Johor Bahru is the capital city of Johor in southern Malaysia, located just to the north of Singapore. Johor Bahru is the southernmost city on the Eurasian mainland. Pasir Pelangi, the royal village, is located within Johor Bahru. In 2010 the city had a population of about 1,400,000. The population is 47.5 percent Malay, 34.2 percent Chinese, 9.0 percent Indian, 0.6 percent other minorities and 8.7 percent non-citizens.
Johor Bahru was founded in 1855 when the sovereign ruler of Johor, Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim, established his administrative headquarters there. Johor Bahru quickly expanded into a town under Abu Bakar's direction. Many of the town's buildings were constructed during Abu Bakar's reign, notably the State Mosque, Istana Besar, and the Menteri Besar's residence—many of which were built by Wong Ah Fook, a Toisanese-Chinese contractor who became a close patron of Abu Bakar. The town also saw an influx of Chinese immigrants.
Johor Bahru expanded in size from the 1960s onwards. During the 1970s and 1980s, new townships and industrial estates were built in villages and hamlets north and east of Johor Bahru, such as Tebrau and Plentong. By the early 1990s, Johor Bahru had considerably expanded in size, and was officially granted recognition as a city on 1 January 1994. Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru, the city council, was formed and the city's current main square, Dataran Bandaraya Johor Bahru, was constructed to commemorate this event.
A central business district was developed in the centre of the city from the mid-1990s in the area around Jalan Wong Ah Fook and the Johor-Singapore Causeway. The state and federal government channelled considerable funds for the development of the city—particularly more so after 2006, when the Iskandar Malaysia development region blueprint was formalised. Johor government decided to moved their administrative headquarters since 1859 from Bukit Timbalan to Nusajaya, Gelang Patah, and renames it as Kota Iskandar.
This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.
As the sun was setting and its light was filtering through the window, there was a moment when the light was just right for this shot. Although the room was quite dark, the vase seemed to be spotlit. The mirror above the vase reflects some of the sunset colours, too.
This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Weekly TopShot meme,
and also part of the Shadow Shot Sunday meme.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a harvest festival celebrated by ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese peoples. The festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese Han calendar and Vietnamese calendar (within 15 days of the autumnal equinox), on the night of the full moon between early September to early October of the Gregorian calendar.
The holiday is also celebrated in Korea (Chuseok) and Japan (Tsukimi). Mainland China listed the festival as an "intangible cultural heritage" in 2006 and a public holiday in 2008.[1] It is also a public holiday in Taiwan. Among the Vietnamese, it is considered the second-most important holiday tradition.
In Australia, this festival occurs in Spring, but because of the large number of people of Chinese descent, the celebrations still occur in concordance with the Northern Hemisphere seasonal dictates.
This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.
"Daffodowndilly has come to town,
in a yellow petticoat and a green gown."
Traditional Rhyme
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
Sorrento (Neapolitan: Surriento) is a town and comune in Campania, southern Italy, with some 16,500 inhabitants. It is a popular tourist destination which can be reached easily from Naples and Pompeii, as it lies at the south-eastern end of the Circumvesuviana rail line. The town overlooks the Bay of Naples as the key place of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and many viewpoints allow sight of Naples itself, Vesuvius, and the Isle of Capri.
The Amalfi Drive (connecting Sorrento and Amalfi) is a narrow road that threads along the high cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea. Ferry boats and hydrofoils provide services to Naples, Amalfi, Positano, Capri and Ischia. Sorrento's sea cliffs and luxury hotels have attracted notable people, including Enrico Caruso and Luciano Pavarotti. Sorrento is famous for the production of limoncello, a digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. Other agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.
This post is part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. Sofia is located at the foot of Mount Vitosha in the western part of the country. It occupies a strategic position at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula. Sofia's history spans 2,400 years. Its ancient name Serdica derives from the local Celtic tribe of the Serdi who established the town in the 5th century BC.
The city remained a relatively small settlement until 1879, when it was declared the capital of Bulgaria. Sofia is the 15th largest city in the European Union with a population of around 1.4 million people. Sofia has been ranked by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network as a Beta− city. Many of the major universities, cultural institutions, and businesses of Bulgaria are concentrated in Sofia.
This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme,
and also part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme
Skala Sikamineas is a small picturesque fishing village 31 kilometres from Mytilini City, east of Molyvos, on the North side of the island. It is famous because of its association with Stratis Myrivilis (1892-1969), a famous Greek author of the 20th century, but also because of its small harbour and a tiny white church on a rock.
The tiny chapel is known as the Church of the Mermaid Madonna, made famous by the novel called "The Mermaid Madonna" (1949) by Stratis Myrivilis. Once in the church there was a fresco of the Virgin Mary, with a fish's tale, looking like a mermaid. This was the work of a local folk painter. The fresco has been overpainted and is no longer seen, but the name has persisted.
A modern painting, a reconstruction of the fresco, as imagined by an artist is shown in the last photo.
This post is part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the inSPIREd Sunday meme.
