This is a great documentary about two young gymnasts in North Korea and their preparations for the Mass Games about 10 years ago. Currently I am slightly obsessed with North Korea. I have watched 6 documentaries over the past couple of days, and I feel like there is so much to learn. The more I read and watch the more I want to know. Prepare for lots of links! Until then, enjoy this, well worth the watch! The other parts can be found through related videos at the end of the video or at Youtube. I am in a state of mind where I realize how little I know about the world around me, and I just want to suck up as many influences and perspectives as possible. And the Mass Games… there are no words for how unique and amazing those performances are. Imagine being able to watch something like that with your own eyes.

“I too had woven a kind of basket of a delicate texture, but I had not made it worth anyone’s while to buy them. Yet not the less, in my case, did I think it worth my while to weave them, and instead of studying how to make it worth men’s while to buy my baskets, I studied rather how to avoid the necessity of selling them.”

I miss this place so much I could not look at these pictures for the past months. I finally decided to go though all the pictures from the past six months, and I found the rest of the pictures I took when I went to Okinawa and Zamami.

I have been so busy this summer I can hardly remember anything but working, but looking at the pictures, I realized I was more successful than I first thought when it came to enjoying the time I did have. Between working 50+ hours pr week split into an internship and a part time job, I did find time to travel, eat lots of delicious food and drink my fair share of awamori, nihonshu and beer. In retrospect, I did… enough. I need to learn to stop and enjoy the moment. I was never an expert in that area.

Above; The road down to one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever visited, Furuzamami beach on Zamami island, 1.5 hours with ferry from Naha, the capital of Okinawa, a 4 hour flight south-west from Tokyo. The next time I go there I will get an underwater case for my camera, because the water with all the coral and tropical fish looked absolutely unreal. Spending the day on the beach with local beer was just what I needed.

The village on Zamami island consists of around 500 people, and they have beautiful and funny little gardens outside their houses. I loved the Totoro-themed driveway.

You are allowed to bring dead coral back with you, and I found this beautiful piece washed up on the beach.

Been too busy to really get into drawing over the past 6 months. Here are some small sketches that was made in-between work work work. The top left one is finally done, I hope I can scan it and post the entire picture soon. I haven’t been working on anything that took me several days of work for many years. It feels gratifying to not rush, but I am impatient when it comes to making things with my hands and I like seeing results quickly.