Travel by train

Have you ever traveled by train? I'm usually not a big fan of it. I rarely take a train for my long trip, I mean long hours.... It's terrible!

But the last trip that I traveled, I had to take a train from downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Chicago, Illinois. I decided to use the service of Amtrak. The train station is right next to the main street in downtown, and it's very connivence to just buy the ticket at the train station ( only $22 for one-way ticket) without booking and catch on the train. I really enjoyed taking this train, I have seen cities and small towns during my trip. It was such a great experience in my life. I was so excited even though the views were only houses, trees, buildings, and...not many things to see.

For some good reasons that people like to travel by train because

1. It is safe and comfortable.

2. It is inexpensive.

3. Passengers can carry more baggages.

4. Fares are stable.

5. It is relaxing.

I agree with all 5 reasons. Most of trains in USA are much nicer than many countries. That is the reason why I feel safe and relax when I take a train. A train always makes loud noises, but it doesn't bother me at all, I like to listen to it :)

I have heard from many friends that the train trip in Rocky mountains is one of the best trips to do. Thus if I get a chance, I will do it...for sure!

Here are some nice photos that I have taken in Milwaukee and my podcast about this trip.

Kabirdphotography

Listen to my podcast of this blog

Las Vegas, NV

Are you a big fan of gambling? I am absolutely not! I don't like it because I always loose my money. But if you a big fan, you should go to Las Vegas! It is the best place for gold diggers to visit. I went there last year with friends on my birthday, it was a fantastic trip even though I didn't go there for money. I played slot machine couple times, I won $40! wooooowwww.... but I lost $100 ( not too bad right?)

Las Vegas is also for alcohol lovers like me:) You can buy drinks, which are inexpensive, and you can drink everywhere, yes! everywhere for example; in or out side buildings, casinos, in the streets, etc. That makes your life more interesting.

Unfortunately I didn't drink that much because I had to wake up super early every morning to join all my trip schedules. I only went out one night with all girlfriends at Coyote ugly bar which is near our hotel.

Another reason that I like Las Vegas because it has luxury buildings from all around the world such as; Italy, France, Venetian, and New york in mini sizes.

Moreover, It has a medium size of premium outlet which not too far from downtown. We took a taxi to get there only 10-15 minutes.

Caution, don't drink and spend money too much! if you don't wanna to get in trouble like the movie "Hangover".

Here is my podcast of LasVegas

Chicago, IL

How to clean a Nikon D40x

Once you have your own camera, you will never want it to get old or dirty. Here is a nice article that I have found on ehow.com. It is very helpful to know how to clean a Nikon D40x, so your camera will not break easily.

Do you have some ideas or suggestions to clean the camera? Please feel free to give some advice on my blog.

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Nikon D40x

• Clean, dust-free work space

• Hand air blower

• Sensor cleaning brush

• Camera sensor swabs

• Methanol

Getting to the Sensor

1. Clean your work area so it is dust-free.
2. Remove the lens from camera by holding the base of the lens in one hand and the camera in the other. Turn the lens to the left and it should twist off the end of the camera.
3. 
Lock up the mirror by pushing the menu button, then select the "Setup" menu. Select the mirror lock-up button, and switch it to "On."
4. Open the shutter by turning the dial on top of the camera to Manual, "M" mode. Rotate the command wheel by your right thumb past the 30 second speed, until the screen reads "B" or Bulb.
5. Hold open the shutter to access the sensor.

Cleaning the Sensor

1. Use the air blower to remove large debris from the camera sensor, without lowering the blower past the lens mount.
2. Use the air blower to blow off your sensor brush.
3. Swipe the sensor brush over the sensor from left to right just once and blow off the debris. Repeat this process if necessary. Blast the sensor and brush with air between each pass.
4. Remove the sensor swab from the packaging, and blow the end with the blower to ensure that its clean.
5. Put a couple of drops of cleaning solution on the swab so it is barley moist, not dripping wet. Tilt the swab in the direction you want to sweep the sensor, then pull the swab across the face of the sensor.
6. Close the shutter by putting your camera back in auto mode, and lower the mirror by going back into the setup menu and turning the mirror lock-up button to "Off."
7. Put the lens or cap back on your camera.

Tips & Warnings

• Read through and understand how to clean your camera before beginning this project, as wasting time figuring it out while you have the sensor exposed allows more dust and debris to enter your camera. Make sure your camera has a fully charged battery or the mirror lock won't work. It is better to use an AC adapter because if the battery fails the mirror will come down and shutter will automatically close, damaging your tools and camera. For small cleaning jobs, it may be enough just to use the air blower and sensor brush.
• Cleaning a camera sensor is risky. If the sensor gets scratched or damaged the cost of repairs would be equivalent to a new camera. If you are not a camera expert, strongly consider taking your camera to a professional. Don't use compressed air cans as they are high-pressure and release moisture, which can damage the sensor. Use an air blower with a foot pump that allows you to control the air pressure. Never touch the end of the sensor swab, as oils from your hand can cause damage. Also, if the swab is too wet, moisture will seep into your camera.

Spring break in LA

Having a good time with good friends is the most important for my trips. Like my spring break trip in this year, 2010. I went down from SF to LA by driving on highway1. It was such a great experience that I ever had since I have moved to SF. We traveled super early, it was about 5 am. The weather was so nice plus 2 GPS navigators (because we didn’t want to get lost and waste our time) made my trip was perfect. If you don’t rush, I suggest you to take Hignway1 for your trip. It takes time longer than others highways, but you have to do it once. So you will never forget this great experience.

We drove slowly, whenever or wherever we wanted to stop, we just stopped. We enjoyed taking photos, eating, shopping, and drinking so much! Well, most of this trip is about eating.

Boston, MA

Every year since 2006, I have visited Boston, MA with friends. Boston is not that far from New York, where I have lived. Sometimes we drove there, sometimes we took a chinese bus because it is very convenience and inexpensive. At this time, my 4th time in Boston, I and my friends took a chinese bus from China town, NY to South station, near by China town, MA. The ticket was only $15... AhaA!!!! good deal. It took about 3 hours to get there.

We started to explore from Cambridge, which is on the east side of Boston. We went to Harvard University to see " The Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand square" . It is the monument that recognized the birthplace of the King of Thailand who was born in USA. After that, we were walking down in a small street and had lunch at The red house restaurant. The food and location were so nice! Plus good weather, friends, and service made me have such a delicious meal.

Late afternoon, we took subway back to downtown Boston. We stopped by MIT to see the Stata building. it is a strange shape of architecture building which has different colors. We were getting tired from walking around and taking so many photos, so we took subway to China town to get some drinks and snacks. Last stop of us before going back to NY was the public library , it is a huge library, which has the big fountain in the middle of the building. That was the highlight of this place that you should visit!

I also missed my last Boston trip that I and my friend from Australia came here together. We kept listening and singing "Boston" song all the time:)

Gatlinburg, TN

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Does anyone know about Gatlinburg?

Yes, "Gatlinburg" is such an adorable name! It is a small town which is located in between the big Smoky mountains of Tennessee. On my trip of the 4th of July 2007, I got a chance to go to Kentucky to visit my girlfriend. Actually, visiting Gatlinburg was not on my plan. Because of I had free time all day on 4th of July before sunset, so my friend and I drove from Lexington, KY to Gatlinburg, TN. It was about 3-4 hours driving, but we did have so much fun.

We arrived around noon. We couldn't find any parking because a lot of tourists came here to see the fireworks at night. 20 minutes later, we got the spot for parking, thanks god!

I really enjoyed walking in this small town, I had spent time only a few hours to explore the whole area. everything was very adorable! It has local stores, restaurants, shopping stores, and Ripley's museum. I couldn't believe in this town has Ripley's museum because in my country, museums must be located in only big cities. On the other hand, small towns can provide galleries for tourists.

I forgot what I had for my lunch, it wasn't important enough as exploring the town.

The most important thing to do here is riding a sky lift to the top of Gatlinburg hills. You can't miss it! It is $12 for adult ticket to ride it up to the top. It was awesome! I saw the whole town in every image as bird's eye view.

By the way, I had to leave this town before sunset. My friends waited for me to come back to KY for dinner and fireworks. Time flied too fast! I had such a great time here, I like this town very much, and I will come back here again in some day.

10 seconds of my first Video

For everyone who loves dog:)
Here is my first video that I uploaded on my blog.It is 10 seconds of High-Definition Video Clip about a short video of grooming a dog.
well, it is pretty cute video with "take a look around" song (from 007 movie+++)

Greenwich, NYC

Most of New Yorkers love summer! it's true because we have almost 4 months in winter and only a few months in summer. Summer is so short in the east coast, thus enjoy your summer by spending time outdoor! I missed last summer in lower west side, NYC so much. I took A,C,Etrain to 14 street and walked a lil bit down to the south till I hit the Greenwich Village.I always went out with my good friends whenever we had time.

The hip area that I usually have been in the city was Greenwich, which is located in manhattan, NY. You will see a lot of local stores, people watching and many street fairs.

my favorite restaurant that I and my friends loved to hang out was 41 Greenwich Avenue.

Check out some picture of Greenwich Village from my photography. It is one place that you can't miss it if you visit New York City.