The kids are glad the year's nearly over...

No, not real kids jumping in. They are actually sculptures of children jumping into the river.



The day's ending in Singapore, actually the year's ending. Been out the whole day and just got back to post this up. Wishing all a happy ending to 2006.

Prickly Things

The discarded outer shell of a fruit called Durian. Have you all tasted it?



When I was young, I loved it, but when I got older, I seem to have been avoiding it. I don't know why too!

Has it been a prickly year for you?
Today's New Year's Eve's Eve. Wishing all a very Smooth and Brand New & Happy New Year!

Happy Bears... Why?

A pair of Happy Bears, these were soft toys that my cousins just got. We were in the car going home and decided to just take a photo of them.

Looking at cute soft toys reminds me of Amedée of Evry Daily Photo (France)



Today's the last working day of the year for 2006! I am so happy! Going off to work now.

It has been raining and raining...

It has been raining almost non stop again this starting this week.

While going out for lunch, I took this.




It's not a waterfall, but water at a drain. The drain has multiple layers, not sure if you can notice the other 'waterfalls' higher up. haha...

Christmas Tree with Presents...

Here's the tree at our party. Filled with all the presents...



Are you people on diet yet? haha...

Christmas Day Dinner

A Blessed Christmas to you all in other parts of the world that is still on 25 Dec. ;-)

This was last nite's dinner at aunt's place. She roasted the turkey while sis and I made Pasta, Fruit Salad, Shepherds Pie and Apple Crumble. There are lots of other food.



For those in Singapore, it's time for Post Christmas shopping? haha. There seems to have great bargains! Also, SMS service has no more delays. I had diffulty sms-ing Christmas greetings to people in my phonebook. This crazy guy sms over 60 sms at 25th midnite, contributing to the annual SMS jam. LOL...

Oops, I am reusing the same photo I posted on my daily food blog here. Haha... There are other food pictures, too tired to look for other photos.

Blessed Christmas Day to All...

Here's a picture of a church that was having a Christmas Eve celebration. This picture was taken at nearly midnite, the start of the day of this post.



Have a very Blessed Christmas to all visitors of this Daily Photo Blog.

Gifts right from the heart.

A very Blessed Christmas Eve everyone.

It has been a very very busy week. I have not been visiting DPs or replying comments. I will do them next week. Been very busy with Church activities.

Yesterday, instead of just buying gifts which everyone is buying, we thought we will make gifts from the heart. After pouring thru so many recipes, we settled for Oatmeal Cookies. We made 11 boxes of cookies and it took us 6 hours in the kitchen yesterday. (We were very very tempted to just give up and buy them instead. haha..)

Here's a picture of the cookies on the cooling rack.



They have mostly been distributed at church this morning.

Remember to Flush!

The purpose of this sculpture is to remind us to flush.



Do you have autoflush WCs in your country? In Singapore, most public toilets will autoflush after you finish doing your business. haha...

Beetle Bug - A Big Black One and Hungry too!!

Hmm I hope Jing from ShanghaiDailyPhoto.com do not freak out. She said that she quickly closed her browser looking at one of my bug posting.

More bugs! This is at the Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom at Sentosa.



Close up of the big black bug!


They look kinda real, don't they? Mini Jurassic Park like eh?

Invasion of the giant lady bugs!

Are they lady killers? Haha... Giantic ladybirds or ladybugs climbing on to the trees. They have grown so big that the birds looks so small!!




This is part of Sentosa Island, the Resort Island in Singapore.



This second picture is to gives you a bigger picture. Looking at the bugs, reminds me of Ladybird books. I grew up reading them!

The UCC - Magnificent View at Nite.

This is the University Culture Centre (UCC) at nite.



The UCC is where the Commencement ceremony (or Convocation) for NUS Graduates is held. It's a beautifulu hall with superb accoustic system. It is also a popular venue for concerts, plays, and every year the Prime Minister's National Day Rally Speech.

The biggest cello in Singapore

This is the new home of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music.

This building was officially opened on 7 October this year.



There's lots of glass being used. They are supported by paired bow trusses which look like the strings on a violin or cello.

Study Music at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music

Thinking of studying for a music degree?

Well, the National University of Singapore's Conservatory of Music might just be the place to go. The full name of the conservatory is the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music.



It was establish in 2001 between NUS and the Peabody Institute of the John Hopkins University. Recently, they just moved to their permanent building.

Blue Bird with Mud

This little one must be the naughty one. It went away to play with mud. Now it has got mud all over.

Oh Sweet Nectar from the Bloom

Sweet sweet nectar from plants. This bee sure is busy.



Arrgh. Have you been stung by a bee before? I remember when I was young, I had, and mum put vinegar on it to soothe the excruciating pain.

Imagine one million legs on you.

Hmm if one million legs stepping on you, would that be a nice massage?



I used to be so so so scared of milipedes when I was a small boy. Were you all like that when you were young?

Biten by an ant? Oh, what a holey leaf!

We shall enjoy nature for the next few days. Here's a big ant on a leaf.



Yes, the pictures these few days were taken from a green jungle in Singapore. Located at MacRitchie Reservoir Park, a few friends, we went for the Tree Top Walk.

Into the Forest - Silence is Gold says the sign...

Today we shall take a walk into the forest. (yes, small island Singapore has forest!)

Hope you will enjoy the trip. But first, let's observer some silence.



Do you agree with the statement above?

Ixora

This was taken also under an umbrealla while its raining. Things DP bloggers will do! LOL

The pokey pokey flowers looks fabulous right?



Hope you enjoy this flower.

Species of Lilies

I don't know the name of this, but I guess it should belong to the lilies species.

It's lilies with moustache!

Orange Heliconias

Hmm, am I addicted to Heliconias?

Walk around, and you see more, and you snap more of them!
This Heliconia is orange in colour.

But wait, there's more! Heliconia Rostrata

Just when you thought that that's the end of my Heliconia posting. Here's another one. I took them yesterday lunch time after getting caught in the rain.



This species: Heliconia Rostrata.
It reminds me of bananas!!

Growing Tulips in Singapore

This was my experiment in growing tulips in Singapore. The tulips had winter and spring simulated by placing them in the freezer / refrigerator.

Then I planted the bulbs into the soil in pots in my kitchen.



It started to grow, but sadly it did not flower. 2 other colleagues who did the same thing, but left the plant to grow in air-con rooms had the flower bloomed. It was so pretty. But sadly, mine dried up after 2 weeks without flowering :-(

The bulbs were from Amsterdam, courtesy of colleague who went there for a conference.

Oh Sweet Heliconias, the Ants love it too!

Going round taking pictures of different kinds of heliconias, I saw this with ants all crawling on it.

Looks like big red ants love this plant too!



Be careful, this red ants are really nasty! One bite and you'll suffer for the next few days. This picture was taken in the evening with low lights, so pardon the blur-ness :-)

Big Heliconias - More of it!

This is another species of Heliconia.

The big red ones with yellow inside.



It is also very popular all around Singapore as ornamental plants.

Heliconia - It's everywhere too!

From yesterday's comments, wow, now I know that Bougainvillea can really be found everywhere. Thanks for dropping those comments too!

Here's another plant that is found almost everywhere in Singapore. Heliconia. It's so pretty too!



It's a very popular plant for landscaping. I hope I am getting it right, the plant name should be Heliconia Psittacorum.

Bougainvillea - It's almost everywhere

Bougainvillea is a flower that you can find almost everywhere in Singapore. (and many parts of the world as well).



It's a very thorny plant, and I have been pricked by it many times. This is an example of the purple flower Bougainvillea.

It's been raining...

Look up and you will see that the skies are dark.



I think sitting in front of the monitor you will be able to sense the rain that's going to hit on your window panes.

Creepers on Walls

These creepers are popular. They are planted to wrap up walls, and make them green.



This is taken behind a bus stop, where the wall is growing with it.

Theme Day - December 2006

Today, 1 December is Theme Day for Daily Photo Bloggers.

The theme is something from the waist down. Well, if they are kids, it will be too small if it's only from the waist down.

This is a picture of Renee on the left and Hannah on the right. Look how cute they are holding hands.



View the Rest of the DP Bloggers who are posting something similar.

Porto - Greenville - Evry - Queens - Seattle, WA, USA - Stayton , OR, USA - Albuquerque, NM (USA) - Joplin, MO (USA) - Singapore (Raymond) - Guadalajara, Mexico - Santiago, Chile - London (UK) - Jakarta (Indonesia) - Bandung (Indonesia) - Melbourne, Aust (John) - Phoenix, AZ (US) - Twin Cities, MN - Newcastle upon tyne(England) - St. Paul, MN (USA) Carol - Szentes (Hungary) - Tuzla (BiH) - St. Paul Kate - Dubai (U.A.E.) - Nelson (New Zealand) - Sharon, CT USA - Tenerife (Spain) - Auckland (New Zealand) - Budapest (Hungary) - Sydney, Australia (Sally) - Sequim, WA - East Lansing, MI (USA) - Vantaa; Finland - Singapore (Zannnie) - Paris (France) - Kuala Lumpur - Shanghai, China - Sydney Aust (Nathalie) - Hyde (UK) - Akita City, Japan - Tokyo (Japan) - Rotterdam - Manila (Philippines) - Not Strictly Seattle - Stavanger (Norway) - Hong Kong - Chattanooga, Tennessee - Barcelona (Spain) - Trujillo (Peru) - Naples Florida - Delta Colorado - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Cheltenham, England - Saarbrücken, Germany

Red with Anger, Green with Envy : What's your favourite colour?

The traffic lights in Singapore are all using LEDs like this.



Is it the same in your town? city? country?

ChildAid2006 - A children's charity concert

ChildAid 2006 - School Pocket Money Fund

Tonight I attended this charity concert to raise funds for children. I am totally, absolutely amazed by these children who offered their talents to perform to raise funds for other children who are less fortunate.

All who performed are under 19 years old. Some who performed includes: Abigail Sin, hailed by TIME magazine as one of Asia's "Small Wonders". If you all remember the drummer Ethan Ong, 28 August DP post, he also performed a magnificent drum rolls on Akira Jimbo's Mid Manhattan.



This is picture of Tampines Primay School's Children's Choir. It's a pre-event performance they had at the foyer of the NUS University Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Of course I could not take pictures inside the Concert Hall, only this one outside.

Those in Singapore, you might want to lend your support. Check if Sistic still have tickets, give them your support.Read more about School Pocket Money Fund by Straits Time / Business Time here.

Aliens landed at Vivo, and left something behind

It was reported that at Vivo City, the Martians have planted an snowman that does not melt. They have also left these little green stuff all around, near the flower beds.

What are the Martians up to? We need the help of visitors to this blog help solve the puzzle.



The Martians left some clues and we need your help. Is it a:
1. Martian Spy Cam
2. Martian water sprinkler system
3. Martian sound system (speakers)
4. Part of the Martian space ship that was left behind.

The first correct person in Singapore to answer, gets a treat Choc shake from Godiva. (I will sponsor this, pic of the prize)

Anyone from overseas who answers it gets a Uniquely Singapore postcard sent to them. They might win a Singapore Airlines flight too! (Singapore Tourism Board will sponsor it, since it's their contest. I will just drop the postcard into the postboxes here :-) )

Genetic Engineering - Pinocchio with Snowman

From yesterday's post, we see that everyone's get tempted eh.

What is this? I have no idea. To me it looks like it is a cross breed between a snowman and Pinocchio. It must have lied that it did not get tempted by chocolates at the Godiva windows, that is why its nose is growing.....




Are you a fan of Walt Disney characters? Guess what, I do not subscribe to the news channels on cable tv, but I have Disney Channel! :-) My sis just visited Disneyland HK a few days ago!

Forgive me for I have sinned - Godiva Chocolatier

How many times have you fallen into temptation?

The dark brown colour of each individually crafted chocolates, with sophisticated designs, both in shape and toppings, the smell, the... I better stop.



Colleagues and I were walking past Godiva Chocolatier and we just could not resist and went in and each of us took a Dark Chocolate Shake each. Each thick, chocolatety and cold sip simply rejunivates and clears the clogged arteries. (Dark Chocs are good for the heart right?)


When was the last time you got tempted by something?

More views from the tallest hotel, Swissotel The Stamford

Here's another view from the high tower.

The white huge buildling is actually the new but not so new already National Library. There's a drama centre inside as well. Edwin from KLDP has actually performed at the Drama Centre there.



----
To my regular visitors, you have seen sights of Singapore, do you want to visit Singapore all expense paid? Or you want to receive postcards from Singapore?

Drop me an email, I will send you a postcard and you might win a return trip to Singapore on Singapore Airlines, 4D3N hotel stay at Fullerton for 2 and spa vouchers, and much more! All courtesy of Singapore Tourism Board. (Details at: http://www.visitsingapore.com/projectpostcard )

A postcard is on the way to Meg & Ben Nakagawa in New Zealand :-) Hopefully they win a free trip too! Anyone else wants a postcard?

View of Singapore - From the Tallest Hotel in Singapore

Well, today I was at the 59th level of Swissotel Stamford. It's the tallest hotel in Singapore.

Here's one of the view of Singapore. Enjoy...



----
To my regular visitors, you have seen sights of Singapore, do you want to visit Singapore all expense paid? Or you want to receive postcards from Singapore?

Drop me an email, I will send you a postcard and you might win a return trip to Singapore on Singapore Airlines, 4D3N hotel stay at Fullerton for 2 and spa vouchers, and much more! All courtesy of Singapore Tourism Board. (Details at: http://www.visitsingapore.com/projectpostcard )

Which side are you on?

Hmm.. this is a continuation of yesterday's Santa Express.

Now which side will you be queing on?



Right or left?

Does Santa Exist? Visit him via the Santa Express?

Of course we know it doesn't. This is Centrepoint Mall in Orchard Road. They have a Santa Express for children. A Santa Express to fool children?

It's something that do not exist, and sigh... it does not even appropriately represent Christmas.



Anyone been a Santa or Santarina before?

The Tall Tree at Ngee Ann City

This is a Christmas tree at Ngee Ann City Shopping Centre.

Every year there will be this tall tall tree right in the middle, this year's no exception.



Can you see how small the people are? It spans across a few levels too!

Where is your heart and treasure?

Where will your heart be? This picture tells it all.



Are you still seeking your treasure?

Treasure Hunt

Was walking around this afternoon along Orchard Road after Church today.

Took a photo Christmas Deco at Tangs. This is right at the entrance.
The theme for this mall is treasures.



Are you seeking your treasure?

Why was Victoria Concert Hall built?

Do you know why?
Well, the answer is revealed here.




This building is also where the organ pipes picture was taken.

I just realise that this building is way way way older than I am!!

Barber Poles... The History behind them....

This Barber Pole is taken from Dover. It's something that we do not often see anymore.



Do you know its history? In the medieval times, barber performed surgery on their customers. The poles are what the patients hold on to during surgery!

Read more about it at Wikipedia.

100th Post - 100 years of service

How fast time flies. This is my 100th post!

For the 100th post, this picture is a poster on the wall of the Faculty of Medicine's 100th year of service.



By the way, the faculty has changed its name to the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine on its Centennial Medical Dinner on 3 July 2005.

Welcome in many languages

Yesterday's post has multilingual talk. Now....

Do you feel good when you see words in language you know?

Maybe that's why they have this multi language greeting to welcome people who arrive at the airport. The first 4 are the 4 national language of Singapore, the rest I am sure many reading this will instantly recognize it!



Welcome!


A short survey, how many languages can you speak? For me, I speak English, Chinese (Mandarin and the Hokkien dialect), Malay, and a few words of French. (too lazy to continue French classes)

In case you did not see it, PLEASE Flag Early! haha....

Yesterday's was just a small sign on the poll. This was taken at the Bus Interchange. It is much bigger too!



If you all notice, the signs are in 4 languages. Just like any other notices, they are always in English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil. These are the 4 official languages in Singapore.

More info about the buses in Singapore, there are 2 main bus companies, the SBS Transit and SMRT. To take the public transport in Singapore, you use the EZLink card.

My previous post here has a picture of the EZLink card :-)


Sigh, as Min said in yesterday's comments, the GST is going up in Singapore. It will be 7% soon. Sigh again... :(