Liliputt, East Coast Park (24 Dec 2009)

LiliPutt is Singapore's first themed indoor mini-golf course. Players can look forward to more than just exercising their skills in a fun-filled obstacle course. Too tee off, golf etiquette develops social interaction skills and teaches all players to show consideration and respect for one another. They can improve their mental concentration, hand-eye coordination, posture and also learn more about famous Singapore landmarks in an innovative and exciting way. It doesn't matter whether you're a seasoned professional, or someone who has ever touched a golf club before. That's because playing at LiliPutt doesn't require training skills or physical fitness. Children and adults, golfers and non-golfers, can all enjoy the thrilling challenges in LiliPutt. Pit your skills(and some luck!) across 18 holes, each one themed after a well-recognised landmark on Singapore. Special sound, lighting and animated effects round off this unique and interactive leisure experience that will keep all players well entertained.

Well, it is fun playing putting game there, and the best hole so far is the Jurong Bird Park, and the worst is Food Center. Just enjoy the slide show.

Please be patience for the slide show. Thank you.

Clarke Quay, Marina Bay, Merlion Park (23rd Dec 2009)

After shopping in City Link and Funan Square, we went to the Clarke Quay for a walk. Clarke Quay is a historical riverside quay in Singapore, located within the Singapore River Planning Area. The quay is situated upstream from the mouth of the Singapore Flyer and Boat Quay.

Clarke Quay was named after Sir Andrew Clarke, Singapore's second Governor and Governer of the Straits Settlement from 1873 to 1875, who played a key role in positioning Singapore as the main port for the Malay states of Perak, Selangor and Sungei Ujong.

Clarke Quay is also the name of a road along the quay, part of which has since been converted into a pedestrian mall. Clarke Street, located next to Clarke Quay, was officially named in 1896, and was originally two streets known simply as East Street and West Street in north Kampong Malacca. Similar to Clarke Quay, Clarke Street has since been converted into a pedestrian mall.

The Hoklos (Hokkien) refer to Clarke Street as gi hok kong si au, meaning "behind the new Gi Hok Kongsi" (house). The new Gi Hok Kongsi was near Carpenter Street. Another Chinese reference, which only refers to the Southern bank around Read Bridge area, was cha chun tau (柴船头), meaning "jetty for boats carrying firewood". Small tongkangs carrying firewood from Indonesia berthed at this jetty. The firewood trade was primarily a Teochew enterprise.

-Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarke_Quay-

The scenery there was awesome. Enjoy the tremendous night scenery of the concrete jungle at night! See how does the river water reflects the colourful lights of the buildings. They also put up many incredibly beautiful Christmas decors on the trees, in front of the shopping malls and many more. If you love shopping, you've come to the right place. Tonnes of shopping malls are waiting for you to shop 'till you drop! If you got guts, you may want to try the G-MAX the Ultimate Bungee. The world wide phenomenon has come to town. Clarke Quay is the home of bungee and Singapore will be the place to be. 0 to 200 kph take off! Live video from on-board bungee-cam! Experoence the 5-G blast! But, we was a little too expensive so we did not try it. And last but not least, also enjoy the night scenery of the Esplanade, Merlion and Singapore Flyer from Marina Bay. We took loads of pictures and enjoy them below.

Thank you for reading!!

Esplanade, Marina Bay, Merlion Park, City Link Shopping Mall(23rd Dec 2009)

After Science Center, while waiting for my parents and my big sis to come over to City Link from the museums, we took a stroll in the Esplanade and Marina Bay. After taking a walk in the Esplanade, we went out and walked around the Merlion Park.

Marina Bay is a bay near Central area in the southern part of Singapore, and lies to the east of the Downtown Core. An artificial bay, it was formed when land reclamation created the Marina centre and Marina South areas, which form a body of sheltered waters of what was once open sea. In the reclamation process, Telok Ayer Basin was removed from the map, while the Singapore River's mouth now flows into the bay instead of directly into the sea. A barrage was completed in 2008 to make Marina Bay a reservoir for drinking water.

In contemporary local common usage, however, the term Marina Bay has largely been attached to the developments in the vicinity of Marina Mall in the Marina South reclaimed area, particularly to the eateries found there. Although technically erroneous, this association may have been stemmed from the association of the venue's limited accessibility to the Marina Bay MRT station, which has served as the main means of public transport to Marina South.

It was announced in 2007 that Marina Bay will play host to a Formula One Race. The inaugural Singapore Grand Prix took place on September 28 2008 on a street circuit through Marina Bay. It was the first ever Formula One Grand Prix to be staged at night, with the track fully floodlit.

-Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Bay,_Singapore-

As we walked along the Marina Bay, we enjoyed the view of the concrete jungle in Singapore, the Esplanade, Merlion Park and Singapore Flyer.

The Merlion is an imaginary creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. Its name combines "mer" meaning the sea and "lion". The fish body comes from Singapore's ancient name back when it was a fishing village - Temasek - meaning "sea town" in Javanese. The lion head represents Singapore's original name — Singapura — meaning "lion city" or "kota singa" .The symbol was designed by Mr Fraser Brunner, a member of the Souvenir Committee and curator of the Van Kleef Aquarium, for the logo of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in use from 26 March 1964 to 1997. The Merlion continues to be its trademark symbol since 20 July 1966. Although the STB changed their logo in 1997, the STB Act continues to protect the Merlion symbol. Approval must be received from STB before it can be used. The Merlion appears frequently in STB-approved souvenirs.

-Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlion-

Special thanks to Mr. Google ^.^

As we walked under the bridge, we found out that the view was amazing. So, we took some pictures of it. After walking one big round from Esplanade and to Esplanade, we walked to City Link or Raffles Link through the underground tunnel shopping mall to meet up our parents and big sis from the museums.

Enjoy the views and pictures~~

Thank you for reading!!

Singapore Science Center (23rd Dec 2009)

*Note: The names of the exhibitions are not all correct. The exhibitions stated below are not complete, as we only walked the Science Center for 4 hours, which is not enough. The exhibitions are in note form to ease reading. We seriously missed out a lot of stuffs in the Science Center. I will add in more information the next time I visit there again. Maybe in years.

After done with the Body Worlds and had our lunch, we started our scientific journey with the Mind's Eye - An exhibition of optical illusions that will boggle your mind.

• Tri-zonal Space Warper: Stare at the the giant spinning disc for about 30 seconds, then look at your hand. A pulsating effect will be generated.
• The door: A folded paper with a door and a view drawn on it moves as if the door is closing and opening again while you walk pass by it.
• The black image: A few images of human in black formed by pots on a black surface. (Available in slide show)
  
• The man's face: A drawing featuring a sinking ship in a middle of a storm turn out as a man's face when reflected into the pole. (Available in slide show)
  
• The running cat: A glass image featuring a running cat as you walk pass by it.
• An impossible fence: Stand in the opened fence and look into the television. In the television, it shows that you are in a closed fence instead of an opened one.
• A giraffe: Stand in front of the mirror, look at the straight laser line and shake the mirror left and right. The straight laser line appears to be a giraffe.
• Head on a platter: Ever seen yourself without a body? You can make as if your head is on the platter and is ready to be eaten for dinner...Eew!
• Unpredictable transformed face: You see a happy queen in the picture. Turn in upside down, and you will see a sad police.
• Life in a fish bowl: Look into the spinning sphere of a fish bowl, and you will see that as if you are in it, turning around and exploring the surrounding.
• An impossible Triangle: See how does a cube transforms into an impossible triangle.
• Seemingly impossible objects: Figure out how does the straight steel rod passes through the seemingly perpendicular holes of the nuts.
• Duet: See how does a pianist transforms into a violinist.

After finished walking at the Mind's Eye, we headed for the i-SPACE - an exhibition that embraces new approach in offering Infocomm Technology to the visitors of the Singapore Science Centre. Instead of being 'topical', the new exhibition will bring visitors on a guided journey through time - exploring the PAST through the first area called Inspiration, then to the PRESENT/ NEAR FUTURE and subsequently teleport them to a future beyond their wildest IMAGINATION. Experience the office, home and leisure of the future using the latest in Infocomm technology. With countless technology applications built within a diverse range of interactive exhibits in 4 specialty areas, you will be transported into an exciting world of infinite possibilities. You have to sit the elevator in order to move on to the 2nd floor. The exhibitions include:

• The tracks for rolling balls: See how those heavy, rolling balls go through obstacles and create magnificent sounds and movements. (Available in slide show)
• Segway eco-ride: Visit the Segway eco-ride invented in the year 2000. Now available in Sentosa. (Available in slide show)
• "Electronic Forest" (That's what I call, because I don't know the name): Nothing much there. Just snap pictres there as it is tremendously beautiful. (Available in slide show)
• Fake bed: It is a half bed, but where does another half go? Into the wall. (Available in slida show.)
• Toilet Bowl: Sit on it and it will measure your weight, and many more, except for your height, you have to type it yourself. Then, it will estimate your health and enable you seek advice from experts. It is not accurate though, just for fun. (Available in slide show)
• Remix maker: Make remix to videos. YEAH isn't it cool? Make remix on videos about a falling building, departing rocket, bursting water balloon, an opening beer (Available in slide show), bursting watermelon, metal furs and many more.
• Dragonball game on weird screen: Play dragonball game in some sort of screen that is bulging out. Maybe it is to increase the effect? (Available in slide show)
• 3D video game: Wear the 3D glasses and PLAY THE GAME!!!
• Star Wars game: Put your hand through the ring of sensor, aim for the evil robots and shoot!
• Collections: See a collections of Alien vs Predators model, even early mobile phone models. (Available in slide show)
• The "Light-Floor": walk on it and see how it lights up! (Available in slide show) (Video available)

When we came out from i-SPACE, it was the Nano Technology exhibition.

• The buckyball: I'm not even sure what is that. (Available in slide show)
• Zero wave: If the shadow of your fingertips were the tip of the stylus of a scanning probe microscope, how should you interact with the buckyballs? You'd think it a very simple thing to do. But you are blind in the nanoscopic world of the buckyballs, and are simply feeling you way around. When you do come close to a buckyball, it can so easily get pushed away in any direction ? since you are using a sharp point. With this exhibit, you will come to understand some of the very fundamental problems nanoscientists face in something so basic to Nanotechnology. (Available in slide show)
• The kaleidoscope: Stretch your hand inside and see the effects. (Available in slide show)

After that, we watched the show featuring thunderbolt held at the Atrium. Get ready to be charged up at the ThunderBolt! Watch lightning flash before your eyes or volunteer to sit inside a Faraday Cage which would be struck by half-a-million volt of lightning. The anchor attraction in the Energy Exhibition, this highly visual & dramatic show is not to be missed. (Available in slide show). After that, we went to the world of Sounds.

• Making video: Go into the studio and start making sounds for the video. It is a video with BGM but without sound. All you have to do is to create appropriate sound for the video.
• One Man Jam: Make 2 short recordings and merge them with sound effects and a short song will be created! (Available in slide show)
  
• The exhibit of expanded something that makes a sound: LOL i can hardly remember anything about this. Ok, you heat up "something A" until it is red then pull the string, and "something A" will rises and knock "something B", which makes a sound.
• The telephone: Want to listen to jokes, but it will only talk when you talk. You will find it irritating and annoying until you want to take a hammer and smash it.
• Where does the sound came from?: Play the game and determine where does the sound come from. Choose from multiple holes and play for...if I'm not wrong, 30 seconds. The highest score so far is only 12 so, break a leg.
• A clip with 2 theme musics: Watch the clip, listen to the first headphone, the theme is happy. Then, listen to the second headphone, the theme is spooky, but it's the right clip. Cool huh?
• Echo: Stuff your head into the big pipe and say something, then listen to your own echo.
• Echoing headphone: Ask one of your companion to "play" this with you. Each of you put on the headphone, and talk through the mike, but please not too loud if you don't want your companion to go deaf.
• Metal fur: Watch how does the metal furs react to musics. (Available in slide show) (Video available)
  

After that, we continued our journey into the world of Energy.

• Joule meter: I think you have seen this in online games-Neopets and funfairs. Use the soft hammer and hit as hard as you can, and see how strong are you. LOL i hit higher than a teenager at age around 18. He hits 99, I hit 106, and surprisingly my sister hit 116. This is the suitable advertisement for "Bulleh, not so sweet!". (Available in slide show)
• Crank the pedals: Pedal with your hand to lift a heavy brick up. Woot I feel strong after doing that. HEHE!(Available in slide show)

Then, we walk pass the Genome.

• Fundamentals of gnome: See how does children, teenagers and adults feel about themselves. (Available in slide show)

We also walked pass by the Marine World and took some pictures.

Sorry for the exhibitions that we missed out and we will add on the next time we visit the Singapore Science Center again. For more information, please visit http://www.science.edu.sg/ssc/index.jsp

-Reference: http://www.science.edu.sg/ssc/index.jsp-
Special Thanks to Mr. Google ^.^

The "Light-Floor". Yup, and that is me, demonstrating how the floor works


The metal furs that respond to sounds. Make sure you mute everything first before playing this
video.


Thank you for reading!

Singapore Science Center - Body Worlds (23rd Dec 2009)

*Note - The Body Worlds prohibit photo taking in order to respect the human models as they use real human origins.

Gunther von Hagens'

BODY WORLDS
The Original
& The Cycle of Life

Like no other museum experience in the world, BODY WORLDS & The Cycle of Life changes the way we see ourselves. The mesmerising exhibitions by trail-blazing scientist, Dr. Gunther von Hagens, present the complex elegance of the human body.

In BODY WORLDS & The Cycle of Life close to 200 authentic human specimens transformed through Plastination, show the form, beauty, function, and potential of the human body.

The BODY WORLDS &The Cycle of Life, a special feature on the human life cycle, shows the body living through time - from the first spark of life at conception to infancy and child-hood, from adolescence and youth to adult-hood and old age.

BODY WORLDS &The Cycle of Life inspires visitors by showing the body during the arc of ageing and the latest findings in longevity science. Regardless of age, the exhibition will resonate with everyone who sees it.

BODY WORLDS &The Cycle of Life invites visitors to navigate the inner terrains and outer borders of the human landscape. This multi-sensory experience compels visitors to reflect on the elegant form and function of the human body, the fragility under distress and disease, and its amazing strength and potential when healthy. BODY WORLDS is an unforgettable encounter with humankind as well as with one self.

Gunther von Hagens' BODY WORLDS &The Cycle of Life are the only public anatomical exhibitions that stem from an established body donation program and use donated bodies.

Renowned scientist, Gunther von Hagens is the inventor of Plastination - the anatomical specimen preservation method that makes the presentation of aesthetic anatomy possible Though Plastination, the post-mortal body is transformed into spectacular anatomical figures - plastinates - that allow the public to see the human body it has never been seen before.

A trabilizer in the field of anatomy and anatomical exhibitions for the public, Dr. Gunther von Hagens looks to the anatomists of the Renaissance, as well as this generation's scientists, for the inspiration in his continually evolving work. He is responsible for the anatomical specimens presented in the BODY WORLDS &The Cycle of Life.


Physician, Dr. Angeline Whalley, is the conseptual planner and designer of the BODY WORLDS &The Cycle of Life.

-Source: http://www.bodyworlds.com.sg/-

Special thanks to Mr. Google ^.^

Once you walk into the exhibition, you can see how a particular person look like when they are just kids to teenagers, to adult-hood and old age. At first my sisters and I were thinking that maybe they could do this to us if we could pay, but no, there are no such service. Sad.

There is also a screen, showing about sperm entering the ovum and forms an infant. The we get to see how does infants look like when they are in mummy's tummy. How adorable! we also get to see a striking display oh sight and vision on birth and later in life, that presents computer simulations of the vision of impressionists painters Cloud Monet and Edgar Degas, who suffered eye diseases. Using the scholarship of Stanford University Professor of Ophthalmology, Dr. Micheal Marmor,the displays shed light on the challenges faced by Monet during the creation of his Giverney landscapes and Degas' visual problem that affected his Women Drying Her Hair. What they saw and what they painted are totally different.

There are also displays and comparisons between the body of normal people and body of people who smokes and having obesity on ageing. You should really see how black the smoker's lung is. It is blacker than you thought, trust me. And the liver of an obesity person is very yellow compared to normal human.

It also features findings on geographic clusters around the world that show where the oldest people lives - from Okinawa, Japan and Ovadda in Sardinia to the Hunza region of Pakistan. These people form all these regions, who defy our understanding of what longevity means, have be found to share some common traits and lifestyle practices that we can all learn about. So far I can remember, there is a display about an old lady who is 105 years old, is still driving a car and is one of the most active church member. Another displays show that the villagers in Okinawa only eat 80% full every meal. There is also a picture showing an old man diving into the swimming pool. And last but not least, a very old man still farms. All of them look at their 70-80s though.

There are also cross sections displays of human organs. So far I can remember, human beings start to loose their hearing at the age of 18, but we just don't realise it until they reach the age of 40 or 50. And do you know that the skin is the largest organ in the human body. There is also a display showing the blood vessels in our human body, which shows that the lips and figer tips have the most compact blood vessels, which means our lips and finger tips are the most sensitive parts in our human body. The galleries include prenatal Gallery, Locomotive System, Nervous System, Respiratory System, Cardiovascular System, Digestive system and Urinary Tract and Reporduction.

For more information and example photos, please visit http://www.bodyworlds.com.sg/



Well, I do have one picture with me, but it's only the entrance =.=lll And it's actually a human body inside the pyramid, and its 3d and it's formed by a projector on top.









Thank you for reading!

The Night Safari..GRRR..ROAR!!!! meow... (22nd Dec 2009)

*Note- The video will be posted together with the post soon. Pictures are in slide show form. There are not much photos as these events occurs at night. Sorry for the inconvenience. We will include the tribal dance by any chance. Please visit http://www.nightsafari.com.sg/ for more information.

"With over 1000 nocturnal animals of about 115 species inhabiting 40 hectares of dense secondary forest, Night Safari is the world's first wildlife park with a night view.Here, you will discover unusual creatures playing and preying in their lush habitat. Explore any of the tree walking trails on foot. Or take a 3.2km tram ride along two loops that cover terrain raging from the rocky Himalayan foothills to the grassy plains of the Equatorial Africa. Either way, it won't take you long to discover why Night Safari has been the winner of Singapore Tourism Awards' Best Leisure Attraction Experience seven times since its inauguration in 1994."
-The description of Singapore Night Safari.-

The Map of Night Safari
























According to the map, the red lines represents tram route, yellow is Fishing Cat Trail, purple is Leopard Trail, white is Forest Giants Trail and pale orange is Walkways.

The Night Safari is open at 7pm, and we reached there at 6pm. Don't worry, we were not mad, instead, we were smart! When we arrived, there was no one there, so we stand in the front line. As time passed by, human being begin to increase. Until 6.50pm, the queue is from the line until the entrance. So, ya' think we are mad now? While waiting, we took some photos about the village houses and many more interesting places.

At 7pm, the tribal dance performers performed a warm up performance at the restaurant, just warm up, not the real performance yet. The tribal dance starts every 1 hour, 7pm, 8pm and the last show is 9pm.

"Let the awe-inspiring tribal performers take your breath away at Night Safari! Hailing from the rain forests of Borneo, be exhilarated by the Thambuakar Tribal performance of tribal dances, acrobatic acts, fire eating displays and blowpipe demonstrations."
-The description of Tribal Dance Performance-

At 7.15pm, we rode the first tram ride.

"Fancy a ride across the landscape that dramatically changes from one of the Himalayan foothills to the jungles of Southeast Asia and Africa? Take the 45-minute tram ride covering 3.2km to catch endearing antics of rhinos, elephants, giraffes, tapirs, tigers and lions, along with a variety of birds. The setting is bathed in shadowy half light, so the creatures are largely oblivious to a visitor's presence."
-The description of Tram Ride-

As the tram journey begins, we venture into the Himalayan foothills. At ground level, the terrain is covered with dense vegetation. Further up, pine and fir trees, scrubby rhododendrons and dwarf bamboos dominate the land. Stout trees, entwined with wood creepers dot the rugged hillside. The first animal we saw is the Himalayan Tahr. They are able to conquer the steep mountains slopes at elevations up to 4,000 meters. Adult males have magnificent shoulders and neck mane. As we venture deeper into the Himalayan foothills, we encountered the Bharal, a.k.a blue sheep, named because of the bluish tinge no the coats of adult males. This animal is mainly found in Tibet, at elevations of 3,500 to 5,500 meters. At the end of the Himalayan foothills, it is the Markhor, a.k.a the 'King of Wild Goats", which is the largest goat in the world.

Leaving the Himalayan Foothills, the tram weaves through the marshlands and low-lying areas of the Nepalese River Valley. A drive-through sambar habitat is the highlight of the Nepalese River Valley zone. The sambar, one of the largest Asian deer, range freely here and often come close to the tram that passengers can almost touch them. The golden jackal is most widely distributed compared to other species of jackals, ranging from Africa and South-eastern Europe, to the Middle East and Asia. It is an opportunist which feeds on anything. The lower mandible of the marsh birds has distended skin pouches. These are used for storing fish, which the marsh birds eats at its leisure. With the armour-plated skin and sheer size, the greater asian rhinoceros is a truly impressive animal. Unfortunately, this animal has been hunted excessively for its horn and there are less than 2,000 left in the wild.

The Indian subcontinent covers a vast area spanning Pakistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east and stretching north to include the Himalayan kingdoms of Bhutan and Nepal. The Indian subcontinent is the only place in the world where tigers and lions reside. Her flora and fauna are as enormously varied as the languages and culture of her people. In India alone, some 65,000 animal species and 13,000 species of flowering plants have been recorded. A healthy respect for nature is deeply ingrained in the culture and religions of the people in the Indian subcontinent. This respect has helped preserve its vast biodiversity, despite it being one of the most populated regions in the world. The barasingha is also known as the Indian swamp deer. The word "barasingha" means twelve points, which refers to the twelve or more times (prongs or slender projecting parts that are pointed at the ends) found on each antler of this animal. It is highly endangered because of excessive hunting for its meat and antlers and lost of habitat. The striped hyena is the one and only hyena species found in Asia. This is the least vocal of the hyenas and usually produces sounds only when it is fighting or comforting its young. The Gir lion used to range from Greece to eastern India but by 1940, it was decimated in all its former range except the Gir forest of India. There are only about 200 individuals living in the protected Gir forest presently. Because of the sloth bear's habit of hanging upside down in trees and its long sickle-shaped claws resulted in it being wrongly classified as sloth. Later, it was known as bear sloth. Finally, this shaggy animal was renamed sloth bear when scientists subsequently discovered it is a bear after all.

After the tram ride, we went down the 2nd station and took a stroll along the Leopard trail. Some people are stupid enough to refuse to go down and want to go on the tram ride, because they miss out a lot. And when I say "a lot", i really meant A LOT. The trails enable you to experience what is it like to walk in the shadowy forest at nightfall.

"Stretch your legs and embark on a brisk stroll along the spooky Mangrove Walk, or any of the Night Safari's three walking trails: the Fishing Cat, Forest Giants and Leopard Trail, where you will be thrilled by the arboreal flying squirrels gliding in midair.Each trail averages half a kilometer in length and can be covered in approximately 20 minutes. Go ahead, discover the adventure in you".
-The description of the Walking Trails-

We started our trail journey with the clouded leopard. It emerges from the dark and drape on a tree branch. We can barely see it too as it is very dark. Then, we went into the giant flying squirrels' cage. In the cage, you might want to stare and wait in anticipation for the squirrel to glide from a tree to another. We continued out journey through the hog badger and the tarsier. These gremlin look-alike have enormous eyes to spot their prey such as lizards, young birds, spiders and insects in the dark. We also went in the mangrove walk to experience bats flying around you. We also saw the Malayan civet, which mark their environment with foul-smelling secretions, called "civet". The secretions, however, have a very pleasant smell when diluted and may be used in the production of perfumes. We also passed by some porcupines, slow loris, owl, the ordinary leopard and also the golden cats. After finished walking the trail, we continued our tram journey from the 2nd station.

The equatorial Africa areas are warm and moist throughout the year. Ample rain and sunlight support luxuriant tropical forests. Farther north and south of the Equator, the landscape gradually gives way to dry sub-tropical grasslands dotted with shrubs and trees. Here, a wet rainy season follows a long, dry spell. During the dry season, food is scarce. Wildebeests, gazelles and zebras undertake migration and travel long distances in search of water and food. The cape giraffe, which is also the tallest existing land animal has an extraordinarily long, prehensile tongue to grasp leaves from high branches. The maximum recorded length of a giraffe's tongue is 53cm! The tram then took us to the serval. The word "serval" is derived from a Portuguese word meaning wolf-deer to describe the animal's deer-like long legs and large rounded ears on a small head. It relies on sound alone to hunt at night. It has great agility and can leap high in the air to snare low-flying birds. Bongo is the largest of the forest antelopes. It can be found in dense bush and bamboo jungles as well as mountainous areas at elevations of up to 4,000 meters.

Indonesia’s biological diversity is incredibly rich. The country covers just over 1% of the world’s surface and yet it has about 10% of the world’s plant species and probably 15% of all known animal species. While Malaysia’s biological diversity does not match up to that of Indonesia, it is nevertheless, enormously rich. These are the specialty of the Indo-Malayan region. The babirusa has the appearance of a pig. The upper canines of the male project through the upper jaw and arch backwards, reminding one of the antlers of a deer. The combined features gave the animal its name, which literally means pig deer in Malay. The Malayan tiger has been relentlessly hunted for its body parts which are believed to have either medicinal value or supernatural powers to ward off evil. Now, the Malayan tiger is a protected species, with 2,000 individuals in the nature reserves and national parks of Malaysia and Thailand.

In tropical rainforests, tiny streams and wide rivers snake through dense vegetation, providing the forest inhabitants with a source of water to drink, bathe, frolic and escape from predators. Plants flourish near riverbanks and feed countless forest creatures, great and small. The tapir drive-through habitat offers guests the enthralling experience of being able to view the elusive creatures at a throw-stone distance as we enter the Asian riverine forest. The Malayan tapir has a distinct black and white coat pattern which allows the tapir to blend in with its forest surroundings, especially at night. A solitary animal, the tapir is endangered as a result of the destruction of its forest habitat. It communicates with each other through shrill whistles. The docile-looking animal, red dhole has been known to kill even leopards and tigers when it hunts in packs of five to 20. Sadly, the red dhole is persecuted by men because they view the animal as a competitor for game. Destruction of its habitat and elimination of its natural prey are also contributing to its endangered status. Owing to the destruction of its habitat, the Asian elephants have fewer places to migrate to when searching for food. As a result, they eat more than what can be grown back in the limited areas now available to them. This overtaxes and further destroys their habitat. Having not enough to feed, they often rampage plantations, which results in farmers persecuting them.

‘Pampas’ means level plain in Guarani Indian. At the South American Pampas, these flat, fertile grasslands of Argentina and Paraguay grow to different heights depending on the amount of rainwater they receive. Divided broadly into humid and arid areas, the pampas is endowed with rich soil and supports huge animals. Being one of the richest grazing areas in the world, the bioclimatic zone faces serious threats from agricultural activities. At least 35 animal and 15 plant species are at serious risk of extinction. The capybara, or water hog, is the largest living rodent. It is a good swimmer and usually found near water. Adaptations to the aquatic environment include swimming membranes between the toes and the high position of the ears and eyes on the head. When in danger, the capybara can dive and stay underwater for several minutes. The giant anteater is the largest anteater species. It survives primarily on insect fare, but also consumes fruit and even an appreciable quantity of earth, sand and twigs, which aid in its digestion. Its only means of defense are its sharp, 15-centimeters long claws attached to muscular forelimbs!

The terrain in Burmese Hillside is marked by steep, rugged highlands surrounding central lowlands. Moist tropical and dry subtropical deciduous forests dominate the landscape. Much of the lowland and hill forests of Burma have been used selfishly for their own benefits although large unprotected tracts of forest still exist. The gaur is the most massive of wild cattle. The bulls can attain a shoulder height of up to two meters and weigh up to 1,000kg. It is highly endangered due to excessive hunting and destruction of its forest habitat. The thamin is also known as the Burmese Eld's deer. This animal has very specialised habitat requirements. The loss of its habitat is causing its population to decline rapidly that it is endangered.

So, its the end of the tram ride. We wanted to watch the Creatures of the Night Show, but unfortunately, the seats for 8.30pm show was full. So, we have to wait for the 9.30pm show. We went to the ranger station for a visit. there's a display of wild insects and worms such as beetles and some gigantic worms and cockroach-alike insects.

Then, we went for a stroll along the Fishing Cat Trail. We encountered the Himalayan Tahr, again, and came to the mouse deer. The mouse deer moves around daintily with their pencil-thin legs. Not true deer, these animals do not have antlers and the males use their elongated canines as a weapon for defense. We passed by the Binturong and came into the Fishing Cats. The fishing cats are undoubtedly the stars of this trail. Guests are treated to a drama as the cats watch their fishy prey with intense concentration and suddenly lunge into the water to pin them down. They are awesomely adorable and you should look at them when they sit by the riverbank and wait for fishes to come. They are incredibly cute! Other inhabitants along this trail also include the elusive pangolin, the playful otters, barking deer(they do not bark actually), Indian Gharial and also the largest bat in the world-the Malayan flying fox.

The slide show. I did not expect it to be so small, so you can always pause to read the words. And please allow it to load first before watching it if you find it lagging.

As we walked back from the trail, it was 8.45pm and we started to queue up. Finally, it was 9.30pm. We rushed for the best seats.

"Thirty minutes of non-stop action. Get ready to welcome out star casts that includes binturongs, otters, raccoons, owls, wolves, hyenas, civets and servals. The show demonstrates the behavior and incredible abilities of our animals of our animals, ranging from their predatory to survival skills. Do not miss this opportunity to experience one of the world's most exciting nocturnal animal shows."
-The description of the Creatures of the Night Show-

Look, I can't really describe the show, it is amazing. The wolves ran up the stage and gave a howl, civets jumped tremendously high for their treats, Binturong crawled on ropes, and otters recycling waste products. Just enjoy the video.

-Source: http://nightsafari.com.sg/
Special thanks to Mr. Google ^.^

The video is currently not available and we promise to post it soon. Sorry for the inconvenience and your patience and corporation are appreciated.

Thank you for reading!

Singapore Trip (22nd Dec 2009 - 26th Dec 2009)

This is a summarised itinerary for my trip to Singapore on 22nd December 2009 until 26th December 2009. Although Singapore is a very small country, but it is a very advanced country. You can even survive without having a car because the public transports are everywhere. In fact, driving in Singapore is expensive as the government discourages citizens to drive. Obviously, a 5-day trip to Singapore is not enough and I will go there again and visit the places I haven't been to. Here is the itinerary.

Stay at Costa Sands Resort, Loyang, Pasir Ris.

22nd Dec noon - arrival at Changi Airport. Lunch at IKEA and proceed to book in chalet
22nd Dec evening - Singapore Night Safari

23rd Dec morning - breakfast(maggie mee T_T). Kids headed to Singapore Science Center
while adults to National Museum, Peranakan Museum and National Art Museum.
23rd Dec noon - Lunch at their own place. (BTW, the spaghetti that costs $5.50 sucks!)
23rd Dec evening - Took a stroll from Esplanade to Marina Bay-The Merlion while passing by the Singapore Flyer. Walked back to Esplanade and to City Link a.k.a Raffles Link.
23rd Dec night - Had a walk along the Boat Quay.

Stay at Costa Sands Resort, Sentosa Island.

24th Dec morning - Breakfast(Bread T_T). Played a mini golf game at LiliPutt, Big Splash Playground, East Coast Park.
24th Dec noon - Lunch at KFC in East Coast Park...ya, you must be thinking "WTF GO ALL THE WAY TO SINGAPORE AND ALL YUO EAT IS KFC!!??" Give me a reply if you really think that......
24th Dec evening - Dinner at Thomson Road Baptist Church and enjoyed a Christmas stage play.

25th-26th Dec afternoon - Enjoyed in Sentosa. This si the first time I hear the phrase "Play till you Drop" instead of "Shop till you Drop"...
26th Dec evening - Departure at Changi Airport back to Penang Airport.

I MISS MY 2 SISTERS IN SINGAPORE AND 1 SISTER IN KL!!!! T.T