Thanks to some of my crafty co-workers, I recently got to try my hand at leather-sewing.  I opted to custom design a travel journal cover that would fit my Midori sketchbook, plus two pens or a marker (what can I say, I'm greedy).  It was easier than I imagined, and I am now hooked.  I've already started my next (and much more ambitious) project; stay tuned!

After a lovely piano concert at the Taipei National Concert Hall, we emerged onto the plaza to find the Taimei Tribe elementary school rehearsing for their concert the following day.  The evening air was gentle and the subdued atmosphere perfect as they performed this Taimei traditional wedding song.  My iphone recording skills are horrible, but I think that their beautiful voices more than make up for it.

Hi friends! I'm excited to present Formosa Sketches, a project that I've been talking about starting for quite some time now. Follow me as I draw and write about Taiwan, via Tumblr at http://formosasketches.tumblr.com or via Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/formosasketches.

Intricate details, brilliantly coloured patterns and delicate shadows; impossibly sweet baklava paired with strong Turkish coffee; gloriously blue skies on the days when it wasn't snowing and freezing; and lemon juice in thick lentil soups, among other wonderful things.

february

march

april

may

june

july

august

september

october

november

december

2011 began tumultuously for me and was punctuated by alternate periods of doubt and confidence, tears and laughter, teaching and learning; most importantly, it was a year that brimmed with meaningful, personal connections, both new and renewed.  I wouldn't have had it any other way.

On the right, the moleskines that I've gone through in the past three years; on the left, two new ones that I received this Christmas from two separate sources.  A testament to how much my family and friends know me.

the best part of being home for the holidays: playing the piano for hours on end, taking alarm-free naps at 2pm, 4pm and 8pm (darn jet lag), and spending time in the kitchen with my mother, whose knowledge of tried-and-true classic chinese pastry recipes is impossible to exhaust.