two of my favourite things

1. The Gilded Lily at the Alembic on Haight
2. Imperial Jade Noodles with Coconut Lemongrass Marmalade Shrimp at Citrus Club on Haight

My, oh my.

urban curry

On Broadway, among the flashing neon, one can order up a plate some of the most exquisite curry I have had in San Francisco. You can actually taste the tomatoes in the chicken tikka masala sauce at Urban Curry, and the flat screens blasting flat-bellied Bollywood beauties dancing in colourful saris just adds to the deliciousness.



If you find yourself craving some Indian food and are in the North Beach/Chinatown area, do drop into Urban Curry— it's oh so yummy.

Urban Curry
523 Broadway, between Kearny and Columbus / SAN FRANCISCO
415 677 97 44

the good egg

Egg sandwich on a croissant with smoked salmon, tomatoes and avocados at La Boulange de Polk.



Sunday morning eggs and bacon at my dear friend Suzi's house.



Brunch at Café de la Presse: Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and home fries.

long-lost love

I was overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions during my two and a half days in San Francisco. I missed my grandad terribly, and every street I walked down held some lost memory that filled me with longing and nostalgia. I had loved living in San Francisco. It's a city full of action and adventure— I had my dear friends, my favourite haunts, and the food— oh the food! I was visiting an old love who I never quite lost feelings for, but I know deep down inside that we just can't be together.

there's something about san francisco

There just is.

san francisco in sketches

so long

It's funny how seven months can just fly by and feel like they never happened. Walking these foggy streets, Istanbul feels like a dream; just about everything is right were I left it. There are naturally, a few noticeable differences. The sales tax may have risen a percent, bus fares may now be two bucks, cafés and shops may have shut down with new ones in their place, and there may be far more "for rent" signs than when I left— but still, this is a city I can call mine.

I love sitting down with a friend and realising that time doesn't really mean much; you still laugh at each other's jokes, have that ability to confide, "get" those incomprehensible things about each other— even though much has happened in life, the friendship has remained a constant. The funny thing is, I feel that I have learned more about each friend since I have moved and come back. I didn't think it was possible, but I appreciate them even more now. I had a wonderful, bitter-sweet time in San Francisco, and even though I am looking forward to going home to Istanbul, I can't wait to return to SF.

friends behind glass / dreaming in trapeze

I had to return to the de Young one more time before I left and fortunately, yesterday was the first Tuesday of the month— a free admission day. It felt like I was saying goodbye to old friends; I have come to know the museum and its inhabitants well over the past four years. I recognise and am familiar with many brushstrokes, chisel marks and cracks. Here are some images of my most favourite pieces, cropped in and close-up. I would have included more African, Mayan and Oceanic art pieces, but they are all behind glass and the reflections were too distracting on camera.


I took a walk through the park to Circus Center, where I was learning static trapeze, for a visit with my teacher, to whom I owe a lot. I have always dreamt of becoming a trapeze artist, ever since I went to the circus as a little girl; the ladies that flew like birds above my head so enchanted me that I longed to join them. I hung upside-down on monkey bars in playgrounds, swinging from my knees to emulate them, and still to this day maintain an attraction to sequins and glitter.


I discovered Circus Center about a year after I moved to SF, but constantly came up with excuses not to join (as we do when we get older)— it's too expensive, I'm too busy, etc. Then one day I realised there was no point in not doing it, and signed up. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made— there's nothing like fulfilling a dream, even a tiny bit of it. My only regret is that I had to stop to move to Istanbul, and I have yet to find a place to continue in. I miss trapezing terribly, and dream about swinging and twirling around just about every other night.

This is me last year at Circus Center.

distinctly sf