And It Was Gone

"Time is a teacher, oh it's taught me well."

And when I came back to the quiet corner, I saw nothing at all.

I saw no dead wood, no statue, and no dead or living monitor lizard on that piece of dead wood. That "thing" had moved away. It was then proven to be a living thing. Was it a monitor lizard or simply a crocodile? I rather say it was the former since I used to see monitor lizards, either swimming inside the dam or just wandering around, like me. I have yet to see any fight between these two animals. If both of them do exist, the fight must be as fierce as the shooting of my camera.

And I continue to scan the surrounding during and after my hiking.

The surrounding may sometime look mysterious or eerie? Eerie, according to Cambridge Dictionaries online, is unnerving or unusual in a way that suggests a connection with the supernatural. I always have the eerie feeling here and there, now and then inside the jungle. I always ask for confidence from my Protector. We need higher level to help resolving this supernatural feeling.

And then I am ready to travel again.

The other side of the dam

I have the feeling I am a spy or paparazzi when equip with a camera. I zoom in and zoom out to scout the surrounding for new discoveries, or to disclose the secrets of the Nature. Isn’t that exciting to know secrets?

When I sat beside the dam playing with my camera last Sunday Morning, I thought I saw something weird on the other side of the dam. I zoomed in. I could not conclude whether it was a piece of dead wood, an abandoned statue, a dead or living monitor lizard.

It stayed still like a piece of wood, but was shaped like a statue, pale beige in color, and never looked like a living lizard at all.

It was too far away for me to throw stones, and I found no way to go over there in order to clear my doubt. As long as I could not find the answer, my uneasiness continued. I kept focusing my camera at this “thing” hoping that it would move, but this tug of war was far too long and tedious for me to go through before knowing something extra.

What is your best suggestion to solve my, again, trivial problem? To help myself, I shall come back this weekend. A week period must be long enough to decide whether it is a dead or living thing.

Time will give me the answer, or you yourself maybe the time if you can. Can you?

Orange-headed Thrush

When I was pushing myself hard during hiking, my pair of ears were always kept wide open, to be alert of the surrounding, and to catch up with any whisper of the trees, but my pair of eyes were only stayed focus at the trail, just to watch my steps.

My ears did not help this time, but my eyes caught something moving in front of me, on the ground, and then flew to the bushes.

It was no way for me to spot this Orange-headed Thrush if it just stayed quietly in the bushes. And it was 7:20am in the morning, inside the forest, with not much sunlight.

"The adult male Orange-headed Thrush has an entirely orange head and underparts, uniformly grey upperparts and wings, and white median and undertail coverts. It has a slate-coloured bill and the legs and feet have brown fronts and pink or yellowish rears."

This was the first time I came across a Orange-headed Thrush, but they must be very common over here at Cerok Tokun. Why do I make this conclusion? I could always hear the soft tchuk calling which kept me guessing who was actually out there. It was silent this time but the clues on the voices and colours from the searching works led me to its identity. I must be very right this time.

It was not so shy, at least to me. We kept a distance of not more than five feet away. It allowed me to take shots after shots. And until I noticed I could have a choice to use my zoom lens, it waited for me during my panic changing process.

It looked as if we were closer, in distance and friendship after this, but not until, again, the interruption by a passer-by.

Oh yes!! I have seen an Orange-headed Thrush. What can I say? "Every day does seem the same, but the memories of times, and years past make all the difference."

Mighty Butterflies

To be a butterfly, one must fly. This is as simple as we have to walk, though not necessary to hike.

And you show me how you can fly like others, but with a broken wing. A broken wing makes no excuse to you, and life goes on.

You has a seriously damaged wing. The challenges maybe far too tough than I can imagine. The strong wind, the heavy rain, the predators such as spiders, frogs, lizards, and birds are your main enemies during days and nights. You are handicapped, you are strong.

You are not the only one. The butterfly that I have found nearby facing the same fate, and there must be many more. I do believe.

Honestly, I am attracted initially only by your beautiful and colourful spots, before knowing more about yourself. Everyone of you were beautiful, and brave.

I have learned a simple but valuable lesson from you, my friend.

Today, and Tomorrow

My family took a bus, which we had not taken for years, from jetty to Kimberly Street for dinner before we walked to Esplanade to start countdown. It was New Year eve, and the temperature was high at that place, driving to there was not advisable.

Street scene from inside of a bus

We thought of a different new year, but the moon was revolving in the same manner, quietly in the dark sky, no matter it was 31st of December, 2009 or 1st of January, 2010.

The moment Jubilee Clock Tower struck twelve o'clock, the mynas started to scream and fly wild, not to celebrate new year, but were disturbed by the explosion sounds of the fireworks.

And then we started off 2010 with flying colours.

Will there be any difference between today and tomorrow? Or tomorrow will just be another continuity of today?