telling tales in a tell tale city

Secrets

2012-01-31T13:56:00.000+09:00

It's nice once in a while just to get away.
It's nicer to have people you love to get away with.
So that's just what we did :)

Enjoy!

Nikon F5, Ektar 100
Locations: disclosed

Til next time!

Vita Nova

2012-01-03T02:33:00.001+09:00

Happy 2012, everyone!
There's something about a new year, not unlike a blank page or empty notebook, that brings a sense of newness and refreshment, as well as an ambition, an aspiration, to fill that empty space with our visions, dreams and experiences. For 2012, I'm aspiring to write and photog more. This blog started off as clouds of words, describing thoughts and depicting daily occurrences, but those words were slowly replaced by pictures that did their talking for them. Regardless of how many words a picture is supposed to be worth (a thousand, is it?), text is its own form of expression and means of storytelling, and one that can be a strong compliment to photos. For my photography itself, I aspire to make it a more routine function; to make my camera both my third arm as well as my third eye. As opposed to waiting for photo opportunities, I hope to create them (and many of them) for myself.

So, hopefully what this all boils down to is more blog posts for you and for me :)

The photos from this post were from about a week ago, when a handful of us met at Devil's Punchbowl for hiking and photos. There were 10 people, 25 film cameras and 2 Digital SLRs. A lot of us work (or in my case, go to school) and though we try to make opportunities to shoot together, we usually do so in smaller groups of about 3-5. So it was nice this time around shooting with a larger crowd of friends, especially those who currently live outside of California. These friends are constantly my support and my inspiration, so I've linked their pages down below. If you have any interest in photography whatsoever, check out their pages. You won't be disappointed :)

So! Without further ado, the rolls. Enjoy!

Cameras: Nikon F5, Nikon Fe2, Minolta Freedom Escort
Film: Ektar 100, Tri-X 400

Phil Lee- http://pdhlee.blogspot.com/
Ken Radomski- http://haserad.com/
Jeff Tang- http://12fv.com/, http://12fv-labs.tumblr.com/
Louis Trinh- http://www.louistrinh.com, http://www.tikkostudios.com
Andrew Truong- http://inhousegoods.tumblr.com/
Garrick Fujii- http://theyshootfilm.com/, http://garrickfujii.com/
Chris Gayomali- http://chrigz.tumblr.com/
Richie Kim- http://richardkim.tumblr.com/
Rocky Halim- http://www.rrrocky.com/, http://visualfool.blogspot.com/

Until Next Time!

Death Valley 2011

2011-11-17T15:05:00.001+09:00

Although this was my fourth time going to Death Valley (the last time I went I was in 5th or 6th grade), I felt like I was seeing everything for the first time. Maybe it was just because I matured into an adult since I last went. Maybe it was because photography taught me to look at things differently. Or maybe it was just because I have absolutely terrible memory. Whatever the reason, I now understand all the more why, as a kid, I always wanted to go back.

Nikon F5, 20 2.8, Ektar 100
Nikon Fe2, 20 2.8 & 50 1.4, Ektar 100, Tri-x 400
Minolta Freedom Escort, Ektar 100
Yashica MAT 124g, Reala 100

"We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

where the oceans meet the skies

2011-10-25T06:04:00.000+09:00

we'll all float on, alright.

This is Home

2011-09-24T17:04:00.000+09:00

In the act of leaving a place, you realize both what you miss and what you've been missing. I realized a lot of things when I left California, but I'm realizing just as many things since leaving Korea... especially in regards to the value (or lack thereof) of friendship. It's nice to be back in a place with so much openness and understanding, to be in a place with friends and family and a foundation of trust. I've been here for less than a month but I already feel whole again.

I love California. I love the weather, the beaches, the diversity.... but most of all, I love the people.
It feels so good to be back, and to be around what I've been missing for so long
Thanks for the love, encouragement, and fun.
This goes out to all of you :) Enjoy!

Minolta Freedom Escort- Tri X 400
Nikon F5- Tri X 400, Portra 400

Dream On, Dreamas.
Til next time :)

Excuse me for I am the ocean

2011-09-20T15:43:00.000+09:00

You are the sun and moon and stars, are you
And I could never run away from you

You try at working out chaotic things
And why should I believe myself, not you?

It's like the world is going to end so soon
And why should I believe myself?

You, me and everything caught in the fire
I can see me drowning, caught in the fire

The earlier version finishes with the following:
Hey the sun and moon and stars are yeah..
But I won't share myself with you
You to me

Desert Rain

2011-09-10T05:01:00.000+09:00

We went camping in Anza-Borrego Desert.
I found that my cell phone, which gets no reception at home, gets perfect reception in the desert.

Special thanks to the campers for a great weekend.
Shout-out to Alan the Entertainer for driving.
And for entertaining.

Without further ado,

Nikon F5Kodak Ektachrome 64t, Tri-X 400, Portra 400

Til
Next
Time
!

Dog Days

2011-09-10T04:21:00.002+09:00

Dog Days-nPeriods of exceptionally hot and humid weather that often occur in July, August, and early September in the northern temperate latitudes. The name originated with the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians; they believed that Sirius, the dog star, which rises simultaneously with the Sun during this time of the year, added its heat to the Sun's and thereby caused the hot weather. Their belief that dogs were subject to spells of madness at this time also may have contributed to the name.

Til next time!

Against the Wall

2011-09-10T03:55:00.000+09:00

SO!
I finally got to meet up with Chigs and we decided to go to LA. I'm not a big fan of LA. Mostly because I can't drive there. I have a problem with parallel parking. and one way streets. and unprotected left turns. So I do as much as I can to try and not drive out there. But yeah! Chigs was a good sport about my driving disorders and we checked out the city of angels together (thanks Chigs!). We did a couple of things, like eat cupcakes the size of snails (big man bakes), and hamburgers injected with nicotine and heaven (umami burge), but our photo op of the day with the abandoned LA zoo, located somewhere in some park in LA (did i mention i'm also directionally challenged? ......is 'directionally' even a word?).

Animals in captivity have it pretty bad. But they had it a lot worse in the early 1900s. It was really interesting and eerie at the same time. Like I could feel the angst of the spirits of past bears, walruses and moose (meese?) that were housed in these tiny tiny cages many years ago. My favorite part reading the the little scribbles that other people had left. A few I remember are:

"I am not a bear. Your salmon tactics are moot. Follow your own stream."

and

"Penguins are always formal."

and (on a more serious note)

"My body may be shackled but my mind wanders free."

yeah. it was cool.

anyway, here are the pictures!
oh, and you can check out chig's post here!

That's all folks!

Contra Costa

2011-09-07T09:43:00.000+09:00

F5
Velvia 50 +1push
Kodak Gold 100

Feels good to be back,
Feel like myself again.

Some pics from last week,
and then, some grapefruit juice.

Enjoy!

Now for grapefruit juice.
Til next time!

We Can Be New

2011-08-31T12:54:00.001+09:00

So, I'm back.
It feels a little strange... kind of like nothing's changed but everything and everyone has moved forward. I haven't called or seen anyone yet, partially because I don't have a phone and am not quite sure when I'll get one, and partially because I feel like I have a lot of settling in to do, both physically and mentally.

In the simplest of terms, I can say that my two years abroad has been an experience. I feel that I've encountered, endured and learned so much, and in turned have changed in more ways than one; enough for me to feel that I'm not quite sure how I fit here now. But at the same time, I don't think it'll take too long to get back into the swing of things here. I'm excited to be around family, to see friends, and to get back to studying... not to mention excited to eat eat eat all the delicious food that I've been missing out on! So cheers to a fresh start :) I hope for health, happiness and good times!

Here are the last pictures that I developed abroad
The last few pictures were taken with the latest addition to my camera collection, the Nikon F5. Hope you enjoy!

notes from students... sweet, caring kids :)

in apgujungdo. preparations for a cafe of some sorts, i believe?

a very eco-looking cafe and store, also in apgu.
extremely over priced, but that's to be expected in this part of town

a group trip to danyang! extremely beautiful scenery... makes me wish we
had more green in california.

ventured out to dip my feet in the water. cold and refreshing!

doobie doobie doooo~

had some play time in the stream. fun fun fuuhuuun :]

they sold ginseng (or, i think its ginseng) next to some caves that we checked out

bored

flower

the weather was fickle that so fickle that day... in chunwangdo

my first time using my newly bought f5! took pictures of anything and everything

like this

aaaaaaaaaaaaand this :)

and this

good times~ ^______^

Well, that's all for now!
Til next time!
:)

Learning to Breathe

2011-08-12T15:45:00.000+09:00

Where did the time go?
This past month has been an absolute whirlwind, very quick and very chaotic.
But above all, and very simply, I can say that I've been much happier this past month than I'd been this entire past year. There isn't a single reason for this happiness, I'm realizing more and more every day that there are so many factors that can affect a person's mood and perspective. i just can't help but feel that it's such a real pity that it had to occur with my having less than 2 months left in this country. But all I can do at this point is be thankful; I've met some pretty amazing and special people during my 2 years here, and I'm not about to forget them anytime soon.

On another note, I'm finding that I've had to start over a lot this month. Whether it was something like writing a message in a birthday card, or learning to trust a person again, this month has really been about learning to take things from the top. One of the things that I'm currently re-learning how to do is (sadly) how to use my Fe2 again. I didn't think I ever forgot how to use it, but my photos themselves have been showing me that there's been a lot on my mind and I haven't been paying attention so much to my shooting these days.

It's a little disappointing, seeing photos that could have been nice either completely out of focus or undesirably overexposed, but means it just means I have something to work on, and I'm down to learn how to improve.

Without further ado, this week's [few] photos.
Enjoy!

Something about this photo makes me feel like I have to have hope :)

Went to Gapyeong last weekend with Ricka and the boys for bbq, drinking and wakeboarding. Good times~

The weather wasn't as sunny as I would have liked, but it was definitely still hot and humid enough for a dip in the lake

This is my lovely roomie Melody Joy. She brings a smile to my face every time I see her, without fail.

And this is the amazing Chicken Avocado Sandwich from the amazing restaurant The Flying Pan where we usually get brunch

interesting?

This is the store Melody Joy told me about, called 'ithinkso' that I went to...
sadly every picture I took in there came out like crap. Maybe next time?

Until next time!

Hurry Hurry

2011-08-05T15:28:00.000+09:00

Just a couple of shots from before that I never posted
In a rush to get somewhere, so sorry for the lack of captions!
Enjoy!

Until next time!

Yellows and Greens

2011-08-03T17:25:00.000+09:00

It's been raining non-stop these days.
I don't like rain in general, but the downpour coupled with the humidity is really starting to get frustrating. what with a serious of both unfortunate and fortunate events, i'm attempting to enjoy what time i have left here, but it's difficult to actually go out and get things done in the midst of this cat and dog weather.

We got lucky it didn't rain when we (Jamie, Richie and I) when to Heyri Village this past saturday. Instead of the rain, though, we had sweltering "i-don't-want-to-step-outside" heat and humidity. We cooled off by renting some bikes and riding around the village, taking pictures along the way and stopping for a bite to eat.

I thought I had more pictures than this, but I guess this'll have to do for today.
Enjoy!

Til next time....
stay classy

Five

2011-07-03T00:01:00.000+09:00

powerlines and patio chairs. there's always the smell of cooking meat around this area,
especially around and after eight o' clock in the evening. Still have yet to see anyone
occupy the second floor restaurant/cafe. Maybe I should do it.

during the day time, the buildings are silent. you can see their old age and weariness;
the soot, stains and crusts of dirt show their defiance. but at night, with the help of neon
signs, shadows and reflective windows, they come back to life, even if only until dawn.

this was me. last week.
a forgotten carcass rotting on top of an unknown building.
it was for the better.

fate. is a load of bullshit. but in the case of her i truly believe it was meantto be.
teacher, mentor, and most importantly, friend. thank you for everything.
you are one i will miss most.

it's time to put on my dancing shoes again. i want to feel alive.

Long Live the King

2011-06-05T13:28:00.000+09:00

Travel, in it's simplest form, means to go from one place to another, from point A to point B. In those terms, I guess we can all say that we're avid travelers; we travel daily, going from home to the grocery store, from the classroom to the library, from work to a bar.

Another more opaque definition of travel, however, is to journey. What I like about the word 'journey' (other than the fact that it's the name of a fantastic band) is that there's more to its meaning than just the time and amount of physical distance covered. We can have a journey to self-realization, a journey of faith, a journey of love. There's an implication with the word 'journey' that I feel doesn't quite resonate from the word 'travel'; 'journey' gives us an undertone of exploring, of discovering and of learning, whether it is about oneself, another's culture, or of life and existence as a whole.

So when I take a trip to a place outside my realm of regularity, whether to another state or to another country, whether with friends, family or by myself, I like to think that I'm 'journeying'. This time around, I had the chance to journey to the Land of Smiles. I've always wanted to go to two places in southeast asia; one was taken care of last year (thanks lauren, sugi, keny and phil for an incredible journey) and the second, a week or two ago. It definitely wasn't the smoothest journey, but I guess those kinds are the ones where you learn the most. I took my Fe2 and my Superheadz along for the ride, so you can see the journey through their eyes.

Nikon Fe2- Superia 400, Portra 400
Superheadz- Superia 400, Agfa 100

We arrived at Khaosan road at about 2 in the morning. Khaosan Road, in my opinion, is like a rowdier, messier version of something of the likes of Itaewon (for my Korea residing audience) or Roppongi (for my Japan residing audience). It's a street littered with... well, litter, as well as a mass of drunk foreigners and locals, a good handful of them of the boorish type. I got my buttock grabbed there; he passed me, the guy turned around, made eye contact and smiled at me, as if to say "what'cha gonna do about it?"Seeing as how I was in a foreign country, already felt unsafe to begin with, and given the look of the place, I had no choice but to let my anger subside and call it a night.

The next morning was an excursion out about 2 hours to Kanachanaburi. We couldn't find the location where the van was supposed to pick us up, and by the time we did, we were 20 minutes late and there was no automobile in sight. By some kind of grace, we were able to get in touch with the travel agency, and they send the van back to pick us up, and when we got in the van we were tired, stressed and hungry. It was only 8 in the morning.

Our first stop was the floating market. Which was an interesting sight to see, but definitely a tourist trap. The one thing that I was most nervous about was the possibility of rain during our few days there, but the feeling of the sun burning our skin as we got in the boat told me otherwise. There were so many boats attempting to cater to tourists that at times, four or five boats were stuck side by side, trying to get through the narrow river. The best part about the floating river was getting off the boat to eat some pad thai, mangosteen, mango, and coconut ice cream.

After the floating market, we continued on our way to Kanchanaburi. Kanachanaburi was a nice change from bustling Bangkok (of which we'd only seen Khaosan Road). It was more of a "jungles and forests, mountains and plains" kind of feel. My favorite part was most definitely all the beautiful plants and 'wild' animals we got to see up close. Though, in a bittersweet kind of way, because to my knowledge, they aren't treated as well as they should be.

The next day, we went back to Bangkok for our night and full day. There really are breathtaking (in both the positive and negative sense) views in the city. I wish I knew more about their culture, history and religion; I feel like it would have been a much more understandable and insightful journey.

Hope you enjoyed the post!
Til next time--

Leftovers

2011-06-02T23:37:00.001+09:00

Gotta a few photos here and there that were either never put up,
or taken on a roll that i didn't finish and develop until a few days ago.
Either way, I just wanted to clear out the leftovers before putting
up my 4-roll post. I'm getting my wisdom tooth pulled tomorrow, so I'll
have plenty of time to work on that then.

Hope you enjoy these!

Superia 400 film,
Nikon Fe2 & Superheadz

Barely

2011-05-27T09:06:00.000+09:00

The weather's finally been warming up here, but at a price; its been rainy and cloudy all month (almost only on weekends or holidays) making it difficult and frustrating to go outside. Can't help but be thankful for the days throughout this month, though few, that had a bright sun and a cool breeze.

I don't know if it was the sun, the film speed, or the two combined, but i got much more contrast than when i usually use this film.

Take a look for yourself; here are the [few] photos from this month:

As much as I find rain an annoyance, the city has been turned from a hue of bland brown to a lively green, with scattered yellow, pink, orange and purple. Pity that I won't be able to enjoy this for too long because next month (aka a few days) marks the start of monsoon season.

Regardless, I promise a more interesting post for next time!
Thanks for stopping by; til next time!

Only Time Will Tell

2011-04-28T23:24:00.000+09:00

Words.
I love words.
Some of my favorites are "zeitgeist" and "affinity" and "sincerely".
Another is "삶".

As much as I love words, I've never really been ever to combine them with another one of my loves, photography. A friend of mine, Jeff , aka 12FV, has been typograph-ing for as long as I can remember, and doing so with what looks like ease and perfection, at least to me. I recently came across video typography and it really was one of the most beautiful videos that I've seen. I always believed that photos spoke for themselves, but in this case, I felt that the words brought more life to the already alluring images. Take a look at the videos, and maybe you'll see what I mean:

EF - Live The Language - Paris from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

EF - Live The Language - Barcelona from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

My friends Phil and Keny have also been experimenting with typography these days, and they seem to be having doing a good job and having some fun with it as well. I've always felt a little hesitant and a little nervous to try it. I mean, in all simplicity it just looks like words on a picture, but I think those who have tried it know that it's much more than that. What I'm trying to say, is, that I tried to try it. Without further ado, this week's post. Enjoy! And any comments and critiques are appreciated!

Thanks for making it all the way through,
hope it was worth your time ;)

Til Next Time!

Seasons in the Sun

2011-04-19T20:01:00.000+09:00

Earlier today I was happy to find a freshly developed and scanned batch of my most recent rolls. What I didn’t expect was how pleased I would be with those results more specifically, from the images taken with my Superheadz). It couldn’t have been far from what my friend Phil had been thinking, because moments later he updated his blog with a post about his Superheadz. After reading it and seeing his photos, I can’t even begin to express the extent to which I both understand and agree with what he said.

The Superheadz is a “toy” camera. Made entirely of plastic, it’s not something that we would ever really regard as either a professional or paramount camera (or, at least not right away); we usually leave the “professionalism” to the big guys, like the SLRs or the DSLRs. But don’t let its light plastic body and lack of bells and whistles fool you. The Superheadz, especially with bright sunlight, will not only give you vivid and contrasting colors, but oftentimes couples that with its signature vignette. This time around, my Superheadz photos gave me far more of an impression than the photos from my Fe2. As my friend 12FV commented, [Phil’s post] shows “proof that the gear doesn’t matter, its all about the eye.” A beautiful photo (“beautiful” itself being an extremely subjective word) isn’t about an expensive camera or a cutting edge lens, but (amongst many things) about perspective, perseverance and passion. I guess I can say the lesson of the week is not to judge a camera by its body, but for its potential to produce photos unique to itself.

* * * * *

Though it’s in the middle of April, it’s still surprisingly chilly. It usually stays somewhere around the 50’s, reaching highs up 60’s during the daytime (if we’re lucky) and dropping back down around the 40’s at night time. Considering that it rained on Monday and that it’s going to continue to rain throughout the week, I guess seoulties were fortunate to have the beautiful sunny (almost hot at times) weather this past week.

Superheadz, Superia 400/Agfa 100

On Saturday, I got a chance to go to the Children’s Grand Park to see the cherry blossoms in bloom. I guess everybody decided to take advantage of the weather because the place was more packed than Disneyland on Saturday. It was like looking at ants. At a picnic. Especially with all those heads of black hair. Sometimes it’s difficult to shoot street because there aren’t enough people to take pictures of, but I think it’s even more difficult when there are too many people to take pictures of. When I tried to take pictures of one or two specific people, I constantly ended up with a bunch of random people in the background, in some way or another ruining my ‘photographic vision.’ I tried the best I could, took a good look at the Cherry Blossoms, and then left with friends for chicken and beer.

Nikon Fe2- Superia 400

Sunday was also incredibly nice. Actually, I wouldn’t have gone outside if I hadn’t gotten a call from Phil. I had been itching to visit to the Horse Racetrack, so that’s where we decided to meet.

More ants. I didn’t think that so many people would be interested in horseracing, but Phil reminded me that it’s illegal to gamble in Korea; It’s probably as close to legal gambling as they can get without having to go to a specific casino that allows residents to gamble.

We watched the horses as they were walked around a small track. I assume that the purpose was to allow spectators to judge the condition of the horse before placing their bets and stuff, but, I’m not too sure since it was my first time seeing this kind of event. While Phil and I were watching and taking some pictures here and there, one horse caught my eye. I was trying to take its picture as it passed by, but I thought I would miss it because I wasn’t adjusting my settings quickly enough. But the horse kept on looking my direction, even as it passed me, only looking away after I had finally snapped the photo. Phil then asked me to choose a horse, just for kicks. We didn’t know how to bet, but just for fun, I picked Number 10 (the horse that waited for me to take its picture).

Superheadz, Agfa 100

We went to the center of the racetrack, which they had gated off and made into an area for kids and their parents/families. There were tiny fenced areas with a horse or two in each of them. The smaller horses were more or less trapped in areas about the size my apartment, and the bigger horses in areas of equal ratio. I couldn’t help but feel sad for them. When I think of horses and what they were meant to be doing, I see them in the plains, rearing their front legs and neighing while their manes blow in the wind, not locked behind wooden fences in a polluted metropolitan city, being poked and prodded by squealing children.

Nikon Fe2, Superia 400

Anyway, we took some pictures, and then went back out toward the spectator area, where one of the races was ending.
Who would have guessed! The winner?
Number 10.

After checking out the horse racetrack, we briefly stopped by Seoul Grand Park, and then parted ways. Though I’m glad that the weather is starting to get a little warmer, I’m even more thankful for friends to be able to share that weather with, whether it’s while taking photos or eating chicken and beer. Cheers to a good weekend! May there be many more to come.

Til next time!

TimeBomb

2011-04-13T23:31:00.001+09:00

"Old Time, in whose banks we deposit our notes
Is a miser who always wants guineas for groats;
He keeps all his customers still in arrears
By lending them minutes and charging them years."
(Oliver Wendell Holmes)

"“Life is all about timing... the unreachable becomes reachable,
the unavailable become available, the unattainable... attainable.
Have the patience, wait it out. It's all about timing.”
(Stacey Charter)

“Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in.”
(Henry David Thoreau)

“Time is too slow for those who wait,
too swift for those who fear,
too long for those who grieve,
too short for those who rejoice,
but for those who love, time is eternity.”
(Henry Van Dyke)

晚霞

2011-04-03T18:56:00.001+09:00

Nikon Fe2 - Superia 400
Superheadz - ColorPlus 200

Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul
Chinatown, Incheon
Wolmi Island, Incheon

Universal Sighs

2011-04-01T21:48:00.000+09:00

Open your mouth wide
A universe inside
And while the ocean blooms
It's what keeps me alive
So why does it still hurt?
Don't blow your mind with why

I'm moving out of orbit
Turning in somersaults
I dive into those eyes
Jellyfish swim by

Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder

2011-02-28T19:23:00.007+09:00

I remember my good friend and shooting buddy Phil saying to me that an old man once told him that (roughly translated into english) "photography makes one's soul beautiful;" that the once an individual gets into photography, the way he/she sees things around him/her begins to change.

When you couple that understanding with the fact that every person has their own perspective, their own eye, that for every individual one, the things that interest him/her, the things that make him/her happy, that make him/her sad, that make him/her feel alive, are so infinitely varied, that each individual eye has its multitude of worlds... is when (at least for me) you can really kind of began to see the beauty of photography.

A bird is just a bird. But when you capture that bird with your individual eye, whether in death or in flight, you've in a sense created your own moment, one that otherwise would have never existed or been recognized.

That bird, on film (or memory card), is yours.

Here are some things that my eye has collected this past week:

Nikon Fe2, 50mm 1.4, TX400

Still workin' on it.
Hopefully we can see some color soon, as well as an improvement in the black and white department.
Til next time!

Title for No One

2011-02-25T18:21:00.002+09:00

The school year is starting on Wednesday.
If I were to be honest, I would say that I'm not too excited about having to go to school by eight, and having to stay there until six, sometimes until nine. It's not that I'll have to teach; It's more so the fact that I won't have anywhere near the amount of time and freedom as I did during winter ~~break~~ school. During winter time I had the leisure to play and practice with my cameras after a few hours of classes. I could do my duty and go out into town, get lost (or at least try), and come back with a few finished rolls in hand. Now, I'll be lucky if I get to see sunlight by the time I get off of work. I'll basically have only weekends for nomading around town. Sucks, a lot, but boo hoo. I'm up for the challenge; don't really have a choice anyhow.

Here're some from the latest roll:

Nikon Fe2, 50mm 2.0, TX400

Lots of people. Lots of fruit. Wonder how both of these pictures would have looked if they had been in color.

You're focusing your camera on some unbeknown soul, but they get that feeling that someone is watching them, or, maybe they see something through their peripherals. In that exact moment you snap the photo, they make eye contact with your lens. This kind of moment is one of my favorites, I don't know why. Maybe its the feeling that you've become some kind of 'creative' culprit.

The best Mandu house around town. There's always (always) a line. Watching the workers make mandu inside is kind of nuts. It's a cramped space with a whole bunch of people just going at it. Dough in one hand, spoon in the other, the stuffing in tupperware nearby.

I love taking pictures of kids because they don't really see the camera, which means that they have no reason to be self conscious (Either that, or they're trained by their parents to smile and pose). But frankly, they don't really know what's going on, nor do they really care. This guy just wanted to see some bubbles. And some bubbles he saw. The gun actually belonged to the worker, who was showing him the ropes.

Those eyes....

Not sure what kind of foxes these guys were, but I really liked them.
Could only take a few pictures of them though, because the sound of the shutter scared them.

Haha. Jackass Penguins. Just for fun.

Til next time!

Affinities

2011-02-22T12:32:00.001+09:00

I always considered myself a lover of color, especially bright, vibrant, contrasting colors. Bright yellows and vibrant oranges, deep blues and vivid greens, radiant reds and psychedelic purples-- these were my people; these were my friends!

So, it kind of makes sense that I found my affinity for black and white film a little interesting. I don't know what it is, but I feel that when I see my own black and white photos, I'm almost revisiting that moment when I stopped, stuck my eye to the viewfinder, focused and snapped the image. I think my photo eye may just be in black and white. I mean, there is definitely a time for color, and neither color nor b&w is better than the other; they each give off a different aura, a different photographic feel.

There are just many times when I think to myself "dang, i wish i had a black and white roll in here" or "dang, that would have looked good in black and white." And I rarely find that when I have a black and white roll I wish that I had color instead. But, I also think it's all relative to location. I don't think I would want to shoot too much black and white if I were in a place like, say, Bali. or Thailand. But in a metropolitan city with sky scrapers and office employees, and in the old hanok towns with the tiled roofs and monks, I like my black and white just fine :)

Without further ado, the latest developed roll:

Nikon Fe2, TX 400

This room looked beautiful in person too. Kind of wish there was someone sitting in one of those chairs.
This place was a bit empty, but it was a Sunday afternoon so maybe that makes sense.

Yes, their hands are leading us to a....

...........Yep

I actually thought I didn't capture this one. Right as I took it the mom stood up to leave; I was positive I would get a blurry figure.
I guess I have to learn to trust my camera a little more.

Days Go By

2011-02-21T18:33:00.002+09:00

Nikon Fe2, Ektar 100 (+2push)

Time is going by too quickly;
it's scaring me.

You Are What You Shoot

2011-02-16T15:09:00.002+09:00

“There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are.”

There have been so many potential moments i've missed, so many opportunities for "the shot" that i've forfeited. Why? And for what? When I get to the core of it, I know the only thing that's ever really held me back is me.

The reason I bring this up is that, as of late, (or was I always like this?) I've kind of had a difficult time shooting strangers. I feel that in America, people aren't really phased when a stranger takes a photograph of them. Some may be surprised, or confused, or curious. Some might even like it. Actually, if you take it to an extreme, say with something like "girls gone wild", you could even say that some not just like, but crave, that spotlight.

But I'd say it's a little different in Korea. Image plays such an incredible role in society that I can't even begin to explain it (or I'll go into an angry multi-page multi-layer rant about it). In short, appearance (and money) are everything, so the people are generally a lot more self-conscious about how they, as well as others, perceive themselves. When I try to take a picture of people I don't know and they realize what I'm doing, I get a small handful of repeated reactions:

1.) "[EW], WTF."
A kind of stare down, "UH, WHY ARE YOU TAKING A PICTURE OF ME" kind of look. Usually given by [seemingly] high-maintenance type females. Also given by [seemingly] high-maintenance males. Actually, now that I think about it, given by most people that I've tried to take a picture of.

2.) "Oh dear, I am so shy"
Any and every attempt to hide the face, whether it's by looking down, turning around, or covering the face with a hand mirror, cell-phone, magazine, or anything else within arm's reach.

3.) "Walk away"
They walk away. Even if you ask them. They just walk away. Sniffle.

I know that, in a sense, that's all they are: reactions. They're not physical attacks, or lawsuits, thank God; they're just a fraction of a second of inconvenience. My excuse is that I just don't like bothering people. I don't like making people I know uncomfortable (up to a certain degree), so I most definitely am not comfortable making people I don't know uncomfortable.

But when I look at that quote, I think of photographers who risk their lives for "that shot". Like this photographer who's currently in Egypt, pretty much capturing history. Granted, he is a professional photographer and i'm pretty much just a kid with a dinky camera in comparison, but that quote still applies equally to the both of us; We can only go as far as we let ourselves go.

So this time around, I just decided to try and give it a go and shoot a bunch of people. It was more or less of a failed attempt; I got a lot more backs than faces, but these are the ones that sort of came out:

Nikon Fe2, Fuji Superia 400

Most of the photos came out blurry and for some reason, unfocused. I attribute it to the fact that I was panicking the whole time I was talking this roll. Lets hope the next few show improvement.

Til next time!

Simplified Equation

2011-02-15T19:20:00.003+09:00

over exposure = best friend = need more practice

Happy Belated Valentine's, to you and your's

"cool" "playground" #perfectplacetogetshanked

The rivers are melting again

Looking at something

Product of environment?

Natural frame

Stay Tuned!

Great Expectations

2011-02-14T15:26:00.004+09:00

I'm going to be honest and say I kind of really expected a lot from the first roll of my Fe2 (especially after seeing the kinds of photos my friend Phil shoots). I'm also going to be honest and say that it was as bad, if not worse, than the first roll on my Nikomat.

Now, I can't say I know much about film cameras at all, but the Fe2 is obviously the newer camera, with a handful more bells and whistles than that of its Nikomat counterpart. I feel the Fe2 most definitely offers more control for my image, but still requires the user to maintain all the attention and care, if not more, that comes with using a film camera. In short, I'm still new to film photography and I always either forget to do something, don't fully understand what i'm doing, or just end up panicking i forgot to do something or don't know what i'm doing.

But I guess it's just practice 'til perfection.
I'm a teeny bit disconcerted, but I'm okay with that.
I can't wait to really get down to feeling out my Fe2 and improve on my Nikomat!

Well, here are my picks from the roll (don't laugh):

Nikon Fe2, 50mm 1.4, portra 800

Stay Tuned!

A Box of Chocolates

2011-02-08T17:47:00.003+09:00

The anticipation when getting the first look at your scans is pretty nuts. It's a kind of scary excitement, if you will. And the assortment of feelings within the following few minutes as you sort through each image is it's own experience. You can go from disappointment to confusion, from awe to excitement. It's kind of like Forest's take on life-- each roll is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get.

Here are a few more images from the past week or so.
Enjoy!

Nikon Nikomat, 50mm 2.0, Ektar 100 & Fuji Natura 1600

I love the kind of soft feel of these photos, especially because a lot of them are in the setting of nature. sure, the pictures aren't perfect or anything, but i can say that i'm very satisfied comparing my 2nd and 3rd rolls on the nikomat to my [pitiful] first.

I took this picture with the natura 1600, dead sure i would just get a square of black with some hazy circles (if i was lucky),
but, surprise! it came out to this instead:

...and to all a good night!

Back to Basics

2011-02-07T21:31:00.005+09:00

I'm definitely a dog person, there's no doubt about that.
So it's never too much of a surprise (at least for anyone that knows at least that much about me) when I spot a dog from about two hundred meters away and start getting giddy about it. It wasn't any different when I saw this one daschund in nikko, japan. I went over and asked if i could pet it. It was easily the sweetest dog in the galaxy. Smile. I asked if i could get a picture of the dog, and when they said yes, i metered my camera, took a shot and hoped that it would come out the way i wanted it to. This is how it came out:

The first "something other than a point-and-shoot camera" that I got was my Nikon D60, right before I left for South Korea. And it's been great, there's no doubt about that. There's virtually no limit to the shots you can take (at least until you fill up your memory card), it doesn't matter if someone accidentally gets in your way and you shoot a picture of a crotch instead of a bird, because you can just delete it and keep on going. What I kind of subconsciously knew but never really thought too much about was the fact that when I had that D60 in hand, my eye was constantly attached to the viewfinder and i was always shooting; a funny form of proof is the couple of times I went shooting with some friends and ended up with a bunch of images of us shooting each other shooting pictures. And at the end of the day, the memories end up not being not so much in your head as they are on your memory card.

So when I went to Japan last week with Jamie, I decided I would just take my superheadz (a simple no-flash point and shoot film camera) and a couple rolls of film. To my surprise and delight, my friend Keny ended up passing down his Nikomat (a fully manual film camera) to me, which I feel opened my mind up more not just to film photography, but just photography in general.

In terms of general photography, with the D60, you move a couple of buttons, or you just sent it on something like P or A, and all the little stuff inside kind of takes care of the work for you. I never even really got to fully understanding things like the aperture, and shutter speed, under and over exposure, which is probably as basic as photography gets. But the Nikomat is teaching me to take photography a little slower. And at first, it's almost a hassle, because I was so used to just snapping away at anything I pleased. And I'll be honest and say that in the beginning, I tried to use the Nikomat like my D60; moved all the buttons until the meter lined up and then-- shit, the moment's already passed. Or, if I did capture the image that i wanted, I payed the expense with under or over exposure. There definitely are times when something like A-priority (which is on my 'new' fe2!) is necessary, especially, i think, with something street photography. But... there's something I really love about the slowness (at least in terms of metering) of the Nikomat.

If I had taken the D60 to Nikko, I would have without a doubt ended up with a gabazillion pictures that I'd have to sort through, and potentially edit to my liking on photoshop. Like i described above, I wouldn't have been interacting, so much as I would have been induced by the convenience of digital. But when I go through each of the photos, I don't just have a picture, I have a memory of what was going at that time, and how it was that I came to take that picture (and sometimes, how much of a hassle it was to meter it). So when I saw the developed picture of the dashcund, the first paragraph of this post was part of the brief memory attached to that photo.

Anyway, that's just my first experience with film.
I'm glad to have friends that also enjoy it with me (Jamie, Phil, Keny!) So here's to moments, capturing them, and having such great friends to do it with! Cheers!

Just

2010-10-10T19:43:00.000+09:00

art
flood
mud
taxi
kiwi
red
hello
light
goodbye

<3

79s

2010-09-30T19:16:00.002+09:00

Suffice it to say, I'm blessed by the people that I've met for the first time in Korea as well as those that I've already known and have gotten to know better during my time here.

Just some pictures of last weeekend, with two people I'm SO glad are with me in Korea.
I love you both (sososo much) and cheers to the start of another great year!

: ) yay

Bali Adventures :: Ubud (Continued)

2010-08-12T10:20:00.001+09:00

Being the first to have gone to bed, I was the first one to wake up. I wanted to explore and take pictures butttttt it was raining. Got kind of disppointed at first but it ended up being a lightning shower (er, wasn't showering so much as it was POURING) that came and went throughout the day.

After everyone else woke up, we had breakfast at the villa and were picked up by Wayan to start our day of sight-seeing. The first thing we did was go to see the Goa Gajah Elephant Temple. Phil, Keny and I didn't have sarongs yet (can't go into a temple without one) so we picked some up for ourselves and some friends back home before going inside.

Both the Elephant Temple and the Gunung Kawi [Stone Carving] Temple/Royal Tombs we saw afterward were amazing sights to see. I think after having been surrounded by Christianity for so many years, it was both interteresting and refreshing to see a new dominant religion and the peoples' lifestyle and devotion to that religion. Indonesia itself is a Muslim country but Bali is specifically Hindu; one of the things that I noticed right away were these offerings, usually a kind of plate made out of bamboo(?) leaves that were filled with flowers, sometimes rice, sometimes these things that looked like ritz crackers, and incense, that were lighted every morning and evening. Next, were the sarongs that needed to be worn into temples, and, of course, the beautiful temples themselves.

If I could choose one word to describe Ubud, it would have to be "lush." I loved Bali as a whole but if I HAD to choose my favorite place out of the 3 main cities that we visited, it would have to be Ubud. I think I'm more of a mountain/forest person than a beach person (again if i had to choose) at heart; something about all that green and stone and growth and life calms me down, makes me think, makes me smile.

Oh, on the way into the Stone Carving Temple (300 steps total to the bottom!) Sugi farted really loudly and one of the woman venders hella cracked up, making the rest of us crack up. But it was no thang to Sugi. He just kept walking saying farting was universally hilarious :)

......HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA
it really was funny.

From there we went to see the Kintamani Volcano, which was a jaw-dropping view. We took some pics and got haggled by some vendors, but finally made our way to where we were to eat lunch. We had lunch at a buffet that with overlooked Kintamani Volcano... all that food while staring at such a scene... couldn't believe it was ONLY TEN DOLLARS WHATTTT! I mean, there was tax but still... in any other country it could have gone for at least over $80 USD or something. I ate until I thought I was gonna barf and zoned out to the volcano view before heading out to our next destination.

To be honest, I wasn't feeling too interested about the Coffee Plantation because all coffee tastes the same to me and that's when I actually drink it, which I almost never... but this place was pretty bomb. They had star fruit trees and snake fruit trees, avocado trees... everything! We got to see the plant that the Balinese Coffee Bean came from, and how they processed everything to make their final product. They also gave us free samples of Bali Coffee, Cocoa, Ginseng Coffee, Ginseng Tea, and Lemon Tea, all of which were suuuuuper delicious. There's a special Balinese Coffee where some kind of feline eats the bean and poops it out... i guess as it's digested the bean goes through some kind of chemical change or something.. but it's really expensive. In the same cup of free coffee (and cocoa, ginseng coffee, ginseng tea and lemon tea that we got) that cup of cat poop coffee would have been around $10. DZAMN!

Oh! I also saw fruit bats there for the first time and they were HUGEEEEE!!! One was black and the other was slightly browner (or am i just imagining this?) and they were about the length of my arm. There was a pretty funny episode with the fruit bat but I'll leave that story for someone else to tell.................

The last quick stop of the day was the Rice Terraces, which were, like all the other places we visited that day, beautiful. After taking some pics at the Rice Terraces, we went back to our villa to rest up a little before heading out back to Ubud's main street. We took care of some money issues, grabbed dinner, walked around (I bought me a bali djembe!) and went went back back to our villa villa because we had to get up early the next morning to check out and catch the ferry to Sanur (Wayan was taking us again; the last time we'd see him).

But when we got to the Villa, it was pouring again and since it was our last night at the Villa (one we barely spent any time in) we decided to swim in our pool in the pouring rain. I'm kind of a sissy and get cold really easily but I'm glad that I got out there with everyone else and swam for a while because it was one of those moments that probably would never happen again in life. I mean, I was with good people (great people!) in Bali, in Ubud, in a Villa, in the pool, while it's pouring, with sugi riding an inflatable shamu... I hadn't been that happy and relaxed in... years. I think we all had a 'closed eyes' moment just to take in everything; from the sound of rain pouring on the trees and buildings and pool, the feeling of raindrops on our skin, to being there, young and alive, healthy and happy with friends... GG.

After the pool, I again, was the first one to bed. For some reason, moving accommodations always wore me out. It was probably because we traveled far whenever we stayed at a new place, but either way, I needed all the energy I could get for the trek to Nusa Lembongan the next day.

Bali Adventures :: Part Two: Ubud

2010-08-11T09:53:00.000+09:00

There were a good amount of things that happened in Ubud
so It'll be split up into 2 days as well. Here's the first day!

We woke up in the morning, packed our stuff and checked out of Alam Kul Kul. Ubud (pronounced "oo-bood"), where we were to stay for the next two nights, was about an hour and a half drive away. The driver we had hired the previous night was at our resort, ready and waiting for us.

As we were driving towards Ubud, I definitely noticed a slow change in the scenery. We were going from brand name stores selling watches and board shorts to local, family owned shops selling handmade jewlery and wood carvings, from the blue and beige of the ocean and sand to the green of the trees and plants. OUr villa that we were to stay at, Villa Agung Khalia, was on the outskirts of Ubud and the driver said that he had to charge extra to drop us off there (and our check-in wasn't until after 8pm anyway) so we decided to rough it and explore the area by foot instead.

We walked down one of the streets, checking out some shops along the way, and ended up at the Monkey Temple. We left our heavier luggage with the peeps in the front kiosk, bought some bananas and made our way in. The Monkey Temple is exactly what it sounds like: a temple with monkeys in it. I guess after years and years of tourists coming and going, the monkeys become more or less domesticated. Er, i mean domesticated in the sense that they weren't afraid of getting close to people (sometimes jumping on their shoulders and trying to steal a water bottle here or a camera there) or of people getting close to them. Theywere particularly interested in people-things ; you could see one monkey playing with a plastic cup and another sniffing an aerosol can.

We ended up at a place where there weren't too many monkeys, but in their place were a lot of plantlife instead. Trees, vines, moss, flowers and a river flowing through it all. Definitely something you don't see everyday, and it made it that much more breathtaking.

When we felt we had our fill of monkey-watching, we left the temple and headed toward the main street in Ubud. We stopped for some Indonesian food along the way, and i'll say it every time... it was cheap and absolutely delicious! Their fruit juices are also always fresh. Any by fresh I mean their fruits aren't all genetically altered like they are in the states. All they do is take the actual fruit, juice it up in a blender and pour it into a cup filled with ice. It's less sweet, what with the absence of artificial junk that usually goes in that stuff. But to me it tasted healthier, more delicious and more fresh.

I think fresh fruit juice (which still has stuff like sugar in it) goes for somewhere around 5,000-7,000 KRW (about $5-$7 USD) in Korea, but the average price of fruit juice in Bali is about 12,000 IDR (about $1.20 USD) and a meal is around 20,000 IDR, about $2 USD. So it only makes sense that after every savory, taste bud titilating meal, I looked at the bill in shock and thought, "...that was only $3.50?!?!" And it only makes sense that I really don't want to pay to eat anything here in Korea, at least until I get over this Bali trip.

We finally got to Ubud's main street, where we picked a driver, Wayan, to take us to our Villa to drop of our luggage. The way to the villa was a treat for your eyes. We were definitely not in Kuta anymore; the air was fresher, the city was quieter, and everything around us was more green and more serene. I looked out the window wondering if all of this was actually real, while Wayan's Bob Marley Casette played quietly in the background. "Don't worry, about a thing. Cause every little thing's.... gonna be alright.."

We had been planning to take a trip around Ubud's neighboring cities for some sightseeing the following day but weren't exactly sure which traveling 'agency' to take. As fate would have it, our kind driver Wayan ended up being the best deal for us, so after dropping off our luggage at the Villa and getting back in the car to get dropped off back on the main street, we happily let him know that we wanted him to be our driver that following day.

As Wayan dropped us off, he recommended the Bali Traditional Dance that was performed at Ubud Palace. We bought the tickets, grabbed some dinner (YUMMAY)and went to watch the show. The dancers wore bright colored clothing and from their various movements throughout the dances, seemed to have an emphasis on their eyes, fingers, wrists and necks.

After the show we walked around the main street some more before being picked up by a staff member of our villa. I was really excited to see what it would be like, as it was the most expensive accomodation of our entire trip. When we finally got inside, I could see why....

It was beautiful and BALLINNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!
The place could have easily fit something like 20 people but we had it all for just the 5 of us. There was a number of balcanies, day beds in addition to our regular beds, a bathroom with a shower per room, a kitchen, living room with a flat screen, wifi (not that we needed it) and a pool complete with kick boards, noodles and an inflatable killer whale.

I had heard stories from people who went to Bali for their honeymoons and stayed in their villas the entire time. I was really confused when I first heard this. There's a whole island to explore... why would you want to stay cooped up in a Villa?! But upon seeing our own Villa, I could see how easy it was to fall into feeling of not wanting to leave.

The first thing that we did was take advantage of the pool, and the next thing we took advantage of was the massages! After the massage, the others stayed up for some time but (being the kind of person that needs 8 hours of sleep a night) I made my way up to my little bed and went to sleep.

Bali Adventures :: Part One: Arrival & Kuta

2010-08-08T21:41:00.027+09:00

I'm still delirious.
I open the door to my apartment hoping to find a beautiful, white sanded beach, look on restaurant menus for nasi campur and mie goreng, and can't quite seem to get Bob Marley's 'Buffalo Soldier' out of my head. It's been about two days since I've been back from Bali, Indonesia but it's already beginning to seem like too much!

But, of course, i'm thankful that the trip worked out at all, and that it ended up being so amazing! Since the trip was about a week long, I'd like to split up our adventures by location: Kuta, Ubud, Nusa Lembongang and back to Kuta before leaving for Korea. Here's the first part of our adventures! Enjoy!

Getting to Bali was quite the long haul, considering that it really isn't too far away. I had to take a 15 minutes bus ride to meet Phil, where we took another hour and ten minute bus ride to Incheon Airport, where we had to do all the airport-y business before boarding the plane. From there, we flew to Hong Kong (about a 3 hour flight, I watched 'How to Train your Dragon' which was greaaaaat!), waited another 2-3 hours and before to making our way to Denpasar Airport (which was about another 5 hours, watched 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas'). When we got off the plane, we had to wait over two hours to actually get out of the airport because of the traveler's visas. When we finally did, it was about 3-4am and we were both exhausted and thankful.

We haggled for taxi prices (still ended up getting ripped off) and got dropped off at Alam Kul Kul Resort in Legian, Kuta where we were to stay while we waited for Lauren and Sugi to show up later that day, and Keny the day after. Problem was... they didn't have any room for us. There was some confusion and maybe some misunderstanding, but everything got sorted out so it was all gravy. we got to our rooms and passed out for a couple of hours before waking up to go exploring while waiting for Lauren and Sugi.

Kuta is known to be the most foreigner-filled area in Bali, i think (kind of like Itaewon in Seoul) and all the reviews that Phil read said to get out of Kuta ASAP because it wasn't the 'real Bali'. Kuta had the McDonald's and the KFC's and the OBEY and Ripcurl shops, a bunch of snazzy lounges and Clubs as well. But at the same time, it was worth a look and also the easiest place for the five of us to meet up, as it was the closest tourist city to the airport.

Our Resort was right next to the beach, and a beautiful one at that. Phil and I were walking around and noticed that there was a kind of festival going on so we decided to check it out. I don't know exactly what kind of festival it was but there were lots of vendors and a stage for musical performances. We bargained for some souvineers and grabbed our first taste of Indonesian food (which was cheap and crazy delicious!) We made a couple trips back and forth from Alam Kul Kul to the beach, snapping photos along the way, and on our last walk back, we saw Lauren and Sugi!!!

I'm not sure about Phil but I think it had been a good 3-4 years since I'd seen either other of them, so it was definitely a treat to see them after all this time, and in Bali, at that! We put our stuff in our rooms, grabbed some drinks (BINTANG!) and then headed to the beach. we sat in the sun, shot some photos, played some smash ball... It was hard to believe that I was teaching summer school in Seoul only a day ago. I was legitimately on vacation now!!

The first thing I noticed was the number of stray dogs in Bali. I honestly believed that they all had owners in the beginning, but slowly began to see (what with the dirtiness, skinniness, limping, lesions on their skin) that that was not the case.

But I loved them anyway :)
Bali dogs are the most friendly dogs I have ever met (they're friendlier than my own dog at home)! We befriended a really sweet white one at the beach by giving it some food and it sat with us for a while (probably hoping for some more) before running off again.

Phil and I were playing some smash ball when the ball rolled in the direction of a little Indonesian boy (Phil is extra good at spotting little boys and befriending them, by the way...) who had no parent or guardian in sight. I think we planned to let him play with the ball and paddle a couple of times before getting back to our game but it ended up being something like 30-40 minutes, haha :) He would hit the ball with the paddle, squeal in delight, and we would run to retrieve it. Rinse and repeat! Not gonna lie I got pretty tired running around, picking the ball up and giving it back to him only to have it fly off in another direction. But I also think watching how happy and amused he was by something so simple made the us re-realize the innocence of youth as well as the potential in the simplicities of happiness.

We were feeling ready to leave the beach but the little boy wouldn't let up! One of the paddles had broken so we were planning to give the one ball and paddle to the boy. Eventually we had to run away because he kept on trying to give it back to us. When we turned around he was just standing there with a ball and a paddle in each hand, staring at us, watching us leave. It kind of made my heart ache, but at the very last second his hand shot in the air and he waved at us, and we waved back, and that was that.

We took a short dip in the pool at our resort before changing and heading out for a night on the town. We went for some local Indonesian eats at a gigantic food court (i had some Nasi Goreng). Again, cheap and crazy delicious. We walked around, looking at shops and stuff, but what we were really looking for was dessert. As fate would have it, we ended up at this place called "Flapjaks" which served everything from, pancakes and waffles to gelato, and mixtures of both, and more. We all got on a sugar high and were beginning to feel kind of sick, but Phil came with a bag of salty french fries and saved the day!

On our way back to the resort, we saw a sign for massages and after trying to figure out whether we wanted to get them or not, figured that since we were on vacation and it was extremely cheap, it only made sense to do so. Needless to say I think we all fell asleep somewhere within that hour and thirty minutes, and all felt noodley and loosey and had croaky voices when we walked out. When we got back we didn't have much to do except wait for Keny to come. I fell asleep but within an hour or two was woken up by Keny himself! I think it was the happiest I've ever been being woken up in the middle of a good sleep (i'm usually pretty cranky). So we were all there! In Bali! It was time to let the good times roll!

But for the moment,
sleep...

One Mo' Gain

2010-07-11T20:02:00.014+09:00

As of July 3, 2010, I have officially been in Korea for one year!

Wow. It feels like its only been six months but at the same time it feels like its been a decade. Why do I feel like I know less about myself now than I did before I got here?

Surface-level wise, change is obvious: the usual jeans/sweatpants and sneakers have 'upgraded' to dress shirts, skirts, dresses, stockings and heels (due to work; go figure.), the usual bottle of water and tea has been replaced with coffee and more coffee, the dependence on parents' income and being comfortable around friends and family has changed to independence and knowing virtually no one, learning both to trust as well as be skeptical of strangers. I've gone from rarely ever thinking about weather to checking the it daily and always making sure to carry an umbrella (SO not necessary in California), my Korean language skills have improved (with the exception of occasional stuttering and tongue-twisting from nervousness, lack of time or from thinking too hard) while my English continues to deteriorate (forgetting words like "adhesive" and "therefore").

But under the surface, in the solitude of my own frame of mind, I don't really know what to think. We're always growing, I know, but I actually don't feel like I've grown at all; instead I feel like I've become a completely different person. When I came to Korea I unknowingly stepped out of my "Jungle" suit, started with a fresh, clean slate and eventually evolved into this "Tina Teacher" that I am at the moment. But maybe that's just what life is, different phases of living; 'Christina' to 'Jungle' to 'Tina Teacher' to 'Miss Jung' to 'Mrs. Whateverthehusbandslastnameis' to cremated ashes in the wind. Whatever the case, the point is that I don't fully recognize myself, and it's a little scary.

Actually, I think everyone should at one point in his/her life move out and live alone in a new place (preferably a different country) where he/she knows virtually no one... I guarantee that you will very quickly find a handful of different things you didn't know about yourself before that move. Maybe that's why I don't recognize myself so much anymore; after having lived here for a year here there are so many things about myself I hadn't known that I've discovered that I feel I've become a different person altogether.

I've mentioned it before but Korean-Americans are in a really weird situation in Korea (as is, I assume, with any x-American in their motherland) The natives think you're foreign; the foreigners think you're native. You belong but at the same time you don't. You understand the culture, the social expectations, the norms and values, but they're not your own. For the natives, the culture is their own, while the foreigners just accept what they don't understand or agree with as a cultural difference, but for you it's all gray area. I feel that the longer that I stay here, the more of this paradox I'm becoming, and the more I'm getting ripped into two. Kind of like, the more and more comfortable I get living here and the more and more I continue to become a part of my motherland, the more and more I realize I belong back home.

Now don't get me wrong (I'm realizing at this point that this post is starting to sound a little depressing and existentialistic), I'm having the time of my life making my own money, learning how to be independent, meeting new people, getting to know those I've already met or have already known, dancing, shopping, traveling, sight seeing, exploring; I wouldn't trade it for the world. I just thought that after officially being here for a year, it would be constructive to do a little self-reflection and self-evaluation.

But I guess that's enough for self-reflection for now! So it’s time for some pictures from the last however many months I've failed to update this blog! Enjoy!

2010 Fifa World Cup

Soul Bounce

Biking the Han

Here's to this next year being a bajillion times better than the last!
Cheers!

Seoul Land

2010-05-27T23:58:00.010+09:00

It's amazing what a breath of fresh air will do for students.
Or actually, it's amazing what an amusement park will do for students in the place of a classroom.
Today we took a school trip (usually its a specific grade but this year it was ALL the students and ALL the teachers which is almost 2 thousand people??) to Seoul Land, an amusement park that is not in Seoul. Seoul Land is actually right outside of Seoul in Gyeonggi, and it's supposedly the worst of the 3 major main amusement parks in Korea. Everland is supposed to be the best and Lotte World comes in second. I haven't been to either of the other two, so the only thing I have to compare Seoul Land to is Disneyland, and needless to say it just made me really depressed and triply more homesick than i already am.

anyway, all i was told about seoul land was that it was small and boring so i tried to get out of going at first, but i was told it was mandatory so i didn't have much of a choice. even though the amusement park wasn't thhe most exciting, the time spent there itself was actually pretty nice. it was nice hanging out with the teachers outside of the normal school setting, and it was even better riding rides with the students and seeing them smile and scream and... stay awake, haha :)

One thing that was really interesting was the student's clothing. Today was one of the few days that they weren't required to wear their uniforms (with the exception of 3rd grade, because they needed to take class pictures). It's really hard to distinguish individual students in uniforms, but it's easy to tell as a mass which students are from my school and which are not. Today, I could see each of the students' personalities by the kind of clothes they were wearing (booty shorts, dresses, sweat pants, or just jeans and a tee) but it was SO hard to tell which of the students were mine and which were from another school. Minus the students that I'm more or less familiar with, which i would say is about fifty(?) students, i found myself waiting for the students to say hello to us first, because i couldn't recognize them at all; they just looked like regular korean natives i would see anywhere else. It's actually really a scary thing, not being able to recognize students in causal wear outside of school. But that's another topic for another day, haha.

After we rode our fair share of rides, we [teachers] grabbed some ice cream (there's an ice cream called '셀레임' that's my new favorite!), took a walk, and eventually all ended up at the subway station where we went our separate ways.

Tomorrow is the Physical Education Competition and though I wish I could participate (really really wish) it's for the students so i'm excited to cheer for class 2-4! Pictures and updates to come!

Later Days-

Gapyeong Getaway

2010-05-24T22:21:00.006+09:00

One of the hardest things about coming to Korea and learning to acclimate to life in a new city was what I had left behind in coming here. Before moving by my lonesome into a size five shoebox of an apartment, I was at Irvine with CADC, people who I loved and trusted, a team I could easily call my second family. But the fact that I was called to leave before I could even finish the season, before I could join the seniors in coming up with and performing the senior piece, left a kind of sore spot in my soul.

In Korea, dance is at two extremes: there's street dancing (or fundamentals) like popping, bboying, house, locking, wacking and the like, and then there's 방송 dance, which are the dances that are in music videos and on tv, stuff that's usually done by pop stars. When I first came here and looked for a dance studio to fill the void that CADC had left, I quickly realized that the dance community back in California was really something unique and really something both to be proud of and grateful to be a part of; there was nothing even close to it in korea.

I wasn't quite confident enough to take a fundamental class, and I definitely wasn't interested in learning pop star or pop group dances. It was hard to find studios in general, so when I finally found a website for this studio in Sincheon (and more specifically, saw that they had beginner, intermediate/advanced hip hop classes) I decided that I might as well check it out...even if it was about an hour away.

I still remember the first time I took the intermediate/advanced class at the studio last October. I actually got lost on the way and was afraid I wasn't going to find the studio and miss the class, but eventually I wandered around in enough circles and zigzags tod somehow end up where I was supposed to be. I was really nervous; I naturally pick up choreography really slowly and at the time I decided to take the class, I hadn't danced in about five months. I was also a little worried that the style might not be the same as what I'd learned in California.

But after about the first twenty minutes, all of those thoughts had evaporated from my brain. The song was Kanye West's 'Paranoid,' the choreography was extremely fun (challenging enough but not completely impossible) and the instructor had been to California before to train, take classes and get involved in that dance community (he was also Tae Yang's backup dancer!!). From then on I went to class four to five times a week, taking all the hip hop classes that they offered, including special saturday classes that they had where someone from another studio would come and teach a specific fundamental for a month. Since I happened to go so often, I got relatively familiar with the teachers and the dancers/people who worked there. The studio is also an agency, so at times singers and their back up dancers practice for their live shows (like music bank and inkingayo) or music videos there. The people that work there are all currently under the agency, meaning that they all backup dance and do other stuff for the media, so it's really cool seeing them practice and then seeing them when they come out on TV and stuff.

Anyway, I really love spending time at the studio because it's a really different and interesting atmosphere, and it's become kind of like a refuge for me from the stresses of work or the pangs of homesickness. This past weekend, they invited me to a trip that they were taking to Gapyeong, and I excitedly and gratefully accepted. We left thursday night after the classes were finished and drove about an hour and a half south of Seoul. We arrived at our cabins (directly by the river) and cooked meat and sang and drank until one by one, everyone eventually passed out.

The next morning, we got up, and took in the nice weather and beautiful view.
(click to enlarge panorama)

Then we went wakeboarding. That shit is FUN. But it's definitely harder than it looks (what isn't?). Once you're riding on the water's surface, you can't help but think "HELL YEA I AM THE SHIT," especially if its your first time. Seeing people eat it face first on the water while the boat is going so many miles per hour is definitely bittersweet; it sucks for the person who ate it but at the same time my favorite part is hearing everyone says "OHHHHHH" together. I am proud to say that I got up the first try, first time, and never ate it my whole turn!! Although, it does have something to do with the fact that I made the guide teach me the same thing about 8 times over (took about about half an hour) before I went in the water. Despite the fact the weather was nice, the water itself was ice cold, and for me the hardest part was trying to breathe while I waited for the boat to go; I could only do it in gasps and was afraid that if and when I got up on the water, that it would be way too cold to hold on. But with the exception of that, it was really really fun. A couple of us also rode the banana. That shit is SCARY. the boat is pulling this inflatable banana looking thing (really fast, i will add) and when the boat steers left, the first four people on the banana have to lean to the left and the last person has to lean to the right, and vice versa when the boat steers to the opposite side. if the balance is off, the entire banana sideswipes and flips over, causing everyone to either fly off or just eat it in the water. We flipped over once and i ended up (unintentionally) kicking my instructor in the head and i myself got a huge bruise on my inner foot. We were all dazed at it took us forever to climb back onto the banana from inside the water. The second time we were riding and we looked back and the last person was just gone, HAHA. So we had to go back, find him and pick him up. It's effing scary when you feel the banana teeter like it's going to flip over...but I guess that's why most people find it fun. I, personally, would stick to wakeboarding.

We had our share of fun on the river wakeboarding, banana-ing, tanning, throwing people in the water... when the sun went down, we packed up and hit the road. We ate at a restaurant, sore but satisfied, and after reaching the studio, went our own separate ways. I guess the point of this whole thing is that... I'm really glad that I somehow randomly, luckily found a website that brought me to the studio where i got to know this place and these people, because I think I've really found a niche here that a lot of other non-natives probably leave without never finding, especially those that stay such a short period of time. And though it may not be CADC, it's something different and something good, and I'm really thankful to have it while I'm here.

Cheers to signing up for another year in Korea;
May it be an even better one.

Just Around the Riverbend

2010-05-17T17:10:00.012+09:00

i will never get tired of crossing the han river by subway.
whether its before the rest of the city has woken up,
or after everyone has gone to sleep,
whether the sun is reaching out its bright beams to kiss the surface of the waters,
or the dark clouds have huddled to rinse off the dusty cars of businessmen,
the moment the subway hits the bridge it's just me and the city
the city and me
and the river in between

for that one minute and thirty seven seconds
there is no time
there is no sound
just slight parting of the lips
and a single exhalation

up until this past weekend, i hadn't actually gotten a chance to see the river up close, especially since the weather as of late is, simply put, on crack. i'm glad, though, that the weather decided to loosen up a little bit because after this weekend, i've fallen infinitely more in love with the han river.

when we got there, everyone just kind of stood around and took everything in: the river, the spring flowers, the slight breeze and sunlight... after what seemed like almost five months of winter, this was quite the change. we spotted the duck boats (overpriced) and figured what with the nice weather and nice company that we should go for a spin. those things are a lot more tiring and a lot less fun than they look. i'd say the first 5 minutes are fun, and then the 10 minutes after that you think "alright, alright, this is nice, this is cool" and then after getting a little sea-sick (would river-sick be more appropriate?) and then getting bumped into multiple times by high school kids who don't know how to steer, it's about time to get back on solid ground.

after getting off the duck boats, we loitered around a little more, grabbed some beer and snacks, spread a blanket on the grass next to the river and chilled. it was one of those times when there isn't anything too specific or profound going on in your head, just one of those times when time slows down a little and you simply think "ah, life is good."

it got really crowded really quickly, though.
you know when there's a whole bunch of ants swarming over something and you get the heebies? thats how i feel about seoul sometimes, just cause there's so many people everywhere all the time and they all have black hair, haha. anyway, with the exception of the crowdedness, i hope to make many many more trips to the han river... and i'll make sure to bring my trusty dslr to show and tell!

until next time,
i'll leave you with a semi-panoramic of the river (click to enlarge)
later days!

s t e p p i e / / s e o u l

2010-05-03T11:04:00.007+09:00

The Third & The Seventh

2010-02-16T12:04:00.001+09:00

Watch it in fullscreen.

A FULL-CG animated piece that tries to illustrate architecture art across a photographic point of view where main subjects are already-built spaces. Sometimes in an abstract way. Sometimes surreal.

Mid-Day Marauders

2010-02-16T01:31:00.006+09:00

thumbsucker

2010-01-30T22:51:00.020+09:00

gracias por keeping me sane.

Situation: Candlelight

2010-01-11T12:35:00.015+09:00

I had that nightmare again, except, I can never seem to remember what it's about. I'm in perpetual subconscious fear until I feel a twinge of deja vu at dream's end, at which point I realize that it's a dream because I've dreamt it before. I wake up short of breath, but relieved at the familiarity of my room, drift back into to sleep.

I essentially forget about the dream until I dream it again, so I have no grounds for figuring out what circumstances or emotions (if any) contribute to this singular, repetitive nightmare.

Or, what if dreams and nightmares are just that? Just dreams and nightmares? What if my subconscious is just giving me ways to hold on to some kind of familiarity by recycling dreams? Or worse, what if my subconscious has run out of imagination and ideas and has no choice but to give me already dreams that I've already dreamt?

Sometimes I wonder if we just try to make meaning out of nothing. He dreamt of a leaking faucet...does that mean its going to rain tomorrow? I saw a perfectly ripe strawberry in the middle of a dirt field...does that mean my current wearisome existence is about to get a little sweeter? I mean, I guess life without any kind of meaning is literally.. a meaningless, pointless life (which I know is an arguable statement for some), but can you ever have too much meaning? Or make too much out of meaning? And along those lines, how much, exactly, is meaning and how much is chance? We always say, "Dude, there's no way it was just coincidence. It was meant to be." But we don't know that. Dude, there is a chance it could be solely coincidence. "Meant to be?" I don't even fully understand that sentence. Am I just making everything more confusing than it really is?

Well, I've given myself a headache without meaning to, so I'm going to eat my fiber cookies and think about this another time.