The past year has been a crazy roller coaster. It's flung me in every
direction and now that I'm getting off and walking to a new ride, it
seems as though it came and went quicker than I could have ever
imagined.
In butterflies, it has been amazing year. The Singapore check-list has
once again expanded due to numerous new discoveries and now
stands at 310 species. That's an awful lot of butterflies for a tiny
island of only 710 square kilometres. I got to fully appreciate the
diversity we indulge in here when I flew to Adelaide, where the
number of species is minuscule in comparison. I've also had so many
first encounters this year, with the Courtesan and the flos family
being definite highlights.
stands at 310 species. That's an awful lot of butterflies for a tiny
island of only 710 square kilometres. I got to fully appreciate the
diversity we indulge in here when I flew to Adelaide, where the
number of species is minuscule in comparison. I've also had so many
first encounters this year, with the Courtesan and the flos family
being definite highlights.
There has also been plenty of activity in the butterfly scene here. In
January, the priceless Fleming Collection of butterflies landed in
Singapore. It's really an honour that our humble country was chosen
to house the collection, a valuable reflection of the butterflies of the
region, compiled from 1963 to 1978. June saw ButterflyCircle doing
a survey of the butterflies of Gardens by The Bay, unearthing
another rediscovery and even earning a newspaper article!
It's great to see that Singapore's wildlife is getting a bigger voice.
This year's Festival of Biodversity, while not as big an event as last
year's, being situated in a major mall, caught the attention of the
general public and brought the wilderness to them.The Singapore
Butterflies Facebook group is another example of how more and
more people are beginning to open their eyes to the delicate
world around them.
My only regret is that I missed out on a fair chunk of the excitement.
I was caught up school work most of the time. This year I sat for my
streaming examinations to determine what subjects I would take
next year. Surprise surprise, I came down with a terrible bug the day
before my first paper, with nasty hives and fevers attacking
throughout the exams. Of course everything turned out well. Also, I
have now ventured into the magic circle. I was invited by a teacher
of mine who brought me into this new form of art.
I was oh so lucky to take part in the amazing Project Phoenix, a
community magic renewal programme that started in March
when a group of us taught weekly magic lessons at a Community
Centre and the volunteers, or 'students', ended up performing to
the Children of Club Rainbow. Club Rainbow is a charity that supports
children with chronic illnesses and their families. I was really moved
during our visit to the children in April; they were all fighters. To
see them laughing and smiling through what many of us would
crumble under was one of the most beautiful experiences I've had
this year.
The three month long project finished in a huge magic show held at
the centre's theatre. I went on my first stage performance that night
and I loved it. Another big event I was part of was the 10th Splash
Awards, an IT competition that looks into the development of mobile
applications. It brought Secondary school students from all over the
island together. I was leading the team representing my school. Yeah
we won. It wasn't easy work though; I spent close to two months on
photoshop designing our app, the Kindred Knowledge Konnector.
I also took part in the annual StrITwise competition, revolving
around game development. My team stood second amongst the over
sixty participants. We didn't win the big name but it's the journey
that matters more. If you haven't figured out by now, I'm the painter
who chases butterflies with a huge camera, performs magic and is in
the IT field. It's not easy to do all that while still having to be a
student but I guess that's why I've had such an wonderful time.
2013 has been quite an amazing year. I am aware that for almost
half of the year there were no posts here at all. I want to say sorry
for not doing the housekeeping required of a good blogger. I cannot
guarantee that my posts will arrive every weekend but I will certainly
try to make that happen. To all of my readers, thanks for being such
a great audience of my babbling. The past year has been a crazy
roller coaster and I can't wait for what 2014 will bring.
pictures from top to bottom: common bluebottle, commander, blue pansy, branded
imperial, banded swallowtail, long banded silverline, large snow flat, common hedge
blue
Singapore. It's really an honour that our humble country was chosen
to house the collection, a valuable reflection of the butterflies of the
region, compiled from 1963 to 1978. June saw ButterflyCircle doing
a survey of the butterflies of Gardens by The Bay, unearthing
another rediscovery and even earning a newspaper article!
It's great to see that Singapore's wildlife is getting a bigger voice.
This year's Festival of Biodversity, while not as big an event as last
year's, being situated in a major mall, caught the attention of the
general public and brought the wilderness to them.The Singapore
Butterflies Facebook group is another example of how more and
more people are beginning to open their eyes to the delicate
world around them.
My only regret is that I missed out on a fair chunk of the excitement.
I was caught up school work most of the time. This year I sat for my
streaming examinations to determine what subjects I would take
next year. Surprise surprise, I came down with a terrible bug the day
before my first paper, with nasty hives and fevers attacking
throughout the exams. Of course everything turned out well. Also, I
have now ventured into the magic circle. I was invited by a teacher
of mine who brought me into this new form of art.
I was oh so lucky to take part in the amazing Project Phoenix, a
community magic renewal programme that started in March
when a group of us taught weekly magic lessons at a Community
Centre and the volunteers, or 'students', ended up performing to
the Children of Club Rainbow. Club Rainbow is a charity that supports
children with chronic illnesses and their families. I was really moved
during our visit to the children in April; they were all fighters. To
see them laughing and smiling through what many of us would
crumble under was one of the most beautiful experiences I've had
this year.
The three month long project finished in a huge magic show held at
the centre's theatre. I went on my first stage performance that night
and I loved it. Another big event I was part of was the 10th Splash
Awards, an IT competition that looks into the development of mobile
applications. It brought Secondary school students from all over the
island together. I was leading the team representing my school. Yeah
we won. It wasn't easy work though; I spent close to two months on
photoshop designing our app, the Kindred Knowledge Konnector.
I also took part in the annual StrITwise competition, revolving
around game development. My team stood second amongst the over
sixty participants. We didn't win the big name but it's the journey
that matters more. If you haven't figured out by now, I'm the painter
who chases butterflies with a huge camera, performs magic and is in
the IT field. It's not easy to do all that while still having to be a
student but I guess that's why I've had such an wonderful time.
2013 has been quite an amazing year. I am aware that for almost
half of the year there were no posts here at all. I want to say sorry
for not doing the housekeeping required of a good blogger. I cannot
guarantee that my posts will arrive every weekend but I will certainly
try to make that happen. To all of my readers, thanks for being such
a great audience of my babbling. The past year has been a crazy
roller coaster and I can't wait for what 2014 will bring.
pictures from top to bottom: common bluebottle, commander, blue pansy, branded
imperial, banded swallowtail, long banded silverline, large snow flat, common hedge
blue
Posts
Sounds like 2013 was a great year for you. I wish you luck for 2014. I hope it is every bit as good and that you have more time to search for butterflies!!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Nick!! (that was a bit late)
ReplyDelete2013 was an amazing year. It's going to be even more difficult to go out this year due to the heavier weightage school is going to take. Oh well.
And may this year be as full of surprises for you. :)