SM Mall of Asia, 30th June 2006

Sunset at Manila Bay

"The SM Mall of Asia is the largest shopping mall in the Philippines and the 3rd largest shopping mall in the world. In terms of gross floor size, it is next to the Golden Resources Mall in China and the West Edmonton Mall in Canada). It opened on May 21, 2006^[1]."
- Wikipedia

Ok, this place is huge. I walked in from one entrance and after dinner, didn't know where it was. There's even IMAX within that complex and a waterfront area looking into Manila Bay.

Around Melbourne, 1st May 2005

Got up late and decided to shelf the plans to go on the Great Ocean Road trip.

Instead, I visited the Melbourne Zoo.

Meerkats


Penguins

"Penguins are ideally shaped for swimming. They have torpedo-like bodies and small, stiff wings which they use like flippers to fly through the water, steering with their legs and tail. Penguins spend a lot of time preening their feathers to keep them well oiled and waterproof.

In the late afternoon, Little Penguins gather at the sea in groups (or rafts) of up to 300, breaking into smaller groups as they near the shore. They usually come ashore in the same place each night and take the same path back to their burrows." - taken from zoo signboard.


The japanese garden.


There are the seals with a few tricks up their flippers...but didn't get any good photos of those cause they were just moving too quickly.


And the resident zoo polar bear...waking up to see what the fuss is all about.



MANED WOLF
Chrysocyon brachyurus
These wild South American wild dogs look like wolves with their mane of hair across the shoulders. They hunt in the tall prairie grass on their long, stilt-like legs for small mammals. They also eat fruit and insects. Although solitary, they seek a mate to raise a litter of 2 - 5 pups. Their habitat is being lost to farming and they are classified as vulnerable.


...more photos to come later.

Around Melbourne, 30 April 2005

It was a cold Saturday but the air was fresh and a clear day. Perfect for a walk around Melbourne. Wasn't in a rush and armed with a map, just headed out the hotel to see what's available.

First stop, Federation Square...




Then, the Melbourne Aquarium...





Finishing off at the Rialto Towers

Melbourne Series - 2005

When thru my collections and found out that I haven't actually touched the pictures from my tour of Melbourne last year. Would try to touch up and put up more photos soon. Meanwhile, the panoramic photo below was taken at the 12 apostles site by the Great Ocean Road.





I like this picture. It has so many feelings/emotions in one picture. Click on the picture to see a bigger image.

Last Part of France Holiday Pictures - 2005

The Garonne River runs thru Toulouse. Though it looks like a nice sunny day for a stroll at the park, it's actually just above freezing point.


A panoramic view of the buildings across the Garonne.







Of course there were lots of fantastic food in France I had been able to try a lot of the Christmas and winter dishes, but I did not take a lot of photos except for these.


The above is Foie Gras (fattened duck/goose liver) that tastes fabulous. Eaten with some biscuits.


Thinly sliced beef and salmon in the background.


Mouth watering fresh oysters! Hmm you can still smell the sea from these ;)


But all good things must come to an end. However i am lucky to get to board the MAS B747 painted in a beautiful red design. Lots of other travellers were also jostling for position to take a photo of the plane as a background.