Gull checking out man checking out gull

From another one of my many weekend excursions to Venice Beach.  I just happened to catch this gull as it flew by, inspecting me out of the corner of its eye. 

Lost Balloon

 

In A Somber Mood

Yet another image that reminds me of the "Isle of the Dead" paintings by Böcklin. 

Maximum Security Pigeons

 

How Appropriate

"The Covenant"

Related Post:  Another "How Appropriate"

"Train To Busan"

On a whim, I took a train ride to Busan.  I was rather surprised to see much of the city is quite hilly, almost like San Francisco;  I had naively expected it to be all flat, being a big port.  And some of the streetscape actually made me think of Japan, with all the crowding and the old vertical shop signs.  But then, Busan is at the southeastern tip of Korea, where it's the closest major city to Japan (it's common knowledge that the southeastern dialect of Korean sounds rather like Japanese in pitch-shape and accenting;  it could be due to the historical fact that in olden times this was the area where Japanese merchants were allowed to settle and do business - at least some of them must have set up shop for good, married and left progeny that spoke both languages).

Anyway, I had some time to kill before the return trip, and as chance would have it, there was a bus tour of the city that fit right into the schedule.  This shot was actually taken through the bus window as the vehicle wound around a cliff road.

Cold Air

Russian Orthodox Church Near Hollywood

I miss L.A.  I think I'll go back some day.

Huckleberry Gulls

FROM ONE OF MY MANY VISITS TO VENICE BEACH

"Yo' feets, dey sho' am big 'n flat."

"Hunh!  So am yo's!"

ANXIETY

Vanitas

"VANITY... ALL IS VANITY"

A Scold

LAST LIGHT OF THE DAY

Scaredy Fish

Believe it or not, that's an actual dirigible -- a funny-printed one -- in the far distance, accidentally juxtaposed with the scary dark tree just as I came along.

THE SINISTER DARK THINGS ALONG THE WAY

Nostalgia

FOR SOMETHING THAT NEVER WAS

Does anyone else ever feel like this?  Wistful, melancholy, and kinda sorta sad and longing for something, but not quite knowing what it is you miss.  

In Korean folklore, a human soul is a star that came down from the sky and became embodied.  When the body dies we go back to the sky and take our place among the stars again.  You might say that when we feel a vague longing without knowing the cause, it's our soul longing for our old home in the heavens.

EDIT:  Someone told me that the musical style of Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi (born Mamoru Fujisawa), longtime collaborator of animation director Hayao Miyazaki, has been described as making one "nostalgic for things that never were".  Come to think, that description really does fit much of his music. 

Related post:  I-Witness: 2 Angels

Flower on the wing

I'm not normally much about conventionally "pretty" shots, but I have to admit this is a really, really pretty shot.  And all the more precious because it's, well, impossible to duplicate.  It's just one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments.

Fig, halved

Thanksgiving UFO

I came across these photos in an old unrelated folder.  I had completely forgotten about them, and so I came to the blog to check out what I wrote about them.  I was surprised to find they were not posted here.  Then I realized why;  these shots were taken on Thanksgiving, 2015 -- long after I stopped updating after post no. 1000.  Now that I've revived the blog, here they are.

Two Skies

This is one of my all-time favorite shots.  It's lovely, but also at the same time it's melancholy and poignant and saddening - because it's all about longing for the impossible.

Don't, shadow bird!  If you fly beyond the edge, you'll disappear.

"AVIDYA II"

Avidya means ignorance.  I'm ignorant, so I think of this piece as a self-portrait x64.

I wonder why most of the faces look unhappy -- isn't ignorance "bliss"?

 

Kwangheuimun gate, Seoul, on a drizzly day.  With my umbrella.  Another Miyazaki-ish shot.

Seen In A Seoul Alley

Just a cute little scene, spotted while strolling around the Bukchon neighborhood.  It made me think of Miyazaki animes.

DRAGON HEAD ROCK

From my trip to Jeju Island earlier this year.  My friend Evelyn was impressed by this image and commented it looks like some other planet.  You're right Ev, it really does.  Rest in peace.

Dark Figure With Halo

Shadow Forest

Originally this image was meant to represent Spring -- hence the green background -- but now that I look back on it, the choice of color was rather too cool, and I think it actually fits the chilly temps of the present turning of the seasons pretty well.

Exit No. 5

I discovered this lovely view "by mistake" a few days ago.  I meant to take exit no. 6 or 7 out of Myeongdong station, but somehow ended up at exit 5.  I looked up, fell in love immediately and made ready to shoot, but Myeongdong is a very heavily trafficked area and people kept walking into the frame.  While I waited and waited for a clean shot, the light changed and the ginkgo tree lost some of the luster.  I was so frustrated I vowed to come back at an earlier time and try again.  Which I did today.

Homecoming

I've come back.  It's been so long I find I've forgotten how to get around in my own blog -- anyway, almost eight years after putting a formal end to the blog (other than that announcement for my show) I've decided to start re-upping.  Albeit probably not as diligently as I used to.  My life is different now; I'm alone much more of the time and stimulation comes less frequently.  But hopefully, at least the ol' noggin still works like it used to -- or close to it.