Around Singapore

This plant is quite common in Singapore, but always never placed directly at the frontage of the main entrance door. As each of the leave is pointed much like an Anglo Saxon knife blade. This plant comes from Zaire. It's family name is: Dracaenaceae. And it is commonly called: Variegated Snake Plant. This plant has a cousin, which is much harder to find in Singapore. The profile of it's leave are the same except that it's yellowish and greenish band of stripes is horizontal vs the vertical stripes found on the attached Snake plant. Worse still, this cousin is also called Snake plant but it has another tongue in cheek name: Mother-in-l…

Name of this plant: Heliconia psittacorum x H. spathocircinata `Golden Torch'. Family Name: Heliconiaceae Origin: Tropical America This family flowers are similar to these exept that they come in varied colours like: Dark Red, Fire FLahs, Goden Torch Adrian etc...

Jewelry of the Ming period More than 200 pieces of jewelry were unearthed from Ding Ling. Majority are hair pins and eardrops; made with gold, silver, pearl and precious stones. The patterns on these items are mostly of good luck and happiness. The workmanship is superb, almost reaching near perfection.

A more common version of the tripod and it is considered as one of the "14 precious things".

This is a lovely blood-white jade carving of a dragon in gentle embrace with a phoenix...

These are some of the most beautiful, intricate artwork... that can be purchased in Beijing China...

More pictures... of the National Stadium (Bird Nest) and Swimming Pool (Bubble)

An unsual combination of delicately carved jade cabbage with a pair of pekingese dogs. The pekingese dogs is also known as Lion dogs. And this is one of the most popular ancient breed of toy dogs from China. These dogs are a favourite amongst the Chinese Imperial court during the Ching Dynasty.

1. The photo showsmy 3rd uncle who is actually taller than 6ft 6inches. 2. However, if we use a conservative estimate that he is 6 feet high; I measured this coconut tree and it is approximately 60 feet high!

1. This water feature was taken sometime in the 1950's. It is 60 donkey years ago! 2. Can you see the miniature hexagonal pavilion? Such Chinese pavilions are very popular in the past: and comes in all shapes e.g. circle; square; hexagonal and octagonal pavilions. 3. Today, such water feature cum landscaping is close to obsolete unless it is a purposeful theme park type of structure. 4. Although such pavilions ting can be found in temples; these pavilions are equaly and not exclusive to temples or religious places. As such structures can be found in Chinese theme parks and gardens - to provide shade and shelter. 5. On the ri…

1. Last Saturday, an existing client who had recently sold their condominium unit and bought a landed property. 2. He asked me whether should he change his main entrance door position? As he felt that the main gate should not open directly towards the main entrance door. 3. Please see attached illustration showing: Layout Plan A and Layout Plan B. 4. These are the considerations:- 4.1. Contrary to my client's belief, especially in Singapore; especially for terrace houses; in my opinion 50 percent of all such terrace homes have either their main entrance directly facing the main gate (as shown under Layout Plan: A). 4.2. And the rest of the 50 percent of all terr…

What happens if we have a choice to install as many fish-eye viewers on our main door? What would you do?

Can you really visualise the beautiful smile from this Amara Singapore, Hotel, Lion?

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This was once a dying art in Singapore. But today, the belief of burning offerings of bamboo/paper: homes, cars, boats, handphones is striving! This is the belief that when one dies, such offerings would ensure that the dead lives a comfortable life with a home, car and many other material things that the person was used to prior to their death. Location: Joo Chiat Road.... Below: This most likely is exoskeleton for a paper mansion made by binding lots of bamboo strips:- Apologies for the blurred photo:

Chinese obsession with decorations... exterior of their home...

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In Singapore, in many clusters of estates that have landed properities; the most popular ornaments are a pair each of the lions on the gates of many Chinese homes. This estate is in Paya Lebar called Tai Keng Gardens. The most remarkable thing is that there are two homes that have large sized lions. I do mean large ones that can only be placed on the floor: one set is found beside each front gate pillar and there is another set placed behind the main gate (beside the porch pillar..) As usual, there are the white lions and some homes have the ceramic glazed "brownish" type...

A charm is kinda like not hiring a security guard. But rather pasting a piece of yellow paper with written calligraphy. To protect the home from evil spirits.

This pole is found at the Windermere condominium at Choa Chu Kang... There are some gramma errors; but nevermind.. commonsense says that it is so easy to use! No need these instructions:- SAFETY TELESCOPIC RESCUE POLE-EXTENDABLE PLEASE USE ACCORDINGLY AS FOLLOWS:- 1) GRIP HOLD OF ONE END OF POLE WITH THE HOOP AT THE OTHER END 2) EXTEND OUT ALL THE WAY TO "VICTIM"..... Maybe, perhaps; by the time one reads this instruction; the drowning person would literally have died!

Besides the twin lions guarding the main entrace of this HDB flat. This home owner also install one of those traditional door knockers...