Foodspiration: BacaroLA

My friend Karen (check out her food blog here) took me to this small restaurant near-ish her apartment in LA. It had some really crazy interesting ingredient combinations that somehow worked! I liked how the portions were small, but everything had really strong flavors, so it ended up being very satisfying. The place is sort of experimental, and there's definitely a lot to learn from from their entrees.

Buffalo Cheese - apparently made with buffalo milk? It's much creamier and slightly sweeter than cow milk cheeses, although the difference is very nuanced. 

Bacaro Burger - The bread is a piece of toast instead of regular burger bun bread, so maybe next time I make burgers I don't have to go out of my way to buy the bun especially... but I typically make bun-less burgers anyway, but still a cool flavor combination~

MY FAVORITE DISH OF THE NIGHT - lamb in eggplant. SO MUCH FLAVOR I can't even explain. They used a lot of citrus to probably balance out the lamb with this crunchy potato chip on the top. The eggplant on the outside contrasted with the super soft lamb on the inside. 

Bone marrow! Honestly I thought my family was weird for eating this, but now they just legitimized it...by serving it at a restaurant. Anyway, so they used some lemon-y flavors to make the bone marrow into like a paste to put on bread. I didn't know this could be a dish...

Dark on the inside for ambiance~

Thanks for taking me, Karen! I really enjoyed it. I think they were also able to price their dishes super fairly (3 for $21?!) because they're in a sketchy-ish part of town, but this place is definitely worth trying. I love restaurants that challenge what I thought was possible in cooking.

Art Inspiration: Native American Pottery

I went to Stanford University's Cantor Center for the Arts the other day. Although the exhibition for SFMOMA's Pop Art Collection was still under construction (such a bummer! I really wanted to see it! Hopefully, I will get a chance to see before I leave...but it's difficult to schedule in), the closing gave me a chance to become very inspired by the geometric designs in the Native American pottery exhibition. I love the harsh edges and super modern patterns.

Asymmetrical, minimalist feel. Use of negative space very effective.

Typically, circles don't really work well in an art piece because they draw so much attention, but this somehow manages to complement the other rectangular elements.

Contrast with solid colors, repetitive lines. Varied Textures.

Love how they added a fantastical geometric shape in the center of the animal. You can still tell what it is, but the diamond makes it unique and interesting.

I think I'm often so caught up with modern or post-modern pieces that I forget to appreciate the more rustic roots of where a lot of these artistic ideas come from. I can't wait to add some of these geometric patterns into my future sketches! 

A Self Portrait: Six Months

I dislike drawing self portraits (or collections surrounding self portraits, unless you have an extremely distinctive look) because it either ends up similar to other portraits, or a super cliche way to express how you feel. However, with my baby pictures, I feel a slight detachment to them. I know as common knowledge that it is me, but I don't feel anything when I see the pictures. I have no idea what I was thinking or feeling at that time. I didn't even know the picture was being taken. I think that detachment leaves room for exploration and a good opportunity to draw non-adult proportioned faces.

Sometimes I wish I still had that mohawk! 

Foodspiration: Siggi's Icelandic Skyr

I was in Whole Foods dairy section, and I literally couldn't find any yogurt that had less than 20g of sugar in a serving. In my frustration, I finally stumbled upon Siggi's Icelandic Skyr, and decided to give it a try.

The first reaction I had upon trying this was WOW THIS IS SO THICK, and it's hard to eat in large quantities. You have to savor the flavors in your mouth. I tried the ginger orange (or orange ginger?) and loved the feel of real ingredients inside, but thought that the ginger was a little bit too overpowering (especially because I was consuming it on a hot summer's day).

I think I'm definitely going to keep going with Siggi's because of its low sugar content and all the health benefits (see here) of the different cultures in the yogurt. I was also super inspired by their beautiful story, starting out small in a farmers market and now taking over the world! Well, if not the world, my stomach at least. I really want to have a stand in farmer's market and influence healthy food culture someday, so this makes me hopeful. (:

The price is a little high, but it has the content to make up for it. I'm just wondering if plain yogurt with my own fruit toppings could match up with this lack of sugar?

Art Inspiration: Anthropologie Window Display

I have basically stopped shopping, but I had to go to Santana Row yesterday because the rest of my family enjoys walking around the area.

What caught my eye was the window display art at Anthropologie! They're so beautiful. 

My mom hiding in the corner! The reflective glass creates a cool effect, but makes the art harder to see.

I love the use of the drip technique that allows the 3D string to flow and continue the unity within the piece. Mix of textures (contrast with thin paint and thick cloth attachment) and bright colors (orange/blue/green) make this piece pop!

What to do with Leftover Almond Pulp (No Dehydrating)

...After making homemade almond milk WITHOUT DEHYDRATING because it is such a waste of energy with that oven usage for little return.

Ah, my mom refuses to make any more almond milk until I can find a good use for the almond pulp that I have accumulated.

So I've gathered a few recipes that I could potentially use, aggregated from easiest to hardest (but they're honestly all pretty easy, I'm just lazy); 

Easiest

• Put a few tablespoons in smoothies and blend, adding to the texture. You can add it in with fruit, or make a Chocolate Banana Smoothie (bananas, almond milk, almond pulp, and cocoa - Credit to The Mama's Girls)

Medium

• Banana Almond Bread: http://the-salty-tomato.com/2014/03/banana-almond-bread.html

• Almond Cake - 1/8 C sliced almonds, 1/2 C margarine or butter, softened to room temperature, 1 1/4 C sugar, 1 egg, 1 1/2 t. almond extract, 2/3 C milk, 3/4 C dry pulp, 1 1/4 C flour, 1/2 t. baking powder. Mix the sugar and butter first, then add in liquid ingredients, then mix the dry ingredients in. Grease and flour the pan, pour in and sprinkle with the sliced almonds. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. (I don't see why the pulp needs to necessarily be dry at the point where you're adding watery ingredients like eggs and milk. Credit to The Mama's Girls)

Hard-ish

• Chocolate Chip Bars - http://thevegan8.com/2014/02/18/almond-pulp-makes-the-best-chocolate-chip-bars/
• Raw Carrot Cake - http://websta.me/p/466449715970575257_297930129#GXttKHliLsYFKGSw.32

Architecture Inspiration: Stone

Went on a trip to Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan, China last month.

Sedentary rock pattern good for enhancing texture for exteriors (or if you're daring, interiors!)

Pattern of large and small stone bricks on the little house to the left.

Joseph Bueys Portrait

Joseph Bueys.

German.

Fluxus.

One of the most unique faces I've ever seen.

Work in Progress.

More progress.

Final Product. Photo Enhanced and Sharpened.

Reference Image Here.

4B Graphite Pencil on Paper.

One Hour Fifteen Minutes

I haven't drawn in a long time, but through this experience, I realized that I like the act of drawing in itself, another addition to my intrinsically motivated activities. Hopefully this will let me know what I want to do in the future.

Architecture Inspiration: Alvar Aalto

Finnish.

Romantic Functionalism.

Aalto.

Curved ceiling design for acoustics. Municipal Library in Viipuri, Russia.

Aalto's own studio in his home. I love exploring how architects design their own houses. 

Aalto's self-designed living room.

Villa Mairea in Noormarkku, Finland. Simple design that is just so appealing. Love the black accents.

Baker Building in MIT. Actually got to live in here when I came to visit! I love the curves of the building, which create ample study/social space. The rooftop views at night are also gorgeous.

Experimental House. Interesting how they actually took the resources to make an experiment. Super avant-garde, but very beautiful. 

Municipal Library in Viipuri, Russia. These door handles are so beautiful! 

Photos taken from book "Aalto" by Louna Lahti. 

Foodspiration: Pample Mousse

I just passed my driving test in Redwood City, California yesterday, so I've been around the downtown area a lot. There is one cafe that my mom and I keep going to...and it's delicious! It's called PampleMousse and serves some really gourmet soups, sandwiches, coffees, and cakes.

 

Turkey Brie sandwich - with a touch of arugula and cranberry sauce for some healthy and delicious lunch fare. 

Fig and Almond Cheesecake - another unexpected and inspirational combination! My mom ordered the blackberry chocolate cake (one the side) but we both agreed that the cheesecake was better (even though she doesn't even like cheesecake!). It's lighter than most cheesecakes, so it makes it much easier to eat!

I also tried the salmon sandwich and potato leek soup, which were both very good, although I liked the turkey sandwich a little more (the dash of cranberry and generous slabs of brie cheese made it pop!). I love the mix of everyday ingredients in creative ways - makes me want to experiment! The price is also quite affordable - my mom and I usually share 1 sandwich and soup which adds up to around $15 for both of us. Cakes are around $6 a piece.

Art Inspiration: Satire

I think the best art induces a strong reaction from the viewer. Although most pieces in the Triton Art Museum event were good or fun to look at, they lacked a "shock factor" that drew me in. 

The few works that made me stop and laugh inspired me and made me think of the deeper message behind the image. Although silly, I think these pictures raise larger societal issues that we have.

This is a part of a larger piece by David Canavese (who is awesome and super friendly, by the way) compares the media to a circus. I love the juxtaposition of Osama Bin Laden and blatant sex appeal, as Mother Theresa looks on in the background. Genius. 

Aphrodite and the barbie doll. I keep wondering what caused me to laugh at this image. I guess the absurdity of the contrast between the supposedly epic/culturally significant/historic painting and the everyday awkwardness/cheapness of a naked Barbie was quite amusing. It's funny how our minds react and pick up so much information at the same time, yet we don't even consciously process much of these things. 

I've actually never made satirical art before. Perhaps now it's time to give it a shot?

Triton Night at the Museum

Yesterday, I went to Santa Clara's Triton Museum's event, Night at the Museum. There were pieces by local artists, live drawing/painting, as well as slam poetry readings. I had a really good time at the event because I felt like it really exhibited the best of the community. Artists had a time to show their pieces while residents had an opportunity to appreciate the talent all around us! This event really inspired me to pick up art again.

In high school, I did art very intensively, especially the last two years under the IB Art program. I feel like that really burnt me out for a while because it was so high pressure to just keep dishing out pieces in shorter and shorter amounts of time. Now, I think I'm ready to do some work just for pleasure. I'm also really getting into art that serves a greater purpose such as poster designing and architecture with a fine arts inspiration.

Some really detailed charcoal work

Portrait Drawing

Free expression wall! (Look bottom left for my geometric design!)

Live metalworking - They gave the cutest metal fortune cookies as business cards! Didn't take one - gotta be a good aspiring minimalist (: 

Me! Doing a dramatic reading of an excerpt from "The Land" by Mildred D. Taylor - I was a bit nervous but the audience seemed to enjoy it at the end. I did the same piece for a competition a year earlier, so I was able to practice a little beforehand. 

 

My watercolor quick sketch - complementary colors? My fave!

I would like to get to know these artists more. How did they decide to pick fine arts as a career? Why do they choose ____ style? 

It also opened up more philosophical questions about my art - whether sticking to one style is better than trying to break out of your shell and trying very different things...or if the message behind the art is more important or the aesthetic quality of it...what makes art significant...among other thoughts...

The Little Things; July Roses

I've been going on runs every other day, and as I pass through the neighborhood, I'm sometimes able to catch a glimpse of my favorite kinds of roses: pink on the outside, with an orangy-peach center. I know that red roses stand for love, yellow for friendship, but how about these? 

About to head off on my run again, hope you have a great day!