STRIPED CATFISH

Striped catfish feeding in a school, Mabul

Striped colouration
... barbels around the mouth
Body tapers posteriorly
... grows up to 35 centimeters

EMULATE THE CHINESE? AGAIN??

For the umpteenth time, the Malays are urged to emulate the Chinese.

Well, I have this say to my Malay brothers and sisters.

You don't have to drink Guinness Stout or eat char siew.

All you have to do is to just get rid of those damn crutches and you are almost there.

Really, there's simply no need to emulate anyone.

Some excerpts...

Najib Urges Bumi Entrepreneurs To Emulate Their Chinese Counterparts

He said there were many positive traits that could be learnt from the Chinese community such as their diligence, commitment and far-sightedness.

"I have always thought that one of the best things practiced by the Chinese community in this country is to become entrepreneurs by going into business on a small scale initially and ensuring they the business grows so that it can be inherited by their family.

"This is the driving force for their success. This is the lesson that we Bumiputeras must learn and adopt in ensuring the continuity of successful Bumiputera enterprises," he said.

He said that in comparing the Bumiputera entrepreneurs with their Chinese counterparts, the most glaring trait among the Bumiputeras was the desire to get rich quickly and succeed instantly.

"The Malays will first say that they want to become entrepreneurs, later they say they want to become Umno division heads, thereafter, they take the short-cut and become a broker, apply for permits from the minister to bring in Bangladeshi workers," Najib said.

In addition, he said the Bumiputeras must discard the mentality of being too dependent on a career with the government sector which was inculcated by the colonialists. (Blaming the cow again!)

"The Vision 2020 that we aspire in becoming a developed nation will be meaningless if the Malay entrepreneurs were still lagging behind, not in a position to master the sources of wealth for the country, still unable to master technology and modern management," he added.
(BERNAMA May 05, 2005;)

MOON RISE OVER WATER CHALETS

Full moon rising...
On the eighth month
of the lunar calendar
when can I return, I wonder...

Pregnant seahorse?

Not too sure about this seahorse specie. It was either a female potbelly seahorse or a (pregnant) male common seahorse.

Most probably, it was the common seahorse. Size was about 20 centimeters.

According to ARKive.org, 'perhaps the most unique and unusual feature of seahorse biology is the fact that it is the male and not the female who becomes pregnant.

When mature, males develop a pouch on the belly, known as the brood pouch. Breeding takes place in spring and summer; the female inserts her ovipositor into the male's pouch and lays her eggs.

The male then fertilises them and they become embedded into the wall of the pouch. The pouch is very similar to the womb found in female mammals; a placental fluid removes waste products and supplies the eggs with oxygen and nutrients.

As pregnancy progresses, this fluid gradually becomes similar to the surrounding seawater, so that when the young seahorses are 'born' the change in salinity is not too great a shock.

After 20 to 28 days of pregnancy the male goes into labour, typically at night when there is a full moon. After hours of thrusting, the miniature seahorses, which look exactly like the adults, are released from the pouch.

The offspring are fully independent after birth and must fend for themselves. They are pelagic in the first stage of life, or hold onto floating debris at the surface with their tail.

Seahorses are ambush predators, and lie in wait for small crustaceans to swim by; they then suck the prey into the tube-like mouth and swallow it whole, as they do not have any teeth.

They do not have many natural predators (except we humans of course), as they rely on their excellent camouflage for protection, and they are unpalatable due to their bony-plated bodies.'

Gazanias

Got a bunch of gazania seedlings from a friend last year. Just plunked them into the garden with minimum care. Was rewarded with bright, healthy yellow flowers every day since.

The gazania... ‘A typical daisy like flower up to about 10cm across, they are commonly banded with a dark zone around the central disc. Some types may have linear petal strips also. Colours vary from white, cream, yellow, gold, orange to the very dark reds, pale to dark lilac variations are possible also. Flowers are produced on stems up to 25cm in length, these close in the evening or on dark overcast days. Leaves turn upwards at night.’ (Text from Plantfacts.com).