crispy gold

California and its high grass, crispy and gold in the summer time~

***

I am leaving for Beijing  on Aug. 30th for my next internship. I don't know when I will be blogging next time, but hopefully soon!

Deux dodos de plus et je pars pour Pékin pour mon prochain stage. Je ne sais pas quand j'aurai l'occasion de blogger la prochaine fois, mais j'espère assez bientôt! 

Photos of China - coming up =) 

among the sprinkles

A photoshoot of cake sprinkles and two little Matryoshka  =)

Stayed home today and did not do anything productive in terms of academic work! Instead, I had a nice day finishing a historical fiction novel, watching a French movie (Tous les matins du monde), baking a cake, and doing this macro photoshoot! 

silhouette me

With a tripod, I took advantage of the morning sunlight and took these photos by the bedroom window.

San Jose, CA

timeless

Photos taken somewhere between Prague and Vienna, June 2011. 

a Californian sunset

I am back in San Jose, where I can see the palm trees again.

goodbye Prague...

I left Prague on Thursday morning. How quickly these three months have gone by. I became very fond of this lovely city and have many good memories with the people I met there. I was sad to go. 

By now I have become really used to moving from place to place, to constantly live a temporary life. To meet new people, share some memorable moments, then to say goodbye. Goodbyes are sad, but I have become used to them too. Life goes on, and I need to keep going with it.

But when I can, I want to enjoy myself, enjoy the present, to live life to the fullest, and to be there for those I like and care about. 

I think with each move, I change. This time, I realize how much more I have come to embrace differences and diversity, and how more open and receptive I am towards them. At the same time, I also realize I have a stronger sense of self, of my own values, and where I stand. I have become more determined to go after what I want, not always be hampered by what others would say or think. 

I also realize how grateful I am towards my friends and towards those who have shown kindness and sincerity to me. How fond I am of all those little moments when I felt a connection with another human being. Because when you connect with someone, even if it is brief, it matters. At least to me it does!  

Really, I want to do good in this world and treat others well. I want to do things because it is what I want to do, and I like doing them. I want to love for the sake of loving, dance for the sake of dancing, and give for the sake of giving. I want to find the goodness in things and in people because I believe it exists. I want to discover, learn, and appreciate. 

I think my experience Prague has encouraged me to do all of that. 


I really had an enjoyable time there, and am very thankful for it!
Goodbye lovely Prague~

Photo: Prague's Dancing House amidst dramatic dark clouds, Aug. 8th, 2011. 

before sundown

My last set of photos taken in beautiful Prague.

The sky got gradually darker as these pictures were taken. 

I love taking photos during sunset. The sky gets so incredibly fascinating at this time of the day, every day. No sunset is ever the same. 

un souvenir...

Je me fais transporter dans ta chambre...

Nous nous allongions là, par terre, ensemble. À côté de l'un l'autre, en faisant face au plafond. Dans le calme de ta chambre, tu t'es tourné vers moi et tu m'as demandé qu'est-ce que je voyais devant moi. Un peu étonnée par la question, je croyais de voir quelque chose d'extraordinaire, mais je  voyais seulement ton plafond blanc et une corde pendante pour tes vêtements mouillés.  Je t'ai répondu ainsi, et de retour, je t'ai posé la même question à laquelle je m'attendais un peu à une autre réponse de ta part.

Au contraire, tu m'as répondu: ''Je vois exactement la même chose que toi.'' 

''Mais,'' t'as continué, ''avant je les ai toujours regardé seul.'' 

Cet après-midi, nous nous sommes couchés là ensemble, en regardant la même chose, avec le même sentiment de bonheur dans notre coeur. Je t'ai aimé comme tu m'as aimé. C'était à nous, ce moment. Notre moment partagé.  

Aujourd'hui, lorsque je m'allongeais sur mon lit en regardant mon plafond, avec la musique qui joue mais mes pensées ailleur...  cette fois, je suis seule, et ce moment d'autrefois est venu à l'esprit.

Déjà plus que deux ans passés, et je me souviens encore. ♥

remnants

Remnants of a wedding celebration at Old Town Square, Prague...

tat tat tat

It rained heavily this afternoon while I was at work. Since I had my camera with me today, I got to take some photos during the rainfall. Since our office is located on the top floor of the building, I got to take the following photos from the office's roof windows! 

 I love heavy rains and thunderstorms when I am inside!

when all is quiet...

Walking in Vinohrady, Prague. 11pm. 

****

‎"This is a simple story...

but not an easy one to tell.

Like a fable, there is sorrow...

and, like a fable, it is full of wonder and happiness."

- from La vita è bella! :)

*

Würzburg, Germany

I got to go to Germany this weekend and visit a nice little city called Würzburg. It is the university city of my friend, Andreas. I'm happy I got to see him and also visit a German city!

Here are some of the photos I took of the city:

Old Main Bridge 

With the cobblestones and statues, this bridge reminded me of Prague's Charles Bridge. A miniature version! 

An awesome home-made meal!

The best stew I've ever ate! The ingredients included ground beef, onions, garlic, potatoes, Asian cabbage, tomato sauce, and some seasoning.  

Würzburg Residenz 

The residence-palace of the city's former Prince-Bishops. It was built during the 1700s, but many parts got damaged during WWII and had to be renovated. Still, I thought the monument was very impressive both inside and out!

The Court Garden 

The garden behind the palace. A pleasant place to take a walk! Lots of trees, bushes, flowers, and statues. 

Dessert time! 

I got to try some sweet stuff =) Chocolates and a piece of cake. 

Andreas

My wonderful host! Many thanks for the great weekend! =)