Night-blooming Cereus

Epiphyllum Oxypetalum, or commonly known as the queen of the night, is a species of cactus and one of the most cultivated species in its genus. Though it is sometimes referred to as a night-blooming cereus, (the common name referring to a large number of flowering ceriud cacti that bloom at night), it is not closely related to any of the species in the tribe Cereeae, such as Selenicereus, that are more commonly known as night-blooming cereus.

Regardless of genus or species, night-blooming cereus flowers are almost always white or very pale shades of other colours, often large, and frequently fragrant.

It is said that Epiphyllum Oxypetalum rarely blooms, although it didn’t say how rarely is rarely. Based on that, I wasn’t expecting much from my plant. But I would say, I am very happy with the number of occasions it has bloomed. It's a pity that they bloom only in the evening and wilt before down.

There were eight new buds to begin with. But, from previous experience, I knew that not all will come to fruition.

True enough, only four survived. You can see the bud on the upper right dying off.

This was about eight o'clock on the evening of the bloom. They have started to bloom.

This was about ten in the evening.

A close up of the productive organs.

A view from the back.

This is full bloom at midnight. It will remain full bloom for a couple of hours and then it will begin to wilt.

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Weekend Humour

Cultivate and develop your sense of humour. Humour helps you to see the lighter side of things, in life. It helps you to keep light-hearted and not to take things too seriously. It helps you to enjoy life even when you do not have everything you want, or when things do not happen the way you expected them to. In fact, it is when things do not go your way that you need your humour most.

Having a sense of humour might not solve your problems, but it will help to take the edge off your difficult moments. When you can find the humour in how things turned out, you will be able to live with it.

Whatever humour works for you, it is great. The important thing is to have a sense of humour. And not to lose your sense of humour no matter how tough life gets. Enjoy this week’s selection of humorous quips and quirks! Have a great weekend!

I came from a real tough neighbourhood. Why, every time I shut the window I hurt somebody’s fingers. - Rodney Dangerfield

The little boy who goes to the store and forgets what his mother sent him for, will probably grow up to be a congressman. - Evan Esar

There is no cure for baldness; the bald-headed barber is the proof. - American Proverb

Marriage is not a word, it’s a sentence – a life sentence. - David Minkoff

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society. - Mark Twain

The problem with a life spent reading is you know too much. - Josh Lanyon

There is one thing more exasperating than a wife who can cook and won’t, and that’s a wife who can’t cook and will. - Robert Frost

The secret of eternal youth is arrested development. - Alice Roosevelt Longworth

Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear or a fool from any direction. - Ken Alstad

They said we should all pay our tax with a smile. I tried – but they wanted cash. - Unknown

Don't use your bedroom for work, unless you're a prostitute. - David Letterman

I don’t need anger management. I need people to stop pissing me off! - Unknown

Men marry women with the hope they will never change. Women marry men with the hope they will change. Invariably they are both disappointed. - Albert Einstein

There is no sunrise so beautiful that it is worth waking me up to see it. - Mindy Kaling

Get a good dog. We have not picked up food in the kitchen in 15 years. - Paul Reiser

The newspapers of utopia ... would be terribly dull. - Arthur C. Clarke

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Pictures From The Flower Dome

At 1.2 hectares, the Flower Dome at the Gardens by the Bay is the largest glass greenhouse in the world, as listed in the 2015 Guinness World Records. In here, it is perpetual Spring.

The Flower Dome features a the flower field, and eight other gardens, namely The Baobabs, Succulent Garden, Australian Garden, South African Garden, South American Garden, Olive Grove, California Garden and the Mediterranean Garden. These eight gardens exhibit exotic flowers and plants from the Mediterranean and semi-arid regions from five different continents.

Here are some pictures from the dome. I could be posting everyday for a year, and not be done with posting about the dome. But you will be very bored by the end of it. Spectacular and innovative, the Dome needs to be personally experienced, to be fully appreciated. If you ever made your way to Singapore, a visit to the Gardens by the Bay, to the domes is a MUST!

Beautiful Dahlias

Topiary - this art of training the plants fascinates me.

A flower I haven't gotten around to find out the name of. If you know of it, do drop the name in the comment.

Wood carvings, or wood sculptures. Almost missed the owl in front of the tree.

A tree lizard?

Some sculptures allegedly donated by the Singapore Airlines. It features a family travelling.

More unknown flowers. Please drop their names in the comments if you know of them.

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Some Singapore Buildings

Here are some shots of buildings taken when I was out and about.

The Raffles City Complex comprising of Swissotel The Stamford on the left, the Fairmont Singapore on the right and the shopping mall in the forefront.

The top of the St. Andrews Cathedral.

The rest are buildings was shot on the go. I am ashamed to confess that I don't know what buildings they are.

A neat and tidy corner in the midst of the tall buildings.

This is our war memorial.

More shots of the Raffles city complex with the lights coming on.

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