From Lines to Lenses

Scurrying Through Sri Lanka

Climbing my way to the top of Sigiriya Rock Fortress in Sri Lanka.

I always wanted to visit uncommon travel destinations but always find planning trips to these places very challenging. It is easier to go to countries where there are trains that make it convenient to move from one tourist attraction to another. That said, I always end up with big city tours over nature trails and beaches. So I was glad our company decided to go to Sri Lanka a few months ago. I have always been intrigued by Sri Lankan architecture when I was in design school. Its architecture – we were taught – is the embodiment of the seamless integration of outdoor and indoor spaces. I always wanted to see that. So when HR asked who wanted to go, I was the first to raise a hand. 🙂

Manila on My Mind

The City of Makati at night viewed from the Firefly Rooftop Bar of City Garden Hotel. — The city of Makati at night viewed from the Firefly Rooftop Bar of City Garden Hotel.

I am finding it hard to write again after a five-year hiatus, so I will restart with this post. I did not really take a break from traveling and photography during this period of silence. In fact, I visited a number of new countries and revisited some of my favorite cities to take photos of neighborhoods I failed to see the last time I was in those cities. My photography and editing skills also improved during this time so I feel I am better equipped now to create new content. My time however was spent mostly on learning new things outside of photography. These are things related to finances, stock investing, and taking care of my health and future – a totally different set of subjects. I am mostly self-taught on new subjects I wanted to learn (including my photography) and that longer path to learning new things explains the lost time for writing. I also finally started monetizing my photography by making my photos available for licensing in Shutterstock. I have been revisiting and re-editing my collection of images and will continue to add to that portfolio.

Taipei in Postcards

Classic view of Taipei City taken from the Fireworks Lookout of Elephant Mountain.

Hi there. Like everyone these days, I take the time to rekindle the flames of inspiration and remember why we love doing the things that we do. If you’re like me who loves to move around and take photos, then you are stuck at the moment. One of my favorite photographers (Joe McNally) suggested that now is a time to go back to and go through our collection of photobooks and images. Like him, I have been collecting photobooks and magazines all my life and I still have hundreds of images in piles of cards that I still need to process. That might take quite a long while, but I can still post images here that I have already posted elsewhere. 🙂 So we take the time to “squeeze” activities like these in the middle of our work schedule. There’s no point in being too “productive” at work these days as we are all working under a different situation and circumstance. We all need to stay sane right? 🙂 So like most of you, I am trying to catch up with my writing (aside from picking up a few more skills). Besides, I haven’t posted in this blog for quite some time now. So here we go.

From High Above to Down Under

Melbourne CBD and Princes Bridge at Sunset

I am not sure why I came about with the title of this post except maybe because it sounded so Australian which is connected to this recent Winter holiday in Melbourne. Or more accurately, I realised that I have focused on East Asian and Southeast Asian countries (those countries on top or above Australia) since I started travelling. This is due to their nearness to Singapore (where I am currently based) and visiting these countries first is the easiest way for me to gain travel experience. 🙂

I have been looking at my world map recently (every aspiring travel photographer and blogger should have one) and saw that I have visited most of the Asian cities I have longed to see since I was still young. For a change, I also travelled to Dubai and Abu Dhabi for its wonderful architecture, unique climate and landscape. And just last year because of an Australian client, I challenged myself financially by visiting Sydney. I never had enough of Australia since then and with my Australian Visa still valid, I decided to go to Melbourne this time. 🙂Continue reading “From High Above to Down Under”

South Korea: Season 2

New Snow. Winter in the beautiful city of Seoul viewed from Novotel Dongdaemun Hotel.

I am about to experience my second winter this year. This time (that’s next week) in Melbourne, Australia and probably a third one this December in Taipei, Taiwan. I was just thinking of how the world is so amazing that you can experience the same beautiful season more than once in a year and in different places (or all the four seasons in a year and in different places). Anyway, I am just being melancholic and trying my best to write; so I have to start somewhere. Besides, I have quite a number of photos I had finished editing and that should have been posted a long time ago. It’s been a long while also since I last wrote and posted on this blog; and I missed writing (blame it on our toxic workload these past few weeks). So this is obviously a very late post written simply to share a few thoughts and to cure tunnel vision. 🙂Continue reading “South Korea: Season 2”

Finding Sydney

Postcard Sydney. Sydney Harbour at Twilight viewed from Mrs. Macquarie’s Point.

“So I say a little prayer and hope my dreams will take me there
Where the skies are blue to see you once again, my love
Over seas from coast to coast to find the place I love the most
Where the fields are green to see you once again, my love”

A client once told me that if I happen to step into the right neighborhood in Sydney, I would fall in love with the city immediately. He also told me that the sky is always beautiful and blue in Sydney. My client is from this place obviously but works here in Singapore. He manages to go back to this hometown every weekend and returns to Singapore on Monday mornings. I understand that his family is based there but isn’t this pretty expensive for short weekends spent away from work? Sydney must be really that beautiful. So I was inspired (or intrigued).Continue reading “Finding Sydney”

Anything Under The Sun

Grand Mosque Mystique. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque at Night

Anything under the sun. Well at least that is how I remember or describe Abu Dhabi. It seems like anything is possible here. Dubai may be the most popular of all the Emirates in the UAE but Abu Dhabi is still the capital; and it has several reasons for being so. As one travel guide puts it, Abu Dhabi is not afraid to challenge World Records. To start, Abu Dhabi has the world’s largest hand-loomed carpet (which is found inside perhaps the grandest mosque in the Arabian peninsula). You can enjoy the highest high tea in one of the city’s latest observatories. You can ride the world’s fastest roller coaster here. With its geographical location under the sun, it is one city championing sustainable energy. Abu Dhabi also has the world’s most leaning building (Capital Gate Tower which is tilted at 18 degrees; four times more wayward than the leaning tower of Pisa). And to highlight its cultural ambitions, it is a city with the branch of the famous Louvre outside of Paris. Among upcoming others (whew). 🙂Continue reading “Anything Under The Sun”

From Tokyo to the Bay

Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo Bay (circa 2013)

“…a thousand miles from comfort…there’s no place I’d rather be…”–Clean Bandit
This is where it all started. The first time I visited Japan was way back in November 2013. I was invited by a major Japanese furniture manufacturer to attend a convention in Tokyo. It was a 3-day event with a 2-day extension for us to do anything we want. It was my first time to see another country (other than Singapore of course where I am currently based) and to be honest with you, I was childlike ecstatic. Autumn was very much well on its way when we arrived; and with the cold temperature, I fell in love with Tokyo almost immediately. I remember the last time when I passed off an opportunity in the office for a free winter travel to this city. I really regretted that one.

One Lovely Blog Award 2017

Marina Bay Sands with Arts Science Museum at the Blue Hour.

A month ago, I was given the ONE LOVELY BLOG AWARD by my fellow blogger Audrey. Audrey pens Living for Experiences, a blog about her wonderful insights on life and useful tips on travel. Do check her wonderful blog. This is my second award from her, with the first award causing me to earn a few followers. It is encouraging to know that people are actually reading some of my thoughts and writings.Continue reading “One Lovely Blog Award 2017”

Dubai Retrospective

A Light Between Oceans. Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach at Sunset.

I got this idea from one spontaneous traveler. He would spin a globe and stop it with his index finger. He will look at the place where his finger had landed and then pack his bags or suitcase quickly to go to that place. I did the same thing. My finger landed somewhere in the Gulf (or purposely made it land there) and decided that it’s Dubai. At least it had to be because it’s the only place I know that is within that neighborhood. So I literally ran to the airport and fly to Dubai right after that. Of course I am just kidding. 🙂 I believe I planned this all along and I am not a spontaneous traveler. My passport is not really one of the strongest in the world, so traveling to Dubai is a challenge. Besides, the Middle East (or Western Asia) is a dream (up until now) and way over my travel budget. Looking back now, it was not also the best time to visit the place. Summer has started and it was 40 degrees during the day; with the heat a different kind of painful on the skin and the air a bit stifling and suffocating for first timers. But it was also the time to take advantage of lower hotel rates and speedy Visa processing. So if you don’t mind staying inside malls during the day (which I am sure you don’t), early summer is a good time to visit this wonderful country.Continue reading “Dubai Retrospective”