Snapshots from Around the World

After Quick Europe Trip, Back to Mainland US…

Ah, the traveling brings me back to KY. I decided to leave Perth, and head for the European Alps… mostly due to the big snow year there. I changed my plans overall, and packed my stuff. Why? Well, not seeing winter in almost 3 years was a part of it, and guidance seemed to be strongly pointing me there. Interestingly, my journey to Europe began with a huge challenge. I missed my flight to London. I was at the airport too. Frusterating one, as I woke up from sleeping on a bench, 25 minutes too late… and Air Asia or Asia Air, weren’t about to help me out. No discount, no new flight, nothing. So a decision to be made after that, for several reasons I decided to just buy a flight, used cash and spend a chunck of my travel $. I did that, and didn’t miss that flight… but spent a ton of money to get there by the time I landed in London.

Singapore airport... connecting flight to London

Unfortunately my journey didn’t get much easier, as I ran into the wrong person in the UK immigration line. She was at the end of her 14 hour shift, and decided to make my arrival hell… to match her mood. I sat, then got my bags, I was searched and sat some more, as she was building a case against my entry to the country. They researched me online, and were reading this very blog… using some various information against me. I was detained, fingerprinted, photographed, and not informed of why-for almost 3 hours. I went through an interview session, and was told that more than likely I would be deported, due to the nature of my arrival and suspecting my intentions to enter the country were to work illegally and not tourism or “holiday”. What a joke, but they had a point, I showed up without much money, and no contacts, and a bunch of photography gear. Finally after threatening to deporting me, and the detainment against my will… they granted me entry and gave me a visa for 6 months. Go figure. Needless to say, I was not interested in staying in London after that. What a gloomy place in winter.

Paris

I took the “tube” to the center of London, Picadally Circus square, and walked around. I took some shots, and froze my ass off. It was about 30 degrees. So after feeling out that zone briefly, I jumped on a train to Paris… which I paid like $175 US for a 3 hr train. Ah, the currency conversion, and overall expense in London and Paris is crazy expensive. I found my way to a cheaper hotel. I took a good hard look at my finances, after spending almost $2,000 to get to Europe- ouch!, and my remaining money to work with. Alps weren’t far away, but a ton of things needed to fall into place all at once: job, place to stay, ski gear, season pass… in countries which didn’t speak English. I could do it. But I started thinking about coming home, and what that would mean. I was drawn to Europe, but didn’t stay much, and decided to work my way home instead of staying and making it happen. Paris was cold, but I managed to get some shots traveling by foot, and hoofing around the cold city.

What a change in events. But after 27 months, and almost 40,000 miles of traveling, I arrived in KY to visit with my family. When I set out to seriously travel, I told myself I didn’t want to zig-zag all over, and spend tons of money flying all over, but working a direct line of travel… with shorter legs. Didn’t happen. But it’s all good, I’ve been just going with the flow, and learning a ton about international travel along the way. There will be lot’s of time in the future to continue world travel, but for now… I’m excited to back on the mainland US soil, with lot’s of options ahead of me. I’m planning to hang out in KY for while, and let a game plan for the next adventure unfold. My parents, sister and nephew are all doing well. I might sell some photo gear, buy a motorcyle, and head to southern California, searching for a job and focusing on producing my documentary film, book, and photography projects. Time will tell what happens next, it’s all good.

Thanks for tuning in, in this moment… let your inner guidance shine through and direct your highest potential. We often don’t have perspective of current events and decisions, but in the end; feeling things out without fear; guides us to amazing lessons.-Brian

2012: 02/13
CATEGORY: Posts from Brian
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Ashram Life… 1 Month Of Silence…

As I sit down to put this blog together, I put my headphones on and choose Led Zeppelin IV. I haven’t been listening to much music the past month. Nor have I been watching TV. I’m going to just list the things I didn’t do while living at the Sivananda Ashram in Perth: no meat, no processed foods, no sugar, no alcohol, no drugs, no sex, and no speaking. I’m actually on the tale end of my vow of silence for a month, which ends in 2 more days. I left the ashram yesterday, and moved back into my friend Alans house by the beach.

So after being disciplined about all that, I’m ready to go on a serious bender. Serious… more on that later… So very few people I’ve ever talked to, have gone a month without speaking, and yes there were times that I did talk. Those were very few, and mostly in group and talking with the head of the spiritual program at the ashram, Patrick. I agreed to do that before I began the silent treatment. Why would I do this in the first place? Well, I’ve wanted to for a while… and the timing and environment of the ashram gave me a supportive opportunity to make it happen. It’s a unique thing to do. I would interact with people occasionally with writing things down, and sometimes using hand jestures, like thumb up, or OK.

Library

Swami Sivananda

What’s the main thing I learned? Well I could write down more about my experience in the ashram over the past month, than there’s space for… When you stop speaking, your mind can just kick into overdrive and think as much as before… or even more. What happened to me, was the watching of my own mind for an extended period of time, and how it seems to be insane. Of course insanity was observed before, but not examined like this. But this is relatively normal, supposively all people who start to really watch the mind… witness how busy it is, and how little control they do have over it. You think different? Then stop thinking any thoughts for just 20 seconds right now——

The trick is to observe, and let the thoughts come and go as they will, without latching on to them and perpetuating what is there. This way they sort of take their course, and then once they leave, they’re gone-until next time. The mind/ego is very tricky, before you realize it… it’ll will lead you down a continuous stream of thought. Until you snap back out of it. Basically not speaking creates an introspective world, and this ashram lifestyle allowed me to watch and learn from it. Lot’s of factors came into play as I was doing this; healthy food, good people around, meditation, yoga, mindfulness classes, and things that contributed to my overall well being and experience. The silent vow was a piece of the pie, which contained many pieces. That pie was a healthy one… like a carrot pie. Literally, lots of those! (australian style pies are personal small sized things) The ‘El Campo’s Moroccan Love Pie’ was Alan’s creation. Alan, who I met when first arriving at the ashram, was dropping in often. I paid $170au/week for room/board there. The mindfulness classes took donations, yoga classes and any other function happening was free (a couple swami’s visited).

Ashram Sign fom the road, located in a good spot, 25 min walk to ocean

Several people coming and going during my stay there, everyone very sensitive and considerate. Ranging in age from 21-45, and from all backrounds. There was usually about 10 of us living there full time.

Anyway, what else… well like I said, I could go on and on… but the ashram was simple and supportive. Not fancy, but a large place with over 20 rooms and several bathrooms, library, satsung room, 2 kitchens, a large yoga hall, 2 balconies, an abandoned garden area, parking, and some landscaped grounds. This place used to be an old farmhouse, it’s got character, mostly good stuff. What was the biggest challenge= the weather getting hot. It would be 104 in the shade outside during the day, and like 80′s at night… I had no a/c, no fan in my room. Not cool. But I wasn’t gonna buy one, when I’m there for a short time. Imagine me laying in bed with a wet towel on my chest. I would avoid the upstairs altogether because of the heat! On the positive side, lot’s of good food around; I never had to shop or buy my own food, and people took turns cooking and doing chores. I got spoiled with lots of cooked lunches and dinners of vegetarian food.

Yoga was a cool part, I did 20 classes in 20 days. The teachers were pretty damn easy though… but I didn’t mind much because of the heat. Plenty of mellow yoga… not a bad thing. The yoga hall was just steps away from my room. My body is feeling great, I just need to get my neck adjusted by a chiro.

This guy I mentioned earlier, Patrick Jones is quite the psychiatrist, he has a doctorate… but beyond that, his approach is very unique and unconventional. What his whole deal is, in a nutshell; holding the space of present moment awareness while tuning into thoughts/emotions/actions. He would walk around the group and engage people, and give them intense loving attention, like a stare down basically. Then he would then take whatever happened and offer advise. Quite amazing. I learned a ton just watching him interact, and of course he loved to throw me into the lions den and get me uncomfortable in front of everyone on purpose. One time he had me trying to sing a dolly parton song, which I didn’t like much. On a couple occasions I just ended up tackling him on the carpet. So my ‘fears of vulnerability’ were exposed. I’ve never done group work before, and this kind of therapy was excellent in my experience. It was done in a very non-judgemental way, and people would laugh, cry, and it was all good. We are all the same in so many ways, it’s easy to learn from others sharing about their stuff.

Ok, I did have some breakthough moments, some seemingly frustrated and lonely ones, and everything in-between. A journey to a higher awareness is often a roller coaster, because you gotta deal w/ stuff buried… and you gotta deal with your insane mind as you watch it spin. When I say deal with; I basically mean observe, watch, breathe, and let go. I’ll briefly describe one breakout day: the night before I watched a few hours of Eckhart Tolle and this other guy Adyashanti on DVD in the library. The following morning I had a powerful meditation, then watched another few hours of DVD’s. I was very present after that, then had lunch. I started reciting the mantra Tolle advised; over and over. I added a part in the beginning; “In this breathe, can I be the space for this?” Which sound uninteresting at first, and the mind could really care less about it… but this does 2 powerful things. It puts you in the present moment with your breath… and asks your Self, if it can merge with the surrounding situation, whatever it is. So can I become all, completely? Basically. All that I perceive in this awarness, is ME… can I hold onto that? So I took my water and towel and went for a run down to the ocean/beach (20 minute jog). I was doing good… just kept repeating the mantra and absorbing everything passing by, no mind… just being and breathing. When I got down to the beach and jumped in the water, I was in total bliss. I hung out on the sand, and enjoyed watching people and seeing everything as one, as an extension of me. ”All is one” is a great concept, most people can relate to it, but it’s a life changing experience; to feel and sense it deep down, intensely, for an extended time… which few people do. I can’t say it was the first time… but just an epic space to be in w/out my mind jumping in. Once it tried, the mantra would stop it. I ran back to the ashram eventually and continued to be blissed out, high on life, like I’d taken mild acid; intense perceptions in a continued state of present moment awareness.

A state of “no-mind” is not what ego enjoys, and since 99.9% of humans live their whole lives possessed by an insane ego/mind, we’re not taught how to snap out of it. Did my mind stay clear and empty after that experience? No. It’s been running a muck… but the more you practise and watch what’s happening, witness, and learn from that, the more you can foster your true nature and higher self. The learning of lessons of truth, and growing with a higher consciousness is the reason why we incarnate. What’s the “truth”? Consciousness, Light, Love is what the universe of made of. Anything else is fear. Period. Expressions take different forms, we each live and experience a different universe, but everything is the same: Source. No death, just transformation. Lessons. A constant flow of it, expressing itself in infinite directions and ways simultaneously.

So speaking of transformation, I’ll wrap things up with my recent change of plans. A huge change of plans indeed for this world trip adventure. I found myself learning: the Alps are having the best winter in 12 years… and asking the question, “What do I really want right now?” I looked at my plans to head to Sumatra, then travel the East Coast of Australia, then on to New Zealand. Then I thought, “What if I moved to the Alps, and spent the next phase of life in Europe… I could take advantage of the epic ski season, and be guaranteed finding a beautiful european girlfriend.” I realised that I hadn’t seen a winter in almost 3 years. I then thought about selling my underwater gear, and starting to travel light. I looked at flights on short notice, and realized I could pull it off. I couldn’t sleep well that night, my mind was racing, and my guidance to pull the trigger was so strong, that it wasn’t a hard decision. I booked the one-way flight to London, and grabbed the last seat on the plane. Done. Change. Different plan, different life. My gear is up for sale on ebay, and that’ll give me a bit of a financial boost. I showed my remaining painting to a potential buyer today, and hopefully he’ll decide to get it. That bender that I mentioned… will take place in a little part of the world called “Amsterdam”. Europe here I come. Thanks for tuning in, I wish you the freedom to create bliss for yourself and others in this moment.-brian

2012: 01/30
CATEGORY: Posts from Brian
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Holidays In Western Australia

Hi, hope you had a sweet holidays. It was interesting being in a warm climate for xmas, but the third year in a row now. It just doesn’t feel like Christmas. In Perth, xmas seemed to be the classic ‘consumer holiday’ for business’ and advertising. The local people seemed to enjoy it, but not like the US. Not much for decorations and lights in the yard. Yard’s aren’t real big here, that I’ve seen. People just don’t focus on it. But the occasional Santa is around, and I put Alan’s fake tree- on the porch. The vibe was all good! Aussies are a cool group of people, no doubt.

Alan took me to two separate gatherings on Christmas; 4/5 of his kids where at the first stop. You can tell by the group photo, that they were a great group to be around. A present frenzy took place… and some great gifts shared. I even got one! But skateboards, yo-yo’s, ski goggles, funny slippers, bra’s, and the classic “fireman mermaid”… created a totally authentic xmas feel. Amazing food was there, and I was lucky to be a part of it.

The second stop was with his friend Debbie’s family, out in the hills. Ton’s of food, and a very guenuine group of folks. I played cricket for the first time, and had some great time talking to Debbie’s cousin, who had spent time at the Ashram that I’m now living at. She also taught yoga there, so we chatted for quite a while. Christmas with Alan was great, and although I would have survived if I had to spent it on my own watching some TV and relaxing like a loner… I was glad not to have.

I worked on a client, who offered me to stay with her and her friend down south a couple hours away by car; Amanda and Tracy. These two are like sisters together, and very cool. Amanda introduced me to her friend John, who was heading down to “Yullingup” on a 50 foot yacht. So with the freedom of last minute planning, I jumped at the chance to go. The two of us cruised down, with the sea and conditions good for the the first 4 hours or so. I even drove the boat some. Damn fancy this vessel, it even has a crab-crawl feature when parking to shift it from side to side. Around 10 pm it started to get wavey… by like 2am the sea was so rocky and choppy, that not only could I not stand up… but I was getting thrown off the cusions while laying down flat! I fought if off pretty well for a few hours, but eventually got real sea sick. I threw-up so forcefully, it was rediculous, off the stern… multiple sessions of trying not to fall off the back into a dark ocean abyss. I passed out on a bed, and was pretty much fine when John woke me up in the morning upon arriving at the bay to tie up. What a beautiful spot; turquoise water, a bunch of boats around, white sand beach, and a town nearby. The water was even warmer than Perth. Once I got the taste of hell out of my mouth, and jumped in the ocean, I was feelin pretty good again. We threw the bbq on the back and cooked up eggs, bacon, toast, with tea and mango. I spent a good 10 minutes with a snorkel mask trying to catch this crab we saw on the sand underwater, we were in shallow water; about 8 feet. Too small. Fine by me though, I didn’t want to kill it anyway. Amanda and some other friends arrived, so we took the dingy out to pick them off the beach. Champagne, snacks, music, sun… what a great situation!

Amanda and Tracy took me back to Amanda’s Villa, which was nearby. A wicked space. So I slept on the couch cusions for a few nights. They showed me some the areas, beaches nearby, we ate well, and even hit up yoga class and a chanting session. I gave them foot massages at the beach at one point. What beautiful areas down there! We went south a ways down to Margaret River, which is becoming well known for their vinyards. We stopped at one, I grabbed some photos, and climbed up a mulberry bush. ”Round and Round the Mulberry Bush” is a song from childhood… never connected to one before. These berries are a divine grace of God. Like balckberries, but sweeter somehow, and no thorns. I was climbing up the huge tree going nuts picking those things. They were so juicy, that if you smashed one too much while picking it; it would explode red juice all over your fingers.

New years was cool, some of Amanda and Tracy’s friend were hanging out, and a couple guys were damn good on the guitars, giving the rest of us a intimate NYeve show! I was impressed, and drank a bunch of red wine… over a bottle. Crashing out about 12:30 though, it was a pretty mellow way to ring in such a big 2012 year… but not a disappointing one at all. Good times. I caught a ride back north, and started my focus on Ashram life. Beginning with a vow of silence for 30 days. In the next blog, I’ll update how that’s been going, and have some photos from this different lifestyle. Thanks for tuning in, and wish you the gift of ever increasing self realization of your true nature… -brian

2012: 01/14
CATEGORY: Posts from Brian
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Moving out of Beach House, Into Ashram…

sunset rituals continue

Happy Holidays,

Hope you are well and enjoying the season. Sometimes it can get a bit hectic… but hopefully nothing a few extra deep breaths or strong drinks can’t take care of. I’m remembering the past 5/6 holiday seasons for me; were working like a dog for a 5star hotel spa. Nice to be taking it easy. I’m writing from this Ashram I just moved into on 12/26. Just getting settled. Love it so far, I’ll spend some effort describing and showing photos of the place, in future posts.

first oil painting sale! 7'x4' $2,500 unstretched/framed

Awesome news; i sold the first oil painting i created: $2,500. this piece was a work in progress- for literally years; here’s the process: i photographed the turtle underwater in Kauai w/ 35mm film (while on vacation from Tahoe), i had the film drum scanned and turned into a digital file (very large file), eventually the photo was printed on a 7′ canvas, then it was shipped to Maui, i finally got oil paints, then i asked a local painter to visit my room and give advice on the project, it took me over 70 hours paint ontop of the photo-changing it-and completely covering the photo with paint, after that… i let it dry-and sprayed it with a protective “retouch varnish”, then i stretched it on a wood frame, showed a gallery on front st./ and had to tie it to the roof of my subaru to transport it (they liked it), i then made the decision to take it off the stretcher and take it with me traveling, i took it everywhere i went (rolled up in a plastic tube), upon arrivng in Perth-i hung it in Alan’s living room. He purchased the piece for a client of his (Alan’s a laywer) which is an Aussie guy-whose mom is the wealthiest person in Australia (mining). So the piece was taken up to Thailand, and dropped off for a framer to re-stretch it, and frame it with a massive 7′x4′ black frame. It hasn’t been finished and hung in this 7 story, multi-million dollar ocean view house yet. Pretty cool. Damn long and consuming process. I’ve got one other large original with me right now. I’ll be reproducing my paintings soon.

days like this don't get old... but wind howles practically every afternoon

Alan Camp; the one and only.

Alan Camp’s beach house, in Cottesloe, turned out to be my home for a month. Located a block from the sand, I could spend a lot of time there easily… especially with my friends gracious hospitality and open mind. We got along great, and found ourselves enjoying time together in the house often; front deck meals, tea, conversations, occasional good TV, making “El Campos Morrocan Love Pies”, visitors, walking to the beach, swimming, sun time, and various trips from the house to the Ashram and into the Perth area. I was fortuate to have the place to myself for about 10 days… while Alan visited Thailand. Pretty mellow time, not partying, just hanging out; cooking, beaching it, catching up on photography editing/backing up, sleeping in, watching some movies… I managed a couple runs, some pushups/pullups/situps in there.

Shot while hiding from the rain, under a road, next to the beach, 25 sec. exposure

In that month, some photo opportunities evolved… and I haven’t edited all of those yet, but will include some… I’ve met some friends, and hung out with an amazingly wise girl a few times. Pretty stoked on some lightening shots, and managed some sick sunset photos. Sounds lazy doesn’t it? Well, kinda. But I’m all good with that, I enjoy lazy time as well as adventure and being on the move… or more stimulating craziness. It’s all good.

Cottesloe, facing north, a block from the beach house.

Australia continues to be a pleasant place to be. People in this Perth area, are courteous, kind, and more friendly than the average American. Much more traveled also. It’s a part of the culture of the average Australian to travel; southeast asia, europe, n.america is what i hear the most. Here’s a small example: when walking on a sidewalk, i’ll approach a crosswalk section (which is mostly just white stripes painting on the road). The average american driver, might or might not stop when you approach… or when you are standing there. Depends. Sometimes people will even blow through… and keep driving while someone is beginning to cross, but haven’t entered their lane yet… r u with me? So anyways, people will come to a screetching halt to allow you to walk across the street here. They will always stop. They’ll even waive at you. It’s not because of the fear of a ticket, police are non-existant in comparison to the US. I barely ever see police here. People are just a bit more friendly, more eye contact, more smiles, more hand shakes… as a whole. So far my experience anyway… which has been cool. I haven’t really participated yet, but the Aussies like to drink too, especially guys drinking beer. It’s amazing to me how expensive it is. Taxes mostly. A case of Bud costs over $40. Shit, no thanks. The beer snob that I am… I’d rather just not. Heading into a spiritual focus and program, really isn’t the time for me to be drinking. I’m sure I’d make a bunch of friends that way, and meet lots of travelers/tourists… but maybe down the road.

Perth, reflection from a large fixed driving mirror blindspot thing.

In fact, in addition to no drugs/alcohol; I’m seriously thinking about starting out 2012, with a vow of silence for a month. Not speaking at all. Just communicating with a pen/paper, and computer. I’ve been wanting to try that for a while, so I might. This would be a seemingly perfect environment and timing to try that out. Supposively, the mind stops chattering… and sort of gives up, when you don’t express thoughts with words anymore.

west coast

Great news: I found out that when the Yoga classes start up again here at the ashram, they are free to residents (me). So it’s possible that I could be taking 1/2 yoga classes a day, everyday. I’m so stoked on that. One of the reasons why yoga has been put on the back burner for me, is the expense of it. Yoga class 5x a week, in a normal studio, would cost around $300/mo… unless you get a discounted pass. So it’s gonna be a no holds bar for me to constantly focus on hatha yoga here.

epic bolts

Well that’s about all, I guess… it’s been a warm holidays, and being in a foreign country, traveling alone, doesn’t really match the same kinda feeling of xmas growing up. But that’s Ok, I miss people, and things, but life’s good. Blessing are pouring in! I hope they are pouring in for you also. What seems to help my state of being… is to just have the space to feel this moment, each moment as it is, without thinking about what happens next. Open the space to allow the present moment to be experienced. You start to feel life, instead of thinking about it. Feeling it is much better. -brian

shot with point/shoot 13mp, nikon p6000

2011: 12/28
CATEGORY: Posts from Brian
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Singapore to Perth, Australia…

Canon 5D MarkII, 28mm 2.8, tripod

Hi, here’s an update on my new adventure. I was happy to put in the effort, and planned to shoot night shots in the city on my last evening in Singapore. I’m stoked on how these came out, and to all the digital photo editing haters out there; no manipulation on this cityscape above. I was shooting long exposures on a tripod, using a 2 sec. shutter delay. What a beautiful area down at the harbor front!

It was challenging walking all over the city for several days, but the best way to get a feel for it. I saw no bums/homeless, beggars, and everywhere felt safe. The “fine”-est city in the world, is true because technically the fine for eating in the subway is $500… if you get caught smoking= $1,000. The only downside I saw initially, to the strict city rules… was that there wasn’t any street performers or musicians. They don’t allow it, which sort of takes the life out of things some.

My friend and I checked out this small island near the city. You take this small, crappy ferry boat… and can cruise around the island on bikes, I might have mentioned it in my previous post, but here’s a couple shots from there. I guess it’s best to hit it in the early morning when the tide is low, and a bunch of creatures are visible at the waters edge… but I slept in.

sweet pond view as we biked up and down some small hills

dock on the small island

nearby island

bike riding past this pond

I was excited to head to the airport for another adventure. I made sure not to get put into the position I did in Bali, which was paying hundreds in baggage weight fees. So I arrived at the airport down to less weight. I was still too heavy… as they told me 40kg was the maximum they would allow to check in. Didn’t seem right, it’s funny how an airlines policies can change from what’s said online, to the checkout counter. It’s frutrating enough to deal with it all, but man… you do your best to find out the policies, and then you still don’t know until you go to check into your flight. Then the whole Kg to Lbs thing. All part of traveling though… anyway I tossed some stuff: wetsuit, fins, book, batteries, some paperwork, photo case (hard pelican type) flashlight. I packed my pockets, and was down to like 110 lbs. I left maui with over 170. So you gotta do that I guess, but unfortunately as soon as I set foon in Aust., I need the couple hundred dollars of things that I just threw away. Oh well. Not major.

So I get to the airport in Perth, after midnight, and decide to sleep there til morning. The airport space was nice, internet around, a place to eat, restrooms, and I slept on a padded bench with my stuff next to me. I took a shuttle to this ashram, about 30 minutes away. Immediately I met Allan Camp. He took me under his wing, and I’ve been enjoying staying at his house, as well as his good company and coversation since then. He’s involved in the ashram, and so we drive there regularly for talks and such.

visited orchid farm, at the Singapore botanical garden

One day, he was heading to the city for a court thing (he’s a lawyer) and we dressed in similar white suits. We took some good photos and enjoyed ourselves.

Allan and I

The beach has been sweet, only a block away, I’ve enjoyed it. That water is so freshing at like 70 degrees, it can get over 100 out, and the sand is pretty white. A huge stretch of beach, and mostly locals around. Not tons of people, but more show up on the weekends. I haven’t been too impressed with the girls around, but I’m sure I’ll meet one, at some point.

So with some great ocean/beach time under my belt, and living at an awesome pad with a great new friend… I’m gonna have to pull myself out of killer situation to enter another good situation. This ashram is gonna be a trip. I’ve decided to move in this week sometime, and focus on the teachings and time living there to meditate, do yoga, and work on my art. After that… time to find work and get some money coming in. Luckily it’ll be pretty easy to do, when the time comes. But I’m gonna hang in Perth for a while, and see what happens. A bloody awesome start to it!

Hope you are well, reader, and thanks for checking into my journey. May yours be full of light and love, creativity, and inner peace.

-Brian

my afternoon shade

epic sunset the other night

nothing like a laser show coming out of an epic hotel: just turning summertime in Australia

waited on lightening for about an hour… got a few shots

gorgeous beach and water, Cottesloe, Perth.

gotta love the sunrays

self portrait from yesterday

2011: 12/05
CATEGORY: Posts from Brian
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Singapore, some culture shock… but I’m impressed.

shot handheld, Canon 5D MarkII at 6400 ISO

Life’s good. I’ve been getting used to being a big city, day 4 today I think. I’ve really been pleasantly surprised with Singapore. My initial impression was “great: Fuckin Asia Town”… but it’s cool here. It was challenging getting here, because my optimism and inexperience with flying in Indo created a stressful checkin when leaving Bali. They wanted to charge me $450 US dollars in excess baggage fees… and that was before they weighed my carry-on!! I ended up paying like $250 (which was twice the price of my original ticket). I should have payed closer attention to it when booking. Live and learn… a tough lesson though, and I’m gonna deal with something similar with my upcoming flight to Perth. I’ve got a day and half to figure it out.

Cruising in the evening taking photos, but didn't stay out late or party.

outskirts of Chinatown, good example of Singapores color

in the heart of the skyscrapers

But I settled in to an area called “Little India” with my friend Anne, she’s been a great person to see the city with. We’re paying like $80/night total, the place is simple… but in a pretty good location. I’ve been seeing the city cheaply… it’s said to be in the top 10 most expensive cities in the world… but I’m frugile and my camera is my constant entertainment. Taking the subway has been an experience; the best public transportation I’ve ever experienced. This city is in more ways than not; impressive. It feels safe all over, not normal loud city noise day/night-almost quiet, public transportation in great, things are clean, no homeless/bums/beggars to speak of, the architecture is awesome; even old buildings are using color to look better, and tons of good food options.

changed to b/w in adobe lightroom

70-200 2.8 IS

Obviously there’s massive amounts of things to see in a big city, but I’ve enjoyed just cruising around-taking photos, eating Indian food, and getting to know the different areas of the city.

back alley reflection

Chinatown-Little India-Industrial-Financial-Riverfront-Harbor… and visited a small island nearby (but wasn’t too impressed with it). The people all around are relatively nice and courteous, all from different backgrounds, speaking different languages (Singapore includes like 4 languages as it’s ‘official’ ones).

shooting back alleys of 'Little India'... at night

missed the focus, but this guy is feeling a bit blurred anyway...

took an elevator of a random building to get this view

street shooting

It’s been kinda culture shock, cause I haven’t been in a big city since Bangkok 21 months ago. I’ve been enjoyed it mostly. My favorite thing to do so far, besides eating… is photographing the architecture.

Chinatown

interesting looking guy, i gave him $2 and he agreed for me to take some shots

My last night is tomorrow… and I’ll be shooting at night. Daytime walking around and shooting has been sweet though. I’ve started catching up on photos some, and have a ways to go editing/backing up. As far as video goes, haven’t started editing… need a new computer for it. I’ve got like 35 hours of HD video now. When the time is right… I’ll be putting together a video. I’ve got tons of ideas for future projects, and have started interviewing people on camera.

temple time

riverfront area has a cool atmosphere to walk around

I’ve contacted an ashram in Perth, and will visit that later this week, looking into staying there for a while. I’m entering Australia with a 3 month visa. It’ll be interesting to see what happens next in my journey, I need to start making money soon, and there’s ton’s to see in Australia! Maybe some massage on the beach will be a good way to earn some cash. I’ve got my 2 paintings to sell… maybe I can find a buyer in Perth? It’ll all unfold perfectly… and I’m stoked to see what happens.

shot down at the river front

I hope life is good for you reader, thanks for tuning in… and you are at peace. If so, then hold onto it… if not, then ask your guides and angels to come into your heart and guide you to where you need to be. -brian

Canon 15mm fisheye 2.8

2011: 11/21
CATEGORY: Posts from Brian
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Weeks Of Small Island Living… Gili Islands, Lombok, Indo.

sunrise

Hi, well I’ve got 1/2 a battery… so I’ll see what I can come up with here: I’m sitting at a table looking to the ocean, north. The beach is white-pretty much, but scattered with coral bits everywhere. When was the last time you sat on coral bits? or walked on them? Not the best feeling, but ah… what to do in such a dilema? Flip flops or my O’neil booties work nicely, and you could walk the beach around this small island in less than 3 hours. If you took the pathways, and hurried, maybe less than an hour and a half… but I haven’t timed myself… nor have I completed the full walk around. I’m not sure the day of week, date, and the only time I know when time of day it is, is when I look at the top right corner of my laptop; 1:19pm. Life is good with no watch or cell phone, I must admit, and I love it.

Mainland Lombok

Relaxing living for me the past couple weeks, I needed a special place, and Gili Islands are it… all three of them. I’m on the third one now, and might leave in two days. I need to fly out of Bali on 11/18 to Singapore, spend 5 days doing…. not sure what I’ll do in Singapore for 5 days. Something. Then fly to Perth, Aust on 11/23… where I’m headed to check out Aust.

first arriving, taking packed boat to Gili T

But here in the present moment, the ocean breeze combined with this shaded restaurant table, feels like upper 80′s. The water temps are super warm, especially in the shallow areas… upper 80′s also. My friend Anna and I went swimming the other night, the warmth water was perfect for it. I’ve been spending my time, walking around, checking these different islands out, looking for photos and good snorkel spots. The good underwater spots, at the right time, have epic coral reefs and water visibility of 100ft.

Dive

I’ve seen some beautiful coral here, but not too much for epic wildlife underwater. Theres fish, some bigger ones every once in a while, some turtles, i’ve seen a couple large sea snakes (blue striped and beautiful) and yesterday I found a massive eel… but he had a good hiding spot… and I didn’t feel like trying to flush him out or anything crazy. Nonetheless, I’ve been excited to practice my 5dMarkII setup, and shooting hd video underwater. The best color has come from my 15mm fisheye lens, but the 28mm has worked decently. I need more gear though, needing to add a 100mm f2.8 and needing 2 new strobes which can offer video light, but down the road… I’ll just keep adding to my gear as I can afford it. My setup is still good, and I’m getting some solid shots above and below water. In fact the Canon 5dMarkII might be the best overall digital camera ever made, surely for it’s price point.

Local Girl

So yada, yada, gear, gear… what else is going on… It’s been nice to meet new friends, and I met two professional dancers, who work in Hong Kong, roomed with a cool Frenchman “Assen”, and met a world traveler named Anna, whose also French. Everyone speaks English around here, which works great for me… and there’s not many Americans either, which I don’t mind. Lot’s of European travelers around. You can snorkel, dive, get sun, relax and eat/drink cheaply, walk around and have a mellow time looking at the island and it’s happenings… (which isn’t much). A small time soccer match, played on the dirt, between two local teams, and some local crowed cheering them on, was about the most action I’ve seen in two weeks. I would have enjoyed it more, and possibly got some great photos… if I was consumed with eating this local street food dish I had. I bought two, at like less than $1dollar… and said, “No spicy please”, very specifically… but sure enough, both were hot as hell, as I was battling my eyes watering, nose drippin, and mouth burning. The green plant subtance in this dish, was not cut up and in long strands… so with no fork, eating it with your hands was similar to eating spagetti. Add dripping sauce to the works, and it was overall the hardest food dish to eat I think I’ve ever had. But did I finish? Of course, and was glad to be done with it also. But it was healthy, and cleared out my sinuses for the next 6 months. After the 14 day fast, I don’t waste food, and have been eating well, with large portions. I gained 5 lbs back, and will continue to eat with a refreshed appreciation for how amazing eating is. Drinking… yes of course, but not alcohol. I haven’t had a beer in like 3 weeks. Traveling and drinking/partying… just hasn’t been the mode I’ve been in. Cleansing, feeling good, and taking care of myself have been my priorities.

sunrise, 70-200 2.8 IS

If I think about it, I’d love to sit down and drink beer, eat pizza, watch football with some friends, and then eat more and drink more… but I’m not gonna think about that. Instead I’ll write about my little place, where for $10/night, it’s 30 feet from the beach, and includes a small breakfast. The view on the horizons, are other islands, and east/southeast is the mainland Lombok, with pretty epic mountains. I’d say 3,000 feet worth near the ocean… makes for a beautiful landscape. On this island I heard a rumor that 2,000 people live on it, but the last one… the middle island is more like a few hundred. Pretty small time, and mellow.

Lombok Style Spot to Eat or Drink with a view

I feel that I have set the foundation for a healthy body, and good overall state of being heading into my next travel destinations and adventures. Staying hydrated, spending time in the ocean, sunbathing, eating vegetarian, sleeping 10 hrs a night, stretching, and taking photos, have been a balancing mixture of an Indonesian cocktail. Sounds rough I know… I’d have to say that I am at peace. I wouldn’t say super-stoked, or excited. Nothing has been too challenging, or cramping my style (other than not eating for 14 days-except fruit). I just feel good, and not stressed, anxious, too busy in my mind, or needing/seeking much else.

Shelley posed for me at the pool before she left the island.

If I had more finances, would I do things different? Yah, lobster dinners, more diving trips, massages, and stuffing myself with restaurant food… but would that be that much better? Not necessarily. I’ve got great surroundings, and what I need, so I’m happy. When I meet other people doing serious traveling, not on vacation/holiday… they have a similar outlook, because you can’t just spend money like crazy… you have to budget. I’ve been spending between $10-20/day since I left Maui… for the most part. Of course, transportation, private drivers, scuba diving, and some other things add significant cost, but in general, I’ve done a great job budgeting. Not eating was helping financially… but I still was buying wheatgrass shots, fruit drinks, and fresh fruit most days… and spending cash. It’s all good, I’m gonna be fine making my way to Perth, then starting to make some cash at some point. My 7′ paintings might even find a buyer in Perth.

Dinner with these two gorgeous women.

So no TV, no cell phone, watch, newspapers, familiar faces, job, or anything that familiar has been my life since leaving Maui, and I love it. Time just drifts into different phases of the day, as the tides change, people relax, locals do their thing, the clouds come and go… the sun rises and falls, and moon does the same. The time is now, and these islands have helped still my mind, cleanse, my body, and created great shifts in my being in the moment… and memories too. The future… I’m excited for. Thanks for tuning into my world, I hope you are happy, healthy, full of peace, and appreciating life. -brian

Some areas of very healthy coral.

2011: 11/13
CATEGORY: Posts from Brian
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Tales from Bali… traveling to Lombok…

5dMII, 70-200 f/2.8 IS

When I left Kuta, after just a couple days, I headed to Ubud. Kuta was good to see, but I wasn’t gonna stay long… real touristy and known for a nightlife and sometimes good waves. There weren’t waves, and I wasn’t looking to party… so I took off north. With a personal driver, I had the chance to stop at a 1,000 year old temple and hit a waterfall on the drive to Ubud. The driver was a nice guy, and I think I paid $45 for the afternoon. Public transport would have been much cheaper… but I wouldn’t have gotten such photos, and my baggage load would have been an issue.

Tomono's app allowed us to communicate w/ technology... pretty cool.

So Ubud was cool… it wasn’t quite what I expected, but what did I know. My favorite part about the place, was the fact that the whole town was interlaced with stone carvings, walls, statues, and family temples. These family temples are like on every household property, a sacred space with different statues representing different things. For example, ancestors are thought of and prayed to with these certain shrines.

Daily prayer is a way of life for the people in Ubud, and Bali in general.

I also liked the $6-8-hour long massages; some were better than others of course… but I only had one that was annoyingly bad. As my custom has continued… I would give some massage to the girl at the end. Sort of my way of tipping well, and giving some new tools for them to use. They always love it. One girl gave me her number, I was thinking of trading with her, but I don’t have a phone-and didn’t connect with her. The food was good initially, but then I got a bug of some kind… my body was hit with a wave of achy bones/joints one morning about 11am.

Temple life in a tourist temple.

Some poor farmers in the rice business... people work hard in heat.

Good energy at the Yoga Barn.

Temple Time, Bali has temples older than 1,000 years.

Not only did I not eat that day… but I never left the room. Luckily the next day, I was on the mend… and decided to continue to fast. As I’m writing at now, it’s day 8 of that fast; fruit/veg juice, water, tea, and some fruit. Ah, the ups and downs of fasting… all in all I feel good and my experience with fasting in the past helps a ton. My body is hungry, but it’s also healing.

Unreal stone carving in Bali.

Nicer than needed; I usually don't hang inside much... $20/night room w/ pool.

Hard life for her... including large neck goiter, I gave her some cash.

My guide... pretty cool cat.

In Ubud, I took a couple yoga classes, met a friend (she had a boyfriend), drove a moped (which I never do in 3rd world countries… but I just cruised outside of town and around for about 90 min. to try and get some morning rice paddy shots) walked, talked to travelers, shot monkeys, and hired a driver to take some photographs.

Hot and noisy on certain streets of Ubud.

Royal Temple

He took me to a temple north, to a higher elevation lake, up in the mountains a bit. I saw the shots of this temple on the water… and wanted the shot-so I made it happen. I also got some good rice paddy shots, although some of them I (might have) lost… as I pulled out my memory card without ejecting it properly, and can’t pull up the images now (only lost some, but they were good). One of my side of effects of fasting, seems to be metal fog… but othertimes total clarity… it’s weird.

So I made good use of the time in Ubud, was happy to have checked it out, but all in all… it was way to busy. I didn’t feel relaxed there, and the construction, moped freeway, tourism, heat, and pace there wasn’t a fit for me to stay longer. I’ll include a quick story about my experience shooting the monkeys: I got up early, as the sun was just coming up, and walked a short distance to the “monkey forest”. For the first hour or so, I was the only one there… besides two local woman walked around. I grabbed my 70-200 and just stared walking around this central area. About 25 of these things right there, and tons more scattered nearby. They feed them daily, and they live in the forest right there in Ubud.

I just couldn't resist shooting this.

R u my friend? Not exactly.

After getting some good shots, as the sun was rising and piercing through the forest, I notice a couple monkeys trying to get into my camera bag on the ground. I snapped some shots, and tried to scare them off. Not happening. That camera bag was in their possession, and some re-inforcements started coming in… Shit! Just as I would approach these little bastards, a couple friends were coming straight at me like body-guards. This immediately started stressing me out, as they began opening the bag, and taking things out. I did not want to get bit, (I met a traveler previously who was bit hard, and she had a nasty bruise on her bicept) so I tried to figure out what to do. I had absolutely no help around… and was on my own. My energy turned to anger at these guys quickly, and I felt the negatively between us. They were just looking for food, but little did they realize that the fader neutral density filter, which they managed to pull out… was worth about $200 itself, enough to feed them potatoes and bananas for a several lifetimes. One had my 70-200 lens case, another my 50mm 1.8 lens, another that filter, an my stuff was quickly being scattered around the ground. I grabbed my tripod finally, and quickly extended the legs. Using the 5′ weapon, with tripod legs closed together, I could swing it at them. I never tried to hit one really, but at least I had something to ward them off. I quickly started picking up my stuff off the ground, and had figured my filter was surely ruined. As this fucking monkey…

Let me just get that for you...

Teenagers, always up to no good. Fuckers.

2 fresh Bali strawberry shakes, 1 lemon, a fasters dream.

had my lens bag, I jammed my “weapon” into the strap loop, and ripped it out of his possession. In the back of my mind, I was fearing a all out attack, and being swarmed and bitten from behind. Before the equiptment attack, I had knocked on off my back hard, who was just playing, but I didn’t want anything to do with it… he could have been stalking me and ceized an opportiny to ambush me again. Finally after a few minutes, I gathered all my things, and was seriously stressed out. Short lived, but not an enjoyable few minutes. However, my spirits were raised as I inspected my expensive filter. Not even a small scratch on it. A woman gave my camera back, (who held it while I was battling)… and I thanked her. I quickly re-grouped and took some breaths. Then continued to shoot them, (where’s a semi-automatic paintball gun when you need one) although with a totally different mindset. I didn’t trust them for second after that. The rest of the time I was there, went off without incident, and I got some solid photos and decent video. When I left the area, I paid at the entrance my $2 or so, and told the guy what happened. He said the teenagers are the most aggressive, in morning time- before they’ve eaten, is by far the worst time. Live and learn… searching for good light… I stepped into an ambush of adolescent attrocity. Punks.

Monkey Forest, Ubud, Bali

So where’s the water? When am I gonna break out my 5dMII underwater setup? It’s hot as hell, as I learned that this year, the sun is directly over Bali in Oct… which makes it the hottest month of the year. Can’t walk the streets without a shirt? That’s just not my style… so I decided to head to Lombok, a nearby island off the southest Bali coast. It was a full day of travel, as I did it the cheap way, and headed to the Gili islands (just off shore-west/northwest Lombok). I’m writing from there now… and will update the blog with new photos and stories to come.

Oooh, I should not be driving... left hand side? what the hell's going on here?

Thanks for tuning in! I’m doing great, I hope you are. Life’s full of up/down, easy/hard, day/night, hungry/thirsty, seeking/satisfied, knowmatter where we are. The trick is to call it all good, go with the flow, tune into Spirit, tune into your Self, and try and force yourself to be living in this moment… feel it. Don’t think it. -Brian

Temple on the way to Ubud.

2011: 10/29
CATEGORY: Posts from Brian
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Farewell Maui, A New Life Begins… Next Stop: Bali

Thanks to everyone who was a part of my life, during my 20 months living on Maui! I was really blessed with: friends, jobs, healings, photo opportunities, and experiences. I traveled to Maui to live a good lifetyle… work, and photograph. That mission was accomplished. As I was getting ready to leave, I changed my gear to Canon. I set off on the next leg of my world trip, using Canon’s flagship 5D MarkII, and piecing together the goods. It’s an expensive thing to do, but the gear is worth it’s weight in gold, as far as I’m conserned. A smart investment for me. My best lens at this point is the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS (one of Canon’s best) Here’s a couple Maui shots, as parting memories:

I sure scambled to put things together… damn how we collect stuff! No storage unit, no leaving anything behind. Just a box or two back to M&D in KY. All useful things; I was trying to figure how to pack my $150 worth of remaining oil paint… sunscreen, clothes, etc… not gonna happen!! But I managed to bring my two 4×7′ turtle paintings with me, camping gear, some dive gear, and photo gear. I was charged $100 extra by China Air because my carry-on was too heavy. Bastards. That Chinese woman was the last person on the planet that was going to let me on with that 45 lb carry-on. Oh well, go with the flow. I didn’t get pissed, she was just doing her job. The first time I was strickly weighed for my carry-on w/ heavy gear. I also had to go with the flow when leaving Maui, as I was suppose to receive a bunch of gear …….. didn’t. Included was a bad-ass MacBook Pro, a key to moving forward with my photo/video projects. I’ll have to sort that out from here. Shitty. Some huge mixup in shipping from SF to Maui, but there are no mixup’s really… just everything falls into place as it’s suppose to. Even when you don’t understand why, and have to battle serious stressful thoughts of resistance. That’s a true challenge.

Thanks to Mona Lisa and Wainani for supporting my situation and helping me finish my first 3 oil paintings. It took a ton of time and effort, but I enjoyed the process of painting over 3 photographs which I had printed on canvas 4×7 feet. The end result is a “photo-painting”, which are powerful and unique. I enjoyed using oil paints, and the way they work, feel, and the versitility of them. The dry time proved challenging, when using large amounts of paint. It would take 5 days for some sections to dry to touch. I’ve heard moisture in the oils can be found in paintings amazingly old. I’m gonna be selling these photo-

paintings as reproductions, which is the first time I’ll be reproducing my artwork. The price point on these, is gonna be inexpensive, so I’m stoked on being able to offer my artwork for cheap! For example a 16×20 canvas giclee will be around $50. (briandseppa@gmail.com) Here are two of the three:

So I’m sitting here in Ubud, Bali… in a nice room located in central Ubud… listening to Ben Harper. The place has a pool, and my space, is much larger than needed, with a bathroom/shower. It’s got a wrap around deck overlooking the street below ($20/night). Ubud is a cool place, inland, and about 1.5 hrs from the main airport. I like the feel here, and have lots of photos already of the past couple days to upload and edit, including an epic temple, epic waterfall, and crazy -ass monkeys. It’s amazing how the old stone statues, and temple intertwine their way through everything. Since arriving in Bali a few days ago; I’ve eaten well, had several massages, taken photos, swam in the ocean, gone to 2 yoga classes, met friends, and almost closed a business deal in Kuta.

Upon arrival in Kuta (beach location… and touristy), after a rip-roaring plane adventure to get here, I was stoked to be feeling that “travel” lifestyle of seeing each place for the first time, and loving every second of it. I won’t re-live the plane experience… but I’ll just say this: I left Maui in the late afternoon 10/17, and when arrived in Bali; at 1:30am… it was 10/20. It quite possibly might have been the longest airfare travel I’ll ever experience. Thank God my bags were there.

When I found myself sitting next to the same person I had sit by on a previous flight, it was an obvious sign. So I started making friends with a guy named Tomono. He’s in some sort of sales, lives in Tokyo… I think he said he was 34 years old, didn’t speak english. So since I don’t speak too much Japanese… it was interesting. He had an app on his phone that translates! So we got by with important questions with that, and became travel brothers. We shared a cab, and booked a room at 2 am. The place was cool, and like lots of hotels, restaurants, houses in Bali… there were old stone temples on the property. Here’s a few shots:

shot this upon arrival at 3am

What next? Well interesting question… I’m not sure when… but I’ll be heading southeast- an hour or so back to the beach, near Goa Lawah, where I’ll be taking a slowboat 5 hr ride to the Lombock area, and epic islands. This area is known to be awesome, quiet, beautiful, and cheap… not to mention one of the best left breaking waves in the world. It’ll be my time to enjoy this new underwater setup, and shooting cinema quality underwater footage!

Upon arrival in Bali, you’re suppose to have a return ticket, or flight out of the country. The entry visa issued upon arrival is for 30 days for $25 (60 can be set up in advance w/ embassy). So I booked a $100 flight to Singapore on 11/18, which is west of Bali. From there? Not sure yet, but I was told a while back, about an ashram/spiritual center in Perth, Australia… which isn’t too far southwest of Singapore. I’ll need to research that a bit.

But for now, all is good, and I just gotta be smart about spending money. For example, $20/night is a luxury, I can get buy with $5-10, so I’ll be looking to downgrade. Ubud isn’t expensive, but not super cheap either, the lunch meals in restaurants run $5-10. Massages are cheap at $5-8/hr!! Yesterday; I got two. My immediate mission, is to get caught up with computer stuff, and photograph some nearby photo opportunities… such as rice paddy fields, and a temple along the edge of a sacred lake. Sign me up!!

Wish me luck, thanks for reading… and I wish you bliss and happiness beyond your wildest dreams. It starts and stops within. There’s nothing more important that you feel good, and make decisions in life based on your guidance… your heart. A simple quote I saw yesterday spoke to the core of me, my path, my journey, my life; “Happiness is not something readymade, it comes from your own action.” -Dalai Lama

2011: 10/22
CATEGORY: Posts from Brian
1 comment

August is Awesome…

Aloha,

As I read over the past blog post, there was a heavy burnout feel to the writing… I was working a ton, but Aug has calmed down quite a bit. Things are shifting, and I feel much more balanced now. I moved out of my house in Ka’anapali on 8/1, the same day I learned that my uncle Tim suffered a neck injury. I’ve been writing to him, and journaling; 107 handwritten pages in 17 days. So that’s been healthy, getting into the gym more, yoga classes, beach time, etc… I lived in my subaru for most of the first week, then found a cool campgrouond just south of Lahaina for $10/night (next to the beach). I guess I just needed some time outside and to center. I slept in my hammock tent, jumped in the ocean first thing in the morning, and met some cool people. I lived in trees, showered at the gym/beaches, and cooked on a camp stove. I’ve always loved camping, so it comes pretty natural to me. I think the main reason to stop, was the art. I wasn’t able to work on the things that I need to while living at the camp. Now I’m set for a while… and have a great situation.

I woke up a few mornings ago, and my guidance told me to leave camp. So I packed up and headed to my friends house Mona Lisa (shes a cool artist, and i have a room in her place). I’m trading massage for the room, and it’s felt good to have a roof over my head again. The painting I’ve been working on is coming along, and I’ve done a couple model shoots this week. I ordered a Canon 5dMarkII camera body, which will change the direction of my photography. Down another road now. An amazing camera that opens doors for still photography and HD video. People are comparing the HD quality to a $100,000 hollywood rig. A huge opportunity for a low budget artist to create cinema quality video. Hollywood has been using these cameras for a while now, shooting on shows like 24 and House. Anyway, it’ll be expensive, but I’m excited to make it happen.

I met a girl Jessica, we went out a couple times… not sure what’ll happen next, but she’s cool. We connected well it seemed. Life is good out here in Maui, I enjoy the days and more free time. Working too much, just throws you off balance… whether your in Maui or anywhere.

Guidance and blessings continue to come into my life from all angles. The universe keeps sending me signs, and really it’s all about love and support. Sort of like encouragement to take the next step in doing what is best, and providing opportunities and reminders to try and evolve to good habits.

I’m looking at later in Oct now, for leaving to Bali, but haven’t booked a flight yet. I paddle boarded today, swam with a turtle, napped on the beach, read, and watched the sunset.