Posts Tagged ‘plane’

Troublesome travel

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , ,
0

Had quite the travel experience yesterday. I left through Burbank Airport for the first time and had to get on a different flight because mine was late and I’d miss my connection. They wiped my hands when I was going through security, which never happened before. I guess they were looking for drugs or explosive residue? My flight up to SFO was nice and quick and I had a lovely chat with the guy next to me – Peter? Or Henry…

20130626-173106.jpg

Up in SFO I had a long layover and stood in this LONG line for customer service. There were a lot of delayed flights, missed connections, and cancelled flights to contend with. At first I wanted to see if I could get on an earlier flight but by the time I got to the counter, the only other flight was already heading out. I asked for a meal voucher but since the delay was due to weather, I was rejected. :-/ I got my boarding pass and got some food before settling in to blog and listen to some music.

At night, my flight came in (delayed, of course) and everyone eagerly crowded the gate for a good half hour before we could board. I had gotten a middle seat, but was fortunate enough to get the entire row to myself! I moved to the window seat when I was pretty sure I’d be alone and the lady behind me moved up to grab my aisle seat. I was looking forward to stretching out, dang! The ride was super bumpy and I woke up a few times wondering if we’d crash. I mean, I know how unlikely it is, but sometimes you’re just not sure…

I arrived early in the morning a good 5+ hours later than I should have but it was kind of nice to sleep all night on the plane. It wasn’t nearly enough and I crashed as soon as I got home to a bed. I didn’t even realize I had fallen asleep until I woke up from a dream! Now we’re already on our way to Orlando for a mini vacation. Yippee!

Cutting through clouds

laelene Posted in video blog,Tags: , , , ,
0

I love looking up at the sky. I especially enjoy looking whenever I heard something flying by. This time, the plane weaved in and out of the thick clouds as I followed its sound. I can be entertained for ages like that.

plane flying through overcast skies from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Ribbon braiding

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , , , ,
0

When you’re stuck on a plane for hours, sometimes you do what you can with what you have. I happened to have some ribbon…

braided ribbon front side

braided ribbon back side

Giant stork

laelene Posted in video blog,Tags: , , , , , , ,
0

Just walking along the pond one day when I spotted what at first looked like a log, and then a dog. As I got closer, I could discern that it was a stork! I then tried to see how close I could get; when I got too close, it took off…

stork by lake from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

stork flying from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Ever-changing cloudscape

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , ,
0

view from plane of sky spotted with clouds

view from plane of sky covered in dust-like clouds

view from plane of sky covered in blanket of clouds with ripples

Air pollutants

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , , , ,
0

I remember when I was a kid, flying was a great way to admire the beauty of the world.  I adored looking out the window as landscapes passed us by (well, more like we passed them :-P).  It was so peaceful and gorgeous!  Now whenever I fly, I’m reminded of the massive change that has happened over the past two decades.  I look outside the window of the plane and see a hazy horizon.  It’s like I can see the heat rising from the earth.  Gone are those pollutant-free views of centuries past.

I don’t recall ever noticing air pollutants when I was young, except in certain parts of the Midwest where it was so hot the air couldn’t be clear and crisp.  Lately it’s become apparent that those childhood memories of looking clearly into the horizon were either far rosier than reality or the world’s atmosphere has really changed that much.  Back then, it was literally “as far as the eye could see” without all this smog or haze or whatever.  High up in the air, it was a treat to look down at our planet and enjoy its natural beauty.

In China, it’s even worse.  It feels like there’s a thick blanket of blurriness hanging over everything and sometimes it’s bad enough to be noticeable from the ground too.  At 30,000 feet I can barely make out what’s below us at times.  In fact, even on the ground taking a train ride made me wonder if the winters had always been so dreary.  I can pretty confidently say that that’s not the case – we as humans have just managed to cover our world with pollutants, haven’t we?

hazy view of ground below from airplane

Case in point: you can barely make out the winding path and rolling hills below.

I think I’d find it depressing if I was a pilot, having to watch as year after year the sky got murkier.  But then again, if you saw the gradual change, maybe you’d get used to it and not even tend to notice the way that I have after years of not flying much.  Still, it’s sad that things have gotten to this point and I hope that the future brings initiatives to restore the beautifully clear skies that I once enjoyed.

Aloha Oahu & Hawaii!

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , ,
1

view of hawaiian island molokai from plane

First official view of a Hawaiian island (for this trip anyway).

first view of city on hawaiian island molokai from plane

First view of Hawaiian civilization!

first view of hawaiian island oahu from plane

And here we are, approaching Oahu.

view of pearl harbor from descending plane

During the landing, we fly by Pearl Harbor.

view of hickam air force base on oahu from plane

And also get a glimpse of some jets on Hickam AFB.

large aloha sign welcoming passengers in honolulu international airport hnl

A big ALOHA from the airport! Off we go to our vacation adventure.

Low landing

laelene Posted in video blog,Tags: , , , ,
0

Last time I was leaving Dulles Airport, Panda and I saw a plane coming in really low for a landing. It seemed like it might brush the trees on the way down!

Rain at 30,000 feet

laelene Posted in video blog,Tags: , , , ,
0

Flying into DC for Halloween weekend and I realized it was raining when I looked out at the wing. With each flash, a bunch of drops were illuminated as if frozen in time. At first I thought it was really dusty out but then I realized it was actually raining. Pretty cool!

Aerial Westwood

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , ,
0

Look above the line of tall buildings along Wilshire and you will find UCLA nestled among the greenery. Beyond that you can see the 405 and Getty Center to the left! Now what is that white thing in the middle of the hills?

20110830-103407.jpg

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...