Taiwan - Nostalgia edition

I worked in Taiwan for 8 months as a fresh faced college grad.  I had no idea how the world works but life was full of possibilities, every thing was a new experience and coming back to Taiwan was like returning home.  Work was long and hard but everyday was a chance for me to exercise my creative muscles and soak in everything game development had to offer.  I was finally there at a game company making games.  It was truly an exciting time!  Even living on only 1000 USD a month and in a dump of an apartment, everything was good.  I was on my way, to what I don't know, but I was getting there.  Life however, didn't share in my excitement.  In fact by what happened I say it took one look, rolled its eyes and with a devious smirk and a snap of the fingers I was on a plane heading back to the USA.

What does that have to do with the pictures?  Well nothing really, but my dilapidated basement apartment was located close to a big lake that's a very popular tourist area.  I had the chance to revisit the area and it was pretty much like I remembered.

There is one big lake with a bridge over and lots of food vendors and peddle boats.  They revamped the area to make it more modern and with more shops, but it was essentially what it was 9 years ago.

One of the shop had these really colorful leather bracelets.  I'm a bit old for leather jewelries but the way they were arranged and displayed was a photographer's dream.

In some ways the second time I left Taiwan I really left it.  It's no longer my home but I'm no longer that fresh faced college grad.  Almost a decade later I see that by leaving Taiwan my horizon was expanded and my person became more well rounded.  Perhaps it wasn't a devious smirk that was on life's face, maybe it was the smile a mother bird gives to her baby chick before pushing it out of the nest so it can spread its wings.

Until next time, Formosa.

When you finally find her

My good friend Jeff is getting engaged, we've known each other for more than half of our lives (ugh, things you can say when you're hitting 30).  Through the years I've known him a large portion of our conversation would be about girls.  The topic range from, where are the girls?  Where can I find these girls?  Is she a good girl?  Or a bad girl?  What kind of girl is she?  She's great!  She's a bitch.  She broke my heart.  Do I really like this girl?  I really like this girl!  Is this the right girl?  I think I'm in love with this girl...  Is she an actual girl? (ok that one never came up)  If only we can use our brain for some nobler purpose, the things we could accomplish, but you get the gist.

It's with great pleasure and delight for me to be able to shoot him and his fiancé a day after his proposal. (Yeah I still remember how to type accented characters, hooray for high school Español)

The thing about my buddy here is that he has been searching for the right girl for as long as I've known him.  The quest for love though tumulous does have its reward and the reward sometime comes with a bubbly personality and a sweet smile that lights up the room.

So our young hero has now secured his maiden's hands, I guess the easy part is over.  Moral of the story, when you finally find her, put a ring on it.

So to the lovely Xianya, welcome to the family!  Don't panic, we are at least as crazy as we look.