The Traveling Pal

In one of my favorite movies, Amelie, the main character tries to help out her father. He is a natural homebody, but he has always wanted to travel. So Amelie sets out to tamper with his gnome. She asks her friend, a traveling tour agent, to get Polaroids of the gnome in different parts of the world. Finally her efforts bore fruit; the father sets out to see the world. How exciting!

So in the summer of 2008, I took a small teddy bear with me to Cambodia and I took pictures with it. I completely forgot about this project until I was looking through my old photos. I don't remember to whom it belonged to. Now I'm curious.

No, this is not a food blog

A former ambassador to South Korea, Donald Greg, came to speak at my school. It was a very interesting speech. At the beginning, he encouraged us to go into public service. He stated that "pertinence is more important than affluence." Make a difference rather than be concerned about wealth and fame.

Greg later explained how the U.S. has been working to build better relations with North Korea through the transfer of technology. He was a very eloquent speaker and gave a lot of helpful insight.

Afterwards, we got treated to free Kogi tacos! A truck actually came by to distribute them. They were delicious. I tried the short ribs, spicy pork, and chicken - satisfyingly filling. I love the sauce and the fresh veggies.

Roadside Cravings

Why does food taste so good on the road?


This blog should be called my camera phone blog since I seem to take pictures mostly with my phone.

Pretty Powerful

I realized that I don't take a lot of photos, but I like to share interesting media.

From the NY Times, a photo of a Khmer mother holding her child who is suffering from malaria.

Photo credits: Adam Nade

Avatar and the Middle East

Avatar was a really good movie; it hit a lot of cultural and environmental issues. I just watched a clip in the LA Times of Palestinian activists protesting, and some of them were dressed up as the Na'vi people to draw comparison between their situations.



It's just amazing when life imitates art. I'm adding one more thing on my wish list: learn more about the Middle Eastern history and current situation. I have limited knowledge in this area. I read Khaled Hosseini's Kite Runner which takes place in Afghanistan. Does this count?

LA Traffic

Taken on a rainy Saturday morning in Marina del Rey.

We need a sign to remind us: sharing is caring. Have a wonderful weekend.

Drought of Tears

What a loaded weekend, and it's not even over. I've been dealing with a loss of a friend, the regular hustle and bustle of college, and other minute details. But everything seems small compared to the world's needs.

Photograph by Ruth Fremson for the New York Times.

According to Marc Lacey, most of the people in Haiti are devastated beyond tears. Lacey stated, "This is a country, if ever there was one, that needs to sob and bawl and soak the damaged earth with tears." The people of Haiti suffered from hunger and poverty before the tragic earthquake, and now this is just one more blow. They have become so hardened into survival mode that it is difficult to show their emotions.

"In calamity, the effort to survive can steal the will to stop and cry. "

Please keep Haiti in our thoughts and prayers.