20140326

Seoul: Night Time

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when i look back at my photographs from Seoul, the ones i feel the most attached to are the night shots. nothing brings a metropolitan city to life quite like the darkness of the night and the beacons of light that illuminate it. i admit that i'm a romantic for the city lights, though i'm not quite the nightcrawler i make myself out to be. what i find most enchanting about cities at night is to prowl the streets in search of the cacophony of incoming headlights, neonlights, streetlamps, window lights, or even the lights of some dingy bar or club.

much as i love the night walks in Seoul, the cold was something i'd never expected. to a certain point the cold nights in the street were bearable, but when the wind blew it hits you so hard you might as well have been in your skivvies prancing in the cold, cold street! especially at close to midnight when temperatures start dropping below zero degrees - it makes snuggling up under a warm blanket in the guesthouse a more appealing proposition rather than getting lost in the streets of Seoul.

with all that being said, there's always this one wistful sentiment i tend to have after a holiday - about how i wish i had taken more pictures! though that feeling will probably linger on until i return (if i return) to Seoul, i'll always have these photographs i've taken within those five nights in Seoul - and that makes me appreciate them a lot more.

20140322

The Engagement of Bartholomew & Siok Yee

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in the midst of the bustling metropolis that is Seoul, i had the privilege and honour to bear witness to the engagement of two of my best friends, Bartholomew and Siok Yee. it was quite a sight to see Bartholomew in his Korean pop star get up as he made his proposal to his longtime partner, Siok Yee! and what better way to seal the engagement than to leave a padlock at N Seoul Tower and throwing the key away to symbolize their eternal love (though the couple opted to throw the key away at Namiseom, rather than at N Seoul Tower). my best wishes to the couple!

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20140316

Singapore: Night Time

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my years of taking pictures and my recent traveling binge has taught me one thing - that i have a deep fondness for night time photography. though i may not have the best equipment for the job, i find that i'm most pleased with my night time pictures, particularly those taken within the backdrop of a brightly lit city. asides from the arduous post-processing task of trying to decide which skin tone is best under insane barrages of different light sources, i'm very much happy with the interplay of contrasting light sources, and how the night time can be as alive and vibrant as the day time.