Wild animals are — guess what — wild.

Posted on by March 13, 2021
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Sad news out of Sabah. A young Australian tourist died while apparently — if news sources are to be trusted — taking photos with a flash of a single bull elephant in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve. From just 10 metres away.
I am so saddened by this whole incident. An unnecessary death of such a young person, with so much to offer the world.
She was a vet, and I find it a little surprising that someone so experienced with pets would not be a bit more wary of wild animals. If a domestic cute dog can bite when cornered and frightened…what is the logical expectation of a wild animal?
On two separate occasions I saw herds of wild elephants in Sabah. I also saw how they were respected by the guides of the Danum Rainforest Lodge. They would never have dreamed of deliberately getting ten metres from an elephant in an a tough off-road vehicle, let alone on foot. So what was the guide at Tabin thinking?? Or did the visitors he was guiding ignore his advice?

 Here’s the photo I took of a herd of elephants at Danum, through the windscreen of a 4WD. The guide stopped the car and did NOT approach any closer. He knows the elephants.

Elephant culture is such that the boss of the herd is the matriarch. Males leave the herd in their “teenage” years and are henceforth never a permanent member of the group. They are known to be irascible and sometimes aggressive, also susceptible to “musth” or periods of testosterone overload when they are absolutely unpredictable.
Who on earth thought it was ok to step up to a bull elephant and take a photo? Sabah rainforest ain’t no zoo!
In one way, I blame these plentiful wild animal TV shows, where we are shown details of a bug strolling across a lion’s mane, giving the impression that the cameraman was within stroking distance of the lion king. Believe me, she was not. The modern cameras these guys lug around can take that same shot from 500m away.
Worse still are the animal wanglers, wrestling everything from snakes to fish to crocodiles into submission in the name of “science” (pah!) as if they were cute cuddly teddy bears. They either have a death wish, or they are supported by a whole team of people with cattle prods and stun guns and tasers and anaesthetic darts and nets and poison antidotes.
Wild animals are ….WILD. You keep your distance.
Yeah, I know there are greedy opportunists selling you bags of peanuts so you can give them to the monkeys at some tourist spots. DON’T. Worse still, don’t give the bag to your cute 3-year old daughter to feed that monkey (which I have seen stupid Malaysian parents do). Have you had a good look at the canine teeth on an adult macaque lately? They are as long as my thumb.
I’ve spent many weeks in the rainforest, camping in flimsy tents, walking the trails knowing there were tigers in the vicinity, seeing the leopard and bear tracks, having the orang utan throw things at out boat in anger because he thought we were too close (we were actually too far away to be hit), seeing the cobras and the vipers. I am not particularly nervous, but believe me, I don’t do anything stupid either. It’s wild out there.

Using the moments between now and next…

Posted on by March 13, 2021
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I have always maintained that I can write anywhere. If I was the kind of writer who could only create in a silent study with the door closed, I’d never have been published.
Me with my Mac in Perlis State Park a few days back
The formative writing years crafting my skills were to the background of children’s squabbles, and constant interruptions. Later, the years as a published writer coincided with my career working on projects to do with the ornithological component of the Malaysian rainforest. That meant loads of travel — by boat, plane, car or on foot with a backpack; staying everywhere and anywhere, from 5 star accommodation complete with imported Dead Sea salts in the marble bathroom (I kid you not), to a tent in a peat swamp complete with bears raiding the food in the middle of the night (not kidding there, either); from bathing in a stagnant water pool half a kilometre away down a steep slope, to sleeping on bare concrete floors in a hut full of sandflies.
This the the row of chalets where we were staying In Perlis State Park
 Fortunately or unfortunately, editors in far off places don’t care what an author does in other facets of her life — they want manuscripts handed in on time, copy edits done in a turn around of two weeks, proof reading completed in a couple of days. So, a wise writer with another job learns not to be too picky about writing environments and to write in airports or trains if that’s what it takes, copy edit by candlelight if need be, and do the proofs at lunchtime in Starbucks. Or worse. (I seem to remember reading somewhere that Jane Austen wrote at boring family  gatherings by standing at the mantelshelf scribbling in her notebook, but I can’t remember the reference to check it…)
The view out of the back door after rain
Luckily, our recent trip to Perlis State Park up near the Thai border was a lovely place to write. My husband was taking students on field work; I tagged along and wrote.
The chalet in the evening
What better place than on that little porch overlooking the stream? (Usually the water is clearer than that, but it was raining.)
The view out of the front door

The journey to Perlis is long — more than 500 kms — but most of it is straight highway and a smooth run. so when I wasn’t driving, I wrote, achieving about 1,000 words going up and a similar number on the way back.

From the back porch
View from the bedroom window
Sometimes seats and table for writers are provided…
Ok, so on this trip I lucked out!
It’s not always so good. But learn to use a few minutes here, and a few minutes there. Learn to shut out the noise and the curious glances. Learn to write when you aren’t necessarily comfortable, when you have to watch out for the leeches (yeah, Perlis State Park after rain was rife with them, even in the chalet!).  Becoming a published writer isn’t easy, especially for someone who already has a job. It takes time and effort. So learn to use the moments in between here and there, between now and next… 

They mount up, those minutes — and so do the words.

Fun with Fungus

Posted on by March 13, 2021
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 Almost all taken by my husband, all found in Perlis, most in Perlis State Park. I always think there is something sort of fairytale-like about fungus. Maybe it goes back to those childhood books – illustrations in “Alice in Wonderland”, or that picture of the fairy sitting on a mushroom in “The Little Green Door to Fairyland”…
From the huge (above) to the delicately small (below)
 And above we have the not yet mature intruders in a pot plant
And here they are again, a little later, in their adult splendour.

Some animals from Perlis State Park

Posted on by March 13, 2021
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Warning: if you can’t tell the difference between a centipede an a millipede, don’t pick them up. Millipedes are relatively harmless — unless you want to eat one — have 2  pairs of legs per segment, and are vegetarians. Centipede bites are nasty, they are carnivores and have one pair of legs per segment.
**Please note the correction on the frog species as per the comments from Budak in Singapore

Pill millipede (can roll itself up into a tight ball)
Millipede — Narceus?
This is probably a unknown beetle instar (larval stage)5mm. Found on a fungus.
**Copper-cheeked frog Hydrophylax raniceps
Forest snails
The Three-striped Ground Squirrel getting into the rubbish bin…

Forests of Perlis

Posted on by March 13, 2021
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Because it’s pretty…
Photos 2, 3 &4 show different lianas, creepers. Unfortunately the ordinary Malaysian doesn’t even know what these are, believe it or not. There was a photo of one in The Star newspaper the other day, calling it a strangler fig. Sigh. This country is one of the top biodiversity hotspots of the world, and the average Malaysian never sets foot inside  a primary forest. If the do, they don’t actually SEE anything, or understand what they see.

Spider? Moving pile of trash? Alien invasion?

Posted on by March 13, 2021
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What is this?
We have no idea. It was snapped in Perlis by my husband, and is about 2cm (less than an inch) across.
The scary thing was that it … moved. Yes, this heap of trash was alive. Sentient.
It appears to have legs. 
And are those sticky-out things antennae beaming messages to a hovering spacecraft?
It also seems to be carrying several dead bodies around with it, possibly insects and snails…

Is it a master of disguise? “Look, I’m just the local rubbish dump..” Is it perhaps some kind of street sweeper or trash collector on its daily rounds? Or a mortuary assistant collecting the dead?

Spider?  Land crab? Nanotechnology gone feral? 
Click to enlarge.
I have no idea, but would appreciate opinions….

And the answer has come in from Budak in Singapore. Check out the comments.

PERLIS: a favourite state

Posted on by March 13, 2021
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We had a long weekend last week, so we headed north to tiny Perlis, Peninsular Malaysia’s most north-western state, bordering Thailand. It’s also one of my favourites simply because it is stunningly beautiful.
 Above: Imagine yourself standing there listening to the calls of the White-handed Gibbons (they sound as if they are whooping up a football victory), while overhead two Crested Serpent Eagles display in courtship ritual and a troop of Dusky Langurs watch, their white spectacled faces making them look cross-eyed…
 Above: You can shop cheaply if that’s your wish, buying their rice and fish products…
 Or just enjoy the vistas of limestone outcrops, rainforest, ricefields and plantations (teak and rubber and oilpalm)
 Above: Lake Timah-Tasoh (artificial)
 There is nothing quite as brightly green and fresh as newly-planted rice. It’s such a vivid paintbox green…
And alas, there are also signs that even here there are the thieves and robbers that so blight Malaysia. Below, the brass(?) plate that once adorned this viewpoint to indicate what you are looking at is missing.
These metal thefts are beyond a joke. They cost the government millions of dollars — thieves have stolen metal from pylons causing them to fall, from electric sub-stations with obvious power outages; they’ve stolen guard railings, ornamental fences, lamposts, and anything they can lay their greedy little hands on.
For us, also last week, this almost had a dreadful result. They stole the drainage grating in front of our gate. My husband fell into the hole. He is seventy and the result could have been ghastly, especially as the drain is well over a metre deep. Fortunately, he sustained no more than a severely bruised and skinned and bloodied knee, not to mention a ruined suit.
Did we report it? No. Everyone knows that would be a pointless exercise — no police station would take it seriously. A pity really. If all the other five million or so people (my conservative estimate)  who have all lost gates, drain covers, and other small metal fixtures actually bothered to report the thefts, maybe the authorities would take these thefts seriously. How difficult is it to raid the metal yards and take a look at what they have that they have no explanation for? How many people have they killed so far by stealing the things that keep us safe? When do Malaysians say enough is enough?
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Sjogren’s

Posted on by March 13, 2021
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This is the only post I am going to make on this subject. I do not want to be one of these people obsessed with their physical problems. They are best forgotten whenever one can!!

After some months of discomfort with an extraordinarily dry mouth that wasn’t cured by drinking water, and scratchy eyes that felt as if I had something in them (if you’ve ever had conjunctivitis, you might know the feeling), I went to have a proper check up. This included a thorough eye test which included looking at tear production (which was abnormally low) and blood studies (which were normal) and a biopsy of my saliva glands (also normal).

Because of my symptoms — and other side problems (osteoarthritis and pain, weakness, problems with concentration and focus, which may or may not be related) — the specialist decided it was probably Sjogren’s Syndrome, which is an auto-immune disease.  You can read a summary about it here, if you wish. It is incurable, but not usually fatal unless you are really, really unlucky. It can make life pretty miserable, or be fairly mild in its symptoms. At the moment, the latter is where I am at right now, although I don’t think I could survive without eyedrops. In fact, not using them would probably lead to corneal scarring. I am on a drug which I hope might improve other symptoms, especially the saliva problem. (If that gets really bad, it can affect speech and digestion).

Given all the kinds of things that can happen to someone of my age, this is really not so bad. In fact I feel I’m very very lucky when I read of people so much younger becoming ill with more serious autoimmune diseases or unpleasant things like cancer.

 I don’t expect it to make much difference to my life at this stage. I may write a little slower, but I think I can still manage one book a year. I shall still be doing all the other things that I’ve been doing in the past, like attending conventions, travelling, etc. Fatigue does make me a little slower at most things, but then that probably goes for most people as they grow older anyway.

Generally, then, I’m determined to stay fit and not to let this wretched syndrome dominate my life.

Titles again

Posted on by March 13, 2021
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Well, the last lot of titles had a pretty resounding “No way!”
So I am trying another title poll (see sidebar on the left) — this one would be for the first book of the trilogy.

“THE LASCAR’S DAGGER”

It’s possible some of you may not know the word ‘lascar’ as it is something specific to the Asian region, or to British history. Feel free to answer the poll anyway.

AFTER doing the poll, if you don’t know the word, come back and read the definition below, adapted from the Wikipedia article if you want…

____________________________________
LASCAR
Also Lashkar, Laskar.

A sailor or militiaman from the Indian Subcontinent or other countries east of the Cape of Good Hope, employed on European ships from the 16th century until the beginning of the 20th century.

The word comes from the Persian language, meaning military camp or army, and the Arabic word for a guard or soldier. The Portuguese adapted this term to lascarim, meaning an Asian militiaman or seaman. Lascars served on British ships under ‘lascar’ agreements. These agreements allowed shipowners more control than was the case in ordinary articles of agreement. The sailors could be transferred from one ship to another and retained in service for up to three years at one time. The name lascar was also used to refer to Indian servants, typically engaged by British military officers.

Help!! A Poll on book titles…

Posted on by March 13, 2021
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NOTE: There are 2 polls…

As many of you know, I absolutely suck at choosing good book titles. So between now and the time when I actually submit book 1 of the trilogy, I shall probably poll you, my readers, several times about titles.

What happens after that is usually that the publisher says something very polite, which  translated is “You suck at choosing good titles”, after which we start all over again…

This trilogy is about colonialism and the spice trade in mythical lands, fighting evil, with loads of nature-based magic.

You will see two polls in the sidebar to the left, with some titles. One poll is for the individual books of the trilogy; the other is for the trilogy title.

A good title is one that would prompt you to pick up the book!

NOTE: you can choose as many titles as you like.