Coming Clean and Future Plans


Aha, I have finally discovered the real reason of why my mom won’t let me to leave, why she’s so fixed on me staying. Continue reading “Coming Clean and Future Plans”

Thursday was Great Until…


Thursday has been my favorite day of the week all summer long.

Reason #1: The only day of the week my mom goes to work and not at home monitoring my actions while calling my name every time I sit down and begin to relax.

Reason #2: It’s the only day of the week when I can actually go out and take some brand-new picture myself. It’s not that I can’t take pictures when mom’s around. It’s just she likes to order me around. I want to take a macro picture of our baby watermelon and she says it will confuse our relatives back in China. What’s so confusing about a macro picture?

Do you find this picture confusing?
Do you find this picture confusing?

Reason #3: It’s the night that actually has some TV shows to watch.

So last Thursday or two days ago, mom told me the night before she’s going to be home late. It got me so excited that I could hardly sleep on Wednesday night. I was going to blog, eat some breakfast, go out for a photoshoot, and go to the bank, and then come home to do some meditation.

That did not go as planned. The fridge’s empty. There’s barely anything to eat. I just had one of these delicious muffins that mom had me bake last weekend.

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Then I went out into the backyard garden and shot some photos of our baby watermelons, cucumber flowers, and maturing tomatoes. I came back and shot a picture of the harvest from the night before plus an apple from a week ago.

Before long, I got hungry. So I decided to make myself some lunch with the thought that I still have plenty of alone time. I must had jinxed it somehow because 5 minutes after I sat down for lunch, the garage door opened. Mom’s home and it’s only a little after noon. I groaned as she walked in, peeked at what I was having, chicken drumstick and rice.

So that’s the end to my Thursday. After lunch, I relaxed just a tad before walking to the bank, stood in a long line because mom was too lazy to go through the drive-thru to deposit a check.

Anyway, here are the pictures in a Mesh gallery. I’m still learning to use Mesh. So if it looks weird, just look at the normal gallery below.

http://me.sh/8qhhtp

 

Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge – Today Was a Good Day

Another Liebster Award


I’d like to thank Francesca at A Smith World for nominating me for the Liebster Award. This would put me at Liebster x3! Continue reading “Another Liebster Award”

Creepy Yet Adorable


Taking a break from my studying here, actually, I haven’t started today’s studying yet since mom insists calling me every few minutes. Our tenant unexpectedly moved out last night. He was supposed to move out at the end of the month but apparently, he didn’t want to stay another 15 days.

Anyway, this week’s photo challenge is not an easy one at all but I managed. Here are some creepy yet delightfully adorable pictures from my trip to Cabela’s at the end of last year.

P.S. Cabela’s is a store that sells outdoor equipment like camping and stuff.

What was I doing there? My cousin wanted a super warm winter coat because even without the snow, he still can’t stand the cold and mom wanted a gun, a long dangerous rifle, to keep in the house. Thank god she didn’t get one. Otherwise, I might be a dead girl.

Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge – Creepy

Work Accomplished


Well, I think I basically accomplished everything that’s work last week. I completely finished with this month’s work yesterday. With that said, I believe I still have a lot of work at my other job. For the past two months, my boss’s been debating whether to change the point-of-sales system even though the system now does all it needs to (make change, take in money, etc) but the inventory tracking system is crap. I think the problem is not the problem, it’s my boss.

He uses a gajillion programs (excel, Quickbooks, who knows what else) to track the inventory and he never updates all of them at the same time. So some of them are really behind. I offered to update them for him but he seemed to think I have my hands full with Quickbooks alone. Hmm, interesting.

Anyway, back to point-of-sales, the part that drives me absolutely nuts is the part where my boss consults me with which machine to buy. Pfft, like I have a clue.

Another thing that drives me insane is that every time I go in, I’d ask him when the new machine is going to get here because I was under impression he had ordered a new point-of-sales system. I’ve been asking this question since the end of June and he answered, “Oh, maybe tomorrow.”

I replied, “Well, if it gets here, call me.”

The truth is, he never ordered the damn machine. Last Thursday night, 11:00 PM, I received a text from my boss. In the text, he said he was excited. He had found a brand new POS system. I’m like, great, why are you telling me?

In the next text, he told me I should go in the shop the next day to check it out. So I went. From an online point-of-view, it looked pretty sophisticated. I told him to just go for it but he has doubts. Not my fault. So hopefully he’ll get the system and be done with this whole debate once and for all.

So I got all I have to get done this week work-wise. Writing-wise, I barely got anything done. I’ve decided to begin anew with my novella again since the high-school scene isn’t really working and it won’t work unless I experience high school myself because being in 3 different high school isn’t anyone’s experience of a high school experience.

Before I go, I want to show some more Beneath your feet pictures. This time, it’s really Beneath Your Feet.

Daily Prompt – Obstacle Course

Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge – Beneath Your Feet

The Long Route Home


There’s not much to look at out the window today. The sky has decided to be gloomy. It looks like it’s going to rain but when? I have absolutely no idea.

There are also not much to look at beneath my feet either. Most times, it’s just concrete or asphalt. The prettiest ground I’ve seen around here is the Gateway Mall in Downtown Salt Lake but I haven’t been there for about two years and the last time, I didn’t bring my camera with me. Oh well.

Therefore I am going to just share some pictures from my walk yesterday.

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Before I left, I went into the backyard to see how the garden is doing. The last time I checked was a few weeks ago. Anyway, I’ve been so busy taking pictures of the garden that I have completely forgotten the mint bushes in the corner. The smell was so pungent as I leaned in for a picture not to mention there are bees everywhere. Well, they don’t call it “The Beehive State” for nothing.

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This is a watermelon flower. Mom’s been nagging me to take a picture and send it to my aunt in China.

It is hard to believe that this pretty little flower will very soon become a watermelon. I took this yesterday morning and last night, when mom went out to water the plants, she shrieked, “so many watermelon flowers! We’re going to have so many melon this year!” I was genuinely amazed since I only spotted this single flower just hours earlier.

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Of course, my photo walk have to include a picture of the sky. I thought this cloud looked like a funnel.

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I walked two laps (1 mile) and half of the third lap before I exited the park through the alley next to my aunt’s house and took another route home. It is the long route, about half mile out of the way but it was well worth it.

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This picture has been altered just a tiny bit because the truck’s license plate was showing too clearly but not by much. I just picked the effect that blurred the background just a little.

Overall, I think I made the right choice to take the long route. I think I will take this route again and take more pictures next time.

Daily Prompt – Through the Window

Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge – Beneath Your Feet

Tattoos and Scars


Tattoos are like scars. They are both permanent and require pain, although the pain of getting tattoo is intentional compare to scars which may and may not be intentional. Continue reading “Tattoos and Scars”

Clouds


I took pictures of clouds and as I was playing with them in the photo-editing app on my tablet, I was inspired to do something else with them. I hope you enjoy these pictures.

Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge – Inspiration

Daily Prompt – Clouds

Spend the Day Imagining


There are reasons I didn’t write for this prompt during the first time around. Continue reading “Spend the Day Imagining”

3 Days 3 Quotes Challenge – Day 3


So this is day 3 and final day of the three days challenge. It’s been fun. I’d again like to thank Christina Rose at The Wordy Rose and several others for nominating me for the challenge. Continue reading “3 Days 3 Quotes Challenge – Day 3”

3 Days 3 Quotes Challenge – Day 2


So this is day 2 of the three days challenge. Once again, I’d like to thank Christina Rose at The Wordy Rose and several others for nominating me for the challenge. Continue reading “3 Days 3 Quotes Challenge – Day 2”

3 Days 3 Quotes Challenge – Day 1


After being nominated by Christina Rose at The Wordy Rose and several others, I decided to give the challenge another go. Last time, my theme was random, this time, I will focus on Positive, Optimistic quotes. Continue reading “3 Days 3 Quotes Challenge – Day 1”

Summer Harvest


So here are some pictures from the recent harvest of blackberries. I have a suspicion there is a lot to come.

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My mom picked these. I told her to only pick the ones that are black as coal but she didn’t believe me. After all, what do I know? I’ve only been the sole harvester of blackberries for last three years or so.

“Whatever,” she said and popped a red one into her mouth.

“I told you,” I sighed as I watched her squeeze her eyes shut like she had just drunk a spoonful of apple cider vinegar. “The red ones are extremely sour.” I told her afterwards.

That’s why it’s called blackberries and not red berries because they are only sweet when it’s black. I think she had learned her lesson though, just like I learned mine back in 2012. I guess there’s always a first time for everything.

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Here is a close-up on the blackberries bushes. It’s just a matter of time before these ripen and are ready to be picked.

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There is! One ripened blackberry. They are sweet as sugar.

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Just to give you a perspective of the amount of berries in the backyard. This is just a fraction. I thought after my aunt botched the pruning last fall, we would have less berries or none at all this year but instead, we have more. It is incredible.

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Here are the watermelons my mom planted about two weeks back. Look at how much they’ve grown. Apparently, watermelons like heat and water. That’s probably why people love it so much in the summer. I am so looking forward to this harvest.

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Finally, while the roses are taking a break, the dahlias are blooming in the front yard. Not a lot though, after all, we have just planted them last Summer. It’ll take a little time to grow. This flower has been around for about a week or two and that is already longer than the roses.

A Mix Reflection and Symbols


So I have been busy all day and didn’t get to write at all. What about the story I posted this morning? That was just a little something I put together yesterday. Continue reading “A Mix Reflection and Symbols”

Unexpected Guests


Warning: Read on at your own risk. I cannot guarantee this post is safe for everyone with Arachnophobia. Continue reading “Unexpected Guests”

Photo101: Glass


When I was looking at these pictures for the first time, they looked like what an astronaut would see if they looked out the window of their space capsule. Except for the rose bush, it looked sort of like that to me.

Tell me, do you see it too?

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Summer So far…


Today’s prompt asks: If it’s autumn or winter where you live, what are you most looking forward to doing next summer? If it’s spring or summer where you are, what has been the highlight of the season so far for you? Continue reading “Summer So far…”

Photo101: Treasure and Close Up


This assignment is a little tricky because it asks about treasures and yet, it showed a piece of delicious tart. Then I understood. The delicious tart is a symbolic way to say that things will be gone sooner or later. Therefore, we have to treasure it while it lasts.

So what is my treasure? I’ve been asked that question before when I took Writing 101 in April. Then, it was the things we treasure and I picked my iPod. I am not going to do that again.

My other treasure is symbolic. It is friendship. I don’t make friends easily but when I make a friend, I tend to hold on to that friend like a vise. So, I was a little sad when I had to move to Texas. Before I went, my friend gave me this last thing to hold on. She made it all, all out of straws (the kind you drank from). Although presently, we are merely just acquaintances, I have treasured this parting gift and I am so glad this assignment jogged my memory. wpid-dscf0091.jpg

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She had taught me to make these stars once but I wasn’t as good as her. It’s quite difficult to pull the straw through such a small space with my chubby fingers. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?

Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge – Close Up

Photo101: Landscape


I take a lot of landscape shots but I rarely take panoramic picture. It’s just too time-consuming and having shaking hands do not help. However, when I can’t resist, I would spend however long to take a perfect panorama.

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For some of you, you may remember this picture from last Christmas. This picture is about as perfect as I can make a panorama turn out. It took me five tries and about 30 minutes to take this single shot. It’s worth it though because I’m pretty sure they only decorate this area at Christmas. It is the scene when everyone gather to witness the birth of Jesus Christ.

I did not and am not going to crop this picture because then, it would destroy the purpose of a panoramic picture.

I have also prepare the following pictures to show but I don’t have anything to say about them. They are just some picture I took during one of my walks in the park.

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Photo101: Architecture and Monochrome


I was actually dreading this assignment because there are really not much architecture around here that’s worth showing in color let alone in black and white. Now that the project at my other job complete, I just have to go to work once a week to update the inventory and I never bring my camera for that. Then this morning, as I was digging around in search of some landscape pictures, I came across these. They aren’t much but I’m sure they belong in the category of some sort of architecture. Continue reading “Photo101: Architecture and Monochrome”

My Muse


I am definitely obsessed with taking pictures of flowers, plants, and landscapes. What can I say? Those are the only things here.

At the moment, though, I don’t really have any landscapes pictures worthy of showing. So I will just stick with flowers. I took these just three days ago and since then, I haven’t been able to take my eyes off of them. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Before I go, can someone please tell me the name of those pink flowers? I honestly don’t know. Thank you. 🙂

Response to Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Muse

Observation From My Walks


Originally, this was published under Photo101. The original title was: Photo101: Observation. Therefore, below are the original texts:

Since I don’t know what scale means, at least in terms of photography, I’ll just do observation.

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From what I understand, observation is something we see and typically, the camera captures more or less than what we see. For example, in the picture above, my eyes are paying attention on the path several feet ahead while the camera captures the entire scene, no matter how I adjust it. I’m not sure if this is making sense to anybody. Ugh, I suck at explaining things. Anyway, the same goes for the picture below.

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Did I achieve the goal of the assignment? Yes? No? Maybe?

Anyway, now, looking back, I think these pictures are great for the Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge – Beneath Your Feet.

Photo101: Play with Light


I wish I had shown this picture for yesterday’s prompt because it was taken a little more than a hour after the sun had risen. At the time (April), the sun didn’t rise until a little after seven. Continue reading “Photo101: Play with Light”