Showing posts with label river. Show all posts
Showing posts with label river. Show all posts

Friday, July 16, 2010

Singapore (3): Sept 2009 - May 2010

Places to Visit

If you ask me where do i missing the most in Singapore, i would say, my previous work place. I quite like the working environment, my bosses, my colleagues but i did complain about my job getting routine and lack of challenges. After i haven't been really working much for more than 2 years, i miss the CMM, the caliper, doing FAI, doing MSA, doing audit reports... Not to mention that, i knew by the end of the month, there will be increment in my bank account summary. :) When i read the forwarded email saying: 'If you are complaining about your job, then that is a good sign! Because you have a job and income!' I feel this to be very true and there is a feeling of gratitute that i never had towards my old employer. I wish the company doing well, so that it can continue to provide for all my former colleagues.



People taking train passing between Yio Chu Kang and Khatib always see this park, The Bottle Tree. It is a private park opens to the public for fishing and event. There are 2 restaurant and a bar within the compound.




In 1921, the building of Phor Kark See Monastery started as the first traditional Chinese forest monastery in Singapore, by Venerable Zhuan Dao.
Since Phor Kark See Monastery is situated at Kong Meng San ("Bright Hill"), it came to be known as Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery.
Venerable Hong Choon with great perseverance, he progressively developed and expanded the monastery with his followers into the largest and most majestic place of practice in Singapore.
I was the volunteer temple guide in one of the year of wesak day celebration.



Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum in Chinatown. They used to provide free meals, but eventually stopped due to the widespread economic recession.



Singapore Zoo. This is a polar bear living in the tropical country. The pool and place to confine it is without air-con. Poor him.
Singapore Zoo followed the modern trend of displaying animals in naturalistic, 'open' exhibits, i.e. with hidden barriers, behind moats and shrubbery etc.



Nick named, the 'durian', by the local, Esplnade - The Theatre on the Bay, is Singapore major performing arts centre.
Also in picture, The Singapore Flyer ,is currently the tallest Ferris wheel in the world. It offers broad views of the city centre and beyond to about 45 km, including the Indonesian islands of Batam and Bintan, as well as Johor, Malaysia.



The Merlion is an imaginary creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, used as a mascot of Singapore.
The completion of the Esplanade Bridge, in 1997, blocked the views of the Merlion from the Marina Bay waterfront. By then, the original Merlion location was also no longer the entrance of Singapore River. So, in 2002, the statue and its cub were relocated 120 metres to the current Merlion Park that fronts Marina Bay where it stands on a newly-reclaimed promontory in front of The Fullerton Hotel.



Raffles Place was located on the south bank of the Singapore River. Near by is the pubs, bars and restaurants infected Boat Quay and Clarke Quay.
This is the central business district dominated by the skyscrapers with the flagship banks.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire, Scotland: Summer 2009

Water, Forest, Cold ...

Tillicoultry

It rained continuously for 6 days on/off when we just moved to Scotland. It was cold and wet all the time. Somehow, we were lucky to find a flat by ourselves for short term, near to Stirling, below the Orchil Hills, in a small peaceful village called Tillicoultry.



This is our neighbourhood. We could just hike up to the hills as we want. The foot path to go up is 5 minutes from our house.



There are hills and of course there is a river!
The river is just right beside of the road after the first left/right turns to our house.



The small park just below of the hills.
This place is so quiet that, there is even no wireless internet around the areas.
If i switch on my macbook in Cardiff or Brighton, it can detect at least 10 wireless networks.
Overhere, we are the only house where there is internet connection.


Callander, Scotland: 10 May 2008

When KY and KL came to visit us, they told us that, their tour guide said, Callander is a place for old people. May be that is true. The town is of medium size, with mountains for easy hike and water falls / rivers to chill out.



From the small village that we stay, we drove by Bridge of Allan and Doune to go to Callander. It took around 1 hour. On the way, there is a wind field. It seems like there are quite a few wind fields around Scotland. We normally see it along the highway.



Unlike the other part of UK, there is forest in Scotland. It was so pleasant to just walk in the fresh cold air in the forest. The walk was straight forward and easy.



We arrived at Bracklinn falls with our swimming wears in the beg, wanted to brave the cold water at this time. However, there were no way to go down to the falls. The hike stopped above at the falls where we could only look and not able to touch the water at all.



A pool which could be just nice to swim, but couldn't go down there! We ended up just picnic.