Maldives Part 2

The things to see diving at Maldives, besides the usual rich marine life, are the manta rays and whale shark. We are really lucky to see both of them. I was the only one who didn't bring any underwater camera. The photos here are taken by the other divers on the boat. Here they are:

Manta Ray. They are not shy at all. They are swimming around as if cat-walking on the runway waiting for their photos to be taken.

The picture below shows a number of remora with the manta. Are they picking parasites off the manta, giving it a grooming session?



Whale shark





Mobular Ray. They look like manta, except much smaller, usually swim in schools. And their front 'two thingy' are pointed rather than bent like the manta.




School of Mobular Ray




Marble ray. 4 of them, 2 partially hidden in the sand.



A fat marble ray?


White tip shark




A fat shark. Actually, this is slight different from the black tip. It is the grey reef shark. Slightly bigger and fatter. Not as big as the great white or pointer which are not found here at Maldives.

Maldives - Part 1

Coming back from a diving trip in Maldives is like waking up from a dream.

This is my first Liveaboard (LOB) dive trip. It has been a wonderfully fantastic experience! 1 week of LOB at MV (Motor Vessel) Eagle Ray.

MV Eagle Ray

A summary of my dives at Maldives. The dive sites and the route taken in our 1 week LOB dive tour. The other whiteboards are for pre-dive briefing. Our Dive Masters are a bunch of really friend and humorous people.



Inside MV Eagle Ray


Island visit after diving





A rainbow. Nice.

Sunset


A wonderful surprise dinner on an uninhabited island. Candle light buffet dinner. Feel the sand on my feet. And a rare sight for the urban singaporean: looking the stars at the sky - my friends told me a cluster of them is Orion. The crew in MV Eagle ray has been superb.

Sun, Sea, Sand.




Calm, cool waters. In the middle of the Ari Atoll


Fish Market at Male, the capital of Maldives

Zoukout 2010

Zoukout 2010

The crowd and the fireworks


One of the most superb music!



I only manage to catch a bit of it. Need to leave early, flying the next day.

Wine Wise

I'm colleague recommended this wonderful place for wine appreciation. It is located at the heartland just opposite Tiong Bahru market. They don't sell food ( you can always buy from Tiong Bahru market and take it inside, or you can order pizza to be delivered there), just decent wine.

What is good: You can sample a variety of wine before buying a glass or bottle. There are a number to choose: Different types of red, white wine; sweet wine for desserts such as port and moscato...

It is a wonderful place for chit chat and get-to-gather. A very decent place, unlike clubs and pubs with smokes and such. It only opens from 11 am - 2 pm and 4 pm to 10 pm. For extended hours, do call the place up to arrange for extension of opening hours.

Directions to Wine Wise:

http://www.streetdirectory.com/restaurants/singapore/reviews/location-Wine_Wise-1000010261.php

Marina Bay Sands - Infinity Pool

Infinity pool!!!

(btw, the photos here are taken with Nokia N86 8MP, and I have not touched up the colours)




Akan Datang. More coming up



This is a documentary on the engineering marvel of Marina Bay Sands from Science Channel - Build in Bigger. I salute the architects, engineers and all those involved in the construction. This is civil engineering at its finest!

Evolution or Revolution

Evolution or Revolution, this is the question.

Visiting BMW showcase is really just 望梅止渴.

This is a real VINTAGE. Aged but charming.


This looks like some vehicle from the Transformers movie. Really cool stuff.

The chasis of this BMW consists mostly of fabric! Evolution or Revolution?

More about BMW GINA from Youtube:

Morph Bookends!

This is really classic! One of my childhood cartoons giving me simple joy when I was a kid.

Got this bookend when I was at Southampton.


Here are some Morph cartoon found on youtube.







Read more on Morph on the wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morph_%28character%29

Michael Shermer - The Skeptics

London

Should an entry on London be started off with a picture of Big Ben?! I was really lucky to be on a summer evening when the sun shines right at the Big Ben. Look at how the glass twinkle and the gold sparkle. Awesome!



Across the road is the London Eye.


My camera does not do Westminster Abbey a justice. The Abbey is so huge I can fit onto my camera; so this is just part of it.



Tower Bridge, another signature of London.


Like the way people sit by the River Thames - having tea.


This is inside the Tower of London. It is actually more like a castle. The people are queuing to see the crown jewel. Didn't manage to see it because I was there too late. The crown jewel contains the Cullinan diamond, the largest in the world.



I was having lunch at Trafalgar Square. Can't fit the entire square into a picture, so a took a pan of the scene instead.



Earlier in the day, was at the Buckingham Palace, watching the change over parade.



A walk by the River Thames, passby this the replica of the Shakespeare theatre, The Globe Theatre. The original was burnt down, I think.



Also saw a stature of Micheal Faraday. Faraday's Law of electromagnetic induction states that the induced emf is proportional to rate of change .... I shan't bore the reader with this ... here is the pic of him:



This is Florence Nightingale who started nursing. I understand she used to stay in Southampton, and the building of school of nursing in University of Southampton is named after her.

Winchester

Buildings
Entrance to the The Great Hall ...


And the Round Table



Guild house. Pity didn't managed to get a seat at the alfresco dining.


Was shopping in the street, and ... this guy can sing!


Winchester Cathedral



Cheyney Court



Wolvesey Castle, or what's left of it. Another English Heritage site


Jane Austen's house


Wind in the Willow, a walk at the meadow




duck in the stream


Gardens and flowers