Who knew there would be a higher viewing spot than the Marina Bay Sands Skypark to see the city lights. And yet there we were, on the rooftop of One Raffles Place, at the One Altitude bar. Perched on top of the old OUB building, the bar is split into three floors (I believe), but we stayed up on the roof the whole time.

It was a good catching-up for us University of Michigan schoolmates who had spent three of more years there. The view is certainly astounding, but the only drawback is you can’t see the Central Business District skyline because you’re standing right on it. A vantage point from MBS or the Singapore Flyer would serve that purpose. I loved the music and the relatively smaller crowd at One Altitude, so I might return pretty soon!

Unlike many sunrise photos that are taken at the break of dawn, when the light peaks from the horizon, this one was done at mid-morning, probably sometime between 8 to 9 am. While this image’s colours were enhanced to give it more dramatic punch, what really caught my eye was the streaks of light bursting through the clouds.

At this time of the year in Singapore, skies are often overcast, and so to see the sun breaking through the gloom is a sight for sore eyes. It was shot at 1/1250 sec, f11 and ISO 100. The smaller aperture supposedly makes the rays more defined, but now I wonder why I didn’t just drop it all the way to f22. Also another significant point to note: I had to underexpose the image to bring out the cloud shadows that you see at the bottom. Without doing so, there’d be much less contrast.

Another thing I noticed in my five days in Japan was the prevalence of train travel everywhere. The overhead cables and the multitude of train tracks just adds an air of nostalgia to the place, as though everyone is still living in colonial times.

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Even though I was only there for about a week, I can take a whack at what makes this mode of transport so appealing.

First, it’s communal. It’s like being put into a social experiment, where different walks of people are forced into a box and they are observed for their reactions. Sure everyone does their own thing, but even that can be a lesson in social behavior as well.

Second, it’s romantic. Just the chug of the wheels below you, the rushing scenery, and the rumbling hum, it gets people to fall in love with travelling. Since trains connect the various cities in Japan quite extensively, many natives probably use it for inter-city travel.

It’s calming. It takes you away from the world’s trouble for that time. Your mind drifts and you’re allowed to ponder about life or whatever that matters to you. For once, you don’t have to feel guilty for spacing out!

Lastly, it’s fast and cheap. Even without the bullet versions, trains are still fast and a good way for mass transportation. Yes planes fly faster but they’re more expensive and you have to deal with airport security, which probably loses the time advantage anyway. With trains you just hop on, zip, and then you’re there.

Singapore, March 20, 2009: After a hot and dry February, the rain made up for part of it today with two different occasions of heavy rainfall. Along the East Coast Parkway, traveling cars leave mist trails, cooling highway-lined vegetation that suffered last month.

This sunrise the day after my return swamped my room with golden light. In the horizon, dozens of container ships anchor off Singapore south-east coast, waiting to port. Singapore serves as one of the world’s busiest transit hubs for cargo ships.

I’ve been back for slightly more than a week now, and I didn’t post this up earlier because Chrome was giving me problems with the image upload. Finally it’s working now! This unrestricted view — a great ball of fire — was something I’d missed and almost forgotten from memory. Being able to stare blankly at the big body of water is also a wonderful privilege.

My hope is that this beautiful sunrise will be remembered as a watershed moment, for a new future, one that is bright, beautiful, and absolutely golden

Jocelyn makes an early appointment at Hairshion in Southfield, Michigan, as she prepares for her big wedding day. The ceremony was later held at the Lakeland Manor at St. Claire’s Shores. About 150 guests turned up to witness and take part in the following reception.

Ann Arbor, Mich., Oct. 26, 2009: A woman analyzes one of the finalists of 4th annual photo competition by the Center of Chinese Studies at the University of Michigan. The year’s theme — “China: Global/Local” — aims to show how China has broadened itself politically, economically and culturally. The photos are on exhibit till Oct. 31, at the School of Social Work.

Ann Arbor, Mich., Oct. 21, 2009: A wireless microphone hangs on Logan Elementary School teacher Katy LaCroix’s neck, whose voice is transmitted into the new “soundfield” system for easy listening. The microphone and speakers on the ceiling are part of the latest technology plan implemented in Ann Arbor public schools. (Ted Chen)

Personally I was stunned by the clarity of the voice through the system, which relies on 4 flat speakers built into the ceiling. Having the microphone hang on the teacher’s neck is also an ingenious idea as it frees up the hands to do all the other tasks teachers need to do — writing and holding things up for show being some of them. Now there’s no excuse for kids sitting in the back to say that they can’t hear the teacher or classmates’ voices.

Ann Arbor, MI — As daily temperatures fall to an average of 40F, couples, families and runners take advantage of a sunny Sunday to enjoy the Nichols Arboretum before the snowy winter arrives.

Although I’ve been to the ‘Arb’ many times — and even to perform a play — this occasion was strictly business. My aim was to scout out more shooting locations for a future portrait session. If you recall that I had already did portraits in the Arb before, this is slightly different because it’d be a group of four this time.

And I didn’t want all the new photos to look the same as the old ones, so trying something different is always good. It turned out to be quite successful as I marked down locations, exact poses and took down notes for future reference. All this planning is part of my increasing desire to up the level of professionalism. If this is to become a full-time business, professionalism is of utmost importance.

Although the weather forecasts don’t seem to be shining down on me, I do hope the portrait session will go through, and if it does, look out for it in this space!

Ann Arbor, Mich., Sept. 4, 2009: About forty students, new and old, crowd around Ulrich’s bookstore on the corner of S. University and E. University, in the hope of catching t-shirts tossed from the roof. Orientation for the incoming freshmen began on Sept. 1 and will last till Labor Day. Classes begin on Sept. 8.