quench.

drumheller fountain, university of washington.
unbearably and relentlessly hot weather is upon us again – need to cool off somewhere. i’d a terrible heat-induced migraine the other day but so far, post exam life has been a well-fed one.

yay!

a burst of color in quebec city.
my exams ended today and i couldn’t be more relieved that this somewhat tumultous semester has drawn to a close. at this point i’m utterly spent. i’m looking forward to trying out new recipes over the holidays (and hopefully, baking cookies tomorrow), checking out some good reads, occasionally doing [...]

candy confections.

spotted at a gourmet store in paddington.

bright pops of color on the prettiest cupcakes and fruit tarts.
i love saying the words butter cream. it sounds so rich, sweet and indulgent to the ears, and makes me long for a bowl of it right now.

mount auburn.

here’s an unusual, somewhat morbid yet beautiful place to visit if you’re in the boston/cambridge area - mount auburn cemetery. billed as america’s first garden cemetery, it’s lovely foliage, tranquil nature, sweeping landscape and classical monuments make it quite the ideal final resting place. it’s also well-maintained and debunks all notions of graveyards as creepy places with overgrown weeds, although once [...]

whisk me away.

manly beach, sydney (in winter)
i need a chill pill stat. just had a paper today and it was tough:( another one coming up on wednesday, which i’m supposed to be studying for but haven’t been able to begin. so. tired.

sticky date pudding.

at the royal copenhagen tea lounge.
loves the butterscotch sauce.

pretty teacups are my cup of tea.

afternoon tea at the st. regis
i have a theory that pretty teacups enhances the enjoyment of afternoon tea/drinking tea, which is a ritual for me. someday when i get my own pad i’d love to acquire some unique decorative ones like the one above. strangely enough i love and am obsessed with coffee but i can’t say [...]

hot chocolate.

at le bon marche.
it’s been terribly wet and rainy the past week, making it awfully tempting to do a myriad of unproductive things like curl up in bed and catch up on sleep or watch grey’s and gossip girl, except that exams just started this week
or, it would be nice to have a [...]

inspiration.

old south church in copley square.
from last summer. the stateliness and elegance of venetian gothic architecture juxtaposed with pretty summer flowers in rich saturated hues perched below historic streetlamps set against the backdrop of a piercingly blue sky and light-as-meringue clouds.

winds of change…

spotted in cannon beach
sweeping across america, and thereafter the world. back in march of ‘07 when i visited san francisco, i watched (from a tv in a diner) obama deliver a speech in oakland and what struck me then was his unwavering hope, his unyielding conviction and his strong advocacy for change, awesome oratorical skills aside. fast forward to the present [...]

it’s election day.

at the MoMa.
waiting with bated breath, hope and anticipation (till wednesday morning singapore time) for the results.

da mario pizzeria.

this cozy hole-in-the-wall is one of my favourite places for casual italian dining that never fails to disappoint. it’s hearty, authentic and affordable italian fare at its best. pictured above are the sole mio pizza (tomato, parmesan cheese, parma ham and rucola) and fettucine alla salsiccia italiana (fettucine with porcini mushrooms and italian sausage in light cream [...]

of pockets and bows.

A.P.C. Bow Pocket skirt//image from net-a-porter
i have a perpetual obsession with bows, and can never get enough of them. last saturday i picked up this minkpink skirt from antipodean, aptly called bo peep. i was initially ambiguous about whether it would be too cutesy for me but the pockets and bows have got me sold. plus, a solid-colored top balances [...]

pinup girl.

the entrance to ariel’s booksellers at the rocks in sydney