since i was a child, i have always been covetous of images. i always felt there was never enough time to really "see" and experience everything around me. i craved the possession of images past and present, and the creation of my own personal dreams, symbols, and future.

i started taking pictures to remember -- documenting and recording images i could not trust my mind to hold completely and accurately. but over time, i realized that through images, i could not only capture moments of significance, but also moments of beauty, that in themselves had worth in the vicarious experience of their viewing. in addition, by capturing those small moments of beauty all around us, and by focusing and re-experiencing that beauty, i possessed another tool to determine my own mood and consciousness.

This is the introduction to my friend Paul's fantastic Asia project. Paul got his start in the world of New York fashion photography. As his roommate in Manhattan, I used to watch for him on TV's Fashion File, sometimes catching glimpses of him at the end of the runway, taking pictures of Naomi Campbell or other models who strolled in front of his lens.

Now Paul, an amazing photographer who has studied with Mary Ellen Mark, turns his camera to Asia. The sequences of images are a gorgeous visual narrative, like a wordless novel.