The 3.2 Shooter
Lately I’ve been going to church on an almost daily basis after probably a 2-year break. I find it almost ironic that someone I know, who isn’t Catholic, is more eager to attend church than me. She probably loves this church more than I’ll ever do. Hmmm… I appreciate the Neo-Byzantine architecture but can’t help […]
I was looking through my archives when I spotted this picture from my last trip to NYC in 2013. Guggenheim is one of my favorite museums, both for its collection of art works as well as the building itself. I like how easy the circular ramp slope leads you up to the top of the […]
On my way to a dessert shop, I spotted this pretty ornate arch sandwiched between shophouses, serving as an entrance to the ancestral temple of the Cheah clan association. There were restoration works going on in the temple while I was there, so I skipped going in. Numerous delicate and detailed ceramic trimmings deck the beams and ceiling of the arch, each serving […]
The architectural style of the Pagoda of Rama VI, also known as the Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas (万佛塔), is an amalgamation of Chinese, Thai and Burmese influences to reflect Kek Lok Si (极乐寺) temple’s embrace of Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism, along with trickles of Taoist traditions. The octagonal base of the 7-storey pagoda is […]
I spotted this mansion perched atop a slope as I was walking down a flight of stairs after lunch at Penang Hill. It made me curious as to who owns the place and if it, like many other mansions on top of Penang Hill, has a name of its own. The mansion may have great […]
A close-up view of the Tadashi (正殿), the main hall, of Shuri Castle (首里城). Shuri Castle served as the royal court and residence of the Ryukyu king (琉球王) for at least 450 years. That’s pretty impressive! Unfortunately, everything seen here is a reconstruction of the original that was completely decimated during World War II by the US […]
A “point block” refers to a type of architectural design seen in public housing in Singapore. Not sure if this term is commonly used in architecture, or just one of the unique terms that Singapore’s Housing Development Board (HBD) has come up with. Such designs are prevalent among flats built in the late 60s up […]
There’s always a special place in my heart for Toronto. Strangely the city reminded me of home, for whatever odd reason, when I was studying in Buffalo. My return to this city reminded me how much has changed over the years. There’s even more new construction around. This city has this perpetual urban redevelopment going […]
Every time I’m down at Marina Bay with a camera, the weather plays foul on me. The sky was grey and overcast the day I took this shot too. Weather seems so finicky these days anyway. Well since the sky was of a dreary color, I decided to go along with that and capture the […]
There’s nothing not to like about the ornate and organic details on the terra-cotta facade of Guaranty Building. Does makes you wonder why office buildings aren’t build this way anymore. The Guaranty Building was one of the most advanced high-rise office building in Buffalo’s heyday in the late 1890s. It was designed by famous American […]
One of the small caves of five at the Dambulla Cave Temple. Much wear and tear is apparent on the wall paintings and Buddha statues, but the interiors still look amazing. The climb up Dambulla rock may not be that easy, but it’s a well-worth effort.
A Buddhist devotee prays in front of a granite carving of the Meditating Buddha at the Gal Vihara in the ruins of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa. The carving is one of four depictions of Buddha sculpted out from a single giant granite rock. This has got to be one of the most amazing rock […]
The Polonnaruwa Vatadage is an ancient temple built by King Parakrambahu I to house the tooth relic of Buddha. This is what’s left of the building. The Buddha tooth relic is currently housed at the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy.
A muragala (guard stone) is seen at the Polonnaruwa Vatadage, which is an ancient temple built by King Parakrambahu I to house the tooth relic of Buddha. Specifically, this is the Naga-raja (cobra-king) guard stone. It is a popular local belief (more likely Buddhist-influenced) that people die and reincarnate as cobras to safeguard their treasures […]
In my opinion, the best skyscraper to head to for a good skyline shot of New York City is Rockefeller Center. The reason is simple. You get a shot of the iconic Empire State Building in the picture. Of course, if you’ve only time for one skyscraper to visit, then I suppose it makes more […]
Every single time I’ve been to New York City, the sky is overcast. I wonder if it’s perpetually like that at NYC or maybe I lack the luck for good weather. I took this picture with an overcast sky. The sky wasn’t exactly on the verge of pouring, but I do wish for some break […]
The week has started pretty eventful with Libya finally liberated from Muammar Gaddafi (with his death). What better way to celebrate this good news than with a photo of the Statue of Liberty eh? Ok… I’m still sieving through my 3000+ worth of holiday photos when I chanced upon this shot. Well, I clearly took […]
I suppose anyone who sees this picture would’ve thought I had taken this somewhere in Egypt. Well… Actually I took this at the Met during my grad trip in NYC. The Met has got to be my favorite museum in the entire world, second on the list is definitely Albright-Knox. 🙂 What about the Louvre? […]
I was at the Esplanade yesterday afternoon. The sun was hot, and the music by the Promenade was blaring. Then there were national day songs being played at the Floating Stadium nearby. All so distracting. I didn’t even notice that I had my circular polarizer on my lens. Then there was the double polarizing effect, […]
Hayes Hall was once a mental asylum before it became the faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning at UB. There were countless stories, myths and legends of ghostly apparitions drifting the halls of this stoic building. Despite its age, it has an elevator that serves all the floors of the building. This building is worth […]