Lucerne was one of those places that I wasn't really looking forward to because I never heard of it, but as soon as I saw it, I felt like I was in a fairy tale. I spent one day in Lucerne and it is a city I've wanted to go back to since. This idyllic Swiss city took me by surprise and had more personality than I imagined. It has managed to maintain its medieval architecture with a bit of added modernity. Among other things, a lot of people enjoy the breathtaking nature sites surrounding the city and its rich culture. 

Located on the bank of Lake Lucerne with the Swiss Alps in the background, Lucerne is one of the oldest cities in Switzerland. It is located in the German-speaking part of the country, so locals call it "Luzern". Lucern during autumn is so mesmerizing. It is peacefully nestled at the bottom of the Alps, which makes a great spot for a beautiful view. It's also a quaint city that is very easy to explore. 

​The gorgeous town of Grindelwald in Switzerland is a place where charm and tranquillity meet adventure and adrenaline. It combines the fairytale features of a traditional Swiss town with the thrill-seeking activities of a cosmopolitan mountain resort. As you wander through the town, discover cobbled streets which are lined with colourful geranium-clad wooden chalets. You may as well be meandering through the pages of a storybook. Look up and you’ll see the breathtaking mountain vistas which surround Grindelwald. These mountains have stolen the hearts of many an alpine adventurer, from hikers and climbers to skiers and snowboarders.

Wherever in Switzerland you’re coming from, you need to travel via Interlaken if taking the train. The train trip between Interlaken and Grindelwald takes just over half an hour, and there are generally two trains per hour.

Continuing to blog about Switzerland autumn trip, though it's abit overdue already due to ongoing travels. But if I don't share the photos that I took in Switzerland, you wouldn't get to see how beautiful it is in pictures, and of course, not to mention seeing the beautiful country in-person. Therefore, if you are amazed by my photos, I encourage you to plan for a once-in-a-lifetime Switzerland trip, be it in any season, and you will not regret.
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Lake Lungern is a turquoise blue lake set by the shore of the town of Lungern. What a beautiful lake and town this is! It has some breathtaking views of the valley and is truly a place out of a fairy tale. Lake Lungern is embedded in the mountains like a green-blue pearl, which makes the Swiss lake a paradise on earth. The last scene of the last episode in the Korean Drama "Crash Landing on You" looked like a setting in paradise. This is where the happy couple meets for a picnic and their happily ever after kiss takes place to conclude the series. There are direct trains to Lungern from Interlaken and the train ride takes one hour or 1.5 hours from Zurich.

​我在圣诺哥渔港 (Senoko Fishery Port) 拍摄的照片组刊登在今天（十二月十一日）的 zbNOW/早报现在【光影】版 。感谢 Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报!

一走进圣诺哥渔港，明亮的灯光、搬运鱼用的手推车刺耳的噪声，无时无刻提醒您要小心脚下的路，因为到处都是碎冰和水流。穿梭在不眠的鱼市，人间烟火最蓬勃处，让人感到一种生之乐趣。圣诺哥渔港的每一个摊位不同的布局风格，每一位档主各异的经营模式，不一样的码货理念，不一样的店招价格牌，韻味十足，也许在某一个瞬间可以把卖鱼当成一种艺术。圣诺哥渔港营运至今已有25年历史，将在明年关闭。这些鱼贩们会不会把业务转到裕廊渔港，还是个未知数。每个人进了这个鱼市场，都会笑逐颜开地离开，手中还会提满了精心挑选的海货，心里似乎也会领悟到生活说简单了，也不过就是一顿饭的事儿。这或许是传统渔市场始终迷人之处。

Happy Sunday! My photo series taken at the soon-to-be gone senoko fishery port is published in full coverage in today's chinese daily. Thank you so much and much appreciated!

Special thanks to Richard Kuah Boon Tiong for the wonderful tour of the Senoko Fishery Port in August 2022! It was such a fun adventure as I walked around photographing these early birds in their glory. As I entered into the complex, the first thing that struck me was that this is a wet market at its best. Fishy-smelling water sloshes around your feet, while half-dressed fish merchants tramp around in galoshes, stack baskets of squid and anchovies, and weigh shrimp with traditional scales. Shoals of fresh-caught fish are often just strewn along the ground, with baskets of prawns and other shellfish crowding the area and shaved ice spilling every which way. Seeing the workers hard at work, it really strikes me that many people’s livelihoods are at stake here. The authorities had in last year, announced plans to close the Senoko Fishery Port by 2023, to consolidate with Jurong Fishery Port which would allow trade buyers to purchase wholesale seafood conveniently at a single location. For the sake of all workers in the fishing industry, I do hope that such traditional fish markets can continue to operate as long as they can.

Traditional markets aren’t just a part of 's history, but a vibrant and particular part of the present and future. They tie together traditional culture and experiences with people’s modern lives, while also tying individuals and communities together. To visit a market is to get a real sense of people’s daily lives and to truly inhale the scent of humanity. I highly recommend going to explore such wholesale markets in Singapore at least once in your life!

Lauterbrunnen is one of the most stunning places in Switzerland. It is a paradise for nature lover or adventurer or any traveller looking for peace and tranquility. Lauterbrunnen is situated in one of the most majestic valleys in the Alps, between gigantic rock faces and mountain peaks. The name Lauterbrunnen means many springs. There are 72 stunning waterfalls in Lauterbrunnen. Lauterbrunnen is an ideal peaceful place to spend a relaxing holiday in nature's embrace and enjoy the specialty of inhaling the fresh air. The green pastures, secluded valley, the huge mountains surrounding the valley, the waterfalls, amazing landscapes will amaze you. 

​Always make sure that you have your camera ready, to capture the gorgeous vistas of this ultimate piece of heaven, because only the stroll through the valley will give you an impression of walking in an art gallery.

感谢 zbNOW/早报现在 Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报 今天在缤纷版的刊登我的摄影文章《白天教法律，晚上教咏春拳：叶问第五代传人李大明教授》!

在此，我也要特别感谢新加坡国立大学法学院的李大明教授 Professor Joel Lee，让我在咏春研习轩上了人生第一堂咏春拳课。咏春拳套路里面看似简单，其实蕴藏着高明深刻的哲学内涵

Thanks very much to zbNOW/早报现在 Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报 for the publication today on my photo essay titled "Law Professor By Day, Wing Chun Master By Night - 5th generation disciple of Grandmaster Ip Man (Yip Man), Professor Joel Lee!

Special thanks to National University of Singapore Law Faculty Professor Joel Lee for this opportunity that I gained an in-depth knowledge on Wing Chun! :)

In addition to the entire Scandinavia, which is hauntingly beautiful, Switzerland is one other European destination that I feel emotionally connected to. There are many regions in Switzerland that I love and I will be writing about each one of those special spots in separate posts. This post is dedicated to Zermatt –  one of my favorite places in Switzerland.

​When I was in Zermatt, a beautiful unique car-free village tucked away in the Swiss alps near the famous Matterhorn, I loved every minute of it. Famed as a mountaineering and ski resort of the Swiss Alps, Zermatt is an impressive place where you will meet a mountain spirit like nowhere it the world. No visit to Zermatt is complete without an up-close-and-personal look at the one of the world’s most famous mountains. Zermatt is like the present you didn't know you wanted until you got it there and fell in love. It is such a pretty village, especially during autumn, making the whole village look so dreamy.

Switzerland is like a dream destination for anyone. Those stunning alps, mesmerising lakes, charming cobbled streets, drool-worthy Swiss chocolates always made me wonder if this enchanted land actually exists. But yes, one trip to Switzerland, and I am in awe. I have been planning a trip to Switzerland, a country that is on my bucket list for the longest time but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this trip got postponed for almost 3 years. After much planning, I finally got the chance to travel to Switzerland during autumn recently.

For those of you who have watched the Korean Drama "Crash Landing on You", I am sure some places in Switzerland are dream locations to visit. However, for those who have not, these places are certainly well worth a visit. Surprisingly, they are actually not touristy or crowded places, only the filming locations in the drama. As a matter of fact, I hunted down my favorite filming locations of "Crash Landing on You" in Switzerland. ​

Switzerland is known for its stunningly scenic train rides – the perfect combination of superbly efficient & clean trains and incredible natural beauty. I started my train journey from Zurich to Interlaken with the famous scenic GoldenPass route. This scenic train line is one of the best of these routes – covering 3 mountain passes, 8 lakes, 6 cantons and 2 language regions. You experience lush, green fields with cows grazing over them, chalet houses along the rolling hills framed against the backdrop of the Alps and beautiful lakes. The lake appears shining in the distance as you wind down the mountain roads towards it and then stays parallel to the road for several kilometres. Make sure to sit on the right-hand side of the train if you’re heading into Brienz from Interlaken so you can soak up all the views!

谢谢 zbNOW/早报现在 Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报 今天刊登了我的瑞典隆德摄影文章《漫步瑞典隆德，领略中世风情》为旅游封面！许多北欧的城市其实不算大，老城区便是北欧国家的旅游热门打卡地，瑞典也一样 。瑞典有很多老城区，隆德便是其中一个，也是瑞典最古老的城市之一。我从丹麦哥本哈根 坐火车到达隆德，整个车程才45分钟，非常方便。隆德具有很多古老的建筑，大部分建造于12和13世纪之间。在旅途中，我很喜欢探索古老建筑，然后尽量地了解那个国家的历史，甚至还会幻想自已在这里生活，或如果穿梭在这样的老建筑之中，那会是怎么样的画面等等。

Thank you so much to zbNOW/早报现在 Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报 for publishing my photo travelogue on Sweden Lund today! When I went to visit Denmark in February 2022, I decided to take the train from Copenhagen Central Station to Malmö and Lund which turned out to be my best time in Sweden. Lund is very close to Copenhagen as well as Malmö, so you can easily reach Lund for a nice day trip around the town, which takes only 45 minutes via train. Lund is one of 's oldest cities and many of the buildings in Lund are historicist creations of the late 19th and early 20th centuries thrives alongside modern buildings. It is said that you can spend your whole life here without seeing all the quiet little corners, all the beautiful buildings and details. I MISS SWEDEN.

A visit to the traditional fish market in Singapore at Senoko Fishery Port isn’t complete till you make a pre-sunrise dash down to Jurong Fishery Port too. The size of Jurong Fishery Port doubled the size of Senoko Fishery Port as there are more than 100 stalls to choose from, where an array of stingray, sotong, and mud crabs awaits – all ready for you to bring back home to be mixed up with the savoury goodness of sambal, salted egg yolk, and chilli crab sauce.
 
At 2.00 a.m, just like the situation at Senoko, the Jurong Fishery Port is also starting to get busy. There is a general sense of hustle and bustle. People are hard at work. That's when the boats are unloading their catch and throngs of hawkers, chefs and wet market stall owners are buying in bulk. Taking turns to operate the forklifts, fishmongers move in a fluid clockwork motion, and plastic boots squelch against the wet floor. If you hear a rolling rumbling sound, you’ll instinctively turn to look if you are in the way of someone moving their fish. What warmed me is the good-natured reactions of the vendors when I apologise for being in the way. While this is admirable to me, this is just another typical day for them.

When people think of fish markets, their minds understandably wander to busy port cities such as Tokyo or Sydney, few people would ever imagine that Singapore has traditional fish markets too. There are two fishery ports in Singapore at Jurong and Senoko, which house wholesale fish markets where buyers can snap up seafood in bulk, and cheaply. Even if you are not a buyer, a visit offers a glimpse of the supply chain that ultimately makes it all tick for Singapore’s seafood scene.
 
Well, while you are asleep, the fast-paced action at a traditional fish market makes for a night’s fun and an eye-opener. I visited Senoko Fishery Port recently, located at the far end of Sembawang, in the north of Singapore, where land meets the Straits of Johor. My alarm was set for 1.00 a.m. and as I stumbled out of bed to make my way to arrive at peak hour of 2.00am. The Senoko Fishery Port, which houses more than 30 lots, are open daily from 2.00am to 6.00am, except on Mondays — this is why Singaporeans often avoid consuming seafood on Monday. On other days, more than 1,000 seafood retailers and buyers come to Senoko to stock up and many fresh fishes change hands each day.

As I entered into the complex, the first thing that struck me was that this is a wet market at its best. Fishy-smelling water sloshes around your feet, while half-dressed fish merchants tramp around in galoshes, stack baskets of squid and anchovies, and weigh shrimp with traditional scales. Shoals of fresh-caught fish are often just strewn along the ground, with baskets of prawns and other shellfish crowding the area and shaved ice spilling every which way. As I walked around photographing these early birds in their glory, I wished I could have tasted the beautiful tuna before me. The next few hours go by in a whirlwind of activity.

One of the things I love the most about travelling by plane is when you look outside of the window and can enjoy those kind of views.
 
Flying offers us a wonderful experience: the opportunity to see the sky up close, to enjoy sunsets or sunrises, gorgeous snowy mountain peaks, beautiful green fields and so on and so forth. I admit I love sitting on the seat next to the window in airplanes (and in any other means of transportation, for that matter). I want to see “out”, to enjoy the view, even through the small airplane window. And, yes, I like to take photos – and to look at photos taken from various flights. The views are breathtaking!
 
Speaking of wonderful moments, here is my collection of some lovely white clouds on flights to-date. I hope you like them.

乘飞机的人一般都喜欢坐在靠窗的位置，我也是，一则清净，二者可以欣赏窗外空中美景，运气好可以欣赏到美丽的日出日落还有云海。摄影时把机翼也拍出来也是构图的一个要素，而且特别有场景感。在飞机上看云与在地面上看云感觉不同。在地面上看云，是仰望，它们遥不可及。坐在飞机上看云，它们近在咫尺，看的清清楚楚，真真切切。若不是隔着眩窗，它们准会飞进我的怀里。这么多年旅行，我不知不觉地累积了这组照片。心放空了，自己就像是在空中飞翔，早已忘了自己是坐在飞机上拍摄这些照片。
 
况且在飞机上看云，令人神清气爽，浮想联翩，心旷神怡。每个人都向往着自己就是那天空中的一片云，自由自在，无拘无束，天马行空，任自己驰骋。多少歌曲唱过，多少文人的笔下写出了——我是天空中的一片云。抬头望望天空，看着那倏忽变化的云朵，想想自己的处境，真想变成天空中的一片云。

周末愉快！我在新加坡中央商业区的高楼大廈拍摄的《倒影彩画》组的照片刊登在今天（八月二十一日）联合早报 zbNOW/早报现在【光影】版 。感谢 Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报 ！

河水流经之处必有生命。新加坡中央商业区的高楼大廈濒临新加坡河，少有双面向的独特位置。我一路沿缓缓流淌的新加坡河向滨海湾走去，欣赏新加坡河两边不同的景物，也拍摄河岸边众多的大楼反光和水面中互相辉映的倒影。每一转眼都是另一番美景，都市全景尽揽眼底。一直觉得水中倒影有着独特的美，仿佛置身于仙境之中，就象神话故事中的宝镜一样，令人心旷神怡。其实拍倒影照片，不只是借水，还要借天空，借平静的水面和摄影的技巧，才能拍出称心如意的照片 :)

My "City Skyline Reflection Along The Mouth of Singapore River" photo series is published in full coverage in today's zbNOW/早报现在. Thank you so much and much appreciated !

I took a scenic walk down memory lane with Singapore River as I have a special liking for this part of the Singapore River. Unconsciously, this is also one place that I would tend to go for some respite, or when I need to have time for quiet reflections during weekends. Furthermore, the colonial buildings nearby the area somehow have an attractive appeal to me. I simply love their designs, especially when being reflected along the mouth of Singapore River. Capturing a perfect reflection is harder than it sounds because any amount of wind at all will cause ripples and blur the surface of the water. I spent one whole day from early morning until evening to capture beautiful water reflections to form the collection. The weather was absolutely perfect that day!

If you could remember, I documented some street art in Singapore which they have a noble cause in themselves, i.e. the Wayfinding Project at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 in 2020 and at Yishun in 2021 for seniors with dementia.
 
Today I am going to introduce another new wayfinding project. These murals are located at Toa Payoh bus interchange. They are part of an initiative by Dementia Singapore and SBS transit to make more dementia-friendly bus interchanges and MRT stations.
 
The bus interchange is segmented into five unique zones as a mural of a childhood game or activity represents each zone. These colour-coded images would make it easier for seniors with dementia to find their way home, as explained in all my previous blog posts. Nostalgic images could help to tap on memories to stimulate parts of the brain. This also aids in long-term memory and cognition.
 
There are also directional floor stickers, so that if the elderly want to board a particular bus service, they just have to follow the directional arrows, which show the mural picture to lead the person directly to the boarding berth. Hopefully, this would allow seniors with dementia to feel less anxious when trying hard to remember their routes back home. The five colourful murals are:

​In these times of rising activism on climate change and other environmental issues, a new band of campaigners has joined the fight: street artists. Street art has typically focused on megacities and urban festivals. But I noticed that a generation of digitally ultra-connected artists has been encouraged to spread their brushes and spray cans elsewhere – to forests and seas – and to creatively question our relationships to the natural world. Leveraging their ability to reach one of the largest and most diverse audiences – anyone passing by – street artists are increasingly using their public works to address current issues, not the least of which is climate change.
 
Recently, I found an example of climate activist street art in Singapore, which shows that artists can actually bring an alternative and responsible message to the public through their work. Titled “The Birds in Our Backyard”, the series of wall art relates to human-wildlife conflict and how to live in harmony with feathered neighbors. They are all painted over ten columns located at Block 218B and 218C Boon Lay Avenue in Jurong West HDB estate. The lead artist is Ms Dorcas Tang, a climate activist and artist based in Singapore.

Ms Tang has garnered much attention in recent months for her advocacy on Instagram, (@earthtodorcas), which raises awareness of important climate issues ranging from extreme rainfall events and food waste to climate justice and conscious shopping. I find that her art is wonderful and non-confrontational, so it is perfect for spreading words about environmentalism and climate change to a broader audience. Such climate-conscious works enable us to think more critically about the impact humans are having on the environment and how we need to act in a socially responsible manner in order to conserve and protect our planet.