Showing posts with label Chicago. Show all posts
August in Review
Chicago
,
Japan
,
Kyoto
,
Month in Review
,
Naoshima Island
,
Osaka
,
Tokyo
,
USA
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I went back to my favorite city in the world. Ah Tokyo, the land of warm toilets and platform sandals.
1st row: Dotonbori River in Osaka // Benesse House Museum in Naoshima Island // Brooklyn Roasting Company in Osaka [Japan]
2nd row: Sagano Romantic Train in Kyoto // Omotesando area in Tokyo // Ebisu Yokocho in Tokyo [Japan]
3rd row: Shibuya area in Tokyo // downtown Chicago // Lake Michigan in Chicago [Japan / USA]
Feeling Small in Chicago
Last summer I was extremely stressed for about a month. It was the month after college graduation; I had just been sent out into the world of adulthood with no purpose. I knew I was supposed to be happy or excited or proud or something, but I felt stupid and lonely. I likened college graduation to running really fast towards a cliff and then falling. I see now how silly my mindset was then, but of course I can say that now.During that month I couldn’t see anything else; I applied for numerous jobs every day, staring at my computer and drafting cover letter after cover letter.
One afternoon I needed to take a break and I told my mom I would get groceries for her. I walked the most indirect route to Trader Joe’s and came across an old church in Lincoln Park along the way. I don’t think many people who aren’t regular attendees go into this on a weekday afternoon because the front desk lady was visibly confused when I walked in. I asked her if I could see the sanctuary, and since she couldn’t say no, she unlocked the door.
I walked into the sanctuary, sat down on a pew and just existed. No one was there; the sanctuary was dark, quiet and a bit musty. I’m religious, but I’m not Catholic and am a bit unfamiliar with certain High-Church traditions. But for some reason being inside this elaborate sanctuary calmed me down. It wasn’t one of those enormous, ancient European cathedrals, but I could still feel the weight of the people who had believed the same thing for years and had lived their lives through thick and thin; I felt very small and that felt nice. After some time passed of sitting and thinking, I walked around and found a prayer book to a saint I hadn’t heard of before. I read over the various wishes and thanksgiving for health, for jobs, for homes. I wrote down what I hoped for too, a hope for a change in my mindset. And then I left and bought some milk and cheese for my mom.
Illustration by Lauren Monaco.
Spilled Milk in the Winter
My sister and I had a date on New Year’s Eve day in Chicago at Heritage Bicycles. It’s a cute coffee and bike shop right off Lincoln Ave.
My first visit to this coffeeshop was in the summer with friends a few weeks before I moved; we sat outside sipping our iced coffee because it had been completely packed inside. Now it was painfully cold outside and almost empty inside, and so my sister and I relaxed and sipped our cappuccinos while slowly dunking our chocolate biscotti. At one point her friend drove by and texted us that she saw us through the window. At another point the barista spilled milk on the floor. Later a family resembling our own came in and talked over their coffees. They seemed to really enjoy each other’s company, just like our family. While the barista took down the Christmas garlands behind us, my sister and I had a discussion about mixed families and then our family. It was so nice to be there with her.
January in Review
Chicago
,
Dallas
,
Month in Review
,
Singapore
,
USA
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Ok this is a bit longer than this month - starting from surprising my mother in Dallas for Christmas to spending New Year’s with close friends in Chicago to settling back into my life in Singapore. Eating too much dessert with my family was most definitely the highlight, but it was a good feeling to leave my belongings in another country and return to an already established life.
1st row: plane tickets at Changi International Airport, view from The Art Institute of Chicago, eating lunch
with my sister at Parson’s Chicken & Fish [USA]
2nd row: commuting (MRT), view from my kitchen, commuting (Raffles Place) [Singapore]
3rd row: brunch at Revelry Café, my bedroom wall, reading Zadie Smith at Department of Caffeine [Singapore]
New Year's Eve in Chicago
Happy New Year! And welcome to my new blog! After graduating from college in June with a degree in Literature and a desire to travel, I moved to Singapore. I’m an American who grew up in the Northeast and the South with parents from two different cultures (Italian American and Peranakan Singaporean); I’ve always assumed that this in-between upbringing and mixed ethnicity led to my desire to explore. I recently realized that I wanted to keep a record of any cool finds I’ve been to during my travels. This blog will span from my study abroad experience in Paris
to my current home in Singapore as well as all the travels in between.
The name Kaya on Brioche is meant to signify a mix of cultures. Kaya is an amazing Singaporean spread that one eats with toast. Brioche is a French bread. In college I had the blog Toast and Nutella, so I thought I’d continue the whole bread and spread theme.
I hope you enjoy the blog!
With the New Year, I give you my first find for 2015 in Chicago. If you happen to be in Wicker Park on New Year’s Eve and all the bars have closed, take a stop at Glazed & Infused. I had the good pleasure of happening on it early New Year’s Day (or late New Year’s Eve), picked up their chocolate donut and had a scrumptious treat while I huddled underneath the heat lamp waiting indefinitely for the el. There’s a certain comradery on New Year’s Eve between those cold and waiting, and our donuts were great conversation starters and objects of envy.
Glazed & Infused is part of a larger store in Wicker Park right next to the el, but they had a small storefront open to satisfy the late-nighters. Even though I limited myself to one donut, that chocolate donut was worth it. There are a few Chicago locations, but if you happen to run into one, give it a try!
Illustration by my sister, Lauren Monaco.
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