London

I'm sure there are times when we do something for the very first time, and that something seems familiar to most people around.

Well, I'm not sure how many times you have set foot in London. This is my first time.

After going to Edinburgh for my postgraduate examination almost twenty years ago, I still kept some of those United Kingdom bank notes and now found out they're outdated when I arrived in London to attend a medical conference this week. Although I had no time to shop at Harrods or see those not-to-be-missed highlights like the Tower of London or St Paul's Cathedral, I considered myself lucky to get mostly (and let me emphasize the word mostly) good weather and long daylight during London's summer.

It's hard to overstate the basic rule of travel, and the rule is: Be happy no matter what. It's that simple. The easiest way to truly enjoy a trip is get plenty of psychological sunshine. Now, what is psychological sunshine? Ponder on that. This is the last day of the conference when its program ends earlier than usual. Being able to spend time around the capital without hurrying is good news. I headed to Trafalgar Square. Somehow the National Gallery was not open today (for reason I don't really know), whereas London's biggest Waterstone's bookshop nearby closes at six (because it's Sunday). And the weather, it turned out, was the cloudiest in the week. Those are the kind of moments when you look up at the sky, or just down at your shoes, and say, jeez, I've gotta look for my DIY sunshine and move on.

I changed my plan and visited the National Portrait Galley. In a few minutes, surprising as it might seem considering the overcast day, the sun came out briefly. The sunlight was short-lived, but that's good enough for me to capture the fascinating lighting that outlines the iconic National Gallery. I must say I'm most pleased with that photograph today.