Double Happiness
It’s the 3rd day of Chinese New Year and I’ve been partaking in family and epic culinary festivities non-stop, which has resulted in my brief absence and my…
Shanghai
Street glamour
A little randomness along Changle Lu, Shanghai’s boho-fashion district. The female shopkeeper wandered out, eyed my camera and said casually, “The dress is very beautiful. Are you interested?”…
Making his way home
I was running for the ferry when I came up alongside an old man. He was blind so a kind dockhand helped him on board. As we bobbed…
The makings of a humble pancake
For poor construction workers, each meal is about loading up enough carbohydrates to carry them through the day of heavy lifting, shoveling or jack hammering. The foundation ingredients…
And then they were gone
I’ve lost them. I was away for 3 weeks and returned to a shell that left nary a sign of its past existence. Only 3 weeks ago, I…
Office space
They all called me 小姑娘 or “Young miss”. This group of workers is by far the most cheerful lot since I started visiting construction sites and photographing workers…
Bringing down the roof
You see them almost immediately as you emerge from the Dalian Road Metro (大连路地铁站) station along Changyang Road (长阳路), a jarring picture against the late afternoon sun. Two…
They always look so innocent
“Look at my flying dragon!” PING!! Plastic connected loudly with glass. My knees buckled and my heart literally fell to the floor. My camera lens was just attacked…
The Last Squawk
When I was growing up in Singapore, chickens were also sold live and you would get to pick them out right from their cages. A vivid memory I had…
Path of personal ambition
All through school, the smartest kid in class who scored top marks was never the most well-off or had multiple private tutors on hand. It was the quiet…