Friday, December 31, 2010

Weekend bridge: Footbridge



http://bayphoto.blogspot.com/

Footbridge at the main library of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
I lived in Singapore for 16 years as a faculty wife. Two years ago, I went back for a visit. There were lots of changes. I caught a bus from the Boon Lay Interchange, and had to use the bridge to get to the main library.

Macroflowers:Costus spicatus in Singapore







I have joined this meme for a while now, and I am loving it. First I love flowers. Second, the badge for this meme is the North Borneo Orchid.

Join Macro Flowers Saturday, a photo meme for macro photos and close-ups of flowers, garden flowers, wildflowers, blossoms, flowers with insects and butterflies (no insects without flowers), flowers with raindrops and whatever beautiful plants, plant seeds or berries you have, in close-up.

First time visitors, please read the rules. They are simple but I do ask that you, please, use a MFS badge or link back to MFS in some way. Thank you.

Macro Flower Saturday
Bluberry craft and hobby time

http://blueberrycraftandhobbytime.blogspot.com/p/join-my-photo-challenge-flowers-on.html
Costus spicatus, also known as Spiked Spiral flag Ginger or Indian Head Ginger. I took this photo in a friend's garden in Singapore.

Happy New Year to all, especially to all my friends in Singapore.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Skywatch: Hongkong




http://skyley.blogspot.com/

A year ago, the water engineer went to HongKong and took this photo.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

My World Tuesday: New Zealand Crabs





http://showyourworld.blogspot.com/
This is one Christmas dinner will we remember for a long time. They are from the Southland of New Zealand, we we bought them live from the Auckland Fish Market. The bigger beautiful purple crab is the male, and the female is brown. The legs of the male were more than a foot long.

We cooked them with four American crabs, and cooked them Singapore chilli crab style. I forgotten to take a photo of them after I cook them, but I can assure you that they were very delicious. We had a visitor from Singapore and she agreed with me.

When ever I have American crabs, I think if Patti in Crisfield, wondering if the crab I ate came from her fisherman. http://crisfieldnews.blogspot.com/2010/12/snow-storm-hits-eastern-shore- whiteout.html

Monday, December 27, 2010

Ruby Red Tuesday/rednesday:Garbage Truck





http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

http://www.suelovescherries.blogspot.com/
Our Garbage truck drivers and collectors are another group of workers that we mustn't take for granted.

For us here in Auckland, if there is a public holiday, the garbage collection skips to another day. With Boxing day being on Sunday, we thought the collection would be on Tuesday. But they came early on Monday, before people were awake, and my husband heard them but he was too late. I said that they shouldn't have come on Monday, and there were so much festive waste. It would be very unpleasant in our summer heat.

A lot of people must have complained, and they came again, I heard them and rushed out to the truck as they had past our house. I asked if they would wait for us. The husband came with the wheelie bin, and I happened to have my camera ready.

Here Ka Pai or good job to the men and women on this route.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Friday, December 24, 2010

Macro Flowers Saturday: Tulip







I have joined this meme for a while now, and I am loving it. First I love flowers. Second, the badge for this meme is the North Borneo Orchid.

Join Macro Flowers Saturday, a photo meme for macro photos and close-ups of flowers, garden flowers, wildflowers, blossoms, flowers with insects and butterflies (no insects without flowers), flowers with raindrops and whatever beautiful plants, plant seeds or berries you have, in close-up.

First time visitors, please read the rules. They are simple but I do ask that you, please, use a MFS badge or link back to MFS in some way. Thank you.

Macro Flower Saturday
Bluberry craft and hobby time

http://blueberrycraftandhobbytime.blogspot.com/p/join-my-photo-challenge-flowers-on.html

At the Winter Gardens in the Auckland Domain, you see flowers at all season. Here tulips have opened up, not the usual bud that you get from the florist shop.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Watery Wednesday: In the zoo



http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/

I was twenty before I went to the zoo. Now my sister Grace sends me photos of the zoo. She asks, " Whose tail is it?"

Prize?

A free entrance to the Singapore zoo. LOL

Sunday, December 19, 2010

weekend bridges: Mulu Resort



http://bayphoto.blogspot.com/

We were in the Mulu mountains in Borneo. I was surprised all the buildings were on very high stilts, and connected to one another by bridges. The porters use rickshaws to transport luggages.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Macro Flowers: Wild flowers







I have joined this meme for a while now, and I am loving it. First I love flowers. Second, the badge for this meme is the North Borneo Orchid.

Join Macro Flowers Saturday, a photo meme for macro photos and close-ups of flowers, garden flowers, wildflowers, blossoms, flowers with insects and butterflies (no insects without flowers), flowers with raindrops and whatever beautiful plants, plant seeds or berries you have, in close-up.

First time visitors, please read the rules. They are simple but I do ask that you, please, use a MFS badge or link back to MFS in some way. Thank you.

Macro Flower Saturday
Bluberry craft and hobby time

http://blueberrycraftandhobbytime.blogspot.com/p/join-my-photo-challenge-flowers-on.html

These little flowers grow wild in my garden. Every flower has its rightfull place in my garden, people might say they are weeds, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Skywatch Friday: Winter in Auckland




http://skyley.blogspot.com/

We don't have snow like most of you in The northern hemisphere, but Winter is still very cold to me. This is Mt Albert volcano in the background.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Monday, December 13, 2010

Ruby Red/Rednesday: Banzai

This photo is new, but the latter part of this post is a repeat. I did it in 2009.

Those readers from Malaysia and Singapore will be familiar with this story. It is the story that is with the family. My brothers now live in Australia, but they are very passionate when they tell it to the younger generation. Of course, this story must not die out.



http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

http://www.suelovescherries.blogspot.com/



My brothers, Charles, Joseph and Henry are going to have a field day when they read this post. As boys, they naturally have more interests in war, though I have listened first hand from my Dad.

Banzai in Japanese, or at least during the World War 2, aka as the Japanese invasion, means "Hail to the Emperor." The fierce Jap soldiers required anyone seeing them to prostrate 90 degrees, lift one hand out and say," Banzai!" Then the Jap soldiers will let you go. If you don't, you would be knocked by the gun, and beaten or forced with water into your stomach or thrown to jail.

Whereas, in Hokkien, a Chinese dialect, Banzai means "Go to Shit." So according to my brother Charles, the Chinese were very enthusiastic in saying ," Banzai! Banzai". The soldiers not knowing this, would let them go. The rest of the population like the Malays were beaten really badly.

My Dad, and later Henry related this story. Dad really needed to banzai/shit. When he was heading towards a toilet, he encountered some Jap solders. His quick thinking made him lift his hand to show them his toilet paper, and saying Banzai at the same time. Misunderstanding him, the Jap soldiers let him off. I teased Dad in his later years if he shat his pants, and he only laughed. He said, now we can all laugh, it was no laughing matter then.

This shop in Mt Eden is called Banzai, it sells Japanese snacks. I always snigger when I see it. You won't catch me going into that shop. Now it has become a restaurant.

***When the water engineer wears his Japanese cap, I scold him to be a ratbag, his Dad who was beaten up twice by the Japs would roll in his grave. The Japanese caps and uniform were Khaki in colour. The water engineer's hat is blue and made in China. I don't think China would make such a cap in Khaki colour.***

Sunday, December 12, 2010

PhotoHunt 243: Funny


http://tnchick.com/

Fee Fi Fo Fum
I smell the blood of an English man,
be he alive or be he dead,
I will grind his bone to make my bread.

I was caught by the giant who mistook me for Jack, the Englishman.

Sam had fun experimenting his camera technique

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Weekend bridge: Whatipu




http://bayphoto.blogspot.com/
We went to Whatipu Scientific reserve where there are endangered birds. We had to cross a bridge and I have no idea why they ask us to walk in the middle. May be they worry we may fall over the creek.

Addition:
In fact all three of us missed the sign, It was at a little short pole at the right of the bridge. I saw it only because I was looking around to look for places to take my photos.