Norton Simon Museum - Pasadena, CA

Assembly of Sea Forms (White Marbles) - Norton Simon Museum

Living in LA, it’s hard to stay indoors as the weather here is always sooo beautiful and sunny.  While LA has been having the Seattle rain as of late, it’s undoubtedly a perfect time to ditch the beach this weekend.  In my quest to find inspiration - somewhere other than outdoor activities, I visited the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena.  The museum features an astonishing array of European, Asian, and American artworks, from paintings to sculptures.  

My Digital Detox Experience - A Mindful Exercise

This blog post records my one-hour digital detox experience, in which I refrain myself from all means of electronic and media uses.  The purpose of this digital detox is not to meditate, but to find my present self and to pay my attention to the way I pay attention.  For this digital detox, I have decided to spend an hour sitting in a quiet park nearby my university apartment while refraining myself from my phone and any other technological devices.  I picked this outdoor setting because I much preferred the fresh air outside to an indoor environment.  At 1 p.m., the park was not crowded and almost empty.  Therefore, I was able to be alone with my own thoughts for the entire hour without much distractions and external stimulations. 

Little Villa dei Papiri

Have you ever imagine yourself living in the ancient Roman times?  As of late, I have been imagining myself awakening in the vintage and sumptuous castle with marble floors and bird whistles.  Whenever I travel to explore the mysterious pieces of world history, I continually wish to actually be present in that era in order to taste the real flavor of life in the Ancient World.  I always get fascinated by how ancient people could build such distinctive edifices using marbles and stones.  I am truly obsessed with the ancient architectures, better than those modern skylines that I see in every downtown corner nowadays. 

Hawaii Guide: Oahu Island

Oahu is beyond any doubt one of my favorite islands to visit in Hawaii due to its impeccable combination of active city life and peaceful island life at the same time.  If the heart of Oahu, Honolulu, offers the buzz of modern vibes, then the northern/eastern shores contrastingly offer the allure of serene island lifestyles.  Every culture can be represented in the island so you can always find something to do all week long and all season long.  Hawaii constantly stays warm and pleasant all year round.  The average temperature during daytime is between 78F ("winter" months) - 88F (summer months).  Nighttime temperature is ranging from 65F-75F.  Long daytime with plentiful of sunshine makes Hawaii an all-season destination for tourists.  If you are seeking a rejuvenating escape, scroll down to see my takes on the places to stay, eat, and do in Oahu, HI!

Urban Light

Top 5 Bomber Jackets

Hawaii OOTD: Part One

One of my favourite place to visit is Oahu island in Hawaii.  I visit Hawaii almost every year because the island is packed with my high school and teenager memory.  Reuniting with good friends and being with my host parents always boost up my energy incomparably!  Especially, this little getaway is what I truly need after the stressful final week.  To me, Hawaii always has so much to discover and rediscover.  I am bursting with happiness and excitement to visit this exquisite island again.

Meaning of Life

Have you ever taken a moment to ask yourself what, if anything, makes life meaningful?  I assume that you have thought of it at least once in your life, whether you care to find out the answers or not.  The question about life meaning is a controversial and thought-provoking topic that we mankind has always been struggling and debating for centuries.  Depending on what religions you practiced, and depending on what perspective you view in life, we can all have immensely different answers to this question of life meaning.  For instance, God-centered viewers and Nihilism-centered viewers will answer this question quite dissimilarly.  Regardless, I am not going to make this blog post a rhetorical argument or a forceful persuasion on your current beliefs, values, and behaviors.  This is just a casual and positive blog post about my random day thoughts that I want to share with you all.  By the end of this post, hopefully, it will bring out a healthy discussion and a closer connection between you and me, readers and writer!

Summer Is Coming To An End

Before I start sharing anything on today’s blog post, I firstly want to send my deep apologize to you all who are following my blog because I did not publish any post on The Rosemary Life for the last few months.  And I also want to say a BIG “thank you” at the same time for the love, support and encouragement that you have given to me and my blog.  You guys are part of my inspiration and you are the reason why I give my full passion for writing this blog.

During the summer months, I did not write a single blog post, not because I was lacking of inspiration, but because I was trying to meditate, contemplate and concentrate...  I wanted to stop thinking forward about the future and stop dwelling on the past.  I made a promise to myself that I would limit the use of technology as much as possible.  I decided to do so because I wanted to refresh my mind and give myself a break.

It is not easy to give up on any habit that I stick to every single day.  I admit that I constantly stay on my computer and my phone trying to keep up with piles of emails, assignments, and other social connections.  

But once I stopped fretting about the deadlines/the future, my summer journal suddenly became more exuberant.

Strawberry Picking

Since it is now the peak season of strawberries, I decided to drive down to Tanaka Farm today to pick up some fresh strawberries and check out their farmers market.  April is probably the ideal time to harvest strawberries in California.  The moderate temperature with warm sun during daytime and cool air during nighttime is a perfect condition for growing strawberries. For breakfast, I always add fresh berries to my oatmeal, cereal, or crepe.  Strawberries are extremely nutritious fruits.  They are full of Vitamin C, great sources of dietary fiber, and high in antioxidants.  Strawberries are one of my most favourite fruits on earth!

Nourish Your Soul

Today post is dedicated to all of my readers who have never tried traveling alone before.  

So I recently had this small talk with a friend about the different passions that people have in life.  We were chatting a lot about traveling and exploring new things around us.  Now thinking back to our conversations, I realize that most people do not like doing things by themselves, traveling particularly.  The reason is either because people feel pointless traveling alone or because they are not used to the feeling of "being alone".  So why don't people travel alone?  Rather than spending time scrolling through posts from Snapchat or Instagram, why not spending a day or days to go somewhere by yourself and put your phone aside for a while...

The Broad Museum

Last Saturday, I had a chance to visit The Broad, a contemporary art museum located in Downtown LA.  I did not plan my schedule ahead of time to visit The Broad because the online reservations were fully booked until the end of May.  Due to my traveling in late May, I didn't reserve the advance ticket to the museum and decided to wait in line instead.  Plus, I was so excited I would not wait until May anyway!

Revisiting San Francisco

As soon as my spring break begun, my friends and I took a road trip from LA to the Bay for a refreshing Easter weekend.  We started driving from early morning, around 8:00 am, and arrived at downtown SF just right afternoon.  After checking in at the Westin Francis, I took a quick shower and I was thrilled to get out of the hotel asap.