CHRISTMAS AT ORCHARD

This was the Christmas light-up at Orchard Road and these photos were taken exactly one month ago.

FOURSKIN

Some stores have such creative names. Fourskin? Who would have thought a shop would be named after this. Anyway, this is the smaller outlet at Heeren and there is another larger outlet at Marina Square.

I like the colourful stuff e.g. bags, they bring in and a bag I am currently using is from here.

PIGEON

I hate it that I cannot send it my post through my iPhone anymore because I reached the photo limit. I didn't know about this limitation until recently when I encountered problems posting entries using my phone.


Anyway, two nights ago, I saw this pigeon lying on the grass and footpath verge with a few feathers around it. Apparently, it was dead and its eyes were wide opened.


How did it die? Was it poisoned? I guess I would never know. Rest in peace, my little feathered friend.

SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS

I didn't watch the first Sherlock Holmes at the movies because I don't like Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law although I vaguely remember watching it on TV, I think. In fact, I have never like both actors.

Anyway, I went to watch the above recently and it was exactly what I expected it to be. Directed by Guy Ritchie, this recent series on the famous detective gave it a completely different twist from the books. Whilst the Sherlock Holmes I read about and remember is a prim, proper and decent detective from Scotland Yard, this one here is an unorthodox, flippant, outrageous and I would say, mad, detective with the ability to Sherlock Holmes is alive, he would flip in his grave, figuratively speaking.


Then again, this is also the success formula for these two action-packed movies, I think. I must admit Robert Downey Jr. played this character very well. His intelligence, sense of humour and humanity is without a doubt what make this character very charismatic and well-received. And when there is Sherlock Holmes, there will always be the more down to earth Dr Watson, played by Jude Law, who really played second fiddle in the two movies. Rachel McAdams had a small part to play and was killed off within minutes into the show.


Like the first movie, the movie was quite long at more than two hours but one would not be too pre-occupied with it because of the fast pace. I may not dislike this movie but then again, it would never make it to my list of favourite movies either.

SARAWAK (KUCHING) PART 5

Their roads look similar to those in West Malaysia. On the way, I saw a small creek and stopped by to look out for any interesting plants and animals. There were quite a number of freshwater fishes.


On the trip, I saw clusters of Acanthaceae like plants. Finally, we made a stop and upon close inspection, they were actually Clerodendrum myricoides shrubs, albeit with lighter coloured flowers.


At the orchid farm, there was a huge Ceiba pentandra that was in flower. The cotton was everywhere on the ground. In the nursery, they did not have much uncommon plants and in fact, most of them can be found in Singapore. I gathered that what are unusual are those native plants that they protect and grow in their botanical gardens and nature reserves. These plants are protected from being released for commercial propagation and sales.


Near the end of the trip, we went to buy their native products, such as the famous pepper seeds. That was where I saw the Pepper plant on display outside their shop. In the store, they had a team of workers who worked along an assembly line, to pick out the dirt from bird nests that were later repackaged for sales.