Health Is Our First Wealth

“A healthy body is a guest chamber for the soul: a sick body is a prison.” - Francis Bacon

Interesting facts and trivia about our health, courtesy of Facebook pages ‘Body Truth’, ‘Pure Facts’, etc… However, I do not know if they are true. Some of them sound really incredible.

These are for educational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.

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Jumping rope is a weight-bearing exercise that places brief, repeated forces on the bones of the legs and hips. These forces stimulate bone remodeling, the natural process in which old bone is replaced with new bone, helping maintain or improve bone strength over time.

Research shows that regular weight-bearing and impact exercises, including jumping rope, can support bone health, especially when combined with adequate calcium, vitamin D, and resistance training. However, these benefits develop gradually over weeks to months rather than immediately.

There is no scientific evidence that bouncing barefoot shocks the bones or instantly makes weak bones thick enough to prevent or treat osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a medical condition that requires proper evaluation and, in some cases, medication and supervised exercise.

If you are new to jumping rope, begin with short sessions of 1–2 minutes on a supportive surface while wearing well-fitting athletic shoes, gradually increasing the duration as your fitness improves. People with osteoporosis, joint pain, or balance problems should consult a healthcare professional before starting high-impact exercise. – A Facebook post by ‘Pure Facts’

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Downward-Facing Dog is a yoga pose that stretches the calves, hamstrings, Achilles tendons, and the muscles along the back while also strengthening the shoulders, arms, and core.

Gently pressing your heels toward the floor can increase the stretch in the calves and Achilles tendons, helping improve flexibility and reduce feelings of stiffness over time. However, the pose does not lock the knee joints or instantly cure burning foot pain.

Morning foot pain can have many causes, including tight calf muscles, overuse, plantar fasciitis, or Achilles tendon problems. While regular stretching may help some people, persistent or severe pain should be evaluated by a healthcare professional to determine the underlying cause. To perform the pose, begin on your hands and knees, lift your hips toward the ceiling to form an upside-down "V," keep your spine long, allow a slight bend in the knees if needed, and gently press your heels toward the floor without forcing them down. Hold for 20–30 seconds, repeat 2–3 times, and breathe slowly throughout the stretch. – A Facebook post by ‘Pure Facts’

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Did you know? Your body begins losing muscle mass as early as your 30s. On average, adults lose about 0.5–1% of their muscle each year, and the decline accelerates with age if nothing is done to slow it.

This gradual loss, known as sarcopenia, isn't just about looking less muscular. Muscle is your body's metabolic engine — it helps regulate blood sugar, supports healthy bones, protects your joints, and allows you to stay strong and independent as you age. Losing muscle also means losing strength, balance, and the ability to perform everyday tasks with ease.

Research published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle shows that maintaining muscle mass is one of the strongest predictors of healthy aging, mobility, and longevity. Studies have also found that people with greater muscle strength tend to have a lower risk of falls, fractures, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

The encouraging news is that age-related muscle loss is not inevitable. Your muscles continue to respond to resistance training well into your 70s, 80s, and even 90s. Combined with adequate protein intake, regular strength training can help preserve — and often increase — muscle mass at almost any age.

You don't have to become a bodybuilder to protect your muscles. A few consistent strength sessions each week can make a remarkable difference over the years.

Try this: Aim for 2–3 full-body strength-training sessions each week and include 20–30 grams of high-quality protein with each meal. Exercises like squats, push-ups, rows, lunges, and resistance band workouts are excellent ways to build and maintain muscle for life. – A Facebook post by ‘Body Truth’

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The strongest predictor of how long you live isn't your heart or your bloodwork. It's the muscle on your thighs.

It sounds absurd until you see the data. Thigh muscle mass inversely correlates with mortality, which in plain English means the more muscle you carry on your legs, the lower your risk of dying from almost anything. And it doesn't stop at the body. Leg strength is one of the greatest correlates we have for preserving brain health as you age. Not crosswords. Not supplements. Your legs.

Your legs hold the largest muscles you own. They're your biggest glucose sink, your biggest myokine factory, and the clearest signal of whether you're still moving through the world under your own power. That's why researchers keep landing on it: strong legs aren't just a result of being healthy, they're a marker of everything that keeps you alive, metabolism, mobility, independence, resilience.

And leg muscle is the first thing to go. Quads shrink faster than almost any muscle group with age and inactivity, and most people lose it silently until the stairs get harder and they call it "getting old." It's not getting old. It's getting weak. And unlike most longevity markers, this one you can directly change. You can't train your genetics. You can train your legs.

The problem is that after 40, this accelerates right when leg strength matters most, and almost nobody trains for it properly. - A Facebook post by ‘Neurolab’

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The fitter you are, the less your heart has to work to keep you alive. Elite cyclists' hearts beat around 38 times a minute at rest. Yours might beat twice that, and that gap is one of the clearest signs of how strong your heart actually is.

Your resting heart rate is how many times your heart beats per minute doing absolutely nothing. The fitter you are, the lower it goes. Around 55 to 60 is fine. Tour de France athletes sit near 38. Here's why: a strong heart ejects more blood with every single beat, so it doesn't need to beat as often. One powerful contraction sends enough blood for the entire body, and the heart gets to rest. A weak, inefficient heart can't do that. It has to beat more often just to keep up, at rest, doing nothing. It never gets a break.

Think about it across a lifetime. Two hearts, same day: one beating 45 times a minute, one beating 75. That's tens of thousands of extra beats every single day, for decades, from a pump that was never trained to do the job in fewer. This is what aerobic training actually does. It doesn't just burn calories, it makes your heart a stronger pump and keeps your arteries elastic. Want your number? Measure it first thing in the morning, before you get out of bed. It's one of the simplest, most honest readouts of your fitness you'll ever get, and it moves when you train.

And here's what changes after 40: your heart is a muscle too, and like every muscle you own, it only stays strong if you keep giving it a reason to. After 40, nothing stays by default. Because training at 45 is nothing like training at 20, and nobody tells you that. - A Facebook post by ‘Neurolab’

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Feathered Friends

“A forest bird never wants a cage.” – Henrik Ibsen A peek into the world of our feathered friends.

Some interesting fun facts about birds – courtesy of Facebook pages ‘Plant Care Today’, ‘Zootopia’, ‘David Attenborough’, 'Animal WOrld' etc… However, I do not know if they are true. Some of them sound really incredible.

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The bait gets repositioned. The bird reads the water. Then it waits.

This is not instinct running on autopilot. Black-crowned night herons select objects — a leaf, a twig, a struggling insect — and place them deliberately on the surface. If nothing rises, the bird picks the bait up and tries a different spot. That is problem-solving. That is a plan.

Out of every heron species catalogued across the planet, only seven have been confirmed to do this. Seven. The rest wade and stab. These birds set traps.

What makes this hit differently is the timing. Black-crowned night herons do most of this work in low light — dusk, deep night, the grey edge of dawn. So the tool use is not even happening in ideal conditions. It is happening in darkness, with patience, using whatever the bird found on the bank.

Scientists classify bait-fishing as genuine tool use — the same cognitive category that once felt reserved for primates and crows. A stocky, red-eyed bird standing at a canal edge at midnight just quietly belongs in that conversation now.

Some minds do their sharpest thinking after dark. – A Facebook post by ‘Plant Care Today’

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With plumage as bright as a splash of tropical sunshine, the Silver-throated Tanager is one of Central and South America’s most striking canopy dwellers.

While its golden-yellow body and vivid green wings are hard to miss, its most fascinating feature is right under its beak: a brilliant, sharply defined patch of silvery-white feathers that looks almost like a metallic chin strap.

These highly social, energetic little birds rarely travel alone, often joining fast-moving, mixed-species flocks to zip through the misty cloud forests.

When they aren't hunting down small insects, they can be found acrobatically clinging upside down to rainforest branches, eagerly devouring berries and wild bananas. – A Facebook post by ‘Zootopia’

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The male black grouse in this image is perfectly showcasing its iconic "lyre-shaped" tail feathers and vibrant red eye combs, which are crucial assets during the spring breeding season.

These males gather in traditional communal display grounds, known as leks, where they engage in highly competitive and stylized showcases to win the attention of females.

Their displays are a dramatic mix of posturing, dancing, and a unique vocal medley of bubbling calls and sharp hissing sounds that can carry across the moorlands.

This striking behavior, combined with their distinctive contrast of deep blue-black plumage and stark white undertail coverts, makes them one of the most compelling and photogenic subjects in the avian world. – A Facebook post by ‘Zootopia’

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In April 2023, California Condor 316 laid an egg in a cliffside nest in Arizona shortly before succumbing to highly pathogenic avian influenza. Her mate, Condor 680, also became ill but remained devoted to the nest, incubating the egg alone for nearly three weeks despite growing dangerously weak from rarely leaving to feed or drink.

Recognizing that both the egg and the father were at risk, biologists from The Peregrine Fund carefully removed the egg during one of the male's brief absences. It was transported to Liberty Wildlife in Arizona, where veterinary specialists confirmed the egg was free of avian influenza. Because the chick was improperly positioned, veterinarians performed an assisted hatch, and on May 1, 2023, a healthy female chick emerged.

The young condor tested negative for the virus and was given the name **Milagra**, meaning "miracle" in Spanish — an unusual honor in a conservation program that normally identifies birds only by number. She was then transferred to The Peregrine Fund's breeding center in Boise, Idaho, where experienced foster condors raised her, ensuring she learned essential survival behaviors from other condors rather than humans. After more than a year of development, Milagra was released into the wild at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in Arizona on September 28, 2024. Soon after leaving the release pen, she began feeding beside an older male condor who was later identified as Condor 680, her biological father. Although researchers believe the birds likely did not recognize their family relationship, the moment became a powerful symbol of one of the California condor recovery program's most remarkable conservation successes. Today, Milagra represents hope for one of North America's rarest birds and demonstrates how dedicated wildlife conservation can help save a species from the brink of extinction. - A Facebook post by David Attenborough

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This is the Green-headed Tanager!

The Green-headed Tanager is one of the most colorful birds in South America. Found in the Atlantic rainforests of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, it has a shimmering green head, turquoise-blue body, black wings, and a bright yellow chest.

These lively birds travel in small flocks, feeding on fruits, berries, insects, and nectar while helping spread seeds throughout the forest.

Did you know? The Green-headed Tanager's brilliant colors don't come only from pigments — tiny microscopic structures in its feathers reflect light, creating its dazzling rainbow appearance! - A Facbook post by ‘Animal World’

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Olive Trees

I have seen olive trees in Spain when I was holidaying there. I didn't expect to see olive trees in Singapore because I didn't think the climate here is conducive to their growth. Imagine my surprise on seeing that there is an olive grove here in Singapore, in the Flower dome.

Olea europaea or commonly known as the olive tree is native is an evergreen tree famous for producing edible olives and olive oil. It is possible to grow olive trees in Singapore, but it will not grow fruits due to Singapore's hot and humid tropical climate, and the lack of a distinct cool season. However, it is possible to keep a small olive tree in a pot as an ornamental plant.

The European olive tree (Olea europaea) is special because of its extreme longevity, enduring resilience in poor soils, and deep historical role as a global symbol of peace, wisdom, and healing across many ancient cultures and major religions.

Olive trees can live for hundreds, and sometimes thousands of years, continuing to bear fruit over generations. They thrive in dry, rocky Mediterranean climates and tolerate poor soil and minimal water. Even if the main trunk burns or is cut down, new shoots often rise from the deep root system.

It is said that olives help the heart and blood vessels by lowering bad cholesterol and reducing blood pressure with healthy fats. They also support the brain, gut, and skin through powerful plant antioxidants. That is why nowadays, Olive oil are preferred over other cooking oils because they are believed to be healthier. Some people also used it as a salad dressing.

Pure, unmixed olive oil is known as virgin oil. And the oil from the first cold pressing is known as Extra virgin oil. It is said one olive produces only one drop of Extra virgin oil. The oil from subsequent pressings are of lower quality.

If you believe in Feng Shui, olive trees are considered very good Feng Shui. They represent peace, abundance, longevity, and resilience, bringing a calm and stable Wood element energy to your space.

There are about half a dozen olive trees in the flower dome. They all look like hundreds of year old.

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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Quips And Quotes

Quips – a witty or funny observation or response, usually made on the spur of the moment, or it could be a clever, usually taunting remark.

Enjoy this selection of humorous quips. They are funny but at the same time, there is truth in some of these quips.

Life is too short to waste it worrying about things you have no control over. So, relax, laugh as heartily as you can, as often as you can. It is through humour, and laughter, that we soften some of life’s demand on us. And once we can find laughter, no matter how painful the situation might be, we can survive it.

May your days be filled with laughter.

Image created on Canva

I decided as long as I was going to hell, I might as well do it thoroughly. - Edward Cullen

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. - Mark Twain

‘Vegetarian’ is an old Indian word for ‘bad hunter.’ - Unknown

Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong. - Oscar Wilde

Wine is bottled poetry. - Robert Louis Stevenson

Any fool can tell the truth. It requires a man of some sense to lie well. - Unknown

I don’t necessarily agree with everything I say. - Marshall McLuhan

Don't lend money to friends – it causes amnesia. - Unknown

Not only does my mind wander... sometimes it walks off completely. – Unknown

It is better to lose a lover than love a loser. - Unknown

Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain. - Lily Tomlin

Sometimes, too much to drink is barely enough. - Mark Twain

Image created on Canva

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Hibiscus

Hibiscus is a genus of plants in the family Malvaceae native to the tropics and subtropics. The genus is quite large, comprising 319 species. Hibiscus are renowned for their large, showy flowers and those species are commonly known simply as "hibiscus", or less widely known as rose mallow. – Wikipedia

"Hibiscus" is the standard English name for the plant, though it is also commonly called rose mallo. The standard Spanish word for hibiscus is el hibisco.

They are divided into two main varieties – Hardy hibiscus and Tropical hibiscus. Hardy hibiscus flowers are big and showy whereas Tropical hibiscus flowers are smaller.

A hibiscus bush. There are many of these in and around Arroyo de la Miel. Healthy green bushes with big flashy flowers of red, pink, orange and white. Although the flowers last only one to two days, healthy hibiscus plants make up for it by producing a continuous succession of new blooms throughout their growing seasonal.

The hibiscus is quite a hardy plant. It does not need to be watered every day, and they do well whether it is in a pot or in the ground.

Hibiscus is special because its vibrant flowers combine striking tropical beauty with powerful antioxidant properties and a unique tart, cranberry-like flavor used worldwide in traditional drinks and remedies.

Apparently, drinking hibiscus tea daily can lower blood pressure, boost antioxidants, and support heart health. But before you go into that, it is better to check with your health provider.

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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Biology - Briefly

The Human Body is an amazing work of Creation.

Some interesting fun facts, trivias about our body – courtesy of Facebook pages ‘Inside Biology’, ‘Human Scope’, ’ etc… However, I do not know if they are true. Some of them sound really incredible.

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Your Kidneys Never Stop working

Right now, while you're reading this, sleeping, eating, walking, or simply sitting still, your kidneys are quietly performing one of the most important jobs in your entire body.

You probably don't think about them very often. You don't consciously tell them what to do. You don't give them instructions. Yet every minute, they are processing blood plasma, carefully regulating what stays inside your body and what needs to leave.

Your kidneys help remove waste products from your blood while also helping regulate water, electrolytes, acid-base balance, and blood pressure. And here's the fascinating part...They don't simply act like basic filters. They are incredibly selective.

Useful substances can be reabsorbed and returned to your circulation, while unwanted substances are concentrated and eventually removed through urine.

It's an astonishing balancing act. Too much water? Your kidneys can adjust how much water you retain. Too little? They can conserve more.

Certain electrolytes need to be maintained within a narrow range? Your kidneys continuously adjust their handling of them.

Waste needs to leave? They help make sure it does.

And all of this happens without you consciously thinking about it. Imagine trying to manually control this system. You would have to constantly monitor your blood chemistry, water levels, electrolytes, waste products, and countless other variables.

But your body does it automatically. While you're asleep. While you're exercising. While you're eating. While you're completely distracted. Your kidneys simply keep working.

Inside each kidney are roughly a million tiny functional units called nephrons. These microscopic structures participate in the filtration and selective reabsorption processes that help maintain the composition of your internal environment.

Think about that for a moment. Inside organs you rarely notice, microscopic structures are constantly helping maintain the chemical conditions necessary for your cells to survive.

Your body isn't just alive. It's constantly maintaining itself. And perhaps the strangest part isn't that your kidneys filter your blood. It's how precisely they can distinguish between substances your body needs to retain and substances that need to be eliminated.

They don't have eyes. They don't think. They don't make conscious decisions. Yet their microscopic machinery performs an extraordinarily complex process of biological selection.

So the next time you drink water, eat a meal, or simply wake up in the morning, remember: Your kidneys have been working the entire time. Silently. Automatically. Without asking for your attention.

And that leaves us with one fascinating question... How does your body know what to keep… and what to throw away? - A Facebook post by ‘Biosecrets’

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AORTA: The largest artery in your body

The aorta is the main artery that carries oxygen-rich blood away from your heart and distributes it throughout your body. Every heartbeat sends blood into this powerful vessel, which is built to handle constant pressure while supplying vital organs and tissues.

Your heart pumps. Your aorta delivers. Your entire body depends on it.

A simple artery — but an extraordinary piece of human anatomy. - A Facebook post by ‘Human Scope’

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YOUR BODY — A 24/7 Miracle of Coordination

Your body is performing an unbelievable amount of work every second — without you consciously controlling most of it. Billions of cells are communicating. Your heart keeps pumping. Your lungs exchange gases. Your brain processes information. Your nervous system sends signals nonstop.

All of these systems work together, every second, every minute, every hour. You don’t have to think about keeping yourself alive. Your body is already doing the work. The human body is one of the most complex systems on Earth.

Did you realize how much is happening inside you right now? – A Facebook post by ‘ Human Scope’

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Your body has emergency reset switches built into it. Most people have never been shown where they are.

Can't Switch Off? Lying awake, mind still running. Try this. Blink slowly and deliberately for 60 seconds. The sustained eye movement fatigues the visual system and signals the brain to downshift. No screen. No pill. Just your own biology doing what it was designed to do.

Blocked Up at 3am? Press your tongue firmly to the roof of your mouth and hold it there. This stimulates the sphenopalatine ganglion which is a nerve cluster sitting directly behind the nasal passages. The pressure can shift blood flow and ease congestion fast. No spray. No getting out of bed.

Nervous Before Something Big? Cover your right nostril. Breathe only through the left for two minutes. Left nostril breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system which is your body's built-in brake. Heart rate slows. The stress response quiets. It takes two minutes and works whether you believe it will or not.

Heart Pounding From Anxiety? Place your hand on your chest. Exhale very slowly for eight seconds. A long exhale directly activates the vagus nerve, which signals the heart to slow down. This isn't a relaxation technique. It's a hard physiological mechanism. Use it anywhere. Any time. It works fast.

No Energy and No Time? Splash cold water on your face for 30 seconds. Cold water on the face triggers the dive reflex which is an automatic nervous system response that redirects oxygenated blood to the brain and vital organs. Alertness increases within seconds. No caffeine. No waiting.

Brain Blocked? Do something familiar with your non-dominant hand. Brush your teeth. Stir your coffee. Write a sentence. Your brain is forced to recruit new neural pathways for a task it normally runs on autopilot. Two minutes of this measurably increases cross-hemispheric brain activity. Creativity and problem-solving follow.

Why Nobody Taught You This: These aren't hacks. They're built-in biological systems. The vagus nerve. The dive reflex. The parasympathetic brake. Your body was designed with these switches. You just never got the manual. Most people spend their whole lives one layer above their own biology, never really knowing what's available to them.

The Real Problem: Knowing these tools helps in the moment. But if your nervous system is chronically dysregulated, wired by day, restless at night then moments of relief aren't enough. The root is almost always the same. Disrupted sleep. Unregulated stress cycles. A nervous system that never fully recovers.

Your Next Step: Every tool in this carousel works on the surface of something deeper. Your nervous system needs a foundation, not just emergency exits. Sleep is where that foundation is built or broken. But if your nervous system is chronically dysregulated, moments of relief aren't enough. The foundation is always sleep.

For educational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional before making changes to your health routine.

– A Facebook post by ‘Mindset Power Shifts’

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THYMUS: The training center for your immune system

Hidden behind your breastbone, the thymus plays an important role in training T cells — specialized immune cells that help your body recognize potential threats. It is especially active during childhood and gradually changes as you age.

Small organ. Big responsibility. A hidden part of your immune system working behind your chest. – A Facebook post by ‘Human Scope’

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FOVEA — the tiny spot in your eye responsible for your sharpest, most detailed vision.

Hidden at the center of your retina, the fovea is packed with cone cells that help you read words, recognize faces, see fine details, and perceive color with incredible precision.

It’s tiny. But without it, the world wouldn’t look nearly as sharp.

Your eyes are far more complex than they appear. – A Facebook post by ‘Human Scope’

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LYMPHATIC VALVES

Your body has tiny one-way doors hidden inside its lymphatic vessels — and they help keep lymph moving in the right direction.

Unlike your heart, the lymphatic system doesn’t have one central pump. Movement, pressure, and muscle contractions help push lymph forward, while these valves help prevent it from flowing backward.

This microscopic system helps maintain fluid balance, transport immune cells, and support your body's defense against infection.

The human body is working silently 24/7. – A Facebook post by ‘Human Scope’

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Leukemia is a group of blood cancers that usually begins in the bone marrow, where blood cells are produced. Abnormal blood cells can interfere with the production of healthy red blood cells, platelets, and normal white blood cells.– A Facebook post by ‘Inside Biology’

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CAROTID BODY

Hidden near the major arteries in your neck are tiny sensors called carotid bodies. They constantly monitor changes in your blood — especially oxygen levels, carbon dioxide, and acidity. When something changes, they rapidly signal your brain to adjust your breathing.

You don’t think about it. You don’t control it. It happens automatically. Every breath is part of a system working silently to keep your body balanced.

Some of your most important sensors are almost invisible. – A Facebook post by ‘Human Scope’

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OSTEOCLASTS

Your bones are not static. They are constantly being broken down and rebuilt.

Osteoclasts are specialized cells that remove old or damaged bone, creating space for new bone to form. This continuous remodeling helps maintain bone strength and structure.

Your skeleton is being renewed while you live, even when you never notice it. Destruction is part of the process. Rebuilding is the purpose. – A Facebook post by ‘Human Scope’

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The World of Animals

“We can't change the world for animals without changing our ideas about animals. We have to move from the idea that animals are things, tools, machines, commodities, resources here for our use to the idea that as sentient beings they have their own inherent value and dignity.” - Andrew Linzey

A peek into the world of animals. I think it is good that we learn something about the animals that share our wonder-ful world.

Here are some fun facts and trivia about animals, courtesy of Facebook pages ‘Strangest Facts’ ‘Wild Wonders’, 'Amazing World, 'Colours of Nature' etc… However, I do not know if they are true. Some of them sound really incredible.

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When Komodo dragon babies hatch, they act fast. Right after breaking out of their eggs, the tiny dragons run and scramble up into nearby trees. Climbing is their first move because the ground is full of danger and they are small and easy to catch.

One big danger is their own kind. Some adult Komodos will eat young dragons if they find them, so staying up in the branches keeps the hatchlings out of reach. The trees give them a safe place to hide, sleep, and rest while they grow stronger. This instinct to climb helps many of them survive the risky first weeks of life.

Up in the trees the babies eat whatever they can catch, like insects, small lizards, and other tiny animals. These small meals help them grow until they are big enough to come down. As they get larger and tougher, they leave the trees and start living on the ground, where they can hunt larger prey and join the adult Komodos on the island. – A Facebook post by ‘Amazing World’

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It looks like a cute, innocent, fluffy little Yoda with giant adorable eyes. But in reality, it is the only 100% carnivorous primate on Planet Earth, and it hunts by violently snapping the necks of birds!

Welcome to the horrifying duality of the Spectral Tarsier, found in the jungles of Indonesia.

This tiny primate fits in the palm of your hand, but it is an absolute killing machine. Unlike monkeys that eat fruit and leaves, the Tarsier is a pure, unadulterated carnivore.

The Biological Sniper:
Its eyes are mathematically massive. In fact, a single eyeball is heavier than the animal's entire brain! Because the eyes are so huge, they are physically locked in their sockets and cannot move. To look around, the Tarsier evolved the ability to snap its neck 180 degrees exactly like an owl!

At night, it uses this super-vision to spot sleeping birds or giant lizards. It uses its powerful back legs to leap up to 10 feet silently through the dark canopy. It lands directly on the prey, using its razor-sharp teeth to instantly sever the victim's spinal cord in a single, devastating bite!

Cute face, demonic lifestyle! – A Facebook post by ‘Wildest Facts’

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Colugos, often called flying lemurs, are small, quiet animals that live in trees. Even though their nickname mentions lemurs, they are not true lemurs. They are actually the closest living relatives of primates, which makes them interesting to scientists who study how animals like monkeys and humans evolved.

These animals have a special skin membrane that stretches from their neck to their fingers, toes, and tail. This membrane works like a big parachute or glider wing. When a colugo needs to move, it can glide more than 100 meters between trees. Gliding helps them travel fast and stay safe up high without having to go down to the ground.

A mother colugo carries her baby wrapped inside that same skin membrane while they move through the treetops. The baby stays protected and close as the mother leaps and glides. Watching colugos is a reminder of how nature finds clever ways to keep animals safe and help them move in their homes among the trees. – A Facebook post by ‘Colours of Nature’

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The Nyala bull has a weapon that isn't a horn. He can raise the entire fluff of his neck and back at will — an erectile dorsal crest. He uses it to intimidate rivals and impress females, making himself look 40% bigger.

Forget the claws and fangs. The deadliest weapon in the African bush isn't for fighting. It's for looking like an absolute boss.

When another male challenges him, he doesn't immediately charge. Instead, he triggers a hidden biological mechanism: the long, shaggy fringe of hair on his neck and back stands straight up. This "erectile dorsal crest" is a specialized organ that can be voluntarily raised like a peacock's tail. It's an instant, inflatable power suit that makes him appear 40% larger, often scaring off rivals without any bloodshed. They will then perform a slow-motion "dance," circling each other in a bizarre, high-stepping ritual more like a ballet than a brawl.

But if that fails, the dance ends and the true brutality begins. Those magnificent horns aren't just for show; they are double‑twisted weapons that can be used in fights severe enough to lead to death.

The most mind-blowing part? The "teenage" males are so scared of the dominant bulls that they camouflage themselves. Young males keep their coats the same dusty reddish-brown color as the females, essentially hiding in plain sight to avoid the wrath of the older titans until they are big enough to fight back.

Scientists still can't fully explain this biological "power suit."

The Nyala bull is a walking contradiction. A gentle giant who uses cosmetics to win wars, a shaggy-haired king who would rather dance than die, and a sharp-horned executioner who prefers to simply look the part. – A Facebook post by ‘Wild Wonders’

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The bushy‑tailed mongoose is a master of chemical warfare — and her weapon isn't made in her own body. She steals it directly from her prey.

Here's the wild part: this mongoose actively hunts poisonous creatures like millipedes. While those toxins would nauseate or kill almost any other predator, the mongoose's gut breaks them down. She doesn't stop there. She literally absorbs the chemical compounds and secretes them through her skin, building a powerful olfactory shield that signals "danger" to other predators.

This is a case of chemical kleptomania — stealing a defense from your food to keep bigger hunters away. It's one of the most bizarre survival hacks in the animal kingdom.

And just to make her even harder to find, she's a completely nocturnal forest ghost. The bushy‑tailed mongoose lives in the shadows of lowland forests and floodplains. She's so good at hiding that camera‑trappers in Tanzania captured more pictures of her species than any other carnivore there. She's the undisputed queen of being seen without being spotted.

Plus, she helps her ecosystem by dispersing seeds from the fruits she eats — making her a secret hero of her own habitat. – A Facebook post by ‘Wild Wonders’

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Hot, Humid and Hazy

Welcome to hot, humid, hazy Singapore. Just so you know, it is not like this throughout the year. The haze happens around this time of the year and it is usually not so bad. But this year, because if El Nino the haze is a lot thicker.

It’s 33C today and the humidity is 70%. The humidity is still not too bad. There are days when it was 90%. Still, it feels a lot more humid than what the numbers are showing. The 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) remains in the unhealthy range across the island, peaking at 134 in central areas due to prevailing south-easterly or south-westerly winds, pushing smoke plumes from Sumatra and Kalimantan toward Singapore.

According to a report, Indonesia’s severe 2026 wildfire season has burned roughly 8,578 square kilometers of land so far. Droughts and high temperatures driven by El Nino have supercharged the fire season, making it the most intense in over a decade. Toxic smoke has drifted across borders, impacting air quality in neighbouring Malaysia, Singapore, and parts of the Philippines

People are advised to reduce vigorous outdoor activities when air quality reaches elevated or unhealthy levels. The lderly, pregnant women, and people with chronic heart or lung conditions are advised to avoid outdoor exertion or to wear an N95 mask if they need to spend extended periods outdoors.

Here are some photos of the haze taken while I was out on my afternoon walk.

The sun above the apartment block shrouded by a layer of haze.

There are still people jogging and cycling.

I came upon this monster blocking my path. Luckily, he moved on and I was able to go on my way

Lovely flowers along the walk path.

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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About This Blog

I started this blog many years ago as a place to back up stuff that I am interested in – mostly my huge collection of quotes, to begin with. Later, there were the humour images and other stuff on the internet that I was interested in. I wasn’t confident enough to write then.

Slowly, over the years, I started writing. Now, in between stuff I pinched from the internet, I write the occasional post. Nothing rocket science, mostly mundane stuff about what I have been up to. And the occasional musing of topics about life.

Maintaining this blog keeps me busy, and it helps me learn new things, about life and the world I live in. It also helps with my English. As we know, with languages, if you don’t use it, you lose it.

I thank you for stopping by, and for taking time to read my posts. I hope you find them useful, or beneficial in one way or another. Cheers!

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Follow me if you find my posts interesting. If you know of anyone who might appreciate them, do recommend the blog to them. Cheers!

Doha Airport

Right. Holidays are over and I am now back home in Singapore. I flew with Qatar Airways and had to transit at Doha Airport for my connecting flight between Malaga and Singapore. Doha airport is huge. For someone who is directionally challenged, like me, the airport is like a maze. It was quite a job finding my way around. After several trips, I am slowly beginning to have an idea where is where.

Hamad International Airport is an international airport in Qatar, and the home base of the national flag carrier airline, Qatar Airways. Located east of the capital, Doha, it replaced the nearby Doha International Airport as Qatar's principal and main national airport and one of the busiest airports in the Middle East. – Wikipedia

Doha airport is a multi-award-winning travel hub that “blends world-class amenities with cutting-edge design”. It was recognised as one of the World’s Best Airports and won Best Airport in ME for the 11th time at the 2025 Skytrax World Airport Awards.

Wander past giant sculptures,

or relax in a tropical garden before your next flight.

ORCHARD is a 6,000 square meter indoor tropical garden with over 300 trees and over 25,000 plants and shrubs sourced from sustainable forests around the world. It also boasts a 575 sqm water feature, which is an aquatic plant-filled sustainable bio pond. It is illuminated with natural light through a grid shell roof, with performance glass to control and filter the light required to maintain a rainforest of mature trees.

This installation is the “Wild table of Love in Doha” bronze sculpture by artists Gillie and Marc, located in The Orchard indoor garden at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qata. A public art installation meant to symbolize harmony, coexistence, and wildlife conservation.

It features a massive banquet table where various endangered and native animals from around the world and Qatar sit together. The artwork highlights the loss of global wildlife and promotes awareness for protecting endangered species.

Visitors can sit on the bronze stools alongside the animals for photos.

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you find my posts interesting. If you know of anyone who might appreciate them, do recommend the blog to them. Cheers!