leech hop



turns out that taking leeches from the jungle is a crime!

received a helpful email from Siva, another potential member of the Singapore Leech Club (which I am in the midst of setting up), who works at the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research. He told me that "You are not supposed to take things out of the forest so technically you are guilty of poaching."

He shared with me this article he wrote several years ago, on leeches, which included this funny paragraph:

"It is always amusing to watch the scene enacted by a group of people travelling together when one member discovers a leech on his person. His reaction could vary from a helpless wail with ineffective attempts to flick the leech off to more dignified attempts like attempting to keep his voice steady while asking for help. His friends, however, are usually more interesting to watch as they go into a frenzy of checking with obviously worded faces. Once sure that they are free of bloodsuckers, the group converges on the poor animal to stamp on it, burn and/or hack it to pieces. This is done with a great deal of viciousness even by normally mild-mannered people."

i can so relate to this! no matter how calm and unfazed you are normally, leeches just have a way of throwing you off...haha...

... read rest of article by N. Sivasothi from RMBR

must be careful not to take things back from the forest next time, just photographs..

on another note, i caught Bud's Youth Theatre's energetic part musical-part play performance of Hip Hopera (written by Malaysian Writer-director HUZIR SULAIMAN - who first showed it to fullhouses in Malaysia) at Mox Cafe this evening... it features my coursemate and friend Badpuppie in the lead role!

a spirited performance by a bunch of young people...a good effort, doubtless to say.. last performace tomorrow, go grab tix if you wanna watch!

Flying Inkpot has a nice review of the performace..