Arts...Travels...Writing

In celebration of Mother's Day, I've selected some of my favourite flower shots. Sharing them here and thinking that even if we could gather all the flowers in the world, they still would not be enough to express our gratitude to all the great moms out there! Happy Mother's Day especially to my mom who truly loves flowers and plants, and takes genuine pride in and pleasure from the blooms in her garden. TulipMania 2014, Gardens by the Bay Maldives. This flower that had just fallen off from its bough stood out from the pristine whiteness of the sand. Along a street in Amsterdam, where hydrangeas seem to abound. Glad to see them in natural bloom, and not just in a vase. On the doorstep of a temple in Little India, Singapore Foxglove near the gate of a temple in Bumthang, Bhutan Lotus pond, Bay East Side, Singapore. Mornings when the lotuses are up and blooming are a real visual treat. With global warming and climate change though, lotu...

Sharing my photo "Bridge Over Calm Water", which BBC Travel has picked for its Instagram feed: Bridge leading to Punakha Dzong - one of the oldest and most majestic dzongs of Bhutan, and very panoramic too sitting at the confluence of two great rivers. https://instagram.com/p/9NZpuTxwby/?taken-by=bbc_travel #PunakhaDzong #Bhutan #BBCTravelInstagram

Last May, I went with a group of photographers on a travel photography trip to Bhutan, one of the most scenic places I've ever been to. The place is such that it has inspired our team to come up with a travel photography coffee table book that will benefit one of the village schools we have visited. Collectively, we have hundreds and possibly thousands of beautiful photos. Unfortunately we cannot include all these in the book, and so we have invited a panel of photography experts to do the selection objectively - the photos were pooled together by theme, and without any identifying mark to keep the selection process unbiased. We are now close to launching the book, targeted in early October. More details of this coming soon... One of my favourite photos from the trip, below, is selected for the book :-) Stairway To Zen And here are a few more photos from that wonderful trip: The snow capped Tibetan peaks on touchdown A bridge in Paro Tasiccho Dzong in T...

Last May, I went with a group of fellow photography enthusiasts to Bhutan in what proved to be a trip of a lifetime in more ways than one. The place is blessed with well-conserved natural resources, (lush mountains, clear streams, calm valleys),  its distinct culture which is greatly influenced by Buddhism, and the warmth of its people, who are generally ready to share a smile. Aside from these, what sets Bhutan apart from many Asian countries is its unique architecture. I'll be sharing more of my experience in future posts but for now, I'd like to share a few snaps, specifically a facet of Bhutanese architecture, its doors and windows. This window design typical of many houses and buildings in Bhutan Doors are as equally interesting...this one from a temple in Bhumtang Tashiccho Dzong in Thimpu Near Punakha Dzong In a temple complex in Bumthang...this is where the townsfolk light up candles Behind Tashiccho Dzong in Thimpu A prayer wh...