NIE director's race

I was sent to this assignment for Nanyang Chronicle just before recess week. It was the NIE Director's Race on the 60th anniversary of the teaching institution. I camped for pretty long at the start point, before taking a quick shot when the horn blew. It was a split second moment because the runners set out so fast. But I guess I got a picture worthy for publication:

Memories of USA

I miss the USA pretty much. The 5 months I spent there was unforgettable, travelling to many cities and meeting many people. It was definitely an eye-opener for someone aspiring to be a foreign correspondent. Here are some previously unpublished photographs I took during the first half of 2010. Enjoy.

A little child looks back at me while on the Chinatown bus. The bus is the cheapest mode of inter-city transport in the USA and I use it extensively while at the east coast.

Missouri was freezing when I arrived there. The land was covered in snow. This is a photograph taken outside Hawthorn Hall. The lights are beautiful because they come from the floodlights at a football field nearby.

Hollywood drama. I took this photograph at the Universal Studios in Los Angeles. They were demonstrating to me how some action shots are taken. 

The bean at Chicago. I like this picture because it reminded me that USA is a kind of parallel universe. Many things are similar, and yet some other stuff are just so different. 

A couple at the benches in MIT. At these Ivy League universities, groundbreaking research is done and changing the world we live in. 

Degree-holding Iraqi refugees start from zero

By Xue Jianyue
May 8, 2010


Iraqi refugee Kamal Mohammedali delivers the Columbia Daily Tribune to them stand in the middle of the night, earning a meagre living in comparison to his days as a civil engineer in Iraq.

Just as most Americans in Missouri are preparing for bed, Mr Kamal Mohammedali, a 51-year-old Iraqi refugee from Baghdad, heads to work at midnight, delivering the Columbia Daily Tribune to the newsstands across Columbia.

Even before the sun rises, Mohammedali starts his second job at 4 a.m., doing maintenance at public schools here.

Both Mohammedali and his wife, 49-year-old Bushra Faris, are overeducated for the jobs they currently hold - Muhammadali holds a degree in civil engineering and had helped the Iraqi government construct dams for many years. Faris holds a doctorate in Obstetrics and Gynaecology but works as a medical interpreter in Columbia.

"Our degree certificates are not recognized in America," he said. "We are expected to start from zero."

Head kick!

I was an official photographer for the Singapore Taekwando Federation during the National Taekwando Championships for the first half of September. The action took place at Yishun Sports Hall and I saw it as an opportunity to practice.

Samuel Lee from NTU receives a kick in the head from his rival at the Taekwando finals. Despite his efforts, he eventually lost 11-22.

Making waves beyond sailing

I was sent as a photographer for a story about national sailor Teo Wee Chin. I originally planned for action shots on the sea, but it rained heavily that day and Wee Chin couldn't go out onto the waters. Since it was a profile picture, I decided to try the environmental portrait style, capturing him with his training boat. It wasn't hard - Wee Chin was a really nice guy who gave me plenty of time to try out different angles.

Chosen shot:



When the Nanyang Chronicle was out on the first day of school, my photos didn't look too bad. :) I guess I had improved from my first environmental shot involving my subject in US, with a clean and clear background, good composition. In fact, even the colours match:



Credit goes to Yan Yu for writing a great story. I really enjoyed reading it. It was a real pity that she lost her slippers that day after she took them off to enter the beach. Either taken by the waves, or spirited away by deft hands. =(

Rhythmic Gym

After my T-30 shoot, I had the opportunity to follow up on the rhythmic gymnastics competition for the the finals, August 25. The fast moving gymnasts were remarkably graceful and nimble.

Victoria Filanovsky from Israel turning around with her hoop. Its the rotation 2 from the Rhythmic Gymnastics Individual All-Around Final, held at Bishan Sports Hall.

Facing the world stage

I was sent on a singles assignment on last Tuesday. The theme is T-30, a photo to capture the last 30 minutes before the competition. While my original aim was boxing in the evening, I decided to check out rhythmic gymnastics at noontime. Access was restricted, but I overcame the limitations after awhile by trying my luck at at some angles. I managed to capture this: