Pandas in Singapore

Singapore is quite a new city (and thus has no important historic monuments to speak of); it also doesn't have much of an arts/cultural scene. There are no mountains or other dramatic natural features and while there are beaches, their close proximity to one of the world's busiest container ports and oil processing centers (the world's fifth-biggest oil refinery is here) means they are not very appealing. Yet the government very much wants Singapore to be a tourist destination. What to do?

One answer is apparently zoos. Singapore is better supplied in this area than any other place I have been or heard of. There's a national zoo, a bird zoo, a turtle zoo, an insect zoo, a night zoo and two aquariums (one of which is the largest in the world). And because that is obviously not enough, the government just recently built a River Zoo, which showcases animals living in river environments (mammals, lizards, fish, etc). 

The star exhibit of the new zoo is the Panda Enclosure (which confuses me, as I think of pandas living in remote mountains in landlocked central China: certainly they seem completely non-aquatic when viewed). It is a huge (over 16,000 square feet) air-conditioned "bio-dome". That way the pandas can enjoy their pool, waterfall and multiple enclosures (linked by tunnels) without having to suffer through Singapore's tropical weather. It is really nice (I would totally live there!).

Naturally I've taken R to see the pandas several times (I think three?). I have seen them elsewhere (at the San Francisco Zoo, when they were visiting, and at the zoos in San Diego and Washington DC, which is pretty good considering only 41 pandas live outside of China!!). Plus in China (in fact, my mother got to hold a baby panda IN HER LAP, feeding him bits of bamboo dipped in honey. It cost about $250, a bargain considering there are only about 2000 giant pandas in the entire world). They aren't quite that accommodating in Singapore, but you CAN get quite close to the red pandas at least.

Pandas are actually not that cute in person. This is because while their basic physical appearance is so cute it looks engineered, their personalities are not especially charming. When very young, they tumble around actively (leading to seriously darling action like this), but as they age they become more and more sleepy and comatose, until they barely move at all. Their lives (at least in the zoo) are: sleep, eat, poop (often more than one at once). I prefer the red pandas, which are also extremely cute but actually move around and seem aware of their surroundings.

R has therefore not yet been interested in pandas. What she likes is the associated branding: the next-door cafe serves quite decent Chinese food (at least by zoo cafeteria standards), including darling panda-themed cappucinos and red bean buns, which you can eat sitting on a panda chair. Then you can go next door and buy some panda souvenirs (so far R has a hat and little purse, but I'm sure will acquire more shortly). 

Honestly, I think I like panda branding and artwork better than the real ones too.

Toddler Dance Moves

R loves dancing lately. Here she is rocking out to the beat at the science museum (too bad about the sloppy outfit, we were on the way to go hiking when it suddenly started pouring and a change of plan was required.). She prefers punk, disco, Johnny Cash, and pop: so far I haven't been able to interest her in the blues or classical music (except Beethoven).

Dolphins and Humans as Coworkers

Your new coworker?

This story is possibly the coolest thing I have heard all year.

For over 150 years, fishermen and dolphins in a small village in southern Brazil have fished cooperatively. They work together to find and trap ocean fish (mostly mullet), splitting the catch. This system is the primary means of support for over 100 local families.

The dolphins and humans have developed a close working relationship. Some of the fisherman "report that their fathers and grandfathers fished before them, sometimes with the same individual dolphins". Because the humans know individual dolphins, it is possible to trace lines of descent: many of the dolphins, just like the fishermen, are following in their parents' "profession" (though it seems to be matrilineal for the dolphins).

Even though the dolphins work with the humans, they are completely wild animals. Fishing is controlled by the dolphins, and will not occur until one of the dolphins initiates it. The fisherman do not attempt to train or control the dolphins, and will never even try to touch them (as they don't want to "distract the dolphins from their work").

On both the human and dolphin sides, the fishing behavior requires a substantial amount of coordinated effort and communication (the dolphins use certain dives and other cues to "speak" to the men). Dolphins don't participate in the fishing until they are fully adult, suggesting that for them it really is learned and takes time to master.

The idea of humans working as equal partners with another species to complete a mutually-agreed upon task makes me feel really sentimental.

Pandas Are Awesomely Cute

All via China Smack (an awesome website about Chinese culture and politics; the NY Times always uses them (uncredited) for their stories):

The Real Kung Fu Panda:

A Truly Mean Panda:

My Dream Job (yes, that's real life staff at the Wolong Nature Reserve):

Friday Update: Travel and Making My Child Look Cute

Tomorrow we'll be on Tioman Island, a tropical island with lovely beaches off the coast of Malaysia. Whee! 

We're only there two nights because B has to go to work (boring!), but I am really looking forward to the break from the daily routine, especially given my mood lately. I am planning a trip to Penang next month as well, then in May my parents visit, and in June we are visiting the US again. Hopefully all this traveling will pep me up a little.

B thinks that I need to set goals for myself, so that I feel like I am making progress (unfortunately, mothering is basically a dead-end job and does not really give me a sense of accomplishment. Anything little R succeeds at becomes her triumph: I am just the roadie.). Neither of us wants me to start working yet (B made a face of horror at the idea: it is very nice for him to have me at home!), so I am going to try to recommit to exercising regularly (this has been pretty much a fail) and learning Mandarin again. I'll see how it goes.

In other news, thinking about how people favor the attractive in every imaginable way, I went shopping today and bought little R a whole bunch of cute new clothes. Even though she is only 13 months old, I have already noticed people are nicer to her if she's dressed in a darling little outfit. Sad but I can't fight biology; instead, I will just have to try stacking the deck in her favor. (She does look really cute in the clothes though.)

Baby Fashionista

I am not very interested in dressing up little R as a rule. However, this weekend B was playing with her and came up with this look, which I thought was pretty funny. Doesn't it resemble the Lanvin dress to the right (yours for only $1700)?

It's actually a pair of his (clean) boxers.

My New Pet?

A new species of chameleon was just discovered in Madagascar. It is one of the smallest reptiles in the world.

I really want one. Look at its grumpy little face!

I Love Rabbits

I have a great great love for rabbits. They are my favorite animal, the heroes of one of my very favorite books (Watership Down), and overall just so totally cute! It is a source of great joy to me that little R was born in the Year of the Rabbit (and is even a Golden Rabbit: how cute is that?), as I have always regretted my Chinese zodiac sign is only a Horse.

Basically I love rabbits because they are cute. However, since this is really pretty shallow, I enjoy imputing a wide variety of moral qualities to them: for instance, that they are kind, patient and morally pure (since they are not aggressive and don't hurt other animals). The fantasy version of a rabbit that exists in my head acts as sort of a moral compass for me. This is one of the reasons I kind of don't want a pet rabbit, because then it would just be a cute furry animal and it would be harder to go around pretending rabbits are super-beings.

I still like looking at them though. This really cheesy video of a cartoon rabbit singing Europop makes me happy every single time I watch.