Sailing on the New Horizon

Sailing on the New Horizon, a photo by magrette_daisy on Flickr.

DC 100th Cherry blossom festival

Spring is here! It actually has been here since late Winter. What a weird winter we had in Baltimore! Still, to me, Spring isn't around until all the flowers are blooming like they are on steroid. And nothing says steroid induced flowering like the cherry blossom festival in DC late this March. Only the tulips of Netherlands' Keukenhof might come close. 

On Friday, Tim and I decided that we will make a day out of this beautiful weather and seasonal event. 

Our day started out with me profusely apologizing to the doggies for leaving them at home and inside when it's so nice outside. I mean, who'd want to put a dog looking like this INSIDE?

We drove to Greenbelt station and ride the metro into the center of DC. Smart choice, I said. Who's crazy enough to drive around DC during the festival that more than quadruples the amount of tourists in DC??! If they weren't crazy to start with, they must have turned crazy afterward :p

This is where we first get off the metro. We couldn't have dreamed of a better day. (Although, I could fancy less people)

Blossoms!!! blossoms!!! blossoms!!! When I see this many flowers so close and so beautiful, I have this urge to want to keep them all for myself, store them, and keep them forever. :") All impossible to do, I know. But knowing such doesn't stop the urge.

My personal farvourite shot, with the Washinton Monument peaking behind:

Beautiful things go so well together :) - I forgot to bring Timmo's sunscreen in my wizard's bag. I felt bad.

Without taking pictures at awkward angles, or set up fences, it is almost impossible to get a shot without other people in it unfortunately.

I'm not gonna lie: twirling my skirt as hundreds of people march on by was awkward. Then why did I twirl, you say? For no reason at all other than vanity :) Being girly has never been a naturally thing for me, this was my attempt to practice.

A rare shot without people, yet I look weird.

 Another monument shot:

There were so many flowers, so much pretty-ness, i didn't know what to do with myself. :'(

One day, I'll learn how to use photoshop and go back to these picture, and photoshop those people out :P

I THINK we were in front of the Lincoln memorial, where a band, in suit and ties, was playing in front of the steps, in 80 degrees weather. Poor things.

This must have been how I looked in Timmo's side vision.

 What do you, my readers (all 0-1) of you do to deal with the sight of flowers such as this?I felt like I should DO SOMETHING, but never quite figure out what to do to contain myself :)

So I demanded that pictures are to be taken, and we are to walk very very slowly under the canopy of flowers above us.

Then we stop at an rather "empty" spot under a tree with the rest of the more prepared spectators: we pulled out our cliff bars, munched on them to temper our screaming hunger.

Then we sat and people watch: it was quite entertaining. We noted many people walked around, holding up iPad. Sort of strange looking.

I'm wired to be happier when I can walk with bare feet on clean glass :)

Over to the right of us, a very well behaved dog sit and people watch with us, then entertain the less desirable children. I could not help but wish our dogs could be so chilled.

I think this picture comes close to capturing the beautiful sunshine and Spring filled weather we had that day.

After the short picnic, Tim and I started walking back to the metro station. We were to meet up with friends for our first hockey games ever!

The view of the Tidal Basin as we walked away. DC and its surrounding areas is so beautiful. It's probably one of my favourite place to be in the US.

Tim and I are eagerly awaiting our trip to the UK this month. I'll get to tour Oxford with Tim this time. It will be fun.

Baltimore St. Patrick day 5K

Again this year, my colleagues and friends talked me into running the Baltimore St. Patrick Day 5K. My training wasn't as good as it had been last year. I was just hoping to be able to to finish it without thoroughly embarrassing myself. At the end, I was certain that I finished the race. I was, still am, however, unsure about the embarrassment part.

We came:

(Waiting for the race)

 I ran:

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I finished:

The result was:

Place Div/Tot  Name      S Ag Hometown         Gun T Net T Pace 

2418  350/643  Hanh Vu   F 27 Abingdon MD      36:37 32:51 10:35

Like I said, I'm unsure about the embarrassment part.

First night/day in Curacao

 I had been dreaming of snorkeling in the blue water of the Caribbeans since we went on a cruise a few years ago. Then we snorkeled off the beach of Honduras. (O.O) fishes... there were so many little guys, colorful and fast. The water were hypnotically blue. I had to go back. So I sweet talked Tim into going to Curacao for our vacation. Curacao was supposed to be one of the best island to snorkel by in the Caribbeans. The place hardly ever gets any rain.

I waited and waited for months and months.
Finally we arrived at Curacao airport. It was raining. We caught a taxi to our hotel, it was already in the evening. The hotel staff told us some storm was coming by. I was worried. Nonetheless, Tim and I walked out for early dinner and plan for an easy night.

 Waiting for dinner reminded me about the things people says on "House hunter" shows: the pace on the island is really slow. Here I sat, dwindled in hunger, waiting for food.

 After dinner, we walked back to the hotel and out to the pier. I was excited like a kid seeing the crabs that had come up to it.  I tried to capture one of them, but I think it was impossible.

This is the view of the hotel's bar and cafe area. The lights and their reflection makes everything looks so dazzling.

The next morning, we woke up to this!!!! What what what!!!  What has become of a desert-y island with hardly any rain? I came close to tears, this was not how I had dreamed about it to be.


But Timmo was there, doing what he does best: making me feel better. We patiently waited and spent the morning planning our day. By the early afternoon the weather had lighten  up.

We rented a car ( I dont know why we were so brave. I think I was just ecstatic that the sun was shining ). We drove to the place we had picked for the day. A terrifying thing I found out as I was acting as Tim's navigation officer: most of the streets here didn't have street name plates.

But alas, we got where we wanted to go. Here was where we wanted to go.

Dont you think the water is hypnotizing? It made me wish I could swim well, more than anything.

If I didn't know how rocky and steep that beach was, I would say that this was a tropical paradise. But I did. and I came home with a large purple bruise on my butt to prove it.

Timmo for the most part coveted the different species of cacti and succulents that cover the island - proof that it is indeed a very dry island, and we're just "lucky".

 On our way back from the beach that day, I spotted a coconut stand on the side of the road. we made a short pit stop and got me a fresh of the tree coconut. <3

That evening, we ate at the hotel's restaurant, sitting by the pier and listening to the waves was nice.

 We then hit the bar for drinks.

 Put our feet up, took at deep breath, exhaled. I couldn't believe I was finally there.

Amsterdam part 2 - will comment later

The gorgeous windows facing the street. I can imagine the amount of natural light in each apartment. Just lovely.

The quite streets are the prettiest - not so hustle bustle with tourists.

A spices table set up by one of the vendors. It is in this market that I ate some raw herring. I debated the action for a long time. Walked back and forth, came close to the shop , then walked away. It really wasn't appetizing. But I took the plunge and ate some... NOT good... The pictures died with my camera phone ;(

I'd die, I'd die. Why can't we have this quality of flowers around here?

Restaurant over look a small canal.

Beautiful canal. Spewtiful canal.

I couldn't figure about what kind of berry this was. I tried asking the vendor. But i guess i looked so tourisy, she must have determined I wasn't buying anything, so she ignored me and talk to someone else...

Centraal station at night.

This is a REAL oscar people. It was the closest I'd ever going to get to one... Only after I took this picture that I say the sign that said "No camera" - No wonder why no one was taking any pictures... hee hee

I can't get over how peaceful the water and canals make me feel.

Museum square. I (fairly embarrassed) admit that I did not visit one museum while I was there for 5 days.

Roller skating party for the kids.

Birthday party for someone else in the park.

This boy dog loved his stick...

But it was so heavy for him, he dropped it every few yard. haha'

Ducks in pond.

This little guy got left out of the party. I was wondering why do so to this poor dog... until he went crazy nut on passer by randomly... like Willard-crazy.

Wide open ways in the park for roller skating, bicycling and such.

More loungy people who appear to not have to work during the middle of the day in the middle of the week.

Back to the market.

More to die for flowers.

Any mushrooms hunter knows how precious Morel mushrooms are... These are from Turkey they said. I bought a few back for Timmo... but they were all moldy when i got back. Oh well, he still got the morel mushrooms print I got him.

Fur :(

Pardon my obsession with flowers.

Big canal.

The back of the "floating" flowers market... word is only one of those shops is actually floating anymore.

The largest secret garden of amsterdam. It is secret because its entrance looks almost just like any other house door on the street. After a narrow path way, you enter a (what I'd call) court yard with outdoor space for the public and surrounding residents.

Book market. from across the street. It is here where I snatch up Timmo's mushroom print.

Found the map of VA, MD, WV in Europe in Old French. Cool huh? I thought so. It went home with me.

Came from this pile.

Dachshund!

The vintage print replicas here were over priced. I found similar prints in book stores on the side street for half price. I snatched up 5 huge botanical prints while I was in one of the book stores. To be framed ...