Friday, May 2, 2008

Pulau Ubin






My family and I took a boat to Pulau Ubin on May 1, Thursday. Yup, it was really a bumpy boat ride!

On the island, we saw a cocoa tree which is also called the 'chocolate' tree. I learnt that hornbills are very popular in the island. We also saw a hornbill's nest.

Next we went to Chek Jawa. We headed to the boardwalk with Uncle Andrew as our nature guide.

Look! A leaf cutter ants nest!

We saw jelly fish, mud skippers, tiny little crabs, spiders, a huge tower, mangrove trees and its breathing roots, mango trees and the attap chee tree, also called the nipah tree.

Then we headed to Visitors centre to paint, had our lunch and heard Uncle Joe's talk about nature, dungoes, and why the mural wall.


My brother's painting. He painted a crab in the sand. And my picture too on the underwater world.

Thathi and I also volunteered to clean the beach. At the beach, I saw lots of rubbish (and a dead crab). I was very sad about the pollution.

I was tired at the end of the day. But I felt great because I got to see nature at a close-up.

5 comments:

Joe Lai said...

Dear Shanil,

thank you for joining us at the event in Chek Jawa. You made me so very happy. : )

Wah, you are really a very good artist. Your brother can paint very well too. Isn't it wonder... nature is so full of colours and shapes. We can find so many inspiration in nature outdoor.

Do you know that you and other children at the event made all the adults -including your mum and dad - very happy? Yes, we are. We are happy to see you draw and paint and express so freely about our beautiful world. It certainly warms our hearts that you and other children helped to pick up trash from our seashore too. Do you know that by your good example, you can help others to understand that it is not good to pollute the environment? You did! Congratulation!

Keep up the good work. Continue to share your experiences and your thoughts with your friends by blogging. At the sametime, you will become better and better at writing too. So keep writing, keep smiling! Thanks Shanil! : )

Uncle Joe : )

DivaDiver said...

I am impressed by your writing skills in this blog on 1 May about Pulau Ubin.

Hope to meet you soon - by the way, your mama, Jenny, Mavis and I are meeting up for steamboat on Vesak Day. Are you gonna be there?

(Auntie) Li Li

jwpj said...

hi Shanil! this is yr (ever non-present) godma. wow, your blog looks really impressive! and your description of the activities sound so fun that i could feel your excitement. reminds me of a song by Michael Card, called 'close your eyes so you can see', it goes like this:

there's a way that a child can look at the world,
see through the eyes of the heart,
they see meaning beyond the mystery,
hear the silence of the stars.

so close your eyes so you can see
the way he meant this world to be,
and understand with a child-like heart,
the place we end is where we start.

the child is the father of the man,
it's the paradox of god's design,
so if you would be grown up and mature,
let the light of your childhood shine.

so close your eyes so you can see
what it must have been like to be,
a little girl or boy who knows
and walks with jesus as they grow.

lovely song hor? it's a reminder that we should not forget to see the world through child-like eyes and enjoy the beauty that God had given to us. keep blogging, and hopefully those out there may see the world through your child-like eyes. (looking forward to your lil' bro's blog soon!)

auntie Jenny

Joe Lai said...

Wow, Auntie Jenny,

your comment is very moving. Is this a Christian song? I wish I could hear the music score. The words are so so meaningful.

Joe Lai : )

jwpj said...

Hi Joe,
I will pass the song to Shanil, then you can invite him and his family for the next nature outing and maybe he can sing it for you. right Shanil? :)
or i could always email it to you, it's about 1.72MB.
cheers,
(auntie) jenny