Throughout the winter, I eat enough oatmeal to turn me into paper-mâché, but it has all been served with the sole purpose of clothing the soul by dressing it warmly with almond butter and cinnamon. With all the change that has cut me out of my habitual comforts, it makes sense that I would instinctively fetch for a slice of familiarity. This time, however, I wanted to transcend subtly, by using oats in a friendlier form and adding in a brightness to signify the start of a new season.

But my psychological yearning wasn’t the only reason why I made them. I wanted to bake them for Tom, who had told me earlier on in the relationship that oatmeal cookies were his favorite, and also for our friend, Timothy, who has lent us a space in his brownstone in Brooklyn, while we linger in limbo before our move to Munich.

I took a simple and yet imaginative method to this recipe, by building off a basic foundation and then adding that of which I felt would fit the transition between winter and spring. I’m a nerd when it comes to substituting classic ingredients in pursuit of health, so I made them egg-free, with olive oil, using whole-wheat flour and then honey as a sweetener. Please feel free to use whatever suits you best, as this recipe is not easy to sabotage.

**

1 c. whole-wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 c. rolled oats
2/3 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. honey
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 c. chopped dates

**

Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In one bowl, mix together the flour, dates, walnuts, oats, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk the honey, olive oil and lemon zest. Combine both in a bigger bowl and blend together with a wooden spoon, until the batter is moist and glistening.

Using your hands, shape one tablespoon into a ball and flatten down with fingers, separating each cookie about 2″ apart. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, until they are golden on the top and bottom. Depending on the size you choose, you should come out with about 2 dozen cookies.

Wine will remain as a dedication for discovery in my life, and I’ll always be drawn to that of which my eye creates emotion from what it sees. I’ll simply be shifting the subject of my writing to solely reflect that of which makes me truly happy.

And it doesn’t matter how much this niche has already been filled; a saturated marketplace has never deflected me from delivering that of which comes through my core.

Starting Tuesday, I’ll be living in Fort Greene in Brooklyn, before moving overseas to live in Munich for an indefinite amount of time. Bless my boyfriend, who is a benevolent supporter of my independence and suggested that I explore NYC by bike. This may seem like a perfectly sane idea, except for that I selfishly cherish the continuous breath that circulates my body.

Maybe I’m being unreasonably paranoid, but from my experience as a self-righteous pedestrian, my impulsive maneuvering quirks would probably get me killed. I need practice on sympathetic streets, and promise to be less of a pussy in Germany.

For now, I’ll reserve the risk by simply staring at these ghetto gorgeous bicycle paintings by Taliah Lempert. All paintings and prints feature bikes that have been worn in by a constant presence of place.

Let me get geeky on the appropriate terminology on trousers for a moment. They generally mean “pants” in the UK and in North America, are referred to in the traditional sense, as tailored pants, with belt-loops and a fly-front. Old Town Clothing designs their trousers so that they charter the characteristics of both definitions: clean, classic and yet still casual.

For no other reason than to publish two examples of product design, the Lightweight Denim Orford’s and the Tan Medium Weight Drill’s are trousers that I adore.

What? Models are just hangers of which clothes are hung from. Hangers with fine English buttocks.

When in New York last fall, I felt a heavy sense of injustice when comparing their prices with ours of the same bottles. I laughed it off and carried on but the feeling of betrayal remained. It’s at least comforting to know that there is a collective group of passionate people in BC who are attempting to motivate change within the system. Our audacious prices certainly don’t mean that I’m brimming my basket with 2L bottles of barely BBQ worthy wine, but have instead altered my behavior by adjusting my budget creatively. My monetary goal is to hover beneath the $25 mark.

Last week, I craved a browbeater and so drove through the rural roads of South Point to visit Liberty, a wine shop on 152nd Street. I was drawn to an ‘05 Poppy Hill Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, despite the associate describing it as drab by stating it as being solely balanced. I was pleasantly surprised to discover the contrary. I kid you not, I tasted peat. Although I commonly taste smoke in wine, never have I had something that was so reminiscent of scotch. It was full-bodied and also carried charatertistics of chocolate, cassis and hay.

You know what? I loved it. At $24.99, it barely broke even, but it ignited my interest and left me to ponder it for some time thereafter.

German-born Lima de Lezando is a multi-disciplinary designer, dabbling in industrial, furniture and graphic design. Lima describes himself as a “creator of emotions”, and his designs reflect that of today’s present world. Within his presence, he observes an integration of modern design and classicism.

Being that he’s only 24, it’s humbling to realize that age is nothing but the result of time of which is not applicable to talent.

With my recent decision to leave Vancouver for not one, but two countries, I have sold off or left behind all of my furniture, décor and electronics. As an advocate of constant change, to be cleansed of your materialistic clutter is nothing short of liberating. I also now have the opportunity to seek objects that resonate with me instinctively, and am grateful to be with Tom, who trusts my taste and shares in my love of design.

These Nouvelle stereo cabinets are a refined reflection of the 50’s, and showcase a style similar to what I’ll be searching for to adorn our flat in Munich.

]]> http://galoera.com/nouvelle-cabinet/feed 1 http://galoera.com/treasures-pleasures http://galoera.com/treasures-pleasures#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:26:17 +0000 Sylvia Zygalo http://galoera.com/?p=218

Located on 2nd Avenue in NY, Treasures & Pleasures specializes in sourcing and selling estate, costume, and fine jewelry, along with vintage watches and purses. You can also find them at the Brooklyn Flea, which is a market that, amongst other things, I fell madly in love with when I was in NYC this last November, (see: apples & americanos).

Hierarchically, it’s clear that I’m crushing on the Koret Black Calfskin Umbrella Handle Purse. I can’t say that I’ve seen one quite like it before, and am immediately visualizing myself walking across a street of grey, broken brick, en route to a café in London. I have a silly and yet sweet imagination. Don’t laugh, though, as I’m rather skilled at constructing my visions into realities.

]]> http://galoera.com/treasures-pleasures/feed 0 http://galoera.com/chris-dent-illustrator http://galoera.com/chris-dent-illustrator#comments Sun, 14 Feb 2010 18:15:05 +0000 Sylvia Zygalo http://galoera.com/?p=195

Love, American Style

Chris Dent has a talent for visually lifting a city’s skeleton, and then applying a depth of detail in his illustrations to reveal its suggestive soul.

Captivating his love of architecture, metropolitan cityscapes and environments, his precise pen work showcases a style solitary to his own.

Busy, beautiful and refreshing.

The first thing I’m going to do when I get to Paris this spring, is look for a poplar of unpasteurized Époisses. With the banned importation of its raw version in North America, there remain only a select few who carry the certification to produce it and sell it to cheese shops in Paris, the south of France and to Holland.

The ban is unjustified and motivated by a bureaucratic rivalry. The batch of Époisses that had caused the 1999 outbreak of listeria, was pasteurized and came from La fromagerie de l’Armançon, a factory that had already been condemned in a court in Dijon for producing counterfit Époisses under unsanitary conditions. It’s also been rumored that the Health Ministry had acted opportunistically in a play for power, in competing with the Veterinary Services for control of France’s Food Safety Association.

The most viable source of information on Époisses and its current standing in the marketplace, can be found in Taras Grescoe’s book, The Devil’s Picnic.

When I finally find this cheese, I’m not going to humiliate its complex characteristics of rich, salty meatiness and offending odor by throwing it into a quiche or a pie with apples, but plan to respect its strength by pairing it simply, with a baguette and a beer.

Although I’m not drawn to diamonds within a solely classic ring design, I do love when classicism mingles with obscure design elements.

These Bauhaus rings from the ‘Black Diamonds’ Collection by Alex & Chloe, rebel against the standard rock by striking a sombre and yet stunning chord.

The sterling silver is oxidized by hand, producing each piece distinct from the one before it, and revealing a reflection of the incomparable individual and the relationship that it is made to represent.