Author: Wasim Muklashy

If you remember several months back, Ello came onto our radars with a vengeance. It seemed like within a 2 week period, it went from no one every hearing of it, to everyone clamoring to try to secure a coveted invite code.

The ad-free, anti-Facebook, social network.

Then, seemingly, it died off – not surprising in our Idiocracy-esque culture of impatience for the latest insightful Kanye meme or cop-clobber-video. Through that whole thing, I was still curious and became a regular user of Ello despite so many thinking that it was just another passing fad.

Well, it turned out to be much more than I ever expected it to be. Yes, many people disappeared, but what disappeared with them was the meaningless snack-size bites of empty-calorie consumption. All that stuff already had a home. Facebook. What was left in Ello was a community of artists using the platform in ever-inventive ways to be as creative and expressive as possible. It started to cultivate a niche of artists and creatives and intellectuals actually sharing stuff that had more than a hint of cerebral quality to it. While Facebook remained where the jocks and ‘cool kids’ hung out, Ello was becoming the online home for the artists and the nerds. I like artists and nerds. So I stayed.

About a month ago, all of a sudden, I started getting more and more chatter on my Ello page, more likes, more adds, more comments, more engagement, and I was wondering what was going on. Then, about a week after that, I was being engaged by some of the developers of Ello and some of the community groups, which I didn’t even know existed at this point. And the closer I looked, the more I started to realize that they had subtly and quietly added a SLEW of new features and functionality, remaining true to form to their overall vibe of elegant  minimalism.

Now we could directly reply to comments, we can like posts, it was easier to discover new people and subjects, and there was even a way to keep track of your ‘likes.’ The search function was overhauled, and, ‘HALLELUIAH!, there was a separate intuitive tab for notifications, making it ever easier to reply to comments and posts, as well as streamline who and what was adding you and/or engaging with you on your posts. Not to mention, their FAQ page is literally called WTF. I mean, c’mon…

As if this wasn’t enough, just as I was getting more and more excited about posting more on Ello (my god did I mention how beautiful photos look!???), I got an email asking if I wanted to test out the one thing that was glaringly missing from the Ello experience – a dedicated mobile app.

YES!

Within 24 hours, the beta version of the app was on my phone, and now that I’ve had almost two weeks to play with it, I’ve got to say, it’s nice. 

Very VERY nice.

The Ello app retains the clean intuitive and minimal interface of the desktop version of Ello, yet, the functionality runs surprisingly deep. Not an easy feat to overcome, but it’s very evident that they’ve put in maximum effort to make it happen. And it’s worked very well. So well in fact, that about a week in, I actually started finding myself opening it more than the Facebook app, checking in on my Ello stream, liking and sharing posts, and, eventually, taking its place on my phone’s home screen. The caliber of content was just blowing me away.

The thing is this…rather than people cliquing and grouping themselves together based on how similar they are and what similar pages they’ve liked and all that fuckery, Ello is much more focused on just giving its users the space to be as unique and expressive as they choose, without having to be voluntary guinea pigs for marketers the world over. And because of that, I’ve managed to discover a ridiculously thoughtful and insanely creative populace on this thing, one that I’m sure I would have never been exposed to before. Hitting the ‘Discover’ tab and seeing the variety of artistic madness is not only beautiful, but inspiring. 

Poets. Artists. Photographers. Writers. Musicians. Designers. Architects. Scientists. 

It’s nuts. 

The simple Friends/Noise categorization of who you add to your network is brilliant in its simplicity. No more sponsored posts, no more ads. At all. No more man-nipple-mirror selfies if you don’t want ‘em. No more posts of ‘friends’ complaining about what a crappy day they had. You can still be friends with them, but throw them into the ‘Noise’ category and rather than be forced to see it scroll past your stream, you can check in on all that self-serving non-contributing narcissism on your own schedule. And its the small simple things that make the experience so enjoyable – for example, if you’re checking your ‘Friends’ stream, it’s one column, edge to edge, so you can see that trusted material in large and glorious fashion, but if you choose to scroll through your ‘Noise’ stream, it’s broken into two columns, so you can scroll through it much more quickly and efficiently to find the stuff you want to stop at. Completely non-intrusive and buzz-kill proof.

In an age where people are quick to write off anything that doesn’t catch fire within seconds of its launch, Ello might just prove the vitality and value of patience. That whole slow and steady wins the race thing? They’re taking advantage of that quite methodically. They’ve managed to make a splash several months back, got themselves a loyal user base, have responded to the suggestions and comments from that base, have tweaked and updated the desktop experience to reflect that, and now, finally, the mobile app, which, so far, has proven to be a slam dunk as far as I’m concerned. 

Yup, I’m going to be spending much more time on Ello. If you want to do the thing, you can download the thing by clicking here and then ‘friend’ or ‘noise’ me at www.ello.co/wasimofnazareth

And I also started an outside community for anything that has to do with the outdoors – pictures, tips, trips, tricks, adventures – if it’s outside, it belongs at www.ello.co/ellooutside

And while you’re in a giving mood…find me at:
instagram: @wasimofnazareth 
google+: +WasimMuklashy

And if you enjoy these posts, please feel free to subscribe to my mailing list at top right of this page, and I’ll deliver each post to you as I publish them.

If you support the kind of work I’m doing and the things I’m sharing, please consider ‘subscribing to me’ on Patreon.com. Yup, subscribing to ‘me.’ You can even set the price. Literally, $1 per month if you want. No joke, your little helps me a LOT.

Although I’ve called these hills home for 7 years, there hasn’t been a single time that I’ve headed out into the Santa Monica Mountains without being pleasantly surprised by what I come across. While the terrain and the topography may prove familiar, the aesthetics are rarely a constant…the same hillside, or the same oak grove, or even the same sandstone rock will look different from hour to hour, day to day, week to week. Much of this has to do with the extremely colorful myriad of climate zones that take residence in this range due to its proximity to both the crisp coastal climate of Pacific Ocean, and the much warmer San Fernando Valley inland. The constant interplay between these various zones provides an ever-changing landscape, especially from the visual perspective. 

This was never as evident to me as it was last week. 

Due to work and other personal obligations, It had been a few weeks since I’ve been able to get regular dose of self-imposed outdoor therapy, so when I finally got a few hours to hike out into the hills and drive around through some of the familiar winding roads that snake through this magical mountain range, I jumped on it. Over the two days that I spent out there, these are just some of the scenes that I ran across. The sunset scenes come from various points and lookouts along Stunt Road, while the park scenes are all form within Malibu Creek State Park, where I enjoy spending time volunteering from time to time, so I’ve become quite familiar with that gem. The only disturbing thing I saw…just another sign and testament of how bad our drought has become…was the Malibu Creek bed:

In the 8 years I’ve been coming here, I’ve never been able to walk directly in the middle of the creek like this, especially this time of year. Not a drop of water was to be found. The driest I’ve seen it is usually around August, and even then, there’s still some water creeping through and ducks taking advantage of whatever is left. In any case, it was just another reminder of how everything is in a constant state of change and evolution, and there was a certain comforting beauty to be found in that as well.

Anyhow, below is a gallery of images from those few days in various points along that mountain range. It’s hard to believe these were all taken a mere 25 minutes from Los Angeles. If click on any of them, it will show them larger in a slideshow lightbox. Hope you enjoy.

And if you’re not sick of me yet, and you want some more visual stuffamabobs…git it:
instagram: @wasimofnazareth 
ello: @wasimofnazareth 
google+: +WasimMuklashy

And if you enjoy these posts, please feel free to subscribe to my mailing list at top right of this page, and I’ll deliver each post to you as I publish them.

If you support the kind of work I’m doing and the things I’m sharing, please consider ‘subscribing to me’ on Patreon.com. Yup, subscribing to ‘me.’ You can even set the price. Literally, $1 per month if you want. No joke, your little helps me a LOT.

Today…was going to be a long one! My host had a whole day planned out for me based on what I told him I wanted to see and do, and the first thing on that list was the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. The driver met me at the house at about 7am for the hour-long drive to the orphanage. I was a bit concerned after reading a few reviews the night before about the treatment of the elephants, and this was something I had to see for myself. As we entered the grounds, the first thing on the schedule was to accompany them during a feeding. This took place in a large open field that was part of the expansive forested grounds. For about an hour, we were able to view the elephants and, if we wanted, to take pictures with them. Something felt way too amusement park-ish for me about the whole charade, as handlers would aggressively reign you in to take a picture, after which they’d ask for a ‘donation,’ so I refrained from the novelties, electing to stand back a bit and just observe what was happening.

For the most part, it all seemed ok, until I started walking around the grounds on my own. That’s when I noticed an elephant that was chained up behind some trees, hidden from obvious view, and it was extremely apparent the elephant was distraught. I didn’t know what to make of it, and asked one of the english-speaking guides, and they explained to me that that was a particularly unruly elephant that was kept away from the rest of the pack because of aggressive behavior. While the explanation certainly made sense, seeing as how I’m no elephant expert, it was still disturbing to see this and to this day, I’m still at odds of what to make of it.

After the feeding, they marched the elephants down to the river for their daily washing. Here, the difference in the elephants demeanor was quite obvious. They were happy. They frolicked and wandered and danced and posed while they bathed themselves and each other in the warm tropical waters of the Maha Oya river. No kidding, if you looked closely enough, them buggers were smiling! It was a gorgeous and majestic site to behold and be a part of. This went on for close to 90 minutes. I had time to take some pictures, grab lunch on the terrace overlooking the river, and then take some more pictures before they marched them back to the orphanage grounds, which marked the end of our visit. Here’s a few moments from this elephant experience:

On the drive back through the mountains to Kandy, the driver was pointing out various spice gardens, and asked if I’d like to visit one. I was certain he had some sort of arrangements with some of these establishments, but honestly, I didn’t care – yes, I was here, and I wanted to see a spice garden. So he pulled off into the Saffron Spice & Herbal Garden just outside the elephant orphanage in Kegalle, and it was well worth it. The guide spent a solid hour walking me through the grounds, showing me various spices and herbs they were organically growing, from cardamom to cinnamon to aloe, cocoa, and ginger, as well as the various tonics and lotions made from these very spices. I got a sandlewood lotion face and head massage, and then a solid 15 minute back and neck massage in an outdoor gazebo before drowsily making my way back out to my waiting driver.

One of the things that was on the way back to town were 3 temples that were apparently a must see. Each of them was built from a different material and each of these mixed Hindu/Buddhist ‘devales’ was built in honor of a different god whose job it was to protect the city. First on the list was stone temple of Gadaradeniya Viharaya, then the brick temple, Lankatilake Viharaya, and finally, the temple of wood the Embekka Devale. There was no denying the historical significance of these structures. Once you hopped around to sufficiently allow your bare feet to acclimate to the hot concrete of the grounds (you’re required to remove your shoes), once you stepped into each temple, you can’t help but notice the details that remained after almost 700 years of weather and war and general wear and tear. The wood carvings – the stone sculptures – it was mind-boggling. And it was hard not to feel the calming effect of being in the presence of revered deities that have been worshipped on these grounds for centuries – a mood that was completely ruined by the one one extremely off-putting aspect of these Devale visits – the constant hounding for ‘donations.’

Every step of the way, from the moment you walked in to the moment you left, you were trailed by a different ‘tour guide’ or ‘temple keeper’ or whatever title they decided to throw on the un-assuming tourist at the time. It was truly a shame because the more it happened, the more irritating it became, and the less I wanted to visit the next temple. It proved to be an extreme detriment to actually enjoying and fully absorbing the weight and significance of these beautiful structures. I understand that this is an impoverished nation, and people need to make a buck, and as a tourist, I have no problem with it, but the irony of this particular situation was, if I wasn’t hounded, and there was a simple box at the front, I would have voluntarily left more than I actually ended up giving these self appointed ‘guides.’ 

Anyhow, not to be deterred, I was determined to hit up one more landmark that was on my list before we began to lose sun on my final day in Kandy, and, well, my final full day in Sri Lanka, as I was scheduled to be on a plane the following night to begin my journey back home. So I had the driver take me to the Bahiravokanda Vihara, a towering 85 foot concrete Buddha statue that stands on a hill over the city, offering one of the best vantage points to take in the landscape and topography of Kandy. After watching monks run up and down the stairs entering and leaving the temple at the base of the statue, I made my way up the stairs alongside the statue that lead you to the shoulder of Buddha, from where you have an unbelievable panoramic view of the city. This is where I spent the final waning moments of the day. I was completely alone…watching…breathing…seeing…reflecting…just me and Buddha and the vibes of Kandy, “The Cultural Center of Sri Lanka.”

Just as the sun was setting a couple of girls visiting from Germany made their way to the shoulder. After trading stories of how we ended up on the top of a Buddha in the midst of the Sri Lankan highlands together, we quietly watched the sun set behind the hills as the lights around the city began to twinkle. It was perfect. 

Once the show was over, we walked back down the stairs together and decided to accompany each other to the Muslim Hotel for a highly anticipated kottu dinner, a version of Sri Lankan street vendor food. The rhythmic beat of the blades on the iron skillets, chopping up the noodles and the chicken and the beef and the vegetables across the town center are impossible to ignore, and according to just about everyone we asked, the Muslim hotel had some of the city’s best. And they were right. We indulged in various shared dishes and drinks, while we laughed and joked both at and with each other. I couldn’t have asked for a better last Sri Lankan supper.

This was the point where we had to bid farewell to each other. They had to get back to their group and I had to get back to the apartment to get my stuff together to begin the journey back home to Los Angeles, California the following morning.

Below is a gallery of images from this fine day, from beginning to end. Click on any of the images and it’ll pull up a lightbox slideshow.

Be sure to check back in a few days for the conclusion and final throughts of this life-altering trip. If you’ve missed the first parts and would like to start from the beginning on this multi-faceted Sri Lankan adventure, click here for 3 Weeks In Sri Lanka – Part 1 : The Most Meaningful Work I’ve Ever Done.

And if more gimme gimme I wanna have-a’s are desired, find them at:
Instagram: @wasimofnazareth
Ello: @wasimofnazareth
Google+: +WasimMuklashy

All images and videos for this series of blog posts were shot with a Samsung NX1.

If you support the kind of work I’m doing and the things I’m sharing, please consider ‘subscribing to me’ on Patreon.com. Yup, subscribing to ‘me.’ You can even set the price. Literally, $1 per month if you want. No joke, your little helps me a LOT.

Like last year, I had the incredible opportunity of being a fly on the wall as a house photographer at this year’s PTTOW summit, once again taking place on the Southern California beachside Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes. PTTOW, which stands for ‘Plan To Take On The World,’ brings together some of the world’s most influential marketing players from companies including Red Bull, Vice, Discovery Channel, ESPN, and GoPro with some of the planet’s most visionary thinkers, futurists, and entrepreneurs, including inventor of wireless charging and CEO and founder of UBeam Meredith Perry, Singularity University and X-Prize’s Peter Diamandis, who, at this very event last year revealed plans to mine near-earth asteroids, Dr. Astro Teller from Google X who gave compelling evidence no why allowing, and paying, employees to make mistakes, serves the best interests of the company, Nely Galan, founder of the Adelante Movement, who gave her take on the rise of the country’s largest growing market, minority women, and the one and only Quincy Jones, a guest of honor who certainly knows a thing or two about helping minorities rise.

Having National Poetry Slam Champion IN-Q present the keynote with his spitfire anti-immoral-corporate rhymes to an audience full of corporate suits was a gutsy move and immediately set the tone for the conversations that would persist through the rest of the 2-day conference. Bringing together the young and brilliant minds that are envisioning and creating the future, with the minds that will bring those ideas to the masses, seemed like a no-brainer and I can only imagine what the partnerships that have been forged during these two days might bring about. Mix this with bonding experiences that included everything from golfing together to arts and crafts sessions to helicopter tours over Los Angeles, Navy SEAL training exercises, cigarette boat racing, and speed dating-style ‘Spark Sessions,’ throw in some entertainment provided by popular acts ranging from magician David Blaine to violin phenom Lindsey Stirling, soul vocalist extraordinaire Andra Day, young WARP-tour breakout act Echosmith, and the jazz, rhythm and blues of Jon Batiste, all set on a foundation of round the clock delicious catering and plenty of open bars, and you’ve got yourself a busy group of networking gotchas running around these Southern California bluffs.

Anyhow, here’s a gallery of some of my favorite images and moments from those whirlwind 48 hours (if you click on an image, a slideshow lightbox will pop up).