Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Sakura at Shinjuku Gyoen

We went apartment hunting this past weekend, so we first went to Shinjuku Gyoen nearby to check out the blooming cherry blossoms. They are just starting to bloom, so the sight was not as beautiful as it could be. Anyhoo, here are some pics (click to enlarge):

Closeup of some blossomsThe pavillion in the Chinese gardenBudsOne of the beautiful trees that had a lot of blossomsMe again...^_^;;A final tree... it was really pinkThis was at one of the subway stations (Touchoumae) as we were heading homeThe next day, I had a meeting with some future partners for a magazine project; we met at Kawasaki Station and the Azalea shopping complex signage opened up and started to play music so I had to take this pic...

For more pics of cherry blossoms at Shinjuku Gyoen, compare with my pics there a few years ago: http://wrexgrafix.com/photos/japan/shinjuku_gyoen/index.html

Monday, March 13, 2006

Maui Vacation

My girlfriend and I visited Maui (Hawaii) in February. Our hotel was great, the weather was nice, and it was really relaxing. Here are some photos (click to enlarge):
The view from our hotel's lobby (Westin Maui)Iao Needle in the western mountains of Maui. Warriors used to climb to the top as a lookoutWestern mountainsThe beach from our hotel... Kaanapali coastSilverswords; this unique plant only grows near the top of Haleakala Volcano. Another variant of the silversword grows near the top of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii.Magnificient view Haleakala VolcanoOne of the magnificent sunset views from our hotelPagoda at Jodoin in LahainaWindsurfing at Wailea