day 19: tears of joy

10.31.09 - this wasn't a typical halloween for me. it was the first time in nine years that i wasn't in nyc. instead, my family celebrated by grandma's 92nd birthday today. she had been in the hospital for a few days during her actual birthday last week. as soon as the doctors gave my family the ok to bring her home, the first thing on my grandma's mind was to plan her birthday party. of course, we pulled out all the stops and made sure the festivities were filled with lots of love and laughter. my grandma was overjoyed to see all her family and friends. i couldn't think of a better gift to give her.

day 18: dawn of the dead

10.30.09 - on the eve of halloween, i had an opportunity to go to olvera street in downtown l.a. and have lunch with my mom and co-worker. it was probably one of the most festive times of the year for olvera street. there were signs everywhere of folks gearing up for halloween and dia de los muertos (day of the dead) festivities. the place was filled with skeletons - on kids' painted faces, as piñatas, sold as candies, on ceramics, you name it. there were also numerous families preparing their shrines in tribute to their loved ones that have passed on.

one of the most creative shrines was created by the advocacy group, health care for all now california. alongside their beautifully decorated shrine was a list of individuals who died as a result of our broken health care system. it was such a creative way to get an important and powerful message across.

here are additional pictures of some of the sights i saw today.

day 17: angels walking among us

10.29.09 - even if i lived in the los angeles area for nearly 20 years, i have this overwhelming feeling during this trip that i'm rediscovering my hometown. i'm playing tourist for a couple of days. i'm staying in downtown l.a. as i attend a conference for work. it's being held at the cathedral of our lady of angels. it's a stunning site with beautiful architecture and public art. here's a picture of the angel that's above the entrance to the sanctuary.

day 16 continued: so fresh and so clean, clean

10.28.09 - i spent the better part of the morning doing laundry and packing for my trip to los angeles. i'll be gone for a few days to attend a conference and visit family. i love it when i can figure out a way to combine a work trip with a vacation.

the laundromat i go to looks like it hasn't changed in at least 30 years. the owners have probably upgraded the machines at some point but there are remnants of a by-gone era. here are some shots i took between cycles.

day 16: change is good

10.28.09 - "i'm leaving on a jet plane..." headed to los angeles. woohoo! it'll be a nice change. the weather has been so erratic in new york that i'll be looking forward to more mild temps in the 70s. i also find that the longer i am out east, the more i miss sun. i didn't believe in s.a.d. (seasonal affective disorder) before i moved to nyc but i can see how someone can get pretty blue in cold, dark weather for months. wonder how the people in the netherlands handle it?

day 15: justice league

10.27.09 - one of my all time favorite shows is "law and order". i happen to pass by the new york state courthouse in lower manhattan today and snapped this picture before running into the subway. i can hear the theme song now.

day 14: life is like a box of chocolates

10.26.09 - after an entire weekend filled with rain, it was nice to welcome in the week with lots of sun. today was a great day. i've been working with this amazing photographer, adam stoltman, to develop an image bank for one of my projects. my colleagues and i participated in a photo shoot today. we are certainly not models and it was a hoot watching each other act "natural" during all of it.

afterwards, we enjoyed a hearty lunch of yummy cuban food at sofie's restaurant (ah... pernil... you will be the end of me!). then visited one of my favorite chocolate shops in manhattan, christopher norman chocolates. i had the white hot chocolate and sampled a few of their decadent chocolates. it was a nice little treat before heading back to chug it out for the rest of the work day.

day 13: missed connection

10.25.09 -  it was a lazy sunday afternoon. i decided to take it easy after having a jammed packed few days. i ate with friends at one of my favorite comfort food spots in queens. while waiting for the bus, i snapped this picture.

day 12: very superstitious

10.24.09 - i've heard of elevators skipping the number 13 because of superstitious reasons. i never really paid much attention to it until i stayed at a hotel this weekend. i kept looking at the buttons and trying to figure out why it looked odd. i then realized why. oh well --  i'm one person that doesn't think the number 13 is unlucky.

day 11: fall in nyc

10.23.09 - i woke up at the crack of dawn to make my way to the flower district in chelsea. i am not a morning person at all and there are very few things to get me up this early -- especially on a "day off". i met up with a colleague that does floral arrangements on the side. she's self-trained but you would never know. her arrangements are absolutely stunning. i could spend hours and hours looking at all these flowers.

day 10: on guard!

10.22.09 (but posted 10.23.09) - i saw these two guys on my way from eating breakfast in flushing. they were roped off and there was a security guard next to the piece. hmm... makes me curious who the artist is.

day 9: i said, "we pray"!

10.21.09 - someone happened to scribble "pray" on the handle of a subway train door i was sitting close to. coincidentally, it was next to one of those "do not lean on door" signs. as i was trying to take a picture of it, it got me thinking of a jfk quote - "do not pray for easy lives. pray to be stronger men". or in my case, stronger women!

day 8: ya lookin' at me?

10.20.09 - can you folks believe it? the "count down to 33" project has officially finished its first week. whew! now only 51 more weeks to go. ah!!! enter macaulay culkin's screaming head in "home alone".

today's photo i took while watching the morning news. a close up shot of the newspaper takes on a different look when it's blown up on my huge flat screen tv. "it always feels like somebody's watching me."

day 7: building blocks

10.19.09 - about an hour before sunset, the sun cast an amazing glow on the buildings outside my office window. i love how from this vantage point you can see the many materials used in nyc architecture - from concrete to steel to glass to stone to brick. there's a running joke among new yorkers that you can tell which people are tourists. they are usually the only people that are looking up and admiring the buildings. today i was reminded how truly amazing and massive these buildings are. 

day 6: a little r+r

10.18.09 - i'm wondering what happened to fall. the temperatures have been steadily dropping this past week. according to weather.com, the high is 44°F but it feels like 37°F with the wind today. i even heard that it's snowing upstate. brrrr.

this is COLD as in i need to break out my knit cap, "puffy" jacket, and shearling lined boots cold... or cold as in all i want to eat are carbs and big slabs of meat cold... or cold as i need a big steaming cup o' hot cocoa cold. maybe i should take a cue from my cat and wrap myself up in a big down comforter and hibernate. zzzzzz.

day 5 continued: different strokes for different folks

10.17.09 - there were so many great supplies and tools at the pottery studio. here are some of the brushes my friends and i used today. 

day 5: support group

10.17.09 - i spent the day at a pottery studio in brooklyn with two of my friends. we collaborated on five pieces that will be given out as awards for a gala this saturday. i can't wait to see how they turn out. here's a picture of the kiln shelf supports. i love the geometric shapes. 

day 4: which way home

10.16.09 - tick, tick, tock, tock. don't we all do that at some point on a friday? this day seemed to drag itself out. i couldn't wait to get home. 

about half way through my commute, a performer entered the train and made the usual spiel about what he was going to do and why the commuters should give him a donation. for the most part, i just put on my earbuds and crank up the music when this happens. i was pleasantly surprised when this guy took out a small keyboard and started playing. his music was soothing and just what i needed to end the work week. i meant to take a picture of "andre the pianist" but accidently took this one instead as i rushed to give him some change and exit the subway car. afterwards, i realized both these individuals also gave him a small token as well. i guess it goes to show that as pre-occupied and jaded as new yorkers can be there are moments when they can be snapped out of their daze. 

day 3: it was all a blur

10.15.09 - it was wet and cold (ok, not cold but freezing!) in nyc today. i took this picture as my co-workers and i rushed to the subway for an after work event. i couldn't hold my iPhone steady because i was trying to catch up to them while simultaneously holding an umbrella and my pocket book. this picture was the result of my multi-tasking. kind of sums up how the dismal weather actually felt like. 

day 2 continued: (hey) mister, slow (down)

10.14.09 - you get a treat, folks! i couldn't resist putting up another photo. it's too hilarious to not put up.

a mister softee truck was parked on one of the streets near my office. don't ask me why. it was 40-something degrees out and who would want soft serve in that weather is beyond me. has anyone ever noticed what the back left side of the truck says? i don't want to be behind this guy when i'm in a hurry. haha.

day 2: these boots are made for...

10.14.09 - sometimes a great photo moment happens when you least expect it. like what happened today during my afternoon break. i was walking back to work after visiting my favorite coffee truck when my co-worker noticed a pair of rain boots on the sidewalk. voila! cue the light bulb above my head. i quickly grabbed my iPhone and snapped this pic just as one of the construction workers passed by the boots.

day 1: clouds are rolling In

10.13.09 - day 1 of the "count down to 33" project begins. woohoo! it's been such a busy few weeks that i decided to take the day off from work to celebrate my birthday. i think everyone should do the same in my humble opinion. i treated myself to a massage and facial.... ah, relaxing. this picture was taken right after i finished my "pampering" session at a day spa. such a contrast from the serene environment at the spa.

the journey begins

my name is NOI and i'm a transplanted californian that's been living in nyc for the past 9 years. i've always been interested in photography but it wasn't until my honeymoon in 2007 that i truly understood what an amazing tool a camera can be in capturing emotions and moments that words simply could not express. since then, i've always had a camera by my side -- be it my DSLR, point and shoot, or simply my iPhone.

this year, i decided to try something new. inspired by "project 365", i've committed to taking a photo-a-day. i'll start on my birthday on october 13th and capture the next 365 days of my life. so won't you join me in counting down to my 33rd birthday on 10.13.2010?