day 365: and then it was done

10.12.10 - looks like this is it folks. the last photo of my project 365. thanks for following my journey this year. i'll be the first one to admit that i'm surprised i made it; but, i never say no to something that will challenge me. tomorrow the countdown stops and i turn 33. a new year and new opportunities. i'll be posting my closing thoughts and answering some frequently asked questions for my last official post on this blog.

day 364: what awaits me around the corner

10.11.10 - i spent my holiday day off in beacon, new york with my dear friend, m. although i was still feeling under the weather, i thought some fresh air and a change of scenery would do me some good. we hopped on to the 9:56 am metro north train from the harlem station and about an hour later we were surrounded by the lush greenery and views of the hudson river. a far cry from the noise and concrete of nyc.

we spent the morning checking out dia:beacon. it was nice to enjoy the art work free of crowds. perhaps my favorite installation was the drawing series-composite by artist, sol lewitt. i was brought right back to my geometry class. add a dash of what could only be a slight case of ocd to the artist's affinity for lines and shapes... and, you get some amazing and intricate work of art. brilliant!

i also enjoyed seeing richard serra's torqued ellipse series. i saw his work for the first time in seattle and it was nice to be able to experience it up close at dia. here's a shot i took of my friend, m, and we walked the narrow entrance to one of his pieces. 

after the museum, we enjoyed a nice lunch along dia's main street. i couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. beautiful, sunny weather and a chance to rejuvenate both the body and soul. 

i'm now just one more day until the close of this project. i anxiously await it. 

day 363: once in a century

10.10.10 (posted 10.11.10) - happy 10.10.10! so much for it being an auspicious day. i've been stuck in bed nursing this cold. hope it was much more lucky for others. 

day 362: walk for families, community, and health

10.09.10 (posted 10.10.10) - despite having a stuffy head and feeling the first signs of a cold, i got bright and early this morning to participate in 2-mile walk in doraville, georgia. the walk was sponsored by the center for pan asian community services. in its' 6th year, "the empowering asian americans, native hawaiians, and pacific islanders' walk" celebrates the contributions of these communities in georgia. while the focus was on these communities, the crowd was diverse and in many respects reflected the  multicultural communities in the area. there was live entertainment and community booths. i was most impressed by the wonderful community spirit from all the participants there. it was southern hospitality at its finest. here's a few of my favorite the shots from the day.

day 361: stay within the lines

10.08.10 (posted 10.10.10) - wow. am i spent! after two long days in training. i am ready to get some fresh air and relax. but first, let me decompress. here's a shot i took while of the sheers in my hotel room while i was waiting for my colleagues to get ready for dinner.

day 360: takes me back

10.07.10 (posted 10.10.10) - i don't have much of a sweet tooth. i'd say i am much more of a savory, salty snacker. i much prefer chips, pretzels, and pork rinds over a cake or cookie. however, i couldn't resist grabbing this bag of cracker jack. it brought right back to my childhood. this was one of my favorite snacks. i don't know what i liked more... the caramel coated popcorn or the prize in side. too bad this version didn't come in the traditional box.

day 359: not sleeping in my own bed

10.06.10 (posted 10.10.10) - hello, hot-lanta! wow. folks weren't kidding this place is warm. it's the fall for crying out loud. why is it still 80+ degrees? i left nyc where everyone is wearing boots and scarfs. not ready for this change in temps.

oh well. i'll be stuck in conference rooms anyhow while in atlanta for the next few days. hopefully, i'll be able to get some decent rest tonight. it's always hard to get used to sleeping in another place besides your own bed. i start up at 8:00 am tomorrow. wish me luck.

day 358: out on a school night

10.05.10 (posted 10.10.10) - it's the middle of the week and the day before i head out to atlanta for work. that didn't stop me from hanging out with friends tonight to celebrate my buddy, jdk's birthday. after work get-togethers are always a great way to break up the monotony of the work week. besides, who says you have to wait until the weekend to have a good time with friends. so here's to you, j! 

day 357: break a leg!

10.04.10 (posted 10.07.10) - this evening i was the "official" photog for my company's charity event. it was an evening of song and a celebration of asian american theater artists. here's a few of my favorite shots.

day 356: livin' the "suite" life

10.03.10 (posted 10.06.10) - my buddy, e, scored tickets for a suite for the last mets game of the season. of course, i couldn't pass up this opportunity. the suites are on a private level. you get unlimited food and drinks. the box seats were cushioned and with heat lamps (those came in handy. it was freezing!). totally worth the price! all these luxuries sure helped out. the game went to the 14th inning. yikes! the only thing that would have topped it off was if the mets had won...

day 355: the secret shopper

10.02.10 (posted 10.06.10) - i was beat from the fun-filled partying during last night's fundraising event. famished this morning... hubby and i dragged ourselves out of bed. first stop, the grocery store. feed meeeeee.... said my stomach.

day 354: rain, rain, go away!

10.01.10 (posted 10.06.10) - another crazy rainstorm passed through nyc late last night. it was torrential. at one point of the night, it sounded like someone took a large hose and just left it to run next to my bedroom window. add thunder and lighting and i was a cranky mess in the morning. oh, sleep, i longed for it. 

unfortunately, i didn't get a chance to try to salvage some more shut eye. i had get up early to run a bunch of errands before the fundraising benefit tonight. 

here i am stuck in traffic in midtown manhattan. oh well, at least it gave me a chance to take a few shots while sitting in the car. looks like rain or shine, tourists will be tourists. 

day 353: i'm a pack rat

09.30.10 (posted 10.06.10) - one thing is true living in nyc. you have your job job (the one that pays the bills) and then there's your "other job". the other job can be a number of things. say your side-jig or your true passion or your hobby or your volunteer work or a book... cooking... running... you-name-it-club you belong to. the list goes on and on. everyone i know is involved in multiple activities at any given time. where we all find the time to do this i have no clue.

as for me, my "other job" is serving on the board of directors for a nonprofit organization i helped co-found.

even in the midst of everything that has happened this past week, i was still involved in helping to plan our nonprofit organization's annual fundraising benefit. as soon as i got back to nyc, i returned to working on logistics for the big event tomorrow. this evening, i spent it wrapping and logging in all the silent auction items. here's the pic of some of the items all wrapped up and ready for transport.

day 352: topsy turvy

09.29.10 (posted 10.06.10) - what happens when you take a glass filled with water, rings on the side of your desk, and an iphone camera turned upside down? this...

day 351: strength of an ant

09.28.10 (posted 10.06.10) - there is no rhyme or reason as to why i took this photo. i wanted to try out a new iphone app and thought it would be kind of neat to see how a photo of ants would turn out. i started googling images of ants and came across this. sometimes, i do things just because...

day 350: everyone needs a break

09.27.10 (posted 10.06.10) - fearing i would have a repeat of that dreadful flight going to l.a., i took a dramamine and quickly dozed off to sleep. about 5 and 1/2 hours later i was on the northeast feeling pretty rested. thank goodness! now only if i could stay up for this 2 hour layover in boston...

day 349: another day, another world

09.26.10 (posted 10.06.10) - farewell, l.a. hubby and i are headed back to nyc. it's been a week of catharsis and closure. i'm glad we got to go home to be with my family during this difficult time. i don't know how we would have been if we didn't get a chance to grieve with them. letting go and remembering the good times is truly liberating. 

just before we checked into our flight. i snapped this quick picture of the LAX theme building at the airport. in a few hours, we go back to our lives in nyc. moving on but not forgetting...

day 348: symbol of love

09.25.10 (posted 10.06.10) - this evening was my grandma's memorial service. it would be an opportunity for family and friends living in the u.s. to pay their last respects to her. tomorrow my mom and her siblings will be flying to the philippines to prepare for funeral arrangements for my grandma's burial there.

i struggled with what picture i would take today or even if i should take one.

at the end of the night, my family all gathered at my parents' house. we brought back the large flower arrangement that lay on top of grandma's casket. it was filled with yellow and red roses.

roses are symbolic of many things such as honor, beauty, wisdom, devotion, passion, and timelessness. perhaps the most common meaning is that roses are equated with love. i found something online that said roses are symbolic of a union that will never fade - even through time or death.

i guess it was fitting that i ended up taking a photo of these roses then.

although we are so saddened that grandma is no longer here with us today, we know that she lived a full life surrounded by so many that loved her. (she would have been 93 this coming october 22nd). her family and friends celebrate this and how much she meant to all of us.  

day 347: how will you remember me?

09.24.10 (posted 10.06.10) - hubby and i decided one way we could contribute to my grandmother's memorial service was to gather pictures of her with her loved ones to use for a collage. t spent hours scanning and configuring it. here's a picture i took of one portion of it. the collage will be hung in the mortuary during visiting hours and for the service.

it was a comforting exercise for us. going through the multitude of pictures helped us remember the happy times with grandma. those memories are the ones i want to cherish and hold to when i think of her.

day 346: to everything, turn, turn, turn

to everything (turn, turn, turn)

there is a season (turn, turn, turn)

and a time to every purpose, under heaven

a time to be born, a time to die

a time to plant, a time to reap

a time to kill, a time to heal

a time to laugh, a time to weep

~ pete seeger

09.23.10 (posted 10.03.10) - my hubby and i are back in california to attend my grandmother's memorial service. it's been a trying few days. however, i'm glad to be surrounded by family at this time.

i found this asian pear in my parents' backyard. i thought it was pretty telling of just how life is. there's a time for everything...