Week 2: Sunlight on 7th st.

On my way home after work I noticed the way the sunlight shined between the buildings in downtown LA. The sun was setting and the there was a golden glow and a clear sky. It was a chilly day which I tend to enjoy because they are not very common. I was in a great mood because my day went rather well. As I walked down 7th street the moments of warm sunlight that crept through the buildings kept me warm from the cool breeze. I have always enjoyed the feeling of the hour before a sunset because it means the day is almost done and I can look forward to the evening. 

Week 2: The Colors of Darkness and Light

I've lived here my whole life. It's rare when I just have a moment to really breathe and take in a space, especially the spaces that I'm in every day. After a nice dinner with my family, I was on the go again. I had no reason to be in a rush getting back to school for rehearsal; I was genuinely happy and at peace. While walking to my car, I stopped and turned around. For the first time in a very long time, I really took in my house and its surroundings. The LED light in the street light was new. It gave a new glow to my neighborhood. It felt warm and promising even though it was a change. The sky glowed and made a perfect contrast of the light and dark on my street. The trees were towering over as if they were protectors keeping watch of their children. The low lights coming from the inside of the homes made me feel included and a part of something greater than just me. 

Week 2: Sunset or Sunrise

I was at the Pike in Long Beach the other day during the weekend just enjoying the afternoon/evening with some friends. We were being nerds and just playing PokemonGo to kill some time before we head out for dinner. PokemonGo, if you didn't know what it was, is a GPS based game that requires you to walk around catching creatures called Pokemon. While walking around the Pike, I wasn't just attached to my phone with my eyes. I always like to look around my surroundings. Once it gets around 5 P.M., the sun usually starts to set. I noticed yellow, mustard-like sky start to change to a deeper dark blue. I took a panorama of this sunset once I saw it and it was remarkable how it came out. If there was no explanation of what time this was taken, I feel like it could be either the sun rising or setting. One of the favorite time of the day is when the sun is rising just enough to see the deep dark blue sky but not too much where it becomes too bright. This is kind of like that except the sun is setting which would be my second favorite time of the day. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to wake up every morning around 5 A.M just to see it so whenever I do, it's amazing. This also is wonderful to see. Whenever I'm around this kind of lighting, I feel safe in a way. It feels peaceful to me. The deep dark blue sky just clears my head for that moment and I can relax and breathe. It definitely feels "cool" as you can say. The sun on the right is a nice contrast to that. It gives the feel of a little warmth like a fireplace in a freezing cabin in the snow. Because of the difference from the warm yellows and the cool blues, I felt as if the warmer side would be where most people would be attracted to look at first when shown. I know that when I saw this the first time, I looked directly at the brighter/warmer side first before seeing the rest of the sky. I took the picture from right to left. It feels as if within seconds of taking the panorama, the sun had set dramatically from the right side to the left. My friends and I took a minute away from our game just to see the beautiful sky and the reflections on the water. Moments and sights like these are just a few things that make life worth living for.

Week 2 - String Lights

The morning is not my favorite time of the day...

Usually there is sun light piercing in through the blinds as a no so subtle hint from mother nature to stop be a lazy ass and get myself out of bed. But this Sunday morning was different. I woke to see these string lights laying on my deck, still glowing from last night. At first I was a little grumpy because that I had forgotten them and now wasted the batteries quite a bit. No to mention it being a reminder than I did not finish reorganizing my room the night before. 

However the warm glow that came from these lights seemed to comfort me. The light had an amber hue that was different from the blue light from the overly enthusiastic sun. Not only was the light much less jarring because of the color but the way the lights were defused by the twine sphere that encased the tiny bulb. The light shine through in interesting patterns that occupied my mind and keep me from being frustrated. It honestly make me feel like a child a bit; being easily entertained and not having to worry about the never ending list of what needs to be done next.

Some times there are happy mistakes :) Turns out leaving light out on my deck can be one of them.

# week 2- KongMing Lantern

On December 1st, I went to a light festival located in Imperial. The festival aims to gather people together and put the fair into a paper house lighting which are called Kongming Lantern, and let them fly to the sky at the same time. Since I was invited by my friend, I didn't know about the detail before we arrived. The event located in a desert, and there had a lot of torches built above 10 meter between each other, which not only used for lighting, but also lighting the lanterns later. People wrote their wishes on the Lantern paper, and when the lantern fly to the sky, the god would received your sounds, which help you to make it true. It's about eight o'clock at night, the host guided people to use the fire to light the lantern, and flied them at the same time. I found that the Lantern is not that easy to make it fly due to the strong wind at night and the fire inside the Lantern. However, when the people's Lanterns flied to the sky at the same time, the sky was so bright and it was really beautiful. it made me really feel that I am in the dream and felt that dreams will come true. With the background music, I felt so touchable and i was really missing my family and friends at that time. It really made me feel the powerful of the fire. It is unforgettable.

Week 2: The Trees Have Gobos

This was taken a few days after we discussed gobos in class and how Lonnie sees gobos everywhere. This is around the Arc on California st just before 10am. When I saw this, I turned around to examine how the shadows of the trees fell on the ground. What made me stop was the surprising marble-like texture. I wish the picture showed it more clearly but the shadow reminded me of the texture a pool has when reflecting on a wall. It made me think about how real life is not always how we picture it to be and it is useful to really look at the things around us instead of assuming we know what they are.

Week 2: Blue Bayou

This last weekend I had lunch at the Blue Bayou in Disneyland. This picture was taken at 2:30pm. Outside it was warm and bright, but inside it felt like we were eating under the moonlight with just enough candlelight to see our dishes. When I looked around I could see a small candle at each table. It was as if each light represented the life of the people around it; kept only going by their presence. The restaurant was full of families and couples that afternoon, but because of the lighting it was like we were under the moon at our own private romantic dinner.