raymondkwan.com – welcome to my world

hammer time!

i love flash mobs

the difference between fans and “fans”

i have been an orlando magic fan since 1993 when penny hardaway joined the team in the then-epic trade that sent chris webber to the golden state warriors in exchange for penny hardaway and 3 future first round picks.  i have not forgotten the 1995 playoff series against the rockets when nick anderson bricked four free throws in game 1 of the finals, leading to a magic loss, and a subsequent sweep of the magic.

fast forward to this year, and orlando surprised everybody by making it to the nba finals, beating the celtics and the cavs to get there.  since the finals began, i knew it would be an uphill battle for us, and our loss tonight simply proved my point that the team still has room for improvement.  but that is not why i am writing this post.

like many other sports fans, i can take these losses in stride, as i have nothing invested in the team nor the nba.  i enjoy watching basketball, and it just so happens my team made it to the finals.  sure, i would have loved for the magic to win the finals, but after our loss in 5 games it’s not the end of the world for me.

i’ve been talking to some friends who live in los angeles and we laugh at how laker fans, win or lose, decide to riot.  in the past, when the lakers have won a title, fans would destroy the area around the staples center.  shop fronts would be destroyed, cars would be attacked and burned, and police would be attacked.  the last time one of my favorite teams won a championship was when i was 8 years old and the washington redskins defeated the denver broncos in superbowl xxii.  maybe redskins fans rioted in front of the white house or destroyed the national mall, but i’m pretty sure they didn’t.

why?  because they are sports fans, and not “fans”.  they are fans who will cheer for their team, in good times and bad.  not like many of the fairweather laker “fans” who seemed to disappear when the team was playing just above .500 and missing the playoffs.  fans go to bars and parties to celebrate victories.  ”fans” take to the street and throw rocks and bottles at the police and torch buses.  fans take a loss in stride and hope the team performs better the following season.  ”fans” take to the street, loot, and attack limousines and television vans.

laker “fans” should be ashamed of themselves.  they turn what should be a fun and happy celebration into a criminal activity, whether they win or lose.  there is no arguing this point.  last i checked, attacking the police, robbing stores, breaking windows, vandalizing cars, and setting fires were all illegal.  shame on you for ruining such a great sport and what should be a great kickoff to the summer.

bbq, food, & sports…happy memorial day

food and sports with family and friends over the holiday weekend. what a nice welcome back to cali.

go Magic!

back to the states

sorry that i was unable to post my photos from italy while i was traveling through the country.  there were so many places i wanted to visit in both rome and florence that i didn’t have time to process my photos.  i’ve spent the past few days uploading my photos.  hope you enjoy them!

roma:  http://raymondkwan.zenfolio.com/f410938719

firenze:  http://raymondkwan.zenfolio.com/p190437849

athens part ii

upon my return from the greek islands, i visited the national gallery, war museum, byzantine museum, national garden, and finally the acropolis in athens.  here are some photos from the acropolis and national garden, as well as some city photos depicting life in athens (which was mostly sitting at cafes, drinking and smoking)

http://raymondkwan.zenfolio.com/p1072616262

it was bound to happen

despite the cold weather in prague, it never prevented me from going out and enjoying the scenery.  when i arrived in paros, my luck changed and i enjoyed rainshowers throughout both days i was on the island.  this obviously limited my abilities to take photographs of the island, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the port town of paroikia and the beach town of naoussa.  both towns were slow, but there were so many shops, cafes, and restaurants open to make my visit there extremely relaxing and welcoming (despite the weather).  

i spent a good portion of time consuming food and watching greek futbol with locals in paros.  i did manage to visit their byzantine church of a hundred doors (exactly as the name suggests), panagia ekatontapyliani church.

i did snap some photos and you can view them here:

http://raymondkwan.zenfolio.com/p1009439600

portara to naxos

probably my favorite monument thus far was the portara gateway on the islet of palatia leading into naxos.  the gateway was part of an incomplete temple for apollo (some argue that it may have been for dionysus), but remains a symbol of the island of naxos.  

some of you have emailed me asking why there aren’t that many people in my photos.  well, the answer is quite simple.  it is still off-peak season here in greece.  many of the museums close early (3pm) or are closed until the peak season arrives for the week of easter, and then again in early june when the summer officially begins.

sure, there are downsides of visiting santorini, naxos, and paros when many of their restaurants, stores, and historical sites are closed; however, from a photography standpoint i couldn’t ask for a better situation.  i can take the photos from any vantage point without people disturbing my composition.  

some of the locals i spoke with told me that 1) they were worried that the economic crisis would pretty much ruin their local economies because nobody would be traveling and 2) they don’t recommend going during peak season, but perhaps a week or two before or after because during the peak seasons you can’t move within the centers of town.  for example, later in my paros photo gallery you will see a photo of a main street that is completely empty.  however, during tourist season you cannot cross from one side to the other because there are so many people there.  

during my stay in naxos i enjoyed the main port town, chora.  during peak seasons, dozens of bars and clubs open and remain open until sunrise making it an extremely popular destination for partygoers.  outside the main town, however, are many churches, archaeological sites, and temples.  the next time i visit naxos, i will be sure to rent a car and explore the entire island and what it has to offer.

here are the photos from naxos.  nothing spectacular, but gives you a sense of how it differs from athens and santorini:

http://raymondkwan.zenfolio.com/p580154566