Another Day, Another Chapter

I woke up early this morning to a beautiful sunrise… most of the leaves have fallen off the trees so I was able to see the mountain through the forest. What a mesmerizing sight! I get to see this tranquil view everyday from my front porch instead of the rush hour traffic that used to greet me. I can’t believe it has been over a year since I moved from living in a small rental house on a gravel lot next to the noisy freeway to this beautiful six acre property out in the country. Instead of traffic noise and exhaust fume, I get to listen to singing birds, and smell fresh mountain air.

Besides my change of address, I also made another big change to my career. After 2 1/2 years of 5 to 6 hours of stressful daily commute to my even more stressful management job in Seattle — I decided to quit the rat race. Every day, I would wake up at 4:30 a.m. and leave home at 5:30 a.m. so I could catch the train or express bus to the city and then I had to either catch the slow street car or walk up the steep 1 mile hill to my office. Then, I spend the next 8 hours working with challenging staff and clients. Because of the chaotic traffic in Seattle, I don’t usually get home until 6 or 7 p.m.. I find myself physically sick and rundown constantly. I had no life other than sleep and work. What little time I had, I was too tired and depressed to do anything. Which explains why my last blog post was almost 2 years ago.

I don’t know what happened to the city of Seattle… it is no longer the beautiful city I used to know. The city now seems very dilapidated and is full of unfriendly, unhappy people. Inevitably, I became one of those people. While I was afraid to give up the security of a  good income, when I noticed my physical and mental health was being severely impacted; it was time for me to move on. I decided to take the obvious opportunity with the property. I started a mini-farm endeavor — in addition to using my other creative talents to generate an income. I am so grateful that I finally have the means to pursue my passion of living off the land and enjoy this beautiful nature around me.

Fall Into Winter

After weeks of rain and cloudy days… a rare sunny, cloudless fall day in
the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

It Was The Best of Times… It Was The Worst of Times… It’s Life.

As 2017 comes to an end, I can’t help but reflect back to the last few years of my life and how far I have come from the worst of times to the best of times. Those of you who have been following my blog for some time, have witnessed my struggles and celebrations. Thank you for your support and kindness.

The Best of Times…

Four years ago, just when I thought life would give me a break, I fractured my left ankle during the first day of my 7 day Hawaiian vacation. It wasn’t exactly the break I was looking for. At the time, all I could see were regrets and pain. If only, I wasn’t so eager to chase after that turtle! If only I wasn’t so clumsy… if only I didn’t take that step… If only… Oh the regrets that occupied my mind…

That step took me down a hole so deep that I thought I would never be able to climb out. But somehow, I did. As terrible as that step was for me, I realized; I would not be where I am today had I not taken that slippery step. The broken and painful step took me on the path of living a purposeful life — where I can use my life experience to help other people who are still stuck in their own deep holes to see a way out. The job affords me the opportunity to live the independent life I had lost so many year ago.

For my 52nd birthday last month, I went back to Hawaii to celebrate my independence.

I finally fulfilled my dream to swim with the turtle after three years of waiting.

I rediscovered love with me, myself and I.  And found myself at the end of the rainbow.

Life Lessons learned: Things happen for a reason, good or bad. No regrets. Learn from it and move on. Have faith. The right opportunity will show up when you are ready to receive it. You never know where that next step will take you.

The Worst of Times…

After I got back from Hawaii, a very difficult decision was waiting for me to make. My beloved Max was having hard time walking. I took him to the vet and was given the bad news that cancerous tumors have invaded his entire body. I could prolong his life for a few months with surgery and chemo. Given the fact, Max was 12 years old; I decided to help him live the rest of his life as comfortably as possible. And hoping, maybe… by some miracle that he would get better on his own. Unfortunately, after a couple of weeks; I knew I was only being selfish keeping him. I did the inevitable and took him to the vet for his final check-up.

Now that he’s gone, I realized I took him for granted. Maximus Minumus, a true friend and companion who never complained, never hurt me or anyone, was always ready to play and most of all give unconditional love.

This photo was taken two hours before I took him to the vet. Even to the end, he was ready to play; even if all he could do was to sit there and enjoy the the moment.

Life lessons I learned from Max:  Live life in the moment. Accept the good and the bad. Enjoy what you have. Give love and kindness even if the person doesn’t deserve it. Smile even when you hurt. Don’t complain. It’s Life.

May All Beings Be Happy and Peaceful… Happy New Year.

 

Wishing…

Wishing you a million…

May you have a million moments of joy,
A million moments of love,
A million moments of pure happiness,
A million moments of good health and wealth.
In short…
May All Beings Be Happy and Peaceful!!

 

 

 

My Daily Commute

Hello fellow bloggers! I can’t believe it has been over two years years since my last post. Many events have taken place in that time and I’m happy to say, mostly good. It has been a long and winding road but I finally found the way out of the detour and on to the right path… there were dark moments where I had my doubts that I would ever find my way out; it was also during those moments that I found myself, and the courage and strength,  I would need to take me back to the purposeful life I’ve been praying to God for.

In the last couple of years, I’ve been given the opportunity to have a purposeful job that allows me the financial independence I’ve lacked for so long… while the daily train commute is long, it gives me time to enjoy the beautiful passing views. These shots were taken with my Samsung tablet on auto setting.

From My Garden…

My first garden in decades… it’s so nice to finally have a space where I can grow something pretty, so I can sit and drink my coffee every morning; listening to the beautiful melodies from happy birds and watch the bumble bees dance from flower to flower… filling my heart with joy.

     

Wordless Wednesday

It’s A Rat, It’s A Fish… It’s A Ratfish

It has been awhile since my last post. Life has been busy but in a very good way. In addition to my new career path; yes, I finally have a job that I can really feel purposeful from it. It has been a long and winding road with many detours and oftentimes, deep pot holes; somehow, I was able to get myself out and discovered amazing opportunities.

In addition to my new career helping people find hope and motivation, I have the opportunity to continued my underwater photography endeavor. I logged 40 dives and now I’m on my way of becoming a dive-master so I can teach underwater photography. I have been very fortunate to have the support of friends who believe in my creative abilities.

Here is a video I shot last Saturday at Mukilteo T-Dock. On my way to the Geo Dome, I got lost and went deeper than where the dome was located. I was at 78 feet when I saw the Ratfish. It was an amazing sight… and lucky me, the Ratfish gave me a break and flirted for the video. I was able to get a fairly steady video in the strong current. The whole encounter lasted less than a minute and yet the experience will be forever etched in my heart…

Love Is Like A Game

Love is like a game
Only the best can win
I am who I am
For I have no name
Let the game begin…

What you see is what you get
If you don’t like what I have to offer
Then don’t make me suffer
For I need to be
Don’t try to control me

Love me for who I am
And not for what you think I can
For this is me
Just let me be

My soul is like a free spirit bird
Wanting to be heard
For I need to sing
So I can be spread my wings
And become an amazing being

You can put me in a cage
And clip my wings
Give me all the pretty things
Whisper sweet nothings
But it would not mean a thing
For my soul can’t sing
I would only be empty…

Blurry Vision

Blurry vision becomes clear after the storm…

The Dam Eagle Road Trip

Finally… after over two months of being a couch potato to heal my broken ankle; I escaped on a road trip yesterday. The weather was the typical Pacific Northwest winter — rainy and gray, not exactly the best weather for landscape photography. But I didn’t care… I was in desperate need to get away before the insanity of boredom takes over permanently. I knew I was getting to the point of no return when I actually watched the season premier of The Bachelor. If I was looking to regain my self-respect and intelligence, I definitely lost more than a few IQ points for watching the entire episode. So… to redeem myself, I decided I need to put some creativity back in my brain. At first, I thought about escaping to the Oregon coast but given the fact my leg is still in the healing process, I decided to stay close to home — and shoot the bald eagle migration that happens around this time of the year, along State Route 20.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single eagle in sight when I got to the area where they usually hang out. But… no matter, nothing could dampen my excitement and the exhilarating feeling to finally get out of the house and be in nature with my Nikon. I decided to do the dam road trip instead. There are several dams along Route 20. The route is also one of the most beautiful roads I’ve ever traveled. Because of the rainy, gray, sunless weather, it was a challenge with lighting and exposure; everything was mostly flat and lifeless in color. I knew most of the images would be converted to monochrome. With that in mind, I try to shoot with the exposure that would allow me to manipulate in Adobe Lightroom for the mood I wanted to create.

The Diablo Dam is the second of the three dams along the upper Skagit River. The Diablo Lake is probably one of the most beautiful places on earth. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture its beauty and grandeur. It’s one of those places that you really need to see it in person, especially on a sunny day, to experience its breathtaking vista.

As I continued on to the third dam, Ross Dam; I came upon this sign. At the same time, I was starting to feel pain in my leg. So I took it as a sign to turn around and go back home… and lucky me — the perfect ending to a perfect day — I got to see a few eagles along the way. Since I still use crutches to get around, I wasn’t able to get close to the eagles without scaring them away. It was really difficult trying to hike close to the eagles with my crutches. After a few frustrating attempts of tripping and falling to the ground, I was able to shoot one from the comfort of my car. Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend. Happy shooting. 🙂

Sometimes, It’s Good to Be Very Shallow…

In life, I try to stay away from people who are shallow minded… however; in photography there are times being very shallow is a good thing. The shallow depth of field technique forces my mind to see beyond the ordinary point of view.