Cameron Highlands Tea Plantation, Malaysia

Friday, September 30, 2011

PhotoHunt - Covered

Both photos are captured in Moscow.

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This is one of the nine chapels in St Basil's Cathedral. The ceiling and walls are beautifully covered with oil painted murals and icons .


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A public park of Alexandrovsky Garden is covered in a carpet of snow in front of Kremlin.

PhotoHunt

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Skywatch - Blue landscape, Santorini

This is one of the best places to grab a latte and watch the boats and cruise ships sail by from the Imerovigli Hotel in Santorini.

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A breathtaking view of an active volcano (a.k.a caldera) from the hotel terrace.


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A perfect spot to skywatch and a peaceful place filled with pleasant memories.

Skywatch

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wordless Wednesday - Istanbul metro

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For more stories and photos, please click here.

Wordless Wednesday

Monday, September 26, 2011

Our World - Bus Shelter in Dubai

This is probably the most advanced and the most comfortable bus-stop I've come across in my lifetime.

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It's quite common to see most of the bus shelters for public transportation are air-conditioned enclosures in Dubai and this is the first city in the world to provide such luxurious facilities for passengers.

I think the concept is great considering that the temperatures can get up to more than 50C in the peak season.

It was really nice to cool off while waiting and then hopped into an air conditioned bus for a ride!

The unique shape and design resembles the sail of a ship and it reminds me of the dazzling Burj Al Arab hotel.

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Our World

Friday, September 23, 2011

PhotoHunt - Yellow

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This was taken at one of the car shows in San Diego a few years ago. The yellow beauty in this photo seemed to fit the bill nicely. The red one is gorgeous too.


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Taxis in Istanbul are all yellow and easily spotted in traffic.

PhotoHunt

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Skywatch - Early Sunrise

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Another beautiful day in paradise. The rising sun painted the sky as I left for work this morning.


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It's amazing how dramatically the skies can change within minutes! A beautiful start to my day. Enjoy!

Skywatch

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Wordless Wednesday - Penang Botanic Garden

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Wordless Wednesday

Monday, September 19, 2011

Our World - Monument Against War and Fascism, Vienna

One of the most thought provoking discoveries I encountered in Vienna was the Monument Against War and Fascism on Albertinaplatz.

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The monument was created in 1988-1991 to commemorate the victims of the Nazi regime in Austria(1938-45) and those killed in the air raids of the 2nd World War .

Some of these powerful sculptures by Alfred Hrdlicka comprise the memorial.

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The split monument features the gates to a concentration camp, and made from granite cut from the Mauthausen Concentration camp. It is better known as" The Gates of Violence ", a symbolic reminder of war against terror with carved figures including chained slave labourers and a dying woman giving birth to a soldier.


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This sad depiction features a bronze sculpture of an elderly Jewish man, on his hands and knees, scrubbing anti-Nazi slogans from the street surface with a toothbrush.


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A piece of barbed wire, placed across the sculpture, is not meant to remind you of extermination camps. After doing a research back home, I discovered that the barbed wire was later added after people began using the sculpture as a bench.


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The next sculpture represents a half-sculpted figure with its head partially buried in the stone. Orpheus entering the Underworld, reminds Austrians of the consequences of not keeping their government on track. It recalls those who died in air raids and in resistance to the Nazis.

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And this one, aptly titled “Stone of the Republic,” commemorates the founding of the Austrian Republic in 1945 with engravings of the Austrian Declaration of Independence and the names of its signatories.


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I noticed some passerbys placed flowers in memory of the victims of war and fascism. It was extremely moving and touching. The memorial was even more moving when you realized it was built over the remains of a building where 300 people who were hiding from the Nazis were buried alive in a cellar during an air raid.

Our World

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Today's Flowers - Red Pagoda

These flowers were taken along the trail at Tree Top walk in Kulim recently.


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As the name implies, I guess the plant does vaguely resembles a pagoda. The botanical name is Clerodendrum paniculatum and the plants are found mainly in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and some parts of South East Asia.


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Each tiny flower has a long tube and protruding stamen. The flowers caught my eye when I first saw it at the Lake Gardens of Kuala Lumpur. They have such remarkable flowers.

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I like the way they are grouped in clusters and arranged in tiers like a pagoda.


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The pagoda flower has a number of medicinal uses for certain diseases in Asia. Chinese medicine often uses these plants in the treatment of hemorrhoids and excessive menstrual bleeding.

Today's Flowers

Friday, September 16, 2011

PhotoHunt - Wooden

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A lovely wooden boat spotted on a canal in Venice. I love the smooth, shiny surface of the boat.


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And here is one corner of a wooden storefront selling a wide range of delicious chocolates in Salzburg.

PhotoHunt

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Skywatch - Straits Quay Lighthouse

This lighthouse in Straits Quay is strategically located at the northern coast of Penang facing the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean.

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A great place to skywatch when it's not raining.

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Those luxury yachts and elegant sailboats that are docked at the marina belong to world travelers who drop in here for a few days. Have you ever been sail boating? I haven't and would love to go!


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A different view of the lighthouse under the fine weather


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From another perspective, I love the way the trees and lighthouse are framing the rippling clouds.

Skywatch

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Wordless Wednesday - Cool Retreat on Hot Days

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Penang Park Royal Resort

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Our world - Equestrian statue of Zhukov

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A bronze Equestrian statue of Marshall Georgy Zhukov standing guard in front of the State History Museum on Manege Square in Moscow. It was established in May 8, 1995 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War.



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A closer look of the horse and rider.


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And here's a different perspective of the statue at night. I find it truly majestic and striking.

Our World

Saturday, September 10, 2011

PhotoHunt - Greasy

I had a tough time for this theme. I’m usually not a fan of greasy food so I don't have many photos of it.

This was one of my favourite dishes I had in Salzburg. It was a really great meal Salzburg-style basmati rice with fried fish fillet accompanied by tartar sauce. The rice was fragrant, not greasy and alongside, the fish was crispy and flaky, nicely fried and not overly greasy.


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Thursday, September 8, 2011

Skywatch - Cloudless sky

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Here's a Greek Orthodox church adorning a cloudless sky with a handful of daisies enjoying the soft gently breeze in Santorini.

Skywatch

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Wordless Wednesday - Cop on Duty

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A police officer standing guard outside the Moscow State Historical Museum.

Wordless Wednesday

Monday, September 5, 2011

Our World - Tree Top Walk @ Sedim River

We made our way to the Tree Top Walk Sg. Sedim in my world recently. It is located in the heart of Gunung Inas Forest Reserve, about 30 kms from Kulim town. It's one of my favorite spots to go for a hike, but it's about an hour's drive from my house so I only go there once or twice a year.

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When we arrived, we were greeted by the sounds of chirping birds, buzzing insects and the smell of fresh air. The kids were thrilled walking pass the enchanted forest because in the city they don't ever get to experience anything like that.


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At 925m, it is the longest canopy walk in the world. I stopped at various points of the walkway to take photos.


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There were bursts of greenery to discover around every corner and this delicate beauty seemed to be waving gracefully at me as I snapped away.



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This is the view from the top looking down though not for the faint-hearted as a peep down might make you a bit dizzy.



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In a thick forest of leaves, there are labels that helps to identify the variety of plants


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Along the walkway, there are also signs indicating how high you are from the forest level. It is extremely high at some point, some areas are more than 10 meters. I feel like I'm literally on top of the world and seeing the soft breeze gently blowing through the trees is an uplifting sight.


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From the bridge, we paused for a few moments to enjoy the gushing waters of the river.

And that's a small peek in my world.

Our World