29 Mar 2026 - Dairy Farm Nature Park to the Summit

In the past one month, whenever we drove to Chestnut Nature Park, we would pass by Dairy Farm Nature Park and told to ourselves, one day we will "conquer" it. And that day was today. We kicked off our walk on the Wallace Trail, a gentle 2.2km forest track named after the famous naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. It’s relatively flat and well-maintained, perfect for waking up the legs.

At one point, we saw a sign pointing to a flight of steps indicating "To the Summit". Then we realized we could actually climb up to the summit of Bukit Timah Hill from here. After a bit of ponderation, we decided to take on the challenge to scale the hill.

After reaching the Dairy Farm Hut, we were faced with a choice whether to go on the Lower Loop (shorter but steeper steps) or the Upper Loop. We chose the latter.

The real test began on the Upper Loop, home to the notorious Devil's Stairs. This wasn't just a walk, it’s a relentless vertical climb up steep hillside steps. Thick secondary forest closed in as we climbed, and the sounds of the city were replaced by our own heavy breathing and the symphony of cicadas.

After conquering the final flight of stairs, the trail eventually merged with the Main Summit Road.

We continued to push on a short, steep climb, and we were standing at the Bukit Timah Summit stone which is 163.63 metres above sea level. Even on a busy Sunday, the sense of accomplishment at the top was unmatched.

Dominating the skyline at the top were several massive, high-security telecommunication towers.

Unlike many mountain peaks, Bukit Timah Hill doesn't offer a wide-open panoramic view of the city because the forest canopy is so thick and tall. Despite the "difficult" rating by NParks of the trails, the biodiversity makes every step worth it.

We headed back down via the Cave Path for more nature.

This was really not an easy climb and at one point, we actually procrastinated whether to proceed. Though the sign provided the distance to the summit, it did not provide the elevation which was more critical. We saw quite a few climbers having breathing issues along the way. Glad that we managed to complete the climb eventually. This will be our warmup climb before our upcoming trip to Chongqing, which is known as "Mountain City", and has a varied topography with an average urban elevation of roughly (244–318 meters).  :-)

28 Mar 2026 - Jerlene's First Internship Project: Suntec Earth Hour 2026

Jerlene is currently doing her NYP Internship with Suntec Singapore.  And her first project was to design and create an animation for Earth Hour, which is a global environmental movement organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). It encourages individuals, communities, and businesses to switch off non-essential electric lights for one hour, typically from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time on the last Saturday of March, which was today. As such, we decided to go Suntec to witness her work being displayed on a super BIG screen.

Suntec Singapore’s "The Big Picture" is a massive, three-story, high-definition LED video wall located at the driveway entrance, formerly holding the Guinness World Record as the world's largest high-definition video wall. It consists of 664 individual 55-inch LG LED displays, providing a,62m x 15m, vibrant welcome to visitors and showcasing high-definition content 16 hours a day. Initially we thought all animations screened on such big screen were done by professional. Now we know it's not true.

Well done, Jerlene! Not many people have the opportunity to display their work on such big screen.  :-)

22 Mar 2026 - Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park

We started the day with a morning walk at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. Spanning 62 hectares, it is one of the largest and most vibrant urban parks in the heartlands. What makes it truly special is the naturalised Kallang River that meanders through the landscape, a far cry from the concrete canal it used to be.

The park is divided into two main sectors by Marymount Road: River Plains (East) and Pond Gardens (West). Our walk this morning was mainly concentrated at the eastern sector of the park.

The River Plains is arguably the best spot in the park for consistent wildlife sightings. First we saw a Chinese Pond Heron among the open grassland.

Then we saw a Purple Heron staying very still in the wetlands.

Along the river, we saw schools of Tilapia and the occasional Snakehead fish darting between the submerged plants.

Javan Myna was a common sight, not just in parks but everywhere on this island.

Located near the park's eastern end (closer to Bishan Road), Butterfly Habitat, an enclave is filled with nectar-rich plants like the Ixora and Snakeweed.

However, instead of seeing butterfly, we saw quite a few Carpenter Bee.

Can you spot a bird in the photo below?  There was actually a Waterhen on the lotus leaves.

We were a bit surprised to see so much wildlife in this urban park.

21 Mar 2026 - First Time Playing Pickleball

We had our first attempt at playing a Pickleball game today. It was very fun but playing under the hot afternoon sun was no joke. We were all extremely exhausted after the session. Next time we will do it either indoor or at night.

16 Mar 2026 - Our Roof Garden

Tracy's hard work had paid off! Our roof terrace is getting more like a garden now.

15 Mar 2026 - Amazing Wildlife at Zhenghua Park

Zhenghua Nature Park is a hidden gem in the Bukit Panjang neighbourhood. Unlike traditional circular parks, this 17.3-hectare linear park stretches 2.5km along the edge of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. When we entered the park via the BKE underpass from Chestnut Nature Park, our first impression was that this park was very ordinary and did not expect much. Never did we expect that we were going to have a special treat in a while.

For our very first time, we saw a Sunda Colugo clinging on the trunk of a tree. I had been trying to "hunt" for one during all our previous nature park hikes but no luck until today. Initially I thought it was just a "bump" on the tree trunk. However, when I zoomed in with my phone, I could see an eye. The Sunda Colugo (Galeopterus variegatus), also known as the Malayan Flying Lemur, is one of Singapore's most fascinating nocturnal residents. Despite its name, it is not a lemur and cannot fly. Instead, it is a master glider capable of soaring over 100 metres between trees using a massive skin membrane called a patagium. It is actually one of the closest living relatives to primates.

We then continued on the long stretch of jogging track and saw something quite amazing. There was a monitor lizard sun-tanning high up on a tree! So far we had only seen them on the ground or in the water.  It was our first time witnessing a monitor lizard that climbed so high up on a tree.

We were so excited at that moment but surprises just came one after another. We spotted another Sunda Colugo clinging on another tree.

Suddenly, a little "head" sneaked out of the Colugo. It was a baby Colugo!  So adorable!

We were glad that we did the walk at Zhenghua Nature Park which we did not plan for initially. What a hidden gem.

15 Mar 2026 - Chestnut Nature Park (Northern Loop)

We returned to Chestnut Nature Park this morning for our weekly weekend walk. The last time we had conquered the Southern Loop. Today, we embarked our hike along the trail in the Northern Loop.

Northern Loop is a tranquil, breezy trek through dense secondary forests. The Northern section is approximately four times larger than the South and is generally considered easier for beginners and families. It is mostly flat, gentle dirt tracks and paved roads sheltered by a cooling forest canopy.

Chestnut Nature Park is the first park in the country to feature completely separate trails for hikers and mountain bikers.

Located within the Northern Trail, Chestnut Observation Tower is the tallest spiral tower in Singapore. Climbing its five flights of stairs rewards you with 360-degree views of the surrounding forest.

From the Northern Loop, we followed the trail that continued towards Zhenghua Nature Park via the BKE underpass.