jonathan liao.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to take photos for my great friend Jonathan Liao. You might have seen him in a few skits, or on my blog earlier this year. The shoot from last time was more formal and serious, but this time around, Jonathan needed more casual pictures.

We went to Heritage Park in Tustin, which was pretty nice. As I said before, keep your eyes peeled for this guy. Better get to know him while his schedule is not so jam packed. :)

first friday.

Last month was the first First Friday at Newsong Church.

You're probably wondering what that even means.

Starting from October, Newsong, along with several other churches in the OC, started a service where people from all over the area come out to worship together as One body. I was able to take some shots around the church and also of the night. :) These gatherings would usually be every Friday, but now it's on every first Friday of the month; thus this was the first First Friday.

{Facebook page.}

grandparents.

Around a month ago, my sister and I decided to make weekly visits to our grandparents. I wanted to start making more regular visits because: 1) whenever I'd see my grandma, she'd call me out and ask why I haven't seen them in so long. (heh!), 2) they have such a rich history and a great story to tell about their past, living in internment camps, among other experiences, and 3) to spend more quality time with them.

My grandpa and grandma are two of the most hard-working individuals I know. They have hearts of gold and a huge compassion to love on others. Being able to meet up with them around once a week has reminded me of the days when they would watch me when I was younger, and appreciate all that they've done in my life. :)

{The last picture is something my grandpa made! He's super creative and thinks of so many different ways to reuse materials and turn it into art. :) }

"not what i do, but who i am".

As a recent post-grad, the most common question I get is: "What do you do?"

I know that our occupation, (or one lack thereof), helps define who we are, but that barely does it justice. We are more than what we do, what title we hold, or what society claims we are. Every person has a story to tell, dreams they're chasing, growing passions, and personality quirks that make them who they are.

I highly dislike the fact that people in our day and age put such an importance on what we do instead of really getting to know who people are, the stories they have to tell, and seeing a person deeper than the surface.

Through this project, I hope to show others who I've come to know and love that they are more than what others see them as, but they are amazing individuals with beautiful hearts and incredible souls. I want people to know and understand that they're more than their job, their relationship to an institution, but that they're uniquely and beautifully themselves.

This is personal because it's something that I struggle with myself, as I'm sure a lot of people my generation can relate with. This will be an ongoing project, and I hope that it'll spur me on to develop deeper relationships with people, and see others how God sees them.

{If you're interested in being a part of this project of mine, contact me and we'll talk. :)}

current inspiration.

I finally feel like it's time for me to do something. October marks the fourth month of being a college graduate and still confused-as-ever about what next steps I should be taking. Four months ago, I wouldn't have imagined myself still stuck on what I want to do for next year, trying to think of jobs or internships to pursue, etc. More recently I've been searching for different leads to pursue, yet fear is always causing me to hesitate. Stephen couldn't have been more right: the scariest moment is right before you start. What I take away from that statement is that that moment is the fear of what you're about to embark on blown out of proportion.

I'm starting. It's scary. Yet, I know that it can only get better from here. :)

belle.

This is the last Princess from this photoshoot. You have probably seen pictures of Shirley on my blog if you've been following the past couple of months. She's a dear friend of mine who was my first friend that I made in the fellowship I went to in college. Shirley is super down-to-earth and bubbly! She's been such a great friend throughout all of these years, and I was so glad that she was down for this photoshoot. :) And notice the props. keke. ;)

This was such a fun, creative collaborative experience! I'm so blessed to have such beautiful, talented friends and that we were able to pull this one off! Thanks so much again to everyone!

Another one is in the works with different Princesses. Stay tuned! ;)

cinderella.

Christiana was one of the girls in my small group when I led freshmen. When I posted about this photoshoot, I don't think she was expecting to model. heh heh! :) She is super down-to-earth, sweet, kind, and has such a genuine heart to help others out. Very beautiful inside and out! I'm glad that she was down to be a part of this shoot.

{We were going more for the outfit Cinderella wore before the big fancy dress. :)}

snow white.

This actually wasn't the first time working with Michelle! A few years back, I organized a little photoshoot, and she volunteered to model. Then last year, she modeled for Traci and my collaboration. It was great being able to work with her again in this creative way! She totally rocked the hipster Snow White. ;)