Plant in a Pod

Hey ya'll 

so our dear friend Caryn just came back from a rather eventful trip to Korea last week, and along with her she brought a very new "friend" into our lives; Plant in a Pod!!! 

The "Plant in a Pod" is literally what is sounds like; a small plant in a pod!!! The plant in question is (I'm not horticulturalist so I can only take Caryn's word for this) a kind of remarkably slow growing cactus that requires very little for its survival and therefore, requires very little care. A simple dipping of the bottom half of the pod in water for half an hour or so every 2-3 months will allow the cactus to absorb what moisture it needs to sustain itself. Attached to a length of string or a chain, the "Plant in a Pod" can make a wonderful keychain or even a necklace (as I have fashioned mine) that will be sure to draw more than a few curious stares. Personally I think it looks like something out of Poke'mon or Final Fantasy and gives a whole new (and fun!!!) meaning to the term "adopting a plant". Someone should really consider introducing these here!!! 

Cheers,
Cyren

Dust to Dust (and Happy National Moth Week)

Hey ya'll 

the Atlas Moth we had placed in a cage in our garden expired early this morning, and alas, she did not succeed in attracting any mates to her bed. It was quite a somber moment for all of us, to be frank, as we had grown quite affectionate of the little insect over time (to the point that we've started calling her Mothra) and it was quite heart-breaking to watch a creature so large and graceful in its life expire in but a few days. No matter, it is quite fortunate that my skill at pinning insect specimens has improved significantly over the years and we are quite content, I suppose, with the fact that we now not only have hundreds of eggs (that may possibly hatch!) but also a new display which may decorate any room of the house.

Mothra's remains, still in fairly good condition (despite being caged outdoors  for several days

Prepping the moth for spreading proved quite a challenge. In fact, she was so big, I had to prepare a separate spreading tray just for her. The one I use for my birdwings (Troides + Ornithoptera) just wasn't going to accomodate this one! 

What a magnificent display specimen this will make! 

Speaking of which... I will probably need to start looking for a bigger display case/box!!!

ps. It is NATIONAL MOTH WEEK so to all you nature lovers, amateur lepidopterists, and regular folks just trying to get involved in something different and "new", head on down to their website "HERE" and register your location!!! Upload and share any images and information of moths you see!!! I'm hoping I will find a lot more!!! 

Cheers,
Cyren

Attacus Atlas and Parthenogenetics

Hey ya'll

so I went back to check on my attacus atlas this morning and found her in the exact same position as she had been last night but, unfortunately, not a single male in sight. I shook the netting slightly to see if she had expired and found instead that she had been rather busy, depositing her eggs on the cage wall. Now, I really didn't think much of this (because many moths are quite prone to laying their eggs just about anywhere and everywhere when captured) but I later read, right before I was about to toss out the unfertilized eggs, that Atlas Moths may in fact be capable of reproducing parthenogenetically! Now how about that!!! Of course this piqued my interest quite intensely and I am still in the process of sourcing information to get this verified (or debunked) but it would be quite amazing, I think, to be able to raise a batch of parthenogenetically produced females and try the whole baiting thing again this time with more individuals that would hopefully mean greater chances of attracting a male as I would be increasing significantly the output source of female pheremones in my area!

Atlas moth in her cage early this morning. If you look real closely you may see two eggs that she'd laid.

That being said, though I am very hopeful that these eggs will yield some results, I am also rather skeptical as well (this is the first I'm hearing about parthenogenesis in Saturniidae). I guess all there is to do right now is sit and be patient. And, as they say, don't count my eggs before they have hatched!!!

Cheers,
Cyren

Mothra Attacks!!!

Hey ya'll 

It feels good to be back here writing after my long period of inactivity and I must say that it was dear old Mother Nature who provided me inspiration to write again, this time in the form of a rather strikingly patterned moth of epic proportions. The moth, which was found clinging to the curtains of our kitchen windows turned out to be none-other than the famed Atlas Moth (attacus atlas) which is heralded all around the world in butterfly gardens and exhibits as the "largest moth in the world" for the very fact that it does indeed possess a total wing-surface area greater than any currently known species of butterfly or moth.

My mom, who was present when I found the moth, was quite taken by its sheer size and beauty and consequently quite distraught when she learnt that all giant silk moths (Saturniidae) do not possess mouth parts and therefore cannot feed for their 1-2 weeks of adult life. This, however, prompted her to aid me in my attempts at finding our lovely silk moth a mate. The reproductive role of the female atlas moth is highly passive and due to their gargantuan size, female atlas moths are often rather clumsy and erratic fliers. Therefore, instead of fluttering about haphazardly in search of a mate and expending on valuable fat reserves, the female atlas moth will cling to one location and release pheromones that may be detected by males several kilometers away. By this logic, I reasoned, we may place our female moth in a cage outdoors and hope that her scent would be detected by any male fluttering about in the immediate area. The chances are quite slim, of course, that a male atlas moth would actually be able to follow the scent trail of ours and make it to the outdoor cage but I figured that since these moths do not feed or fly about generally, there really wasn't much harm in trying anyway. 

We fashioned our cage out of an old laundry basket, nailed to a flower pot stand, and placed it in a location outdoors that could both catch the wind, but remain dry in the event of bad weather! I guess there's nothing to do now but hang around... and wait for something to happen!!!

ps. Speaking about moths, do check out this wonderful specimen of Daphnis hypothous that Raymond found for me. 

Cheers,
Cyren

Cyren's rules to Life: Rule number 1

A pair of Rajah Brooke males settled on me today as I was walking from the "forested" area of the carpark to my office.

Appreciate the little things, you never know when you may wish for nothing more than to see them again.

Sometimes, it is the really simple things that really "make it" for a person. For me, it's butterflies. No matter where I am, what I am doing, or what negative thing is on my mind, there is nothing that entices me so like the sight of a butterfly. It doesn't have to be a rare species, or one that is particularly beautiful (though I do believe that all butterflies are beautiful), but every time I see a butterfly I feel at peace. Almost as if, by some magic, the beating of the butterflies wings, causes my own spirits to soar. So as I take time to appreciate these little things in life, I also wish to take the time to thank Mother Nature, for butterflies.

Cheers,
Cyren

Time Enough

The fly counts not years, but seconds, and has time enough. What about you? 

Change of Pace

Hey ya'll 

Qing just went back to New Zealand (did I mention that my twin was back from New Zealand for the past three weeks? Well, she was back for the past three weeks) so that means I am the temporary "only child" again!!! Wonderful!!! Although, a part of me can't help but feel as if I wish the roles were changed and it was me who was the one going there... well, anywhere really. But I guess I can't. Too many things here worth holding on to, too many people (and animals!) counting on me. So I guess we'll just have to make the best of the whole situation!!! In the meantime, what's a guy to do but sit by the phone waiting for audition callbacks while I meticulously complete my daily missions in DC Universe Online, at the same time tending to my ever-demanding (but delightful) menagerie of little creatures! Oh I can't wait for semester to start again! It feels good to have SOME work to do. (SOME! But not too much!). And speaking of menagerie, I suppose it's about high time I updated on our little arachnid friends but until a couple of days ago, there really wasn't much to update at all. Still, Keric's (Grammatolosa rosea) molted quite beautifully and is so much larger now. 

I feel like doing things, actually... maybe making a trip back to the Ampang Forest... but it is so difficult with Ray studying hard for his semester finals and no one else to make the trip with me. Honestly speaking, going into the forest is not HALF as fun as it is going with a group. Also on the rare chance you meet an animal you can't take on, it's nice to have the added insurance of extra bodies present to push before starving tigers while you make a quick getaway! I need a change of pace!!! Suggestions, anyone? 

Cheers,
Cyren

Why I love Bugs

Hey ya'll 

I was having a very passionate conversation with Samuel a few hours ago on evolution when we eventually came to a topic that I am most often faced with in casual conversation. "What is it that I like about insects, specifically?" Why the obsession with six-legged critters and not, the majestic lion, per say... or something else? Why insects? Well I actually drafted out a pretty long response to that question and I think I am going to repeat myself here because I don't believe I've ever expressed myself on this matter quite so fluently. But I digress.

So what is it that I like most about insects? Well, where does one start? Insects were one of, if not the first animals to colonize the land. Starting from rather small humble beginnings, they evolved, variated (by pure chance and coincidence, more than anything else) into the complex creatures that they are today! And arguably, they are still evolving!!! The beauty about insects (and personally what I think is their secret to survival) is their tenacity and speed in which their life cycles take place. And insect, in the same amount of time it takes for a larger animal, say a mammal, to reach sexual maturity, could have died and produced generations several hundreds (if not thousands) of times over already! Each of these generations, no doubt, would have varied in some way from the previous one. Adapted through various means at surviving in a constantly changing world.  And isn't that exciting? I mean, just thinking about the potential of variations involved makes me all giddy with uncontrollable GLEE! Now these things, these same things that I've talked about, are not exactly readily observable with many larger creatures. Mammals for example, who cannot "keep up" in terms of evolution. And so while I continue to protect them in what way I can, and contribute towards conservation efforts, I do retain a soft spot in my heart (when it comes to my intellectual pursuits) for my minute but continuously fascinating six-legged friends. To simplify it, what most people find gross about insects (i.e their long legs, poisonous stings, bodily spines) I see instead as something Nature has "awarded" them for their tenacity. Something that improves their species as a whole. And I suppose that goes a long way in helping me overcome the supposedly "inherent" grossness of these creatures.

ps. Yes, I speak on behalf of roaches too! I must admit I am not overly (or at all!) fond of them in that I WILL kill one should it invade my home turf... but I do love studying them as well. Usually from a distance. Like National Geographic distance... or textbook... or I suppose behind a glass tank. 

pps. Yes I do realize I sometimes sound like a crazy mad scientist who will plot to take over the world with my swarm of hybridized insects. I just might.

Insect Queen (not sure if this is Lana Lang) from DC  Universe. I think I might have featured her before in an earlier post on http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2867187601657045664#editor/target=post;postID=3770255919803108266insect-based superheroes and villains  

Cheers,
Cyren

Ramblings of a Broadway Insomniac

Hey ya'll 

can't sleep so I thought I'd do a little musing. So we have this production coming up called Broadway Extraordinaire... well, it's actually a show that we're putting on in collaboration with all the performing clubs from Taylors University and, well, the original plan was to have me star in it as one of their cast, you know... sing, act, (dare I say dance?)... basically do what I do best on stage. And that was all great too!!! Wonderful plan, not to mention a great way to indulge myself once again... or so it seemed. I don't know what changed. Perhaps it was the eager faces of all these people, so much younger than me, staring from across the table. Or maybe it was just about time something like this happened... but somehow today I was struck with a moment of realization. And I had to ask myself; "why am I doing this? And to what purpose does this serve?" Well, I'm not getting paid to do it that's for sure so there's no monetary gain in it for me... and as for performing in it... well, I'm not so sure about that anymore. I mean, it's not like I don't like performing anymore, I still do! But maybe that was just it! It wasn't that I didn't want to perform, just that this wasn't the stage for me.

Perhaps it all "started" when I realized it has been almost 6 years since I'd graduated from Taylors University College myself! I suppose, it was about time that I finally moved on for good. Moved on to bigger things, bigger stages so to speak. The "future" is really a lot scarier that way. Back in high school... in college and university even, I had always been the star. One of the best singers, best actors... but out there in the world?  And it's the same with jobs too, you know! Smartest student in class or valedictorian of your year usually counts for diddly-squat out there. On the other hand, it is a pretty big world and there are a lots of big fish. So maybe that isn't such a bad thing after all. Fish grow bigger when they are kept in larger aquariums anyway don't they? And just as well, perhaps (and I really don't want to speak so soon because I have a nasty habit of jinxing things) the Broadway Academy auditions were my ticket to finally finding my "big pond" out there. (still quite clueless about everything else)

But the question remains... what am I doing here?I realized then that my job in this production, unlike what it had always been in countless other productions, was not to go out there and put on the best show I've ever put on in my life. In other words, my job in all of this was not to shine, but to polish all these wonderful talented young people, so that they can have their time to shine! And as much as I love performing, I realized that I do love encouraging other young people to reach for their dreams, perhaps "discover" potential where they did not even know existed. Now I've had my chance when I was in college, and it was good while it lasted. But it's over. This time, it's their's. We're heading off to an awesome start guys! And I am really looking forward to working with all of you!!!  

ps. Okay... so that took like, all of twenty minutes to write and I'm not even sleepy. Now what?

pps. Boy, have I grown up or what, huh? *if only old blog-self could see current blog-self me now!*

ppps. I feel like Will Schuester from GLEE

Cheers,

Cyren

What I look forward to Everynight

Hey ya'll 

things have been pretty much "steadying" itself in the natural world (from my perspective at least) and though it is National Moth Week in the states (oh how I long to participate) I have not seen a vary many variety of moths in our housing area, perhaps on account of the incessant rains and unpredictable haze. I have some butterflies on the spreading board that could perhaps be revealed soon but they are really nothing new and I'm in no rush to do so. What's good about this hiatus, however, is that it is finally given me the time to get back in touch with my performing side! I never truly realized how much I missed singing until a couple weeks back when I made my mind up to audition for the Broadway Academy's Splash Show Choir! The auditions went pretty well, I think, and I belted out my rendition of On My Own (from the musical Les Miserables) as well as the title song of Mamma Mia to fairly good effect although, I suppose I could have done MUCH better...( who are we kidding, eons better) for the dancing segment of my audition. All in all I have a pretty good feeling about it though, I suppose we can only wait for the announcement at this point. In the meantime, I'm so glad I have my "babies" to accompany me every night! Some people have dogs that greet them when they come home. some people have cats who will rub against them affectionately. Well I have both, though, instead of the cats (mom doesn't like cats even though I do) I have Cookie and Honey, and though they may be small in size, they sure make up for it in terms of attachment. 

Ps. I'm totally rocking this new look lately where I wear striking and (seemingly) mismatched colors! I kind of like it!!! Makes me feel like I jumped out of a retro gym-robics video. Or maybe that a lion ate a parrot and threw up all over me. Okay, I'll admit this post is pretty weak as it gets... but no worries, I will find something more substantial to write for my next update. I think it is high time I made another visit to the Ampang Forest anyways! There are some danaiid butterflies I can find there that my Spanish corespondent, Alejandro, would love I think. 

pps. Do you think Cookie looks overweight in that picture? I'm afraid he may be getting overweight.

Cheers,
Cyren