Visiting Helener and Vladner - Dupont Circle I almost come to DC once a year. Since my good friend Helen moved here, it gives me more reason to come back as often as I can. I like DC. It has this sophistication, charm and colonial setting that woos me. I also call DC a city of bricks or a city of circular drive. It is crazy almost every third intersection in the city is a circle. Whereas the circle is called a round-about in California, a funny name. I stayed in Dupont Circle, one of my favorite spot which I am [View Full Entry]

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I have never been there before. I decided to avoid the typical Smithsonian and large museums. I find myself lately become more interested in history and particularly people and events shaped our history. So, I chose this place. The gallery is located on 8th and F Street, NW. It was two weeks before Xmas. There has been a holiday fair on the sidewalk outside of the gallery everyday until Xmas. It was really cute! Bunch of white tents decorated with snow flake and icicle lights filled the sidewalk with arts and crafts and food. I couldn’t get pass the French crepes [View Full Entry]

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Cousin Brown set out to OZ from England when he turned 20. He traveled around the country with friends and lived his life carefreely for two awesome years. As he flashed pictures of his past time in OZ, I saw smiles on his face, whitesand beaches, tropic forest, backpacker paradise and countless adventures. He told me I got see the jungle, beach and swim in the ocean in Cape Tribulation. To see it for myself, I came to Cape Tribulation. Cape Tribulation is a secluded beach nested in Daintree Rainforest on the tip of Northern coast. It is north of Cairns [View Full Entry]

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After a night of bar hopping, I barely got any sleep. Yet I was ready to go hiking at Blue Mountains with my other cousin Dong Dong and her husband. I was excited to see my cousin and meet my cousin-in-law for the first time. Dong Dong didn’t change much from what I remembered. She still looked youthful and quiet like when we last saw each other in her early 20s. I can’t believe she has already been married for few years. Her husband seemed to be very easy-going and caring. I liked him instantly especially I saw how he always [View Full Entry]

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The next day, I began my exploration of the city on foot. I started from central district and walked southwest to Darling Harbor. Along the way I took pictures of city gardens, fountains, sculptures, museums, stadiums and interesting structures scattered around the city. Sydney is a very modern and new-looking city. It certainly has metropolitan ambiance. And its citizens are as diverse as a salad bowl - a little bit everything. Matching with the city perfectly, Darling Harbor has many new and trendy lounges, bars and restaurants along the boardwalk. The Real World in Sydney actually pic [View Full Entry]

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Sydney is my first stop in Australia for one reason to see two of my cousins who I haven’t seen over tens years. It is funny that we all went abroad but to different countries. I moved to the U.S. with my family while they moved to Sydney. My cousin Jing Jing’s boyfriend, Xue Gang, picked me up at the airport. It was very sweet of him to come and get me even though we never met before. But it is the Chinese way to show families and friends your hospitality even you never met them before. He was adorable! Lucky [View Full Entry]

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