We drove from Houston back to Austin since we are flying out of there. I glad we did that rather than spend time in Austin and drive to Houston and drive back to Austin to fly home. I felt like we already drove so much in Houston due to its sprawl, it was nice to keep things (relatively) close in Austin. Austin was the more laid-back leg of the trip, we did a lot more walking and food crawling.
Continue reading Austin trip recapTag: travel tuesday
Galveston half-day trip recap
We did a day trip from Houston to Galveston. In retrospect, I think we should have gone to the space center first and then spent the afternoon and evening in Galveston. It rained the whole day wherever we went. My friends and I noticed people wearing high rainboots — I guess they must get a lot of rain and it must be really high. Thankfully, I was wearing my waterproof hiking boots that day. My hiking boots got a lot use during the trip even though we only went on one hike.
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Houston food
Here are some of the food places we dined at in Houston. Please note, I am not a foodie. I don’t necessarily go to food places because I saw it on a magazine or TV. A lot of times it’s serendipitous — but really I’m just hungry. Also since I went with friends, they helped me decide where to go.
Phat Eatery (23119 Colonial Pkwy Suite B-2, Katy, TX 77449)
Cuisine: Malaysian
The first place we ate when we arrived to Houston after a 2.5-hour drive from Austin. This restaurant was in a large strip mall, I decided Phat Eatery because my friends never had Malaysian food.
Top from left to right: Sizzling Tofu (my favorite!), Roti Canai, Beef Rendang. Bottom: Sizzling Tofu, Mi Goreng, and I am guessing the vegetable side is water spinach (?)
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Houston trip recap
I’ve been meaning to write and reflect on my Texas. I recalled I promise to release a post the following week when I returned but that clearly didn’t happen (haha).
My friends and I met up in Austin and we drove straight to Houston first. It was about a 2.5+ hour drive. When planning for the trip, we thought it was best to go to Houston first rather than Austin because we wanted to get the long drive out of the way.
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What has Mocha the Travelling Bear been up to?
This was originally posted back in 2017. Scroll past the grey box to see what Mocha has been to up to!
Continue reading What has Mocha the Travelling Bear been up to?
Catching the light
For this week’s Lens-Artists photo challenge, It’s All About the Light, I immediately thought about Reykjavik and its two main landmarks: the Hallgrimskirkja church and the Harpa Concert Hall. I love the way those buildings capture light.
Hallgrimskirkja church – at eight in the morning…on a November day.
Harpa Concert Hall early in the morning.
Harpa Concert Hall later in the day when the sun was high. Looking at the above photo, there’s this cool transition where on the right side, it almost looks like a pencil drawing. Quite a cool effect. There’s no filter needed.
See you next time, Iceland.
Finding blues and greens in the city
The most underrated feature of LA would have to be the nature and finding it is a lot closer than you think. I enjoy going to any green space to clear my mind after a long hard week at work. I know my husband fantasizes about living in the countryside, but to be honest I think he’d be tired of it very fast. If we lived in the countryside, would we seek solace (or fun) in the city if country life got monotonous? For me, I like to think finding a piece of nature in the city is a treat.
Lens-Artist Photo Challenge: Cool Colors – Blue and Green (host: Tina)
Some green and blues I came across the blogosphere:
John’s Space – featuring the most gorgeous lilacs!
Slow Shutter Speed – A beautiful ocean drive from San Jose to Pacific Grove.
Leya – A beautiful collection of greens and blues.
My Camera and I – Another beautiful collection featuring this lake.
Bulldog travels – shares photos from the Golden Gate Park Botanical Gardens. I haven’t been to that place in years. I loved how that city is so bikeable and walkable — although incredibly expensive!
P.A. Moed – Check out that mural! It’s stunning! Very Narnia like!
The Showers of Blessings – A very interesting history of peacocks in the San Gabriel area. Since I live in LA it explains some of the street names.
Bend Branches – beautiful sky shots!
Spots and dots
“A line is a dot that went for a walk.”
Paul Klee
Ann-Christine brought up a fun theme this week and it’s Spots and Dots! Well I certainly have fun with this theme — there’s just something pleasing about looking at a circle. Here are some of mine:
Here are some Spots and Dots that caught my eye in the blogosphere:
- Ramya Tantry – that umbrella garden looks dreamy :-).
- Brenda – a very unique photo. The double exposure effect makes the leaves look like little dots.
- Amy – stunning macro shots of the rain drops resting on the leaves and the window.
- Suzy – another beautiful macroshot raindrops on leaves.
- GERIATRI’X’ FOTOGALLERY – featuring dots in artwork, rooftops, and ceilings.
- John – captured shots of water in motion.
- Chris Mosseau – more water shots. I love how the drops rest on the blades of the leaf.
- Aletta – a great collection of dots on a guineafowl, a mosaic, and a wooden horse.
Pick a pastry
Sugar brings happiness. Eating it once or twice a week in a dessert, that’s what life is about. There is nothing wrong with it.
Adriano Zumbo
One of my favorite things about travelling is eating pastries and desserts — it’s always on my travel itinerary. This is from a pastry shop in Rome. Feel free to pick one — or pick them all!
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #142 – You Pick It!
Harpa Concert Hall
The unusual shapes and the way the walls and ceilings capture light makes the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik a fun building to take photos. One of my biggest regrets was not watching a show at the Harpa — I don’t care what show. It could have been a concert, a comedy act, play, or a ballet — I wanted to watch something at this concert hall. We went to Reykjavik in November of 2017. I told my husband I would like to return here in the spring or summer when is greener. Maybe we’ll even watch a show at the Harpa.
Harpa on a sunny day. Around 11 am.
The Harpa when it’s dark at eight in the morning. Yes, we made a second visit to the Harpa the following morning. See how it transforms in the dark. It looks like the building transformed from clear crystals and silver to smoke and rose gold.
November in Iceland is short. The mornings are dark and the sun stays up for a few hours before setting around 4 PM. That is why I wanted to avoid saying morning and night.
Do you prefer the Harpa in the light hours or the dark hours? Comment below!
Lens-Artist Challenge: Geometry
CMMC – Bright Rectangles
Natural Light
I don’t remember the last time I’ve used a filter on social media. Maybe when I first got my dog, Teddy? I thought, “why would I filter my dog? He’s great just the way he is.” That was about six years ago.. Since then I have not bothered with filters and presets and it’s been incredibly liberating.
Anyways, here are some photos with no filters. I enjoy playing with light when I use my camera whether it is an SLR or my phone. I like to let nature be the painter.
One year ago today…
Last February, we went on a multi-city trip around Europe. Who knew this was going to be the last time we’d travel like this for a while. Nowadays, we don’t even travel outside of the county to visit my in-laws. I tell myself we will travel again.
Oh yeah…I was pregnant and did not even know it at the time.
The weather in LA today looks and feels like the weather when we visited Saumur last year. Just as cold, just as gray.
Eat, Play, Live 