Im/material Things

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Sewon

I’ve always enjoyed collecting things — tiny stones and vintage picture books, silk scarves and handmade earrings. I didn’t realize how little time I’ve had to care for my small collections, until I returned from Vietnam. Always ready to pack my belongings into portable suitcases, I’d forgotten about them. It never takes me long to pick out what I need, pack, and leave. The hardest part, the part I haven’t quite mastered, is staying.

When I was 17 and leaving home after graduation, I asked my parents to keep my room. It’d be too sad to come home to my parent’s place one day, and realize I no longer had a place there. And throughout my travels and life abroad, knowing that I had a semi-permanent homebase and a stable mailing address was a source of comfort. I’d come home with all my battered suitcases, put them down, and fall asleep in my tiny bed, surrounded by things I’d collected. But I knew that I didn’t really live there anymore.

Like the second-coming of Jacques Lacan’s mirror stage, the realization tastes bittersweet. My childhood bedroom is slowly getting emptied out, with my books in boxes and everything else in donation bags. But it’s a brand new start.

My favorite nook by the window, where I drink coffee in the morning.

My simple room set-up, so far.

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Some nice things from the Laura Ashley catalog. I’d like some cozy blankets and hot chocolate mugs!

It’s been stressful yet rewarding to find a home and move into my new place in New York. Besides dealing with brokers and applications, I was totally stumped when I realized I needed to find my own furniture. I’d gotten used to moving into pre-furnished places. When it comes down to it, choosing good bedroom furniture can make a difference. I don’t own very much yet, but I have a big comfy bed with a memory foam mattress topper.

I’m starting to really feel at home here. I already have two little house plants, though no wall art yet. My friend Amanda also just moved into a new place, and she’s been posting some fun DIY projects. I’ve never reupholstered furniture, but she makes it look so easy and colorful. I’m really looking forward to working on apartment projects this autumn.

P.S. Please do share if you have any advice for making a new place feel more like home.

Traveling back in time, to Saigon

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Sewon

We made it to Saigon!

Beyond Hoi An, Taurin and I hadn’t planned our trip further down south. I’m quickly learning that last minute holidays are a breeze if you keep a flexible schedule. After a few more days in Danang and Hue, we flew down to Ho Chi Minh City, still widely called by its old name, Saigon.

I first came to Saigon alone a couple summers ago, when I was 19 years old. I had two months to travel, and I wanted to do it alone. I made it to Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. At the time, Saigon seemed like a frenetic urban maze, with motorbikes whizzing past looming skyscrapers and packed noodle shops. I always carried a small notebook, folded paper maps, and a point-and-shoot camera. That’s probably how this blog got started.

Saigon is just as exciting as ever. If anything’s changed, I think I’ve become a more relaxed wanderer. Taurin and I have been taking our time, following narrow alleyways leading to public parks, colorful homes, and hidden restaurants. We’re walking everywhere, especially to compensate for our eating habits. And the food here is arguably the best in Vietnam. Saigon definitely feels like a place I could call home.

As promised, a photo of me wearing my custom-made dress from Hoi An!

Retro carpeting at the Reunification Palace.

Taurin standing in the 1960s communication room.

Cuc Gach Quan is a quiet restaurant housed in a colonial villa on the outskirts of the city center. It feels more like an old house than a popular restaurant, cluttered with refurbished wooden furniture and vintage dishware.

Our meal: zucchini flower sautéed with garlic, homemade tofu with lemongrass and chili, pork stewed in clay pot, squid in tangy tamarind sauce, and steamed rice.

“It is strange how we hold on to the pieces of the past while we wait for our futures.” ― A quote from Matched by Ally Condie

Sewon’s City Guide: Las Vegas

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Sewon

One of my 24 things to do before turning 25 is to write a city guide. I love information-digging whenever I visit a place, with a strong emphasis on food-centric destinations. And of course, I’m just as eager to share my resources with my friends. At last, I finished writing my guide to Las Vegas. I also drafted a few city guides (to Montreal, Brooklyn/NY, Mexico City, and Shanghai), so I hope to share those with you!

Las Vegas has such an odd history, drastically transforming itself from a quiet town in the dessert to a city of mega resorts. These resorts are built so close to one another, that you can constantly walk in and out of these vast airconditioned spaces designed to fulfill any of your needs. As you’ll see in my guide, I really enjoyed spending my time at The Cosmopolitan. And food is definitely my weakness, and I never stopped eating in Vegas!

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China Poblano (3708 Las Vegas Blvd S)

José Andrés’ noodles and tacos restaurant with a funky interior. Pictured above: Beijing Glass – cellophane noodles in thick savory sesame dressing topped with avocado, bean sprouts, jicama, carrots, and Chinese cabbage.

Wicked Spoon Buffet (3708 Las Vegas Blvd S)

Vegas is well-known for its huge buffets, but we only ate at one buffet, The Wicked Spoon. If you want huge mounds of mashed potatoes and chilled crab legs, look anywhere else in Vegas and you’ll certainly find it. The Wicked Spoon has smaller portions of a huge variety of food and an amazing dessert bar with the biggest French macaroons. Pictured above: Fresh mussels cooked in red curry butter.