Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

I can’t remember since when I have a basket of Teddy Bears beside my bed…

Although these wooden bears can never be compared to my Teddy Bears, they are the most picturesque art along Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, the trendiest shopping & entertainment district.

This area is popular among tourist & locals especially the youths.

It took 26 years to construct the six-pillared Assumption Cathedral, It was financed by money left by Ivan the Terrible in a fit of remorse for killing his son 1559.

The Cathedral is much larger than its model and namesake in the Moscow Kremlin.

Christchurch Cathedral, New Zealand.

The Christchurch Cathedral Square is the city’s main meeting place, is a regular site of street performers and speakers of all varieties.

The Chalice, a large piece of modern sculpture in the form of an inverted cone, has stood in the square subverting the shape of the spire that rises above the cathedral since 2000.  It is made up of forty-two leaf patterns featuring different native plants.

Fisherman’s wharf, San Francisco, California, USA

In Spring 1970, it was my very first visit to the States, after landed at the San Francisco airport, my friend took me to the road and hitch-hiking, 2 young girls were picked up by a big truck and heading down town. We felt lucky and managed to squeeze in the front seats and up till now I still don’t know what that truck was loaded !  Was the world different at that time ?

Whether it was the Art in the Pier, Boudin’s Bakery, the Big Crabs…. or Pier 39 Marina… all were there, and looked like they were going to stay forever…. and yet the world is turning and changing !!!

                                                                                           Shirakawa-go Japan

Driving through a 31km long tunnel in the remote mountains along the Shogawa River Valley, We arrived a unesco world heritage site- Shirakawa-go in Japan.

Sure to find a tranquil life in this gassho-zhkuri houses, they stand side by side and are surrounded by rice paddies and fields.

Gassho-zhkuri means “constructed like hands in prayer” as the farmhouses steep thatched roofs resemble the hands of Buddhist monks pressed together in prayer.

The architectural style developed over many generations and is designed to keep the forces of nature, particularly in winter, to withstand the heavy snow. The roof made without nails provided a large attic space used for cultivating silkworms.

                                                                                       China Tea House, Mandarin Oriental, Sanya

A tea house, not large in size but neat in configuration is located inside the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Sanya. I must say it is more like a teapot museum.

Chinese believe that exquisite utensils should comply with delicate food. The same goes with teapots. The famous “zi sha hu” is made of a special pottery clay, purplish black in color and antique in design. Carved on it are some inscriptions, paintings and poems. The important thing is that it can preserve tea leaves in their original flavor and color.

The tea they serves there varies from green tea to black tea, along with local delicacies and deserts.

It is  such a pity that no visitors seem to enjoy the teahouse at that time.

But what shall we do for a ring ?

They sailed away for a year and a day.

……………………..

With a ring at the end of his nose,

‘……are you willing to sell for one shilling your ring?’

‘I will’

So they took it away, and were married ………..

Marina Bay Sands,  Singapore

Construction of the iconic Marina Bay Sands redefines the Singapore skyline with three hotel towers.

Thrilling world-class casino action

Redefining entertainment

State-of-the- art exhibition

Breathtaking

                                                                        Tonle Sap Lake, Siem Reap, Cambodia

The Tonle Sap Great lake is truly the heart of Cambodia. The great Lake served as the foundation of the great Angkor Empire some 1000 years ago and continues today to support the development of Cambodia.

With the onset of the annual rainy season, Mekong river rises in early June, the Tonle Sap river backs up and reverses its flow back into the lake. With the rising waters come millions of migrating fish which inhabit the flooded lands and provide sustenance and livelihoods to numerous communities surrounding the Great Lake. In October the lake reaches its maximum depth and once again the river reverses direction and the lake starts draining until the Mekong river rises once again in June the following year and the cycle begins again.

Life is a state of permanent evolution. This ecosystem has provided sustenance for wildlife, fish and men for centuries. Of the many threats looming over the lake, it is possible that the Tonle Sap will silt up in the distance future. Also, with increasing pollution, compounded by the possible exploitation of oilfields or new dams being put in the upper course of the river, new threats are appearing.

                                                                                    Maple, Japan

Japanese maple is a spectacular tree suitable for most landscapes, and is prized in Japan not only for its leaves but also its branch structure which is seen in winter.

Japanese maple is native to Japan, China and Korea. It was cultivated from the early 17th century long before it was introduced into England, Canada and the United States .

In Japan they are called  Momiji which means to change colour (“momizu”).