“As long as there was coffee in the world,
how bad could things be?”
― Cassandra Clare,
City of Ashes
Coffeeshop catch-ups are fast becoming one of my favorite weekend To-Dos. So when my friend Helena messaged to get together for some coffee and a quick portrait session, meeting up in a coffee shop was first on our list. It didn't hurt that we both lived near a Zoo Coffee (this one in Caifu Zhongxin), perhaps one of the biggest Zoo Coffees in this city, so it was a meetup that I pretty much looked forward to the entire week.
Meeting new people who turn out to be great friends, the type who you can easily slide into deep, meaningful conversations with, is one of the great adventures when living so far from home. Kindred spirits come in all shapes and sizes and nationalities. For one, we both like to go hang out at coffee shops while ordering the least caffeinated item on the menu! I can't pass up good interiors, even if it means having to order a cup of mocha or hot chocolate every time I see a coffee shop that's fitted out nicely. We were lucky enough since Zoo Coffee serves full meals on top of coffee, has big, wooden tables and plush, comfy chairs that are big enough to sleep in. So between bites, we caught up, snapped a few frames, and made the most out of the Sunday.
It's amazing to think that somewhere out there are future friends who we are bound to meet, swap life stories with, and share significant portions of our lives with-- it's a beautiful thing.
A few shots from that afternoon.
Portraits, Portraits, Portraits, Portraits,Portraits, Portraits,Portraits, Portraits,Portraits, Portraits
I need you before I'm too old
To have and to hold
To walk with you and watch you grow
And know that you're blessed.
Blessed
Elton John
I cannot believe it's been a week since I got together with the CQ ladies for brunch and good old adult conversations at Alpha Cafe. Afterwards we decided to take a quick shortcut through the park on the way home so we can sneak in a few mom and daughter shots of my friend Nochele and her toddler Cayla.
Cayla is a cutiepatootie with the biggest gap-toothed grin and the most adorable laugh. And she's fascinated by everything! I'm jealous at how she can look at a leaf and think that it's the most interesting thing in the world! She was particularly smitten by the flowers and flower-picked her way through the quick and impromptu session. It was a joy just watching and clicking, or occasionally bribing her with a flower to look my way.
Littles, with all their wonder and seemingly boundless energy, are rays of sunshine wrapped in tiny jumpers and toddler sneakers. They really are.
A few shots from that day.
JP had a school thing in Shanghai so we decided to make a short holiday out of it and I tagged along. It was my first time in Shanghai and I was looking forward to spending an entire day exploring the Former French Concession. The Shanghai Former French Concession is also known as the Paris of the Orient because it was a French settlement from 1849 to 1943, so naturally you get tree-lined trees, coffee shops, bookstores, boutiques and all that comes with a place that's been occupied by the French for several decades. Even though the area has undergone a lot of changes (it was turned over to the Chinese government in the early 1940s!), it still has this distinct European, Old World charm to it. There's also a higher expat-local ratio here than in CQ, which is refreshing because that means more people can converse in English and getting around and ordering food isn't quite as challenging.
There's a lot of videos and blog posts on the Shanghai Former French Concession already and how to get there from various points in the city (we stayed at the Novotel Shanghai Atlantis in Pudong, so we got to the French Concession by subway), so I'll keep this post short.
Would love to spend another afternoon exploring more of this place again. But for now, pictures.
Travel, Travel, Travel, Travel, Travel, Travel, Travel, Travel, Travel, Travel