It’s the last day of 2016. Hope you had a good year!
Golden Sunset at Tamsui in Taiwan. Photo credit: kkmakesandbakes (my wife). Taken with Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with M.Zuiko 25mm f1.8 lens.
Glad the year’s drawing to a close. Best wishes for the New Year!
Here’s wishing all Muslim friends: “Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri”!
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri! Muslims and non-Muslim visitors taking a breather from the hustle & bustle of the Ramadan bazaar last night.
It’s Hari Raya Puasa today.
After a whole month of fasting during Ramadan, today is the day that our Muslim friends have been looking forward to.
Little girl having henna drawn on her hand at the Ramadan night bazaar. Thanks to the girl’s mother for so generously granting permission for this photo.
Here are some photos from visiting the night bazaar last night at the Geylang Serai area in Singapore.
Under its new visa regulations, Indonesia has given visa-free facility to 169 countries.
With this new regulation, the Ministry of Tourism hopes to boost international tourist visits to Indonesia.
Good news to travellers planning to visit Indonesia.
You may now be able to visit Indonesia without having to apply for a visa.
Below are detailed information that you can check to see if the new regulations apply to you.
Happy New Year to all the people from cultures that celebrate this traditional festival! And to all Chinese around the world, Happy Chinese New Year!
It’s Chinese New Year today and the beginning of the Monkey year in the Chinese Zodiac. Happy Chinese New Year!
It’s the first day of the Lunar New Year. This year, it’s the year of the Monkey, according to the Chinese zodiac.
We took the photo when our family visited Jigokudani in Nagano back in 2008 to see the unique Snow Monkeys that indulge in the natural hotsprings there amidst the Winter snow.
Today is the eve of the Lunar New Year, and the last day of the year of the Goat.
Saying goodbye to the Goat Year. Today is the last day of the year of the Goat Zodiac. Tomorrow is the traditional Chinese New Year and the beginning of the Monkey Year.
Tomorrow is the traditional New Year based on the Lunar calendar and the beginning of the Monkey Year, according to the Chinese Zodiac.
The curious goat in the photo was grazing on farmland on the mountainside overlooking Zell am See in Austria.
A new dawn to a new day. A new year for a new beginning.
I hope this sunrise is symbolic of the hope that the new year brings to those looking for a new beginning in their lives. Taken handheld using a Nikon D750 with AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
Here’s wishing everyone a fantastic 2016, a new year that will bring new aspirations and immense fulfillment.
Snapped this shot while strolling on the beach in Thailand a few weeks ago in pre-dawn darkness.
It was a rare shot for me in that the horizon was clear of the usual haze and layer of clouds so the rising sun could be seen emerging from the horizon itself.
It was breathtaking how the nascent sun lit up the sky with golden and red hues as it tore itself from the horizon.
Here’s wishing Singapore a Happy 50th Birthday.
This is one of many murals found on the walls at the banks of the Singapore River. Photo taken with a Samsung NX2000 with a Samsung 20-50mm f/3.5-5.6 ED lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
This year, Singaporeans celebrate 50 years of independence since 1965.
This is also the 196th year since Singapore’s founding by Sir Stamford Raffles.
Let’s wish for the best for Singapore for the next 50 years!
Here’s wishing all Muslim friends: “Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri”!
Hari Raya ornaments for the home, on sale at the night bazaar prior to the actual day. Photo taken with a Canon EOS 7D Mark II with EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens. It was so crowded you’ve got to keep moving. The fast 65-point autofocus of the 7D Mark II enabled many shots to be taken sharp despite the hurry. Photo credit: John Tan.
It’s Hari Raya Puasa today.
After a whole month of fasting during Ramadan, today is the day that our Muslim friends have been looking forward to.
A traditional henna tattoo being done on the hands of a gracious lady who accented to letting me capture the beautiful design on her hand. Photo taken with an Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II with M.Zuiko ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
Photo of the Day: The Eiffel Tower is named after engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. His company designed and built the landmark in Paris in 1889.
View of the Trocadéro framed by the bottom of the Eiffel Tower. Taken with a Canon EOS 7D Mark II with EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
According to Wikipedia, “the design of the Eiffel Tower was originated by Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier, two senior engineers who worked for the Compagnie des Établissements Eiffel”.
This was the dude who brought the Eiffel Tower into this world – Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923). The bust was unveiled in 1929 and is now at the base of the Northern leg of the Tower. Taken with a Canon EOS 7D Mark II with EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
The tower was to serve as a centrepiece for the Exposition Universelle to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution.
Incidentally, the first time I visited the Eiffel Tower was in 1989, smack in the middle of the bicentennial celebrations of the French Revolution.
Gustave Eiffel bought the rights to the patent for the design which the original designers had taken out and eventually saw the Tower to completion in time.
As with all things new, the design met with opposition and criticism right from design stage till after completion – but history has proven that the design is technically robust and aesthetically appealing.
Photo of the Day: The Eiffel Tower is an iron lattice tower designed and built by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel in 1889 – as the entrance arch to the World’s Fair in that year.
Eiffel Tower as seen from the Pont d’Iéna. Taken with a Canon EOS 7D Mark II with EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens. Sepia tint added using Adobe Photoshop CC 2015. Photo credit: John Tan.
At 324m tall, the Eiffel Tower is the tallest structure in Paris, and was the tallest in the world for 41 years from 1889 to 1930.
It was surpassed in 1930 by the Chrysler Building in New York City.
Roughly 80 stories high, the base is square with 125m on each side.
There are three levels that visitors can visit.
I like the lace-like design in the metalwork of the Eiffel Tower. Taken with a Canon EOS 7D Mark II with EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
