Adventures of Yoo

January 5 2016

Breathtaking Black and White Watercolor Paintings of Children with Animals by Elicia Edijanto

Using only black and white watercolors, Jakarta-based artist and graphic designer Elicia Edijanto creates breathtaking paintings that show the unique connection between children and animals. In her dream-like scenes, small, young children stand alongside wild animals like bears, elephants and buffalo. The juxtaposition makes each painting feel surreal in a tranquil, contemplative way. “There’s an innate relationship between children and the animal kingdom,” she states. “Our children sing songs about animals, they have toy animals, they have books about animals and they dream about animals.”

I got the rare chance to interview Edijanto on her background and technique, which you can read about below.

How did you learn how to watercolor? Are you self-taught?
I learned it all by myself. I practice a lot, and I try and explore different things. I sometimes like to watch YouTube or other artists’ paintings to know more about their techniques.

How many years have you been painting?
I’ve been painting since childhood. As I grew up, I painted occasionally. I majored in design at my university so that kept me close to art and the creative world. It allowed me to have more time and a chance to work on paintings. Slowly but surely, it got more and more serious, and now I thank God that I’m able to do what I love while supporting my life as well.

How has your watercoloring changed over the past year?
Actually it hasn’t changed a lot. The concept and message, even the style are still the same. There are still a lot of things that I can explore, and I don’t want to rush to move into another different ground. However, for the past year, I’ve tried to picture different kinds of atmosphere in my paintings. From silence to chaos, from mild to wild. I’ve also learned more about many animals, their characteristics, and what they represent.

What are some of the special techniques you use?
I’m depending a lot on watercolor’s fluidness. In fact, I don’t do much, I just wet the paper with water, put on some amount of watercolor, and then just let it flow and make its own shapes. Just like in real life, we can’t control everything. Sometimes we have to let things go their way. Let it be. Sometimes I like using a sprayer and other tools to achieve particular effects.

Why do you only paint in black and white?
Colors can have both its advantages and drawbacks. I believe that the effect of colors on people is subjective. It can enhance the beauty and message of an artwork, but sometimes, it can also mislead you. In my case, I want people to focus on the essentials in my paintings, the emotions, the atmosphere. I want to focus on those things and leave out the colors. But this doesn’t mean I won’t use colors on my paintings in the future. I love colors. It’s just how you carry it out with the message you want to send.

You can find more of Edijanto’s art on Behance or buy prints of Edijanto’s paintings over on Lumarte. Love her work.

Art & Design

January 4 2016

The Most Intense New Show on Television: Mr. Robot

During the past few weeks, Sam and I spent many nights watching one of the most gripping new shows on television, Mr. Robot. Recommended to us by my sister and her husband, we were hooked from the pilot and rode the show like a rollercoaster till the finale. (There are 10 episodes.) NPR published a great article about the psychological thriller, where they don’t give too much away. They call it “probably the most modern show on TV” and say Elliot Alderson, played by Rami Malek, is “a fascinatingly soulful actor who manages to be both pop-eyed and hollow-eyed at the very same time.”

I personally loved Malek’s portrayal of this vigilante hacker. The voice-overs are creepy, pulling you into Elliot’s paranoid world. Malek is up for multiple awards including a Golden Globe (which will be broadcast this coming Sunday, January 10), a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critics’ Choice Television Award. I wouldn’t be surprised if he swept them all.

The Hollywood Reporter has an eye-opening article where they talk to Sam Esmail, the brilliant mastermind behind the show. As he states, “First and foremost, the show’s about Elliot and his struggle to fit in, his struggle to connect with people.” (Warning: There are spoilers. Also, skip this paragraph now if you haven’t watched the show.) Esmail talks about the last scene in the finale and what’s in store for Season 2. As for the overall meaning of the show, Esmail says, “Whenever anyone asks me, ‘Well, what’s the show about?’ It’s always been a hard question to answer, and it’s because it’s about this. It’s about, how does a guy who really has associative-identity disorder, how does he combat that in a realistic way? What does he do when he has these demons that he has to face, different parts of his own personality and his own identity? How does he come to terms with that? That’s something we’re going to explore for basically the rest of the run of the series, not just the next season. How all those things play out is still something that we’re going to figure out in the writers’ room.”

In this Entertainment Weekly article, Esmail acknowledges that the show was inspired by Fight Club among many other things. In fact, they played a song from Fight Club on the show. “I’ll say this right now. I rip off of every movie and TV show I’ve ever seen in my life,” Esmail stated. “I’m a film nerd. That’s what I did growing up. Other than being on the computer, I was watching TV and movies. I make no apologies. Fight Club was one of my big inspirations for the show. I think the nod or the acknowledgement with ‘Where Is My Mind’ at the end of episode 9 was, yes, in part letting the audience know that we’re very much aware that Fight Club was an inspiration, but at the same time, we make no apologies about it. We own it. The thing is that by doing that, by making that bold choice, I think we open ourselves up to the criticism of being derivative, and that’s the challenge I take. I think we’re incredibly original, despite the fact that we borrow so much from so American Psycho, Taxi Driver, and Clockwork Orange. The list goes on and on. It was an unapologetic homage/nod/acknowledgement to the audience that Fight Club was one of our inspirations.” He goes on to say, “Movies and television show build on top of each other, succeed one another. In a large way in terms of filmmaking aesthetics, they evolve because they can’t help but be a consequence of all the movies and TV shows that came before it. I don’t mind context, which I think this is. We are a 2015 television show that has been made in the wake of all of these great films and television shows before us. I’m happy to own it.”

(On a side note, there are only going to be four or five seasons?!)

If you’re interested in reading about how Esmail’s own, personal background, played a part in the making of the show, here’s another interesting article, this time from Popular Science.

Finally, in this Slate article, we learn about how Esmail’s family inspired him. “I’m Egyptian. I have a lot of cousins who are in their 20s. I was there right after the Arab Spring happened, and I was so inspired by that. One of the things that defined Elliot’s character is that revolutionary spirit I saw in my cousins. These are young people who are tech-savvy, who use technology to their advantage to channel the anger against the status quo and try and make a change to better their lives. That is something that’s beautiful and fascinating to me, and that’s what I really, really want the show to be about. It’s set in the world of technology, because I think that is a tool that young people can use to bring about change.”

Sam and I were at the edge of our seats throughout the entire series. We’re talking sweaty palms and heart beating out of our chest. For those of you who are looking for a good show to watch, and if you’re into intense shows like Breaking Bad, watch this!

Life

December 30 2015

Looking Back on 2015, Goals for 2016

What a year it’s been! 2015 was the year of change. I separated from the company I founded, My Modern Met, and started this new site. I went to my first Coachella (finally, I know), got into mindfulness and meditation, started appreciating hiking, went on my first Portland trip, and experienced The Infinity Room by Yayoi Kusama. I bought both the Fitbit and the Apple Watch (I’m still trying to decide on which one I’ll use in 2016) and I delved into Korean cooking, thanks to the help of my nanny.

Let’s take a quick look back through some photos.

As Deluxe season passport holders, we had our fair share of Disneyland trips. Parker was pretty psyched to meet Buzz.

As a three-year-old, Parker started becoming a lot more verbal and a lot more excited about things. He also found neighborhood friends to play with.

My sweet one-year-old, Logan, got a lot more curious about the world around him.

Here’s Logan first experience in a pool. This was shot at Pelican Hill, where we spent the weekend for his and his cousin’s birthdays.

We went back to Pelican Hill to celebrate my father-in-law’s birthday. They have such beautiful grounds.

I became the proud owner of a FitBit Charge HR while Sam got his own smartwatch from a friend.

In April, I experienced my first Coachella. I loved the overall vibe and plan on coming back next year.

2015 was the year our whole family took up hiking. We took short drives to the Santa Rosa Plateau to just be in the midst of nature.

We also started camping this year, with the kids. At first I thought it was going to be hard to all sleep in a tent but it worked out just fine. Bring on the camping in 2016!

Sam and I took some day trips to La Jolla where we across some interesting art and photographs.

Parker learned about life and death as he saw a monarch butterfly struggling on the ground.

I got into photography more. I shot this photo of a man reflecting on life while sitting by a lake.

I love the shadows this unique bridge makes on the ground.

At the Long Beach Aquarium, Parker had a close encounter with a sea otter.

Got schooled on social media by a Portland donut store.

I learned that a superhero can save the world while still sucking on his thumb.

Finally got to experience Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Room. It’s now at the Broad Museum in downtown LA. You must go!

Korean cooking isn’t as hard as it seems.

Though they’ve always been brothers, this is the year they became friends.

I discovered some of the things I’ll need for this next chapter in my life.

I learned more about mindfulness, appreciating the here and now.

So what will 2016 bring? Let’s make a quick list of goals, that way we can reflect back on this post next year and see what we accomplished.

1. Attend more art shows and provide up-to-the-minute coverage. Did you see Colossal’s post on Banksy’s Dismaland? Yes, something like that.
2. Lose 50 lbs. I know this seems ambitious but better to just put it all out there. This is for health reasons and so that I can fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes. I finally hit the gym for the first time in 6 months yesterday. The good news is…I survived!
3. Read one book per week. Did you hear about how Mark Zuckerberg reads one book every two weeks? Here’s his list from 2015.
4. Get better at photography. Take classes, shoot more on my DSLR than my cellphone, find photo projects.
5. Make things with my hands more. Take on DIY projects like this floral tree by Bri Emery at DesignLoveFest.

Finally, I leave you in 2015 with this amazing rendition of A Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin during the Kennedy Center Honors. (Was President Obama crying?) I got chills. See you in 2016!

Food

December 29 2015

Dubu Kimchi: Sauteed Kimchi with Tofu

Dubu kimchi (or sauteed kimchi with tofu) is a popular Korean dish that consists of sauteed kimchi served next to pan-fried tofu. This dish is a popular anju, which means it’s often consumed with alcohol, like soju. Usually you add pork to the kimchi portion but we’re going full vegetarian style in our recipe. Eaten together, the strong flavor of the kimchi is well balanced by the delicate taste of the tofu. Overall, it’s easy to make but it does require more than just a few ingredients. (You’ll need a few of them from your local Asian or Korean food market.) Now, let’s get started.

1. Add the olive oil and kimchi into a large pan. Heat on high for 2-3 minutes or till the kimchi gets softer.

2. Next, add the onion, jalapeno, garlic, and sugar. Mix up all the ingredients and heat on medium for 10 minutes.

3. While the kimchi mixture is cooking, slice up the tofu into medium size rectangles.

4. Put olive oil into a separate pan and pan-fry the tofu till the sides get light brown. About 3-5 minutes on each side. Set aside.

5. Back in the kimchi mixture, add in the deul gireum (or perilla oil), hondashi, gochugaru (or Korean chili flakes) and sesame seeds. You add these ingredients in later because a) the deul gireum could burn and b) for seasoning. Mix back on high and heat for 5 minutes.

That’s it!

Recipe:
2 cups aged kimchi (store bought)
2 tbsp olive oil (use 1 tbsp for kimchi, 1 tbsp for tofu)
1/2 cup sliced onion
1 sliced jalapeno
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp deul gireum (or perilla oil)
1/4 tsp hondashi
1/2 tsp gochugaru (or Korean chile flakes)
1 tsp sesame seeds

1. In a large pan, on high heat, add the olive oil and kimchi. Mix and heat for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the onions, jalapeno, garlic, and sugar. Mix everything together and then lower heat to medium and sautee for 10 minutes.
3. Slice up the tofu into rectangles.
4. In a separate frying pan, add olive oil and pan-fry the tofu until each side gets light brown. About 3-5 minutes on each side. Set aside.
5. Back in the kimchi dish, add the deul gireum (or perilla oil), hondashi, gochujang and sesame seeds. Mix everything together and heat back on high for 5 minutes.
6. Eat kimchi and tofu together.

Life

December 28 2015

Looking Back on Christmas Week

How was your Christmas? It’s been a fun filled week over here in the Yoo house. We went on our second trip to Lake Arrowhead this year where we rented a modern cabin from Airbnb, then we celebrated Christmas day at my older sister Grace’s house, and finally had a bake sale at my sister Carol’s house. It was non-stop action and I can’t wait to share all the pics!

Logan hanging over Sam’s shoulder, his favorite place. It was around 40 degrees up in Lake Arrowhead so we bundled the little ones up in ski jackets.

We walked around the lake and fed the ducks. That was a highlight of the trip for Parker.

We took a guided tour of Lake Arrowhead by boat. It’s called Arrowhead Queen Tour Boat. You learn a lot about the lakes’ history. During our 50 minutes, I found out that 90% of the cabins in Lake Arrowhead are vacation homes and that there a lot of celebrities who own or owned property right on the lake, like rocker Sammy Hagar, actor Patrick Swayze, Beach Boy’s Brian Wilson, and ice skater Michelle Kwan. Overall, it was well worth the money.

Parker and grandma enjoying the views from the cruise. For a few minutes, Parker got to steer the ship but I was so nervous for him I didn’t get a photo of that.

This is a picture of the inside of our Lake Arrowhead home, called the Modern Architectural Mountain Home or the Ferber house. It was designed in 1967 by Palm Springs architect Michael Black and was featured in Time magazine. (You won’t find a wooden sculpture of a bear or duck here.) The three story home has over 100 windows which made it kind of chilly at night (but they had a Nest so we cranked up the heat).

The house wasn’t an ideal place for kids but it had interesting furniture like mid-century modern chairs. Logan climbed all over those.

Parker explored the house with a flashlight in hand. As you can see in the background, the second floor had all wood floors which made it feel very Dwell-like.

On the second floor, they had a cozy side room with a fireplace. Here’s Parker and his grandpa starting up a fire.

Though it took a little getting used to, we warmed up to the place and enjoyed all the interesting design touches. Parker is chatting it up with his grandparents here.

Since this is a three story house there were a lot of stairs and some slits where the kids could fall through. We had to be extra careful. Would I rent this place again? Yes, if we didn’t bring the kids. This place is ideal for couples without kids who appreciate modern and mid-century modern design.

On to Christmas morning! Parker and Logan opened their gifts from Santa, his grandparents and me and Sammy. Parker got Hungry Hungry Hippo, a classic right?

Parker also got this fishing game, which he first spotted inside of a cabin during our first Lake Arrowhead trip. Remember this one, too? He asked our Elf on the Shelf to tell Santa he really wanted this game.

Sam bought Parker and Logan these remote control tanks. Only bad thing is that you have to charge the batteries 4 to 5 hours for every 15 minutes of play. Overall, Parker loved it though.

Later that day, we went to my sister’s house for our official family Christmas party. We had to all wear ugly Christmas sweaters. Couldn’t find anything in Logan’s size so he just sported this bright Christmas pj ensemble.

The kids hanging by the presents just moments before they started tearing them open.

All the mayhem that comes with opening Christmas presents. Controlled chaos is what I like to call it.

We played this awesome game that my sister Carol brought called Pie Face. Basically, you put whip cream on the “hand” and then center your face in front of it. You spin a wheel with numbers on it and then click the pie splatting contraption’s handles that many times. The hand can splatter whip cream on your face during any click. All of us got creamed. So fun!

My brother Eugene, his wife Annie, and all the kids..including a flying Logan.

Now for the ugly Christmas sweaters. Here was Sammy’s, Parker’s and mine. Eugene, my brother, and his wife wore these robot ones. Grace’s husband Keith got the Hotline Bling sweater that I love while my brother-in-law Burt took home first prize with the crocodile sweater. (Yes, we’re all tried and true Amazon shoppers.)

The day after Christmas, we went to my other sister’s and had a bake sale right around the corner from her house. By selling homemade desserts for 50 cents each, we had a goal of making $10. After an hour and a half, we surpassed that!

The goods. Snowmen cake pops (they have earmuffs on), gingerbread men and reindeer cookies, and frosted cupcakes.

Yes, it was a long week. During the bake sale, Parker went into meltdown mode.

Luckily, because we achieved our bake sale goal, we got to eat up all the extra inventory. Cupcakes never tasted so good!

Hope you had a fun week, too.

Life

December 21 2015

Merry Christmas!

It’s almost here! We’re now less than a week away from Christmas. I just finished up my shopping this morning! I’m headed to the mountains tomorrow with Sam’s side of the family and then we’ll be celebrating Christmas day at my sister’s. What an exciting week ahead! In order to finish up wrapping all the gifts and packing, and then with the trip and the holiday, I’ll be taking off from now till next Monday. For all of the three followers of this blog (I’m looking at you sisters), I’ll see you one week from today. Have a merry Christmas! Stay safe and warm.

Art & Design

December 18 2015

Fun Links of the Week #6

Last weekend, my family and I had a great time playing in the mountains at Lake Arrowhead. The kids absolutely loved frolicking in the snow, which had fell just the day before. We’re actually headed up to the same mountains next week, but this time we’re looking at renting a modern home on Airbnb that has over 100 windows! Fingers crossed that the process goes smoothly and we get to rent it. (Look for a post next week if we end up staying there.) This Saturday, I’m headed to a wedding at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Kids are being watched by our nanny and grandma so Sam and I can party it up (a bit). Can’t wait!

Alright, now let’s get down to business. What are some of the fun things we saw around the web this week?

I have a thing about embellished sweater dresses. Isn’t this one classy?

If you love New York, you’ll want this new coffee table book. The views!

Chunky pom-pom beanies (1 and 2) and these red-laced boots.

Fit twice the view in your iPhone photo with this handy add-on.

We got our ugly Christmas sweaters! Here’s a sneak peek. (Mine, Sam’s, Parker’s and Logan’s.)

Always been a fan of Noma Bar’s clever illustrations. Here are three of my favorites. (Madman, Red Riding Hood, SML)

Artsy’s top 10 living artists of 2015. (Yay for Ai Weiwei and Yayoi Kusama.)

Time to live in a shipping container?

Cashmere multi-colored gloves. Yes, please.

I want these giant round confetti balloons at my next party.

I love how Pharrell decorated his house with pop art.

Pretty flowers encased in rings. Want.

14 tips for photographers who want to go pro. Me! (But I need a lot more practice.)

Mark Z. looks like he’s having a lot of fun being a dad.

Love the thankfulness jar idea.

One of our favorite comedy duos are re-uniting this week for SNL. Can’t wait to see what they come up with.

Photo by Zhang Jingna.

Have a fun-filled weekend, everyone!

Art & Design

December 17 2015

New Shadow Art Series Pays Homage to Star Wars

Just four days ago, Malaysian artist Red Hong Yi started releasing a fantastic shadow art series she created that was based on the movie series Star Wars. With all the hype surrounding the new release, or the seventh installment, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it’s befitting that she chose such an iconic movie franchise to work with. Using everyday materials, like jeans, leaves, and feathers, she proceeded to cut them up and then arrange them in a way so that when a single light source was cast upon on them, a familiar shadow appeared on the wall. The seven part series just concluded with my favorite piece, Darth Vader, which was made just using aluminum foil.

There’s no doubt that these works will remind of you those by Tim Noble and Sue Webster or Diet Wiegman. Nevertheless, Hong Yi has hit it out of the park with this well executed series, giving us yet another way to appreciate her adeptness at mixing art with pop culture.

Below, make sure to push play on all the Instagrams to see the full effects.

The first of my Star Wars shadow art series! I'm posting 7 shadow art pieces created by casting one single light source onto objects made of different textures and materials. This one's made of chocolate cookies with rainbow sprinkles! Look out for next one in a few hours! #starwars #theforceawakens

A video posted by red*hongyi (@redhongyi) on Dec 12, 2015 at 1:00pm PST

Sliced up my jeans and stuck some flowers onto them, then glued them onto some wires. Here's the second piece from my Star Wars shadow art series, featuring Princess Leia! #starwars #theforceawakens

A video posted by red*hongyi (@redhongyi) on Dec 12, 2015 at 7:59pm PST

Part 3 of Star Wars shadow art series. Featuring one of the most powerful Jedi Masters in galactic history – Yoda – made of leaves and twigs! #starwars #theforceawakens

A video posted by red*hongyi (@redhongyi) on Dec 13, 2015 at 12:44pm PST

Casted a beam of light onto this bunch of colourful feathers…and #Chewbacca appeared! Part 4 of me #StarWars shadow art series! Who else is excited for #theforceawakens? Tag them! #Stormtrooper is next!

A video posted by red*hongyi (@redhongyi) on Dec 14, 2015 at 10:02pm PST

So many fluffy white cotton-cloud things! Shone a torch on them and voila, Stormtrooper appeared! Part 5 of my Star Wars shadow art series! #starwars #theforceawakens

A video posted by red*hongyi (@redhongyi) on Dec 15, 2015 at 1:09pm PST

Part 6 of 7 of my Star Wars shadow art series, featuring R2-D2…or Second Generation Robotic Droid Series-2, for all you nerdy ones! I needed to cut up a computer part for this and found my brother's latest GTX Titan graphic card. The end. #notreally #hedkillme #starwars #theforceawakens

A video posted by red*hongyi (@redhongyi) on Dec 15, 2015 at 5:07pm PST

The final piece for my Star Wars shadow art series, featuring Darth Vader, made of aluminium foil! Will share a compilation video tomorrow! Here's a Darth joke: Q: How did Darth Vader know what Luke got him for Christmas? A: He felt his presents. Don't hate me. Please. #starwars #theforceawakens

A video posted by red*hongyi (@redhongyi) on Dec 16, 2015 at 6:27am PST

Food

December 16 2015

Japchae, Stir-Fried Glass Noodles (Vegetarian Style)

Japchae or stir fried glass noodles is usually served at Korean parties or on special occasions. We’ll oftentimes have them on a random day in our house, the kids love this dish because they love to slurp up the noodles. You add a lot of vegetables in here like carrots, onion, and mushrooms, so that’s always a bonus. Japchae can be served as a side dish or a main dish, it’s up to you!

1. Here are all of the vegetables we’ll be using. First, chop or slice all the vegetables.

2. Cut broccoli into small pieces. These you’ll slice into strips: the white and purple onion, the bell pepper, the mushrooms, and the carrots.

2. You can use any kind of glass noodles. Here’s the one we used, which is from the Korean market.

3. Start by boiling water in a pot. When boiling, add the broccoli and a pinch of salt. You just want to get the broccoli a little soft so just leave it in there for about 30 seconds. Rinse with cool water.

4. In a big stainless steel bowl, get ready to add in each vegetable as they get stir fried. Each of the vegetables get stir fried separately, to preserve the tastes. First, we’ll start with the white onions, the purple onions and the mushrooms. Add 1 tbsp of the grape seed oil, add the vegetable, add a pinch of salt and stir fry for one minute each. Then, add this vegetable into the big stainless steel bowl.

5. Once you’ve done it with all the vegetables (bell pepper and carrots), it’ll look like this. Notice, we’ve added the boiled broccoli.

6. Now in a separate saucepan, you’ll bring 5 cups of water to a boil and then add in the glass noodles. Stir occasionally. Cook about 7 minutes or till the noodles get not so chewy. Using a strainer, rinse the noodles with cold water.

7. Cut up the noodles with a knife so that the noodles aren’t so long and stringy.

8. Add the noodles to the vegetables and mix.

9. It’s time for the seasonings. Add the soy sauce, the sesame oil, sugar and sesame seeds. Mix. Now, take the whole thing, and heat it on medium heat back in the wok for 3-5 minutes or until the noodles are warm. Stir frequently so that the noodles don’t get stuck to the bottom.

Recipe:
1/3 of a 500g package of glass noodles
2 cups of broccoli
1/2 white onion
1/2 red onion
1 red or orange bell pepper (for color)
5 Shitake mushrooms (if dried, soak in water)
1/2 carrot
6 tsp grape seed oil (1 tsp per vegetable)
5 cups of water
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp soy sauce (optional, add another 1 tbsp)
1/8 cup sesame oil
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
pinches of salt, to taste
1 tsp sesame seeds

1. Cut or slice all vegetables. Separate broccoli into small pieces. Slice into thin strips: onion, red onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and carrots.
2. Bowl water in a pot. When boiling, add in broccoli and a little salt. Boil for just 30 seconds. Rinse with water.
3. You’ll be sauteeing each vegetable the same. Use 1 tsp grape seed oil add it into a hot wok. Then add the vegetable, a pinch of salt and saute for one minute. Do the same for each vegetable. As each one is done, dump it into a large, stainless steel bowl.
4. Add the broccoli to the veggies and mix all together.
5. In a separate saucepan, boil water. When boiling, add in the glass noodles, stirring occasionally. Cook for 6 minutes or until noodles are not too hard and chewy. Rinse noodles in cold water.
6. Before you add the noodles to the vegetables, cut them up with a knife so that they’re easy to eat.
7. Now, add the noodles to the vegetables.
8. Add in seasonings: soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and sesame seeds. Mix.
9. Put mixture back in wok and heat on medium for 3-5 minutes.

Art & Design

December 15 2015

10 Coffee Table Books That I Love

I have to admit something…I love coffee table books. What is about these huge tomes that draw me in? I just love seeing beautiful pictures of faraway places (Steve McCurry) or how a photographer conjures up a dream-like scene (Annie Leibovitz and Tim Walker). I’ve been collecting coffee table books for the past seven years, I started this hobby while I was Editor-in-Chief of My Modern Met. Below are a list of books I actually have (see photo above), as well as ones I’m longing to collect.

Have:

Pictures by Tim Walker: Tim Walker creates dreamlike scenes that will make you want to live in his world.

Murakami: Takashi Murakami is one of contemporary art’s most innovative figures. Here you’ll find a great collection of his work including his original paintings and sculptures.

Lonely Plant’s Beautiful World: Through 300 photos, get ready to experience some of the most breathtaking places in the world. Warning: Will make you want to travel.

Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton: Based on the Facebook page which has over 16 million fans, is a heartfelt book of inspiring photographs and stories.

Steve McCurry: The Iconic Photographs: Follow Steve McCurry’s extraordinary career in this beautiful and memorable book.

The Life and Love of Dogs by Lewis Blackwell: Any dog lover will want to collect this book, which is filled with hundreds of incredible images of our furry friends.

JR: Can Art Change the World? by JR: Street artist JR gives his first major and in-depth retrospective of his work. Inside you’ll find his own collection projects as well as collaborations he’s done with other artists or institutions, like the New York Ballet.

Want:

Portraits by Martin Schoeller: In this 260 page hardcover book, you’ll find 150 color and black and white photos of political leaders, Hollywood stars, business entrepreneurs, and contemporary music royalty.

Elliott Erwitt XXL Special Edition: Elliott Erwitt is a master at capturing the moment. In this collector’s edition, you’ll find everything from an iconic Marilyn Monroe photo to portraits of silly dogs.

SUMO by Annie Leibovitz: This book traces Annie Leibovitz’s 40 year career. Included is everything from John Lennon and Yoko Ono entwined in a last embrace to Richard Nixon’s helicopter lifting off from the White House lawn after he resigned as president in 1974.

What are some of your favorite coffee table books?

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