Bee Choo STRANGE

Tell me about your childhood. Where did you grow up?

I vaguely remember that I lived in a small one-bedroom flat in Chai Chee. I have four siblings, three older, one younger. And of course my parents.

Often, we had to sleep on the floor.

Were you always in Chai Chee or did the family move around?

By 1987, my oldest brother had worked for a few years and could use his CPF savings to buy a bigger flat.

The whole family moved into a four-room flat in Tampines.

The guys shared one room, my sister and I took the other one and my parents had their own.

Tell me about your father.

My father was a motor mechanic who started his own repair business at a petrol kiosk. He was a very quiet person who did not go around finding customers. Most customers found that his work was good and they became his regulars.

He was born in Singapore but his parents immigrated from southern China. I think all my dad’s siblings were born in Singapore.

My paternal grandfather might have another wife in China but I am not sure.

What about your mom?

She was also born in Singapore. She wasn’t educated at all and was a housewife. In the early days, she also did part-time cleaning jobs.

Were they from the same neighbourhood?

My mom was from Bedok. My dad was from Chai Chee where his father had a kampung house.

How did your parents meet?

They were matchmade but I am not sure who was the matchmaker. Perhaps a neighbour.

Tell me about your siblings.

My oldest brother, who is four years older than me, is a very kind person. He was an obedient boy who was always willing to step up for the family.

As a kid, my second brother was very naughty and was caned by my mom. Apart from his love for alcohol, he doesn’t get into any trouble.

My third brother is a quiet person who keeps to himself.

My parents always said that my younger sister was an ‘accident’. She was their favourite.

You were not the favourite?

No I wasn’t. Maybe because I was quite sickly as a child. I had asthma. I also did not follow the norms.

How so?

For instance, when my mother fed me pig brains in the hope of improving my brain power, I asked, “Why do I have to eat pig brains? Are pigs more clever?”

She fed pig brains to all her children but I was the only person who often questioned her decision.

Where did that come from?

I don’t really know. Maybe it’s because I have three older brothers and I see the need to stand up for myself.

I am not superstitious but my mom was.

She was always praying and I would question her about that.

When did this constant questioning start?

I think even before primary school.

Were you encouraged to question?

Not really. When I disagree with something, I just need to know why.

Were you caned for questioning?

Not for that but when I did not do well for my exams, she would cane me.

But not you dad? He was the nicer parent?

No, not him. He would scold, and then he would keep very quiet. He was a serious man, but he never caned his children.

Who were you close to?

My father. I often disagreed with my mother.

With my dad, I found that I could reason with him. I could never do that with my mom. But I still supported her.

He passed away in 1994 and my mom died in 2016.

How’s your relationship with your siblings?

I am closest to my oldest brother. My relationship with my sister is fine but we don’t share the same interests. We would meet occasionally.

My second brother is always disappearing on us. My third brother is very quiet and I still don’t know much about him. He is married with children and even when he has family issues, he doesn’t share them with us.

All my brothers are married with children.

When my mom was still alive, the whole family would meet every Sunday in our flat in Tampines.

Eventually you moved out from the Tampines flat?

In the late 90s, I moved to Bukit Batok, to a flat bought by my second brother. I convinced him, who was single then, to do that because I had just started a business in Bukit Timah.

Although the flat was in his name, he continued to live in Tampines even after he got married.

But eventually, I bought over our Tampines flat with my mom.

So basically, my family owned two flats and we rotated between them.

You spent all your school holidays with your aunt’s family in Ulu Sembawang? Was that part of your early exposure to nature?

Yes, for many years. My older cousins, the other kids and I dug for worms and watched squirrels hop from one durian tree to another, and played in the ponds. It was certainly more fun than living in a small flat in Chai Chee. Those were wonderful times and I always looked forward to staying in the kampung.

Was your aunt your early role model?

She was a fierce but forthright woman who always spoke her mind. She was like a leader in the village and someone others respected.

Not exactly a role model but I appreciated and respected her, perhaps more than my mom.

Tell me about your primary school.

Siglap Primary.

I wasn’t a very good student. I was a bit bochap (a didn’t care attitude) and did not study hard. I studied at the last minute for my exams.

And your secondary school?

I went to Changkat Changi Secondary because my eldest brother studied there. Our parents did not want us to go too far away from home.

What do you remember of your days at Changkat Changi?

Because I was very vocal, I didn’t have many friends.

I wasn’t a troublemaker but some people did not agree with me. Some boys were bullying the girls and I would speak out. I can’t stand bullying.

I didn’t do very well but I did well enough to go to a polytechnic.

What did you study there?

I had a few choices but chose mechanical engineering in Ngee Ann Poly.

I didn’t really know what I wanted to do but since my dad was a mechanic, I thought I could learn something related to his job and then help him out.

Did you regret your choice?

Perhaps later in life, when I finally realised what my interests are. But I did what I wanted and what I could.

All I knew was I didn’t want to be a nurse or a teacher. I knew I was not smart enough to be a doctor.

So you knew more about what you didn’t want?

Yes. That’s correct. In hindsight, maybe being a teacher might have been okay.

After poly, you went straight into the working world?

I started out as a draughtsman at a company called BorgWarner, which sells mechanical products. I stayed there for about three years and left because I did not agree with my immediate boss. I got along with many colleagues. We are still in touch over WhatsApp.

My next move was to a Finnish company where I took on a sales position, something I was not trained for. The company sells valves to the oil industry.

How was the transition?

Being a sales person was quite easy for me because all I needed to do was to be familiar with the products. The job didn’t require me to knock on doors. Basically, I sent quotations to overseas distributors and most of them were existing clients.

Email did not exist then and my job was done mostly via faxes and calls.

The Finns were really nice people to work with. They were really on the ball.

Since it was a regional job, did you have to travel?

I was sent to our headquarters in Finland for training in 1989. I had gone on a work-related trip to Bangkok in my previous job, but it wasn’t a pleasant experience because I discovered that I really dislike travelling in a group. People were very inconsiderate, didn’t show up on time, and I really hated waiting for others.

The training trip to Finland was the first time I had travelled alone and I loved it. By then I already had some Finnish friends and after the official attachment, I extended my trip.

When and how did you start becoming interested in nature?

I started collecting stamps in primary school and I was particularly interested in stamps with birds on them.

In 1987, while still at my first job in BorgWarner, I read an article in The Straits Times about the Malayan Nature Society(Singapore Branch). It motivated me to write a letter to Dr Wee Yeow Chin, who was the Honorary Secretary at the society then.

He sent me an application form to join the society.

Not just stamps but stamps of birds? That’s quite specific.

Yes, I collected them because they were pretty.

Slowly, I began to realise that there are so many species of birds.

You started looking at birds in 2D and then eventually, you are looking at the real things in flight?

Yes! Whenever I spot something new, I would go, “Hey, why haven’t I seen this species before?”

What is it about birds that excite you so much?

They are free, they are colourful and there are so many species waiting for me to discover. I am happy to learn about their behaviour and the habitats they live in.

So most of your weekends were spent with birds in the nature reserves?

My mom would ask me, “Why do you go there? There are snakes you know?”

And I would usually reply in a happy way, “Oh, got snakes, how exciting! I want to see them.”

Typically, a Singapore parent would say, “Go find a boyfriend”. But romance was not a big thing for you then?

It wasn’t a big thing but of course there were a few guys who I believe were interested in me.

Generally, I think people find me a bit odd. Certainly not a conventional kind of person. If I didn’t like a guy, I would tell him directly. Not many people dared to approach me.

You had just started working then. How did you find time to go bird-watching?

I didn’t have to work on weekends. And because I was already a working adult, I could afford to pay for the excursions with members of the NSS.

I made a few friends from the bird group of the society and that includes Morten Strange, a Danish guy who was living in Singapore. We met on some walks organised by NSS in 1987.

Tell me about him.

Morten was working and living here with his wife and three children. He was already quite a well-known bird photographer among nature lovers.

How and when did the relationship with Morten start?

From 1993 to 1999, Morten and his family were back in Denmark. By then, it was clear to him that his marriage was falling apart.

We kept in touch via email but the emails were mostly work-related. In 1998, he was writing a book about birds in Indonesia and needed help with reference materials. Since I am also into nature books, I was able to help him. He also needed funding and I helped to connect him.

When NParks approached me to start a shop at the Botanic Gardens, the CEO suggested that I visit Kew Gardens in the UK to get some inspiration.

Hang on, did NParks pay for your trip? And what did it have to do with Morten?

No! I paid my own way. They didn’t pay because the shop was my business. It wasn’t a condition for giving the lease to me, just a suggestion.

Morten also happened to be going to the UK around the same time to attend a bird fair so we made plans to meet up. He rented a car and drove me around. It was then that our romance started. That would be August 1998.

When did he move back to Singapore?

In 1999, as I went from one to two shops, I needed more help so I offered him a contract which allowed him to apply for an employment pass.

When did Morten and you marry?

We tied the knot in 2002 and in the same year, I became a mother at 37 when our son Mark was born.

I was a late mom and the doctors were quite worried.

You chose to become a mother although it was rather late in your life?

Yes. I want a child of our own although Morten said that his own kids can be my children. I told him no because they don’t live in Singapore and I had never taken care of them.

What kind of mother are you?

A very open one. As parents, we are not abusive or demanding. My approach is very westernised. My aunt, my dad’s older sister, used to call me jiak kantang (literally eat potato — a common Hokkien phrase to describe a person who is westernised). From a young age, she already felt that I am not a typical Chinese woman.

Do you get along with Morten’s children from his first marriage?

We have a cordial but not close relationship. I don’t see myself as a stepmother but their friend.

His three children call me by my name.

Now you have a Strange surname which suits you.

Yes. I added Strange to my IC and I tell people I am legally Strange. It is accidental but appropriate. Quite funny right?

Can you describe Morten in one sentence? What is so special about him?

Morten is non-conventional like me and we kind of think alike.

He likes Singapore because it is not a welfare state and I agree with him on that.

Our political views are rather similar although he likes Donald Trump and I don’t.

With Morten, I can tell him what I don’t like, what I don’t know and what I disagree with him on.

So in terms of a relationship, you need someone who can spar with you?

Correct. I find that with ‘conventional’ Chinese (men), they get angry when you disagree with them.

Did your father’s death in 1994 have a big impact on your life?

I really didn’t like my job and I didn’t like my bosses who set me an impossible sales target of $3 million.

When my dad died, I asked myself, “Why do I have to wake up every morning to go to a job I dislike and deal with people I disagree with?”

In 1995, I decided that enough is enough and thought hard about what I was going to do.

I like nature books and was buying a lot for myself.

That led me to start Nature’s Niche.

Tell me more about Nature’s Niche.

I went to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve a lot and I noticed an empty space in the visitor centre.

I thought, “Why not open a shop to sell books and drinks to nature lovers?”

I contacted the folks from NParks with the idea.

That must have been a very brave decision. Did you face objections from your family?

My mom was not supportive. She didn’t really know what I wanted to do.

Where did the start-up money come from?

I had a car which I sold to raise part of the capital.

It was a small and niche business and fortunately, the rental was less than $1000 per month.

Did you make money?

Yes but not entirely from books. Drinks and snacks contributed substantially to the revenue.

The nature community was very supportive although the human traffic was not heavy. People training for their overseas mountain climbing trips and students and teachers on school trips contributed significantly.

I also started making nature-related products to sell in the shop.

The Bukit Timah shop operated from 1995 to 2001 but I had another shop in the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

How did the second shop come about?

In 1998, NParks, my landlord in Bukit Timah, invited me to look at a space in their new visitor centre.

That shop lasted till 2008 when the lease expired.

Where did your courage come from?

I think I am a can-do person. When I decide that something is worth doing, I will just do it. Just try.

By then I had also saved up some money and that helped.

To expand, did you have to seek additional funding?

As the rental at the new shop was around $4000 per month, and money was needed for renovation and new stocks, I had to rope in a few investors.

Why did the shops close?

In 2001, the people at NParks felt that to be fair, they had to put up the Bukit Timah space for tender. Campus Corner won the bid and took over the space.

In 2008, my rental at the Botanic Gardens was tripled and I could not afford to continue.

You must have felt very angry?

Of course, and I told them, “Why don’t you run it yourself?”

The officers I was negotiating with felt that I needed to sell more high-end products. They also wanted me to raise my prices to be more comparable to other tourist spots.

I asked them, “What do you want me to sell? Gold bars? Do you want me to sell at Orchard Road prices?”

In the end, they took over the space but it only lasted two years.

Has anyone described you as difficult?

Some people find me weird.

I dyed my hair once and a colleague commented, “Why are you so weird?”

When I told him off, he got angry with me.

He could be rude to me but not the other way around.

Do you always speak your mind? Have you ever kept quiet over an issue?

Sometimes when I meet government officials, I do keep quiet because I don’t want to offend them. Perhaps I don’t want to get into trouble. I believe that there are always ‘better’ ways to deal with them.

Has your love for nature taken you around the world?

I represented Singapore in the Youth’92 event in Costa Rica. This was an event targeted at youths and acted as a precursor to the Earth Summit in Brazil the same year.

All participants had the opportunity to share about the state of the environment in their country. However, it soon became more of a political and human rights convention. The indigenous people in Central and South America, in particular, were using the event to fight for their rights.

Around that time, there were a lot of land clearances in Singapore and some NSS members disagreed with the government’s stand, such as the redevelopment at Senoko.

I didn’t think those of us concerned with the environmental impact were resourceful or smart enough then to provide alternative plans.

Has the dialogue between nature lovers and the authorities improved over the years?

Yes it has. Now we have Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in place. It is now mandatory for all developments. The authorities are also engaging nature groups before they start clearance of forests and other nature areas.

Can we afford to be even more careful when it comes to development?

I do wonder why we have to grow so much. Why do we need to increase the population?

Morten agrees with me on that. Denmark’s population has not grown much over the past few decades.

Do you agree with many of the positions taken by NSS?

NSS has a conservation committee which I am not a part of because I don’t always agree with the members. I also don’t think the group wants me there.

What were your major disagreements with them?

In 1994, more than 25,000 nature lovers petitioned the government to conserve about 70 hectares of land in Senoko but the appeal was rejected. The authorities reasoned that if it was conserved, the plan to build 6,000 HDB flats and 20 hectares of industrial park would have to be sacrificed. I believed that was a lost cause and that we should have focused our efforts on other areas. I also did not oppose the development of Marina South because I believe that it is on reclaimed land which can be recreated.

So while you are still a member of NSS, you have found other channels to contribute to nature?

We had a publishing business which closed in 2015. During the pandemic, I started making products to support the conservation and research work of Hornbill Research Foundation based in Thailand, an organisation I have been associated with since 1992.

I help them write proposals and edit proceedings. Since 2013, I have been officially their international coordinator.

Is that a paid position?

(laugh) Usually unpaid volunteer work but I don’t mind because I have income of my own.

How many countries in the world have you been to?

I have been to most of Southeast Asia. I have also traveled to Madagascar, Bhutan, Kenya, India, Australia, New Zealand, Andaman Islands, Christmas Island and West Papua with my bird- watching friends. My more recent trips were to Peru and Colombia. I have trips planned for Guyana and Uganda soon. All my trips are nature-related.

How do you fund your trips?

I have rental income from my flat in Tampines as well as other nature-related work. Morten also taught me how to invest in stocks.

Would you say that you have a fulfilling life?

Yes. I have learned a lot and I am still learning at my age. I don’t feel rusty and old.

Do you wish you were more or less involved with nature?

I wish I had started my involvement earlier. Maybe I would have been more qualified. I could have studied natural science or biological sciences.

How would that help you?

In this field, if you don’t have a PhD or master’s, people don’t think you are qualified enough so they don’t take you seriously.

Getting a job in the field of nature requires certain academic qualifications.

But the lack of paper qualifications has never stopped you?

I do what I can. I am still helping my mentor, Dr. Pilai Poonswad at the Hornbill Research Foundation, with some papers and she has helped me grow along the way.

What keeps you going?

I feel motivated to continue my efforts when I learn that the wildlife and their habitats are safe. That makes me want to do more. Apart from birds, I am also involved in initiatives to protect other animals such as pangolins.

Would you say that your life partner is also your partner in nature?

Yes. Without him, I don’t think I can accomplish so much. We collaborate closely on different projects. For instance, to do an illustrated chart of different bird species, we worked with a freelance illustrator but all the text and research came from Morten. He is very good with words and has authored a number of nature-related books.

How would he describe you?

Hmmmm, maybe a lovely wife? Hmmmm, very accommodating. We work well together. One who is very supportive of him.

What is your personal assessment of Singapore’s efforts to conserve nature?

It is getting better.

Although we are a city, we still have pockets of nature except that we have too many roads and they are killing animals.

I think the Eco-Link@BKE (Bukit Timah Expressway) is good but I feel that the government can do more.

I feel that the forests, which were cut to create part of BKE, need to be connected even better.

Like how? Remove BKE?

By going underground.

Why is nature important?

We are primates you know. We are nature and we should learn to live with nature. The animal-nature conflict is due to fear. We are afraid of animals when we shouldn’t be.

Are you an activist?

I am a nature lover plus conservationist. I don’t involve myself in politics.

We share our research and let the authorities decide. We can’t force our views. I don’t petition but I look for other ways. I believe in engagement and resolving issues through meaningful discussion. However I believe organisations like NSS should do more advocacy work.

What will your enemies or distractors say about you?

I have not come across any nasty things written about me. I will just ignore them if there are any.

What kind of Singaporean are you?

I appreciate and love Singapore. The weather is very hot though. I used to think that Europe is very advanced but it isn’t. I would have lived in Europe if Morten had asked me to decades ago. Now he doesn’t even want to go back to Denmark because he disagrees with its immigration policy, the taxes and the welfare state. The country is actually quite poor.

Do you attach any significance to the fact that you were born in the same year as Singapore?

It’s purely accidental and I didn’t have a choice. In fact, when Singapore grows older, I am older too. Why am I so old now? (laugh)

I guess we are lucky that after independence, the country was run by Lee Kuan Yew and his very capable comrades. It did not collapse but has become very prosperous. The citizens have all benefited from their vision and hard work.