Back to Work

It was a great trip. 4 countries and 7 cities in all. The travelling and navigating from cities to cities are quite exciting, a sort of whirlwind adventure that can only be attempted with our current age and energy levels. Our favourite cities are those smaller ones with a rich history and architecture, like Bruges in Belgium and Granada in Spain. We finally got to experience snow in Brussels, but it became quite miserable when we were caught with insufficient clothings. We entered shops just to get some warmth before moving on. We spent the longest time in Chicago and Spain, where we did most of our shopping in Chicago and eating local food in Spain. Amsterdam was a transit point, but I grew to like it for the cool weather, efficient transportation system, and of course, the photograpy museum and exhbition. The yearly World Press Photo competition is held in Amsterdam.




Self portrait while watching the sun set on the slope of Albaycin in Granada


My grandfather passed away when we were in Chicago. It was not unexpected, given his heart condition. I decided not to return for the funeral, and I hope my family can understand why. Perhaps, being absent from the funeral make it longer for me to realise the fact that he is gone. We did a photo-slideshow of his life, something for the younger grandchildren to know more about our grandfather, and for the adults to keep memories of their father alive. From what I heard about the events that happened when I was away, I think grandfather's passing on brought the family closer together. And for the first time, I saw my father wept a tear, after he watched the video.