is there a doctor on the plane?

*
O, those dreaded words
at 35,000 feet
makes my pulse quicken
*
a middle-aged man
completely unresponsive
for 2 intense hours
*
we tried everything
naloxone, D50...
then, a miracle
*
slowly he came to
squeezed my hand, said "OK"
everything's OK.
*

ramen at the end of the tunnel

*
diverting the plane
for emergency landing
a hard choice to make
*
adding 8 hours and
2 stops to refuel, exhausted
good Samaritan
*
Cathay Pacific
staff grateful, treats me to a
bowl of hot ramen
*

the hong kong temple night market at yau ma tei

*
*

enjoying street food
then a killer foot massage
perfect city night
*
*

beijing duck flavored pretz!

this is proof that china
is modernizing

a small sideways tree

*
finding a quiet spot
west lake is still, so i see
this life reflected
*

chinese nationals don't seem to notice anymore

*

fancy hip hotel
communist propaganda
a contradiction?

*

the requisite classic picture of west lake

who prevails at Hangzhou wan song academy

*

yang mei versus me
face off between a scholar
and troublemaker
*

west lake in december

*
a warm winter day
west lake is filled with people
forgetting they're here
*

exhausted

i know things are bad
on a week without haikus
no space to ponder

*
*
*

1.3 billion
scrambling to get to first place
get me outta here

porcini mushrooms in China

chinese porcinis!
called bovine liver fungus
can't wait to try them

hunting for gems

a hidden corner
in midst of city bustle
happy folk market

the seagulls of Kunming

seagulls from russia
flock here in winter
paradise is relative

winter in China

it's sad to return
to find that a young woman
died from PCP

a man with lung mass
surgeons refused biopsy
couldn't get treatment

folks die of stigma
in summer of the corporate state
winter of compassion

*

Kunming Third People's Hospital: a crash course in HIV medicine

22 year olds
in charge of 2k (HIV!) patients
a little scary

*

soy kawaii

magical soymilk
happy loving studying
can't get more asian

*

hong kong dim sum

*

chillin' with old dudes
better than hotel buffet
real hong kong dim sum

happy memories
of my father hanging out
for hours, relaxed

turnip cake, pumpkin
fresh handmade chewy chang fen
fat buddha belly

*

the urban monk (sounds better than nun)

5 am yoga
facing the hong kong skyline
stillness and movement


*

biz classy!

After innumerable long-haul flights, I am flying business class for the first time in my life.

Check out my feet, lounging in a chaise recliner with my laptop, facing the snack and wine bar with sandwiches and dim sum.

The airline staff and security people acted shocked and had to check my boarding pass twice to allow me to enter the special biz class lines (much shorter with nicer staff) and the special first/biz class lounge- and they were all Asian women about my age.


It's really weird to be a part of this ridiculously elite group of people (not just able to travel internationally but to be able to pay a lot extra to travel comfortably). I feel like I'm in some satire film, like the vagrant who somehow snuck into this world of rich people and am pretending to fit in. I will enjoy this fun adventure while I can!!

garage remodel adventure!

check out our before, during and after photos, transforming our water damaged garage into a studio-office-fun-house-she-cave!!