About 10 years ago, a four-legged boy came into my life at a time when my then four-legged best friend was getting along in her years. My mom had decided to take in a puppy, a Rottweiler, just like my dog, Nike. I was totally against it. Nike was my one and only dog, and there would be no other to ever take her place. Yet, despite my grumblings, this new dog, full of puppy energy, vigor, and adolescent canine awkwardness, came into our home, and was later named "Kona" by yours truly (if you can't beat 'em, join 'em).
In the all too soon following months, our beloved Nike succumbed to bone cancer, and in her wake, we were left with our other dog (my second best four-legged friend) "Cutie", and now, Kona. I was a bit hesitant around Kona - his exuberance during my mourning period over Nike was just too much for me to handle, all the while, trying to make sure that Cutie was still shown the attention that she deserved.
I used to joke around about Kona by calling him "cheapee" cause he didn't have the pedigree, intelligence, poise that Nike had. Yet, as the years went by, he quickly became part of the family, and even more so, my mom's "four-legged" son, which was all the more fitting as he would move with her when we sold my child-hood home.
Kona was there to protect my mom, my grandmother, and Cutie at the time, when she moved to Riverside. He was there to keep them company, provide friendship, and most importantly, love everyone around him. In time, he became the best dog in the family, just for being himself. A rather large, smart, friendly, and loving pet.
Over the years, he went to all the family functions, celebrated Christmas complete with Santa hats, and even traveled to other events or parties, either literally inside, or perhaps waiting in my mom's car. He had met and been around so many people, particularly those who are no longer with us; traveled more around the city than anyone would ever want to (without complaining); and was always there when ever we needed him.
Last Wednesday, our four-legged boy's time on earth was finished, as he gently laid down for one last time in the presence of my mom and said goodbye in his own easy way. He was with my mom during his last moments, and I think he felt comforted in knowing that she was there with him. I'm certain if he had it his way, he'd still be around for her to take care of, but as with all wonderful beings on this planet, everyone's time is short.
I have to say I'll miss Kona very much. He was the last link to Nike and Cutie, linking the two decades between the two. We'll always remember him as the dog for this 21st century, as he lived his 10 or so years in it. Although I'll still regard him as being a "cheapee", it'll always be said with love and respect for a little Rottweiller pup who somehow found his way between two wonderful dogs, and eventually into a full fledged member of our family.
Kona was a great dog, and I'd like to thank him publicly for being there for my mom, my grandmother, Cutie, and the rest of the family during his time with us. He'll be forever ingrained in our family history, and always have a loving place in our hearts and memory.
Take care boy. Say hello to Nike and Cutie, and Grandma, and everyone else up there for us. Thank you for everything :) We'll miss you, with love and respect.
M
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Kona
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Ah yes, it's that time of year again, when there's snow up in local mountains, nearly an inch of rain falls right before my first triathlon of the season, and during a weekend where I had to wake up before the sun rose... ah, springtime in L.A. Yup, all of the above happened! All during the weekend that I returned back to the "land" of medieval merriment, the Renaissance Faire! Woo hoo!!!
Last year was the first time I had been since the 90's, when it was in Agoura. Now that it's closer to L.A., it's easier to get to, plus, it was only minutes away from Bonelli Park in Pomona, site of my first triathlon race of this year (two more to go!). So it all worked out.
What I love most about the Ren Faire is how "in to it" the participants are. Everyday, 21st century folk, dressed up in medieval costumes/clothing, and even speaking the parts in the middle of a dusty field right next to a man made reservoir. Kinda cool to experience it and actually see renaissance themed things for a day.
This year's sojourn was made with my good friends Mike and Jenn, along with Mike's cousin Rachel (who's from the Philippines, thus making this outing even more remarkable for her, especially in regards to what we Americans do with our "free" time).
Fun times as always, plus, this year, I really took it upon myself to talk to more participants to get their photos taken, especially since I was shooting with either my 35mm or a 50mm lens, which is pretty close. I definitely had to strike up a conversation before snapping the shutter. I liked it though cause I wasn't just "stealing" a photo, but actually learning something about the person, and then "making" a photograph. Besides, everyone was so nice anyway.
Here are some of the photos from the day.
So there you have it! My day at the Renaissance Faire. I definitely recommend it for those of you who haven't, just to go back in time for a few hours every spring, back to the age of Kings, Queens, knights, and Ladies (wenches as they were called - doh!).
Thanks for visiting everyone, till next time! Long live the queen!
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Let the merriment COMMENCE!
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Hi everyone,
Have to skip this week's postings due to a project I'm working on, but I'll be back next week! Thanks for checking :)
Mike
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Boo for me :(
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Happy Wednesday everyone!
Okay, for basically the life of my blog here, I've been giving updates on the stuff that I've been doing, photos of my life, etc., but today, I wanted to share with everyone some of the blog links of some good friends of mine so that we all can give them some "Web-love" (hey, not that kind, the clean, wholesome kind!).
I have some terrifically talented friends out there doing different things artistically, and I honestly believe they should be recognized for the work that they are doing. So please click through the links and find out more about them, won't you?
My friend Teresa is a wonderfully talented actress and writer that has been in the entertainment industry for quite sometime now with huge, awesome credits to boot! Among them, being a writer for the updated version of "Knight Rider" a few years ago, as well as a re-occurring nurse on a lot of the hospital shows around. She has bigger and better credits than that, but it's just something she recently mentioned on her post. Check her out for some great acting/actor insights!
Frequent "face" here on my blog, and a long time good friend in instructor of mine, Cindera Che, has been a significant force in my development as an actor/artist. She is an accomplished actress, pilates instructor, professional dancer, and overall amazing person! If you want to further your development as an artist, human being, better person, etc. (!), check out her site and services and classes now! (BTW, that IS Cindera with some guy named Michael Jackson, you may have heard of him)
My good buddy and wedding/portrait photographer Andy is another amazing talent! We were having lunch yesterday and I was telling him that he should post more on his blog, so here I am today urging you to go visit his website and see his work. It's totally worth the look, and perhaps with enough of us visiting, he'll post some new stuff!
Another good friend of mine and longtime professional photographer, Darrell Miho has been recently doing some inspirational work with relief efforts in Japan after last year's earthquake and tsunami devastations. His trips to Japan, which usually include relief items and bundles of hope and inspiration are up on his blog along with his amazing photography. Darrell's work (both artistically and socially) are truly inspirational (I've used that alot huh), so please click on to his blog and check it out.
Keri has been a long time friend of mine also through our voice instructor, and most notably, our partnering in several weddings over the past years. She's a terrific second shooter, uber talented graphic artist, all coupled with a great singing voice to boot! Keri has designed so many awesome logos, websites, materials, etc. that you should definitely look into her work to get inspired! Go ahead, I dare you! ;p
Our friends over at Artists at Play are a trail blazing group of producers and performers bulging at the seams with talent! Plus, they're all just plain cool ;) They are currently in the midst of pre-pre production towards their next mainstage show, and are having some great fundraiser types of activities going on soon, so check out their site and support them! Great people + great talent = Truly MAGNIFICENT times!!!
Okay, I could go on and on with links to a lot of my talented friends here, but for now, I'll leave it with these. I'm CERTAIN I have so many more, but that'll have to be for next time.
My friends are so amazing talented, and truly inspire me! Please check them out and hopefully, you'll feel the same way after visiting their sites :)
Thanks for stopping by everyone! Till next week!
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Cindera Che says:
You are amazing to attract all of these wonderful people into your life. Thanks for being in mine!
(03.28.12 @ 07:40 PM)
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Spreading some web-love
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Happy first day of SPRING everyone! We finally made it! After a weird week of rain, cold temps, and strong winds, it IS finally looking like good 'ol springtime. Ahhhh...
Before the massive transition to this warm, sun-out, blue-skies season, I found myself back at the Old West. Ahem, that is, the old west of Buena Park, via the vision of the Knotts family. Yup, my second sojourn to Knotts Berry Farm in a little less than 3 1/2 months. You see, the Hawaii kids (as I call them), the niece and nephews, were in town for their spring break, and they chose to go to the old west!
The nice thing about going mid-week, and the day before a major thunderstorm was that the park was virtually empty! Talk about getting to ride some cool rides with little to no wait! I was finally able to ride the "big kids" rides, without having to wait the massive hours as before. I have to say, this big kid might be feeling like an old kid after getting off some of those rides! Yikes!
What I love most about Knotts is their old town, or Ghost Town as they call it. Their recreation of the old west is pretty cool and amazing. Plus, the best part? The textures of the all the old, worn buildings! So cool!
Here's a few photos taken from that day. Despite wanting to take even more photos, it's all about having fun isn't it?
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Wild West (Buena Park) Ghost Town
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Happy first day of SPRING everyone! We finally made it! After a weird week of rain, cold temps, and strong winds, it IS finally looking like good 'ol springtime. Ahhhh...
Before the massive transition to this warm, sun-out, blue-skies season, I found myself back at the Old West. Ahem, that is, the old west of Buena Park, via the vision of the Knotts family. Yup, my second sojourn to Knotts Berry Farm in a little less than 3 1/2 months. You see, the Hawaii kids (as I call them), the niece and nephews, were in town for their spring break, and they chose to go to the old west!
The nice thing about going mid-week, and the day before a major thunderstorm was that the park was virtually empty! Talk about getting to ride some cool rides with little to no wait! I was finally able to ride the "big kids" rides, without having to wait the massive hours as before. I have to say, this big kid might be feeling like an old kid after getting off some of those rides! Yikes!
What I love most about Knotts is their old town, or Ghost Town as they call it. Their recreation of the old west is pretty cool and amazing. Plus, the best part? The textures of the all the old, worn buildings! So cool!
Here's a few photos taken from that day. Despite wanting to take even more photos, it's all about having fun isn't it?
Thanks for stopping by everyone. And remember, it's all about having fun, isn't it?
Have a great week!
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Helen says:
Love the photos!!! The barber shop shot is great!
(03.21.12 @ 05:41 PM)
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Wild West (Buena Park) Ghost Town
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I have always believed that professional dancers, or any dancer for that matter, make some of the best photographic models. Their sense of lines, and body position help to make any photograph, that much better. Seriously.
Even with subtle poses, I believe they really know how to get the most out of a shot.
Here are a few photos from a shoot I did with a good friend of mine, who is a professional dancer. Enjoy!
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Bling Singh says:
I am your fan! Great shots
(02.22.12 @ 04:02 PM)
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Dancers make the best models
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You're so right :)
(04.29.12 @ 11:28 PM)No other dog will ever have the class that Nike possessed! Kona was a completely different kind and I felt he was more focused on being playful and living in the present whereas Nike always had some sort of image of herself that she tried to exhibit to others. I already miss the fact that there will be a missing presence of a four legged animal whenever I visit your place.
(04.25.12 @ 01:00 PM)