My personal top photo pics from the trip! The album can be found here. Everything was so TALL!
Here’s what I learned in New York.

• Stand clear of the closing doors, please!
• Every day is trash day.
• East Coast water is DELICIOUS!
• Sometimes people who look like they’re talking to themselves aren’t on Bluetooth– they ARE talking to themselves (or pigeons).
• When it pours, it POURS.
• When it’s windy, it’s WINDY.
• Smells completely change from one block to the next.
• The street vendors speak in an undocumented language (Especially the ice cream vendors).
• Those that DO speak English are rare and hold angry cell phone conversations.
• There is no 2-ply toilet paper.
• Don’t step in puddles! Your feet will never come clean!
• Dunkin’ Donuts needs to infest California.
• Taxis don’t stop for you in the rain.
• Taxis especially don’t stop for you in the rain if you’re standing at a bus stop.
• Taxis don’t stop for you at bus stops, period.

I took this photo two years ago, but just now tweaked its colors for a palette. Thought it was worth sharing!

Here’s my latest photo series, which is composed of a collection of photos of Helping Hands (which can be acquired off of Amazon for under $10). It was my late grandpa’s, and I have much more planned for it!

The Curious Contraption

You know you want to see the rest of this gory CalArts halloween, so click that READ MORE button! All makeup by the uber-amazing Michael!

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3 Red Doors :: Papeete, Tahiti (French Polynesia)

Yellow Buildings :: Papeete, Tahiti (French Polynesia)

Masts :: Papeete, Tahiti (French Polynesia)

Greenffiti :: Papeete, Tahiti (French Polynesia)

Harbor Bridge :: Sydney, Australia

Opera House and City :: Sydney, Australia

Sky Tower :: Auckland, New Zealand

City :: Auckland, New Zealand

Take a Hike :: Auckland, New Zealand

Reptile :: Auckland, New Zealand

Flowers on the Moon :: Lahaina, Maui (Hawaii)

Leaving Lahaina :: Maui (Hawaii)

Volcanoes :: Hilo, Hawaii (Oahu)

Lava Swirls :: Hilo, Hawaii (Oahu)

Smoke Over Water :: Hilo, Hawaii (Oahu)

Red-Hot Cherry Brownies :: Hilo, Hawaii (Oahu)

::Official Cruise Photo Page::

Cruise and Islands
Helicopter Ride

Today’s stop was at Nawiliwili, Kauai. The last time I was here, the visual that was most memorable was that of… what I think was a defunked cannery. As I stepped off the boat and onto the dock, I finally recognized my surroundings: a large parking lot with a few slots for trolleys, tour buses and shopping shuttles to file into to pick up passengers. The joke about this stop is that not only were there the shuttles to Hilo Hattie’s and Wal*Mart, but a bonus as well: K-Mart! (Imagine, coming over two thouand miles just to go to Wal*Mart, etc…. which isn’t to say that those shuttles are avoided; everyone takes the trips anyway. Who can resist)? Anyway, we already had our fill of shopping at Hilo and didn’t feel much like hitting the stores; we were interested in visiting the Fern Grotto, and upon asking a taxi driver we found that it would cost $21 just to get to someplace nearby the Grotto, and that it might not even be open– but if it was, it would maybe cost $15 to get in (and then another $21 to drive back). Didn’t sound like the best deal, so we headed back toward the ship.
Then we saw a new bus in one of the bus slots: Air Kauai.
Air? Like flying in say…. a heeeeellllliiicopptterrrr??!
Snatching up a brochure from the driver, we immediately called to make reservations. After a few calls to really make sure our voice was heard, they let us have a couple of slots!!!

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Happy end-of-2007, start-of-2008!
Let’s look at the year in review, as 2007 has been good to me– accounting for my 2nd and 3rd semesters at junior college and quite a lot of knowledge-accumulation as far as art goes.
-Got 2nd place for the Fire Breather (Pastel)
-Displayed a few other works of art (and as of today, the 30th, my artwork is showing at the Fallbook Library)!
-Artwork published in Bravura, along with 1st prize for visuals
-Did quite a handful of commissions, including a business card, several T-shirt designs (will upload those soon) and started working on a children’s book illustration project.
-Sent portfolio to CalArts!
-Kept a 4.0 GPA!
-Went to Belize, Cozumel, Honduras, Mexico and, for the first time, HAWAII!!! (and I’m going again!)
-Learned that it’s no fun being sick on vacation.
-Learned that as there is a limit to how clean a room can be, there’s apparently no limit to its messiness.
-Learned that vacation is the perfect time to do scholarships.

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