Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

A Nursery Rhyme.....

What are little girls made of ?

Sugar and spice, and everything nice.

That's what little girls are made of.

What are little boys made of ?

Snips and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails.

That's what little boys are made of.

And what's Sungei Buloh made of ?

The Greens, The Greys and the Gold Sun Rays.

That's what Sungei Buloh is made of.

Sungei Buloh or Bamboo River in malay is a wetland reserve located on the north western corner of Singapore. Covering 130 ha of mangrove forest, wetland wildlife like crabs, mudskipper and monitor lizards call this home. Migratory birds also spend some time in Sungei Buloh.

There are walking tracks around the reserve for visitors to get up close with wildlife. To explore the entire reserve may take 4 to 5 hours. We recommend that you bring along water, an umbrella, a camera, wear sunscreen and apply insect repellant when you visit.

My wife and I encountered our first "wetland inhabitant" at the start of our walk. A monitor lizard climbed onto the wooden boardwalk and crossed our path leaving behind its footprint, a reminder that we are entering its territory.

We continued our exploration on the path. Along these paths are observation and look-out points (or huts) for visitors to rest, take in the scene and just observe the wildlife in its natural environment. The crabs build hollowed "mud tower" and feed right at the exit of their homes and they can be seen on both sides of the path.

Mudskippers are also fairly common. They can be resting on logs or in shallow pools of water on the mudflats. I took a couple of pictures of a mudskipper which showed off the blue coloured spots on the body.

I did not expect to see horseshoe crabs in the reserve but was quite excited to observe them. We took a couple of pictures while they are mating. Opps so sorry for the intrusion....

You can view a video presentation at the Visitor Centre theatre at the entrance of the Reserve. It gives an overview of the park and describes the wildlife inhabitants. You can do this before or after your walk but just look out of the sceening time.Overall, a great outdoor activity and leisurely walk for nature enthusiasts. Cheers....

Diamond and Rock Sugar

Just by plain sight, do you have any idea how to tell the difference between an uncut diamond and a piece of rock sugar ? I guess it is quite difficult for ordinary folks like us. To an expert, the uncut diamond may sparkle more and the rock sugar appears dull against the light. The unpolished surface aberrations may also differ. But these entails one to examine the pieces more closely.

This thought crept into my mind quite some time ago, not that I wanted to pass off rock sugar as diamonds and sell for profit. But to relate this to life in general. Reflect inwards now and ask yourself this......

Do you want to change your life from being a piece of "Rock Sugar" to an "Uncut Diamond"???? On the facade, when people meet you for the first time, they certainly do not know you. It is only after some interactions and over time that they get a measure of you, knowing what your capabilities are, your character and interests.

This is analogous to differentiating a piece of rock sugar and an uncut diamond. From a cursory glance, they look the same. But under test, these two items reveal their inner secrets and characteristics. Rock sugar finds its way as an ingredient in a dessert and the uncut diamond may end up as a piece of precious gem. The rock sugar crumbles under applied pressure while diamonds are the hardest known substance on Earth. The rock sugar releases its sweetness and melts under heat and the diamond stays relatively stable.

I am not implying that rock sugar is worthless and certainly not implying that we should live in another person's shadow. A rock sugar is doing what it is suppose to do.... it has its inherent value and a role to play. Similarly, if you are happy and satisfied with your life, by all means go ahead and live to the fullest. Everyone has a role to play and if you have found a purpose, then your life is like a precious gem.

All I am saying is that you should look inwards and examine yourself if you wish to improve your life. Be it constant learning to improve your skill-sets, talents and knowledge, or volunteering your time to help the needy. Basically, you need to start your transformation by putting positive effort and energy. One day lost is one day wasted. Remember the message that the movie "Dead Poet Society" tried to bring across?