Movies that I've watched in the last week:

1. Minus Man- I really like Owen Wilson. His nose looks really awful in this one.
2. Chungking Express- I've seen this maybe 4 times now but rewatching it after going to Hong Kong, visiting Chungking Mansion and being offered curry and a room by the Indians and Africans, staying at Mirador Mansion (a similar block building one street away from Chungking Mansion), walking up and down the midlevels escalator, I have a different understanding and feel for the movie.
3. 400 Blows- I saw this first in film class in HS but couldn't remember most of it. I'm glad I rewatched it.
4. A Clockwork Orange- this one is really kind of scary. Very creepy.

(photo of Mirador Mansion that I took last November)

My new Gillians

I'm totally guilty. I bought two pairs. One in black (Bloomingdales) and one in gold (Century 21). It's a reoccuring theme- I seem to buy the same thing in different colors. I hope these will serve me well.

(Image from Zappos)

Louise Nevelson

Another first for me- The Jewish Museum is having a Louise Nevelson retrospective.

(Image from the Jewish Museum)

For the other 90%

I went to the Cooper Hewitt for the first time yesterday. It's silly because I work just down the street. The facade was beautiful and the lobby had rich, gorgeous wood paneling. Unfortunately they are in the midst of changing exhibitions, the upper floors were closed. I read about Design for the other 90% a couple of months ago and it really got me thinking about innovative design for people in third world countries. I was disappointed that the show was so small that it only took up a portion of the garden. Is that all there is for the other 90%? Designers, are you out there?

(image from the Cooper Hewitt)

Serra at MOMA

I finally saw the Richard Serra show at MOMA this weekend. It was amazing! Experiencing the redefinition of the space, and noticing how I feel as I am walking around them made an impact on my senses. At times I felt really dizzy. I left in awe of the elegance of the show.

I also caught Richard Pere's photographs of Soviet Modernist Architecture. It's a mixed bag of a show- crowded and confusing in presentation but there are some photos definitely worth seeing.

Catch the Shore show

The Stephen Shore show is up until Sept. 9 at ICP.

(image via ICP)

Ardshona Island

Geoff has been going up to Canada every summer since the late sixties. In fact, he's there right now with his sister Liz, her son Jacob, and their brother David. Family traditions are nice. We refer to Ardshona, the little island that his family owns, within the Thirty Thousand Islands of the Georgian Bay in Lake Huron, as "Canada". His grandmother started renting Ardshona when her Cincinatti friends vacationed there in the 60's. She bought Ardshona in the early 70's when there was no electricity on the island- it was a rustic get-away. There is electricity these days but it can easily get knocked out and telephone service is through a radio phone, it's quite spotty. There isn't a tv or the internet, which leaves plenty of time for sailing, canoing, kayaking, swimming, reading, picnicking, cooking, and family.


Cushions that Geoff's mom, Janie, made

David, Liz, and Geoff by Janie

Geoff and David at Hangdog Island

My Mom and David on the Sunfish

What they used before there was electricity

The dining area

Part of the living area

Sunset over the neighbor's islands take from the front rock

My Mom sitting in the screened porch

(photos from my last trip to Canada in 2004)

Penny round tiles

Chicago AT posted photos from their friend Amy's newly renovated kitchen. I love these tiles and would love to do a whole bathroom or even a bedroom wall with it. I've seen them used at the Rice in Brooklyn Heights on the walls near the bathroom. It also reminds me of Hable Construction's bead fabric that I love.



(images from Chicago AT and Hable Construction)

Quest for the Lost Civilization

I just finished watching Graham Hancock's 1998 three part TV series "Quest for the Lost Civilization." He sets out to prove that ancient civilazations such as the Great pyramids at Giza, Angkor Wat, Stonehenge, Teotihuacan, the Nazca lines, and Easter Island are linked by astronomy to an even older, lost civilization which may be that of one underwater in Yonaguni, Japan. It's quite interesting, I don't think there is enough evidence to support his theory but the idea that these civilizations might all be linked is nice. I hope to visit them all someday. The photos were taken during a trip to Cambodia last year- the first is Angkor Thom and the second is Angkor Wat from a hot air balloon.

I now have iPhone lust

I went into the Apple store on Sunday. Did I need anything? No. I was just following my friends in to look at the new screens. Did I want something when I left? Yes. The iPhone was very impressive. Lust...

The Looker

Somehow, I thought of Boshra Alsaadi this morning. I went to art school with Boshra and we were in some photo classes together. I was just wondering what kind of photos she's making now. So, I googled her. Turns out she's in a band called Looker. Interesting...

An Inconvenient Truth

I finally watched An Inconvenient Truth last night. It was presented in a way that was convincing. The issues at hand should matter to every single person on earth. It matters to me. We can all start by making small changes in our lives. We already use CFL bulbs in all of our lighting and will do that soon throughout our apartment building in Queens. I plug my computer to a surge protector and switch it off when it's not in use. Our next step is to convert our electric sources to alternative energy resources in both our homes.

Cup of hot chocolate

I met up with two friends from HS yesterday for lunch. We walked around afterwards for a bit downtown. Finally, one friend suggested Marie Belle on Broome street. I had never been. It's a cute chocolate shoppe with a back room that served chocolate drinks and desserts. I ordered a medium dark hot chocolate, American style, made with milk. The hot chocolate was quite thick, you had to spoon it into your mouth, and it wasn't too sweet. It was intense though and I should have just ordered a small. It was perfect for the Fall-like weather we had yesterday.

(image from Marie Belle)

Late Summer Break

Just finished reading Ann's Late Summer Break. It's a wonderful book of short stories that weaves tales of family relationships. It's no longer in print but I found my copy on Amazon.

The Shins are coming through

The Shins are playing two shows in October at the new Bowery Ballroom venue, Terminal 5. Tix are on sale today. I'm debating whether or not I should buy tix. It's a steep $40 for a venue that holds 3000. I like smaller shows where the members of the band aren't just dots moving on the stage.

(image from Terminal 5)

Red Cabin by the Inlet

Here's a collaboration that happened while I was down in Florida at ACA. Ann is a wonderful writer who asked to write about some of my photos. She selected "Weather" that I made in Norway, alongside the road, in 2003. We bonded over our love for northern landscapes.



Does someone live in this red cabin by the inlet
or is it abandoned? (The paint's too fresh, the trim
too clean.) It may be a fish camp used for the salmon run
or by some family in summer coming year after year
to this familiar stretch of greensward on the water's edge.

Today nothing moves but a single gull
tilting over the still water and nothing
indicates how far the other shore but a dot,
it's a house, the field behind it ending at an apron
of talus spilling from raw up-thrust mountains,
snow streaked, distant, their peaks hidden
in the mist that overhangs the whole landscape.

No one is here to look, but someone is always
looking for Innisfree, dreaming of solitude and how
perhaps one summer evening a skiff will cross
the bay breaking the pewter surface. A neighbor.

He'll bring a bottle of schnapps, they'll drink, he'll tell
stories of the place, who lived here, why
they left, he'll name the small flowers that startle
the turf. Wind will clear the fog, riffle
the inlet's surface. Their talk interrupts the silence
and all is changed.

Ann B. Knox

Playtime

I just rewatched Jacques Tati's Playtime. It's such a charming movie. The choreography is beautiful and the cinematography so well composed, it's brilliant! It was interesting to find out that Tati was a mime in the late 30's.



Here's a little description from wikipedia:
In Play Time, Tati's character, M. Hulot, and a group of American tourists lose themselves in a futuristic glass and steel Paris, where only human nature and a few hints of old Paris briefly breathe life into the city. New technologies, billed as conveniences, are represented as merely complicating life and an interference to natural human interaction.

(image from wikipedia)

Bangledeshi in Woodside, Queens

It's always fun to try a new place. Last night Geoff, my Mom, and I went out for dinner to celebrate Geoff's birthday. We headed toward Sripraphai's but they were closed (closed Wed.). We wanted to give it a second try, and will save that for another day. Instead Geoff drove us to Spicy Mina's, a Bangledeshi restaurant he spotted while driving around Queens. We got a parking spot halfway down the street. The restaurant was empty except for a table of what looked to be friends or family of the restaurant who split soon after we got settled. There weren't any more customers until we were served the main course. We studied up the menu and ordered the following:
Meat Samosa
Halim (beef slowly cooked with different types of lentil and bangledeshi spice)
Poori (deep fried flour puffed bread)
Mango Lassi
Chai Massala
Aloo Gobi Bhajee (cauliflower and potatoes with mild spice)
Chicken Tandoori
Chicken Vindaloo
The wait was long and we were given a standing fan to keep us cool. Our waiter was the cook and the one person who did almost everything- very excellent service was provided considering he was the one guy who ran the place. There was an older woman in a sari who helped him out occasionally in the kitchen. The papadums were nice and peppery, along with the little dipping tray of sauces that were pretty spicy. The samosa filling was excellent, the meat was juicy and it was fried just right. My favorite was the halim, a thick, saucy bowl with beef cubes, the layers of spices and flavours were quite memorable. I think I will just order it as my main course the next time I go. I asked for rice to go with it and devoured a good share of it. My lassi was good, and by the time the main course was served, I was already full. The Poori was a bit too oily for me. The tandoori chicken was flavorful and aloo gobi was flavored well. The chicken vindaloo was TOO SPICY! This is a warning coming from someone who loves spicy food. I had a bite of the chicken, a bite of a piece of potato and felt fine. A couple of minutes later, my mouth was nearly numb. It wasn't horribly hot, but I think too much considering the risk of losing out on tasting the other spices. It almost reminded me of my experience with Sichuan peppercorns in Chongqing, China, but it's not quite the same numbing experience or assortment of tastes. I would definitely go again and try other things on the menu on another night when I can dine at a leisurely pace.

Thomas in Dusseldorf

Jian Kun was lucky enough to travel around Europe earlier this summer. He had a studio visit with Thomas Struth, our beloved master artist, in Dusseldorf, Germany. Thomas took a bunch of group photos of us while we were down in Florida. I like this one.


Seeing this little glimpse of Thomas and the group photo made me miss my ACA gang. Good thing I get to see everybody next month when we have our reunion!

(photos courtesy of Jian Kun)

Got 5 bucks?

I had a hankering for a slice of pizza today. I gotta say, it's the one "American" food I truly miss when I'm not in the States. The cheese in Asia just doesn't cut it, but I do love Iceland's own Pizza 67 with all those tiny shrimps on top. I headed over to the local pizza joint- B&T Pizza on the SW corner of 86th St. and Lex. for a slice. Have I not had a slice in so long that the price has gone up to $2.50? When I arrived in NYC, a token cost a dollar and so did a slice. The pizza wasn't the best I've ever had but it was completely satisfying. I wonder if the secret is that B&T uses lowfat cheese. For a regular pizza place they are always consistant, better than the neighborhood's famed Mimi's, on 84th and Lex. Well to tie up loose ends, I went to fancy pants Dean & Deluca for a large chocolate pecan cookie that cost $2.50. So yum! Lunch for 5 bucks in NYC, and the UES at that, not bad. (I had some water back at the office.)

Speaking of corn dogs...

Geoff sent me a link to Andrew Miksys' photo website earlier. When I opened the link, the corn dog photo appeared. Miksys is an interesting photographer who has worked in Lithuania for many years. Please look deeper than this corn dog photo.

(image from Andrew Miksys)

Gone to the fair!

The NJ State fair at the Sussex County fairgrounds rocks! The lobster roll guy from Maine didn't show- I was really looking forward to it, being the only non super fried food at the whole event. We went on Saturday afternoon. I had a corn dog. I eat a hot dog once maybe two, three years, maybe. But I have a weakness for corndogs- thank goodness they are not so common. In Taiwan, when we were growing up, my cousins, sister, and me would go to the top two floors of the mall near my uncle's place and entertain ourselves by playing arcade games, bumper cars, and eating corn dogs. The hotdogs in Taiwan are skinnier, pinker, sweeter and not so salty. I don't think they are any better for you but the corndogs there are so yummy. I give in to them sometimes when I stroll through the night markets.




We checked out the pie eating contest in the 3-6 year old category. The boys were amazing, especially Ryan, the little boy who won. He stuck his face in the pie and used his teeth to get at the crust. The boy next to him was amazed.





We only had enough tme to check out the chickens and rabbits. The breeds were so interesting. This is the best part of the fair for me. I was sorry to have missed the alpacas and the other animals. Daphne, I wish you were here to see all of the rabbits! There were so many and they were so cute and amazing looking!


Then there was the pig race which was too quick but amusing enough.


The greenhouse was a bit disappointing. It could be that the stuff had been sitting there for a week already. For more pictures, check out my Flickr photos.

Chicken of the woods

What a silly name for a mushroom, chicken of the woods! Geoff's brother, David, found a chicken of the woods while hiking in Stokes Forest on Saturday morning. They are not common and are quite distinguishable. David has a huge fascination with mushrooms. All I care about is whether or not it's edible- the first thing I asked David when I spotted this on the kitchen counter at George's house. We ate this one for dinner that night- David sauteed it in a wonderfrul cream sauce with some wine and herbs. Yum!

Stock flowers

These flowers are blooming right now by the front porch door. They smell really nice.

My peach crop

When we bought the house in Pond Eddy, there were already several fruit trees around the property. The two apple trees just produce rotten apples, we get a handfull or two of cherries from the cherry tree, but our peach tree is my baby. Half the fruit it produces has issues, and the other half? ALL FOR ME!

Mitsuwa

On the way up to the house on Thursday, we stopped by Mitsuwa, a Japanese supermarket complex in Edgewater, NJ. We usually grab some dinner at Whole Foods but we decided on Mitsuwa since I haven't been in a long while. I had a huge pork cutlet platter that was very impressive looking but not so good. The cutlet wasn't hot enough. And if you can believe it, I actually was still really hungry afterwards. We went into the market section and I grabbed a spicy California salad roll with 8 pieces for $3! What a bargain! It was really good, the pieces were sizeable and I was no longer starving.

Thinking green

Surfing the new Apartment Therapy: green home this morning came up with two good alternatives to look into. There a link to Lowimpactliving.com where I spotted this tankless hot water heater that we might just be able to use at the house in Pond Eddy. Our utility bills are sky high and we actually have two hot water heaters, one of which is dead- both take up a ton of space. The house used to be a humble little B&B so that's why we have two hot water heaters. The other little thing that looked like a pretty good idea is the Solio- "the Universal "Hybrid" Charger is powerful enough to charge all of your handheld electronic products at home or on the move, anywhere under the sun." This is a good idea especially for those who go off the beaten track. I was thinking that it might come in handy for those hikes I was thinking of in Peru- it turns out that the featured user on the site used his in Choquequirao, Peru.



(images from low impact living and Solio)

I love my REEFs

I spotted Maria in these great REEF flip flops when I was invited to a backyard BBQ at her place in Brooklyn that eventually became my place a couple of years back. (That's another story.) Well, I got myself a pair and have loved them ever since. It's been a while. And I decided after dragging them through the mud in August of 2005, two years ago, in Vang Vieng, Laos, I would have to retire them. Well, I'm still wearing them but I just got a new pair from Zappos. I'm just wondering if I should stock up now and buy some extras. Really, I love them that much.



(image of Reefs from Zappos, the other one is mine.)

A design guide to San Francisco

Turns out that I've been missing out. I've never been to California despite the fact that my best friend Maggie has been in LA for four years now. Mags, I'm just waiting for you to get your license so you can chauffeur me around, ya hear? Design Sponge has compiled a design guide to San Francisco that I will definitely use when I do get myself over to the west coast.

Olle Lundburg's house tour

Here's a NYtimes article from 2005 that apartment therapy featured today on architect Olle Lundburg's two homes while on the topic of escapes. The best photo was this one of the dog in the pool. I want one! The pool is made from an old water tower. It looks amazing and it's 14 ft. deep.

(image by Peter DaSilva for the NYtimes)

Record Breaking Weather

We thought we had it bad in New York yesterday? The trains and platforms were so packed I couldn't get anywhere close to my train. I managed eventually. Check out the images in this National Geographic article about record breaking weather. Also read the article on the dwindling numbers of India's tigers (1300-1500 wild). It brings a sense of urgency to Patrick Brown's Black Market project that I mentioned here.

(image of Wuhan, China from National Geographic News- which, by the way is where my maternal grandmother is from and where I still have tons of relatives)

Blogging Apartment Therapy Chicago

Two posts on AT Chicago that caught my eye today:



A bricks and mortar store in Chicago for Renegade Handmade, I would love to browse.



For those trying to go green, a paper towel alternative.

(images via AT Chicago)

Happy Father's Day!

It's Father's Day in Taiwan (and maybe other Chinese speaking countries). August 8, sounds like the word for Dad in Chinese (ba ba). It was always hard for me to pick out a present for my Dad. I only lived with him during my summer breaks, I didn't really know what he needed or wanted. I've bought him several lighters, pipes, tobacco (he was a smoker- and I'm actually quite against it), flowers once, and other not-so-great gifts. What made it harder was that he had a summer birthday. What do you give a Dad you don't really know? But I did know him well, he's a huge part of my personality. Now that he's no longer around, I still hear his voice inside my head. Thanks Dad, your booming voice is still carrying on. I miss you.

(above image taken from our family's roof in Taiwan, my fourth Aunt is walking by the bottom of the frame.)

I'm having a good day though

I woke up to the pouring rain. By the time I pulled myself out of bed, my window sill was drenched. I got ready for work and headed out in boots, rain coat, umbrella and hat. I got drenched halfway down the block. Rain was coming in through the tops of my boots. I took the train all the way uptown and skipped my walk. By the time I got out, it had stopped raining. It was 7:30am. Now people are calling into work saying that they'll be late- almost all the subway lines aren't running because they are having flooding issues.

Hi. I'm in New York City.

I'm having a good day though.

(top photo taken in Hong Kong during a huge rain storn, bottom one taken in Taiwan, the morning after a typhoon hit.)

How to Market your Photography

Geoff took a workshop with Mary Virginia Swanson at the Maine Media Workshops last week. He came back super excited and wanted to share. Here are some links:

Learn how to to market your photographs in this interview with Mary Virginia Swanson.
MVS's blog has recommendations on upcoming events and juried competitions. Her book is recommended highly by those who've read it.
Photo festivals around the world are listed on the Festival of Light website.
Check out Media Storm and Patrick Brown's amazing photos and story of the wildlife trade, titled "Black Market."
Conscientious- a blog about fine art photography.
Alec Soth's blog is a must read for all photographers.

I need to do my research and reading!

(image via Media Storm by Patrick Brown.)

Inspiration from Emily

My friend Emily has spent the last year travelling. Her last stop was Morocco where she studied Arabic. These two photos are from her latest album- they're great aren't they? Emily is one my biggest inspirations for travel- her photos make me totally jealous and tugs the right strings in my heart to make me get out there to see new places. Thanks Em!

(Images from Emily K.)

Blonde Redhead Pool Party in Williamsburg

Really, I'm not a fan of Williamsburg. There's too many young, hip, artsy types that I went to school with milling about, it just doesn't seem like a real neighborhood. (I don't mean to offend, this is just my personal opinion, lots of fun can be had there.) I try to go only when I have to. Yesterday was one of those 'have-to' days. Blonde Redhead was playing a free show at McCarren Pool. I met up with Ian and Hana and had a good time. We had a decent Thai meal at SEA with a load of people but it was too dark and loud inside, I'm starting to sound like an old crank, eh?

Never too late to start

Who starts jogging at the age of 29? Thanks to my buddy Jacob who I met at ACA, I've started running. My "first" run was in May, on a sandy trail in Northeast Florida. Now I run on the weekends on a looped trail up the road from the house in Pond Eddy. I was prompted by Carrie's serious bread making, needing to get hungry before the next loaf came out of the oven. This weekend I'm running in Forest Park, Queens on a nice tree lined path with my sister.

Sicko

I just came back from watching Michael Moore's Sicko. While the medical industry is not as black and white as Moore sets out, this movie hits closer to home for a wider audience, which is great. It is an industry with issues that really need to be addressed. I hope we see the day when there is affordable healthcare for all in the States.

After Dark

Haruki Murakami is my all-time favorite author. Robyn turned me on seven years ago with South of the Border, West of the Sun. His latest book, After Dark, was released in the US just three months ago. I put off buying the book so I could savor the idea of a new Murakami book to read and have something of his to look forward to. I started the book mid-week, and of course it's so hard to put down. Last night I stayed up with it and woke up early this morning to finish it. The time frame of the novel is in the span of one night, making it a good night time read. You can order it on amazon.

(image from amazon.)

A day with Ian

Yesterday I hung out with Ian, a friend from college. He showed me some recent work- it's so nice to get a sneak preview! Ian's a photographer that is represented by Jen Bekman. We stopped by the gallery to check out the portrait show that is closing today. We met Shane who was working at the desk. Turns out that Shane is fellow photographer and blogger. It was a nice day, walking around downtown, running errands, talking art. We ended the day with dinner at Do Sirak, a nice and cozy Korean restaurant on 13th St.

Tiger lilies in bloom

I'm spending the weekend in the city. I miss waking up annd being able to walk outside to check on the progress of the flowers and plants.

New York's very own Chinatown