Days With My Father

A record lovingly kept by Phillip Toledano. Beautiful.

best invite ever

I'm taking it as a sign. Not only does this give hope and meaning to a very traditional, non-traditional girl like myself... but they also just happened to get married on my birthday. Printed by the fine folks at Kayrock in Williamsburg. Double-click, enlarge, read and enjoy...

Burma VJ

(photo: Ed Fraiman)

Burma is the largest country in Southeast Asia. It is just south of China and is also known as the Union of Mayanmar. Burma is currently ruled by a military regime led by senior general Than Shwe, the head of state who governs the country through violence, suppression fear. The co-founder of Myanmar's main opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD) - is Aung San Suu Kyi, who has endured unofficial detention, house arrest and restrictions on her movement since 1989. She is one of the country's best-known political figures and campaigners for human rights, and numerous organizations - including Amnesty International - have appealed for her release continually. In September 25, 2007 over 5,000 monks lead a non-violent protest in Yangon. The military responded by opening fire on the crowd. A new documentary called Burma VJ covered this protest from the ground up. The people of burma continue to fight oppression despite the military stronghold. It is important that people around the world understand what is happening in Burma and put pressure on their governments to call for aid and intervention. This is not a trendy cause. This is a human cause. Please support Burma VJ, which is out in theatres this month.

milan design week 0*9

Dutch design studio Muurbloem decorated the streets of the Tortona area of Milan with sand during the last day of the Milan Furniture Fair to highlight its work in pattern-making and wall art.

For Moooi, the all-women Front Design team digitized a Royal Delft vase with three-dimensional software and distorted it so that it looks like it's blowing away in a gust of wind.

Teresa Sapey Lights Via Monte Napoleone With Her Paper Lantern...

earth hour 09

I'd had the best of intentions to have an Earth Hour hootananny at my place this past Saturday evening, but then decided that my flat still isn't visitor-friendly, seeing as how I have no chairs, no table, and really nowhere for any more than two people to hang out at any one time. I also had visions of knocking over tealights and setting fire to my neighbours bungalows, all in close proximity. Regardless, Earth Hour 2009 went on without us, and my friend Bridget and I did our best, sitting outside with candles lit and copious amounts of wine (my ecological response to most Saturday evenings, admittedly). If you're not familiar with the concept, Earth Hour started in Sydney in 2007, and quickly grew into a global observance. More than 1,000 cities in over 80 countries observed Earth Hour 2009 on Saturday March 28th, as homes, office towers and landmarks turned off their lights for an hour starting at 8.30 pm local time to raise awareness about climate change and the threat from rising greenhouse gas emissions. Collected here are a series of before-and-after photographs - which (starting with the second one below) will fade between on and off when clicked. Pretty cool stuff.

year of the ox

I was so busy flat-hunting that I forgot to throw up a post about Chinese New Year, one of my favourite holidays on the calendar. Good thing it's a year-long celebration... 1. Paper cherry blossoms by Martha 2. Cherry blossom notecards by Peculiar Pair Press 3. Daily Fortune matchbooks by Rosebud Design 4. Cherry blossom wall decal.

what a day

yes we can, yes we did, and yes there's more can-do where that came from.
bring it.

the president addresses the youth ball

"I've been looking forward to this ball for quite some time because, when you look at the history of this campaign, what started out as an improbable journey when nobody gave us a chance was carried forward, was inspired by, was energized by young people all across America. I can't tell you how many people have come up to us and said, 'I was kind of skeptical, but then my daughter ... she wouldn't budge. She told me I needed to vote for Obama;’ 'Suddenly, I saw my son and he was out volunteering and getting involved like never before.' And so a new generation inspired a previous generation and that's how change happens in America. It doesn't just happen in the election and campaign. It's happened in service all across America. As this is broadcast all around the world we know that young people everywhere are in process of imagining something different than what has come before us: Where there is war they imagine peace. Where there is hunger they imagine people being able to feed themselves. Where they imagine bigotry they imagine togetherness. The futures will be in your hands if you are able to sustain the kind of energy and focus you showed on this campaign. I promise you, America will get stronger and more united. You are going to make it happen, and we thank you from the bottom our hearts."

at last indeed

benediction

This was my favorite part of the inauguration. Rev Lowery giving the benediction. What a classy guy. What a blessing.

hail to the chief

"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics." ~ Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States of America, in his inaugural speech. January 20th, 2009.

only a few hours to go now...

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for.
We are the change that we seek. "
~ Barack Obama

paying my respect

With only five days to go until the inauguration of President-Elect Obama, I have been thinking about this very powerful photograph, and the history of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Martin Luther King was arrested twenty times during his life while protesting for equality. During his imprisonment in April of 1963 he wrote Letter From A Birmingham Jail, a text which should be re-read and re-visited regularly. Here is the passage that stays with me always: "I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial 'outside agitator' idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds." We're still on this journey, and I hope and believe that the 44th President of these United States will further our commitment to celebrating this inter-connectedness and our continued strive for equality for all of our citizens.