Italy on film
 

This post is going to be a bit of a throwback post. When I visited Italy last summer, I brought along several 35mm disposable film cameras to capture some truly candid shots of Venice, Rome, and Florence. This experience gave me an interesting and different perspective to photography. I’m so used to snapping multiple photos, looking at them, and then taking more to adjust for the mistakes in the previous shots. With a film camera, there’s no way to see what you’ve snapped until much later, until you’ve filled up your camera and gotten all your photos developed, so you really have to think hard about the composition of your photo, as well as find that perfect moment to capture.

 
 

Venezia

 
Italy on film - Venice
Italy on film - Venice
Italy on film - Venice
Italy on film - Venice
Italy on film - Venice
Italy on film - Venice
Italy on film - Venice
 

Roma

 
Italy on film - Rome
Italy on film - Rome
Italy on film - Venice
Italy on film
Italy on film
Italy on film - Rome
Italy on film - Rome
 

Firenze

 
Italy on film - Florence
Italy on film - Florence
Italy on film - Florence
 
 

Now, for the cameras:

Color: Fujifilm QuickSnap Flash 400 Disposable 35mm Camera 

Black & White: Ilford XP2 Super Single Use Camera with Flash (27 Exposures) black and white film

I got my film developed at Oscar’s Photo Lab in San Francisco. You can also get them developed at some Walgreens, CVS, and Costco stores.

Hope you enjoyed the photos, and happy 2019!

♥ Cindy

 
Travel, 2Cindy Zhang Comment
How to make Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐) - my mom's recipe!
 
 

Watch the video for a in-depth tutorial on how to make this dish. If you enjoyed watching, please give me a thumbs up/subscribe to me on YouTube!

 
 
How to make Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐) - my mom's recipe!
 
 

Mapo Tofu was one of my favorite dishes to eat growing up. My mom—who’s originally from Sichuan—used to make this this all the time since it’s a effortless staple in a Chinese household. It works as a main or a side, and tastes amazing on top of a hot steaming bowl of rice.

 
 
How to make Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐) - my mom's recipe!
 
 

For those who have a fear of tofu: is it because of its bland flavor or the strange texture? If so, it’s probably because you’re cooking it wrong (apologize for my sass).

Mapo Tofu, on the other hand, is full of flavor from the spicy chili bean sauce (which acts as its base) and salty fermented black beans. Traditionally, it’s topped with a red chili oil and Sichuan peppercorns. Its silky texture comes from the combination of the soft tofu with a cornstarch slurry that makes the sauce thick and gooey. The soft texture is balanced with ground beef or pork, which is fried throughly with the chili bean paste in the beginning.

 
 
Mapo Tofu - Mom's Recipe
 
 

Though the ingredients might seem kinda intimidating, you can buy most of these at your local Asian market. No guarantees, but you can probably find most of these in the Asian section at a regular grocery store as well.

At the usual grocery store: ground beef/pork, tofu, scallions, cornstarch, sesame oil, chili oil

At the Asian grocery store: doubanjiang, or pixian douban (Chinese spicy bean paste), douchi (fermented black beans), Sichuan peppercorns (or peppercorn powder)

 
 
Mapo Tofu - Mom's Recipe
Mapo Tofu - Mom's Recipe
 
 

Definitely serve this on top of rice, since the dish can be pretty spicy and salty when eaten by itself.

 
 
Mapo Tofu - Mom's Recipe
Mapo Tofu - Mom's Recipe
 
 

How to make Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐) - my mom's recipe!

Ingredients (serves 3-4 people)

  • 1 block of soft tofu
  • ¾ cup of ground beef/pork
  • 3 scallions
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp water
  • vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 tbsp pixian douban/doubanjiang (Chinese chili bean paste)
  • 3 tsp chili oil
  • 1-2 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns or Sichuan peppercorn powder
  • ½ tbsp douchi (Chinese fermented black beans) *optional
  • 2 tsp sesame oil *optional

Takes , Makes 3-4 servings.


Instructions

  1. Chop the lower ends (white parts) of the scallions into 1 inch pieces. Chop the leaves (green parts) into smaller pieces that we’ll use for garnish at the end

  2. Cut the block of tofu into half inch cubes. Bring some water to a boil in a large pan and add in the tofu. (You can definitely skip this step, but this process will ensure that the tofu is super soft and silky, and removes impurities from its original packaging).

  3. Finely chop the fermented black beans.

  4. Add oil to a hot wok. When the wok is hot enough, add in the chili bean paste.

  5. Add ground pork to the wok and stir fry it with the bean paste. Make sure you break up the ground pork so that it cooks evenly and is completely coated with the bean paste.
  6.  
  7. Add the chopped fermented black beans into the pan. Since these are pretty salty, just a little bit will go a long way.

  8. Toss in the roots of the scallions and stir fry it with the sauce

  9. To make the sauce thicker, combine the cornstarch with water. Stir it up to make sure it’s well combined. With the heat turned down low, add this mixture to the pan. The slurry will make the sauce and pork really gooey and silky.

  10. Toss in the whites of the scallions and stir fry it with the sauce.

  11. Toss in the boiled tofu and lightly fold it in with the meat sauce. Be super gentle with it, since you don’t want to break up the soft pieces of tofu.

  12. Add the Sichuan pepper powder, sesame oil, and chili oil. If you like your tofu to be spicier, feel free to add more chili oil than what's specified in this recipe. Finally, toss in the chopped scallion leaves and lightly fold them in. You won't need any extra salt since the doubanjiang and douchi already contribute a lot of saltiness to the dish.

  13. Spoon the Mapo Tofu on top of a bowl of white rice and top with more scallions.

 
 
 

I loved watching my mom in the kitchen when I was younger, and I’m pretty fortunate to have picked up this dish from her. Because she never really measures her ingredients, it was pretty hard for me to come up with the measurements for this recipe. So feel free to adjust the amounts to your liking—tasting your food while cooking is the best part!

♥ Cindy

 
Food, 2Cindy Zhang Comment
Seafood Pasta with Uni Butter
 
 

Watch the video for a in-depth tutorial on how to make the dish. If you enjoyed watching, please give me a thumbs up/subscribe to me on YouTube!

 
 
Seafood Pasta with Uni Butter
 
 

One night after a long day of exploring Sydney, I decided to order room service at the Four Seasons hotel. I would’ve stayed out to discover more of Sydney’s restaurants, but since I was solo-traveling that day, I got lazy and figured it would be easiest for me to just order something to my room for dinner. Luckily, laziness won me a super delicious and unique pasta dish.

 
 
Seafood Pasta with Uni (sea urchin) Butter
 
 

It was so delicious to the point where I lost all sense of tact and started asking the concierge to see if they could get me the recipe from the chef. Fortunately, the chef agreed to spill the beans and told me all the ingredients that went into the dish (but not necessarily the step-by-step instructions). Turns out what made the pasta so delicious was the uni butter.

After hearing the uni butter part I got a little bit disappointed, thinking of how rare and potentially expensive an ingredient uni—or sea urchin—is. Like, where the hell am I gonna get sea urchin just to cook this damn meal? Then it clicked: I can just go to my local Japanese market to get the uni. No need to scour a fancy seafood market.

 
 
Seafood Pasta with Uni Butter
 
 

For reference, here’s what the original dish looked like.

 
 
Seafood Pasta with Uni Butter
 
 

Even though uni butter might seem like it’s a rare and unconventional ingredient to cook with, the flavor payoff you’ll get is unrivaled. Plus, it’s actually super easy to make. The extra effort of visiting your Japanese market or seafood market will definitely show since the uni butter gives the dish a really fresh taste of the ocean, and also a creamy texture.

 
 
Seafood Pasta with Uni Butter
 
 

Seafood Pasta with Uni Butter

Ingredients (serves 2-3 people)

  • 6-7 (2 oz/60g) pieces of uni (sea urchin)*
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 8 oz (230g) spaghetti or linguine
  • 10-15 shrimp (or any seafood of your choice)
  • 3 small pieces of cuttlefish (or any seafood of your choice)
  • about 8 heirloom cherry tomatoes
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic
  • white wine
  • 1 tbsp tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp chili oil
  • black Pepper
  • salt
  • olive oil
  • parsley and parmesan cheese for garnish

Takes , Makes 2-3 servings.

*You can find this at your local Japanese market and fish market


Instructions

  1. Chop the heirloom tomatoes into halves, and dice up the garlic. Chop up the parsley for garnish at the very end.

  2. Add salt to a boiling pot of water. Drop in spaghetti and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking process (we'll finish cooking it in our sauce later).

  3. Add olive oil to a pan and sautée the seafood with the garlic and tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to season accordingly.

  4. Bring the heat down and add a splash of white wine. Add in the tomato sauce, chili oil, and uni butter, stirring constantly to make sure everything is combined.
  5.  
  6. Fold in the cooked spaghetti, making sure it picks up the sauce. Add in half the parsley and allow it wilt down.

  7. Arrange pasta and seafood on a plate and garnish with more parsley. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese on top.

 
 
 

If you decide to make this recipe, please tag me on Instagram (@cinders_zhang). If you enjoyed the cooking video, lease give it a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel. also A huge shout out to the Four Seasons hotel in Sydney for the inspiration and recipe!

♥ Cindy

 
Food, 2Cindy ZhangComment
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia - Vlog and Photo Diary

Video was shot using the iPhoneX + DJI Osmo Mobile 2 for stabilization. Edited with Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2018 and Adobe After Effects CC 2018.

 
 

If you enjoyed the video, please give me a thumbs up/subscribe to me on YouTube!

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 

After spending a few rainy days in Melbourne, I headed off to Sydney in hopes of spending a few days in the sun. Unfortunately, a rare case of rain hit the city for the first two days I was there, so I couldn’t spend as much time outdoors as I had liked to. Luckily, in addition to its beautiful outdoor landmarks and picturesque beaches, Sydney provided some amazing indoor activities during the rain as well.

Take a look at the map I curated to see all the places below in context.

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 

1. Soak up the sun at Bondi Beach

Sun’s out, guns out. Head over to Sydney’s most iconic and popular beach: Bondi beach, and take a dip in the ocean—or do some shopping in its small boutiques along the coastline.

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 
 

2. Swim and sip at Bondi Icebergs

When you get hungry and thirsty at Bondi, stop by Icebergs, a restaurant, bar, and recreation club right next to the beach. There’s a pool carved into the side of the ocean where you’ll still occasionally get hit with the ocean waves while swimming. Visit the bar and restaurant upstairs to get an amazing view of the ocean while sipping your refreshing drinks and eating your delicious meal.

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 

3. See the cuddly (and scary) animals at the Wild Life Sydney zoo

Visit the Wild Life Sydney Zoo to see all of the unique animals Australia has to offer. You can even get up close and personal with some of their koalas.

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
15 Things to do in Sydney Australia
15 Things to do in Sydney Australia
15 Things to do in Sydney Australia
15 Things to do in Sydney Australia
15 Things to do in Sydney Australia
 
 

4. Visit the Opera House early in the day

I got to visit the Opera House twice during my stay in Sydney: once during the more crowded hours in the afternoon, and again at 7AM in the morning. If you want to avoid the hoards of tourists getting in your way of photos, or just want to enjoy a quiet walk up and down the stairs leading up to the opera house, I highly recommend making the sacrifice of getting up at sunrise and visiting the opera house early in the day.

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 

Otherwise, your photo will look more like this one below (with a bunch of people hanging out in the background):

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 

5. View the Opera House from Royal Botanic Gardens

Interestingly, the best view of the opera house is actually not at the opera house. Believe me, the monument looks a lot better once you’re bit further away. Get away from all the tourists and escape to the Botanic Gardens on the east side of the opera house. You can enjoy a quiet stroll through this city park that resembles New York City’s Central Park (at least from what I saw in the movies) and walk past the joggers to enjoy a view of the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, and the city skyline.

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 

6. Have the new style sashimi at Sake on the Rocks

Sake on the Rocks is a Japanese restaurant located in an area close to Circular Quay called The Rocks, a historic neighborhood filled with cobblestone roads, shops, old pubs, and upscale restaurants. My favorite dish was hands down the “New Style Sashimi,” which is a dish of sashimi revamped with hot sesame oil on top to slightly sear the raw fish.

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 

7. Shop at the Queen Victoria Building

The Queen Victoria Building (or “QVB”) is a late 19th century building in the CBD that houses a myriad of shops, restaurants, and cafes. There’s a comprehensive selection of stores that range from local Australian boutiques to more common designers like Coach and Calvin Klein. If you’re still not satisfied, QVB is connected to the Westfield mall, which is located directly on its north facing side.

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 

8. Find the hidden bird cages at angel Place

Wander through the streets south of Circular Quay and you’ll find this hidden art installation on Angel Place between Ash St. and Pitt St. The artwork is called “Forgotten Songs” and was designed by Michael Thomas Hill. As you stand underneath the birdcages you can hear the sounds of the birds that once inhabited Sydney before the city was built.

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 

9. Walk through the tunnels at sea Life Aquarium

After finishing up with the land animals at the Wild Life zoo, head next door to the Sea life Aquarium to stroll amongst stingrays, jellyfish, and sharks.

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 

10. Do the Bondi to bronte walk

If you’re hungry for more beach scenery after visiting Bondi beach, walk south along the coast to visit a few other beaches and sights, including Mackenzie’s Point, Tamarama Beach, and Bronte Beach.

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 


11. Have super spicy thai food at chat thai

After hearing about how Thai food is Sydney’s current obsession, I knew I had to check out the craze for myself. Upon seeing great reviews for Chat Thai (a chain scattered across the city, including at the Westfield mall), I had one of the spiciest but most delicious Thai dishes: mu krop—crispy pork belly over rice with a fried egg on top.

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 

12. See Sydney from above the clouds at the sydney tower eye

Go to the 5th floor of the Westfield mall and you’ll find the entrance to the Sydney Tower Eye, an observation deck with a 360 degree view of the city.

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 

13. Have coffee and breakfast at parlour lane roasters

If you’re looking for a unique, retro-style cafe to sit down and enjoy breakfast and a flat white, this is your place.

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 

14. Visit the Museum of Contemporary art

While strolling along The Rocks area or Circular Quay, visit the Museum of Contemporary Art, which is completely free to explore.

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 


15. Take the ferry across circular quay at night

To get another great view of the Opera House or Harbour Bridge, jump aboard one of the ferries going to or from Circular Quay. Your opal card (transportation card for all buses, trains, and trams) will also work for ferry access.

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 

In this post I also wanted to give a huge shout out to the Four Seasons hotel in Circular Quay for a wonderful stay. The hotel is conveniently located just a 5-10 minute walk from the Circular Quay ferry station, several bus stops, and, if you’re lucky enough, you could get a room with a sick view of the Opera House. The best part though, was probably the included breakfast which included freshly-made Eggs Benedicts and omelettes.

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 

I also tried out room service for the first time and got this a.ma.zing pasta. I called concierge to ask the chef for the recipe. Turns out there was uni butter in it, so welp, it might not be very easy to recreate at home.

 
 
15 Things to do in Sydney, Australia
 
 

Hope you found this travel photo diary helpful. If you haven’t done so already, you can also check out of my post for Melbourne as well.

The vlogs for both cities are on their way as well ;)

♥ Cindy

 
Travel, 2Cindy Zhang
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia - Photo Diary
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia

Video was shot using the iPhoneX + DJI Osmo Mobile 2 for stabilization. Edited with Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2018 and Adobe After Effects CC 2018.

 
 

When people think of Australia, the first thought that often comes to their minds is probably the iconic Opera House in Sydney (and maybe kangaroos and koalas). I knew Sydney was a place I needed to check off my Australian bucket list, but Melbourne was another city that intrigued me. If Sydney was the mainstream, beautiful blonde bombshell, I envisioned Melbourne to be her brunette, alternative, artsy sister. While Sydney is known for its beaches and famous landmarks like the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, Melbourne is more renowned for its coffee, street art, and its neighboring adventures on the Great Ocean Road.

Take a look at the map I curated to see all the places below in context.

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
 
 

I arrived in Melbourne after about 20 hours of traveling, first from San Francisco to Sydney, and then after a delayed flight from Sydney to Melbourne. It was tough a 20 hours, so when I arrived, I knew I needed to treat myself to a flat white in the coffee capital on Australia.

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
 
 

1. Have a flat white in the coffee laneways

Melbourne is famous for its laneways, which are tiny pedestrian-only streets filled with hole-in-the-wall shops, cafes, and small restaurants. I chose to explore Centre Place, which is one of the most popular laneways that has graffiti spilling into it and loads of coffee spilling out.

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
 
 
 

2. Visit the Brighton Beach Bathing Boxes

When the weather’s right, head south of the CBD (Center Business District—what the Melbournians refer to as the downtown area) to Brighton Beach. There, you’ll see a row of colorful huts where surfers will store their surfboards and other surf equipment.

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
 
 

Beware of all the bloggers here asking their “Instagram husbands” to take about a million photos for them.

 
 

Bikini: Kendall and Kylie via Revolve

 
 

3. Explore the street art on Hosier Lane

Another cheap and easy thing to do in the CBD is to head on over to Hosier Lane after visiting one of coffee laneways and explore the huge amount of graffiti on this street. Street art is not forbidden—it’s encouraged.

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia

Duster Coat: Ba&Sh via Rent the Runway | Shirt: J.Crew | Jeans: Anthropologie | Sneakers: H&M

 
 

4. Have breakfast and coffee at White Mojo

Have a sesame latte and some of the prettiest breakfast plates I’ve ever seen at White Mojo Specialty Coffee Roasters.

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
 
 

5. See the mix of traditional and contemporary installations at the National Gallery of Victoria

The NGV (National Gallery of Victoria) is a definite must-do here in Melbourne. It’s Australia’s oldest art museum and holds art ranging from the 19th century to the 21st century. Its collection ranges from Asian to European art, and works by Monet to works by Julian Opie. It was probably one of the most intriguing art museums I’ve ever gone to, and I was in love with the mix of the old and the new. Did I also mention it’s free?

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
 
 

6. Travel the Great Ocean Road

On my third day in Melbourne, I decided to venture out of the city to explore the Great Ocean Road. Instead of going on a regular bus tour, I opted in for an Airbnb Experience with Pete, which was, in my opinion, thousands of times better than going on traditional bus tour. Pete drove our group of five in his mini van along the Great Ocean Road to visit some of its major sights, stopping for meals and coffee along the way.

What set Pete apart the most was how he truly tried to create bonds between the people traveling through his conversations. He would tell us personal anecdotes along the journey and not skimp out on the textbook information for each destination either. I would highly recommend booking a tour with him either on Airbnb or through his Facebook page. You can also check out a video one of his guests made for one of his experiences.

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
 
 

We learned that there are actually 8 apostles, not 12. They decided to lie to all of us and name it the “12 apostles” just because it had a better ring to it.

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
 
 

I would say Loch Ard Gorge(ous) was my favorite (pictured above).

We stopped along Torquay, Lorne, Gibson Steps, 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, and London Bridge. We also got to see a few Koalas out in the wild and have lunch at some local cafes.

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
 
 

7. Have (more) coffee at Brother Baba Budan

Hang with the hipsters at this always-crowded coffee shop serving Seven Seeds Coffee in the CBD and stare up at its incredible ceiling.

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
 
 

8. Chinatown Melbourne

Did you know the oldest Chinatown in the Western world is located right here in Melbourne? The restaurants here are amazingly authentic—none of that chop suey, general tso’s chicken crap that Chinese Americans had to create to appeal to western palettes so they could survive in America. We ended up having hot pot at a place called Dainty Sichuan.

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
 
 

9. Breakfast at Hardware Société

If you didn’t get your “Instagramable and hip coffee shop” fix yet, head on over to Hardware Societe for a French inspired breakfast (I got the baked eggs!).

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
 
 

10. Explore Southbank at night

Walk across Melbourne’s many bridges across the Yarra river and visit Southbank to watch hoards of locals eat, drink, and party on a night out.

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
 
 


11. Have dinner at Supernormal

Have some delicious revamped Asian-inspired dishes at Supernormal. Though the price can be quite steep, the flavors here are the best around. The waiters are so nice to the point where they will give you free dessert because they feel sorry for making you wait so long for the food.

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
 
 

12. Visit the Shrine of Remembrance

Catch a glimpse of Melbourne’s skyline after walking up the stairs to the Shrine of Remembrance, a war memorial to honor the men and women who fought in World War I. Also free to enter.

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
 
 

13. Visit the State Library of Victoria and then have a snack at the Queen Victoria Market

Unfortunately, on the day I visited, the dome of the library was closed off for a special event. However, I found other parts of the library equally picturesque. The library is walking distance from Queen Victoria Market, which sells fresh produce, meat, and seafood, and is full of stalls selling street food, cheeses, and jams.

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
 
 

14. Do your Christmas shopping at the Royal Arcade

When you want to do some more unique, local shopping, head to the Royal Arcade, which originally opened in 1870. This light-filled building houses local chocolatiers, toy shops, as well as cafes and bakeries.

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
 
 


15. Go up the Eureka Skydeck

For a more comprehensive view of Melbourne’s CBD, head up the Eureka Skydeck building (the highest observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere).

 
 
15 Things to do in Melbourne, Australia
 
 

Melbourne was coined the world’s most livable city for 7 years in a row (before finally being defeated this year by Vienna, Austria). After experiencing Melbourne’s amazing food from its melting pot of different cultures and interacting with its friendly and upbeat people, I can see why it’s reigned on top for so long. It seems like everyone in Melbourne is accepting of everyone else’s unique backgrounds, and I think that’s why incredible art, food, and culture continue to emit from this city.

♥ Cindy

 
Travel, 2Cindy Zhang
Tour of my San Francisco Apartment

Video was shot using the iPhoneX + DJI Osmo Mobile 2 for stabilization. Edited with Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2018 and Adobe After Effects CC 2018.

 
San Francisco Apartment Tour
 
 

It’s finally heeeere!! The highly-requested video tour of my San Francisco apartment! In this post you’ll also find links to most of the furniture/decor in each room.

 
 
San Francisco Apartment Tour
San Francisco Apartment Tour
 
 

I’ve been meaning to do a house tour for the longest time, but I’ve also been constantly putting it off because I wasn’t ready to consider my apartment in a “finished” state yet. I’m constantly adding and editing, so the apartment ends up looking pretty different from month to month. In the end I realized that it was never going to be in a “done” state, because my style will always evolve, and the apartment will evolve with me. So in September, I sucked it up and filmed the house tour. I didn’t get around to editing it until late October.

 
 
 
kitchen
 
 
San Francisco Apartment Tour - Kitchen
 
 

The birthplace of all food content on this blog

When you enter the house, you’re immediately greeted by the kitchen. Don’t be deceived by the marble countertops though—they’re actually not real. I achieved this effect by covering the original black counter tops with marble contact paper.

 
 
 
 

Marble Contact Paper - Amazon | Marble Cutting Board - Amazon | Plant + Holder - IKEA | Artificial flower - Daiso | Wooden Cutting Board - IKEA | Soap Dispenser - Muji

 
 
JPEG image-A7A722D66B22-27.jpeg
 
 

Smeg Retro Toaster in Pastel Green - Amazon | Artificial Flower - IKEA

 
 
San Francisco Apartment Tour
 
 

Round dining table - Amazon | Eames DSW lookalike chairs - eBay | “Stockholm” Pillow - IKEA | Artificial Cherry Blossoms - Daiso | Fujifilm Instax Polaroid Camera - Urban Outfitters | Mini Succulents - World Market

 
 
 
living room
 
 
San Francisco Apartment Tour - Living Room
 
 

Where Creative shit gets done

This is my place to relax after a long day, but also the place to get shit done. All the practicing for gigs happens here, as well as actual work work on WFH Wednesdays. To make this the perfect place to spark creative energy, I decorated the space with a lot of wall art, colorful accents, and plants.

 
 
San Francisco Apartment Tour - Living Room
 
 

“Pisces” art print - Society6 | Map of New York art print - Society6

For the rest of the prints on the wall, I download the images online and printed them at Walgreens. I then added on cheap frames from IKEA and Michael’s.

 
 
San Francisco Apartment Tour - Living Room
San Francisco Apartment Tour - Living Room
 
 

“Lisabo” desk - IKEA | Chair - IKEA | Rose gold lamp - Amazon | Wall grid - Daiso | Acrylic Drawers - Muji | Jewelry Holders - Daiso

 
 
San Francisco Apartment Tour - Living Room
San Francisco Apartment Tour - The Living Room
 
 

“Soderhamn” sofa - IKEA | Coffee Table in mint green - Anthropologie | Classical Guitar - Lucero LC235SCE | Eames DSW lookalike armchair - Wayfair | Black/Ivory Southwestern stripe throw pillow - Target | Floor Lamp - Wayfair | 8-bit playing cards - Amazon

 
 
San Francisco Apartment Tour - Living Room
San Francisco Apartment Tour - Living Room
 
 

“Mulig” clothing rack - IKEA | Round throw pillow - Target | Turkish blanket - Out of stock, find similar on Truck & Barter

As a general rule of thumb: try to keep large pieces like sofas neutral. Choose a versatile shade like white or grey so you can get creative with the accents you add on top. This way, you can change them easily when your style changes, and when trends come and go.

 
 
San Francisco Apartment Tour - Living Room
 
 

Yamaha P71 Electric Keyboard - Amazon | Canvas art - Society6 | Retro red clock - Amazon

 
 
 
bedroom
 
 
San Francisco Apartment Tour - Bedroom
 
 

Where the magic (of sleep) happens

Since this apartment is not quite a full one-bedroom, the bedroom is quite small and doesn’t have a door. Because of the lack of space, I tried to keep the room super minimal by opting out of a bed frame and just putting the mattress on the floor. As for the bedside table, I created a lightweight replacement by laying some heavy books on top of a simple stool.

 
 
San Francisco Apartment Tour - Bedroom
San Francisco Apartment Tour - Bedroom
 
 

Coral embroidered round throw pillow - Target | Square light pink throw pillow - Target | White textured throw blanket - Amazon | Bedding - IKEA | “Marius” Stool (used as makeshift bedside table) - IKEA | Lamp + plant - Target | Guitar - Yamaha FG800

 
 
San Francisco Apartment Tour - Bedroom
 
 

Hanging light - IKEA | Amsterdam map art - Society6 | Black and white line canvas art - Society6 | Vase - Amazon

 
 
 
Bathroom
 
 
San Francisco Apartment Tour - Bathroom
San Francisco Apartment Tour - Bathroom
 
 

Shower Curtain - IKEA | “Marius” Stool - IKEA | Circle rug - World Market | Marble Contact Paper - Amazon

 
 
 
 

Where the 7-step Skincare Routine Happens

Okay, maybe it’s more like 5 steps for me. But I love unwinding here after a long with my nighttime skincare regimen, and then starting my day on the right foot by taking good care of my skin. My favorite brand for skincare products right now is CosRX, a Korean brand that provides super affordable solutions that are also super effective.

 
 
San Francisco Apartment Tour
 
 

Hope you had fun watching the tour of my apartment and reading through this post! Hopefully you got some new ideas for decorating your own space, or at least found something you would like to buy for yourself. If you’re interested in seeing my old 200 square feet apartment and seeing how I made such a tiny space work, please (re)visit this post I put up about a year ago—or the Apartment Therapy article!

♥ Cindy