Punggol Reservoir Afternoon Landscape

This weekend, instead of going cycling, I wanted to stay home and just rest. But I still have tons of photographs to share.

These photos were taken at about 12.30pm at the Punggol Reservoir dam. Such a clear sky at that time and the fluffy clouds add atmosphere to the scenery. I used a polarizer and the position of the sun at that time somehow work to that advantage in cutting off the reflection.

By the way, that little circular viewing platform on the bottom left frame – it is not open to the public. The entrance is barred.

For those heading to the Punggol Park Connector to the beach : cross the road, just a few meters down behind Punggol Marina Country Club, is the PCN to the Punggol beach.

Have a great week ahead!

Punggol Reservoir Landscape View

Punggol Reservoir Vertical View

Punggol Marina Country Club on the Left / Punggol Reservoir Dam on the Right

Amazing Clouds Formations

Rarely do we have such clear blue sky here. When blue sky and amazing clouds combine, such an amazing sight to behold.

This picture was taken a few months ago on Vesak Day while at Pulau Ubin. I am constantly amazed and in awe of mother nature. Love the clouds and blue sky on that day.

Clouds Landscape at Pulau Ubin on Vesak Day

Vertical Landscaping

During lunch today, I went by Orchard Road. This time around, I walked along the stretch from Wheelock Place to the Hilton Singapore Hotel. This section of the road is usually not too crowded. Have not been here for a while. Today I notice this vertical landscaping box along the walkway. They looked good from far away and from a perspective angle. Though a more timely maintenance will make them look better.

Anyways here are the pictures.

Have a great weekend!

Yellow Background

This is an experiment in using one of the art filters in Gimp. The original photo is a group of bright yellow flowers. This is how it looks like with mosaic like appearance. Sometimes when a picture has too much noise artifacts, I turn to the editor and play around with the different effects. Hope you like it.

Sunset Swimming

Three friends frolicking in the seawater while watching the sunset. Don’t you want to go on vacation, right now? Weather is a little bit unpredictable these days in the tropics. We had been having late morning till early afternoon showers. At times it lingers on till evening. Blue skies only a little bit of time then it is gone. Hope you have a great weather wherever you are.

Swimming at Sunset

Lavendar Dawn

From one beach to another, Tioman Island.

I had a ton of pictures taken there and still have not sorted them. I am so much behind in post processing. One thing I noticed, the point and shoot camera captures better colours while the DSLR scores much higher in details.

For today, a vertical and horizontal perspective of a lavendar dawn at Tioman Island beach.

Hermit Crabs Fighting

While I was at Coney Island, Singapore, last saturday, I had a few amusing encounters.

One of them was watching two hermit crabs fighting. Or rather one instigating a fight. See the pictures for the story.

One ambitious hermit crab on a mission to fight and conquer…

Yo, brother! I like your shell and I want it now!

It saw something it liked. A case of “someone else’s is better than mine”.

That other hermit crab seeing the stranger reacted “Go away! You have your own shell. I am keeping mine!”

I am going to crack you, buddy!

And the fight continued. “You can try, buddy. But you are not going to win. Yawn…..”.

Ready to give up yet, buddy?

“I will claw, stab and poke until you give up!”

“Is that the best you can do? All talk and no bite? Get lost, kid! You haven’t seen anything yet!”

You are a spoilt spot, buddy!

Surprisingly, the trouble maker who instigated the fight was the first to give up. A departing shot “You are no fun to play”.

And the mild fellow who was just defending his shell replied with this shot “Who is the sour loser now?”

I hope you have an entertaining week ahead!

Evening Landscapes

Yesterday morning I went exploring Coney Island, Singapore during low tide. Today in the evening, it was high tide.

Late Evening at Coney Island Beach

I did see the wild boar today. A group of guys were feeding it. Its front left paw was without a hoof. From its size, it looked like an adult boar.

A walk back to the dam and took this picture. As you can see, people were still fishing after 7pm.

Fishing opposite Serangoon Reservoir Dam

It was a very subtle sunset today.

Sunset at Serangoon Reservoir

I hope you have a great weekend!

Exploring Coney Island, Singapore

I had been going to Lorong Halus Wetland regularly but never quite make it to Coney Island. First of all, it is quite isolated and not a place for a woman to explore alone. This morning my brother wanted to explore the fishing spots around the area.

These are the pictures from our trip.

Serangoon Reservoir Dam

To reach Coney Island, you need to climb over the green railing opposite the dam and follow this railing on the right frame. The dam actually connects the Lorong Halus area to Coney Island. Lots of people fish along the shore’s edge here. We saw a guy caught a small stingray as we walked past them.

At the end of the railing, follow the trail into the forest and soon there is an opening to the beach.

Forest Entrance to Coney Island Beach

There are lots of rubbish around the area. Hey, anglers and visitors. Please be mindful of the environment and don’t throw your rubbish anywhere on the island and elsewhere.

Coney Island Beach

An interesting observation. There are a few signboards before reaching the beach informing people not to hurt the resident 3-legged wild boar.

Wildboar Signboard

While exploring the beach, guess what we saw. Hoof prints…Hmmmm…interesting..

Wildboar hoove prints?

There is pro and con in putting up such a sign. On one hand it informs people to be mindful and on the other hand gives information for the less emphatic people to catch the wild boar. If it only has three legs now, something bad must have happened in the past. So I appeal to those who see the wild boar, please leave it alone.

While at the beach, I spotted this gigantic tree root. If I am not mistaken, it is the sea almond tree. By the way, you can eat the nuts.

Giant Tree Root

As you can see, debris clung to the roots.

This is the view from an opening in the forest trail. You can see the rocks below and in the distance – Pulau Ubin.

Pulau Ubin as viewed from Coney Island Forest Trail

So, take the time to enjoy this semi-wild habitat before there is more development on Coney Island.

White Balance – Warm or Blue Colors

I shoot photos using raw files nowadays and did not realised until someone told me that I could change the white balance setting from raw files. In any case, I always shoot using different settings just to see the results.

The best part about digital cameras, you can take as many photos as you want according to the cards capacity without any worry for cost.

In this photo, the white balance was set to Shade giving it a warm color.

In the other photo, to give it a more blue color, I switch the setting Landscape mode.

Either way, I think it is a matter of personal taste which types of colors we prefer. So my advice is to have fun and experiment!

Have a great weekend!