San Francisco

"The afternoon sun painted her white and gold-rising on her hills like a noble city in a happy dream... This gold and white acropolis rising wave on wave against the blue of the pacific sky was a stunning thing, a painted thing like a picture of a medieval Italian city which can never be discovered."

- John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley in Search of America


I came across this passage after taking a few pictures of skyline. I remember commenting on how amazing it was to look at the hillside and see it completely blanketed in white, almost as if they were covered in snow.

Cash Register Broker

Every time I come home from a trip, I always feel enlightened in some new way. San Francisco was no different. I learned a little about myself, learned some new things from new people and discovered that sometimes, you just have to let the universe work her magic.

We went into this trip with no real plans. We had a general idea of some things we wanted to see, which I later compiled into a list in my beloved moleskine journal, as well as some people we wanted to see, but no actual concrete plans.

Both Marissa and I believe in having no expectations. That way, we have an amazing time no matter what we do or where we end up. The best stories always come from nights that are completely unplanned and spontaneous. Our first night out in SF, we wandered into the Gold Dust Lounge, which had a small band and felt like a saloon right out of the old west. The cutest old couple walked into the bar a few minutes after we did, and Marissa and I were immediately enthralled! We probably grabbed each other out of sheer excitement at how cute this couple was. Being the avid people watchers that we are, we seriously could not take our eyes off of them. The man was completely suited up and the woman looked like she had just walked off the screen of a silent movie from the 20s. They had to have been in their 70s or 80s. We watched as they danced around the bar together to the music of the live band, and as the woman watched herself in the mirror as she floated gracefully through the crowd of onlookers. We walked further into the bar to get a closer look and before I knew it, the woman, whose name I later learned was Gail, had grabbed my hand and was twirling me around the bar. We spent the rest of the night dancing and chatting them up as if we were old friends who hadn't seen each other in years. We learned that they were merely friends and dance partners, and not married as I had assumed. They often go out at night to find a bar with good music to dance. The man, Bernie, told me about the time he spent in Los Angeles, and claimed to have had relationships with both Liz Taylor and Marilyn Monroe. I wish I could remember more but it was definitely one of my favorite nights in 2012.

We took a few pictures with them and Bernie gave me his card and asked me to email him the photos. I looked at the card after we left the bar and smiled when I read "Cash Register Broker."

Words

Lately I've had this fascination with words. And the more I read, the more I add to my little collection of favorites. I guess I just love the idea that a single word can perfectly sum up an emotion, a feeling or something too abstract to otherwise describe.

Ethereal: adj. Extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world

I also like finding words in other languages that don't have an english equivalent.

Vacilando (Spanish): going somewhere but doesn't greatly care whether or not he gets there, although he has direction

Squatter Village

I showed pictures of squatter houses before, showing the amount of waste in the water that squatters usually live near. This time, we actually drove through one of the squatter villages. I was in a van full of cousins and children, so you can imagine these wide-eyed kids staring out the window as their mothers reminded them to be grateful for the things they had, for life could be so much worse.

Sorry for the somber tone but it really was shocking! When I saw this little boy, I couldn't help but think of those gut wrenchingly annoying commercials that gently harass you with images of sad children in third world countries that you should donate all your money to. You know, the ones that have caused an almost instantaneous reflex to reach for the remote control to change the channel and avoid those familiar feelings of shame and guilt as you indulge in a lifestyle riddled with excess but still refuse to ever donate. Seeing this first hand was definitely an always welcome reality check.

Spaghetti in the Sky

Wires everywhere. I really mean everywhere. These pictures hardly do the "spaghetti in the sky" justice. But as I had already learned on this trip, the best picture opportunities always present themselves when I don't have my camera.

Gloomy Manila

Rain Dance

On one of my last days in the Philippines, I went to the Karakol Festival in Malagasang. In short, it's a religious event where people participate in a dance procession around the town on the streets to traditional Filipino music. Onlookers who don't participate in the dance often throw candy and money into the crowds of dancers for good luck.

I was surprised to wake up to find it pouring rain, but I was immediately told by enthusiastic cousins that the dance would continue rain or shine. Actually, I was pretty excited for a few reasons. First, I love the rain, and it hadn't rained much yet since I'd been in the Philippines. Second, one of my absolute favorite things in the world is when it's sunny and raining. And third, imagine the pictures!

By the time we got to Malagasang and the dance procession began, the rain had let up a bit. But the constant steady drizzle that lingered didn't dishearten those ready to dance. I was promptly handed a tray full of colorful candy and money, and was told to start throwing them into the crowd as soon as they came by the house again. I can't even begin to describe how much fun I had. Just imagine throwing money and candy into a crowd of dancers passing by while simultaneously trying to take pictures of all the local children diving into the crowd trying to collect as much money as they can. And don't forget the fact that it's still raining. And kids plus rain plus puddles plus candy and money can only equate to something incredible. And yea, I definitely got sick. But playing in the rain has never been more worth it.



















There's something about taking pictures of children that I'm so drawn to. I think it has to do with being able to capture real raw emotions in kids.