how?

i don't know how it will all work out
but i must trust
it will all work out perfectly

it will all work out perfectly

banyans

what if the tools needed
to turn visions into reality
keep eluding me?
do i keep reaching into the empty air
do i keep waiting for that perfect moment
or do i move the vision
and tweak it into a more "realistic" something else?
what do we do with our dreams that are "too" beautiful?

birds

blue skies flocked with birds
owls, crows, eagles, and more
they are waiting to see when
turtle will rise from the waters
bringing with her
great
magic

magical one
sweet beautiful music making
one

this world
awaits your
gifts

meat factory

just because all is silent
doesnt not mean that nothing has been said
hands that touch and eyes that see
don't always connect
how can i truly touch you
if you cover yourself with such a blanket
i can see the blanket
this waltz we dance
you step on the same toes over and over again

just because all is silent
does not mean that all the thousand little songbirds
will not sing
and spread their songs of truth
over the dead mess of silence
that grey coats the rainbow people

rainbow landscape shuttered in grey
yet all is not dead
right?

feet getting trampled on over and over
some get to wear thick leather boots
some get to wear nothing at all
bruised soles, bruised souls

all the eyes that peer through the dead carcasses can still see
they see in different forms
all the screams muffled out in the countryside
where presumably no one hears
the red lanterns that light the path of the (un)dead

a ladder raises itself up to heaven
a big knife awaits up there

all the little birds are crying
you wonder why they keep making that sound

all the winds know

and all the prayers lie also (un)dead

dafen and dalun art village

pietro (italy), new friend, photos from today
http://www.couchsurfing.org/image_gallery.html?id=AXGXHCK&folder=434412

thanks qizi, local tour guide and new friend
thanks kendal as always for companionship and more
thanks marina (russia), new friend and much laughter
and thanks everyone else who showed up all along the way :)

photo technicals- some basic geekery

wrote something for Work. it might be helpful for anyone who's asked me anything about photography (like you, uncle!)
this is not edited, and is part of a larger course-planning document for a photo workshop. if you're interested, read. if you're not, go admire some jiling poetry or photography, instead. by all means, do enjoy yourself. :)
---
Draw a diagram. Explain that the camera works just like the human eye… basically, you press the shutter release (camera button). Before you press the shutter release, the shutter (the camera "eye") is closed. When you press the shutter release, the camera eye opens, then closes again. During the opening and closing process, light is allowed into the lens (camera eye). Behind the camera eye, there is a detection mechanism. On film cameras, it's the film, which is sensitive to light. On digital cameras, it's a technical mechanism which is also sensitive to light, and translates into pixels. The more sensitive the detection mechanism, the greater the "ISO" of the film, or the higher the number of the ISO. (this number ranges usually from 80 to 1600). How quickly the camera eye opens and closes is called the "shutter speed." This ranges from holding the shutter down for as long as you want on some cameras (infinite time), to as quick as 1/6000 of a second. The shutter speed varies according to your camera and what lens you are using. The kids most likely won't need to know about shutter speed/ aperture/ ISO/ WB, but this is for your own info, and in case they ask you questions. The aperture the size of the camera eye's opening. The smaller the number of the aperture, the more light is allowed in (the bigger the opening). Aperture numbers typically range from f/2.5 to f/11. The larger the number of the aperture, the sharper the entire image, the greater the "depth of field." With a small-numbered aperture, on the other hand, one part of the image may be in great focus, whereas the rest of the image may be out of focus. Playing with shutter speed and aperture gives you great power over the image on the whole. A photograph is not just a "copy" of real life. The photographer is an artist, and every photograph carries an imprint from whoever made the photo. A good photographer has a solid technical knowledge of the camera and just how to use it for each situation, is flexible to changing circumstances, understands weather and lighting (mornings and evenings make the best photos), and has an "eye" for catching moments and framing them in just the right way. Basically, a good photographer is a light-moment-and-camera ninja.

rise

sprouts
r i s e
from humble
seeds
to
g r o w
into
beautiful
ancient
trees

love

how do we acknowledge all the people, plants, places, and animals that touch our lives... no matter how briefly?

kendal is my best friend here. we support each other through all the beauties and challenges of being here in shenzhen, china. and we travel together. and we live together. and more! an amazing woman with so many inspiring gifts.

richard was my bus guru who can help me find my way home from any random small anywhere in shenzhen, and also has a great sense of humor and insatiable curiousity about the world and her people.

we hiked with these people for a day who, once they got over kendal's sandals and my skirt, were actually fun hiking partners (okay but they never got over the skirt and sandals). but i told ridiculous jokes, they told ridiculous jokes, and we all laughed a lot, and i feel like mountain people anywhere are among the best people ever, always.

how about all the people who came before us that we don't usually see anymore but certainly carry a presence? oh yeaaaahhhh :)

frederik entered my life for a whirlwind three days of excellent english, the best introduction to shenzhen that anyone has given me since i've been here, and comprehensive questions and insights covering everything from life and love to computers and digits.

and there's so many more people not pictured!!!!!! :)

感恩. infinite gratitude.