Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend we took a special trip to go see an old college friend, Libby in Kentucky. We went to my university and got to catch up with some professors and reminisce about times past. Then on Saturday, my friend Libby made us a breakfast fit for a king complete with homemade tortillas, eggs, sausage, juice, and fruit, then after breakfast, we relaxed until lunch, then after lunch at a new local Cuban joint, we went on a hike to the butterfly gardens in Lost River Cave, and to top it off a glorious day we went to The PopWorks popsicle place to try their delicious assortment of popsicles! So good and fresh.. https://www.facebook.com/thepopworks/Sunday was church day and then driving back home so we could take a nap to recover from all the vacationing! :)Thanks Libby and Levi for a beautiful weekend!Until Next time :)

Where should you go next? Thailand or Spain?

It was my first time there.Europe : the land of history and class or so everyone said...I was going there to photograph my dear friend My-Van's wedding. She's an American who I met while teaching in South Korea. We met in the immigration office just a few days after I arrived in Korea. The first time we met we looked each other over scrupulously and decided that the other was worth chatting up to make the day less painful.. Low and behold we ended up talking for the 2 hours as we waited to get our foreigner ID card. (Because I, of course, look so Asian that I need a card to prove my foreign status. That is sarcasm for all of those who don't know that I have a very Caucasian face. That makes me fit into Asia as much as a polar bear in blends into the Caribbean).Despite my un-Asian features, MyVan overlooked my flaws, and we became instant friends. Fast forward about 2 years later, and I am on a plane flying to France to photograph her lovely Southern French wedding and spend a lovely week with the newly weds and their closest friends.After living and traveling for almost 3 years in Asia (mostly in South Korea and parts of Thailand), this was my first taste of Europe. It was incredible and so unique from traveling Asia. Let me explain.Thailand is a beautifully, tropical inexpensive life. There I lived in Mae Hong Son, a mountainous region in N.W. Thailand with S'gaw Karen (an ethnic people from Myanmar living in Thailand). Their culture left an impression on me. They are so real, genuine, generous. They are willing to share and give everything they have to their friends and family even when they don't have much of anything. Their lives are centered in community, in sharing.While I was there, I was almost never left alone, people surrounded me constantly, always by my side, looking over my shoulder as I typed emails to friends or read books. This was not rude, but normal. We were a community without secrets or personal space, but I must admit this was an adjustment coming from my individualistic  'I love personal space/time' culture of the West., ha!

above: Saturday afternoon weaving with my Beautiful friends.

Here I slept on bamboo mats in a room full of students and friends, I learned that good relationships go before to-do list,  I went forging for food in the forest, ate with my hands, I learned to never walk alone - not because it was dangerous but because it was lonely, my classes were canceled classes so that we could go the hospital with my sick students, and we shared everything, everything - down the one bowl of soup and one spoon for the whole dinner table - (which sometimes resulted in a community with the common cold or worse- ha!) -  but the value of having a whole community taking care of me certainly made a few days of the sniffles worth it.

 above: my bedroom

above: Crossing the Homemade Bridge - "The most terrifying 10 minutes of my life - swing, swing, creek, crack. "

After Thailand, I packed my bags to see what Europe offered... One thing I appreciated immediately? The bridges there have a little more steel and little less DIY quality. :)

above: Gourds, France

I can't say that I've experienced too much of Europe. I know Asia better. but because I have have European blood.. - i'm a bit of a mutt, I have about 7 or 8 European countries running in this blood-- please don't judge, you know mutts have strong genes :D or at least that is what my parents told me to boost my self-esteem - .- So perhaps this blood makes me more of an expert on Europe than I think? I do know that I share a common pointy nose and eating utensils with the Europeans., - yes this definitely make me an expert. ;)I stayed in Europe for about a month - one week in France and 3-4 in Spain.. I traveled Europe a bit unconventionally - meaning I didn't really go anywhere, because I found the best place in Europe, didn't feel the need to move... By divinity, I ended up staying in the seaside town of Sant Feliu de Guixols, Spain, - an hour from Barcelona - where a Catalonian family took me under their wing, gave me a bed and the most delicious cheese, Spanish ham, wine, and Spanish experiences a girl could dream of. So I willingly parked myself there for 3 full weeks.I did however venture outside of the nest to take one trip to Barcelona to visit the Perfume Museum - A museum full of old perfume bottles dating back to ancient Greece, and they even displayed one of Marie Antoinette's bottles... after this then I went to the MIBA:Ideas museum. - full fascinating modern day inventions. I almost made it to the Chocolate Museum too, but time wouldn't allow for this. - Next time, perhaps.. :)Other then these 3 days in Barcelona, I stayed in Sant Feliu sailing, swimming in the Mediterranean sea, learning to steer a boat, practicing my Spanish and drinking my weight in Spanish olive oil. yum :)My main impression of Europe? One word. Refined.  The first night in Sant Feliu, Spain, I learned how to peel a plum with a knife and fork. Really, is that level of refinement really necessary in the human race; Do Europeans just do this to show off their mad skills? Or do you peel a plum with a knife and fork every night at dinner too?

above: European Forks and and Knives....

Europe vs Asia?  Where should you go with your hard-earned travel cash and passport? It just depends on which lesson you seek to learn first, Dear Grasshopper.... Do you wish to master the art of peeling a plum with a knife and fork without breaking a sweat, or sharing your precious imported chocolate bar with 5 of your best friends? The choice is all yours. Choose wisely :)A few helpful European Links :)A lovely Hostel/Pension in Sant Feliu, Spain Hostel NorayTravel by Air: http://www.ryanair.com/enTravel by Train: http://www.raileurope.com/european-trains/tgv/index.html

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'Suck it up cupcake' It is Time to Shine! #20

 There are those days that I feel like hiding. Crawling into a bag of rice and trying to forget how much I don’t fit in here.Here, I always feel as though I am on stage, and the spotlight is shining so brightly it blinds my eyes.I am the only foreigner in the mist of thousands of people, and there is no hiding my difference. No clothes that I can wear, no makeup that I can slather on, no dye to tint my hair or iron to straighten it.I am different.Yet, I chose this world, a place where I am completely conspicuous. I breathe, heads turn. I fear what will happen when I dare sneeze!People here worry whether I can preform simple physical tasks or fret about my health because I don’t eat a mountain of white rice every time I sit down at the table.At times, the peoples fascination with the color of my skin or hair annoys me. I didn’t do anything but be born to get them. They aren’t me.Why do people give me more respect because of them? Why do they ask me to speak in their churches or celebrations because of the color of my eyes?Their color does not indicate wisdom or mean that I should be respected or privileged above others. I’m 23 (well almost 24, NOV 3, ::cough::presents, people?::cough::). There are plenty of people here much wiser than I. My light eyes are no more beautiful or wise than dark ones, but no one seems to believe me.I dislike this inequality. It goes against all the values that were pounded in my head from the age of 2.5 months.Yet these same discriminatory people also look at me and smile and welcome me into their homes for no reason. They feed me, visit me, let me practice their language with them, wave at me and give me an odd amount of awe and respect.I’m learning to take the good with the bad, and to use my situation for the best. If I have to be on stage, then I might as well have fun, right?Though most importantly, if they do respect me then I’ve got to understand this precious gift and use it empower them by letting them know that I think that they are beautiful and smart and can do whatever they are determined to do and be confident., Never hiding from the world.Because when you hide from life, you’re only doing so out of fear. Fear is such a nasty little captain of life. It squashes you and your potential for greatness, hurts people around you and drains all of the brilliant colors out of life’s rainbows.And I’ve decided no more hiding for me either! I’m crawling out of this rice sack, putting on my brightest dress and curling my hair Afro style. It’s time to shine, people. It’s time to laugh, sneeze, fart, burp, fall in the mud, relax and enjoying my lovely audience.

And in the words of my dear friend Reid 'Suck it up, cupcake!'

The above is my current life motto., or at least what I say to myself every time I stumble into my dark, spider-filled squatty potty bathroom at 4 am. ::shudder::

Korean Spring Portrait Session Sale!

Spring is FINALLY here in Korea and that makes me super giddy and happy, inside and out! And in the spirit of all things springy and new, I am having a big 15% off sale, off everyone of my Lifestyle Portrait Sessions! So you can send fresh Korean photos of your adorable kids or you and your sweetheart back home to the family.All you must do is contact me @ 010-2572-3905 or email me at ingekathleen@gmail.com before April 22nd, mention this blog post, and I will give you 15% off the portrait session of your choice!Oh, and to help you enjoy the Korean spring to its fullest, here are a couple of links so you can have a spring full of cherry blossom picnics, and strawberry picking extravaganzas!view my portfolio hereview my portfolio here

New Website Giddiness!

I am super excited! Yes I used the word SUPER!!! How can this be? Me, excited? Why, How? It is still winter, and I am in Korea, the land of snow, ice, and 8.5 toes....Well, you see there has been a startling turn in events.. The ocean is thawing, the birds are singing, and I think that the White Witch is loosing her power! (sorry for my Narnia reference, I could not help it).You don't believe me? I almost didn't believe myself, except guess what the high temperature was today? 54F!!! I know! I'm practically putting on my bathing suit and going poolside, where's my SPF and umbrella-dressed drink?!? Last year it snowed in April, but this year it's looking like Mr. Spring or Aslan, if I continue with my above analogy, is going to win this battle.. I'm giddy...Giddy, I just love that word.. Don't you?In the spirit of giddiness, warmer weather excitement, and all the newness of Spring; I am adding my own newness to the world. And No, I am not pregnant.. ::Shame, on you for thinking such a thought!:: But even more exciting than new babies, finally after many months of hard work and pipping hot cups of delicious cherry cordial coffee, Yum! I have not just 1, but 3 new websites for Inge Kathleen Photography.. Yahoo! <--- another stunning wordThank-you everyone who helped me design and tweak them. They are much better because of you all.. Well if you have a few minutes and of course you do, because you love me ::cough, cough:: Check them out!-  If you do, I'll give you a really great virtual bear hug or treat you to the awesomest coffee ever, if you come visit me in Asialand -  and as always, I'd love to know what you think of all the newness.Now off to find out where I stuck my dainty parasol and green polka-dot sundress. :)1. My editorial photography: www.ingekathleen.com2. My lifestyle portrait photography: www.ingekathleen.com/site3. My blog: www.ingekathleen.com/blog - but don't worry about clicking this link because you are already @ the blog :) ~ but you can subscribe to all the blog updates by email on the left handside. Just put your email in and you will automatically be emailed when there is an update. It's crazy easy. To contact: ingekathleen@gmail.com

Desolution

Happy January 31! How has the first month of 2011 treated you all? I hope splendidly.. I was lucky enough to spend half of the month in the good ole US of A! Yes be jealous. I spent 100% of my time relaxing, talking, eating, and drinking coffee (about 50% of the time) with my awesome family and friends.  It has been a splendid year so far. Despite it being too cold for any human, I feel like the year holds so much potential. It's going to be a great one. I'm getting all tingly thinking about it... oh wait never mind the tingle is coming from the frostbite starting in envelop my poor tootsies.. booo... ahh well who needs em when you can think of all the amazingness this year will offer!

Odd....My tone of writing is a bit too cheery for the above image of death and oppression., yes? What can I say? My camera seems to have it's screwballish dark moods.. I try to cheer him up, but it can't help it. Graveyards are so very fascinating to him. They are just fantastically creepy to photograph in. Would you not agree?

Well enjoy February and all the crazy things to ensue! Talk soon :)

The Coolest Boys Eva Eva

I'm the lucky girl to have these two as my brothers. They really are quite the bomb dot coms. I'm not really sure why they even hang out with me or are my facebook friends. Do you know dear reader? I'm mean really I'm the geeky, huge camera toting, Korean, Mexican sister who can't seem to stay in the US of A long enough to do a load of laundry. Do you think they bother to put up me because I bribe them with food? Yes, yes that must be it!

Food really is a magic tool of manipulation. If you look at any great feat or massive betrayal in all of human history you know what is the motivation for it? A tasty meal. You don't believe me? Well let me explain.. Do you know the real reason Moses had the strength to cross the Red Sea? Not because he was a super human, no, no, it was because there was a pipping Chick-fil-a Chicken Biscuit waiting on the other side, Two of them! I swear it is true just look it up in the Bible. Totally there. It's there. very much there :)

And do you know why Brutus betrayed/killed his super tight friend Julius Caesar? Not because he was power hungry. He was just hungry and his mother promised to make him the best TexMex food known to man WITH extra cheese and cilantro if he stuck it to Caesar. Yes, yes, I know that they were Roman and didn't live in Texas or Mexico. And Texas wasn't even founded until much later, but you see his mother was so ahead of her times, she knew TexMex food before it hit Texas. And so there you have it my friends, the enchilada is what did Mr. Caesar in. Poor guy. You know if they taught the true history behind Caesar's fall in schools these days, more kids would stay awake in school. And that's what's wrong with the education system these days!  Hey but at least I have cool brothers. I hope you do too or at least a good cup of hot chocolate with a little cinnamon in it :)

Bow-ChiCa-Bow-Wow!

Imagine if this was how you made your money... hahaha... I would for sure blink and twitch and break into cold sweats all at once.... and then I would be fired. Done for. Sent back to the States. And sentenced to a life of eating only Spam and kimchi..  :: Inge shudders and begins to twitch uncontrollable for 23.4 mins:: ........ Ok, ok.. I'm back! Whew.... remind me never to apply for a live manikin position... ever...  Dog food and fermented cabbage just aren't for me.. I might just cry and cry and cry.... and then the smell of my breath! Oui, It would be bad... yikes! You don't even want to know! My mouth would be like a small dark hole (or big dark hole depending on your personal opinion... but keep that to yourself thank-you!) of death..... death I tell you, that nasty 5 letter word ::shudders again::

Random wondering of the day: Do you ever wonder why "death" has 5 letter instead of 4 letter? I mean, Really.. Lets be honest... All bad, ugly words in the English language have 4 letters.. you know like the words... um...er...ish...

::Inge suddenly remembers, just in time, that she should stop her typing right NOW and only silently count off all the naughty words she knows... so she doesn't end up in a big dark hole of Death herself... then looks around to make sure no one heard her thoughts... wowzers! she's twitching again... and...ewww! she's sweating.... I swear, there is something seriously wrong with her, but don't tell her I said that.. See, she's a wee bit self-conscious, and might beat me if she knew I was talking behind her back..And I am a peace loving commentator and have no other employment options so this will be our little secret, yes? ::

But really... Why does death get 5 letters? does it just feel like it's better than the other big bad words like...... Such a snob! If Death went to high school, she would for sure be a Mean Girl and hang out with Rachel McAdams and her possy.... Esh! where does Death get off -- thinking it has the right for 5 letters? And with that I will end my thoughts... ---twitch, twitch, twitch, twitch, twitch, twitch..... :: see what I mean? Something is for sure wrong with her..::

So long Sir Frozen Toes, Farewell Mr. Long Johns!

Today I heard something that I thought I would never hear again.. Birds! Oh the beautiful birds.. The ones that poop on your windshield and your head! The sweet birds, They are alive! They were not killed by the treacheries and debaucheries of winter! Can you believe it? They are alive!  I've heard the birds! It's true I tell you.... I don't lie, I am honest. So honest, Like Abe Lincoln Honest... look at my face. I have an honest face. Just look, See!?! ::inge sucks in her cheeks to thin out her face, grabs a black top hat , and gives her best Abe eyes::  Don't you see? I'm practically Honest Abe himself... ok, ok, Honest Abe herself.. but gender is just a piddly detail....:)The Birds, they have told me Spring is here and Winter will be no more... Why today the temperature was a blazing 40 degrees (that's 4.444444444444445 C for all my Fahrenheit challenged friends [tsk..tsk. those poor dears])  and tomorrow my Asian weather man promises 42 and sun! Do you know what that means? Well..... It means I am breaking out lawn chair, my blow-up kiddie pool, and dragging them up to my 20-story apartment rooftop for a little R&R in the blazing sun. But I thought since my dear nemesis winter was with me for ever so long, I would give him at least one last tribute before I shed myself of him completely. I'm done with him, and I mean done. Party Notice: There will be a "Death to Winter" bonfire at my house tonight: please bring any or all of the following for the blaze: turtlenecks, scarves, gloves, long johns, sappy winter novels, bad movies and the Snuggie blanket you are hiding in your closet (you know who you are!).. p.s. you will be denied entrance without these items. But until tonight, here are some photographs taken a few weeks ago when Winter was still tormenting Korea.. For all those still being heckled by Mr. Frosty remember to drink loads of tea and make use of your backwards house robe know as a Snuggie.

 

Happy Halloween!..... Uh...Well?

Oh I guess it actually Valentine's day not Halloween....Ah well, Valentine's Day and Halloween are practically the same, and they are equally scary holidays. Halloween you will die by the hand of the little trick or treaters if you don't buy the right kind of candy, and Valentine's Day you will die by the hand of your oh so Special someone if you buy the wrong present. Same, Same.I hope you all make it out of the holiday alive! :)

Indonesian Skies

Everything in Indonesia was absolutely gorgeous, completely and utterly lovely, crazy beautiful, spectacular, delightful, charming, ravishing.... (you get the point)....but the single thing that amazed me morning, day and night??? The skies, Wowzer. The prettiest I've ever seen. If only I could have packed a sky or two into my suitcase like I did the pineapples, avocados, mangos, bananas,... but the sky wouldn't fit... it was too big.. I tried, I swear I did. I jumped and jumped; yelled and screamed; spun on my head while doing the rain dance... but alas! the suitcase just wouldn't zip. So I had to take it out. Next time, I guess I'll just have to bring a bigger suitcase.

A beautiful Idea!

It's winter, and I had a wonderful idea a few weeks back! I thought if I acted like I were a bear and went into a hole to hibernate by the time I came out, I would not only get a nice layer of subcutaneous fat, but winter would be over. And, and then I would be free to frolic in the meadows of South Korea while eating a lot of food (don't ask me what I'm eating in this dream/idea, but eating is always the result of 99.9% of my wonderful ideas)Well so I tried this idea. Went into hibernation just after my last blog post, and just yesterday I peeped my head out of my cave and my plan miserably failed. I mean epic FAIL-ure!......Well.........Ok I lied, winter is still here, BUT! I did obtain a nice layer of winter flubber in the process of hibernation(what? korean food is yummy!), and boy does it keep me toasty! It's great, It's like drinking green tea or hot chocolate all day long, except there are fewer trips to the restroom involved :)  It's a beautiful thing... Only four months until the frolicking with food can begin!

Ben Franklin and a Racist Winter..

It's November in Korea and the rest of the world (at least that's what the liberals on the news tell me), but the winter has already set in, in Korea. There is no fall nor autumn to ease my sun-loving self into winter. Korean winter does not mess around. no siree! It's warm one day and then BAM! One day it is COLD..BITTER..UGLY and COLD again. It was shorts weather one day and then the next, BAM! I'm wearing Eskimo Gear and ice fishing.It hates me. Not only is it cold and bitter, it is racist to boot! How do you say? Well,, every time I see it, it mocks my Mexican heritage. by blowing 10 degree winds and rain in my face, laughs and laughs and then calls me a beaner. (I know, I was surprised that the Korean winter knew racial slurs, but it does!).It's true though, I swear. All of it. 100% true.. Just like 100% the Florida Natural Juice is 100% Florida none of those impure California ones to screw it up. 100% truth. ::Inge begins to chant :: "I only speak the truth, I only speak the truth, I only speak th...."They say that the winter stays in town for at least 4-5 months. Didn't that Benjamin Franklin guy say that winter is like fish, after 3 days it smells? No, that wasn't him? Well he wishes he had had the brains ::God rest his soul:: to have said something so sageful.Jeez can a girl get a break? Don't they know that after 2 months of winter my body will shutdown automatically? Switch, bam, gone, done for, broken...no speaka Engrish,. I'm like a ticking time bomb.. 3, 2, 1 ..... except i won't explode after two months.. well at least I don't think I will..Oh shucks! ::Inge remembers that she skipped that part in her instruction manual, she runs to find it::-----Well I have no more words because the cold is taking effect and my brain is s-s-shu-u-t-t-ting d-d-d-d ooowwnnnn....Below are pictures of when it was warm.. I don't think I remember what color the sun was anymore and my dumb camera turned everything to black and white. So the pictures can't remind me. No wait, I remember the sun was.... it was blue, no that's not right..I know this one, I do, I do,.... It's at the tip of my brain! it was purple, wasn't it? like grapes! no wait.......?