If there is one day in the distant future where I have not yet died a young death from skydiving, eating blow-fish, running with the bulls or doing any other of the many dangerous things on my bucket-list, I suppose I would be forced to slow down and retire. And IF that day comes, I choose to retire in Costa Rica. This tropical country located in Central America is dense with foliage and beautiful landscapes.
"Pura Vida!" is the motto of the land, and you'll be hard pressed to not hear someone greet you in this manner or read it somewhere at least 3 times a day during your visit. It translates literally to pure life, and Costa Rica definitely lives up to their motto. Life is so simple here, especially inland. We stayed by the Arenal Volcano where many of the locals get around by walking and where it's hard to get your hands on processed food. The locals are quite relaxed and very comfortable with tourists since a majority of the economy is dependent on tourism. One thing I found out about Costa Rica is that they don't have an army! You know your country is relaxed when your government doesn't think it's necessary to fund an army. Gotta love a country like that.
Our diet during our stay was simple yet delicious. Rice and beans is a staple of Costa Rican cuisine, with fish and chicken being the main sources of protein and fresh fruit like plantains, pineapples, and strawberries. Much of the cows raised in Costa Rica are for milk, not meat, so it's very rare to find red meat on your plate. As a result of this wonderfully fresh diet and the wonders of tropical humidity, Costa Rican people are naturally beautiful! I found that everyone had nice glowing skin, and by the time we left, Shaun and I left the country looking like we blew a bunch of money on facials.
The first day we were there we met some great people while white water rafting. The first duo was Nicole and Erica. These two pals are from Seattle and were at a yoga retreat prior to coming to Arenal Volcano. The second duo was Kenn and Lisa who were on their honeymoon! Coincidentally, they are photographers too and come from southern California as well! We were all in the same raft with each other and the chemistry was so great we all hung out with each other for the rest of the trip. We felt so lucky to have met such awesome people during our trip and we plan on traveling with each other again next year! Hopefully Peru!
This first set of photos is from my waterproof film camera. Glad I brought it because I was able to get one or two one of a kind shots.
These are pictures from our first excursion, white water rafting. This is the first time the six of us all met and bonded as a group.
Canyoneering! Hands down, best excursion of the trip!
Hot springs adventure, zip lining, and our last night on the town.
Pura Vida!
xx, LC
Friday, November 30, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Coachella En Film
Better late than never huh? A couple of my favorite shots from my film camera from this years Coachella.
I love this festival and the way it is run. A California institution since 1999, the past three years attending have been quite memorable for me. I give credit for that to the amazing friends who accompanied me and all of the great bands and performances I was able to experience. But I also give credit to how well Coachella is operated, from the $2 sticker price for a bottle of water (price hasn't gone up in years) to the easy navigation of streets to and from the festival to the artwork.
Next year however, I plan on venturing out of California and spending my hard earned dough on some new memories in a not so familiar place. Not that Coachella hasn't treated me well in the past, but I've got the travel bug and I'm yearning for a new experience. Bonnaroo? Treasure Island? Ultra? SXSW? Camp Bisco? Lollapalooza? Electric Zoo? Sasquatch? We'll have to see..
xx, LC
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Art vs. Science
I wanted to change the world. A couple years ago, as I sat in my room in my mother's house, staring at the speckled stucco ceiling, I contemplated the past two years of my life along with the five (yes, FIVE) times I changed my major. What did I want to do with my life? There was no straight answer. I wanted to pursue everything that interested me. And I was successful.. in the sense that I got to dabble a bit in every field that my happy heart desired to. But the clock was ticking and with every semester that annoying little question haunted my mind space. What did I want to do with my life? I wasn't sure. The only thing I knew was.. I wanted to change the world.
Or at the very least, make some sort of impact, on someone, something, to make my existence meaningful, while satisfying my insatiable thirst for knowledge and exploration.
I wanted to change the world. But I thought money should be important too. Long gone were the days where I desired to live a bohemian lifestyle, playing piano for a measly income at glitzy dive bars, drinking wine with friends on the weekends and living a simple and modest, yet fulfilling lifestyle. I grew up (just a little bit) and the responsible side of me chose to pursue marine biology so I could work to make a difference in the world's oceans and still make a decent enough income. I loved chemistry and biology, I loved marine life, and I could make a pretty penny. Win win, right?
But it was never about money. It should never be about money. While taking my biology classes, I took a creative writing class and my teacher thought the world of my writing (or at least she acted like it). She encouraged me to pursue a writing career and seemed crushed when I told her I wasn't. It surprised me that I could be so good at something that came so easy for me. What could I achieve when I actully worked really hard at it? Biology and chemistry came really easy for me too, but all the lab books and experiments in the world couldn't give me the same feeling I felt when I finished a really good essay, or a great blog post, or a moving journal entry. So I changed my major and joined the school newspaper.
GREAT. GOOD. "I'm on the right track now!" I thought to myself cheerfully. When I was at school I was happiest in the newsroom, interviewing people and writing stories. Yes! I was great at this. And for once I was 100% sure of what I wanted in life.
But then came that question. At family parties and social events.. "What's your major?" Journalism, I would respond, but I never got the reaction I got when I told people I was a bio major. There wasn't that slight giddy inflection in the voice when people would respond "Oh! You're a bio major!" and instead I was met with a touchy acknowledgement and awkward silence. What? This confused me. I'm a Leo, I'm not used to this type of unattention.
Whatever.
I wanted to change the world.
Why don't majors like art and communication get as much respect and recognition as the sciences do? I feel as if society thinks that these are throwaway majors; I do not feel so. I feel as if they contribute equally to the world. Sure, biology and chemistry majors do a lot of work and it takes a lot of energy to comprehend the material. It also takes a certain amount of brainpower to use that information in a useful way. Art and communications does this too, but instead of facts, it dismantles and studies ideas. You can't just look at a piece of art and understand it, or read a great piece of fiction and be able to disseminate its plot and major themes. An understanding of art and literature and its contexts is an understanding of the human condition. An understanding of the human condition can help spur a change in consciousness. And that's what I wanted to do.
I'll admit there are a handful of bad apples out there who call themselves "journalists" and give the profession a bad name (I'm lookin' at you, Fox News), but if I can work for a reputable media outlet, and create just one article that will change your way of thinking for the better, than I would have done my job. Kindling sparks into a fire, and that is how I will change the world.
To put this whole thing in perspective, here is a quick interview I did with a good friend of mine, Jorrel Batac, on the subject of art as a major. You can find links to his extensive library of work here.
If you LOVE what you see, he has a photobook called Wake Dream Sleep coming out soon. You can pre-order it by emailing jorrel@aindividual.com
xx, LC
Or at the very least, make some sort of impact, on someone, something, to make my existence meaningful, while satisfying my insatiable thirst for knowledge and exploration.
I wanted to change the world. But I thought money should be important too. Long gone were the days where I desired to live a bohemian lifestyle, playing piano for a measly income at glitzy dive bars, drinking wine with friends on the weekends and living a simple and modest, yet fulfilling lifestyle. I grew up (just a little bit) and the responsible side of me chose to pursue marine biology so I could work to make a difference in the world's oceans and still make a decent enough income. I loved chemistry and biology, I loved marine life, and I could make a pretty penny. Win win, right?
But it was never about money. It should never be about money. While taking my biology classes, I took a creative writing class and my teacher thought the world of my writing (or at least she acted like it). She encouraged me to pursue a writing career and seemed crushed when I told her I wasn't. It surprised me that I could be so good at something that came so easy for me. What could I achieve when I actully worked really hard at it? Biology and chemistry came really easy for me too, but all the lab books and experiments in the world couldn't give me the same feeling I felt when I finished a really good essay, or a great blog post, or a moving journal entry. So I changed my major and joined the school newspaper.
GREAT. GOOD. "I'm on the right track now!" I thought to myself cheerfully. When I was at school I was happiest in the newsroom, interviewing people and writing stories. Yes! I was great at this. And for once I was 100% sure of what I wanted in life.
But then came that question. At family parties and social events.. "What's your major?" Journalism, I would respond, but I never got the reaction I got when I told people I was a bio major. There wasn't that slight giddy inflection in the voice when people would respond "Oh! You're a bio major!" and instead I was met with a touchy acknowledgement and awkward silence. What? This confused me. I'm a Leo, I'm not used to this type of unattention.
Whatever.
I wanted to change the world.
Why don't majors like art and communication get as much respect and recognition as the sciences do? I feel as if society thinks that these are throwaway majors; I do not feel so. I feel as if they contribute equally to the world. Sure, biology and chemistry majors do a lot of work and it takes a lot of energy to comprehend the material. It also takes a certain amount of brainpower to use that information in a useful way. Art and communications does this too, but instead of facts, it dismantles and studies ideas. You can't just look at a piece of art and understand it, or read a great piece of fiction and be able to disseminate its plot and major themes. An understanding of art and literature and its contexts is an understanding of the human condition. An understanding of the human condition can help spur a change in consciousness. And that's what I wanted to do.
I'll admit there are a handful of bad apples out there who call themselves "journalists" and give the profession a bad name (I'm lookin' at you, Fox News), but if I can work for a reputable media outlet, and create just one article that will change your way of thinking for the better, than I would have done my job. Kindling sparks into a fire, and that is how I will change the world.
To put this whole thing in perspective, here is a quick interview I did with a good friend of mine, Jorrel Batac, on the subject of art as a major. You can find links to his extensive library of work here.
If you LOVE what you see, he has a photobook called Wake Dream Sleep coming out soon. You can pre-order it by emailing jorrel@aindividual.com
xx, LC
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Romance in the 21st Century...
.. is non existent.
Above is clip from Ken Burns' documentary, "The Civil War." It is a letter from Sullivan Ballou, a confederate soldier, to his wife, days before his certain impeding doom. His letter is so eloquent and intimate, reflecting upon his life and his situation with such intellect and insight.
The modern man doesn't write letters like this, at least none that I have met. Is it because our of shoddy school system and decline of English language? Or has the women's liberation movement empowered us so much that it's hard for a man to get too close to be able to kindle this type of romance? I have no answers for you concerning that but I do know one thing:
They sure don't make them like that anymore.
xx, LC
Above is clip from Ken Burns' documentary, "The Civil War." It is a letter from Sullivan Ballou, a confederate soldier, to his wife, days before his certain impeding doom. His letter is so eloquent and intimate, reflecting upon his life and his situation with such intellect and insight.
The modern man doesn't write letters like this, at least none that I have met. Is it because our of shoddy school system and decline of English language? Or has the women's liberation movement empowered us so much that it's hard for a man to get too close to be able to kindle this type of romance? I have no answers for you concerning that but I do know one thing:
They sure don't make them like that anymore.
xx, LC
Monday, November 26, 2012
Word of the Day
gra·tu·i·tous [gruh-too-i-tuh s]
adjective
1. given, done, bestowed, or obtained without charge or payment; free; voluntary.
3. Law. given without receiving any return value.
xx, LC
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
... and Justice for all.
Today, Justice premiered their 2012 World Tour jacket. It was sold via Surface To Air and sold out almost immediately! At least I think it did. It dropped on Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. Paris time and thanks to my horrible attempt at time zone conversion, I missed my chance. It's just as well, the jackets sold for upwards of $1000 and if I was actually resourceful and did the correct time conversion (I'm sure there's an app for that) I would be out 1000 bucks. I'm the luckiest unlucky person.
May do a little DIY project however because damn it if I didn't own a jacket like that. To not make one would be an injustice. Genesis still gives me the chills.
xx, LC
Monday, November 12, 2012
Boiler Room LIVE
If you are conscious and able bodied at 12 p.m. (PST) on Nov. 14 and love good music, then I suggest you point your browser toward the Boiler Room to catch "Do Not Disturb" featuring B2B sets from three of my favorite artists, Disclosure, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs a.k.a. TEED, and Friendly Fires.
GET FAMILIAR:
Disclosure is a duo from the UK that just recently toured North America. Their show at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles on Halloween was touted to be one of the best shows/events that night. They play an eclectic mix of dancey housey goodness mixed with alluring vocals guaranteed to get you on your feet. Check out "Boiling" and "Control" and you'll see what I mean.
Seriously, don't miss this.
xx, LC
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