Life Ramblings

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-23T00:55:00.001+08:00

May the year of water dragon brings you an abundance of health, wealth and prosperity.

Queensbay Mall Penang

Photohunt - Animals and Bliss

2012-01-21T01:01:00.001+08:00

Orang Utans enjoying their blissful moment at Singapore Zoo.

And here's a colourful mandarin duck swimming in bliss at Stadtpark Vienna.

Sandi's PhotoHunt

Gattina's PhotoHunting

Skywatch - Rome's Tiber River

2012-01-19T22:21:00.001+08:00

This is one of the many bridges crossing the Tiber River in Rome. Glad the weather cooperated nicely giving us a rain-free, beautiful cloudscapes with gentle breezes. These are a few late afternoon views of the Tiber in spring looking towards the Vatican City and Rome.

Skywatch

Wordless Wednesday - Cookies for angry birds fans

2012-01-18T07:29:00.000+08:00

Wordless Wednesday

Our World - Year of the Dragon

2012-01-16T22:46:00.003+08:00

According to the chinese zodiac, the Year of the Dragon begins on 23rd January 2012 and ends on 9th February, 2013. This is also an auspicious year where a baby boom is expected in the year of dragon in anticipation of good luck.

In contrast to European dragons, which are considered evil, the chinese dragon is a symbol of power, great achievement and enormous wealth.

My son was born in the year of Dragon twelve years ago but it was just a cool coincidence. It was not an intentional pregnancy to join the dragon baby boom. I don't really pay much attention to any astrology predictions. While things like these are fun to read from time to time, they're not always accurate and I don't take them seriously. I like to believe that I'm the one who is in control of my life.

Our World

PhotoHunt - Circular & Joy

2012-01-13T23:11:00.005+08:00

A circular fountain of Baroqoe design at Residentsplatz in Salzburg. Being a huge fan of 'The Sound of Music', I find great joy to be able to visit one of the movie locations where Julie Andrews sang "I Have Confidence" as she made her way to the Von Trapp residence for the first time.

Flower beds always bring me joy with their diverse colours, textures, and fragrance.

A sign of a famous Italian espresso coffee store spotted in Vienna. A good joy for coffee lovers.

Sandi's PhotoHunt

Gattina's PhotoHunting

Skywatch over Fullerton Hotel

2012-01-12T13:21:00.003+08:00

One late evening at Fullerton Hotel Singapore. This is my entry for Skywatch Friday.

Wordless Wednesday - I miss snow

2012-01-11T06:32:00.000+08:00

Moscow, Russia

Wordless Wednesday

Our World - Belvedere Palace

2012-01-09T23:03:00.005+08:00

For this week's Our World entry, I'm taking you to Belvedere Palace in Vienna. Every aspect of my journey to Austria was a delight and I'm pleased to share with you another memorable series of photos from my trip.

Although not as huge in size as the Schonbrunn Palace, the Belvedere is still majestic in its own way. Its surroundings breathe with so much beauty and history and the architecture is also another splendid style of the Baroque era. I envy the Viennese for having such a grandeur place.

The extensive palace was built in the 17th century as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy and now is home to the Austrian Gallery.

There are actually two palaces separated by a symmetrical French style garden. The Upper Belvedere houses the collection of the 19th and 20th centuries Austrian painting collections.

The Lower Belvedere contains the Museum of Medieval Art and the Baroque Museum. Aside the paintings, the Lower Belvedere has impressive rooms, like the Marble Room, Marble Gallery, the Gold Cabinet, and the Hall of Grotesques.

We did not visit the interiors of the palaces, but spent a couple of enjoyable hours wandering around the impressive gardens.

This is the majestic wrought iron gates, the entrance leading to the Belvedere Palace. At the top-side of the gates are two powerful lions guarding a plague and crown. And with all such exquisite details, I think this gate looks charming and fit for royalty!

These two sphinxes sat in silence as people passed by. If only they could speak, I'm sure they'd certainly have great stories to share.

I also enjoy the stunning sights of the mythological figures and cherubs. Each cherub represents a month of the year that adorn the fountains and stairways in the middle of the garden.

Throughout the garden, there are also benches to sit and relax. A great place for some peace and tranquility when the noise of the city gets too much!

Our World

Camera Critters - Creepy bugs

2012-01-07T23:00:00.006+08:00

Cockroaches of any kinds give me the willies but I find them fascinating to watch behind a glass display.

Here are a few of Madagascar Hissing Cockcroaches, happily enjoying their delicious meal at Singapore Zoo.

Camera Critters

PhotoHunt - Bling & Tree Branches

2012-01-06T22:42:00.003+08:00

A sparkly bling mannequin striking an elegant pose at a store window display in Straits Quay Penang.

And here is a creepy looking tree with long dangling branches taken during our visit to Athens.

Sandi's PhotoHunt

Gattina's PhotoHunting

Skywatch - New day, new beginnings

2012-01-05T13:10:00.002+08:00

May the coming year bring you peace, blessings and new beginnings. Thank you again for your friendship, inspiration and the kindness you have so generously shared with me. I have truly enjoyed meeting all of the people who visit, read and leave comments on my blog. I am looking forward to another great year with all of you.

Santorini, Greece

Skywatch

Wordless Wednesday - A feast for the eyes and stomach

2012-01-04T00:15:00.003+08:00

grilled salmon with veggies and rice

Beef stew with rice

salmon and mushroom with cream sauce over spaghetti

spaghetti and chicken with bolognese sauce

Pepper Lunch, Singapore

Wordless Wednesday

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T00:02:00.001+08:00

When in Singapore, do not miss the Songs of The Sea, an award-winning show featuring a spectacular display of live cast, pyrotechnics, water jets, laser show and flame bursts.

It was my first attempt at photographing water-fire works show with my DSLR and I thought it would be appropriate to share these photos with you to welcome a brand new year.

I love the beautiful bursts of lights and cascading stream of colours. The above shots are some of my favourites that came out pretty well. Hope you enjoy them too.

Here's wishing you and yours a happy and blessed New Year.

Our World

PhotoHunt - Gather

2011-12-30T23:03:00.002+08:00

I'm going back to Rome for this week's photohunt theme.

This is a view of Rome's most popular steps, The Spanish Steps, also known as Scalinata Spagna.

It's usually busy with locals and tourists in the evening where they gather and relax on the steps while enjoying the sunset. I didn't stay long as the place was tremendously crowded and noisy and it's not a place where I would spent a long period of time in. I also had to be vigilant of my belongings as there are a few pick-pocketers wandering around the area.

The steps was built in 1723 and has 138 steps leading to the church of Trinita dei Monti located right at the top. I also found out that the Spanish Steps were named after the Spanish Embassy to the Vatican in the 17th century that was nearby.

In the past, women used to stand on the steps to be discovered by male suitors. I don't know how true this is but I wonder if this still happens today.

PhotoHunt

Skywatch - Singapore skyline

2011-12-29T16:39:00.000+08:00

A view of Singapore's Central Business District in late evening as seen from Marina Boulevard.

Skywatch

Wordless Wednesday - Festive message

2011-12-28T07:16:00.000+08:00

Our World - Christmas Blooms in Singapore

2011-12-27T00:18:00.005+08:00

This is my 2nd visit to Orchard Road, my first time there was almost two decades ago. A lot of large shopping malls have sprung up across the street and offer a combination of local stores and international brand names.

It’s really funny that it has not crossed my mind that I would be here in time to see Christmas decorations going up around the city. During my visit in late November, the entire street was decked out in blue sparking lights and elaborate Christmas decorations.

The Christmas Light-Up theme varies every year and the theme for this year's decorations is Christmas Blooms in Singapore.

A dazzling array of lights hang above traffic greets motorists.

The stunning gold-themed decorations stand out brightly at Tangs.

People from all walks of life soaking up the Christmas spirit.

Each major shopping mall has their own set of spectacular decorations to stir up the festive mood and I kept clicking my camera like crazy.

One of my favourite spots is at ION Orchard. This is my first time I've seen a Christmas tree with an observation deck. It's really amazing that people would be able to see Orchard Road's light up from a different perspective.

Some inflatable snowglobes showing off a wintry wonderland within. Who doesn't love snowglobes?

These glowing flowers are brought to you by Hitachi, symbolizing the heart-warming spirit of the yuletide season.

I couldn't recall the exact location when I took this picture but the place was all decked out in Christmas glory to get everyone in a celebratory mood.

I hope you enjoy my pictures as much as I've enjoyed taking them.

'Tis the season to be jolly.

Our World

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T00:11:00.000+08:00

May your Christmas be filled with peace, joy and laughter.

Camera-Critters - Family Affair

2011-12-24T09:49:00.000+08:00

A heart warming moment of a bunch of otters cuddling and sleeping together at Singapore Zoo.

Camera Critters

Skywatch over Merlion Park

2011-12-22T23:05:00.001+08:00

We made a brief stop at Merlion Park after visiting Singapore Zoo. It was a gloomy evening when we arrived but fortunately, I managed to take some quick shots of the Merlion and the impressive skyline before the rain began.

A front view of the Merlion with the towering skyscrapers of the Central Business District.

The Merlion that roars. It has a lion's head with a mermaid's body and a stream of water gushing out of its mouth.

There's always a huge flock of tourists in every corner of the park with plenty of interesting photo ops for visitors. I too had a lot of fun photographing the monument in different perspectives.

The Merlion overlooking the Art Science museum and Marina Bay Sands.

Another classic view of the Merlion with the Esplanade in the background.

Skywatch

Wordless Wednesday - All Decked out for Xmas

2011-12-21T07:19:00.000+08:00

Queensbay Mall, Penang

Our World - Balloon Wonderland at Marina Bay

2011-12-19T20:04:00.000+08:00

Over 1,000 balloon sculpting enthusiasts and participants gathered at Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade on 26 Nov this year to enjoy an amazing treat of giant balloon sculptures in the form of sea creatures.

When we arrived, we were welcomed by this huge balloon 'kite' dancing in the air.

It was really great to see the community coming together to participate in this diverse and colourful event filled with lively entertainment.

Some of the sculptures are small and simple while others are huge and highly complex. Due to time constraints, I couldn't stay long enough to explore more fabulous creations so I only managed a few shots.

This variation of sea horse sculptures are a great pop of colour and grab attention of many children. I think they make a great floor standing centrepiece but I wonder how long such a sculpture can last, since they will somehow leak air and fall all the way to the floor!

Be careful as you pass by this eye-popping balloon sculpture! I've no idea what this is but the alien-like appearance looks like terrifying creatures from the ocean depths or monsters from outer space. They were a hit of the event though.

I was amazed by the wide assortment of colours, extraordinary shapes and sizes of balloons created by the People’s Association balloon sculpting interest groups! They really know how to twist up a storm.

Our World

Saturday PhotoHunt - Joy

2011-12-17T00:31:00.006+08:00

The glory of nature always bring joy to my heart. A few examples.

A beautiful sunset in paradise at Santorini.

Gorgeous orchids blooming in perfection.

Beautiful and colourful parakeet, a feast for the eyes.

PhotoHunt

Skywatch - Views from VivoCity

2011-12-15T17:26:00.001+08:00

I'm sharing some skywatch photos taken from VivoCity in Singapore.

A view of monorail express heading towards Sentosa with Port of Singapore in the background.

A great place to skywatch when it's not raining and I find that those huge giraffe-like cranes do a great job framing the sky.

Looking across the sea is the Sentosa Resort World. I remember in the good old days where we have to board a ferry to Sentosa but now there's a newly built boardwalk linking VivoCity to the island.

A different perspective of Sentosa Island.

This is a tall skinny snowman looking across Sentosa. What a pleasant treat it was to see him greeted us at that moment. It is really thin in size which I think fits perfectly in a tight space.:)

Skywatch