Weekly Photo Challenge: Nighttime ( Dubrovnik, Hvar, Split )

<Three Photos >

If I have to hand pick a few night time  photos from my trip to Croatia, these are the three photos.

What a lovely view, with the iconic fortress, the seawalls and the vessels in the harbor, all lit up but still very tranquil and bewitching!

The night view on the Hvar island is just enchanting. The lights from the houses which rise up from the shore in terraces up the hills in the background, not to mention the boats and reflections in the harbor.

Split was lit up on this festival day of their city. The blue color of the church and adjacent buildings were the center of the night activities during that night of celebration. Perhaps, you may see some rays of fireworks too. Again, the harbor lights were just lovely.

These are my night impressions of the seaside of Croatia by night.

Please enjoy 🙂

Weekly Photo Challenge: Nighttime ( Hong Kong 1)

In my view, Hong Kong is one of the places which offers the most interesting view at night.

My posts have covered night views of Hong Kong island from the seaside promenades of Kowloon, from the sea side promenade in the Kai Tak area, night views in the Tsim Sha Tsui area and also the night market at Temple Street.

I would like to share more night views of Hong Kong and also other places oversea where I have visited.

Here are two images.

The first one shows the night view of Hong Kong from Victoria Peak on the island.

The picture was taken by my friend CP. It shows HK as a night beauty – it is indeed the Pearl of the Orient – or is it more than a pearl, but also a diamond with thousand lights emitting from the buildings.

The second image is slightly processed from the first one – I have added a blue tint to the photo, making it a bit mystical.

Hope you enjoy both 🙂

The Dog that Lives on the Fishing Raft: Dor Dor and the Cat

I never knew the range of possible relationships between dogs and cats until I read this.

The following is extracted from Wikipedia on the range of their Relationships:

Dogs have a natural instinct to chase small prey that flee.

Most cats will flee from a dog, while others will take actions such as hissing, arching their backs and swiping at the dog.kk

If appropriately socialized, cats and dogs may have relationships that are not antagonistic, and dogs raised with cats may prefer the presence of cats to other dogs. Even cats and dogs that have gotten along together in the same household may revert to aggressive reactions due to external stimuli, illness or play that escalates.

Here is a photo showing Dor Dor and the cat that also lives on the fishing raft.

Afterall, they don’t seem to be antagonistic!

Some readers asked whether Dor Dor has any friends that are not human.

In fact, his life on the fishing raft can sometimes be quite lonely.

Apart from the toys he has, his only friend is this cat.

Incidentally, this cat looks quite like the black and white toy he used to have close by him when he is sleeping.

 

 

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Nighttime (Beijing National Stadium)

This week’s Weekly Photo Challenge is Nighttime.

Here are 2 photos taken some two years ago in Bejing – the National Stadium also more widely known as the Bird’s Nest stadium on account of its look.

The stadium was illuminated with lights the colors of which changes with time.

Below is an introduction of the stadium from Wikipedia:

Located at the Olympic Green, the stadium cost US428 million. The design was awarded to a submission from the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in April 2003 after a bidding process that included 13 final submissions. The design, which originated from the study of Chinese Ceramics, implemented steel beams in order to hide supports for the retractable roof; giving the stadium the appearance of a bird’s nest. Leading Chinese artist Ai WeiWei was the artistic consultant on the project

The Dog that Lives on the Fishing Raft: In Action

Here are three photos which show Dor Dor in action.

Many of my previous photos showed him more or less stationary.

Dor Dor, in fact, is quite playful.

The first one shows him with an apple in his mouth and running.

The second one shows he played around with a tennis ball.

The last one shows him having a toy in his mouth.

These are the more active side of Dor Dor.

Hope you like them 🙂

The Dog that Lives on the Fishing Raft: Asleep

Have you ever watched closely how your pet sleeps?

Here is an image showing Dor Dor in his sleep  . . . . . . . . .  with a toy on his side.

Is he being possessive, trying to have the toy around even in his sleep?

Does he need emotional stability even in his sleep?

Does he want to have toys even in his dreams?

He seems to be sleeping happily.

I may sure that he is dreaming happily too 🙂

Eagle – The Incredible Moment

Here are some stunning photos of an eagle catching a fish from the sea.

The three pictures were taken by my classmate Mr. Chung Kwok Fan.

As you may remember, he is the photographer who took the photos for Huangshan with a sea of clouds; he also took the photos of  snow geese in flight which were also featured in my blog.

Just yesterday, on a sunny day, Mr. Chung visited the Saigon area, which is the reserve and back garden in the New Territories for the Hong Kong citizens.

A magnificent eagle swooped down, zeroed in on its prey.

While having undivided attention on its prey, it dived down, slowed somewhat and momentously suspended itself in the air.

Its action was so quick, by the time you saw it doing that, it already has its prey caught in between the legs.

Off it goes, it heads up, flying away in the normal manner as if nothing has happened.

Throughout this act, the spectators were thrilled. It was exactly the moment a photographer has been longing for.

Again, congratulations to Mr. Chung for taking the photos.

These are photos which should be submitted to the National Geographic – something which Mr. Chung has repeatedly declined.

The Dog that Lives on the Fishing Raft (Posing)

There are ways suggested so that your dog can pose for pictures.

However, Dor Dor is naturally photogenic, basically, you don’t need to make him pose for photos.

Here is another picture taken by CP when the sun has almost set.

Dor Dor was in a lying position with the beautiful sky and the fish farm behind him.

He looked so relaxing!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Endurance ( Coastal Buildings)

How many years can a mountain exist

before it is washed to the sea?

These are the familiar lyrics from Peter, Paul and Mary’s Blowing in the Wind.

How many years these coastal buildings endure?

Here are some 3 photos taken by CP, they show buildings in Hong Kong built near to the sea – buildings subject to the natural environment – wind, waves and accelerated corrosion due to the proximity of sea water.

Heaven knows when and how big are the coming wind and waves – we are in a world subject to super typhoon and wind driven waves and surges.

Maybe, tomorrow will come a 1 in 200 years typhoon and waves will shoot up the air, maybe, just maybe . . . . . . .

But right now the people in these coastal houses are enjoying their sea view, enduring the inconvenience of transportation etc.

So, how many years can these buildings exist?

The answer is blowing in the wind, my friend, the answer is blowing in the wind  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Weekly Photo Challenge: Endurance (in Travelling)

How often do we think that we have to endure in our travels?

Long distance travelling, in particular, requires a lot of endurance.

Even before we reach our destination, to mention a few, we have to endure:

*Queuing for checking in and security checks at the airport.

*Getting through immigration.

*Long hours of flight with cramped seats, not much sleep and unstable cabin temperatures and humidity.

*Getting in and out of airports. 

*Sleepless nights in hotels with unfamiliar conditions / beds.

Even when we actually reach our destination, depending on where we go and how we want to do our travelling, we may need to be persistent.

The following photos were taken by my wife while they were travelling earlier this year in the United Sates. This was part of their 5400 Miles Travel in the USA – an earlier series which I have published and which will be continued when I have the time / mood to go back to it.

The first photo shows my sister-in-law Jennie and husband Hans, walking laboriously in the desert of Arizona.

The second photo shows them walking in the South Western part of the States, among a strange landscape.

Some people like to endure, Hans always like to choose the most difficult route in the National Parks.

So, I suppose part of the endurance was self inflicted!