Lunar Year 2026

For Chinese New Year, I decided to mozie on down to L.A's Chinatown. I asked my Chinese friend to help me out in navigating around all the closed streets and in explaining some of the traditions. 

This Lunar year is the year of "fire horse," and lasts for 16 days (Feb 17-March 3) until the Lantern Festival. Each Chinese zodiac sign comes with an animal sign, and each animal has five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water For example, a "fire horse" may have a different personality than the "earth horse".

After going round and round behind cars that were also looking for parking, we finally landed somewhere far, and headed downhill to the festivities. The crowds were considerate, and gave way to each other. The sound of drums, cymbals, and gongs drowned the voices of the crowd except for this crazy guy who wanted attention by yelling nonsense in our ears. The above video is the Lion Dance, supposed to bring good fortune, and ward off evil. Apologies for my hand in the video. The lion in front of me was waving their hand, and I was waving back.

The Golden Dragon is part of the Chinese mythology. It represents power, strength, prosperity and good fortune.

The lion dance with two performers is taxing on the body, especially if you're the end. This reminded me of a funny Lucy and Ethel Episode when they try on an Old Horse Costume, but neither one is willing to be the horse's end. 

Some people put money in Hongbao (Mandarin pronunciation) or Lai See (Cantonese pronunciation) which is a red envelope, to give to the lion. My Cantonese friend told me that sometimes the person holds the Lai See high, and the dancing lion jumps up and captures it, passing on good luck to the giver.

Happy Lunar Year!

We walked north, away from the parade. The food stalls, quite good, are there only during the celebrations. They have everything from barbecue to Thai to falafel and so on...

Incidentally, I have no connection to the people showing up in my pictures or videos, and I don't focus on anyone specific in any of my pictures, ever. I'm more interested in the vibe when I video or take photos. So, unless I identify someone specifically, or write about them to explain, I have no idea who they are, just like this tall dude who was passing by in my video.

I got a crème brûlée Boba. Both the service and the drink were excellent. You have to mix it or the top part will taste flat.

We continued walking and ended up in a permanent section of Chinatown with shops, bakeries, and places to grab a bite.

Here, I was asking my friend how to say Happy New Year, but I did not fair well. I was able to say it correctly after I ended the video. I now know how to say, Happy New Year, and thank you in Cantonese. You could say that I'm now fluent in Chinese 😝

Jinju Silk Lanterns

My friend and I decided to check out Lights of Korea: Jinju silk lanterns exhibit at the Korean Cultural center. I was intrigued to see what it was all about.

What surprised me was the cultural oasis I was about to unveil. In all the years living in L.A, I had no idea this place existed, and I know so little about the Korean culture. I didn't know how rich their culture was as I went through another exhibit, before even getting to the lanterns.

The Seonbi principal shapes Koreans through five values: Discipline, Courage, inclusion, wisdom, and honor. Their belief is instead of elitism, "live for the benefit of all humanity," and that diverse cultures, and values coexist. Seonbi embraces empathy, harmony, and balance ⚖️. The first photo is about how Seonbi present themselves in public by wearing traditional clothes, and hat—"Proper behavior starts with proper dress code." The second pix is about what walking teaches you about life, staying on the path, and opening your mind to new ideas.

The above is the work of Hyungwon Kang, photojournalist, and visual story teller with decades of experience working for organizations such as the L.A Times, AP, and Reuters.

Chusa Kim Jeonghui, an artist and a scholar lived in exile because of his political views. The above is a picture of the letter he wrote to his wife, followed by a translation. He did not know that his wife had already passed away.

The hats, worn between late 1300s and early 1900s, and other items are made of horsehair. The hats called Gat, represented a satus symbol, mostly worn by aristocrats, noblemen, and scholars.

Heo Hyeong's folding screen "depicting plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo, symbolizes the four seasons.

Inspired by Sin Yunbok's art, "Portrait of a Beauty," the silk lanterns imitate these traditional dresses, Hanbok, which were made up of layers of clothing with vibrant colors. The lanterns were used in the 1300s as indoor/outdoor lighting and in ceremonies.

During the Japanese invasion of Korea in the late 1500s, people living in Jinju began lighting up the river with lights to stop the Japanese from crossing the river. These lanterns would also have writings on them for the residents to communicate with each other across the river, checking in on their families.

There were two big screens, displaying photographs about Korea, and their food culture. I was trying to film it, and talk to my friend who wanted to know where we should have dinner.

From there we went to BCD Tofu House. It has several locations. We went to the one on Wilshire in Koreatown. It was an authentic experience as most of the customers were Korean.

Korean restaurants usually serve complimentary warm Boricha—toasted barley tea with a nutty flavor, and small side dishes. To me, this tea tasted bland, and I gave the fishes to my friend. The small plate sitting next to the Cass beer was also a fish dish. My friend said that they were both really good and did not taste fishy.

I had the tofu bibimbap in a hot clay pot, and my friend, had the same with beef. Mine was yum. My friend said that the beef was a bit too chewy, but other than that, she enjoyed it. The Cass beer was excellent, and they gave us chilled glasses! Service was great. Do recommend, and I'll probably will go back and try something else the next time.

  

A perfect Day

One of my favorite places is Manhattan Beach because it has a small town vibe with a real sense of community. I used to come here often until tar balls—black goo from oil spills—covered the wet sand, sticking to my feet, making it difficult, and frustrating to get them off.

After a long absence, I went back to Manhattan Beach this week, and to my surprise, the water was clean, and there were no goo or crowds. In fact, there was hardly anyone there. Just miles and miles of walking path with a few people scattered here and there, spread across a long stretch of sand, a jogger or two passing by, and one person in a wet suit. It felt good to be there.

A picture is worth a thousand words. 

I felt a silent turbulence within me just like the waves in the ocean. I'm flying solo these days. No drama. No one to disappoint me, and no one that I could disappoint. Just me, myself, and I wrapped in my thoughts, trying to figure things out. I find that if I allow it, life will disappoint. It's best not to expect anything. 

"Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair." —Dhar Mann

It's difficult to find authenticity these days, both in life, and online. I have a handful of real friends, people that I have met in person, and have known for a long time, people who are worthy of my friendship, and who consider me worthy of theirs. Nowadays, I'm cautious about trusting people because people will tell you what you want to hear. It's best to watch someone's actions than to listen to what they say.

When I saw this Laughing Gull, it reminded me of me. Just staring out, meditating, and then flying away. Except that I can't fly away. It must be a great feeling to be able to fly away like that. 

Someone once told me that she learns most about herself when she is in a relationship. I'm the exact opposite. I learn most about myself, others, the world, and the universe by spending time alone. If you haven't already, try spending quality time with yourself, doing nothing. The revelation is incredible. So, yes. It was a perfect day, spending time alone. I know that it will take time for me to heal, to feel whole, to trust again, and to allow people into my life.  

Trust lost is a haunting specter, 

An empty space where love once dwelled.

How can one regain what is forever altered?

How can one heal when trust is felled?

                   —Unknown