Here is where I write. Sometimes I write about photography. Sometimes art. Sometimes adventure. Sometimes I just write about the world at length, or how I like where I am right now. Sometimes it's funny, and sometimes it's dark. Whatever it is, it's always from the heart.
My visit to Chiang Rai took me to one of the most beautiful, surreal temples I've ever seen, and to the border of Laos to see the sunrise.
What should have been two days in Bangkok turned into four, but I ain't fussin' over that. Read the story, and see the pictures.
Terror precedes adventure. At least to me. Every time a trip nears, there is a sinking feeling in my stomach like I’m making a bad decision or a mistake. What-ifs tumble through my mind like an avalanche, and I question every decision I make a hundred times or more. As the date draws near, the questions become weightier, and the dread grows almost unbearably.
I've been thinking about starting this project for a while. About a week ago, I bit the bullet and bought the piece I need to make it happen. Now I just need to actually make it happen. Sometime in the coming months, look for my new project; a photo series and podcast all in one.
For the first time in a long while, I find myself truly proud to be an American. With the recent Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality in my mind, I set off to capture the festivities at the 4th Annual Busan Drag Prom, and consider the current state of equality in South Korea.
I was invited to participate in the long-awaited return of Poetry Plus to Busan South Korea. I had a wonderful time, and I remember very little of it.
Buddha's Birthday is a holiday celebrated by lantern festivals in Korea. Before leaving the US, I went to a different kind of lantern festival in Dallas. I saw another one last year in Gwangju, but the affair was held in the shadow of the Sewol disaster. I was't entirely impressed by the visit in Dallas, but now I've seen how the Koreans do it when not in mourning, and I have to say, it's worth the visit despite the possibility of crowds.
Anapji Pond is the ancient palace of the Silla Kingdom. It is a relic of the time when Korea was divided into three warring states, each vying for control of the peninsula. It's a beautiful sight in the midst of a beautiful city near the east coast of modern day South Korea. I took a trip there months ago, and now I'm sharing some of my images, and the story behind them.
I've been struggling to understand popularity on the Internet, and I haven't caught on yet. Some thoughts on this and the current state of affairs.
...I told my co-worker that day that I had a guy at my place, and she asked why I would trust someone to just stay at my place while I work all day. I gave her the best answer I could:
I have to trust him because in the future I'm going to be asking people to trust me in the same way.
Vacations are for beaches, relaxing, and rejuvenation, right? That's what everyone keeps telling me. For some reason I always end my vacations more tired than I was when they began. In this post, I explore the reasons behind my failure to vacation well.
Accolades. We all want them. Don't deny it. You want them. I know I do. We live in a society obsessed with them. We spend hours pouring over Instagram feeds, scrolling down Facebook walls, and endlessly clicking through any number of other social media outlets. All the while, we're wondering how many people "liked" our last post, our last image, our last witty retort.
The trials of leaving a vibrant music scene in Texas to live in a country where the closest thing to live music is a DJ in a club. Sure, there's some live music, but there are issues...
Sometimes when you're wandering around you get invited into someone's home/work. While you're there, you can sometimes learn something. This time, I learned how to make tteok (떡), or traditional Korean rice cake. I also got fed along the way.
Last week I explained why my sojourn in South Korea was originally extended. This week I explain why it was extended again.
A lot can change in a year. You could perhaps file this under dire warnings about working in South Korea. Especially at a hagwon (cram school). Especially at an Avalon campus. Not everything is glitter and rainbows in the land of Parks and Kims.
2014 was awful, and this awfulness led to me not posting too much. With any luck, this year will be better. In the comments, you can suggest punishments for me not posting weekly.
This is only a selection, find more on the full blog page here.
Wats for days, a broken laptop, friends new and old, Muay Thai, public urination, and, of course, lots of pictures.