6 painful bites and stings you might not be able to handle

1.BULLET ANT

This not so intimidating-looking ant is capable of inflicting the most agonizing sting in the insect world. The Schmidt Pain Index describes it as “pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like fire-walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch rusty nail in your heel.” According to victims who have suffered both the misfortune of being stung by a bullet ant and being shot with a firearm, the feeling is similar (hence the name). And the pain can last for twelve hours.

2.PLATYPUS

 Considering the large number of venomous creatures that inhabit Australia, the odd-looking, cute, and clumsy platypus might seem like a safe option. Think again. A male platypus has ankle spurs that are capable of delivering a wicked sting. So wicked that the excruciating pain can incapacitate an adult human. The pain is also long-lasting, and can even turn into a condition called hyperalgesia, a heightened sensitivity to pain that may last for weeks or months following the initial sting.

3.GILA MONSTER

 Gila monsters are colorful lizards native to the American Southwest that can deliver quite the wallop—and their neurotoxic venom is only the half of it. Since they lack the musculature to forcibly inject the venom, they rely on hard chewing with their sharp teeth to ensure the poison gets implanted. Gila monsters can be so aggressive that they have been known to flip over while biting, further opening up the wound. Luckily, these creatures are mostly docile toward humans so long as they are left alone.

4.PAPER WASP

 These inch-long wasps create magnificent curvy, detailed nests from wood fiber and saliva and, for the most part, are very placid. It pays to not get too close, though. According to the Schmidt Pain Index, their sting is “caustic and burning with a distinctly bitter aftertaste. Like spilling a beaker of hydrochloric acid on a paper cut.”

5.STINGRAY

 The creature that killed Steve Irwin isn’t usually a threat to humans, but it won’t hesitate to strike with a painful, serrated barb if threatened. Aside from being laced with venom, the barbs are also known to break off in the wound, occasionally requiring surgery to remove. It doesn’t help that the barbs are most often delivered to the sensitive underside of a person’s foot while wading along in the ocean. This is one sting you won’t soon forget.

6.BOY JELLYFISH

 These gelatinous sea creatures, sometimes referred to as “painful stingers” in Australia, are among the most feared animals in the ocean. You might have a better chance of escaping a shark attack unscathed than surviving a swim through a box jellyfish’s tentacles. The venom is so toxic that they are reputed to be some of the most venomous creatures in the world. Adding to their nightmarish mystique, box jellyfish are nearly invisible to unsuspecting swimmers.

Top 5 irish myths and legends

Interest in irish myths and legends

1. LEPRECHAUNS

The leprechaun is likely the most widely known type of fairy living in Ireland. Leprechauns have been in existence in Irish legend since the medieval times. Traditionally, leprechauns are tall fairies and often appear to humans as an old man – much different from the modern view of a small, childlike fairy in a green suit. As legend holds, Leprechauns love to collect gold, which they store in a pot and hide at the end of a rainbow. If a human catches a leprechaun, the fairy must grant the human three-wishes before he can be released.

2. FAERIES

Faeries exist in some form in mythology all over the world but hold a special importance to the Irish. The fairy society in Ireland is thought to be very much alive, and far from Peter Pan’s Tinker Bell. An Irish fairy can take any form she wishes, but will usually choose a human form. They are said to be beautiful, powerful and hard to resist, which is unfortunate because most fairies in Ireland love to bring misfortune and bad luck to the mortals who come near them.

3. CHANGELINGS

As legend has it, female fairies often give birth to deformed children. Since the fairies prefer visually pleasing babies, they would go into the mortal world and swap with a healthy human baby, leaving behind a changeling. While the changeling looked like a human baby, it carried none of the same emotional characteristics. The changeling was only happy when misfortune or grief happened in the house. The changeling legend has lasted for centuries. William Shakespeare talks of a changeling in his play, “A Midsummer’s Night Dream.” Three hundred years later, Scarlett O’Hara believed Rhett Butler’s illegitimate child was a changeling in “Gone with the Wind.”

4. THE SHAMROCK

The three green leaves of the Shamrock is more than the unofficial symbol of Ireland and one of the marshmallows in Lucky Charms. The Shamrock has held meaning to most of Ireland’s historic cultures. The Druids believed the Shamrock was a sacred plant that could ward off evil. The Celtics believed the Shamrock had mystical properties due to the plant’s three heart-shaped leaves. The Celtics believed three was a sacred number. Some Christians also believed the Shamrock had special meaning- the three leaves representing the Holy Trinity.

5.THE BANSHEE

The Banshee was a woman who carried with her an omen of death. Sometimes you saw the Banshee as an old woman dressed in rags, sometimes you saw her as a young and beautiful girl and sometimes you saw her as a wash woman, ringing out bloody clothing. Whenever she was seen, she let out a horrible cry and legend has it this cry brought death to any family that heard it. King James I of Scotland thought he was approached by a Banshee. Shortly after, he died at the Earl of Atholl.

photography

All about photography


NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY

Nature Photography doesn’t involve only plants or trees; it involves the natural scenery as seen through the photographer’s eyes. It can be landscapes, hills, waterfalls or anything that can be captured outdoors

 WLDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

 Wildlife photography is a challenging style of photography as the photographer should have good field expertise. A lot of patience, correct angle and sense of timing is required for the perfect shot.

 BLACK AND WHITE

Most of the black and white photography styles are classic as it brings out the raw beauty of the subjects. Contrast and shadows go a long way in making your photos realistic and beautiful.


TIME LAPSE PHOTOGRAPHY

Time lapse Photography is the best way to capture motion. This involves continuous shooting of a specific subject at different time intervals. 

My interest

Interest in mythological creatures

THE LEGENDARY KRAKEN

According to the Scandinavian mythology, the Kraken is a giant sea creature (said to be 1 mile long) that attacks ships and is so huge that its body could be mistaken for an island. It is first mentioned in the Örvar-Oddr, a 13th century Icelandic saga involving two sea monsters, the Hafgufa (sea mist) and the Lyngbakr (heather-back). The Hafgufa is supposed to be a reference to the Kraken. The existence of the Kraken was even acknowledged in scientific texts, including the first edition of Systema Naturae [1735], a taxonomic classification of living organisms by the Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist Carolus Linnaeus. He classified the Kraken as a cephalopod, designating the scientific name Microcosmus marinus. Although any mention to Kraken was omitted in later editions of the Systema Naturae, Linnaeus described it in his later work, Fauna Suecica [1746], as a "unique monster" that "is said to inhabit the seas of Norway”. Accounts of the Kraken are believed by many historians to have originated from sightings of the giant squid, which can reach 18 meters in length. 

NAGA, THE WATER DEITY

The naga is a legendary aquatic, serpentine creature that resides in oceans, rivers, lakes, or waterfalls. Nagas are said to have black scales and can grow to hundreds of feet in length. Nagas are traditionally worshipped as personifications of water deities and considered bringers of rain and clouds.  They are guardians of temples and holy places. Most Kaliyatran believe that the superior God direct the actions of the nagas, and these sea serpents are honoured with many titles such as the "Maharaja Sarpa" and the "Naga who is God". It is commonly believed that nagas live in underground cities, are capable of speech and can use their heavenly powers to control weather and assume humanoid form at will. 

THE MAJESTIC GRIFFIN

The griffin is a legendary creature with the head and wings of an eagle, and the body, tail, and hind legs of a lion. As the eagle was considered the ‘king of the birds’, and the lion the ‘king of the beasts’, the griffin was perceived as a powerful and majestic creature.  During the Persian Empire, the griffin was seen as a protector from evil, witchcraft, and slander. While griffins are most common in the art and mythology of Ancient Greece, there is evidence of representations of griffins in ancient Persia and ancient Egypt dating back to as early as the 4th millennium BC.  On the island of Crete in Greece, archaeologists have uncovered depictions of griffins in frescoes in the ‘Throne Room’ of the Bronze Age Palace of Knossos dating back to the 15th century BC. 

THE MENHUNE OF HAWAII

In Hawaiian mythology, the Menehune are said to be an ancient race of people small in stature, who lived in Hawaii before settlers arrived from Polynesia. Many scholars attribute ancient structures found on the Hawaiian Islands to the Menehune. However, others have argued that the legends of the Menehune are a post-European contact mythology and that no such race existed. The mythology of the Menehune is as old as the beginnings of Polynesian history. When the first Polynesians arrived in Hawaii, they found dams, fish-ponds, roads, and even temples, all said to have been built by the Menehune who were superb craftspeople. Some of these structures still exist, and the highly-skilled craftsmanship is evident.  According to legend, each Menehune was a master of a certain craft and had one special function they accomplished with great precision and expertise. They would set out at dusk to build something in one night, and if this was not achieved, it would be abandoned.  To date, no human skeletal remains of a physically small race of people have ever been found on Kaua’I or on any other Hawaiian islands. While this does not disprove that a race of small people existed, it does draw the truth behind the legend into question. Nevertheless, there is compelling evidence, both archaeological and in the numerous legends passed down over generations, that suggests that there was indeed an ancient race of highly skilled people who inhabited the Hawaiian islands long before the Polynesians arrived. 

THE LEGEND OF NIAN

According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called Nian, who had the body of a bull and the head of a lion.  It was said to be a ferocious animal that lived in the mountains and hunted for a living.   Towards the end of Winter when there was nothing to eat, Nian would come on the first day of New Year to the villages to eat livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. The villagers would live in terror over the winter, but over time they learned that the ferocious Nian was afraid of three things: the colour red, fire, and noise.  So when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors.  They also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to the village again.  According to legend, the Nian was eventually captured by Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk, and Nian became Hongjun Laozu's mount. After Nian was captured, everyone had a big celebration and the ritual involved in banishing him was repeated the following year, and so the ritual was passed down from generation to generation and the custom of celebrating New Year with firecrackers, noise, and the colour red has persisted to this day.