The Boys

On our early evening walk, The Puppy and I ran into his brother.  I love that his brother lives nearby.  It's amazing to see that they have similar gestures and expressions, even though they have grown up in different homes.

Crazy Rich Asians

A few weeks ago, I was getting a book at Three Lives, when I looked to my left and came upon, "Crazy Rich Asian."  Who could resist that cover?!!  Bright pink words against a slightly tarnished gold background!  And the book is set in Singapore!

I hesitated.  I hadn't heard anything about the book...  No one at Three Lives had got round to reading it yet...  A Chinese-American Economics professor is invited by her Singaporean History professor boyfriend to attend the wedding of his best friend at home.  She accepts the invitation and goes to Singapore to find that not only is her boyfriend the scion of a very, very rich family, but that all the knives are out for her for being involved with the most eligible bachelor in Singapore.  So far, so good, but I still wondered about impulsively buying a hardcover book with a somewhat conventional-sounding plot.  Then I read the first two paragraphs and the image of proper Asian ladies delicately dabbing the rain off their, no doubt, impeccable faces sold the book.

It took a couple of weeks before I got to the book, but when I did, I tore through it in about three days...  All four hundred odd pages of it.  I spent almost an entire day in bed reading.  The only reason why I put it down was because I had a dinner engagement.

I don't know any crazy rich asians, having grown up among expats.  And the Singapore I grew up in was a rather quiet town - I remember when the shophouses on Emerald Hill were really shophouses; I am THAT old.  But I found plenty that was familiar in the book.  I could completely SEE all the places described, all the gestures drawn, all the food eaten.  Among other things, the description of the wedding reception is pretty priceless.  I haven't been to one in many, many years, but one of the last times the Husband and I were in town, we returned to the hotel one weekend evening to find people waiting for their cars at the entrance, exactly as described.

The book has been catagorised as a trashy read, but I'm not sure I would agree.  I saw plenty in the novel which was pretty close to life in Singapore when I lived there and whenever I visit.  I particularly loved that the author depicted all the cultural nuances so perfectly.  The book may not be to everyone's taste, but I certainly enjoyed every page of it.

Flatiron

One of the good fortunes of living in New York City, is going about one's errands during the day and coming upon this view:

I always think of the Edward Steichen photo whenever I see the building.  This is just an iPhone photo in the daytime.  But the view still has the capacity thrill me - even after over 20 years - that I whipped out my iPhone and snapped away.

Composition On A Dashboard

As I was crossing Fifth Avenue yesterday evening, I saw a sculptural piece of wood on the dashboard of a van.  It was a part of a composition or installation of sorts!  I love discovering these kinds of things just walking around the city.

The Details

The Husband and I have always enjoyed going to Grounded on Jane Street.  It reminds us of the old days before the Village was overrun by Starbucks and other chains.  It's a very good place to meet someone for coffee or tea.

Today, as I was making my way to my favourite magazine shop on 8th Avenue, I came across this sign and made the turn into the place:

I just HAD to find out what iced cardamon coffee was.  There's a very delicious caffeine free chicory coffee at Smith Canteen in Brooklyn and I was rather hoping for something like that.

There was a bit of a line and I hemmed and hawed about waiting to get a coffee.  Then I noticed this:

And this:

I had to really study the menu:

Interesting drinks aside, I loved how appealingly the menu chalkboards had been done.

The extensive tea menu:

The variety!  Truly, a place after my own heart.  The colours were so cheerful.

Suddenly, I felt some sort of light fabric against my calf.  A woman with a very light blonde pixie cut, oversized, grey tee-shirt and white, floor-length tulle skirt with one tier at the calf was standing next to the fellow ahead of me in line.  They had a quick conversation before she left him with a paper bag and swept out of the place as quickly as she had swept in.  I turned to her friend and said, "I love your friend's outfit."

"She doesn't do casual," He replied.

The cardamon coffee turned out to be a caffeinated coffee - essentially, a coffee flavoured with cardamon.  It sounded enticing, but it was a little too late in the day for a coffee.  So I opted to have the black tea rose latte - Assam tea with steamed milk and rose syrup - with soy milk.

On the way out, I noticed the tea canisters:

I have always had a thing for Chinoiserie.

The black rose tea latte was pretty divine.  It was a proper cup of milky tea with a subtle hint of rose.  I can see myself swinging by for more of that whenever I am within a 5-block radius.

Grounded

28 Jane Street

(btw Greenwich & 8th Avenues)

(212) 647 0943

groundedcoffee.com

New Dining Table

We've had an Ikea Doksta dining table for a couple of years - one of my dreams has been to have a marble topped Saarinen Tulip dining table.  Recently, I came to the conclusion that a small-ish round dining table is really not very practical for our living purposes.  The dining table has always doubled as an additional work surface for me and I've really missed having a good one.  Certainly, the lack of a proper work surface has been one of the challenges with watercolour class assignments:

Over the weekend, the Husband and I went to the Erica Tanov boutique moving sale - sad that they are leaving their lovely space on Elizabeth Street - and one of the tables caught our eye.  We jumped on it and, early this afternoon, the table arrived!

Acres of dining and work surface!  I'm beyond excited to eat and work on the table.

Watercolour

I have been taking a watercolour class this summer.  It's been a little frustrating because I have not been able to give it the attention I would like.  Still, it's been really lovely to get back in the saddle, so to speak...