High in the Sky, Hawai'i

I've never really been scared of heights, so when I found out there was such a thing as a doors-off helicopter ride geared towards photographers, I decided it was one thing I absolutely had to experience.  Not to mention, this was billed as a great way to see actual lava from a safe distance, as opposed to just glow reflecting off of volcanic vog (yes, vog with a v - it's a real thing). If I had to pick just one experience from the trip, I'd have to say that this was the highlight. I know a lot of people who've made the trip to Hawaii for honeymoons, getaways, and family vacations, but I don't know anyone who's seen it like this, from the skies. The helicopter was decidedly tiny and not for the claustrophobic, although I would argue that with the doors off and the wind whipping at your face, it felt pretty roomy! The ground crew strapped us in and hooked us into the communication system: push the button to talk and let go to listen, cup your hand over the mic to cut down on wind noise. The pilot mentioned he would be quiet during takeoff as he talked with air traffic control, but then would be our guide and answer any questions we had.  With that and a slightly wobbly woosh, we were off the ground and up in the air. This was my first helicopter ride and especially as we flew sans doors, I was appreciative that one of the ground crew girls told me to tie my hair back to prevent the wind from whipping it into a tangled mess. The air was actually cold at altitude and the "wear long sleeves and pants" advisory suddenly made all kinds of sense. Once up in the air, our pilot spotted smoke almost immediately and headed off in that direction. Given the humidity level in Hawaii, there was no mistaking it for a wildfire.

Once we came up to the scene, sure enough, there was flowing lava.  It was a little surreal watching molten rock flow faster than I would ever expect of such a seemingly viscous substance. It was also a little more alarming once the pilot mentioned that this particular flow from one of Kīlauea's vents was headed straight for a housing tract.  Sure enough, 5 days later, it made the news with a state of emergency declared and residents starting to move their livestock. I imagine it's just one of the hazards of living on an active volcano, but it's pretty mind-blowing that despite all of our technological advancements as a species, we're still at the mercy of the elements and natural disasters. There's no diversion of lava, earthquakes, hurricanes, or tornadoes, we just have to ride them out and hope that we're prepared.  I sometimes wonder that with tens of thousands of years of technological development (and subsequent dependency on said technology), the ultimate result is that we've lost basic instincts and the ability to survive without our civilizations.  There are certainly documented stories of animals fleeing an area ahead of disaster or even just being able to navigate using magnetic fields and I have to wonder if for all our enlarged prefrontal cortices, we are more fragile than ever as a species.

Anyway, apart from that tangential rumination, we also spotted other points of interest besides lava - waterfalls and macadamia nut plantations that inspired later treks during the week! This was definitely a life exposure moment and an amazing look at the world through the incredible lens of the skies, a reminder that there is more to the world than the mundane and humdrum tasks that sometimes consume the vast majority of our time and concern.

More from the skies above Big Island

Active Shooting Hours: 1 Review Hours: 1 Hours To Date: 182

525,600 Minutes

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes,How do you measure, measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets? In midnights, in cups of coffee? In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife? In five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes, How do you measure, a year in the life? One of my favorite songs is "Seasons of Love" from the musical, Rent.  It is a full ensemble piece where the characters wax philosophic about how best to measure the worth of a year of human life, concluding in the chorus that the best way is to measure in love.

And it was exactly one year ago today, that I took the first photos of this project.  While my initial goal for the project was to use it as a means of establishing a better work-life balance, I now understand that it wasn't just about spending time on a hobby... it was about identifying, appreciating, and chasing the love for my life.

As I mentioned in this post, this project has taken me so much farther than I ever expected.  While the actual hour-count dent I've made into the goal of 10,000 hours is underwhelming and so pathetic that it's laughable, the experiences and epiphanies I've had have more than made up lack of hours.

First and foremost, I have developed a better and stronger sense of self.  It sounds ridiculous, but prior to this project, I didn't really know what makes me deep-down, bottom of the gut, happy.  I think I was a little hesitant to even admit that, because it seems like something that should be straightforward - do what you like to do.  People told me to balance my life with work, but I didn't really know what interests, passions, etc. truly made up my life.  This project resulted in first discovering what was important to me in life, followed by a dogged pursuit of these things as opposed to just blindly following societal prescriptions of things that "should" make me happy.  Over the past year, I've witnessed many of my millennial peers also struggling with this concept, but many of them responded by completely shifting their lives 180 degrees.  Many quit their jobs to travel the world or switched careers or went back to school to begin at the beginning once more.  While those courses of action may work well for them, I knew that I would not be satisfied making a drastic change for the fear that it wasn't the right change.  Given my highly analytical nature and habits of frequent reflection, that little niggle of fear would get in the way of actually embracing the change and finding myself.  Not to mention, that would have been me throwing myself into yet another passion rather than learning to establish a balance.

Through this project, I've also validated my love for travel, adventure, friendship, and continual desire to learn.  I've explored a lot of places, traveled locally and afar, visited best friends... all with an eye to capture photographs.  As a result, I was able to satisfy my curiosity about the world.  My favorite big trip was probably the one I took out to Kentucky to explore the Bourbon Trail, because I'm not sure I would have traveled there if not to photograph the distilleries and scenery.  There was also something about this specific trip (I'm still not entirely sure exactly what clicked) that helped finally kickstart my journey for even more formal education.  While I've always thought that I would go back for a higher degree of some kind, I hadn't formalized any kind of specific timeline or action plan.  When I returned from Louisville, it all suddenly became very clear exactly what I wanted.  In the following 6 months, I took the GMAT, networked like crazy, toured several schools, and put pen to paper for personal statements and applications.  At the end of February, I celebrated and accepted admission to UCLA Anderson's Fully Employed MBA program.  Even though most people shy away from their lives being driven entirely by work and school, I'm exhilarated to not only learn more business theory, but also to be able to apply this knowledge immediately the next day - this is exactly how I love to learn.

Finally, as cheesy as it sounds, I've also found romantic love via this project.  While I didn't meet my boyfriend on a project excursion, his support of my project and desire to help me reach 10,000 hours resulted in planning and going on a lot of adventures together, during which we were able to get to know each other on a much more honest and intimate level than typical dates would allow.  You really get to see someone's true nature when you're challenging each other's comfort zones: driving along the switchbacks of sheer cliffs, getting up at the crack of dawn to catch a moment, and getting increasingly hungry, hot, and sweaty in the name of one more shot.  We have a connection and closeness that is just best expressed as true love.

So, I suppose you could say that the last 525,600 minutes of this 10,000 hour project have been filled with love... for photography, travel, exploration, good friends, learning, romance, and work.  It's ultimately been a journey of finding out precisely what I love and weaving those elements meaningfully to create a life full of love.

Since this is a 10,000 hour project on photography, I'll end with the photos I took this morning successfully summiting Mt. Lee and standing over the Hollywood sign.  After 2 hours, ~3.25 miles, and ~1700 vertical feet, we were rewarded with a view that perfectly captures my feeling about the last year of this project.

~10 minutes into the Bronson Canyon Trail, encouraged by a glimpse of Hollywood Sign up in the hills

The top of the canyon, roughly halfway to the sign.  The overcast day resulted in hazy, flat photos that had to be edited heavily in post, but it was perfect for novice hikers like us tackling a ~6.5 mile hike that also climbed 1100+ feet vertically over the course.  If it had been a clear and hot day, I'm not sure we would have reached the top.

Getting closer!

Reached a vista point and spotted the Griffith Observatory

The trail wound back and forth around and around... we spent a solid 2 hours climbing (and occasionally stopping for photos and to catch our breath) from the start of the trail.

The sign itself is fenced off due to the fire-prone terrain... and probably to prevent vandalism.  Fortunately, the trail proceeds even higher so you can get a clear shot of the back of the sign without a chain link fence in the way.

View of Lake Hollywood and part of the H from the summit

Panorama I actually took with my iPhone.  I couldn't get the entire sign with the DSLR and  I couldn't back up further since there was only roughly 20 feet to work with before I would have fallen off the backside of the summit.

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Active Shooting Hours: 2 Review Hours: 2 Hours to Date: 142

Unconventional Las Vegas

The scintillating city of excess - replete with bacchanal revelers looking for a weekend of carefree debauchery... which will, of course, stay in Vegas.  I find this city and the entire industry built on hedonism to be fascinating... mostly it always underscores the importance of balance for me.

I don't know anyone who can or wants to sustain the endless drinking, eating, and partying for more than a few nights at a time.  In economic terms, it suffers from diminishing marginal utility - not only is it increasingly physically exhausting, it also delivers less and less enjoyment per each additional night.  In many ways, it's a reminder that we can all burn out doing any activity or piece of work and to ensure I have some variety in my life.

To be sure, I ate myself silly at establishments like Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak and Mon Ami Gabi, filled with all kinds of the noveau naughty ingredients (none of which, I happen to agree with): gluten and dairy.  Not to mention all of the conventional terrible things for you: fat, salt, sugar, rare steaks, cholesterol-filled seafood... In any case, after that weekend, I immediately myself on a repentant diet with lots of fibrous fruits and vegetables.

Craftsteak prie fixe menu dessert tasting - chef's choice.  Liberal application of Instagram magic. Clockwise from top: fresh fruit, chocolate indulgence with chocolate ice cream, coconut lime and raspberry sorbets, and cinnamon monkey bread with vanille ice cream.  Paired with a Polish dessert wine.

Mon Ami Gabi - where your cappuccino can come in a bowl larger than the cup of French Onion soup.

But I wanted a different experience and adventure to photograph with the DSLR and thus, we went off-roading.  My amazing sorority sister who happens to live in Vegas recently bought a new Jeep and graciously took us out on a trail that wrapped us around Las Vegas via Rainbow Gardens Rd.

Hi Jeep!

Quite overcast, which made it a comfortable day trip, but did make the pictures less dramatic since it flattened the highlights and shadows and softened the contrast.  Most of the pictures have had some additional editing during review to punch up the contrast a bit, but it's no replacement for the correct lighting to convey a mood.

Along the winding road

When dirt meets asphalt

The Strip from the trail's end

Active Shooting Hours: 4
Review Hours: 2
Hours to Date: 111