Wandermelon Article #1

Three months ago I took a class on Travel Writing through a publishing resource called Media Bistro. Three months later I contacted the teacher who was starting his own website called Wandermelon to see if he needed contributors.

Today, the first story about the luxurious Eco Beach Retreat was published online. See it here!

Afar

Earlier today one of my friends was asking me what I was doing in the future. It's a question I often ask myself and something I think about more often than not. In the last couple of months I have really had a chance to solidify what it is I want to do. It probably won't be lucrative right away, it may not even be lucrative in the long run, but it's something that I get excited about.

Despite worldwide depression and an even greater depression in the publishing industry, a travel magazine called Afar has been launched. In the last months, magazines are struggling to stay alive, yet here, a magazine is counterintuitively going against the grain and making its origins.

This is the kind of stuff that excites me. It's an overwhelming urge to express experiences and share the world, the cultures, the people. This video explains how the magazine came about and why I get excited every time I think about the publishing industry.

Let's Watch a Magazine

This doesn't have much to do with traveling, but it does have to do with publishing. And it's something I want to complain about. This was posted in the Wall Street Journal Tech section today.

CBS Ad Puts Video Inside a Magazine

BY SAM SCHECHNER AND SHIRA OVIDE

Video is invading a new medium: print.

In a marketing stunt to promote its fall TV series, CBS Corp. is inserting thousands of tiny screens in copies of the Time Warner Inc. publication Entertainment Weekly.

The screens measure two and a quarter inches diagonally and play about 40 minutes of clips from new and old CBS shows.

The video begins with a cheeky intro to the "video-in-print" technology, starring characters from the show "The Big Bang Theory."

After that, the reader/viewer can push a spot on the cardboard ...

The ugly truth is I bet this is actually going to work. If the actual advertising isn't effective, the fact that there are tiny screens embedded in magazines will, I'm sure, cause quite a stir as "the latest in print technology" - which actually has nothing to do with print at all. I'm a fan of keeping video to video and print to print. Thoughts?

Two New Articles!

Two more stories have been published! Woowoo! Read about the hotel on Kangaroo Island we stayed at that cost $730/per person/per night! It was AMAZING! Seriously something out of a movie. (Teri Hatcher stayed there the week before)

Check out the new article here. Sign up for an account - they don't spam. It's all good.

You can also find the Web Exclusive section on Broome's latest luxury boutique property, Pinctada Cable Beach here.

Enjoy!

Home Is Home

(Royce Hall during a UCLA photoshoot which quickly turned boring: Michael Lowe)

When you live somewhere for a while, things quickly become too familiar. You take things for granted - places outsiders view as beautiful and fascinating are just cornerstones to every day life. Multiple times, I've attempted to go out and explore Los Angeles in hopes that a restaurant or landmark will inspire creativity or excite me in some way, but the motivation is just not there.

Especially in Los Angeles where driving is such a drag, it's easy to become sedentary in your own neighborhood. I know I have.

However, two fellow Bruin bloggers have hit the streets, taking nothing for granted and exploring the city surrounds.

(Photo from Janice's blog, The World is Your Oyster...: Janice Jann)

I'm not quite sure how I met Janice, but she's someone you don't easily forget. Goofy, quirky and fun, she's the type of person that bounces alongside you after a late night class or never fails to crack a snide joke during a long study session in Powell.

In her latest post, she recounts discovering LA's oft-overlooked skyline. True, LA's downtown speck of high-rising skyscrapers in the midst of an expansive flatness pales in comparison to New York or San Francisco, but that doesn't mean it's not without its good side.

Read Janice's blog, The World Is Your Oyster... here.

(The header to Don's blog, Relax. It's a blog: Don Kang)

Don writes dry, quippy entries about 27 times a week ensuring ample reading material. On top of that, it's really interesting, insightful stuff. In between posts on modern fashion, design and movies, he'll blog about the occasional exploration to hidden food gems and neighborhoods in Los Angeles complete with some pretty sweet images.

Check out Don's blog, Relax. It's a Blog. here.

Maybe someday I'll find motivation to go explore Los Angeles, but, until then, keep up the good work guys.

Return to Australia

Australia is a big continent. I think, as Americans, we have this perception that Australia is this island continent that you can hop from one place to the next in just a matter of an hour or two, but that's really not true. Australia is the size of the continental United States, so it's about a five hour flight cross-country.

All five state capitals are on the coast, which means amazing seafood in the cities and the center is a lot of nothing except for Ayers Rock - a huge red piece of rock in the middle of the Outback. (Alien outpost? Probably.) That big chunk on the left, Western Australia, is three times the size of Texas and occupies half of the continent, but only has 2 million people. 1.7 of which live in Perth. That just gives you a sense of the expansive nature of Australia.

The red line on the map was my 30-day route through Australia. I think I've seen more of Australia than I have of the United States, but it still feels like I've just touched the surface of both countries - which is why I'm buying the all-you-can-fly Jet Blue ticket for $599. (See post below)

Just kidding. I wish.

Back to Business

For the last couple weeks I've been busy (and lazy) here in Los Angeles. But here's something I couldn't pass up posting. My brother found something of a ridiculous deal on Jet Blue. Check it out:

Between September 8 and October 8, fly an unlimited number of times with JetBlue's new All-You-Can-Jet Pass. For $599 including most taxes and fees, hop any of JetBlue's routes from 57 cities and more than 600 daily flights for an unlimited number of times for one month. By purchasing a pass, you will earn thirty-five (35) TrueBlue points good toward future travel, too.

You could go to a new city almost every day! That's freaking nuts! Check out the official story here. Or just skip that and sign up here: 1-800-538-2583.

If anyone actually does this, I want to know! Until then, check out all these cool places you could go in ONE MONTH!