Rain on my Window

I wasn't really ready to share a blog on rain just yet. I wanted to wait and get more shots but I had a hard time getting any shots that I felt like sharing this week. So I hope to have another post with rain as the main subject, especially since I love a good rainfall and also we have begun the monsoon season. It normally rains hard and more often for most of November, December and January, sometimes February. The air is much cleaner now as well and that is so nice!

We have a great view from our condo on the 35th floor. I love watching the rain from home. 

Manual focus to get the camera to focus on the raindrops instead of anything else. 

Looking down at traffic but focused on the rain drops on the window.

I like this, you can almost see the rain drops falling. I used a slower-ish shutter speed setting for this effect. 

We are going to Penang, Malaysia for the weekend so I am really hoping to get great photos there. 

Happy Friday!!!

Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay

I could seriously take photos of flowers every day and never get tired of them. Lately our air quality in Singapore has not been so great making it hard to get out and take photos. It seems like we have been getting a break almost every day with a few hours of clean air so I run out then. Wish I new in advance when that clean air was coming! Monsoon season has started and that should bring an end to the haze. Its such a nice city and a nice place to live except for those 3 H's, haze, humidity and heat! None of that exists in the Flower Dome. It is cool enough to make you wish you had brought a light sweater. The air is crisp and clean and the flowers are gorgeous! Hope you enjoy these photos.

Just outside the dome. This is a nice stretch of park area with no cars nearby making it the perfect spot for biking, running and a nice walk. 

Inside the Flower Dome, when you enter you are on the upper level and the dome itself is so interesting. Loving the lines and the shadows. 

Nice class photo! Seems like every time I go there is a group of kids visiting. They are so cute!

Quite a few people were standing here, all looking at this one spot. Must really like the art sculpture in the planter. Hope I didn't miss anything...

Hard to find a good selfie angle!

Its a huge space inside the dome. 

Elephants for the Deepavali decorations. The elephant is a symbol for power, dignity, intelligence and peace.

Can't help myself. I have to include just a few flower photos. This one is sooo pretty! 

     

 This is probably the coolest flower I have ever seen, the Passion Fruit flowering vine.

Stems from the bottom left moving diagonally to the flower heads in the top right with a blurred background. Maybe I should photoshop out the flower with only two petals? Its mucking up my shot! I am really not good enough at editing to do it. If it were my garden I could just snip it :)

I love a yellow daisy - sunflowery flower :)

I wanted the greenery to be blurred but I was too close to the subject. Kind of glad it was all in focus, sort of like it.

Orchid I think? Beautiful for sure!

Happy Friday!!!

Happy Deepavali!

It is time to celebrate Deepavali in Singapore. This is a Hindu holiday to celebrate the victory of light over darkness. Gardens by the Bay held a few performances for the holiday and I went to take some photos. Enjoy!

The NUS Harmonica Orchestra. 

A meadow for a picnic. Can't really see the stage from here but you can hear the music. 

Dancers and a new band (seated on stage to the left). 

Hard to shoot this. It was getting dark, started just before sunset. I had to move around a crowd so no tripod and the dancers are dancing - moving - so I had to adjust the shutter speed and ISO. I thought I did a really good job but then I saw some photos a friend of mine took of the same performance. I will keep practising! Mine are not bad but she is a professional and hers are excellent!

The facial expressions are part of the dance.

Love her jewelry!

Notice the hands, very pretty.

Liked the photographer peeking out from behind the dancer :)

Better shot of the band.

Happy Friday!!!