The Metropolitan Museum of Art

I've been trying to squeeze in a trip to New York just to see the Irving Penn Exhibition. Unfortunately we are quickly approaching July 30th, the last day of the exhibition and I don't think it's going to happen.

Today's blogpost is dedicated to The Metropolitan Museum of Art; one of my favorite museums. It holds so much art and the space itself is art. I've spent hours roaming the museum from one wing to another finding myself being transported to a different part of the world each time. I love having a view of Central Park during water breaks in the American Wing Cafe. The museum is always so busy making it a wonderful place to people watch as well.

Here are photographs I took on black and white film during my last visit in January. 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

1000 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10028

Afternoon Tea at Brasserie Les Saveurs

It’s been quiet around here. I’ve completely lost momentum on sharing my photographs. Since my last post in August, I started a new job, took a three week trip around Asia and grieved the election. Considering there’s some catching up to do, it’s only appropriate to start off by sharing photographs of our time at Brassierie Les Saveurs during afternoon tea.

If you follow me on Instagram you would’ve seen I was in Singapore, Bali, Seoul, Tokyo and Kyoto. I am still in awe about our ability to get on a plane, granted for countless hours, and travel half way across the world. I am always so thankful each and every time I am given the ability to travel, see and experience a piece of our world. From a young age, I've had an adventurous spirit. I knew I found something true to who I was when I took my very first trip as a self sufficient adult at the age of 22. I was just getting my feet wet. There's so much more to go.




The first stop on our trip was Singapore. We took a red eye flight out of Seattle on a Thursday night after work. After 24 hours of traveling we stepped outside of the airport and instantly learned how unbearably hot and humid it was (for Seattleites in October). Starving we rushed to our hotel, checked in, freshen up and shared our first meal swallowing delicious mouth burning dumplings at Din Tai Fung. Of course that wasn’t enough food for my beau. I was quick to his rescue and found a hawker center less than a mile away that promised chicken rice. Unfortunately Google maps didn’t have a bus or train route available. We put on our brave (and drenched in sweat) faces and went for it. During our walk we were baffled by the lack of people we encountered given we were by Orchid Street, a very busy area filled with hotels and shopping centers. Later on, with full stomachs and in complete drench of our own (and maybe each other’s) sweat, we discover a train station nearby and learn about the underground world filled with people, levels of food court, clothing stores, and most importantly AC!

Those first few hours in Singapore are still clear in my mind however the following days are like a fainted dream. Maybe moments are more memorable when I am new to an environment because all my senses are heighten to adapt to the changes. My eyes are wide open with curiosity, my mind is a little scattered trying to quickly observe my surroundings and connect any commonality I can find. Honestly, I am not tired of this feeling yet. With the way we travel and our usual itinerary of switching it up every 5 to 7 days means we can’t ever get too comfortable with our surroundings. That’s one of the many lessons with traveling.

Afternoon tea is one of my favorite past time activities when traveling. It’s not about the adorable bite size food or the champagne, although that is all lovely. Working in the corporate world throughout all of my career, I find having an afternoon free to do whatever it is that I want -being with my beau halfway across the world enjoying ourselves- is the ultimate sense of freedom. It is my definition of luxury and it is such a treat to be able to do this.

Currently Brewing Tea

Over the last few years I've been obsessed with tea. Don't get me wrong, I still need my cup of coffee in the morning to jumpstart my day but my afternoons are spent consuming tea. My love and appreciation for tea started after a visit to a little tea shop in Sanxia District which is a few hours outside of Taipei. The tea leaves are delivered to the shop fresh from the tea mountain regions several times a week and in this little shop is where I did my very first tea tasting. 

The kind woman pouring us tea had so much knowledge about all of the different types of tea and their differences in taste. She spent her entire life learning about tea and perfecting the way to care for it, brew, and serve it which made me feel ridiculous at my need for perfection on my third try at every thing new I attempt. However since then, every time I try something new that may be challenging I am reminded of this kind woman and I give myself some grace. 

It was such a disappointment I didn't speak any Mandarin because I couldn't understand a thing this woman was sharing with us. Thankfully I was with my beau and his family and had his dad to translated but it wasn't the same as hearing her exact use of words to describe the art of brewing tea as we were experiencing it. After we picked our choice of tea; me: Jasmine, my beau: Oolong she taught us how to prepare tea. First, place your tea leaves in a pot and pour boiled water over the tea leaves just enough to get them all wet. Then lightly swirl it around for about 10 seconds and dump the water. Finally, pour boiling water to fill the tea pot and then you're ready to pour for drinking. 

This shoot was done using Oolong tea and a ceramic tea set from Taiwan. 

The Little Things

Dim Sum reminds me of great times with my family. On Sundays after church we'd all meet in Chinatown and easily fill up two tables. My nephews who were babies and toddlers at that time would be either sitting on their mother's lap flinging their little arms around for one of us Aunties to pick them up or patiently sitting and ready to eat. They were always so excited to see us just as we were happy to smoother them with kisses. As the carts of delicious food made their way around to our tables, we'd all take turns politely selecting our dishes over the noise of chatter and dishes being collected. Towards the end of our meal the boys would get fussy and to alleviate my siblings from parent duty the Aunties would take turns showing the boys the fish tank which was always a hit.

Looking back dim sum on Sundays were so hectic but so great. I miss my nephews being so little and adorable and I miss that point in time when we were all together and hadn't completely grown into our own little families yet. 

Dim Sum // Eastern Pearl

Cannon Beach, Oregon

We packed into a few cars and took a road trip to Cannon Beach for your non-typical bachelorette party. Once we arrive, our three days at the Hallmark Resort would consist of no agendas but time with each other doing the things we ladies all love. For some it was taking the time to make a delicious home cooked meal. We were so spoiled by the great cooks within our group and had our food made with love from scratch. My favorite meal was sticky rice with chicken wings and noodles. For others it was the connection over painting our nails and girl talk; conversations about the things we cared about that made us who we are without the significant other and or the babies. For all of us some solitude to be idle doing whatever we pleased and that for me was time on the beach with my camera. 

I was proud of myself for only taking my camera out once to take photos of the beach. The true photographer in me can never resist but I know it is as equally important to be present and enjoy the company of my friends and sisters as it is to feed into my love for photography. 

I was surprised to learned there was so much sea life within the Haystack Rocks, even Puffins call the rock home. Most of my photos were of the detailed sea life I tried capturing while there…

 

Cannon Beach, Oregon // June 2015

Le Caviste

It was after 5pm on a Thursday and I was sitting in my Uber watching pedestrians walk faster than the speed I was moving. A hint of annoyance creeps in as I made a mental note to myself about this being the exact reason why I stay in Queen Anne. Seattle isn’t that big of a city where going to another neighborhood such as Downtown could be such a trek but Seattle has become more populated making traffic ridiculous from one neighborhood to the next. Somewhere between Denny and 5th I jump out of my Uber and decided to walk. I was going to be even more late than the extra 20 minutes I had initially estimated.

Whenever one of us is in Downtown we like to meet up at Le Caviste. This has become me and my beau's new favorite wine bar and french spot since the shut down of Le Zinc which by the way deserves a blog post sometime in the near future. We discovered this place the way we typically discover any new restaurant: we were walking by one evening after a night of out and noticed it. My favorite thing about Le Caviste is the duck salami which by the way I didn’t know existed. It’s so good!

I am so happy that the days are longer with more light because I can finally shoot indoors again. I tried to capture the shadows on the wall the light was creating, the ambience and our delicious charcuterie plate…

Le Caviste
1919 7th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101