Readers

Today is the first official day of spring break for Auckland University and in a few hours I am headed to the South Island for two weeks! So, I just wanted to give you a heads up that I will only have sporadic internet and probably won't be able update this blog much over the break. I want to wish everyone who is moving back to school and starting classes good luck. I miss y'all!

Honor

I'm sure you can tell, but I did not upload a photo from New Zealand today. Instead, I put up the video that I edited for the Honor Council to use during NSO (new student orientation) week at CC. Simply put, I joined the Honor Council half-way through sophomore year because I wanted more things to do. I spent freshman year doing the same thing everyday; it got boring and eventually had negative effects on my happiness. So, sophomore year I was determined to join groups that would fill my time with things that I loved to do. The Honor Council was one of them. I had an Honor Code at my high school, but no one followed it and hardly anyone ever got in trouble. It frustrated the hell out of me and definitely helped form a negative opinion of my high school. When I got to CC, people also seemed to take for granted the privileges that come with an Honor Code, which again frustrated me; by the time I got around to sophomore year, I wanted to try to change that. After being at a school that doesn't have an Honor Code for half of a semester, I feel even more dedicated to the cause. At AU (University of Auckland), everything is so formal. You have to fill out everything correctly and the lecturers walk up and down the aisle watching everyone. That stresses me out ten times more than my actual test. I feel like I am guilty until proven innocent. It also made me grateful to be at CC with professors who trust their students enough to have the integrity to do the right thing. When I try to explain our Honor System to students here I usually get the same reaction, "What's keeping you from cheating?" I at first I was shocked at the question, now I just think, "Why would you want to cheat?" To me an A is not worth losing all of what CC has given me, I'd rather add my own thoughts and explore my own mind than lose the respect of my professors and possibly be kicked out of the only school at which I've ever actually wanted to learn. They put so much into us, why can we not put effort into our work for them? I guess I'm just an idealist, but cheating to get a grade just doesn't seem worth it to me.... Then again, I want to be a filmmaker and therefore will end up living in cardboard box, so maybe it doesn't even matter if I get the grade...

Standing Up

President Obama's words on the passing of Sen. Ted Kennedy: here.

Stripes

Lots of work to do before break!

Lenses Can Distort

So, what is one to do when one is waiting in a car at a gas station for the driver to get back? Well, this one decided to take out her camera and look around the area through her lens. I snapped a few quick shots and this was one of them. It's nothing special, but I thought it would be more interesting than yet another landscape (of which you will get plenty more after my break).

I also decided to post this image because it was the closest image I could find that kind of, somehow, in my weird mind, reminded me from the film I saw last night. Before I tell you the film, let me first state that I am in love with films that mess with your head so much that you can't decide what is up/down or backwards/forwards or linear/circular or anything (I've been this way ever since I was introduced to the world of Requiem for a Dream [2000 - Darren Aronofsky]). That being said, I was destined to love Mulholland Dr. (2001 - David Lynch). Mulholland Dr. takes messing with its audience's head to a whole new level, so much so there is actually a whole website dedicated to the various theories about how to interpret the film. I have heard about this film for years - everyone loves it, or at least understands its greatness, but no one understands it. I have always wanted to watch it, but my parents kept telling me that they had tried to watch it 6 or 7 times and could never stay awake, so I avoided renting it for their sakes. However, this time around I wanted to watch Sunset Blvd (1950 - Billy Wilder), but itunes did not have it, so I decided to watch another L.A. movie and Mulholland Dr. came to mind. I absolutely loved it! I couldn't understand it anymore than anyone else, but it was so beautiful (the transitions alone were some of the best I have ever seen) and just a well made movie - and it will scare/freak the crap out of you. It's amazing. Oddly enough, now that I have been raving about it to my parents over Skype, they claim that they have seen it 5 or 6 times and loved it each time... I don't know which version to believe, especially after seeing the film itself.

If you were born in September (or any other month of the year...that should be everyone), click here and get inspired (if this doesn't do it, I don't know what will).

V

I just really liked him. I may write more later, but for now I have tons of work to do before spring break (which is in a week!). I already knew it, but now I have proof that the block plan is amazing.

Long Road

I did not upload a photograph from New Zealand today; instead, I uploaded one I took in Vietnam. I decided to do so upon hearing the news that an officer who conducted the My Lai massacre has finally apologized. I guess now is better than never, but it has been a long time coming. As most of you know, I spent 5 weeks doing community service in Vietnam between Junior and Senior years of high school. The area I worked in was My Lai (it is really just a village in a whole area that got massacred, but that is what they chose to call the incident because it was the biggest one in the area at that time). We were told we were the first group of Americans to come to the area since the war; whether or not that was true, I hope we left better memories with the village of Tinh Hoa than the ones they had of Americans before. To see the actual dirt roads, ditches, and trees that the infamous photographs of the My Lai victims show was a spiritual expierence that only those who were with me understand. However, what inspired me to try to live a thoughtful life was not the location, but the people. As hard (or even as simple) as it may seem, the Vietnamese people do not teach hate to their children. Though the government may promote a vengeful view towards the US, the Vietnamese people welcomed us with open arms. They knew we had no control over what other people from our country did and they did not judge us based on their actions. They also seemed to have that attitude towards each other, it was amazing and refreshing. I did not realize how ingrained hate was into our society until I came back from Tinh Hoa. I cannot even explain it; it is not a big fight or war that turns us against each other, but it ends up being all of the little actions, words, and quick assumptions/judgments that do so. I didn't pick this photo for any particular reason, it's not even one of my best ones from the trip; I was just scrolling through the images and opened it. For some reason, it seemed like I was seeing if for the very first time and I smiled.

If you were born in September (or any other month of the year...that should be everyone), click here and get inspired (if this doesn't do it, I don't know what will).

Someone's Hungry

So, this photo isn't anything special, I just thought it was funny. I didn't post a picture yesterday because my "not so bad" cold turned into a major cold with a peak temperature of 102.4. It's been a fun weekend so far... you feel the sarcasm, don't you? Anyway, I took this at the zoo at the sea lion exhibit. It must have been dinner time or something because the sea lions kept jumping in the water and then jumping out and doing this... I was going to keep this photo to myself, but then I got the chance to see my mom's photos from her trip to the Galapagos, so I posted this photo for my mom and sister. Here is the link to my mom's photos: Flickr (my images have not been updated since June 2008).


Also, if you were born in September (or any other month of the year...that should be everyone), click here and get inspired (if this doesn't do it, I don't know what will).

Sunny Over The CBD

This is a photograph of downtown Auckland that I took on top of one of the volcanic cones in Auckland, Mt. Eden a few weeks ago. Today is one of those days when I wish I was little again. I wasn't feeling very well yesterday and today I got hit in the face with a cold. It's not that bad, but it's still one of those days when you just wish you were at home again so that mom can take care of you and listen to you complain. However, I look at this photo and I am glad that I have the chance to be in Auckland, even if I do have to miss out on mom's good 'ole chicken-less noodle soup on days like this.

Incident

I wanted to get a shot of this sign, but then a woman walked right in front of me. Turns out she wanted to get a photo of it too. In the end, I got a photo of just the sign as well as this one. Oddly enough, I like this one better.

Beware

I apologize for posting today's photograph a bit late. It has been a busy day around here. Anyway, you have to love a zoo with a sense of humour!

Beauty Rethought

On Sunday I went to the Auckland Zoo with some friends and got this beautiful photo of a peacock. Most of the time people focus on the peacock's gorgeous tail feathers, but I believe their head is just as beautiful... so, that's what I got a shot of. For me, going to the zoo is much more a spiritual experience than most. I have been so lucky that I have been able to travel and see many animals in their natural habitat. So, every time I go to a zoo it is bitter sweet, especially when walking through the "pride lands". I love seeing the animals, there is something so magically peaceful yet curious about them, but I despise seeing the wire and metal surrounding them. I am glad zoos are working together to help endangered species, but I am devastated that humans as a whole are working against almost all animals. By the end of my trips to the zoo, I begin to think of what humans are doing to each other - we treat each other like we treat animals. What right does anyone have to kill, lock up, control, and interfere with others (human and animal alike)? I apologize for the rant, but I guess, in the end, I just don't understand why love and equality are so controversial.

Watch Out For ... What?

Sadly, the weather did not break and there has been a monsoon outside of my window for the better part of the day. That means no night photography to share, unfortunately. However, I do have a uniquely Kiwi image to share with you today (pun majorly intended). The driver of the bus on my ski trip last weekend said that the area has a comparatively healthy kiwi bird population - then he said to look for signs on the side of the road. As you can probably guess, I got out my camera hoping to get a shot of one of the signs and this is it.

Do you have a September birthday? Click Here & Watch.
Also, August 19th, 2009 is World Humanitarian Day

Drama

Here is another image from Mt. Ruapehu. This was when the clouds started rolling in late in the afternoon. As you can see, the clouds added contrast to the perfectly blue sky. A friend and I are planning on walking around the city to do some night photography tonight, so lets hope the weather holds off so that I can add some variety to this photoblog.

For some favorite photo series of mine click some of these links:
Greenville Daily Photo
Auckland Daily Photo
Henry Chen
Brent Stirton
Taylor James
No H8
Lens - NY Times

Also, remember that stop motion video I posted a while ago. Well, look at what amazing stop motion looks like: Fantastic Mr. Fox

An Ad

My favorite photograph to take is that of a person - especially close up portraits. I believe, at least for me, they are the most challenging subjects. It is a difficult task to capture emotions, attitudes, movement, etc. in a simple image. However, as you have noticed, I rarely post images of people because I don't want to take advantage of the moment I was given and splatter that person all across the web (without the person's consent). It is my subject's image as much as it is mine and I don't want to invade their privacy. But, I'm breaking that rule today because I decided that this guy's identity is hidden; I don't even know who he was. Call me a creeper, but I really liked the way he was just chillin' there so I snapped a shot - yea, okay, I'm a creeper.

Perfect

I apologize for being so late in posting today's photo, but I had a busier than expected day today. This is not Mt. Ruapehu, but instead is its neighbor, Mt. Ngauruhoe (also seen in this post). I took this through the windshield of the bus as we were headed to the ski area. You can read more about the Tongariro National Park volcanos on its website.

Break Time

About half way through the day on Sunday the bindings on my rental skis broke as I got off the chairlift. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I took a snack break while trying to figure out what to do. This was my view during my snack break - and it made me glad that my bindings broke. The sun was perfect, the wind decided to take a break, and I hit the spot right before the mad lunch rush. The image above contains three different photographs that I stitched together to make a panorama. I wish I could include the entire scene for you, but I guess you'll just have to make the visit to the Whakapapa ski area yourself (I'm sure you won't mind). In the end, I rode the chairlift back down the mountain and I got my bindings fixed (the person at Piper's Lodge had set them wrong) and I kept skiing for the rest of the day. In addition to this wonderful view, I also discovered that it's nice but also kind of scary to ski in a t-shirt (without a jacket) and that Music for Men - the latest CD by Gossip is awesome music to ski to.

Look Directly Into It

I wanted to post a photograph today that would show you how amazing the weather was this weekend on Mt. Ruapehu. There was not a cloud in the sky on Saturday (until the end of the day when all of the sudden they seemed to pop out behind us while we were on the chairlift) and only a soft blanket of clouds hovering by the lower mountains on Sunday. Though the composition in this image could be better, I like it because it shows how powerfully birght the sun was and how beautiful the snow was. I know photos don't do justice to the actual expierence - standing on ice with a pair of two by four's strapped to your feet while the wind hurls itself at you - but, I hope you can still see how amazing it is.

Blessed

Sorry for not updating this weekend, but on Friday I left for Mt. Ruapehu for the weekend. I can't believe I just went skiing in August. I will give you more details tomorrow, but for now my bones and muscles need some much needed recuperation... time for sleep.

Mirror

Tired of landscapes yet? This is another "stop the car!" image taken on the way from Rotorua to the Waitomo caves.

Who Wants To Move?

I took this photo while walking along a road on Waiheke Island. I went there last weekend on a day trip with some friends. It was beautiful weather for most of the morning and with the help of the local isite, we figured out a plan for the day. We got a bus and got off by a community market that was selling everything from snow cones, to fresh produce, to old clothes. Then we hopped back on the bus and headed on a bushwalk to a beach to see some Dotterels (not our original plan, but we got off on the wrong stop and someone told us it was a cool place to go). It started raining while we were on the beach, so we found a path started walking back to the road. We caught another bus and went to an olive oil tasting at Rangihoua Estates. They were really nice and it was interesting to learn about making olive oil and absolutely wonderful to taste the different kinds. After that we headed back to Auckland on the ferry - of course everyone was passed out for the whole 30 minute ride back to Auckland. It was a great day full of beautiful sights like this one. It seriously made me want to reconsider moving anywhere but here after college.

What an inspiring woman: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8182658.stm

Jump In

Yet another photo from Rotorua. This one is from the geothermal park Wai-O-Tapu. Nothing too special about this image, but I like the way the blue waters contrast with the orange all around it and the way the steam is engulfing the viewpoint above it (in the trees). Well, I am off to class, but hopefully I'll get a chance to write more later... if not, I know you can wait until tomorrow.

Sail On

I'll continue to post photos from Rotorua, but today I decided to post a photo of Auckland. This weekend I took a ferry to Waiheke Island with some friends. It was a wonderful day full of randomness, bush walking, sunshine, rain, laughs, and some really nice and helpful kiwis. I took this photo from the ferry. If you remember my first post from New Zealand, then you'll remember that Auckland's nickname is the "City of Sails." There were so many sail boats out on this beautiful morning it was clear where the name came from.

They sure don't make criminals like they used to: Vintage Mug Shots

Never Know

This was one of those photos for which I made the car stop. I saw a path on the side of the road and made the car stop so we could go see what it led to (I knew we were close to the river, so I already had somewhat of an idea). It was short and didn't really lead to much, but it did gives us beautiful views of the river with steam coming off of it. The photographs I took don't really do the views justice, but I hope you can still kind of see the mist on top of the water.