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You can call me SL, this is about living.  |
"Cosplay," Sakura Matsuri Festival at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Brooklyn, NY from my 2011 archive |
"Cosplay," Sakura Matsuri Festival at BBG
Brooklyn, NY from my 2011 archive |
"Cosplay," Sakura Matsuri Festival at BBG
Brooklyn, NY from my 2011 archive |
cherry blossoms, Sakura Matsuri Festival at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Brooklyn, NY from my 2011 archive 
"Cosplay," Sakura Matsuri Festival at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Brooklyn, NY from my 2011 archive |
"Cosplay," Sakura Matsuri Festival at BBG
Brooklyn, NY from my 2011 archive |
"Cosplay," Sakura Matsuri Festival at BBG
Brooklyn, NY from my 2011 archive |
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May 5, 2011
Cherry Blossoms I am hooked on the pom-pom like flowers. This is the fourth year in a row I went to see the cherry blossoms at The Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG). The BBG holds a "Sakura Matsuri Festival" annually during the last weekend of April with Japanese food, music, performances, and crafts. It is held under an esplanade of trees teeming with blossoms that makes you feel like you are in the midst of a fairy tale. It is a great day to be out, people are happy and the mood is festive. It is hard to have a worry in the world in such a magnificent setting. (Unless you are 50 people deep in a line for the women's restroom.) Last year the blossoms had bloomed and dropped by the festival weekend. The Swede's Mother and Father were planning to visit at the time of the festival, and we thought what luck since they are Japanophiles (his Father especially has a thing for mochi with a red bean filling). When we arrived, we were greeted by a sea of green. Woe. Not a bad thing normally, but we had wanted to be greeted by a sea of PINK! This year in the weeks leading up to the festival weekend, I obsessively checked the map. The weather was cold and wet one day, hot and clear the next. Each time the wind blew too hard or the temperature climbed, I held my breath. By Thursday, the cherry blossoms had bloomed and peaked, so I crossed my fingers they would hold until Saturday. They did, thank you blossom gods. The timing was perfect, not only were the cherry blossoms out in their full glory, but the lilacs and tulips were also at their peak. This year I paid more attention to the teens dressed up in "Cosplay," also called "Costume Play." I realized this was the only event where I have seen large groups of teens hanging out with friends and having fun in a botanic garden without their parents. That to me, is a beautiful thing. archives: Garden |
NYC taxi, "Congratulations William & Catherine"
Astoria, NY from my 2011 archive May 3, 2011 The Day After I set the alarm for 4:45am last Friday morning with the hopes of watching The Royal Wedding live. I had doubts that I would realistically wake up to watch a wedding of people that I do not know but I did. I figured two billion other people were doing the same, so I should not feel silly for doing so too. The Swede joined me at that early hour to lend support. He still remains unimpressed, even after witnessing all the pomp and circumstance. He was however, interested in the women's hats and fascinators since many were commissions by Philip Treacy, a British milliner. We saw an exhibition of his hats back in 2007 at Cranbrook Art Museum. His hats are elaborate and dramatic, yet restrained, and highly sculptural. As I laid in bed under the warm covers, The Swede went back and forth between the bedroom and the kitchen to bake bread. I occasionally updated him, "William and Harry are leaving Clarence House," and "The Queen has arrived, she's wearing yellow," or "Kate is in the car, on the way to Westminster. Oh, she looks so pretty, she looks so happy, she's riding in one of The Queen's Rolls-Royces." I just basically repeated everything the commentators said. It was very exciting and beautifully choreographed. The day before, I fretted over not finding the right London picture for my previous post. I have been to London twice and somehow failed to capture the vibe of the city in any photos. The day after, as I headed to the subway, there on the corner sat a taxi with the answer. At last, a picture to sum up the worldwide interest. A New York City taxi with a banner of congratulations to William and Catherine. archives: Miscellaneous |
The Queen's Guard, Buckingham Palace
London, UK from my 2006 archive April 29, 2011 Royal So excited for Prince William and Kate, soon to be called Catherine, or Princess Catherine. I am nervous for them, not sure why. I am sure they are used to all the attention. But still on a special day like this, they have no privacy at all with the world's eyes upon them. My entire family has always had a fascination with the British Royal Family. Growing up, I thought of them as the only Royal Family that existed in the world. We, like everyone else were completely captivated by Princess Diana. She was an exemplary role model with her commitment to and passion for her charitable work. And she had such grace, beauty, and elegance. My sister and I even went as far as to name our ginger colored cat after her. Then we took "Princess Diana" for a check up to the veterinarian and found out she was a he. So our cat was promptly renamed, "Prince Charles." Congratulations to the Royal couple! archives: Miscellaneous |
Banksy's works
Notting Hill London, UK from my 2006 archive April 27, 2011 Street Art continued... In anticipation of The Royal Wedding, I am sharing work from Banksy. He is after all British, and has made work using THE QUEEN as inspiration...wonder if he is invited to the wedding... Back in 2006, on my first trip to London, I had the opportunity to buy a Banksy for £200. I was in the Tate Modern gift shop, and nestled in amongst other posters were original silkscreened works by him. I was shocked to find them there because (1) he was a street artist and (2) he was still relatively unknown. I had only known of him through a friend who had studied abroad in London for a semester several years prior. I debated between one poster with a young girl hugging a bomb and another which was similar to the Chimpanzees shown above except they said, "Laugh now, but one day we'll be in charge." The works were not signed and I hesitated. I emailed two artist friends back home and asked for their advice. One said it did not matter, the other said it did. I ended up not buying either one. I cannot describe the regret I have felt over the years at my poor choice. The initial £200 investment would have been the best return on any investment I have ever made. It would likely be valued at tens of thousands of dollars or pounds today. So, next time I get the opportunity to buy work from an artist before their fame skyrockets, I promise myself not to hesitate. At the very least, I would have had an artwork which I loved. I have also wondered all the years if the posters were placed there as a stunt, by Banksy himself. archives: Street Art |
foreground: lavender, rainbow Swiss chard, thyme, oregano, Swiss chard background: softneck garlic, hardneck garlic, softneck garlic from my 2011 archive April 26, 2011 Hello garlic! continued... It has been roughly five weeks since I last gave an update on the softneck and hardneck garlic that I planted. The softneck garlic leaves have tripled in size and the hardneck leaves have at least quadrupled. I am so impressed. Not by my ability as a gardener, but by their ability to do their thing without my interference. I planted them in November and have not watered them even once. Mother Nature has given them sizable doses of rainfall and snowfall including a December blizzard. Some of the stalks are getting quite thick, and I envision robust bulbs beneath the soil line. I have resisted all temptations to pull them out to check on them, then immediately replant. (Which I did all too often with onions gardening season 2010.) Better to leave them alone, they appreciate it. The Swiss chards, oregano, and thyme are going strong, the latter two, very fragrant, compact, and bushy. The lavender and rosemary are still alive, but need time to recover. I am confident they will, with a little pruning and encouragement. I did not think for a second herbs like oregano and thyme would be able to survive such extreme winter temperatures, but they proved me wrong. I brought home some cuttings, minced them, and sprinkled them onto leftovers. So wonderful to have fresh herbs in April. I also took my first bike ride of the season. There will be many more reports from "Plot95" as I have nicknamed it. archives: Garden |
Bobby, "The Butcher" Astoria, NY from my 2011 archive April 25, 2011 You never know. A friend was visiting from Upstate New York over the weekend, and we set out in search of Greek food. The restaurant I had in mind would not seat us when we arrived. They were closing early in anticipation of Easter Sunday and stopped seating people an hour before closing. Disappointment is an understatement, we had to quickly leave before our pangs of hunger were further intensified. We were surrounded by oval platters of seafood and lemony potatoes that looked and smelled amazing. Instead of taking the subway a few stops to another restaurant, we decided to walk so she could get a better sense of the neighborhood. (And to buy time to get over the meal we would never have that night.) Along the way, we came upon a man carving whole lambs in the back of a truck with a bandsaw. There were two customers waiting for their order who were initially suspicious of our curiosity. Bobby, "The Butcher" stood there carving away and throwing the pieces into a garbage bag. I fully expected him to turn around at any moment and yell at us for taking photos. Instead, he turned around, mumbled something about us making him famous, putting him on the news. He then invited us to visit his farm in Pennsylvania. He asked the female customer to get us a business card from the truck's cabin, to my relief. I was not really ready to be handed a business card from him with lamb bits on it. His card reads: Goats, Lambs, Baby Cows, & Pigs We walked away in disbelief, laughing off the absurdity of the surprises our neighborhood has to offer, such as finding a man with whole lamb carcasses spread out onto cardboard sheets in the back of a parked truck, with no refrigeration and a bandsaw. I guess I should not be too surprised, we do have the Statue of Liberty statue here. But really, Bobby is at a whole other level. archives: Food |
pink Peeps and olive oil
Astoria, NY from my 2011 archive April 24, 2011 Easter Like other brightly colored treats, the presence of Peeps in stores signals that spring and Easter are coming. The juxtaposition of the Peeps against the backdrop of the olive oil is a testament to the Mediterranean heritage in my neighborhood. I personally prefer the olive oil, the grassier the flavor, the better. I have never been a fan of Peeps, yellow or pink. But they are cute. The Swede and I do not have plans except for dyeing eggs and getting some work done in the garden (if it ever stops raining). I am going to use beet juice, coffee, turmeric, paprika, and anything else I can manage to rummage up as dyes. I will post the results at a later time. Happy Easter to you and yours. archives: Food |
Kara Walker and friend
Chelsea Gallery District, NY from my 2011 archive April 21, 2011 A sighting and two openings I had my third Kara Walker sighting about a week and a half ago. I went to check out a show at the gallery that represents her, and she was there checking out the show with a friend. Last time, I spotted her waiting in line at the Paula Cooper Gallery. Tonight she has two concurrent show openings. One in the Chelsea Gallery District at Sikkema Jenkins & Co. which will be drawings, and the other at Lehmann Maupin's Lower East Side location which will be videos. The exhibitions are titled, "Dust Jackets for the Niggerati-and Supporting Dissertations, Drawings submitted ruefully by Dr. Kara E. Walker" and "Fall Frum Grace, Miss Pipi's Blue Tale," respectively. Her titles are works in themselves, something to think over carefully. I plan to go see the drawings tonight, that way I can cruise around and pop into other openings as well. Looking forward to another mini gallery run. archives: Art |
interior, Patel Brothers
Flushing, NY from my 2011 archive |
round eggplants
Flushing, NY from my 2011 archive |
coriander seeds, turmeric powder
Flushing, NY from my 2011 archive |
turmeric root
Flushing, NY from my 2011 archive April 20, 2011 Alphonsos My quest this past weekend included Dim Sum and mangoes. Years ago, 2004 to be exact, my friend invited me to her parents' house in an area in Sweden known as Dalarna, home of the wooden horse statuette. Her father frequently traveled on business to India and brought back a case of mangoes whenever they were in season. They were served as dessert. Hands down, the best mango I had ever eaten, very few fibers and a sweet concentrated flavor. I immediately inquired about them, made a sketch of their case sitting on the balcony under the moonlight, and captioned it, "Alphonsos." Once back home, I set out to find where to buy them. In my research, I found stores did not carry them. In fact, they were banned! How was this possible? The King of the "King of Mangoes," I would never have them again unless I went to India (which would be fine by me). But a change of luck a few years later, the U.S. lifted the ban on Indian mangoes in 2007. Every year since then, I have tried to get my hands on a case and have failed. I have either missed the season (April and May only), or stores were sold out. After stuffing ourselves with Dim Sum, a group of friends joined The Swede and I on a short trek, with fingers crossed, to an Indian grocery store that carries the Alphonso variety. No luck, they did not have them. The cashier told me, "Check next week." I bravely got over it, not wanting to cry in front of my friends over mangoes. It was a great opportunity however to look around the store. I am one of those people who loves grocery shopping. I like to discover something unfamiliar, and then research its origin, uses, variations, and prices. I recently ran out of Madras curry powder and Patel Brothers stocks it. I also bought yellow and black mustard seeds, all for $4.27. In the produce section they sell turmeric, in fresh root form. Previously, I have only seen it as a powder. Turmeric is believed to be a preventative herb in fighting cancer. It has a slightly musty taste and a vibrant yellow, orange color. I think I will buy a piece of it when I go back for the mangoes and put in the garden to see what happens. It will probably look gorgeous grated over some white basmati rice. archives: Food |
donut artworks
Chelsea, NY from my 2011 archive 
pistachio, chocolate, and strawberry donuts plus coffees
Chelsea, NY from my 2011 archive April 17, 2011 Donuts Ohhh, nostalgia. When I was little, my Mom would occasionally take my sister and I to get donuts. She always encouraged us to get an "old fashioned" donut which she somehow thought was healthier. How she got rationalized that, I have no idea. We were permitted one each, so we had to choose carefully. I often went for a glazed donut which is not overly complex in taste, and lets the donut flavor come through. Another memory from childhood of donuts...in the sixth grade, a friend and I gave a presentation on how to make them by first poking a hole in refrigerated Pillsbury biscuits, frying them in oil, then dusting them with sugar and cinnamon. Easy. A classmate went home to try it for herself and burnt down her parent's kitchen. Not a joke, real story. Donuts can be as gratifying as any complicated sweet if they are made well. There are too many out there that are just not very good, they leave a film in your mouth. The Swede unfortunately had a few of those experiences when he first came to America. He participated in a challenge to consume a dozen donuts in one hour without being permitted to drink fluids. He was able to eat nine; he said after the fourth donut, the tongue becomes like sandpaper. The result, it has turned him off to them. But being the person that he is, he believes in trying everything twice. My friend introduced us to the Donut Plant. Heavenly. Not heavenly in the way one swoons over rich and delectable treats. But heavenly in that the Donut Plant has not gone too far. I chose a yeast pistachio donut which had a mellow, nutty flavor and was not overly sweet. The Swede had a cake chocolate donut, and my friend chose the yeast strawberry donut. I consider myself a conscious eater, so when I go for a treat, I try to go to places that make things with quality ingredients. In addition to embarrassing myself at galleries, I also like to wait outside restrooms for my turn when no one is inside. This happens to me way too often. Note: if you go to Donut Plant, ask them to buzz you in if you need to do your thing. Once inside, beware--a disco ball and walls covered in reflective tiles await you. archives: Food |
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