Welcome to my little secret garden! A garden for the little angel to freely express herself on ....... fashion, travel, life, photography........ everything.......

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Ancient Landmarks on Verge of Vanishing

Do you know that some of the ancient landmarks on Earth are on verge of vanishing? May be we should start join the preservation group to protect, restore and develop these sites for generations.......


Cradle of Medieval Architecture, Turkey

Photograph by Umit Bektas

Damaged frescoes in the Church of St. Gregory of Tigran Honents tell a story of neglect in the medieval city of Ani, now part of Turkey. Settled by Armenians in the 10th and 11th centuries, Ani holds churches and other buildings that helped inspire the Gothic style across Europe. The city was abandoned in the 14th century, when all Armenians were forced to leave under Turkish rule. Today the unprotected ruins are prone to looting and vandalism.


Chersonesos, Ukraine

Photograph by Wojtek Buss

The recently restored Saint Volodymyr Cathedral {background} stands in contrast with the ruins of a basilica dating back to the sixth century A.D. in Chersonesos, Ukraine . The area, on the southwestern tip of the Crimean Peninsula, was settled as early as the sixth century B.C. Once famed for its wines and coinage, the carefully planned city of Chersonesos went on to become one of the richest Byzantine civilizations on the Black Sea. But Chersonesos is now being "loved to death" due to unmanaged tourism and the pressures of urban development.


Hisham's Palace, Palestinian

Photograph by David Silverman

The eighth-century Umayyad palace was still under construction when it was damaged and covered by sand during an earthquake around A.D. 747. The ruins lay forgotten until archaeologists rediscovered them in 1934. Today experts have a basic understanding of the historic site, but they fear much of the palace's surviving remains may disappear as Jericho continues to expand its urban and agricultural developments.


Swahili Settlement, Lamu, Kenya

 Photograph by Bobby Haas

A mosaic of tightly clustered rooftops decorates an aerial view of Lamu, Kenya, one of the oldest and best preserved Swahili settlements in East Africa. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the old town of Lamu dates back to the 12th century and still boasts many traditional architectural styles of Swahili culture. Major threats to the site include a proposed port project and infrastructure for the oil industry. 


Mahasthangarh, Bangladesh

Photograph by Susan Liebold

Dating back to the third century B.C.,Mahasthangarh in Bangladesh is one of the earliest urban archaeological sites in South Asia. Parts of the ancient capital were in use until the 18th century A.D., and the site is still sacred to Hindus. But years of neglect, looting, vandalism, and lack of funding have damaged Mahasthangarh.


Chronicles of Nineveh, Iraq

Photograph by Randy Olson

The rebuilt gates and mud-brick walls around the ancient city of Nineveh, near modern-day Mosul, Iraq, are popular tourist attractions. Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire from 705 to 612 B.C., but the city was reduced to rubble by attacks from Medes, Babylonians, and Susianians. Archaeologists found the "lost" city in the mid-19th century and began excavations and reconstructions.Still—like many of the sites on the Global Heritage Fund list—Nineveh suffers from the pressures of modern society.


Palace of San-Souci, Haiti

Photograph by James P. Blair

Sometimes called the Versailles of the Caribbean, Haiti's Palace of San-Souci was constructed in the early 19th century by freed slaves to be the royal residence of King Henri Christophe I. But the king's subjects revolted in 1820, forcing him into hiding in the palace, where he eventually committed suicide. Once elaborately furnished, the palace crumbled in an 1842 earthquake, and today the ruined structure is rapidly deteriorating due to poor drainage and neglect.


Mirador Basin, Guatemala

Photograph by George P. Mobley

The Mirador Basin in Guatemala, considered the cradle of Maya civilization, sits adjacent to the well-known Classical Maya ruins in Tikal National Park, including the Great Plaza of Tikal, seen above in an aerial picture. The four cities in the Mirador Basin predate Tikal by as much as 1,200 years, but the Mirador ruins continue to lie abandoned under 2,000 years' worth of jungle growth. Threats to the approximately million-acre {405,000-hectare} site include looting, slash-and-burn agriculture, and illegal logging.


Taxila, Pakistan

Photograph by James L. Stanfield

A complex of caves, monasteries, and mosques, the city of Taxila in Pakistan was a crossroads of industry in the ancient Middle East. Four distinct settlement sites—each belonging to different time periods—show the evolution of urban development over the course of five centuries, beginning in the sixth century B.C., according to the Global Heritage Fund. Today the ruins and nearby Taxila Museum suffer from insufficient management—some areas of the site serve as garbage dumps, for example. Other threats include looting, the toll of regional war, and uncontrolled mine blasts that shake excavated artifacts from museum shelves.


Famagusta, Cyprus

Photograph from Photolibrary

Above, the ruins of an ancient gymnasium stand inFamagusta, Cyprus, once considered among the richest cities in the world. Founded as early as the third century B.C., Famagusta served as a key trading port and a center for political relationships between the Middle East and Europe. Lack of attention, lack of funding, and gradual deterioration of the monuments in Famagusta are threatening the ancient city's potential for survival.


Fort Santiago, Philippines

Photograph by Joel Nito

Spanish settlers constructed the historic walled fortress of Fort Santiago in the district in the 16th century. Much of Intramuros was heavily damaged by U.S. Air Force bombings during World War II. Today the greatest threat to the restored site is modernization. International chains—including Starbucks and McDonald's—are found within Fort Santiago's walls, and developers in Manila seem eager for further expansion.


Maluti Temple, India

Photograph by Sourav De

Only 72 of the original 108 terra-cotta temples remain intact in the 18th-centuryvillage of Maluti, India. The temples were built during the Pala dynasty by devotees of the Hindu goddess Mowlakshi. Other temples at the site were dedicated to Shiva, Durga, Kali, and Vishnu. Today, neglect, poor drainage, and overgrown vegetation are taking a toll on the complex.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Life Quotes, the Philosophy of Life......

What will you do during your spare time? For me, I'll hanging out with friends, watching "horror/ghost" movies, chatting over a cup of coffee, day dreaming, browsing through the internet looking for information that I love, reading etc. Looking for "Life quotes" is one of my favourites whenever I surf the internet. It's inspire/motivate/enlighten me to live my life to the fullest and to achieve my dreams. Life quotes that inspired me.....


When I hear somebody sigh, "Life is hard," I am always tempted to ask, "Compared to what?"  
~ Sydney J. Harris
 
Life is meaningless only if we allow it to be. Each of us has the power to give life meaning, to make our time and our bodies and our words into instruments of love and hope.  
~ Tom Head 

What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?
~ Vincent van Gogh


  
Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending. 
~ Maria Robinson

Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
~ Howard Thurman

Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you only spend it once.  
~ Lillian Dickson
 
Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring.
~ Oscar Wilde

If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything.  
~ Win Borden

Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.  
~ Booker T. Washington

When one door of happiness closes, another opens; But often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.
~ Helen Keller

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
~ Buddha


The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.
~ Oprah Winfrey

In the end, it's not going to matter how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away 
~ Shing Xiong

 There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.  
~ Albert Einstein

Never tell your problems to anyone...20% don't care and the other 80% are glad you have them.
~ Lou Holtz



When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile. 
~ Unknown

Enthusiasm is the electricity of life. How do you get it? You act enthusiastic until you make it a habit.
~ Gordon Parks

Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.  
~ Joshua J. Marine

To live your life to fullest, start taking more risks and doing the things you fear. Get good at being uncomfortable and stop walking the path of least resistance. 
~ Robin Sharma



Three things are needed for a good life, good friends, good food, and good song.  
~ Jason Zebehazy




Saturday, October 23, 2010

30 Most Breathtaking & Beautiful Landscape Photography

Most of us love to see beautiful, stunning and breathtaking landscape photography. However, what is landscape photography? Landscape photography is a genre intended to show different spaces within the world and it's usually attempt to convey an appreciation of the world. Therefore, today, I'm going to present you my "landscape photography" collection that will definitely make you feel "Wow".


Mount St. Helens Shadow
Photograph by Diane Cook and Len Jenshel



Lions Gate Bridge, Vancouver
Photograph by Matheieu Dupuis



Beach Grass, Scotland
Photograph by Jim Richardson



Bamboo Forest, Japan
Photograph by Kyle Merriman



Tasermiut Fjord, Greenland
Photograph by Peter Essick



Tundra Landscape, Russia
Photograph by Michael Melford



Painted Hills, Oregon Sunrise
Photograph by Glenn Traver



Storm Clouds, Grand Canyon National Park
Photograph by Michale Nichols



Horseshoe Crabs
Photograph by Sean Crane



Fly Geyser, Nevada
Photograph by Stephen Oachs



Lake of Moon, India
Photograph by Dhurjati Chatterjee



 Hong Kong Cityscape, China
Photograph By Ghani Khan 



Terraced Rice Field, China
Photograph by Thierry Bornier  



Manarola, Italy 
Photograph by Paul Hogie 



Pantanal, Brazil 
Photograph by Mike Bueno 



Canyon Landscape, Utah
 Photograph by Christopher Zimmer



Bearing Sea Sunset
Photograph by Christopher Zimmer



Stone-Marked Grave, Libya
Photograph by George Steinmetz 



Waikawau Bay, New Zealand
Photograph by Steve Burling 



Simonos Petras Monastery
Photograph by Travis Dove 



Licancabur Volcano
Photograph by Hugo Machado 



Rialto Bridge, Venice 
Photograph by Peter Geller 



Hanuman Temple, India 
Photograph by Lorne Warburton 



Spitfire Lake Reflection 
Photograph by Will Forbes 



Santa Monica Shore 
Photograph by Steve Sieren 

 

Haw Creek Falls, Arkansas
Photograph by Peter Essick 



Uyuni Salt Flats, Bolivia 
 Photograph by Robert B. Haas 



Iguacu falls
Photograph by Frans Lanting 



Meadows Park, Scotland 
Photograph by Mike Bascombe 



Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
Photograph by Jim Richardson  

 

Monday, October 18, 2010

Top 10 Most Beautiful Beaches in the World

What came across your mind when you heard the word "Beach"? Bikini, sunbathing, surfing, holiday and much more.... Beach is a place for me to relax, indulge myself and recharge my energy. Everytime I feel exhausted, beach will be my first option! Therefore, I've done my research on beaches that worth to go and listed them here!


1. Bora Bora island, French Polynesia



Bora Bora island is a fairy-tale creation of jagged volcanic peaks juxtaposed against crystal-clear aqua lagoons. One of the world's most famous dream destinations.


2. Pink Sands Beach, Bahamas


Pink Sands Beach, located on Harbour Island, part of the Out Islands of the Bahamas, is design for those desiring a sophisticated but relaxed beach holiday... Snooze on a secluded pink sanded beach, explore the unspoiled beauty of nearby Eleuthera Island or enjoy a wide array of water sports, including bone-fishing, reef fishing, deep sea fishing, snorkeling and much more! The sand is made up of tiny bits of coral, crushed shells and red-shelled of the foraminifera.


3. Punalu'u Beach, USA


Punalu'u's black-sand wonderland located on Hawaii Big Island has won a few ‘best beach’ awards in recent times, and it’s truly an astonishing sight: Punalu'u's startling blue waters lap up against the jetblack beach, which is backed by rows of deep-green coconut palms. The scenery demands your constant, supine contemplation – and you might even spot a hawksbill turtle wandering onto the sand to lay its eggs.


4. Boracay Island, Philippines


Boracay island is a beautiful small island surrounded by coral reefs. This palm-studded island of Boracay - with its white, talcum-fine beach, balmy weather and warm, crystalline waters - is like a hypnotic magnet that lures many to a lotus existence.Some experienced travelers claim it to be the "Finest Beach of All Asia".


5. Bryan Bay, Australia


Byron Bay is a place of mystery, myth and legend. Beaches are dotted with lighthouses and surrounded by bottlenose dolphins, rays, whales and sea turtles.


6. Cook Islands


Cook Islands is a castaway’s dream come true. If you’ve ever fantasized about escaping to a remote desert island, far from the hustle and hum of the modern world, then look no further than these 15 fascinating islands, where you’ll find a thousand years of Polynesian culture sitting side by side with some of the most spectacular natural scenery in the South Pacific. The jewel in the crown is Rarotonga, the largest island – a bewitching blend of craggy mountains, dense jungle and glorious bone-white beaches. 


7. Isla Mujeres, Mexico


Isla Mujeres is an unpretentious island off shore from CancĂșn, just 7km long and barely 1km wide, is light years away from the glitzy mainland scene. Its tropical beaches make it a cult fave, with those on the south side known for calm turquoise waters. For get-on-down Caribbean fun, visit Playa Norte, a popular beach with waiters who’ll bring drinks to your spot on the sand.


8. Pulau Perhentian, Malaysia


The palm-fringed beaches of the Perhentian Islands, covered in tropical rainforest, are about as natural as they come: calm, hassle-free and with virtually no signs of commercialisation. Except for snorkelling, diving, frolicking, swimming, sunning your body.


9.  Culebra, Puerto Rico


Culebra with its 23 offshore islands forms a miniature archipelago. Coral reefs in this area are considered some of the most spectacular of the entire Caribbean region. Culebra's rugged countryside, outrageous beaches and small-scale tourist industry make the 25-square-mile island a Caribbean treasure for travelers. 


10. Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda


'You go to heaven if you want - I'd rather stay here in Bermuda.' So gushed Mark Twain in the 19th century, and Bermuda's promise of sun and sea still lures vacationers to its shores. Horseshoe bay's surrounding turquoise waters give snorkelers and divers reason to rejoice: The calm waters and preserved reefs of beaches like Church Bay and Daniel's Head Beach Park feature regular sightings of sergeant majors and parrot and angel fish.