Shanghai Air

Shanghai Air, originally uploaded by kjonasen dsgn.

Photos from my roommate, Dan Adams, from during and after the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. After the expo ended, construction resumed at a hysterical pace to complete projects before the Chinese New Year.

aloha fixed

IMG_1457, originally uploaded by shanghaialleycat.

hawai’i, represent

finish line

IMG_1453, originally uploaded by shanghaialleycat.

230 riders.
1st fastest asian.
4th fastest fixie.
7th place overall.

shoes

IMG_1573, originally uploaded by shanghaialleycat.

3… 2… 1… ALLEYCAT!

IMG_1863, originally uploaded by shanghaialleycat.

there’s a short asian kid with a black helmet standing next to the guy on the right in the pink hat – that’s me.

and wtf dude on the cell phone?

Friday, October 8th. This Could Have Been my Life.

Korea 2010_0390b, originally uploaded by kjonasen dsgn.

This could have been my life. But in reality, as the child of an unwed mother in a country that looks down upon such women, this wouldn’t have been my life. I’m told that unwed mothers and their children both experience a great deal of shame throughout their lives. So instead of living a life a shame for who my mother was, I grew up in a very white city and was ridiculed for who I am. Most minority children can, at the very least, go home to families who can empathize with their struggles. This is something my Mexican sister and I could never do. Looking back, I can appreciate the adversity I faced while growing up in Wisconsin. My football coach used to tell us that we’re tough m***** f****** because we grew up in Dirty Stallis and weren’t pampered like the kids from the surrounding suburbs. He was right.

This could have been my life. But it probably wouldn’t have been. In my real life, I was able to go back to Korea anyway. And Boston, and Hawai’i, and Rome, and Beijing, and Shanghai. My Norwegian family has worked out well too. I even eat the lutefisk at Christmas, so in that respect, I’m a better Norwegian than a lot of the actual Norwegians in my family. Korea is great, and I would love to go back and live there someday. But in the grand scheme of my life, I think things worked out for the best.

Bike Porn

Korea 2010_0430b, originally uploaded by kjonasen dsgn.

Charge Scissor, 14 Bike Co., Volume Trasher

Seoul seen from the 63 Building

Korea 2010_0346b, originally uploaded by kjonasen dsgn.

Bridge over the Han

Korea 2010_0406c, originally uploaded by kjonasen dsgn.

Han River

Han River, originally uploaded by kjonasen dsgn.

Seoul is beautiful