ebony ovis aries

One last hurrah with J before he goes back overseas for many months. The rabbit hole journey we've been through in the last seven years is incredible, here's to seven more building each other up.

dream in color

I dream of a home filled with light and love...

impressed

A little well-done business card love..

east to west

A full spectrum kind of Sunday spent with my favorite ex-pat, catching up over good food and relishing in what makes New York, well, New York.

etch-a-sketch

Productive Saturday getting my hair did, finishing my Wiksten dress & etching glass bottles using potent, fatality-causing creme with S.

yù

New favorite studs - simple teardrop jade cabochons set in solid gold. The bright green color really pops against any outfit, the jolt of color is an instant pick-me-up :)

foodstuff E441

Finally broke in my WS heart-shaped ramekins by making goat cheese panna cotta with mango gelée. It's amazing what you can do with a few packets of gelatin!

suckered

Looks like we're slowly approaching the quieter seasons of fall and winter, where I'll be hiding under piles of down blankets with new books, Godiva caramel apple truffles* and tea..

*Impulse purchase at the Starbucks counter in B&N... It's so hard to resist seasonal items like spiced pumpkin lattes, etc..

the white stuff

New favorite @ Martha's: oreo mousse cake. Tastes like cookies 'n' cream ice cream, but in cake form - mmm, decadent.

FNO 2010

Started off with chicken lollipops at LURE, followed by way too many glasses of champagne and bottles of Stella, resulting in bouts of (light) kleptomania and devouring an entire hangar steak at midnight. Pretty successful night, I'd say.

mapped by intrepid fingers

The spoils of underwear shopping a few weeks back: an assortment of solid color, polka-dot, plaid, paisley and leopard print.

the principle of utility

What better way to enjoy Labor Day than to spend it eating and shopping? After a yummy brunch, A and I spent the afternoon browsing all the sales and wandering around Soho, followed by beers and a late dinner.

{1} Penelope Cafe, view out onto Lexington Avenue

{2} A's Penny egg sandwich

{3} my salmon-wrapped poached eggs

{4} entrance of Penelope

{5} Bloomie's Forty Carrots lemon swirl

{6} Soho lofts in the afternoon light

from Medieval Latin claustrum, enclosed place

The Cloisters - what a magical place. Loved everything about it from the drive up on Henry Hudson Parkway, to passing under the huge stone arch and being met by a hushed stillness, to all the stained glass and the beautiful ideal garden. I feel like I could spend hours there, forgetting the whole time that I'm still in NYC. Just fifteen minutes in that courtyard with a breeze smelling of lavendar and mint was unforgettable..

back to school

My new favorite brunch spot: L'Ecole. They have a two-course prix fixe for $19.50 - for the quality of food and presentation and service you're getting, it's an incredible value! We definitely left stuffed and walked the meal off window-shopping in Soho.

{1} assortment of bread

{2} J's sashimi of hamachi with apple crème fraîche purée, fennel and fresh horseradish

{3} my steak tartar served with a quail egg (so cute!) and baguette crouton

{4} steak and eggs entrée with french fries and béarnaise

Is there a such thing as too much steak too early in the morning? Perhaps... but I cannot wait to return to try more of the menu.

so fresh, so clean

Took advantage of the return of the warm weather with a beach trip, followed by a light summer meal - there's nothing better than using up all your fresh ingredients in one go for a delicious dinner. Mmm, and Magic Hat summer ale..

exploitation of parallax

One of my favorite things to do with my macro function is to use it against a light source, achieving a sort of faux bokeh. Fake it 'til ya... get that dSLR.

{1} Peeping into a backyard around Williamburg, Brooklyn

{2} LES

{3} Croxley Ale House

thuper thucculent

Look at this chubby little fella. Succulents are like little babies - small, cute and you just want to squeeze their tiny appendages.

we're going to get all the bitches tonight

Beautiful weather for a day spent in on Bedford. Had brunch with C at Juliette, followed by browsing all the well-stocked boutiques while trying Van Leeuwen's for the first time. The earl grey is subtle and delicious... love it.

we shall keep the sabbath

{1} Stumptown Coffee Roasters

{2} Bacon oyster sliders and pale ale &

{3} Lobster rolls with lemon and toasted buttered rolls at Ed's

A leisurely Sunday spent wandering the downtown area and happening across Ed's Lobster Bar, where we had the best lobster rolls yet in this fair city. There was a hint of lemon and just the right amount of mayonnaise; their pickles are also fresh and tart, drenched with red vinegar. So delicious! Aren't the bacon oyster sliders cute? I wonder how much time is dedicated to cutting those pieces of lettuce into circles just so..

heavy up on the hook

Spent Saturday exploring Red Hook, Brooklyn with friends. So much to see, do, eat... if only it were more accessible by train!

{1} Summertime exploration necessities: silk sundress, SX-70 Polaroid, Superfutures, Clare Vivier tote

{2} Mosaic mural

{3} Pretty sheet at Red Lipstick boutique

{4} Rhinestone tulle skirt, also Red Lipstick

Saipua love:

{5} Wall display

{6} Flowers and hand-dipped candles

{7} Knick-knacks

{8} Hand-written pricing list (so cute!)

Saipua, continued:

{9} Wall display

{10} Little succulents

{11} Nea!

{12} Druzy agate bookends (which came home with me :))

{13} Steve's key lime pies

{14} Mini-garden by the glass studio

{15} Cactus

{16} Almondine Bakery

Still on a high from all the lovely things we saw. Really, such a feast for the senses :)

we walked to the edge of the world

My favorite exploration this summer with E thus far: East Island this past Saturday. Tons of old money there, nice cars, houses right on the bay - what a dream. We came, we saw, we trespassed and went home with a handful of mussels. After some Google work, we boiled and ate them, a perfect meal with Sam Adams and an ice cream sandwich for dessert. 

the american dream is a sunlit porch

run like you stole it

Friday nights are for breaking the adrenaline meter.

tag team

Homemade pizza on Wednesday night with whole grain pocketless pita, fresh marinara sauce, yellow bell peppers, mushroom, arugula, and smoked mozz.

Put smoked mozz on anything and I'll eat it, it's that good. Mmm.

he's got all the guns now, sir

A little late night excursion to the pier by the West Side Highway and existentialist discussion till two in the morning... sweet use of the first few hours of my Summer Friday.

lingering interlude

Seared sea scallops with blue cheese polenta and demi-glace, Bar Marché in Nolita.

symphony in c

I consider the emmentaler sausage dish at Katja + a cold glass of Allagash to be THE perfect comfort food meal. Naturally, I made J promise we would go once my wisdom teeth wounds healed, and she agreed as her favorite is the decadent pork belly sandwich. Afterwards we also stopped by Sugar Sweet Sunshine for a lemon cupcake, of course.

cumulus castellanus

Summer is all about thunderstorms and crazy clouds formations...

carnivorous tendencies

Spent Saturday grilling in the heat and working for my meal at A's BBQ. Had three ribs before consuming large chunks of steak continuously over a period of two hours... my meat tooth is satisfied. Dessert was Ralph's orange & cream and a late showing of Inception - perfect.

collect $200 salary as you pass

Friday nights are reserved for girltalk over cold raspberry UFOs and tapas. Reunited my 90%-healed mouth with medium rare skirt steak and it felt so good. Three cheers for avoiding dry socket!

Happy weekend, everyone.

client services

Very tempting to eat the whole box, but just one will satisfy your sweet tooth. The chocolate coating on these guys is so thick! That's what she said.

tomaeto, tomahto

Beautiful alternatives to your standard vase. I like the one that's shaped like an enclosed bath for the rose, though J kept shouting about how phallic it looked. Mmm, picturing a sparsely-decorated apartment littered with terrariums all throughout now..

desert storm

Dropped by OAK over the weekend to check out the sample sale - almost bought a corset-structured black LBD for $20, but the lack of a dressing room and laziness won in the end. Love their selection of goods.

i see what you did there

Display ad for Essie's Resort Collection.

Splash of Grenadine, Turquoise and Caicos, Mesmerize, Lapis of Luxury, Playa del Platinum.

Nail polish is such an easy pick-me-up when you're feeling down... or when you've just had two wisdom teeth taken out. I actually resisted paying full price at the pharmacy because I'm waiting to go to the nail supply store (assuming I eventually make it there).

Who's the one coming up with the names for these colors? Whenever I turn the bottle over to see the name I always end up nodding my head and thinking, "Ahhh, yes. Yes, I see."

composition of young vegetables

Uno...

Dos...

Tres.

Gastronomic magic today, along with highbrow dish descriptions and lowbrow faux pas at Eleven Madison Park.

teacher's pet

Three new favorite things: 

{1} Ciao Bella's key lime graham cracker ice cream sandwiches

{2} the game Qwirkle

{3} bleached cutoffs + tanned legs

bee bee queue

What July 4th looks like.

no witnesses

Love summer nights filled with long talks into the night, the city's skyline and the sound of waves around me..

immortals whom we dance with

Leftover from the Seacliff set. Much love for magically winding, wrapping vines.

And now, abrupt segue to a quote that has been lingering on my mind:

"There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendours." - C. S. Lewis

june baby

Celebrated an old friend's birthday Saturday night with lots of hors d'oeuvres, mixed drinks, and an endless Michael Jackson playlist. Ah yes, and the panna cotta-making obsession continues. Happy happy birthday, dear Laura. :)

oh, it's so amazing here

Spent a good part of Saturday exploring Seacliff on a whim and got my fill of surf, sand and nature. 

took ya long enough

Should I be concerned at all that I wake up thirsting for beer nowadays? I feel like the 'rents are two seconds away from marching me to AA.