4561. WILDLIFE SINGAPORE. A rare sighting of a black butterfly in Yio Chu Kang Cres forest on 20 Jan 2023.

WILDLIFE SINGAPORE. 20 Jan 2023.

The pathway of Yio Chu Kang Crescent forest had been trimmed, sprayed with anti-mosquito insecticide (fogging), tree branches cut so regularly that the habitat for butterflies have had been destroyed and degraded.

Hence, on 20 Jan 2023 which is the eve of the Eve of Chinese New Year, I expected to see no butterflies.
Instead two species in perfect shape fluttered to attract my attention and posed for me to photograph and video for several minutes, at around 10 feet away from my Canon R5.

The 3rd sighting was a big boxy insect which landed on a fern frond and stayed for me to photograph and video for several minutes.

So, there were 3 insects who had been my models unexpectedly. I have not been to this forest path regularly owing to the rarity of butterflies unlike 3 years ago. Fogging is common as there is the staff of Seletar Bus Depot opposite to protect against dengue fever which is surging.

As I was videoing the black butterfly, I saw a cluster of around 8 mosquitoes feasting on the skin of my left hand near the elbow! A very rare sighting too as they don't assemble together on one body part. I hoped I had swatted all of them. They had blood in their bodies. With such frequent foggings, mosquitoes still survive as there is the river nearby. This Seletar Simpang Kiri River leads to the Seletar Reservoir. So all the fogging insecticide just get washed away by the rain into the soil and eventually to the reservoir.

The black butterfly with white spots is the Common Mormon (Papilio polytes romulus).
Canon R5, Tripod, AV Mode, F/16, ISO 200, >15 shots, breeze swayed insects, 9 am
20 Jan 2023

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UPDATES AT:

 https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2023/01/4561-rare-sighting-of-black-butterfly.html

 

 

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Butterflies are usually more colourful than moths. They have rounded clubs at the ends of their antennae while moths have thin, often feathery antennae. Butterflies usually fly by day and moths fly by night, though there are day flying moths too

 

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4561. Karaoke sessions with Frances

“Why don’t you arrange a karaoke session with Michelle?” I texted Frances one day. “I don’t know her,” she replied. Thank you to Frances for organising our 2 karaoke sessions and to Jin’s thumbs up for our songbird’s (4th from R) “Lover’s Tears”.   

Tour manager (L) from Super Travel is an agile woman in her 30s. She surprised me by climbing onto the mini-bus platform behind the driver and sitting cross legged facing us on the way to Sapa. A rare photo of 2 tour managers together and the girl who loves her mother very much.

4560. Yellow-vented bulbul

4559. WILDLIFE SINGAPORE. Bees and butterflies in One Punggol, 17 Jan 2023

 

4558. TRAVELS AUSTRALIA. A vacation home in Port Stephens, Australia. Wyong on route to Port Stephens

[9:57 am, 16/01/2023] G: It's a newly built house.  The owner, a former nurse, equipped the house with every possible thing a tenant would need.  She provided toothbrush for kids, laundry detergents and softeners, milk, coffee pods, soft drinks, and everything in between.
[9:57 am, 16/01/2023] G: The house is this near to the waters.

 

Boat trip for dolphin sighting. Safety net on boat is used for children to swim safely on the net. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 Wyong

Royal Chocolate Milk Factory
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4557. Vet Case. Atopy. Poodle with right hip dislocation has a bad skin condition.

Follow-up on skin condition of the poodle with Ehmer Sling treatment 2 months ago. 

 

This 14-year-old poodle developed a bad skin inflammation, with wet fluid and "pus" appearing after bathing, for the past few weeks before treatment with Apoquel. The owner gave up going to Vet 1 as the dog would get a steroid injection often when the skin inflammation flares up. Vet 1 had advised food allergy trial but the owner did not accept this. 

Atopy is suspected. The dog was clipped bald by Toa Payoh Vets as the owner's groomer who went to the house did not clip the head and tail bald so that the dog would look pretty. Many groomers do not want to clip the dog bald from head to toe.  The owner remarked to me that she saw rashes and scales on top of the shaved head after clipping.

OUTCOME

With 1/8th of a tablet of Apoquel 16 for the past 7 days, the skin recovers to its normal appearance. But it is not a cure yet. The allergens and infections must be removed. Many owners think the skin problem has been resolved.

There is still a need to check for food allergy, environmental allergy (e.g. grass), skin mites and inhalation causes. Most owners do not have time to follow up with the vet. Some vets prescribe the same steroid injection since the owner has no time for many follow ups. In the end, the dog is not cured as it needs medication.

TEXT MSG FROM OWNER.

 

[2:25 pm, 13/01/2023] +65 : Hi Dr Sing, good afternoon to you.
[2:25 pm, 13/01/2023] +65 : There’s no discharge on skin, the rashes have mostly subsided, and the skin is no longer red, wet or smelly. Thank you Dr Sing for your diagnosis to her problem.
[2:25 pm, 13/01/2023] +65 : 1) She is on 1/8 tablet of apoquel 16 daily only
2)Did not start dog on antibiotics. 3) Did not continue with Ketoconazole 200mg for now.
4) shampoo 2-3 times a week.
5) administered ear drops daily for 10 days

 

 

 

 

Atopy is suspected. The dog was clipped bald by Toa Payoh Vets as the owner's groomer who went to the house did not clip the head and tail bald so that the dog would look pretty. Many groomers do not want to clip the dog bald from head to toe.  The owner remarked to me that she saw rashes and scales on top of the shaved head after clipping.

OUTCOME

With 1/8th of a tablet of Apoquel 16 for the past 7 days, the skin recovers to its normal appearance. But it is not a cure yet. The allergens and infections must be removed. Many owners think the skin problem has been resolved.

There is still a need to check for food allergy, environmental allergy (e.g. grass), skin mites and inhalation causes. Most owners do not have time to follow up with the vet as this takes several weeks.

Some vets prescribe the same steroid injection since the owner has no time for many follow ups which cost money. In the end, the dog is not cured as the cause of atopy is not known. The owner stops treatment of the dog, as in this case. The dog wears an Elizabethan collar 24/7 while the owner bathes him with all types of shampoo, till the skin "leaks with pus" after bathing. That was the time, this owner consulted me, around 6 Jan 2023.

UPDATES AT:

 https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2023/01/4557-vet-case-atopy-poodle-with-right.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[2:26 pm, 13/01/2023] +65 : unfortunately after she’s back from the clinic, she walks with a slight limp. I observed dog is not putting weight on the right leg anymore (video below).

 

 

 

 

 

 

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6 Jan 2023. Limp on Right hind side, due to restraint during clipping bald and examination earlier.

 

 

 

 

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4556. NATURE SINGAPORE. Chinese New Year plants

NATURE SINGAPORE. Chinese New Year plants

BUYING CHINESE NEW YEAR (CNY) PLANTS - 15 Jan 2023. 5pm

 22 Jan 2023 is Chinese New Year. Plants like orange limes and kumquats symbolising prosperity and wealth are purchased from nurseries. Video of Goodwood Florist which is a spacious nursery doing a brisk business in CNY plants. The usual small and big flowers in red or reddish colours as red is an auspicious colour for the CNY. 

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VIDEOS:
youtube@99pups

 

 

 

UPDATES:
https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2023/01/4556-nature-singapore-chinese-new-year.html

4555. A Private Sale is an excellent marketing strategy to reinforce loyalty

 EU Holidays’ Tour Manager Andy Yuan, sportingly posed for me, a gift to his VIP customer during the busy & lively Private Sale, Sat 14 Jan 2023.          shutterstock.com/g/toapayohvets

Sun 15 Jan 2023, 5.26 am.

On 14 Jan 2023, I attended the 4th Private Sale for VIP customers by EU Holidays, expecting it to be the usual ordinary event with discounts if you book the tour on that day. 8 days more to Chinese New Year.  

How would the management organise this event to make it memorable and fun for loyal customers?

The event was very lively and crowded. The free Gelato ice-cream was popular. A Goddess of Fortune led by another young lady distributed oranges to all was a novelty as the God of Fortune is traditionally much older and male. A noisy tour auction to get cheaper tours e.g. the Netherlands Tulip Garden tour at $10.00/bid drew a crowded room with serious bidders.

An ang pow lucky draw on the office wall and a pretty mini suitcase filled with Chinese New Year goodies for those who sign up for the tour in addition to the travel discounts made the day for many who signed up.        

The experienced and attentive Mr Andy Yuan, Tour Manager was kind enough to pose for me to practise my indoor photography of him holding the mini suitcase as he was serving his customer. Thank you to Andy for being so sporting just to please another customer (me).

Here is the photo for Andy Yuan with best wishes and good luck for his 10-year career with EU Holidays. My wife and I had enjoyed two tours with him pre-Covid 19 and look forward to the Mar 2023 Finland tour with him.  

If I was the management, I will present him a Rolex watch for 10 years of long service. An experienced Tour Manager in the frontline brings in more business for the company and he is certainly worth a Rolex watch. If not, an Apple in appreciation of his hard work and sacrifices? 

P.S. Andy's photo taken using Canon R5, AV Mode, F/16, ISO 800. 3 shots were taken with no 2nd chance. Another person behind Andy flashed by.

The photo surprisingly captured the busy scene around 4 pm. You can see the Gelato ice-cream queue and the Auction Room behind the ice-cream vendor. Do you see the red "Private Sale" poster which did not cover the whole door as in the previous sales? Several customers signing up for the tours?   

PHOTO AT:
www.shutterstock.com/g/toapayohvets

VIDEOS:
youtube@99pups

UPDATES AND MORE PHOTOS AT:

https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2023/01/4555-private-sale-is-excellent.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4554. isha.sadhguru.org - interview with Impact Theory Tom

 

Why is Sadhguru called isha?

Isha Foundation is a nonprofit, spiritual organisation founded in 1992 near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. It hosts the Isha Yoga Centre, which offers yoga programs under the name Isha Yoga. The foundation is run "almost entirely" by volunteers. The word isha means "the formless divine".

 Isha Foundation is a non-profit spiritual organization founded & guided by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. It focuses on human empowerment and social revitalization ...

 

 

4553. Singapore Motorshow 2023 Suntec City 12 - 15 Jan 2023

 

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 First 100 is the first car to be assembled in Singapore in over four decades. 

It is the first EV to be built in Singapore – at Hyundai’s new HMGICS plant in Jurong. It looks like an ordinary Ioniq 5 but there are special “First 100” badges if you know where to look. The car itself has dual motors, a combined power output of around 321hp, and a 77.4kWh battery with a range of around 454km.

Price: Starting from S$255,000 inclusive COE