I took this picture on my last trip to the Utah State Capitol late 2013. It was during a class trip when I visited the Capitol. Continue reading “Man or Alien?”
Tag: Daily Post
A Wet 2016 Spring
This has been one wet spring. It’s been raining almost every single day and if the sky’s not raining, it’s gray and the grayness often drives me insane. The last time I experienced such a wet spring was 2007, when I was still in Texas but that’s different. Texas is plains, Utah is desert. Deserts aren’t supposed to rain, deserts are supposed to be sunny and hot and dry. Maybe the world is changing.
Anyway, this horrible weather had given me barely enough time to adore the beautiful flowers that have blossomed in my neighborhood. I haven’t even had the chance to visit the park before another wind storm hit and destroyed all the flowers.
This picture above is from one of the rare sunny days in April. These are Asian pears blossoms from the backyard. I don’t know how my mom prune trees each year. When spring comes, flowers sprouts along the trunk of the tree instead of in specific places like a normal tree.
The plum tree in the front yard was the first to blossom and the flowers were gone two weeks later when a wind storm hit the area. After the plums came the Asian pears in the backyard (pictured above). These stayed for about a week or so before another wind storm hit followed by hail and rain. Here is one more picture of the blossoms.
As the ephemeral Asian pear blossoms came and went, the apple began to blossom and boy, did they come.
It was like every flower on the apple tree was waiting for the right time to bloom. It was like it was counting down by the second. It was like a head flower was calling the shot. “All right everybody, we bloom in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!”
We were very surprised when we came home one sunny day and found the apple tree full of flowers. Immediately, my mom determined, “We’re going to have a lot of apples this year.” If all of the blossoms successfully turn to a fruit, I thought, rolling my eyes.
Less than a week later, we were hit by another wind storm and once again followed by hail and rain. Well, there went the apples. When the rain finally stopped and the sky is blue again, we stepped out into the backyard. All the flowers had gone from the trees, its petals blew away by the wind, replacing it with these little apple buds.
And here are the Asian pears:
Mother Nature,
Please give me some sunny days? I’ve had enough with the gray depressing skies and the roller coaster temperatures. Hot and cold, hot and cold, you’re going to get me sick. I don’t mind the rain but at least stop with the gray skies.
A Special Tree
April Reflection
After a very long 30 days, May is finally here! I made it through four weeks of school projects, quizzes, exams, and most importantly, the A-Z challenge. Continue reading “April Reflection”
Abstract Photography
I hit a bump in this week’s photo challenge because of the word, Abstract. Continue reading “Abstract Photography”
Dinnertime
Ah, at last, a photo challenge about food and boy oh boy, do I have something to share. Continue reading “Dinnertime”
Half-Light: Sunrises
February full-moon sunrise
March Sunrise
Early classes means driving to school before sunrise
I took all these pictures during the last month and they were all taken in the early in the morning. I love sunrises, there are always so many colors associated. I just don’t like getting this early. Good thing I only have three more weeks of school left.
Safe Haven
As few of you know, I’ve been seeing a therapist since the beginning of this month and I think it’s time I update my current mental situation. Continue reading “Safe Haven”
Marooned to Salt Lake
Have you ever been to a dog park and seen the dogs run wild and free while their owners sat on the sideline chatting? They look just so happy, don’t they? Being off the leash? Continue reading “Marooned to Salt Lake”
Nature’s Art
This picture was taken at Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada last September. I stopped there on my way home from Las Vegas. It was incredibly hot that day, almost 100°F and it was dry heat so every breath I took in burned in my lungs. I enjoyed the desert landscapes anyway.
I’ve chosen this picture to represent this week’s photo challenge and discover challenge because I believe the word, harmony, has a lot of different meanings. In my mind, harmony is a group of people, animals, and even objects come together in peace and create something amazing and to see, well, that’s invoking a sense, right?
When I look at this picture, it reminds me of this. In a way, this desert landscape is a work of art created by mother nature and this is how I see it:
Each time a gust of wind goes by, a group of sandstone particles would volunteer to surrender their place, they would choose to explore elsewhere even though they knew that once they leave, they’re never coming back. Over time, as more and more of these sandstone particles choose to move on, to travel and find a new home by means of the wind, a gaping hole would be in their places and sooner or later, the rock will look more and more like a block of Swiss cheese or it will transform into a peculiar sculpture that looks like the upper half of a man’s body.
State of Mind
Secrets
I am terrible at keeping secrets. If you tell me a secret, I will have to tell someone or I might explode. Continue reading “Secrets”
Failed Imitation
I gotta be honest, when I saw this week’s photo challenge, I was a bit stumped because after I saw so many posting pictures of them or someone posing with statues, I knew I wouldn’t have any of those pictures lying around especially I don’t like to pose with things. After brainstorming for a few days, I finally came up with just the pictures to show.
When I took these pictures last December, I was still experimenting with the new camera. Both were taken with the Intelligent Auto setting (a what-turned-out-to-be-a useful setting). However, right before I pressed the shutter button for the first picture (the pretty one), the Intelligent Auto setting switched to Night setting and the flash was immediately turned off. I tried to snap one more (the second picture) but for some reason, the setting was reverted back to Auto. Thus, that’s the reason for the second picture.
Somethings just cannot be imitated, that includes shooting photographs.
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Things that are Cold
Other than snow, I don’t have a lot of pictures that represent cold things. However, as I was scrolling through Instagram on my laptop, I came across this picture. I don’t remember taking this picture let alone posting it to Instagram because why would I take a picture of a block of ice?
In the caption, it said, “Three hours in the sun and the ice’s still there.” So I guess this proves just how cold the water is.
Vibrant Sunsets
Vibrant, as defined by dictionary.com: Continue reading “Vibrant Sunsets”
Vibrant Flowers
Here are some of my all-time flower pictures from 2015. I enjoy everything about these pictures, its colors, how it was taken, etc. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Red Roses
Optimistic
Winter has hit hard this year. Continue reading “Optimistic”
I heard my voice
I have never watched a video of myself. Often times, I’m behind the camera, not in front of it. When I visited China more than a decade ago, I didn’t have a camera. Continue reading “I heard my voice”
Above the Clouds
I’ve only ever ridden an airplane maybe five times, not counting the return trips and I’ve never really notice how bumpy the ride can get sometimes until my trip to Chicago a few months ago. Continue reading “Above the Clouds”
Coffee House Ramble #8
I would first like to apologize that I cannot be here today. I will most definitely be in my upper level Statistics class at the moment, probably counting down the 50 minutes until when I will be getting out to go to the bookstore and blow a few hundred bucks on textbooks. To tell you the truth, I would rather be in bed. I am not at all used to waking up this early.
But what can I say? All my classes this semester will be in the morning which means I will be getting up before dawn Monday to Friday. Weirdly, on the other hand, I’ve been looking forward to this semester. You may ask, “Why?”
In my heart, I have a feeling this semester will be different than the last. It will be better. For one, I am not taking any accounting classes this semester. I am taking business classes instead like management, marketing, information system, and of course statistics. For another, it’s just me going to school this semester, mom’s not tagging along, attempting to make my life miserable. She will pretty soon be working from day to night and I’ll be pretty much alone at home. I will get to have the car. I will get to stay at school for as long as I want and won’t have anyone texting me when I’ll be home. I just wish I get to go anywhere I want without mom knowing.
That will come at a cost though. Everything comes at a cost. Mom will be cranky and irritable. She doesn’t want to work and yet money’s her best friend. Don’t look at me, I didn’t tell her to take so many jobs.
I’ve made myself a promise at the end of last semester that I will enjoy this semester, that I will make an effort to make friends, to social, to network. I just hope I can live with this promise.
In case you missed last time:
What am I?
So far I’ve read quite a few responses to today’s daily prompt and learned a lot about my fellow bloggers’ detailed family lineages and quite frankly, I know almost nothing of my own. Continue reading “What am I?”
The Worst and the Best
The worst possible thing that could have happened to me today has already happened. Yesterday, I was so incredibly thrill to finally find a book I like. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book I like so much. Continue reading “The Worst and the Best”
Coffee House Ramble #7
Hey, what was up with last week? I was so excited but you never show up?
Didn’t you read my post? I was celebrating 1000th post and I thought I’d do something memorable.
Oh, and I’m not memorable?
No, I didn’t say that but you are a weekly event and I need something that says “Special announcement!” Anyway, how was your break?
Eh.
That bad, huh?
[shrugs] So it’s the new year, you got any goals? Resolutions?
[shrug] I used to make New Year Resolutions but it seems like the more I make them, the more I promise myself to do something, the more I would end up not doing it. Like last year, I told myself, “You will exercise, keep exercising until you reach your ideal weight.” I think I did it a week or at least until my body was so sore that I could barely move and I just gave up. You can see that I have a problem with commitment.
You can do that again this year, just keep telling yourself and maybe now that you have a treadmill, it’ll be easier. Didn’t you say you had to drive somewhere else to go to the gym? [Nodding] Well, now you don’t. Maybe you’ll finally achieve your ideal weight.
Okay, I see you’ve got a good point there. Maybe that was the obstacle all along. Maybe I will finally reach my dream goal. For now though, I think my main goal of 2016 is to finish my degree and graduate college for the second time. So do you have any goals this year?
[laughs] I’m in your head, remember? Your goals are my goals.
[laugh] Oh right.
In case you missed last time:
This is Another Story 