farewell two-007

orange monster

box boy

clash

I love these socks and I love these slippers. I felt inspired wearing this combo today...along with cut off sweats and a frumpy old sweater. I'm pretty sure I looked like a goof, so stayed away from a mirror.

clarity

"How old are you? 5? 6?" I asked my little friend.
"No! 5 and a haaaaalf!" as he emphatically responded to ensure I understood the very clear difference.

I had a blast hanging out with my little friends today. We got loads of books and plopped ourselves down on some vacant real estate at a local bookstore. We read for hours! After being inspired by a few photography books, I started taking pictures of these guys. The little boy featured here was sooo squirmy!

geometric shapes

Went to San Luis Obispo today to meet my parents and sister for Christmas brunch. This is a shot taken from Morro Bay as we walked around the area to catch a bit of fresh air.














Hope you enjoyed your Christmas!

parking lot beauty

who would've thought that the overcrowded grocery store parking lot could be filled with such a simple peace and calm to it?

calm explosion

I've admired this very simple yet intricate mural everytime I've walked by it. Someone took a lot of time painting each "firework" to create that effect.

molten chocolate

i love my girls.

Margaritas, dessert, and a lot of laughing. There are few things that help me to relax and let all of my inside becomes transparent, trusting in full acceptance. Let's call this intimacy.

can you see it?

a+j=aj

You can find me at AJ's Green Laundromat/Dry Cleaners every other week doing what many people all over the world do: laundry. This laundromat is unique, definitely not because it's owned by a 1st generation Korean, but because the owner lets this funky French artist paint all over the walls, washing machines, dryers, floor, bars, ceiling, everything! I've never been to such a brilliant place full of random paintings of flowers, flags, swirls and other do-da's. And, amid all of the colorful chaos, there's a lonely yellow chair-bench that sits between the $2/wash and the $2.50/wash industrial washing machines. We've become acquaintances over the last few months, but I still prefer to sit on top of the tables as I hypnotically watch my clothes go round and round.

say hello.

on my way down

300+ steps down means 300+ steps right on up

shelves

There are so many of them!

peace

I read something this morning that made me (more than) tingle inside. I felt alive reading Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. And though I don't like posting long texty things, I'm going to.

---ooo---

SPEECH BY AL GORE ON THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE DECEMBER 10, 2007 OSLO, NORWAY

Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Honorable members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen.

I have a purpose here today. It is a purpose I have tried to serve for many years. I have prayed that God would show me a way to accomplish it.

Sometimes, without warning, the future knocks on our door with a precious and painful vision of what might be. One hundred and nineteen years ago, a wealthy inventor read his own obituary, mistakenly published years before his death. Wrongly believing the inventor had just died, a newspaper printed a harsh judgment of his life’s work, unfairly labeling him “The Merchant of Death” because of his invention – dynamite. Shaken by this condemnation, the inventor made a fateful choice to serve the cause of peace.

Seven years later, Alfred Nobel created this prize and the others that bear his name.

Seven years ago tomorrow, I read my own political obituary in a judgment that seemed to me harsh and mistaken – if not premature. But that unwelcome verdict also brought a precious if painful gift: an opportunity to search for fresh new ways to serve my purpose.

Unexpectedly, that quest has brought me here. Even though I fear my words cannot match this moment, I pray what I am feeling in my heart will be communicated clearly enough that those who hear me will say, “We must act.”

The distinguished scientists with whom it is the greatest honor of my life to share this award have laid before us a choice between two different futures – a choice that to my ears echoes the words of an ancient prophet: “Life or death, blessings or curses. Therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”

We, the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency – a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive potential even as we gather here. But there is hopeful news as well: we have the ability to solve this crisis and avoid the worst – though not all – of its consequences, if we act boldly, decisively and quickly.

However, despite a growing number of honorable exceptions, too many of the world’s leaders are still best described in the words Winston Churchill applied to those who ignored Adolf Hitler’s threat: “They go on in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all powerful to be impotent.”

So today, we dumped another 70 million tons of global-warming pollution into the thin shell of atmosphere surrounding our planet, as if it were an open sewer. And tomorrow, we will dump a slightly larger amount, with the cumulative concentrations now trapping more and more heat from the sun.

As a result, the earth has a fever. And the fever is rising. The experts have told us it is not a passing affliction that will heal by itself. We asked for a second opinion. And a third. And a fourth. And the consistent conclusion, restated with increasing alarm, is that something basic is wrong.

We are what is wrong, and we must make it right.

Last September 21, as the Northern Hemisphere tilted away from the sun, scientists reported with unprecedented distress that the North Polar ice cap is “falling off a cliff.” One study estimated that it could be completely gone during summer in less than 22 years. Another new study, to be presented by U.S. Navy researchers later this week, warns it could happen in as little as 7 years.

Seven years from now.

fuyu

I love persimmons.

Wind Chapped

No traffic and high speeds will get a person anywhere really fast. My drive up to Pt. Reyes was breathtaking. Swerving in and out along the cliffs left me feeling exhilerated, and wondering why I had never known of this path before. I spent a gorgeous Friday watching elk, climbing beauty, eating home-cooked yummys, and exchanging heart love with Amy. Later that night, we went to watch "Under the Tuscan Sun" at a "theatre" in Pt. Reyes Station (the big town with population less than 900). Surrounded by plastic yard chairs with cushions, 4 other people, and organic popcorn by our side, Amy and I enjoyed everything about our night out on the town. The local who hosts these movie nights is Academy Award winner, John Korty. He seemed like a sweet man with a gentle, yet passionate, love for film. I enjoyed my brief conversation with him and found myself wanting to become his little friend.























This morning, Amy and I grabbed breakfast at Pine Cone Diner. Greasy hashbrowns, chicken apple sausage, poached eggs, wheat toast, apricot marmalade...it was all extremely delicious. We parted ways and afterward I found myself doing all sorts of things: meandering through the street(s) of Pt. Reyes Station, meeting a dog with purple and blue polka dot bandages around its head, getting pushed around by extreme wind, witnessing a recent birth of a calf, voraciously inhaling 3 persimmons in 5 minutes, driving at high speeds (again), and climbing hills to get pictures of a root. I felt overwhelmed by the beauty of nature today, and at times felt like my heart/mind/soul/body couldn't contain it.

















































Windy and squinty - I put my hair down so I could feel like a super model with hair blowing everywhere.
























I'm not sure how or why, but the quality of my pictures are compromised. This is quite disheartening because the picture of this man below is just so surreal. He looked like a caricature, but not really because he was real and live. I could even touch him if I wanted to - well, not quite. He sat at the Bolimas fair as if he didn't have a care in the world - just sitting eating his food as if he had just walked out of his home studio after painting for several days. I wish I could just observe him for days and days.

scrambled fresh

I finished the last of an egg scramble I made yesterday morning for breakfast. Garlic, onions, blue cheese, fresh bell peppers and tomatoes from the garden. I harvested most of the peppers since they weren't getting any larger. They are in shade most of the day except between sunrise and about 8am, which isn't enough sunshine to make them grow. They look large in the picture below, but it's only an illusion since those tomatoes are only about an 1" in diameter.

On a side note, I love having a slice of toast (whole grain wheat or cracked wheat sourdough) with a generous portion of butter every morning as I run out the door. Then about halfway until I hit the freeway, I pull out the first persimmon of the day. I've been consuming about 3-5 a day; I am passionate about persimmons. Rar. At 69 cents per pound, I've been rollin in the money...actually, the persimmons.

I'm off to Pt. Reyes, and am running late because I wanted to update my blog before I took off for the weekend, but I'll have some great pictures to post when I get back on Saturday. (I hope!)

Locks on a Locker

Seeing these lockers made me want to go back to school, but only for one second. As soon as I got over that, I just enjoyed taking pictures of them. I saw these nice clean (almost ikea-esque) lockers at the Art Academy in the city. I definitely wouldn't mind being an art student! Oh, the 20s can be so inspiring and also so deflating at times.

orange and yellow

I was walking around in the city and found this little area to be just lovely. The chairs almost made my inside giggle with glee. It's finally winter in the bay area. The crisp air is refreshing, just like my roommate's honesty.

a loosetooth

There's a woman named Brandy Agerbeck that I'll call a leading expert and pioneer in the world of graphic illustration. Ok, given that I have only searched on the internet for about 1.5 hours about this subject field, I'm not sure how legitimate it is for me to say that about her. But, trust me...she's good. I’m impressed by her ability to capture ideas, words, thoughts, and conversation in one beautifully coherent piece of artwork. I really appreciate her use of bold lines, simple graphics, typography, and color.

She is someone we may consider to hire for an upcoming event…she doesn’t know that yet, neither do the bosses.

On that note, it was on her blog that I saw this image:

I’m initially drawn to the aesthetic, but on a deeper level, I’m challenged by the implications of it. How do I feel about having ads on my blog? Do I want to keep promoting consumerism? What are the pros and cons? Do I even have enough visitors that ads would generate enough income so that I can become a stay-at-home-blogger? (haha, not really).

I need to think about this. Until then, enjoy the image.

Dressing Rooms

Dessert

Satura Cakes is currently my favorite bakery. I love their philosophy that "high-calorie treats should always be maddeningly delicious." It's true - if I'm going to spend an obscene number of calories on a dessert, it should be beyond well worth it. I have never been disappointed by any of the desserts at Satura Cakes. Strawberry tiramisu, the classic chocolate cake, and Non-creme brulee are among my top favorites. If you're lucky, there'll be one near you. The one you'd find me at is located on University Avenue in Palo Alto, California.

Greatest Fear

I used to own a piece of xanga real estate. I updated it for the last time just now, directing people to this new blog. While looking through some old posts, I came across this quote that I first encountered in the film Coach Carter, then again in Akeelah and the Bee. I hope it inspires you to be all that you were created to be - to let the power within you be freed into the world.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Taken from "A Return to Love" by Marianne Williamson