Two Thousand Ten Fin

Every year is like a marathon. Everybody starts off at the starting line at the beginning of the year. But at the end of the year is what really defines what the hell you did and accomplished the past 365 days. Some people don't make it off that line and are right where they started and then there are some whom can't even see the starting point they are so far ahead of the game.
We trip and fall, some get right back up...some don't and stay put...and some are too scared to go and see the course of the run.
Some take risks.
Some make attempts.
Some fail.
Some succeed.
"If you're not failing every now and again, it is a sign you are not doing anything very innovative." - Woody Allen. My favorite quote of 2010 by the way.

2008 was a year of ultimate highs for me. 2009 was a year of ultimate lows for me. 2010, well, it was a bit of both.

This was a year of a rude awakening that I needed. Everything that happened in this year was and is for a reason.

Amanda and I = did not work out but we are now best friends and basically picked up our friendship where it left off before we started dating in 2008. With how things are now, I am very happy and extremely glad they did not turn sour. Being friends for so long, then dating, then breaking up, then maintaining that friendship is a very rare thing. I am very thankful for that.

Google and I = did not work out but we are still homies. I Google everyday :) and will Google everyday probably for the rest of my life. It is OK Google that you dropped me to the curb with that heartbreaking phone call I received on my last morning in Las Vegas with your 'dream come true' job that was not going to happen. So Google, I will inform you that I have my own 'dream come true' job of my own as I climb this ladder. Maybe me and you will meet again one day...on better terms from your part I hope.

Sincerely,
That Photographer Dude


Mini and I = did not work out but I still stare at you and become oblivious to traffic, laws, and traffic signs as you drive by me. You will be mine one day, oh yes, you will be mine. Just not right now because I have a plane ticket to save up for to Indonesia. Priorities first. Mister tC, you have done me well the past 6 years and I will stick with you for a while longer.

Bulldog and I = did not work out but I still laugh everytime I see you. You will be in my possession one day, just didn't seem to happen in 2010. I work 55 hours a week and I am usually out and about 4-5 nights out of the the week so I'm not home enough to feed you. You would ultimately die of starvation before I would get a chance to feed you those delicious Keebles 'N' Bits. So for the sake of your well-being and my morality, let's wait for when the time is right.

George da Bulldog :D

Now for the brighter side of 2010! Raise the roof.

My job and I = did work out because I am no longer in the restaurant industry. I love food but damn, working in restaurants sucks. The money isn't even worth the bullshit you have to put up with so for everyone working in the restaurant industry right now: My hat goes off to you because I know how it is so Godspeed my fellow comrades. Now as for right now, getting paid to be surrounded by photography all day everyday...yeah, I struck gold on this one :) Thank you SPC.


My travels and I = did work out because I visited (in no particular order): South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. 28 states out of 50 in the span of four months. A total of 9,651 miles and a total time of 6 days and 19 hours on the road. Next year: Indonesia :) and the year after that: Tokyo :)
God I love to travel.

View Larger Map

Dewi and I = did work out because of fate. How does two people over 15,000 miles apart, one in the northern hemisphere while the other is in the southern hemisphere, one in the US and the other in Indonesia, one in snowfall while the other is in rainfall, one in sunlight while the other is in moonlight, meet but have yet to meet in person.
Thank you Facebook :)
How this 'movie script' of a story started was a friend request she sent me back at the end of April. She was looking for an Indonesian musician whom is named Brandon. She typed it in and somehow, out of the thousands of Brandon's on Facebook, I was one of the top search results. She liked my default picture which (at the time) was a black and white photo of myself on a boat heading towards Alcatrez in San Francisco Bay. She browsed through my photography and wham bam here we are at the end of 2010 as I am writing about her. I never except requests from people I do not know but hers, for some reason, I left pending for over a month. It was perfect timing as if it were written in the script to 'Ooo! and Ahhh!' the audience. Once the whole thing with Amanda and I came to a close, I decided one day to click "Confirm" and everyday since then we have talked and most recently have used Skype to see each other for the first time other than pictures. Everyone that I know knows what type of person I am and they know of my personality, my 'wants' and 'needs' in life. Ultimately, they know I am done with Spartanburg.
So why not jump across the ocean?
September can not come any sooner :D

My Photography and I = did work out because it has no other option haha. Before I started working at SPC, I thought I had a good amount of knowledge about photography. HAHAHAHA...excuse me.....HAHAHAHAHA.............OK I am done....no wait............HAHAHAHAHAHAHA...snort..HAHAHA..............OK seriously I am done now. 

I have redefined the term "You learn something new everyday." I set that bar up so high that you might as well learn 73 things everyday to keep up on par with me. I am surprised my brain hasn't leaked out of my skull, grew legs, and jetted off to Montana just to get away. But you know what? I love it. Absolutely love it and I could not ask for a better job in Spartanburg.

And as for my two main photo excursions this year: Roadtrip across the USA and New England Roadtrip. Here are three of my favorite photos from the year.

Roadtrip across the USA: Colorado/Kansas border

Roadtrip across the USA: Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco, California

New England Roadtrip: Acadia National Park, Maine

Well 2010, my friend, you were quite an interesting year. I am going to miss you however, probably even more than I miss 2008 because I like my placement in life better than 2008 offered me. 

So 2010, I raise my glass up in your honor as you have reached your untimely death and I raise my glass even higher for the newborn 2011 whom is just took its first few breathes.

2011 is going to fucking rock.

Chuck Norris is Dead... For Now

This just in! The unthinkable, the unimaginable, the indescribable happened. The wicked beard of the east has been defeated by its master in a razor fight to the death. I was comfortably in my bowl chair, playing my 360. Jonathan was on his laptop and he uttered those words that I can not describe as too how painful they were to my delicate ear bongos, "I'm thinking of shaving it off." It all happened in slow motion. My mouth dropped as my eyes widened. I whipped my head to face him and went "WWWWHHHHHHAAAATTTTTT???" My 360 controller slipped out of hand and fell graciously to the floor and bounced hitting my coffee table. I think my ears started to bleed.

His beard became part of the group, its own member, its own character. It was called many names, but one never stuck. Chewbecca, Chuck Norris, The Brawny Man, Grizzly, ect. I particularly liked Brawny. I could just see Jonathan with an ax in one hand, a roll of paper towels in the other and one leg propped up on a defeated log in the middle of a forest. Deer, rabbits, even bears run away to hide from the epicness of the beard. I even heard an urban legend that the beard ate and swallowed a hippopotamus and a herd of zebras on multiple occasions. True story.

My most memorable moment of me and that beard (not gay) was..................................... I don't have one. Well, probably the photo shoot I did with it as it was in its dying process. Enjoy below :)

Simplicity is best and brilliant

It is the simple things in life that make more sense and have more beauty to them. Think about it.... the wheel. Whom ever invented the wheel should deserve to rule the world. Without that thing, all these other 'complex' things would never been invented. Sliced bread! You can do a 2,678,982,561 things with sliced bread. It's simple.

And then there is art. Jackson Pollack and his splashes of paint on a massive canvas. Milton Glasor and his "I <3 NY" logo that has every single city in the world with "I <3 whatever city I'm in" t-shirts for sale. It's simple. And then I stumbled upon Jason de Caires Taylor, a sculptor who carved concert blocks into human figures of all shapes, sizes, sexes, races, ethnicity, and everything in between and threw these massive pieces of rock into the bottom of the ocean in South America. Then he let Mother Nature take over. It was time consuming but view the pictures and you will see what I am talking about. It's a simple idea that is brilliant.

Visit Drowning Beautiful to see more pictures

The Lost Footage of the Original Star Wars Trilogy

Just recently during the first week of a cold December, lost footage from one of the greatest movie trilogies was found in a basement which belonged to 'Name Withheld.' He was down in the basement to grab some Christmas decorations and found this raggedy box with 'Star Wars' written on the side in bold black letters. Did curiosity kill the cat?
No. Curiosity led the cat to lost footage of the original Star Wars trilogy that is worth an estimated $132 million dollars.

I was able to get my hands on this footage from the sheer courtesy of 'Name Withheld' and I am presenting it to you for your enjoyment. No DVD/Blu-Ray release is announced yet.

Star Wars: A New Hope

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars: Return of The Jedi

YPU

Late last year I submitted my portfolio to a company called YPU which stands for YoungPhotograghersUnited. They only accept 50 photographers a year to join them in a exclusive network with connections to many international photography agencies and companies.
Sometime this summer they sent me an email stating that they apologized that they I wasn't selected to be one of the 50. I didn't mind because I know there are thousands of photographers out there much better than me and that capture photographs that make me envious that I wish I took that picture. But from receiving that email I have high hope. Google fell through for me, let's see if this sparks anything

Also in that email they stated that they are allowing me to join their social network community. As well as many photographers who want those connections to the world that awaits their creativity.

Without hesitation, I joined. I want those connections and I am posting this because I want all the photographers I know that the door is open. Walk through it.

YoungPhotographersUnited

Roadtrip Across the USA: Day 14, 15 (Pursuit of Happiness)

This is it. It's over.

The best two weeks of my life, thus far, has come to an end.

It was 1:45am on Sunday morning when we pulled into my parents' driveway. It took us 35 hours to get from the Grand Canyon to Spartanburg over a span of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It is now one minute past 4 am and I am sitting here in my parents' living room writing this. I've got a lot of laundry to do tomorrow.

Now what do I do since this short journey of a lifetime is over? I'll figure that out. I always do when I come to crossroads in my life and every time in the past I've made the right decision. If I didn't I would not be who I am today.

The final two days of our road trip across the USA started off with a 2 hour relationship with the Grand Canyon. That's right. I said relationship because when you visit her and see her for the first time, you forget there are thousands of other people just like you glaring at her in awe and you just think about you in that particular moment watching her in her beauty. As your pupils absorb everything the canyon has to offer you just stop everything that you are doing, and just stare as if she is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen. That's when it becomes a relationship.

When you walk to the edge of the cliffs you start to get nervous.

Your heart beats faster.

You struggle for air.

You become scared for your life.

One slip and you will ultimately come to an end one mile down. But I like to test the limits. I like to see how far I am willing to take myself into a situation that exhilarates me and pumps adrenaline through my veins. What is the point in living if you don't take risks every now and then? The good thing about this is I survived since I am here writing this blog. The bad thing is I wish that 2 hour relationship could have lasted longer.

There is this ledge that sticks out and becomes narrower towards the point that Andrew and I went to the night before. We wanted to go back to take some good photographs since we had a lot more daylight. When we climbed down the cliffs to get to the ledge there was this blond woman whom was sitting on the edge in her own world with the canyon. She heard us coming down and got up to greet us. I didn't get her name but us three exchanged a few words in the few minutes we had on the ledge together. She is from the Netherlands and was on a road trip across the US with her family going to all the stops that we went too but in reverse order. Seeing our cameras in our hands, she kindly asked if we would like our photo taken. She did and gave us the cameras back. I started taking more photos and then began to think about how people meet, how people run into each other. A woman from the Netherlands meeting two guys from South Carolina on the ledge of the Grand Canyon one mile up. This is what traveling does best. Meeting random people in even more random spots. She took a great photo of Andrew and I by the way. We exchange a few more words and wished each other safe travels. Her next stop was San Francisco. Hope she likes it because you know my love for that city.

We saw what we could in the very little time we had with the canyon then got in the SUV and headed East. Meghan started the first trek as I was in the passenger seat. During our drive through the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico I put on my headphones, replayed the song "Awful Game" by Milosh, and went into a unique state of mind for a few hours. With my Dad's journal in my hand and finishing the last pages of his journey that he took 35 years ago, I wrote in mine. It was the longest entry that I wrote from this trip and of course those words stay with me but my mind began to bounce back and forth about what's going to happen to me when I get back. This road trip was exactly what my mind, body and soul needed desperately. Now that it has come to an end will all the negative/depressed feelings come back? Or will I have created this new outlook on my life and how I control it? Let's hope for the latter.

One of my favorite books is called "The Art of Happiness" which is written by the Dalai Lama. Hence the title, you will know what the book is about. The first paragraph of the first chapter is the greatest collaboration of words I have ever read and ever single one makes perfect sense. He writes,

"I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we all are seeking something better in life. So, I think, the very motion of our life is towards happiness..."

I read those words over a year ago for the first time but now after all the experiences I had and memories I created on this road trip I know how to do that exactly. The trip changed me. How could it not? and of course it changed me in a very beneficial way for myself and for other people. The 2 months prior to this trip were the hardest I've ever gone through and the saddest I've ever been. The 2 weeks following those 2 months were the best of my life. Funny how they coincide with each other but everything happens for a reason. I've come to accept that and I learned how to seek happiness, my own personal happiness because of this trip. Sometimes in life you just need to step back, take a breather or two then jump right back in. It will change your perspective on everything and it will definitely rock your world. 

Now the next step in my life must be taken. 

What will it be? I don't know but let's go find out. Godspeed to myself.

Roadtrip Across the USA: Day 13

Today did not start out good for me. Everybody I know now knows that I am supposed to start a temporary job with Google. Well I was supposed to receive an email about my flight information to San Francisco this Sunday but I never received that email. So this morning I called the agency before we left Vegas and they told me that Google canceled this project they wanted to do.

I was crushed. Completely taken aback. Completely heartbroken. Why? Because I seriously thought this was my big break, my chance to get out of Spartanburg. I know I can still get out of Spartanburg but its muthaf***ing Google! The biggest website on this planet. The project can still happen in the future but as of right now Google canceled it. Don't know why either.

Now I really don't want to come home from this roadtrip. This roadtrip has cleansed my mind and soul and I don't want to go back to what got it all scrambled. Don't get me wrong, I love Spartanburg and I love the people that are my life there. I love both with everything I have. Deep down I have to, not because I feel obligated to love the city but because it's been my life since I was 5 years old. But I've come to the point where I feel that Spartanburg has nothing else to offer me. I can't fully blossom in my career as a photographer there. Check Monster.com and type in 'Photographer' for Spartanburg and see what results come up. You will know exactly what I mean. I've gained everything I can from this city and now I want more.

Seeing the West Coast again made my heart skip a beat. And now that this Google thing sorta collapsed on me, what do I have to lose? I've begun to think that I will start looking for jobs out West in San Francisco or L.A. or New York. And I've even thought about asking my Godfather in Guam if I can move in with him for a few months just to get away from it all.

With this on my mind all morning it was hard to let it go and go back to enjoying the roadtrip. We left Vegas and headed back East. Made a stop at the Hoover Dam, which actually is smaller than I expected it to be. It was massive, of course, but in my mind I always pictured bigger. Hot as hell too. The desert reached 119 degrees outside. Our sunroof was too hot you couldn't place your bare skin on it for more than 3 seconds without yelling a bunch of four letter words. Driving through the Arizona mountainous desert, however, made up for the heat and was gorgeous. It really made me just stop what I was doing and daze out the window to absorb its massive beauty. We stopped at this small gas station in this small town called Seligman, Arizona, home of the birthplace of Route 66. Pretty cool. Didn't plan on stopping there and it happened to be the birthplace of America's most famous road. Got back on the road and headed to the Grand Canyon.

We got there when the sun was setting. I was getting antsy in the car because I knew I would get gorgeous shots of the Grand Canyon as the sun settled. I dashed out of the SUV as soon as we parked and gunned it. I jogged for about a half a mile and was immediately out of breath. Jogging at 8,000 feet is sorta difficult. As I ran, to my right was the Grand Canyon. No guardrails or anything to keep you from falling to your death. My first glance of it stopped me in my tracks. As I walked towards the edge I was still struggling for air but it didn't phase me as I looked at the most beautiful, massive, awe-inspiring creation by God or whatever higher power you believe in. You do not come to see the Grand Canyon, you come to experience it. You come to absorb it. You come to make it feel how small you are and how grand life is and how f***ing beautiful this world we live on is. You just have to stop and observe.

I found a ledge to take my shots, one mile up from the bottom. The air was nice and crisp. I was one minute to late to get the shots that I wanted as I ran to beat the sun. The sun had the entire sky a deep orange but when I finally got to a good spot the sky was beginning to turn dark blue and black. Still took my shots but I didn't hustle enough. The darkness took over quickly and it became dangerous to climb out onto the cliffs and ledges in the dark. We headed back to find a hotel room. We did and now the Grand Canyon waits for the sun to glisten its beauty. Come on sun. Hurry up and get here.

Roadtrip Across the USA: Day 11, 12

Hello Vegas and now goodbye Vegas.

I liked you and I disliked you.

I liked you because you are pretty at night. So colorful and vibrant. Cheap food if you find the right places (which we did a couple of times) and our hotel which rocked.

I disliked you because you are crowded, too hot (111ª F is a bit too much), we did everything we wanted to do in a day, food is extremely overpriced if you dont find the right places, and I'm not even going to start on the gambling. I set aside $50 bucks but only gambled $30 of it and lost about $14. I stopped there. Luck was not on my side.

My entire life I never wanted to visit Vegas. Nothing here interested me up until about a year ago when I learned how to play poker. My friends and I learned together and played together but we never played with real money. After my beginner experience with this I started having an interest in visiting Vegas. Now that I have seen, somewhat conquered, and experience Sin City, it will be long awhile before I come back, if I ever want to in my remaining lifetime.

We got a nice Asian themed room on the 18th floor of the Mirage. It was the cheapest we could find on the strip so we went with it. Our first night we walked up and down Las Vegas Boulevard and saw Vegas come to life as the almost unbearable sun set. The heat, even at night, felt like there was a massive hairdryer blowing hot air through the streets. At times it burned my eyes and at times I got dehydrated quickly. Later that night I gambled around $2 and ended the night with $2.23. Sweet. A profit. That was the first and last night I made more than what I gambled during my stay here. Sad, isn't it? Or just what I was expecting?

The next day we ate, strolled the strip more, ate, swam, gambled and ate. Vegas is in two parts. There is the strip on Las Vegas Boulevard that has all the massive hotels such as the MGM Grand and Caesers Palace then there is Old Vegas on Fremont Street in downtown, the place where Vegas was born. I was excited to see Old Vegas. For years I had this vision in my mind from old movies and pictures of it a night time but when I got there that image in my mind was completely destroyed. This is just me expressing my opinion but it had a different vibe there than our hotel area, I vibe I didn't care for and one main thing that completely took away from the essence of the original Las Vegas was this massive roof/screen that covered everything. It was nice when they did a light display but other than that it was nothing but advertisements up in the sky covering what made Vegas, Las Vegas. I dont know, I guess the city thought it would be a nice feature to do this but I didn't care for it nor did Whitney, Andrew, and Meghan.

And by the way, I bought an $11 milkshake. Yeah, eleven dollars. It was good but I'd say it was $6 good.

I am not a tourist, and I've never really cared for tourist spots. They are always crowded, always sell souviners (which I hate), and always have this appeal to them that doesn't make them feel like they are what they are portrayed to be. If you get what I am saying but anyways, I am a traveler and will be for the rest of my life but Vegas has nothing to offer to anybody but tourists. That's just the way I see it. It is a town for people who want to spend money, lots and lots of it. $7 for oatmeal? You can get it in Vegas. $17 for a pastrami sandwich? Come to Vegas. $3 for a bottle of Coke? Vegas Baby!

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas and the happening is your money going bye bye because it is staying in Vegas while you hop on your plane to go home.

And yes I am aware that the Grand Canyon is a tourist spot and that is where we are going next. But all you have to do is a little research to find out how to experience these spots as a traveler, not a tourist. We did our research and are going do to just that.

Roadtrip Across the USA: Day 8, 9, 10

For the past 3 days I haven't had internet and we were so busy in L.A. that I didn't have time to write my blog. But now here I am in Vegas... at the Mirage... with internet. 


Well, what can I say about L.A.? All my life I have had a bad impression of the city. It was a place I never really cared to visit as a traveler. After the past three days I made a complete 180 on my opinion on the city. 


Our first full day in L.A. was our first chill day on the trip. All we did was find the Lomography store which made me giddy, chill with our L.A. friend, do laundry (that was desperately needed), swim in the pool, eat at a Peruvian restaurant and see our friend perform on stage at a lounge in Hollywood. It was a good day, a real good day. 


Our second day was filled with all the sightseeing: Hollywood sign, walk of fame, all that mumbo jumbo. Did a hike up on Runyon Canyon which gave us a great aerial view of the city. All I can say is massive. Wow. Ate at a Brazilian restaurant then chilled in the hot tub that night. Our friend promised us that we would see a celebrity. He took us too all the places where the celebs hang out. Never saw one. :( Still had one more day left.


Our third day was a trip to San Diego. It was a real nice city that looked like it was just built. We walked along the boardwalk and out onto rocks that reached away from the coast. Doing it barefoot sucked for my feet: some rocks were jagged and seagull poop everywhere. Got some good photos though. Our goal for the day was to swim in the Pacific but it was absolutely freezing. Meghan got burnt (as usual). Our day in San Diego was somewhat short though. We headed back around 3:30, got stuck in 5 o'clock traffic which freakin rocked :) then our friend showed us his old coffee shop he used to work at and Rodeo Drive. Still promising us that we would see a celebrity, we walked into his coffee shop. No celebrities but Lindsey Lohan was there the day before. Drove down Rodeo Drive and saw a huge crowd of people outside the Louis Vittion store so our friend jumped out of the SUV, grabbed our camera and joined the crowd. We had to drove around the block because we couldn't stop anywhere so when we drove back around we found out Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were coming to the store for a party. Once again, never saw a celebrity. :( But it's all good.


Our last night in L.A. was possibly my favorite night on the trip so far. We all got together at our friend's girlfriend's apartment and just chilled. Our friend played a few songs for us on his acoustic, we drank wine, threw cats around in the living room, talked, laughed and cried. This was where we were saying good-bye to our friend. Seeing his reaction made my trip to L.A. even more memorable. It showed how much it meant to him that we came to see him. He told us people always say they are going to come and visit but never do. We did. 


We all did not want to leave L.A. because we all fell in love with the city and we all never thought we would. It's funny how your opinions on certain things change after you experience it. Never judge a book by its cover. I know I will be back. To visit or live, who knows? But as we drove away from our friend that night I started tearing up. I was experiencing an epiphany and it gave me tears of joy and sadness. I can't explain it because it was the first time in my life I ever felt this way. My whole body, mind and soul just felt an overwhelming amount of sadness and happiness. This trip has made me seriously think about the soul purpose of everyone's lives, pursuit of happiness and it made me realize my pursuit. Why am I still in Spartanburg? Why am I not living where I know I will succeed? Why did I spontaneously drop my two jobs to do a temp job with Google? Why did this road trip and the circumstances of my life almost shadow exactly my Dad's road trip and the circumstances in his life 35 years ago? Life throws you curve balls all the time. Hell, sometimes it seems that is all life is are curve balls. But so far from this trip I have realized a lot about my life and its curve balls. Some things in life will always be left unanswered and they are suppose to. I do know that from this trip and the many travels I have done in my life that traveling is one of the best things for the soul.

Roadtrip Across the USA: Day 7

Last day in San Fran. I don't like saying good-byes but I will be back in a week for Google. Since we decided we were going to add San Fran to this roadtrip, I have been looking forward to driving down the Pacific Coast Highway (HWY 1).  At first the drive was alright, it wasn't what I was expecting. Scenery was ok and we drove through a few small towns here and there. But as soon as we drove through Santa Cruz and Monterey the scenery did a complete 180 degrees. The road hug the cliffs 500-700 feet above the waves and rocky bottoms below. Curves, turns and at some points no guardrails. The sun was setting as we drove down and it was indescribable. This part of the country looked untouched by humanity (except for the road that was built) and I hope it stays that way in my lifetime. I was sitting in the backseat on the far right on the side with the Pacific Ocean and the cliffs. The sun was setting behind us and it was difficult to get photographs so I turn my body around and faced the back of the SUV and snapped away. I got what I wanted :)

One bad thing about the drive was as soon as the sun set and I got my photos we wanted to hop back on the interstate for the rest of the drive to L.A. That didn't happen for a loooong time. The section of HWY 1 we were on didnt meet another road for 80 miles. So we only had one road to go, one direction to go and thankfully enough gas to get us there. But with the sharp curves and 2 lanes it the 80 miles drive took about 2 hours. Beautiful though and we don't regret it.

At 2am we got into L.A. and landed our mother-ship at our friends house. He is so excited we are here and I know the next few days are going to be so memorable.

Roadtrip Across the USA: Day 6

Today was a reminiscence of a few days back in June of 2008. I visited some of my most favorite places in the world. One in particular though. I don't know what its called but there is something surreal about this place. It starts at the top of a hill. You walk down this very narrow trail descending the hill completely surrounded by wild bushes and flowers. In the distance that you are walking towards is the Pacific Ocean. You continue walking down and the smells around just suck you into the earth. Pure nature. As soon as you reach the beach it is a short stretch of sand but to the left is a massive 200 foot cliff that engulfs you and stretches out into the ocean a good football field length. On the side is coated with massive rocks and smaller cliffs. And knowing myself and Andrew, we climb.

It was high tide so climbing the rocks and cliffs that jutted out into the ocean was somewhat difficult. When you climb all the way out with no land around you but the rocks you are standing on and the 200 foot cliff in the sky, there is this rock arch that is absolutely beautiful. The waves crash constantly towards you spraying mist into the air; in the distance you can see the Golden Gate and San Fran. Its quiet. I love it. And of course I went there today, showing Andrew. On the way back was more difficult than getting there. In the end I had both my shoes absolutely soaked and cut my thumb wide open and bleed pretty badly. It was all for San Fran :)

After, we stopped a few more places that I visited 2 years ago and showed them around. It was a lot of hiking, climbing, sweating, bleeding, and photo taking.

The rest of the day included eating at an amazing diner called Mel's (ever seen American Graffeti), watching sea lions grunt, climbing streets and listening to Lady Gaga. Today was one of the best days of the trip.

And also, we saw the entrance to Skywalker Ranch. Emoks roaming the woods. :)

Roadtrip Across the USA: Day 5

21 hours of driving through mountains, then valleys, then canyons, then mountains again, then flat lands, then deserts, then mountains, then into San Francisco. It was a beautiful drive but a difficult one for all of us. A majority of the drive was through the night which made it worse. Jake and I did the night shifts. He went first than I. I got on the wheel at 3:30am somewhere in the middle of Nevada and drove till 12pm when we arrived here in San Fran.

But as some of you many know, this is where I left part of my heart and soul 2 years ago when I first visited this place. I saw our hotel from 2 years ago, ate at Cafe Mason like we did 2 years ago and saw alot of the same places and things that we did 2 years ago. And it felt like I never left the city. It felt like it was yesterday two years ago.

I navigated myself and the rest of us around the city no problem. We searched for a hotel with decent rates and found one about a mile from the other hotel I stayed at 2 years ago, even on the same street. Walked around Union Square and Chinatown and also ran from camera shop to camera shop (literally, I ran) to find a new or used Nikon D-SLR at a decent price. I found one and plan on selling it as soon as the trip is over and get mine fixed but everybody knows that my pictures from this trip mean more to me than anything. Photography and traveling are my passion and for my camera to break on the biggest travel of my life so far...yeah...it was heartbreaking. So I forked over the money I did not want to spend to be able to continue on with my passions.

God, I love you San Francisco.

Roadtrip Across the USA: Day 3 and 4

For the past 2 days I have not had internet because on Day 3 the friend we were staying with kicked us out. That's right. We got kicked out. Why? I have no idea. Nor does Jake, or Whitney, or Andrew or even Meghan. We were completely baffled. So that night we had to pack our stuff and get out of Denver. We drove 2 hours south to a small town called Canon City, Colorado. We had a train ride through a gorge booked there the next day so we decided to crash there. But earlier in the day we experienced some of the most fun we have ever had in our lives. We white water rafted down the Cache le Poudre in Fort Collins. Our guide was named Nate and he knew what to do in every situation. For instance, we pinned our raft against a rock in the rapids not once but twice and this has never happened to Nate before in his raft guiding career. We popped his cherry on that one as he said himself. And plus he said that our raft was the most fun ride he has had all year. That's how we roll. But how we pin our raft against a rock twice in one trip is beyond me, even Nate.

One the first pin, everybody bailed except me. I managed to hang on with Nate as a rope was thrown to use to tug our raft back to safe waters. The second time all of us survived by climbing onto the massive rock right smack in the middle of the river. We moved the raft to the other side of the rock and hopped back in and continued rafting. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Words can't describe how giddy myself and Andrew were when these instances happened.

Later on that day, we drove through the Rocky Mountain National Park. One word: EPIC. Seeing the Rockies at 12,000 feet high makes me feel absolutely minuscule in this world. It was land untouched. It's the way the rest of this world should be. If I could stay there for the rest of my life I would have because I would wake up with the best view I've seen in the entire world. I would need an oxygen mask though because it started to get difficult to breath at that altitude.

After that, we got kicked out, my camera died for good and then we packed and headed south not knowing where we were going to sleep. We found a decent motel owned by a nice Russian family. The wife was sweet even at 11pm when we rung her doorbell for a room. As for my camera: Whit let me borrow hers until we get to San Fran so I can buy a new or used one. I can not believe my camera died. Of all trips in my life.

Well for what happened on Day 4, we woke up, did the train ride through a gorge which was really relaxing. As soon as that ended we packed our luggage for a 21 hours drive through the West to the Pacific coast. I must say the landscape between the Rockies and California is amazing. There is always something to look at and you never get bored. Mountains, valleys, canyons, deserts, grasslands, farmlands, ect. I loved it. We all took turns driving into the night and morning. I started driving from 3:30am to 1pm when we arrived in San Francisco. We just drove across the entire country. I can't believe we did that. I can't believe I had the chance to do this in my life. All I have is a :) on my face.

Roadtrip Across the USA: Day 2

Denver freakin rocks. That's all I have to say. Cleanest air I've ever breathed. No humidity. Dogs everywhere. Love it.

They day started with an amazing breakfast at a place called Snooze. I had a black bean patty topped with minced beef, poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce. We all at the table took a bite of everyones food. Whitney took (stole?) the coffee mug. She loved it so much she asked the waiter if they were for sell. They didn't but the waiter said that if she had a big enough bag... lol. Nuff said.

Walked to a lot of shops in downtown and saw a 40 foot blue bear peering into a glass building. After Denver, we rode to a small mountain town called Golden. It is home of Coors and the School for Mining. Very small town surrounded by the beginnings of the Rocky Mountains. We were in search of driving up one of them to get a birdseye view of the town and Denver but the road was shut off due to the 4th of July. :( But! We did drive down the highway that leads from Denver to Boulder through the mountains and that was one of the coolest scenic routes I've ever taken. I wish the Appalachian Mountains looked like this. Awe-inspiring. Mountain hills covered in rocks and trees and the road followed a river that didn't have any railings to stop cars from falling in. At one stop, across the river we saw something on the hill. I zoomed in with my camera lens and snap a few shots. After looking at them it looks like a crushed car that fell down the side of the mountain. Feel bad for that guy :( It started pouring rain and then hail the size of nickels. We drove to a small town called Black Hawk. This was "The Hills Have Eyes" kinda town, topped with lightening, darkness, and pouring rain = freaky. Now we are home to prepare to white water raft tomorrow. Meghan is going to get sick. I can already predict it :) haha

Roadtrip Across the USA: Day 1

30 hour drive. 8 states. We are finally, FINALLY in Denver. What a freakin drive though. 

Andrew started first. Drove for about 9 hours. We hit bumper to bumper traffic on I-40 in Tenn. for a while. Not bad for me cause I was asleep preparing myself for my turn at the wheel. We stopped somewhere in the middle of Kentucky and I took over. It was 4:30am and the sun was coming up. Weird. But pretty to say nonetheless. Drove through Illinois, and Missouri.  The big silver Arch was pretty and bigger than I imagined. I had my camera out to take a few photos, while driving across a bridge over the Mississippi River but I had no shoulder space on the road so no pics :( This area looked like South Carolina. I was sorta disappointed because I wanted to see something different but as soon as we hit Kansas it was exactly what I was looking for. 

Kansas impressed me very much. The eastern part of the state looked like Ireland. It was green upon green valleys and hills. After about 200 miles of driving we drove past massive, and I mean massive windmills that were numbered in the hundreds. They were just sporadically placed out in the valleys with no uniform to them. It's about time America decided to jump on this European technological bandwagon. We stopped and of course I took some photos. After we hit the road again I fell asleep for about 100 miles and when I woke up Kansas was exactly how I've always pictured it: the flattest land I have ever seen that was coated with wheat/corn/whatever vegetable field you wanna call it. We stopped at a gas station and the entire area smelled like a zoo. Don't know why and didn't care; we were almost on the Kansas/Colorado border. 

Now, as soon as we crossed into Colorado, the sun was setting and the clouds above were of epic proportions. Absolutely gourgous. Where I was sitting in the SUV was the most difficult place to sit and take a good photo of the clouds so I waited for the clouds to pass over the sun. When it did, I asked Whitney to pull over and it was one of the most gorgous natural things I have ever seen in my life. This was a good first impression for me from Colorado. I will have photos up in a few weeks of what I saw (sorry for the long delay but I want to take my precious time and effort into these photos so good things comes to those who wait.) But I must saw Colorado, so far, has such beautiful landscape. We haven't hit the Rockies just yet but we are right next door. Now for sleep because every single one of us needs it desperately.

P.S. I hit a bird in Colorado. He had the entire open sky to fly and he choose to cross over the interstate right in front of me. I felt bad :( Already killing the wildlife here.

Saint Christopher

35 years ago this August, my Dad went on a month long roadtrip with two other buddies of his across the U.S. and Mexico. He only took with him $300 and a journal. On this humid night, my father and I searched through the garage for that journal so I can take it with me when I embark on a two week roadtrip across the U.S., almost the exact same route my father did in 1975.

We found it after searching for about 20 minutes. The journal is a mustard yellow spiral notebook that was in a three-ring binder that had a picture of California's Redwood forest on it. He wanted me to read the entries to see what was going through his head during his journey. Why?.... Read the next paragraph.

What's fitting about this whole thing is the resemblance of his trip to mine. We are leaving almost 35 years to the date when he left: August 15th, 1975 to July 3rd 2010. He traveled to California and back... so are we. He went on the trip with a mindset that I have right now because of the same reasons of what happened to him and what's happening to me. His mother gave him a Saint Christopher's medal to wear on the trip. Saint Christopher is the patron saint of safe traveling. He has worn that medal around his neck everyday since then. I have a Saint Christopher as well as a Saint Jude medal around my neck. I got mine around 7 years ago and today we exchanged our Saint Christopher medals for this trip. I'm going to wear his and he is going to wear mine.

Everybody knows my love and passion for traveling. This trip means the absolute world to me right now. Two weeks, 6,000 miles, 100+ hours of driving, Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Memphis and everything in between, white water rafting in the Rockies, vintage train riding in the Royal Gorge, visiting my favorite place in the world (San Francisco) and showing my friends what I saw in the city 2 years ago, coasting down Highway 1 along the Pacific Ocean, gambling my dedicated $50, crossing the Hoover, observing one of the worlds' 7 natural wonders, driving down Route 66 and stopping at a Diner in the middle of nowhere, and everything in between......2 more days....

I want to live...

I want to live in Fiji...
I want to live in Ibiza...
I want to live in Paris...

I want to live in Lima...

I want to live in Perth...
I want to live in Seoul...
I want to live in Rome...

I want to live in Berlin...

I want to live in Guam...

I want to live in Osaka...

I want to live in Tokyo...

I want to live in Venice...

I want to live in Boston...

I want to live in Dublin...

I want to live in Bogota...

I want to live in Beijing...

I want to live in Sydney...

I want to live in Madrid...

I want to live in Jakarta...

I want to live in London...

I want to live in Toronto...

I want to live in Santiago...

I want to live in Kingston...

I want to live in Bangkok...

I want to live in Honolulu...

I want to live in Shanghai...

I want to live in Auckland...

I want to live in Sao Paulo...

I want to live in Singapore...

I want to live in Barcelona...

I want to live in Hai Phong...

I want to live in Anchorage...

I want to live in Vancouver...

I want to live in Hong Kong...

I want to live in Casablanca...

I want to live in Johannesburg... 

I want to live in San Francisco...

I want to live in Rio de Janeiro...

I want to live in New York City...


It's that simple...

Graffiti Stop Motion

I found this on Glitch Mob's blog. An artist by the name of Broken Fingaz does some graffiti but what's unique about this is its use of photography. Its a collage of the progression of his designing in photos. Very creative. Also the song is by The Glitch Mob. Watch it. You will be amazed.

Broken Fingaz -Graffiti Stop Motion from Broken Fingaz on Vimeo.

It's Funny How Things Turn Out...

What would happen if you didn't do a certain thing? What would have changed because of that decision? I think about that all the time. If I didn't move to the house I grew up in then I would have never met my incredible group of friends that I've had for 13 years nor would I be dating the girl of my dreams. If I didn't go to Germany then I probably would have never discovered my passion for traveling. I knew some one who was supposed to be on one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center but had her flight changed. Wow. It's funny (and always life-changing) how things turn out.

I am in one of those situations right now. A real big one in fact that is ultimately screwing me over. I don't want to go into details about it because, well, its a bit personal to me but all in all: I wouldn't be in the situation that I am now if I didn't forget my phone that one day. If I didn't realize that I forgot my phone then drive back to my apartment to get it. If I didn't see my phone laying on my bed as soon as I opened my door and by fate and perfect timing I was receiving a call that I should have never picked up.

But I did pick up the phone and today I wish I hadn't.

How was your Decade? Mine was Pretty Good

A decade gone. At the beginning of 2000 I was in 10th grade. I was into metal, wore my hear in a bowl cut and had glasses the size of 20 inch rims. Now as the beginning of 2010 is here I am into techno/electronic, wearing my hear shaved to the scalp and my glasses are rectangular and smaller.

The decade was good. In fact, the decade was real good. It had its low points but so does everything. Here is a list of some highlights of my decade by each year:
2000
Good thing was that we all survived the Y2K scare (I actually had a high school teacher tell us that when 2000 hit all the nucleur reactors were going to melt through the Earth's crust and burn down to the Earth's core and cause a massive eruption and cause all the volcano's explode.....he was way off).
The year 2000 was just another year in surviving high school.

2001
I don't remember much of this year aside from this was when I had my first g/f. It lasted 3 weeks the first time and the second time 6 months.
The bad, of course, was September 11th. Everybody remembers where they were when they first heard of what was happening. I was in my English class, Mrs. Smart was her name, sitting right against the wall near the window 3 seats back. The Principal came on the intercom and made an announcment that the WTC had been hit twice. We had a T.V. in the room and turned on CNN and I watched the towers fall live.

2002
I got my first job at the 'Seven Year Steak Home' on January 2 and that job consumed the rest of my life for the rest of the decade. I graduated high school and started my first year of college. Bad thing was I was undeclared and didn't know what the hell I wanted to do as a career.

2003
Still undeclared in college. Oh the joy...
My life changed on my birthday that year. Why? I got a camera for my birthday. Brandon, I would like you to meet Photography. Photography, I would like you to meet Brandon.

2004
The Carolina Panthers make it to the Superbowl and I start paying attention to the team from here on out. I move to Charleston for 4 months to study Art Studio at College of Charleston. I thought that was what I wanted to do... I was wrong and I put 15,000 miles on my car in 4 months.

2005
My love for travel begins by a 4 day roadtrip with 15 or so friends to Dallas, Texas. I purchased my first car. A 1995 Toyota Camry was getting me from A to B but I saw a commercial for a little unknown car company called Scion and their new car, the tC. I fell in love, buy it in January and miraculously pay it off by December. My dad is a financial wizard and I learned his ways. I also decided to study graphic design and photography at college.

2006
I traveled to New York City and Germany, both for school and while in Germany, I learn the ways of the World Cup.

2007
This was a very depressing year for me. Reasons I will not explain but on the bright side I got to travel to Mexico and see Tulum which is a 700 year old Mayan city. Our tour guide didn't mention anything about 2012... hmmm

2008
And in 1st place for best year of my life goes too.....
I landed the girl of my dreams and fell deeply in love, finally graduated college (took 6 years but I got a degree), launched my photography website nodnarb photography, traveled to New Orleans, San Francisco, Bahamas, Guam, Tokyo and Saipan. Also, after 25 years I finally see my Godfather again whom lives in Guam.

2009
And for the award for Most Frustrating Year goes too.....
My job of 7 and half years was taken away from me by a woman whom worked there for 2 months then got fired (make sense? didn't think so), was unemployed for 3 months, struggled relentlessly for a job in my field, and didn't get to spend Christmas with my love (still haven't yet). On the bright side of 2009, road trip to Canada with 6 friends rocked, seeing my award-winning photograph hanging up in the Smithsonian and published in their magazine was sweet, hanging out in Key West was relaxing, my favorite sport team, the UNC Tar Heels wins the NCAA Championship and a road trip through the snow covered mountains to Memphis was a good way to end the year.

Overall, it was the decade that I really grew, found out who I am, learned some of life's more difficult questions. The most important thing I learned this decade is a quote that my Mom told me and realizing what it means. The quote goes as, "Life is like loose change, be wise and careful on how you spend it because you can only spend it once." I spent my change for this decade pretty well. There is nothing I want to return, I'll keep my purchase.

I'll let you know how the next decade will be... if we survive 2012.