FDNY

Thank you so much for the lovely wishes on my last post. It feels a little surreal to be married yet it has changed absolutely nothing for S and I. Case in point, first things we did when we got home was grocery shopping and the bucket loads of laundry from our time away. Sorting whites from colours can be rather romantic I suppose.

Anyway, now that I have my nights and weekends free from wedding planning, it's time to get this blog back on the road. This is what I wore when we went to run a bunch of errands in preparation for our trip, stopping by my favourite place to take outfit photos in the city - the fire station on 18th and 5th:

I am obsessed with J Crew Minnies and break my "no-multiples" rule for them. It's probably the only piece of clothing I have in every decent colour possible, most recently picking up these super fun print version.  I say "decent" since I draw the line at the "beechwood" ones. New York isn't ready for my thighs in beige skinnies. 

Anthropologie asymmetric leather biker jacket (sim, splurge), Lace-Trimmed Cardigan, and Leather-trimmed Rancher Hat, J Crew Minnie Pants, Camper x Bernhard Wilhelm sneakers (here and here)

I've been experimenting on outfits beyond my usual girlie-feminine style and purchased these Camper kicks a few months ago after seeing them in UK Elle. I have been wearing them EVERY weekend and without fail, people on the street stop me to ask about them. That's rather decent validation for shoes that aren't quite as second skin to me as pretty sandals. I've been wearing them with black coated jeans a lot and this was the first time I paired them with coloured pants. Jury is still out on whether this outfit works. The shoes (and topper) though? Win win win. 

Have a lovely Christmas eve-eve! 

Hitched

Hey kids, long time no see.

We had a valid reason. If you weren't following on Instagram, S and I got married a week ago.

There is so much to tell you about the week-long North-Indian/South-Indian festivities and I promise to show plenty of pictures and write all about it soon. 

Right now, we are wrapping up the first part of our honeymoon at a secluded beach resort on the southern coast of Vietnam. Later today, we head back to Saigon for a few days, before returning to the frozen tundra that is NYC. I am trying to get in my fill of sunshine thus bikinis have been the outfit du jour all week. 

In the meantime, here is a quick-edit video by our very talented videographers, which was aired at the reception that took place the day after the Hindu temple wedding. If you are a sap like me, grab a tissue beforehand...

Tata for now!

That Damn Green Dress Visits

A few weeks ago, my dear blog-friend-turned-real-life-kindred-spirit, Sarah, was in NYC for work. She was diligent enough to post about her trip soon after here. Me on the other hand... sigh. I will however say that my tardiness is in direct correlation of how much fun we had on her visit.

There was plenty of eating - dinner and wine at Commerce in the West Village, salty pimp sundae cones at Big Gay Ice Cream and then a hearty brunch at Maialino - and a whole lot of gabbing. So many times during her visit, I silently gave thanks for all the wonderful people I have met through this blog that have gone on to grace my life beyond the confines of cyberspace.

Anyway, there were selfish reasons for choosing Maialino as I couldn't let go of the chance to show Sarah one of my favourite places in the city (forgive me for flogging a dead horse). After gorging on eggs and pancakes, we walked around Gramercy Park - peeking in through the tall gates keeping us out - and then did what style bloggers are want to do in the presence of good lighting and a pretty background:

J Crew Maritime Anchor Dress (sim, sim and many sim); Club Monaco short-sleeved Carol Parka and necklace, Hermes Garden Party bag and scarf, Steve Madden Tippsy glitter sandals

Hope you've had a great weekend - I spent mine at Soul Cycle, brunch, working out seating arrangements for the wedding reception and finally finishing off The Sopranos (arrgghh can we please discuss that Diner ending?!)

Laser Cut

Date night is back in full swing now that S is back from visiting family half-way across the world. We took it pretty easy for our first outing as "legal newlyweds" last Friday and dined at Gaonnuri. Located in Koreatown and a block away from our apartment, it's slightly more upscale compared to its neighbourhood counterparts. We have our (cheap) favourites in K-town but Gaonnuri's location on the highest floor of a highrise and a FANTASTIC view of the city skyline was a great alternative for our mini celebration!

via - pretty views in restaurants are pointless if the food isn't up to par but I gladly give this place a thumbs up! 

What You've Missed!

Hey kids - it's been a while. I don't like staying away from this space very much but life sometimes gets in the way. Some wonderful changes have happened of late and I hope you bear with me as I work out how I fit blogging in there. I do love jotting down snippets of my life here, and when I get to throw in a few outfit photos too, well, my (internet) life feels complete.  

Enough excuses, let me fill you in what I have been up to:  

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1. NEW JOB: This is the biggest reason for my radio silence over here. After three years, I made an internal move into an exciting and challenging role that I have a great feeling is more aligned to my interests and career goals. While it's only been 6 weeks and I am working so much harder than I ever have, I couldn't be happier! (My dream job is actually lying on the beach drinking coconut cocktails all day but eh!)

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2. WEDDING PLANNING:  Being a Type-A gal, most vendors for the wedding were booked within a few months of our engagement. Our subsequent visit home in June had us lockdown sarees, jewellery and caterers (i.e. the important stuff!). The devil is however in the details, so after resting on my laurels for months, I have been spending the past few weekends trying to get my head around things like music for our first dance (I am out of the loop on mainstream music, let alone Indian tunes, HELP!), guest book ideas (a leather-bound tome just won't do for a contingent 500-strong!), and everything I can think of that will make life easy for our overseas guests flying in! Sometimes, the small things are the most difficult to overcome but we'll get there.. and hopefully before the big day!

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3. SHOPPING: All I can say is thank GOD for online commerce. I may not have time for an afternoon coffee run, I always have a few minutes to browse my favourite stores when I am catching a breather between emails. Latest items that have graced my teeny wardrobe is this Nanette Lepore long-sleeved dress and this Zara zipper skirt for work; this maroon topper for fall; and this Three Floor white dress for a night about town.

Wearing this Three Floor dress

4. VEGAS:  I popped my sin-city-cherry a couple of weeks ago on a super-fun girls' trip. That city is insane in the best way possible, where we spent most of our time eating and partying. I have concluded that every DJ worth his/her name is now in Vegas. That weekend we were lucky to dance to Hardwell, Avicii and David Guetta. The music was so good that this hard-core hip hop fan is now a dance-music convert. Alas, we missed Calvin Harris by a day but this song still received airplay everywhere we went. Naturally, it was christened the anthem of the trip. My phone getting nicked put a slight damper to the weekend, but nothing could rain on my parade because...

5. I GOT MARRIED! S and I had to get legally wed before our December Hindu temple shindig so we thought we'd have a bit of fun with it. My dream wedding always involved some element of Vegas and Elvis so this opportunity was too good to pass on. We told no one but our families (I dropped the bombshell on the girlfriends the night before) so I suppose this was a pseudo-elopement too? Regardless, the Monday morning ceremony was full of love, Elvis was wonderful, and it was just SO MUCH FUN! (Ps - if Elvis looks familiar, it might be from minute 1.10 from this song. Pps - I wore this dress since y'all know sequins are always a good idea!)


Alright chickadees, I think that's enough announcements for now. Have a lovely Columbus Day weekend - I promise to write again soon!

NYC Social - October

It's October and I have numerous questions - like how is it already Q4 2013? How is it already Halloween season? What's with all the HOLIDAY paraphernalia out in stores? But most importantly, how is it only 8 weeks to the big wedding?? Felt like it was just yesterday we were frolicking in Gramercy Park getting engaged and all. 

For that reason, wedding planning will have me hibernating this month, but you don't need to stay home. Per usual, NYC is never short of things to do so here's what's on in October (and don't forget to see last month's entry too):

1. Betrayal: October 5 - January 5

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Previews have begun for Fall's most anticipated Broadway opening. Written by Harold Pinter, the autobiographical play is about infidelity and its consequences, but depicted in reverse chronological order. The show stars Mr. (and Mrs.) James Bond so I very much believe initial reports which suggest tickets will sell out before the run is over. This is one time I am not taking any chances. If you need a theater buddy, you know where to find me! 

Shop Kohls x Catherine Malandrino Now

Happenings on this website is a little sparse at the moment: my photographer is off galavanting Down Under and my new job has me snowed under. 

I do however have a few moments to provide you with a quick PSA - the Kohl's x Catherine Malandrino shop is open for business!

I hadn't shopped at Kohl's previously but as soon as I saw Olivia Palermo in the dress below, I knew it was time to pop my Kohl's-cherry:

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I am a big  fan of Ms. Palermo's style and I only hope the detailing is as exquisite in real life as it appears in pictures.

Get yours here. 

Also use JUST4YOU for 20% off. (You're welcome!)

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I promise to write more when things calm down a little - until then, come see me on Instagram!

Double Denim

Is it just me or is everyone else suffering from Fashion Week fatigue? While I love the to-the-minute update from those attending shows, I admit I much preferred life before Instagram. For someone rather time-poor during the day, having to incessantly scroll through the same blurry pictures taken from the same obscure angle is driving this social-media-embracer a little nuts. And don't get me started on the videos. Perhaps I should just unfollow the culprits and re-follow once the week is over? 

I complain but I love it. On Sunday, I made my usual pilgrimage to the Lincoln Center fountain for a bout of people-watching. The warm weather brought out the crowds and boy were there some stunning outfits - my favourite was a lady wearing this dress who was making a mad dash through the plaza on her way to, you guessed it, DVF; and a gamine Audrey Hepburn-lookalike in a simple soft-pink mini shiftdress with sleeves that ended with a dramatic trumpet-like cuff. Oh and plenty of ladies got the Clover Canyon memo. 

Naturally there were also the peacocks - strutting around in getups they wouldn't throw on otherwise - posing in such a way, someone had to take their photo. On that note, there were so many cameras that I think everyone with a DSLR was there to act out their street-style photographer extraordinaire fantasies. Like begets like I suppose. 

Regardless, all is well in the world where there is Bill. 

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Anyway, the following outfit did not make an appearance at Lincoln Center but was taken a couple of weeks ago when I went to watch the annual India Day parade. Like last year, "Gandhi" made an appearance, and there were a new round of movie star VIPs - Vidya Balan, Sarathkumar and Raadhika, if you care about such things. I most definitely squealed when I spotted the latter two, yes I did. 

Kate Spade Saturday denim shirt, DL1961 denim, Forever 21 necklace, Hermes and Cartier bracelets, Steve Madden Tippsy sandals (on sale), requisite red pottu/bimdi

P.s. if you had to know, I wore this dress to Lincoln Center - it was the easiest outfit to put on after a gruelling hour at Soul Cycle.

NYC Social - September

Happy September! I had such a relaxing Labor Day weekend that I couldn't get on the computer long enough to post this month's Social. It is unofficially the end of Summer - but if this month's events are any indication, the city isn't ready to slow down just yet! So check out what's happening this month (and last month too) and be sure to enjoy the remnants of the sunshine!

1. Fashion Week: September 5 - 12

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It is Fashion Week yet again with the Spring 2014 shows starting this week at Lincoln Center and beyond. Just like my advice last season, it doesn't matter if you have invites to shows or not - just head up to the plaza in front of Lincoln Center, plunk yourself by the fountain and people-watch till kingdom come.

When in Rome

Happy Labour Day Friday! 

Work has been super busy - the reason for the absence on the blog. In fact, I was prepared to be logged on to work throughout this holiday weekend. In a welcome about-face, I got the afternoon off today and met S in midtown so I could walk home with him when he clocked off. 

We walked down the main Fifth Avenue drag - which any other day would have us briskly weaving in and out of the tourist throng. Not today. The weather was sunny with a cool breeze, we were feeling lovey-dovey plus we had nothing to rush home to. 

We stopped off at Bryant Park for lemonade and hung out outside the New York Public Library. The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building is stunning, both in its interior (you all watched Sex and The City!) and the exterior (with it's iconic regal lions guarding the entrance). We didn't make it inside this time but spotted these statues on the stage-right side of the facade. 

Tell me you think they've come directly from a piazza in Italy too! 

Anthropologie Soja Crossback blouse, Cosmic Star earrings and Expedition Obi belt; J Crew box-pleated crepe skirt (sim and sim, all on sale), Ray Ban Wayfarers, Steve Madden Tippsy sandals (and here too)

We are spending the rest of the weekend in the city - first, to date night tonight, and then to the U.S. Open tomorrow. Hope you have a safe and happy Labour Day weekend too. 

And to my beautiful friend, Lisa - congratulations on your wedding weekend darling! May you and L have everlasting happiness as husband and wife!  

More Issues Than Vogue

I succumbed to the cronut craze on Saturday. 

Each month Dominique Ansel switches up the flavour and the lure of August's coconut was unbearable. Yeah there was a wait but an easy one (albeit a couple of hours long) - I sat down the entire time, poured over September issues and talked to my fellow cronut fanatics I was in line with. Next thing I knew, it was time to shake hands with Mr. Ansel himself waiting at the door and get myself the two cronuts each person was allowed to buy.

Was it worth it? ABSOFKINLUTELY. 

Would I do it again? Depends on the flavour I suppose (rose! rose!). Though I am probably getting S to wait in line then - he slept in on Saturday and only got out of bed as I walked in the door with the goods. Nomination for amazing "wife" award perhaps?

Anyway, the rest of the day was as fun as the morning. - visiting a friend with a patio garden for lots of outdoor drinking and many rounds of Cards Against Humanity (BEST. GAME. EVER); an evening birthday party at a beautiful Soho penthouse rooftop; and catching the latest Bollywood blockbuster at a midnight cinema screening.  

More Issues Than Vogue t-shirt, that infamous Zara skort, Forever 21 diamante necklace, Zara sandals 

Sugar high, prosecco high, laughter high, happy high = my perfect Saturday. Hope yours was as fabulous too!

Norvel Dress at Nougatine

In a bid to get as much al fresco dining in before temperatures dip, this week's date night took place at Jean Georges' sister restaurant Nougatine Terrace. The full menu is served in the outdoor area - just sans the white tablecloths you will find in the main restaurant - and with a fabulous view of Columbus Circle and its infamous replica of the World's Fair Unisphere.

The only downside of sitting outside is that there isn't a lot of light when the sun sets. My deteriorating eyesight meant that the flashlight app on my iPhone made an appearance more than once. Though nothing could take away from the best part of dinner though - a "simple" warm chocolate cake with a gooey centre, served with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream:

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I highly recommend Nougatine, especially for brunch. I love taking visitors here since the indoor portion has expansive views of Central Park West via it's ceiling-to-floor windows. Breathtaking to say the least. If that doesn't convince you, reservations are welcome at the restaurant - so elusive an offering when it comes to New York City brunches!

Anyway, here's the what I wore out to dinner:

Coalface Outfits

Taking photographs for this blog is no easy feat. So my attempts at dressing up appropriately for work is not often documented apart from a few pictures here and there on Instagram. I thought it would benefit me, and hopefully entertain you if I re-posted here what I have been wearing to the office of late: 

Anchors Aweigh

In honour of a close friend's birthday, we chartered a vintage Hinckley two weekends ago for lovely a sail on a warm summer's day. Having had the luxury of sailing on the Sydney Harbour many times, I am slightly embarrassed to admit that while I've been in the city for three summers, this was my first time out on a boat on the Hudson. (And no, the Frying Pan does not count!). 

NYC Social - August

It is August and I am frantically trying to squeeze as many outdoor activities before temperatures begin to dip. So far my summer has been concert-heavy - I saw Justin Timberlake with Jay Z two weeks ago, and Beyoncé just last night. And on the dance front, I am looking forward to Drive East in a couple of weeks.  

Regardless, don't forget to check out the May, June and July calendars for events that are still running - namely the Jazz Age Lawn Party mid-month. Otherwise, here's what's taking place in August:

1. Summer Streets - August 3, 10 and 17

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Seven miles of NYC - from Park Ave at 72nd Street to Centre St at Brooklyn Bridge - will be closed to vehicles for the annual Summer Streets celebrations. While there will be no cars, you can ride your bike, rollerblade or just plain walk the streets - eating, participating in fitness classes or viewing a variety of art exhibits and music performances along the way. The highlight this year is the Voice Tunnel -  an interactive voice and sound installation within the Park Avenue tunnel running from East 33rd to East 40th Streets. For further details, check out the NYC Gov website here.

Dromedary at Daniel

To celebrate a streak of professional success this week, we had an extra fancy Friday date night - and at a tried and true favourite- Daniel (The last time we visited was when we ushered in my 30th last year). My good news at work came on Thursday but we are champions of last-minute reservations. So from the moment we wrangled a table that Thursday evening, all I could think about was this White Cosmopolitan - which is served like such only at Daniel. Comes as no surprise I ordered one even before my water glass could be filled:

From my Instagram

We dined and cocktail-ed - somehow managing to finish every morsel of food as well as the multiple dessert courses placed in front of us - including a basket of freshly baked madeleines and unlimited house-made chocolates. At the end of the meal, the only thing I had energy to mutter was:

Roll.Me.Home.

Ferragamo L'Icona

Patience is not my biggest virtue. So it should surprise you (and me) that I waited over 2 months to receive shoes I ordered for my birthday.  

I was a woman on a mission as soon as I found out in May, about customisable Ferragamo Varas. In the age of sexy Louboutins, Ferragamos may be considered a little old-fashioned and conservative for some, but they are fantastic for work (alas never seen on the blog since they live permanently in the office). I rarely buy designer shoes at full price but being able to put my own spin to a pair of classics - from the bow and heel colour to the choice of hardware - was a good enough reason to break that streak. But who am I kidding, it's more likely because I tend to lose all sense of self-control when it comes to birthday shopping.

Therefore, I seek forgiveness twofold: firstly, because I am still talking about the day I turned a year older. But most importantly because this post is nothing more than a showing off of these new lovelies:

Mara Hoffman to the Met

We have more visitors from Australia in town, so last week we ventured out to the Met Museum. First stop: the Punk: Chaos to Couture exhibit. This installation is not quite the crowd pleaser like past Costume Institute showings but still interesting nevertheless, and an obvious testament that everything, everywhere can inspire fashion fashion and style.

I mean, my choice of music is far from the likes of Sex Pistols or The Ramones but teenage me must have been influenced by the genre somehow - the tank top I DIY-ed with a ton of safety pins at 15 was an subconscious artistic interpretation of punk for sure?

Ippudo and Maxi Skirts

If you follow me on Instagram,  you would have found out that I spent date night Friday with two other men I like so much - Justin Timberlake and Jay Z. And boy was it the best thing that has happened this summer yet. It was INCREDIBLE and MARVELOUS and AWESOME and every other superlative you can think of. If they are touring your city, PLEASE GO. If it wasn't so financially irresponsible of me to attend the same concert twice, I would go again in a heartbeat.

We had a slightly quieter Saturday, coming down from the high from the night before. Too lazy to cook, S and I went to the new Ippudo in Midtown for dinner. We've only ever been to the the one in Tokyo previously and we've always been too hungry to bear the wait whenever we've been in the vicinity of the original New York Ippudo location in the East Village. 

I liked it while S thought it wasn't worth $15/bowl. You be the judge:

Pork buns that put Momofuku ones to shame.

Karaka-men - tasty but all you could taste was the heat from the chili. Not what I was quite in the mood for.

Shiromaru Hakata Classic - if you can only order one thing, this is it. 

Green tea ice cream with mochi, red beans, and almond and coconut milk - I am not usually a fan of matcha ice cream but the milk was the perfect softener slash sweetener. We gobbled this one up good.

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The maxi skirt below was a late-summer buy last year. As a fan of instant gratification, it was painful to have to wait an entire year to finally wear it out:

Hair of the Dog

It was a wonderful Friday night. The kind like the ones had many moons ago. With old friends so kindred, they are considered family. Where you dance the night away, shutting down one club after another. And finally getting home just shy of sunrise. Yup, that kind of night. 

Which meant Saturday morning was just a teensy bit rough - but nothing a bit of grease couldn't take care of. So a few hours sleep later, the party reconvened at Cafe Habana:

Michelada with extra spice

Mexican corn cut to share

Who ordered the freaking salad?

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At least I tried to look more put together than I actually felt:

First Week of July

Happy belated fourth of July! 

Hope everyone had a great holiday and is continuing to enjoy the wonderful weekend. This week was not only a 2-half-day kind of week for us but also a two-date-night one. Lucky me!

On Wednesday (half-day numero uno), S and I had dinner at Alder, Wylie Dufresne's latest endeavour in the East Village. Here, food and drink come in smaller portions - which I most definitely prefer to large format meals. Even the cocktails come in half serves, like the rhubard pimm's cup below: 

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The dishes are adventurous, akin to Dufresne's successful first restaurant, WD-50 (which was one of the first nice meals S and I had when we moved here three years ago).  At Alder, we ordered "pigs in a blanket" which were done with lap cheong; pickled beets that were served with coconut ricotta; and a generous portion of pink pub cheese below, so coloured from the cheddar, cream cheese and red wine mix:

Anniversary Date Night

[Note: this post was originally published in April 2013. A glitch with blogger has resulted in this article unintentionally posting in July] 


Thank you so much for the lovely wishes on our anniversary!

We splurged on an intimate dinner at Ichimura at Brushstroke. It was an amazing experience - which Pete Wells, the current NYT food critic, describes more eloquently that I would ever be able to in his review here. 

It's funny that it was only a few months back that we shunned any thought of having an entire meal of near-raw fish. It all changed on our trip to Japan last November when we dined at Daiwa Sushi in Tsukiji Market (home of the famous tuna auctions). The chefs at that countertop restaurant spoke limited English, while we spoke limited Japanese. Not wanting to come across rude, we ate everything placed in front of us - initially with apprehension, but later on with gusto. Everything was so tasty and very fresh - rightfully so since they were quite likely swimming in the ocean not long ago - but interestingly and most importantly, smelled nothing like the sea (the underlying source of my initial apprehension against seafood of the non-fried/curried variety) 

NYC Social - July

July begins with plenty of Independence day celebrations. With summer in full swing, outdoor fetes dominate the rest of the month. Which is perfect, since all I want to do is bask in the sunshine. While I will add the following to my list of things to do, my social calendar is already packed from May and June events that continue to run through the rest of the month. Here's what's taking place in July:

1. Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks: July 4

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To celebrate the nation's independence, Macy's will put on a fireworks display that it boasts as being the largest in the country. At 9pm along the Hudson River, over 40,000 fireworks will light up the sky for about half an hour. Since all Hudson River Piers (apart from Pier 84) will be closed off, prime viewing spots are on 12th avenue between 23rd and 42nd streets and aim to be there many many hours before. Or better yet, get thee to an apartment rooftop with a view of the Hudson.  Whatever way you choose to watch the fireworks, make sure you pay attention to the Empire State Building during the last few minutes for a specially choreographed ESB light show.

2 . New York Musical Theatre Festival: July 8 - 28

Considered " the Sundance for Musical Theatre", the New York Musical Theatre Festival will showcase over 30 new musicals and concerts over the course of 3 weeks. Over the course of decade the festival has been in existence, it has become the launching pad of various shows that have gone on to Broadway and Off-Broadway success. This year, there will be more traditional musical comedies, hip hop concerts and dance dramas. Tickets are $20 and you can see the lineup here.

3. Broadway in Bryant Park: July 11 - August 15

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If you are lucky to be in the vicinity of Bryant Park over lunch, have your meal outdoors while being serenaded by the best on Broadway. Each concert lasts from 12.30 - 1.30pm and will include performances of award-winning productions like Pippin, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera and Avenue Q. See the entire programme here and plan your picnic!  

Red, White and Tippsy

I had so many stomach-churning moments at work this week that Friday couldn't come any sooner. For date night, S and I took the F to Carroll Gardens for dinner at Nightingale 9. We both love Vietnamese - in fact our first date, 9 years ago was at a Vietnamese restaurant. So while we anticipated Nightingale 9 to be less than authentic, we didn't quite expect to add chili sauce to every dish to bring about any sense of flavour. The only respite was a caramelised pork belly dish served with sticky rice - we licked that bowl clean!

Swedish Midsommar and Beautiful Friendships

Lat weekend was our first in the city since returning from Kuala Lumpur a few days before. A week on and I am finally over my jet lag - which I fear gets harder and harder to overcome as I grow older. While there seemed to be one errand after another to run, we squeezed in plenty of galavanting around the city. 

After work on solstice Friday, we celebrated Swedish Midsommar with a picnic in Battery Park City with close friends, Vanessa, Kate, and our families. First order of business was the meticulous making of flower crowns. While the photos may indicate otherwise, I have much to learn when it comes to the art of crown-making! Lucky for me, all was forgiven post a couple of glasses of O.P. Anderson aquavit:

The traditional Swedish maypole

Helan går