Happy National Day Singapore

May we bloom as a nation
flowering forever
Peace and Harmony
Joy and Love
be ours
for eternity

Lotus flower

One afternoon when the sun
tired of the rain in the morning
made an appearance
to shine on a lotus flower beautifying
the backyard of a friend's garden
and I was so lucky to be invited
to enjoy this bloom before it
bade farewell the next day.

Sunflower and Lotus buds

Unopened hearts struggling within
while the sun sends invitations to unfurl
Buds of doubts delay a new beginning
as the wind cast premonitions on its way

The heart of the flower beats cautiously
waiting for the ill winds to pass
The flower of the heart longs to bloom
longing for the daylight to come fast.

Lotus, not in Singapore

These photos could have been taken in Singapore but they were not. I took them in an Orchard in Can Tho, a city on the Mekong Delta. For five days I have been away in Vietnam on a free-and-easy trip. As expected I took tons of photos and have created a blog to document my trip.

Water Beauties in the Singapore Botanic Gardens

It rained today, a refreshing change
a day when coolness reigned
in droplets from the heavens
a day to dance amongst the flowers

Vesak Day Wishes

Lotus

Flower of peace for today,
for the Goddess of Mercy
for us to remember
that there is light
in darkness
peace in turmoil
hope in despair
love in
faith

Lotus

My friend whose lotus plant flowered for the first time sent me this image of the flower embracing the strong morning sunlight in his patio.

I got to see this same flower a day later in the later part of the afternoon when the sun had moved over to the other side of the house.

难得有机会看到这么漂亮的一朵鲜花。花开富贵。但是花也代表生命的幸福和愉快。

藏在我心里有许多梦

一天一天过

风一阵一阵吹来

我的梦就好像

一个云朵

被风推过地平线

差点不见了

还好有花有草

什么事没解决呢？

看！花开花谢，每天会从满好多阳光，快乐和希望。

Lotus flower

A lotus flower bloomed in a friend's house. It was not a very big flower because the plant was grown in a small earthen pot filled with soil and water. My friend said that the flower was really at its best this morning at 11am when the sun was shining brightly. It was still very lovely by the time I got to see it even though it was half-closed. No matter, the lotus flower was a joy to behold and photograph.

Flowers for prayers

I was in the vicintity of Waterloo Street when I saw these huge Chrysanthemum flowers at one of the numerous stalls in front of the Waterloo Street Kwan Yin Temple. I asked permission to photograph these impressive looking flowers that you could buy to offer to the Goddess of Mercy when you pray at the temple and was told that the colours of these flowers, except the yellow ones, were artificially infused.

Lotus buds are the preferences of some devotees at the temple.
The bright and cheerful colours of Waterloo Street.Tomorrow is the first day of the eighth month in the Lunar Calendar.