MY FIRST DUTY

My first duty is towards my wife and kid. To protect, defend, avenge them!

September 29, 2023

Art of Photography

When you’re making photos, strive to make them as artistic as possible.

September 28, 2023

Don’t be scared!

Be prepared to lose it all! Thus the robust mentality and the investing strategy is simple; adopt an aesthetic, spartan lifestyle, in which you are injured against any sort of “losses“. This will give you extreme courage, extreme freedom, extreme thriving!

(more…)

September 28, 2023

Bitcoin Photographer

Time to re-up your Bitcoin baby!

I am the first bitcoin photographer?

CRYPTO BY KIM

dual camera bitcoin photography eric kim

Brave new world for photographers and crypto:

September 28, 2023

How to Achieve Your Life Goals Hopes Dreams and Ambitions

Video file

Podcast

I think the best strategy is to allow yourself to be and become a little bit more unethical, less concerned and concerning of external things peoples desires expectations etc.

Overall, I think it is a good idea to have like goals dreams hopes and aspirations etc. I like the idea of having an insanely audacious life, and once you achieve it and hit it, then, perhaps the best strategy is this:

Onto the next one!

Your next epic life goal dream hope aspiration etc?

September 28, 2023

Wallpapers

September 28, 2023

PHOTOS

September 27, 2023

Aesthetic Thoughts

Some morning thoughts: what is the point in purpose of aesthetics? Why is it important and towards what ends?

What is the purpose or point of beauty?

First thought I have is in regards to beauty, the philosophy of beauty, the significance of beauty etc. On the first hand, I believe that beauty has to do with health. Physiological health, wellness, grandeur.

For example, beautiful women, finding a beautiful wife, getting children with a beautiful woman. I think the significance of beauty, a beautiful woman is the promise that your offspring will be superior, strong, great. I believe to some degree physical and physiological beauty, aesthetic beauty, also beauty in the face has to do with the promise advancement. Your kids will be stronger, more intelligent, taller, stronger, better than you.

Things?

Then, beauty in the context of things. For example, what is the significance of beauty in regards to things, objects, spaces etc?

on the firsthand, I think it has to do with hygiene. Often places which look ugly signal some sort of degeneracy, or poor hygiene. For example, indoor places which are small tight cramp, dark and musty, perhaps signals some sort of mold, fungus, or air circulation, black and natural light etc. Often beautiful spaces signal some sort of hygiene; natural light greater disinfectant from the sun, big windows, floor to ceiling windows, and windows which open which allow and lot airflow is good for our circulation and health, and also brand new spaces, especially interior spaces signal some sort of great hygiene.

Cars?

Another thing in which we Americans or modern go gaga over his cars. He seem to be very very obsessed with cars, the newest car, the newest model, etc. We are addicted to cars and innovation in cars.

However is there some sort of objective measure to beauty in cars? I think there is some.

For example, beauty in the context of ugliness. Difficult to ascertain what a beautiful car is, but very very easy to ascertain what an ugly car is. Ugly car is rusted, yellowing headlights, peeling clear coat, rust, and components which have faded or haven’t aged well. For example my extreme discussed in my families old car; a 1995 Nissan Maxima, six cylinder, black paint, which had 1 trillion headaches and nightmares. Peeling clearcoat made it insanely ugly, and also the V6 engine had so many problems. That car was hell.

Ultimately I think new is beautiful. New cars look beautiful because they are bright and shiny, all the components are new, nothing has faded. For example crystal clear headlights, window and car side molding, etc.

Clothes?

One thing I have observed about clothing is that there is no such thing as beautiful clothes, only beautiful people. For example the people who tend to wear these beautiful clothes also tend to be beautiful people. That means, a beautiful person can wear ugly clothes and still look beautiful. An ugly person, if they wear a beautiful clothes, do not become beautiful. Because there is no such thing as beautiful clothes.

September 27, 2023

Photo Tips

Diagonals, hand rails make for great photos, dynamic leading lines etc.
Look for numbers, symbols, shadows.
When you’re shooting, always check the corners.
Shoot from an insanely low angle perspective, photograph your kid or subject against the blank sky.
Shoot darker. When in doubt, under expose, and make your photos as dark as humanly possible.
Shoot what you love and whom you love!
Extreme contrast is best!
Look for repetitions, patterns, triangles.
I prefer looking at my new photos!
Playgrounds are great places to shoot!
Place your subject off to the side — golden triangle, golden angle, golden section. Off centered composition is more dynamic!
Beauty in the mundane, everyday and ordinary! A child playing with sand, scooping it up with a plastic cup and pouring it out and throwing it around!

September 27, 2023

Photo Thriving

September 23, 2023

Photo Thoughts

Ever since my Ricoh GR 3X has died, I’ve been experimenting a lot with different camera setups. One of them is simple: just using the old Lumix G9 I had lying around, using the Lumix Leica 12mm F1.4 lens, and more recently, getting this really great tiny pancake Lumix 14 mm F2.5 lens.

Beauty

First and foremost, I think our primary preoccupation as photographer-artists is to create beautiful photos.

I never really thought it would make a difference, but switching from the Leica Lumix 12 mm F1.4 lens to the Lumix 14mm f2.5 lens, I could actually see an insanely huge difference. Things I noticed:

The first huge obvious difference is that the Lumix 14 mm F2.5 lens photos, in terms of shooting portraits, up close portraits of Seneca, the photos are aesthetically a lot uglier. It is almost too rough, too grainy, too gritty. Also something about the out of focus bokeh effect, is really ugly on the F2.5 lens.

Another thing is that the colors, when shooting color photos, intelligent auto mode on the F2.5 lens, the colors look really off and ugly. Something I didn’t think too much about, but if you shoot intelligent auto JPEG mode, straight up on the Lumix G9 with the Lumix 12 mm F1.4 lens, the photos look insanely perfect. The colors are true to life, vibrant, and beautiful.

Photo dissonance

Another huge shocking factor is that when I saw all of these photos that I shot of Seneca, with the new 14 mm F2.5 lens, of Seneca, I had some sort of visual, photo dissonance, which means that I almost didn’t recognize the photos of Seneca.

Then my simple thought: maybe I should just keep the Lumix G9 permanently paired with the 14 mm F14 lens, and just use it as a portrait art camera, and then figure out a more pocketful portable solution for street photography of strangers in public? Or just maybe use an iPhone for street photography of strangers in public and urban landscapes?

Why this matters

Walking around Culver City, downtown Culver City, the Culver City arts District, driving around LA, Sunset, West Hollywood, and just LA in general, my general thought is that it seems that at the end of the day, what we are primarily passionate about is art. For example, even being on Rodeo Drive and seeing the new Mr. Brainwash art museum, thinking about Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, etc.… it seems that the true and goal is towards art.

Even when we think about all these clothing brands, luxury object brands, what is it? Essentially it is consumer art, codified into objects. For example, getting a Richard Mille watch, is essentially an art object on your wrist. Or any sort of designer luxury designer thing, whether it be clothes, shoes, a handbag, sunglasses, I had piece etc.… They are essentially art objects you could purchase and wear and use.

Making beautiful things in your own eyes?

Then what I believe is this: perhaps the ultimate goal that we have is to create beautiful things, beautiful art objects, etc., designed in our own eyes.

September 23, 2023

Photo Artist

I am an artist!

Photo artist and beyond:

September 23, 2023

HOW TO BECOME A BETTER STREET PHOTOGRAPHER

VLOG

https://videopress.com/v/NkGPYGRb?resizeToParent=1&cover=1&autoPlay=1&controls=1&loop=1&muted=1&persistVolume=0&playsinline=0&preloadContent=metadata&sbc&sbpc&sblc&useAverageColor=1

Audio

Live in a city more conducive to street photography (some sort of downtown area or city, Culver City is great!)
Always have your camera with you, and always prioritize the smallest lens possible. For example on my Lumix G9, I really like the 14mm f/2.5 pancake lens — so insanely small and compact and light! As a consequence I shoot more!

Dominate street photography:

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY 101

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY STARTER KIT

Master street photography with STREET PHOTOGRAPHY STARTER KIT.

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY 101

If you’re new to street photography, start here:

Brave New Street Photography

Street Photographs

Street Photography Philosophy

Street Photography Articles

Street Photography Techniques

Street Photography Ideas

Street Photography Composition Techniques

STREET NOTES.

Push yourself out of your comfort zone with STREET NOTES: Mobile Edition.

STREET NOTES PAPER EDITION ON AMAZON >

LEARN FROM THE MASTERS OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

Timeless wisdom from the masters of street photography.

Learn more about MASTERS >

FUNDAMENTALS OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

Street Photography Inspiration

Beginner Street Photography Articles

Get started in street photography:

Definitions in Street Photography

How to Shoot Street Photography

Street Photography Equipment

See all equipment articles >

How to Conquer Your Fears in Street Photography

See all articles to conquer your fears >

Intermediate Street Photography Articles

Take your street photography to the next level:

Advanced Street Photography Articles

Find deeper meaning in your street photography:

Street Photography Tips & Technique

Learn how to shoot on the streets:

See all street photography tips and techniques >

Street Photography Guides

In-depth guides on street photography:

Street Photography Equipment

The best equipment for street photography:

See all equipment articles >

Street Photography Editing and Workflow

How to Start a Street Photography Project

Learn From the Masters of Street Photography

“He without a past has no future.”

Start here:

The Masters of Photography

Classics never die:

Free Downloads

See all free downloads >

Free Street Photography Books

Distilled information on street photography:

For more resources on photography, Start Here >

September 23, 2023

Photo Domination

PHOTOGRAPHY 101

Dear friend,

If you’re new to photography, start here:

Photography is Everything!

Photography Tips

Photography Articles

Photography Techniques

Everyday Photography

RICOH GR II selfie in mirror, double eye surreal. Prague, 2017

Color Photography 101

Photography Philosophy

Photography Inspiration

The Fundamentals of Photography

Photography Equipment »

How to Take Better Photos »

Composition Lessons »

Photography Assignments »

Contact Sheets »

Editing (Image Selection) »

Creativity »

Motivation »

Post-Processing

How to Create a Body of Work

AMERICA - ERIC KIM16 eric kim woman popsicle

Don’t Work on Too Many Projects

Technical Photography Settings

DSLR Photography 101

Learn From the Masters of Photography

“He without a past has no future.”

Start here:

The Masters of Photography

Prague, 1968. Josef Koudelka / Magnum Photos

Classics never die:

September 17, 2023

CHANGES

September 16, 2023

Beautiful Photos

September 14, 2023

Art Photos is the Goal

What is the purpose of a camera, lens? As an artistic tool.

September 13, 2023

Produce Beautiful Photos

To produce beautiful photos!

PHOTOGRAPHY 101

Dear friend,

If you’re new to photography, start here:

Photography is Everything!

Photography Tips

Photography Articles

Photography Techniques

Everyday Photography

Color Photography 101

Photography Philosophy

Photography Inspiration

The Fundamentals of Photography

Photography Equipment »

How to Take Better Photos »

Composition Lessons »

Photography Assignments »

Contact Sheets »

Editing (Image Selection) »

Creativity »

Motivation »

Post-Processing

How to Create a Body of Work

Don’t Work on Too Many Projects

Technical Photography Settings

DSLR Photography 101

Learn From the Masters of Photography

“He without a past has no future.”

Start here:

The Masters of Photography

Classics never die:

September 13, 2023

Creative Photos

September 13, 2023

Each new generation should have fewer features

September 12, 2023

iPhone

September 12, 2023

ERIC X SENECA KIM ART

September 11, 2023

Fire Photos

September 10, 2023

MONOPOLY THINKING

LIFE-IS-A-GAME-OF-MONOPOLY-PDF TEXT Download

“Life is a game of monopoly, go outside and cop yourself some property.” – MIGOS

A random thing on the road to moving to LA is this — a random thing that was coming into my mind was this idea of finding some sort of property space, like buying a Triplex or a quadPlex, and essentially becoming some sort of noveau slumlord.

I had a funny interesting turbo thought when going to the Costco Business Center the other day, and buying some meat. Essentially the idea is simple:

Essentially the meat you buy and purchase is the raw material, and cooking it yourself is very simple and easy; yet, the reason why so many restaurants and businesses, even all you can eat Korean BBQ restaurants is that they make the process so complex, and intimidating to you.

Real estate is interesting to me because then you have the raw material which is the land, and then you could customize it later to your liking.

Why I love cars

The primary reason why I love cars so much is that ever since I was a kid, around 15 or 16 years old, it was an open creative canvas for me. Note, I actually got into cars before I got into photography; I was into cars ever since I was 15 years old and got my first drivers license permit in California, I only going to photography later, around the age of 18 when I graduated high school and was about to go to college.

Growing up, my family only ever rented. The notion that I could modify or do anything to my house or home was a non-concept.

The great joy and promise of being able to have my own car was that I could do anything to it that I wanted. The first car I ever got was a 1991 Sentra XE, a four-door sedan, which was surprisingly a five speed manual transmission car, with no tachometer! I had so much fun modifying and customizing and swapping it up, installing headers, intake and exhaust, repainting it, painting the dashboard from the ugly ass brown to black, and also even changing the headliner from the ugly brown beige color to a solid black felt.

Lesson:

Having the freedom, and the ability to modify and change things to your liking is great joy!

Mystifying things?

A funny difference that I’ve noted from my family, my family upbringing, and Cindy‘s family; Cindy grew up to owning their own home and property, therefore things like pouring cement, mixing cement, painting the walls, fixing home stuff was natural. Yet for them, cars were a mysterious black box; therefore the general concept was always buy new.

However, my great pride and joy is that in my whole adult life, I’ve never spent more than $2500 USD on a car. The last two cars which came under my wing including my mom‘s old 2009 Hyundai sonata, which was essentially acquired by me for free, as it sat dormant for about three years in my sister’s garage, collecting dust. About $2000 of repairs at the mechanic, and $1000 of overdue DMV fines, it essentially ran brand new! And a little bit of muscle wax from me, waxing the paint, painting the rims, debadging it, etc.

Then more recently, re-inheriting the family Prius; 2010 Prius. Essentially once again, acquiring it for nothing, spending $2700 to get a new catalytic converter which was stolen earlier, $300 for a catalytic converter shield, and about $2700 on a new ABS brake sensor, and also, about $600 for new Yokohama tires. Otherwise I got the car for free!

Thought:

Real men drive old (used) white Priuses!

How do really rich people do it?

Some fun facts I’ve learned:

Real rich people and successful people only ever purchase cars at auction; with some sort of superficial damage, and they buy it at an insanely deep discount, and spend small sums of money to fix it up, they never buy new. And it seems that a lot of successful people that I’ve met just buy old used Priuses at car auctions! For example, my old next-door neighbor used to own an exotic car sports dealership, he told me he even sold a Lamborghini to Mike Tyson. He also owns the infamous old-school Mercedes with the gull wing doors. Anyways, he told me that he for his daily cr just bought an old 2010 Prius at auction for only $7000! Also, he always trolls eBay and these websites for old used BMW M cars, and he says that “I didn’t buy it from him, I stole it from him!” Therefore maybe in the context of cars, to only steal a car, essentially get a car for so insanely cheap or free or under market value is the path. Buying a new brand new car is for idiots!
People overpay for home renovations; the true price of fixing up a bathroom should only be around $7000 (some of my friends spent almost $20,000 for this), to do a kitchen, maybe $15,000, and flooring you could essentially do it yourself for free. And it seems that what a lot of these real estate companies do is simple; take some sort of old property, got it, renovate it, which actually doesn’t cost that much money, maybe $30,000 per unit, and then resell it on the market for a higher price tag, and continue this process.

What is a millennial?

I think I have a good definition for millennials; essentially somebody who foolishly uses their money.

For example, it seems that millennials are overeager to buy new cars. Let’s say a modest new car is $30,000, and they down around $10,000. A monthly payment is around $350-$500. Then they forget that they bought a new car, and they probably want full coverage, so insurance wise, it might be another three to $500 a month! Boom, you’ve just added another thousand dollars a month in monthly expenses, which will haunt you for either 3 to 5 years. That’s money that you’re not putting in your bank account.

Or, it seems that any new car is such an insane rip off. Apparently even a Toyota Sienna Hybrid out the door is over $60,000 USD! That’s a lot of money.

Alcohol, food, eating out, weed, drugs, etc

“Fuck I’m broke as fuck! Why? I just came back from Vegas and blew all my money on food! Fuck, I gotta move out of SoCal!” – one of my friends in the gym hot sauna locker room

Another way that young people millennials etc. waste money is silly things like going to “festivals“, doing drugs, smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol, going out to drink alcohol and cocktails, going to Vegas, gambling, eating out at new trendy restaurants, etc.

Also, having too much subscriptions to these media services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ etc.

The overall bad thing is that many people just cannot save money. Why? The societal bias that one should partake in these activities. But, the wisdom is knowing that these things are not imperatives.

Finance, and loans?

Poking around this real estate and financing market, honestly it all seems like such a scam. For example, let us say that you take out a loan at 7% or 6.5%. But I say you borrow around $700,000. Almost the first 10 yours is devoted to paying off your interest, not even the principal.

What did Elon Musk do? When starting Tesla, he took out a massive loan from the US government, to build factories, battery packs, etc.

Therefore, it seems that if one is going to take out a massive loan, the goal is to quickly pay it back. Borrowing money as leverage to do something very very great and epic, and quickly leapfrog to the next thing.

Bigger and better to infinity and beyond!

Or, the goal is to just flip it. Do not get attached to it, and just think of real estate like a product.

For example, buying a property for $1.5 million, and then hopefully in the next 10 years, flipping it for $3 million USD! Then I suppose the goal is to just cop the profit, and then leapfrog onto the next bigger project.

Then things get interesting, because the goal isn’t about making money necessarily; but rather using your capital as leverage to keep leapfrogging to bigger and bigger things!

However, towards what ends? I don’t think there’s an end; the goal is bigger and better for the sake of it; the American ethos!

Houses as a project?

It also seems a lot of these real estate corporations, who knows maybe the investment comes from overseas, Saudi Arabia, mainland China, etc., is that somebody will buy at a property all in cash, maybe to wash the money, and then price it up, and then sit on it, and perhaps try to resell it for a profit into the future.

Why do people do this? Honestly a lot of people who have money which is illegit don’t seem to really care; they don’t really think about it too much.

Capital?

Another thought on capital in capitalism, what is it that the new religion of capital seeks?

Essentially, make money don’t spend it (Kanye West).

And also, accumulating more and more capital towards infinite ends!

Once again, perhaps the best way to think about capital and capitalism is to just think of it like a game of monopoly, a game, and do not take it too seriously.

Economics by KIM >

What do you do when you no longer fear anything?

I just hit a 9 plate rack pull for the first time, and before doing it, I felt zero ounces of fear. This was interesting, because then it is no longer a fear issue; simply it is an issue of ability and capability.

Then before attempting the nine plates, my only concern and focus was focusing, hyping myself up, and also striving to successfully maximally output all of my strength at the same time!

Perhaps than the best way to approach life is first strive to conquer fear, and then the next issue is a matter of technique, form and approach, and the physical and physiological strength to achieve and attempt things!

Fear versus ability

For example in street photography, a big consideration between the fear of shooting street photos, and then having the compositional ability to make photos you deem beautiful.

Both are critical.

A thought on value, in the context of photos and photography;

Which photos and street photos have the greatest value? Perhaps the photos which required the most courage to shoot!

Street photography is 99% balls.

Life narrative?

Another big consideration on my mind is in regards to life narrative.

When you’re on your deathbed, looking back at your life, thinking and considering certain parts of your life narrative that you were proud of attempting and doing — it doesn’t really matter whether you’re successful or not, simply, do an attempt what is epic and grand!

I think in America we’re too caught up on the notion of being “successful“ or not. I think my intervention is to think rather, the grandeur and courage of the attempt. To me it doesn’t really matter whether you’re successful or not. What matters more is whether you had the courage to attempt it in the first place!

However, this is where wisdom is critical; I think it’s a good idea to attempt things when you’re interested in it, but at the same time, you don’t want to be foolish about it. For example, to simply attempt something because you want some sort of external validation seems like a poor or a foolish decision. Rather, only attempt that which is personally interesting to you!

What motivates me?

A thought this morning; perhaps that which motivates me is the desire to dominate, to become master, to become number one!

For example, my personal past life goal was to dominate street photography, to become number one on Google for street photography! Also do become number one on Google for “ERIC KIM”.

Now that I have achieved these, perhaps then my next goal is to become number one on Google for philosophy?

Certainly Google is not a good litmus test, because now, I think there are too many foreign factors at play. Yet, the striving and desire to become ascendant, the top dog, number one, is what drives our American passion. Even at the gym, now that I have successfully atlas lifted 995 pounds, I am at least one trillion miles ahead of anyone else in my realm, not even people internationally can touch me!

And truth be told, it seems that it’s all or nothing in America. To live the grandest and best life, you got to be number one. For example, Tesl is one trillion ahead of any electric car company out there; I’m quite certain all of the other electric car companies in the long run or fail. Once the cybertruck comes out, Rivian will go under. And these other electric car companies by China and Vietnam? Good luck.

Become more

Fresh new EK WORKSHOPS for you:

Conquer Street photography in Philly October 14
Nov 4: Discover your creative mission in life in downtown la
Dec 2nd: Master stoicism

New: Jan 27th Conquer confidence online zoom workshop

EK PHOTO SUPPLY

CARRY HEAVY: HENRI SHOULDER STRAP
HENRI WRIST STRAP PRO: The ultimate hybrid
EK NECK STRAP MARK II: Sublime Minimalism

More EK SHOPPE >

Gym thoughts

More thoughts:

https://erickimphotography.com/blog/
http://erickimphilosophy.com
http://erickimfitness.com
https://erickim.com

When in doubt,

START HERE

September 9, 2023

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY IS 99% BALLS

DOMINATE THE STREETS:

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY 101

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY STARTER KIT

Master street photography with STREET PHOTOGRAPHY STARTER KIT.

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY 101

If you’re new to street photography, start here:

Brave New Street Photography

Street Photographs

Street Photography Philosophy

Street Photography Articles

Street Photography Techniques

Street Photography Ideas

Street Photography Composition Techniques

STREET NOTES.

Push yourself out of your comfort zone with STREET NOTES: Mobile Edition.

STREET NOTES PAPER EDITION ON AMAZON >

LEARN FROM THE MASTERS OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

Timeless wisdom from the masters of street photography.

Learn more about MASTERS >

FUNDAMENTALS OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

Street Photography Inspiration

Beginner Street Photography Articles

Get started in street photography:

Definitions in Street Photography

How to Shoot Street Photography

Street Photography Equipment

See all equipment articles >

How to Conquer Your Fears in Street Photography

See all articles to conquer your fears >

Intermediate Street Photography Articles

Take your street photography to the next level:

Advanced Street Photography Articles

Find deeper meaning in your street photography:

Street Photography Tips & Technique

Learn how to shoot on the streets:

See all street photography tips and techniques >

Street Photography Guides

In-depth guides on street photography:

Street Photography Equipment

The best equipment for street photography:

See all equipment articles >

Street Photography Editing and Workflow

How to Start a Street Photography Project

Learn From the Masters of Street Photography

“He without a past has no future.”

Start here:

The Masters of Photography

Classics never die:

Free Downloads

See all free downloads >

Free Street Photography Books

Distilled information on street photography:

For more resources on photography, Start Here >

September 9, 2023

LIFE IS A GAME OF MONOPOLY?

“Life is a game of monopoly, go out and cop yourself some property.” – MIGOS

A random thing on the road to moving to LA is this — a random thing that was coming into my mind was this idea of find some sort of property space, like buying a Triplex or a quadPlex, and essentially becoming some sort of noveau slumlord.

I had a funny interesting turbo thought when going to the Costco Business Center the other day, and buying some meat. Essentially the idea is simple:

Essentially the meat you buy and purchase is the raw material, and cooking it yourself is very simple and easy; yet, the reason why so many restaurants and businesses, even all you can eat Korean BBQ restaurants is that they make the process so complex, and intimidating to you.

Why I love cars

The primary reason why I love cars so much is that ever since I was a kid, around 15 or 16 years old, it was an open creative canvas for me. Note, I actually got into cars before I got into photography; I was into cars ever since I was 15 years old and got my first drivers license permit in California, I only going to photography later, around the age of 18 when I graduated high school and was about to go to college.

Growing up, my family only ever rented. The notion that I could modify or do anything to my house or home was a non-concept.

The great joy and promise of being able to have my own car was that I could do anything to it that I wanted. The first car I ever got was a 1991 Sentra XE, a four-door sedan, which was surprisingly a five speed manual transmission car, with no tachometer! I had so much fun modifying and customizing and swapping it up, installing headers, intake and exhaust, repainting it, painting the dashboard from the ugly ass brown to black, and also even changing the headliner from the ugly brown beige color to a solid black felt.

Mystifying things?

A funny difference that I’ve noted from my family, my family upbringing, and Cindy‘s family; Cindy grew up to owning their own home and property, therefore things like pouring cement, mixing cement, painting the walls, fixing home stuff was natural. Yet for them, cars were a mysterious black box; therefore the general concept was always buy new.

However, my great pride and joy is that in my whole adult life, I’ve never spent more than $2500 USD on a car. The last two cars which came under my wing including my mom‘s old 2009 Hyundai sonata, which was essentially acquired by me for free, as it sat dormant for about three years in my sister’s garage, collecting dust. About $2000 of repairs at the mechanic, and $1000 of overdue DMV fines, it essentially ran brand new! And a little bit of muscle wax from me, waxing the paint, painting the rims, debadging it, etc.

Then more recently, re-inheriting the family Prius; 2010 Prius. Essentially once again, acquiring it for nothing, spending $2700 to get a new catalytic converter which was stolen earlier, $300 for a catalytic converter shield, and about $2700 on a new ABS brake sensor, and also, about $600 for new Yokohama tires. Otherwise I got the car for free!

How do really rich people do it?

Some fun facts I’ve learned:

Real rich people and successful people only ever purchase cars at auction; with some sort of superficial damage, and they buy it at an insanely deep discount, and spend small sums of money to fix it up, they never buy new. And it seems that a lot of successful people that I’ve met just buy old used Priuses at car auctions!
People overpay for home renovations; the true price of fixing up a bathroom should only be around $7000 (some of my friends spent almost $20,000 for this), to do a kitchen, maybe $15,000, and flooring you could essentially do it yourself for free. And it seems that what a lot of these real estate companies do is simple; take some sort of old property, gut it, renovate it, which actually doesn’t cost that much money, maybe $30,000 per unit, and then resell it on the market for a higher price tag, and continue this process.

What is a millennial?

I think I have a good definition for millennials; essentially somebody who foolishly uses their money.

For example, it seems that millennials are overeager to buy new cars. Let’s say a modest new car is $30,000, and they down around $10,000. A monthly payment is around $350-$500. Then they forget that they bought a new car, and they probably want full coverage, so insurance wise, it might be another three to $500 a month! Boom, you’ve just added another thousand dollars a month in monthly expenses, which will haunt you for either 3 to 5 years. That’s money that you’re not putting in your bank account.

Alcohol, food, eating out, weed, drugs, etc

“Fuck I’m broke as fuck! Why? I just came back from Vegas and blew all my money on food! Fuck, I gotta move out of SoCal!” – one of my friends in the gym hot sauna locker room

Another way that young people millennials etc. waste money is silly things like going to “festivals“, doing drugs, smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol, going out to drink alcohol and cocktails, going to Vegas, gambling, eating out at new trendy restaurants, etc.

Also, having too much subscriptions to these media services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ etc.

The overall bad thing is that many people just cannot save money. Why? The societal bias that one should partake in these activities. But, the wisdom is knowing that these things are not imperatives.

Finance, and loans?

Poking around this real estate and financing market, honestly it all seems like such a scam. For example, let us say that you take out a loan at 7% or 6.5%. But I say you borrow around $700,000. Almost the first 10 yours is devoted to paying off your interest, not even the principal.

What did Elon musk do? When starting tesla, he took out a massive loan from the US government, to build a pack trees, battery packs, etc.

Therefore, it seems that if one is going to take out a massive loan, the goal is to quickly pay it back. Tears alone, borrowing money as leverage to do something very very great in epic, and quickly leapfrog to the next thing.

September 8, 2023

Photo Stamina

The stamina to keep shooting and to keep going!

September 8, 2023

LIFE IS A GAME OF MONOPOLY?

“Life is a game of monopoly, go outside and cop yourself some property.” – MIGOS

A random thing on the road to moving to LA is this — a random thing that was coming into my mind was this idea of find some sort of property space, like buying a Triplex or a quadPlex, and essentially becoming some sort of noveau slumlord.

I had a funny interesting turbo thought when going to the Costco Business Center the other day, and buying some meat. Essentially the idea is simple:

Essentially the meat you buy and purchase is the raw material, and cooking it yourself is very simple and easy; yet, the reason why so many restaurants and businesses, even all you can eat Korean BBQ restaurants is that they make the process so complex, and intimidating to you.

I wonder if houses and homes are actually the same; to the average person, or to the new modern day millennial, house making, house renovation is made so blackbox and complex. I wonder if the real estate market, real estate, homes is almost like the new car mechanic trying to rip you off.

Something I learned about house repairs and renovation; so much of it is very simple. Just a fresh coat of white paint, black trim, some new furnishings and appliances, new kitchen sink and countertop, new faucets, new flooring, updated windows and the place essentially looks brand new!

I suppose what is interesting is I think we could do a lot more of it ourselves than we think we can.

Why I love cars

The primary reason why I love cars so much is that ever since I was a kid, around 15 or 16 years old, it was an open creative canvas for me. Note, I actually got into cars before I got into photography; I was into cars ever since I was 15 years old and got my first drivers license permit in California, I only going to photography later, around the age of 18 when I graduated high school and was about to go to college.

Growing up, my family only ever rented. The notion that I could modify or do anything to my house or home was a non-concept.

The great joy and promise of being able to have my own car was that I could do anything to it that I wanted. The first car I ever got was a 1991 Sentra XE, a four-door sedan, which was surprisingly a five speed manual transmission car, with no tachometer! I had so much fun modifying and customizing and swapping it up, installing headers, intake and exhaust, repainting it, painting the dashboard from the ugly ass brown to black, and also even changing the headliner from the ugly brown beige color to a solid black felt.

Mystifying things?

A funny difference that I’ve noted from my family, my family upbringing, and Cindy‘s family; Cindy grew up to owning their own home and property, therefore things like pouring cement, mixing cement, painting the walls, fixing home stuff was natural. Yet for them, cars were a mysterious black box; therefore the general concept was always buy new.

However, my great pride and joy is that in my whole adult life, I’ve never spent more than $2500 USD on a car. The last two cars which came under my wing including my mom‘s old 2009 Hyundai sonata, which was essentially acquired by me for free, as it sat dormant for about three years in my sister’s garage, collecting dust. About $2000 of repairs at the mechanic, and $1000 of overdue DMV fines, it essentially ran brand new! And a little bit of muscle wax from me, waxing the paint, painting the rims, debadging it, etc.

Then more recently, re-inheriting the family Prius; 2010 Prius. Essentially once again, acquiring it for nothing, spending $2700 to get a new catalytic converter which was stolen earlier, $300 for a catalytic converter shield, and about $2700 on a new ABS brake sensor, and also, about $600 for new Yokohama tires. Otherwise I got the car for free!

How do really rich people do it?

Some fun facts I’ve learned:

Real rich people and successful people only ever purchase cars at auction; with some sort of superficial damage, and they buy it at an insanely deep discount, and spend small sums of money to fix it up, they never buy new. And it seems that a lot of successful people that I’ve met just buy old used Priuses at car auctions!
People overpay for home renovations; the true price of fixing up a bathroom should only be around $7000 (some of my friends spent almost $20,000 for this), to do a kitchen, maybe $15,000, and flooring you could essentially do it yourself for free. And it seems that what a lot of these real estate companies do is simple; take some sort of old property, gut it, renovate it, which actually doesn’t cost that much money, maybe $30,000 per unit, and then resell it on the market for a higher price tag, and continue this process.

What is a millennial?

I think I have a good definition for millennials; essentially somebody who foolishly uses their money.

For example, it seems that millennials are overeager to buy new cars. Let’s say a modest new car is $30,000, and they down around $10,000. A monthly payment is around $350-$500. Then they forget that they bought a new car, and they probably want full coverage, so insurance wise, it might be another three to $500 a month! Boom, you’ve just added another thousand dollars a month in monthly expenses, which will haunt you for either 3 to 5 years. That’s money that you’re not putting in your bank account.

Alcohol, food, eating out, weed, drugs, etc

“Fuck I’m broke as fuck! Why? I just came back from Vegas and blew all my money on food! Fuck, I gotta move out of SoCal!” – one of my friends in the gym hot sauna locker room

Another way that young people millennials etc. waste money is silly things like going to “festivals“, doing drugs, smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol, going out to drink alcohol and cocktails, going to Vegas, gambling, eating out at new trendy restaurants, etc.

Also, having too much subscriptions to these media services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ etc.

The overall bad thing is that many people just cannot save money. Why? The societal bias that one should partake in these activities. But, the wisdom is knowing that these things are not imperatives.

Finance, and loans?

Poking around this real estate and financing market, honestly it all seems like such a scam. For example, let us say that you take out a loan at 7% or 6.5%. But I say you borrow around $700,000. Almost the first 10 yours is devoted to paying off your interest, not even the principal.

What did Elon musk do? When starting tesla, he took out a massive loan from the US government, to build a pack trees, battery packs, etc.

Therefore, it seems that if one is going to take out a massive loan, the goal is to quickly pay it back. Tears alone, borrowing money as leverage to do something very very great in epic, and quickly leapfrog to the next thing.

September 7, 2023

Seneca Power

September 6, 2023

EK MORNING ROUTINE

Open the blinds let the fresh air come in, open the windows
Cold shower
Tons of ERIC KIM COFFEE
Hit the gym, empty your bowels there, hit the hot sauna, workout one rep max, head out! Think of the gym like your morning commute & office? Co working space with hot sauna and weights!

September 5, 2023

Becoming Spartan

Better Spartan than Stoic?

1. Reality calls

The first thought is ultimately, reality is supreme. I love stoicism, but my overall critique of stoicism is that it seems a bit divorced from reality. That is, a lot of Stoic thought is theoretical, whereas Spartan thought and practice is more deeply intertwined.

For example, in terms of bodily physique aesthetics, what does a Stoic look like? Nobody knows. But we have a very vivid depiction of what a spartan looks like; just watch the movie 300 on repeat.

2. Who did the ancients respect?

It seems almost universal in history, everybody respects the Spartans. For their courage, their witness, their manliness, etc.

3. Bellum!

What is also very interesting about the Spartans is that they were not positive warmongers. Rather, they were just focused on defense. They didn’t fuck with anybody, and also, they didn’t want to be fucked with.

3. What do you want to become?

What doesn’t a spartan look like? It seems the best way to become spartan please figure out what not to do. What petty actions not to engage in, etc.

September 5, 2023

Category: Uncategorized

Don’t be scared!

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Why I love cars

Mystifying things?

How do really rich people do it?

What is a millennial?

Alcohol, food, eating out, weed, drugs, etc

Finance, and loans?

Bigger and better to infinity and beyond!

Houses as a project?

Capital?

What do you do when you no longer fear anything?

Fear versus ability

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What motivates me?

Become more

Gym thoughts

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY 101

Brave New Street Photography