Norwegian knitting, I wish

I bought a beginner's knitting book in Japan to make use of my Norwegian yarn. I haven't knitted since elementary school, so at first it was like figuring out a model in excel. I hope this will eventually turn into a loop scarf...

Japanese girls can bake

I went to see my two best friends from college, Tomoko and Yuki who each baked a chiffon cake and a cheese cake that were both so yummy, I wanted to generalize all Japanese girls about baking. As for me, I brought panda cookies from Shanghai to contribute to the festivity...

It snowed last night in Tokyo

I haven't seen snow in Tokyo in such a long time... Very exciting indeed! Although people should know better than wearing high heels and Italian leather shoes to work the day after.

Mori Ogai's house in Ueno

Mori Ogai wrote The Dancing Girl and many other very well known novels in the 19th century. After his marriage, he lived in this house in Ueno, where it's now a very nice Kyoto kaiseki restaurant and has the only natural hotspring in Tokyo (I need to look up the definition of natural hotspring, as there are at least a few others in Tokyo that I've been to!). It was a very peaceful afternoon with mom and dad.



The kaiseki course was an array of really nice, very gentle Kyoto type dishes. I particularly liked the yuzu lime mochi dessert at the end. The sake was nice too.

Shibuya nails

I got calgel nails for the first time, thanks to my friend Naru Naru who works at Seventeen magazine who always has cute nails and referred me to her nail salon in Shibuya.



Since it lasts for a month and my nails will grow (especially fast in the tropics), the salon designed it in reverse French style so that the bottom can grow without looking funny. Smart...

Espoir
+81 3 5456 5521
Success Shibuya Building 2F, 1-10-6 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

SWASH London

I almost bought a scarf at EDIT where I visited today. The London label SWASH is by two artists from the same art school, Sarah Swash and boy friend Toshio Yamanaka. When you open, up the scarf has some crazy dog prints or other nature looking prints that are very smartly and elegantly hidden when you wear it. And when you try it on, it gives you that sense that this is good stuff (the quality, touch, and design is very nice). Had it not been a pre-Tokyo trip time for me, I would've definitely gotten one.



Photo credit: Miles to Style

Rainy day shopping in HK, EDIT

After a nice sausage brunch at BRAT on Eligin Street, Yifawn a very good friend of mine introduced me to a shop that her friend started. It's called EDIT and it's across the street from my apartment on Hollywoood Road between Eligin and Peel. They have really nice clothes and scarves, and a collection of vintage Chanel handbags. She said she will travel to London soon and can look for a Chanel jacket for me! Wouldn't that be amazing if I can finally get my own.

Apparently when you buy vintage, you should be careful that it's not from a dead person. But the Chinese way have a special cure for that (bad aura), by drenching it in sea salt water. But I will definitely not do that to my jacket.

A ranunculus tea party

Now I am properly able to introduce the name of this flower that I posted last week, thanks to dear Emily.

The stem was too long to hold the flowers any longer, so this morning I cut them short and put them in a small vase. And now I am ready to host a tea party for Johnny Depp from Alice in Wonderland.

The Hobbit

These days I'm reading The Hobbit as my bed time book. Now Bilbo is heroically escaping from the wood elves, which I don't remember much from reading it as a teenager.

It's a book that I've been re-reading outloud starting in Sweden this winter. It was super nice reading this in front of the fire place then, and now in my bed. I am a very slow reader so I can enjoy this for sometime...



I also saw the trailer for the movie that comes out this winter. I look forward to it!

Weekend flower

A very Shanghai-nesque flower that I bought on the streets near my apartment... but I forgot its name.

My new year's resolution

My new year's resolution is starting to take form.

1. Buy nice things - purchase a nice stereo, cooking stuff, and others to improve my apartment life
2. Play sports - play tennis, go kick boxing, or do something twice a month
3. Cook - learn new recipes based on cook books

Let's see how I do. To achieve these, I basically need to work less or travel less, which would be nice...

Had I been a coffee drinker, I would've bought this coffee machine in Oslo to satisfy my first part of the resolution. Too bad that I don't.

Yarns to knit

I bought these super Nordic yarns in Oslo. I look forward to knitting a nice loop scarf (that connects the ends) once I buy a book and sticks (needles) :)

ACNE sweater for dad

I bought an ACNE sweater in Stockholm for my dad. It's a long awaited Christmas-Birthday-Father's Day gift (perhaps for the last 2-3 years) and I'm very happy about it. It has a cute padding on the arm, which should make him look like an academic person.

I've always liked dressing up my dad, which as a child I did because I would buy him clothes with his money, to later snatch it from him for myself. Now I no longer have that interest, so I can freely look for things that will fit him well. My next project is to get him a medium length jacket like the below.

       

       

Photo credit: The Sartorialist

Frogner Park in Oslo

Vigeland Sculpture Park is part of this large park that houses the 212 bronze sculptures designed by Gustav Vigeland. The sculptures are quite different from say, Rodin, and is powerful yet has an ultra smooth surface in a way that only water can wash away over many years. Most of them depict the cycle of life and shows strong and healthy male and female in their different stages of life.

The beautiful opera house in Oslo

We went to see the famous opera house in Oslo. It was done by Snøhetta who built the Egyptian Library of Alexandria. As it was meant to be, it does look like ice floating on the water. In fact, it was really like ice I almost slid from the roof top all the way down into the water, which would have been a spectacle!

Happy new year!

Happy new year to you all! Wishing you a lovely 2012...