Bao Bei Brasserie

The elegant, and heartwarming actualization of a friend's dream.

Bao Bei

Vancouver: Part 2

A mishmash of astounding natural beauty, city grit, and a whirlwind of amazing cuisine, Vancouver will always have a piece of my heart. To die for sushi, izakayas, Indian dosas, pho, dim sum, and all the rest make for a place where you can dine like a king without breaking the bank.

Tomorrow the elegance of Bao Bei, Vancouver's Chinese Brasserie.

Vancouver: Part 1

-20 degrees this morning and feeling well rested and eager to start the day. Mikko and I have decided to make a move to Vancouver this summer. Big news! He'll attend school and I'll get to enjoy the freedom to work without worry of visa restrictions. Until then, I'll be on the lookout for more work experience, and taking advantage of Finland's wealth of good things. Thrift shops, black licorice, printed textiles, rye bread, lonkero (a gin drink), and best of all sauna. Of which I'll enjoy tonight in a beautiful old swimming hall.

Talvi

Finnish winter.

After many years favouring the mild climate of Canada's West Coast,

it was a revelation to stroll atop a frozen sea

blanketed in crystalline flakes.

Sharing a beautiful day with those out enjoying it.

Basking in the stillness, the setting sun.

Heading Home

Feeling rejuvenated and excited,

I'm flying back to Helsinki this evening.

Back to Mikko and the heat of sauna.

I can't wait!

These photos are from last summer,

deep in the woods picking wild blueberries

from the forest floor.

Ease Up

Life has improved immeasurably

since I've been forced to stop taking it seriously.

Hunter S. Thompson

Illustrations by Julie Morstad

The Double RL Ranch

Ralph Lauren's Colorado getaway

is a verdant vision of the romance of rural life.

Just once I'd love to sleep in a teepee

under a sea of stars,

surrounded by a crisp breeze

scented with the notes of meadow grass.

Architectural Digest

Fred Herzog

The Kodachrome rich representations of Vancouver's

working class and urban life.

Fred Herzog

Illuminate

Live out of your imagination, not your history.

Stephen Covey

Wendy Bevan

Captivating.

To A New Year

The holiday season has come and gone,

full of visits with family and friends,

strewn across numerous cities.

To be remembered fondly.

Yet two weeks of travel still remain before I return home to Helsinki.

Vancouver is bustling making ready for the Olympics,

and a great friend is preparing for opening night at her

Chinese Brasserie, Bao Bei.

Here's to a year of:

focus and dedication,

exhilaration,

and fresh eyes

for taking it all in.