CHRISTMAS AT TAKASHIMAYA

This year, I noticed most of the Christmas decor around town is very subtle with subdued colours. This is definitely not one of my favourites for sure.

PHYLLANTHUS MYRTIFOLIUS

It is not a common occurrence to find the Phyllanthus myrtifolius flowering but I managed to capture these few photos of the recent flowering at Satay by the Bay.

ENDER'S GAME

"Ender's Game" is just the first of a series of science fiction books by the author Orson Scott Card. Starring Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld and others, it is a story set in a future time where the gaming kids were tested, handpicked for their potential and trained by the Military to fight and defend Earth against an alien insect race which attacked Earth once before.

Ender was the brightest among a group of computer kids and through his wits, courage and strategies, led his team of precocious kids like him to exterminate the alien bugs and destroyed their planet through computer games training, but not before he realized the truth that the final test wasn't a computer simulated programme after all and that they were playing in real time and killed every single living bug on their planet. Horrified by his own deed, he felt betrayed by the Military for lying to him and responsible for the death of an entire bug species which he tried to understand and communicate with in an attempt to prevent a war. With deep remorse, he discovered that the aliens were not out to launch another attack against Earth but were making preparations to defend themselves against the impending attack by the humans.

Anyway, with his connection with the Queen bug, he also found out that the remaining Queen on Earth was trying to communicate with him through his dreams before the final attack. His conscious bugged him, pun unintended, and he went on to find a remaining bug egg, that was to be the future Queen, on Earth and eventually set off to search for a planet that would allow the egg to hatch to continue the bug species lineage.

It was an entertaining movie and was actually quite strange to find the young pre-teenage skinny and scrawny Asa took control and commanded a team of cadets and soldiers to do his bidding in the battle against the bugs. Anyway, the acting by the entire cast was quite credible and I look forward to more future installments of the series. 

ARUNDINA GRAMINIFOLIA

I love my Bamboo Orchids. There's even a pink flower variety amongst the stands of flowers.

LESSER WHISTLING TREE DUCKS

a pair of Lesser Whistling Tree Ducks

If one is not observant, then it is unlikely that one will find the Lesser Whistling Tree Ducks because of the thick, lush floating and marginal vegetation.

When they are resting, they usually like to stand on one feet.

they are not crippled with one foot but hid the other foot

it's such a beauty

this is literally a sitting duck

were they the same pair I spotted earlier?

RIVER SAFARI

Believe it or not because this is my first visit to the River Safari.

The area is not very big and hence the tour wasn't as long as I expected. The overall experience was just fine for me, without the wow factor, and frankly I don't think I would visit it again for some time.

green wall near the entrance

a crocodile sculpture

stuff crab at the turnstile entrance

Mandai Reservoir

pair of Mandarin Ducks

albino terrapin

an alligator sculpture

a long-tailed macaque

display of giant fishes

the fishes are scary

is it a stork?

a frog that is easily missed!

entrance to the Panda exhibit

one of a pair of red panda

it was walking round and round the small enclosed site

we were lucky to spot one of the Pandas Jia JIa

it could be a stuff toy for all I know

close-up of the Panda

the Panda's enclosure

watching the Polar Bear feeding from the side of River Safari

in the faraway land on the right are giraffes, or so I was told

Spider Monkey carrying its young

enclosure of the Spider Monkeys

close-up of the Spider Monkey's face

safety in numbers for a school of freshwater fish swimming together 

scary big aquarium housing Manatees (Sea Cows, Dugongs)

seriously, they don't resemble mermaids to me

an otter sun-tanning

ok, it's a male

rolling around to scratch its back