Upcoming Press Exposures...

This week at the Sweet Tea House, Gonkar had two photo shoots of himself for two upcoming press exposures; one for the N.Y. based Contemporary Visual Culture magazine Art Asia Pacific, and the other for the Tower Hamlet's local free newspaper East End Life. He will be featured as one of the hot topics in both of the publications, together with the news of attending Venice Biennale 2009. We are very happy that the news is going to be shared in the different levels and types of media - one in global & exclusice, and the other in local & inclusive.

Renovating the Web Sites

Last Wednesday, Gonkar and I had a meeting with a web designer Tim from Alpine Interactive. Why? To discuss and exchange ideas for up-coming web sites of Gonkar and his gallery, the Sweet Tea House. Tim is a very considerate, thoughtful, and professional designer who is full of ideas - it's very fascinating to witness and be part of the process of transforming something old into the new, with the hands of someone like him.

The web sites are under renovation, and are coming soon...!

*The place where we had the meeting is Saf Restaurant in Shoreditch, whose botanically focused menu is "London's first and finest."

* I would also like to thank Hana, an illustrator who is a very good friend of mine and is a wife of Tim, for introducing us to the fine works of Tim.

Gifts from Tibet...

Hmmm....white bags of gifts! It's March and spring is coming to London, but it seems that Mr.Santa has arrived to the Sweet Tea House again (though most of us are rather close to Buddhist culture,) HO HO HO. Well, they are actually not from Father Christmas - they are gifts that has been sent by Gonkar's friends in Tibet!!!

Insides are Barley Flour and Yack Meat.

Apparently, Barley Flour (photo below) is commonly used to make porrige in the morning (instead of oat.)


And the dried Yack Meat (photo below) - which I never ever had before - is common daily Tibetan staple eaten as a snack. As the yacks are grown freely in the wild land, they are organic too.

Although I normally do not eat meat, I was so curious and tempted to try....

So Gonkar picked up the softest one for me, and I did try it!

It still felt quite hard, and tastes very...WILD!! (i.e.taste of red meat, full of blood and energy.haha)

You would certainly maintian your teeth very healthy and strong too, if you grew up chewing this "snack" every day.

And having thought about the fact that elderly people in Tibet still go to Pilgrimage for two hours every morning (= walking on the MOUNTAIN for TWO HOURS EVERY MORNING), together with these diets, there's no wonder why they have a very long and strong lives in Tibet!