Taupe Knit Jacket

My mom knit this awesome taupe jacket for me. It was way too cold to wear it that day but I wore it anyway...

Jacket: mom
Shirt: J. Crew
Pants: H&M
Boots: vintage
Bag: Gucci

Japanese Garden

Jacket: Uniquo
Tube top: H&M
Dress: thrifted

Location: Portland Japanese Garden

Fall - Spring side by side comparison

WAYNE's COFFEE, Sweden's Starbucks

Wayne's Coffee is Sweden's version of Starbucks, even the font and logo look similar, just substitute the green with blue. Up until recently, there were no Starbucks in Sweden. I think the only one in the country is located at the airport, so basically Wayne's has enjoyed years of freedom from this global competitor. It is quite common for Starbucks to move into a region and put local chains out of business, but Wayne's has been going strong for years now, so they are much better equipped to handle any competition from Starbucks, assuming Starbucks ever leaves the airport....


Below is a typical Wayne's storefront in Stockholm. Plenty of outdoor seating in summer.

The counter at Wayne. A variety of food and other drinks are available.

This is Wayne's delicious Vanilla latte. In Sweden, as in most of Europe, flavored lattes are not as common as in the US. Many coffee stands I noticed did not even have syrup. This was not a problem at Wayne's. The baristas always knew how to make a flavored latte. This was the first drink I ordered at Wayne's and I was very pleased.

On the other hand, some drinks are not so good. This lovey looking drink is the Blueberry White Mocha frappe. It sounded amazing....but alas, it was nasty as hell. It basically consisted of the worst qualities of both blueberries and mocha: sour and bitter. Not to mention there was absolutely no sugar in the whole damn drink. I had to add 10,000 packets of sugar just to make it drinkable. WAYNE FAIL.

We enjoyed many breakfasts at Wayne's.  We even bought mysli from our hotel and ate at Wayne's.

In the morning, many Swedish businessmen gather at Wayne's to discuss international trade and corporate fraud. That's not a fact or anything, just my observation based on the one photograph below.

Wayne's delicious blueberry cheese cake. Sweden was very expensive when it came to desserts, but I found Wayne's selection of pastries both appetizing and inexpensive.

Lastly, Wayne signature chocolates. Too cute to eat!

Color in the winter

Shirt: Uniquo
Dress: H&M
Scarf: made by mama
Stockings: American Apparel
Socks: American Apparel
Shoes: thrifted
Bag: LV (thrifted)

Location: a rather colorful abode in Beaverton, OR

Tea at the Peninsula

On the morning of November 20th, 2007 I was late for afternoon tea because I spent too long in the cemetery…..it was one of those days…..

That was to be the first high tea experience of my young life, and I celebrated it alone. 

I had done minimal research before leaving Los Angeles for Hong Kong, but the one thing that kept popping up on every website was "High Tea at the Peninsula." Such a thing appealed to me because at the time I had just begun working my first "real" job and the disposable income I was earning lead me to fantasize about myself as an aristocrat. Having high tea at a hotel I could never afford to stay in seemed like it went along with my desire to live like a rich person for a day. 

So after spending several afternoons eating $3 (USD mind you) lunches on the street, I sat down for a whopping $30 tea and pastry fare.  

 I remember choosing Darjeeling tea because I had just seem the movie Darjeeling Limited. I know that's a lame reason, but for someone who knows less than nothing about tea you have to admit that was a little cute of me. 

At the time, I was engrossed in the Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. I never felt alone in Hong Kong as long as I carried that book with me. I spent my afternoon at the Penninsula reading in between sips of tea. The waiter was so kind as to snap this photograph of me.

Apparently I can only seem to take creepy pictures of myself. 

I can't believe I finished it all! It didn't look  like much but I was outrageously stuffed by the time I was done. 

This was all that was left....

Photo Diary: Best of Hiroshima

Striped tights and a Ordning & Reda bag

Dress: Urban Outfitters
Tights: American Apparel
Shoes: Walmart
Bag: Ordning & Reda