Monday, December 14, 2009

Love for Photography


Last month, I started taking photography classes and I have been creatively inspired by two people and their passion for photography. Amie Stafford http://www.amiestafford.com and Cam Bowman http://cbowmanphoto.zenfolio.com/. I quickly realized how easy it is to become immersed in this expensive hobby and how fast time flies when you get into it. Hopefully it will make a difference in the photos you see here.

Here's a photo I took of a sandwich board I got such a kick out of on Main Street. It's simply a crude drawing of a bear with one side saying
FREE
and the other side saying
PUNCH


I can't say why I was so amused by it. Possibly because it was so random, and adorably cute.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Neverending Travel Checklist



The planning behind this trip can be daunting. Today I feel good about making a dent on the seemingly neverending list of tasks.

Get photos taken for Chinese Visa Application (pictured above)- check.

Set up skype account www.skype.com - check.
I am super stoked about being able to chat with friends via video for free! This may date me but my first memory of video chatting was from watching The Jetsons! And I never thought it would be possible.

Set up appointment with financial advisor. My email went something like this
"Yay my ticket is booked! You're not going to like this but ...." check and check.

Anyway enough with the mundane tasks. Tonight I'm off to see my man, DJ Ceebas play at the local radio station (102.7 FM) between 12-2 AM in case you want to listen in. It sounds pretty amazing so far and I'm so proud of him.
www.theartofbeatz.org

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

7 Wonders surprisingly not 7 at all!


Visiting the Seven Wonders has been on my "to do" list for the past couple years. But after taking a closer look this is harder to accomplish then it looks. Seven wonders, how hard can that be?

The lists are as follows:
1. 7 Wonders of the Ancient World (The only one that still exists is the Great Pyramid of Giza)
2. 7 Wonders of the Medieval World
3. U.S.A. Today's 7 Wonders
4. 7 Natural Wonders of the World
5. 7 Wonders of the Underwater World
6. 7 Wonders of the Industrial World
7. 7 Wonders of the Modern World

Interesting - I have 7 lists of 7 Wonders... making approximately 49 Wonders.

What's a girl to do but take it one wonder at a time?

Friday, December 4, 2009

Inspiration

You should see the number of different reactions I get when I tell people I am going to Asia for about a year. I have experienced the everything from "Woo Hoo! This is exactly what you've always wanted!" to "What is Sebastien going to say? He must be crazy to 'let' you go on your own for such a long time!"
And of course there is dear old dad. "Thailand? I am not comfortable with you going there by yourself, what if something were to happen? China would be much safer... Why don't you go to China instead? He then proceeded to tell me that basically Thailand is the axis of evil, and Bangkok is the home of many trannies (in Cantonese the direct translation is "human freaks"), and that many tourists are vulnerable to murder, rape, and scams.

While there is truth (exagerrated or not) little does he know that the Thais generally blame the Chinese for bringing prostitution to Thailand, and that Ethnic Chinese still control most of the trade... Not that that will console my dear dad much. And all these things also do exist in China.
My desire to travel to Thailand/Asia is deep routed, and inspired from many things spanning a period of over 10 years. I will state them in point form:



1) Scene from Dazed and Confused when random stoner starts rambling about how Thailand, how great the beaches are and how you can live off a dollar a day. You know which scene I mean. For some reason, that scene had a profound effect on me.

2) The Beach (Novel, Movie & Soundtrack) - Remember that romantic scene when the phosphorence is out, and everyone from the secret beach goes out swimming in the middle of the night and it is oh so magical? *sigh*

3) Friend's Travel Albums & D.V.D.s (Mostly you Patrick!)


4) My junior high grade nine project on China which consisted of me obtaining travel brochures of China, of The Great Wall and China's Terra Cotta Warriors and glue sticking them into a "report".


While I really wish that Sebastien could come along with me for the whole trip, it's unfortunate he has his own professional obligations. I would love for him to come, he is an excellent travel partner and my best friend. We have had some pretty epic travel experiences together during our relationship. But having said that, everyone must walk their own path. This trip for me is one of personal, spiritual discovery and I think this is the way it is supposed to be. And he is flying in with me, and will be meeting me in various locations.
This was something I had wanted to do for many years, and has been on the back of my mind for as long as I can remember. This was something we had planned to do together as young backpackers from the benches of Paris, and I had come to realize that I need to do it period.

Another thing I didn't mention above was this emptiness I was feeling, this emptiness that came out of nowhere. And I've come to realize it was because my happiness was dependent on material things.


I am such a goal oriented person that it went a little like this. I am going to be so happy when I graduate school. Done. Now What? I am going to be so happy when I get my first job. Job sucks, okay now what? Then I started working at what I had considered to be my dream job. I was working as a sales rep in the fashion industry which was something I had wanted to do since my humble beginnings in retail.

And I caught myself... what is this emptiness? Why? How is this void going to be filled? Will it be filled by getting married? Buying my first place? Buying a nicer car?
And the answer was ... NO! I have delayed my travels for this, and once these other things start happening I am going to miss my chance at extended travel while I am young. Some people don't understand why I am putting my career on hold, but I know that this is something I have to do. A few months ago, I would catch myself thinking, maybe it would be so much easier if I just stayed put, and continued my life as is and this desire to travel will go away. But I know that if I didn't make it happen, it wouldn't happen and I would feel resentful and mad at myself. And no, it wouldn't be easier, because this trip that never happened would always be in the back of my head.


So there you have it - my inspiration - the long version - to booking my one-way ticket to Bangkok.



Departure Date: January 2nd, 2010