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Mike

Mike Luong


Last Updated: 11/17/2009

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Gender: Male
Status: In a Relationship
City: Seattle
State: Washington
Country: US

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Monday, August 27, 2007 
CRW_3237Michigan Wedding

This was my second trip to Michigan this year and my first trip to Northern Michigan (or Upper Michigans as the locals call it). Mandi (one of Becky's childhood friends) was getting married in Bay Harbor along the coast line of beautiful Lake Michigan.

We flew into Grand Rapids, hopped into the convertible and started our long drive. With the sun shining, top down, and music turned up, we made our way north.

We stayed in a couple cottages at the Bay Harbor Inn with the rest of the family and wedding party. It was great to meet some of Becky's childhood friends and we all had a great time. The ceremony was beautiful with the backdrop of Lake Michigan in the background.

The next day after the wedding, we drove back south and extended our stay in Michigan by visiting her family outside of Kalamazoo. Had some great down time with her family as well as getting some wakeboarding in despite the cloudy weather. We had a great time despite the Seattle-like rain that followed us to Michigan.
6:54 AM 
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Monday, March 26, 2007 

Category: Travel and Places







Ambergris Caye (pronounced key) is the largest and most developed of about 200 small islands that make up the coast of Belize. Most of the island's 7,000 inhabitants live in the town of San Pedro, located in the southern part of the caye.

Getting to Ambergris Caye is an easy trip from Belize City by either water taxi or small planes. Catching a flight to Ambergris from the Belize City International Airport so easy and can be done with or without a reservation prior to arrival. There are two airlines that have regular hourly flights (which take only 20 minutes) and we cleared customs from our flight from Houston and went directly to the domestic terminal inside the airport to exchange some cash, buy tickets in Tropic Air, and be on our way to the islands. Water taxis also depart from the waterfront in downtown Belize City proper and take about 75 minutes. The water taxi terminal is a 20 minute cab ride from the Belize City International airport and the cab fare is fixed at $25BZE per person. We found that taking the flight TO Ambergris was a great intro to the islands of Belize and also was the easiest logistically (and well worth the $50USD per person ticket) after a long day of travel.

There are plenty of hotels, resorts and places to stay of all categories on Ambergris Caye. Transport around San Pedro is by foot, golf carts, or bicycles. There are three main streets on the island that run parallel to each other (ocean side, center, and lagoon side). Along all these roads are great local of restaurants, bars, gift shops, and galleries waiting to be explored. We found the best exploration time was early each morning (before and after enjoying a great breakfast at Ruby's bakery, or the little art café Tabu across from the airstrip) as the sun is in full effect by 10am and it's super hot and humid. Most shops and restaurants are open air without any air conditioning. For this reason, my favorite places to enjoy a Belekin (local beer) were along the water or on one of the many piers. However, there are some great places on the back streets for very cheap authentic Belizean food. Since Belize was once a British colony, English is spoken just about everywhere. Credit cards are also accepted in most of the shops and restaurants we went to. There are also several banks with ATM machines where you can pull out cash if you do find a shop that does not take credit cards. Since the Belize dollar is at a fixed to the US dollar, American cash is used interchangeably by all shops. The exchange rate is always 2 Belize dollars (BZE) to 1 US dollar (USD).

Belize is known for its' incredible barrier reef. It is the second largest barrier reef next to the Great Barrier Reef. This is what gives the shores its' saturated aqua color. Most of the reef is very shallow and the clarity of the water is breath-taking. Scuba diving and snorkeling are some of the best in the world. The sea life was so abundant and swimming with sharks and stingrays was absolutely amazing.

When visiting the cayes, Ambergris Caye is probably the best introduction into the islands. It has plenty of activities for you to do or you can choose to just relax and take in some sunshine. We found that a lot of exploration time on the front end of our stay helped up find our favorite spots for sun-bathing, sipping a cool drink, and catching the sunset with plenty of time to enjoy each of these at a leisurely island pace.












11:29 PM 
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Monday, February 19, 2007 



Fun weekend in photos.
7:03 AM 
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Friday, February 16, 2007 

Category: Travel and Places


One of my favorite local get-aways is Bainbridge Island. From the moment I hop on the ferry, all my worries are ushered to the back of my mind and a sense of relaxation takes over. The ride over offers a stunning view of Seattle's skyline, the Olympic mountain range, and on a clear day, Mt. Rainier to the south.

The pace of life on the island is much more relaxed and your sense of time seems to fade away. For Superbowl weekend, Becky and I found a very charming 1930's beach cottage which was converted into a bed and breakfast. Everything about the place was quaint and welcoming (including the street address of 4323 Pleasang Drive NE). Unlike many bed and breakfasts where you share the space with others staying the night or weekend, this cottage is set up to house only one set of guests. Right in front of the cottage is a small little yard which leads straight down to the water for those sunset walks. It is also conveniently located a short block away from dining, a small grocery store, and a historic 1930's movie theater where an announcer gives an introduction before the start of the movie. For those looking to do a quick weekend escape to get back to the basics, I highly recommend taking a look at this bed and breakfast. The Bainbridge Island Beach Cottage.
7:33 AM 
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Wednesday, January 10, 2007 
..>..>
Recently, a friend of mine has taken a trip to Vietnam. It has been a about 6 years since I've been there myself and felt it was time to pull out some of the old photos to look back on my own trip and what memories it brought back.

Vietnam is a very diverse country and each of it's regions are distinct from one another. The dialect, the food, and the attitude of the people all differ from one another. So to really appreciate the country, I think you do have to see each of the regions. During my trip, I was only able to see southern and central vietnam. I do hope to return soon to do some more exploring as well as re-visit the places I have experienced.		However photos just don't do any travel destination justice. It's the sounds, smells, and interactions with the local residents that really make up the experience. Some of my fondest memories of traveling through Vietnam are the smell of the ocean early in the morning as the sun was coming up while taking an early walk along the beach of Nha Trang, trying to ride on a small motorcycle with a suitcase in each hand while trying to cross a small plank over a creek in the middle of a jungle road, and just how friendly and inviting all of the people we met were.

It was a wonder experience to be put outside my normal comfort zone and be in a place that was nothing like I had known growing up here in the US. And lastly, it was great to get re-connected with my past and origin.



6:40 AM 
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Thursday, January 04, 2007 



**PHOTOS are now on Clubvibes website **

Thanks to everyone who was able to attend the ClubVibes 4 Year Anniversary party. We definitely had a great time and I will be posting the full gallery on the main clubvibes site in the next couple of days. Here is a preview of some of the photos from last night's event.

click on image to see full view
8:59 AM 
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Wednesday, December 13, 2006 

Current mood:  contemplative
Category: Writing and Poetry
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Lately, I've had some revelations into why people sometimes do the things they do. These revelations come conversations I've had with friends, people I've dated, and insight into myself.

Sometimes people don't know the difference between the person who they want to be and who they really are. When you talk to somebody, it can be human nature to put on your best face and not be fully honest about who you are and what you believe. It could come from a desire to fit in, impress someone, or be who you really think you are. But many times, I don't think people are honest with themselves and don't have clairvoyance to realize that their projected self is not who they are. We hide our fears and doubts. And without showing the these weaknesses, people don't show a whole picture of who they are. What's more tragic is that if they don't realize these vulnerabilities in themselves, change will never come.

Now there are those who want to change. From my own experience, I've noticed that these times of growth come at different stages in your life. However, I don't think most people realize that there is a big difference between wanting to change and being ready to change. I've met some people who have told me that they are ready to do a lot of things to make their lives a lot better, ready to make changes in their relationships, etc. And I can see it in their eyes that they desperately want to make these changes. But when it boils down to taking the steps needed, making the everyday changes to achieve thier goals, they make excuses or have not done anything towards what they want. So before saying that you are ready to do something, I think many of us need to take a step back and ask ourselves...are we really ready for the changes?
7:32 AM 
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Monday, November 20, 2006 
This last week has been incredibly busy, exhausting, and fun. I've been doing more work for my friend's nightlife promotion company this week, covering a couple nights and 3 different venues. Look for the full gallery soon at ClubVibes.com

Thursday Night: SeeSound and Tabella's
Friday Night: Kaskade @ Neumo's

I did get to watch and photgraph one of my favorite downtempo DJ's as a result though. Kaskade is not only a great DJ, but the producer for OM Records. Though he was born in Chicago, this DJ found his spiritual and musical home in San Francisco by way of Salt Lake City and New York. He is currently one of the most influential people in the San Francisco house scene, as well as one of the hardest-working













click images for full view






1:29 AM 
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Tuesday, November 14, 2006 

Chicago, IL 11.09.06 - 11.12.06

The windy city has been a travel destination that I have been wanting to visit for quite some time now. It is home to some great architecture and urban design. Chicago  has a great blend of old brick warehouses and lofts mixed in with the new condos and office buildings throughout the city. The city itself felt like it was still a thriving metropolitan with a lot to offer.

The people were very friendly and inviting. The nightlife was just amazing. And the food... ah the food. For those who have not tried a deep dish pizza, I would definitely make it a point to pick one up while you are in the city. All around, I had a fantastic time.

Below are some photos from the trip. Most of the photos from this project screamed for black and white as it brought out more of the character of the city

1:13 AM 
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Tuesday, October 31, 2006 


Halloween night 2006. I had a great Halloween weekend but during the actual Halloween night, I was asked by my friend Alex from ClubVibes to do some photography to cover an event at The Last Supper Club. This was my first time doing photography in a nightclub environment (besides fun snapshots with friends). It's definitely a different experience being in a club as a photographer vs. a patron. The experience was great and I did manage to get some great photos despite this being my first time out. Below are some photos from the event. Check ClubVibes and Last Supper Club's websites for the full gallery soon.

click on image to see full view
8:24 AM 
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