My new favorite : song of the month

I never knew that I can take a country song so close to my heart. Well this one song deserves it all. Last night I was watching the AI final again. Heard the song "Pretty flowers" from Steve Martin's new album "The Crow", performed by two of the contestants. I instantly fell in LOVE with this song. The words are so sweet and real; so perfect for the people in love. I feel the song so deeply that I want to sing it (or play it to be on the safe side) for the love of life, but I have to wait twenty-five years before I can do that. Why so long? You have to listen to it in order to know it.

Here is the original version by Vince Gill and Dolly Parton. Enjoy!

Backyard bonanza

Last few weeks have been incredibly busy for me. All the photoshoots, editing, book designing aside, I have also been focusing a little bit on the home improvement side. Well, I wasn't really doing much, other than thinking and stressing about what might be going wrong next! Thankfully everything has been going pretty well (fingers crossed) and I didn't have too much to worry about.

If you didn't know already, we purchased our first home last year(yiiipyyyy!!!). It's a great home, but a home without a backyard. (So much for buying a brand new house!). Last year we spent all our time on painting, buying furnitures, decorating rooms and filling up the house with unneccessary junk! This year we decided to just go for the backyard to get it all done. We figured that we could wait forever, or we could just work on it now and enjoy while we can.

Two months ago we finally pulled the trigger and hired a landscape designer(H&M design - website n/a) to plan our dream backyard. He did a brilliant job in designing a backyard that we envisioned. I'm a perfectionist and very particular about certain things, I was very impressed that he was able to nail the design to my taste. For the past two weeks we have had landscapers working really hard on our back (and front) yard. The temperature was really high during the first week of work, but it has cooled down a lot since then. I am just happy that we will be able to go out this summer and enjoy the outdoors.

Here is a picture from a few days ago, when the flagstones were being delivered. It was a quick iPhone snap on our way to work.

Oh Canada!

Over the long weekend J and I took a 3-day trip to visit my family in Toronto. This was one of those trips that was too short to even realize. It seemed like I was there for a day or so. We had a great time there, seeing friends and family. The weather was wonderful, unlike the ninty-something degrees here in Roseville. We actually brought the winter jackets with us!

Now the vacation is over, I have a super busy (and fun) weekend ahead. Can't wait for the awesome wedding followed by a fabulous engagement shoot in next two days! In the meantime, enjoy a few shots of the City of Toronto.

The famous CN Tower.

Stunning view from top of the CN tower... the City by Lake Ontario. Do you see the shadow of the CN tower?This post won't be complete if I don't show off my beautiful niece and nephew. Amazing how kids grow so fast!

Hellooo Summer!

Spring isn't over yet but Summer has begun for me. All my favorite TV shows have ended. I'm not sure how my Summer will pass without Grey's Anatomy, especially after that brutal season finale (call me crazy about the show, 'cause I am!). Tonight is the American Idol finale. To tell you the truth, I'm a bit nervous about it...I'm rooting for Kris Allen to win. Hope he makes it to the top. I'm anxious to see what LOST will bring next year. Did I ever mention that I wrote a single level computer game influenced by the TV show LOST? it was my interpretation of the next chapter of the show. More on that later, may be!

I know I won't be watching TV much, but things are going to keep me pretty busy here. Summer means photo shoots, weddings; I'll be doing quite a few of those. I'll be traveling up North between the weddings to attend weddings! This will give me opportunity to shoot more landscapes. If you have been following, you've already seen some fine art landscapes here; there will be more coming soon on my blog.

I will also be announcing my new Logo soon. "Impressions by Nudrat Photography" will get a face-lift ;) Watch the blog for more updates on that.

I'm getting ready for my first ever bridal show in Fall. I'm stoked about it! I will post all the details about the show within a month or so. If you are a local bride, be sure to check out the Folsom Bridal Show at the Lake Natoma Inn. There will be so many awesome vendors with helpful information for your wedding. Just a few years ago, J and I got married in Lake Natoma Inn. Two years ago I shot a wedding there. Now I'm thrilled to go back there and be a part of this bridal show. Stay tuned for more info on the show.

In the honor of AI finale, I'm leaving you with my fave Kris Allen's best performance this season. I hope Kris joins my other favorite Carrie (underwood)'s league tonight! Enjoy.

Granola is good for you!

We like to have cereal or some sort of high fibre food for breakfast (part of our healthy food habit!). So Jason, my husband, discovered a granola recipe by Alton Brown from Food Network. "It's a really good recipe, it's Alton Brown's and you can't go wrong with it", said he. Next day when we were out for grocery shopping, he picked up all the ingredients necessary for making granola. I tried it out this morning for breakfast. Since then I have been eating granola like popcorn. Yes, it was that good! Secret of the recipe was, he used real maple syrup and of course, it was Alton Brown's recipe :) Couldn't have gone wrong with it :)

Song of the month

Like many, I'm a music enthusiast. Growing up in an Asian household, I was bound to take some level of music lessons. While I quit singing long time back, I didn't leave my love for music behind. I have to listen to music when I am cooking, cleaning, folding laundry, editing(definitely) and even when I'm coding! I think Pandora is awesome. Basically, I listen to >pandora all day long. Try it out if you are yet to.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Grey's Anatomy. I think the show uses the best music in the industry. I can't say enough about this show, I don't know how my Thursaday nights will be when this show is over!!! I'm also a BIG fan of American Idol. There are only three TV shows I watch regularly, AI is one them. I can't decide who to root for this year. I guess I'll wait until it comes down to top 6. This brings us to the song of the month (from me for you). I heard the song this week at AI, performed by Megan Joy. I found the cover of this song by Lauryn Hill with Bob Marley(It's a song by Bob Marley). Although I'm not into rapping, hip-hop and all that, I fell in love with this song. Hope you enjoy it too.

Happy Friday...

Mini hiking trip

March & April are the most pleasant months in Sacramento. Weather has been so beautiful lately that we refuse to stay at home during the weekends. One thing I love about living here is that we can find beautiful places to visit within a short drive. Last weekend we wanted to visit Daffodil Hills. But the location was closed due to snow. So we decided to take a short hike instead.

Luckily we have friends who enjoy the outdoor activities. We all went by the Folsom Lake in search for hiking trails. We ended up finding one of the most beautiful walking and mountain biking trails right by the lake. It kinds reminded me of Highway 1. One side of the trail had the beautiful view of the lake and the other was of hills and big trees. It was really beautiful. We caught the sunset over the lake. I had to take some pictures, thankfully I had my toys with me :)
This is a part of Eldorado Hills from on top of another hill ...

We were trying to figure out how to get to that island(perhaps a jet ski?).

Sunset over Folsom Lake.

A Walk for a reason

Seems like I haven't been here for a long time! I was travelling to Asia for two weeks, visiting my home back in Bangladesh. It was actually nice to go out of country for a little bit. This year started with a kick. There wasnn't a day I didn't work. I was to take this short break from everything. Now that I am back, I promise to post regularly again.

I have been jet lagged. Coping with time zones twice in two weeks have been pretty hard on me. Weather is beautiful in the valley. This is the perfect time of the year if you want to visit Sacramento. We usually do a lot of outdoor activities during this time. This spring wouldn't be any different(once I get over my jet lag).

First thing I did on my day back to real life is I signed up for the Twilight Walk for Wishes. I’m sure many of you have heard of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Twilight Walk for Wishes represents Sacramento and Northeastern California to help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. This year’s event (5k walk) is scheduled for Sunday, May 17th at the California State Capitol. It’s simply amazing to watch the miracles that this foundation brings to life.

This year my team, Sutter Health – Caring for Kids, has “adopted” three new children:

Kenji
Kenji has Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. After several months of chemotherapy, he received an autologous stem cell transplant last November. Kenji is not yet “cancer free,” but each follow up visit seems to be showing progress in his fight.

Sadie
Sadie also has Stage 4 Neuroblastoma, received several months of chemotherapy, and got her transplant last June. To date, Sadie has no further signs of cancer, but she’s still in the battle and receiving Accutane in the 4th phase of her treatment.

Sean
Sean was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia last February. Sean also had months of chemotherapy, and received a bone marrow transplant in June; he was fortunate that his big sister was his donor match. To date, Sean’s still struggling with letting his sister’s marrow do all the work and he recently received a “boost” to help things along.

If you can’t make it to the walk but would like to sponsor me you can do so
here.
You can also go their website and make a donation. Together we can make a difference.

The Bucket List

Yesterday I sneezed twenty one times in an hour and a half and today I couldn't sit at work anymore. So I came home early to get some rest. But, I've got a problem. I can't sleep or lay around during the day! I ended up watching TV all afternoon, half dozed. One good thing came out of this, I was able to watch a movie, The Bucket List. I've been wanting to see it for a long time, I'm so glad I finally saw it today.

All I can say is that I LOVED it! I'm touched by every bit of it. I won't give away the story if you haven't seen it yet and are planning to rent it sometime. The movie was so real, I was in tears(Yes, I'm very sentimental!).

I want to leave you with the soundtrack from the movie. The song "Say" by John Mayer. I'm a big John Mayer fan. Needless to say, I'm a fan of the movie now.

song of the month

Songs explain a lot about people, they can also be very inspiring and uplifting. I think it would nice to share some of my favorite songs with my blog readers. Starting from now, each month I will post one feel-good song on my blog. This month's song "You and I" is by Ingrid Michaelson from her album "Be Ok".

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this song.

Enjoy!

Another birthday

Getting older is no fun when we are really getting old! But I try to see it as an opportunity for experiments and self discovery. I believe that we are like wines, as many say, we get better as we age. Leaving all the philosophical discussions aside, today is my Birthday! This is the last year I can enjoy my twenties. I'm not sure if anything special is happening today. I am at work, sitting at my desk, sneezing periodically. Everyone around me is gone! Seriously, the entire office(almost) is on vacation. But I'm here, celebrating my Birthday with you and preparing to consume the edible arrangements from my sister!

New Year 2009

Part of being an Asian is growing up with superstitions. I was no different. I was told that what we do on the first day of the year have imapcts on what we do through out the year! So I decided to do a few things that I would like to do for the rest of the year.
1. I woke up late.
2. I ate breakfast.
3. I prayed.
4. I helped out a friend with her move(not that I only want to help people moving stuff, I will be happy to help with anything!)
5. I cooked Thai food(I'm not Thai, I just cook it pretty well).
6. I organized the pantry.
7. I talked to my mom and sister on phone.
8. I watched America's Funniest Home videos.
9. I had a relaxing time with hubby.
10. I blogged.

One thing I was not hoping for new year is to go through any sort of illness. I have been down with cold. I feel dizzy and light-headed. My new year started with stuffiness all over :(

To make me feel better I decided to post some pictures from my recent trip to Charleston, SC. I was in Summerville, SC(to be exact) during the holidays. The most exciting part for me was to visit the Magnolia Plantation. Jason took me to this beautiful plantation three and a half years ago and asked me if I would marry him :) Standing on a partially broken bridge with two baby alligators underneath, I couldn't say anything but Yes! We went back there during our trip only to find out that the bridge was collapsing and no human access was allowed. We ended up video taping and taking pictures of the broken bridge.

It doesn't look broken, does it?

This place has beautiful bridges!

Jason took this one. Isnt' this place amazing?

This is Spanish Moss. They are every where, hanging from every single tree in Summerville.

There was also a Swamp garden which we didn't go to. But there are swamps inside the plantation that we could walk by.
I think Magnolia plantation is the most beautiful place in Summerville, but you know I'm biased. If you ever visit Charleston, be sure to stop by any of the plantations there. You won't regret it!

Warm wishes for everybody

2008 has been one of the craziest years of my life. So many things happened in my personal life and also on the business side. I am thankful for everything that was brought to me. Future holds unknown, but I hope that 2009 will be as good as Santa has been to all of us!

May the new year brings love, laughter, happiness and prosperity to everyone, everywhere!

Heading down to south for the Holidays

You got it! I'll be out of town for Christmas...wooohooo. My long awaited vacation time is here :) Keep the emails, inquiries coming; I'll be checking mails regularly. Until then...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS everybody...

Wising you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

Tatum

I finally met Tatum during the Thanksgiving holiday. Her mom Candace and I have been friends from my first day at college(literally). For the last one year I only saw in pictures how beautiful Tatum was! I was thrilled to finally see her in person. I was eagerly waiting for their arrival and when they got here, Tatum greeted me with her beautiful smile. She was a bundle of joy; I missed her so dearly after they left on Saturday.

I have spent several Thaksgivings and Christmases with Candace and her family. I was ecstatic that Candace, Charles and Tatum were with us this year. The Turkey was delicious for sure, but the company was a precious one. I was thankful for the friendship we shared all these years and I hope to preserve this for many more years to come...

Superwoman

Cool Hand Luke's

Couple weekends ago I attended the VIP party at the newest steakhouse/saloon in town, Cool Hand Luke's. My clients Nezar and Laurel are the owners of the restaurant. Jason and I went and tried out the awesome food the restaurant has to offer. The fried artichoke hearts were awesome. I also tried the grilled apples (accompanied by the juicy sirloin steak) for the first time in my life. Everything we tried was yummy! We loved the Bread Pudding! Jason said it remnded him of the bread pudding he used to have as a kid!

I also had the opportunity to meet Laurel and Nezar's extended family one more time after the wedding. I'm glad Jason was with me this time and he had a chance to meet them all as well. I was sooo positively overwhelmed with the compliments I received for their wedding pictures. Everyone that was at the wedding and noticed me at the party came by and said how much they enjoyed viewing the images. I felt lucky again to have met these wonderfully nice people. I was just happy to be able to capture the sweetest memories for them.

Back to the restaurant business, if you live in Sac or in nearby towns or you are in the greater Sacramento area, be sure to check out Cool Hand Luke's. It is located on Sunrise in Citrus Heights. I know I'm going back soon and ordering the grilled apples and the bread pudding for sure :)

Happy Anniversary(Part 2 of 2)

If you have been following my blog, you already know that September is my Wedding Month. I got married three years ago on this day(the 18th) to make my love my life long company. When I go to the weddings(as a photographer) I am reminded on my own wedding :) The fact that I could never attend any of my friends' weddings, only made me sad. But my passion as a wedding photographer helped me recover from that sorrow. When I see that look on the brides' faces I can exactly feel the emotions they are going through. I couldn't be happier to be who I am today, to be doing what I do today!

Unfortunately, I will be stuck in my class for four hours(after work). So my anniversary celebration will go down the drain :( My hubby already surprised me with my fave Stargazer lilies(my wedding flower) and gave me my dream vacation as gift(more on that later). They were already beyond my imagination! I wish I had something special(other than me) for him as well :)))


(Jason and I, 3 yrs ago. Photo courtesy of Andreas Images Photography. It was an East-meets-west wedding :)))

Family visit || a week to remember

Last seven days have been incredibly eventful for me. Several major(aka crazy) things happened -
1. My only sister and her family visited us!
2. My Identity got stolen!!
3. A major lay-off happened at my day job!!!
... and I survived all three.

I go to Toronto every year to visit my sister, this year she was here to spend a week with us. It was soooo much fun. I love having kids around and I miss my niece and nephew like crazy. So it was nice to have them here for a few days.

We drove thousand miles within a week (Sac-LA-SAC-SF-SAC....); I feel like I am still in the car. While driving to SF, just outside of Sacramento, I saw this beautiful patch of rainbow in the sky. It was a bright, sunny day; a rainbow(or the colors of rainbow) was quite unexpected. I was happy to see the blue sky(finally) and not-too-warm weather; I wish we had more of those days.

We drove over the Golden Gate bridge yesterday and stopped at Pacifica, CA. It was really cold there, but that didn't stop my niece, nephew and my sister from going close to the ocean. I like this picture(below) of my brother-in-law taking picture of his lovely family.

It was also my hubby's birthday last week that we celebrated at the Universal Studios. Belated Happy Birthday my sweetheart! I hope to celebrate many more birthdays with you :))

Pardon me for the quality of these images, I have been taking snaps with my Powershot A720. I just realized that I don't have a non-grainy picture. I haven't been travelling with my SLRs (now I am paying the price).

It seems like this summer is going by really fast. My sister's kids were sad for having such a short summer. I also realized that my school starts next week(recipe of self killing ofcourse with everything else that I have going on!!). I don't know what I am getting myself into by taking the "killer game programming" class this fall. But, if I survive this wedding season + my day job + school, I'll know that I'll survive anything ;)

I'll be back next week with Emily+Sage's wedding pictures from the coming weekend...

"How to achieve your childhood dreams"

This post is for Professor Randy Pausch of Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Pausch passed away today; he was sufferring from terminal cancer and had only few weeks to live. I wanted to post his last lecture "how to achieve your childhood dream" that he delivered in last September. You can tell from the video that he was funny(and nerdy), intelligent(of course) and had such positive view of life. I admire him for who he was and what he left behind. His lecture inspired me, motivated me even more. I hope this will be inspirational to you as well.

Caution: This lecture runs for over an hour! But the nerd in you may enjoy it :)

Have a great weekend.