Cotton Silk Tree in Merdeka Square, Kuching

On my recent trip home to Kuching (again, yes I am traveling home more and more often these days, why not, mum would love me to visit more frequently), the popular cotton silk tree found directly in front of Merdeka Palace Hotel in Padang Merdeka blossomed and scattered cotton like deposits all over the surrounding area. If only Kuching was not scorching hot that particular weekend, it would have been like we had snow for a while. The tree only blossoms once in two to three years, and I have had the chance to witness this special event during my secondary years in St Thomas School, which was situated nearby. We even had the "snow" blown into the school compound by the wind.



Unfortunately during my visit to the tree with my camera, there was no wind to simulate the "snowing" effect. Nonetheless the tree itself is quite a magnificent view to feast your eyes upon.

The tree is over a century old, reaching 27.4 meters tall, and rumor has it that it is worth more than RM1 Million (about 235,000 USD).

Here is a bowl of Laksa to celebrate the luck that I had to be home during the same time the cotton silk tree blossomed!

Sarawak Laksa, Chong Choon Cafe, Padungan, Kuching

Do you guys have similar tree at your place? Do share your stories! I certainly have not come across similar cotton silk tree elsewhere in Malaysia, this could be the only one. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quick Post-Processing for Food Shots Using Google's Snapseed on a Smartphone

Image
Following the revival of my Youtube channel, I am now creating more fresh contents, but more focused on lighter guides and tips when it comes to general photography. I am not trying to add to the abundance of widely available "how to" videos or tutorials, instead I shall be sharing my own workflow on how I get some of my shots done as shown here on this blog. While most of my photography heavy content will be published on Ming Thein's site, here I shall discuss topics that are more photography beginner/new-comer friendly. It does not matter if you are not using the latest iPhone or the best Samsung smartphone. Any mobile phone camera is sufficient for some quick food snapshots. I personally do not like the idea of spending almost RM6000 for that flagship smartphone, it is just absurd. Use what you have, make the best out of it, and here, some post-processing magic may just add the much needed impact to your shots. Straight out of camera shots from smartphones are usually
Read more

Olympus OM-D E-M1X - My Menu Personalization and More Image Samples

Image
I have been actively following the discussions over the internet on the newly launched Olympus OM-D E-M1X. I think I have not seen such huge reaction to a camera released by Olympus since the first original E-M5 in 2012, though I must say the overall tone was heavier on the negative side. I am not here to make any further persuasive argument or rebutting any comments, I believe there is sufficient information online to go about for everyone to achieve their individual conclusions on E-M1X. Everything that I have wanted to say about the E-M1X has been covered in my original full article here (click and read if you have not).  In this blog entry, I want to bring your attention specifically toward a new customization feature in the E-M1X, which I think is a crucial improvement over previous cameras - the My Menu. One of the persistent complain from almost everyone on any Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera is the deep, confusing maze of menu navigation. There are no quick ways to find certai
Read more

The Secret To Studio Like Product Shots Without An Actual Studio

Image
Recently I conducted a new photography workshop for Olympus Malaysia, dealing with casual and lifestyle product and food shots. In that workshop I have shared several interesting tips and the one that got everyone chuckled in disbelief was this particular figurine shot in a simple plain white background with side lighting. When I revealed that the shot was nothing more than a simple, straight to the point image taken on a white chair by the window with no other tricks, I could hear some people gasped. I think improvisation is important. Of course it would have been better if there was a proper studio setup with professionally done background and wireless flash or strobes for better control of light and a more polished finish. If you are a working professional photographer you do what you have to do to get the shot. However, I was not speaking to a crowd of pro photographers. I was speaking to hobbyists, amateurs and also social media users, who were looking to improve their shots. Simp
Read more