Malacca Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary

Selamat datang ke Melaka!

As part of my series on Melaka, my hometown, a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a historic city of the Straits of Malacca, I am sharing these photographs of the Malacca Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary. 


TAMAN RAMA-RAMA & REPTILIA MELAKA
Malacca Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary


First of all, I have to admit that my sole purpose of visiting this place was to photograph the butterflies. Secondly, I am not too keen on photographing reptiles. In fact, I sort of closed my eyes and ran past the snake collection area. I did brave myself enough to snap a few shots of the crocodiles, but one of them gave me a hungry look, so I walked hurriedly on. Hence, these photographs I am posting are only of pretty birds and butterflies, and harmless tortoises and koi. No snakes, my apologies.


At the entrance...

Pretty Polly welcomes the visitors.

 90% of these photos are straight out of the camera (SOOC)...including the parrot images and the peacock. For the peahen, I had to pop her colour a little as she is rather a Plain Jane.

Another Polly says hello. (No, she merely squawked )

   

He just wouldn't spread his wings for me...proud peacock!

Pouty Peahen is pretty proud too.

"Do you think we qualify for Mellow Yellow Monday? We are pretty yellow up-front!" 

"Oh! She wants a snapshot of us?  Why didn't she say so?"

Let's go inside, explore the grounds...

Reflections in the Koi Pond 

The Asian Brown Tortoise...largest in Asia (grows up to 25 kg!)

I can't figure out the significance of the giant eggs...this leads to the butterfly sanctuary!

THE BUTTERFLY SANCTUARY!!!

Stop me if keep on filling this post with the butterfly photos I took. I love them all...

However, I shall try my best to limit myself to publishing one of each variety...if I can. Oh, this is really hard for me.

A shadow shot...a 12 o'clock shadow, to be precise!

Alright, alright. I shall save some of the photographs for the next few write-ups on each individual species.



Linking to:
Weekend Reflections
Scenic Sunday
Shadow Shot
SOOC
Mosaic Monday
Macro Monday
Mellow Yellow Monday

A Walkabout in Perth

For me, the point of reference in Perth is Hay Street. This is where the hotel we were staying in is located, and this was the street we were to grow very familiar with, making it our central focus. The fact that Hay Street and the parallel Murray Street are the shopping centres of the district might also have a bearing on why it is our central focus! It is very pleasant to stroll along the tree-lined street malls. It was winter there, and the wintering trees made a great setting for the buildings in the background. There's sure to be a busker or two providing street entertainment. Having a meal in the open-air cafes is a bit of a challenge especially when the wind blows.



I love the view of the Clock Tower below.



This photograph above prompts me to write the following haiku for Haiku Heights:

tower counting time

breathe life into your dreams

leaves fall one by one

 

  


Within the Hay Street Mall, I was delighted to find myself in Ye London Court. Walk in and you're in Tudor England! The arcade here is charming...you can get souvenirs, shoes, jewellery, get your shoes repaired, consult a lawyer, bump into Her Majesty herself, as well, I reckon.








Leaving  London Court, let's just walk on and take in the city scenery .  The  architecture is an interesting blend of glass and steel, as well as heritage buildings.




Perth City is easy to navigate, as the streets in the Central Business District are arranged in a grid-like fashion. The buildings in the CBD are where all the skyscrapers are found.

Dedicated to Skywatch Friday:






We shall end our walkabout with some night lights in the city.


  

A waka for Poetic Forms at The Purple Treehouse:

seek joy in everyday life

discover oceans to see

go near, if not far

feel with new eyes your own town 

take an orange, fresh

 peel the rind, breathe in the zest

be thankful and celebrate

everyday life - its a gift

rosie gan August 2011

Linking to:

Outdoor Wednesday
Share The Joy Thursday
Skywatch Friday
Poetry Picnic at The Gooseberry Garden
Poets' Rally at Poetry Palace
Poetic Forms at The Purple Treehouse
Haiku Heights

Rosie's Haiku Shots

Thought I'd take a shot at it...at this fascinating Japanese verse form that is succinct, yet juicy and tender, and rich yet not opulent.

At first what I wrote was rhyme, not haiku at all...but I thought it was haiku. I liked my first attempt. However, after reading up a little about the form, I try to adhere to certain traditions, but again, a novice makes all kinds of blunders. So excuse me if what I'm passing off as Haiku  might not quite fit the bill. That is why I call these my Haiku Shots.

My first 'haiku' was actually a set. Each haiku fitted the basic 5-7-5 syllable pattern. I sought inspiration from my travels, and the title gives you a notion of the place which sparked the idea for my haiku. If curiosity gets the better of you, and you want to see the actual posts of these places, just click on the title.

Alugu Caves

Caverns echo loud

Immortals' celestial tales

Thrilling, tragic, tense!

Elixirs of Life,

legends and myths abiding

in spectral rivers.

Battling dragons' fire

Tales of  victories sublime

Fantasies live on...

Animal Land Got Talent!

Welcome to this page where we feature stories about our pets at home, our favourite shots of birds, bees or even our encounters of animals in the wild or at the zoo; in short we are featuring the Kingdom of Animals!


I have often wanted to start a blog about my own furry friends. I have four dogs, and they have different temperaments that often make me wonder whether I am watching a Comedy of Errors staged by them! I would love to share some of my observations with you. Here are the four stars of that show:

 

Potsie







       

Niki

Major

Spot

Who do you think is the Under-dog,who is the Diva, who is the Director and who is the Go-getter?

All shall be revealed in the episodes beginning with Episode 1 next month.

I would also love to read your stories. Hence this blog party. There are no prompts, no themes.


Link in any day, the link is open all the time.


On the first of every month, I shall select the "Star" of the month and  add that wonderful creature to our Hall of Fame.That's it. Link is open! 
A comment after each submission would be lovely.

Episode 1: Let's start with the Diva

September 2011

Yes, Potsie is the Diva of the four characters in the play which I would have to call 'A Tale of Four Doggies'. Except that the play is not a play, but real life in my garden with four dogs.
Potsie is the one who always has her way, and the others have to give in. She is the one who will only have to give a low growl, and the others will not dare eat the snacks I give to them when she is there. They will reluctantly walk away from the food which will ultimately end in her tummy...after she has taken her time slowly enjoying her own snack. She's a master at this control she has over them.The reason why she has the leading lady attitude? Because she was the first to be cast in the play! She is the first of our four four-legged furry pets.


Potsie came to us as a puppy from the streets. She used to fend for herself, catching birds for her meals, but she was a playful, happy puppy. When we took her in, she gave us a lot of affection, and despite being well-fed, carried on with her hunting habits. The most 'charming' thing about her is that whenever she catches her prey, she tries her best to get my attention and leads me to see what she has for me. The first time she did that, I gave a scream when I was led to the victim - a garden lizard! Other unfortunate creatures have included a few squirrels (I'm so sorry for them, but I wish they had learned how to jump from tree to tree more adroitly); mynahs which prefer to parade in my garden at ground level, some mice, frogs, and even black beetles! The latter drives her crazy. I do not condone her actions but her hunting instincts rule her. And I suspect she feels that it is her duty to protect our garden from predators. And protect us she did, many times. If it were not for her, we would have faced danger from snakes which found their way into our compound a few times. Potsie is fearless and seems to know how dangerous these slithery creatures could be. We owe a lot to Potsie, and thankful that she has the Diva temperament, for that also makes her the Heroine when the occasion calls for her to be one.

Potsie is saying, "Show some respect for your  Alpha Female, Niki.  Kow-tow to me even when you are in your own territory."

  

The Object in the Mirror

the school of drama

taught me to be a diva

i am the object of adoration

my name is known throughout the nation

the celebrity with the most awards

i live a life of fabulosity and cash rewards

when i look in the mirror

i feel a thrill and a shiver

of utter delight 

runs up my spine, I'm filled with pride

my fans all want to be like me

but no one can be 

so perfect a performer, a shining star

i am the best ...me! i am a diva!

Linking to:
Camera Critters
Pets Forever
Poetry Picnic
Photo Challenge
Poets' Rally

The link is always open. Jump in any time.

Fremantle

To say that the port city of Fremantle has character is an understatement...it has a charming ambience that distinguishes it from the modern city of Perth. A mix of late Georgian, Victorian, Gothic architecture make the town of Fremantle most interesting to visit, and certainly unforgettable.


Much of the architecture in Fremantle was built by the convicts during the colonial era in the mid 1800s. The Gaol, now renamed the Round House is a well-known landmark. It was a jail until 1886.




Another landmark is the Fremantle Town Hall, representative of Victorian  architecture. It opened in 1887.






Gothic Architecture
St John's Church attracted my attention at first glance. Overlooking King's Square, it is said to be the true heart of Fremantle.






Just look at these ornate facades. Just lovely!









Gold Rush Architecture
Described as a 'rich' style as we can see from the examples below. The Gold Rush brought prosperity to Fremantle in the 1890s, and the architecture of that era reflects that.





I like this pretty shop window.

  

The people  we saw on the streets and park were busy and on the go on that day, though.


  

  





Linking to:
Skywatch Friday
Weekend Reflections
Scenic Sunday
Shadow Shot
SOOC