Busy Sea Lane - off Marine Parade

It was a warm Sunday. I was trying out a borrowed Canon EOS 80D, with a Canon EF 75~300mm f/4-5.6 III USM lens that I bought three months ago. I have not been to this beach for a long time and it was great looking out with a long lens.

They are indeed a distance away. The 300mm lens makes them appear like they are about 200m away! Of course, I like the distance compression! It certainly gives me a positive perspective about seeing far ahead.

Here is a close up. Not all large ships are done-up, pretty boxes. I guess the owners and customers are happy so long as these large ships are doing a good job - shipping!

More of them parking around. Some are just waiting for service boats to come by.

In the midst of the giants, we do have at least one ardent fan of the waters doing what she likes best.

From the end of the Bedok Jetty, a 250m long fishing jetty, a lone angler hopes that those ships will not scare away his potential huge catch. I do wish him great success!

Before I left the nice beach. Such a wonderful sight.

And so I was walking by the Sembawang Park jetty when a smell hit me. Not that I was shocked but it did set me out to find where that came from.

Yes, it was a sad sight. Whose could it be?

The Day A Crocodile Visited An Urban Canal

Recently, while doing my usual rounds of nature and macro photography at the vicinity of our PCN (Park Connector Network), which runs along the Sungei Sembawang (Sembawang River), which has been enhanced to be both a mangrove cum modern canal, I met a few people who told me that they had sighted a crocodile in our canal.

Most of them only managed to see it swimming for a few seconds before it went deeper and disappeared from view. Fortunately, on 8 June 2017, I spotted a crocodile (probably the same one) near a drain outlet just beside Block 469B. It was resting on the concrete slope and slithered away when I got nearer to record it with my mobile phone. Of course, the video came out passable.

After hearing from two latest sources, I concluded that the crocodile should be making its presence at the upstream of the canal as each sighting seemed to point to that direction.

So, with my newly acquired 75~300mm lens, I went out for an afternoon patrol earlier this evening. I was not disappointed. The crocodile has kept to its habit and was found sun basking incognito. You will know why when you see the photos below.

 

At this point in time, I was at the other side of the canal. As usual, weaver ants are plentiful and I have to be on the alert. Spots that were being used by anglers are usually free from these ants, and of course are inevitable potholes for litters. Suddenly, I spotted something that was not normal. The above picture was taken with the lens set to 75mm. It was at the embankment of the PCN just below block 467A. Can you see it?

Bingo! At the 300mm zoom, the crocodile can be seen with its mouth opened and relaxed, without a care in the world. Not wanting to disturb the wild reptile, I decided to make my way to the other side to take some closer shots. 

From above the canal, partially protected by barriers, I took this shot. Actually, it is not possible for anyone from this side of the PCN to have spotted the crocodile, due to the thick foliage. I had to find a small opening for a clear shot. Man, the crocodile is large!

Here is another angle. It was much later that I did some calculations and figured out that this crocodile is approximately 2.7m long.

A few minutes later, it decides that it has enough and gently makes its way into the canal and disappear. It is good that nature has its way around gracefully.

The uncomfortable thing is that, just about 60m downstream, a foreign worker was doing some fishing of his own. I managed to feedback to him about what I saw when I caught up with him later.

A Stray Caterpillar. A Butterfly Close-up.

A week and a half ago, I got the chance to have a live caterpillar. It came with some leaves and stayed with me for a few days. After a while, it slowed down its movements. Since I did not have any more leaves, I decided to transfer the caterpillar onto a makeshift cactus plant.

Being busy, I did not have a chance to see it undergoing its complete metamorphosis. It was like, I had a caterpillar. Then I had a pupa. And, today, YES, today, a butterfly came out. Not just coming out in front of my eyes - but already out and ready to go! I was like, "am I missing something?"

Anyway, I was not so much into documenting the whole process as these can easily be googled from the internet. I was hoping that I could see a butterfly coming into this world, and flying out of my balcony freely. Yes, I got my wish. It waited for me. :D

To give it a head start, I got hold of one part of a pair of chopstick and coated some diluted honey for the hungry insect.

Most of the images were taken with my mobile phone, except for the few close-ups which I used my Canon EOS 60D with a old inverted lens.

The cactus belongs to my wife. I moved the "very slow" caterpillar here so that I could observe it. It was sluggish and moved like a sloth. For some reasons, I did not take a photo of the caterpillar!

Here is a shot from another angle. The pupa looks firm and healthy. The caterpillar has eaten its fill well and I was so glad that it went positively. At the time, I had no idea when it would emerge. This and the shot above were taken four days ago.

A macro view of the pupa. There is a lot of things going on inside it. A full chemical and biological change that confounded mankind even until now.

When the butterfly finally emerged, I was not present. It could be sometime in the morning. Since it is noon now, and it is pretty docile and not flying off, I thought it was just getting ready, and went off to prepare some energy food for it.

Here is another view of the butterfly taking a good rest. It was up earlier, except that it was just "walking" around. I was so happy that it has decided to stay for a while to take some solid food before flying off.

A close-up of the butterfly resting and waiting for its body to get stronger. While it was resting, I used the other chopstick to get some diluted honey onto it and eventually managed to coax the butterfly to "climb over" and get its food there.

A view from the side. Notice how it "rests" its proboscis onto the stick? I mean, if there is no need to "stick it in (as into a flower), a slap will do".

It changes its position, according to how it wants to get the energy food into its body. I tried to make a really diluted honey water so that the butterfly's legs would not get stuck onto it. I guess it worked.

Here is a closer view of the butterfly lapping things up. At the background, we can see its wings are in full spread, probably trying to balance itself as it takes its time indulging on the honey.

And, finally, a front shot. Small as it may be, there are tonnes of intricate coverings and design patterns on this little fellow. Just in case, this looks intimidating - butterflies do not bite!

When it had all that it could take, it flew off - from my highrise balcony into its free and easy world. I am sure it will do well.

Sungei Sembawang, Sunset

These shots were taken at the later part of the sunset. The weather was cool and I think it was about to rain, but did not. I was out doing some testings on over-exposures and silhouettes with the Samsung NX500.

This image was taken at the Gambas Avenue area and these building silhouettes belong to the 3M Singapore factory.

This canal is located just below where I stay, about 80m away. The pedestrian bridge where I stood links the Admiralty Drive PCN to the Woodlands Avenue 10 stretch of road, where the factories are located. 

Here is a landscape view. Lovely weather!

SUNSET. Always a changing mood

These images were taken with the Samsung NX500. This mirrorless camera has an incredibly light-weight camera body.

The ray that came in this Sunday evening burst forth from being totally bright and hot, to a calming orange-warm hue. Simply love the natural effect. 

This was the first bright ray that greeted me the moment I stepped into the house. This shot was taken from mid-way of the hall, at about 5:20pm. Fortunately, the blinds were drawn.

My wife's cute stuff that she uses for her gardening hobby. I don't do much here except to water them whenever I remember.

Some of the things in the house that caught the rays of the sun. This place is usually empty except for the displays at the foreground. Today, it is filled with boxes that need to be cleared soon.

My wife's "art centre". Beauty in the midst of chaos, I think. It looks pretty, though. That top frame that she uses to hang all these things was stripped from a discarded baby bed. How useful!

By 6:09pm, the sun has set just below the building, casting a strong orange glow against the cloud formation. Everyday, I get to see different colours of the ever faithful sunset.

Pushing More Capacity into my Dlink DNS-320 Two-Bay NAS

My DNS-320 2-Bay NAS
A few years back I bought a dlink DNS-320 NAS which I installed two 1TB hard disks (HDDs). The NAS was configured to run on RAID 1 mode. This faithful NAS has given me great peace of mind, and is also a silent worker. Occasionally, the fan does spurt up and cool the box up just a little.

A few months back, one of the hard disks crashed and I inserted a 2TB HDD as a replacement. A few days later, I took out the remaining 1TB and replaced it with another 2TB HDD. All went well with the replication of files and folders.

My Photography Hobby vs Space Crunch
However, as I took more and more photos - the disk free space became lesser and lesser. I own a Canon 60D and I use it for macro and landscape adventures. I also happen to like my daughter's latest Samsung NX500 with its 16mm~50mm kit lens. So, it has to happen.

With two 2TB HDDs and getting only 1TB in storage space, I had to do something to get the DNS-320 to recognise the 2TB HDDs as 2TB HDDs and not 1TB HDDs. Hope this does not confuse you.

After searching the internet and not getting good answers, I decided to try something through the front USB Backup port of the NAS. As I did not intend this to be a tutorial, I did not take snapshots of some screen displays. Since this little adventure helped me A LOT, I have decided to put it down on record (well, somewhat) as to how you can do yours.

I suppose you would need to "imagine" how it was supposed to look like - for some screenshots. Nevertheless, I do hope that photographers who own DNS-320 and want to upsize their RAID1 HDD capacity will find this walk-thru helpful.

Heath Check on the Operational NAS Hard Disks.
I have two HDDs inside the NAS that are supposedly running fine. Do use [Hard Drive Configuration] to check that all is STILL well. By the way, you would need to login to the NAS from your PC browser (or any other device internet browsers)  by entering the IP Address of the NAS.

You may click on the [Status] to view the various health statistics of each of the HDDs. This sreenshot shows my after-this-project HDDs - not the original 1TB HDDs, as I did not take a screenshot them.

Powering Down the NAS
You then shut down the NAS so that you can safely remove the two HDDs. To do that, navigate to System Management \ System Settings \ Shutdown. By the way, the firmware for my NAS is 2.05.

Once the Shutdown confirmation screen is displayed, we can proceed to remove the two HDDs. I labelled the HDDs as "Left" and "Right" with a marker - the way I took them out from the unit. You may have to be careful with the handling as it can be rather hot!

Installing New Hard Disks
A few days back, I managed to get hold of two additional 2TB HDDs. So these two HDDs are now inserted into the NAS. You may get hold of 3TB HDDs if you can afford it. The DNS-320 accepts up to 3TB hard disk capacity. Once it is done - do power on the NAS.

Once the NAS is up and running, do proceed back to the PC browser and navigate to Disk Management \ Hard Drive Configuration. Selected [Set Raid Type and Reformat] and proceed to set up the RAID 1 configuration. The screenshot below is an after-the-project shot. Do not be confused when you see that yours look a little bit different!

It will take a few minutes and then the NAS should be ready for use.

The Lefft and Right HDDs
There was no reason for doing this except that if ever I wanted to go back to square one - I know which was which!

The removed HDDs are now sitting on the floor, labelled as "Left" and "Right". The existing data (folders/files) where I kept all my photos and videos are in these two HDDs.

IDE/SATA-USB adapter
I needed a converter to connect the "Left" HDD to the NAS so that the NAS can read data from it. Here is where the IDE/SATA-USB adapter comes into play. This is an old adapter that I bought years back to transfer important data from IDE disks to SATA disks. [Below]. Yah. Looks primitive.

The Connection
Take the "Left" HDD and connect it to the IDE/SATA-USB adapter. Here is how it should be done.

Now, we can power on the "Left" HDD.  Next, plug the USB adapter end into the front USB port of the NAS. Do wait for a few seconds for the NAS to take note of the new device. [Below].

Setup USB Backups - Part I
Return to your PC browser and click on APPLICATIONS. [Below]. Click on the Local Backups icon.

Now on the USB Backups link. [Below]. You will be able to see MTP Backups and USB Backups on the right side of the screen.

Caution. Power on the "Left" HDD before inserting the USB adapter plug into the NAS USB port. Then click on the USB Backups. [Below] The screenshot below is an after-the-project shot.

Setup USB Backups - Part II
Load up Windows Explorer. Search for the NAS. When I looked into the content of the "Left" 2 TB HDD, it contained two volumes, USB Disk1_2 and USB Disk1_4. I found that only USB Disk1_2 contained all my files and folders. With this in mind, we can proceed to complete the setup fields.

For the source, select (or type in) USB Disk1_2 and for the Destination, select Volume_1. Fill in the necessary parameters and you are good to go.

Proceed! - I cannot remember if it was a [continue] or [okay] or [proceed] button!

Duration of the Data Transfer (copy)  process
For the 700GB++ files, the copying took about 12 hours. Simply from USB wire to NAS port. A straightforward data movement mechanism. I am glad that I used this NAS-firmware method.

Earlier in the day, I tried using my Windows Explorer to select & copy folders/files from the "Left" HDD to the Volume1 (NAS). It was agonizing. After a few hours, I did some calculations. It could take five days! My laptop was on wireless and although the NAS was on wired - it was struggling! The worse part was that the laptop has to be powered on for those few days!

You may now shutdown your laptop. Go to bed. Have a sweet dream.

Manage the Copied Folders/Files
Oh yes. Folder management. The [USB Backups] firmware actually copies all the folders/ files into sub-sub folders within Volume1.

So, all your folders and files are two folders below the top hierarchy. What I did then was to load up the Windows Explorer again and drill down into the the actual folders. Windows' Cut & Paste was used to move the folders and files back to the root of Volume1.

Dismount the USB-HDD.
Remember to return to the physical NAS and depress the Front USB button for 5 seconds to dismount the "Left" HDD. You will know you have done 5 seconds as a series of flashing blue lights will flicker when you have reached the timing. Release your finger!

The flashing will then go on for about 30 seconds or so and then it stops.

That is all. Power off the USB adapter. Pull the USB plug out of the NAS. Keep the "Left" and "Right" HDDs for as long as you needed.

In conclusion, I do wish my readers all the best!

From Punggol to Coney Island

It was meant to be an excuse to walk more. My wife and I traveled via an MRT train to Punggol Waterway Park to meet up with a friend. It was early as we reached the park at 10:29am. Our intention was to walk into Coney Island. By 3:15pm, it was time to exit the Island.

Here are some photos that I took. Maybe not the usual ones that showcase everything that Punggol and the Coney Island can offer. Just a few happening snaps.

While walking earnestly along, one will get to see greens and trees staying put at the higher portion of the hill. This one stands out. I am glad that it was left alone - although it was way out from the others.

I like this moment where two men tried out their chess skill on a Saturday noon. They were sheltered by the huge flyover above them. Have to thank our city planners for this nice touch.

I would stay here, for all the good reasons. At 12 noon, the tide was just perfect. If only I had planned for a fishing trip.

Punggol is still undergoing massive changes to enhance its park facilities, and of course, build new homes. It is incredible, if you were to check the internet for its development plan, to know what else are in the development pipeline.

This is one of the many purposeful technological infrastructures that was put in place - just so that the waterway is always filled with water, clean and sustainable. If only my area has such a thing 😊.

This is the entrance to Coney Island. A Crime Alert board put up by our SPF. Looks like there were people who just wanted to test the system just a wee bit. Five arrested since 2015. This is good news, though.

Here is a cute little mudskipper. I simply like to see these skittish amphibious fish around. They are hardy creatures and if they can live and breed there - it means the water is fine.

A slightly larger one. This particular one was somewhat sleepy or has seen too many folks. I was able to get near and take this shot. A very confident fellow.

Yes. The sea is greenish, probably due to suspended particles (as explained by science). Anyway, it looked good and clean. I believe that we must always try our best to maintain a healthy respect for our coastline. Not preaching, though. 😅

The island is still in-progress and we saw many workmen touching up the walkways, and in this case, the power closet. At this point in time, it was pretty hot. Time: 1:56pm! 

This was a timed shot. I saw some cyclists passing this point and thought that I could maybe take a cool shot. Well, the lighting was not good enough and I did not want to set a higher ISO, so had to settle for this. By this time, we had exited from Coney Island and alongside the Punggol waterway.

Another happening opportunity. The RED was just great! Certainly a good parting shot from Punggol!

It was a good, short walk.