Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

Yesterday I woke up and thought, yes, today is the day I visit Bukit Timah. I thought it exactly that way.

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is just across the road from our condo – in fact, you can see it from my bedroom window – and it houses the highest natural point in Singapore at a whopping 163 m. The reserve is pretty huge (for something in Singapore) and is right in the centre of the island. I was so happy to end up living near it because I remember seeing a map of Singapore way back in February and going “*forceful point* THERE is where I want to live. Right there by that nature reserve.”  It’s the only remaining (relatively) untouched bit of Singapore and is inhabited by animals like monkeys, flying lemurs, serpent eagles, snakes, tarantulas, etc. It is a jungle. I live across from a jungle and had never stepped foot in it.

East out of my south-facing window. Yonder there be flying lemurs.

Interesting side-note: the visitor’s centre has a bit of information about what sorts of animals lived in Singapore before it became a teeming metropolis of condos. Such animals include pangolins (which may still be around,) flying foxes, and TIGERS. Mmhm. Real tigers.

In the golden days, Bukit Timah was also inhabited by pith-helmeted children. Oh, and flying foxes, yes. I love the expression on this kid's face; he has strong doubts that this is a good idea.

It was threatening rain all day and I briefly considered calling it another mall day but the prospect of taking pictures of bugs and clean, tree-filtered air were strong enablers in Alice’s absence. Rachel decided to come along too, and soon we were traipsing off into the Nature Reserve armed with cameras, umbrellas, and a continuous stream of bad accents. It was such a relief to be suddenly surrounded by trees and green and leaves as opposed to the usual streets, cars, buses, city fumes, busy people.

Trees look pareidolic to me sometimes.

The air was really lovely. Just like in Korea, the “hikers” were dressed up. People with hiking boots and hiking sticks and specially designed technologically advanced fabrics; but the paths are largely cement-paved or equipped with cement stairs. It wasn’t a hike so much as an uphill walk followed by a downhill walk. We wore sandals. No problem. I wouldn’t recommend climbing to the summit in sandals (and we didn’t) but everything else is piece of cake. Beautiful, green, nice-smelling nature cake.

The forest is curtained everywhere with vines and creepers.

Plants

We saw interesting plants a-plenty including strange rainforest flowers and many large, very tropical-looking trees.

Roomie Rachel and a nice big tree. Just what the doctor ordered for a B.C. girl.

A tiny wild orchid about 1 cm long.

A mystery berried stem. How festive!

A very soft button of moss on a felled tree.

More flowers.

More berries.

Fungus

A sinister smokestack-looking fungus.

Like a lunar eclipse.

A tiny, slimy tree fungus.

Insects

An anthill nestled between some tree roots. The ants hid from me, but I appreciated the way their home looks.

Possibly a type of "true bug". We caught him methodically scraping the green off this leaf. He was so absorbed in his work he payed no attention to me or my camera.

This little Argiope spider (1cm) and its pretty zig-zag web were photographed by Rachel. I tried, but in order to get a decent macro shot with my camera, you have to get preeeeeeetty close and I … am afraid of spiders. To be honest, I’m probably on the phobic side of afraid, actually. Jumping spiders aren’t so bad but one jumped on me yesterday when I was watching it watch ants, and I screamed. I felt like such a wuss.

Argiope genus spiders are often much larger and brightly coloured than this little guy.

A pretty beat-up Chocolate Pansy. (It took me forEVER to identify it!)

An ant feast

Another ant feast.

A very shiny black beetle.

After our little hike, we discovered a row of plants at the visitor’s centre that were extremely popular with the insects, particularly with crickets. We didn’t realize the plants were teeming with crickets until we followed the sound of one particularly loud cricket sound and found it, to my eternal surprise, just sitting on the tip of a leaf, singing its little heart out. I was really excited because I had never actually seen a cricket sing.

Slowly we discovered dozens more just chilling. They’re very pretty, yellow with silvery wings, and very gracile; not at all like the fat, squat, black crickets I’m used to seeing here.

Just enjoying the sun.

"That thur's a curket!"

Settling in and school snapshots three

It’s been a while; but let me tell you, I have not been idle. Today I just finished up my second week teaching at my school. It’s an all girls primary school very well known in Singapore complete with a posh name. The girls are sweet; precocious and vocal, but sweet. In another post I’ll explain the Singapore education system and its rigorous national exams in detail. For now, just know that music is not one of the examinable subjects in the Primary School Leaving Exam, and because of that, very little is import is placed on music. I was also shocked to find out that there are really very few qualified music teachers in the school system and because of that all choirs/bands/performance ensembles are directed not by the music teachers, but by outside vendors who are hired with great expense to the schools. GREAT expense.

Digression: my original point was that I think my students are just happy that I’m giving them hands-on music lessons as a “break” from their regular day. As much as I hate to admit that my class is a break (heaven forbid!) from real subjects — no let me rephrase: as much as it makes me want to grind my teeth to the gums — I’m glad that music is starting to have some purpose to these students. Even a purpose I’m not nuts about. Even though I only see each class 25 minutes a week. Maybe.

Don’t read this as complaints because it’s not; read it as my surprised and curious response to a different education system that the ones I’m familiar with.

Lots of things are great of course. My principal is outstanding. I really admire her. (And no, ha ha, I don’t think she reads this blog.) My classrooms are air conditioned. Pianos are abundant. My work station is nice. The other teachers are friendly — although I always have to explicitly ask, “What is your name?” Just saying, “Hi, I’m Grace,” results in them nodding and saying, “I know.” My school mentor is extremely experienced and practical. I really admire her too. My school buddy keeps wanting to drive me around to go grocery shopping and household item shopping. I’m busy! My lessons are falling into place now that I’ve seen the classes twice and have kind of wrapped my head around the Singaporean student. My commute to work from my nice new home is only about half an hour each way on a direct bus.

Speaking of which, I moved in last Friday, finally. My roomies are Rebecca and Rachel, the two other Canadian teachers with this foreign teacher cohort. I promise a video tour of my condo. It’s amazing. I live in a resort.

Buuuuuut …

SNAPSHOT 1

Yesterday I was rushing off to a meetup.com gathering (in an effort to meet lots and lots of interesting people.) There were two girls sitting on the step of the condo next to us. One was wearing a navy pinafore like the girls at my school but I thought nothing of them until I heard,

“*enormous gasp* … Miss Hutton!?!?”
Oh. No.
I turned. The girl wearing pyjamas looked like she was about to dance with glee.
“Are you my neighbour?” I asked her.
“Yes! Yes I’m your neighbour!”
“What a surprise! What’s your name?” I teach about 750 girls (20 classes of around 40) so learning names is not a priority these days.
“I’m ________. I’m in [class grade and letter].”
“Well! I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Woooooooow! I can’t believe you live next to me!”
“Yeeeeeeah … let’s keep it kind of a secret.” At this, her friend giggles and shushes her stuffed animal pencil case. “Have a good night, girls.”
As I entered the elevator, I heard Next-Door-Neighbour-Student begin to squeal, “OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD!!!”

SNAPSHOT 2

Today on my way out of the music room, I saw a big, old, brown beetle on the corridor floor, so I picked it up to bring it back to my office to photograph and then let free somewhere a little safer. There was a small pod of girls (what is the collective noun for 11-year-old girls? A giggle? A squeal?) outside the office, and as they bowed to me enthusiastically, one spotted my new friend who had latched firmly onto my thumb.  It was a little bigger than a toonie and looked like this beetle, just darker.

At first they were grossed out, or pretended to be grossed out, or thought they were grossed out, but then I used my index finger to pet the beetle’s wing case and invited them to touch it too. One suddenly squealed, “Oooo! It’s actually kind of cute!” and most of the others soon agreed and were jostling around waiting for a turn to pet the beetle. I was so proud.

I bumped into two of the girls on my way out of the school later and they asked what had happened to it when we all spotted a moth on the wall. I took some pictures of it and they helped by holding the dangling camera strap out of the way. I taught them how to hold a moth but they were a little to skittish still. We’ll work our way up to moths.

How can I say no to a face like that?

SNAPSHOT 3

Also today in one of my Primary 3 (grade 3) classes, because half the class hadn’t brought their recorders, I taught them “The Princess Pat”.  The second verse involves a man named Captain Jack who has a mighty fine crew, and I reminded them that although they are 8-year-old girls, they still had to sound like a 40-year-old bearded man. We had  a lot of fun growling and croaking our way through the verse. I actually had to stop singing for a whole minute and sit down I was laughing so hard. They were killing themselves, they thought everything was so funny, and 3 were literally rolling on the floor laughing. One girl in the back of the room got so into it: hands balled into fists at her sides, locked limbs, chin thrust out, death metal voice. I lost it every time I looked near her.

Calming them down for their next teacher was a huge challenge.