different but familiar

I’ve been back in Delft for almost two weeks now but Hong Kong is still on my mind. The best way I end up describing it to people is “different but familiar”. There was something about Hong Kong that made me feel sort of comfortable, but at the same time there were always so many new and different experiences and things to see to keep it exciting. These photos were taken close to my site in Sheung Wan and at the Graham Street Market in Central. I was amazed to see the printer [in photo 3] still using a very old style printing press.. really fascinating to watch.

I haven’t posted in a while because I’ve been super busy since I’ve been back, but now that I finally have some film developed I’ll have more to share. Hope everyone is enjoying the last few weeks of November!

one two three

The trip to London with my sister was great and it was even more fun because my good friend Ignacio and his friend José were there at the same time! We decided to meet up on the Sunday we were there and check out Brick Lane and some of the other festivities going on around town. Brick Lane was a sensory overload as usual, so much to look and and some really great street food. We also encountered an interesting street performer .

Well looks like the next few weeks will be pretty busy.. with a paper to write, one to edit and a presentation on the 25th plus planning another one for the Hong Kong University students I have a lot on my plate. Oh and Halloween is coming up! I guess I can add coming up with a costume idea to the list..

portland + powell’s

 I took these photos in Portland on our first afternoon there. We walked around the city centre and checked out the Saturday Market and the infamous Powell’s Books [amazing!]. I was pretty overwhelmed by that place.. the architecture and design section alone was huge!

It’s been a while but I’ve been super busy getting ready to head back to Europe, getting things sorted back here in Delft and doing a bit of traveling with my sister. I have a few days now to rest and hopefully accomplish some of the things I need to get done before school starts again in a week. Hope everyone is enjoying the last few weeks of August!

it will find you

Generally London seemed pretty street art free but I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot in the Brick Lane area on Sunday while we were checking out the markets. Guess you just have to know where to look for some things, but I think I prefer to stumble upon them.

This weekend was nice, spent some time at a nearby park since the weather was really nice, had consecutive picnics, and got some sorbet today. Well for something not so nice, I also discovered that my local go-to store for developing is being a big jerk and no longer offering in store processing, which means I have to wait a week to get my film back. I’m going to try and find somewhere new I think.. but it’s just annoying.

Anyways, my exam break is over and I’ll be back in classes on Tuesday after another site visit tomorrow. Not going to lie, I really wish school was finished for the semester right about now..

columbia road market

Sunday [our last day in London] was definitely one of my favourites. It was market day! First we headed to the Columbia Road market in Shoreditch. It’s mainly a flower and plant market, but there are lots of cute shops and second-hand stores that are part of it as well. I found these amazing chairs [photo 6] that I wanted to buy so bad, but they would have been pretty impossible to bring home. I have a nerdy obsession with maps, and they were basically covered in maps from different parts of London.. how cool is that? My lovely friend [and London hostess] Bev bought some bright orange flowers for her place, and although it was kind of a grey day and drizzly day none of us seemed to really mind.. there was so much to see around the markets, we forgot all about the bad weather.

On a side note, I’m totally excited to be heading to Berlin in about 3 weeks time! Going to do a bit of research for my architectural history thesis and general exploring. And of course lots of photos. : )

portobello road

I could have spent so much time [and money] at the antique market on Portobello Road.. so many interesting things! Unfortunately I only brought a backpacking bag with me [can't fit much] and I didn’t have a huge budget. I’ll know better for next time : ) I did manage a few neat finds though: some old letterpress blocks, a rabbit charm for my sister and I found a super cute camera charm [the back even opens!] for myself. Just have to find a proper chain for it now. There were some cool old cameras there too… I can’t wait for the antique market to start back up here in Delft!

My birthday parcel finally arrived yesterday. It was filled with all sorts of nice things, even some baking from home! Speaking of which I have some of my own baking and stuff to do for tomorrow. Looking forward to this weekend!

pike place

One of my favourite places in Seattle is Pike Place Market. I know it’s kind of touristy, but there’s so much to look at and some really delicious food! I like to think of it as the Seattle equivalent to Vancouver’s Granville Island. I attempted to have a cup of the Pike Place Chowder, but it was soooo rich, I couldn’t even finish the smallest size, lame I know.

Here are a few shots I took. I wasn’t sure if I should include the ones I took in Post Alley along with these, but I took quite a few, so I’ll post those tomorrow. I have more photos from inside the market on another roll which hasn’t been finished yet.

Anyways, in other exciting news… my family is going to Europe this summer and I’m super excited to go along and take a ton of pictures! I’m trying to decide if bringing 3 cameras is overkill though…