I just want to wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year! I know I’m three days late but still, better late than never :). My family and I went to Hacienda Heights Temple, better known as Hsi Lai Temple, earlier today. This place holds a special place in my heart; just one year ago was when I got serious about photography and this temple was the first place I took my (back then) new professional camera and lens. A few of you might remember my “Pictures For Faith” photoblog I had in late 06/early 07, where I posted some photos from last year’s visit to Hsi Lai Temple. Oh how time flies!

The great thing about going to this popular temple on a late Sunday afternoon is we avoided the mad crowd of visitors that came on Chinese New Year and probably earlier today as well. We actually got parking right by the temple, which was a first in years. That plus I got to sleep in late and watch some NBA action on ABC :). The place was decorated beautifully; everything came alive in the evening when all the lights were turned on, which was when I got really excited about taking photos there. You’ll see in some of the photos how myself and my sister were making trouble, and my mom had a good time being silly behind my dad’s back (literally!). Leave me a comment and I’ll share with you the red envelopes I got from my parents and relatives ;).

I was heading over to Hollywood this past evening but decided to stop by the Griffith Observatory for a few minutes before it closed at 10PM. Just as I was setting up my tripod and camera (Canon 5D with 35mm/1.4L lens), the security guard kindly asked me to pack up and leave. I managed to snap a few around the observatory before he came back around and really “asked” me to get going :).

I don’t have any paid shoots this weekend; however, I’ll be heading to Long Beach tomorrow for a client meeting and possibly stopping by a few places and shooting for fun. If you’re around the Southern California area and want to come along, please let me know. I’d love to have company on my random shoots. I’m saving Sunday for Chinese New Year and my sister’s birthday celebration with the familia, so expect lots of new photos over the weekend!

I’ve always wanted to stop by the new soccer field on my way to work every morning. The city of El Segundo required some recreational playground to be built since there’s going to be new business and aparment complexes nearby. The building I work in is just about a block away from the soccer field. So after work this past evening, I drove over there with my camera and snapped away a few shots.

Unfortunately, there was no game going on but I did have the entire field to myself. The lighting was exceptional, turning the place from night to day; also, the colors of the grass and lines were so vibrant. Although there was no game in sight, I could’ve sworn I heard the crowd chanting and the players hustling on the field. I realize this might be a pretty random post but it explains how I started photography two summers ago: going around town taking photos for fun and sharing them with you. Since I don’t have a NBA game to shoot until next Wednesday, you’ll be seeing a lot more “interesting” photos on this blog for the next few days :). I hope you enjoy them!

I went to USC during my lunch break today to pick up my M.S. diploma. Holding that piece of paper in my hands, it truly felt GREAT to officially be done with graduate school, but more so to tell myself: no more lectures, homeworks, essays, projects, and exams! I can’t help but feel pretty excited, relieved, and a bit content since this is the first time in forever that I don’t have academics in my daily life. It’s nice to have an extra 10-15 hours per week to do other things, such as focusing more on my wedding/NBA photography career and hanging out with the people that mean the world to me.

At this time, I’d like to thank all my elementary, middle, and high school teachers, as well as my undergraduate and graduate professors. The few names that stand out, whom I’m forever grateful for their teaching and wisdom, are Mr. Austin, Mr. Genova, Ms. Paulson, Mr. Wong, all from Lincoln High School, and Professor Harris, from Harvey Mudd College. After 20+ years of school, I think the most important lesson I’ve learned is to do whatever I can to have a career and life that I’ll be very passionate about and one that will influence and help others. The study of mathematics, science, and engineering is not just about complex equations, how the world works, and building things; it’s about learning how to solve the toughest challenges ever: not just the problems in textbooks but also the ones we deal with in our life everyday.