" EMPS #126: RARE, WHITE, SCALES
Let's mix things up by adding some variety to the assignment. Here you see a RARE WHITE SCALY, alligator that I photographed last year at the, California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. He is gorgeous and fun to photograph, but it's the fact of how rare he is that got me thinking. He isn't just an alligator, he is RARE, SCALY, and WHITE! So, let's take on those topics. Show us something RARE. WHITE. Or SCALY. :)
Extra Credit: Show us all three possibilities! "
The Merlion Statue, 8.6 m high and weighing 40 tons, is one of Singapore's national icon. As an emblem, it was designed by Fraser Brunner for the Singapore Tourism Board. Later, the vice-chancellor of the University of Singapore, Kwan Sai Kheong conceptualised the Merlion Statue which was thereafter constructed by Lim Nang Seng, a local craftsman. Since 15 September 1972, the Merlion statue and its cub had stood guard at the Mouth of the Singapore River at the Merlion Park. Exactly 30 years later, it was officially relaunched at its new home, the Merlion Pier, just off One Fullerton.
The Merlion is an imaginary creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. This half-lion, half-fish sculpture rests on undulating waves. The lion head alludes to the legend of Singapore's founding by Sang Nila Utama, a Palembang Prince who, on his arrival on the island, saw what he thought to be a lion and thereafter renamed Temasek, Singapura or "Lion City". The fish-tail represents Singapore's links to the ancient sea-bound island which was Temasek and its long and successful association with the sea, reflecting how our forefathers traversed the oceans to come to Singapore and our subsequent dependence upon it as a port.
The larger Merlion costs about S$165,000, is 8.6 m high and weighs at least 40 tons as it is made mainly of cement. It sits facing the East, aligned in the most auspicious feng-shui position as advised. An inscription reads "The Merlion has been erected as a symbol to welcome all visitors to Singapore". The Merlion Statue is brightly floodlit at night, and a favourite with photographers and tourists. The smaller Merlion, often referred to as the cub, is two metres high and weighs three tonnes.
