(Found me some wild cactus pears, and got me some needles in my lip…)

[Guangzhou]

(Some of the best chicken I’ve had in my life…)

[Guilin/Yangshuo]

[Beijing]

(Summer Palace, Beijing)

(Olympic Stadiums, Beijing)

And what better way to spend an evening but to make some sushi? Note to self: Just because Uni is good does not mean it should be eaten en masse.

This year, I got cozy in NYC, where Macy’s held their parade of intimidating looking balloons, (just look at Spongebob… I’d be terrified if that came after me), some impressive eats, and sweet company.

That round looking thing covered in bacon? Yea, that was our turkey. Brined for a night with bay leaves and orange zest, our turkey breast was pounded flat, rolled up with cranberry cornbread stuffing, wrapped in bacon, and baked with apple cider and rosemary. I’m rather proud of it, even as the sous chef :).

Hang in there, blog readers. I will be shooting a wedding in Thailand around Christmas, and another one in New York for New Years. There will be beauty sure to follow, but for now, be jealous!

Meet Aza, the Batdog:

A little love:

So pull out the long johns, make some spiced apple cider, and curl up with someone warm and cuddly. If it’s cold outside, make some heat inside ;).

(These were panoramas of the city I took for a friend. You can click here and here to see bigger versions.)

And this is Seabear. That name alone is awesome enough to warrant a listen :).

It’s really quite amazing, both the process of making the panorama and the actual place itself. This was a secluded site we backpacked to (no roads for cars, only hiking trails). It took us a solid day of hiking through some really steep elevation and mountain passes to get into this valley, surrounded by mountains. The full panorama view is what you would see if you turned 350 degrees. Beautiful, beautiful country. There’s great things about being in the city, but man, I miss the wilderness…

(Please click panorama to enlarge.)

However, as an artist, I cherish the process as much as the end product. Sometimes, none of it is about perfection. It’s not about quickness, clarity or crispness. Because more than sometimes, our lives are not perfect. Sometimes, despite our most sincere efforts, we cause pain and are left deeply broken. And sometimes, it is surprising to find beauty and redemption in that brokenness. In many ways, film through a cheap plastic lens is representative of our every day lives. The details get blurred and we may not see past the edges. Entire frames are somehow blank or foggy, and we can’t exactly remember why. We don’t get a million tries just to hope something turns out well. Sometimes, very separate events end up together, and it’s not until we wait and look back that we’re able to see how this beautiful mess happened.

Film is like that. Cheap cameras are like that. It reminds me that in a world of polished perfection and technological wizardry, there is much wonder to be discovered in the graininess of our lives, if only we are honest and frail enough to risk something uncertain and different.

And in the end, we smile because despite… no, because of the imperfections, mistakes, chances, [and lots of grace,] it turned out better than we could have ever hoped :).

And a very merry birthday to my partner in crime who feared neither swans nor ducks, pumpkins nor apples (and whose smile is just barely out of the camera frame :). Cheers!

Well, at least I got to see where the greatest basketball player of all time lit up the court. What kind of Chicagoan would I be if I lived here without going to a game? Lucky for me, my friend Paul treated me to a pre-season game with some pretty awesome seats. ‘Nuff said.