Dancing Fountains- Branson

As a writer, it is important to observe and explore the world around you.
I've been stuck in a rut lately, so I went with my parents to Branson, Missouri. 

They dropped me off at a shopping center, where I had hoped to find a place to write, but instead, I found two dancing fountains. 

Sometimes I believe that things happen for a reason, and I believe it was no accident that I walked by the fountains when this song played. 

The song is "I Swear I Lived" by One Republic. 

I recorded both foutains, and I was able to put the videos to the music. I hope this moment inspires you, as it inspired me. 

Mosiac Steps

These steps are lovely. And they were created with the help of many people. 

The stairs are located at 16th and Moraga.

The first set that I found were created recently, and they were called Hidden Garden Steps.

This was a volunteer project in 2013. And it's an incredible work of art.

I took a lot of pictures :)

My favorite part was the butterfly ^_^

After walking a few more blocks, I found the staircase that I was looking for:

This was a longer, more elaborate staircase. 

The moon was my favorite part.

And the sun was at the top :)

After that I arrived at Moraga

Climbed these stairs . . .

Up this hill.

And I reached the top, where I could see almost all of San Francisco!

It was gorgeous!

And I felt accomplished for walking up almost 250 steps ^_^ 

The Palace of Fine Arts

This place is beautiful! And it's right across the street from where my friend works. 

The Palace of Fine Arts was only meant to be around for a year, but its popularity drives its presence today. 

The Palace of Fine Arts was produced by Bernard Maybeck in 1957. It was created to honor the Panama- Pacific exposition in honor of many forms of art. 

The building had a beautiful atmosphere. 

This place is not just a work of art, but a park that features many birds including

Cranes

and

Swans

It's a beautiful park near a neighborhood: 

with so many flowers and trees

It was the perfect inspiration for my new story. Espcially the inside of the building: 

There were a few wedding photo shoots going on too :) 

And so many pretty views! 

Honestly I felt like I was in Fantasia :)

This place is truly a work of art, and it was nice to see! 

Off the Grid and the Walt Disney Family Museum

Today I was invited to a cool event in front of the Walt Disney Family Museum with my friend Becca and her co-workers. It was a food based festival where booths and trucks were set up around the field in front of the Walt Disney Family Museum. 

The food was from around the world. They even had Shwarma :). 

There were many ice cream and popsicle stands, and some trucks had Indian food, Vietamese food and Barbeque!

I finally tried Creme brûlée. It was delicious. 

After we ate, and chatted about movies on the grass, we headed to the Walt Disney Family Museum.

I read a book called How to Be Like Walt a while ago, which I bought at this museum, and it was so inspirational. Walt Disney had many challenges, financial, professional and even emotional, but his optimisim got him through everything. It's what makes Mickey Mouse. 

One of my favorite quotes from Walt Disney at the museum is, "If you live right, things happen right." 

My favorite exhibit was the Disneyland one. It had a minature version of the park:

Including the castle: 

And Space Mountain: 

They even had a poster for the New York World's Fair featured in Tomorrowland. 

I met some really cool people, ate good food and was once again inspired. 

All in all, a great day ^_^

  

 

Daewangam Rock

Daewangam Rock is one of the most well known places in Ulsan, due to the legend surrounding it. It began with King Mummu, the 30th king of the Silla Dynasty. King Mummu was able to unite the countries along Korea's pennisula in 668 AD. When he died, he wanted to become a dragon to protect Korea long after his reign. King Mummu was buried in the Eastern Sea to fulfill his wish, but his wife never forgot his wish. She was buried on this rock, to become a guardian dragon just like her husband. According to legend, the reason seaweed does not grow on this island, is because a guardian dragon lives here, protecting the island. 

Dae-wangnam Park is beautiful. The old pine trees tower above you as you walk along the path. A beautiful view of the cost, and a glimpse of the dragon rock can be seen near the Ulgi lighthouse.

We visited on the park on a misty and rainy day. The fog over the mountains and the cloudy sky added to the mystery surrounding Daewangnam Rock and inspired me to use this location in my Korean folklore story. (There is a dragon king in it) 

If you ever visit Ulsan, I recoomend seeing Daewangnam Park, and walking along Ilsan beach. At night, people light fireworks and shoot them across the sky. During the day there are some carnival games and snack vendors that line up around the shore. The park has a beautiful view of the ocean, the beach and the mysterious guardian dragon that may dwell under the island. 

Little Wonders

I made a new friend today, and she introduced me to the cute stationary store right across the street from where I work. It was really neat, and reminded me of Hobby Lobby because it had everything from craft supplies to planners. But the coolest thing about this place was the notebooks. 

It can be hit or miss, but the notebooks had so many cool quotes on them about life, love and happiness. I had to buy a few for my writing on the spot notebooks. 

It was a hidden jem among the hustle and bustle of the every day. 

A Beautiful Day at The Garden of Morning Calm

After going to Petite France, we discovered brochures that advertised this really pretty Botanic Garden, so we planned to go there after a few weeks. I was hoping to see lotus blossoms, since this is their time of year, but what I got was even better. 

We got there around ten, so it wasn't too crowded, and there was still a nice morning mist before the sun came out completely. It was like walking in a folktale. There were many gazebos and scenic views from the pagodas and bridgewalks. 

As we were walking around, some of the places looked familiar, and sure enough, a sign in the first exhibit explained that my favorite Korean Drama, You're Beautiful was filmed here years ago. 

The first spot I noticed was the center of the garden, where ANJEL does their photo shoot in episode 12.

But, the first time this area actually shows up is episode 9, when ANJEL shoots Go Mi Nam's first music video. The chapel is really pretty, and you can even go inside!

But the area I was determined to visit was the greenhouse where Go Mi Nyu gets dressed up for a brief moment, and she's allowed to be who she is for awhile. It's one of my favorite scenes from the drama, and we finally found it at the end of the road.

My friend Gabriela even played the theme song to the drama on her phone, since no one was around, and we had a truly awesome Kdrama moment! 

It was such a pleasant surprise to visit another memorable location, by pure chance! The garden was beautiful and inspirational. Now if only I could see the Korean actors every so often . . .