity brings much meaning to my personal mission as I get to share my knowledge with a growing number of members of the public who come in search of meaningful encounters with wildlife rather than mere entertainment. Not only that, I get to stay close to animals (such as during my Keeper Attachment) and meet and learn from people as passionate as I am (or more even) about wildlife and the environment. 

Decades later, though much has changed in my life in terms of location, occupation and attitudes since my time in Sri Lanka, working towards animal welfare and experiencing natural habitats still brings me the same joy. I feel a sense of relief every time I visit a nature reserve or a wildlife sanctuary or read about passionate conservationists like Sir David Attenborough or Gerald Durrell, or see someone throwing a trash into a recycle bin or hear of an innovative technology that uses sustainable energy sources - because despite the odds, there still is hope.

This environmental crisis that we face today is a grave one, with consequences already showing and affecting most of us. It helps to have passionate and conscientious people uniting and lobbying for climate change, loss of biodiversity and such, but without the support of governments to enforce adequate legislation and environmental management systems governing our industries, we may have already lost this battle to conserve biodiversity, reverse climate change and ensure a habitable planet for our future generations. Besides spreading awareness, on a personal level there is much we can do like volunteering, taking a little extra effort to recycle trash, reducing/ reusing the products that we have taken for granted, getting involved in pro-environment community activities and, for those who can, supporting conservation efforts financially.

Mother Earth, which we have stressed beyond her capacity, has the ability to heal herself given our support and time. But the question remains: how willing are WE to do what is required of us?

A green affair

Observing changes in Singapore over the last decade I have been here, I notice a positive shift towards environmental consciousness brought about by authorities such as the National Environment Agency (NEA), NParks Board, National Climate Change Secretariat (NCSS), Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS). One obviously visible change to is the abundance of recycling bins placed in residential areas and in public places.

Since implementation in September 2012, our household recycles whatever garbage we can. Slowly, over this period of nearly two years, my housemates also got into the habit of separating their non-recyclable waste from the recyclable ones on their own accord despite their low-level interest in environmental/ wildlife issues. All it took me to win the cooperation of my housemates was to place a special bin for recyclables and display consistency in the initiative by setting an example. Now what if we applied that simple formula on a global scale with a pinch of education and perhaps a little encouragement in the way of small rewards? The results would be tremendously significant.

I was riddled by what really happens to the garbage we dispose in Singapore. Does my negligible contribution to the overall recycling efforts of Singapore actually count, I wondered. This thought stagnated at the back of my mind until earlier this week. Recently, a colleague of mine was intrigued by Sri Lanka as a tourist destination after I brought him some tea (which the island is famous for) from home for sampling. He then lent me the July 2014 edition of Expat Living and pointed me to one of articles which featured hiking adventures in my hometown in Kandy. Not only did I make a mental note of where I would like to visit on my next visit to Sri Lanka, my curiosity also led me to accidentally discovering the infographic below.

 An "Aha" moment after finding out what really happens to our garbage in Singapore as published in the July 2014 edition of Expat Living

Basically, the waste we recycle (paper, glass, plastic, metal, clothes, etc) makes its way to the Material Recovery Facility where it is sorted, baled and sent to local and overseas recycling plants. The solid waste that we conveniently throw down our chutes makes its way to one of four waste to energy plants in Singapore, where it is incinerated and reduced to 90% by volume. The heat generated by the process is used to generate electricity to power the boilers. The air released is filtered of dust and pollutants as per environmental standards. Following incineration, the any leftover ferrous scrap metal is sold to a local steel mill for recycling. All non-incinerable waste and ash is transferred by barge to Semakau landfill situated 8km from the main island of Singapore.

Even a simple FAQ like this also goes a long way in creating awareness among the general public

Source: Expat Living

Semakau will meet Singapore's need for landfill space for about 20 more years until 2035. By then, let's hope the further need for landfill sites will be vastly reduced by active public participation in reducing, re-using and recycling efforts.

The final year of my twenties!

Holy shit! It's nearing end of July. As a result of not blogging regularly, be warned I'm probably going to burst in this blog.

I rushed home to get all of it out as much as possible, so I can make some extra space in my head to maintain a hypothetical vacuum.

10 years ago on July 19th, I landed in Singapore for the first time. What a saga it's been! So what's different between Shu now and the Shu who landed here 10 years ago? Summing up in a few words, I'd say the now-Shu is richer, more confident, wiser, more positive, more comfortable in her skin, happier and more out-spoken than that shy, timid 19-year girl who left home alone for the first time. It hasn't been a journey without adversity, but I've surfaced and I am doing alright. *Pats self on the back*

For all I know, the Shu of 10 years from now may find now-Shu to be highly conceited.

Sir Little John is away on vacation for 3 weeks! I was given a long list of to-dos in his absence but to be honest, without his actual presence, I drift to day dream mode too much. Actually, it's terrible. Left to myself, my hyperactive brain drives me crazy with mind chatter. I foresee more blog posts in the next few weeks.

We are bombarded these days with disturbing news of the second Malaysian passenger plane MH17 that met with an unfortunate disaster resulting in the loss of 298 precious lives. Not only that, there's more unrest and violence going around all over the world. I wish people would just stop trying to hurt and kill each other. In other curious news, the local library board has come under fire for planning to destroy three children's titles after it received e-mail complaints that the books are not "pro-family". Following public criticism, two of the remaining books have been moved to the adults section, where parents can opt to let their children read it under supervision.

And Tango Makes Three (based on a real zoo story) features two male penguins who behave as though they are a couple and raise a chick.

Shu thought to herself "Let's eat some non-Asian-ish dinner tonight - you know, food that hasn't been boiled beyond recognition or bathed in a sea of spices". So a cup of home made (and home grown) avocado milkshake, with raw tomatoes and a fat mushroom bun it was.

I went to a spa today. Who knew a simple bookworm can get rewarded with a complimentary spa on their birthday month for being loyal member of a particular book store chain! I double checked with trusted friend/ bookworm Katy Kat to make sure it wasn't some prank because it sounded too good to be true. I went anyway. And it was a good call. I explored a new area of Singapore and just like they promised, I relaxed my tensed muscles, reduced water retention and enhanced my blood circulation. Look at me blogging away!

After the "aromatherapy wellness treatment" and as I expected, I was enticed to sign up for an attractive 10-session package deal at $680 ("Interest free installments for credit card payment!! Get 2 additional sessions for free!! Get 12 body scrub sessions also for free if you sign up today!! Let me talk to my manager to get you a special 7-session package at a students' rate!!" Why, I'm not even a student). 

I guess I've become better at politely declining persuasive sales people. When faced with such situations, I now picture myself to be a brick wall and watch them attempt to walk past it after I've nicely said "No, Thank you." *evil grin* 

It took many years to develop this skill. I remember an occasion when as a student, I responded to quiz on TV and was notified I was the winner of a free facial and skin consultation session with a leading skin care company. I was a beggarly student back then and willing to pounce on any free lunches that came my way (Really Shu?? Didn't you go claim a free spa session just today??). So I went feeling like a real winner and after a pampering facial session, two aggressive saleswomen cornered me in a room and coerced me to sign up for a package deal. I desperately refused many times saying I only had a couple of hundreds left in my account to live through an entire vacation month and spending $180 was not an option, but they didn't let it go. In the end (very nearly in tears), I signed up just to get away from there, wasted a precious $180 and never even went to claim those paid facial treatments. I ended up borrowing cash from a friend to live through that semester break.

Another one of my housemates is leaving the country next month and we're down to two in a big house. Very unwillingly and with the intention of retaining our comfortable apartment, we advertised our master room to potential tenants. Day before yesterday, our new flatmates moved in. To protect their anonymity, I shall call them Brother Bear and Goldilocks. Sharing a living space with other humans is not always fun (they could be serial killers, for example) so I drafted a lengthy list of terms of conditions in case we end up with a bad experience. Also if problems escalate, a nitpicky and passive aggressive Shu is not pleasant to deal with.

Dear Brother Bear and Goldilocks,

We are happy to welcome you both as our flatmates! [Well, sort of.] 

Here's a re-cap of what we agreed on before you moved in and a few other things (that we may have failed to mention that day) which is better agreed upon as early as possible. If you have any concerns on any of the items below or want to add in any other conditions, we can discuss further.

1. The Contract
Your agreement with us is for the use of the master room from 19 July 2014 to 31 December 2014.
The monthly rent for the master room should be paid no later than the 28th of every month.
You will have to pay a little excess for the utilities in case you have family members visiting and the monthly bills go above average.
You will receive 1 copy of the keys for the master room, front door, gate and mailbox.

2. Utilities Usage
Your rental amount includes water, electricity and Internet (wi-fi).
Air conditioning is not included in your rental amount, but if you need it, we can arrange it at an additional charge since our monthly utility costs will then increase and there will be regular AC unit servicing charges.
You are free to use the Cable TV service while it is available and this will be considered as "complimentary".
We also hope that you will exercise good judgement in conserving water and electricity.

3. Use of common areas, appliances and other items
All common areas in the house can be used freely without restrictions.
Common appliances such as the washing machine, kettle, toaster, rice cooker, microwave, oven, TV and iron are for everyone's use with no restrictions.
Common expenses like the gas cylinder for cooking, toilet paper, kitchen towels, dishwashing liquid, cleaning fluids, small repairs not covered by the landlord, etc will be charged to the common house account to be shared by all of us.
Normally anyone can buy common items required, retain the receipt and claim it later.
Please buy your own laundry detergent.

[We missed to mention not to leave the toilet seat up. Grrr.]

4. Food
We have no restrictions on your cooking schedules.
You can use any of the utensils (saucepans, cups, dishware, etc) available in the kitchen.
For convenience, let's manage our accounts separately for food items such as vegetables, rice, bread, tea, milk powder, sugar, other groceries, etc.

5. Visitors
As a gesture of courtesy, please inform us in advance if you are expecting any visitors.
For the comfort of everyone, we try to entertain our visitors with minimal disturbances to the main tenants.

6. Keeping our living space clean
As agreed, we will take turns to clean the common areas in the house (hall, toilet upstairs, kitchen + toilet downstairs + laundry area) within the agreed dates.
Cleaning will be done at least once a month or more if required .
General cleanliness of common areas and courtesy is expected for the comfort of all tenants e.g. not leaving dirty dishes in the sink for too long, emptying dustbins regularly to keep away cockroaches, keeping the fridge clean and free of old food, cleaning any spills, removing laundry from the clothsline when dry, etc.

7. Renewal of contract
Subject to agreement from you and us, we can consider renewing the contract for another term of 6-months or 1-year. This can be finalised around Oct-Nov 2014. Note that the final approval lies with the landlord and the Housing Development Board.

8. Termination of the contract
As this is a 6-month contract and our ability to keep the house depends on us having enough people to share the total rent, we hope you will understand that and not terminate the contract early so we won't have to go through the trouble of looking for new tenants once again or end up paying more individually till our contract ends.

9. Conflicts of interest
Let's agree to communicate openly and directly on any concerns so we can resolve them early and avoid any unpleasant situations. 

Please review all of the above and let us know if you have any concerns. Otherwise, drop us a reply to confirm your acceptance of our conditions. [WE HAVEN'T SEEN AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT YET.]

Thanks and we hope you will have a comfortable stay in your new home in Singapore.


It's late, and I should probably blog about my holiday in Sri Lanka another time. 

PS: I turned 29 this month! 

The pursuit of happiness

Hello, 2014!

A public holiday on the 1st of January here in Singapore is the perfect start. There were fireworks in the city last night, but this year, we were content to sit at home and watch it on TV in the comfort of our couch and sneer at the thousands of people who decided to endure the crowds and be smothered by others and their body odours to catch the fireworks in person. We also sympathised with them for taking extra long to return home after braving very long taxi queues, traffic congestion on the roads and exhaustion while we simply hopped from couch to bed.

It is great waking up to happy and hopeful people sending out new year wishes. All my lines of communication are clogged with notifications which are all going to take awhile to sort and clear. I woke up without an alarm, I set up my indoor fountain which my sister brought from Dubai when she visited me last month, had a traditional Sri Lankan New Year breakfast and sat down to blog in he midst of the loud noise my water fountain was making.

Surrounded by thoughtful cards! Thankfully, the postal service is still alive.

New Year Resolutions don't really work for me. I don't even remember what I made last year, let alone if I managed to keep it. But I'm going to try and save more, exercise more and work less this year, since it didn't work out too well last year.

The first day at the beginning of a new year is as good as any other day, but all the man-made hype is making it feel like standing on a cliff edge, knowing exactly where you are while being able to glance back on how you got there and decide what to do going forwards. 

Looking back, I recall having a good year, surrounded by love from the people I care about, comfortable means to live and enjoy life, safety, good health, freedom of thought and free will - all for which I am thankful for. However, as we plunge into a brand new year of unknowns, I hope there is plenty of love, blog posts, travelling, music, cake and dancing in it for all of us!

The Animal Song

Our neighbours have moved houses temporarily until their house renovations are completed. They have left Ginger to either 1. die a slow death or 2. be left to the sympathies of concerned neighbours. Everyone in our house has sprung to Ginger's aid, even without our neighbours asking. One bought a pack of cat food on her account so Ginger can be fed inside our house. Another cleans and tops up her bowl outside twice a day. Another lets her stay over in the house because it is "cold" outside (mind you, it is on average 30 degrees Celcius in Singapore). Ginger, meanwhile, is totally milking the situation and has already taken us for granted. I'm not sure I like this side of Ginger's personality. Maybe it is about time I had a chat with her.

The other day, I watched a movie called About Time. Normally, I would skip cheesy romantic comedies because my limited Time factor has made me extremely picky about my choices in entertainment. This movie was done by the same folks who did Love Actually and I thought it was very tastefully done, despite the unrealistic plot. On a deeper level, it got me thinking how important our choices of actions are as they lead to varied yet irreversible consequences. The movie also made me miss my family a lot and reminded me how limited my time on Earth with the people I call close is. So I am working diligently towards a Christmas holiday in Sri Lanka (by working I mean rehearsing mentally on how I am going to convince my boss to let me off for 10 days)!

Sometimes I wish I can draw a map of the world and instead of "Here be dragons", I'll mark "Here be gawkers" and "Here be ones who yawn without covering their mouths", but that might be considered racist.

The saying "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" no longer applies to people who don't live in apple-growing lands. The ones cultivated for export are infused with chemicals to increase shelf-life and decrease the consumer's life span.

I was at the formal dinner organised for zoo volunteers last month when The Animal Song by Savage Garden played during a game. It was like a blast from the past. For YEARS I had forgotten about the song and how very relatable those lyrics were!

When superstars and cannonballs are running through your head

 television freak show cops and robbers everywhere

Subway makes me nervous, people pushing me too far

I've got to break away

So take my hand now

Cause I want to live like animals

Careless and free like animals

I want to live

I want to run through the jungle

the wind in my hair and the sand at my feet

We are what we eat

It almost feels like my body is syncing with a remote server in Europe since my trip there last August. I can feel the approaching winter and my body is gearing for the hibernation mode. My appetite has increased massively (towards comfort food) and so has fat stores in the abdominal area, obviously for insulation and the gradual release of nutrients when food is scarce. I also don't feel like socialising much (except with the inner circle of family and friends) and I assume it helps conserve precious energy stores. Even my leisure time activities are now centered around passively sitting, sleeping, watching or reading as opposed to swimming or hiking or dancing.

The other day, Ryuu and I finally (years since we first agreed on the plan) re-visited our old university. It was good to walk around campus, reminisce the past, notice how things have changed and yet how some things have not changed as all. It turned out that after all these years (6.5 years for me), the strongest memories we had were - not academic matters - but the best places on campus that had good food. It think it merely highlights that food plays a very important role in every student's life.

A sandwich machine fondly remembered by Ryuu who also swore the sandwiches tasted better back then

A green area by the Central Library that I used to sit and have quick lunches in between lectures.

The horrors of staying up overnight, frequenting vending machines for sustenance and studying for dear life.

The university had several new buildings that had popped up like mushrooms 

 Evidence of student extra curricular activities

Student residence areas

 Overall, it appeared like the campus has adopted a lot of green initiatives since our time

 The dining hall of my old hall of residence

Unfortunately, my phone battery died an hour or so into the trip and that put a dent on my plan to write a descriptive post of  the trip, complete with photos. Also, we stuffed ourselves with really good food from an Indian food stall at one of the student residences and that is the last thing I remember. Come to think of it, I don't even recall how I got home.

Good things

It's Friday, I'm thrilled for no particular reason and I'm in the mood for a post!

When I'm high in spirits, I tend to notice more of the good things that happen around me (and vice versa too). Like today, I was invited to a mini birthday celebration at work from a Project I don't even work in and treated to lunch by the good will of another person. Then I noticed that the friendly bus driver of a bus I take regularly greeted everyone one with a smile and he got the same reaction from most of them. Some even stopped to make mini conversations with him because he had an air of friendliness and helpfulness about him. Then I realised that in Singapore there is hardly a cop to be seen on the road and yet people behave in ways that are beneficial to them and others as they share a very small land space in close vicinity. It is amazing to think how a good intention of someone, even small, can have a ripple effect affecting several others.

Lately, I have noticed the posters below stuck in buses, trains and stations in Singapore. On digging up information about these curious posters, I learnt that the Land Transport Authority came up with the idea as part of the Graciousness Programme 2013 campaign. I must admit they've had a positive impact on me. I can't be sure if it is because it is unique (I have never seen this type of simplistic art style on a national level campaign in my time here) or if it is the powerful one-liners at the bottom that makes you question yourself loudly, but I like them and it is not often that I appreciate advertisements here.

This is my favourite one of the lot. The first time I saw these penguins asking me if I feel the same way, I wanted to shout a big "YES, I DO!" inside the train station. It's a good thing I have well functioning internal brakes that stop me from making an ass of myself.

Glory days have come - Part II

Public transport in Sri Lanka is (or used to be) plagued with sexually repressed predators who lay in wait to feel up unsuspecting women in crowded buses and trains. They take their chances - at the risk of getting beaten up, humiliated in public or worse reprimanded by the authorities (which rarely happens though) - in hopes of getting away with an anti-climatic sexual experience at the expense of hurting another human being. My thoughts often get tangled in twists trying to understand the psychology behind such acts.

Singapore, thankfully, is a more civilised and safe society. The general attitude is that you cant take what is not yours to take and if you do, there will be serious consequences. It also appears to be a fairly open and indifferent society, where consensual sex is not viewed as something taboo, evil or sinful (unless it is a case of being unfaithful). The government has strategically made it legal for sex workers to carry out "the world's oldest profession" as safely as possible under the law. I found this rather shocking when I first arrived here, but my opinions on the matter have since changed. The bigger picture is that when safe and legal sexual services are available freely for those who need it and it comes without a society's damnation, a lot of innocent and unwilling women and children will be safe from sexual harassment. It won't solve all the problems in that category out there, but it will certainly help.

That bit of serious talk was the build up to relate a rather amusing story. My mother who hails from a family of cops is the polar opposite of my dad and me. Her sense of self preservation and diplomacy is quite numb compared to ours. Where we would stop to analyse the most peaceful and dignified solution, her first reaction to injustice is spontaneous action involving verbal abuse and even violence. And that's a good thing sometimes, which I admire with envy because I find it hard to fly into a fit of rage even when my life depends on it. Once a sexual predator (half her age) did the grave mistake of trying to touch her in a bus. In the events that followed, he was badly beaten up by her and kicked out of the bus. He didn't even stop to pick up the ring he was wearing, which he dropped in the scuffle. She is my hero for this and for many other battles she has gladly fought for me!

I hope I have not turned off potential tourists from visiting the beautiful and culturally rich country that is Sri Lanka. It is definitely a place worth visiting and with appropriate precautions, it can be a pleasant experience.

Singapore has banned chewing gum (except in rare cases where a doctor can prescribe it as a dental aid). Eating chewing gum in public can even carry a fine. It may seem rather extreme but with a "remarkably clean city" reputation to maintain, it does not come as a big surprise. I miss chewing gum and the other day while putting up some posters at work, I caught myself looking longingly at a wad of blu tack.

Lately, my clothes have been shouting out telling me that I'm getting bigger and that my metabolism is not as fast as it once used to be. As I found out playing on Dance Central, it is so much harder to lose fifty kilocalories than to gain it by eating something nice. Also fat does not accumulate evenly like a nice layer of blubber in whales and seals, instead, it collects unevenly in places that are hard to miss. Maybe that's a good warning sign. I don't think whales and seals ever realise it is time to do something about obesity. Then again, they lead active lifestyles, unlike me.

Speaking of fatties, some time ago, I watched a Japanese animated movie called My Neighbour Totoro with English dubs. Ryuu and I had initial doubts over whether I'll be able to appreciate Japanese animation, which is strikingly different in its art, style, dialogue and feel from the English ones I am more accustomed to and the intended audience being children. The story felt a bit slow initially but it picked up once the background was established. I enjoyed it for its thoughtfulness and the story being portrayed from the refreshing point of view of a child, which also felt vaguely familiar.

Totoro turns out to be a cute and enormously loved character in Japan and a lot of us didn't know this until the re-released movie of 2006

And speaking of more fatties, we end this post with an honourable mention of the Suzuran High website that Ryuu, who is self-taught in Kanji, single handedly designed and came up with (I had to say honourable mention of the site and not Ryuu, or she might bite my head off). She passionately maintains and moderates the site voluntarily and in a little over an year, the forum for fans of the Crows and Worst series of manga has grown to have about 450 registered members from all over the world (not forgetting the unregistered lurkers) who have collectively posted over 9000 posts! I think that's really impressive.

Cake and other random bits

It's July! We turned late twenty last week.

Growing up is not all bad, actually. The turbulence of the younger years seems to have subsided. The workings of the world makes more sense.

Some extremely thoughtful presents given by Shu's dear friends. Thanks guys, for these and the cake! 

A beautiful Royal Python introduced to us by one of the Keepers after zoo duty last Sunday

A photo taken at Harbourfront, Singapore. 

And finally, a one of Pitbull's songs guaranteed to lift the spirits:

The Haze-o-calypse

The end of June has plagued Singapore with "The Haze", affecting the air quality of every breathing living thing here. It has caught international attention and put the tiny island of Singapore back on the map. There seems to be a temporary improvement in the quality of air but we are not out of the blue yet even as I write this post. I do hope the situation does not worsen again because I like to have a fighting chance to achieve my future dreams and ambitions, and that too, in good health.

                                                Singapore's experience of the haze of 2013

Last Friday when air pollution levels hit the highest record of 401 PSI (borderline hazardous levels are capped at 300 PSI), it felt like the end of the world was here. There was much panic and fear around, not knowing when or if the levels will go down or continue to rise. While monitoring hourly PSI levels on the internet and smelling smoke everywhere, I kept imagining that we were going to be another statistic like the survivors of Chernobyl. My parents were worried sick and kept asking me to fly back home to Sri Lanka escape the haze of Singapore.

Today is a significant improvement from Friday the 21st of June, when PSI levels hit 401 (screen shot taken from www.nea.gov.sg/psi)

The outdoors are filled with people in face masks. The parks are empty as we have been advised to keep strenuous physical activity outdoors to a minimum. The indoors offer some security but when the situation was at its worst last week, we woke up in houses filled with smoke and worked in offices (without our masks on) where the smell of burning wood still got through the central air conditioning systems. People we hardly knew made small talk of the haze in buses and trains. Some time last week, stores everywhere ran out of face masks. When a store received new stocks of face masks, people queued up and it sold out in minutes like hotcakes. People even rushed to buy air purifiers and there just weren't enough stocks in the stores to fulfill the demand. 

Ordinary paper masks offer no protection from the hazardous particles in the air but it was a few days before the general population got access to special N95 type masks. Plenty of people in vulnerable states like the elderly, children, pregnant mothers and those with existing respiratory problems were using the ordinary face masks until they found effective N95 masks. Business, including in construction sectors, went on as usual and low income construction workers continued to work outside when PSI levels soared past 300.

One type of N95 mask

Indonesia is the largest producer of palm oil - besides countries like Malaysia, Nigeria and Thailand - supplying the global demand for palm oil. Palm oil is an essential ingredient in a lot of things we use and can't do without now. Every year during the dry season, Indonesia (our neighbour) burns a large area of their palm oil plantations, preparing the land for the next round of the oil palm crop. It's far easier and cheaper to set fire and let it burn away the area than clean up debris with hired labour, plus the charred remains make the soil fertile. 

The problem is that these fires are often illegal and uncontrolled, spreading into natural forests, destroying everything in its path. A lot of the time, these regular activities go unnoticed and ignored on an international level because it's just another nagging ear sore caused by scientists or a conservationist group. And many people maintain the attitude "if it doesn't affect me or my loved ones directly, why should I care?". But this year it changed in Singapore. It noticeably affected people past international borders. The government became actively engaged because the haze was adversely affecting the health of its people and the country's economy. 

This image shows the source of the smoke - fires originating in the oil plantations of Sumatra in Indonesia

Either we have an incredible ability to forget and move on with crisis situations or we may have become numb to media coverage and cries on environmental pollution. I can vouch for that because we here in Singapore are going on about life as usual, while taking recommended preventative measures to get past this haze. Maybe we don't want to add up the math of the climate crisis happening in other parts of the world or analyse deeper into what lessons this haze can teach us. After all, the governments of Singapore and Indonesia are taking measures to improve air quality in the area, protect the people and bring culprits of this haze to justice. We don't know yet what diseases and long term effects on health this extended exposure will bring. Perhaps, being resilient creatures of years of evolutionary success, we may not be affected much. But for now, the general attitude is "We feel fine and therefore don't particularly feel motivated to change our lifestyles or become more environmentally friendly".

What about the animals, plants and their habitats that are getting destroyed by the fires? What of the animals that live outdoors and have no protection whatsoever from what they breathe in? No one can afford to care because the truth is, no matter what, it is a game of priorities and survival of the fittest. This incident should really be a wake up call or it will be a wasted lesson on us all. This is a snapshot of the fate that we are bringing upon ourselves and the planet at large with the lifestyles and desires we have acquired over the years. Conscientious people can take small measures to stall the untimely death of the planet, but the real power lies with the governments. We are well past the point where measures like optimistic recycling efforts of a few individuals will reverse the situation (but that doesn't mean we should stop trying!). Only international environmental policies and tough measures to control consumerism taken by proactive governments with good leadership can offer a glimmer of hope.

But otherwise, our future generations are pretty much doomed.