Monthly Archives: January 2012

This and That: Tron

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Tron

Art and pop culture walk hand in hand, yet many are not attuned to trends and styles that runs through both art and culture. This was amore obvious case as I instinctively thought of a space aged setting while viewing the ink on canvas print on the left. Surprisingly enough, this picture was hung in a tiki bar on one of the main beaches in Langkawi, Malaysia. The print reminded me of tron in particular because of the kind of helmet and light features that were present in the art piece.

The print reminded me of a movie that came out about two years ago-Tron. This remake of a 1982 science fiction film is all about speed space ship racing and light-up suits. The detailing in the print do take away from the very minimalistic tron suits and helmets, and lean towards a more the Starwars IV film. The compilation of these aspects remind us of certain things, but also give rise to so many other mediums and pieces of work like this forward chair design by Mike To (Seen on Made.com):
Chair by Mike To

Or this house design by Hanse Haus (Seen on Design Boom):
Chair by Mike To

What surprised-or rather interested me- was presence of this print. In fiction culture, we are so used to the fast paced changes. First it was Star Wars, then Back to the Future, then Harry Potter, then Eragon, then more Harry Potter, then Twilight, then Zombies, and it keeps going. These phases in fictional media are fast moving, but I think the art scene (however fast) moves a bit more slowly. Yet, when we recontemplate and rethink these pieces of art and media, we can gain new inspiration and again these similar themes and trends flow through the fiction scene.

(Images courtesy of Collider.com) Click the gif below for a full interview on Tron the movie.

Tron

Afternoon Walk

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Outing to enjoy some of the festivities on the streets in our neighborhood. Behind us fruit and alcohol sellers which line most street corners. Fruit is the best gift to bring when invited to a friend’s home. See the red lantern and Chinese flag hanging behind us. People also hang red paper cut banners from their windows with good luck blessings. I bought Megan a balloon…this character is named Mei Yang Yang from the popular Chinese children’s show. (The equivalent to our American Sesame Street show with favorite character, Elmo).

Want a S’more?

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This week me and the girls decided to have a midnight snack of S’mores over our gas stove!  (Don’t worry I googled whether that was safe or not and I got a thumbs up:) So we popped open the bag of marshmallows and roasted away… We made the most delicious creation of S’mores! I’m sure to have another one …or two… or three very soon! Have you had any yummy midnight snacks lately?

Clean Up

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Hours of fireworks leave a mess.

Here’s what our courtyard looked like on Monday morning. Paper and Box residue. Each of the large boxes below shoot off enormous fireworks with loud booms. One box can put on its own 1-2 minute show.

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Workers Clean up the Mess

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Happy New Year x2

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Happy “Chinese” New Year everyone! Last night we celebrated our second new year… this year [does that make sense?] Our world lit up in an explosion of sparkly lights everywhere we looked at midnight last night. The booming started early in the afternoon and lasted until hours past 12:00 am. Following the Chinese tradition my family munched on dumplings at midnight to welcome the New Year and then we reverted to our usual traditions of toasting to God and His blessings this year. While watching the twinkling, colorful explosions [which by the way were being lit right outside out windows], Jessie, Maddie and I could hardly keep from bursting out in Katy Perri’s “Firework.” The year of the dragon (zodiac) has arrived and I am looking forward to the 365  wonderful days awaiting us.

春节快乐！

Welcome Year of the Dragon

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Sunday night at midnight marked the beginning of the Chinese New Year — The Year of the Dragon. We enjoyed a fantastic display of fireworks right outside out 8th floor kitchen and bedroom windows. Fireworks go off all evening and culminate in the midnight hour from 12 AM to 1 AM.

From our kitchen window

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Across the courtyard

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See courtyard below with fireworks exploding

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Mama What’s Cookin’? Carrot Cake Donuts

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I was craving something different for breakfast this morning, something other than Maddie’s crepes [which she makes almost “every” non-school morning– I mean I like crepes but they get kind of old after a while– no offense Maddie]… Anyway, I was super excited to start this exciting venture BUT to my disappointment the recipe I wanted to use called for an overnight stay in the fridge for the little blob of sticky dough. Well, I decided to make it anyway and after sticking the dough safely in the fridge. I mixed up a batch of fluffy white biscuits for breakfast.

P.S. We topped our donuts with scoops of vanilla ice cream, you can also top your donuts with a simple cream cheese icing or even dip them in glaze and sprinkles!

 

Henna

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When introduced to henna in my Middle school art class, I fell in love with the intricate designs, earthy smells, and natural brown, auburn and chestnut colored dyes. With the help of a steady hand and a lot of practice, I took a real interest in tattooing Henna.  Though I have come a long way from where I started in Middle School, I still have a lot to learn about the art of henna and I am eager to take any chance I have to practice.  On our vacation in Malaysia I got just that; I had more than enough time to tattoo all my sisters and my mom!  The pictures below are of Rachel’s African inspired henna.

About Henna:
Henna is a plant whose leaves can be dried, mashed and mixed with citrus juice to make a dye.  Unlike ink tattoos, henna wears off in about a week and is actually very good for your skin.  Traditionally it was used mostly at weddings, to decorate the bride and groom in West Asia and the Middle East.

 

I’m Lovin’… The Beach

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Starting school today, I am far away from the sand, sun, and waves at the beach and closer to the skyscrapers, textbooks, and bad traffic. I wanted to go back to those moments, relaxing poolside, thinking about life and tanning my worries away.

1. Fauna; in Langkawi, Malaysia there are many monkeys and other animals around. 2. Nautical Vehicles; sailboats and fishing boats traversed the waters in search for good wind or a good catch. 3. Flora; flowers grew everywhere on the island because of the tropical location and heavy rainfall. 4; Fruit Juices; every day offered a new freshly squeezed drink.

I’m Lovin’…Mexican Food!

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Sunday afternoon I visited a new Mexican Food Restaurant for lunch at a popular shopping centre called the Magnetic Center. This was a very special occasion because in Tianjin, Mexican food doesn’t exists. After examining the menu, I ordered the chicken quesadilla with cheddar cheese (which is also a rare item to find in China) and my mom ordered the Burrito Bowl with lime rice and cilantro. The food came out surprisingly fast and the taste testing began. I found that my quesadilla was quite tasty but Mom’s Burrito Bowl was a, something-you-can-make-at-home kind of dish. I was happy with my meal and although it was a bit pricy it was an overall good experience. An added bonus was that we (just Mom and I) were able to try it out before bringing the whole family of six there. With that said, this experience reminds me of all the amazing Mexican Food out there. I can’t wait until this summer when our family will get to visit family in America and -while we’re at it- devour some delicious “authentic” Mexican Food.


Sources:{(Mexican Food Jesus)(1:Etsy Mexican Style Dress),(3:Kennedy West),(4:Watercolor Painting-Cholula Hot Sauce)}