SOTD(s): Images from the Photo Vault

Hello everyone! So many exciting things going on with my life right now. My head's been reeling from all the craziness!

Okay, first, I would like to share some of my early work. These are some of the pictures I took for my first photography class. I've been super busy trying to get our condo ready for sale that I don't have the time to take new pictures right now. I hope you guys don't mind!

Okay, let's get on with the updates.

House Update: The bank countered our offer and the counteroffer sounded pretty fair to us so sure, we'll take it. Paperwork is not being generated and we pretty much locked in the house. Let's hope for smooth sailing from here!

Job Update: I actually did an impromptu phone interview yesterday. It wasn't so bad but I'm not so sure about the job. Today, the hospital I want to work for gave me a call to see if I'm still interested in interviewing for a position. Um hello, of course I'm interested!

So please, if you can spare some positive vibes, please send them my way. I really, really, really need them.

Thanks and I hope you guys had a great day today!

P.S.: Is anyone having problems with Blogger using Internet Explorer 9? For some reason, I can't publish and edit my post using IE. I had to switch to Firefox in order to publish and edit this posting. This is frustrating!

Another House-hunting Update

Sorry, no pictures today. I've been super-busy and today, I wasn't feeling well all afternoon. *sad face*

Anyway, we put in an offer on THE HOUSE and we are super-excited. Haha, even my husband is excited and he was not that excited over the other houses we put in an offer before.

He even ran by the house during his daily run even though the house is not on his daily running route!

And now we're waiting on the bank, which is the seller of the house. They really loooove taking their sweet-ass time. We probably won't hear anything until early next week. Wish us luck. We really want this house!

Anyway, it's my husband's birthday weekend and we're gonna have a blast! I wish you all a good weekend!

House Update # WhoKnowsWhat

I can't remember how many updates I wrote about our house-hunting adventures in the past. Probably not that many but I can't remember.

Anyway, guess what? We're looking at a house tomorrow! We drive past this house a lot (and I staaaaaaare at it every single time)and we always wondered how much it's going for. I saw the listing today and it's pretty much in our price range!Is this some sort of sign?

According to our real estate lady, the interior needs some work but she's not sure how much work needs to be done so I guess we'll see tomorrow. The exterior and the backyard looks pretty neat in the pictures but again, we'll see what's up tomorrow.

About 2,500 square feet, split-level with a loft and the backyard is a golf course....damn.

Okay, no more talking about it! I don't want to jinx it!

In the meantime, here's another daffodil picture.

It's been sunny but cold around here lately but I don't care about and don't mind the cold temperature; I just love seeing the sun! Finally!

SOTD(s): Non-Sophie Kitty Pictures

Meet Nala.

Nala is my in-laws' adopted kitty cat. She's sooooo cute.

I finally got a chance to take a picture of her. She moves too much and so far, this is the only decent shot I'm not too ashamed to post on this blog.


I actually want to steal her, ha ha ha.

Fun fact about Nala: we're actually not quite sure if Nala is a boy or a girl.

Oh, wait a second! *digs up an old picture*

Anyway, pictured below is Pat. Pat was my in-laws' old kitty. Pat actually went to kitty heaven months ago. He lived a very happy kitty life.


Anyway, that's all for now. I have more pictures but I'll save them for next time.

My allergies are killing me and all I wanna do lately is lay down and close my eyes. Thanks for reading and looking!

SOTD(s): In honor of Earth Week

April 17 -23 is Earth Week.

Images were taken at the California Academy of Sciences Museum in San Francisco, CA.





Are you doing anything in honor of Earth Week?

Composer LENSBABY

I got this lens as one of my Christmas gifts from the husband and so far, I've only used it once or twice.

It's kind of upsetting and I feel bad because it's pricey and it's just sitting in the box.

The thing is, it was kind of frustrating to use in my opinion. I feel like I can achieve the same thing with my regular camera lens. Also, I have never used one before and maybe that's why I was getting frustrated. I also tend to overthink and overachieve. Anyway, I need to do some more research about it and keep practicing. From what I've seen online, this lens is fully capable of making really cool effects on the pictures (if you know how to use it).

Oh and here's an image taken with the Lensbaby. Blegh, I really need more practice.

If any of you have used any of the Lensbaby lenses before, please let me know and feel free to offer some advice. As soon as it stops raining, I'll start taking pictures with this thing. It needs to be used!

Anyway, I hope you guys have a good weekend!

SOTD: Latest Food Addiction

ORANGES! Yum-moh!


I've been eating at least two oranges every single day. In some days, I eat four of them. Every single time I'm craving for something sweet, I eat oranges instead instead of eating those damned Godiva truffles my husband bought the other day.

Yup, healthy eating. I'm trying my best.

Okay, back to watching episodes of "Criminal Minds". I'm behind.

You all have a good day now. =)

SOTD(s): Random Crap on My Desk

I don't really know what else to take pictures of lately. I can't wait to start traveling again. I need a change of scenery.

Anyway, I've been cleaning the house. I created this list but for some reason, I find myself roaming from one room to another. Instead of finishing up the kitchen (the first room on the list), I end up organizing the dining room, then putting crap away in the living room...then organizing my desk. What the hell is wrong with me? I can't seem to stick with one task!

I got bored from cleaning and organizing so I took pictures of some random stuff on my desk. I had these things forever! Normally, I throw away anything that clutters my desk but I held on to these things.

I think this R2D2 plastic figure had candy inside. I meant to give it to a good friend but I didn't get the chance to do so. The candy inside was pretty crappy from what I remembered.



My German slang book. I remember my high school German teacher hated it when I used some of the phrases in class. Ha ha ha ha ha, good times! I wish I can take more German language courses. It's such a fun language to learn.



My beloved San Jose Sharks (Generic) Bobble Head. I think I got this for free and I can't remember what I did to get it.

Well, this is it for now. I need to get back to cleaning this damn house. I can't believe it's taking this long. I'm actually second-guessing the idea of getting a bigger place. House cleaning sucks!

15-Day Picture Challenge: Day Twelve

"A picture of your favorite book."

Hmmm, book as in singular? No such thing. I don't really have a favorite book because I freaking love books.

It's hard to pick just one so here are pictures of some of the books I love.

One of my favorite book series is the Harry Potter series. I remember my cousin Katherine was astounded when I finished "Goblet of Fire" within a few hours. I'm a pretty fast reader.

Here's a picture of one of my favorite classics, "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck. I love this book so much that I have three versions of it, one classic paperback edition, a hardbound edition and the one in the picture is the Steinbeck Centennial Edition. It looks like a really old book.


I really need to get back to reading books and reading classics again. I only read book when I'm traveling and it shouldn't be that way.

Operation Condo Organization

I'm posting this here because I know if I write it on a piece of paper, I'll end up throwing the piece of paper in the trash.

My goal is to clean, organize and stage the condo for pictures to go with the MLS listing just in case we decide to put it up in the market (Um yeah, currently, my husband still cannot make up his mind about that issue.).

I feel like everything is a mess and I think it's affecting my stress level. It's time to do something about it. I'm thinking about tackling one room per day so I won't feel too overwhelmed (Even though I already feel overwhelmed but damn, this needs to be done!).

Okay here's the list. I'm gonna start from one side of the condo.

MONDAY - Attack the damned kitchen. I'm working this day so I might not be able to get it done but I'll try. Take everything out of the cabinets, wipe down the inside of the cabinets, put the stuff back and organize the stuff. Wipe down the cabinet doors, the walls, the counters, mop the floor, stage the darn room...and take a picture.

TUESDAY - Finish up the kitchen if not done. Tackle the dining room area. Organize and wipe down the dining room console. Stage dining room area....and take a picture. Then start working on the living room.

WEDNESDAY - Tackle the living room. Clean everything, get the junk out, stage, take pictures. If done early, clean and stage the main bathroom and take pictures.

THURSDAY - Working today but I'll try to tackle the office/second bedroom. Clean out the closet. Put everything that needs to go to the storage in a box. Stage and take pictures. Work on both bathrooms if they are not done.

FRIDAY - Work on the master bedroom. Organize the walk-in closet (man, this might take all freaking day) and vanity area. Organize the drawers. I might have to wait for Jonathan to get home or Saturday to fix the stupid bed.

SATURDAY - Fix the stupid bed and finish taking pictures of the master bedroom. Clean out and stage the patio area for pictures.

Damn, I really hope I get all this stuff done.

Cool, Super-duper Awesome Nerd Alert!

Do you guys watch or have seen the show "Criminal Minds"?

I've been a fan/addict since I saw a marathon of episodes on the A&E channel during a Delta flight (that I almost missed, by the way, due to my flight being delayed from Orlando to Atlanta) from Atlanta to Seattle.

Anyway, I really, really, really love the character of nerdy Dr. Spencer Reid. I think he's a freaking genius. I wish I can be like him. He is played by Matthew Gray Gubler.

*points down*

Um yeah, that's him in the picture...and no, I didn't take it. I freaking wish I took the darn thing! He's pretty to look at. I love pretty subjects.

Oh yeah, and he has one of the coolest artworks I've even seen in my whole life. Check out his website.

http://www.matthewgraygubler.com/

ENJOY! I know I did.

15-Day Picture Challenge: Day Eleven

"A picture of someone you miss."

I figure I might as well try to finish this challenge.

I miss my grandma. To me, she's the best grandma in the whole entire universe. She cracks me up all the time. I wish I can see her as much as I can.

Gah, I miss my entire family. I wish it's easy as 1-2-3 to move back to California.

Here's a picture of her holding my little baby cousin.

Kitty Portraits: Sophie

Happy Friday everyone!

Anyway, I don't have kids so who do I take pictures of on a daily basis?

Sophie the kitty.

She's so easy to take pictures of. Some cats move around too much but Sophie is... I guess, a natural? Most of the time, she just sits there and uh, makes love to the camera? I think sometimes she does get annoyed with having a camera up in her face because she actually turns around and looks away. I have to bribe her with kitty treats and hold up a toy sometimes in order to get her to strike a kitty pose. She can be such a freaking diva. Anyway, I took some pictures of her this week and here's some of them.

Ooooooh, I have some updates on the house-hunting debacle!

Well, we're going to be putting up our condo for sale or for rent so it's going to be crazy for me in the next few weeks. I need to work on cleaning up the house, staging the rooms (a.k.a. moving crap and clutter from one room to another) and take pictures to go with the MLS listing online.

We're going to be looking at houses too this weekend....AGAIN. Ugh, it's not even exciting anymore to me.

Oh and one more thing, this blog got 14 hits from Germany yesterday. I know, I know, 14 hits is not a big deal to a lot of bloggers but to me, that's a big deal!

To my reader from Germany, vielen Dank um meinen Blog zu lesen!

Anyway, I hope you all have a good Friday and a great weekend. Thanks for reading!

Messing Around: Shutter Speed

Happy Wednesday! How's everybody doing today?

Playing around with a camera is really fun. I particularly love playing with the shutter speed sometimes and I'm gonna show you something I learned from my photography class.

It's pretty simple. We're gonna be using the LCD screen so go ahead and turn it on. I always use the camera's viewfinder but for these shots, instead of looking through the viewfinder, I use the camera's LCD screen.

Then, slow down the shutter speed (or set the camera to Tv if you have a Canon camera or whatever setting that lets you pick the shutter speed), focus on the subject and spin the camera while pressing the shutter at the same time.

Here are the results:

Rocks outside our patio

The carpet inside our place.

(Damn, it looks kinda dirty in the picture but really, we don't have dirty carpets!)

Some calla lilly bush growing outside next to our patio.

The rocks on some rock garden in the hallway of our building.

Some Valentine's themed gift wrapper. I'm not really a fan of this shot.

Pretty cool huh?

See with these shots, PATIENCE IS KEY. Sometimes, you won't get the results you want so just keep trying! I got pretty lucky with the shots (like the first image and the calla lilly shots) where there's a focused subject smacked-dabbed in the center (or almost in the center) of the image. Most of the time, the camera focuses on random spots.

Anyway, that's all for now. Thanks for reading!

SOTD: I miss California

The title says it all.

I miss the weather. I miss my family. I miss my friends. I miss the San Jose Sharks.

This picture is actually taken inside Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

Famous Quotes from the 60s

Well, famous quotes about drugs from the 60s.

I have this growing fascination with the 60's culture. How I wish time machines exist. It would be interesting to see what people are like back then.

And no, I am not on drugs nor advocating drug use.


"When you smoke herb it reveals you to yourself." - Bob Marley

"Dope will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no dope. " - Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers

"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me." - Hunter S. Thompson

"Drugs are a bet with your mind. " - Jim Morrison

"Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most." - Jimi Hendrix

"It's better to burn out than fade away." - Neil Young

"My advice to people today is as follows: If you take the game of life seriously, if you take your nervous system seriously, if you take your sense organs seriously, if you take the energy process seriously, you must turn on, tune in, and drop out. " - Timothy Leary

"If you can remember the '60s, then you weren't there." - Unknown

"Reality is a crutch for people who can't handle drugs. " - Unknown

"LSD melts in your mind, not in your hand. " - Unknown

"Drop Acid, Not Bombs!" - Unknown


Interesting huh?

But yeah, say no to drugs kids. Just say no.

More Spring Pictures!

Woke up feeling like crap today.

It's all good though because I had a kickass weekend. =)

Anyway, I have more spring pictures. Today's theme is all about cherry blossoms. They're soooo pretty.





Anyway, this is it for now. I just wanna lay down on the couch and watch episodes of "Daria" all day. I feel really exhausted. Gah.

This is crap. Nothing but crap.

Gah, today is just plain awful to me.

First, I don't think I got the job. Today is almost over and so far, no phone calls yet. I guess I'll just keep on volunteering at the hospital for now.

I applied for two jobs at the hospital in Seattle. I will be applying for a third position this Monday so please, please, please, I hope I get one of the positions. I need some good vibes. Send them to my way please. I'm so tired of feeling like such a loser.

Second, I don't think we're getting the house anymore. The bank countered our offer and they want the full price but they'll pay for the closing costs. No thank you. They're already asking for too much in the first place. I guess we're just gonna wait and see if the price goes down (if it ever goes down). If it goes down, we'll make an offer again but I am pretty damn sure someone is gonna scoop it up before that happens. Whatever, I am so over it. We can just wait and see if I get a job in Seattle and maybe we'll just move up north instead of staying here in the south.

Third, my allergies are going haywire. I feel like crap today and I've been sneezing all day. What the hell? I have never had allergies til I moved here!

I'm trying my best to keep things positive but the constant positivity is beginning to piss me the hell off. I just don't see the point of being positive anymore because there's nothing but disappointment for me right now.

I feel like punching a wall right now.

And yeah, a little bit of sunshine will help. The constant rain and grey skies is so depressing!

OMG! It's April!

Not that it matters, ha ha.

The weather still sucks around here. It's been raining every single effing day and it's really aggravating. Damn, I wish we can move somewhere where the weather is constantly perfect. Lots of sunshine all year long, average temps in the summer is in the upper 70s or lower 80s and high 60s during the winter. Is that too much to ask for?

I was able to take some pictures of the spring flowers yesterday because the it FINALLY stopped raining for a little bit. I was looking for some tulips but I didn't find any. I didn't want to walk really far so I can run back to the condo just in case it starts raining again.

This is what our neighborhood looks like in the spring. Lots of green, yellows and pinks.

Yup, it's been raining a lot. I think this is a rhododenron plant/bush/whateveryoucallit. It's not flowering yet but some of bushes around the neighborhood have flowers all over already.

Daffodils from a neighbor's yard. I drive past this neighbor's yard almost everyday and during the spring, summer and fall, she plants the prettiest flowers ever.

I love cherry blossoms. I wish the sky is blue in this picture. It's hard to make the pink blossoms stand out. I need to work on my metering.

In other news....

House News: Our realtor called yesterday and she has some news about the house we made an offer in. We weren't able to call her back because our stupid VOIP phone doesn't register "missed calls" sometimes. We won't find out if we missed any calls until we checked our email to see if we have any voice messages. It's really frustrating. I'll be calling her in a few hours.

Job News: I got an interview for a job with a non-profit company last Tuesday and I'm supposed to hear from them today. The job doesn't pay much but it's a start. I'll take whatever 8-4 job I can take right now. I'm getting really bored. It's really a good thing I'm volunteering at a hospital right now or else I might go insane. I also don't want to have to go back to school this fall. I just wanna work.

Anyway, that's all for now. Let's all have a good weekend and let's have a good April!