Can You See What I See?

She is amazing!

Esmée Denters - Stop And Stare (Cover)

Stop and stare,
I think I'm moving but I go nowhere.

Stalking Chicks

Hi wacky ones!

I've been pretty busy stalking 'chicks' on every Wednesdays and Sundays and this will go on for another two months or so. It's not as easy as it sounds though but I'm enjoying every exciting moment of it.

"Met! You're a desperate horny bastard!"

Go suck a toe! :)

As mentioned in my previous post, I've started on my final year project on the breeding ecology of the Lesser Adjutant Stork and now the storks' chicks are nearly two months old. Literature says that it takes the chicks approximately 3 months to fledge and flyyyyy! I can't wait!

Using a telescope, here's a sneak peek of the storks' nest (found 40m up a Koompassia tree) and as seen in the picture, the parents are patiently guarding their nest. Click on it and see if you can spot one of the chicks ;)

Can you spot the chick?

I hope to finish my 'stalking' by August but it's the data analysis part that will give me headaches. And yes, I'll have more time to do my thesis as well since I've started this project in advanced. But heck, life is gonna be hell for the next few months. Geez I guess I can't wait to graduate for now.

Can I just graduate tomorrow? Please?

how could you be so heartless?

Winging The Bruneian Skies

Haroooo!

I finished my Semester 6 exams exactly a week ago and everything went alright I guess. I'm not saying that the overall exams were that easy (go suck a toe if you found it easy) but some papers were indeed tough. I'll just have to wait for the results for now.

So what have I been doing for the past one week?

Work attachment? NOPE. Teaching assistance? NOPE. Sleeping like a log? NOPE. Eating like a wild boar? NOPE. Playing football like there's no tomorrow? NOPE. Bum around Gadong? NOPE.

Fieldwork? YES!!!

I know I know. I'm supposed to be on my 3 months holiday now but I was part of a consultancy survey group headed by Dr. Charles and our study locality was literally the whole of Tutong District.

This particular consultancy company required us to conduct several Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) at various sites in Tutong District whereby oil exploration was done. Okay, in other words, we had to study the impact of the oil exploration and its aftermath on the wildlife biodiversity (mammals and birds) of the district.

The consultancy survey group included Dr. Charles, BB, Rosli, Andery, Jeff and myself. Captain Planet and the Planeteers you reckon? HAHA whatever. :p

Mind you, the oil exploration work involved a heck lot of ground bombing in the forests of Tutong! That itself will affect the wildlife and as expected, we found out that the bombed areas were heavily disturbed and we believe that the innocent animals have been displaced to God-knows-where.

"Poor, poor animals!" exclaimed Dr. Charles.

However, I've learned and benefited a lot from this week-long consultancy survey as the experience itself is priceless but that's not the main point of today's blog post. The main point is that, from the week-long consultancy survey, the group has personally found and encountered with one of the world's most endangered and rarest bird and it's currently breeding here in Brunei Darussalam!

And I've finally decided to study the breeding ecology of the Lesser Adjutant Stork (Leptoptilos javanicus) as my 4th-year Project with Dr. Charles as my supervisor. The sources regarding this rare stork is so scarce as not a lot of biologists have studied them before. This is going to be a BIGASS project!

Say Hello to the Lesser Adjutant Stork,

Pic Source: KC and Yian, 2004

Scary much?

This rare and huge stork is around 120-130cm tall and is normally regarded as an 'ugly' bird due to its bald head and scary look. It's also locally called as the 'burung botak'. In the past, this stork was so common that you can easily see them at Brunei Bay. However, it's global populations are declining rapidly due to severe hunting pressure and destruction of their specific habitats which are the mangroves and wetlands.

As mentioned, the sources of this bird's global status is somewhat scarce but sources regarding its breeding ecology is close to nil. So from this research itself, I hope to find out more about the Lesser Adjutant Stork's breeding ecology and I'll need lots and lots of help from the relevant people!

If ANYONE has come across this bird (or anything that looks like it), please please please let me know by dropping me a comment! All I need is the information of the locality of this bird and I'll be forever grateful!

I do know where the nest of the pair of Lesser Adjutant storks is and it is quite confidential hehe. In that nest, there are a few chicks that are still growing and I have to monitor and observe the activity of the nest and the behavior of the parents and the chicks every single day for the next few months until the chicks are able to fly and leave their nest for good. Then my project will be done! It's extreme tough work I tell you.

My new found best friends are my binoculars, a telescope and a huge beach umbrella. My new found enemies will be the blazing heat, rain and mosquitoes. Oh yesss I have to be in my field site everyday from 6am-6pm (sometimes 6am-12pm or 12pm-6pm) regardless of the immense heat from the sun or heavy rain. Told you it's tough work haha!

I'm starting my project tomorrow so wish me luck peeps! Just remember to tell me if you happen to see a lesser adjutant stork that is winging the Bruneian skies! You might never know! :)

You and me,
flying in the sky.

Motivation

Hello peeps!

Okay I doubt that anyone still visits my 'dead' blog but anyhoos, my exams start tomorrow (Yes, tomorrow HAHA!) and no, my blog won't be on hiatus because it's been on hiatus anyway haha! I'm too busy nowadays to even keep track of my life!

Alright here's the dreaded timetable for this semester's exams:

04th May 2009 - Numerical Analysis 1
05th May 2009 - Chemistry in Everyday Life
05th May 2009 - Molecular Genetics
07th May 2009 - Behavioural Biology
09th May 2009 - Plant Taxonomy and Diversity
12th May 2009 - Developmental Biology
16th May 2009 - Plant Taxonomy and Diversity Practical

See why I'm dreading this semester's exams? It's so packed and that's nearly 2 weeks of hell thankyouverymuch!

The past few weeks have been very tough for me and I really thought that I've lost my motivation...but yet again, I've picked myself up and I know I'm much stronger and can definitely do better than this. Just watch me. :)

So now I'm damn motivated for the exams so BRING IT!!! It's just only 2 weeks of hell and 3 months of action-packed holiday for me! I can't wait!

All the best to those who're sitting for the exams then. If you've lost your motivation, then you better find it back. If I can do it, everyone can!

Exams don't scare me at all.

Goodnight! :)

Never put off,
what you can do today,
till tomorrow.

Life Goes On

When God closes a door,
Somewhere He opens a window.

Thank you, my beloved friends.
You guys know who you are.

Right Here Waiting

Wherever you go,
Whatever you do,
I will be right here waiting for you.

Whatever it takes,
Or how my heart breaks,
I will be right here waiting for you.

Because Of You

Hi peeps!

I'm terribly sorry for the lack of updates. The new semester has just started and I'm already being bombarded with reports and presentations! Instead of bombarding us with work, why can't they just bombard us with ang paos instead? Then everyone will be happy and we can live happily ever after right? HAHA I know...lame~

The Chinese New Year celebrations have officially ended yesterday (We call this last day as 'Chap Goh Mei') and I had a great feast with my family. And it was 'World War 2' all over again when my neighbours compete with one another in their firework display. My goshh I was practically suffocated by the smoke! But it was all good as long as everyone's happy. :)

This year's Chinese New Year is by far, the best one that I have and I guess some of you guys know why ;). Thanks bii. It's a chinese tradition to gamble during Chinese New Year and I've been winning like mad haha! Wacky luck you reckon'? And I've received quite alot of ang paos too! Thank you uncles and aunties...please keep it up and give me more haha! I hope you guys had a great one this year!

I'll keep this post short and simple by posting some pictures of my visits to my Chinese friends' open houses. Yes guys, don't bleed when you see some of these hot chicks huahuahua!

At Patricia's open house
L-R: Val, Eve and Patricia

Intense gambling session at Susan's open house
L-R: Susan, Bo Jun, Cheng and Hao

At Tauke Seng's open house
L-R: Ridz, May, Val, myself, Sia, Seng, Liang and Foo

Leong (Brunei Jay Chou) and myself

Ridz and May
What a cute couple!

At Val's place
This was after another intense gambling session
Guess who was the overall winner? ;)

At Nick's place
L-R: Nick, myself and Leong

At Nick's place with the lovebirds
L-R: Kit, myself and Yan

At Nick's place with the Wong sisters!
L-R: Elaine, myself and Wendy

HAHAHA Baby Ethana looks so cute lah!
L-R: Val, Ethana and myself

And that's all for today's post! Not bad for an update eh? Hehe more to come! Goodnight peeps and make sure you give me more ang paos okay! :D

P.S. To all the crazy people/animals in my tagboard, KEEP IT UP COZ YOUR COMMENTS CRACK ME UP ALL THE TIME HAHAHA! CRAZYYY! =)

And I know this much is true,
Baby you have become my addiction.