My interest in fashion and style has much to do with the fact that I've been drawing, doodling, and coloring since I was a small girl, and evolved alongside my discovering the potential of illustration for self-expression.

I can pinpoint for you the exact moment when I became fascinated with creating images by hand. One of my uncles, who is extremely talented, had just finished drawing for me one of my favorite Chinese cartoon characters - Hei Mao Jin Zhang, or 'Black Cat Detective.' I wish I still had it so I can show you. For little 3 or 4 year old me, it was pretty much the best thing ever, to see how quickly and deftly my uncle created that image, with nothing but pencil, paper, and of course his talent. I was hooked, and still draw as much as I can today. (I also credit my uncle with inspiring me to learn how to whistle tunes, but that's another story for another post!)

It's a wonderful hobby for me to delve into, each time discovering something new in terms of technique and aesthetic. I tried out different kinds of drawings, from still life/portraits, landscapes, cartoons, even fashion figures when I went through my 'I want to become a fashion designer!' phase in middle school. Now that was a lot of fun. I loved playing with shapes, colors, and textures and learning how they can accentuate and tell a story in women's wear (and men's, though for many reasons, I'm better versed in women's fashion :)

Then came my more recent era of obsession with fashion blogs. This goes without saying, but there are so many incredible fashion blogs out there, driven by talent and hard work and the desire to push boundaries. It's a sensory feast for me to pore over the outfits and looks that people create. It's endless inspiration, and I want to take part in this exciting melting pot and share my own style journey.

I am excited to share outfit posts, style inspirations, and perhaps even some illustrations on this page. For now, I leave you with my Pinterest board on style - hope you can check it out, and enjoy!

Thank you for reading! 

http://pinterest.com/galaxia257/in-pursuit-of-simplicity-elegance-beauty/ 

(Note: I wrote this post on Thursday, March 7, and figured out how to properly post it on my arts page today - Monday March 11)

I saw Mamma Mia! on Broadway, with my mama (most appropriate!), last Friday.

We both loved this amazing show. The set was beautifully constructed and provided the perfect backdrop of Mediterranean/Greek sun-drenched walls, sand, and sea. The entire cast and crew were outstanding for the energy and vivacity they radiated. I loved every single minute, from the playful banter between the characters, to the bursts of song and dance, and the fantastic lighting and background music (major kudos to the crew, and the pit orchestra, who in addition to the actors, perform this show live every single time. Incredible!).

My favorites, among all the wonderful members of the cast, were Judy McLane as Donna Sheridan, Felicia Finley as Tanya, Lauren Cohn as Rosie (the SuperTroupers!). Three incredibly talented actresses portraying a trio of friends that absolutely stole the show!

Photo via www.judymclane.com. 

Ms. McLane's voice was incredibly powerful and rich in emotional range and conveyance. I had tears falling down on my face as she sang 'Slipping Through My Fingers,' a poignant song of regret, longing, and endless love. I almost pumped my fist in the air as she sang 'The Winner Takes It All' - what a triumphant display of her talent! And I had such a great time rocking out in the audience to 'Dancing Queen' and all the other songs she sang with Felicia Finley and Lauren Cohn.

Photo via www.michaelcassara.net

One of the best things for me about this musical was seeing the friendship between the three female characters: Donna and her closest friends Tanya and Rosie. The strength of the bond, the comfort they took from and gave to each other, the rowdy good times - all of these are the qualities of the long-term friendships I hope to be able to enjoy well into life's later stages. Ms. Finley was absolutely fantastic in her role as the multiple divorcee with an unbeatable love for life (and all the good, and maybe not so 'good' things in it!). I hope to have that shining spark and zest and that I'm always up for a good time, now and later!

Photo via www.imdb.com

Lauren Cohn as Rosie! I saw a lot of myself in this character, and I just loved the way Ms. Cohn brought her to life. Rosie is an independent woman who marches to her own beat in life, the responsible and practical one in her group, the one who cares for her friends as though they were her own children. She is quirky, witty, well-read, and absolutely adorable around the man she ultimately falls in love with - no shyness here! Together the trio represents all the great things about a close-knit group of friends, and the special bond and memories with those friends who'll always be by your side. I would gladly see any of these three ladies in any of their future performances!

Hi everyone! I have been away from this blog for much longer than I've intended, and I'm sorry to anyone who's been kind enough to check in once in a while only to be disappointed. I know I have at least a couple of nice friends for whom this is true, because they have told me so themselves :) And because I've promised my friends that I would have a post this weekend, here we are tonight.

It's been very busy here in my neck of the woods, and there is much that I want to share with you and write about, but it may not be wisest to do a retrospective of the past three months or so that I've been away, at least not in one post alone. I'm a little intimidated by the fact that it has indeed been more than three months since I've posted, and the buildup, if you will, of blog material, is just too much. Many new things happen and so rather than try to dig through the backlog, let me start afresh with more recent experiences and thoughts. It will feel more timely to you since I will do a better job of writing about it, and it helps me to feel more in control of the blogging process.

Here in the mid-Atlantic region, we were blessed with truly beautiful weather for the entire weekend. My boyfriend and I took advantage of the sunlight and breeze to go to our favorite spots in Philadelphia, taking our time to stroll through the city and take in the sights and food. On Saturday, we walked through the Rittenhouse Park area, which was filled with people, tents, and lots and lots of food and merchandise for the Annual Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival.

We kind of luckily stumbled upon this event, and I wish I had brought my camera to document the sights! Imagine the graceful buildings and streets surrounding the lush green park that is Rittenhouse Square, bursting with tents snugly compacted side by side on the streets, thousands upon thousands of people milling about. Restaurants all around the area had tents where they sold $5 or $6 bites of their food, so you can wander around and get full on delicious treats for a very reasonable amount of money. We shared delicious crab cake sandwiches, white truffle gnocchi, chicken teriyaki, crab rangoon, General Tso's chicken, and spring rolls, and sipped on organic cranberry and lemon sodas (this, and this!).

Don't things almost always taste better when eaten outside? This was certainly the case, as we milled along the booths and sampled the fare, finally settling on a lion statue in the Park to concentrate on our goodies.

After an obligatory stop at the flagship Anthropologie store (this, obviously, was really just for me to check out their sale, although after a brief respite in the air conditioning, my boyfriend was able to appreciate its beauty as well), we continued walking to the Italian Market/Bella Vista area, to stop at our favorite cafe, possibly in the whole world (or what we know of it, so far!).

Cups and Chairs is a beautiful tea and coffee house, run by the lovely Kylie, who makes teas, coffees, and treats so delicious you wish you could stay and eat there every single day. She offers 30-40 different kinds of teas, ranging from sencha, oolong, and lapsang souchong to soothing and fragrant herbal blends, that she or one of her friendly assistants will brew for you on the spot. There is also a full menu of special blended teas, coffees, and drinks, including perfectly made bubble teas. My favorite tea blends are O-Cha with hojicha, and the light and rejuvenating Wellness Tea herbal blend.

You can go to Cups and Chairs many times and be endlessly fascinated by the teas she has on hand, and the expertise that she will give you, but that's not all! Kylie has amazing taste and offers home made food ranging from sandwiches, quiche, and salads, to sweet treats and most recently a full breakfast menu of omelets, waffles, and breakfast sandwiches. Everything is made with great care, and visiting Cups and Chairs is like visiting the home of a very warm and gracious friend.

My partner-in-crime and I spent a good amount of time at Cups and Chairs on Saturday, one of our last stops before heading home for the evening, and enjoyed a fruit salad, Indonesian Chicken Salad (bright, crisp, refreshing), and wonderful iced teas. We also went back this morning for brunch! He ordered a spinach and mushroom omelet, and I ordered the Thai green curry omelet. We shared a green tea waffle with azuki (red bean) topping.

Both omelets were delicious - fluffy eggs filled with goodies - and came with expertly dressed side salads and home fries. My Thai green curry omelet deserves special mention. I have been intrigued by this dish since my boyfriend mentioned it to me, and knew that this was the dish I would try today. I really didn't know what to expect, except that I love Thai green curry and eggs, and had no doubt they would be fantastic together. I was not disappointed. The omelet was perfectly cooked, studded with golden sweet corn kernels and chopped scallions, and the Thai green curry was just the right amount to give the entire combination a subtle piquancy and hint of heat. Overall the flavors were very balanced, and kept me coming back for more, each bite tasting a little different from the previous, and revealing new insights about the flavors.

So the omelets were wonderful, and the green tea waffle did not last long after we devoured every bit of food on our omelet plates. The waffle was perfectly tender crisp on the outside, with a meltingly fluffy crumb, and the addition of green tea in the batter, coupled with a delicately sweet red bean topping and freshly whipped cream, sent the entire concoction into the stratosphere. Perfectly blended flavors, just the right amount of sweetness (which is to say, for us at least, not too sweet), and cloudlike waffle textures meant that this dish lasted for a grand total of 1 minute and a half.

Just writing about this makes me hungry, which is probably why I am having a rather late night snack of a salmon burger and zucchini/mushroom saute. I hope you've enjoyed reading about my food and adventures (and food adventures) this weekend. If you are ever in Philadelphia, I strongly encourage you to visit Cups and Chairs (and if you wish to know, I am not receiving any sort of compensation for writing about this place. I just love it very much and really wanted to share it with you). Stop by, have some expertly brewed tea, and chat with the wonderful owner, and enjoy life, sip by sip. Which is what we should make time for ourselves to do, any and every day, to enjoy the small and beautiful moments in life. And on that note, I wish you a wonderful week filled with such moments, and hope to see you again soon!