Author: Vincent

World Humanitarian Day without Beyonce or Guetta

Every year on August 19, the world celebrates/commemorates World Humanitarian Day organized by UNOCHA, the UN organization I’ve been with since early this year. It’s a day to honor people who lost their lives in humanitarian service and those, who continue to bring assistance and relief to millions, and draw attention to humanitarian needs around … Continue reading World Humanitarian Day without Beyonce or Guetta

Digitizing negatives at home takes time, patience, and curiosity

The darkroom has this mysterious pull when it comes to photography. Maybe it’s because of the lure of the darkness and quiet, or that life and surprises are revealed when film is developed… whatever the reason, developing old-school film can be a lot more rewarding compared to automatically seeing photos taken with a digital camera. … Continue reading Digitizing negatives at home takes time, patience, and curiosity

Technology isn’t going to solve all our problems, just ask Johnny Depp

A couple of weeks ago I watched Johnny Depp’s new movie Transcendence – spoiler alert: it’s a love story (kind of) – and found the issues the movie touched on quite intriguing. A lot of it focused on people’s reliance on technology and how it was suppose to give us all the answers to life. … Continue reading Technology isn’t going to solve all our problems, just ask Johnny Depp

Designing a logo is like giving birth

Working at the United Nations, there’s a tendency to relegate design to “making things pretty” or as a last resort in a communication plan, where presentation and usability (i.e. design) take a backseat in a lot of cases to other more “important” work. When in actual fact, having a clear plan, strategy, content and design … Continue reading Designing a logo is like giving birth

Moving doesn’t have to be (too) painful

Moving is always a stressful process and can actually impact long-term health (according to the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale). Whether it’s moving house, moving cities, or moving countries, everything related to packing up and relocating isn’t for the faint of heart. In the past, it’s been pretty easy for me to move – normally … Continue reading Moving doesn’t have to be (too) painful

Believe whatever people say about SNCF

I’ve written a lot about traveling to the south of France in the last few years as I’ve been spending a lot of time with my extended family. It’s a straight shot from Geneva to Marseille – a 3-hour hop on the TGV, France’s high-speed railway, which can go over 300km/hr, and then a quick … Continue reading Believe whatever people say about SNCF

Time for spring cleaning and a change for this blog

Every so often I get the urge to revamp/redesign this blog. Having setup the blog over 8 years ago as a way to keep a log of my travels, experiences and work and to share with my family and friends, it’s natural that as life moves on so should this blog. It’s gone through waves … Continue reading Time for spring cleaning and a change for this blog

There’s a “texture” to film photography

I bought my first digital camera in 2004 during a brief visit to Japan. Compared to my film cameras, it was light, pocket-able, and a great travel companion. It was an uneasy purchase not so much because it was a move into the 21st century where everything was going digital, but the fact that it … Continue reading There’s a “texture” to film photography

From 2000 to 40 – a year in photos

Every year I put together a small set of photos that represent the year and upload them to Flickr. With 2013 over and done with, I had a bit of time this past couple of months to go through and organize over 2000 photos. It was a particularly special year because I also experimented with … Continue reading From 2000 to 40 – a year in photos