China on my mind…

Malaysian Airline Flight 370 has been on my mind quite a bit these past days. Like many people, there are a myriad of reasons why some of us are affected by this tragic mysterious loss. Unexplained losses are the hardest.

I spent all my high school years in Singapore, with the last two in boarding school as my parents moved to Malaysia. I have fond memories of a train journey from Singapore through Malaysia onto Thailand with three classmates. Over the course of several years, I took similar flight paths as MA 370. I returned to Thailand when my parents were stationed there. I travelled to Hong Kong and Macau. I went on to mainland China to Guang Zhou. I returned to Singapore twelve years after my high school graduation to re-edit and retrace the steps of The Secret Map of Singapore which my parents had designed, and I was left speechless at the grandeur of the Wall of China a couple of years ago.

Now, living in Northern California, I am often drawn to San Francisco's Chinatown. I always sense a pull from all my years and travels in the Far East. With passengers from the flight being from many corners of the globe, by far the biggest loss is the Chinese. I honor them today with this small collection of colorful photos, which wrap themselves around my fanciful taste for Chinoiserie, whose colors blend with the vignettes of Provence in my home.

A rural home ~ a poem by Mei Yaochen (1002-1060)

The cock crows three times; the sky is almost light.

Someone's lined up bowls of rice, along with flasks of tea.
Anxiously, the peasants rush to start the ploughing early,
I pull aside the willow shutter and gaze at the morning stars.

• the last emperor of China, Pu Yi •

Off to the side of the main palaces in The Forbidden City in Beijing, I discovered stunning large photographs framed in Chinese lacquer red surrounding a small intimate courtyard .

 How nice it would be to sit there today, and reflect on the lives of all the people of flight MA370.

Indeed that would be … very good for the soul.

 Adeline

San Francisco: Cafés and lists

January in northern California has been exquisite. It's been a month of unseasonably mild sunny weather - day in, day out. I keep opening the windows. I look at  the sky, not a cloud in sight. As the month will soon roll into February, I revisit New Year's resolutions that have zigzagged through my mind; I love honoring new beginnings. 

I have a thing for lists. I make them at work; I make them at home; I make them in my head; I make them all the time. I tell my girls to make lists. Lists are good.

I do not have a lot of solo time. There is a place in San Francisco where I like to return to time and again. I can quietly contemplate my lists, and edit them to my heart's content. There is something quite lovely to me about the Café de La Presse on the edge of Chinatown, in the French Quarter. I easily tune out the locals, the tourists, the demanding toddlers, the bustling waiters. With my camera never far away, I notice details in the worn grain of my table, in the fold of the window curtain shielding the traffic beyond its panels. I gather a few crumbs from the flaky croissant. I ponder. I linger. I love the earth tones. The coffee is strong.

Still in the city at twilight? Another café to contemplate those resolutions. Lingering over the distressed copper-top tables and warm lights of Café Flore in the Castro District will definitely do the trick as well. Mind you by then, it's not coffee that will be on the table; and lists will be perfectly folded and tucked away!

Later I will cross the Golden Gate Bridge, updated lists in hand, invigorated, and rejoiced!

The Café De La Presse is at the gateway of Chinatown. The Lunar New Year starts early this year - on January 31st. The Year of the Horse will be celebrated. Time to ring in the New Year all over again! Does that mean new lists? New resolutions?! Definitely a new blog post is in order… with perhaps a hop across the ocean to China!

A quiet space ~ a simple list or two ~ it is always good for the soul. 

Santa is coming to town ~ it's Christmas time!

The holidays are upon us. Over the past week, family has arrived from the Netherlands, from Brazil; and soon from Barcelona. Oh the joy! We will gather around. Christmas Day will be festive. Friends will join us as well.

Last year, my mood was in soft teal, lavender hues, and silver (click here to go back in time). This year, I return to the magical quality of my favorite color, magenta, this time wrapped in a vintage accent…  

I mix it up with old mercury glass, crystal jars and glass ornaments (I just love the porcelain face on the Russian ornament). Since I simply must have a taste of France, I sneak in my slow growing collection of Eiffel Towers, along with a few miniature bottle brush trees wrapped in glitter and baubles, and I steal last year's photo of "Dreaming of snow"! 

The weather is just exquisite. There will be no snow. There will be joy and laughter and delights.

 

If I have time as the festivities begin, I will attempt to photograph the Christmas village tucked on a chest of drawers in a corner of the dining room. There I have blanketed the land with snow and  "Santon" clay figurines from Provence. I do believe they do deserve their own fifteen minutes of fame. Let's see what I can do. For now though:

Jingle Bells ~

Merry Christmas ~

Joyeux Noël ~

Peace on Earth ~

Oh so good for the soul ~ Enjoy ~ Adeline