So what was your 2010 like in images?

A big thank you to PLATFORM, a gathering of Singapore-based photographers keen on visual storytelling, for the kind invitation to feature my works for The Year in Pictures@Platform.

2010 was a most eventful year for me. A close brush with Death put things in perspective. You quickly appreciate the smallest things, mobility and appetite, things you used to take for granted. You grasp firmly how humbling and empowering gratitude can be. Thankfully, I healed and decided to reward myself with a holiday to Turkey. It was a great trip filled with wonderful sights and sounds. Turkey the beautiful, so full of life. Blessed with many beautiful memories, I shared the three images.

Well things didn't quite happen that way. When Platform 11.1 was announced, Kay Chin "hounded" me via sms and facebook, "You owe me three images." I didn't expect nor want to share my holiday pictures as they were not taken with the intent to exhibit. I told Kay Chin that and got a growl in return. In short, I owe him three images.

I scanned through the hundreds and came up with these.

The Ceremonial Plaza at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Kemal Atatürk, in Ankara, Turkey

The ceremonial ground is 129 m long and 84 m wide and was designed to accommodate 15,000 people. Millions visit annually to pay homage to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey.

The Hall of Honor at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Kemal Atatürk, in Ankara, Turkey

While the security is being distracted by his classmates, a schoolboy manages to cast a rose at the tomb of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey.

 Hot Air Ballooning @ Cappadocia, Turkey

"Higher... higher... we want to go higher than the rest..." shouts a fellow traveler in our hot air balloon.

"I prefer to go low, to hug the terrain. It's more thrilling." replied Mustafa Bozlak, our Balloon pilot.

"But go high and we can see everything..." the traveler insisted.

"To go high, easy, you just need hot air. To go low and not crash, you need skill." Mustafa smiled.

Seeing my submissions projected among 90 other great photographers is a powerful motivator. To keep making images and share my story.

Then something dawned on me. There is always a story. Story of stories. Stories of Story.

Likewise there is always an audience. However, the harshest critics cannot deny our rights to our stories. Nor can the best reviews further enhance the sheer brilliance of creation.

We exist within communities, of peers and of contemporaries. Platform is such a community. As we share, our stories gain lives of their own. We owe our stories that much. We owe ourselves that little.