Art & Irony

Dont Cry Over Spilt Milk

2012-03-05T14:55:00.000+08:00

Especially if it makes an awesome picture :)

Tripe Chocolate

2012-03-05T09:53:00.000+08:00

Eggs

2012-03-05T09:50:00.002+08:00

My favorite

2012-03-04T13:23:00.000+08:00

Lemon Rosemary Tea.

Add a little honey or sugar to taste.

You can chill this or add ice to make it lemonade but personally I like it hot.

Lemon is also good for your metabolism so start your day delicious and healthy :)

Asparagus, Mini Portabella Mushroom, Red Onion

2012-03-04T12:18:00.000+08:00

Bruuuberries

2012-03-03T19:02:00.002+08:00

Smoked Salmon Bites

2012-03-03T12:22:00.000+08:00

The Best Sweet Potato Ever!

2012-03-02T10:53:00.002+08:00

Bake or boil sweet potato.

Fry in olive oil and butter until golden and crispy on edges.

Add salt and fresh rosemary at the very end.

Enjoy!

Strawberry & Mint Smoothie

2012-02-28T14:56:00.000+08:00

Last one for now..

2012-02-28T02:10:00.000+08:00

Melon Prosciutto Green Onion.

2012-02-28T01:56:00.002+08:00

2 Great Things About Hong Kong

2012-02-27T22:24:00.000+08:00

Number one, I found this market in a basement of a mall.

This jar of green olive and truffle tapenade is amazing, and so cheap!

Theres a store at the bottom floor of Langham Place in Mongkok that sells an assortment of nuts and dried fruits. This one is my favorite. Spicy peanuts, a perfect snack.

Crackers

2012-02-27T13:10:00.000+08:00

I was looking for triskets but found these crackers instead at the market..
They're actually pretty good!

Prosciutto, cherry tomato, green olive & truffle tapenade, and green onion on cracker.

More Win!

2012-02-26T21:56:00.000+08:00

I couldnt wait.. I had to post more, well just one heehee.
Prosciutto, Cherry Tomato, Bocconcini, Chives

WIN !

2012-02-26T19:38:00.000+08:00

So that photo assignment I mentioned in the previous post is finished!
I'd like to post the best of those here, but because I did various themes and some clash with each other more than others, I wont do it all in one batch, more a few at a time sort of thing~

My first attempt at all my own cooking, styling, and photographing. What do you think? I'm pretty excited.

Cereal with Strawberries

Peppered Popcorn

Yoghurt with Strawberries, Crispy Flakes, Fresh Mint & Honey

My crazy set up...... I was shooting on the ledge there beside the window.

Lots more to come! ^^

DUH

2012-02-22T21:34:00.000+08:00

It's so simple I cant believe it's hitting me now.
Do what you love.

I've been wondering to myself what is my true photography passion. I've dabbled in a variety of genres. Street, fashion, product, portrait, commercial, architecture, animal, nature, travel, etc.

This week for my photo class (I'm doing my first photography class towards my photo major, how exciting!) We are to mimic the style of a famous photographer. At first I was thinking fashion photographers because shooting people seemed to be the most obvious choice besides street photography. Something I've become slightly out of touch with sadly, but not forever. But because we only have one week to do this project, organizing a last minute shoot in this foreign country proved a bit difficult. A quality shoot / team at that. I'm not sure how, but then my thoughts turned suddenly towards food photography. Props are easy enough to obtain, and no other people's schedules are required. Brilliant right?

I began researching photographers and came across two very different ones I like. Francesco Tonelli and Beatice Peltre. Very different styles but both are beautiful. After staring at their images to study composition and such, and starting to brainstorm affordable ingredients and props I could obtain, I realized... I AM SO EXCITED!!

And then I thought back to the pictures I took of my boyfriend making that mouth watering pumpkin pie with extra thick crust.

HOLY SHIT. I LOVE FOOD!
HOLY SHIT. I SHOULD TAKE PICTURES OF FOOD!
HOLY SHIT. WHY DIDNT I DO THIS MORE!?

Yeah, silly right? But now I daydream about my perfect days of following my boyfriend around taking pictures of him cooking (he's a chef). And I laugh internally at the huge smile on my face.

I've always enjoyed my time taking pictures of food/cooking the very few times I did.. and restaurants too at that, and now I wonder, why didnt I do this more often?

Summary. I'm turning my attention fully to food photography. Thank you school for the inspiration.

Pumpkin Pie

2012-02-17T17:58:00.000+08:00

Looking at these photos again from the past, I dont know why but I really like them. And I realize the most fun I have is taking pictures of food. I find it even more exciting to photograph people cooking. Perhaps this could be an interest I take further this year.

This is my boyfriend making me pumpkin pie at home from scratch. Yes we lacked some cooking utinsels but he creatively made do. And the pie was DELICIOUS.

I realize now I never took a picture of the finished product. I think it's because I was too excited and just dug in as soon as it came out of the oven <3 ^^

A Progression of Homes

2012-02-17T17:47:00.001+08:00

The past few years I did a lot of moving and even though I didnt take photos of my house too often, sometimes you can see them in the background of photos. When I was looking at old photos I enjoyed watching the changes in location and decor. I realize now as I was making my way to living downtown the amount of natural light in my home would increase.. I think that reflects on my happiness in a broad spectrum too.

First house rented in my own name. A ground level basement suite in Panorama Heights Surrey. One bedroom, open living room kitchen, pretty empty furniture wise except my tv and one chair. These were the only photos I took there haha. Im the second picture. Taken end of 2008 so I was about .. I think I was 17?

After that I moved to richmond a few months later to upgrade to a house with some proper windows and this time a roommate. Two bedroom, large kitchen, living room, old school bar with a shag carpet around it haha, and extremely loud neighbours upstairs. Ground level basement again. But it was right beside Steveston Village so the walks were nice. I ended up working in a coffee shop in the area for a few months before I found a second job at a restaurant downtown.

Thats the shag bar haha

Look at all them shoes...

My second roommates room. Funny enough I never took a picture of mine and I really liked how I eventually arranged it too :(

Actually I lied I took one..

Soon after I settled in with the second job downtown I decided it was time to move there so I found a temporary apartment for a few months in yaletown thanks to a family's friend. It was a gorgeous place to myself, I wish I could have afforded it for longer. It was a two floor loft apartment. The living room and kitchen downstairs and an office and bedroom upstairs. Gorgeous view from the tall windows. This was the only picture I took of the place.

Afterwards I found a new roommate who is awesome. His name is Alex. A very excentric complicated person. We lived in a place just one block off of Robson, right in the heart of it too. Very convenient location. My room in that place had so much beautiful light. And the tones of the walls were so warm it was great. The room started off clustered but as the months went by I began my minimal living style and so it went through several transformations.

Several months later... and unfortunately this is the only photo I have.. slightly embarassing...

But the room is gorgeous!

After this place the only reason I moved was because I met my boyfriend and we decided to live together. It was a gorgeous apartment. I was so proud of the decorating we did. I really miss this place. For local vancouverites this was the woodwards building in gastown <3 I loved the layout of it so much. An open kitchen/living room. And those shelves I am proud to say I bought and installed myself into the cement ceiling. Not an easy task. And the one wall that faced out onto cambie was floor to ceiling windows so we had light from morning til dark. I especially loved some of the restaurants in the area too. So sad we had to leave :( Although my boyfriend wasnt the biggest fan of the location to begin with.

After this my boyfriend moved to winnipeg and I followed him soon after. From there I moved to Hong Kong and while I was there he moved to Calgary. Now hes moving to Korea, and I will be moving back and forth between Hong Kong and Seoul for the next few years until school is finished. The only house I'm missing really is Siearra and Alex's place that I slept on the couch of waaaaay before any of this.. It's been a busy couple years I suppose! The picture at the top of this blog with my title "Art & Irony" is my bedroom in my dorm here in Hong Kong.

Flowers

2012-02-17T14:36:00.000+08:00

My boyfriend picks the prettiest ones ^^

Random Food

2012-02-17T14:34:00.000+08:00

I think this was the brian jessel party a few years back

This was my home made rosemary lemonade

Siearra in Haunted Hospital

2012-02-17T14:24:00.000+08:00

Old Food Photos

2012-02-17T14:06:00.001+08:00

These pictures are from the restaurant my boyfriend and I were at last summer in Winnipeg.
I love how colorful and fresh all his food is, and delicious :)

tomato with whipped goat cheese, crispy prosciutto, pea shoots, balsamic & olive oil

lobster tian with avocado, roasted pepper, pickled daikon, cucumber, chives, basil, spicy yoghurt, caviar

scallops, coconut passion sauce, sauteed mushrooms, roasted squash

panna cotta, amaretto soaked plums, fresh mint

donut peaches and nectarines, yoghurt, lemongrass syrup

Memory Lane

2012-02-17T00:32:00.001+08:00

I'm having a mid-mid-life... panic attack, not crisis.. that I am trying to subdue with a tv coma. Can someone enlighten me? Or hopefully I can enlighten myself. Before I proceed I have to note, I used to have a blog prior to this one. One that I deleted because I felt in the end I wrote information that was much too personal and no longer wanted that open to the public. Which is why I've been very tame with this blog, but to be honest with myself I find my blog it a little boring myself. And now whenever I want to write something I feel unsure. But lets take a stab at this.

I was going through literally all my all photos tonight. Dating back from 2003 which I now realize is one year short of a decade. And that kind of freaked me out. As the folders and folders of pictures continue to reveal themselves I started re-living my life in a small way.. Things start simple in the early years pictures of trips to seattle to visit family, friends, that kind of thing. Then a few years later more "photographic" pictures after I purchase my first DSLR. Hundreds emerge from the folder marked "France" when I took a school trip. Oh to be young and careless and free. Yes I know I'm saying that now when I am only 21 and my life is truely the definiton of just beginning. The folders continue and there I am working my first job making those paychecks I was ever so proud of. And those tips I loved even more. Memories of moving out, pictures of friends in the making, parties, cigarettes, but only in a mild way compared to others I would judge. Then more images of more restaurant jobs, different houses I've moved into, roommates, my first car, road trips with that car I prided myself in buying at 16, working, money, living, photographing, magazines, and now?

Now, I sit alone in my room thousands of miles away from the one I love. I'm here almost every night. Im creating a small pity party for myself for not being the money making fun loving person I was just a year or two ago. And to top it all off, I just started school. Dont get me wrong, school has been very beneficial. Learning of the arts is really growing on me. But its just that, I feel different now. And I dont know why. I feel bored in this city. It doesnt excite me like France. I feel juvenile not having my car and tv and beautiful apartment and studio and those other "big purchases." Yes one could argue that means I am judging my life based on materialistic beliefs. But honestly.. so what? I admit I love owning things yes. Clothes shoes whatever. But for the past two years I have moved so many times that I have also tried to live minimally, in a materialistic sense. But now I think I accidentally minimalized something, and I'm not sure what. That spark I had for adventure is hibernating. At least I hope. Because if I say it's dead then that means I will never get it back.

So where did it go? I want it back. How do I find it. I want to make this clear I'm not complaining about my life. I have so much to be thankful for. I have a wonderful loving boyfriend who stole my heart, a very understanding and supportive family and close friends, I'm at a great school, I'm living in a foreign city yet again, I've met great people, etc. But it's just, I feel lazy. And not just lazy in a "only you can fix that for yourself" sense. Its more like lazy in a "I'm totally lost in some way even though I'm not lost" sense.

Does anyone understand this feeling? What do you do about it? If your answer is something stupid like.. I eat a little candy every morning to perk up my day, please dont bother. And if its something like, start excercising, you will feel the adrenaline, the happy endorphins, dont bother either because I have started that again. Although excercise wasnt the biggest part of my old life either.

My old life, I need to embrace my new one, but I need some kind of push or light on how.

You can expect photographs from my past emerging on this blog for the next little while I'm sure. Until I find my way again.

Step one is to admit you have a problem. Let the healing begin.

What?!

2012-02-16T21:31:00.000+08:00

So I bought a pommegranate from the store the other day.
It was all wrapped up in red paper which I thought was cute.
And then I opened it and saw this.

It's yellow!!! And fairly small I might add, compared to the ones I've seen in Canada.

And the texture of the outside skin is totally different.

But then I cut it open and saw this.

Juicy red seeds.

And they were probably double the size of the ones I've seen in Canada too. Yay :]

Things to do in Vancouver.

2012-02-16T12:04:00.004+08:00

I'm going back to Van for a week or so in June and im so excited! I cant believe it will have been about a year at that point since I've been there for more than a 5h layover in the airport. Two of my friends from Hong Kong are hopefully coming with me and so I've decided to make a list of all the things to show them and OF COURSE all the places we HAVE to eat. If you have any suggestions let me know :) Notice how food comes first, it's always my priority haha.

Food
CHAU Veggiexpress
Medina Cafe
Lupo
Washington Avenue Grill
Gorilla Foods (cant exactly remember name)
Ap Gu Jung
Meat & Bread
Tea @ Alberni
Gelateria
Bean & Beyond
McDonalds Coffee >:)
Acme Cafe
Falafels on Granville!
UVA
Nicli
Those 2 coffee shops on commercial drive....
My starbucks in southpoin
Nuba

Activities
Robson shopping
Main St. shopping & art
Gastown
Yaletown
PNE
White Rock Beach
Steveston Village
Granville St.
Jazz @ Vancouver Pacific Hotel
Kits/Kits beach
AP
Stanley park biking
Victoria(?)
Davie St.
Commercial Drive

I'll be adding more as I think of more...

My First Vectors

2012-02-16T11:41:00.000+08:00

Im pretty new to illustrator, and I normally dont post anything but photos, but I had to do these for class and I think they're kinda cute!

Ap Gu Jung Hong Kong!

2012-02-11T22:27:00.000+08:00

My new discovery.

Ban Chan!

YES. KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN.

Yakult Soju

Our feast for four.

Apparently this is the new pose in korea

Jump shot fail

Little White Flowers.

2012-02-11T21:22:00.000+08:00

Ugh.

2012-02-11T21:17:00.000+08:00

Last year I got food poisoning on my birthday, this year it happened 8 day after my birthday. I REALLY hope this isnt a pattern starting..... >:[

On another note.. I'm bored and I feel like ranting but I dont have much to rant about.
I miss my boyfriend so much. I wont be seeing him for another month. Wah.

Valentines Shopping.

2012-02-10T21:35:00.000+08:00

I bought new glasses

This is the most expensive coffee I've ever had..

Blue mountain number one coffee, that's the one.

And then I had a giant cream puff. Yay.

FIZZLE

2012-02-09T14:10:00.000+08:00

This is my fake magazine cover I had to do for school. Its a photo mag, obviously.
Please excuse the terrible titles for articles.

Popcorn.

2012-02-09T14:09:00.000+08:00

Chopin on the Grass

2012-02-05T23:15:00.000+08:00

Michelle and I went to an outdoor classical concert. It was in Causeway Bay so the smell of the sea was a nice finishing touch..

Not that many people showed up, even though they provide these awesome bean bag chairs!

We brought our own snacks. Note, sour cream and onion pringles are SOOO addicting.

Several chinese families just slept.

Fin.

21 For Me..

2012-02-03T23:36:00.000+08:00

Happy birthday to me! I feel old. Yes I’m 21 but I feel old. I swear to god just yesterday I was 16…….
Anyways, my friend Jamie and her boyfriend took me for dinner at my so far favorite restaurant in Hong Kong, Isola. It’s an italian place in the IFC mall. The food was amazing.. Melon & Prosciutto, Calamari with Zucchini, Spaghetti with Roe and Urchin, and a Chocolate Mousse with Hazelnut and Whipped Cream.

Pet Peeve....

2012-02-02T21:43:00.000+08:00

I hate when pitching an idea for a shoot, the creative team asks for visual references – and by that meaning other people’s work. Why would i refer you to someone else’s work? My ideas are unique (I’d like to think). And so there are no others out there. Sure for clothes and such it’s fine I can refer away like crazy, but the shoot itself is my own. GAWD. Thank god I’ve learned how to draw in school to illustrate a story board :) Yay education!

o0o0o0o0o0oooh

2012-02-01T20:43:00.001+08:00

I've just had an idea for a shoot..... >:)

Chinese New Year Not in China

2012-01-29T13:01:00.000+08:00

I’m sitting on the floor at the San Francisco Airport waiting for my flight to Hong Kong…
I dont have much of an update this week because I flew out to Calgary for a few days since we had time off from school. I basically spent my time packing the remainder of my things and cleaning because my boyfriend is moving to Korea in March. The only photos I took were for my photo class which I dont find all that amusing so I wont post. This is the only picture that I want to put up today, beautiful calgary from my hill top :)

Photo 113 Assignment01

2012-01-16T00:26:00.003+08:00

I went to the Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden in Diamond Hill today to take pictures for my photo class assignment.

Osage Gallery Kwun Tong

2012-01-13T14:38:00.002+08:00

Yesterday I went to the new exhibit openeing at the Osage Gallery in Kwun Tong. I figured I should push myself into visiting more galleries and such now that I'm an art student. So Michelle, Jamie and I went, saw, and then left quickly there after. Im afraid the art just wasnt too my taste, and frankly, I just didnt get it.

These three heads would turn in their box and say random phrases to each other.

This one would twist on the ground back and forth and make random noises.

Installation art. Wigs on a fan facing a screen with projections.

This was made of sand.

A crude comic video of every day life touching on sexual matters.

Jamie and Michelle.

This is on the walk between the gallery which we had left by this point and the mall we were heading to for dinner.

I forgot the name of this candy but its very weird, inside is chewy and tastes like peanut butter. The outside stiff stringy thing just melts the instant you put it in your mouth. It's pretty good!

Dinner.

After dinner.

LV friends kkk.
Jamie and I went to SOU bar in the piazza when we got back for a few drinks.
We did some kareoke after but unfortunately I was too busy singing to take any pictures :)

I Went to Monkey Hill

2012-01-10T20:07:00.000+08:00

And then I quickly left monkey hill. We were there for about half an hour, walking around in monkey shit mixed with acid rain. It was a spontanious photo class field trip that quickly ended when the rain started really coming down. If you ever visit this hill, here are some tips that are apprently comment sense to the locals.

1. Go on a sunny day to avoid runny monkey poo on your shoes
2. Never go alone, the monkeys will more likely attack you
3. Carry wtih you a stick or umbrella for protection
4. Do not make eye contact with the monkeys, especially the moms
5. Do not feed the monkeys
6. Why would you go to monkey hill?

Yi Zhou Exhibit in Hong Kong.

2012-01-10T11:04:00.000+08:00

I went to the Yi Zhou Exhibit opening last friday with a friend.
Tested out my new fisheye :)

Thought

2012-01-09T23:55:00.002+08:00

Is it just me or does this blog have... actually if I say it out loud then you will definately think what I'm thinking so I'm not going to say.

History repeats itself.

2012-01-09T13:45:00.000+08:00

Last fall I made a very sad attempt at making a tumblr page. I now know, that I dont like tumblr. I like other people's tumblr and their themes, but mine not so much. I've decided to go back to my old ways and re-start a blog instead.

I had a blog in 2010-2011 under my name as well for those who may remember. I deleted it some time last year after a particularily dark entry I wrote. At the time I did not think much of it, but a few days later someone emailed me about that post, and I came to realize all the extreme honesty about myself that I had been exposing..was actually being read by strangers.

I wanted to be a more positive person than I had when writing those dark posts, and step one was to delete any reminders, one big one being the old blog. And hopefully by deleting that blog it will also erase any memories others have of those posts.

Long ramble short, I'm starting over. Enjoy.

This is my...

2012-01-08T18:57:00.000+08:00

photo 113 classroom

school, the Savannah College of Art and Design in Hong Kong

semi secret but not really hill behind my school.

A Day with Cheryl

2012-01-07T23:20:00.001+08:00

January seventh, I hung out with a friend from school named Cheryl. We started off at a cute little restaurant for brunch in a part of Hong Kong called NoHo. (opposite of SoHo). Anyways, the place was called Classified and it really reminded me of gastown because all the shops in that area had the same style in hipster decor. One thing to note about this place, they sell espresso drinks in a disgusting size. Its literally called a bowl of americano, or a bowl of latte. And what do you get? A BOWL OF LATTE.

Note the white bowls on the table to the left with the four people sitting at it. Thats not soup people, thats coffee. Unfortunately I only had my fisheye on me that day, so I couldnt discretely zoom in for a better picture.

I had their mushroom and asparagus pasta with truffle oil, delicious!

Theres a cute little patio outside the restaurant.
Next we went to the hair salon Cheryl works at where her boyfriend's photos are being displayed. We hung out for a while and played around with our cameras.

I found the title of this book amusing..

On my way home I wandered around the area where a small festival raising money for some charity against crime was being held.