Indian Weddings

India is such a beautiful country with incredible culture and people. The base of this country's culture is tradition, and weddings still definitely keep a great deal of tradition. They are bright events, many times lasting several days and combine local, religious and family traditions. Lots of color is definitely a unique trait in Indian weddings, as it is in Indian culture in general. These weddings are joyous and festive, like the people in India. 

I have only attended one Indian wedding as a kid, but I would love to be part of many more. Have you ever attended a South Asian Wedding, or had one yourself?

Welcoming Fall In Style

I don't own any oxford shoes but I would love too! Like these Ichigo shoes above, perfect to transition from sandals. I have already said farewell to Summer in my post Goodbye Summer, but now I am going to share a few things that I would love to have to welcome Fall in style.

Bizarre Ice Cream Flavors

Ice cream is so good. It is better on hot sunny days but I can definitely enjoy a scoop even during the winter. Whoever invented ice cream must have gotten very good karma. I probably should have added ice cream to the list in The Small Pleasures of Life. Anyway, you probably have had a nice scoop of Chocolate ice cream, but have you ever had a nice scoop of Deep Sea Water ice cream?...  Me neither. 

I may never want to taste Raw Horseflesh ice cream, but I'm definitely up for the challenge of tasting some out of the ordinary ice cream flavors. 

Charlotte: A Wooden Boat Story

Last night, Josh and I watched Charlotte: A Wooden Boat Story. A documentary about craftsmanship, tradition, community and the love of the sea. I found it on Hulu and I had never heard of it but the description said it was about boats and that was good enough for me to give it a try as both Josh and I fantasize about going on a long boat trip to several countries one day. 

This film was amazing, beyond expectations. 

It is set in Martha's Vineyard, MA and it follows the story of two men, Ross and Nat who established a boatyard in 1980 for building and designing traditionally built wooden boats, which became a success. After a long time of building beautiful boats for others, Nat decides to build a 50 foot boat of his own for use by family and friends.   

The technique, determination, hard work, and patience is astonishing. Throughout the movie we get to see really gorgeous boats built by hand from these men and passed on to their owners and into sea. It is really something beautiful to see these boats come to life. 

A Cashmere Affair

Cashmere is such a beautiful textile, so light and so soft, yet strong; just like a ballerina. I am wondering if that is the conclusion they came to, over at J. Crew when they decided to go shoot their September catalog all the way to St. Petersburg, Russia where they have some of the greatest ballerinas of all time.

I love the idea. 

A Colorful Gratin Dauphinois

The first time I had potatoes Gratin, they were homemade by mom. I thought it was one of the most delicious side dishes I had ever had. Natural carbs with gooey cheese, butter, and crustiness from the oven, (plus other ingredients) is the perfect combination for comfort food. 

As you may have guessed, the technique was originated in France. Dauphinois is just a term referring to the French region of Dauphiné.

I am a fan of color. It is my biggest inspiration in my photography, so when I found this colorful recipe of Gratin Dauphinois, I was stoked. I also love the way it was visually recorded by, Béa, one of my favorite food photographers. Her secret ingredient: pink turnips.

Fashionable Youngsters

Kids are so cute already, but dress them up and they get even cuter. 

FINNE Architects: Wooded

Lake Forest Park

"Raised in Norway and the United States, Nils Finne established FINNE Architects in Seattle in 1994, bringing a Scandinavian understanding of craft and landscape to the Pacific Northwest. Dedicated to the idea of Crafted Modernism, Nils typically designs custom lighting, furniture, cabinets and hardware for every project."

These houses are rich in wood and fit perfectly in their surrounds, whether near coast or mountains. FINNE's sustainable principles, attention to detail, and unique crafted design give birth to these rich and warm residences. 

This post will focus on FINNE's wooded homes. 

Farmers Market: Tomato Tasting

I grew up in a big city, and then moved to another big city for my studies. So, Durham, NC has been the smallest urban setting I've ever lived in, but I have really embraced this place. The community here is so open, so nice, and so helpful with each other. One of my favorite things is how it doesn't feel like a city because it is surrounded by open space and trees. You would never think, but Durham is also a very foodie town. Check out the NY Times article: Durham Dining: Pies, Panini and Barbecue.

That brings me to this post's topic: farmers' markets. Josh and I visited our local Durham Farmer's Market  for our first Summer visit some weeks ago. They were having a tomato tasting and a local chef preparing a tomato tasting dish. Tomatoes are one of the best ingredients in basically every type of cuisine, they are so flavorful and so flexible. Tomatoes rock! I was very excited to be part of a local tomato tasting.

The farmers market was a great canvas of color too, which is one of the biggest inspirations in my photography. 

Tea Infused Cocktails

Tea is awesome in its wide range of flavors and caffeine levels, and cocktails are awesome in their wide range of possible blends and flavors. Therefore, both tea and cocktails are awesome.

So, here comes the million dollar idea (ok, maybe just a hundred dollar idea)... why not blend the two together to create the ultimate beverage: Tea infused cocktails.

Suffering, Love, and Service

“People suffer because they are not satisfied. They want more and more. Ignorance gives rise to greed and vanity. If you want nothing, would you then suffer? But you do want. If you did not want anything, you would not suffer even in the jaws of a lion.

“The best and also the easiest way of overcoming the ego and attaining Divine Consciousness is to develop love and render selfless service to all humanity in whatever circumstances we may be placed. The more we live for others, the less we live for ourselves, and thus the more debased desires are eliminated. This in turn reacts upon the ego, suppressing it and transforming it proportionately.

Non-Fiction: Cookies by Douglas Adams

I'm going to share with you a non-fiction light-hearted short story by Douglas Adams. I found it unpredictable and very funny to know that these things happen in life.  

Cookies by Douglas Adams (author: "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy")

This actually did happen to a real person, and the real person was me. I had gone to catch a train. This was April 1976, in Cambridge, U.K. I was a bit early for the train. I'd gotten the time of the train wrong.

Laranjeiras Summer House

This Summer Residence by Fernanda Marques Arquitetos Associados located in the southern coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is open space and tropical flora heaven.

I'm in love with the natural feel from all the plants and flowers that surround and accompany this residence, as well as the peacefulness that comes from the water from the pool and the sea nearby. 

The extensive use of glass invites natural light to come from all angles and creates a feeling of being outdoors while being indoors.

I also love the nautical touch from the the wood, the boat, and the stripes in the Living/TV Room.

Soft Hearted Soldiers

These photographs melt my heart. 

Tactical Kitten and soldier companion. 

Culinary Flags

In 2009, the The Sydney International Food Festival came up with a brilliant idea to promote the event. They used traditional ingredients from the participating countries to create their flags. From olives and feta to tikka masala and rice, the turn out is both very visually appealing and appetizing flags.

How many nations of these edible flags can you identify?

Italy

The Ballerina Project

Photographer Dane Shitagi has been documenting the heart and emotions of ballerinas in urban settings over the span on ten years. The series of these photographs is called The Ballerina Project.

Fort Washington Park

El Bulli - Molecular Gastronomy

On March 2011, I saw the documentary "El Bulli: Cooking in Progress" at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. This film documented the Michelin 3-star restaurant, El Bulli, located near the town of Roses, Catalonia, Spain.

What was so interesting about this restaurant, is that they closed 6 months a year just to plan their menu, experimenting with molecular gastronomy just to find incredibly unique dishes.

I was sad to find out that El Bulli had closed on July 30th, 2011, to reopen as a creativity center in 2014. After I watched the documentary, I was hoping to visit in this lifetime.

Below is a collection of some of the dishes created at El Bulli.

Stunning Places Around the Globe

Taj Mahal by Trey Ratcliff

We've all heard of the Taj Mahal, the Grand Canyon, and the Pyramids of Giza to be amazing places in our planet, and they've gained their reputation for a reason; however, there are other not so known places in the Earth that offer breathtaking landscapes, majestic colors, and much more. The beauty in this world is vast.

The Small Pleasures of Life

This is just a list of those small things that happen in life that bring a smile to my heart, and I think at least a few of these might do the same for you. It's a list to remember we don't need much in life to be happy and to appreciate the little things... not take everything so seriously.

"Want nothing and you will have everything"

- Meher Baba

Cinemagraphs

"It's more than a photo but not quite a video".... Cinemagraphs are interesting, creative, and extremely visually appealing. They take GIF to a whole new level. I never really liked GIFs until I found these cinemagraphs by Kevin Burg and Jamie Beck.

I've collected a few of my favorites below. Enjoy the magic!

Goodbye Summer

Technically, Summer ended on August 1st, but it definitely doesn't feel like it.

    
Even though this baby shark is the cutest thing, I'm ready to give Summer a farewell until next year.

I am ready to transition from hot days, cool snacks, and bare legs into more pleasant temperatures, decadent snacks and cozy fashion, so...

Au Revoir Summer!

Pacific Northwest Architecture

I love Modern Pacific Northwest Architecture and Interior Design. I would definitely be inspired by this style whenever we build our own house with beautiful hardwood flooring, the use of stone in the exterior as well as in the interior, and the extensive use of windows and open space. It's the perfect combination for a home to feel airy during the summer and cozy during the winter. 

Dance

*Sigh*.. dancing. So amazing. I love every kind of dance, except I have to confess, Modern Dance. My sweetie and I have been to several modern dance performances and tried to appreciate it but we just don't get it. It seems all they want to do is disturb the audience and we're not into that. We've had a bad experience. Anyway, I love everything else, from Ballet to Bollywood, from Flamenco and Mexican Folklore to Aerial.

I am a dancer myself as I danced for 10 years but stopped for about 5 years and I recently started dancing again (Ballet, and a little bit of Flamenco and Aerial) about 6 months ago and I couldn't be happier. I always missed it.

Below is a collection of beautiful dancing photographs to get you inspired. I've tried all those except Tango which I really want to try with my partner. We watch dancing TV shows together. At first he was hesitant but now he's into it and he wants to dance with me. Me as a short Hispanic woman and him a tall American Navy man, we feel we could do a lot of lifts easily.