for the birthday girl

i had the most wonderful birthday celebration over the course of three days ♡♡♡

on the first day, matt and i journeyed to nyc together to get some laduree macarons and pastries. the laduree shop is a pastel lover's dream! then we stopped by mariebelle's for some delicious aztec iced coffee and earl grey tea, before traveling down to the seaglass carousel at battery park. the seaglass carousel experience, complete with whimsical music was so magical~ i wish the ride could last forever.


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we planned on going to see a Ghibli movie (Spirited Away) at the IFC theater after eating dinner at a nearby thai restaurant (Galanga). i had the most delicious and tender duck breast salad! matt really enjoyed his crispy pork belly dish. all in all, a delightful night.

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on my birthday, we decided to keep it simple after the previous day's adventures in the city and especially since it was a rainy day. i really just wanted to stay in and relax, which worked out perfectly as matt surprised me with various cute (and fuzzy) presents~ a shrimps faux fur mascot key ring and a steiff kitty!!! only the best furriest friends for the birthday girl he says. but my favorite present isthe one in which he created himself, a whimsical unicorn painting!! such beauty will be shown among the dried flowers on my bedroom walls of course.

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and on the third day (yesterday), we went to a local zoo. it was small but sweet! we were greeted by cute topiary zoo animals. it reminded me of a scene from one of my favorite films of all time, Edward Scissorhands. i had such a fun time with matt as always, my love.

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i also finally received my wish of a cold, wintery day.
♡a perfect ending to the year!♡

an autumn poetry

oct 24th,
i planned a special picnic at our secret garden to celebrate his birthday. we placed ourselves among the squirrels and chipmunks, as they were busy gathering nuts on the ground. so we listened, to the leaves rustling in the wind, bringing forth magic from the foliage-- of golden yellow orange, and burnt red crimson hues surrounding us. as the sun drew closer to the earth, our afternoon was spent drinking chamomile tea and eating carrot cake. the perfect amount of sweet and spice, and everything nice.

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in the future: "do you remember what happened later on that night?"
for matt, love always

underwater pastorale

♡ last friday, an aquarium adventure was scheduled in baltimore, md among other activities. matt and i met up with a friend and explored the realms of the sea. the beauty of the aquarium took us to the abyss, where we saw all kinds of sharks and nocturnal creatures roam. ♡



♡ and here we have..an underwater dust bunny?! ♡



♡ my favorite exhibit, will always be the jellies.
glowing brightly like the moon among the dark space ♡


♡ to go along with our underwater adventure theme, we ate lobster tacos and crispy alaskan cod with some salad at pf changs ~ like magic, a booth opened up just  for us right when we came in (all the restaurants late at night were packed!) ♡
♡ wishing you sweet sea dreams! ♡

the magic wing chronicles

upon our adventure in pioneer valley, we walked across the bridge of flowers, toured a butterfly garden, and found dinosaur footprints! in between these magical moments was creating music and exploring our backyard river during the daytime, and sitting around a bonfire telling stories or playing board games at night time. i also collected wildflowers among the field of our 'noble home', an eco friendly built home that our friends rented for this special occasion. i dried a bouquet of the flowers and pressed some others as keepsakes of this lovely summer vacation.

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truly, a flower lover's paradise!

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when i think about these days, it fills me with warmth and sunshine.
the summer it seems, is growing on me, within me,
a fondness in my heart.

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the fruit lorde of summer

last sunday, i was a peach girl. i know it's officially summer when the supermarket is full of sweet peaches, nectarines, and plums. lately, i've been immersed in music creating, listening, and mixing.  i have been at a loss for words these days.  ♥ ♥ ♥

 
for a future road trip this weekend, matt and i made a giant playlist to an 'ode to 80s power pop/rock songs' for our drive. here is a little sample of some of them:
van halen - dreams
stan bush - the touch
bonnie tyler - i need a hero
night ranger - when you close your eyes irene cara - what a feeling ice house - electric blue
starship - nothing's going to stop us now
carefully curated of course, only songs that have an appealing type of motivating feel to them.
♥ ♥ ♥ 
perhaps, we indulge in these cheesy 80s songs because they came from our childhood time period when everything seemed hopeful and "big" in america.  how seemingly appropriate considering it will be july 4th soon! or maybe we're just being typical nostalgic us... yes, it must be that. 

just living is not enough

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower." ~Hans Christian Andersen

 
on saturday, matt and i wanted to visit a new garden however, nothing seemed to be going our way... it was a troublesome  day. everything kept breaking, so our hearts bled more.. and the more it bled, the more we needed to get out and explore. we decided to take a familiar trip to the cemetery near his house. this is where i was able to capture the beautiful monarch butterfly above. perhaps it was a winged spiritual messenger, sending us love, to remind us that everything will be... all will be right with this world.
a weekend of wonders to the tune of slow dive - when the sun hits  ♡ ♡ ♡ 

the fairy's flower girl share the sunshine's magic

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i met a lovely flower girl recently, dear friend alice saga ♥

she is full of whimsy and everything sweet!!

in nyc, we ate japanese curry comfort food to begin our first meet,
 then off to the cat cafe and looking at frilly dresses! ^__^ a day full of cuteness~

but when alice began her adventure to nj,
this is when the magic begins!
she found treasures to bring home with her at my favorite shops.
it was if, those books belonged to her.
how easily it was found!



and then we wandered on to a beautiful picnic~ 
us girls among the flowers in the secret garden
sharing our stories and inspirations,
&
finding out about our likeness and similarities.
much synchronicities unveiled that day, and i kept them close to my heart, turning into precious memories.
i will miss you, come back soon! ♥ ♥

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my garden heart

two days ago, i went to my secret garden in the evening ~ the 'golden hour' as they say!

i thought about hp lovecraft's poem 'the garden',  which is a glorious piece of work:

"There's an ancient, ancient garden that I see sometimes in dreams, Where the very Maytime sunlight plays and glows with spectral gleams; Where the gaudy-tinted blossoms seem to wither into grey, And the crumbling walls and pillars waken thoughts of yesterday. There are vines in nooks and crannies, and there's moss about the pool, And the tangled weedy thicket chokes the arbour dark and cool: In the silent sunken pathways springs a herbage sparse and spare, Where the musty scent of dead things dulls the fragrance of the air. There is not a living creature in the lonely space arouna, And the hedge~encompass'd d quiet never echoes to a sound. As I walk, and wait, and listen, I will often seek to find When it was I knew that garden in an age long left behind; I will oft conjure a vision of a day that is no more, As I gaze upon the grey, grey scenes I feel I knew before. Then a sadness settles o'er me, and a tremor seems to start - For I know the flow'rs are shrivell'd hopes - the garden is my heart. "




  and then i listened to the cocteau twins - carolyn's fingers  ♡ ♡ ♡ 

and then i thought, wouldn't it be nice? if all you can hear is your favorite songs being played as you go about your  day like a music video.

....a pipe dream.

forsynesthesia

The fairy poet takes a sheet
Of moonbeam, silver white;
His ink is dew from daisies sweet,
His pen a point of light.
~Joyce Kilmer


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I used to lament about the coming of spring and the end of winter. Somehow, I completely had forgotten to make a post during my favorite months. I'm much sadden by this, since winter has always been such a magical season for me (us). My love for the cold, quiet winter is buried deep in my heart. Forever, always.

However, my fondness for spring has been increasing ever since my ecology field trips of (two) years ago. It's incredible, to see the transition and changes in the woods each week between winter and spring. I will soon embark on a seven month journey to study  lepidopterology in the pine barrens at night. Completely romanticized amidst the headache of identifying every single species there. Latin names only.

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These sounds shine bright: Air - J'ai dormi sous l'eau 

 fender rhodes, minimoog, and clavinet trio of pure blissss!!!