Daily Life New York

Traveling through space

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Power-walking down icy sidewalks, bundled up in my thickest wool coat, it’s hard to believe I was in California not too long ago. Although there’s much that I miss about the West Coast, it feels good to be back home in New York. And it was especially lovely to come back to a mail box full of letters and cards!

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Souvenirs from Emily’s Iceland trip: a map postcard, a found vintage landscape photograph of a village called Kirkjubæjarklaustur, and a delicate handmade ceramic cup. Ah, she knows me so well!

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My talented friend Orion made this illustrated story book in Kunming. When his parcel arrived in New York, I held the book in my hands and started re-remembering Yunnan.

There was one day Taurin, Orion, and I went to eat a bowl of chicken noodle soup together. I silently followed Orion, starting to feel hangry (so hungry that you start feeling angry)–I must have been in the studio working all day.

The noodle shop had only one thing on the menu and a self-serve station with all the best fixings–all the chopped scallions, minced garlic, and hot pepper paste that you could ever want. I piled a mound of toppings on my bowl of soup and sat on a plastic stool on the sidewalk. No one talked. We just dove into that bowl and slurped away, with huge smiles on our faces.

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Rina’s package was such a wonderful surprise on a cold, cold day! I love the tiny Japanese incense and paper goodies.

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All the letters really do travel through space…

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Charlotte hid a collection of pretty stamps in a secret pouch on the envelope. Oh, that Russian stamp! I really love stylized propaganda paper goodies.

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Johanna’s handprinted zine, Colletion #1, arrived from Berlin! And psst, she just finished printing Colletion #2.

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Matcha latte and sweet potato pastry, while flipping through Mika Ninagawa’s colorful photo book.


Shugo Tokumaru’s new stop motion music video is mesmerizing.

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I walked around the snow covered Central Park on Saturday with my film camera. All the rolls expired in the ’80s and ’90s, so who knows how/if these shots will turn out? I can’t wait to get the rolls developed this week!

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Do you remember how short my hair used to be? I’m trying to grow it out this year.

P.S. Gabriela invited me to do an interview for Vociferous magazine. I talk about my childhood, travels, current projects, and a bit about my plans for this year. She asked me such wonderful questions, I almost started writing an essay.

Which reminds me, I’m slowly doing some spring cleaning and reorganizing around the blog. I just added a couple more places on my Adventure Map.

22 Comments

  • Reply
    Amelia
    January 29, 2013 at 3:59 am

    That tea cup is so cute. Hangry should be a word in the dictionary – I know so many people that get hangry (myself included).

    As always, lovely photos.

    • Reply
      Sewon
      February 4, 2013 at 8:45 pm

      Thank you, Amelia! Being hangry is such a silly thing, but it happens to the best of us. 😛

  • Reply
    Vivika Vain
    January 29, 2013 at 4:40 am

    Love your photos once more. Awesome video, lovely cup.

    • Reply
      Sewon
      February 4, 2013 at 8:46 pm

      Thank you, Vivika!

  • Reply
    Veronica Fish
    January 29, 2013 at 11:45 am

    Love Shugo! That video is positively astounding

    • Reply
      Sewon
      February 4, 2013 at 8:47 pm

      I watched the Shugo video several times and thought about how they might have cut out those paper pieces…

  • Reply
    Rina
    January 29, 2013 at 5:05 pm

    Glad your package arrived safely! What a relief!
    And you also received some other lovely things as well, you are very much loved, SeWon!
    🙂 I hope those rolls of film come out. Expired film snow pictures, I’ m sure they will turn out very dreamlike.
    Oh, I haven’t listened to Shugo for ages, and that video is so precious!
    I really enjoyed your interview from VOCIFEROUS. It’s so great!
    And by the way, I’m also trying to grow out my hair a little as well. ♥
    xo

    • Reply
      Sewon
      February 4, 2013 at 8:48 pm

      Thanks, again + I am using your cute paper vase for my yarn and knitting needles (a little reminder to myself to take a break once in awhile). 🙂 It’s so hard to let your hair grow out when you’ve had it short. Ah~ good luck, Rina~

  • Reply
    Crystal
    January 30, 2013 at 12:04 am

    The first picture in this post is absolutely gorgeous! You have inspired to take my camera with me to work so that I can capture some pictures of my city.

    All of those packages look so nice! Sometimes I miss snail mail.

    • Reply
      Sewon
      February 4, 2013 at 8:49 pm

      I hope to see some photos of your city soon, Crystal!

  • Reply
    Dayna
    January 30, 2013 at 11:19 am

    What a beautiful collection of objects! I love the idea of putting a little secret pocket on an envelope.

    • Reply
      Sewon
      February 4, 2013 at 8:50 pm

      Thank you, Dayna! The secret pocket was such a pleasant surprise. 🙂

  • Reply
    J Dubbs
    February 1, 2013 at 11:37 pm

    Completely random question:
    What do you do with all the bits and pieces of mail you receive? Do you have a huge box or a scrapbook collection?

  • Reply
    Gretch
    February 2, 2013 at 4:09 am

    Wow. You receive a lot of wonderful items. 🙂
    The tea cup is certainly cute.
    And the storybook looks fantastic 🙂

    And aww… those letters are so sweet. 🙂
    Receiving mails from friends are definitely one of the best feelings ever 🙂

  • Reply
    A Certain Vintage
    February 2, 2013 at 9:10 am

    i love post like this, i want to find a few blogger penpals this year i think to send cute packages too! gorgeous photos and how lovely is the ceramic icelandic cup!
    xox

  • Reply
    Loes
    February 4, 2013 at 6:16 am

    That ceramic cup looks so beautiful and you on the last photo (yes, yes yes) also! I saw the book in the previous post and it looks so much like the book ‘Tartine Bread’ I got. Do you know that one? I just made a new starter this morning and I hope to make two breads this saturday 🙂 Your blog makes me happy!

  • Reply
    meds
    February 4, 2013 at 10:11 am

    love that ceramic cup 😉 and i bet the expired film from your walk will reveal very interesting pictures. can’t wait to see!

  • Reply
    chang'e
    February 8, 2013 at 3:08 am

    Dear Sewon, I really wanted to read the article, but when I clicked the link, it was hacked.
    Could you give me another link or file so I can read the article?
    Thank you 🙂

    • Reply
      Sewon
      February 9, 2013 at 1:41 pm

      Thank you for letting me know, Chang’e. I hear the magazine website was hacked last week, but I just checked and everything should be okay now. 🙂

  • Reply
    Katie
    February 14, 2013 at 6:47 pm

    The story book by Orion looks amazing!

  • Reply
    chloe
    February 17, 2013 at 1:31 pm

    What a lovely letter to receive! I love that short hair too.
    I am a new visitor to your blog, from Koi Story!

  • Reply
    Johanna Tagada / Bonjour Johanna
    February 18, 2013 at 10:28 am

    Bonjour lovely Sewon,

    I just opened the page with the interview and while read it now with tea! 🙂

    Thanks a lot for posting the zine and thanks a lot for your support! 🙂 I will send you Colletion #2 soon! ^^
    Matcha Latte is always so delicious, I truly hope we can share some this year.

    Many hugs <3 <3

    J.

    PS: The cup is lovely!

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