World Oceans Day: Protect the Ocean (Part 2)

In the previous World Oceans Day post, I talked about some of the threats that the ocean faces, why the sea is important to us here in Singapore, and how our marine environment has changed in recent times. Despite the development and destruction of many of the habitats that once existed here, marine life has managed to survive, and in some places, even thrive.

I'm a finalist in the Singapore Blog Awards 2013!

Knobbly sea stars on Cyrene Reef;

The Lazy Lizard's Tales is a finalist in this year's Singapore Blog Awards!

I'm one of ten bloggers competing in the Panasonic Best Eco-Challenge Blog category.


My profile picture is that of one of the resident wild pigs of Chek Jawa.

The Naked Hermit Crabs' National Day celebrations on Chek Jawa

Today, the Naked Hermit Crabs celebrated National Day with a guided tour on the Chek Jawa boardwalk.

Chek Jawa in June with the Naked Hermit Crabs

(Photo by Kok Sheng)

With it being the June holidays, the Naked Hermit Crabs received an overwhelming response for our monthly guided tour on the Chek Jawa boardwalk. And so 5 guides showed up on Saturday morning, ready to take on the crowds and share the sights and sounds of this very special place.

Blog Action Day 08: Poverty

poverty, n.

1. The state of being extremely poor.
2. The state of being insufficient in amount.

Today is Blog Action Day, and the topic of discussion this year is poverty.

As someone who is very concerned about environmental problems and conservation of biodiversity, the relevance of poverty to the issues closest to my heart might not be readily apparent. However, poverty and the state of the environment are actually inextricably linked together; to fully explain the complex and multi-faceted relationships between poverty and the environment would require a long series of posts, which I might have considered doing if I had more time, and greater expertise in critically analysing these issues. But suffice to say that all over the world, people trying to manage environmental degradation or conservation also have to grapple with issues of poverty. Whether it is combating desertification and staving off famine in the Sahel by introducing better agricultural practices, compensating farmers and livestock herders in India for losses resulting from wildlife depredations, or developing ecotourism in Venezuela so that villagers will see more value in keeping a rainforest rather than having it razed for timber, the conservationists and environmentalists involved in such projects and initiatives are all too aware that tackling environmental problems usually goes hand in hand with solving the problems of the people first.

Here in Singapore, where the vast majority of us do not have to worry about starving to death, bathing in rivers filled with raw sewage, or drinking water laden with toxic industrial waste, the lives of the millions for whom such scenarios are part and parcel of daily life can be difficult to identify with. Those horrific scenes of slums and famines, of fly-infested refugee camps and garbage-choked rivers, might seem distant, unfamiliar, even alien. But let's not forget that today, poverty still exists in Singapore, even though most of us choose to ignore it. There is still much that can be done to tackle this problem, both on a local and global basis.

When November and I made a television appearance on Rouge in April earlier this year as members of the Naked Hermit Crabs, we met two very passionate members of ONE (SINGAPORE), President Vernetta Lopez and co-founder Michael Switow. They spoke up about poverty, and the global movements that are calling for much more to be done. One of the biggest campaigns is Stand Up, which serves as a reminder to the rest of the world about the Millennium Development Goals, which leaders of 189 countries had agreed upon and signed in 2000.

Singapore will be taking part in this global mobilisation, with various events being held all across the country. This is the opportunity for all of us to stand up and speak out against poverty, and let our voices be heard.

For if we choose to continue to ignore poverty and the implications that it has on the environment, then perhaps it points to a very different sort of poverty within us.

I'm popping up everywhere...

Tune in to 938LIVE at 2.40 p.m. tomorrow, as I'm featured in an episode of Passion People. I will be sharing about my work as a volunteer with the Naked Hermit Crabs, how the group came into existence, the origin of our catchy name, and a bunch of other interesting stuff about our shores.

Once again, I'll be talking about the richness of our shores, the beautiful environments and fascinating marine life, and the need to protect our natural heritage. I'll also be talking about how corporate sponsors can help volunteer groups; for example, this new collaboration with Transitions Optical allows us to cover costs and give our guided walks free of charge to the public. The wonderful folks at Transitions have also made it possible for us to organise the upcoming exhibition at the National Library this coming Friday to Sunday, with Ria giving a talk about our fragile shores on Saturday afternoon.

At this rate I'm pretty much setting myself up to be the media spokesman for the Naked Hermit Crabs. Doing a pre-recorded interview via phone was certainly an entirely different experience from recording for television, and chatting live in the studio on national radio. While I guess I did pretty alright, on hindsight there are parts that I wish I could have phrased better or elaborated more. I hope I didn't mess things up too much this time around. Oh well, we learn from our mistakes and past experiences.

There's a repeat broadcast at 9.40 p.m. as well, so do tune in then if you miss me the first time around.

Naked in the Living Room

Well, that was an enjoyable experience, heading down to the 938LIVE studio for a chat with Stanley Leong and Esther Ng on "The Living Room".

Vyna and I shared about the Naked Hermit Crabs, the birth of the group, the origin of the catchy name, and the places where we guide members of the public. We talked about how despite so many Singaporeans thinking that there's nothing to see in our waters, Singapore's shores are actually still extremely rich in marine life, and there is a very pressing need to protect them.

Among other things, we mentioned how we are celebrating our first-year annniversary with the return of our Sentosa walks (go sign up if you haven't done so already!), which are now sponsored by Transitions Optical. We also told the listeners how in conjunction with our collaboration with Transitions Optical, there will also be an exhibition at the National Library Plaza this weekend, from Friday to Sunday (6-8 June), with photos and posters showing some of the beautiful marine environments and fascinating marine life which can be found right at our doorstep. Plus an upcoming talk by Ria, who will be there at the National Library on Saturday (7 June) to share about our wonderful shores, the threats and challenges that they face, and what all of us can do to help protect them.

Appearing on radio is certainly a very different experience from appearing on televion, and the both of us got a first-hand look at what it takes to put together your typical morning radio show.

I guess I did okay this time around, probably not as nervous as the time I appeared on Rouge. I still think I was a little nervous, and I'm sure that those who were listening in would agree. But I suppose I'll just have to keep learning, and future media appearances should turn out better.

You can catch the repeat broadcast of our interview on 938LIVE at the following timeslots later:

10 p.m. - midnight
4 a.m. - 5.30 a.m.

You can also hear us on Channel NewsAsia from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m.

Well, that's one media appearance down. Later tonight, I'll be doing a pre-recorded interview with Michelle Martin, also from 938LIVE, for Passion People.

On the airwaves

On 2nd June (Monday), Vyna and I will be guests on the radio talkshow "The Living Room" on 938LIVE from 10.30 to 11 a.m., to talk about what we do as members of the Naked Hermit Crabs. Tune in and listen to us share about our work as volunteers, raising awareness of our fragile shores.

Information on The Living Room and host Stanley Leong

Stanley's been fronting the popular weekday talkshow "The Living Room" on 938LIVE (formerly NewsRadio 93.8FM) since July 2002. His investigative and inquisitive approach coupled with quick wit, composure and his cordial ways have won the hearts of his studio guests. Among them, 'live' discussions with MPs, Ambassadors, High Commissioners, CEOs, medical and legal practitioners and international speakers.

Listeners have come to love the casual and edu-taining banter synonymous with the programme. The talkshow which broadcasts live from 10am to noon on weekdays, makes 938LIVE the third most-listened-to English station during those hours.

The profile of the Naked Hermit Crabs is certainly being raised; we've appeared on television, have been invited to the National Youth Environment Forum, and we're now getting sponsorship from Transitions Optical. Let's hope that with this media feature, the message gets spread further, that our shores are indeed very much alive, and definitely worth protecting.

NYEF 2008

Today was a busy day for our shores; not only did Team Seagrass head down to Pulau Semakau, but there was a Kusu Island ReefWALK and a Chek Jawa intertidal walk taking place today as well. I on the other hand went down to attend this year's National Youth Environment Forum (NYEF), hosted by Environmental Challenge Organisation (Singapore) (ECO Singapore), as a representative of the Naked Hermit Crabs.

As stated on ECO Singapore's website, the NYEF

is a public discussion format that that allows youths to voice their opinion about environmental issues in front of an audience. Participants will share their comments and opinions with one another lead by a facilitator whose job is to provide the necessary background information, set the ground rules of participation and generally control the discussions.

Aside from the forum providing an educational and interactive platform for youth to voice their environmental concerns, participants are expected to come up with an action plan to carry out proposed solutions to be carried with the support and partnership with a relevant NGO, special interest group or educational institution.

The objectives of the forum are to:

1. Provide a platform for interactive discussions between the youth, experts, activists and NGOs on topics that have been identified by the youth themselves as being critical to the environment.

2. Enable the participants to deliver an action/development plan to tackle issues.

3. Facilitate collaboration between participant action plans and relevant NGOs/Special interest groups.

Chek Jawa with the Naked Hermit Crabs, April 27 2008

Update: You can read more at Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs, and see some of the delightful new guestbook entries. Ria has also written about our voyeuristic tendencies and a sneak peek into the private lives of the hornbills over at the wildfilms blog.

Today, I spent yet another lovely afternoon on Pulau Ubin, guiding visitors around the Chek Jawa boardwalk with a few other Naked Hermit Crabs. Alas, my camera has gone a little bit crazy since my Semakau trip, so I didn't get to take any photos. The small handful of photos I took with my handphone camera will be shown further down, but let me warn you in advance, they do not depict a pretty sight.

Lizard on TV

Update: Liana has blogged a quick summary of our segment on Rouge over at Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs

For the past week, I have been getting a huge number of messages from friends and acquaintances, through SMS, MSN Messenger, and even Facebook, telling me that I've been spotted on television. I am a little surprised by all the attention, especially when you consider that I make an appearance for less than 5 seconds on the promo trailer for tonight's episode of Rouge.

When I agreed to be interviewed on the show together with November three weeks ago, little did I know just how many people would find out, and how they would react. It seems even my parents have had their friends calling them to ask if their son was really appearing on national television.

But I suppose at the very least, this is a great opportunity to promote the wonderful work that so many of us are doing to raise awareness of our shores and their natural splendours.

Here's the synopsis from the Channel 5 programme schedule:

Can You Save The World?

What have you done to save the world?

This week on Rouge, we say "we can" to saving the environment, helping the poor and the disabled. Join special guests from ONE (SINGAPORE), President and Class 95 deejay Vernetta Lopez and co-founder Micheal Switow as they share with us how to make poverty history.

Social entrepreneur Lois Ng tells us more about Studio You and Rouge joins the Naked Hermit Crabs in a search of some marine life along the shores of Singapore.

Rouge will broadcast tonight, 20 April (Sunday) on Channel 5 at 10pm. I'll be sitting in front of the television screen, seeing how I make a fool out of myself. I think I am going to go down in history as the guy who revealed to Eunice Olsen that the giant reef worm happens to belong to the genus Eunice.

You can read about our experience in the television studio in one of my previous posts or over at Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs. November also blogged about her experience being filmed on Pulau Semakau over at the Midnight Monkey Monitor, while Ria documents the wonderful time they had that morning at the Wildfilms blog.

Coming soon to a TV screen near you... we get naked!

While some of the Naked Hermit Crabs were out there risking life and limb, braving the elements and leading other folks around Chek Jawa, a few other crabs were all comfy and prim and proper inside a television studio on Caldecott Hill. The reason? Because we're going to be on TV! *girlish scream*



The Channel 5 talkshow Rouge, hosted by the lovely Eunice Olsen, decided to do a feature on the Naked Hermit Crabs in conjunction with their Earth Day episode, to be screened on April 20th. And so, November and I arrived at Mediacorp studios for the recording.



The location was a far cry from our usual native habitats, and we had to dress up for the event. It's like a hermit crab switching over to a prettier shell! We certainly looked very different from our usual unglamorous, sweaty, smelly, soggy selves out on the shores (though the audiences did get a glimpse of November in her usual field garb from the Semakau footage).

Eunice is an extremely nice and approachable lady, and she was fascinated with our name and the things we Naked Hermit Crabs do. She also shared with us how as a child, her father would bring her out to places like Seletar Island and the Malaysian coast and look for seashore life at low tide.



The recording went great, and we spoke on various topics, such as the rich biodiversity of our shores and the threats they face, stressed the importance of raising awareness, and what people can do to help. November brought up the Triple Acts: eXplore, eXpress, and ACT! We also mentioned how this year is the International Year of the Reef.

Eunice was very pleased when we conferred her the status of honorary Naked Hermit Crab and gave her a guide badge. She was even more pleasantly surprised when we presented her with a copy of Dr. Chua's Singapore Splendours and pointed out the photo of the Giant Reef Worm, whose genus name happens to be Eunice! I know, it was a nice coincidence that really worked. And all the members of the audience went home with their own copy of the Guidesheet to the Amazing Marine Life of the Southern Shores of Singapore.

We got a real behind-the-scenes look at how television programmes like Rouge are produced and filmed, with all the editing and re-recording and bloopers. It really takes a lot of time and effort just to film a single half-hour episode.




(L-R): Michael, Lois, Eunice, November, Ivan and Vernetta

Besides us, the show recorded segments featuring people from 2 other very different groups doing their own bit for the community at large; there was the very brave and dedicated Lois Ng, who founded Studio You, which employs and empowers people with disabilities.



As well as the passionate representatives from ONE (SINGAPORE), which helps raise awareness of the fight to eradicate poverty; President Vernetta Lopez and Co-founder Michael Switow came to talk about the work they have been doing, especially with homeless migrant workers in Singapore who have nowhere to turn to for assistance.



So in general, I think it will be a very eye-opening show for TV audiences on how we as individuals can act to literally save the world in various aspects.


Take-home message: Each of us has the potential to contribute and help make the world a brighter and better place in our own special way.

Lots of thanks go out to fellow crabs Ley Kun and Bian, and Hannah and Vyna from Team Seagrass for coming to lend us their support, the other members of the audience for their applause, Miss Eunice Olsen and the other guests for such a delightful afternoon of sharing, and of course to the hardworking crew at Mediacorp like Vivian, Rahmat and Clarabelle for such a fun and memorable experience and for making this all possible.

We're certainly looking forward to having Eunice (the person, not the worm) join us on our walks in future. Maybe we could be fortunate enough to have Eunice (the person/the worm) come face to face with Eunice (the person/the worm)...


(L-R): Ley Kun, Vyna, Bian and Hannah

So now, not only are there Naked Hermit Crabs running around on Sentosa and Chek Jawa, in the near future you'll also see some Naked Hermit Crabs running around on TV!

(Cross-posted to Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs)