Gardens by the Bay : Singapore's newest crown jewels

Gardens by the Bay consists of three distinctive waterfront gardens – Bay South, Bay East and Bay Central, spanning a total of 101 hectares. They are set in the heart of Singapore’s new downtown Marina Bay, encircling the Marina Reservoir like a green necklace. The Gardens will complement the array of attractions around Marina Bay.

Gardens by the Bay is an integral part of a strategy by the Singapore government that further transforms Singapore from a ‘Garden City’ to a ‘City in a Garden’, in which the city is woven into a green and floral tapestry. This aims to raise the quality of life in Singapore with a more holistic and all-encompassing programme that enhances greenery and flora in the city. First announced to the public by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during the National Day Rally in August 2005, Gardens by the Bay will become Singapore’s premier urban outdoor recreation space, and a national icon.

An international competition for the design of the master plan was held in January 2006 to elicit the best designs for the Gardens. This attracted more than 70 entries submitted by 170 firms from 24 countries, from which two firms – Grant Associates and Gustafson Porter – were eventually awarded the master plan design for the Bay South and Bay East Gardens respectively.

The Gardens are being developed in phases. Bay South is currently being constructed and is slated to be completed by end 2011. Bay East has been developed as an interim park in support of the Youth Olympic Games 2010, and is scheduled to open to the public in late 2011 or early 2012. The full master plan implementation of Bay East and the development of Bay Central are part of the next phase of development.

- from Wikipedia

The Marina Bay enclave has been one of the most dynamic areas in Singapore for the past decade. It has seen the rise of iconic structures such as the Marina Bay Sands and Integrated Resort, the Singapore Flyer, the Helix Bridge and the Marina Barrage. Developments around the area haven't skipped a beat and we are witness to another world-class, eco-friendly initiative - the Gardens by the Bay.

This photo was taken from the Marina Barrage overlooking the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the Singapore CBD skyline:

This one was taken near the Singapore Flyer showing the Flower Dome:

Straits Mosque, Malacca (Masjid Selat Melaka)

The Straits Mosque, Malacca (Masjid Selat Melaka) is one of the better known contemporary attractions in the historic town of Malacca. Lying off the reclaimed isle of Pulau Melaka, this imposing structure looks like it was lifted out of a fairy tale book. Viewed from afar, the mosque appears to float on water. The fusion of colours the mosque with the blue waters and the cloudy yet fiery skies (especially during sunsets) make this place every photographer's dream.

I had the chance to visit this place and take some photos with my colleagues. Here are some of my shots of the place:







PS: I haven't been updating this blog for God-knows-so long; but that will change. Updates may not come as frequent as before, but surely I'll be posting some of my (mis)adventures from time to time.

Listing Members of the Local Administrators Group of Computers in a Domain

Here's a script which lists all members of the local administrators group for each computer in a domain. The computers.ini file contains the list of hostnames of all computers in the domain whereas the results.csv file will store the local administrators information. The usual disclaimer applies: