Throwback Thursday- San Mateo

A couple of years ago I was given the good fortune of being assigned to the USA. I was working in San Mateo, it's a not-so-often-heard place that I haven't heard from any Hollywood movie. It's located around 20 miles south of San Francisco. Unlike the crowded 'Frisco though, it's actually very peaceful and quiet. It is by far among the best surprises I ever had. The town is very upscale and folks are friendly. This is one of the few places that I'll definitely remember.

I got a good chance to take evening walks and a nice camera at the time. Here are some of the pictures I've taken around town. A lot of these are experiment shots, since I was new to the handling of the E-PL2 at the time. So it's not surprising if you see several shots of the same view with slightly different settings.

Other than my long exposure shots, I also got a good chance to shoot the moon while testing my then-new lens, the Samyang 500mm f/8. It's a decent lens, to say the least.

This is one place that I long to return to someday.

Reality To Surreality Via Taoyuan

It is yet again that I partake in a journey to escape a bleak daily reality. It is again that I leave my old bland self, albeit temporarily. And on my way to a world that's surreal I take a stop at somewhere that is both surreal and quite strange. I've seen wonders in Taiwan. And I didn't even have to leave the airport for it. It truly is beautiful!

Here are some of the sights of that wonderful place...