Wandering Tales | Met Museum - China: Through the Looking Glass

Met Gala is a big fashion and celebrity charity event that happens every year. But being the not-so-updated fashion wise person that I am, I wasn't really aware of the event until a few years ago. All I knew of it then was "some fancy thing at the museum where a lot of celebs dressed up really nicely for". Now that I know, the news about who wears what and who attended the gala seem even more noticeable especially with trending stories and blog coverages.

The actual exhibits never caught my attention until this year's China: Through the Looking Glass. Part of the reason why I was interested this time 'round was due to the photos that were being shared by my friends on Facebook. Another was because I am a little bias towards Chinese and Asian things.
MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue
MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue

MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue, Guo Pei MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue, Guo Pei
MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue, Guo Pei
Dresses designed by Guo Pei
MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue

MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue, Anna May Wong, Chinese American actress
Hall dedicated to Chinese American actress Anna May Wong
MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue
MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue
Many floral inspired fashion
MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue

MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue
Antique perfume bottles
Big screens playing movies based in ancient China
MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue, Jean Paul Gaultier
Hall dedicated to Qipaos
MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue
MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue MET Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, New York, Vogue
Hall displaying Chinese royalty dress juxtaposed with royalty-inspired couture pieces
I wasn't sure what to expect prior to my visit to the Met Museum. The name could suggest a ton of things that the exhibit could be. I was pleasantly surprised and excited to see all the fashion, costume, and historical pieces utilized together to represent a part of a country and it's culture.

It is hard to deny that the haute couture pieces were amazing pieces. Where else and when else would a typical person be able to see high fashion designs in such close proximity?

But I was equally excited to see that some of the items were actual costumes that actresses wore in movies from decades ago. Even though I haven't seen any of the movies that were featured in the clips, I love to see behind the scenes type of stuff.

If you haven't visited yet, China: Through the Looking Glass will run until mid-August 2015 Labor Day, September 7.
If you've been already, do you have a favorite from the exhibit

Red & Blue Velvet Mini Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes, Blue Velvet Cupcakes, July 4th cupcakes, mini cupcakes, cream cheese frosting, holiday baking
As with all holidays where my mom invites a bunch of people over, I love to take the opportunity to test out new baking recipes. She always criticizes me for baking and eating (a majority) of it by myself since my family usually isn't interested in sweets.

Even though I have been more into baking cakes rather than cupcakes as of late, I knew that the cakes for this occasion would be taken care of since the 4th of July also happens to be my brother's birthday. When paired with the fact that my mom invited a friend over who works at a bakery and always brings 1 or 2 cakes over as gifts...there would be just too many cakes to spare if I also added to the list.

I chose to break out my little mini cupcakes maker since the stove area would be crowded all day for the dinner preparations. We got this cupcake maker many years ago and it hasn't been used a lot at all. While it does "bake" the mini cakes very quickly, I found that the coloring of the cupcakes tend to lean towards the duller side. For those that like a consistent color all around unlined cupcakes, this machine might not be a top pick for you. The sides usually brown up by the time the cupcakes are fully cooked through. I can't say the exact time it took for the machine to finish "baking" a round of cupcakes though. Just watch the lights on the machine and have a toothpick ready to test.
Double yolk egg, extra large egg, white egg
Like most other baking trials I have attempted, I found the recipes for the cupcakes on Pinterest.
For the red velvet cupcakes & cream cheese frosting I used Sally's Baking Addiction's recipe.
For the blue velvet cupcakes I used the same recipe for the batter but switched out the red food coloring for Wilton's Royal Blue and a little bit of Wilton's Violet.

I stuck to the exact measurements as the recipe stated...for the most part. The 3 deviations I made were:
  • using 2 extra large eggs instead of 2 large eggs
  • using slightly less than the 1 cup of sugar
  • probably incorporated way less than 2 tablespoons of red food coloring
    • I used the handle of a spoon to scoop some food coloring until I thought the batter looked about red/blue enough
We got a nice surprised while I was making the second batch of batter. Once I cracked opened the egg and began to separate the yolk from the whites, I noticed how the yolk seemed like it was ready to spill out at any moment. After a closer look I realized it was because there was not 1 but 2 yolks sitting in the shell. This was the first time I've seen anything like it in person. I have heard about it while searching the internet before but this was a nice surprise. I even showed my grandma and she got pretty excited to witness this too. But one of my aunts said she's seen plenty in China before. (Way to burst my excited bubble.)

The mini cupcakes came out alright even with those few changes. My family isn't into things that are too sweet and using a little less sugar seemed to fit their tastebuds well. The final colors of the cupcakes could have been a bit more vibrant but then again who wants to have tablespoons worth of food coloring in their goodies anyways? I think these were good enough...don't you think?

While I made 2 batches of cupcake batter, I only ended up making one batch of cream cheese frosting. There was more than enough to go on all the little cakes since I piped the frosting very sparingly. The icing was supposed to resemble a big star but I thought my icing was a little too runny...so a blob like icing ring had to do. I was pretty surprised to see that the icing ended up holding it's shape well throughout the day & night.
Red Velvet Cupcakes, Blue Velvet Cupcakes, July 4th cupcakes, mini cupcakes, cream cheese frosting, holiday baking
Since everyone in my family has been very into fruits and berries lately, I decided to decorate the mini cupcakes with blueberries and cut up strawberries. Don't plan to top the cupcakes with the fruits before the day of serving, the juices will most definitely run all over the frosting. Otherwise if you have sprinkles or other decorations handy it would look just as nice.

A video posted by @lavlilacs on
After a long day of preparing, enjoying good food and company, and celebrating a loved one's birthday, nothing quite beats seeing fireworks out in my backyard. This year's mini show seemed much more extravagant. It also felt like it was a lot closer to my house than before. Maybe some people in my neighborhood put on their own show this year? Regardless, I am glad to be able to see it without having to fight the crowd near the Brooklyn Bridge.

Did you have a nice 4th of July (if you celebrated at all)?

Korea Diary | Rainy Day Exploring (Day 2)

What to do on a rainy day?

We were forewarned of Korea's summer monsoon season but of course as travelers we hoped it wouldn't rain on us at all. When we woke up to see rain outside our window, we had to do some last minute researching for indoor activities. Luckily Bestie C had the COEX Aquarium on her to-do list and off to Gangnam we went.

The surroundings felt surprisingly familiar once we got out of the subway closest to the aquarium. Tall buildings, chain cafes and shops, and tons of people in business suits bustling to and from their offices. It almost seemed like we were back home in New York City. Guess most financial/business areas have a similar feel.

COEX Aquarium is actually inside of COEX Mall, which (I think) is a big building that houses a variety of stores, restaurants, and event spaces. To say the least, the place is huge! Since it was only our second day in Korea, our goal was only to visit and not to buy. We spent a good chunk of our day slowly enjoying the aquarium. If you're still tired from traveling and need something to do at your own pace, museums and aquariums are a great option! Tickets were ₩22,000 when we went.

South Korea, COEX Mall, COEX Aquarium, Gangnam, Seoul
South Korea, COEX Mall, COEX Aquarium, Gangnam, Seoul South Korea, COEX Mall, COEX Aquarium, Gangnam, Seoul
South Korea, COEX Mall, COEX Aquarium, Gangnam, Seoul, traffic light aquarium
South Korea, COEX Mall, COEX Aquarium, Gangnam, Seoul, phone booth aquarium South Korea, COEX Mall, COEX Aquarium, Gangnam, Seoul
South Korea, COEX Mall, COEX Aquarium, Gangnam, Seoul, sink aquarium
South Korea, COEX Mall, COEX Aquarium, Gangnam, Seoul South Korea, COEX Mall, COEX Aquarium, Gangnam, Seoul
South Korea, COEX Mall, COEX Aquarium, Gangnam, Seoul
South Korea, COEX Mall, COEX Aquarium, Gangnam, Seoul
South Korea, COEX Mall, COEX Aquarium, Gangnam, Seoul
South Korea, COEX Mall, COEX Aquarium, Gangnam, Seoul South Korea, COEX Mall, Gangnam, Seoul
South Korea, COEX Mall, Banhaneun Bossam Bapsang, Gangnam, Seoul
South Korea, COEX Mall, Banhaneun Bossam Bapsang, Gangnam, Seoul
Bossam & Rice Set Meal @ Banhaneun Bossam&Bapsang - 반하는 보쌈& 밥상

I'm going to consider this dinner the first sit-down meal we had in Korea. Can't go wrong with a restaurant in a fancy mall right? This place had the longest lines out of all the eateries we saw. It must be good!  ₩9,000 got us meat, rice, lots of side dishes, and even soup. I don't remember this meal being bad or anything but it wasn't one of the most memorable meals I had while in Korea.

South Korea, Gangnam, Seoul

Something I've never seen before. But it is definitely an interesting concept.
I wonder how many people find this handy?

This series is so long overdue. But better late than never!...?
Get ready for the upcoming travel log/photo dump.
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