Happy Leap Day, everyone observing the Gregorian calendar. And happy birthday to Frederic who I think was hanging out with 
blither.
I took the chance to go to the Singapore Zoo, where the Rabbits exhibit (in the Children's World) was still closed for repairs. They were closed five or six weeks ago when I was last there. Also closed is the meerkat exhibit, which in an odd coincidence is near the ostrich exhibit. The raccoons were much busier than last time, but that was because of an incoming rain, so the pictures were worse than last time's. I only counted 13 raccoons, though admittedly it's hard to keep track when they keep running laps; I'm rather sure last year there were at least 16, and wonder if some have been shuttled over to the Night Safari. Promotional material is vague on the topic. I tried taking more pictures of the binturongs and otters, amiable species kept in the same enclosure, but got caught in a really, really heavy rain.
Many of you may have heard about the green polar bear in the Singapore Zoo, and I can report that indeed one of the polar bears is green . This comes from algae that have grown in the fur; it looks like a really nasty grass stain. Zookeepers have been treating the algae and the bears are expected to both be back to slightly off-white before too long. Friends who want to see it are advised to visit me soon, and not to worry about the expense, as my Friend of the Zoo membership comes with a 25 percent off the Zoo admission price for guests. It really is neat, though.
In things I missed -- or, actually, saw but didn't understand -- competitors lined up outside the Orchard Road MRT station to contest for the honour of being torch-bearer for Singapore for the Olympic Games. This consisted of a marathon of holding cardboard sample torches upright despite heat, heavy rain, and kilogram weights added. I don't know who won.
Other little time-binding incidents: my current wallet is eight years old. Or more precisely I bought it eight years ago today. It's still in good shape, but the velcro is starting to wear out. And on Star World tonight they show the series finale to Star Trek: The Next Generation, which I haven't seen since 1994. Further thoughts on that when I see how much my memory matches what actually happened. Mostly I think the modern Trek characters are more interesting in alternate timelines.
Oh, and spotted on a movie poster at a Shaw Brothers theater -- coming soon: Dirty Dancing 2. Who allowed that? Also something called Gladiatress, which I think is supposed to be a comedy, but how many successful comedies do you know have what looks like bad Latin in their titles?
Trivia: The Romans placed their leap day after the day we now designate February 24. In their designation it was added after ``VI Kalend March,'' that is, the sixth day (inclusive) prior to the kalends (the first day) of March, and the somewhat obsolete term bissextile day or bissextile year derives from this doubled VI Kalend March. Source: Mapping Time: The Calendar and its History, E. G. Richards.
Currently Reading: Astounding Days: A Science Fictional Autobiography, Arthur C Clarke.