Autumn. Words can't describe how much I love this season. 

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I recently got a car and I've been debating for years whether I really needed one. I work/live in the city and next to the metro, and uber/lyft would come handy when public transportation would breakdown. So, I kept going back and forth, was it really worth all the additional expense? 

Yes.

Getting a car opened my eyes and it honestly felt like I inherited wings. I love how I can freely go wherever I want, whenever I want -- my options are endless (aka I can now get good Asian food whenever too). 

But it's not just this new freedom I love. 

Over the past year or two, I started to feel suffocated living here. I still found this city beautiful but it just didn't excite me as much as it used to. I had this urge to get out and thought maybe moving to a new city would be a good solve, but once I got my car, this feeling I had started to change its course.  

I forgot how much I love being encompassed by nature. 

There's a lot of greenery in MD/VA and a lot of parks/hiking trails. Having a car now lets me go on these spontaneous trips and surround myself with nature. The DMV lets me stay close to both nature and the city. Does this mean moving to a new city and starting a new chapter is off the tables? Absolutely not, but having this car has helped me fall in love with this area all over again.  

It's finally starting to feel like my favorite weather! Hello, Autumn. 

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Whenever I go on these mini photoshoots, I like to return the favor to the friend who's taking my photo by taking a few photos of him/her. During this photo op, the friend I was with asked me what I would do and who I would be if I didn't have my camera. My response?

"I wouldn't be me." 

Being able to view the world through my lens and capturing moments is one of my favorite activities and something I've always cherished doing. When I was a kid, I loved going through old photo albums and watching old home videos. It would puzzle me that I couldn't recall some of the events that were captured on film even though I was in the frame.

The way our brain works and the way we're able to retain (or forget) things is so complicatedly interesting.

Once I got my hands on my first camera, I couldn't stop taking photos, not only because it was "cool" to take awkward mirror selfies with your BFF and post them on Myspace afterwards, but also because I couldn't trust my brain to remember everything. I wanted to capture these moments to look back to. 

I always joke with my friends that my camera is an extended part of my body.

I know I'm not a professional photographer and I don't know every single thing about photography, but this is just a hobby of mine I enjoy and helps me hit pause in life to appreciate my surroundings. 

It's that time of the year when the weather is supposed to start cooling down as we transition into my favorite season, fall, but for some reason, I'm still out and about wearing shorts as the weather continues to fluctuate.

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Update on my life (for anyone interested): I was recently reunited with an old friend, and this friend re-reminded me the importance of carefully selecting who you allow yourself to be around. This friend of mine has an extremely kind-genuine heart, always has a positive attitude, and knows how to stay grounded. This made me re-realize how crucial it is to have people you respect and people who respect you in your life, and I know this all sounds cliche, but it's so true. 

When you haven't seen or talked to someone in a while, there's always that slight chance things might be slightly awkward, since people change and grow, but being able to pick things up quickly and naturally when you do reunite is one of the greatest feelings ever. It's almost as if you're able to revert back to those "good old days". 

When you revert back to those "good old days," you're reminded who you used to be and you see how much you've grown over the past few weeks, months, years. When you take a step back and pause to think who you've been spending your time with in absence of your old friend, you'll notice how everyone impacts your life differently.  

I'm about to take on new challenges and leap out of my comfort zone. As nervous as I am, I'm also excited for what's to come, and I know I wouldn't be able to do this without the support of my friends and family. After hanging out with this old friend, I felt refreshed and felt like the problems and stress I was facing 10 minutes ago were lifted off my shoulders. 

My old friend reminded me even more how thankful I am to call the people who are my friends, my friends. The people who truly care about you are the relationships worth fighting for, but remember, any relationship can't be a one-way street. 

Hello, September. I can't believe how quickly the last few months flew by. Safe to say, it's been a crazy past few months.

I took on a new project this summer that's been consuming my life. I wanted to prioritize this project of mine and give my 110% so I'd end up with the best possible outcome. I've also been trying to figure out next steps for my life/career and thought going on a social media cleanse would help me figure this out, so I left my camera on my shelf to collect some dust and deleted majority of my social apps from my phone too.

It recently hit me how much I've had to sacrifice for this ongoing project of mine and how wrapped up I've become, it was to the point I started getting lost (I know, not good). And so, after a few long weeks of hiatus, I finally decided to pick up my camera again and bring back the old me. Although I still plan to give my 110% on this project, I'm also going to make more time for me and to recharge.

Time for new adventures. Stay tuned! 

It's graduation season once again. A good friend of mine graduated this past weekend, so of course I had to take my camera out and take a few photos for her. It feels like just yesterday I too was graduating from college, it always amazes me how quickly time flies.

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Sarah, congratulations on graduating. I could not be more proud of you. 

Here we go, it's that beautiful time of the year once again. Where everything starts to come back to life, like allergy season. 

Every year, I stop by to visit the Cherry Blossoms. I take the exact same photos, walk down the same path, and end up with itchy eyes feeling dehydrated towards the end of the day. But even so, I do this every year and can never seem to get sick of this. Although I'm not ready to say goodbye to winter just yet, I do love spring, and it's this time of the year that makes me fall in love with this city all over again. 

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I can't believe how quickly time is passing and we're already at the end of March. Clock keeps ticking, time keeps running, and here I am trying to make sure I don't waste a second of it. I think it's safe to say that it's been a busy and productive year so far as I work to figure things out.

I am trying to post more frequently, this is one item I'm trying prioritize. Make sure you continue to stop by for more, I'm working on some fun new content. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Finally concluding this year's graduation-- and being my friends's photographer-- season. Warmest and biggest congrats to two of my close friends for finishing up their masters and undergraduate studies. 

Dear DC weather,
You never fail to keep me on my toes. From being nice 60s to a way too hot 70s, then dropping down to 30s and deciding to snow a bit in April; you're literally hot and cold. Hoping the weather will stay cool for a little bit longer before the hot-humid-summer DC weather hits us. But for now, hello, Spring...? 

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Okay, moment of truth: 
I secretly love the color pink and openly love chocolate and peanut butter. Even when I'm single, I love seeing love around me, as long as it's not incredibly cheesy, so I never hated this occasion. I do, however, believe that Valentine's Day isn't the only day you should express your love and appreciation towards your loved one; this is something you should be doing on a daily basis. But anyways, I wanted an excuse to practice taking portrait shots and photoshop and also happen to wear pink on pink, so I decided to use these images to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day/Single's Appreciation Day! 

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