Climbing a Mountain (Figuratively)

I think it’s the 79th anniversary of Golden Gate Bridge. Happy birthday, dude. You rock. Keep on going. This used to be my view every. Single. Day. I miss it. It probably still could be my view, if I didn’t mind paying an arm, a leg, and my firstborn (and possibly my second) in order […]

Roses in Napa

Somewhere along the way, I was lost. But then I found myself. Or, at least, pieces of myself. Step by step, like Hansel and Gretel picking up the crumbs they left behind, I am following the crumbs of who I am. I’ve gone through many iterations of “me-ness.” My haecceity. (That’s a new word I […]

Taipei Cafe Dreaming

Every now and then I have an out-of-body experience. This isn’t to say that I actually leave my body and experience the supernatural. Rather, I am suddenly thrust into the realization that the life I live is truly what I’m experiencing. It isn’t someone else’s story that I’m reading or watching pass by. No. […]

Someone Else’s Childhood (in Taiwan)

There’s something unsettling about nostalgia that doesn’t belong to you. The bittersweet melancholy of realizing you’re witnessing someone else’s memories is poignant. Stories others have told have painted hazy images in my mind’s eye, and I can recognize snapshots from their memories as I go about my adult life, but it’s just not the same. […]

Taiwan in the Winter

In those rare opportunities when I get to experience something from a different perspective, I am always pleasantly surprised. A few months ago, I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Taiwan during the winter. A January Taiwan is a very different experience than a July or an August Taiwan. Some background on […]

Biosphere 2

Last month, Chris and I went flew in to Tucson, Arizona to shoot my cousin’s family portraits. Landing early Friday afternoon before my cousin and his wife had gotten off work, we tried to go to Kartchner Caverns to explore and see cool caves. Unfortunately, I forgot to make advance reservations for tickets, and they […]

Preview: BioSphere 2 in Tucson, Arizona

Arizona is a fascinating location. Saguaros run rampant, and people wander in full cowboy gear. Like, that’s their normal outfits! Whaaat . . . ! Needless to say, I was extremely excited. We flew in to Tucson, Arizona over President’s Day Weekend to shoot my cousin’s family portraits. I’m still editing them, but I figured […]

Rings and Things

There was great internal debate as to whether I would post about this online. I’m not wont to share much of my personal life online, especially in highly exposed fora of arenas such as Facebook. (I won’t go into it too much here, but I’m highly averse to the voyeuristic nature of Facebook and other […]

Trailing Into Autumn: Sauntering along the Billy Goat Trail

How does one enjoy a free trip home in late-October courtesy of a work trip to the nation’s capital? Go for a hike with the parentals and shoot lots of photos of the East Coast in all its fall glory, of course! And what a glorious day it was. The sky was blue, the waters […]

Wine Country Shenanigans

I just came home last night from a two-day off-site in Napa Valley for work. They planned an “Amazing Race” event for us where we ended up scurrying around Napa Valley and its surrounding towns like maniacs trying to solve puzzles and overcome obstacles with alacrity and enthusiasm. My team came in at seventh. Out […]