Working out with a Pussy Cat – Useless Invention #2

December 20, 2009 at 9:59 pm | In itchy fingers | 4 Comments
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I was browsing at a shopping centre in Bangkok when Tisu Boy came over and told me to go see something really cute….

When I saw it I couldn’t stop laughing, my eyes were glued on it and I fell in love with it instantly. I thought that was CUTE. Kawaii des ne! :D


The cat on display…guess what was its posture for?

It was doing SIT-UPS! :D Yes! It does sit-ups when plugged into a USB port! Hahahaha…! :D


Look at the name! Hillarious! :D


Now check out its SIX PACKS! Hahahahaha! :D

It was brilliant! What better way to perk up a boring afternoon in the office, and to bring a smile on everyone’s faces? :D I must get it!

Checked the price. I hesitated…430 Baht for a USB drive? That’s more than S$18…and the packaging did not indicate the capacity of the thumbdrive. I asked the sale person for help and was shocked to hear that it carried no memory but just a gadget for fun! :O My goodness! I was thinking, with S$18 I could easily purchase a reputable 4G or maybe 8G thumbdrive back home, so if this Cat has only a 1 or 2G memory, it may be a bit costly. Never did I expect that it was merely an object of pleasure with no practical use! :O


Plug the Cat into the USB port and have a good laugh… :D

So comes the question – to buy or not to buy a S$18 cute Cat just doing sit-ups for the fun of it? I could almost picture the envious looks on friends’ and colleagues’ faces and their persistent queries on where did I get that cute Cat? :p

But S$18 seemed a bit expensive leh… :(

We left without buying, but over the next four days I just couldn’t forget about the cute Cat. In the end, I succumbed to temptation…Just think about it as a toy that costs S$18. What is S$18 for a designer’s toy? Afterall, I do collect toys… :p


I chose this cat design…

I was happy with my purchase… :p

Until one fine day while shopping at a local IT mall I saw something familiar….

Crunching Cat….

Damn! They had brought it here! I checked the price…Damn! It was only slightly more expensive than the one I bought from Bangkok! And they also brought in the same product line featuring the Dog. Like Crunching Cat, the Dog also springs into action once it is plugged into a USB port. Guess what is the name of the Dog…?

Humping Dog….

What do you think it is doing? :p Check out here… 8)

It’s Christmas in a few days’ time. If you have not bought any pressies for loved ones, fret not. How about the Crunching Cat or the Humping Dog then? Hahhaha… 8)

Also see related posts:
> Useless Invention #1

The Image of our Landscape

December 13, 2009 at 9:40 pm | In itchy fingers | 2 Comments
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A not so recent visit to the National Museum brought Itchyfingers back to Singapore in the 19th century – a time where trade and commerce developed, transforming the face of the island dramatically. Many of these changes were captured in paintings, prints and photographs, giving us a glimpse of how Singapore looked at that time.


Old Singapore…


A busy port…


Chinese junks at Rocher River. The Malay houses on stilts were made with
attap and palm leaves. These belonged to mainly fishermen and boatmen
who were already established on these riverbank when Raffles arrived.
I like this a lot, but too bad my picture didn’t turn up sharp :(


River in the primeval forest…can you imagine this was Singapore?


Along Bukit Timah Road, 1894. “Bukit Timah was one of several forest
reserves set aside by the colonial government, because the island’s pristine
forest was being rapidly cleared for cash crop plantation such as gambier.
The area remained sparsely populated even though a road had linked it to
the town since 1845. The area was known to be a haven for tigers in the
19th century and in 1896, it was reported that two tigers had been shot
in the vicinity.”

According to this article, “The government gave a reward of $20 for every tiger killed but the increasing number of casualties led to the reward being increased to $50 then to $100. Tiger hunting became a rewarding sport offering money and adventure. Pits of 4 to 4.5 m were dug and traps set. Tigers caught were hauled out alive and put into strong rattan baskets which the tigers could not bite through. Indian convicts who were experts in hunting tigers were also employed by the government. With so many tigers killed, their numbers dwindled and they eventually perished. One French Canadian named Carrol made tiger hunting a business for himself. Occasional reports of tiger attacks were still heard towards the end of the 19th century; a man was killed by a tiger in Thomson Road in 1890 and two tigers shot at Bukit Timah in 1896. The last wild tiger, roaming in Choa Chu Kang area, was killed in the 1930s.” How sad… :(


A painting showing G. D. Coleman and his convict workers laying out a
new road in 1835 through a swamp in the jungle near town being attacked
by the big cat. No one was killed though


Lau Pa Sat used to be called Telok Ayer market, and was jutted out onto
Telok Ayer Bay before it was reclaimed. This looks nothing like the Lau
Pa Sat we know today..

While many of the old Singapore imageries were a thing of the past, some of them remained a familiar sight.


Hokkien Street, one of the oldest streets in Singapore which appeared in the
1822 Raffles Town Plan. The street was settled by the early Hokkien immgrants
from southeastern China


The Sri Mariammam Temple was originally a wood and attap temple built
by Indian pioneer in 1827 and rebuilt in brick by Indian convict labour in
1842-1843. The Jamae Mosque was already a prominent landmark at
South Bridge Road with its distinctive twin minarets. This picture was
probably taken in the 1850s


South Bridge Road in the 1890s with Jamae Mosque and the rebuilt Sri
Mariamman Temple on the left


South Bridge Road today. Jamae Mosque looks exactly the same as its
old image, while Sri Mariamman Temple is undergoing some renovation
work, with the facade covered in green canvas now…


‘Chinese Temple, Singapore’, 1842. Thian Hock Keng Temple 天福宫 at
Telok Ayer Street was situated at the coastline until reclamation work in
1879 left it inland. The Chinese came here to offer thanksgiving to Ma Zu 妈祖
(Goddess of the Sea) for their safe voyage


Built in 1839 and completed in 1842, the entire structure was assembled
without nails in traditional Chinese architectural style. There was some
ceremony going on when Itchyfingers went to take this photo


Over the years, the temple has been restored many times but remained
almost the same

There are many more interesting images on display and it is definitely worth spending time looking through them for their historical as well as aesthetical values. The Image of our Landscape is ongoing till 03 Jan 2010 at the National Museum of Singapore. Admission is free. :)

Masters of Disguise and Camouflage

December 11, 2009 at 12:33 am | In itchy backside | Leave a Comment
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While looking for butterflies at the Alexandra Hospital garden, Itchyfingers also had some other interesting finds.


A cute tiny juvenile Changeable Lizard. I like this picture cos the way its tail
curled seemed to merge into the leaf…hahah


The Robber Fly, Family Asilidae. Not sure why they are called robbers
though..haha. They are also called assassin flies, and  are widely distributed.
There are about 5000 species worldwide and about 900 species in North America.
Many species have long, tapering abdomens, sometimes with a sword-like ovipositor.
Some fat-bodied ones mimic bumble bees.. :D


Busy like a bee… :p

I was so excited to see this…


You may just dismiss this as dried twigs dropped from trees, but how can
that be when it was sticked on the underside of a palm leave?

Actually this ‘twig package’ belongs to the moth family Psychidae, which is found worldwide – the Bagworm Moth, named for the baglike cases the larvae carry with them. The bag ranges in sizes and is constructed from silk and bits of leaves, twigs and other debris. This site says, “The strong-bodied male has broad, fringed wings with a wingspread averaging 1 in. (25 mm). The wormlike female lacks wings. Bagworm larvae often damage trees, especially evergreens.The female remains inside the bag her entire life; males are nimble fliers and in the fall fly around infested trees in search of a mate. During feeding, caterpillars emerge from the top of the bag and hang on to the host plant with their legs and sometimes with a silken thread; the bottom of the bag remains open to allow fecal material to pass out. Young larvae disperse, walking or using wind currents. During molts and pupation, caterpillars seal the bags.” This was the first time I saw this Bagworm Moth after reading about it. Saw it again during another walk with friends just three weeks ago. There is another kind of Bagworm Moth that has a pyramid-shaped bag. If you were to see leaves with almost perfectly-cut circles on them, try look at the undersides of the leaves, chances are you would be able to find these pyramid-shaped bags. Unfortunately, most of the times they were a bit too high so Itchyfingers don’t have any decent photos yet. :( This site has excellent photos of the larva constructing its ‘home’.


A nice little Praying Mantis nymph…It got its name because of the typical
‘prayer’-like stance of the forelegs… :p


I still remembered my first encounter with a real Praying Mantis was when
my colleague brought his pet mantis to work.. :p That was a large one and he
was showing us how his pet fed on a tiny frog… :o Read this interesting report
on reproduction of a Praying Mantis


Another interesting find was this – the Ant-Mantis. This is actually a
mantis mimicking ants

Now, why do mantis have to mimic ants? Well, ants are abundant all over the world and their predators, like birds and wasps, which rely on vision to identify preys will normally avoid them either because they are unpalatable or aggressive. Also, by mimicking ants, the mantis will be able to approach an unsuspicious ant to prey on..hahah…cunning.. :p There are many other insects that use ant mimicry for these reasons.


Licking its antenna like a typical Praying Mantis..

A short visit at the Alexandra Hospital but nevertheless a fruitful one! :D There are simply so much to learn and discover in nature, if only you are willing to spend time exploring! With the on-going school holidays, wouldn’t it be a much meaningful time spent learning more in the natural outdoor classrooms than wasting them away in shopping centres? :p

Also see related posts:
> A Visit to the Hospital
> Mystery of a Moth Caterpillar
> Of Dragon and Lizards – Mistaken Identities #4
> Changing Colours – Mistaken Identities #2
> Living in Cold Blood – Mistaken Identities #1

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