i know this blog was supposed to be going on hiatus.  but i couldn't resist posting some pictures of my newest obsession.  after i broke my coffee pot last week, my ever thoughtful and sweet house guest came back the next day with the clever coffee dripper.

i haven't seen this "full immersion" brewing method before.  basically, it works like a drip filter...except the filter miraculously holds on to the water while it's standing by itself.

after four minutes of steeping, simply place filter on top of a mug and the brewed coffee will automatically start dripping! magic!

somehow the coffee always ends up with a bit of foam on the top, which i was super excited to see.  and the taste?  let's just say i've doubled my coffee consumption over the past week...

who am i kidding.  between finishing up my masters thesis (only four more weeks left!) and enjoying the summer here in san francisco (the coldest summer i've ever had), updating this blog is the furthest thing from my mind.  this blog is going on hibernation until the fall, when the weather turns warmer once again in the bay area.  see you then.

hi!  i'm back to the blogging world, for good this time i hope.  the worst of the semester is over, and my schedule is slowly returning to normal.  i even graduate unofficially next week - ceremony, caps and gowns and pictures.  although the certificate will be withheld until i hand in my final thesis sometime in the fall.  goodbye, long sleepless nights of studio life.  it was painful at times but i'm sure i'll look back and miss every moment.

despite the madness, i'm proud that i have managed to keep up the drawing and writing in my sketchbook -- it's finally become a fully integrated part of my life.  i can't wait to finally explore san francisco now that i have more time to get out of berkeley!  i can smell summer in the air, and it is sure intoxicating.

st. lawrence market and the distillery: one of my favourite weekend haunts of toronto.  looking at my photographs from one year ago makes me regret not having had time to visit the market again while i was home for the holidays.

i am back in california, and preparing for a new semester -- it is going to be an even busier one, being my second and last semester, and also because i will be a graduate instructor for an undergraduate class on drawing and visual representation.  i'm excited and a bit nervous; if nothing else, i hope that i will be able to pass on my passion for drawing to my students.

it's only been a week, but i'm already missing toronto and everyone back home.  though i must admit that it IS nice to be able to go for a long run outdoors again!

don't know why, but i've been drawing lots more people lately.  i went with m. to the gladstone hotel for the drop-in life drawing session this past wednesday evening, and while everyone else was concentrating on the model's body and muscles and movements, i kept on focusing on his facial features, trying to capture his anguished expression on paper.  there's just something so terribly beautiful about the human face. 

welcome to my new home!  please bear with me while i'm still packing up things from bamboo sticks.  i am so excited to be at my own domain at last - hurray!  i am also delight to have found weebly.  i've still got a few issues with its limit on ccs customization...but overall, after much experimentation, i've found weebly to be the most flexible and affordable website builder out of the jungle of blog hosts available these days.  weebly will do very well indeed (until i can justify purchasing wordpress pro...sigh).  does anybody else have a favourite blogging device?