"The Golden Land"

Myanmar, all I can say is wow! A country filled with so much culture, smiling faces, and golden Pagodas everywhere (yes everywhere!). As someone who loves to document everyday life with a camera, I felt so alive creatively. I often found myself people watching and composing scenes in my head before pressing the shutter button of my camera. Below are photos I took around Yangon to Inle Lake (located in the Shan State). I left this country energized with a feeling to travel more to experience everyday life in new places. There is still so much more I want to explore here and I'm looking forward to the day I return.

Japan

1996 was the last time I visited Japan and back then I didn't care about photography, traveling, or even Japanese food. At that time I went along with my parents to visit family members we had living in Tokyo. Fast forward to 2013... This time around things were definitely going to be different. I made sure to appreciate every little thing and adsorb as much of the culture as I could. Sensory overload would be a good way to describe my experience, I even slept through a 7.1 earthquake. I'd like to thank my cousins Lester & Jaydee for taking the time to be my guides, you can check out Lester's portfolio here:

http://www.maliaslookingglassphoto.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MaliasLookingGlass

Woody

Hung out with this awesome guy over the weekend. Woody is an American Bulldog / Pitbull mix, if you know anyone looking to adopt he's available. Check out the RocketDogRescue site for more info. (http://www.rocketdogrescue.org/elmer-woody)

Bay Bridge Trail

A little joy ride across the new Bay Bridge Trail.

The Philippines

It's been 6 years since my last visit to the Philippines, and so much has changed since then. This time around my journey took me to the beautiful island of Palawan all the way to the Ilocos Norte region, the northern tip of Luzon. I was excited to experience the rich culture and life of the Philippines, here are photos documenting my travels.