Sunday, August 29, 2010

Friends and Fun Things To Do

I went to the O.C. Foodie Fest yesterday with a friend and some of her friends. I debated about going because I had a birthday party to go afterwards and I wasn't sure how I would feel. I was glad that I went. Despite that this was the first year that Orange County had a foodie fest and there were long lines for each "truck stop", we had a fun time.



After the O.C. Foodie Fest, I went to a birthday party in Manhattan Beach for another friend. After I decided that I wanted to go the O.C. Foodie Fest, I wasn't sure how I would feel about making the drive to Manhattan Beach and then going home. It seemed like a lot of driving and a very long day, but it turned out that I was ok with the long day and lots of driving. I had fun at the party too.



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On a side note, please visit my 365 Day Project blog and follow along.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Photo Blogs

I'm probably one of the very few people who have too many blogs. While most people usually only have one or two blogs - two at the most - I have about four or five and all are about different subjects. I've created so many blogs regarding different specific subjects because I think I have a short attention span or something?

I have recently discovered how much I love food photography. Because of this, I have become a foodie on a mission to try new/different food from different restaurants, cafes, and eating facilities and fairs/festivals throughout Southern California....eventually, nationwide and worldwide, but for now, I'm sticking with the local foods. I'm open to suggesetions and wouldn't mind having company when I'm eating/dining out. Please follow my foodie photography blog.

On another note...you don't have to subscribe or follow this next blog, but I did a photoshoot with a two year old boy over the weekend. Please visit my other blog to see photos of this little boy.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Red Cross


My friend on facebook announced awhile ago that Red Cross would be at the Fairplex Sheraton Hotel (which is right next to the fairgrounds for the Los Angeles County Fair) to accept blood donations from people on August 20 (today). She saw this news on the L.A. County Fair fan page on facebook.

Red Cross organized this event last year, but I didn't donate because I didn't know that this happened. However, I am glad that I didn't know about it and didn't donate. The donors who attended last year complained that there were lots of chaos and disorganization, and donors had to wait two hours before they could finally donate blood. It must have been the first time that Red Cross organized this event at this hotel if there were chaos and disorganization. This year was much better and donors were accepted into the event by appointment only. There will be another day for blood donations for those who weren't able to make it today.


All donors received one ticket admission to the L.A. County Fair, a coupon for free ice cream to Cold Stone Creamery and a pair of tickets to the Laugh Factory.

This was what my arm looked like after I donated blood. It looked like cast, but it was just wrapping to keep the cotton thing in place. I had to keep this on for four to five hours.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Volunteering At The O.C. Ronald McDonald House

Remember how I posted about volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House and posted some photos last week? I took the photos for personal reasons and the other volunteers were ok with their photos being taken. These pictures got featured on their fan page on facebook! You can follow them on facebook or on twitter too.

http://twitter.com/RMHC_SoCal
http://twitter.com/ronaldhouseoc

Everyone should "give back to their community" and "pay it forward" sometimes.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Kiko and Moshi

My sister recently got a dog. It is a girl, and a rescued 1 1/2 year old dachsund. This dog is very energetic, but that is because she is 1 1/2 years old. She also needs a lot of work on being house broken. I'm not sure if this will happen in a one month's time when my sister moves into her townhouse that she recently got.

It took a few days for Kiko and Moshi to finally get along. They got into a few fights, though they didn't draw any blood.

And here is a photo of Kiko for good measures...just because.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

L.A. Pet Fair 2010

I went to the L.A. Pet Fair in Pomona, CA today. I didn't know that it existed before this year because I had never heard of it before. I heard about this event from the SoCal Volunteers United meetup group even though it wasn't meant as a scheduled event for the group to go together. It was simply a suggestion for the members if they felt inclined to go and they didn't have to meet any members to attend.

While it was a small event, it was interesting and I learned some stuff about the animals that were there.


To see more photos, visit: http://photographybyanastasia.shutterfly.com/282

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Ronald McDonald House of Orange County

I went to the Ronald McDonald House in the City of Orange yesterday afternoon with the O.C. Volunteers meetup group to volunteer and make meals/dinner for the CHOC (Children Hospital of Orange County) patients' families. The CHOC patients (who are children) are usually very sick or very injured, so when their families are at the hospital with them, they (the families) can go to the Ronald McDonald House to eat and have a place to stay overnight while the kids are getting treatment. The families can't travel too far when their kids are getting treatments in the hospital, so at least, they have a place to stay that's close by.

The place was really cute, looked like a house from the outside and like a hotel on the inside. It was fun working with the other volunteers while making and preparing meals for the CHOC patients' families.


For more photos:
http://anastasia.zenfolio.com/p366252481

Friday, August 6, 2010

Second Harvest Food Bank August 2010

I volunteered at the Second Harvest Food Bank in Irvine, CA yesterday evening with the SoCal Volunteers United meetup group. We, the volunteers, sorted the donated food by type (canned vegetables, canned fruits, snacks, etc) and checked the expiration dates to ensure that the food were safe to consume and distributed properly to the correct locations.



To see more photos, visit:
http://anastasia.zenfolio.com/p170761612

This afternoon, I will be doing more volunteer work with the OC Volunteers meetup group, so I will have more photos tonight or tomorrow.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Second Karate Lesson

I taught a self-defense lesson this morning to a small group of women from the O.C. 20 to 30 Something's Women meetup group at Kramer Park in Placentia, CA. This was the second time that I taught self-defense to this group or to anyone outside the group. While I am trained in traditional martial arts, the lesson today was geared towards actual self-defense. While I also don't have any real teaching experience, the people who attended, said that it was very informative and we had fun.

While I still do attend training/practices at the YMCA, I'm very familiar with the people there and I am ok with leading the classes with people that I have already known for a long time. I realize that I need to get out of my comfort zone and teach new people who do not attend classes at the YMCA, whether they are friends or strangers.

Also, I think by teaching self-defense to people outside of my YMCA classes, it also helps me become a better photographer. How, you ask? Because I am forced to talk/direct people and get creative. Afterall, photography clients and models need feedback and can appreciate creative poses/ideas.