Friday, June 21, 2013

Haze - June 2013

The haze in Kota Kinabalu this morning (9.43am). No Mt Kinabalu.


The haze in Tongod (middle of Sabah) yesterday ...


... the sun at 8.35am.

 
But work still went on. Palms growing, mucuna (low creeper cover crop to suppress weeds) growing, AA mulch (plastic sheet covering the palm circle to prevent weeds, conserve some moisture and also fertiliser applied) fixed.


The Land Rover Defender 110 (current price said to be RM270K!). Comfy and good for the estate roads, but weird things still there (to those used to all the "modern" gadgets and stuff on their cars); like the tiny windscreen wipers, the non-electric door mirrors, non-electric windows, fuel cap still outside locked, rear door also outside locked, and water still get in when crossing slightly high rivers.


 The felled logs have rotted giving a chance for very colourful fungi.


In the mid-distance, a waterfall ...


... looked like a multi-staged one (photo at maximum zoom is not the best due to the haze) . The estate staff told me they did managed to make it through the jungle to the foot of the waterfall. I hope this area will not be disturbed.

Friday, June 14, 2013

Cactus in Kundasang

Yesterday, I drove to Kinabalu Park (with my wife and her friend from Denmark). Cool and cloudy day but luckily no rain.


The park was nice and clean and had a good number of visitors. In nearby Kundasang, we visited a plant nursery.


In addition to the usual nice flowers and plants, there were quite a number of cacti (or is it cactuses?) ...


... some fruiting (is that the correct term?). Hmmm, I don't know much about cactus, but they are nice to photograph ...

... especially with their small flowers ...


 ... seemingly somewhat unexpected from a spiny plant ...


... colourful yellow flowers ...


... and red flowers.


One with a "Bad Hair Day" ...


... one "bowling ball" shaped ...


... tentacles shaped ...


... Did it snowed last night?

Monday, June 03, 2013

Another Unusual Cloud Formation

Another Unusual Cloud Formation seen this morning in Kota Kinabalu. I have no idea if there is a name for this type. Previously I posted one photo of a lenticular cloud formation over Mt Kinabalu.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

A visit to 1Borneo - 25 May 2013

 Upon arriving, I noted many standing in front of a shoplot on the 3rd floor ...


 ... wow, all them brand names ...


... and a promise of "fun" ...


... leading to many posing and taking photos ...


... I didn't know what exactly they were selling ...


... but all covered, it seemed ...


... except the shutters were rolled down a half hour later (when I happened to pass by again). Checking the website seemed to show some kind of reward system (for all those brand name products) of discounted purchase price using some "S" point system. No details of how to get these "S" points; perhaps another multi-level marketing thingy?


One of the atrium had a fashion show (updated modernised traditional Sabahan fashion - definitely an oxymoron) by, I presumed, fashion students at UMS.


The basement floor had a shop I hadn't seen before; GreenVille Nature Aquarium ...


.... their tanks had more "greenery" ...


... not that I knew anything much about fish and aquariums!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Images of Europe


I went on a trip to Europe. This panorama covered the Victory Arch and the Coliseum in Rome. Some images will be known while some others will hopefully be less known and perhaps more interesting.

I noted the nice trees beside the road ...

... very nice texture of the bark.

The interesting viaduct ...

... where the peeled off bits showed the intricate covering pieces.

A panorama of St Peter's Square, the Oberlisk and the Basilica...

... and the continuous renovation and repairs. The columns must have taken major manpower to make.

The Holy Door at the Basilica; opened only on the Jubilee Year (last opened in 2000)...

... the other side of the door is sealed until the next opening by the Pope.

The interior of the Basilica is really impressive...

... despite the large crowd...

... normal service was actually held inside one corner ...

... nice confessional booths ...

... really, really impressive ceilings.

The Trevi Fountain, where visitors threw about 3000 euros each day (collected for charity use).

The Spanish Steps, where visitors just walked up and down and sit around (seemed meaningless).

That tower sure leaned (now stabilised and in no danger of falling over)...

... interesting carved relief on the marble wall of the Tower at Pisa.

A 3D relief on the door of the nearby church.

The She-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus.

Another 3D relief on another church door.

The Alpine landscape of Europe...

... stretches through many countries in Europe...

... with beautiful villages...

... and many grand homes.

The high Alps led to many mountains...

... including Mt Titlis (10,000ft) ...

... its been quite a while since I had my feet (or shoes rather) in the snow.

I hope the snow used was from an undisturbed part of the mountain!

The Chapel Bridge at Lucerne (Luzien) ...

... now rebuilt after most of it was burnt in 1993...

 ... Tradition had it that crossing the bridge gave you a long life.

I saw an interesting shop ...

... where apparently you can rent a box and displayed the item you want to sell ...

... I also saw a public drinking fountain where there was a lower outlet for your pet to drink from!

 The ambulance in Vaduz Liechtenstein.

One hotel dining room had tables where the legs came from old sewing machines ...

... including one from Singer. A great idea.

Tulip bulbs for sale meant we were in the Netherlands ...

... where the last of the tulips were about to be harvested. They are sent fresh each morning by air around the world.

One hotel had the genuine flower in front of the painted one.

Parking by the canal in Amsterdam meant really believing the guard rail WILL HOLD!

Many houseboats for both human ...

... and ducks ...

... and the window cleaner came by boat.

There was even a "No Parking" sign!

The three "X"s represent Amsterdam ...

... except on the clog, where it just represent the shoe laces!

The landmark of Paris viewed from the ground ...

 ... viewed from the top of the building at Montparnasse ...

... or viewed from the river Seine ...

... where there was the Stature of Liberty; or rather a replica. It seemed that there are many replicas in France and elsewhere.

89 euros to drive a Lamborghini or a Ferrari for 20 minutes. But mostly people taking photos!

The La Pyramide Inversee (skylight at the shopping mall in the Louvre).

The Trafalgar Square was taken over by the Fan Zone event for ...

... the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Basketball Finals.

I saw a nice walking billboard for ...

... a restaurant serving soups and sushi (soup and sushi?).

 A very nice and unusual building under construction in London. {Update: Said to be nicknamed "Walkie Talkie"}

Buckingham Palace was crowded as usual ...

... there was an impressive inner gilded gate ...

... and a not so impressive Gueen's Guard (a little skinny and wearing glasses!). I guess I can't really complain as I wear glasses myself, though no longer skinny!

One of the nice stature at the Victoria Memorial.

Chinatown prices 2013 ...

... I guess it still worked at one-to-one.