a.N.N.a

My AHA Moment

2009-03-06T10:39:00.000-08:00

Wow! I just realized that I haven't post anything since last year. I'm such a slacker. Been busy with school.

I think I mentioned before that I am now in Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. I've been there since September 2008 majoring in Graphic Design. It had been a few years of struggle to find the right major for me; graphics or photo. I obviously love photo. It's my first passion, my true passion. It's something that I always enjoy doing. But I always came up with reasons why I should not major in photo.

Here are my reason:
1. I like graphic design too.

2. Working as a photographer, I will most likely have to listen to people telling me what to shoot, directing me and such. I thought it would just make me lose my interest in taking the photos. I thought I am much better following orders doing graphic design.
Dennis, the head of photography is Art Center responded to this by telling me that perhaps it is because I care less about my designs than my photos. He has a point.

3. Then there's financial reason. The future in graphics seemed so much brighter than in photo. Graphic design is growing; everybody needs a graphic designer to help them in their business while photographers seem to be everybody's title in these digital-camera-days. Everybody thinks they are pros as soon as they got an SLR. I know I did too. I was so happy when I got a DSLR, I told people I was a semi-pro photographer. Yeah, right! I'm not even that now. So I doubt I will be able to make enough money as photographer. With Art Center's high tuition, this is quite a major concern to me. I wanna make sure that I will be able to pay off all the tuition soon after I graduate and so I always steered myself toward graphics for financial reason.

Toward the end of my first term in Art Center, I went to talk to Dennis, the head of photography department. I told him about this and he asked me a simple question: "What do you see yourself doing in 20-30 years? What would make you happy?" I immediately know the answer without even thinking. But...but...but... All the reasons above still bugging my head.

By second day of my second term, I woke up around 2am and couldn’t sleep so I sat down just thinking about this. It was then that I came up with a decision that I should go with my gut and go toward what I truly love. Everything felt so right as soon as I made that decision. I immediately called my parents. They tried to talk me out of it a bit but then they understood it is what I love and they supported my decision. I felt so happy that day. I still feel so happy even till today. I really think I made the right decision. Don't get me wrong, I like doing graphic design. I still do, but it is nothing compare to how much I LOVE taking photographs.

Interesting Brain Activity

2008-10-28T00:25:00.000-07:00

I have class on Mondays at 8am. It usually takes about 45 minutes to get to school with the morning traffic so I usually wake up at 6am. Art Center policy is that you fail the class if you miss 2 classes and 2 lates count as 1 miss. I had an alarm problem last week and I was about an hour late which was a really bad thing. I didn't want the same thing happen again this morning. So last night I set the alarm, then I double checked, making sure that the alarm is on.

This morning, I was sleeping and I dreamed that I woke up, I looked at the clock and saw I was already late for class. And (still in my dream) I thought, oh... I'm still so sleepy, should I miss a class today or should I wake up? Oh, screw it, I'll just continue sleeping. (Amazing how I think of all of that in my dream, huh?) As soon as I fall back to sleep in my dream, I woke up to reality. I looked at the clock and it says 7:38. Fuck! I put on my jeans and ran. I checked on my alarm and doesn't look like I set the alarm but that is impossible because I double checked it and I remember it super clearly.

I made to class on time despite the freaking slow driver in front of me on Linda Vista Drive. But what intrigued me is that my dream told me that I was late for class and it woke me up. It wasn't the alarm, it wasn't any noise. My dream was my alarm. I find this very... how do you say it?... AWESOME!

I hope my alarm won't fail on me ever again, but if it does, I hope my dream will wake me up again at the right time. Interesting what our brains can do even when they're resting.

Commercial

2008-10-19T21:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this is a little off topic from photography but it is on topic from the advertising class I'm currently taking. I was watching TV just now and I heard this commercial:"Bio Oil, helps improve the appearance of your scars and stretch marks."
I googled them too and found out that they also use the same line on their website:"Bio-Oil is a specialist skincare product that helps improve the appearance of
scars, stretch marks and uneven skin tone."

Is it just me or do you also see something wrong with that line?

Back at home

2008-08-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

Got back from Seattle around 10:30pm last night. I had such a great time in Oregon and Washington. Oregon was so nice and green. The coast has great parks and beaches. Too bad it was cloudy, rainy and so cold when I was there. I felt so fortunate to find a fellow traveler to share a rental car and drive to all those awesome spots. Portland was nice too. At first I thought there's nothing interesting in Portland but after I experience the rest of Oregon and also Washington, I changed my mind; Portland is actually a nice small city. The people were nice (nicer than most people in cities I've been in the U.S.), transportation was great (not as good as transportation in NYC but still great) and things are cheaper than a lot of cities I've been. Tax free too! How awesome is that? How ever, I would still prefer to live in either LA or New York or even Boston.

I also had a great time in Washington. Seattle was nice even though I was only there for a day; I spent most of the time in some other parts of Washington state. The best thing about this vacation was that I got to see my cousin and her family. I haven't met my cousin in 20 years. I couldn't even remember ever meeting her as I was so little when I saw her. Her daughters are fun to play with. They are also polite and pretty independent for their age. Smart too. 9 year old Samantha is a gadget girl. She knows how to handle high-tech equipments. She knows how to work the computer, TV and phone features more than anyone in the house. 6 year old Chelsea is a cheerful girl. She loves to laugh and her laugh is contagious. They both loves to play with Nitendo DS but they will stop they game as soon as you chat with them. I know some kids (adults too) are so focus with their game and wont even listen to what you are saying. I find Samantha and Chelsea are more into communicating with people than playing games. They are such nice and cheerful kids. I miss them both.

Oregon

2008-08-22T23:26:00.000-07:00

Today the sun shared its warmth in Portland, Oregon. I have been in Portland for a few days now. I was welcomed by the heavy rain and the welcome continued for another couple of days. I finally saw some sun yesterday and today was even hotter. I spent the first couple of days in Portland. Stayed at the HI Hawthorne - South West part of Portland. Couldn't sleep the first night. One of the guy in the room snored like an elephant - I never heard an elephant snore but I would guessed it's that loud. Plus, my bed was in the basement, next to the stairs, so I could hear all the foot steps above and people going up and down the stairs. The next night, I bought a pair of ear plug.

During my stay in that hostel, I met a young writer - Shea O'Neil - who was going to the coast on the same day I was going. We then decided we should rent a car and split the cost. That was the best decision. I have no idea how I could have travel around and take pictures on the coast if we had not rent a car. Driving between Portland and Seaside/ Cannon Beach was great. Oregon is sooooo green. It's amazing. Driving at night around the forests was not that pleasant since I couldn't see much and so I had to drive slow (I hate driving slow) but it was an experience none the less.

On Seaside, we stayed at the Seaside International Hostel. Not the best hostel, I have to say. The hostel is definitely not a youth hostel. Most people there are actually older people to my surprise. The room I stayed in felt a bit stuffy and smell funny - I'm really sensitive to smell. Though the room was not the best, the people at the hostel were nice. One of the guys in the room biked to West Coast from East Coast. I thought that was crazy. He started the trip in June and he is almost at the end of the trip.

The spots we went to in Oregon Coast:
Seaside
Ecola State Park - awesome forest
Cannon Beach - cool beach with the haystack rocks
Oswald State Park - another awesome park
Nehalem Bay
Rockaway Beach - not as good as I thought it would be.
Cape Meares
Three Capes Scenic Route
Arch Cape
Oceanside
Tillamook - famous for the cheese
Garibaldi - very very small town - we had lunch at Pirate Cove.
We did find one little spot off of the highway, just north from Garibaldi - a small rocky beach where they have these rocks with cool shaped trees. Took some pictures of sunset there (below) but the sunset was bad. The sky had no sunset color. Disappointing.

My favorite spots are you can probably tell are the super green Ecola State Park, Cannon Beach, Oswald State Park and the little spot north or Garibaldi which I don't know the name of.

I am now back in Portland. Today was my last day. I wanted to to go Mount Hood, Colombia Gorge and Multnomah Falls. I tried to look for buses and tours but it was too late. I guess I now have a reason to come back here in the future. Since I can't go east toward Mount Hood, I decided to check out Chinese Garden, Washington Park (again) and then to Pittock Mansion. Chinese Garden was disappointing to me. It's not a bad garden, but there is an entrance fee (about $8) and for the money, I'd expect something a lot better. I didn't realized about the entrance fee until I get there. I had walked about 15 blocks to get there and it felt like a waste of time if I didn't check it out after all that walk. So I went in and then out in 5 minutes.

I then take the Max to Washington Park and checked out the Japanese garden after I was informed that there is a spot to take pictures of the city with Mount Hood in the background. The Japanese Garden also have the same fee with the Chinese Garden (+ $2 tripod fee) but the Japanese Garden is bigger and 10 times more beautiful than the Chinese Garden. It is also located in the park with plenty of huge tall trees which is really nice.

After Japanese Garden, I head on to Pittock Mansion. I was told to go on a trail from Washington park that took me to the road that will lead to Pittock Mansion. About 5 minutes into the trail, I was a bit unsure whether I should continue cos the trail was basically led me to the middle of a forest and I was alone... It was about sunset time and I was afraid it would get dark while I'm still in the forest. That would have not been pretty. But I didn't get lost. Thank God! I succeed in my journey to Pittock Mansion. Phew! I was a little out of breath when I get there. Going up the steep hill after walking for a few hours with an empty stomach; the only thing I ate that day was a bowl of instant noodle - wasn't piece of cake. The thought of cake just made me hungry. I was out of energy when I got up there but the view was definitely worth it. I am so proud of myself for making it there.

After the sunset, I was afraid to go back alone. One family was kind enough to offer me a ride home but I told them I wanted to wait until it gets really dark so I can take pictures of the city lights. I'm glad I stayed after dark cos I think I got a couple of nice pictures of the city at night. About 9:30, I was alone but then a man approached me and asked me if I got there by car because he was about to close the gate. He is the caretaker of the mansion for 20 years. I told him that I hiked up there and was wondering if he knows how to get to the bus station near by. He then told me how to get there but soon decided he would just give me a ride. I told me he admire my guts for traveling alone and he told me all these trips he had taken and suggested me to look into green tortoise tour. He talked all the way to the hostel about his travel with the green tortoise tour and how his son's girlfriend went on the tour a month after he suggested it to her and how she loved it. I don't think he works for the tour company but he did sound like he was promoting it.

So I am now at another hostel in Portland, typing away while my eyes are half shut. This hostel - HI Northwest - is definitely better than the HI Hawthorne. They had some upgrades recently I heard. The bathroom is the best hostel bathroom I've seen in a hostel. The room is nice and airy. Tomorrow I will be going to Seattle. Staying in Seattle for a few days to visit my cousin and hopefully also to take plenty of awesome pictures.

Portland

2008-08-18T01:06:00.000-07:00

Flying to Portland for a 10 days Oregon - Washington trip in a few hours. Wish me many awesome shots. I also hope I wont get too soaked. It's looks like it's gonna rain everyday - some storms too...

Orchestra in My Backyard

2008-08-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

It was just past midnight, August 15th. I just got out of shower and I saw slight lighting from a peek on the window. I knew it was lighting, but I didn't think anything. I went back on working on some website project. A minute later my friend called: "Is it raining there? Do you see the lighting?" I said: "no rain, but yeah, lighting every minute." as if it's an everyday occurrence. I went outside on my door and looking at the lightning. The thought of taking some shots slowly creep to my head, but the view from this side is horrible. I can't see much. So I grabbed my camera and tripod and went to the alley on the back of my house. Better view. Not that great. Cables everywhere.

The thunder storm seems to be coming from the beach, but I don't wanna drive to the beach right now. So I tried my luck and tried shooting. As soon as I turned on the camera, I see "low battery." Shit! Oh, well. I'll just keep on shooting until it is dead.

The lighting is at least every 30seconds but damn! its so damn hard to catch. I tried pressing the shutter button every time I see one coming but often times its too late. Then I tried pressing the shutter button repeatedly even though I see none coming; hoping one would show up when the shutter is open. Doesn't work either. especially when the battery is low. So after half an hour or so, the battery is dead and I managed to catch a few. Nothing fabulous, but...

Maybe I'll try my luck again when the battery is charged - if the lighting continues.
Update: It is now 3am and the lightning has ended. :(

Venice Canal at midnight

2008-08-14T00:57:00.000-07:00

Went down for a late night hot chocolate with a friend tonight. Got the hot chocolate - well, mine was hot white chocolate that doesn't taste much like white chocolate in my opinion - from Cows End which is at the entrance to Venice pier. There's always people there late at night. Since all the comfortable seats on the patio were taken, we decided to walk down the Venice Canal. Absolutely love this place. Peaceful. Nice houses. Cute ducks - not so cute duck poops though.

We were there for a while; selecting out favorite houses. Dreaming about having a house like one of those. Saw some "For Rent" & "For Sale" signs and wonder how much do they go for. Thinking when would we afford one of those fine houses at the nicest area on the Westside. I think I might rather live in that area than in Beverly Hills. Venice has nice atmosphere to it and it is quite art oriented.

As we about to end our Venice Canal walk, my friend pointed out a duck walking about 25ft in front of us. The paths on the side of Venice Canal are quite narrow and it is dark at night. As we walked closer,
Me: "I think that's a cat..."
My friend: "Oh, great! I'm gonna have allergic reaction tonight."
He is allergic to cat.
The "cat" then went toward the bush on my left.
Me: "wait... That's not a cat. That's a raccoon!"
As I said that I saw a momma raccoon on my right about a few feet away from me, hissing at us. I was shocked for a sec. Took a couple steps back and froze there hoping she wont attack us. The kid raccoon then poked his head from the bush then crossed the path towards his momma - who was still hissing away at us. Right after that kid crossed the path, I saw another kid poked his head from the bush followed by another few more heads. As the few raccoon kids crossed the path, I saw one sneaked up from behind me. So, what's adds up to? Let's see... 1 momma + 1 kid + few kids + 1 late kid... I lost track. My math skill is usually not this bad, but they were so darn cute - I was distracted from doing my math.

Once all kids have crossed the path and safe from predators (us), they ran through someone's patio, went over the fence - made noises as they were doing that, climbed up to a big tree. The mom hissed at us the whole time; she didn't stop hissing until we were out of her sight. I've always thought raccoons are cute and I was right; despite all the hissing. Yea, I kinda wished I had my camera. I don't know if I could have gotten a shot though; it was dark and the flash would definitely scared them away and perhaps got the momma raccoon to attack us. I guess there are some things better to be experienced without a camera. This was probably one of them.

Raccoons are pretty cool. I had never seen one and tonight I saw a family of six. or was it seven? Anyway, I thought it was an awesome way to end our walk - counting raccoons.

DragonLove

2008-07-18T04:09:00.001-07:00

Digging through my photos from Atambua, Indonesia and found these photos. Me and my bro and uncle had a picnic near a dam at the time. I spotted a dragonfly then I realized there must be quite a few closer to the dam. So I went and look. I was right, I saw quite many near the water. I took some shots of them but I had this image of them "doing it" in my mind. I know... dirty mind... I looked and waited for quite some time. After a few leg scratching (bushes + insects = itches), I finally spotted a pair doing their acrobatic sex. Bingo!

MiniAnna.com

2008-07-10T15:57:00.000-07:00

Hello again,

Some of you might have already know that I had just launched my new website: minianna.com

It is a flash site and the design is completely different from annamunandar.com (this site) as you can see. I had so much fun designing and developing the brand and the website. There were a lot of head-scratching and curses during the process but it was all worth it.

Why Mini Anna?
Because I have been small all my life. I was born 2.5 kgs/ 5.5 lbs (less than 2.5 kgs is considered premature/ of low birth weight). I was always one of the smallest in class. People used to made fun of my short stature and I used to cry over it. Those days are over. I now can accept and be proud of the fact that I am borderline-midget and I'd like to celebrate that.

Now that minianna.com is launched, this site (annamunandar.com) is actually outdated. I am trying to update it, but I am getting lazier each day. We'll see. I hope you all enjoy the new site.

I heart meat

2008-06-14T01:55:00.001-07:00

Alright. I am now done with being a vegetarian. I don't think I should torture myself any longer. I love meat. No doubt about it.

Two weeks without meat. I think that is quite an impressive record for me.

Day 9 of being (temporary) vegetarian...

2008-06-08T13:48:00.001-07:00

Survived.

Meat!

2008-06-02T01:39:00.000-07:00

What I'm about to tell you might shock some of you. If you know me, you must know that I always say that I would never be a vegetarian because I love meat too much. I guess now I should learn to never say never. Starting Saturday, 2 days ago, I've been trying to be a vegetarian. No, I am not joking.

Why? I have been having skin problems since I got here in United States 3 years ago and the problem is getting worse lately. It is pretty minor but very annoying. On Friday, someone told me that she developed hormonal imbalance since she got to United States; she told me it could also be one of the cause of my problems. She then said she stopped eating meat cos meat (especially) in United States is full of hormone. So I decided to try. I've never tried this before so this is going to be interesting. Dunno how long this will last. My guess is not too long, but I'll just wait and see.

I'm sensing some of my friends are going to call me once they read this.

Dedicated Photographer (or should I say crazy?)

2008-05-31T04:08:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine email this to me. I thought I'd share with you how crazy photographers can be. The following pictures were taken by Hans van de Vorst from the Netherlands at the Grand Canyon. The descriptions are his own. The identity of the photographer in the photos is unknown.

"I was simply stunned seeing this guy standing on this solitary rock in the Grand Canyon. The canyon's depth is 900 meters here. The rock on the right is next to the canyon and safe. Watching this guy on his thong sandals, with a camera and a tripod I asked myself 3 questions:

1. How did he climb that rock?
2. Why not take that sunset picture from that rock to the right, which is perfectly safe?
3. How will he get back?

After the sun set behind the canyon's horizon he packed his things (having only one hand available) and prepared himself for the jump.This took about 2 minutes. At that point he had the full attention of the crowd."

"Look carefully at the photographer. He has a camera, a tripod and also a plastic bag, all on his shoulder or in his left hand. Only his right hand is available to grab the rock and the weight of his stuff is a problem.

He lands low on his flip flops, both his right hand and right foot slip away...

At that moment I take this [the last] shot. He pushes his body against the rock.

He waits for a few seconds, throws his stuff on the rock, climbs and walks away. Presumably to a bathroom to change his shorts.

...I know I had to change mine and I was just watching!"

That guy is nuts! It got me thinking though if I'll be doing such thing in the future...

Delayed good and bad news

2008-05-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know...
You haven't heard from me for quite a while. I apologize. I have a pair of delayed good and bad news. I will start with the good news: I got accepted to Art Center Pasadena! I am super excited! This is my dream school; #2 design school nation wide and they offer a lot of classes that I can't wait to take: advertising, photography, transportation design, product design. I will be majoring in Graphic Design but I will definitely try to take other classes to satisfy my design appetite (providing I still have some time left to breathe as this "Harvard of design school" is hardcore).

Now the bad news: I was counting on the scholarship as I know that I can't afford the tuition. Guess what? I didn't get it. *sad* Still going to the school though 'cos I don't want to wait any longer. I will apply for scholarship again next semester. I really hope luck will be on my side then 'cos I don't want to think what would happen if I don't get it.

Back in La La Land

2008-01-07T23:48:00.000-08:00

Yup. I'm back. No matter how I love to travel, it's usually good to be back home after a while. I'm very pleased with all the fun experiences I had, new friends I made, photos I took in this trip. San Francisco was pretty different from LA, but east coast was even more different and it was awesome to experience the different atmosphere (and temperature).

NYC was very cool, but no matter how I loved being in NYC, I still prefer to live in LA than NYC. I love how it is so alive in NYC, I love the subway system, the Italian food, the snow, the shopping, the Broadway shows, the going out till 5am in the morning (bars close at 2am in LA), etc. I also find that people in NYC seem to enjoy live a bit more, at least from my observation. However, I hate the stinky-ness, the expensive-ness, and the uptight-ness of NYC. So yes, I prefer the more casual, relaxed, and sunny California for the long term or at least for now.

Here is a picture I took of the famous Rockefeller Center ice skating rink with the famous humongous Christmas tree (which was not so impressive in my opinion).

Top of the Rock

2008-01-02T22:02:00.000-08:00

Went to the famous Top of the Rock tonight. I totally picked the wrong day. Today is frrrrrreeeeeezing and windy; it feels like 6 degrees F (-15 degrees C) tonight according to the weather.com. Imagine being on the 69th floor. Due to the strong winds I could only stand in the cold for so long to take photos which a lot of them came out blurry. I am actually quite disappointed. I get better pictures from the Top of the Hub in Boston. Don't get me wrong, the place and the view is awesome. But it is always so packed; even on a very cold and windy day there are still tons of people. I had to wait every time I want to shoot in a new spot. Plus they have "no tripod policy." I did not see any signs of this but I was told by the security. There was no way to take good pictures without the tripod so of course I kept on using my tripod. I thought better kept on using it until I get kicked out than taking crappy photos. Despite all those things, I did get a couple of good ones (above). I of course expected a lot more, but considering all those things I mentioned above I guess it is better some than none.

NYE in NYC

2008-01-02T09:43:00.000-08:00

So I went to Times Square to see the ball drop on New Years Eve. As I had mentioned earlier, I was not sure if I really wanted to do so thinking that it would really be super boring and such torture to wait in the cold for hours around people who would be pushing you all the time. But we went anyway and I thought it was not so bad. We started going pretty late: around 9pm. So we were not anywhere near the ball. In fact, we did not see the ball at all.

We ended up watching it from a big screen. Seen in this photo on the left side. Kid Rock was performing when I took this picture. I was quite disappointed with the lack or performance and entertainment that they offered in Times Square. Sure there were Kid Rock, Miley Cyrus a.k.a Hannah Montana, The Jonas Brothers, Kerry Underwood and Blake Lewis (which I think gave the best entertainment and music to me), but many people don't even know these people, especially those who came from out of country (big percentage of the crowd). Ryan said that last year they had Christina Aguilera and two years ago they had Mariah Carey. Why is the entertainment keep getting worse and worse each year then? I was expecting something more festive. Maybe I was expecting too much.

Despite all those things, we had fun. The funnest moments were in the beginning when people were screaming to the police to open the barricade and when the police did so. People were running towards Times Square and were so excited. Sure, I was pushed and crushed at some points. And was so scared that my camera will be crushed. But everything turned out great. Will I do it again? I'm not sure.

New Years Eve

2007-12-31T12:16:00.000-08:00

I have been debating on how to spend new years eve here in New York. There are many things to do, but I wonder whats the perfect thing to do. I have been thinking about watching the ball drop in Times Square but most New Yorkers said that it is not a great idea. The Times Square are going to be packed, you will not be able to move. You'll have to wait in the cold for hours and hours for something that only happened in few seconds. I was not sure. Another plan is to go to a club and have fun. Some clubs have something like a miniature scale of the ball dropping event. But my friends and I decided to go to Times Square and just do it. I am quite excited. We'll see how it goes.

Photo taken from Long Island city overlooking Manhattan Island.

Photo taken from Manhattan Island overlooking Hudson river and New Jersey/

Boston - 4th day

2007-12-23T22:08:00.000-08:00

Today is my last day in Boston. I am leaving to New York in a few minutes. Yes, change of plan; I wont be able to go up to Canada this time. I was being so stupid not knowing that I need a visa to go to Canada. I learned about this the day before I was about to go. Thankfully, I haven't bought the tickets. So now I decided to go back to New York and spend Christmas there.

Yesterday I also learned that I have lost over 100 pictures from Washington DC. I think I forgot to transfer them to the external hard drive and had deleted it thinking that they were already transfered. I'm crossing my fingers and toes I will be able to recover them. I will try to do this once I get back in NYC.

Photos below are taken from the Top of the Hub. The view was awesome; it was almost magical. Definitely way to go to end my Boston trip.

Boston - 3rd day

2007-12-23T22:00:00.001-08:00

Third day a girl in the hostel suggested Winthrop for shooting spot. She knows this place because her sister loves photography. Man, I'm telling you, luck is with my on this trip (I hope I did not jinx it by saying it). I also realized my friend Mike whom I know from China actually is in Boston. So we went to Winthrop. The place was awesome and it was awesome to catch up with Mike.

Boston - 2nd day

2007-12-23T21:52:00.001-08:00

I am basically traveling around Boston without plan. Wake up in the morning, go out of the hostel and decide where to go in the subway station. LOL. But good thing everything works out great. It seems like I always go to the right spot. I guess luck was following me on this trip. :)
The photos below were taken around the Rose Wharf during sunset. I was so lucky to get such great colors which I guess is quite uncommon here during winter.

Boston - 1st day

2007-12-23T21:25:00.000-08:00

First day I came here I saw piles of snow. I was afraid I would not survive. I hate cold. Some people were wondering what am I doing in the east coast during winter, especially after knowing that I am not used to the cold and hate it. I have to say it is not that bad; its actually pretty good. This way I am practicing for my Antarctica trip later in the future.

It was snowing heavily the whole day after I arrived in Boston. First photo is taken from the other side of Charles river looking over Boston's sky skyscrapers. Second photo is taken on Harvard Bridge also looking over the skyscraper decorated with the lights from cars passing by.

2007-12-15T23:53:00.000-08:00

I'm leaving to either Philly or DC (still undecided) tomorrow, so I thought I should try to take some shots of Times Square and the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. I was disappointed; there is nothing special with the tree except for its size. It is only decorated with little lights and the only ornament is the swarovski star on top.
I took zero picture of it and left the place disappointed. Walked to Times Square for some blinding lights. I have to say that Times Square is definitely not the best place to takes pictures, especially at night when you need a tripod. There are simply too many people on the street. And tonight especially was colder than the days before. It snowed a little bit tonight, which was cool, but the wind was freeeeeeeeezing and blowing the snow to your face and eyes (not pleasant).
Despite all those unpleasant things, I think I got a couple of okay shots. I was hoping for something a lot better, but I guess I have to redo this later when I get back here around New Year.

East Coast

2007-12-14T00:24:00.000-08:00

As I had mentioned in my earlier post, I'm currently in NYC; exploring the east coast. Prior to the east coast I was traveling to San Fransisco. I love it there. The architectures are so different from those in Los Angeles. They have European and metropolitan feel to them. Although I still would probably prefer to have a garden/yard like most houses do in Los Angeles. It was foggy almost everyday when I was there. I think it was cool. I like fog. Unfortunately, I did not get shots of the infamous Golden Gate Bridge with the fog and all. Well, this just mean a reason to go back to SF some time soon. :)

From SF, I went to Miami. Awesome weather. I love that place, mostly because I was staying at this very cool and fun hostel in South Beach called Ohana hostel. I met lotsa cool people (I miss you guys...) and one handsome dog there. :) You know how I love dogs. I did not take as many pictures during this trip as I usually do when I travel but I don't regret it. I had fun, met cool people, relax, and explore.

New York comes after Miami and thats where I am at the moment. I love it here; very different from LA. I love the subway system. The system tho, not the station; the stations smell like pee. Eww. I remember someone told me that New York is stinky in summer time, but this is winter. I guess this means I should not come to NY during summer or I might have to wear oxygen mask at all times... Alrite, its not that bad. I might just have very sensitive nose. Back to loving the subway system: I wish we have subway in LA. That would make life so much easier.
I'm having fun here tho I had one pretty weird moment a few nights ago when I was walking down Times Square. I was munching and enjoying a good slice of pizza while walking towards a theater where I was going to see a play when I went pass in front of a man with a kid (or two - it was a busy street) and he said "Watch out, Chinese!" to his kid(s). I guess I was cutting his way or something - I did what I had to do on a busy street. I find it so rude, wrong, false but true. Rude because it is rude, no explanation necessary. Wrong because teaching your children that you should be careful around Chinese people is just wrong. False because I am not Chinese. Well, I am but I am not really (I'm Indonesian by nationality). True because it is true that some Chinese can be a bit pushy. I did experience this when I was living in China. People pushed like they didn't want to waste any second of their life. This is not considered rude in their culture, it is simply a cultural habit (sort of). I tried to remember this every time I was annoyed, tho I failed most of the time. So I guess I kinda understand where he is coming from, but it is still wrong.
Another thing I'm experiencing in NY is the cold. The first day I was here was nice, not too cold, but then it got colder. Thank D.O.G I brought my very warm winter coat. I'm actually kinds used to the cold now. It not so bad at all. The only thing that I can't deal with is my easily frozen fingers when I'm outdoor for hours trying to take some pictures. But hey, sometimes you gotta sacrifice for something you love. :)

Next stop: Washington DC, Boston, then Montreal.