last post

On a gorgeous day in San Francisco yesterday! 

This is my 199th post for this photoblog! I had a lot of fun keeping this blog and it was a great pleasure being able to share my photos with friends and other photography lovers online.  This is not my first blog nor do I think it will be my last, but this post will mark the end for this blog. 

I began this blog before going to grad school in Vancouver, and now, 1.5 years later, I have graduated with  a MA and have completed two exciting internships! In between, I did a lot of traveling,  took a lot of photos, met a lot of new people, and had many fun experiences and shared many great memories. 

Now, a new beginning is unfolding for me. It time to find a real job and start my career. I don't know how long that will take and where I will go next, but whatever I end up doing and wherever I end up going, I believe that I will find happiness there!  

I trust in life and I'm ready to go where it takes me. 

Many thanks to everyone who has supported this blog. Whether you are a friend who regularly checked up on me, a regular visitor or a passerby who left me a kind note (or a couple more), or another photographer who expressed an appreciation for my photos - thank you! I greatly appreciate it all.

With my warmest regards, I say goodbye on behalf of my blog!

-Aimee. 

:)

fading shades

I like how the colours of the mountains gets more faint as it stretches out into the horizon, so that is why I call this post "fading shades"! 

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I went to visit Beijing's aquarium park with my friend Astha yesterday and I realized how much I like aquariums. There is something very fascinating about sea creatures swimming around effortlessly in a colourful underwater world. I really liked looking at the jellyfishes and the vibrant coloured little fishes. Unfortunately we only got to see half of the aquarium park because we came in too late.... ahh, disappointing!

黑白的长城

The Great Wall of China in black and white!

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The internet situation here is not too ideal, so I don't get to blog as much as I would like! I still have a few more photos I'd like to share, but I must go now. 

branches

Empty tree branches standing against the sunset glow.

The photos taken during my hike on the Great Wall of China! I went up there today with two friends and had a great time! I shall post more photos of the Great Wall in my next blogpost. Now I am tired, and just want to have a good night's rest after a long day of walking and climbing.

above the clouds

As the plane approached its landing...

Hello beautiful Vancouver!! :)

I had an iced capp and sandwich from the first Tim Hortons I saw after my landing!

It's nice to be back in Canada again, even if it's brief! 

白望山

Photo taken at Bai Wang Shan (Mountain of One-Hundred Look) in Beijing when hiking there last weekend.

gingko

I've been wanting to take photos of gingko trees (银杏树) since I came to Beijing because I've heard of how lovely they look when their leaves turn yellow during autumn season. Yesterday I finally got to do this while I was wandering in a large "forest park" in Chaolai area, Beijing! 

Yellow can be such a pretty colour! 

orange dot

It was Sunday and I slept through the whole day. I woke up at 6pm and realized it was already dark out. Kinda depressing in a way. Went out to eat some food, then came back, washed some clothes, called a friend, surfed the net, and now it's time for bed again...

Photo taken during Saturday's sunset, near Tiananmen Square. 

In brief, my week went like this: worked Monday to Friday, went out Saturday, slept Sunday.
Perhaps Sundays should just be reserved for sleeping.

End of October is here. 2 more months till my internship ends, 3 more till I leave China. The weeks go by fast enough, but my overall time here is long.

golden reflection

The days are getting shorter and shorter; even when I just finish work, the sky has already begun to darken.

Location: Liang Ma Qiao (Beijing)

crispy gold

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

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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 =) 

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. 

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! =)

Petrin view

A photo taken on the Petrin Tower this Saturday, when I climbed up there with Andreas.

 Petrin Tower itself is 60 meters but since it is located on a hill, its altitude extends much further. It can be kinda exhausting climbing up there (especially if it's hot) but once you are up there, you can enjoy a really nice view of the city!

  

Czech countryside

Here are some photos taken during stay at Podhradi, a small Czech village near the German borders! I went there with my co-workers for 3.5 days and had a very fun time. 

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It was interesting getting to experience some of the Czech rural life and I am really grateful for the opportunity (especially as a foreigner to the country)! I also very much appreciated the times spent with my co-workers and bonding with them outside of the office environment. The weather was also gorgeous and it was simply amazing seeing so much grass and trees with the blue clear sky above! At night, I saw so many stars sparkling in the nightsky, and I think for the first time in my life, I saw fireflies! =) 

This trip made me very happy!