Lover's Point

On Thursday morning, my sisters and I drove out to Lover's Point in Pacific Grove. Our main goal was to get their before sunrise since it's one of the only spots on the west coast where you can see the sun rise over the ocean. I guess Lover's Point (formerly known as "Lover's of Jesus Point") has a unique east-facing location, and the rocks kind of cut out into the ocean, making the sun appear to rise over the water. Well, we made it on time, but unfortunately it was one of the foggiest mornings of the entire week and we weren't able to see anything. We still had some fun climbing the rocks and relaxing to the sound of the morning waves, and I had a chance to experiment with long exposures (something I've wanted to do for awhile). I love the motion and "airy-ness" (yes, I just made up a word) a long exposure can create in a photo. I was really hoping to catch the clouds moving and wonderfully blurred colors from the sun, but the fog made this impossible for an amateur like myself. Instead, I came up with these:

The mist in the photos is actually the waves crashing against the rocks. I almost lost my camera, tripod and self while hiking up and down these rocks but luckily, we all made it out safely. All of these photos, except the last, were 25-35 second exposures, so it was actually very dark while I was taking them. Ah, the magic of photography :)

*My sister was snapping iPhone pics of me with my gear as I tried my best not to plummet to my death

I definitely need to go back to Lover's Point when the weather is more permissible!

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Fishies, penguins, turtles and lots of jellyfish!

Such a cool place to visit! Jellyfish really freak me out, mostly because of their alien resemblance (i'm deathly afraid of outer space, space travel and aliens), but I was taken aback by how vibrant and photogenic they are in a tank! I wish I had jotted down information about these sea animals, but I was too busy being snap-happy with the camera.

Pacific Seahorse

"These Latin lovers tango by moonlight. In the afterglow of the California sunset, these seahorses twirl and tango beneath the waves. Couples rendezvous each night during the breeding season to dance and renew their bond."

- Monterey Bay Aquarium

I wish I had better pictures of this! More fishy pics from the Aquarium coming soon.

Solvang!

a.k.a. Little Denmark, just miles from where I was born (Santa Maria, California). We stopped for a quick lunch at the Big Bopper Drive-In on our way up to Monterey last week. Such a sweet little town!

**Not shown are pictures of the Hamlet Hotel (so nerdily awesome) that I did take but can't seem to find.

Hello From the Motherland

I'm not sure what that's a picture of but I do know that I took it in Pakistan sometime within the past week--my concept of time is completely off over here. I don't like posts without pictures so I just picked a random one off my camera. Anywho, I've been busy with wedding festivities so I thought I'd just pop in and say hello!

The Motherland

I will be leaving for my 8th trip to Pakistan next Wednesday. One of my cousins is getting married, so my mom and I are flying out to attend the festivities. It seems each trip back, the conditions worsen but I enjoy myself more. On my last trip, the electricity was gone the majority of each day and because of the political turmoil, we were advised against going out to the main plazas too often. I'm hearing that this year, the electricity situation is even worse. I don't mind sitting around in the dark with candles, catching up with my family, but there are a few major setbacks from a lack of power: no email, stress from trying to preserve all battery operated devices (cameras, hair straighteners, etc.), going stir crazy from a lack of entertainment, no email...

I'm getting ready for my trip and thought I'd share some photos from my past two trips in 2006 and 2008. Consider it a preview because I'm sure I'll be uploading heaps of photos once I get back.

Shopping, inside a fabric store

Sight-seeing...I believe this is the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore

One variation of a taxi

Power outage

Minarets during sunset

The Lahore Fort

A shoemaker on the side of the road

Goats outside the day after rain (in the small town where my grandmother lives)

A house of cards I built during one of the many power outages

At the bazaar (in Lahore)

A view of the Badshahi Mosque from the Lahore Fort

An old room at my Grandma's house that is now basically storage. My grandparents used to sit in those chairs.

I'm pretty excited to experience my first wedding in Pakistan, as well as take photos with my new camera. Anyhow, be sure to check back in with the blog because it should be updated, even while I'm gone! xoxo

POV

Orange County Pt. 2

More from our Sunday "road trip". You wouldn't know by looking at it, but this was taken in Mission Viejo.

Orange County

Have you ever walked through your home town as if you were a tourist?

I spent this past Sunday reacquainting myself with Orange County. I grew up in Chino Hills, which is a small suburb 40 miles inland from South Orange County, but I lived in Irvine for almost 4 years of college. It's been a year and a half since I graduated from UCI and moved back to Chino Hills, but still find myself spending most of my free time in the Irvine area (where Sister and Best Friend both happen to live). Like many others, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Orange County. I can't deny that I love the spacious and clean roads (+), but the lack of culture and diversity (-) and the immense amount of superficiality and plastic OC housewives (-) theoretically tip the scales in the other direction.

Brunch at a diner a few miles from Newport Beach fueled a mini re-exploration of Costa Mesa and various parts of coastal Orange County. We started our road trip through the neighborhoods of Costa Mesa that eventually emptied out on to the Pacific Coast Highway. We drove from Newport to Corona del Mar (my favorite little beach town) and spontaneously stopped at the Sherman Library and Gardens. The last time I visited these gardens was in 7th grade to write a report for my cultural literacy project. For $3, we were granted access to the entire botanical gardens and greenhouse. Unfortunately, the library (which focuses on the history of the Pacific Southwest) is closed on Sundays. With its koi ponds, fresh flowers, kind, eclectic staff and the sound of waves crashing in the distance, I can safely say the Sherman Library and Gardens is one of the most relaxing places I've visited in Southern California.

Next up, we continued on PCH to Crystal Cove, where we stopped for a shake at the Ruby's Shake Shack (it's literally a shack on a cliff that overlooks the state beach). We passed through Laguna Beach and into Dana Point, which is especially near and dear to my heart. True, my family lived in Dana Point (walking distance from the harbor) before I was born, but the amount of pictures I've seen and stories I've heard narrated by my parents have created a sense of nostalgia whenever I'm in Dana Point. I started taking pictures of this Jack in the Box on PCH, thinking it was one of the ones my dad managed as an area coach in the late 70s, but now I think I may have confused it with the a different location on El Toro Rd. Or maybe it was both? Who knows.

I don't remember how but from Jack in the Box, we eventually wound up on Oso Parkway and in Aliso Viejo. I had been to Soka University once before for a wedding, so we decided to stop there and explore. I don't know much about the school, but the campus is beautiful (although a bit weirdly isolated) and has an amazing view.

By now, it was well after sunset so we decided to cut our road trip short and head back into quiet, safe Irvine for a nice dinner.

I'll be honest, I'm not a big OC hater. But I understand the drawbacks that mold people's opinions of it. For our generation, it's a region famous for launching a slew of reality shows about the rich, white elite, setting a terrible example with a fraction of the human race. But I think if you look hard enough, you'll stumble across places with historical value and charm that add a layer--albeit a thin one-- of depth. I think at the very least, Orange County (like a lot of things) must have been cool in the '70s.

Hello, Moto

Feelin' somewhat nostalgic as I look through photos. Taken in Pakistan, December 2005 (I know, not that long ago)