Beloved, I Miss You
Bhutan Part 1 (photos taken in 2018)
Hi everyone, I decided to post a few pictures from my trip to Bhutan. I remember that I had just gotten hospitalized and my whole life turned upside down. I was forced to move back to Kinshasa. My mother and I were not in speaking terms and we were not planning to go to Bhutan until a family friend went there. I was severely depressed, wanting to suicide and didn’t even want to go there. I remember just trying to feel my best and appreciate everything Bhutan had to offer. It was a peaceful get-away but I felt that it was strange because I didn’t want to be in a place that was considered to be spiritual. I felt that it was torture sometimes to be reminded of meditation. I wasn’t going to Bhutan for spirituality. I was just going because I had no choice. Usually, people go there to appreciate the country’s beauty and spirit of Buddhism. I decided that I was going on a pilgrimage to not find God but to ask God to shorten my life. LOL…..so yeah…. imagine…… Nonetheless, I really enjoyed taking photos and being part of nature. All my videos were of poor quality on my old DSLR. So, I can’t really post a vlog on Bhutan.
No, Bhutan is not the happiest country in the world guys….It’s a myth. Most people that I met from Bhutan were depressed and felt like the Buddha was punishing them with poverty. Strange contradiction.
•Into the Woods•
The Story
During a fine day in October, my friend Mavis and I were both sitting on the couch, wondering what we could do with our time. I was waiting for my OPT status to kick-in, and she was waiting for a response from grad school. We both felt anxious about the future; so we decided that we needed to find productive ways to occupy ourselves.
Mavis pulled out her planner and said, "We are going to do a photoshoot twice a week until I leave for Zimbabwe this November. You need to take your photo game to another level, and in return, I will have pretty pictures of myself to post." In the next few weeks, many Youtube makeup videos were watched, outfits were curated, locations were scouted, delicious food was eaten, and finally, fond memories were created.
"Into the Woods" is the last photoshoot that Mavis and me collaborated on. I'm happy to actually see and acknowledge my growth as a creative in these photographs. Ten years of photographing, post-processing and self-teaching had finally paid off.
Special thanks to my dear and beautiful friend Mavis for believing, supporting, and pushing me everyday to strive for greatness. What would I do without you? Love you! x
Photographs
All of these were shot in Golden Gate Park, following a modern fairy-like, nature theme.
Costume Fail ft. Mika
Greetings fellow humans,
This is an exhibition of one of the most painful days of my life, Halloween. I was forced to wear a horrible costume that did not even fit me. Why do I have to look like a green monster? Oh, I mean a "friendly" CATerpillar. Why do I have to be a caterpillar? Why couldn't I be a bat cat? Or super cat? Or spider cat? Really Shikha? REALLY?
I was in shock that Shikha put me through this.
Do I get treats for this?
I suffered in silence as I contemplated on how to get this costume off.
I managed to take it off as Shikha gasped in shock. Yes, I am a strong cat.
Unbelievable.......
At least, I look handsome.
I decided to punch my costume. Just because.
Then, I groomed myself for three hours.
The end.