Large insects

I don't often encounter these interesting creatures, but on National Day, while visiting a temple in nearby Xitou with Ling Ling, as part of a relaxing bike ride along the coast, I spotted a praying mantis sitting at the base of one of the large intricately carved stone columns carrying the roof of the temple. It looked a bit out of place, without any food to be found there, but it could have been on a religious mission.

Last night I had a slightly more frightening experience while doing my homework. I was almost jolted from my chair by a sudden flurry of a rather large insect hovering around the fluorescent tube high up on the wall, lighting my desk. After banging into the wall and hitting the ceiling several times, it suddenly disappeared without a trace. These insects move so fast that you have no idea where they went, but you know they are still there. After a while it came creeping out of the gap between the edge of my desk and the wall. At first I thought it was a big moth, but at closer inspection, after I managed to take a close-up picture of it, it appeared to be a cicada, known for the loud noise they make on hot summer days, swelling up to a level which can make a conversation impossible, to suddenly disappear again.
In an attempt to lure it out of my room, I opened the door and switched on the light outside, and switched off the lights in my room. This worked, and even though I didn't notice it actually fly out, I saw it sitting on the tiled floor of the landing. After this interruption I closed the door and returned to my books.