I realized that I had never officially said goodbye to WordPress, whoops. It’s been a great several years or so, but I have decided to permanently move to Squarespace: noodlenthread.net.
To all my lovely current feed subscribers or followers, please visit and re-subscribe at my new place: noodlenthread.net/blog.
Thank you!
Back in mid-May, I went on a 3-week vacation with O to Vietnam and Japan. It was his first time in Vietnam, my first time meeting his dad AND our first long international trip alone together. No pressure, right? :) Nah, we had such a blast (despite a few mishaps here and there). It was definitely a food trip for us. We (well, mainly me) made a list of all the food and/or places we wanted to eat in each location we stayed at. And needless to say, we almost hit 10 out of 10 spots. The weather was great most of the time (we caught the beginning of the raining season), and we got to enjoy some beautiful beaches in both countries. It’s been over a month since we came back and I’m STILL craving/missing the food we ate, especially in Japan.
Below are some photos I took (I decided not to bring my DLSR this time and took everything on my iPhone 4s). For the rest of the photos from the trip, click here. You will see that 90% of my photos were of the food we ate. Can’t you tell that I want to become a foodie? :-)
It’s summer again, and I have decided to resume blogging after such a long break. My workroom moved (this is the second time–and probably not the last) but I’m happy to say that it is settled for the foreseeable future. Since then I have pretty much holed myself up in there, doing as much as I could to draw out any ounce of inspiration I have left in me from the last couple years.
Right now everything is rusty and full of practice. But, I have managed to make two pairs of earrings, two necklaces, a watercolor piece (shown above) and a very rough sketch of the next painting I’m going to work on. I feel like I suddenly have so many things to make/create! That’s a good thing, right?
Whether it’s been 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks or 3 days–I don’t miss him any less. The fact that I can swell up in tears at the instant thought of him means nothing has really changed. It is especially difficult to deal with around this time of the year. I cannot fall asleep when my head is full of thoughts about him. I keep seeing him in my dreams when I finally do. I look at his photos and memories come flooding back. The only comforting thought to carry on is the glimmer of hope that he is always with me, watching over me and our family.
He was the happiest and most optimistic person I have ever met. He might have been flawed to other people, but he was always perfect in my eyes. After he was gone, a permanent dark cloud looms over our heads every day. Nothing is the same anymore. Just a big broken mirror with glass pieces glued in place.
Still, I will try to make him proud. Because I am my father’s daughter.
Because he is my hero.
After two+ years, I finally decided to chop my long hair off. It’s been fun, long hair, but my inner self has always preferred short (if not shorter) hair. Long hair is pretty and can even be glamorous, but for whatever reason I just feel it kind of lacks everything else.
Anyway, this was mainly a result of me feeling restless lately. They always come and go–coming more often than leaving, actually. In those moments I would flood my head with all sorts of thoughts or escape in my daydreams, which generally comprise of three things: a) living in my own place b) traveling to warm/sunny beaches or c) leaving Seattle [semi-permanently]. Since none of those things are happening any time soon, I desperately crave for other therapeutic, happy distractions. Even temporary, superficial distractions are welcome.
I LOVE and REALLY WANT a pair or two of these shoes (designed by Sara Gulyas). Basically, you choose your lace color(s) and shade of premium quality leather. Then you get a kit that contains everything you need to make your own pair of ‘Pikkpack’ shoes. The concept is awesome (I love any/all DIY), and the shoes look so comfortable and light to wear as well. For more images of the shoes, click here.
They’re also making a Kickstarter, and I can’t wait until this product launches.
{Images via PIKKPACK}
{Images via My Modern Met}
You can find other cute ceramics on Marta Turowska’s Etsy shop: clay opera.
{Images via spoonchogre and spoon & tamago}
{Images via iPhone on flickr: holidays 2013}
…Things to let go, things to accept, things to look forward to.
Happy new year, everyone! It’s still hard to believe that another year is over already. 365 days don’t seem that many anymore as you get older and things move faster than you realize. Year 2013 has been plentiful and quite memorable, to say the least. I just hope it meant the start of a new beginning in my life.
On another note, there are a few major goals/projects I would love to accomplish in 2014:
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(Yes, they all happen to have a ‘creative’ theme this year.)
I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas with their loved ones. Undeniably, this year has been much more eventful than the last several years. Mostly in a good way–as I was able to spend a lot more time with old and new friends, get more festive with the decorations/presents and feel a little more merry. Although I still struggle to come to terms about how the holidays used to be and what it meant for me in the past, at the same time I’m trying to make peace and enjoy the [better] changes as I continue to move on with life.
{Images via Rare Device}
1. Tea Tube 2. Matchstick Bottle 3. Water Stone 4. Bedside Carafe
{Images via HauteLook}
These compact and cozy ‘fireplaces’ would definitely be at the top of my wishlist for winter.
(Prices range from $100-$200 on HauteLook.)
{Images via Mignon Kitchen Co.}
1. Mini Mortar & Pestle 2. Small Amount Measuring Spoons 3. Herb Scissors 4. Heart Tea Infuser
–all items sold by Rachel Ball on Mignon Kitchen Co.
{Images via Jaume Montserrat: Emptyland}
Amazing yet disturbing illustrations of animals unraveling and merging with others. See Jaume Montserrat’s other great personal works here.
{Images via Yanko Design}
If your hands are always cold during winter no matter where you are (inside or outside) you might want one of these Macaron Hand Warmers (designed by sty!epie). If you just cup your hands around them and blow (like a whistle), the heat will activate inside and warm your hands up..! They come in four different brightly ‘flavors’ and about $45-$50 a piece.
{Images via Muji USA}
1. Aspero Linen Pillow Cover 2. Aroma Diffuser 3. Penguin Skittles 4. Alphabet Cookie Cutters
noodle 'n thread 