| The last few days in the countryside - Winter 06/07 |
[Dec. 19th, 2008|08:33 am] |
We first stopped at a seaside town called Narbonne, located in southwestern France, about 550 miles from Paris.
Like all other parts of France, it was windy as helll
After enjoying the views and snapping some family photos by the beach, we all loaded the van
From the water, we saw a castle at the top of the hill. Afterwards, we decided to park in a residential area. Some of us (uncle, dad, and auntie) were man enough to brave the freezing cold wind and hike up to the top of the hill, while the rest of us chillaxed in the van eating lutti candies.
A common item of decor in France - climbing/hanging Santas!! Ever since we boarded the train from the airport to the heart of Paris, we've been counting the number of hanging Santas that we've seen. Can you spot the climbing Santa?
From Narbonne, we drove to the city of Gruisson, where a large castle was located. Notice my uncle's parking skillz
The amazing entrance to the castle -
I felt like I could be in Medieval times..
My sister modeling with the gorgeous view behind her ahaha
I forgot which went first - the castle in Gruisson, or the mini Tijuana-like trip to Spain. Anywho, since we were so close to the Spanish border, our family spontaneously decided to hit up Spain - just to say that we hit up Spain! Along the way, we visited a little visitor center village. Proof that we were on our way:
Soo, I've never been to TJ, Mexico, but i could imagine that this part of Spain is very similar. There was nothing but a few buildings here and there with shops selling trinkets and groceries. I'm sure my cousins and I can never forget the men that opened their jackets/briefcases revealing designer goodies and saying, "Dolce and Gabbana?? Dolce and Gabbana?"... Yeaa.. no thanks.
From Spain we headed back to our little place in Felines Minervois, where we would rest before our grand journey back to Paris. |
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| Continuing the Europe Trip |
[Dec. 17th, 2008|08:38 am] |
Driving across the countryside -
I woke up the last morning in the Chignon Farm/Fort House and saw the frost on the windows. It was freeeeeezing!! Here's the gate from the previous post:
From the gate, I was able to capture our cute fort-ish farmhouse
Every time I woke up from a nap, I was always eager to discover the new sight to see. In this case, it was a small road lined with trees and grass, framed by my uncle and mother's silhouettes.
And speaking of being in the van, I just hadd to post some of the necessities: Baguettes (A MUST) and a map (also a MUST haha).:) Baguettes all day everyday baby!
From Chignon, we drove to a quaint little village of around 9 buildings and one church called Felines Minervois. We arrived at night and guess who came to give us the key? A short old lady in her nightgown with a lamp in her hand!! haha, no picture from that but it was quite amusing. Our home was much more cramped than our fort-home in Chignon, but we made the most of it! We arrived on Christmas Eve I believe.. The place we stayed at is the yellowy building on the right:
In the spirit of Christmas, our family headed to the holy town of Lourdes, located in the Pyrenean foothills of southwestern France. Along the way we stopped by Le-Clerc (sp?), a giant supermarket chain sort of simliar to Super Wal-mart. From the parking lot, I just haadd to capture this view:
Architecture and color in the town of Lourdes:
The town was practically deserted, save for a couple of souvenir shops that sold candles, t-shirts, little kiddie books telling the story of Saint Bernadette and her encounters with the Virgin Mary, bottles (to collect holy water from the grotto), and all sorts of things. It was so deserted that we wondered if we were even allowed in the town! As we approached the Rosary Basilica, however, we found more people funneling onto the streets.
The view from the Rosary Basilica, blocked by my uncle and dad, aka "Le Croissant and Le Baguette"
A glimpse of the grotto underneath the massive stone structure of the Rosary Basilica.
Lourdes is a major Christian pilgrimage. Here, a statue of our Lady of Lourdes overlooks a line of people waiting to touch the spring water from the stones of the grotto, which is believed to have healing properties.
On the next day, we drove to the Medieval city of Le Cite. Here is our lovely Le-Mobile parked in a vacant lot:
From the van, we walked towards a bridge for a better view -
Inside the castle!
It was FREEZING. and you can see it in my sister's face ahaha. I seriously felt my toes were gonna break off.
The castle isn't empty at all! It's actually filled with shops of sorts and bed and breakfasts. I tried my first French Crepe in this castle :). In addition to the shops, there was a kiddie train you could ride around the castle. I felt really sorry for the conductor -
Atop a hill near our village of Felines Minervois was an old windmill. Again, it was freeezing. It was so cold that the rest of my family stayed in the van while my uncle, dad, and I hiked to the hill.
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| Behind the Photo: London , England and Chignon, France |
[Dec. 15th, 2008|10:26 am] |
Inspired by National Geographic's "Behind the Photo" series, I decided to do something similar in journal form. Whenever I photograph something, I try my best to capture the moment as I see it, in my point of view. What you see is my attempt to feel the emotion that I feel at the time. It's never easy, but I try my best!
Two years ago, my family and I took a trip to Europe:
My parents are suchh tourists. I'd say my dad is the stereotypical asian tourist. He always has a backpack on and camera or map in hand. I find it totally amusing and I love it. Here is a picture of my parents in an underground subway station in London (aka "the tube"). As the first day in London, my parents were still getting acquainted with the area. Here, I wanted to capture my parents amidst the hustle and bustle of Londoners.
I see London I see France! No underpants here - just a picture of people and a plane headed to Paris. I wanted to capture the feeling of loading a plane with a family of 10. I'm always trailing behind them. You can spot both my parents in this shot.
In the lovely "LeFamilyMobile". I sat in the second row, middle seat (squooshed between my cousin and auntie). Here we are approaching a cathedral in Chartres, France.
Parallel parking a big ass van in a small town. Nuff said.
Inside the cathedral. I wanted to capture the "massiveness" of the cross. I loved the lighting here. I was in awe the whole time inside. I don't even know if was allowed to take a picture...!
Our "Fort" outside the town of Chignon. There's a whole story behind this destination, but I'll save that for later. Can you believe we stayed here? Man it looks like a fort, but it was our home for a few days. It's quite cozy inside (minus the upstairs cold and creepy bedrooms).
As cozy as the house is, it's pretty cold in the mornings. Here's a peek from the inside looking out.
The first morning there was filled with family pictures. Here, I wanted to juxtapose the grand wooden gate with my Aunt and cousin.
Driving in a different country is always an adventure. Even with my uncle as the driver, and dad as the navigator, we still got lost!! In this photograph, you can see that we definitely took a wrong turn as we found ourselves and our 10-seater van in the middle of a shopping center. My dad (in yellow) is trying to look for an exit. If you know France, then you know how small the streets are. It was IMPOSSIBLE to bust a U here. I have a video of this situation, but I can't find it!!! So sad... I should have taken a picture of the men yelling at us!
Countryside = castles. Must sees. I'm always trailing behind my family.. My dad always has his camera in hand :) I forgot the name of this castle, but I will find out soon!!
That's all for noww.. I'm sick and staying in today.. |
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| chasing sunsets #1 |
[Dec. 11th, 2008|04:13 pm] |
12/10/2008, 4:35 PM, At the University and Campus Drive Intersection from the driver's seat.
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| study break |
[Nov. 3rd, 2008|08:29 pm] |
i took coco's tennis ball so she couldn't get it
yes, i'm mean.. but she looked so cute!!
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| old skool |
[Oct. 27th, 2008|11:12 pm] |
Just a picture I took when I was back at home. This is the lamp in my room/guest room
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| I'm just missing my family.. |
[Oct. 20th, 2008|07:27 pm] |
It's been a month since I've seen my family and since I've been homesick lately, I'm going to post some pictures from a Yosemite trip last May (Memorial Day weekend).
The fact that it rained all weekend pretty much sucked, but the foggyness brought out a different side of Yosemite..
Here's Half Dome peeking through the clouds..
I forgot what this dome was called.. Sentinal Dome i think.. kinda reminds me of LOTR
We camped near a meadow, so this was only a 2 minute walk away. .
Here's my lil cousin Shaun
and lil cousin Alyson aka Dora the Asian Explorer
That's my dad :)
Yosemite Falls flowing with water!
Night Life with the LE FAMILY.. all huddled together under umbrellas and makeshift tarp canopies.
My relatives even made UDON FROM SCRATCH!!
There they are.. Some prepping food.. some playing cards.. others eating
I love photographing people photographing people.. make sense? haha
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| trying to study.. |
[Oct. 20th, 2008|01:10 am] |
okay, im saying it
..sigh..
it's always amused me everytime people put "sigh" in their statuses and such, but i'm saying it now. and yes, it amuses me too even though the situation isnt amusingg.. blahh
and just cuz i feel like it, im adding a random picture.
i made it in ceramics class, but left it there and im too lazy too look for it
and just cuz this picture fits my mood right now...
"the restless sea", monterey bay, CA |
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| Random Photo |
[Oct. 19th, 2008|10:32 pm] |
Corona Del Mar
11:00 AM
Subject: ICC HUY from CSULA
October 18, 2008
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| A Windy Day |
[Oct. 13th, 2008|11:15 pm] |
I guess I could say that this is my first official livejournal blog, since the one below is just a lil shout out thing. But anyway, let's see about what I've been up to.
So i learned how to surf two weeks ago, which was awesome!! So now I can say that I've surfed before! It's also something I want to take up when I have spare time, so we'll see how that goes. One of the things I love most about socal is the close proximity to the ocean. I've been fortunate to have a friend who is just as gung-ho about random beach outings as I am!! I no longer go alone (though, i was completely content about going alone before..) and I'm happy to say that I've gone like .. 4 times within 2 weeks. I love it!
I've also sold my soul to VSA, so that's taking up most of my time for now.. But I love it! I wouldn't have met the people I know today if i didn't join in the first place. Lots to do.. lots to do..
Random picture of the day..
isn't she the cutest?
a wise person once told me, "You may only get one chance for a first impression, but you never lose the chance to make a lasting impression" |
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| first LJ |
[Jun. 17th, 2006|10:48 pm] |
I started this so i can comment on OHNOTHEYDIDNT!
i love taking pictures, and i just finished my first year at UC IRVINE. it was a sweet year.
random picture i took from newport beach -
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