My Newest and Grandest Challenge

I am taking on cancer one mile biking at a time. You should follow along and support!
"Cancer changes lives... and so do we!" - Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adult's Motto
#key2keys2017 #1500miles

Amazing Photojournal Idea: Leading Around the World on Imgur

Documenting trips around the world is one of my biggest passions. Combining writing and photography can make a big difference. One constant that I like to have in all of my photography is people. I enjoy capturing what makes all of the places around the world so special. And that is mostly the people. Yes, landscape, skyscapes, and all other -scapes are incredible and I love photographing them, but the ones that resonate just a bit more emotion to me are photos with people within the frame. This imgur album titled "leading around the world" is something I stumbled upon and I love it.

The theme is not people -- but rather a person. This is a loved one that's wanderlust, nomadic, adventurous, fun and wanting to share the experience -- quite literally, hand and hand. Having someone to share the magnificent wonders of travel, test your limits and patience in unfamiliar territories, and challenge you daily as you expand your comfort zones is not only a treasure to a globetrotter, but it is a rarity. I connected closely to this user, makemisteaks', album. I brings back incredible memories of traveling with a companion and forever having those experiences together, like a tattoo seared into your memory. We tried to do a running photo series while traveling, but instead of hands holding, we used our loving little stuffed panda bear as our featured motif through the China landscapes.

This "leading" album is beautifully made (unlike the half-hearted attempt we made in China), and although the HDR quality can be a bit distracting, it is necessary to see all of the subtle features and details of every single photograph. Look closely at every photo and see recurring themes and what things change (fingernail polish, braclets, hairstyle, background and colors). All of these things go "hand-and-hand" with the feeling of each photo, almost as if you could tell what the expression on the woman's face is in every photo.
Truly a fascinating album and genuine idea to do a point-of-view album that encompasses travel photography and nostalgic memories for those within the photo and those just viewing it.

Love this one... reminds me of a tree near the temple I lived at in Bangkok.

Sri Lanka Deserves Travel Recognition

Here's a quick piece I just submitted to Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2013 about one of my all-time favorite places in the world, Sri Lanka:

"The often forgotten country at the heart of the Indian Ocean has undeniable character and culture. The well-known tsunami that was the caused due to a massive earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia in 2004 struck the coastlines of dozens of countries, causing massive damage and killing up to a quarter million people. Though not as well publicized around the world as other countries and their disaster response, one of the hardest hit countries from the tsunami was Sri Lanka, sitting directly in the path of the waves’ destruction. The small island with much of its civilization directly on its beautiful coastline was completely destroyed. In one moment, nearly 2,000 people were killed by the first onslaught of waves crashing in-land and killing almost every passenger on the busy train line Queen of the Sea. The destruction resulted in the greatest loss of life in railroad history.

Five years after the tsunami took over 35,000 Sinhalese lives, I had the fortune to visit this incredibly breath-taking country. With its rich history hailing from Portuguese, Dutch and British heritage combined with their strongly independent culture, it's easy to see what makes Sri Lanka so attractive to a history buff. But it has so much more than century-old history and ancient roots. Just months before I arrived to the capitol of Colombo, Sri Lanka's modern-day history was continuing to be dramatically shaped as the civil war between the government in power and the Tamil Tigers finally ended after 26 years. Faced with years of struggle and violence, topped with unfathomable natural destruction to an already poor economy, Sri Lanka looked to be doomed with the cards it was dealt. But the tear-drop shaped nation just off the southern Indian coast persevered. The country's strong values in family and community rebuilt the nation from the ground up. With a healthy government and growing economy, the once overlooked country is getting standing on its own again.

The country’s culture and community make up its remarkable character. It's traditional food of fishes, chutneys, curries and an array of rich flavors paired with its relaxed atmosphere brings a speed of smoothness similar to its coconut sambol. With its deep roots to Buddhist, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam, the country begs for a faith-driven traveler to see its many sides and tranquility around each corner from Kandy to Colombo. The Sri Lankan people are some of the kindest, most generous, and prideful individuals. Even though faced through centuries of adversity, the culture and customs of such a small country remains strong and true, even though often lost in the mix of the more popular travel destinations like India, Thailand and Indonesia. Sri Lanka is a travelers' ultimate trip for great activities such as hiking or beach going, as well as catching a cricket match on any street corner. It has tremendous value to foreign travelers looking for something a bit off the beaten path and with a cultural background unlike any of its neighboring countries.

Of all my travels, I have still to this day found a country that comes remotely close to Sri Lanka’s beauty, endurance, spirituality, and overall charm."

Why I Run: Olympic Torches and Motivation

With the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremonies kicking off today, I felt it would be best to give a little insight into my connection with the Olympics but also on what I have done in my ten years following that special moment on that cold winter morning of 2001.
The best way for me to describe how everything connects in my life is to provide you with the back-story to this letter, which I originally wrote to the Philadelphia Enquirer on "Why I Am Running The Broad Street Run" for their potential publication following the race back in May. (My story did not get selected, but another beautiful story of struggle and accomplishment did.) But I have many friends, family and strangers ask me the same question about running organized races like 5ks, 10 milers and half-marathons (not onto full marathons yet): "Why do you do it?," "Why pay to run long distances?," "Is there some sort of special acknowledgement for completely these runs or simply bragging rights on Facebook?" These are real questions people have asked me and so I feel there is no better way to explain than through my story.
So in honor of the beautiful Olympic Games underway, the spirit of competition, athletic endurance and fitness, and lifelong struggle, I ask for you to read my letter on Why I Run. Afterwards, if you feel motivated enough to make a small donation to the Team Fight organization, the information about the foundation I run for is linked below!

"Why I Run"
I've never been one to accept rejection lightly. I don't like to be told what I can and cannot do. And when I was 13 years old, I was told I wasn't allowed to do much with my future (whether it be long-term or near-future). I was told I had Hodgkin's disease Lymphoma , a common form of cancer among teenagers affecting the Lymphatic system. Likelihood of surviving the disease was high. I received chemotherapy and radiation as I finished up elementary school and entered into high school. I was declared "cured" after six months of treatment. Just after a few months of my regular check ups, the cancer had come back with much more severity, spreading throughout my body.
An overhaul of treatment ideas came forth and extensive amounts of chemotherapy did not do its job once again. A last resort treatment was to receive a stem-cell transplant. I harvested (froze) my own stem-cells for three months before undergoing the highest dosage of chemotherapy possible, with the hopes to wipe out the spreading cancerous cells. As a result of such powerful chemotherapy that was meant to kill any fast growing cells in my body, the treatment would completely wipe out my immune system. Without white blood cells to protect my body from harmful diseases or the common cold, I had to remain in isolation within the hospital in Boston, MA for 6 weeks to allow for my immune system to recover and grow, similiar to an infant's. I didn't eat for 17 days, I was getting sick every hour, I lost a frightening amount of weight, all while being two hours from my family and friends back home in NH. With the limited amount of people allowed to visit me due to harmful germs (even the simpliest infection or cold could have killed me if I contracted it), I had allowed my mind to dream of breaking free from the hospital and wandering the world, free of tubes, IVs, nausea, and desperately concerned looks from my family as I was on the brink. Finally, my immune system begin to recover. I left the hospital only to be confined to my house for 4 months in strict isolation. I had no physical interaction with family members. I couldn't go to school, I just had a tutor who visited and worked with me (from a distance). Being locked down in a house is not something a person like myself can handle. It was incredibly challenging physically, mentally, and emotionally, but was just a drop in the bucket compared to what I had lived through to get there.
A break happened around Christmas time of nearly my third year of fighting the disease. I was selected to run one-tenth of a mile, carrying the Olympic torch on its way to Salt Lake City. The honor was huge and my chance to get out of the house to get a little exercise had finally come.
At 4:30am, in 10 degree weather, an hour from my house in New Hampshire, my personal torch received the famous flame that has been passed from carrier to carrier for centuries. The moment will forever live in my memory as my short stretch to carry the flame began. For the first time in my life I got the thrill of running for a crowd. My one-tenth of a mile was filled on both sides of the road with my closest family and friends bearing the brutally cold weather and cheering me on. This was my first real exercise in more than 8 months, as my health was far too weak and my restrictions were overly-precautious when it came to any exercise. But while carrying that flame, it wasn't apparent that my body was recovering from its most devastating battle yet. I was so filled with adrenaline and happiness holding the glowing torch in my hand that I began sprinting and high stepping my way up the road before being told to slow down and embrace the moment.
I passed the flame to the next carrier, my parents greated me at the end with hugs and my dad said, "You looked like you could run a marathon with how excited and how much energy you had!" And it felt like I could have.
That was my first taste of organized running. It was quite a grandiose stage to enter in on. But sadly, after finally regaining a healthy, strong immune system and being completely cleared of any cancerous cells in my body, I still had obstacles to face in the future. My doctors gave me warnings of all the things I should not -- and could not -- do with my second lease on life. Of the laundry list of things my body -- specifically my heart -- could not handle, three stuck out in my mind the most; no scuba-diving, no high altitude climbing, no long endurance training/running.
Challenge accepted. Nine years after being diagnosed, while living in Thailand, I climbed to the top of Mount Kinabalu in Borneo, one of the tallest mountains in Southeast Asia. The two day trek stretched my lungs and heart to the limit with its 4,095 meters (13,435 feet) above sea level elevation. After surviving that climb, I got the hunger.
To honor my ten year anniversary of my diagnosis, I climbed for four days to the base camp of the tenth tallest mountain in the world, Nepal's Mount Annapurna in the Himalayas, at 4,130 meters (13,549 ft) above sea level. I reached the peak April 8th, 2010, just three days before my decade anniversary of challenge and celebration.
Just eight months after that, I began training for my first half marathon. On October 12, 2011 I checked off another "cannot do" on my doctor's list, by finishing the Baltimore Half Marathon in just over two hours.
This year's Baltimore Half Marathon (10/12/13) will be my fourth half marathon completed since then. But with each measurement of distance, I always think of my proudest 1/10 of a mile back in 2001 with torch in my hand.
I plan to continue running longer distanced runs in the future, with hopes to complete that marathon my father told me I looked so prepared for during my sickest days.
Checking off these challenges on my list has been something I've prided myself on and have built my life post-cancer around. So when I think about why I'm running any race, I just think back to all of the times I wasn't able to jump out of my hospital bed and just run. That image encourages me everyday and every mile.

To donate towards my cause for Team Fight, please go to my personal page here and help me reach my fundraising goal for this year's Baltimore Half Marathon.

Thank you to everyone's donations, encouragement, help, and support!

Positive Thinking and "Mai Pen Rai" are Paying Off

In a recent article published by Wealth Wire, titled "The Secret to Living a Longer, Fuller Life" it was shown that maintaining a happy disposition can be more beneficial to your longevity than many believe.

Until recently, researchers have largely focused on the genetic components that allow centenarians to reach the age 100.  But researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine as part of their Longevity Genes Project, with the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology of Yeshiva University have found that personality traits like being outgoing and optimistic may also contribute to longer lives.

It has been probably my biggest argument in life. Anyone person that I have ever spoken with on the quality of life, the struggles we face, and the ultimate way to find peace all stem from one thing: positive thinking.
Throughout the years I've written a lot about life and what it means to live life in a complete and healthy manner. I'm no expert. I don't have the answers, but I have my beliefs and what I feel truly makes for a happier, more peaceful life and it all boils down to the idea of keeping a positive mentality.
To get through life's hardest times, it takes the power of positive thinking to get you through it. No matter the circumstances, there is always a silver lining in life, there is always a positive to come from it, it just takes someone who's accustom to thinking that way to see it. Any situation life presents you is an opportunity for a positive outcome, whether it be losing a job, failing an exam, being stricken with disease, having your heart broken, or being insulted by someone else. No matter how horrid those scenarios are, there is always a positive way of embracing them all. The quicker you see it, the quicker it will happen. Positive thinking leads to positive actions. This is true even for things you feel are out of your power.
I've spoken at schools, written articles for various publications, and simply been a friend to those in need and have discussed this topic at length. No matter the occasion, there is absolutely no reason to think poorly on situations.
Negative mentality equals negative energy which in turn leads to negative results. It's a simple philosophy that I firmly stand by. I live by it. So much so it's ingrained permanently in my soul and on my skin.
Back in 2006, after six months of truly discovering the unbelievable things life has to offer through travel, spirituality, and open-mindedness, I decided to get a tattoo.
It seemed cliche, getting a tattoo after studying abroad. But I didn't care. I knew it was deeper, more meaningful than that. I had been living with positive mentality philosophy for many years before that day I stepped into the tattoo parlor directly off the beach in Au Nang, Thailand. And I knew I was going to express my appreciation to living a happy, healthy, peaceful, and carefree life with a tattoo.
My chance to connect with the Thai culture was a success while studying abroad. I saw what life was like in a country where the value of a life was much more than in western cultures. Not in terms of money or benefit to society, but the respect of the body, mind and soul was something you saw more frequently in Asia. I never wanted to forget that.
Specifically in Thailand, people's way of living is slower. Life didn't move too fast, even in Bangkok's vast and hectic metropolis. That is something I connected with. And much of that stemmed from the phrase that you heard very frequently within the language, "mai pen rai" which means "do not worry/it's ok/everything is fine." When I explain that to some western friends, they say, "oh yea, 'Hakuna Matata!'"
Essentially they have the same meanings but it was philosophy ingrained in the culture and lexicon. I can recall hundreds of times I spoke the phrase in Thai to someone -- stranger or friend-- it always resulted in the biggest smile to their face. The phrase 'mai pen rai' is a way of living that you dealt with everyday in Thailand.. Mai pen rai is a way to treat your mind, body, and soul and not get caught up in the superficial, unnecessary and less beneficial way of life. It teaches me to breathe, appreciate and be happy. This is why I got my tattoo on the top of my foot, a place that you only look at when you are looking down. One look at the ink upon my skin and I know that whatever it is that is getting me down, it's not worth sulking about. As they say, "Everything will be OK in the end. If it's not OK, it's not the end."
I guess there are many ways to say it; "Don't sweat the small stuff", "Life's too short...", "Live life to the fullest", etc. All of these a representation of the main idea of living life to it's greatest extent and with a positive mentality and you too will reach old age with happiness in your heart.
As the article explained,

"When I started working with centenarians, I thought we'd find that they survived so long in part because they were mean and ornery," said Dr. Nir Barzila, study co-author, director of Einstein's Institute for Aging Research and chair of its division of Aging, in a press release.
However according to Dr. Barzila, the study found qualities that clearly reflected a positive attitude towards life. Most were outgoing, optimistic, easygoing and considered laughter an important part of life. Many had a large social network and expressed emotions openly rather than bottling them up.

This is what we all must strive for, a more outgoing, optimistic, and easygoing life full of laughter and love. It may sound like rainbows and cupcakes to some. But those who believe that appreciating the smaller, more positive things in life is just a narrow-minded, hopeless-romantic way of covering up the harsher, crueler, and more rigid world clearly hasn't stopped to appreciate the beauty of a rainbow and the deliciousness of a cupcake. And to me, it's sad to know that happiness cannot be as easily accessed to them. Because ultimately it is all about training your mind to believe it. 

U.S. Tourism Policies Need to Change

One of my most recent articles for Wealth Wire discusses how vital the U.S. Tourism industry is for our economy. With about 1% (or $153 billion) of the United States' GDP, tourism has the potential to be stronger and have a larger impact toward our economy. Why not open our doors a little more and lighten up the TSA's restrictive, invasive, and expensive services a bit to allow more people to see how amazing America is.
I've been known to bash America on many various reasons, but since moving back to the U.S. in 2010, I have come to learn that there is a lot more to this diversely vast nation than I had seen before living abroad. I've come to appreciate what the country has to offer, and with more and more citizens renouncing their citizenship to dodge higher corporate taxes, I say welcome to those who want to come to America. Great people like my friends from Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa, and many more! These foreign nations have wanted a chance to visit and live in America, to get a taste of what it's like to live within one of the best countries in the world, but yet they continue to get rejected or pushed aside by our country's strict and outrageous visa laws. We need to fix this. Eventually our button-up, "us and only us" mentality is going to destroy this nation.
And with a struggling economy looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, our tourism can be where we recover. Opening our borders to tourists is in fact one of our greatest assets. Read my article titled "U.S. Tourism is America's Greatest Export Asset" and let me know your thoughts.

Prayers and Photos for Indonesia

These are just three images that came to my mind when I read the news that two earthquakes struck off the coast of Indonesia (specifically the island of Sumatra). Almost three years ago I was in Indonesia and found such beauty in the parts of the country that most people barely see. Tourists typically enjoy traveling to Bali and the beaches of surprisingly vast archipelago nation but places like Jakarta and Sumatra are rarely visited.
These three photos I took on the train from Jakarta down the island of Java. Earthquakes in the Indonesia region are incredibly common, the most famous being the one off the coast of Sumatra which caused the 2004 tsunami that struck also Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia and Thailand.
First photo is of this stunningly statuesque, young Indonesia girl riding the train in front of me. She remained apathetic to much that was happening around her. None of it bothered her; the 100+ degrees Fahrenheit temperature inside the train, the flies swirling around her face, the smoke coming in from the trains engine mixed with the tobacco being smoked in front of her, the glaring sun in her eyes. None of it seemed to annoy or distract her from sitting calmly in her seat looking out the window. Not even my camera lens. I tried to play with her, smiling and making jokes but she didn't flinch. She was one of the most impressively stable things I saw in that country. And I am so fortunate to have captured her elegance in this photo.

This photo made me realize what other parts of the country had to offer. Yes there are the craggy mountaintops and volcanoes and thousands of islands throughout Indonesia. But the vast openness is something I never envisioned before traveling to the country. But with a 14 hour train ride during midday, I was able to enjoy the naturally quieter landscapes like this one.

Lastly, when I think of the people of mainland Indonesia (not Bali, as I already hold an incredibly close place in my heart for that area specifically), I think of the poverty and overpopulation. It holds a nice contrast to this photo above as completely barren lands are only a few hours away from where this photo below was taken, at the train station in Bandung a few hours southeast of Jakarta. Several photos of mine show hundreds upon hundreds of people loading up on the sides and roof of the trains as they were either stealing a train ride or the cars were too full.

12 Elevens Ago

Last year, I discussed the importance of this date in my blog post April 11th has a lot of meaning. The backstory is briefly explained in the post by basically aside from my birthday, it's a date that will forever be engrained in my mind. So this year I wanted to pay tribute to the date with a poem titled "12 Elevens Ago"

12 Elevens ago today
I learned a new language.
The tongue of life and the accent of living.
I stared both dead in the eye
With half of my life staring back at me.
They were mirror images
Of a boy and a man.
The breaking point for all there was to come.
I walked into the unknown
A darkened forest with no exit in sight
Lost, I was guided by the light of the moon
And the protection of the trees.
I look back on those times
And ask how I found my way out
So long ago,
So many forests passed.
By the light of the moon
And the protection of the trees
My life became clearer
More driven and focused
To break through this forest
And discover new boundaries.
12 Elevens ago
I saw what was on the other side of that mirror
The answer to what’s next
And the response to a challenge.
Today, the language still dawns on me
Now and again.
Like nostalgic whispers
Or the smell of autumn winds.
But I am not fluent
Only with each passing year
Will I understand,
The images I saw just 12 years ago,
Again.

An Easter of Epic Proportions

Happy Easter to everyone!
This Easter will be the first that I have not been home since I was abroad, which was not too long ago considering I've only had one Easter back home in New Hampshire since 2008, but this time I will not be celebrating the holiday in Bangkok, or in Guangzhou, China, or at 4140 meters above sea level in the Himalyas. I'll be in Baltimore. Celebrating Easter (and Hanamatsuri the Buddhist holiday/Flower Festival in Japan to honor the birth of The Buddha). Today, I'll be working on my writing and photography. Documenting and reliving all of my past Easters.
Granted I miss my family and having the traditional Easter egg hunt, big dinner, and special moments back home. But this year it's more about reflection. Looking back at the year that was since my Easter 2011 and seeing such a big change in my life. Then being able to extrapolate those memories further back to the following years.
In 2010, my easter morning was spectacular. There were no eggs hidden anywhere, no Easter dinner served. It was the one of the most untraditional holidays I've ever had. And I'll never forget it.
I could barely sleep I was so excited, partially because I was having trouble breathing due to the unbelievable thin air but also because I was so excited to see what I had in store outside my window. I looked out a few time through the frosted glass to see the moonlight shining down onto the pearl-white snow of a hill outside the freezing cold hut we were sleeping in. I was wearing about six layers and still was shivering. The sun couldn't have come up faster for me and my anticipation. Finally it was time to awake and open my door to see just where I was: at the Annapurna Base Camp in the Himalaya's. After four long, grueling days of hiking to the top of this mountain, I finally got to see what it was all about. All the other hikers and myself came for this one day, for this one view. To stare down the tenth tallest mountain in the world and be surrounded by colossal giants for 360 degrees.
(I wrote about the entire Annapurna trip last year at this time, you can see it here...)

The view was incredible, the sky was piercing blue and the contrast of the snow and rock against the sun's beaming light was amazing. Early in the morning, the sky was a deep-sea blue but the sun's rays hit the mountain tops in a pinkish/orange color almost reminiscent of the Easter bunny.

How We Treat Death

After watching a young 23-year-old, incredibly fit, and presumably very healthy athlete like Fabrice Muamba collapse on the pitch last Saturday from a cardiac arrest, I knew I needed to write about it.
The intensely emotional and terrifying scene happened during the 42nd minute of an FACup Match between Muamba's Bolton Wanderers squad versus hosts Tottenham Hotspur. Muamba, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo showed no signs of illness or fatigue until suddenly he collapsed, face first, onto the pitch. His heart had stopped. In effect, Muamba had died on the pitch, for nearly two hours his heart was not beating.

In my most recent article for MyHOFS.com, I discuss this horrific scene in detail but overall discuss the way that society treats death within sports. I touch upon our subconscious (or parasocial) relationships with famous people and how we feel more connected with them thanks to Twitter, Facebook, etc. But when something like this happens, a life is jeopardized in front of thousands (or millions), people must step back and reflect on life as a whole.
I quote His Holinesss the Dalai Lama at the end of my piece stating "If from the beginning your attitude is "Yes, death is part of our lives,"then it may be easier to face."
I feel that we hold movie stars, musicians, actors, athletes, and myriad of other famous people on such high pedestals that we feel they are invincible. They are finely tuned machines that produce entertainment for us, not just some "typical" human being that we all are. But when it all boils down to it, we are all human. We are all living, breathing, heart-pumping beings. Though when that stops, people take notice.
Touching upon our society, our sports fandom, and the overall idea of violence in the name of sport are subjects I talk about in this piece which revolves mostly around death. I hope that it opens people's eyes but also their hearts and minds to the idea that life is fragile and there is absolutely no reason to lose it over (in, during, or about) a sport.
Give my newest article a read and let me know what you think. It's a subject that, as the Dalai Lama's quote indicates, is sensitive but necessary to discuss, as we all face an impending death sooner or later.
Click here for the article...

Sh*t Wall Street Says: My YouTube Debut!

In an effort to provide more traffic for my job's Green Chip Stocks website I decided to jump on the bandwagon and create a new version of the popular meme, "Sh*t ____ Says".
The time it took to create the lines, find the locations and do the editing with the excellent assistance of Danielle Wohlgemuth's amazing video, editing, and audio skills, I think that we produced something pretty special ... and quite funny.
So without further delay, here is hoping the next viral video online... (For the best quality of the video, click here...)

Wandering Druid Hill Park and Hampden

It's been awhile since I've taken sometime to simply just wander around Baltimore. Fortunately, I had a great partner-in-crime and former Thailand jet-setter, Kat, to go on a photo adventure with me for the day. We started at Druid Hill Park, a somewhat large park I had only drive by a few times but never stopped to walk through it. It's a cozy area, with a lake overlooking downtown Baltimore city. Although it was pretty cold that day, the weather had a nice early winter feeling to it, with the leaves from the emptied trees spread throughout the dried up greenish-brown grass. We both were equipped with our Nikon cameras, hers much fancier than me, which left me nearly as green as the aforementioned grass. It was great because there was no concern over time, place or much of anything. Just two friends catching up while shooting different styled photos, as if we were meeting for coffee or lunch, but instead it was behind each other's own cameras.

After the Park we went to Hampden for some food, drinks and a little bit of sightseeing of the famed 34th St. for it's annual Christmas lights decoration of a large block of houses decked out to the maximum capacity. We met up with Kat's friend, Rae and her eclectic group of friends doing a Santa Bar Crawl with emphasis on the sexy. It was quite a ridiculous night as we followed the 20-or-so-deep group of sexified Santas throughout the Hampden bars which included plenty of caroling, drinking, and dancing. Just like the holidays are meant for...

Survivors

Vote for me for Best Writer and Best Article!

Just a brief post for all of you readers, please go to MyHOFS.com to vote for the Best of 2011 and vote for me as Best Writer and Best Article (I have two I am proudly nominated for: You Can Dance If You Want To and When I Root, I Root for the Timbers!)

Since it is a serious passion of mine to write about sports and I've had the honor to do so with MyHOFS, I hope that you take the moment to go to the link above and vote! And remember to vote for the rest of the guys and gals in the other topics because they are all amazing!
Thanks everyone!

Newest MyHOFS Piece Titled "Hop on Board"

UPDATE: For my second straight MyHOFS article, it was picked up by The Big Sports Lead and made the cover story!
~
Every week or so I have been writing for the great new website MyHOFs.com and I suggest every goes to the site and see how interactive and cool the features are. It's a great sports social network/forum that I look to continue doing a lot of work with and right now we need as much traffic and users on it. So if you haven't already, please head over to my newest article (some of it seen below) and register for free as a user. Once you do, you can vote for my posts and other talented writer's like Mike Calabrese, Matt Mitchell, and Ryan Kamp.
Here is the first part of my article titled Hop on Board: The Clippers Bandwagon is Ready to Roll on MyHOFs:

Day 10 of Thankfulness: Writing

I've had the fortunate pleasure of being able to write for so many different publications and in a wide variety of styles. My passion to write is what drives me (along with my photography and about a hundred others) and I love to be able to express myself, my thoughts, my experiences, and anything else in writing. I am lucky enough to write daily at work and then when I get home from my job, I keep writing. That is the true sign of love, right?

Anyway, as I have frequently explained on this blog --and will continue to-- I enjoy writing about all different topics and just this week I recently published another article at MyHOFS.com, the tremendously exciting and up-and-coming website that I am a contributor for. As I mentioned, I have hundreds of other hobbits away from the writing and photography and one of them is sports. I love watching, playing, commentating, and being a fan of nearly all sports and so this week I decided to cover the upcoming NBA season that we all were so lucky to have return to our lives. Although so many have gone without even noticing that professional basketball is back, others were relieved to see that the incredibly wealthy owners and the incredibly wealth players could agree on how they both would be getting incredibly wealthy this season.

So to give you a taste of my article on MyHOFS, here is a portion of it:

MyHOFS NBA Preview:
I have many gripes. The one most vocalized is my hated for the length of the baseball season. There is nothing worse than following a sport that lasts practically the length of the first two trimesters of pregnancy.

11 Days of Thanksgiving: Piano

We all have triggers to our memories. One thing that is constantly on my mind is the immediate relationship of music with distinct nostalgic memories. I write about these moments frequently, as second behind my photography, music transcends time and distances and can instantaneously send you to a moment you could never reach in your deepest of efforts.

Although the snow has yet to fall here in Baltimore, there is one relationship within the winter season that goes together as perfect as a warm jacket and scarf. That is the sound of a finely played piano, with stark contrast to its fellow instruments in any arrangement of music-- alone in the song, you might say. With that piano comes the pairing of the cold chill of that particular time during the winter season when the feeling outside is that snow is on it's way.

Hailing from the upper North East, this time of year happens around Halloween. The ground gets its morning frost and the clouds blanket the sky with gloomy grays as the air gets dry within your lungs and underneath your fingernails. This is winter's welcoming.

12 Days of Thankfulness: Well Made Videos

Sitting at a computer for most of the day allows for YouTube videos and others to land on my double monitors. Sometimes I need a little motivation to keep working through the day. As I am not a coffee drinker, I typically look for something else to give me some energy or excitement.
Very often I find myself watching a YouTube video to grab my attention for a bit. So for this post, I am thankful for videos that produce some emotion and are a cut above the regular Tosh.0/America's Funniest Home Videos/viral garbage out there. In the world of Google and YouTube, there is plenty to be distracted by, so why not make it meaningful and interesting: whether it be well designed/directed short films, great eye catching trailers, interesting music videos, or simply something that you get a truly genuine emotion out of rather than your average "laugh at that person fall off a bicycle" reaction. Just as I look for my photography to create an emotion, I look for artists to do so with video.
So is a list of some of my favorite videos recently:

Bangkok By Night: My friend Cole, who is currently teaching in Bangkok at my old employer, has a knack for catching the everyday nightlife of the great capital of Thailand. He captures the speed yet laid back feel that Bangkok has when the city lights turn on. The nostalgia is incredibly powerful with this video he made.

13 Days of Thankfulness: A Good Meal

I'm been very fortunate in my life to have some pretty darn good eats in my day. From my mom's spectacular BBQ chicken pizza to homemade pasta with meat sauce with my dad, I've grown up with some pretty delicious meals. And just last week while in Las Vegas I got to try out chef Tom Colicchio's (of the show Top Chef) restaurant CraftSteak. Let's just say it was incredible and I was able to try a lot of new things like caviar, frise'e salad, and gold sprinkled chocolate (all separately of course). But it was a tremendous meal that made me think about how appreciative I am of a good meal.

Making homemade fettuccine at home in New Hampshire.

Over the years I have had the chance to try all different kinds of foods from around the world. I spoke at a Peace Conference last month which was mixed with a traveler's forum and one of the questions was asked, "what is the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?" I had to dig into my brain a bit to think about exactly what it could have been.

14 Days of Thankfulness: Earth/Space

Today I am thankful for earth/space. Not for the normal reasons like giving us life or being a really cool area in the sky to look at. Those are a given, I'm thankful for living and thankful for the fact that earth indeed exists in space.

I'm thankful for earth/space because of videos like this (below). Fortunately I was shown this video from my good friend, Matt, as his appreciation to amazing photography, video, films, music, culture, writing, etc is very similar with mine.


Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

The video itself is a majestic look at earth from the International Space Station orbiting around our planet, our home, our everything, really. The time-lapse panorama footage boggles my mind as I can watch it hundreds of times over, staring at the connecting lights of urban plots and various colors that our planet projects out into space so beautifully. It's something that I feel every person should watch at least once to get a true understand of how special a place we live on and how much we can learn from it. I have to steal Matt's quote on this because its perfect...

"I feel lucky to have this. It’s a perspective of the earth — our home — that only a few years ago wasn’t possible. Think of everything that had to happen to make this video possible: all the years of  science and research that made sustained space orbit possible; the capital — human and gold — spent to put a station in the sky; the convergence of communication, video, and social technology that created the platforms for these images to be shot, edited, and broadcast to our virtual networks. We see a camera above the clouds mapping our physical networks — cities, highways, structures — broadcasting its images along our virtual network in the digital cloud. I think it shows that even in something as ephemeral as a viral video, there is a lot for which to be thankful."

I couldn't have put it better myself (hence why he was Editor in Chief and I was Managing Editor). Thanks, Matt for allowing me to publicly thank you and our good friend, Earth.
PS- and to make the rest of your appreciate Earth even more, I suggest watching this video below as well. It's remarkable:

The Mountain from TSO Photography on Vimeo.

15 Days of Thankfulness: Ayla and Logan

As I have mentioned in many prior posts, being an uncle is pretty magical. But I had to give thanks to the pair of little pieces of joy that have come into my life, Logan and Ayla.
I am obviously thankful to have a healthy and happy niece and nephew but I have also had the great privilege to take of taking photos of both of them. Both possess great photogenic attributes; big grins, expressive eyes, and fun personalities (plus they both have such unique kinds of hair which I love). So instead of writing it all out, I will show my thankfulness for my favorite duo of photo subjects. I cannot wait to keep capturing them as they get older and then eventually get scalded by them when they are teenagers for being the "photo-obsessed uncle":

"We live in such extraordinary times

exquisite visions fill up my mind,

Do you remember me taking pictures of you?

As the light came through." -The Kooks