Inktober so far

October is a fun month for creatives like me. It's especially fun for those who love to put ink to paper. This month implores me to doodle. Besides the expected thumbnail, chicken scratch, interpretive sketch I scribble at work in-order to quickly communicate an idea. I rarely draw for fun anymore. Thus far I've skipped a few days. But, in general I think I'm building a pretty good collection. Check it out. 

For those of you that are not familiar with Inktober. Inktober is when creatives (you don't have to be talented) draw one thing each day of October using traditional ink tools. It could be many things if you'd like. 

Bodie Ghost Town

38.2141° N, 119.0046° W //

Trip Itinerary :  
a. Bridgeport Ca. (4 hours from SF)
b. Bodie CA. 
c. Bodie Historic Park (Bodie Ghost Town)

Halloween is just around the corner. Have you decided on what you'll be this year? I have an idea but you'll have to wait to see.

In light of the upcoming holiday. Have fun decorating, costume hunting, and visiting your favorite haunted house. If you're feeling really adventurous. Take a 4 hour drive to Bodie Ghost Town. East of San Francisco. 

What used to be a flourishing gold mining town, now a deserted historical park. It's population was 10,000 people at it's peak. But, after the gold rush most families left leaving their things behind. Today you can see eerie artifacts from the past still hanging around on tables and benches. I think this is a piece of history worth seeing. Check it out.

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

Planning to edit photos and possibly a video from our Eastern Sierras trip. For now check out the Ancient Bristlcone's.

In another time wild dinosaurs, cave men and women probably walked through here. A mixture of desert and forest this place looks bare. Don't be fooled by how small, naked, and bald the trees/landscape look. Some of these bristlecones are more than 4000 years old. 

Heisenberg My neighbor for the night

I'm getting better and better each time I try astrophotography. I'm quite proud of this one I took of the RV that randomly showed up at 2am then left super early in the morning. Hmmm. Sketchy. 

Photo taken at eastern sierras by hoang m nguyen 

Frank Ocean - Pink + White ft. Beyonce

"That's the way everyday goes/ Every time we have no control/ If the sky is pink and white/ If the ground is black and yellow/ Its the same way you showed me/ Nod my head, don't close my eyes/
Halfway on a slow move/ It's the same way you showed me "

As with all new albums, I spent three weeks with Frank Oceans album on repeat. I feel like that's the most genuine way to absorb the artist's new new. With this album I'm particularly fascinated by this song "Pink + White"  The beat is super smooth,  sonically its great for deep focus at work. What I love most about this song is that there are things in our lives that are out of our control. Just accept these things and move forward. 

National parks Centennial Celebration

In light of the moment I'd like to thank all the people who has serviced our national parks. Thank you for keeping them open for the world to experience. You're the real MVP. Happy 100th birthday National Parks Services. Here is a trip I did to Pinnacles national park. Enjoy. 

Gordon Murray In The House

For this month's tech-talk we invite designer Gordan Murray to come talk cars, design, and career at Playground. Gordan designs formula one cars for a living. He's a true mechanical thinker. I'd say he's more engineer minded than industrial design, but he does an amazing job at mixing science with art in creating innovative solutions. Gordon is famous for the iconic McLaren F1. A car that revolutionized many standards in modern cars today. The F1 introduced new techs such as: carbon fiber construction, automated rear spoiler, and ground control. Innovative for its time, but are things we take for-granted today. Currently Gordon continues to design. He's developed a lighter, more stronger chassis technology called iStream. Check it out here.

To me It's fascinating to hear other designers share their process. A common philosophy I hear often is: Fail. Fail a lot. Fail often. But learn from your failures and adjust as you move forward. I've taken a photo of my notebook as Gordon spoke. I'm honored to meet him and happy he signed and complimented my poor sketches. 

Untitled Surf No.1

Just imagine becoming the way you used to be as a very young child, before you understood the meaning of any word, before opinions took over your mind. The real you is loving, joyful, and free. The real you is just like a flower, just like the wind, just like the ocean, just like the sun. 

-- Don Miguel Ruiz

Photos from this mornings session.  

A Secret camping spot

We found a secret camping spot in Northern California. Its so backcountry. 

Martin, Niroshan and I packed our bikes and rode out early Saturday. We rode south of San Francisco in hopes of scoring a walk-in camp spot. Unfortunately Saturday isn't the best day to try our luck. If you're planning to camp without reservations, come super early Friday for walk-in site. Most campgrounds have 1 or 2 space reserved for this. If you can't make Friday, save yourself the trouble and not go.

Having no available space didn't stop us. We've ridden far. The sun blazing hot. Everyone hungry, and all determine to camp. We made it work. Unfortunately I'm not able to share where this was. It defeats the purpose of going out and exploring with your friends. But, I'll share with you photos and videos of our trip. 

P.S Evident Riders Club is a joke around us trying to catch each others motorcycle mistakes all weekend. I think it might stick.