I'm baaaack!

I came back to New York City on the night of July 22nd. That 16 hour plane ride is torture, I tell you. The jet lag I got afterwards was not so fun either. Thank goodness it's gone now. My New York life is now back on track--it took me a day or two to adjust. Life here is so different from life in China. I felt like such a different person once I stepped foot in America. Strange, hm?

I went to several places: Beijing, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Zhanjiang (my hometown). Beijing and Hong Kong are beautiful, but in different ways. I was only in Shenzhen for a day but I like the atmosphere. Zhanjiang is my hometown, so what can I say? I love it with my whole heart, even though some aspects of it are not very pleasing. I'm so glad I got to spend time with my family members in China.

My mom & I in front of Beijing's Birds Nest.

A "wall" between the living room and the front balcony in my Zhanjiang apartment.

Currently, I am volunteering at Red Apple's daycare center in Chinatown (like last summer). The kids are adorable but sometimes they just don't listen. I literally have to chase them around sometimes. My official first week in New York only started but I'm pretty busy so far. My whole week is jam packed with plans and so far I'm enjoying it :) I'm a bit tired, though. I saw Eclipse and Inception with Samiha today and Inception really toyed with my mind. Great movie. I'll need to rewatch it to fully appreciate it.

I've been going through some little bumps in the road but I finally got past it. Since most of my problems take place in the apex of my mind, I always need to reevaluate myself in order to solve my problems. I vow to have a brighter outlook on life and just life the gift I was given.

More about China later on! I'll be doing these posts in sections because I have so many photos. (By the way, I decided my 365 project will not be solely self portraits anymore--too much.)

I live for adventures like this.

Yesterday I went to explore Fort Tilden with Calvin, Christine & Diana (who I dragged along). I must say that this place is amazing. Is it too much to say that it took my breath away?



Abandoned buildings were scattered throughout the area. It was so much fun exploring them! There were so many weird objects: a giant red chair, a broken piano, car tires, bicycles, washing machines, you name it. We also found an abandoned schoolhouse, with tattered copies of Shakespeare plays and such.



We explored the outer edges of Fort Tilden as well and discovered a relatively isolated beach. Ten groups of people were visible on the beach, at most. That's amazing, considering how dense the crowds can get during the summer at Coney Island or Brighton Beach. The beach at Fort Tilden was beautiful, to say the least.



On top of this abandoned gun base was a small treasure. We climbed up the stairs to discover an amazing peripheral view of our surroundings. You can even see the faint outline of the Manhattan skyline.



We sat for an hour or two up there, admiring the view and taking in the beauty of this sacred place. It felt like the place was ours and that we would own it forever. Diana left because she couldn't take the heat. I feel kind of bad for dragging her along but it's okay, we do weird things for each other. After resting and exploring some more, Calvin, Christine & I headed back to Flatbush Ave to replenish ourselves. We didn't know what to do afterward, so we went to the High Line.




The Bell Project was an interesting find. Creative Time (the same group that distributed the keys to the city) organized a project that played different bell sounds every minute. Amusing. We walked around the High Line some more and then headed to Hudson River Park to wait for golden hour lighting.

We spent quite some time just laying in the grass, feeling the ocean breeze. We took shots of pretty things and shadows and people and each other and pretty soon a few hours passed by.



I find beauty in the simplest of things--and photograph them. Well, at least I try to. I love the way the light can accentuate the curves of a person's face--their lips, their nose--and even their back and collarbones. And when I can actually capture those moments that reveal a person's beauty, I feel infinite.

The sun started to dip into where buildings meet sky. I've seen plenty of sunsets before but this is the first time I've actually watched a sunset. This is the first time I got to appreciate this kind of beauty and as of now I can truly say that I live for moments like this.



As the skies blended into shades of violet and magenta, Calvin started to sketch and Christine took more photos by the river. It's sort of funny because Calvin was sketching Christine and me (amongst other strangers) standing by the river.





So that was Tuesday. Now it's 2:24AM in the morning as of Thursday and I'm supposed to catch a morning flight to Hong Kong in a couple of hours. Why am I up? I'm not sure. Maybe it's because of the iced coffee I had this afternoon or maybe it's because I want to finish this blog post. But strangely enough, this is my way of saying goodbye to New York.

For the past few hours, I frantically packed last-minute clothes and toiletries...but now I get to sit down with my thoughts. I'm afraid that I won't be able to think to myself when I get to China. There will be things to do, people to meet, and places to see. I live in the busiest city in the world and yet I always find time to myself during late hours of the night. When you leave a place (even if it's only for three weeks), you start to realize how much you love it. That's life, I guess.

I'm looking forward to China--it's a part of home, a part of me.
And hopefully, I will take some memorable photos during my trip :)