Looking for a quick trip out of town for less than a day? Consider Samish Bay! Last weekend, I found myself skimming through a hard copy of Seattle Weekly, something I haven't done in ages. Naturally, the food & drink section caught and held my attention the longest, mostly because of one article whose headline made me start drooling. "Quest for the Perfect (Oyster) Picnic: A
The benefit to starting photo editing of a night's work at 12 midnight is the rare chance to see and shoot an epic thunder and lightning show that illuminated Seattle's sky late Friday night/early Saturday morning. Beginning shortly after midnight, I could see the lightning streaks bolt through the sky out of the corner of my eye as I was working in PhotoShop. Finally, my
Sometimes it takes a near death experience to bring you back to life. That was the mantra of sorts that was running through my head during last night's ayahuasca ceremony, my second in 3 days. My ayahuasca experiences, like many others, were full of physical pain and emotional torment, with minimal peace and elation, yet I am in awe of how powerfully effective the medicine
When you visit a country where the written language is as foreign as can be, finding anything to eat can be a challenge. Communication barriers can make it difficult to order the simplest of foods or can even lead you astray, resulting in a dish a little too foreign to your palate. During my week-long visit to Seoul, I was fortunate to have
November 2011 is a month that I'll never forget. It was when I met my very first blood relative and had a life-changing experience in Seoul, South Korea. For those who don't know, I was adopted from Seoul, South Korea at the age of six months to my Japanese American adoptive mother and Caucasian adoptive father. In Hawaii, it's pretty common for children to be hapa
What do babies and runners have in common? They both wear bibs! More likely the only other time in your life after infancy when you may need to wear a bib is when you compete in an athletic competition, such as running races. Personally, in the 10 years I've been running competitively, not much has changed about the bib. It's still just a
Whidbey (Whidby) Island (nicknamed "The Rock") is located about 48 km north of Seattle in the Olympic Peninsula. It is one of nine islands, and especially gorgeous in the spring and summer. We took a day trip up to Whidbey, beginning early in the morning with a stop for brunch at the famed Patty's Eggnest in Mukilteo, before boarding a ferry to the
This year, I’m gearing up for my first-ever experience down in Austin, Texas for the annual SXSW music festival. Attended by thousands from around the world, Austin becomes a mecca for anyone who’s anyone in the entertainment business. Personally, I’m going for the music part, and can’t hardly wait for the free flowing booze and music that everyone raves about. Despite having only spent a
Twelve years ago, I did something I never thought I’d do: I learned how to surf. I was at that awkward middle school age where up until that point, I conformed with everyone around me. My friends were athletes, so I started running track. My friends were honor roll students, so I was too. BUT none of my friends did anything aquatic and luckily, the
Can you remember the last time you went to the zoo? At age 24, I vaguely recall visiting Point Defiance while going to university in Tacoma, and the zoo in Barcelona, Spain. However, I really couldn't recall visiting the zoo of my childhood in Waikiki. While visiting home, my best friend suggested we spend an afternoon with the animals, and I happily agreed. The Waikiki
