Category Archives: Connect

Dreaming of HK.

Posted on by

With Michael’s recent departure and the start of routine living again, I’m missing HongKong more than ever.

It was in this city where my life took a turn when I decided to take a step of faith and “not” jump right into college as previously expected. It was in this city that I re-united with my brother and old friends who encouraged me to open my mind to new ideas and to seek the Lord’s instruction. I will never forget the quiet, thoughtful days I spent in HongKong -although ironically it is known for its fast-paced society- in which my plans for the future were leveled and rebuilt. Furthermore, on top of all these things I have to mention my excitement over the new friends I was introduced to who made my time in HK so incredible! 

Here are some compiled images of photos that remind me of my recent visit to HK

-cannot wait to visit again!

As you can see, I played around with photoshop quite a bit while working on this post… the look is a bit “scattered” I think.

sticker pictures!

What cities are you day-dreaming about?

(seems like we’re dreaming A LOT over here at connecting4 🙂 –check out Maddie’s most recent dream house post.)

Guilin Memories

Posted on by

I am continuing my Memories Collection with one of my favorite places in China, Guilin. We went on a vacation to this scenic area in the South of China the first year our family lived in in the Middle Kingdom.

During our travels down the Li River, we stopped at small villages along the way. The locals in this semi-tropical area still lived in structures; some of which were hundreds of years old.

China’s token color is red, which we got a lot of throughout our trip to Guilin.

Another great part of the trip was the produce and food. Fresh berries and other fruit are produced in the area.

The historic legacy stretches into both culture and arts… below is a Chinese opera costume.

Lastly, known throughout China, the scenery in Guilin is, in itself, a compelling reason to visit this place. The sights are breathtaking and being able to traverse these karst mountains was a blast!

This post is part of my Memories Collection-revisiting places where Connecting Four really connected and explored the world together. See my Thailand Memories post here. See my Tianjin Memories here.

Ukuleles and Gell Pens

Posted on by

Now that I am an upperclassman I have been giving more thought to what I really love to do. Last year, when Michael began Architecture at HongKong University, he often reminded me that I should choose a career/school that I will love and be passionate about. So I began to explore new hobbies.

One hobby I picked up about a year ago was sketching in a little brown-paper pocketbook. By practicing, I not only realized how much I love putting pen to paper, but how much I enjoy the thought process behind creating different types of art!

I have always loved music, both singing and playing. Before last Christmas, the only instrument I had ever played was the Clarinet. However, when a friend came to China for a visit, I was inspired by her (who was an amazing Ukelele player), to get one of my own! It is the most challenging yet rewarding hobby for me.

My beloved Ukulele ~ I love you!

A sample of my most recent art endeavor. Michael had an idea of a “star ship” while we were listening to – you guessed it – “Star Ships” by Niki Minaj. This is actually a X-Wing Fighter from Star Wars bejeweled in gel pens! Stay tuned for the finished product ~

Since Michael spoke to me last year I have realized so much truth in his words! Do what you are passionate about – this will bring you joy. Some days when I feel really uninspired I just play a few songs on my ukelele and it really brightens my mood! Don’t brush off the things you are interested in as unimportant – dig deeper into those passions and develop them.

Office Project 03

Posted on by

The office is on its way to completion. Since our last update, we’ve finished:

1.) painting the chevron wall design
2.) cleaning and organizing the cube shelves (which we will hang like the ones sketched in this blog post)
3.) spray painting the bottom of the shelves (GOLD!)
4.) buying a gorgeous nickel-plated lamp from IKEA
5.) organizing the decoration pieces we will be placing/hanging around the room.

  • getting “stuff” done: inspiration from mimi&meg!

Check out all the planning and work we’ve put into it at Office Project 01 and Office Project 02!

Feels Like Summer

Posted on by

With only a few hours left in Tianjin, it is finally starting to feel like summer. Flowers are blooming, we’ve had blue skies for three days straight and the days are blending together with summer BBQs and dinners on the porch.

Needless to say, I am going to miss this a lot.

Flowers at a botanical garden in down town Tianjin.

My beautiful sister, Rachel.

Farewell Tianjin, the place where I spent one of the best summers of my life.

Office Project 02

Posted on by

 

Today was step two of our shopping experience- FABRIC MARKET! Maddie joined me on the trip, which transformed the errand from a chore into a delightful outing 🙂 After 8 hours of searching through rolls of fabric, I pulled the prettiest yellow-gold fabric topped with a sea-breeze-blue pattern. It brightens the office significantly, and adds a bit of color to contrast the simplicity of the furniture and wall color.

We’ve also begun measuring, sketching, and taping the soon-to-be chevron designed wall.  I’m thrilled with the way its looking so far 😉 According to the pictures below we will be painting the thicker stripe white, that way the colors (taupe&white) will not contrast each other too dramatically creating a harsh feeling in the room.

 

Check out all the new update of our Blog Office here! or see all the planning that went into it at Office Project 01.

Office Project 01

Posted on by

Michael and I “broke ground” today for the blog office reconstruction!

The morning hours were spent making donuts for Jessie and Maddie (before they left for school), office hours working on the blog, and brain stroming sessions with Michael. Then, at around 11:00 a.m. we embarked on our shopping adventures; searching for paint, mounting materials, fabric etc.

Later tonight we will begin the mounting and spray painting process, keep a look out for updates on our progress!

(below are some interesting marbles we discovered on our walk 🙂

Check out how far our Blog Office has come at Office Project 02 and Office Project 03!

The Barn

Posted on by

I remember going down to my grandparent’s barn to clean out the horse’s stalls and although it was a dirty job I loved being around the horses and the country feeling. Everywhere you look is a story, from the Exxon sign to the hanging horse shoes. As the years have gone by the barn has grown older and dirtier but I will never grow tired of this beautiful place. I hope the memories of this place never fade away!

Thai Memories

Posted on by

In my room I have a piece of coral from Thailand, and yesterday I was looking at it, remembering the beach where I found it two years ago in Thailand.

As I look back on my high school years, our family vacations were some of the best days. Connecting Four was actually started on a family vacation in Malaysia (Our look book from the trip here).

I am so excited for my sisters to get back tomorrow and can’t wait for the fun times ahead–vacations are times to reconnect and invest in each other.

My piece of coral will serve a great decor accent in the new office.

In the tropics it rains a LOT, but the water droplets left behind are great inspiration.

Any fun memories from family vacations? Not-so-fun memories?

If you are in Koh Samui, Thailand, stay at Impiana. Quiet beach, rooms overlooking the water and great attendants.

This post is part of my Memories Collection-revisiting places where Connecting Four really connected and explored the world together. See my Guilin Memories post here. See my Tianjin Memories here.