a continued tale of the plantsman and his Berok friends

From A View From the Summit (1996):

"The Reserve's resident Long-tailed Macaque monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) were now entertained by the spectacle of Corner's trained Pig-tailed Macaque (Macaca nemestrina) or Berok plant collectors, Jambul and Puteh, shimmying up tall trees to fetch precisely the specimens the botanist sought. "

Thinking through writing

Either by a stroke of luck or by divine intervention, I found the book from which this blog address got its name from, in the Plant Systematics Laborary library.

I searched the web high and low, searched Amazon. com, searched ecampus.com, searched Singapore Polytechnic library (which has a copy of this), searched school library and the national library. I was searching for a convenient way to get my hands on this book, after Janadas Devan recommended it in that article some time ago (see post below). The extent I went to look for it, I was willing to get it shipped over from the USA, my only concern was whether it is the best timing to get it over now, or should I wait.

Wait for a stroke of luck or for divine intervention.

It is so amazing how I did not have to wait too long. As I was searching the shelves for books on how to write a Scientific report, I found her sitting there (I saw her standing there).

Look somewhat forgotten and forsaken, in a secluded corner, surrounded by books that had tunnels carved through their covers by some insects.

I look her in my arms and lifted her high. I found her!! :)

*beams*

"... paying close attention as you read, so that when you write about what you have read, you do so with an accurate assessment of what was on the page. This is the "looking closely" I just talked about. Good writing has to do with putting together what is there in a plausible, interesting, and persuasive way."

Oh, the more I read the introduction, the more I love this book. A bible for writing. A self-help book for writing! And one not about grammar, and the rules of writing, but the heart and mechanics of writing. How cool, this treasure. :)

It is so exciting! :) Ops!

Haha. :)

A treasure trove of excitement

I recently discoverd the treasure trove that I work in, the Plant Systematics Laboratory library. It is no wonder Alex loves this spot. Nestled in shelves are many many books of all sorts, from all ages. You could just feel the rich heritage sitting here. :)

I picked this book off the shelf. And only read the preface and introduction (which is perhaps the only parts in which I have the time to read) and noticed how polite the author, D. D. Johnson was.

".... Many others have helped with comments on the original version. Such help has greatly increased the value of the work. Its imperfections are my own responsibility." I just find it so beautiful, the language of many Englishmen, just like a gentlemen. :) I can imagine this kindly Professor and his gentle and polite ways just reading this sentence.

Prof. Tan mentioned in lectures a few times how Singapore's secondary forests offers a beginners course on plant species, as it is a rain forest and species rich, yet not so rich that it overwhelms an amatuer.

Another quote from D. S. Johnson:

"To the overseas visitor Singapore offers a sample of tropical wildlife which can be observed easily, in comfort, and without danger. To the serious local naturalist it provides an almost unique opportunity to study the interaction of man and wild life in an urbanized equatorial setting."

In another famous book, The Wayside Trees of Malaya, Corner in his preface to the 3rd Edition address lover of plants a "plantsman" or "one who delights in living plants." Such beautiful language once again, leaves me in awed.

Botanical Monkeys

It all started out a few hours ago when I picked a book off the Plant Systematics Laboratory's library shelf.

Gardening in the Lowlands of Malaya by R. E. Holttum

Through which, another book was introduced.

Wayside trees of Malaya by E. J. H. Corner

What really interest me at first was how the photographs of the trees in the plates stated the location where the tree was sighted and photographed. The heritage trailer in me was thrilled!

And the strange preface:
Malayan Trees Who Cares to Know,
Upon His Shoulder Sits a Berok

What strange language, reminiscent of Lewis Caroll and John Lennon kind of Jabberwocky.

And what is a Berok?

On the dust jacket of the book was a ink sketch of a tree branch with an ape-like creature, tied to a string down to the ground, reaching down and a twig and leaf falling from it. What strange imagery for a book about trees!

Reading the book, we see photographs, not only of trees and also specimens. Which made me wonder, how did he get this specimen? He was mentioned to be a tall man, but he couldn't have been able to reach that high. There probably wasn't technology to reach up there. He couldn't have climbed, being an Englishman of that period and all.

I did a google search on the word "berok" and then it all made sense.

A pig-tailed ape. Macaca nemestrina. Botanical monkeys.

A review by Joseph Ewan on Corner's (1992) book entitled "Botanical monkeys" states: Plant collectors are bipedal but Corner has made it quadrupedal. In all the history of botany there has been nothing like enlisting monkeys to harvest flowers and fruit from tall trees.

=) Thrilling? Corner seems like a really interesting kind of botanist/Professor. haha.

15 minutes of writing a day keeps your grades increasing!

Let me write about the Fisherian runaway process. This is a process whereby sexual selection occurs when either a male has a trait that gives it advantage over another male, or when a female has a preference for a male with that trait. Which ever the reason, this would result in an increase in intensity for that preference. The females who mate with such males, would not only confer the genetic trait to her sons, but also confer the preference for that genetic trait to her daughters. This process would go on until those males not selected for become selected for, I presume this would be when there are changes in the environment; or until the females change their preference and no longer select for males with such trait.

This is my feeble attempt at 15 minutes of writing a day.

Perhaps, I should switch to writing on paper instead as suggested by Wee Foong so that I can simulate exam conditions even more.

Orang Utan Dies in Freak Accident [Straits Times 14th February]

Let me apply my Animal Behaviour knowledge here to a real life example, though incomplete it may be.

We all know that animals sometimes have a tendency to kill their young, kill their siblings, kill one another (cannibalism), whatever the reason. Whether knowing their young is diseased; whether knowing by removing a sibling, one is removing a competitor; whether knowing an animal of the same species' body would contain the nutrients the cannibal would need.

So why is it that when Atina, the baby orang utan was trapped in the hanging noose, and the zookeepers saw other orang utans tugging at her neck, and dislocating it, causing immediate death, assumed her mother, Anita, was trying to "free her" and not kill her? After all, but eliminating one fellow orang utan, one is removing a competition factor, and the orang utans might possibly think that, that means more food, more resources for me.

I think many will be shocked at my question. The ruthlessness of the animal kingdom. People might be shocked that these tamed orang utans could actually exhibit behaviour that is radically different from that of what our image of a mother should be towards her own flesh and blood. Or people might outrightly disagree with what I have said. After all, it's up to our interpretation of things and don't we often want to think the best of situations and people and animals? Talking about the anthropogenic view of things.

Or we could joke like Huanyan did that the zookeepers knew orang utan language and understood that the mother and the other orang utans were trying to save the child through their conversations over the commotion. ;) It actually didn't sound like a joke. haha :)

What is Science and the Scientific Method?

The latin word of Science is "to know".

Science is the systematic study of the natural world to obtain knowledge and understanding about it.

This systematic study is also known as the Scientific Method which consist of asking questions and forming possible answers to them (hypothesis) and testing them out though observation, experiment and/or modelling.

So who are Scientists? Scientists are people who ask questions about the natural world and attempt to find answers to these questions by applying the Scientific Method. Therefore, there is no standstill in Science, Scientist are constantly asking new questions, forming new hypothesis and updating whatever information we already have about the world. Scientist hold on to the most possible theories. They will not abandon a theory, unless they find a better one that can possibly explain a phenomenon. Say, the evolution theory. Unless one can find a better explanation as to why there are so many fossils that look like our ancestors around, why are our DNA so similar on so many counts etc etc, we will hold on to it. :)

Science is also a department of systemized knowledge as an object of study. (Merriam Webster) The science of theology. The science of the natural world. The science of philosophy. They have different premises. Like the science of theology is based on faith whereas the science of the natural world is not. Therefore, since their premise are different, it is unfair to use the methods of one, on another.

For example, using the methods of the Science of the Natural World on God. I have a question as to whether God exist. My hypothesis is hard if I search hard enough but cannot find him physically to identify Him, He must be extinct.

Or using the methods of the Science of Theology on the Natural World. I have a question of why the sun rises in the East and sets in the West. I hypothesize that if I pray hard enough I will be able to change God's mind to make the sun rise in the West and set in the east instead.

They don't match. Professor Tan was trying to explain to me. I don't understand it fully and am finding it difficult to express myself. May I be enlightened more and more.