jmaichang

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Eat / Tim Ho Wan

Tim Ho Wan
G/F, 9-11 Fuk Wing Street
Hong Kong
China

Seriously the cheapest Michelin Star restaurant: egg rolls, chow mein, har gow, baked bun w/ BBQ pork (not pictured), sticky rice

Just a quick post about my trip to Iceland. It wasn't on my top 100 destination bucket list but it was seriously fun. The food tasted, well like ikea, but the people were friendly and I had a blast. We didn't see the Aurora Borealis (the original purpose to go to Iceland) but I had fun, nonetheless.

You DEFINITELY must go on the Super Jeep tour. We opted for the "Golden Circle & Langjökull Glacier" which is a full-day tour (see places below). I loved that it's a small group (up to six which is as many as you can fit in a jeep), so you get an intimate tour with your guide. As an option, we individually ride a snow mobile on glacier for a good hour (totally awesome). The cost was approximately $550/person but for a city where most of the places require a car and is quite a drive from the city, you will want a guide and driver.

Thingvellir National Park
Walk between continents
Viking parliament
Geysir
Strokkur geyser
Gullfoss
Faxi
Off-road drive to Langjökull glacier

Oh, and a quick shot of fish and chips from Reykjavik Fish.

Handbag / Mini Crossbody Bags

Sources / Saint Laurent Classic Small Monogram Université Bag / Fendi Peekaboo Mini Satchel Bag / Givenchy Micro Nightingale Satchel / Givenchy Pandora Leather Chain Wallet / Fendi Chameleon Bag Saint Laurent Classic Small Lulu Bag / 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli Mini Satchel / 3.1 Phillip Lim Vendetta ‘Mini’ Crossbody / Salvatore Ferragamo Small Sofia

Eat / Lola

Lola
2000 4th Ave
Seattle, WA 98121

Eggs benedict // poached eggs, bavarian meats ham, dill hollandaise, smashed garlic fried potatoes

Remodel / Our House (When We Moved In)

In the previous post, it was all about how the house looked before we moved in. Now, you have to remember that in the early 2000s, Pottery Barn was all the rage. The brown neutral colors with large sofas and tables were in style. I saved catalogs from Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel. I clipped them and made mood boards. I wanted to live in those stores. I tried my best and made the house look like it the catalogs. I think I achieved it, to an extent. I LOVED it. But now, looking back, everything was too big. Too dark. Too traditional. Too much leather. It would have looked better in a larger home. As a result, I fell into that first-time home buyer pitfall and bought everything in sight. I now know that I need to edit. Buy one piece at at a time and see if it fits. Keep it simple and in proportion to the space.

Remodel / Our House (Before We Moved In)

Our house has gone a long way since we first bought it in 2004. It was hard to look past the decor and furniture but I fell in love with the layout immediately. Every space was accounted for and no space was wasted. It's a two story, 4 bedroom, 3 baths, 1589 sq ft with an attached garage. The walls were recently painted with new carpet in the bedrooms, tiles in the kitchen and baths, and laminate in the main living area. It's not my favorite choice of details, but as a first-time home buyer, it was move-in ready.

It's been ten years and we still live here. I'm happy to say we are in the middle of a major renovation.