Updates on the Southern Expedition

Dawn on Cyrene Reef;

The Southern Expedition of the Comprehensive Marine Biodiversity Survey began last week, and we're all very excited to find out what lives in our waters.

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.

Review: Sony Xperia Z

Note: I was recently invited to test the Sony Xperia™ Z and write a review, which is up on the Sony Mobile SG Facebook page. I don't usually do product reviews for this blog, but because I find that this is a device suitable for people who spend a lot of time outdoors, I thought it's appropriate that I share it here as well.

A smartphone can be an essential tool while hiking in the forest, whether as a backup camera, GPS, getting the latest updates on the weather, or simply sharing your adventures with friends via social media. As someone who loves the outdoors, spends a lot of time close to water, and relies heavily on my smartphone to stay connected, one of the biggest headaches I often face involves keeping my phone safe and dry, regardless of the terrain and weather. Sure, there are waterproof cases for many smartphone models out there, but these can be expensive and cumbersome. And one can never know when ziploc bags might spring a leak.

When I first heard about the Xperia™ Z, the main feature that caught my attention was its supposed water-resistance. Given that I have a tendency to get caught in the rain, or have my gear immersed in a stream or lake, I knew I had to put it to the test.

Happy birthday, Sir David Attenborough

(Comic by Bird and Moon)

Sir David Attenborough turns 87 today (8th May), and I thought it would be fitting to pay tribute to the man who has played an integral role in stoking my fascination for the natural world.

Mantis Shrimps of Singapore (ONETWOTHREE DEATH!)

Many people are finally clued in to the awesomeness of mantis shrimps, thanks to a hilarious comic by The Oatmeal.



This has been cited as an excellent example of science communication, and is also a great opportunity to highlight that Singapore has mantis shrimps too!

Pulau Ubin: Explanation, and Final Remarks

A house at Kampung Melayu, Pulau Ubin;
(Photo from TODAY)

After the kerfuffle over the last few days, with lots of voices of indignation and outrage being expressed on many different platforms, and even an online petition, there's finally a clarification about what was thought to be plans to evict some of the residents on Pulau Ubin.

I am glad that there is finally some explanation, and even happier that it was not the worst-case scenario that many of us had feared. Still, in light of all this information, there are some points to be made.

Should we care about Pulau Ubin? Seeking views and comments

One of the houses at Kampung Melayu, Pulau Ubin;
(Photo by Pod Boy)

Yesterday's post on the planned eviction of some of the residents on Pulau Ubin received a lot of attention. I haven't been able to keep track of what others are saying about the whole matter, especially on Facebook and various online forums, but I'm glad to see that a number of people care about what happens to Pulau Ubin.

Eviction of residents at Kampung Melayu, Pulau Ubin: What's happening?

Kampung Melayu, Pulau Ubin;
(Photo by Ria)

Pulau Ubin is often described as the last remnant of a Singapore that has all but vanished everywhere else, a place bypassed by the decades that feels as it must have done in colonial times.

Of course, this is largely a myth: the Ubin I now visit on a frequent basis is quite different from the Ubin I visited as a child in the 1990s. Change is constantly taking place on Ubin, even if we're not always immediately aware of it; familiar faces vanish, buildings change hands and exterior decor, and trees fall as a result of both storm and chainsaw.

But sometimes, there are signs of even greater upheaval lying in wait, hints of policies that some fear will destroy or irrevocably alter the Ubin that so many of us have grown to love and appreciate.

Man hurts hornbill by grabbing it around the neck just to take pictures

Happy Year of the Snake!

Schneider's dog-faced water snake (Cerberus schneiderii), Pasir Ris;

According to Chinese astrology, this year is associated with the Element of Water, so it's supposed to be the Year of the Water Snake.

Storks at Seletar

A few weeks ago, Singapore saw the arrival of a species of stork previously unrecorded from our island, the Asian openbill (Anastomus oscitans).

(Update 19th March 2013: A paper with details about the behaviour and movements of the small flock of Asian openbills in Singapore has just been published in Nature in Singapore)


Asian openbills, Seletar West Link;
(Photo by ltk2505)

Is this really Singapore? Pasir Ris shoreline covered with rubbish

Off on another adventure

I'm in the midst of final preparations for my trip to Japan as part of the DENSO Youth for Earth Action Global Programme. To refresh your memories, here's what happened during the Local Programme earlier in July.

Mega Marine Survey Day 2: Pulau Ubin

I've just returned from my first field session with the Northern Expedition of the Comprehensive Marine Biodiversity Survey; Ria has a post on the preparations that took place before the field trips commenced today.



Our base of operations is at Outward Bound Singapore (OBS), on the western side of Pulau Ubin.

"The Power of We": Nature Outreach & Environmental Efforts in Singapore

(Photo by Ria)

Today is Blog Action Day, and this year's theme is The Power of We.

The Wallace Lectures - Marine Biodiversity: Known and Unknown

I attended the latest instalment of the Wallace Lectures. Conducted by Dr. Bertrand Richer de Forges, it was an overview about some of the amazing and mysterious deep-sea communities, many of which were only discovered in the last 50 years, as well as a discussion of how much more we still don't know about marine biodiversity.



Naturally, I live-tweeted much of the session, under the hasthag #WallaceBertrandRicherdeForges, and here are my tweets from that evening and photos of some of his slides, compiled as a Storify:

Prehistoric Rhinos - An Underrated Evolutionary Saga: World Rhino Day Part 2

Paraceratherium, a giant browsing rhinoceros from the Oligocene;
(By Kevin Yan)

Previously, I explained my great dislike for statements claiming that the 5 extant species of rhinoceros are prehistoric survivors. The rhinos we see today represent a single surviving lineage, a mere twig in the rhino family tree. This post will look at some of these actual prehistoric rhinos, and we'll see that over the last 50 million years, rhinos took on many different shapes and sizes.

Rhinos are not prehistoric survivors: World Rhino Day Part 1

Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis);
(Photo by International Rhino Foundation)

This coming Saturday, 22nd September, will be World Rhino Day. It is a day to highlight the ongoing poaching crisis that continues to threaten the survival of all 5 species of rhino, and to push for greater action to put an end to the needless killing over fallacious claims of rhino horn possessing medicinal properties.

While it seems that rhinos were not historically present in Singapore (except as captive specimens), I am particularly fond of rhinos, and have decided to do a series of post in the days leading up to World Rhino Day.

International Vulture Awareness Day: Vultures in Singapore

(Photo by reurinkjan)

Today is International Vulture Awareness Day, and I thought it would be appropriate to write about records of vultures in Singapore.

But why do we need a day to celebrate vultures? As stated on the International Vulture Awareness Day website:

Vultures are an ecologically vital group of birds that face a range of threats in many areas that they occur. Populations of many species are under pressure and some species are facing extinction.

The International Vulture Awareness Day has grown from Vulture Awareness Days run by the Birds of Prey Programme in South Africa and the Hawk Conservancy Trust in England, who decided to work together and expand the initiative into an international event.

It is now recognised that a co-ordinated international day will publicise the conservation of vultures to a wider audience and highlight the important work being carried out by the world's vulture conservationists.

Green Drinks Singapore: Seagrass & Aqua Republica

I attended the August 2012 edition of Green Drinks Singapore earlier tonight. Not only did I learn more about the importance of seagrass habitats from Siti, but also listened to Chengzi share about an upcoming game that aims to teach people about integrated water resource management.



Naturally, I was tweeting away, and the following Storify is a compilation of tweets, mostly by Gladys and myself, as well as relevant links and further information.