Qing Ming

Singapore is a modern, fast-moving, forward-thinking city state where the trappings of capitalism are all-important. One of the first things I learned about Singaporeans was the importance they placed on having the Five C's - Car, Cash, Credit Card, Condominium, and Country Club membership. But scratch the surface and you'll find that many Singaporeans are deeply religious and superstitious, evident in the many ceremonies and festivals that take place across the island throughout the year. One such festival is Qing Ming (Clear and Bright), also known as Grave Sweeping Day. It's similar to All Souls Day. The graves of ancestors are restored and tidied up and offerings are made to the spirits. This family had been by the graveside since 3am and had just received confirmation that the deceased had accepted their offerings. As with most rituals here there is an element of praying for good luck, and of course, good fortune. Paper money is being thrown into the air and a pile of this 'Hell Money' had just been burned - partly to provide for the deceased in the after-life, but also to ensure prosperity in this one. I was told (with tongue in cheek I suspect) that the value of the hell money burned by this family ran into the trillions - some of it earmarked for Obama and the global recovery effort. Every little helps..

Colours? of Vietnam

A couple of years ago we booked a flight (with a budget airline) to Central Vietnam to explore Hoi An and Hue. The airline let us down by changing the return flight and we didn't have enough time to do both towns so we opted for the beautifully preserved little UNESCO World heritage Site of Hoi An - which was great. This year we decided to go back and see what we missed at Hue. It certainly doesn't have the small town charm of Hoi An and its typically wet and cloudy micro-climate didn't endear it to us either. We actually turned on the heating in our hotel room when we arrived! But it is Vietnam and that's good enough for me. The weather steadily improved and we managed to do some sightseeing before heading back down to Saigon where we stayed with an old friend who has been living there for a couple of years. So here's a flavour of Hue in the cool morning rain.

My photo on Reuters.com

Every now and then I send a photo to Reuters 'You Witness' if I think I have something remotely newsworthy. Living in Singapore that can be a rare occurrence so I'll send a pic of an interesting festival or event. Last week was the colourful Hindu festival of Thaipusam. It's not for everyone but I love it. If needles aren't your thing you definitely won't like it but it's a photographer's delight with colours and unusual sights everywhere. The devotees are very photographer-friendly and it's easy to get up close, as long as you're prepared to push the other eager photographers out of the way first! The light hadn't been great (proceedings start in the wee small hours) and I knew that by the time the sun was high it would be harsh and the atmosphere would have gone. So when I saw a shaft of early morning sun slanting into the temple I was there waiting for something to come into the frame. And it did. Reuters featured one of my pics in their 'best of the week' category. More of my Thaipusam images can be seen here.