See fish...photograph fish...eat fish...

The other day my friends and I ventured to the San Diego Zoo as a birthday celebration for my friend. Its been years since I've been to the zoo, so I was eagerly taking pictures of every animal I saw. Here are just a few pictures of the awesome animals I saw while there.



The giraffes were more active than most of the other animals in the heat.



Cool display of butterflies found in the bug exhibit...I was none too happy to enter the exhibit though (I really do not like bugs). Believe me, this was the only part of it that didn't send shivers down my spine.



Some meerkats taking a snooze.



Turtles!



Polar bear lounging about in the sun.

Afterward, we met up with more of our friends at a new sushi bar in town called Zenbu. The dim lighting, cushy chairs, and aquarium full of interesting fish (like small sting rays) made for a very cool atmosphere. And the food was great (but expensive)!

I felt somewhat guilty eating fish right after I just saw and photographed a bunch of them at the zoo...but the shrimp tempura and tuna was so good, that I quickly got over it and dug in. :)

One is silver and the other gold...

Took my camera out again this weekend. Here's a cool shot I got.



I normally hate bugs - whenever I hear anything buzzing near my ear, I automatically jerk my head away from the noise in a very awkward and ungraceful manner - but I was able to get close and capture this bumble bee with the (unintentional) help of my friend.

This weekend, my brother, his friend, and two of my friends came from San Diego to visit me. One of my best friends, who also loves photography, is not a sissy little baby when it comes to bugs and other creepy-crawlers. In fact, I remember going to the beach with her when we were little kids and running away in sheer terror as she picked up a handful of sand crabs like they were as harmless as jelly beans.

So the other day, when I was taking pictures with her (she also has a fancy SLR), she was photographing this bee. I saw the potential for a beautiful photograph and because my friend was able to take a picture of the bee without flinching away from it, I found the courage to do the same.

While my ability to photography this bumble bee demonstrates only the tiniest personal victory for me, I think it says a lot about the worth of a good friendship. If my friend can encourage me (without knowing it) to approach something that scares the crap out of me, I believe that's someone who is worth having around.

I love my friends because they bring out the best in me and cause me to take risks and experience more of life.