Rosary beads by my bedside. I’ve always found praying with the rosary rather “technical”.
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Bowl of Rice
I was intrigued by this simple bowl of rice. It’s a first time for me that I was served a bowl of white Jasmine rice topped with brown rice and barley. Do note, I’m not a fan of both grains. I have problem digesting brown rice, while I absolutely can’t stand barley. But the pyramidal shape of the rice made me put aside my bias against them. I must say the brown rice and barley complemented the white rice pretty well. In fact, the rice is quite delicious. Every grain of rice was distinct and precious. I swear I could eat this plain without anything else. It was that good. 
Violet Blaze
Chrysanthemums in a shade of purple… Chrysanthemums are one of the most common flowers seen during Chinese festivals. There is always a different shade of the flower fit for every occasion. But never, ever give someone a bouquet of white chrysanthemums. The flower in that shade is usually associated with death and Qing Ming festival (the Chinese equivalent of All Soul’s Day).
Poppin’ Daisies
It’s been a while since I’ve photographed daisies. Daisies are found in abundance at the Sentosa Flower Fest, although they usually don’t take the spotlight. I thought the coloration of these daisies were pretty interesting, quite atypical from the ones you usually encounter. These flowers bring a sense of optimism amid their simplicity.
Peach Blossoms
It has been quite a while since my last visit to the annual Sentosa Flower Fest. I was busy shooting for my photography class assignments, this time last year. I can’t remember what I was doing at this time the year before that. The last time I’d gone to the Flower Fest was in 2009. In my memory, the Flower Fest was much more interesting, there were certainly more flowers. This time, the visit is disappointing. My Mum accompanied me to the Flower Fest, and she complained it was (hot and) boring. Yeah, I certainly do miss the times shooting in Buffalo, at least you don’t perspire from heat. But it’s better to be drenched in sweat than having my hands succumb to frostbite. Anyway, I was photographing these flowers when a group of older women walked passed me and asked what these flowers are. For some reason I told them these are cherry blossoms. How wrong could I be… These are peach blossoms. Yes, these are essentially flowers of a peach tree.
Manhattan Sunset
In my opinion, the best skyscraper to head to for a good skyline shot of New York City is Rockefeller Center. The reason is simple. You get a shot of the iconic Empire State Building in the picture. Of course, if you’ve only time for one skyscraper to visit, then I suppose it makes more sense to visit the Empire State Building.
P.S.: If you look hard enough towards the middle-right side of the horizon, you can faintly see the Statue of Liberty.
Cherry Blossoms
My Mum does not believe these are cherry blossoms, she calls them pink little flowers. In fact, she didn’t even notice them. But who could’ve blamed her? Cherry blossoms are stereotyped with Spring in Japan. No one would be expecting to see loads of them in North America. They are pretty flowers indeed, especially if you witness the evolution of the tree through the four seasons. There were cherry and cranberry trees on UB campus. I did not pay much attention to them, apart from being fascinated that the cherries (especially the cranberries) lasted well in the chill. The berries look fascinating in Autumn. Unfortunately, it did not occur to me what they were. To me, they were some berry trees that were possibly poisonous. Haha… Not every fruit-bearing tree in Singapore has edible fruits. Even the fruit trees planted by the government were thought to be “inedible”, due to the chemical fertilizer and whatever pesticide that may be used to protect the trees. There weren’t many sort of fruit trees in Singapore, despite the island being known as a “garden city”. We weren’t a “garden city” from the start, and many trees fail to bear fruit due to our climate and terrain.
Liberty Noir
Every single time I’ve been to New York City, the sky is overcast. I wonder if it’s perpetually like that at NYC or maybe I lack the luck for good weather. I took this picture with an overcast sky. The sky wasn’t exactly on the verge of pouring, but I do wish for some break between the clouds. You can’t see much of the sky hidden behind the thick blanket of clouds.
Liberty Island is a worthwhile visit, even though the security measures to get there is a pain. The visit to the island is absolutely not tourist-friendly. I hated having to untie the laces to my leather boots and having to tie them back again three to four times. It’s really annoying, and inconvenient. They actually scan you so many times over that it begs sanity! Oh well, I have to admit it’s worthwhile putting up with the security checks because I know I’m gonna get great pictures of the Statue of Liberty on the island. Nothing beats taking a picture of the statue on the island itself.
Maple Leaves
I’m still trawling through the holiday photos. Yes… I’m working pretty slowly on it and I only check back on it once in a long while. Frankly I’ve not been shooting much these days. The last time I’ve been out shooting was in late September. Oh well… My photographic productivity is at an all time low. Picture taken by the window of Canadian Maple Delights in Vieux-Montréal. If you’re wondering, the leaves are plastic. Haha…
Ivory Florets
I was at the National Orchid Garden. The flowers caught my eye. They were part of the shrubbery that no one paid much attention to. After all, the star attractions of the garden are the orchids, not some “random” flower sprouting from some shrub by the side. There were Chinese tourists nearby that shrug in wonder why I was focusing intently on these insignificant flowers. But to me, the flowers have this unique personality. Its simplicity and quaintness draws me to it. Many visitors have past by this shrub. How many of them bothered to take a closer look at it?
P.S.: The leaves of the plant resembles mint leaves. I tried looking for any signage that may tell me the name of the plant, but there wasn’t any. If anyone out there knows the name of this plant, leave a comment below. Much appreciated. :)
