May 2015 – Mina Lee

Photo essay in Rotterdam (December 15, 2014 ~ December 18, 2014)

“It must be a sperm.”

December 16, 2014: Everything got magically better when I arrived in Netherlands. No, it had been already incomparably better ever since I was waiting for a ferry from Harwich (you won’t be able to find Harwich if you pronounce it as ‘Har-wich’) to Hook of Holland. I liked a misty rain, somewhere-between-grey-and-blue sky, grumpy clouds of Netherlands, and even myself having no idea how to take a train.

Long story short, I managed to go to a hostel and met an amazing person, Luciana.

I wrote down in my journal just like this: Her philosophy was stunning. I was so mesmerized that I didn’t want to forget about it. Therefore I decided to write it down. I would probably stupidly paraphrase her amazing words, but the gist shall remain.

I start something with enough acknowledgement that it probably wouldn’t get to the end. For example, when you are learning something, the biggest obstacle is people telling you something like “Oh, are you learning this? Then do you know how to do this?”, “That’s not how it is supposed to be.”, or “Why did you stop learning it? You were good at it.” However, you know, even though you are trying out ten different things, you’d end up doing one or two after years. So don’t be afraid of quitting. When people ask me why, I simply answer: “Because I don’t want it anymore.” I’m the one who wanted, started, learned it, and I enjoyed as much as I wanted- that’s enough for me. I don’t need to linger on it to meet others’ expextation.

Of course I think I’m very young. People will live more than 150 years thanks to medical innovations or whatever. If that’s the case, 80-year-old is nothing. It’s just a middle stage of life! When I was young-I mean, really young-, I thought of people who are 40-year-old really really old. But as a person who is almost 40, I don’t see myself old at all. It will be the same when I become 50.

You are indecisive and uncertain about your future not because you are young. It’s because you are open up to unlimited possibilities and opportunities in front of you that no one can dare to imagine. You don’t need to constrain yourself but be proud of yourself with a lot of potential.

After spending three days with her in Rotterdam, I couldn’t fully enjoy the beauty of Amsterdam. I was all alone again.

Photo essay in London (December 10, 2014 ~ December 14, 2014)

1. I don’t even know what I wanted from London. I think I didn’t want anything. Maybe I just didn’t know what to expect. My mind was totally blank when my flight took off the YVR airport which was overly decorated with some Chinese ornaments at that time.

2. You know, a wise person once said a good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. Guess who was one of them. Being totally alone without any responsibilities except for being a rational -and preferably polite- adult at a totally new place was not mind-blowing but rather insanely calming.

3. This is one thing I liked: buses that allowed me to be an observer. With an oyster card, I can go every corner of the city as being half-traveler and half-tourist. No need to struggle in the middle of crowds and no need to feel lonely from the Christmas atmosphere thanks to other people sitting besides me- alone, even quieter.

4. There must be a reason why it looked all black and white to me. Probably there are some. Luckily I am good at forgetting and justifying things. I would think that everything that I saw, heard, smelled, touched, and tasted was meant to be there.

5. Sometimes, I like this kind of moments.

6. More beauty stands out without color.

7. “Hey, Santa! You’re blocking my view”

8. There were a few times that I took photos over and over until I got a satisfying result. This was one of them. I walked along the street without knowing where I was heading to. The street felt even more empty after passing busy Borough market. Suddenly, two words on the wall of a random building jumped out to me.