cloudylemon

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ExploreStockholm Public library

You might ask out of all places, why did I went to Stockholm’s public library. It might seem odd, but their public library is quite special. Stadsbiblioteket (city library) is designed by Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund, which opened in 1928.

From the outside, it’s orange brown building doesn’t look like much. But when you step in, you realized why it’s one of the city’s most notable structures - the main room is 360 degrees, three levels filled with books.

I mean I love books. And even if I didn’t, this is still a marvelous place where I can spend hours and hours and expand my mind. I hope you’ll stop by when you’re in Sweden!

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Exploring Stockholm Subway Stations

When I visited Stockholm few months ago, I was really impressed by how design and art were part of their lives. You can run into them in the most unexpected places - like the subway stations. It’s known to be the world’s longest art exhibit - 110 km long. 

Over 90 of the 100 subway stations in Stockholm have been decorated with sculptures, mosaics, paintings, installations, engravings and reliefs by over 150 artists. And it’s not just about beauty - each station has its own message from environmental issues to human rights. 

The stations below are definately worth an extra trip: Blue line: Kungsträdgården T-centralen Rådhuset Solna Centrum Tensta Green line: Hötorget Thorildsplan Bagarmossen Red line: Tekniska Högskolan Stadion

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Happy 2017!

HAPPY NEW YEAR guys! I know, it’s been a while. 2016 was an interesting year. There were good and bad experiences and then there were things I was not anticipating. I learned a lot and now I put them behind and start to focus on 2017. Setting goals, dreams, and wishing for an amazing year. 

One of my goals this year is to blog more - there’s so many things I want to share with you!

Let 2017 be the year you reach your dreams whatever they may be. Wishing you all a wonderful new year full of adventure, love, health, and happiness! 

[cloudylemon]

Let’s make Mint Mojito Ice Coffee 

Last week I went to San Francisco to see a friend. As always, I needed my coffee fix, so I went to Philz and ordered their famous Mint Mojito Ice Coffee. It was so good so after my trip, I tried to recreate it at home. I think I’ll be drinking these all summer long!

What you need

10-20 mint leaves, plus a couple of leaves for garnish

1-2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

1 cup hot pour over (or drip coffee)

whole milk or half and half, to taste

ice, to finish

Put mint leaves and sugar in a glass. Muddle the mint with the sugar until you smell the distinct minty aroma. Pour on the coffee and stir until all of the sugar is dissolved. Add ice, milk or cream to taste and a sprig of mint for garnish.

Enjoy!

[cloudylemon]

In LA ediBOL

Downtown LA is growing and there’s new things popping up everyday. My friends took me to ediBOL, a asian fusion casual restaurant where you can create your own bowls with veggies and meat. 

Owner/chef Andrea Uyeda has a rainbow hair with teal eyebrow and I think it represents her food as well - bold, unique but still has a familiarity. 

We went on sunday when they serve weekend brunch menu so I got to try their famous BOLs and french toast. Layers of flavors in the BOL was amazing and the french toast was so smooth and creamy yet balanced with caramelized bits!

I will definitely come back to try other dishes, and being right next to my favorite bookstore is a plus!

For more information, visit here

[cloudylemon]

Let’s Make Salmon Poke Roll

I was craving a light, yummy dish that I will feel good inside and out. Initially I was thinking tuna poke but got a salmon at the fish market. You can marinate the fish in the sauce and eat it over rice, you can also mix in avocado but I just kept it simple and created a cone shape with the seaweed, added rice and topped it off with the salmon. So good. 

For 4 people, you need:

1 lb sushi-grade salmon

cooked white rice, to serve

roasted seaweed sheets

1 avocado, sliced thin long stripes (optional)

½ cup green onions, chopped

⅓ cup soy sauce

2 tbsp white sugar

⅛ cup sesame oil

½ tsp ground ginger

Sesame seeds

Mix green onion, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, ginger and sesame seeds together. Set them aside. Slice the salmon into half inch cubes, and marinate in the sauce. 

Cut the seaweed sheet into 4 - about 4 inch square pieces. Make a cone shape with the seaweed sheet and just like you scoop ice-cream, put some rice into the seaweed cone. Add some salmon on the top and enjoy!

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In LA The Broad Museum

After much hype, a new contemporary museum opened in downtown LA last year.  The museum is designed by world-renowned architectural firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler. With its innovative “veil-and-vault” concept, the space is gorgeous inside and out. The space is airy, filled with light and I enjoyed walking around and snapped pictures of famous art pieces you have probably seen or heard - Jeff Koons, Jean‐Michel Basquiat, Takashi Murakami, Barbara Kruger - to name a few. 

Get your free general admission ticket here.

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Travel Lagos, Portugal

After few rainy days in Lisbon, I took a 4 hour bus ride to Lagos for the famous beaches. Luckily there was no rain but sunshine. The coast between Lagos and Faro is known as Algarve which attracts thousands of visitors and I can easily see why. The beaches are beautiful, the seafood is amazing and people are friendly. 

The beaches are surrounded by wonderful rock formations, so usually there’s a long staircase to get to the beach. It can be painful to climb back up after swimming but it’s definitely worth it. Ponta da Piedade is near the light house and famous for its sunset and Praia de Dona Ana is known to be the prettiest. It is a small town so you can pretty much walk everywhere and if you have time, take a boat tour around the coast. You can see the rocks up close and also enter caves that you normally couldn’t. Kayaking is also available but I preferred the motor boat. 

I would love to come back here for a few months, rent a house and enjoy the slow life. Who knows. Maybe I can work remotely. 

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Travel Paris Picasso Museum

I wasn’t a fan of Picasso till I went to his museum during my Paris trip in October. I was more curious about the museum space that was closed for renovation for some time than his work to be honest. I always felt like Picasso was more a celebrity than an artist. And this exhibition proved me I was wrong. big time.

The museum is a beautiful 3 level building filled with paintings and sculptures by Picasso, some works of other artists Picasso loved and bought for himself and works of artists inspired by Picasso.

The sheer amount of work and his drive to keep pushing himself as an artist was pure inspiration. He constantly reinvented himself, trying different styles - he seemed never happy of what he created and seemed like he was searching for something.

It’s always interesting to me when you see things in person. The brush strokes, the colors, little detail captures the intention of the artist and present itself to you. It speaks to you and you realize you weren’t listening this whole time. I left the exhibition feeling so inspired that I wanted to draw again. Practice my skills every day. Search for my truth, my style, my message. What do I want to say with my work?

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Happy Valentine’s Day my loves

Here in LA, it’s 85 degrees which is way beyond normal. Although I worry about the state of the earth, it’s nice to see flowers blooming, bringing spring one step closer.

I wish you spent lovely time with your loved ones and also show yourself some love too. A bouquet, nice dinner, some music and wine.. love and joy to fill your heart, a smile you can’t get rid of, nothing but happiness. 

[cloudylemon]

In LA Rain Room

I have been waiting for this exhibition for some time. Once the tickets went on sale, I went online and found out most tickets were gone already. I was lucky enough to score one for New Year’s day. I mean what better way to start 2016 right? 

Created by Random International, it’s an immersive environment of perpetually falling water that pauses wherever a human body is detected. It offers you to interact with rain which was a fun, interesting experience, specially in LA. There’s so many great photos out there I won’t bore you with them, but I would recommend experiencing the Rain Room if you can. Wear bright colors and walk slowly under the rain! 

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Travel Portugal Sea Me Restaurant

Portugal is famous for its food, specially for sea food. Every restaurant have fish tank or catch of the day displayed on ice so you can pick what you want. 

We were staying at an airbnb apartment, and the owner recommended Sea Me, located in Chiado, so we went there for lunch. We went into the restaurant around 1pm, and there was no one. We started to wonder why and later it became clear - Portuguese have lunch around 2pm. The restaurant was packed with locals and the food was really good. We tried grilled octopus with spinach and clams in butter sauce. Everything was fresh and yummy. They also have sushi bar and get crowded pretty quickly so for lunch go before 2pm and make a reservation for dinner. 

For more information, go here.

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Travel Portugal Igreja do Carmo

The sun came out on the second day at Lisbon. I was excited and wanted to see places that involves outdoor area. 

Igreja do Carmo is one of my favorite places I visited in Lisbon. It’s a reminders of a 14th century Carmelite church of the devastation left by the earthquake of 1755. 

After you buy the tickets, you go through a door and this gothic ruins welcomes you. It was so quiet and peaceful. It may not be the most popular among the tourist but it was the best thing I’ve seen in Lisbon. There’s something about the arches with openness from the sky that made me calm. I sat at the staircase and just enjoyed that moment. If you’re in Lisbon, remember to visit this place. You won’t regret it. 

[cloudylemon]

Happy New Year

I wish happiness and health for every single one of you. 

I know I wasn’t posting for last few months - work was crazy and I was making a big decision in my life. Seems like change was a theme for everyone around me and I wasn’t the exception. End of December I gave my notice to the company I was working for more than 10 years and decided to freelance starting 2016. Talk about change. I was craving for different types of design projects / clients and also needed flexible schedule and less working hours. It’s scary and at the same time I can’t wait to see how 2016 plays out. I’m ready for ya 2016!

[cloudylemon]

Travel Belém, Lisbon, Portugal

When I arrived at Lisbon, the weather wasn’t good at all. It rained a lot and I had to figure out what I can do in the rain. I still wanted to see the city. So the first day, I went to Belém, thinking I can stay indoor a lot. 

Belém is the southwesternmost civil parish of the municipality of Lisbon. It’s at the mouth of the river Tagus, where ships set sail on their voyages, linked to Portugal’s Golden age. 

I got a 24 hour Lisbon pass, which covers all the public transportation and lot of the museums and monuments. First stop was the famous Pastéis de Belém. And their nata was everything I expected. Crispy and sweet, perfect delight that brighten up the gloomy rainy day. Then I went to the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos. The monastery was so pretty, it would’ve been a perfect palace for Game of Throne. 

After some time in the monastery, the rain stopped for a bit so I walked to see the Monument to the Discoveries and Torre de Belém. Due to the rain I don’t have many pictures but I managed to find the cutest yogurt shop parked in front of the monument. 

Despite the rain, there were lots of people and waiting in line in the rain wasn’t the most exciting thing to do. But I’m glad I went out there and got to see Belém and hopefully next time I’ll be back when it’s sunny. 

[cloudylemon]

Travel Lisbon Pastéis de Belém

Hi everyone! I’m back from my trip and it was really inspiring. I took so many pictures that I’m having a hard time to decide what to post first. 

So why not start with the iconic staple sweet of Portugal, Pastel de Nata (Portuguese Tarts). It’s a egg custard tart created before the 18th century by Catholic monks at the Jerónimos Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos) in the civil parish of Santa Maria de Belém, in Lisbon. Rumored to make14,000 a day, the bakery Pastéis de Belém is the original and the best, both loved by the locals and the tourists. 

The bakery is huge and it’s filled with people. You can either take it to go or sit at a table. Since it was raining we wanted to sit and waited about 20 minutes for a table ( it was before noon). There’s other things on the menu but we just went straight to the Pastel de Nata. And they are so good! The shell is crunchy and the inside is gooey and it is so delicious, best straight out of the oven. It’s a must when you’re in Lisbon.

After my trip I can’t stop thinking about it so I am determined to find a recipe that hopefully will taste similar. Stay tune!

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Next trip: Paris and Portugal

It’s summer all over again here in LA and I’m seriously worry the state of the earth. It’s over 100 degrees in middle of the October here which is not normal. I’m glad I will be flying out to Paris in 6 days. I’m excited to see my friend who is on a journey of living in Europe for a year. 

After a week in Paris I will be flying to Lisbon and explore few different places in Portugal. So excited! 

This is a view of my current desktop, me trying to finalize the planning. I do lots of research to plan my itinerary and this is how it looks like. I find places I want to visit, things I want to do and eat and pinterest and instagram are really great platforms to gather information. I also look through other people’s photos to see their point of view - some will inspire me to go somewhere and some will give me a photography idea.  It may look like a lot of work but it is worth it. Why not put some effort and make the best trip ever right? I won’t be posting while traveling, but I will be constantly posting on Instagram so make sure to follow my feed!