SINGAPORE - 1 DEC 2025: 11.16am. Terminal 1, Changi Airport. The Scoot's Lil' Dreamer has a tail Number 9V-THH. This Embraer E190-E2 aircraft with 2 x 2 seating configuration is being towed by a pushback tractor with its specific tow bar. Seating 112 Economy passengers, it was delivered to Scoot in August 2025.
Canon R5 91mm, 1/2000 sec, f/4.5, iso 250. tripod. tv mode
This Potter wasp flew near as I was in the smoking area outside T1 Departure Hall to photograph aircraft taking off from Changi Airport. I clicked two images. It flew off as soon as it arrived.
Females provision nests with paralyzed caterpillars for their larvae.
SINGAPORE - 19 DEC 2025: 3.42pm. The stunning 16-metre tall Disney Cruise Line Festive Tree of Adventure at Jewel Forest Valley is adorned with a swirling cascade of fairy lights, nautical touches and Mickey-shaped ornaments. It is a popular backdrop for photography.
Canon R5 28mm, 1/30 sec, f/20, iso 200 av mode
Focus on star
SINGAPORE - 14 DEC 2025: The Torch Ginger (Etlingera elatior) flowers in the public garden of Bird Paradise. Its flower and buds add a light floral gingery flavour to South-East Asian dishes such as laksa and rojak.
19 December 2025. Dear Niang Niang,
Thank you for so many of your prayers
for my family and me.
May your business
be sold before the close of 2025!
Video made with lots of love.
From David Sing and family.
PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE CREPE GINGER. Use tripod and BACKLIT sunlight
SINGAPORE - 14 DEC 2025: 11.33am. Bird Paradise
The Crepe Ginger (Cheilocostus speciosus) is cultivated as an ornamental plant in public gardens such as those of the Bird Paradise. Its flowering spike is dark red, and the white funnel-like flowers emerge from between the bracts. Its flowers attract carpenter bees and sunbirds.
With a tripod and tv mode, you can see the details of the yellow throat of the white flower as compared to the hand-held blurry yellow throats seen in NParks Flora and Fauna website.
Canon R5, 105mm, 1/500 sec, f/4.5, iso 160.
14 Dec 2025, 11.33am
Backlit sunlight on white flower shows up details of the yellow throat very well.
FEEDBACK - POOR QUALITY PHOTOS:
18 Feb 2025: National Parks Flora and Fauna web's images of the spider lily flower are of VERY POOR quality - hard to believe a National agency will exhibit them. Source stock photos and display decent sharp images to educate and inform the young ones.
PHOTOGRAPHY OF A GOOD QUALITY SPIDER LILY (Hymenocallis littoralis) otudoors is not easy for many people as it may be moving in a breeze or the lighting is poor.
A blooming Spider Lily in a pot in the Lentor Estate kerbside garden
14 December 2025; 1.40pm
Lentor Estate kerbside garden
Canon R5, tripod, tv mode, 70mm
1/1000 sec, f/7.1, iso 100
VIDEO. Shutterstock.com/g/toapayohvets
SINGAPORE - 14 DEC 2025: Lentor Plain kerbside garden. The Spider Lily (Hymenocallis littoralis) is often cultivated as an ornamental flower and foliage in public parks. Its erect inflorescence several white funnel-shaped flowers with long and thin petals. From the front view, the flower looks like a giant spider - hence it is named Spider Lily.
Tele-health consultation of a hamster with a red facial swelling
Hello, this is churro she is a 16 month old female hamster. We discovered this abscess like on her left side of her nose on the 13/12. We decided to leave it, however up till today the abscess like is still there.
If it is a hard lump, it may be a tumor or an early inflammatory lump. Please make appointment with vet to get medication for reducing redness and itchiness. If ok, phone 62543326 at 10am for appointment tomorrow
Shes still active and eating well, when we touch the lump she shows no pain and does not move away.
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Thank you for your images and have used Photoshop to examine the swelling. The most likely cause of this swelling is an infected facial abscess which is very red and itchy. I will strongly advise you to consult a hamster
ANOTHER CASE OF NASAL ABSCESS
I used tripod, Canon R5, 105 mm, 1 /160 sec, f/16, ISO 2500 to take a big image of various varieties of orchids in Orchid Waterfall garden. Then I crop the red orchid portion out to show the red Renanthera orchids.
14 Dec 2025. 12.10pm.
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In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches.
SINGAPORE - 14 DEC 2025: 11.25 am.
The Singapore Rhodendron (Melastoma malabathricum) or Malabar melastome flower is vibrant pink or purple, but there is a white variety. It is cultivated as ornamental plants in the public garden of Bird Paradise. Red ants are seen pollinating this flower.
Canon R5, tripod, tv mode, 105mm, 1/500 sec, f/4, iso 100
FLORA SINGAPORE STORIES.
Dr Sing Kong Yuen
17 Dec 2025.
On Sunday 15 Dec 2025, I had great difficulty
in persuading Maia to go to Bird Paradise.
"Many children don't get driven to visit the Bird Paradise
as the grandparents don't have cars,"I said to Maia who
would watch video for the whole Sunday morning.
In fact, she had exceeded by 15 minutes of watching to 10.15am.
"Ï will go if you bring my stroller along," Maia negotiated. Grandma was not in favour saying she could rent one kid's pull carts at Bird Paradise. "I am too big for the carts," Maia declared.
Leave Maia at home and we go with Evan - an option. However, I would like Maia to experience the wildlife. She held her booster and would not budge. It was nearly 11am!
Maia
had to be home to nap before her ballet class at 2pm. I needed the time
to take photos and to walk. "Get the stroller into the boot,"I told my
domestic helper Gema.
The grandchildren saw the penguins at
Penguin Cove but were at the A & W Restaurant at around 12 noon. I
aborted my visit to see the Emus.
Outside the A & W, an
inflorescenee of two beautiful white tubular flowers with pink to red
margins and splashes of golden yellow in their throats attracted my
photographer's eye. Multiple small green bracts which are leaf-like
structures form a light green ring in which these two flowers and two
buds sit. These two beautiful flowers in full bloom. My iPhone 15 Pro
Max captured their vibrant colours.
These flowers are native to Africa and are known as the African Spiral Flags. Their scientific name is Costus lucanusianus.
One flower displayed its frontal view while the other showed its side view. Fresh blossoms as their petals have the shine of new structures with no stains, wrinkles or holes.
The two views are valuable in photography because they show how the floral structure. I searched these flowers in the website of NParks. Its photographs of this flower was of poor qualitry as its photographer did not have the correct time and opportunity to shoot a freshly blooming flower.
Heavy dark clouds filled the sky as Gema carried Evan and Grandma pushed Maia in the stroller. towards the car park. Grandma was stressed by the heat and humidity. We got into the car on level 3. The thunderstorm broke as Grandma drove bravely as rain drops platter onto the car's windscreen and roof.
"Are the grandchildren asleep?" I asked from my passenger seat in front. The back of the car was as silent as a grave at midnight as Grandma turned into the highway for home.
Maia and Evan just dozed off within five minutes of leaving Bird Paradise. They could not wake up when we reached home some 20 minutes later . 6-year-old Maia slept soundly on Gema's laps and we had to wait till she woke up some 10 minutes later as she was too heavy to be carried out of the car. 3-year-old Evan was carried out from the baby seat by 71-year-old Grandma who is still fit to do so.The rain had stopped.
"Wow, my two sweethearts must be catching up with their loss of sleep!" I deduced as the whole family had a great time celebrating Evan's birthday on 10 December at Equarius Villas in Resorts World Sentosa.
I wrote this story for Maia to read when she is older. A story of how I got such a beautiful photograph of the newly blossomed African Spiral Flags..I was at the right place and the right time because I wanted to bring my grandchildren to have encounters with wildlife and to love animals.
