map your travels

most of my nephews and nieces and friend's kids went on some sort of traveling adventure this summer. here is a cool little wall map for them to hang up. they scratch off the places they or you have been to reveal a colorful and geographical detailed country where the family has just visited.

i wish i had this cool little my scratch world map on my 3rd grade wall - i would scratch off the 50 countries my father visited throughout my childhood......

mlk

martin luther king and i share a birthday. because of this little fact, i used to think, growing up, that we would share all sorts of qualities. personal courage, intellectual heft and stirring eloquence to name just a few. but now, all grown up,  i'll settle on a birthday in common and maybe a little bit of likeminded passion for justice and hatred for injustice - he for his people, and me for mine. they unveiled a new memorial to dr. king on the washington mall last week. a 30 ft. tall sculpture which from the very beginning was plagued in controversy. a lot has improved in this country thanks to the tireless work and words of dr. king, but i don't think the america i live in today is the america he was striving and dreaming for.
here is an op-ed piece from the new york times, written by cornel west, about the forgotten mlk dream.

and here is a bonus song from one brilliant band for one brilliant man

fig fantasy

i received a little gift this weekend - a ridiculously delicious fig pastry, made fresh on saturday with figs bought at that morning's local farmers market.
i warmed it up in the oven and had it for breakfast yesterday.
sunday morning perfection.
i have said it before and i'll shout it from the rooftops if need be again, huckleberry has the best pastries and baked goods in the city.
gracias mp!

grand slam

just in time for the start of the us open next monday, here are some pictures, shot by  photographer walter looss jr. for the new york times magazine. andy samberg is brilliant and makes me long for my 1982 bjorn borg racket and the heart stopping matches of the one and only andre.
the magazine also features a great article on classic tennis rivalries. 
have a smashing 5 games to love weekend!

nutella pudding

because i can eat nutella morning, noon or night and because i've never had anything with hazelnuts and chocolate that i didn't absolutely love,  i think i am going to attempt to make the following recipe. 

it serves 8, which means i can share 4 and eat the other 4 for breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight snack. really. 

• 1 1/2 cup whole hazelnuts
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 vanilla bean
• 6 extra-large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large pinch salt
• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter

1. heat the oven to 350 degrees F. spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes. let cool. when cool, put in a clean towel and rub vigorously to remove skins (you can also just use your fingers). it's okay if some skin is left on -- you're going to strain later.
2. chop the cooled hazelnuts to a coarse crumb in a food processor.
3. make the hazelnut-infused cream: put the milk and half and half in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. split the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and add both the bean and seeds to the milk. add the hazelnuts and heat to scalding over medium-low heat. remove from the heat and set aside to infuse for 20 minutes.
4. in the meantime, whisk the egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar and salt together in a large bowl until thick and pale yellow.
5. in a small saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring until smooth. set aside to cool.
6. strain the milk-hazelnut mixture into the egg yolk mixture, half a cup at a time, whisking after each addition until you've added about a cup and a half. then strain and whisk in the rest of the milk. return to the saucepan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the custard is thick and starts to bubble, about 3 minutes.
7. strain the thickened custard into a clean bowl. stir in the melted chocolate-butter mixture.
8. optional, but highly recommended: scrape the entire pudding into a blender or food processor and process for about 30 seconds, until silky-smooth. this step really gives the pudding a wonderful lightness.
9. spoon the pudding into small ramekins or dessert cups, cover with plastic wrap and chill, overnight if possible.  do not eat it unchilled -- right after you make it the flavors will not have blended and will taste a little off.                                                                                             

*photos and recipe courtesy of gojee, a great, beautifully designed recipe finder site

compass

every single thing becomes a word
in a language that someone or something, a night and day,
writes down in a never-ending scribble,
which is the history of the world, embracing


rome, carthage, you, me, everyone,
my life, which i do not understand, this anguish
of being enigma, accident, and puzzle,
and all the discordant languages of babel.


behind each name lies that which has no name.
today i felt its nameless shadow tremble
in the blue-clarity of the compass needle,


whose rule extends as far as the far seas,
something like a clock glimpsed in a dream
or a bird that stirs suddenly in its sleep.


- jorge luis borges

battle for libya

pictures sometimes (often) speak louder than words.

*photos courtesy of al-jazeera

music monday - Love for Speed (Eshgh e Sorat)

i've been listening to a lot of the new music coming out of iran recently, a spark lit after watching circumstance last week and no one knows about persian cats several months ago. these two movies have amazing soundtracks showcasing some great new iranian talent which has led me to the discovery of some great new persian bands.
here is a topical, catchy tune from a newly discovered band, kiosk, who formed in tehran in 2004. 
subtitles thrown in at no extra charge.

circumstance

i've been waiting all summer for this iranian movie and had the fortunate opportunity to finally watch a special pre-release screening of circumstance a couple of night ago.
first time feature film director and writer maryam keshavarz falls right into place amidst a new crop of iranian filmmakers and movies depicting youth culture under iran's current repressive regime. keshavarz digs into the underbelly of the current state of affairs in iran, where 70% of iran's population of 70 million is under the age of 30. 
the movie centers around two 16 year-old friends, atafeh and shireen, as they struggle with both internal and external cultural repression and sexual forces. it depicts iran, and young iranians, in a way seldom seen in cinema and for that reason alone i felt the film and it's characters compelling and moving. the plot stumbles and trips up with numerous narrative holes and miscalculations and by the end of the film, some questions are never answered, but as a whole, it's a brave, beautifully shot film with one of the best soundtracks i've heard in years. 
so forgive some of the missing pieces in the storyline and go see the movie when it is released nationwide next week - the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
happy weekend trails.

grilled watermelon

summer is not summer without watermelons and without outdoor grilled dinners. so when i found a recipe that called for grilled watermelon, i had the give it a try.
well, turns out that grilled watermelon is actually not so nice. or maybe you just need to clean your grill really well before your grill your fruit so your watermelon slices don't end up tasting as ours did, steak flavored. 
i think i'll try peaches next time - always a safe grilled fruit option.

drug war

a captivating diane arbusesque photo essay by katie orlinsky, depicting and humanizing the mexican drug war's immediate effects on the countries woman and children.
i will always be convinced that photojournalism is as important as a riveting news story and it's celebrated by-line.

*photos courtesy of the nytimes

venga

i live only a couple of miles away from the heart of beverly hills, but i would be hard pressed to recommend a really delicious place to eat there, somewhere where the quality of the food matters more than your designer bag and your black suv waiting at the valet. i can name dozens of restaurants here in town i love and crave but none are actually in beverly hills - even the 90210 transplant of the celebrated bouchon is just not worthy of a second visit.

but yesterday we tried a new place, and i can now say, i recommend a place in beverly hills for lunch and dessert. 

venga is a little bright and airy coffee and lunch spot - a perfect place to sit on the sidewalk and watch the world of 90210 walk by. it has a spanish name, but a french menu, serving yummy soups, sandwiches, amazing desserts and coffee. 

i drooled over a perfectly crispy and creamy croque monsieur while db delighted in her potato leek and pesto soup. and of course there was dessert, this lovely, light but delicious passion fruit chocolate mouse creation. 

come to beverly hills, go crazy in the barney's shoe department and then stroll over to venga for an afternoon treat.

venga

310-205-9400

460 n. canon dr.

beverly hills, ca 90210

music monday - safar

some persian infused music for your blurry monday morning. 
i'm a bit on the fence when it comes to music of dc based thievery corporation. all their albums sound the same to me - the unmistakable soundtrack to the 18th street lounge days. 
but i can never fault musicians who try to bridge gaps and combine contrasting sounds and cultures through music - and this short song is a nice example of my two cultures colliding. 

desert house

i love this fantastic house, just not sure about it's location, a few miles away from death valley. my dream house and i would require green vegetation and the sound of the sea to go with the surrounding oppressive heat. 

have a great, sun and heat filled weekend.

*photos courtesy of the nytimes

anarchy in the uk

i love london. we lived there for a time and whenever i am back, it instantly feels like home. as far back as i can physically go to 'where i grew up". 
this week, london and a growing number of other british cities are being set ablaze by fueling riots which started last saturday night in the north of london, after a 29 year old alleged gang member was shot and killed by police. but these are not riots with a central cause, a call for change or a cry for justice. they seem random and violent and a release of anger for thousands of unemployed youth, an unemployment problem britain has not addressed. a problem that has now set fire to the streets of my favorite city. 
here are a couple of articles published in the new york times recently breaking down the facts and opinions.

ramadan

august 1st marked the start of ramadan, and here and here are a series of photographs commemorating the monthly fast. 

summer sneakers

i've been wearing these comfy french bensimon's  and classic american mesh converse sneakers all around town this summer. chic-casual-cool (summer breeze, no heat cool, not hey i'm the fonz cool)! 
perfect alternatives to the too trendy toms and perfect for my weho walking feet until i can get my hands on some cozy espadrilles that fit. 
don't you worry, i'm still eyeing a pair of these lovelies from a few months ago....

music monday - inverno

because relationships demand water and food and air and warmth. because whoever said that distance make the heart grow fonder didn't really live thousands of miles away for months at a time and because the heart demands to be heard and held, no matter the longitude or latitude; in leblon, london or los angeles. 

because my portuguese poetry skills are a bit lacking, here is my favorite brazilian singer, adriana calcanhotto, and one of my favorite songs written, inverno:

No dia em que fui mais feliz
Eu vi um avião
Se espelhar no seu olhar até sumir
De lá pra cá não sei
Caminho ao longo do canal
Faço longas cartas pra ninguém
E o inverno no Leblon é quase glacial
Há algo que jamais se esclareceu:
Onde foi exatamente que larguei
Naquele dia mesmo
O leão que sempre cavalguei?
Lá mesmo esqueci
Que o destino
Sempre me quis só
No deserto sem saudade, sem remorso só
Sem amarras, barco embriagado ao mar
Não sei o que em mim
Só quer me lembrar
Que um dia o céu Reuniu-se a terra um instante por nós dois 
Pouco antes do Ocidente se assombrar 

dutch way of life

those awesome dutch designers have done it again. a subway station slide, enabling commuters to get to their train faster when in a rush.... a brilliant way to start your morning or evening commute!  

and in keeping with the great ways of the dutch theme, here is a new york times article about the great dutch bike culture.

have a lovely slide ride filled weekend.

john digweed

db and i hitting the dance floor for 3 hours late (very late) last night...

and this morning? a photo of a slightly hungover, very exhausted, sore and sleepless me would just be a cruel thing to subject you to dear readers! 
no fear, weekend almost here!

shepard fairey in weho

shepard fairey just finished a 70 x 106 mural, named peace elephant,  on the side wall of the new, soon to be inaugurated, west hollywood library. the library itself isn't the nicest new piece of architecture to have gone up in these parts this summer, but the mural (along with other pieces by kenny scharf and retina) is a nice addition of public art to the neighborhood. I've driven or walked by the mural everyday this week and the tourists and locals are alrady out in full force, snapping pictures of the new giant celebrity art piece. 

*photos courtesy of obeygiant.com

scribbling snackers

i reward my once in a blue moon worthy sentence creations with sea salted dark chocolate almonds. if the sentence is a keeper then it is deserving of pastries and espresso. If the sentence turns itself into a paragraph, then by all means oysters (we will discuss my recent insatiable craving for oysters at a later date)!

the new york times just published a lovely little piece written and illustrated by wendy macnaughton on what fuels some of the great masters of literature.

have a inspirational and snack filled week!