Born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, I was mediocre in almost every aspect of my life. I was not a great student, athlete, nor was I good with women. Now that I am 37, not much has changed. I did however accomplish more than I ever imagined.
I was born on February 14th, 1974. My mom Necla and my dad Semih have always been great parents, though maybe not so great husband and wife. My sister Nesteren is 3 years younger than me, now with a lovely daughter Leyla, living in Portland, OR. I attended Levent elementary school, then moved to Bostancı when I was 10. I went to Özel Doğuş Koleji, then sort of got kicked out because of bad grades. At the age of 17 my first girlfriend was the exchange student we hosted from the States.
At 18, I had a new life. I was accepted to Youngstown State University in Ohio, and lucky for me, my dad had the funds to send me there. 4 years of college was more like a detachment from my Turkishness, and included a lot of sex and alcohol. Inevitability of getting dumped by my girlfriend was somehow a major shock to me, but also was a good reason for me to move to California.
I moved to San Diego, and started doing my Masters in International Business at the University of San Diego. Got a job as a web designer for one of the departments at the college, and tried to have more a combination of sex, alcohol, and school. Again, I wasn’t great at any of these.
Got married in order to stay in the US, unaware of how real the marriage was. It took me 4 years to realize and lose her. During my years in San Diego, unknowingly I had become an American, except for the passport. All my friends, my business, my lifestyle and even my language was anything but Turkish. Had no intentions of moving back.
After the separation, I decided to move to Chicago for a change and to be neighbors again with my old roommate Mark. Having dropped out of the MBA program, now my life was once again sex, alcohol and my little home-run operation Yummy Lingerie. I had my first threesome there! Also, I think it was around this time I got into photography and shooting with models.
In order to run the lingerie business more effectively by being closer to the suppliers as well as enjoying the wonderful climate again, I decided to move back to California, this time with my friend Keith. The two years I lived in LA, I was certain it was the center of the world. Despite financial difficulties, I managed to have a good life. I got more into photography, and worked with over 50 models, some pro, some amateur.
Then the accident waiting to happen, happened. Before I knew it, all was gone, and once a gain a new life, a new chance to make it right this time in the old country. Now it all seems like a dream fading away day by day.
I guess from now on, I’ll just post random current blogs and see where life goes…
