Glimpses: A Visual Archive of Life's Beauty

Places

Beings

Processes

Lisbon, Portugal, 2014. I really like this scene—the combination of the delicate (pink building with flowers) and the gritty (graffiti).

Cross on a balcony at Rossi Square, Lisbon, Portugal, 2014. This is one of my favourite images. The cross and white fabric blowing in the wind has a powerful aura. It's featured in my book Poignant Landscapes.

Obidos, Portugal, 2014. Obidos was a touristy but postcard-perfect medieval village with cobblestone streets and whitewashed buildings. This image is reminiscent of what I call Mediterranean nostalgia.

Building facade in Segovia, Spain, 2014. Google says this decorative technique on historical buildings is called sgraffito.

View From the Road, Spain, 2014. I have an affinity for rural farmhouses off the side of the road. They remind me of home, in a philosophical sense. This image is featured in my book Poignant Landscapes.

Toledo, Spain, 2014. These enclosed wooden balconies, known as oriel windows or miradores, are distinctive of Toledo's historic architecture. I find them very romantic.

Generalife Gardens, Alhambra of Grenada, Spain, 2014. A "glimpse" of physical paradise.

Patio de la Acequia, Alhambra of Granada, Spain, 2014. The iconic view of the "courtyard of the water canal" in the Generalife Palace.

View from Agoraios Kolonos (near the Temple of Hephaestus), Athens, Greece, 2019. See the Ancient Agora and the Acropolis in the distance. I wonder how similar the view would've been for the Ancient Greeks.

Wall of the Land Bastion, Chania (Crete), Greece, 2019. There is an odd beauty when nature takes over the semi-derilict. This image is featured in my book Poignant Landscapes.

View from the Land Bastion, Chania (Crete), Greece, 2019. A glorious view on a beautiful day.

Temple of Zeus, Athens, Greece, 2019. Even though Heidegger wasn't able to feel ancient Greece in Athens when he went on his Sojourn, I did get a whiff of the past at the Temple of Zeus.

Temple of Apollo, Delphi, Greece, 2019. I was able to feel the past here. Of course, the ruins played a role, but the real witness of time that spoke to me were the mountains.

The Venetian Harbour, Chania (Crete), Greece, 2019. This is another of my most favourite photos. Chania was a very beautiful city, especially this view back to the harbour.

Samaria Gorge (Crete), Greece, 2019. The last part of the hike was all rocky and challenging. The drama reminds me of the Hero's Journey. It's featured in my book Poignant Landscapes and on the cover of my Landscape Archetypes card deck.

Samaria Gorge (Crete), Greece, 2019. I hurt my toe on this hike, but the landscape was worth it. It was one of the most immersive places I've been in.

Momijidani Park, Miyajima, Japan, 2010. In my early days of using a DSLR camera, I had the settings all wrong. Most of my photos on this trip came out terrible. Still, I wanted to include this quintessential Japanese landscape as one of my glimpses.

Mount Misen, Miyajima, Japan, 2010. The strange things we remember from trips: in this one, there was the beautiful scenery, a woman hiking the mountain in a skirt and high heels, and my tired sister giving up before reaching the top.

Uluru, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia, 2018. Uluru is sacred to the Aṉangu (the local Indigenous people). It is a large sandstone monolith that's 348m tall.

Kata Tjuta at Sunrise, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia, 2018. I thought we were going to see the sun come up behind the rock, but the plan was to watch the light shine onto the rock. This image is featured in my book Poignant Landscapes.

Uluru, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia, 2018. While I want to describe the photo's vibe as "prehistoric," Uluru is actually twice as old as the first dinosaurs. The Aṉangu say that the rock was created at the "beginning of time."

Gold Coast Beach, Australia, 2018. I like the simplicity of this image. Strangely, it reminds me in a contrasting way of Caspar David Friedrich's Monk by the Sea...

Loch Ard Gorge, Australia, 2018. The gorge is named after the vessel that shipwrecked in 1878. Only two teenage survivors were found among the 54 passengers.

The Twelve Apostles, Australia, 2018. The windswept landscape was spectacular but my low light photography skills aren't great. The waves in some areas reached the top of the cliffs.

Sunset from Alaska Cruise, 2013. I remember looking out one evening to see the landscape unfold in layers like a Chinese painting. This image is featured in my book Poignant Landscapes.

Hubbarb Glacier, Alaska, USA, 2013. Google reminded me that this was taken in Disenchantment Bay (on a cruise). That's a perfectly ironic name since I remember the absolute "silence" here. You do need to first be disillusioned to reach enlightenment.

🖥️ Signal Hill, St. John's, Canada, 2016. I like places that have a timeless quality. They don't remind us of the past; they bring the past into the present. The windswept coastal landscapes of Newfoundland have this kind of aura.

🖥️ Fogo Island (Newfoundland), Canada, 2016. People say editing hides a bad photo but sometimes I like to highly edit photos because the real scene was already so beautiful.

Fogo Island (Newfoundland), Canada, 2016. Another image that makes me feel nostalgic.

Fogo Island (Newfoundland), Canada, 2016. I can almost hear the vikings in this picture. Probably from memories of the beautiful Newfoundland commercials I've seen.

🖥️ Broom Point, Gros Morne National Park (Newfoundland), Canada, 2016. The rocky coast and tide pools in this area make good photos and curiosity adventures.

🖥️ Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada, 2017. Even though the old growth forest was magical, walking through the forest alone can be an anxious experience. At that time, Google Maps was my safety companion.

Sumac Centre (Ontario), Canada, 2019. This was taken during an early morning sit spot activity on my ecopsychology training. A very quiet experience.

🖥️ Banff Gondola, Canada, 2024. I had booked a sunset gondola ride but it turned out to be a snowy day. It was cold and slippery, and I couldn't see anything from up there, but the foggy atmosphere created a different kind of aesthetic.

🖥️ Sunrise on the Bow River, Banff, Canada, 2024. This view was taken from the Nancy Pauw Bridge. The sunrise did happen, so briefly behind the clouds, but most of the colour was my editing work!

Engine Bridge, Canmore, Canada, 2024. Never watched it but HBO's The Last of Us had filmed here.

Full moon, Toronto, Canada, 2025. The view was taken from my balcony, unplanned. I looked out my window just at the right moment.

Wilket Creek, Toronto, Canada, 2025. An interesting pattern formed in the creek after a big snow storm.

Wilket Creek, Toronto, Canada, 2025. Came across these hearts in the sand on one of my ravine walks.

🖥️ Wilket Creek, Toronto, Canada, 2025. The fall colours here are wonderful. Thanks to the people walking for making the photo more interesting.

🖥️ Masterwort, VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver, 2017.

🖥️ White Bleeding Hearts, VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver, 2017. Bleeding hearts are my favourite perennial flowers. They are so unique; how can a flower be shaped like a symbol?

🖥️ Waterlilies, VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver, 2017. Waterlilies are often confused with lotuses. Both are beautiful, but I find waterlilies even more elegant.

🖥️ Poppies, VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver, 2017. This is likely a cultivar of Papaver rupifragum (Spanish Poppy).

🖥️ Cherry Blossoms, High Park, Toronto, 2017. I have several years worth of cherry blossom photos. That's more than enough since it's way too crowded in the park during the blossoming season.

🖥️ Sunflower, Toronto, 2017. Even a supermarket sunflower has soul.

🖥️ Magnolias, High Park, Toronto, 2018. The flowers in the light had a translucent quality. This image is highly edited though!

Ranunculus, Toronto, 2019. I think ranunculus are prettier than roses. They have this playful essence that roses don't usual have.

Pink Petticoat Columbine, Toronto Botanical Garden, 2023. The name describes exactly how it looks. Reminds me of little fairies.

Hellebore, Toronto Botanical Garden, 2024. The very, very, first sign of spring.

Pink Roses, Toronto, 2024. This was an aromatic rose plant bought from the supermarket!

Chrysanthemum, Toronto Botanical Garden, Canada, 2025.

🖥️ Royal Fern, VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver, 2017.

Mossy Tree, Stanley Park, Vancouver, 2017. This image is featured in my book Poignant Landscapes.

🖥️ Wind and Sand, Deadman's Beach, Brisbane, Australia, 2018. Some of the images can be sorted in either the places or the beings category, but in this case, I would think of the wind as a being.

🖥️ Moreton Bay Fig, Royal Botanical Garden, Sydney, Australia, 2018. The longest buttress root I've ever seen.

Messages on Rocks, Earl Bales Park, Toronto, 2020. I came across this in the park in the summer of 2020, right when we were in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Birch Tree Trunk, Wilket Creek, Toronto, 2024.

Mallard Ducks, Wilket Creek, Toronto, 2024.

Tree Trunk with Lichens, Wilket Creek, Toronto, 2024. Maybe from a pine, but I don't really remember.

Red Admiral Butterfly and Butterfly Bush, Toronto Botanical Garden, 2024.

Writing on a Wooden Fence, Toronto, 2025. Spotted this near my home. I take it as a message of encouragement from the universe.

Cardinal, Wilket Creek, Toronto, 2026. I traded in my DSLR for a compact zoom because I hate carrying around heavy things. Now, I mostly use my phone but can get the occasional bird photo with the zoom camera.

Robin, Wilket Creek, Toronto, 2026. Robins remind me of spring and The Secret Garden.

Cherry Blossoms, Watercolour, 2017. Get this as a desktop wallpaper for free.

Bougainvillea Up the Wall, Córdoba, Spain, Ink and Watercolour, 2017.

Narcissus, Watercolour, 2017. I love how this turned out but I don't like the Greek myth related to the flower name. Get this as a desktop wallpaper for free.

Cobblestones and Bougainvillea, Island of Hydra, Greece, 2020. I am quite critical of my watercolour skills but I think this one came out quite well (though I secretly photo edited parts of the tree because the colour came out muddy!)

Misty Mountains, Watercolour, 2023. I was experimenting with watercolours for the book cover of Poignant Landscapes but I ended up using a photograph instead.

Tea House in Spring, Edwards Garden, Toronto, Ink and Watercolour, 2024. I don't usually like to do linework. Maybe it's my perfectionism. Maybe it feels so final. But usually, it makes the painting part much easier.

Study of an Orange, Oil Pastels, 2026. My first return to oil pastels since high school. This was completed in a workshop.

Macarons, Oil Pastels, 2026. Based on photo by Heather Barnes on Unsplash.

Honey and Flowers, Oil Pastels, 2026. Based on photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash.

Mountain and Meadow, Oil Pastels, 2026. Based on photograph Sergey Chuprin on Unsplash.

Wildflower Meadow, Oil Pastels, 2026. Based on photo by Anna on Unsplash.

Tuscany Sunrise, Oil Pastels, 2026. Based on photo by Karol Kaczorek on Unsplash.

Sushi Pillows, 2017. These were from a while back. I made them as gifts for my sisters. The fatty ribbons were hard to sew in place.

Pressed Flower Resin Ornaments, 2018. This was from my resin experiment phase. I actually sold a couple of them. I had difficulty getting the right ratio for the mix so I didn't make any more.

Tote Bag, 2018. At one time I had an Etsy store selling tote bags and other accessories. None of my bags actually got sold, but I did give them out to people I knew as gifts.

Miniature House, 2019. This is the first of four model kits that I've completed. Even though the results are great, they are such hard work.

🖥️ Land Art, 2023. This was an adhoc piece I created for the closing invitation of a practice walk during my forest therapy guide training. I was proud of being so resourceful with the beach pebbles and our drinking water as replacement for tea.

Miniature Garden, 2024. Even if I don't have a garden in real life, at least I have a miniature one.

Terrarium, 2024. Very cute but the fresh moss didn't last very long.

Melody, 2024. She's a fabric doll I made following an online course. Her embroidered face turned out so cute! Besides the summer dress and crepe paper flower crown, she also owns a coat, a pair of shoes, and some winter accessories.

Christmas Wreath, 2024. This was a fresh wreath from the Milne House Garden Club's Christmas workshop.

Flower Arrangement, 2025. I didn't choose the flower combinations for this one, but sometimes getting the stems to look decent in the vase is already an art.

Flower Arrangement, 2025. Many years ago, I took a flower arrangement course for fun. Now, I sometimes go the flower shop and get a few bunches to mix together. This arrangement was for Lunar New Year.

Christmas Wreath, 2025. I like the simplicity of this design. Some of the decorations were saved from the previous year.

Embroidered Flower Labyrinth Pillow, 2025. After going on a silent retreat, I became interested in labyrinths. I wanted one at home so I designed a floral themed one, embroidered it, and made it into a pillow.

Ceramic Vase and Crepe Paper Cherry Blossoms, 2025. I attended a workshop to make a plant pots. The underglazing technique came out really well, but the pot was too small for my plants. It's now a vase for my crepe paper cherry blossom branch.

Self-Portrait, 2025. I took an online course on creative self-portraits. This is one of my experiments. The effect was created by a coloured vase with dried flower stems.

Self-Portrait, 2025. I've been taking my own pro headshots for years, but these days, if I were to post photos of myself online, I prefer ones that reveal less of my face. This one was taken with a long exposure and movement.