sawatdee

spent the great part of the past week in thailand. spent a good half day being utterly awestruck by the grandeur of buddhist temples. made some giraffe and elephant friends. (the tiger cub was less friendly.) weaved my way in and out of impossible bangkok traffic, in motorbike vehicles known as tuk-tuks. shopped my heart out, in swanky shopping centers and sweaty night bazaars alike. the heat was sweltering; most days we went out in the morning, retreated to the oasis that is our hotel and its swimming pool during the late afternoon, and then ventured out again near dinner time. amazing experience indeed.

on my way from airport to hotel on the first day, it suddenly occurred to me how remarkable the world is. it strikes me how cities - whether it be new york or bangkok - are simultaneously so different yet somehow much more alike than we usually think. for example the same concrete networks of congested highways dominate the landscape everywhere, but vast differences lie in the details. i'm exploring and learning about these differences and similarities city by city, bit by bit. i'm only getting started.

hong kong

screaming babies, no air, smelly cup noodles (i hate the smell), fourteen hours. equals zombie mode. landed in the humid midst of a typhoon. i've been here for exactly 24 hours now. adventures to come.

urban exploring

got back from san francisco last night and now i am sitting in my summer apartment in santa barbara; i've been moved in for about seven hours and i like it so far. anyways, s.f. is a sweet place with a very distinct, laid back vibe. it's not my first time there but we tried to avoid the tourist traps for the most part. highly recommend the street art around the mission. next stop las vegas (for the millionth time) for fourth of july; hong kong, along with hopefully bangkok and beijing, in august; san diego in september. the more traveling i do, the more i love it.

march 26th

i originally intended to briefly recap my trip to new york, but it's so hard to pick and choose highlights when everything felt so amazing. so in short: i love everything about the city (minus rats in the subway... puke) and i will move there one day. oh, and the cupcakes from magnolia bakery really are as good as they say. then again i can't imagine ever objecting to cupcakes.

i never felt any sort of affinity towards rembrandt until i saw this image in the met. i particularly love self portraits because i think they are windows into an artist's mind. i can't think of anything as personal and intimate. there are literally thousands of works in the met, if not hundreds of thousands, but i think just their collections of rembrandts and pollocks are enough. so beautiful.

spring break

twenty more days of hard work and then it's off to nyc. life is great.

big bear lake

intense weekend in the mountains. i snowboarded until i could snowboard no more. i laughed until i had tears in my eyes. (jessica!!!) we left early on monday to avoid a pending snow storm, but that last morning particularly stands out in my memories. a pristine bleakness washed over the entirety of big bear lake, as the water mirrored the grey skies and the morning gave way to a strange stillness. i don't think my words are doing it any justice, but i don't have any pictures so my words will have to suffice i guess.

anyways, i am temporarily bedridden. everything neck down hurts like a mofo.