today’s desk view: sand art

Love this guy’s stuff. He’s always doing something in Union Square.

(image by: vivien chin)

today’s desk view: snowicane in union square

Union Square after the snowicane. 🙂

(image by: vivien chin)

today’s view: snowicane

The snowicane hit last night…more to come I think.  Big snowflakes are fun today.

(image by: vivien chin)

winner of the cute award for the day…..

The pug puppy Kristin really wants.  very cute.

whiteout_spaceoperaform

Really cool installation that reacts to the static charge of its visitors.  Located in a former salt factory in Hallein, Austria, and is made up of parallel hung, thermally-bonded polypropylene filaments, suspended from the ceiling.  The project is called WhiteOut and is designed by SpaceOperaForm.  Beautiful….

(images from dezeen)

bare lace

Very risque dress by Marchesa.  Love the design.

(image from style.com)

zebra carpet

This is probably the only “animal skin” rug I would ever want to own because it’s actually a carpet…haha.  It’s a Jonathan Adler rug.  Fun zebra carpet!

(image by: vivien chin)

clam and asparagus risotto

 

Experimented with a new risotto by building off the recipe for a mushroom risotto that I typically make.  See my earlier post on Mushroom Risotto for the recipe.  Here are my additional alterations to that recipe to get what I made tonight. 

 

Ingredients:

No mushrooms or cheese used

Liquids used:
(3 or 4) cups of chicken broth (or vegetable if you prefer);
(1) cup vermouth;
(1/2) cup clam juice drained from your clams

(1/2) lb. asparagus

(1) can of baby clams or (1-2) lb of fresh clams (steamed)

(1) tbsp of parsley [optional]

 

Directions:

_Cook asparagus in salted water for 2-3 minutes or until cook.  Cut into 1-2 inch pieces and pat dry with a paper towel.  Set aside.

_Drain the juice from a can of baby clams or steam your fresh clams and reserve the clam juice for later.

_Cook the shallots, garlic, and rice as in the other recipe.

_Add the vermouth as the first cup of liquid added to the rice .  From then on add the broth, making sure to incorporate the clam juice in as well.  You may not use all of the broth.  Continue to add broth until the risotto rice is to the firmness or softness of your liking.

_When rice is done add in the butter, clams, asparagus, and parsley (optional).  Mix together

_Add salt and pepper to taste

 

(image by: vivien chin)

olive tapenade

 

Made a nice olive tapenade for an appetizer tonight.  Very tasty and yummy.  I love olives and garlic.  I sort of just made up the recipe as I went along–making it to taste.  So here’s my approximate recipe.  Feel free to change it up!

 

Ingredients:

(1/2) cup fresh olives [I went to the bins of fresh olives w/herbs in oil at the market for mine. Kalamata, green, etc)]

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

(1 or 2) tbsp capers [amount to your liking]

(3) cloves of garlic. Minced.

(1 or 2) tbsp olive oil

Black pepper to taste

(1) fresh Baguette [or crackers if you prefer that over bread)

 

Directions:

_Chop olives into relatively small pieces.  I liked mine a little coarse, but you can make a finer mince of the olives for a more delicate texture.

_Mince garlic into fine pieces.  (I love more garlic so I used 3 cloves, but you can use less if you like)

_Rough chop the capers

_Combine olives, capers, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil.  Mix thoroughly and add pepper to taste.

_Slice up the baguette and serve the tapenade over the baguette (or crackers).

 

(image by: vivien chin)

black widow car_calpoly slo

Go Cal Poly – SLO!!  A group of mechanical engineering students at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA have developed a vehicle that can get up to 2752.3 MPG.

I’m definitely a proud Alumni!  Go Poly!

Excerpt from Inhabitat –

“The Cal Poly Supermileage Team’s wondercar, dubbed the Black Widow, has been under construction since 2005. The 96 pound car has three wheels, a drag coefficient of 0.12, a top speed of 30 MPH, and a modified 3 horsepower Honda 50cc four-stroke engine. It originally clocked in at 861 MPG and has been continuously tweaked to achieve the mileage we see today.”

(images from Inhabitat)

vitrahaus_herzog & de mueron

Vitrahaus by architects Herzog and de Mueron.  Located in at the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany.  Designed to house Vitra’s Home Collection of furniture.  Exterior covered in charcoal stucco.

Love this project.  Very playful.  Herzog and de Mueron–always love their stuff.

(images from dezeen)

yesterday’s desk view: sand art in the park

Saw this guy again in Union Square doing sand art.  Sadly I think the cops were writing him up for a ticket (shoulder of one of the cops is in the pic…haha).  Keep doing your thing sand art guy cuz we all still love it!

changing of the guards x 1000

Amused by this pic.  The jumpsuit is covered in graphics of the London Changing of the Guards.  By Peter Jensen.

(image from style.com)

most curious_tracey neuls & nina saunders

“Most Curious” an installation by Tracey Neuls and Nina Saunders.  Love its whimsical nature.  Reminds me of Alice in Wonderland.  I would love wearing those shoes.  They look so fun.

(images from dezeen)

DVF_fashion week

Always striking designs from DVF.  Excerpts from DVF’s Fall 2010 line at Fashion Week this week.

(images from style.com)

fashion week_jill stuart_fall 2010

Attended my first Fashion Week Runway show on Monday at Bryant Park.  Here are excerpts from the Jill Stuart Fall 2010 collection that I saw.  My pics were from the side, so thought I’d find some more straight on shots of the clothing.  The show was in the NY Public Library (at the end of Bryant Park).  Love the red coat, and the dresses and the hats are great.

(images from style.com)

snowmen, snow, & dogs of central park

Didn’t get around to making snowmen yesterday at Central Park, but here’s some from people who did.  I especially like the first one that looks like it has a paper sailor hat and hearts for hands.  I guess it’s in honor of Valentine’s Day…lol.

Loved this white dog that was out there.  It was having lots of fun in the snow.

Action shot.  A game of chase.

A view of the half domed stage in the distance

Sheep’s Meadow looks a little different in the winter without all the sunbathers and picnic people hanging out.

alice’s tea cup

This is the best little place ever! Alice’s Tea Cup in the Upper West Side has the best tea selection, scones, and food in general. I had the french toast for brunch (1st pic) and it was some of the best french toast I’ve ever had. For tea, had the Silver Needle Jasmine tea which was sooo aromatic and tasty. It complimented the buttermilk scone and raspberry with chocolate scone very nicely. The scones really were the best–so buttery and soft and perfect. This place really has turned the novel idea of a tea party into a great experience with delicious tea and scrumptious goodies. I saw groups with towers of scones, sandwiches, & cupcakes and other yummy things accompanied by pots of tea. Alice in Wonderland is inspiration for this little teahouse/restaurant/cafe/place. I can definitely see myself coming back here for a great cup of tea and scone or anything else on the menu. It’s so relaxing inside that you really could lose yourself in there for a few hours. It’s great. A must try. The tea party is not for little girls anymore! There were more than plenty of adults in here enjoying themselves.

Alice’s Tea Cup
102 West 73rd Street
New York, NY 10023

(212) 799-3006

(images by: vivien chin)

restaurant week_mesa grill

Ate at Bobby Flay’s Restaurant, Mesa Grill for restaurant week.  The restaurant serves southwestern food.  My dishes of choice were a salmon tartare appetizer (2nd pic), grilled mahi mahi w/risotto entree (1st pic), and for dessert pineapple upside down cake with vanilla ice cream.  Everything was delicious!  Great choice for restaurant week.

Mesa Grill
102 5th Ave
New York, NY 10011
(212) 807-7400

(images by: vivien chin)

happy chinese new year!!_(2010/4708)

Gong Hay Fat Choi!!!  Happy New Year!!!  2010 (or lunar year 4708) is the year of the Tiger.  Hope every has a great and prosperous year!!

(image from flickr)

happy valentines day!

Hope everyone has a very sweet day today!

(image from flickr)

set the fire to the third bar

“Set the Fire to the Third Bar” by Snow Patrol feat. Martha Wainwright

today’s street view: icicles

Pretty icicles on scaffolding.

(image by: vivien chin)

today’s desk view: sun & snow

Sunny & snow is much better than grey & gloomy with snow. 🙂

(image by: vivien chin)

2010 winter olympics_medals

T-minus 2 days for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver!  They start this Friday, Feb 12, and I’m sooooo ready for them.  I love the Olympics.  In prep for them here’s some images I found online of the Medal Designs for this year’s Olympics.  Wavy…

today’s desk view: blizzzzard

Can barely see across the park through the snow.  Maybe we’ll get our 12 inches today…..

(image by: vivien chin)

today’s morning view: snow beginnings…

The beginnings of a snow storm this morning.  12-16 inches by the end of the day?  We’ll see…

(images by: vivien chin)

tokidoki: adios & ciao ciao

Cutest new addition to the Mimobot Flash Drive family.  Adios and Ciao Ciao.  Sooo cute….

(images from Mimobot.com)

yesterday’s subway view: holland

S-train campaign for travel to Holland that I snapped a few phone pics of. Only thought the outside of the train was decorated, but got inside and found they had trainsformed the inside as well. Everthing was covered down to the turning the seats into green park benches or turning the cars into mini museums. Pretty fun idea.

(photos by: vivien chin)

dancing elves update

Thought of these elves randomly when I was looking down at Union Square today and decided to figure out why they were here back then. (pic is from the earlier post I had on the dancing elves to jog your memories).  I had heard a rumor that it was for an Office Max commercial at that time, but never saw them on TV or anything.  Turns out it was for Office Max and the promotion of the website, Elfyourself.com.  The video of the routine is above.

Too funny…haha…props to whoever it was for organizing that many people in elf suits and getting them to dance at the same time!

(image by: vivien chin)

(video from youtube)

medical herbman cafe project_EARTHSCAPE

Giant traveling human-shaped herb garden designed by Japanese Landscape design studio, EARTHSCAPE.

The garden arrives in shipping containers which converts into a shop and cafe.

The herbs that are planted within the body’s outline are either herbs that benefit that part of the body or are herbs native to that particular local.  The money earned is donated to building playgrounds in developing countries.

3 different locations in Japan have been visited by the herbman and more will come in the future.

Really great idea and great cause.

(images from dezeen)

today’s subway view: giant dalmation firefighter

the title says it all….

(image by: vivien chin)

today’s view: red on red combo

Didn’t realize the awesome red on red pattern I had going on tonight as I changed out of my boots to comfy sneakers for a trip to the laundromat! Fashion fun!!

(image by: vivien chin)