Rain and other lovely things.

Picking up my camera the past few days has been a breath of fresh air. I have missed it. I quite often find myself in "I should photograph for a purpose" moods (don't ask why), and therefore find shooting anything and everything a bit pointless and absurd; call me overly logical at times. But in truth, I'm not. I'm not overly logical, and I enjoy seemingly pointless activities. I thrive on the quirks, giggles, random and beautiful moments, and fleeting shadows of the everyday. So here a few I've been finding lately...

dishcloths.

chi fan - "eat rice" - lunch break of rice for the workers across the way from my apartment.

rain drops fallin' on my window.

shadows. yum.
factory lights at night...and paint residue.

Current repeat offenders (or songs I'm listening to):
1. "Let It Be Me" - Ray LaMontagne
2. "You Make It Real" - James Morrison
3. "Simple Things" - Amy Kuney
4. "All I Can See" - Brendan James
5. "Inheritance" - Jonathan David Helser
6. "Broken" - Lifehouse

A little bit of everyday...

This past week China celebrated National Day, so we got a week off (makes sense, no?). So besides galavanting about this big ol' country, I also had the chance to break out "the chunk," as I affectionately call my Nikon D200, and shoot not only the countryside but bits of my life. I though I would post some photos of my everyday here in Shantou, to help all you visual people (like me) see a bit more into my life. It involve these things as of late:

Skype chats with this handsome man...

Tea. Gung-Fu to be exact...
Practicing Chinese, learning about the culture, and reading...

More tea...and occasional Asian candy, Chinese tv, and of course music...

Sitting on my window seat (with my plant) and watching the world below...
Welcome to my China!

This is Pt. 1 - images of my room and lovely home to come soon!

Zaijian!

Yay for cultural differences!

Some interesting cultural differences I have been discovering lately:

1. I can't seem to find tampons in this country - they just use pads I guess...

2. I saw an informercial for a skin whitening cream - yes, to make one whiter. It showed all these depressed, beautiful, brown Asian girls who, when applying this cream, tada! turned beautifully pale. Ironic?

3. Whole shrimp - just pop the heads off, peel, and enjoy - beware the head juices though, they squirt with a vengeance!

It's been a while...

I have realized that I neglected this blog for almost 3 months now. My life has indeed been busy and now with my move to China, is in a whole new place of figuring out myself, my surroundings, and my life. I was inspired by my dearest friend and her continuous thoughts and observations while in Spain. So I commit from this day on to try to post regularly my thoughts and observations, to post photos of what I am working on and thinking about, and ask that the few of you who read this to please keep me accountable to do just that.

I miss art. And I am itching to start shooting the ideas that I have been forming. There is so much potential and opportunity here. I see it more everyday.

Here is a rough map of where I am currently residing: Shantou, Guandong Province, CHINA.

Zaijian!

Recent work...

I made this blog for several reasons, one of which to keep myself accountable (along with the B.P.C. Group) to keep making artwork now that college is over. So here is some recent work in Yosemite this past May.

Enjoy the "nature porn," as my classmates once called some of my work...geez.

I once was a blogger...

...but now, thoughts, ideas, observations, feelings, there are so many from this new college graduate, that somehow forming them into coherent words and sentences often feels impossible.

I have just completed my third week of summer camp at Indian Hills. This is my 7th summer as a staff member and I still get the same feelings when I drive off the pavement onto the dusty road that leads into camp, the same joy, the same eagerness, the same anticipation of what God will do next in the lives of the people who come here, and me.

My thoughts pause on a quote given to us during training week:
"Until you want God as much as you want to breathe air, you will never understand the Father's heart."

Trusting. Waiting. Surrendering. Giving. Learning. Loving. Leaping. That is what my summer is about thus far.

I will try to blog once again..

it's official.

I am now an official college graduate. After a weekend up in Modesto and Yosemite, I am home to a collection of boxes signaling my move back from La Mirada. A certified piece of fancy linen paper will arrive in the mail in just a few weeks officiating my completion and acceptance of a BFA degree in photography and drawing.

It's hard to believe it is truly over. 4 years of my life at Biola have come to a hurried but beautiful close. Now on to the rest of life. As my dad said yesterday, "On a ruler, you've only gone the first quarter-inch."

Here's to regular blogging and thought sorting, the making of new artwork, continued growing, learning, being shaped into a better disciple of Christ, and to living, one gifted day at a time.