inspired once again...

image thanks to heather smith jones

image thanks to violet

more melbourne.

super kawaii!

graffiti art

laneways and arcades

lose yourself...

photo by me

...in Melbourne.

Well, thats just what me and Kwanie did last month!

Together we splurged on a three night adventure to the city known for its food, fashion and art culture. Needless to say, we were not dissapointed! The whole trip, short as it was, was filled to the brim of delicious food, fashion and art encounters. There were so many highlights:
- the glamorous Westin hotel we stayed in
- the delicious Shou Sumiyaki Sake Bar & Grill in Chinatown
- the late night Supper Inn (also in Chinatown)
- the fantastically wonderful and awfully outrageous Tim Burton exhibition
- hours upon hours rummaging through vintage clothes racks
- St Kilda's cake shops

- SUPER KAWAII japanese photobooths!
- late nights spent photographing the graffiti lined arcades and laneways
- can someone say Haigh's Chocolates??!!

It was a completely wonderful and well timed trip, thank you Melbourne!

ART MONTH.

Image by Natso Seki.

Ok, so it has been awhile since I last blogged. There is no particular reason for this, other than sheer laziness and a lack of inspiration. So - now is the time, to put on my 'creative hat', so to speak, and start 'creating'. Truth is, for the past two years I've felt a little lost. I know I have something to offer, but what? I am always aprehensive when it comes to starting an art project, because truely, I have lost all self-belief.

But - now is the time.
I am proposing 'Art Month'. Weekly, I will state a subject around which I will draw. Perhaps not a 'daily' drawing, but at least one for the week. I know that I need to pick this habit up again, lest it be lost forever.

So, wish me luck. God knows I'll need it.

what i am thankful for.

1. salvation, and His protection.
2. the opportunity of existance, and the chance to make a difference.

3. beautiful friends and family.

4. meu amor.

5. health.

6. art & photography.
7. great coffee, and cafes.

{these great prints are by my lovely friend and fellow artlover, alana. are they not just the most splendid things?}

the slow loom of winter...

image thanks to Con Poulos of Donna Hay

As winter slowly approaches, I have been desiring luscious and delectable warm treats, such as double hot chocolate. I love breaking up dark cooking chocolate and placing the rough chips in a big mug then pouring over steaming hot milk. Add a dash of cinnamon, or vanilla perhaps - and it become even more divine.

Donna Hay has always been a 'food-inspiration' for me. Not only is her eye for detail amazing, her recipes are always trustworthy and scrumptious. This one for double hot chocolate of course lives up to all expectations:

200g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
200g good-quality milk chocolate, chopped
4 vanilla beans, split
1⅓ cups (330ml) single (pouring) cream
1 cup (250ml) milk
marshmallows and cocoa, to serve

Divide the chocolate and vanilla beans between 4 glasses. Place the cream and milk in a saucepan over low heat and simmer for 2–3 minutes or until warmed through. Pour over the chopped chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is dissolved. Top with marshmallows and dust with cocoa to serve. Makes 4.
* You can adjust this recipe to suit your taste. If you prefer a darker, richer brew, use more dark chocolate – we like anything up to 70 per cent cocoa. If you prefer a milder flavour, opt for more milk chocolate. You could also experiment with different flavours, such as adding a cinnamon stick to the milk while it’s simmering

Deus, Coffee & Macaroons.

I have been having the greatest day with Maddy (see maddy cupcakes). This girl is unbelievable. Not only is she absolutely my best friend ever, but she is amazingly talented at producing the most mouth-watering treats known to man. So first, she picked me up at 9:30am and we went to Deus ex Machina Cafe. This cafe is gorgeous, with funky ecletic art pieces and a motorbike showroom out back. Next stop was Zumbo, a sweet little patisserie hidden away in Balmain. There I saw the most delectible and colourful macaroons. I tasted the 'rice pudding' macaroon, while Maddy had 'raspberry'. WOW. Then we went off to Spicer Street Cafe in Woollahra, where we feasted on poached eggs, tomatoes and chunky rye bread. Delicious. We walked on down the road to the Donna Hay store, where they sold everything from electric mixers to tooth fairy certificates. It was certainly an adventure to remember.

{photos by me}

For me, this is Brazil.

For me, this song/video epitomises Brazil.

Salvador continued...

January 20th, 2010.
Wednesday.

We woke up to a humid, but very sunny day! By the time we arrived at breakfast, the ship had docked at Port Salvador, and we could see from our little balcony the gorgeous ancient buildings that stood before us. After my usual breakfast of granola and yoghurt, Alberto and I went to the decks to take some photos and bask in the sun for awhile. As soon as I stepped off the ship around 30minutes later, I knew that the city of Salvador would take my heart captive – never to be returned. The city was unbelievably gorgeous, five hundred years young overlooking crystal clear blue waters. Our whole group, all ten of us, paid the inexpensive price of R$23 for a tour guide to take us around the city for the day. First we stopped at a lighthouse where I bought three necklaces off a local who was very persuasive! We then went to a beach that appeared to never end, the sand stretching on forever. We frolicked in the warm water for hours, sunbaked and ate fresh fish and prawns. Next stop was Abaeté Lake. I have no words for this place. Paradise? No, that doesn’t even come close. Wild horses roamed across the pure, soft white sand dunes, alongside happy children splashing in the warm turquoise lake. Perfection. From there, we moved onto the Igreja do Bomfin (translated that means the Church of the Good End). Luckily for us, a church service was in session, and the passion of these locals astounded me. Many came up to me, never minding that I couldn’t speak Portuguese, and tied little ribbons with the words ‘Lembranca do Senhor’ (‘Remember the Lord’) around my wrists. The front fence of the church was laden with these ribbons, to the point where it looked like a sea of rainbow dancing with the wind. Many parks and markets were visited after that, and then
we returned to the ship for a beautiful evening of dancing and eating.

{photos by morgan}

This is Salavdor.

Thats right. I loved Brasil so much the first time, I needed to go again. So I did. And this time, more places were explored. One spectacular placein particular was Salvador, Bahia. I cannot begin to explain how magnificant this city is. I've written it all down in my journal, one day soon, to be excavated onto this blog. Stay tuned.

La Piadina, Bondi Beach.

It all began on an indecisive Autumn evening with Fernanda, "Where to go for dinner?".

We went to Beach Rd first, "maybe some tapas?"
But it was closed down.

Lebanese/Mexican/Thai? No, not quite in the mood.

Then, we saw it. Tucked away, almost invisible, was a rustic Italian storefront, its amber glow inviting us, perhaps drawing us inside. We glanced around the tiny restaurant/cafe, at other peoples plates - or what I should actually call wood blocks. Almost a quasadilla, almost a pizza, but not quite. Though we didn't know what it was, it looked ever so delicious.

So we sat upon high stools and ordered two to share. One with Pancetta/Rocket and some form of soft cheese, and the other with Buffalo Mozzarella/Tomato/andRocket. We didn't order wine, but just having the option was comforting. When it came, we could almost hear 'Hallelujahs' from heaven being sung. (am I being too dramatic? ) So light, yet filling. Absolutely divine.

Perhaps 'Time Out' describes it better than me:
'Walk into this tiny little Bondi eatery that's nearly all kitchen with a cluster of tall tables and chairs to match, and you probably wouldn't say there was anything crazily special about it. That is, until you start noticing the small things: the meat being sliced to order, the menu consisting of only one thing (piadina, a kind of Italian pizza/flatbread type thing originating in Emilia-Romagna) and the good-looking Italian men running the shop.Brothers Damiano (ex-Pizza Mario and Sugo) and Sausdo Zizioli have been flipping the piadina for more than four months and if you push their business cards together, the pictures form a scooter. Nice.

Thin, slightly scorched flat bread is made from dough that's rolled out super-thin, spread out on a hotplate and holds anything from nduja (a type of soft spicy sausage, a bit like paté; say it like en-doya) to mozzarella, salami, prosciutto or Nutella. An individual serve is enough even if you're super-hungry, but order a few in a group so you can try everything. Sausage, mozzarella and mushroom sees ultra-meaty mushrooms team up with thin slices of Italian-style sausage and globs of cheese while (our favourite) the nduja is spread over the dough with mozzarella and slices of salami – spicy, peppery and totally yum.

The meat, by the by, comes from rising-star-of-smallgoods Tony Sgro and his company, Quattro Stelle. Sgro's the only guy to be doing the super-authentic squashy nduja you see on the piadina here. That said, these guys are the only people to be doing piadina in Sydney, so it's a good marriage.They do shortcrust pastry too, and their coffee is excellent. Try a slice of mango crostata or a little tart filled with fig jam and decorated with a shortcrust hippo.

Each pocket of deliciousness is served on a little board replete with thumb nub and "La Piadina" burnt into them. Sit at the bar under the window, take in the breeze and sit among the strawberry, oregano, parsley and bay planted in little terracotta pots along the sill. Spotted throughout the room there's an army of plastic animals (there's a triceratops and diplodocus, as well as a regular old tiger), and deep soul thuds from the speakers. Cookbooks sit in a pile mixed up with the morning papers in a happy jumble. Naturally, there's a scooter parked out the front.

It isn't fine dining, it doesn't have a hub of people cramming in for lunch and it isn't trendy. What it is, though, is a casual, easygoing spot that does great food for not very much money.'

Words cannot describe. Just go, experience and enjoy.

La Piadina
106 Glenayr Ave
Bondi Beach
2026
TUES-SUN 9AM-10PM, CLOSED MON