Fire in the sky...

During our trip in Michigan, we stopped by Grand Haven to enjoy the 4th July fireworks.
It's one of the biggest fireworks I've seen.

With the Grand Haven The World Largest Musical Fountain in the background continued with the fireworks, it makes a spectacular view.

The Musical Fountain is really large. If you look at Grand Haven map, a river actually passes the city. The fountain is on the one side of the river. We view it from the other side of the river.



I found this video at You Tube just to give an idea how big the fountain is.
It's a good place to stop by for your next 4th July celebration

A session with Sylvia Laughrin

When the first time I saw this picture, I thought it was a postcard. It looks like out of this world, especially with the sun rays peeking out the clouds.

It's actually us,... and the picture was taken by Sylvia Laughrin Photograpy.

We had a photo session with her at the Retzer Nature Center. She spent about 2 hours with us. She took pictures, give some suggestions, asked us to tell a secret between us so we looks so naturally interactive with each other, played with the kids... in short, we had a great time.

I didn't know what to expect. I've seen pictures I took... so I was hoping it will turn out a bit better than mine. Her pictures turned out to be amazing... Wouldn't you agree?

PS: This picture is one of my favorites. Sylvia gave permission to use her pictures on my blog. Thank you...!

Dunn's Do you prefer a stimulating job or more money?

I stumbled on Nigel Dunn's blog about whether you would choose a stimulating job or more money.
In an ideal world, it's probably both... but unfortunately we don't live in that. I used to work in 2 different companies which has 2 different cultures.

The first one have more pay and benefit, but boy, the work is like pressure cooker. The second one has less pay but it's more stimulating for me. I worked in a team and because of the nature of the work, I go to different places and meet new clients.

If I look back, the later one is more fulfilling for me. I would like to go back to the professional world again... some day... when the baby is old enough to take care of herself.

Traverse City

We stopped by Traverse City during Cherry Festival. Lucky for us, they have air show on that day. We never been to Traverse City, so we just follow the crowd, park our car and unload our blue blanket.

We found a nice spot, under the shadow. We sat in that spot about 3 hours that we have to keep moving to follow the shade.

There are some food tents where we decided to buy our lunch there and back to our spot to watch the show. We bought buffalo burger, gyros, fried rice and hot dog. And of course root beer float.


After waiting for the Blue Angels for 3 hours, I decided I want to go to the art and craft fair. As I was heading the fair, I heard the thundering noise of the plane. With a baby in the stroller and a back pack, I have some difficulties grabbing my camera.

I was able to shot the Blue Angels,... The plane flew so fast, that when you hear the plane, it actually already passed you. So when I got the shot, I was so happy...

The next day, we're going to spend the day at Grand Rapids, MI.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

As part of our vacation, we decided to drive to Michigan.
We spent a day at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The most impressive part is Pierce Stocking drive, where I took this picture.

The picture on the top is looking north, where you could see the dome shape ( The Sleeping Bear) with 450 feet drop to Lake Michigan. It has a great view.

To get a comparison how deep the drop is, please look the picture on the bottom.


Some people tried to go down, but I decided to stay put. I had experience with the Dune Climb which is just about 110 feet high, and I already felt extremely exhausted.

This picture taken only half way from the Dune Climb. My daughter passed my and she's already on the top while I'm catching my breath.
Well... I could say that I have to carry the baby with me...
Anyway,... it was fun, hot day...
More to come...

Happy birthday, America...

Fourth of July usually celebrated with a bang...! A lot of fireworks around the city. My favorite spot is actually my deck. I could see downtown Waukesha firework without having to be in the crowd.

I sometimes have mixed feelings when I see the 4th July fireworks. Despite the loud fireworks, I sometimes almost into tears... because I'm happy and proud to be part of this country.

As a person who was raised abroad, I understand the feel of being treated differently just because of my skin color or my eyes color. And I can tell you, it's an awful feelings.
In the last few years, I have been blessed with what I don't have to experience it again.

I feel save when I go out. People don't try to hurt you. I can go to the church without fears that someone will destruct the church.

I send my daughter to public school. A good quality public school available for the residents, not just because of your heritage.

People volunteer, I volunteer... something that I rarely hear when I was growing up. I give back to the community.

I could express my opinions/thoughts, freely.

The list could be on and on...

I think for me, freedom is being able to be myself, to do things I like, to express my opinions, regardless the color of my skin or the color of my eyes.

How about you? What is freedom for you?

Introducing The Tiny Fig

What is the chance of meeting a person, with the same name, lives at the same continent and doing similar thing? Meet Connie, from The Tiny Fig.

I met her... well.. at Etsy. I saw her pictures at Flickr. I thought it would be neat, what would neat to learn more about her. Here's a bit of our conversation...

Bigib: Tell me more about your background.
The Tiny Fig: I'm in my early 20's and I live in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. I'm a part time college student trying to complete the lower level classes I need to apply for the BBA program. I'm currently taking the summer off to enjoy the weather, relax and to craft new things for my shop.

Bigib: Why do you use the material you're using to express your creativity
The Tiny Fig: I love using polymer and shrink plastic simply because it's so versatile. You can sculpt just about anything out of polymer and I also love to draw and doodle so shrink plastic lets me share my creations very easily.

Bigib: What's new project you're working on, or anything coming up?
The Tiny Fig: I am currently working on expanding my product line over the summer. I currently carry mostly earrings and accessories and I am working on some screen printing and sewing projects so if all goes well I will be adding some zip pouches and plush dolls to my shop in the near future.

Bigib: How is your design process .
The Tiny Fig: For me, most of my ideas actually come when I have troubles sleeping. I just lie in my bed and think about all the wonderful things I could be making... Sometimes I'll wake up in the middle of the night like a crazy person and write down all my ideas so I won't forget.

Bigib: Do you innovate?
The Tiny Fig: I usually make my items in small batches so that I don't have to whip out all my supplies every time I sell something but it's all about quality. If I can do it faster but with the same quality then sure I will do it.

Bigib:What is your favorite items and a brief description about it.
The Tiny Fig: My favorite item would have to be my signature winking bread. It makes me smile every time I look at it.

To learn more about Connie's creation, you can visit http://Thetinyfig.etsy.com