On Tour @ Fluid Friction

So I'd been traveling for two months, and had one night in Hong Kong on my way home to Beijing, when Spencer Douglass called me and suggested that I come down to the offices of Fluid Friction for a tour.  Perhaps I might want to bring my camera along and see if anything looked tasty.  Or maybe it was my idea; who can remember these things?  So I canceled my travel plans, decided to walk to Beijing instead - dang non-refundable tickets - and headed to Fluid...Read more

Coasting in Oregon

I've long felt an affinity with the Pacific Ocean along the Oregon coast and it's erratic weather patterns.  As Forest so astutely observed, "You never know what you're gonna get."  Growing up, while other things shank as I increased in stature, the ocean remained the same - ever expanding beyond the horizon.  The last couple of journeys I made to Portland, Oregon, I failed to visit the coast; only about a two hour drive through tiny towns, vineyards, farms and coastal mountain rain forest.  So when I prepared to go t...Read more

Hakuna matata on Safari!

My month-long trip to East Africa enticed my senses. Visually stunning, acoustically cheerful, flavors both new and familiar, along with smells at times inviting and disturbing.  An emotional roller coaster too, as I experienced breathtaking beauty, such joy and love from the people I met, and yet witnessed the depravity of humanity and some of the dire situations that people are forced to live with.  On top of all that, there were forays into the wilderness that put me as close to the animal kingdom as I have ever been on land (for ...Read more

Quick and dirty update

Seems like forever since I left Beijing last month for East Africa.  Most of the time, I had no access to a computer and, sometimes, no access to electricity.  I lost my cell phone on the way out of China (never mention to someone that that has never happened to you as the very day I did, it did), so that should be something fun to do this week.  I flew in last night and was greeted this morning by the haziest day I've seen in Beijing.  So much for blue skies for the Olympics.  Then again, they probably have some giant fans hooked ...Read more

Notes from Kampala

I've been in Kampala, Uganda for a week now.  For those of you unfamiliar with geography, Kampala is the capital.  It's a city designed to accommodate around 900,000 people, but it's pushing three million due to the influx of people looking for work and the inflow of refugees from neighboring countries.  Consequently, driving in Kampala is not pleasant.  And I've been stuck in traffic frequently this week.

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Uganda, baby!

It took 30 hours of flights, layovers and taxis, but I finally arrived in Kampala, Uganda.  My journey looked like something out of an Indiana Jones film; I had to fly from Hong Kong to Bangkok, then to Dubai, hang out in that airport for six hours, then fly onward to Kenya, hang out some more and finally I got to the airport in Entebi where I was picked up by Moses and driven about an hour to Kampala.  That's the longest I've ever spent getting somewhere that wasn't a drive across country. 

On first glance, I think I'm...Read more

Pat's Perils vol II - Water's Edge

If you were in Hong Kong this past weekend, you know Saturday displayed beautiful weather for a boat trip.  Naturally, AnD's big boat bash BBQ was on the damp Sunday.  In spite of the rain, about 30 or so artists, fans and staff braved the waters and had a great time.  Good food, great music, cards, swimming and about a dozen or so cases of sea sickness.  Arrh, what fun. Let the ga...Read more

Couple of confessions to make

I've been a bad boy.  I've been meaning to tell you, really I have, but things have been so insanely busy, I haven't had time.  Although a few of you are no doubt aware of it, I have not told most of you that I moved.  It's true, Shenzhen is no longer my zip code.  For the time being, I'm stuck in Beijing.  Don't get me wrong, Beijing is a great place to visit, but for someone who loves the countryside and is small town at heart, Beijing is cryptonite.   This place is so big, it makes Shenzhen feel quaint...Read more

Point, Shoot, Review

So I'm in the market for a new point-and-shoot camera.  Something to carry around when I don't want to schlep a bag full of camera gear (surprisingly often).  While I was in Oregon a couple of weeks ago, I went on a hike with my dad and my brother.  The location, for those who need to know such things, was the Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge.  Now isn't that a mouthful?  While on the hike, I hijacked my dad's  Canon Powershot SD 950 IS.  The IS stands for image stabilization.  Seriously, they can put that in a lit...Read more

Pair of Diamonds

Finally, I'm back.  Had a decent trip home to visit family and few friends, but the highlight was being able to breath fresh air.  Funny, the minute we crossed the border back into Shenzhen, the first thing that I was struck by was the smell of the city.  We were in Portland for two weeks and, true to form, I didn't take very many photos.  Fear not (or should you?), I do have some pics to share, but in a couple of days as I need to catch up on work before I can play with my own images.

In the meantime, can somebody explain to...Read more