A most sacred stone.

The Womb of Zuigu-Bosatsu. Kiyomizu Dera, Kyoto, Japan

As you enter this temple, you are pointed down a dark stairwell into a maze devoid of even the tiniest sliver of light. You wander through twists and turns beneath the temple - sightless, stumbling - until you finally turn a corner and are greeted by the most interesting sight. There before you, dimly lit but shining through in the darkness, is a large stone with a single raised Sanskrit character atop it.

The character symbolizes Zuigu-Bosatsu, the motherly Buddha, who is said to grant wishes to those that are sincere. The narrow maze is seen as the womb of Zuigu-Bosatsu, with the close walls leaving no room to bring your worldly attachments with you. When the stone appears, you are supposed to make a wish. If it is successful, the stone will turn on its own (I had to do it manually).

Once you leave the womb, you are supposed to be purified and to have undergone rebirth with the virtue of Zuigu-Bosatsu.

What an interesting ritual.

Once in a blue moon.

______________________

I duck out of the frozen night air of Seoul into the warmth of a jazz club, softly lit, not too crowded - the perfect place to be in that particular moment in time. I take my seat by the front of the stage, order the tastiest scotch that a broke-ass college student can afford, and wait as the singer and her trio takes the stage. She sings - and oh, can she sing! A bit of Alicia Keys, a touch of Diana Krall, and life's good. The night moves along wonderfully. Her voice slowly warms my soul.

Or is that just the scotch?

Generations

Two people, sharing a subway bench, living in completely different worlds.

Weird.

A study of temporality.

Amber Ale, Brewerkz Brewery. Clark Quay, Singapore.

I could go on about how this is symbolic of the fleeting nature of life, but that'd be stupid. I just really enjoyed this beer. As well as the other 11 beers brewed on site at Brewerkz Brewery in Singapore. Top class beer, an incredible selection of whiskeys and gins at the bar, and lots of friendly people who could hold a conversation about ethanol in all of its lovely forms.

Inexpensive, delicious pints. Wonderful company. Lively conversation. And life's good.

Here, there, everywhere

From the frigid snows of Korea to the warm beaches of Singapore, one right after the other.

Pictures to come soon.

Mexico Retrospective - Part three.

More pictures of Thanksgiving Break. Not much more to say here, other than thanks for looking and I hope you enjoy the pictures.

___________________

__________________

__________________

__________________

____________________

___________________

What a trip.

Mexico Retrospective - Part two.

I was incredibly amused by how many warnings people gave me when I told them I was going to Mexico. I mean, I came back in one piece, didn't I? Anyways, more pictures from Thanksgiving Break.

_____________

_____________

_____________

______________

______________

______________

Mexico Retrospective - Part one.

Wandering through the streets of Mexico City with family.

Saw some cool things along the way.

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

It took lots of urging from my sister to remember that sometimes, you just have to push the damn shutter button. It's been a while, but I think these pictures show more of my personality and eye rather than being "technically" correct. They're not the prettiest things in the world, but they're wholly me.

A night well spent

My family tends to be scattered in different places throughout the world, so it's particularly lovely when we can sit down together for a nice dinner.

I've missed these moments.

Photos taken at Quebracho in Mexico City. Amazing Argentinian beef.

Afternoon snack

Streetside tacos with beef, grilled pineapple, and pico de gallo. An ice cold Mexican beer. Can I please do this everyday?

Can we just make this real life?

Packed my bag.

Grabbed some food.

Met up with some friends.

Drove off into the desert.

Made some new friends.

Sick.

The long way home.

Me and a bunch of my friends piled into a car and drove across the United States. We discovered a country that we'd called home for so long, yet knew little about. And so we wandered, explored, and experienced.

Dancing in the Streets, New Orleans

People can say what they want about the French Quarter being "touristy" or whatever, but there's no denying that it's an entertaining place to be. The entire district is alive with jazz and blues, and it's difficult not to dance with all the vitality flowing out into the well-worn streets. Street performers are the norm. Live music is expected, if not demanded, by the very spirit of the city itself. Absolutely enchanting.

Coming into focus

Sunset over New Orleans, as seen from the Algiers Ferry.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Some random moments from the Big Easy

I'll be going back to explore that lovely city as soon as I can.

Taos, New Mexico

I swear...the sky is simply bluer in New Mexico.

Americuh.

The past few days have been a whirlwind of awesomeness. Meeting up with great friends, having the most gracious hosts I could ever imagine, and just doing ridiculous things, making memories and all. You know the drill. These are just snippets of my journey across America. Stay tuned for a culminating project after all of this madness is over. If all goes well, it'll be something worth seeing.

There's something absolutely wonderful about plane flights. The building excitement of moving closer to one's destination, combined with the thrill of being up in the air, high over the world - it's intoxicating. While this may no longer be the days of romantic airlines like Pan Am, I'll take what I can get.

Huntsville, Alabama. It's beautiful here. I honestly had no idea what to expect when I flew in, but regardless, I'm glad that I did. Every moment here has been filled with good food, good music, and good company. I haven't even started on the roadtrip yet, and I'm already heading home with great memories.

Shooting in the woods outside of Huntsville. It was a bit appropriate to do this down south, I suppose, but I just had fun shooting regardless. Completely failed at hitting a watermelon at 200 yards, though, which made me sad.

And by far my most favorite part of the trip thus far: learning to fly. I never imagined that I would be in the cockpit of an airplane, taking off, flying, and landing. The thrill of piloting around the thunderheads, seeing the Tennessee River below, is undoubtedly one of the highlights of my recent memory. Knocked something off my bucket list, and also felt incredibly badass talking through the giant headset.

I feel like I've been trying so hard to capture little moments that I consider to be stereotypically Southern. Sweet tea at sunset in the backyard, grits for breakfast, fried chicken for dinner. But even so, I'm picking up so many things that I could never have predicted, nor would I have wanted to. It's the thrill of the surprise - of never knowing what's in store as we move forward on this road trip - that calls to me.