>>> THE CORAL CORNER

Exploring The Rocks with my Canon S95

2012-01-08T19:19:00.002+11:00

After seeing so many tourists around Sydney over the last couple of weeks, I decided today that I was going to be a tourist in my own town and do the kinds of things that tourists do when they come here for the first time. I didn't get all that far, but I did take a ride on the Monorail and explore The Rocks area which was totally buzzing. The markets were great today, lots of extra stalls. Bought some lovely ginger tea and some dried mangos.

Photo session - L'Occitane perfume bottles

2011-12-29T17:59:00.000+11:00

So, I'm really big on perfume and also really into photography. I thought, why not put the two together and have double the fun. I really like the L'Occitane perfume bottles, so decided to use them as my perfume bottle "models" so to speak. The orchids in the background are REAL. This one in particular is doing really well for the third year in a row. Ah, the things that fertiliser can achieve. Wonderful really.

Circular Quay on a wet Friday afternoon

2011-11-28T22:15:00.001+11:00

Despite the wet weather and the fact that it had been raining all day, Circular Quay looked so lovely on Friday evening. I was surprised by how nice it was and now have a much greater appreciation for days other than sunny ones.

St Anne's Church in Ryde

2011-11-20T08:50:00.001+11:00

Decided last night to get some shots of this church and its graveyard. Have driven past it many times and always thought it would make some great spooky shots. Don't think mine came out spooky enough though.

Construction site in our driveway

2011-11-20T08:26:00.001+11:00

So, we got woken up at 6am this morning by noisy hammering. When we finally got up an hour later, this is what we found in the driveway. Nice one people. 6am on a Sunday morning, couldn't you have picked a better time to do your stuff? What if we actually needed to get in the car and go somewhere? Fat chance of that since that aqua thing is still in the way and it's now almost 9am. Not impressed.

An afternoon in old Newtown

2011-11-16T21:37:00.001+11:00

My first Newtown experience was back in 1996 during high school when we travelled from the country to the big smoke to watch Hamlet at the Enmore Theatre. It's come a long way since then, but in many ways its still the same eclectic place it always was.

Delightful florals - Summer is almost back!

2011-10-17T22:17:00.004+11:00

Food glorious food

2011-10-06T21:25:00.002+11:00

So, this post is dedicated to food, one of my more cherished aspects of life. Living in Australia means that we have access to a great variety of delicious foods. I am very impressed and very happy about this situation. Here are some dishes that were particularly enjoyable :)

Scenes from the Circular Quay to Manly ferry

2011-10-01T07:20:00.000+10:00

Sydney Baha'i Temple - Bathed in blue light

2011-10-01T07:06:00.001+10:00

The Sydney Baha'i House of Worship is bathed in blue light this week in support of prostate cancer awareness.

Sydney botanical gardens in Spring 2011

2011-09-10T08:48:00.001+10:00

The durian fruit experience

2011-09-08T21:12:00.002+10:00

So, I have this exotic fruit interest. The latest exotic delight to catch my attention was the durian fruit. Oh boy! I had heard many things about this fruit, but had never tasted it myself. The fact that it is banned from Singaporean public transport due to its stench, certainly aroused curiosity.

It just so happened that a whole durian was on sale at Woolies for $5.00. I thought it was a good opportunity to test it out. I brought it home and cut it open to find these custard looking insides within each chamber. I gave a small piece to my husband (Bobby) who spat it out with disgust. I realised that the only way to get us into this fruit was to find out its nutritional benefits. After a quick Google search, it became apparent that durian is a blood cleanser, contains iron and is a good source of protein. Who would have guessed!

After this knowledge, Bobby found durian much more agreeable. We decided to make a smoothie out of it in an attempt to 'dilute' the taste. So, into the blender went the durian, some ice, soy milk, cinnamon and cardamom powder. Surprisingly this combination worked very well and we really enjoyed the smoothie!

I now put it out onto the Internet as a serving suggestion for those who may be suffering from the overpowering smell and taste of durian. Bon appetite.

The Inklings of Spring 2011

2011-08-18T20:08:00.002+10:00

Lisgar Gardens, Hornsby

2011-07-31T09:59:00.002+10:00

Monstera Delicio - Also affectionately known as MoNsTeR FrUiT!

2011-06-15T19:21:00.005+10:00

Introducing my new exotic fruit discovery: monstera deliciosa, the fruit that decides to let YOU know when it's ready to be eaten.

A bit of background. I saw this fruit at one of the markets in Canberra and decided to give it a go. I bought it green and was informed that it will be ready to eat when it turns more yellow in colour. Fair enough.

So I brought it home and put it on the counter, not expecting much for at least another few days. BUT, I came home from work today to find that part of it had ripened. Even more strange was that the ripened part had opened up. What if I wasn't ready to eat it yet? Didn't seem to be a concern at all for Mr. Deliciosa. He decided that now was the time. Very strange indeed.

And so, I went to peel away the exterior and found that the little hexagons fell off on their own, needing barely any encouragement. Very peculiar.

Now, about the taste. Very important I know. Hard to describe, but the closest thing I can think of is pineapple. More sticky and slimy than a pineapple though. Nice nonetheless.

Did a bit of research. Turns out it's from a creeping vine native to Southern Mexico and Panama. Well, there you go.

Sceneries from Canberra

2011-06-15T17:21:00.003+10:00

Sydney Vivid Light Show 2011

2011-06-09T18:49:00.002+10:00

Manly to Spit Bush Walk

2011-05-08T15:04:00.003+10:00

One of my favourite walks in the whole world! So incredibly scenic. We are so spoilt to have this beautiful walk in our city.

A great walk around the Bay Run

2011-04-27T19:01:00.002+10:00

The Bay Run is awesome now. Not that it wasn't before, but it's been done up and links in nicely with the new Iron Cove bridge. Makes for a great afternoon walk by the water. Takes about an hour and a half. Not bad at all.

Another go at the Blue Mountains - National Pass

2011-04-25T10:39:00.003+10:00

It's one of those walks where you're having such a great time exercising and enjoying the scenery that you don't realise just how much energy it consumes and how tired you're getting. Until you sit down that is! Then it all hits and you're wondering how on earth you are going to make it through the rest of the day. Hehehe, but it leaves such a feeling of accomplishment that you know it was all worth it.

Delightfuls in the garden

2011-03-19T17:00:00.002+11:00

The garden looks so beautiful after the rain. I just love the rain drops that hang onto the fruit, leaves and flowers.

Memories of Paris

2011-03-13T22:30:00.003+11:00

A picture tale of two very cheeky little rabbits

2011-02-13T16:45:00.003+11:00

If you haven't already been acquainted, meet Cinnamon and Snow. Two of the cheekiest little rabbits there ever was. Moods, stern looks and a temper, they have got it all. The problem is that they are also the cutest things ever, so you just can't get angry with them!

Summer delights at long last

2010-12-25T09:20:00.005+11:00

I didn't get any decent lotus flower shots this time around, so went back to the lilly pond. The lillies are a lot more accessible and always fresh!

The water lillies are back

2010-12-16T22:11:00.003+11:00

Once again these beautiful flowers take my breath away. I just can't get enough of them. Each year I see them and want to stop and try to capture their beauty, but it feels as if I cannot do justice to how lovely they are!

Exploring the Pyramid - Botanical Gardens

2010-12-09T21:17:00.003+11:00

Holy Cross College at Twilight

2010-12-04T20:23:00.003+11:00

I've been wanting to take photos of this church for ages. Today I finally got around to it!

Summer is finally here

2010-12-02T20:56:00.002+11:00

More sights from the Kansai region

2010-11-21T18:11:00.004+11:00

Rikuro Ojisan Cheesecake

2010-11-14T11:43:00.004+11:00

Who would have thought that one of the nicest foods that I tried in Japan was cheesecake? We heard all about the delicious cake before heading to Osaka and did everything that we could to seek it out. There was a massive queue and we had to line up for 20 minutes to get one! We ran back to the hotel as fast as possible to ensure that we were able to eat it warm.

At first I thought we wouldn't be able to eat more than a slice, but I quickly learned how very wrong I was. Here's what happened...

Japan shots taken with my Canon Powershot S95

2010-11-10T19:59:00.005+11:00

These are some random shots that I captured with the other camera. Move over SLR, check out these snaps using the Canon S95. All were taken without a tripod. This camera is amazing in low-light. Not bad at all!

Japan - Another round of shots

2010-11-07T09:30:00.003+11:00

Here are some more shots from Japan. I took over a thousand photos... love how you can do that with digital. Looking over these makes me almost feel as if I'm back there walking around.

More Japan Photos

2010-11-02T21:19:00.006+11:00

I feel like I've only scratched the surface by visiting Japan for 10 days. I totally want to go back and experience more. Here are some more shots:

Favourite photos from Osaka, Kyoto & Nara

2010-10-31T20:00:00.007+11:00

Some of my favourite photos from Japan:

My Japan Food Experience

2010-10-31T16:58:00.006+11:00

Food in Japan was amazing. I particularly enjoyed the dishes that we had in Osaka. Here are some of the delights:

Flora & Fauna at Woodlands Retirement Village

2010-10-11T20:14:00.003+11:00

So Beautiful

2010-10-09T18:46:00.004+11:00

Some of these flowers are so beautiful that they take my breath away. Sometimes I wish I could take photos of nature for a living and how nice that would be :)

The delightfuls are finally out

2010-10-02T16:20:00.001+10:00

I have a new favourite flower

2010-09-26T08:21:00.002+10:00

Don't know what these purple beauties are, but I really like them!

The pink panthers

2010-09-14T19:45:00.003+10:00

Photos were a bit blurry from this day, but still decent.

2010-09-14T19:45:00.001+10:00

Mon Mon & Snow - 9 months old

2010-09-13T18:40:00.004+10:00

Here's what my bunnies look like after nine months. They have both changed colour a lot with Snow sporting grey ears, a light brown/white coat and blue eyes! Cinammon (Mon Mon as I like to call him) has a darker face (getting darker all the time) and a speckled coat. Who knows what they will be tomorrow :)

A fine Spring Day

2010-09-11T20:12:00.002+10:00

The scent of the wisterias was heavenly... so nice it took me back to the gardens on the weekend for more...

Friday's beauties...

2010-08-28T16:23:00.002+10:00

Check out that colour! Just amazing. They almost look like lanterns.

Alive with colour

2010-08-22T14:33:00.003+10:00

Once again the botanical gardens are alive with colour and beauty as the seasons change from the cold and monotone Winter to glorious Spring. So far there are lots of camellias and tulips.

Spring is just around the corner

2010-08-16T19:31:00.002+10:00

I'm so happy. I can feel Spring in the air. This is my favourite time of the year!

Another round of white tulips

2010-08-07T17:00:00.002+10:00

These beauties only last a couple of weeks so I had to get in there one more time and try my luck. I think next time I might bring my tripod and try out some shots with slightly longer exposure.

Excess of tulips

2010-08-04T19:20:00.002+10:00

So many tulips today and mostly all white. Where is the variety?! Big mistake today with my pics: totally forgot to up the ISO and as a result mostly everything was blurry. Boo-hoo :(

An hour of tulips

2010-07-27T18:41:00.003+10:00

Tulips have a special charm to them I think. Upon close inspection they're nothing special, but somehow, however it is they come together it works.

Winter shots on a cloudy day

2010-07-22T20:16:00.005+10:00

Beautiful Winter blooms

2010-07-14T18:42:00.003+10:00

These flowers today were so beautiful. They must have just bloomed because there was not a blemish to be seen on them. I wish I knew what they were called.

National Pass: Blue Mountains

2010-07-04T09:18:00.005+10:00

Yesterday was my first attempt at hiking the National Pass in the Blue Mountains. Lots of energy involved, however, so worth it! Some of the scenery reminded me of Lord of the Rings... it almost felt like elves were going to come out and greet us :)

Winter Flowers

2010-07-02T18:14:00.002+10:00

Although it's as cold as hell at the moment, the abundance of new flowers in the Botanic Gardens is indicating to me that Spring is on it's way back! I can't wait!

Roses on a cloudy day

2010-06-23T19:02:00.002+10:00

Yesterday the weather wasn't so crash hot, but we still ventured out to take some photos. I had to turn up the ISO quite a lot to 800 to make up for the lack of light while still maintaining a decent aperture.

Vivid Light Show Take II

2010-06-21T19:15:00.004+10:00

Some things are addictive... and this light show appears to be one of them! Okay, so I may have gone four times this year (a bit excessive) but each time it was in pursuit of learning more about photography and aiming for some great pictures. :)

Sydney Light Show 2010

2010-06-08T21:50:00.004+10:00

It seems like only yesterday that I grabbed my tripod and dragged Bobby out into the rain to take photos of the Opera House lit up with fancy colours. But that was this time last year! The light show has come around again and I am just as enthusiastic this time around as last. However, in my view, this year it's not so much the Opera House as St Mary's Cathedral that's the highlight.

Roses

2010-06-02T19:17:00.002+10:00

It was a perfect day for photographing roses. A little sun here and there, but nothing too strong to bleach theses beautiful colours.

Winter at the Sydney Botanical Gardens

2010-05-22T10:15:00.003+10:00

For a while there I thought Winter couldn't be beautiful. But I am happy to be proved wrong. Here are some Winter shots that are helping me change my mind...

Hibiscus Flowers at Eden Gardens

2010-05-10T18:56:00.004+10:00

n the Mother's Day weekend I took my mum to Eden Gardens to check out the flowers and see what she really liked. While we were there I spotted these two beautiful hibiscus flowers. So perfect. I rarely see them this way, they are usually always eaten by bugs.

Walk to Hyde Park & St Mary's Cathedral

2010-05-03T18:50:00.004+10:00

Today we went to Hyde Park and St Mary's Cathedral to take photos. I totally forgot to bring my regular lens and only had my macro one. Luckily some of the pics worked out okay!

Visit to Bahji & Akká

2010-04-25T20:25:00.006+10:00

"Blessed the man that hath visited Akká, and blessed he that hath visited the visitor of Akká."

(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 179)

"The poor of Akká are the kings of Paradise and the princes thereof. A month in Akká is better than a thousand years elsewhere."

(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 184)

Baha'i Pilgrimage: The Arc & Gardens, Haifa

2010-04-19T20:33:00.007+10:00

Travelling to the Holy Land is always special, even after hours of security checks and interrogation at the Tel-Aviv airport. The weather in April was perfect and I think at this time, the gardens were at their very best!

Terrace 1 of the Shrine of the Bab

Fountain at Terrace 1

Terrace 1

Upper terraces of the Shrine of the Bab

Monument looking over the Mediterranean Sea

Looking down from the upper terraces

The International Archives

The Centre for the Study of the Texts

The Seat of the Universal House of Justice

Monument in the gardens

The Seat of the Universal House of Justice

Monument Gardens

Haifa Sunset

Europe's Secret Gem - Stockholm, Sweden

2010-04-14T18:31:00.006+10:00

The best thing about visiting Stockholm was seeing our good friend Shahram and making some wonderful new friends. The second best thing was finding out that Stockholm is such a beautiful city, even when the temperature is minus 6 degrees celcius.

Spring in Rome, Italy

2010-04-13T18:55:00.004+10:00

What I enjoyed most about Rome was all the fountains. They were all so unique and captured your interest once you started to pay attention to the characters featured.

Florence, Italy

2010-04-11T18:46:00.007+10:00

The highlight of Florence was climbing to the top of the hill and seeing the view of the city from up there. It was really beautiful, especially after days of cloudy sky. We tried local gelato and also lingon berries for the first time (they are so sour... so that's why they always add sugar).

Venice, Italy

2010-04-11T11:09:00.005+10:00

Unfortunately we only spent one night in Venice, but of all of the places we visited in Italy, it was definitely my favourite. We had the nicest fish for lunch one day and the little shops were just beautiful with masks, food, glass jewellery and more.

Exploring Paris, France - March 2010

2010-04-11T09:20:00.006+10:00

We arrived in Paris and found it to be much colder than expected! However, that didn't stop us from rugging up and exloring as much as possible... although we didn't get out much at night because it was colder still. We loved the little patisseries everywhere and the metro (once we figured out the system!).

Basilique du Sacre-Coeur

Cafe at the roof top of Galleries Lafayette (check out that stained glass!)

The one and only Eiffel Tower

From the balcony at the top of Galleries Lafayette

Statue at the Louvre Museum

Gargoyles at the top of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame

At the bottom of the Eiffel Tower

Napoleon's Tomb - Place des Invalides

Cathedrale de Notre-Dame

Concierge

Musee du Louvre

At the Louvre gardens

Near the Concierge

View from the top of Notre-Dame Cathedral (yes, we did climb it!)

Immerse in its beauty

2010-03-03T19:23:00.003+11:00

The beauty of nature never ceases to amaze me. And then you get up close and it can be even more beautiful still. If only the butterfly would remain still for a second longer I might get a chance to capture more of its beauty... but I guess it wouldn't be a butterfly then...

More botanical delights

2010-02-27T19:29:00.002+11:00

Nothing beats dew drops on a water lilly!

Orchids : Lillies : Lotus Flowers

2010-02-22T21:54:00.001+11:00

Wedding

2010-02-20T12:03:00.003+11:00

What on earth is a bat flower?

2010-02-14T09:05:00.003+11:00

Last week I discovered these unusual plants and was totally captivated by their beauty, although I don't think my photos do them justice...

This photo is of a type of an orchid, although I'm not sure which type...

Colourful flowers & a yellow dragonfly!

2010-02-03T19:56:00.002+11:00

More Wabbit Photos

2010-02-02T19:29:00.004+11:00

Apparently a rabbit's teeth just keep growing forever and ever! How interesting. The same is supposed to be true for the nose and ears with humans. :)

January flowers & a butterfly

2010-01-30T18:15:00.004+11:00

After several attempts to capture a butterly, one finally landed close enough for a snap. It's such a beautiful colour!

Meet Cinnamon & Snow

2010-01-28T20:28:00.005+11:00

Meet the newest members of our family: Miss Cinnamon and Mr Snow. These two little cuties came into our home on Australia Day after we spent a few hours at the mall trying to avoid the heat outside. When we saw these two gorgeous Netherland Dwarf bunnies, we couldn't resist but to take them home!

And here they are. Cinnamon is the brown one and Snow is the white, as their names suggest!

Shots taken with my compact camera

2010-01-17T08:34:00.007+11:00

Going back to my little compact was not easy, but when its the only camera you have with you and these stunning flowers are out, you've got to make the best with what you have!!

Today's Exotic Florals

2009-12-23T19:15:00.002+11:00

Hre are today's best flower shots!

Featherdale Wildlife Park

2009-12-21T18:00:00.014+11:00

Yesterday Bobby and I met up with some friends from the U.S. We had a fantastic day and had the opportunity to hang out with some Aussie animals at Featherdale.

Maha & Farid's Wedding

2009-12-20T08:07:00.013+11:00

What a gorgeous couple! We had a fantastic time at the wedding.

Lotus Flowers - Finally

2009-12-11T19:00:00.005+11:00

After weeks and weeks of waiting, the lotus flowers finally bloomed and opened into these gorgeous displays of colour and form.

Summer Flower Delights

2009-12-09T21:25:00.003+11:00

These delightful flowers were on display at the Sydney Botanical Gardens, one of my new favourite hang outs. It's so nice to spend time in nature after hours and hours dedicated to the office.

More Gorgeous Flowers

2009-11-26T21:49:00.002+11:00

More gorgeous lillies and water lillies out! They are all so perfect, the water lillies, I can't stop marvelling at how beautiful they are.

Cactus Flowers

2009-11-14T19:16:00.005+11:00

Today I unexpectedly came across cactus flowers! Some of them are really weird, but others really beautiful. Nature always finds ways to surprise me. :)

The day of the lillies

2009-11-12T20:27:00.003+11:00

I've decided that I like lillies, even better than tulips in fact. Only two colours on display today, but hoping that next week there will be more varieties.

My first insect photo

2009-11-07T17:22:00.003+11:00

I've been wanting to get an insect photo for months now and today was my lucky day! One actually managed to stay still for long enough to be captured in digital. Yay!

Droplets on the leaves & petals

2009-11-05T22:04:00.003+11:00

Today was a really good photo day because it had rained and all the plants and flowers had little droplets of water on them. I love seeing the water droplets in photos, it adds that lovely freshness to the picture.

One Fine Day

2009-10-29T21:19:00.003+11:00

Weekend in Townsville

2009-10-25T21:48:00.002+11:00

Up close and personal with my Canon macro lens

2009-10-22T20:59:00.006+11:00

Recently my blog has become a flower blog. The reason is that I really enjoy taking photos of flowers and also because the botanical gardens has such a variety that I'm continuously finding new species to photograph!