It’s that magical time of the year again! This has been a very good year for fall colors here in Chicago.

This view never gets old
(Hutchinson quad at uchicago - grateful to pass by this place every morning I go to work)

A windy sunset on Lake Michigan:

A morning hike through the woods is like a refill for the soul.

A very lucky morning in the Snoqualmie Falls (before hiking up the mountains)!

Days and nights on the empire builder train from Chicago to Seattle:

Beautiful strawberry moon tonight! That sliver of reflection over Lake Michigan adds even more to the moment’s tranquility.

Defended my thesis proposal this week and am now a PhD candidate! Incredibly grateful for the support from my mentors, friends, and everyone who came to the talk in person and on zoom. I’m so lucky to be around such amazing people and can’t wait to continue this journey!

After a weekend that truly felt like summer (thunderstorms, sunshine, shorts and t-shirts), I just cannot believe that it’s going to dip below freezing again next week
(So says the weather app, which I wholeheartedly hope is wrong)

There’s no better getaway than the Oregon spring, and arguably no better therapy (at least for me!) than a few moist, crystal hours alone in the rain washed forest

Finishing up 2024 with some amazing orchids and orchid mantis, hibiscus flowers (incl one very aptly named Hibiscus schizopetalus - look it up, please), butterflies, and so many other wildlife, all happily living under Malaysia’s lush, verdant tropical canopy!

An absolutely breathtaking sunset in Malaysia (with a double rainbow!) to make Christmas 2024 an incredible memory. Another day of feeling grateful for all the beauty in this world, and for being able to appreciate and understand them as much as we can.

Every shade of rose over tonight’s blushing sky

Setting fire to the snow

What a lovely late-November wonder to behold on @uchicago campus (right before the first snow, maybe)!