day 284: sleepless in seattle

07.23.10 (posted 07.31.10) - day two in seattle. i'm loving this city so far i must say. i began my day with a yummy lunch with a colleague at matt's in the market. it was great catching up with her.

afterwards, i headed over to seattle central library. it was redesigned in 2004 by architects rem koolhaus and joshua prince-ramus. there were a lot of fun and quirky design details like floor to ceiling steel lattices, the red room, conveyor belt for books, and wood blocks in various languages as flooring on the lower level.

in the evening, we celebrated my buddy, r's birthday. our first stop was a progressive oyster happy hour. it began at 50 cents and went up a quarter every half hour. afterwards, we took in the views at smith tower.

this was followed by dinner at cafe bengodi, cupcakes and coffee at cupcake royale, and a night cap at a speakeasy called knee high stocking company. whew! a packed but amazing day!

day 283: there's emerald city!

there's emerald city! oh, we're almost there at last! at last! 

it's beautiful, isn't it? just like i knew it would be! 

he really must be a wonderful wizard to live in a city like that!

~ dorothy from wizard of oz

07.22.10 (posted 07.31.10) - day one in seattle. first stop crab pot with my cousin, r. we finished off the "westport" -- a bucket of dungeness crab, steamed clams, mussels, andouille sausage, corn on the cob, and red potatoes. i definitely satisfied my seafood craving with that meal. 

afterwards, i took a short ferry ride to west seattle and spent the afternoon walking along the boardwalk to alki beach. here are few shots of my day.

day 282: when one door closes... another one opens!

07.21.10 (posted 07.31.10) - so long, oakland! well, hello there... seattle. i took an evening flight and saw the most majestic sunset over the puget sound and lake washington. bright orange and red against a blue backdrop with the silhouette of the mountains, reflection of the sunset on the water, and the bright lights of seattle. aaahhhh!

it's my first time in the emerald city... and i am in awe. so darn beeeaautttiiiffuuuullll! there something about a metropolis next to a body of water and then you add mountains. me likey!

i am staying at a swanky spot called hotel max. here's a picture i snapped of the hallway. the doors are large photos of various sights throughout the world. i felt a bit of home as many of the photos were of nyc spots. i love that the whole place is designed as a foil for both emerging and established artists and photographers in town.

day 281: alone or in pairs

07.20.10 (07.28.10) - it's my last evening in oakland, california. considering it is summer, i was pretty surprised to find out how cold it was. i don't think the temperature got pass 60 degrees at any point while i was here. while not freezing... it is a dramatic drop in temps coming from 95 degrees with 45% humidity in the northeast.

i had a nice dinner with some colleagues at everett and jones restaurant in jack london square to top off the night. here's a photo i took while we drove by lake merritt on the way to the restaurant.

day 280: i'm leaving on a jet plane...

07.19.10 (posted 07.28.10) - i'm on another cross country trip. i'll be spending a couple of days in the bay area and then i'm off to the pacific northwest!

day 279: they left me with your shadow

07.18.10 (posted 07.21.10) - i guess 4:00 pm during the summer is a good hour to run errands. i would've never seen the sun cast this shadow in the foyer of my building otherwise. when i returned 15 minutes or so later, the shadows were gone. 

day 278: 8 glasses a day

07.17.10 (posted 07.21.10) - the stifling heat of the past week has reached its all time high today. i officially have gotten to the point where i need more than 8 glasses of water a day. it seems like no how much water or other liquids i drink, i still feel parched. oh... when are we going to get a break from these high temps?!

well at least nyc tap water is some of the best around. some even say that it's so good that the minerals found in the water add to the unique flavor of the crust on nyc pizzas! 

ahhh... cheers to that and bottoms up!

day 277: tickling the ivories

07.16.10 (posted 07.21.10) - 60 pianos have been installed in public parks, plazas, and streets throughout nyc's 5 boroughs. one of the pianos is in front of my office building in downtown manhattan. it's part of a public art installation called “play me, i’m yours” by british artist luke jerram. any person can have a seat and tickle the ivories to their heart's content. this man was playing hymns during my lunch break. what a refreshing thing to see and hear. 

day 276: this one's for the birds

7.15.10 (posted 07.21.10) - a grouping of birds were perched on several wires along 6th avenue this morning. i normally would've have noticed by the sheer number of them caught my eye. i wonder why so many flocked on these particular light posts. 

after i posted this photo onto flickr, one commenter mentioned that it looked as if the birds were musical notes. perhaps this could their song...

free as a bird, 

it's the next best thing to be. 

free as a bird. 

home, home and dry, 

like a homing bird i'll fly 

as a bird on wings. 

~ the beatles

day 275: rain drops keep falling on my head

07.14.10 (posted 07.21.10) - torrential rain was in the forecast today in nyc. just as luck would have it... i somehow misplaced my umbrella the day before. running from awning to awning in the pouring rain was not how i wanted to start the morning. i probably could have used this gear earlier in the day. sigh..

day 274: it's one or the other

07.13.10 (posted 07.21.10) - i read an article about the illusion of multitasking. apparently researchers are finding that those that say they are multitaskers are in fact not. only 3% of the population actually fall into the "supertasker" category. guess i better close the twitter feed, ignore the texts and push notifications, and turn off the t.v. there is truth in the old adage -- take things one step at a time. 

day 273: happenstance

07.12.10 (posted 07.18.10) - i haven't posted a self portrait on this blog in a while. so i figured,  now would be a good a time as ever to have one as my photo of the day. i attempted to take several photos of myself while standing on my tippy toes in front of a mirror that is hanging above my entry table. why was i on my tippy toes, you ask? you see i'm only 5' 1" and i could only see from my forehead to my nose. yeah... the mirror is a "bit" too high for me but what's a girl to do when her hubby is 10 inches taller than her. we had to come to a happy medium with where the mirror would be hung.

anyway, i started to fiddle with the settings on my dslr and came up with this unusual shot by accident. outside of adding a little more grain in post, the crazy effect of multiple "me's" and multiple lenses was achieved by not being able to stay steady on my toes and hold the camera in place. i had thought about posting other shots that were clearer but this one stood out. plus, my hubby mentioned that it reminded him a lot of the marcel duchamp's "nude descending a staircase". so i guess it's a keeper.  

day 272: the street is a theater, admission is free

07.11.10 (posted 07.16.10) - street fairs are in full swing! even though the temps reached nearly 90°+, this didn't stop folks from enjoying the festivities. there were many of the regular vendors you see at nearly every fair in the city -- the guy selling tube socks, the lady selling discounted linen, or the family selling t-shirts, sunglasses, or jewelry. plus it's election season so there were plenty of campaign workers trying to get folks to support various candidates. there was also a bounce house for the kids, a grumpy, old musician, and plenty of food booths.

the first place i headed to was a lemonade stand. once i got hydrated, i could better figure out the lay of the land and navigate my way through the crowds. whew! i ended up buying a photograph from a local artist and a t-shirt with my neighborhood's name screen printed on the front. here are a few shots of some of the sights along the fair route.

day 271: light and fluffy

07.10.10 (posted 07.15.10) - the rainstorm that blanketed long island earlier this morning was making its way west into nyc. as my buddies and i were driving to dinner, i couldn't help but notice how many clouds were forming as the sun was setting. the clouds were beautiful but i could definitely sense the storm was brewing. well at least, it will be a welcome break from the heat we've had for the last few days.

day 270: may i walk unceasingly on the banks of my water

07.09.10 (posted 07.14.10) - hop in your car and drive about one hour east from nyc... then, you are transported to a place vastly different from the hustle and bustle of the city. my buddies and i spent the weekend in port jefferson and the surrounding towns to attend our friends' wedding.

i always feel at home and at peace by the water. maybe it's the fact that my family have had a long history of living by and depending on the sea for their livelihood. this is especially true on my mom's side. yeah... i think it's the "island" girl in me... one day i'd love to have a little place that overlooks a marina as quaint as this.

day 269: been away for too long

07.08.10 (posted 07.12.10) - i love going out of town but it's good to finally sleep in my own bed again.

day 268: stuffed to the gills

07.07.10 - why does it always seem like i have more stuff after a trip? thank goodness this suitcase is expandable.

day 267: you know a dream is like a river

you know a dream is like a river 

ever changin' as it flows 

and a dreamer's just a vessel 

that must follow where it goes 

trying to learn from what's behind you 

and never knowing what's in store 

~ garth brooks

07.06.10 (posted 07.07.10) - tonight i got a chance to meet my new niece, river, for the first time.... and i am smitten. welcome, baby girl! 

although she is only about 3 weeks old, she's already developing quite a personality. my cousin and her husband tell me that they are starting to get used to her repertoire of expressions, sounds, and mannerisms... i'm imaging in my mind the following.  the mama, feed me look.. the daddy, i need a cuddle sound... the grandma, diaper change puh-leeze wiggle! oh, i love it. 

since i live 3,000+ miles away, i'm glad my cuz and cuz-in-law post tons and tons of pictures. looking forward to seeing how baby river grows. 

day 266: the great escape

07.05.10 (posted 07.07.10) - i'll be in southern california a couple more days. hubby and i decided to take it  easy today since we've been nonstop since we got here. our only activity planned was to hit the movies. it'll be a nice escape and change of pace. we went to a local cineplex near my parents' home and caught a matinee showing of "toy story 3". ok, ok. i'll be the first to admit that i cried during the movie. a cartoon... for pete's sake. ah, whatever. i'm a sap. i've even been known to shed a tear during certain commercials...

day 265: cool down!

07.04.10 (07.06.10) - it's a hooooottt july 4th in los angeles! there will be plenty of grub at bbqs and picnics everywhere. what does one do to beat the heat? maybe i should take a cue from my friend's kid. grab some water and dose my head to cool off.

day 264: with this ring, i thee wed

07.03.10 (posted 07.06.10) - congratulations to my brother-in-law and his wife on their nuptials! true to form... they went over the top on their special day. one of the many highlights... guests were treated to fireworks overlooking the pacific ocean. what a way to ring in their new lives together.

day 263: i'm going, going, back, back to cali, cali

07.02.10 (posted 07.06.10) - i survived the hectic work week and near panic packing session, people! i'm exhausted but hey, i'm in southern california. woohoo!!!!

i'm spending the weekend in santa monica and the surrounding beach towns to attend my brother-in-law and his fiancée's wedding. while cruising down wilshire boulevard on the way to the church for the rehearsal this evening, i snapped this shot. seriously, there is no shortage of palm trees and blue skies here!

day 262: zooming past me

07.01.10 (posted 07.06.10) - sometimes short work weeks are great. other times i dread them. trying to get all your tasks completed before leaving on vacation is one of the most stressful things to deal with. as usual, this vacation crept up on me. i've had this running list in my head about all the things i needed to do... laundry (check), clean the house (check), make arrangements for someone to watch the cats (check), brief co-workers on items to follow up on (check), pack (almost check...).

with all that was on my mind, i nearly forgot to take a photo today. i snapped this pic while riding the train home. it came out blurry but i decided to keep it since i felt it summed up perfectly how i felt for the past few days.

ahhhhh. almost there.

day 261: counting sheep

06.30.10 (posted 07.06.10) - catching up on sleep while on the train is a common occurrence on the nyc subway. sometimes you catch the occasional "swan diver", snorer, sleeper with mouth agape... you name it. i admit i've fallen asleep one too many times myself. it's a wonder that most people don't ever miss their stop. somehow their bodies instinctually know when to wake up before their exit.

day 260: walk towards the light

06.29.10 (posted 07.06.10) - there's a mural painted under the bridge and stairs leading up to the 61st-woodside stop off the 7 line in queens. the place is usually packed with people running to catch the train or bus as well as vendors selling everything from fruits and veggies to tacos and shaved ice. 

i was in the area for a meeting this afternoon and i noticed this man scurrying past me. he seemed agitated and in a hurry to get to his destination. it probably didn't help his mood since he was carrying two plastic bags full of paint and supplies that looked like they were about to break any moment from their sheer weight. combine that with high temps and i could see why he was feeling crabby. don't worry, man... tomorrow is another day... just keep walking forward.

day 259: seeing is believing

06.30.10 (posted 07.06.10) - i finally went to the opthamologist to get my eyes checked after two years of neglecting to do so. i know, i know. i should be better with preventive check ups since i work in the health care field. thankfully, my prescription hasn't changed even with all the time i spend in front of a computer. hooray!

day 258: menu du jour

06.27.10 (posted 07.06.10) - the wedding stationery assembly continues. here's a shot i took of place cards for a wedding next weekend. hmmm.... we must've counted over 150 selections for beef. there's going to be a lot of carnivores there. 

day 257: a cut above the rest

06.26.10 (posted 07.06.10) - hubby has been hired to design wedding invitations and collateral materials for three weddings. of course, i get involved in some capacity since he affectionally refers to me as his "design assistant". we spent the weekend printing, cutting, pasting, assembling, and stuffing. thankfully, we are wrapping up all the projects in the next few days. whew!

day 256: summer, summer, summertime

06.25.10 (posted 07.06.10) - summer is in full swing! it's hotter... the sun sets later... there are plenty of activities and events (many of which are FREE)... to top it off, i'm a summer schedule and i have every other friday off. woohoo!

how did i spend my summer friday? i got up at the crack of dawn to make way to central park's summer stage. alicia keys would be performing a free concert for good morning, america's summer concert series. after two and half hours standing in the hot sun, we enjoyed alicia belt out a few of her hits including "no one" and "un-thinkable". of course, the crowd went bonkers when she sang "empire state of mind".

afterwards, r and i decided to grab a quick bite to eat. on the way to a local cafe, we passed by the apple store on 5th avenue. it looks like i wasn't the only one up bright and early. there were plenty of folks camped out the night before to get in line for the new iPhone 4. as expected the line went around the corner.

r and i participated ways at this point since she had to get to work. i spent the rest of the morning checking out the henri cartier-bresson exhibit and hanging out at the museum of modern art. i felt really inspired after seeing his work up close and learning more about his life and approach to photography. before i headed back home, i took a quick break in the sculpture garden. can't wait for more summer friday outing in the coming weeks.