TANJOOBERRYMUTTS

By the time you read through this YOU WILL UNDERSTAND "TANJOOBERRYMUTTS"...and be ready for China .

Now, here goes...


The following is a telephonic exchange between maybe you as a hotel guest and room-service in China......

Room Service : "Morrin. Roon sirbees."

Guest : "Sorry, I thought I dialed room-service."

Room Service: " Rye . Roon sirbees...morrin! Joowish to oddor sunteen???"

Guest: "Uh..... Yes, I'd like to order bacon and eggs."

Room Service: "Ow ulai den?"

Guest: ".....What??"

Room Service: "Ow ulai den?!?... Pryed, boyud, pochd?"

Guest: "Oh, the eggs! How do I like them? Sorry.. Scrambled, please."

Room Service: "Ow ulai dee bayken ? Creepse?"

Guest: "Crisp will be fine."

Room Service: "Hokay. An sahn toes?"

Guest: "What?"

Room Service: "An toes. ulai sahn toes?"

Guest: "I.... Don't think so.."

RoomService: "No? Udo wan sahn toes???"

Guest: "I feel really bad about this, but I don't know what 'udo wan sahn toes' means."

RoomService: "Toes! Toes!...Why Uoo don wan toes? Ow bow Anglish moppin we botter?"

Guest: "Oh, English muffin! !! I've got it! You were saying 'toast'...


Fine...Yes, an English muffin will be fine."

RoomService: "We botter?"

Guest: "No, just put the botter on the side."

RoomService: "Wad?!?"

Guest: "I mean butter... Just put the butter on the side."

RoomService: "Copy?"

Guest: "Excuse me?"

RoomService: "Copy...tea..meel?"

Guest: "Yes. Coffee, please... And that's everything."

RoomService: "One Minnie. Scramah egg, creepse bayken , Anglish moppin, we botter on sigh and copy ... Rye ??"

Guest: "Whatever you say."

RoomService: "Tanjooberrymutts."

Guest: "You're welcome"

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Study on the White Terns (Dhondheeni) in S. Feydhoo

Last May, I conducted a study on the population estimate, habitat preference and breeding success of white terns, gygis alba in Feydhoo, Addu Atoll as part of my thesis.
White Tern, locally known as Dhondheeni, is commonly found in all the islands of Addu Atoll, the southernmost atoll of the Maldives. Addu Atoll, measuring 14Km east to west and 11 Km north to west with twenty three (23) islands, provides an important habitat and breeding site for this seabird, which is considered as the pride of Addu Atoll.

However, there are no known records of any accurate published data of the population of White Terns in Maldives. There for a preliminary status of the population, preferred habitats and breeding success of this seabird is of utmost important, which would enable in understanding the levels of threats posed to this bird the Maldives.

I, therefore, for the first time studied the abundance of White Terns in Feydhoo Island, identified the habitat preference, and observed the breeding success of this bird for the purpose of this report.
Here is the summary of my findings:

Bird counts were conducted in 10 habitat patches between May to July ,2009. Data were also collected to identify the species of trees most often used by this bird to nest and roost; and also to see if there is any relationship between features of tree (DBH, canopy cover, height, and dead and live branches (tree health) with the nesting and roosting preference. A breeding success rate was determined by monitoring the 30 nests of white terns, which also estimated the hatching and fledging success of white terns in Feydhoo Island.

Breadfruit trees were found to be occupied more number of breeding and roosting birds than mango trees. Terns preferred to roost and breed in trees which had a large DBH and height. Canopy and the amount of live or dead branches had no effect on the tree occupancy.


The total population of White Terns in S. Feydhoo was estimated to be 3700 birds and 22% of these birds were breeders. White Terns produced an average of 0.57 chicks per attempt or the eggs had a hatching success of 57%. The probability that a newly hatched chick survives the entire 40 days of the nestling period was found to be 67%. Hence, this study determined that, about 38% of nests beginning incubation can be expected to survive through to the end of the fledging period.

This study has established the first preliminary population estimate of White Terns in S. Feydhoo. An important observation here is that, there is no evidence to suggest that the population of White Terns at S.Feydhoo may have declined or increased recently in the absence of previous systematic surveys, the reasons for any decline or growth rate are impossible to judge.

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It is a Change Indeed

“Is it the first time that we have dhamunamadhu sessions in Maldives?” a relative of mine asked on the way to Islamic Centre for thahajudhu prayers in a bewildered voice. The crowds and the atmosphere in the mosque was something else, it gave one a sense of how precious a month and how significance a month it was.

The change in her actions was a complete transformation from the previous years, where she used to sleep the whole night away and she wondered about the change in herself this year and came up with the conclusion that it is due to the awareness spread by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. The change brought by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs was a change we believed in.

The imam, Shaheem recited Quruan so beautifully at these prayers that any person who attended the first night was forced to attend the second night. Ministry of Islamic Affairs did a good job of spreading the faith in the holy month, kudos to them.

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Exploring Europe

Since I am an ardent traveler, the most important thing besides my thesis (maybe more) was planning the much cliched trip to Europe after graduation. The saying that travel really does broaden and mature the mind became so true, when you have to plan where to go, how to get there and get round with the cheapest available means.
The adventures and the fun-filled and hilarious little incidents started way before we started the trip. A Maldivian, a Malaysian and a Thai trying to choose countries where neither of us has ever been was an exhausting task (or more an ordeal, sorry guys: p), the language barrier and the looming thesis putting more strains on the planning.
Paris, which was supposed to be the starting city of our trip, was no more part of our itinerary, when we reached the Schengen visa application point. In all the excitement of planning and booking tickets and accommodation, we forgot to make the much needed visa appointment at the French visa processing office.
After that minor setback, we had to opt for a country where a prior appointment was not needed to apply for visa. Belgium was just the perfect choice, after a smooth walk-in visa application in London, we finally got the visa for the trip of the year. Belgium with its mouth-watering chocolates and waffles, Netherlands with its windmills and wooden shoes, architecture from all major periods of European history rooted in Prague (Czech Republic), Germany (I could only think of Oktoberfest and the Holocaust when I started the trip) and the beauty of Switzerland, and the much awaited shopping in Italy were just perfect ingredients for a memorable trip.






To be continued

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