4180. CREATIVE NON-FICTION. WILDLIFE in Yishun Pond and KTPH area on 22 Jul 2025.

Creative non-fiction makes true stories from the raw material of experience, and settings are an important part of the storyteller's craft. Time, place, weather - they can be much more than just the background against which the action of your story plays out.

(Weather and other elements in your Settings can intensify the mood or power of a scene.)

 

I am Dr David Sing, 75 years old. A grandfather of 5. I create this Wildlife video for them.

On 22 July 2025, at around 9 am, I drove to the Khoo Teck Phuat Hospital (KTPH) to collect a form for my son. At the same time, I could walk my daily 5,000 steps in a green environment to take some wildlife photos of the area around KTPH and Yishun Pond. Sometimes there are no wildlife present to take memorable photos. Many Seniors have had lost mobility.  Hopefully, I would prevent sarcopenia in my leg muscles by walking at least 5,000 steps as long as I live. 

Wildlife spotted are: 

1. A rare sighting of a dragonfly, likely a young male or female Neurothemis intermedia with gold yellow abdomen, purple and green eyes. Wings are gold yellow with a tinge of red at border. See photo. An overweight female Security guard asked what I was doing when she saw me taking photo of the dragonfly with my Canon R5 camera placed on a tripod. "It is ok to take the photo of Botanic Garden of KTPH but not any other area," she said with authority and walked away. I didn't reply. Some security guards will question me when they see my tripod set up to take photos. If I use the handphone, no guard will bother.

 PHOTO OF BILLBOARD.  

2. Around KTPH, two young waterhens loitered on the concrete walkway, not bothered with passers by. Not oblivious to the danger of being caught by some people unlike the older ones in some public parks I had visited.

3. I walked along the Yishun Pond. Ripples in the shallow pond swept by a gentle breeze. Sunlight reflected over the waters. Green grass reeds of various heights on the banks. Trees and creepers strangulating the other plants to get sunlight.

A female Junglefowl hen with some chicks appeared. Walked fast, chicks had to keep up. She used her claws to scrape the earth looking for insects. The area was sterile of insects. Even mosquitoes.

Scraping the earth would reveal some bugs. That's how the family survived. The hen jumped at another adult hen near it to chase it away.

 4. A movement among the grass and the reeds at the edge of the Pond. A young Malayan Water Monitor stalks. Around 11am. Sunny. He is the world’s 2nd largest lizard. Prowling the edge of the pond. Eyes bright, long tongue flicking out of his mouth. 

5. A young waterhen appeared.  Clucking with no fear near the Yishun Pond edge chirping away. One of them was near a moving young monitor lizard which did not bother it. I had a phone video made.

6. A medium-sized butterfly fluttered fast and out of sight. I couldn't photograph it.
7. Two mynahs hopped on the grass. Their numbers have been considerably reduced nowadays. Trapping and poisoning perhaps.

8. REWILDING sign.
9. Was the Asoka tree flowering? Yes. Few blooms and has lost its glorious appearance as evident from my photo some months ago.

Above was an interesting encounter with different types of wildlife at one visit. Sometimes, I don't see any.    

UPDATES:
https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2025/07/4180-wildlife-in-yishun-pond-and-ktph.html

 

 

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CREATIVE NON FICTION
1. Use the weather and other elements in your setting to intensify the mood or emotional power of a scene.
2. Show, don't tell

 

22 July 2025. 9am. Khoo Teck Phuat Hospital Botanic Garden. Morning. Blue skies, 

 A gentle breeze blew ripples over the clear waters of the Yishun Park Pond lake. Not many passers-by. I felt the peace of the silence of this hospital garden.

A small bird chirps and flies away. Clean air as no smoking signs are prominently displayed. 

A Botanic Garden for sick people. Small one. Running water. A plopping sound along the walkway across the small pond. Was it the sound of the suction pump? A few small fishes. No dragonflies or butterflies seen at first.

 

One young man was exercising in front of me - facing Pond, hands up and stretched out, jumps up and down, repeats.

Senior over 80s, tanned, slim, with phone in his left shirt pocket listening to his audio --- no need to carry it. Heart affected by phone's EMF? 

Women wearing head scarves zoom past me on the PMAs. Bright sunshine. A glorious day to be outdoors. Joyful to be alive. 

Looking for dragonflies and butterflies to photograph. Only one was seen hidden. It fluttered to another branch in the shade of the plants and leaves. 

An overweight female Security guard in her 50s, round face,  bespectacled, white blouse on black pants sauntered to me, authoritative demand, "What are you doing here?"

A tripod with Canon R5 pointing at the middle of the Garden. She thought: "Was this Senior trying to spy on some patients walking past me?". 

"I was taking photographs of the dragon fly," I said in a patient manner as some security guards do exercise their duties to prevent photography by individuals carrying a large digital camera and tripod. If they use their handphones, the guards usually do not feel a need to exercise their authority as such acts are common.

There is no warning sign prohibiting photography in this ground-level Botanic Garden of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. A tripod helps to shoot sharp images of dragonflies, hence I used it.

The Security Guard backed off: "It is okay if you just take dragonflies." Who was I shooting? Patients? The morning sunshine filters onto the leaves of the Botanic Garden. I got a good photo of the rare dragonfly.

To buy a photo of dragonflies:
www.shutterstock.com/g/toapayohvets