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

time for a picnic.

I'm loving this picnic inspiration board put together by Snippet&Ink.
Here are the links to the photo owners:
Top row from left: photo by Samuel Lippke, botanical sketches, photo by Jonathan Canlas, typewriter guest book via Brooklyn BrideRow 2: vintage photo via EmilyStyle, photo by Lisa Lefkowitz, peony bud photo by Ericka McConnell, boutonniere from AmorologyRow 3: save-the-date by Linda & Harriett, picnic basket photo by Kathryn Kleinman, Modern Day Design bouquet photo by Jose Villa

ANNA WOLF.

Wow. That's all that can be said about this insanely beautiful photography by Anna Wolf.
I really want to experiment more with film photography.

memories from brazil pt2.

This day, our third in Commandatuba, could be titled 'Our One Day of Perfect Weather, in a Perfect Tropical Escape". Everything about this day was perfect. The weather reached around 32 degrees celsius, and was accompanied by a cloudless sky. Around 9am, Alberto and I emerged from our room to a already prepared breakfast table. On the green cloth lay hot buttered french rolls, freshly squeezed cacau juice, plates of ham and cheese and other items I was not used to eating at breakfast (such as cookies, plain cake and chocolate biscuits).

We quickly ate our fill, put on our swimmers and shorts and drove down to the jetty, where a boat was waiting to take people across the lake to a beach on the other side. Alberto and I sat on the small wooden boat, and made friends with some Portuguese tourists as our legs soaked up the sun. After arriving on the other side of the lake, I was astounded, as it felt I was standing on the front of one of those 'Tropical Paradise' postcards. This is what I pictured Brazil to be.

This is what I was waiting for. Thousands of palm trees broke the suns rays into millions of dancing shadows on the sand under our feet. Beautifully coloured umbrellas belonging to the beach restaurant stood before us, just infront of a white sand beach with rolling light blue, almost transparent, waves crashing on the shore. The beach stretched for miles and miles, there was no way we could walk the entire length. No crowds, no noise, just the calming sounds of the waves crashing on the shore. Alberto ordered a plate of fried fish and two glasses of juice for our lunch, and hearing that it would take around 45 minutes to cook, we decided this was the perfect time to take a dip in the water. After hearing so much from Alberto how the water was incredibly warm in Brazil, I was actually surprised to find out that infact that was true. Coming from the cool - sometimes freezing - waves of Bondi Beach, I could have never imagined warm sea water possible.

We strolled along the endless white sand, diving into the water now and then to cool off, taking pictures of ourselves with my chunky underwater disposable camera while crabs danced side-ways across the beach, so many of them, and made their homes beneath the sand. We sat down to eat, a perfect view in front of us, and tasted beautifully cooked white fish, and an unusual yet lovely fresh juice. Wanting to linger a little longer on the beach, we realised that the boat was here to take us back to Luiz's place.

The sun scorched our necks as we walked through the small village that was Commandatuba, stopping in tourist shops to buy gifts for the family, and past the beautiful old church that stood alone and proud in the centre of the quadrangle. Throughout the afternoon, we slowly turned red and smothered ourselves with cooling aloe vera gel. With Rene and Carol we swam in Luiz's pool for hours, and afterwards were treated to a performance where they sung for us on the porch. We ate churrassco for lunch, and left over pizza for dinner, and spent the night watching Brazilian 'Novelas' (soap operas),
and strangely I found myself understanding more than I gave myself credit for.

memories from brazil (in no particular order).

ILHA DE COMMANDATUBA:
I remember we slept on really rectangular and hard pillows at Luiz's place. We despised them at first, but they later turned out good for our backs. Luiz's home was beautiful.As we entered Ilha de Commandatuba, I could see how pretty the house was going to be, as the entire surroundings conjured images and memoriesof lazy summer days, and looking from the window of the car we saw dark-skinned beauties with wide-tooth grins leaping from swinging tyres into glistening lakes. As werolled along the bumpy red-dirt road, past wooden shanty houses and simple grocery stores, past the blue and white church positioned in the centre of the town's quadrangle, we eventually stumbled upon Alberto's grandfathers home.

An italian-inspired house, it contrasted immensly from the homes and village we had seen moments before. The electronic gate opened before us, and yapping terriors came to greet us at our arrival. A commercialised pool beamed a deep blue at us, as we stepped out of the Fiat, and hammock perfectly positioned on the wide set balcony seemed to be calling my name. We met Ira, Luiz's partner, a beautiful young woman with richly tanned skin and a strong voice. She learnt of my sickness, and quickly ran inside to make me some herbal 'cha' (a hot tea that was quite possibly the most horrible tasting liquid that had passed my lips). Alberto's grandfather emerged from a mid-afternoon slumber to greet us in the living room.

Unable to interpret exactly what everyone was saying to each other, I used this moment of time to glance around the large room from where I was sitting. Unusual objects were positioned throughout, giant chessboards, large glass balls that changed colour every few seconds, decorative although quite ugly fish descending in size along the wall. After the catch-up we took a stroll through the rest of Luiz's home.

Luiz has once been a very successful banker in the region of Sao Paulo. Leading a highly stressful life, he accumulated all the wealth he could and used it in his retirement, building a home from scratch in a state known for its relaxation, Bahia. He used his large block of land to create a vegetable and fruit garden, where he grew a vast range of tropical foods, ranging from the typical sweet mangoes, pineapples and passionfruits to intricate and unusual fruits such as mangosteins, cacau and acai berries.

Beautiful mango trees stood on the green spikey grass, as we made our way through the garden until we reached his private pier, complete with two banana chairs at the end. It was a perfect picture of paradise. Overhead of the pier, hung a tangled web of green plants, shoots and branches. Luiz turned to Alberto and I and whispered: "Last week I found a Boa-constrictor around two metres long from these branches", and with that he turned and made his way back toward the house leaving us wide-eyed and slightly scared for our lives.

The mosquitoes were buzzing and the air was hot as day fell into dusk, and we drenched ourselves with insect repellent before we sat down to eat Luiz and Ira's homemade pizza, one of the best I've ever eaten, on his wrap-around porch. A brick pizza oven and homemade dough made the difference as we devoured strange yet wonderful combinations of kiwi-fruit and cheese pizza, banana and cinnamon and just simple cheese pizzas, with rocket leaves and olives. We laughed and talked throughout the night, with me trying to understand all the portuguese I could without going insane from confusion. I was a constant source of amusement, with me repeating words such as "'O que" (what?) or "eu nao entendi" (I don't understand) multiple times throughout the night.

Alberto and I retired to bed soon after, and as was mentioned earlier, discovered these strange rectangular pillows, and were not too excited about sleeping on them. We eventually fell asleep, our heads propped on a 45 degree angle, with sounds of Rene and Carol singing softly on CD in the background.

que saudades!

this phrase literally has no translation into english. which is why i love it, although hard to explain. it pretty much means 'so much longing' or 'what longings', except stronger. brazilians cannot understand how we only use one word - 'miss' - when we miss something. anyway, i have been 'longing for' or 'missing' brazil terribly. and i'm already planning to return later on in the year when uni finishes, although it is incredibly expensive! one place in particular that im missing is Trancoso, Bahia. there is so much culture, so many colours, amazing delectible foods and the people are so warm and friendly. everything about this place was amazing. this is what lonely planet has to say about it:

"Smaller in scale than Arraial, youthful Trancoso is also quite captivating. Sitting atop a grassy bluff overlooking fantastic beaches, this tiny rustic village has a relaxed air with a pretty assortment of guesthouses. It’s known for its wide, grassy and, most importantly, car-free quadrado (square). This central plaza has a grazing horse or two and football-playing lads and a small church at one end. Surrounding it are tropical foliage and colorful buildings, which house expensive boutiques and open-air bars and restaurants. The sight of the quadrado at night is magical. Rave culture still thrives in ‘Transe-coso, ’ and it’s famous for full-moon beach parties. The village fills nicely in summer, but in the low season you’ll find it in hibernation."

the art diaries.

from my 2007 art diary.
old photos are of my mum back in the 70's.
and the last old photo, with the running ink effect is of my sisters.
(i think in the late 80's).
gosh, i wish mainstream photography was still like this.

one of many mysteries.

Mystery of mysteries
That you could love someone like me
In your hands eternity
And yet you have the time for me
A love so undeserved
You held nothing in reserve
Heaven played its symphony
I took your hand you rescued me

Grace like a river
Is flowing down
Is flowing down
How sweet the sound
Grace like a river
It's flowing down to me
Oh you're all around

Staring at my history
Was all alone and never free
The sands of time have let me see
Your faithful shadow next to me

A love so unreserved
I did nothing to deserve
Love so free but what's the cost
To carry this old rugged cross


Grace like a river
Is flowing down
Is flowing down
(How sweet the sound)
Grace like a river
It's flowing down to me
(Oh you're all around)

I love you, I thank you
I'm nothing, without your
Grace like a river

- delirious

cannot wait...

To see this movie tomorrow. I'm secretly going to imagine in my mind that Jack from Titanic didn't actually die, but this would be the sequel to his life together with Rose. Is that a bit silly?

cupcakes around the world

Once upon a time, there was a friday ritual. It was known as Afternoon Cupcake Time, where me and a few girls got together to venture into strange and unbeknown places to try delectable little (or possibly even large ones if we were in the mood) cupcakes. This ritual, sadly, has faded away, and I'm left suddenly, everytime I see a cupcake (or even a picture of one) with an intense desire to taste new and exciting flavours of cupcakes. Here I've found some cute little cupcakes originating from Berlin, Germany. Beautiful photography teamed with gorgeous cupcakes, who could ask for more?

(nb: my method of determining a good cupcake is measuring the icing to cupcake ratio. If it is similar, then it is good - very good.)

Berlin, Germany
Cupcake Berlin
Krossener Strasse 1210245
Berlin, Germany