Happy New Years and Happy 2016!
Hope everyone had a blast celebrating it while I was stuck in my hole (dorm room) in Geneva. It was the first time I was away from my family and as you know new years is a pretty big deal in Japanese traditions, but nevertheless I did have some fun here with friends so 2016 is off to a good start.
I thought to open this year with a continuation from my last post of some of my collections of my favorite pictures
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| (Angkor Wat, Sept 2013) Angkor Wat of course is one of the most sought after travel destinations, especially at sunrise. You're among hoards of tourists pushing and getting in position to film the magical moment. So much commotion and chaos in order to capture this! But when you see the sun come up, there's this almost eerie silence and all you hear are camera shutters going off; otherwise the world seems very still and it's such a tranquil feeling. |
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| (Cambodia, Oct 2013) When I first arrived in Cambodia, I was flabbergasted by my new acquaintances with young monks and their lives. Whereas you'd totally think of them as being reserved and isolated, they're really just like any millennials; they like pop stars, go on Facebook, and take millions of pictures on their smartphones ! |
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| (San Francisco, Jan 2014) I love Jack Kerouac Street in San Francisco. There's so much going on with the colors, culture, and people around here. It's in the middle of a cultural enclave stuck right in the middle among Italian, Chinese, and gay communities. Now that's SF for you! |
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| (Rikuzen Yahagi, May 2014) My father is the youngest of seven siblings so as you can imagine I have a huge family. I have more than a dozen cousins, some whom I have never met and many more second cousins. But we've always stayed close and we try to get together whenever there's an occasion despite after the 2011 Tsunami earthquakes and there's not much left in the city. This was the 25th anniversary since my grandfather died and we had 3 generations, 6 families together. And this is not even half of them! |
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| (Tonle Sap, Nov 2014) Khmer people really like to invite foreigners into their homes which I am deeply grateful of. One of R's students has graciously invited us over to her place for lunch. Little did I know that she lives in a house on top of the Tonle Sap Lake. All the food you see were made or caught in or right outside their house. If you must know how the house is, it's quite modern, they even have a bed and TV though I'm not so sure how they carried it in. |
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| (Tokyo, Aug 2013) The presence of Tokyo Tower has waned every since Sky Tower opened in 2013, but it's always been of a special presence to me. It has been the symbolic building for decades and I saw it every day from my office window. This was the last that I saw of the tower on my 29th birthday from the hotel I was staying; my last day in Japan. |
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(Wat Damnak, Feb 2014) Many ask what it feels like daily to work with Buddhist monks. Two words: inspired & humbled. Everyday in every way.
Me: "Ven. Nen, how's your new job [as an English teacher]?"
Ven. Nen: "Very good!"
Me: "Any difficulties?"
Ven. Nen: "No no"
Me: "It's your first time teaching though, it must be hard at times?"
Ven. Nen: (big smile) "It is my duty in society to educate my people. So no, it is not hard at all."
Gold star teacher (and monk) of the day, hands down.
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| (Seoul, Dec 2013) If I had to take just one picture to describe Korea, this would be it: Kimchi, and it says it all. Red, vibrant, harmonious, eclectic. And most of all, delicious :) |
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| (Bangkok, Jan 2014) Sometimes, seeing other pray bring great solace. I was in a rut during this time and seeing this really brought peace and compassion back into me. |
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| (Cambodia, Feb 2014) Among the many things I miss the most in Cambodia are the coffees. The coffee beans come from the Southeast part of the country and are roasted in butter. Then they are filtered through and you add condensed milk and ice. Disgustingly sweet but it's a necessity in the hot humid heat and it's absolutely great. |
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| (Phnom Penh, Feb 2014) When I was visiting a friend of a friend in one of the villages near Phnom Penh, we stopped by another village for lunch. I saw this girl in one of the houses and she was babysitting her younger sibling. She was very reserved and but she had strong beautiful eyes and I had to take a shot of her. So beautiful |
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| (San Diego, Aug 2014) California beaches need I say more? This is what I always think of when I think of home. |
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| (Siem Reap, March 2014) This is a picture of a boy (probably the son of the electric appliance store right beside) eating a watermelon in the middle of the road. I thought it was such a funny and cute picture I had to take it. Next to it is a chaotic scene of tuk-tuks and motorbikes going by but here is a little boy delving into his watermelon and nothing else matters to him. A bit metaphoric of how life should be, no? |
