{Have you ever lied to your kids?}

Well, we have. Last Saturday, we told Ms. J that we were going to Cunningham Park so that I could take her pictures, to which she agreed. She even said, "I would give you my best pose, mommy." (heart melting here..)

So we took a bus and when we got off from the bus, she looked a little confused when she saw big tents at the park. She murmured, "Hey, what are those tents for?" (I don't know...) Then, she yelled, "Oooooh it's the Big Apple circus. I know it because I saw you holding the paper (brochure, dear) last week!" (oh darn!) We are not a good liar, I guess.

We really enjoyed the show and if you wonder why the pics posted are completely not related with the circus, it's because I decided to really enjoy the show instead of worrying about exposure :) But we went to another park afterward and I did took pictures. Aaaah warm weather and sun, glad that you are finally here. Oh and I am also featuring my new photo prop, a bunting flag from Stuff So Simple! Tee hee hee.

{Friday at a Farm}

I love going to a farm so when we received a letter from Ms. J's school that they are looking for volunteers to help with a farm trip, I decided to take a day off (tee hee hee). I got to sit in a school bus with 21 Kindergarteners who were extremely excited and full of energy (and yes, they are louder that HS-ers).

We started the day with a pony ride, continued with hay ride and the children got a chance to pat the animals at the farm. At the end of the day, I didn't know whether because they were sad or because they spent all of their energy at the farm ... but they sat quietly during the trip back to school. :)

I also got to meet Mr. A (Jo once told me that he has green eyes) who shared with me that he would go to 42nd Street later in the afternoon to celebrate his father's birthday. "He is 46 today," he said. "I made him card so I don't have to spend money to buy one. My dad says we are not supposed to spend money for unnecessary things," he continued. Sigh...I wish I could preserve children's innocence.

Later at home, Jo asked if I had fun (I thought I am the one who's supposed to ask her that question?). I said, "I didn't." She asked, "WHHYYYYY???" I said, "Because I had SOOOOO MUCH FUN!" and we burst into laughter.



errr...lens is not wide enough to accommodate everyone. LOL. Sorry....





Ms. A couldn't hide her excitement that she was going to ride a ponny (lol)and Mr. A is a handsome little man with gorgeous eyes!

{Ah Summer}

Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. ~Russel Baker~

I never really care about weather forecast until I moved to NY almost five years ago. Now, I am obsessed with the weather channel. Meh! I have been longing for a warm weekend with lots of warm sun. I don't think it is going to happen anytime soon. It will be raining the whole week this week and (read this!) thunderstorm for three days in a row the following week. Gah!

I really don't like this London like weather. Foggy, cloudy and rainy. I want some sun, lots of sun!

Anyway, my pictures start to look the same. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing. LOL. On a positive note, that means I am consistent. On a note to criticize myself, that means I am boring. :) I fell in love immediately with soft, vintage, pastel, hazy, creamy look when I first started taking pictures and learn photo editing. I've been trying to get different tones, but always go back to this pastel, hazy look. LOL. Oh well.

Summer, can you please come soon?

{...and they live happily ever after}

I've known Mrs. T for years. We used to work in a same agency. She is one of the persons that I admire. Her attention to details and creativity make her a super diligent and reliable event organizer. It was really shocking when she announced her resignation and her plan to move to the U.S. But I admire her for willing to take such a big risk.

I am thrilled when she shared the news that she was getting married and I am truly happy that at the end everything works well for her. There were lots of tears and hugs during the rehearsal and the big day. :) It was a beautiful wedding at Maryland and I am honored that my family was part of the celebration. Here's to you Mr. and Mrs. T.

{Imitation is the greatest form of flattery}

Ms. J really loves her teacher or really likes pretending to be a teacher. She would pick up a book and read it for her "class". She would say in a firm tone, "Boys and girls, please be quiet. Otherwise, I am not going to read this book for you." Other time, she pretends that she is having a conversation with another teacher about their meeting schedule. LOL.

Watching her imagining and pretending to be someone is such a delight! I feel like that I am actually seeing her teacher talks and treats the students in her class. LOL.

This is when she read a book to her class last Friday. Of course she had to end it with a silly face.

{Love Actually}

One of my colleagues got married yesterday and she allowed me to come with her when she tried on her wedding dress. The dress is soooo beautiful. Simple yet delicate and with lots of lovely layers. When she put the dress on, I knew immediately that she would look gorgeous and lovely on her big day.

The place is a little small so I really had to squeeze myself to get some shots. Thus, the cropped head, chopped hands, etc. LOL.

Congratulations S and J. I am wishing you all the beautiful things a marriage life could offer and thank you for allowing me to come with you to document this.

I searched some wedding quotes. I found plenty. But my favorite is this one:
.Marriage is not just spiritual communion, it is also remembering to take out the trash.
~ Joyce Brothers ~
Ain't that true? LOL.

{How to Learn to Play a Hula-Hoop}

How to learn to play a hula-hoop:

1. Beg mom to buy one for you
2. Walk home and pretend it is a steering wheel
3. Get really excited when arrive home
4. Start practicing while mom is preparing dinner
5. Give up after 3 minutes
6. Listen to mom who says that motivation and practice are key (the yadda...yadda...Don't give up mantra thing)
7. Keep practicing while mom is still preparing dinner
8. Go to a corner, sit down and sob because it looks like mastering hula-hoop in 5 minutes is not going to happen
9. Put the hula-hoop behind the sofa in the living room
10. Pretend that I never requested a hula-hoop before

{Mix a little foolishness with ....}

I have visions of images and the end results in my head for several weeks. Sun flares, warm weather, tall grass, summer hat, lime, french wire egg basket, red plaids, vintage Coke bottles. I have been having this visions for several weeks and it really bothers me when I can't get them out of my head. LOL. So on Mother's Day, I was so determined to put this visions to an end. I had the red plaid dress, the hat, the vintage Coke bottle, the lime, and some books that my sweet husband carried to the park with us. Unfortunately, the sun was so unpredictable. It got so harsh at one point then suddenly got very cloudy, and it seemed that I couldn't find a spot that I really liked to realize this vision.

I was so disappointed and it really bothers me that I had to wait again to try to realize this vision. Regardless, Ms. J mixed in some foolishness into the session and I think I still did capture some cute moments on that day.

.Mix a little foolishness with your serious plans; it's lovely to be silly at the right moment. ~ Horace ~

{When I find myself fading...}

.When I find myself fading, I close my eyes and realize my friends are my energy.
~ Unknown ~

To a dear friend on his birthday. We've been friends since the last 20 years and he's been a total supporter, motivator and mentor. I picked up a camera and able to use photoshop because he is always willing to answer my questions with screenshots over yahoo messenger! (I am such a retard when it comes to reading instructions. Ha!) He has been a great motivator and the amount of his belief to what I am capable of is just amazing. I am truly blessed that I have so many wonderful people in my life that I can call friends.