Entrance of VVG Something in Taipei - another inspiring space
Personal collection
When I need to be inspired and have a glimpse of the rest of the world, I visit a few websites that never fail. A few for travel, food, music, and some in between. Enjoy browsing!
Food and Travel
Fathom Way to Go. I love this site because they categorize the entries in 11 ways: Chill, Culture, Food, Kids, Quirk, Romance, Scenery, Stuff, Thrill, Everything. It's easy to navigate and the entries are short. Short enough, with a photo or two to pique your interest and plan a trip. It may be brief but the prose does not mince with details too.
New York Times Travel page and Magazine. Both provide a window to a world I wish I had access to in real life. I'm a fan of the 36 hours series just because I often do not have the time to stay long enough in a new city. Both provide all the needed information, the page more like a guide book, the magazine, more like fiction -- but both very real. It makes me just want to recreate what I see at home -- kitchen travel.
Music
As I spend so much time online reading, I prefer to listen to music I cannot sing to. Of all music types, my most preferred is electronic music in its varied forms. I'm no music junkie to explain the various types but I like chill out/house/lounge for background music, and actually, even when out with friends. It's just better to hear your friends over good food and drink, and not to have a struggling conversation. And for this, my go to site is Digitally Imported FM. Otherwise, I prefer a phone with a radio so I can always go local or iTunes radio.
In between
Now these are sites that I go to for fashion, design, travel, food, and music inspiration. All are melting pots of various things that appeal to my senses.
I came across FVF through a German cable show called Euromaxx, another show I love and go to source for ideas. I've been following Euromaxx for over a decade now and was the only English show I saw during my brief stay in CZ. If I finally have a flat of my own, FVF is where I will go to for inspiration. Similarly, I also follow Monocle, not just for the design and aesthetics but how it merges the beautiful with the intellectual and analytical. I also like it because it has both Asian and European perspectives, which I identify with. An offshoot of another habit (reading the Economist), I like to read the More Intelligent Life. Beyond the title, it's not just a cerebral view of refined and sophisticated topics such as ideas, places, and other cultural matters. If I want to expand my vocabulary and conceptual understanding of everyday occurrences, this is what I would read. If only I have the time to visit them all!
Filipino Favorites
I would be a hypocrite if I don't follow Filipino sites too. If our country is known for it's vibrant civil society, we also have a vibrant blogging scene. Although I didn't site blogs above, I really haven't found a site that captures and presents information and reality in the Philippines the way the platforms above do. But for overall awesomeness, I read Chuvaness from time to time. I used to be "friends"with her blog in the old Livejournal when I had my first blog (but I am an amateur and inconsistent blogger), and ever since, her posts have always been unique, principled, and with taste. To me, no sugarcoating whatsoever, and covers anything between the mundane and sophisticated. If I need to know about a new controversy, new venue or if there's a new good-looking guy in the celebrity sphere, it's the blog to read too. Also, it both makes me homesick and feel at home at the same time -- very real posts.
Another recent favorite, which I admit, I do not visit very often is The Fat Kid Inside. I like it for the same reason I like the Working Class Foodies - recipes I would cook myself are presented so easily, it gives me confidence I can also do it at home. The only difference is that I have (or used to) access to the ingredients of the latter. It's making the best out of what you have in your pantry and making magic with a few choice ingredients.
So there's my list! Happy reading!
Filipino Favorites
I would be a hypocrite if I don't follow Filipino sites too. If our country is known for it's vibrant civil society, we also have a vibrant blogging scene. Although I didn't site blogs above, I really haven't found a site that captures and presents information and reality in the Philippines the way the platforms above do. But for overall awesomeness, I read Chuvaness from time to time. I used to be "friends"with her blog in the old Livejournal when I had my first blog (but I am an amateur and inconsistent blogger), and ever since, her posts have always been unique, principled, and with taste. To me, no sugarcoating whatsoever, and covers anything between the mundane and sophisticated. If I need to know about a new controversy, new venue or if there's a new good-looking guy in the celebrity sphere, it's the blog to read too. Also, it both makes me homesick and feel at home at the same time -- very real posts.
Another recent favorite, which I admit, I do not visit very often is The Fat Kid Inside. I like it for the same reason I like the Working Class Foodies - recipes I would cook myself are presented so easily, it gives me confidence I can also do it at home. The only difference is that I have (or used to) access to the ingredients of the latter. It's making the best out of what you have in your pantry and making magic with a few choice ingredients.
So there's my list! Happy reading!
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