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  • Europe!

    // May 10th, 2010

    Europe has always been a place that fascinated me. It’s been a place that I’ve always wanted to visit and experience for myself. Every year, I chose to go to Malaysia instead because that’s where my family is at. 10 years later, I’ve finally around to seeing Europe for myself.

    My trip started March 18 with an evening flight to London. Technically, the plane left at 1am on March 19. I had visited Li Yun over there as she was finishing her MBA class in London. We went to some great places to eat. Having only been there a few months, she’s found many good places and I must say that I was impressed by the quality and variety of food found in London.

    What did I see: Tower Bridge, London Eye, Westminister Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Victoria, Trafaglar Square, Chinatown, Piccadilly, Oxford Square, the outer walls of London Tower, London Bridge, St Paul Cathedral, Tate Modern, National Portrait Museum, Nothing Hill, Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and Bath. The last 3 was a day trip outside London.

    After spending 5 days in London, I took the SCNF to Paris. It went under the channel. A lot of people has asked me what it was like. It just felt like being in a really long tunnel. It was dark and you can’t tell a difference. The train was moving fast enough that it didn’t make a difference if we were above ground or underground.

    I spent the next 2.5 days in Paris, where I saw the important sights: Eiffel Tower, Trocadero, Grand Palais, Les Invades, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and Louvre Museum. The Louvre was totally amazing. I was planning on spending 2-3 hours there since it’s just another museum. I ended up spending 6+ hours there. The rooms were like a maze. It’s quite frustrating at times to get lost but you end up discovering something new. That’s how I got to seeing the Mona Lisa, by accident. I also realized that there are a lot of good Italian art that I didn’t think I’d appreciate before… I didn’t have anything amazing enough to talk about – I did have crepes, pastries, etc. One thing that I really enjoyed in Paris was the espresso. Definitely something else.

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    My 2009

    // February 14th, 2010

    I’m finding myself wondering what I’ve done in my life. This is a blog of my 2009, just to remind me 20 years from now, what life was like in 2009.

    2009 started cold. Well, that’s a given since I’m living in MN. New Years Eve was spent with Kayla, Kris, Lauren and a few others. I flew to Malaysia in January for Chinese New Year. I stopped by in South Korea first. Spent the evening exploring what’s to eat in Seoul with Rachel. She had flew there to visit her cousin. I had a 23.5 hours layover. I remembered it was cold. Just like in MN. Got to KL the next day, tired as heck. My mom and brother picked me up from the airport.

    I spent most of CNY with the family. Didn’t do much other than be home, have breakfast with dad and went shopping with mom. Got into some arguments with my bro, as usual. But we’re family, so things are easily forgotten. Visited my cousins and uncle in Penang. The drive to my uncle’s place usually takes 5-6 hours with dad in the car. This time, it only took 3 hours 45 mins. :)

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    Thimbleberry Inn

    // November 11th, 2009
    View for the Basswood Room

    The View for the Basswood Room

    You know how some people talk about moons aligning for something to happen? Well, this is kind of how I found Thimbleberry Inn. I had wanted to take pictures of the Fall but wasn’t thinking about driving far for it. I had wanted a vacation but am really afraid to take more than a day off at a time because of my crazy work schedule – I do sometimes live around my work.

    I had decided to take Friday off and had no plans. The night before, I had thought about Bayfield because I remembered it being on Lake Superior and it’s been a place that I’ve wanted to visit. I looked up some hotel information. Found a couple of Inns and I had decided to call them up. Everyone I had talked to sounded the same – told me how much a room was going to cost me and what they included – a continental breakfast.

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    My Fall Escape

    // October 16th, 2009

    Fall Colors

    Fall Colors

    Leaves changing colors

    Fall Colors

    Colors on Trees

    Fall

    Berries

    I would call this a pretty spontaneous trip. I had previously talked to my friend Josh about capturing Fall colors and we had decided to take Friday off and head out to Taylor Falls to spend a day taking pictures. Josh bailed on me and so I had to decide if I wanted to go through with it or go back to work.

    It was not until Thursday evening that I decided that I should get out of town and make this a longer trip than just a day trip. I looked at the map and remembered about Apostle Islands. I keep hearing about it but haven’t really looked into it until now. I called a few places in Bayfield, WI and most of them did not pass the gut test.

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    My First 2009 Trip

    // December 28th, 2008

    In 3 weeks or so, I’ll be heading home for 2 weeks. Wow, didn’t time pass by quickly? I can’t believe it’s going to be 3 years since I was last home.

    I’m not sure if I am feeling it yet – how much needs to happen before then. I need to figure out my Seoul plans for sure. Not sure what to expect there yet. It’ll definitely be adventurous.

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    To Ludington, MI

    // October 10th, 2008

    On a car ferry, with about 20 mins before departure and I’m thinking to myself, “Shit, this hotel is actually quite far from the ferry station”. In the days that I’ve gotten used to driving, walking for 30 mins seemed like it will take forever. Perhaps it’ll be fair to say that I live in the days where the days and weeks go by very quickly so 30 mins seems like a lifetime away.

    Or is it because that I have a few extra bags that I need to carry around that I’m not used to. Or maybe coz I’m feeling absolutely sleepy after 4.5 hours of driving. Or perhaps because I had forgotten my earphones and my shades at the last minute and its a 4 hours ride with 1.5 hours of battery life on the laptop. There’s no real answers to my questions. Just more questions.

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    North Shore 2007

    // December 23rd, 2007

    I have been thinking about this day for a long time. I’ve been working a lot lately and trying really hard to keep my head above water and it’s almost over. This has been a challenging year to say the least. It’s definitely the year that builds character and perseverance.

    I sat by the beach today and listened to the sound of the waves as they hit the rock. I sit and feel the snow fall on my face and I’m enjoying the moment. Brought my camera along, and walked through all the snow. Snow deep to my knees.

    Took some photos – probably not my best but I had a good time being out in the open, being by myself and feeling good about this time in my life. I’m glad that I’m finally doing this. I needed it bad.

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    In Chicago

    // August 13th, 2007

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    Summer 2007′s Trips

    // August 4th, 2007

    This summer, I took a break from major home projects and instead spent my time traveling. Since June, I’ve driven about 2100 miles covering places like Des Moines, Lincoln, Denver, Arches National Park, Las Vegas, Sacramento and San Franscisco.

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    Back in New York!

    // August 3rd, 2007

    Back in New York!

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