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Yet Another 365 Days Later

2013 was a really great year; it turned out way better than I had expected in the beginning of the year (when I felt pretty miserable) and probably one of the best years I have ever had. 

First off, unlike last year and the year before, I actually posted my photos daily on this blog for almost 4 months! Unfortunately, I stopped as other priorities in life got into the way. I am hoping to resume it once I get through my new photos. 

Travel was another big thing (again, I wonder when it will not be :). In addition to some smaller trips (that I didn't plan for when the year started), I was lucky to get some time off to travel around the world and to visit Africa in the summer (btw, it was a record for me as I spent less than a month to plan and book this round-the-world trip.) After my 2011 trip, I never imagined I would take that much time off to travel again; I guess I should never underestimate the travel bugs in me :). Now that I have done it twice, I want to make it happen more regularly. Easier said than done of course.

Work was another plus this year. It's an honor to work with such a great group of folks doing things that have a lot of impacts. Of course, based on my history, I'll probably be bored in a year or so; hopefully, it'll happen later this time :).

Lastly, the biggest 2013 moment for me was definitely my relationship status change - I have recently proposed to my girlfriend and we are now engaged (yeah, she said yes and I guess I should call her my fiancée now :). We don't have any wedding plan yet but will try to figure something out in 2014. (I wonder what my travel pattern will look like after we get married. hehe...)

2013 gave me a lot of uncertainty and I had a lot of fun with it. 2014 will be much more stable, which could be a little boring but, either way, I'm looking forward to it. I wish everyone a merry Christmas and a wonderful 2014!

Some interesting numbers in 2013 

Distance flown: 50000 miles (it's a new high for me and I don't think I can beat it ever again...)

Distance driven: I gave up on tracking it...

Distance hiked: really didn't hike much this year, maybe 50 miles total

Highest Elevation Reached: ~2500 meters

Continents visited: 4 (Africa, Asia, Europe, North America)

Countries visited: 12 (Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, US)

US States visited: 6 (Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, New York, Hawaii)

Photos Taken: more than 10000

Photos Posted: 0 (haven't made time for it yet :)

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Daily Photo (110): Summer Flowers, Mount Rainier National Park

I was just thinking about Mount Rainier National Park and it reminded of this photo I took on the Grand Park Trail (I think that's the one). It was really pretty and you should visit in August!

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Daily Photo (109): Street in Singapore

Here is a photo I took near the Chinatown in Singapore. 

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Daily Photo (108): Houses in Bejing, China

Today photo is one from Beijing, China. It was taken near the Palace Museum. Do you like the reflection?

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Daily Photo (107): CordeValle, San Martin, CA

Today is a photo of CordeValle, a golf resort in San Martin. It was certainly an awesome place to visit (well, my friends paid for my stay for the hard work I did that day :)

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Daily Photo (106): Phone Booth, England

Today is a photo of a phone booth in England. Nothing particular special about it other than I like it :)

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Daily Photo (105): Patallaqta, Inca Trail, Peru

Today is a photo from Peru along the Inca Trail. It's one of the many Incan sites you would see when you hike along the trail. 

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Daily Photo (104): Picture Lake, Mount Baker, Washington

Today photo is one from Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington. It's about a 2.5 hour drive from Seattle. I like to go there in the summer to hike and to enjoy the scenery. For others, they like to go there to snow in the winter time. Regardless of when you go, it's pretty

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Daily Photo (103): Tung Chung, Hong Kong

Seattle has been pretty warm (or hot I should say) these past few days. In fact, I think Seattle was warmer than Miami yesterday (Monday). Anyway, these warm days make me want to have some cool water around and this picture popped up in my head.

It was taken outside the Tung Chung MTR station in Hong Kong. 

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Daily Photo (102): War Drum, Seoul

Today is a photo from Seoul. It was taken during a performance when one of the soldiers hitting the war drum. 

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Daily Photo (101): Vancouver Airport, Canada

Today photo is one taken the view of Vancouver Airport (YVR) as seen from the West Dyke Trail nearby. It's not a hard trail but if you want to watch planes, that's the place to go. I love that place and highly recommend it!

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Daily Photo (100): Cathedral Peak & Cathedral Lake, Yosemite National Park

Yeah! Today I hit my 100th daily photo! Can't believe I have made it this far. Anyway, the photo you are seeing today is the Upper Cathedral Lake in Yosemite National Park. The best way to get there is from the Tiago Pass entrance. I highly recommend the trail. It's very pretty.

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Daily Photo (99): Moray, Peru

What you are seeing in the photo is an Inca ruin near Cuzco, Peru - Moray. Nobody knows exactly what this site is for but some guess that it is a place for experimenting various agricultural system as the temperature varies widely within the site. Pretty interesting stuff.

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Daily Photo (98): Great Wall, China

Today is a photo of the great wall viewed from a window in another section of the wall. Enjoy.

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Daily Photo (97): Skagit Tulip Festival, Washington

I was in Vancouver over the weekend and since I have never been to the Skagit Tulip Festival, I decided to make a trip there on the way back this morning. After getting lost, I finally got to a field with blooming tulips at around 7am and no one was there (you are supposed to pay $5 but no one was there so I just went thru some gates). Nice!

It was really pretty and I went about taking my photos. Unfortunately, the sun was too strong and my skill was lacking, so I really didn't get any good photos out of it. The one I am showing is the best one I have. I guess I'll need to learn how to take better flower pictures.

On my way out, I met a professional photographer who would make a trip to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival every year. I chatted with her a bit and found out that I was supposed to get some field permits if I want to take pictures before the fields are open to the public. Oh well... Next time :)

If you planned to go to the Tulip Festival this year, I think this coming weekends is a good one. Just make sure you go early or you'll be stuck in traffic.

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Daily Photo (96): Flying Competition @ Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, New Mexico

Today is a photo taken during the flying competition at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. The pilots need to throw some rings into the poles on the ground. It was really amazing to see how great these pilots were.

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Daily Photo (95): London Eye, London, England

Today's photo is the London Eye in England. The area around this iconic structure is pretty touristy but the night view is pretty nice and not too many people (if you go during winter time.)