back to reality

No post in over 3 months? I just wasn’t made to blog… but I’m trying.

I think I’m finally adjusting to the daily grind of the real world. I came back a few weeks ago from my oh so wonderful vacation to Portland and Seattle. I think I planned pretty well, if I do say so myself. Unlike how I planned previous vacations, I allowed for a lot more flexibility – I actually had time to see and do things that weren’t on my plan! AMAZING!

I’ve realized that vacations aren’t just for fun; it’s also about self discovery:

• I really enjoy hiking and outdoor activities. It’s not that I just found this out recently – I’ve always enjoyed a more active lifestyle. But life gets in the way, as it always does, and I basically only have time to run a couple of miles a day at most.
• I love taking pictures. However, at times I felt like I was more into getting the perfect shot than enjoying myself. I can totally relate to how Annie Lebowitz described her relationship with photography: once you start, you really can’t stop. It was really hard for me not to look at objects/people without framing them, without thinking about the lighting, without thinking about angles. I was constantly thinking about setting up a shot, almost to an obsessive point. Do I wish I spent less time taking pictures? No, I came back with some really great shots. But, next time I’m on vacation, I’ll try my best to balance it out more.
• I go on vacation to eat. I love food and I love taking pictures of food. Yes, I bring my cameras to restaurants and I take pictures of my food (even nice restaurants). Usually I hear people whisper about me taking my camera to a restaurant, and at first, I was a little embarrassed, but then I realized, this is my dining experience too.. and if I want to take pictures of my food then I’m going to, damnit! However, I am considerate enough to not use flash or take pictures of guests. My trips are basically planned around food, with Yelp being my number 1 source. For the most part, Yelp reviewers were spot on. Places that were most highly rated like Paseo and Screen Door were among my favorites. We did go to one “nice” restaurant in Seattle, Canlis – it was proclaimed to be “the best restaurant in Seattle” by various people (some were locals). I don’t know if Henry and I are just jaded and our expectations are unattainably high from eating at such places as Providence, Gary Danko, and Alan Wong’s, but Canlis was nothing special to me. The only fabulous thing was the view, but they didn’t put us at a window seat even though there seemed to be space available.
• I’m very anti social. I don’t really show it, but it kind of pains me to have to talk to people I don’t know. We stayed at bed and breakfast type places throughout our trip and talking to the owners or other guests was always a strain for me. I’m not socially awkward or anything, I just want to relax on vacation and not have to think of things to talk about with people that I’m probably never going to see again.
• I don’t really care about the nightlife in the cities I visit. I’m not much of a drinker in the first place so that makes sense. I never plan to do anything at night while on vacation and that’s never an issue since we’re usually dead tired by the end of the day.

Here are some of my fave pictures from my trip. I’ll post more specifics later.

Dugan, the dog of the owner of Almost Paradise Lodging

Comet Falls at Mt. Rainier