take me somewhere...

indian reserve at arizona.

taken with my sony digi cam.

With the wind caressing my hair, we drove through Arizona in high hopes of finding the Indian Reservation before leaving for another state. "There it is!" my dad exclaimed as he pointed towards a building with a curiously looking pink dinosaur overlooking the vast land. I turned my head and followed his finger and found myself glancing towards a set of unique looking tents, some with cartoon figures and others with geometrical shapes with unique symbols. My eyes were met with a soft sunset shining brightly yet gently as it gradually descended through the sky. Slowly stepping out of my vehicle, I stepped towards the tents and looked up into the sky and thought, "Ah... this is it."

on the road

i was tempted to take a picture while on the road.

 

i don't know how to remove the glare from the window.

driving through arizona

grand canyon covered with snow.

taken with my sony digital camera.

taken with the canon rebel 5D DSLR

Dad and I

first picture with jessica

taken with my sony digital camera. Hate my face, but love the exposure.

The first destination during the cross country trip was Grand Canyon. It was definitely an experience visiting Grand Canyon during winter. I have a mix of photos taken from a canon rebel 5D dslr and my sony digital camera. I don't think there's much of a big difference between the quality of the two since the pictures all came out beautiful. Enjoy~!

snow snow snow

Winter break is almost over and I am already trembling with anticipation for my spring classes. I've already bought most of the books needed for my classes and ended up spending a total of 400 bucks. Not bad not bad. Speaking of winter break, it snowed here in Las Vegas just yesterday. Since Las Vegas is a desert, we rarely get any snow out here. Although it stopped snowing and quickly dissolved the moment I woke up from my slumber, it was still a nice change to actually experience this moment of a true winter wonderland. This week, I'll be gone for ten days on a cross country trip with my father and seven other middle school kids. My father's the one who's planning the trip, since he works at a traveling agency, and I get to go for free. :) We'll be visiting various states such as Arizona, Utah, New York, Washington, etc.,. Hopefully I'll be able to enjoy this trip and spend some quality time with my father. Sorry if this post is a bit choppy and underdeveloped...It's midnight and I'm already tired.  I'll try to update more before I leave on Friday. :)

friday morning

UNLV campus

I took this picture right after I started to notice the gradual changes from the bright green leaves of the trees to a a more subtle yellow/orange color. After my Friday class finished, I walked around the campus with my friend wondering in amazement on how fast autumn is approaching.

the end of my trip to korea

My month long trip to Korea was great. Not only was I able to see these beautiful places in Korea, but I was able to meet my families (whom I haven't seen for 6 years). Everyone treated me so nicely and I really enjoyed my stay here, but I was ready to go back home to my friends and families in vegas. I would really like to go back someday, but for now, I'm quite content with where I am.

on top of the hill

After the trip to the beach, we came upon this small restaurant that was located on top of a very high hill. Once we entered the building, we noticed a fragrant scent of the local herbs and vegetables and an enticing smell of roasted duck. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. Having a traditionally healthy meal after a long day at the beach while enjoying the scenery was the best part of the trip. 

the beach

It was nice to sunbathe while watching my family enjoy the summer heat by playing in the ocean. My adorable little cousins were quite ecstatic and their bright smiles touched me in the deepest part of my heart, but unfortunately, mother earth called and so I couldn't play out in the ocean. But observing the beautiful scenery in front of me was quite enough to leave me happy and content.

arrival at the small island

The white beach sand was ENDLESS and the clear, blue ocean was absolutely divine. Girls in their bikinis, men in their swimming trucks. Laughter and excitement filled my ears as we all ran towards the inviting water.

looking out into the ocean

The sun was shining brightly, the smell of the sea was empowering, and the ocean was endless. The boat ride was very peaceful and exciting, I was actually looking forward in seeing this little island that the local people raved about. My aunt told me that the little island we were going to had a little private beach and isn't crowded like most other beaches in Korea.

on our way to tonyang

I was absolutely delighted at the fact that we would writing this small boat to reach the quaint, serene little island located 20 minutes away from the main land.

surrounded my greeneries

train tracks admidst a forest

train tracks amidst a forest

As you can see, the heat in Seoul is just UNBEARABLE once it hits the month of July and August. I'm still amazed at how my grandmother convinced me to go walk outside for a breath of fresh air, but I am glad I did. Once we stepped outside of her little apartment, she led me to this beautiful scenery where a single line of train tracks were found in the middle of a forest. BREATHLESS is the word I had used to describe my astonishment in seeing such a landscape. Again, I would use this image as something found in a miyazaki film, but OH. You should know by now at how obsessed I am with his works. :)

ssamzigil

shops next to the ssamzigil

way to the little cafe upstairs of ssamzigil

Located in the corner of Insadong is a complex called ssamzigil. Green Plants and vines surrounding the building and the little cafes and boutiques inside the mall are what you call A TRUE DISCOVERY. All the little handicrafts sold in the boutiques are all handmade and the people who made it are so sweet and courteous. I will definitely be back to visit you again.

antiques sold in insadong

I truly regret not getting anything from this little side store. The little dishes, sculptures, and other artifacts were just beautiful.

riding on the subway

subway to insadong

Just like in a movie or any miyazaki film, I was able to ride on a subway. Not the subway where it's underneath the ground and looks scary and intimidating, but the one where it was outside with rusty old train tracks and little patches of grasses and flowers along the tracks. It was enchanting to ride on a subway and see the scenery from a different perspective.