Yesterday was the fourth of July! Celebrating it in another country made me that much more patriotic. It was pretty cool living in the UK as an American. I miss the barbecue, the pool, hot summer days, and so on. Tis a shame.
Yet, lunch at Lomonia, a greek restaraunt, was superb. It really was the farewell lunch before we shove on back to the states. Well, most people shove on back to the states. I will be staying! We all dined on wine, cheese, olives, pita, hummus, salad, lamb, cake, rice, kous-kous, and more. This was all served over a 9 course meal which took 3 full hours! Quite delectable as cheers, toasts, and thank yous went all around.
In addition, as a group, we went up to Primrose Hill which is the high est point in London which really doesn't say much anyways. Lastly, we went on a boat ride throught the canals of Camden Market and so on. We saw London's little Venice. It was little. Lastly, we got to party all American style. By being obnoxious. Going out to go clubbing and watching dumb American movies. Waht could be more patriotic?! I feel that this week has been a good one to end the London excursions on. So much fun had. This coming weekend is of course the tour! It will be neat to see. I can't wait! I tried waiting for Wimbledon, but gave up after 3 hours. Oh well, my loss. I can say that I have truly enjoyed most of the trip though.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
7/3/07
Hey, hello again. I am back, safe and sound here in London. The train ride was sleepy. I apparently missed all the car bombs happening in London and Glasgow. Wow. Hopefully nothing will happen when I go to Glasgow in a couple weeks. I got back at 9 AM in London. We met up at where we met the bum in that little park area. I saw everyone again as I have travelled by myself. It was good though to see everyone back safely. Well, mostly, one person was stuck in Spain at the time. Then, at 3 PM, we went to Morag Myerscough and her studio. From the impression that I got, I find her to be a workaholic. She did tons of amazing design in exhibition areas including designing the "great" exhibition piece. Yet, I just didn't like how she lived her life. It sounds like no home life except for her mum, no close friends in the design studio as people come and go at their own discretion, and no kids or husband it sounds. It just sounds like a lonely life.
Sure, I am positive that she gets out often as she says to have a drink and enjoys life. Still, it seems kinda empty. At least that is not how I wish to live my life. I sometimes need to think to myself how do I want to live my life.
After the visit, I got some amazing duck curry served in alarge wooden cow. Does that sound sacreligious somehow? I keep thinking that it does. It was a great meal with 8 other people at the table. I have grown to love thai food for some reason. It is quite amazing.
Sure, I am positive that she gets out often as she says to have a drink and enjoys life. Still, it seems kinda empty. At least that is not how I wish to live my life. I sometimes need to think to myself how do I want to live my life.
After the visit, I got some amazing duck curry served in alarge wooden cow. Does that sound sacreligious somehow? I keep thinking that it does. It was a great meal with 8 other people at the table. I have grown to love thai food for some reason. It is quite amazing.
7/1/07
Wow, it is July already. Tomorrow marks 1 month that I have left home. Again, as I mentioned yesterday, the Pompidou. So yeah, it was pretty cool. Definitely modern and much to take in. I got to see a lot of Kandinsky, MAtisse, Duchamp, Chagall, Ernst, a bit of Picasso, Basquiat, and much more. The art was good. The Airs de Paris was a neat exhibition. I think what stood out in my mind was sitting in a completely orange lit room. I saw all colors of the rainbow closing my eyes starting with blue. There was much more like a room full of TV's, computers, and pictures. All going before my eyes. That was cool.
Afterwards, I wondered around a bit more around Paris and I happened to walk into a gay pride parade taking place south of the Seine River. It was wonderfully bright and colorful. Definitely a sight to behold. The weirdest part of it was that it was in French! Joking really. No, it was something new and interesting that I have never seen in person before. I heard later that it was a celebrated day across Europe in many other cities including Paris. It was something to see.
Afterwards, I wondered around a bit more around Paris and I happened to walk into a gay pride parade taking place south of the Seine River. It was wonderfully bright and colorful. Definitely a sight to behold. The weirdest part of it was that it was in French! Joking really. No, it was something new and interesting that I have never seen in person before. I heard later that it was a celebrated day across Europe in many other cities including Paris. It was something to see.
6/30/07
Hello there, I am in the Pompidou right now. Talk about a whole new world here. Everything, EVERYTHING is modern. I am amazed by the jump of all classical, ornate art the past couple days, and stepping into the world of modernism. It's a fresh step I will say. The exhibition, "air de Paris" was a neat exhibition on the art inspired by urban landscapes and cities and what shall bring us forward in the future in how we deal with cities.
Anyways, yesterday was the Arc de Triumphe and the Eiffel Tower! Yeah, I made it through rain, wind, and cold. I waited for 2 hours to get to the verey top. It was worth it, the view being spectacular. I took my pics and movies. Yeah, I rock like that. Before that, I walked les Campes Elssyes and the Hotel Impervio or something. Long walk, but nice. At night, I feasted on the steps of Sacre Coeur with a Texan and a girl from Mondolva. They seemed fun.
Anyways, yesterday was the Arc de Triumphe and the Eiffel Tower! Yeah, I made it through rain, wind, and cold. I waited for 2 hours to get to the verey top. It was worth it, the view being spectacular. I took my pics and movies. Yeah, I rock like that. Before that, I walked les Campes Elssyes and the Hotel Impervio or something. Long walk, but nice. At night, I feasted on the steps of Sacre Coeur with a Texan and a girl from Mondolva. They seemed fun.
6/29/07
Right now, I am sitting on le Arc de Triumphe! It is pretty cool. One thing about Europe is that they know how to make things ornate. Everything here is so classical, all built to impress. Ever since Greece I guess. Yesterday was the Louvre. Starting the day, I had a continental breakfast with a Brit, an Aussie, and then one from Cantina? He spoke Spanish as did the other two. Awkwad for me. I notice that a lot of the travellers are older than me right now. Some of the travellers go through Europe every year too they tell me.
Afterwards, I went to the Louvre. I will try to remember who I saw. Da Vinci, Raphael, one Manet, David, Rousseau, Watteau, Delacroix. I stayed in the 13th-17th Century Italian Painting section which were amazing. Even more impressive were the HUGE French paintings where the canvas took up an entire wall. I want to paint something that big at some point. It could be a crappy piece of art, but it'd be huge. The Louvre was too huge to see everything at once however. It gets overwhelming really fast. I stayed to see some of the Medieval art collection, the Venus do Milo, saw the castle hidden underneath the Louvre, and then left.
I had lunch and then wandered around some more. I ran into some magazine stands and found huge sections on Bandes Desinee. In English, comics! The French LOVE comics here. I am not talking about DC/Marvel or even manga. It is their own form of comics which I have never seen before except for Tintin and a few random others. I love it.
Afterwards, I went to the Louvre. I will try to remember who I saw. Da Vinci, Raphael, one Manet, David, Rousseau, Watteau, Delacroix. I stayed in the 13th-17th Century Italian Painting section which were amazing. Even more impressive were the HUGE French paintings where the canvas took up an entire wall. I want to paint something that big at some point. It could be a crappy piece of art, but it'd be huge. The Louvre was too huge to see everything at once however. It gets overwhelming really fast. I stayed to see some of the Medieval art collection, the Venus do Milo, saw the castle hidden underneath the Louvre, and then left.
I had lunch and then wandered around some more. I ran into some magazine stands and found huge sections on Bandes Desinee. In English, comics! The French LOVE comics here. I am not talking about DC/Marvel or even manga. It is their own form of comics which I have never seen before except for Tintin and a few random others. I love it.
6/28/07
I am in gay Paris right now! It's kinda hard to believe that I am here, but then I try to understand anyone here. Back to reality. Yesterday arriving was pretty rough. Just being here yesterday was rough. I got into Paris at 9:55 AM Paris time. It took me an hour to get out of the station with a Metro card. I got onto the Metro and tried to meander my way to my hostel. The little inn that my hostel was on was not on the map, and so I wandered ever more in the area. Fortunately, I was helped by a senior citizen who knew a bit of English and I a bit of French. We pieced it together, and he pointed me the right direction. So I finally made it to the hostel.
The room I was in is situated for 3, and when I got in, stuff was spewed across the room by 2 girls, American I figured looking at some of the luggage. I went out to go sight-seeing for the afternoon. One of the first things I saw was Notre Dame. It was HUGE. Quite a big church. It was almost if not bigger than St. Paul's Cathedral in London. This church was around since the 13th and 14th Century too. I like the architecture of Paris. I feel that I am living in the turn of the century here somehow. If I knew more about architecture, I could describe it better. Quite fun.
Lastly, French people really love their cafes. All of the seats point towards the street, and there's one every other building. I also saw street performers, accordians, and a lot of jazz combos in the cafe. Quite cool. For some reason, the Coke cans are heavier here too. That's the biggest observation of the day!
The room I was in is situated for 3, and when I got in, stuff was spewed across the room by 2 girls, American I figured looking at some of the luggage. I went out to go sight-seeing for the afternoon. One of the first things I saw was Notre Dame. It was HUGE. Quite a big church. It was almost if not bigger than St. Paul's Cathedral in London. This church was around since the 13th and 14th Century too. I like the architecture of Paris. I feel that I am living in the turn of the century here somehow. If I knew more about architecture, I could describe it better. Quite fun.
Lastly, French people really love their cafes. All of the seats point towards the street, and there's one every other building. I also saw street performers, accordians, and a lot of jazz combos in the cafe. Quite cool. For some reason, the Coke cans are heavier here too. That's the biggest observation of the day!
6/26/07
The past two days, the whole VC group has been participating in a letterpress workshop at the LCC, London College of Communications. We met Dave Dabner and Alex Cooper, two professors at the college that specialize in the letterpress. There are a couple things that I want to mention. One is that I have not done much letterpress before. I have dabbed in it when I took printmaking, but besides that semester, not much. Second, it was such a nuce breather to get to work again rather than listening to another lecture! I am getting tired of being inspired now and want to work.
So the group of 5 that I was in took a newspaper clipping and made the term "fat white b*stard" where the words fat and b*stard are a dark grey and then the white was added on top as a transparent layer. It came out quite well. Besides doing the letterpress workshop, we had lunch in the area, went to the college art show seeing the different areas of the college. We saw some advertising, graphic, digital design, and illustration. Again, I reached that point where I had no clue what the assignment was and the projects didn't made any sense. I was not impressed overall with the entire show. The one section that I did like however was the video/animation section. I thought that the videos were pretty engaging.
Lastly, we also spent about half an hour to forty five minutes in the Stanley Kubrick Archive. In there, it was a sterile environment and cold. It was also under super lockdown due to all the stuff once belonging to Stanley Kubrick. It was really weird seeing how many books that this man has had. How much research that this man has gone through to make his movies. Bookshelves upon bookshelves. Some movies like Space Oddessy and Clockwork take up an entire bookshelf, top to bottom, all filled with notes, books, references, and more. Wow, definitely a stickler to details. I suppose that this archive is why Stanley Kucbrick is considered one of the greatest film directors. Right now, I am off to Shakespeare Globe to see a play and then, I'll be off to Paris!
So the group of 5 that I was in took a newspaper clipping and made the term "fat white b*stard" where the words fat and b*stard are a dark grey and then the white was added on top as a transparent layer. It came out quite well. Besides doing the letterpress workshop, we had lunch in the area, went to the college art show seeing the different areas of the college. We saw some advertising, graphic, digital design, and illustration. Again, I reached that point where I had no clue what the assignment was and the projects didn't made any sense. I was not impressed overall with the entire show. The one section that I did like however was the video/animation section. I thought that the videos were pretty engaging.
Lastly, we also spent about half an hour to forty five minutes in the Stanley Kubrick Archive. In there, it was a sterile environment and cold. It was also under super lockdown due to all the stuff once belonging to Stanley Kubrick. It was really weird seeing how many books that this man has had. How much research that this man has gone through to make his movies. Bookshelves upon bookshelves. Some movies like Space Oddessy and Clockwork take up an entire bookshelf, top to bottom, all filled with notes, books, references, and more. Wow, definitely a stickler to details. I suppose that this archive is why Stanley Kucbrick is considered one of the greatest film directors. Right now, I am off to Shakespeare Globe to see a play and then, I'll be off to Paris!
6/22/07
Today was a fun filled day. In the morning, the Sienna flats took a little trip on the southside fo the Thames and went into this interesting neighborhood. The houses here are quite interesting. Bill mentioned that politicians' families live in the area. I can imagine it. So we made our way to a suburban house with a huge garden and a couple garages connected to each other. There, we met Richard Kindersley, stonecarver. Now Richard's is a very rare profession, ever more rare than Sehmi's calligraphy. Richard mentioned that there are probably 4 stonecarvers in the USA. Only 4, the closest one being in Connecticut.
The studio and process of carving stone is fascinating. It dealt so much with typography and why the letters are shaped the way they are today. It comes from a couple millenium old practice of carving stones at the same angles. That is how the stresses of a letter are born. We also received many postcards. Richard was definitely worth someone seeing.
In addition to see Richard, a few others and I made our way to the London Dungeon for a so called "scary" amusement ride. It was fun to go through except for paying adult fare. I wish that I had my stupid student ID. It was really funny too to find a couple of Czech teens get confused and called out on by some of the judges or actors. It was really funny.
The best part of the day was going to see Antony Gormley at the Heyward Gallery right outside of Waterloo Station. Antony Gormley had the most amazing pieces of art including Blind Light, a room in which you can't see two feet ahead of you due to a thick mist. It is a weird experience breathing this partial mist, but it is even more intriguing being in a lost fog and not seeing anything of anyone. The rest of Gormley's pieces are all about where the human body is, what space the human body occupies, and its relations to its surroundings. I see a lot of Eastern influence in his work. Quite neat.
The studio and process of carving stone is fascinating. It dealt so much with typography and why the letters are shaped the way they are today. It comes from a couple millenium old practice of carving stones at the same angles. That is how the stresses of a letter are born. We also received many postcards. Richard was definitely worth someone seeing.
In addition to see Richard, a few others and I made our way to the London Dungeon for a so called "scary" amusement ride. It was fun to go through except for paying adult fare. I wish that I had my stupid student ID. It was really funny too to find a couple of Czech teens get confused and called out on by some of the judges or actors. It was really funny.
The best part of the day was going to see Antony Gormley at the Heyward Gallery right outside of Waterloo Station. Antony Gormley had the most amazing pieces of art including Blind Light, a room in which you can't see two feet ahead of you due to a thick mist. It is a weird experience breathing this partial mist, but it is even more intriguing being in a lost fog and not seeing anything of anyone. The rest of Gormley's pieces are all about where the human body is, what space the human body occupies, and its relations to its surroundings. I see a lot of Eastern influence in his work. Quite neat.
6/20/07
We got to see Sehmi again. It's been over a year since we have seen him at Delaware. He still has that weird, dry wit. He also still has that certain air about him. However, he's all good. So is his calligraphy. He showed us the video again at the bday party with the guy making a comment about Sehmi using a f*ing sponge.
So we saw his studio and saw more amazing work. It makes me want to become better at writing and calligraphy. Calligraphy is certainly underappreciated. It is an amazing craft though. There was another part to the day that I would rather not mention. The lady, the zoning out, the bum coming to join our group in the park. I was way too sleepy and zoned out for some reason. If I sit for too long, then I always begin to yawn. It's nice to have, but at the same time annoying.
So we saw his studio and saw more amazing work. It makes me want to become better at writing and calligraphy. Calligraphy is certainly underappreciated. It is an amazing craft though. There was another part to the day that I would rather not mention. The lady, the zoning out, the bum coming to join our group in the park. I was way too sleepy and zoned out for some reason. If I sit for too long, then I always begin to yawn. It's nice to have, but at the same time annoying.
Monday, August 27, 2007
6/19/07
We started off from our flats around 9 in the morning to go back to Brownlow Mews to meet up with Kerry William Purcell. He was quite different from our usual trips because he was a writer. He did not specialize in graphic design writing, but he's been sucked into it. It was interesting that his writing and research veered towards graphic design because as he said, "There is a very little bit about the history of design and the big name designers." He reminds me of Steven Heller in that respect because the two write profusely about design trends, history, and more.
After that, a few selected number of us (or rather 19 I believe) went to the CIA! Yeah, it's that important. A comment I want to add is that there seems to be very little illustration in London. I don't know why. The English don't like illustration I suppose. It's definitely more photography and design in advertising. Even the comics here are bland.
The person we talked to, Ben, is a nice straight forward guy. He handled the business end of the illustration agency which was insightful for me. The biggest parts that I want to say is that there are business ends to a lot of agencies and people that work for artists. His biggest piece of advice was to try doing field illustration by yourself before coming to get yourself an agent.
Lastly, at 6 PM, we went to this gallery and opening exhibition that supposedly had illustration work as it was written in the yellow booklet. Big lie. It was documentary photography. Nice. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the entire thing. Some interesting photos and ideas, but the majority was just people standing and looking serious at the camera. Reeaaaaal creative there. Portraits of working class people, everyday activity of poor people, poverty, and so on. It is something that I am used to, and I have been unsensitized by the public media. The media I see of something with a frame around it. Simply because of that, I get less shock. That's how it feels for me.
After that, a few selected number of us (or rather 19 I believe) went to the CIA! Yeah, it's that important. A comment I want to add is that there seems to be very little illustration in London. I don't know why. The English don't like illustration I suppose. It's definitely more photography and design in advertising. Even the comics here are bland.
The person we talked to, Ben, is a nice straight forward guy. He handled the business end of the illustration agency which was insightful for me. The biggest parts that I want to say is that there are business ends to a lot of agencies and people that work for artists. His biggest piece of advice was to try doing field illustration by yourself before coming to get yourself an agent.
Lastly, at 6 PM, we went to this gallery and opening exhibition that supposedly had illustration work as it was written in the yellow booklet. Big lie. It was documentary photography. Nice. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the entire thing. Some interesting photos and ideas, but the majority was just people standing and looking serious at the camera. Reeaaaaal creative there. Portraits of working class people, everyday activity of poor people, poverty, and so on. It is something that I am used to, and I have been unsensitized by the public media. The media I see of something with a frame around it. Simply because of that, I get less shock. That's how it feels for me.
6/18/07
Monday, June 18th was a weird day. We were all supposed to be going to the RCA show, but meeting Bill and Ashlet was difficult to figure out. Some thought that it was 10:30, others thought that it was 12 PM, and so on. I was just going to wait for some people in the flat downstairs, but I decided to go by myself to the show. I got there around 11 to find my roomie sitting outside the show. The show wasn't open until 12.
Hence, we got food and drinks at the coffee place right inside the Prince Albert Ballet School which was cool. 12 came around, and the huge tent with the block letters "great" on the side of the tent opened. It started to pour once we got it. Talk about timing.
The RCA show in the tent was pretty neat. The ceramics area was really cool. I would like to have some of those pieces decorating my living space. They're aesthetically pleasing. Graphic design was OK for the most part. The architectural design was very futuristic. I can't imagine many of those buildings taking shape until maybe 25 years later. I hate and like these shows sometimes for the same reason. The reason is that I never know the context that these pieces are designed or for which they are created. I feel that a lot with graphic design exhibitions that the piece doesn't make any sense by itself. Then I need to read what it's all about or be told. I saw a lot of that here when I came across a plush chair on grass with a lamp too. What was that all about?
There was much cool work too, and the pieces that I enjoyed most were the little illustration/children's storybooks. Of course. Afterwards, I met up with some people to go back to the flats. I went to go see POTC : At World's End finally. I saw it in Leicester Square that day which was a good break from London. Watching a movie in the theaters definitely helped. It was nice. The movie itself was OK I suppose.
Hence, we got food and drinks at the coffee place right inside the Prince Albert Ballet School which was cool. 12 came around, and the huge tent with the block letters "great" on the side of the tent opened. It started to pour once we got it. Talk about timing.
The RCA show in the tent was pretty neat. The ceramics area was really cool. I would like to have some of those pieces decorating my living space. They're aesthetically pleasing. Graphic design was OK for the most part. The architectural design was very futuristic. I can't imagine many of those buildings taking shape until maybe 25 years later. I hate and like these shows sometimes for the same reason. The reason is that I never know the context that these pieces are designed or for which they are created. I feel that a lot with graphic design exhibitions that the piece doesn't make any sense by itself. Then I need to read what it's all about or be told. I saw a lot of that here when I came across a plush chair on grass with a lamp too. What was that all about?
There was much cool work too, and the pieces that I enjoyed most were the little illustration/children's storybooks. Of course. Afterwards, I met up with some people to go back to the flats. I went to go see POTC : At World's End finally. I saw it in Leicester Square that day which was a good break from London. Watching a movie in the theaters definitely helped. It was nice. The movie itself was OK I suppose.
6/17/07
I slept in today. I still woke up between 9 and 10 though. It is still sleeping in considering the past few days. Virginia was gone from the flat going to see Windsor Castle. That left me all by myself. It felt really good now to go at my own pace and do whatever! I got my things together and I went to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace at 11:30. That didn't happen though. So I still saw the palace and what not. Pretty neat. It seems like a White House to me, being one of the tourists taking pictures of a building that you're not allowed 100 yards near. Yeah.
I walked through Green Park which was quiet and peaceful. I got to Hyde Park Corner and walked about the huge lake which contained many different types of birds and ducks. I walked along the lake seeing everybody out and about since it was such a gorgeous day. I sat down, and started sketching people around.
I saw the Princess Diana Memorialthen on the other side of the lake. It was a cool fountain that was shaped like a doughnut on an angle from the ground. There were ridges in it that the water flowed up and down over it around in the doughnut. The fountain screamed for people to soak their feet in. There guards however that prevented this from happening. They yelled at people who were walking on the fountain or had their feet int it. What's the point of the fountain then if you can't be in it? It was designed that way I believe!
Anyhow, I walked up to the other end of Hyde Park, and found the Central Line tube. I took it to Covent Garden where I started drawing people around me. I even got paid by 2 teens from Sweden for drawing them! I found it quite amausing. At the end of the day, I went back and worked on my sketchbook some more until I fell asleep. People came backthat night from Edinburgh and Amsterdam. Fun times.
I walked through Green Park which was quiet and peaceful. I got to Hyde Park Corner and walked about the huge lake which contained many different types of birds and ducks. I walked along the lake seeing everybody out and about since it was such a gorgeous day. I sat down, and started sketching people around.
I saw the Princess Diana Memorialthen on the other side of the lake. It was a cool fountain that was shaped like a doughnut on an angle from the ground. There were ridges in it that the water flowed up and down over it around in the doughnut. The fountain screamed for people to soak their feet in. There guards however that prevented this from happening. They yelled at people who were walking on the fountain or had their feet int it. What's the point of the fountain then if you can't be in it? It was designed that way I believe!
Anyhow, I walked up to the other end of Hyde Park, and found the Central Line tube. I took it to Covent Garden where I started drawing people around me. I even got paid by 2 teens from Sweden for drawing them! I found it quite amausing. At the end of the day, I went back and worked on my sketchbook some more until I fell asleep. People came backthat night from Edinburgh and Amsterdam. Fun times.
6/16/07
Today was Bath. It took a full three hours on a coach bus to get there, but we made it. I went with Caitlin, Craig, and Virginia for the day. We left the bus station around Victoria around 9 Am and got there at noon. Most of the time on the bus, I slept. It reminded me a lot of Scotland buses that week. The coach buses here put me right to sleep.
So noon rolls around when we get there. Bath is situated in the middle of all of these rolling hillssimilar to yesterday. It was a partly sunny day too when we got off the bus. Bath itself is a moderte sized town with much going on. It is REALLY touristy however. I will admit that the town was a lot like a few other US towns at home. There's really not many difference from this town compared to New Hope let's say.
The Roman baths themselves were very impressive. Though much has be built on top of it for us tourist(or replications), it is still an amazing achievement that is here to this day. The bath still works and is really warm. The water stills amazingly underneath this labrynth of rocks and caves. I enjoyed it for I explored the baths for over an hour.
I got myself a Cornish pasty for the first time. I think that it had lamb and other stuff in it. It was really heavy, but delicious. Yummy! Then we went looking around at all the shops. The town is just a huge shopping area on weekends I suppose. We hit a couple stores, a pub, and then wandered around. We came upon this really nice park that I would have liked to go into, but the park was only for residents of the area. Keeping out the tourists. That is good for the townies I believe. 5:30 rolled around and we went back home on the coach. We chillazed once we got back and stayed in the flats that night.
So noon rolls around when we get there. Bath is situated in the middle of all of these rolling hillssimilar to yesterday. It was a partly sunny day too when we got off the bus. Bath itself is a moderte sized town with much going on. It is REALLY touristy however. I will admit that the town was a lot like a few other US towns at home. There's really not many difference from this town compared to New Hope let's say.
The Roman baths themselves were very impressive. Though much has be built on top of it for us tourist(or replications), it is still an amazing achievement that is here to this day. The bath still works and is really warm. The water stills amazingly underneath this labrynth of rocks and caves. I enjoyed it for I explored the baths for over an hour.
I got myself a Cornish pasty for the first time. I think that it had lamb and other stuff in it. It was really heavy, but delicious. Yummy! Then we went looking around at all the shops. The town is just a huge shopping area on weekends I suppose. We hit a couple stores, a pub, and then wandered around. We came upon this really nice park that I would have liked to go into, but the park was only for residents of the area. Keeping out the tourists. That is good for the townies I believe. 5:30 rolled around and we went back home on the coach. We chillazed once we got back and stayed in the flats that night.
6/16/07
Friday, the illustration flat and I got to Waterloo Station a bit before 12:30 PM. I got a couple of chocolate bars for the first time here. A Flake and something new which I can't remember, but I liked it. I tried the Mars Bar here too, and it's really a 3 Musketeers bar. No, Milky Way.
We all got train tickets to West Malling which was a hour ride outside of London. THe countryside whizzed by as the urban landscape gave way to beautiful fields of grass. The countryside has rolling hills that go beyond anything. Trees, lines of them and patches decorated the green hills. I got pictures of course. We also passed a deer farm on the way. It was pretty interesting for one second.
When we got to West Malling, we took taxis to the place. Taxi drivers here in the country whirled down small, windy roads which is impressive. It's almost like taking a NY driver and letting him have free reign on tiny country roads. One thing to point out is that the foot pedal configuration is the same as ours. So, it's make it a tiny bit easier to learn to drive here.
Baseline then. . . .there were situated on this huge manorhouse estate that used to belong to a noble family since the 1600's. The manor itself is lavih and filled with Victorian design and splendour. Very elaborate, many paintings fill the walls, and the rooms are very gorgeous. The dining room where we sat and had our lecture had a table of fruits, snacks, and little pastries with tea and coffee tins filled to the brim. All this before out talk with Baseline. The talk began and I felt a bit tired from the warmth of the room and the food. Nonetheless, I listened to Baseline's philosophy and approach to its magazine. The magazine was quite a different magazine that didn't follow a specific style of design. Rather, the layout and design of the pages varied from one article to the next. We discussed whether that was a good thing to do as a magazine, and how the inventiveness adds a special kick.
Afterwards, we walked around the fields, the HUGE open spaces by the manor and lake. The place is amazing to see. I took the train back early then and started off the free weekend.
We all got train tickets to West Malling which was a hour ride outside of London. THe countryside whizzed by as the urban landscape gave way to beautiful fields of grass. The countryside has rolling hills that go beyond anything. Trees, lines of them and patches decorated the green hills. I got pictures of course. We also passed a deer farm on the way. It was pretty interesting for one second.
When we got to West Malling, we took taxis to the place. Taxi drivers here in the country whirled down small, windy roads which is impressive. It's almost like taking a NY driver and letting him have free reign on tiny country roads. One thing to point out is that the foot pedal configuration is the same as ours. So, it's make it a tiny bit easier to learn to drive here.
Baseline then. . . .there were situated on this huge manorhouse estate that used to belong to a noble family since the 1600's. The manor itself is lavih and filled with Victorian design and splendour. Very elaborate, many paintings fill the walls, and the rooms are very gorgeous. The dining room where we sat and had our lecture had a table of fruits, snacks, and little pastries with tea and coffee tins filled to the brim. All this before out talk with Baseline. The talk began and I felt a bit tired from the warmth of the room and the food. Nonetheless, I listened to Baseline's philosophy and approach to its magazine. The magazine was quite a different magazine that didn't follow a specific style of design. Rather, the layout and design of the pages varied from one article to the next. We discussed whether that was a good thing to do as a magazine, and how the inventiveness adds a special kick.
Afterwards, we walked around the fields, the HUGE open spaces by the manor and lake. The place is amazing to see. I took the train back early then and started off the free weekend.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
6/15/07
Continuing same entry. Wednesday morning came, and we went to the Barbican Art Gallery. There, we saw art in the punk years. I thought the art in this show would have been more like graffiti and street art. Nto so much. There was a bit of collage, photography, live performance, videos, and so on. THe art did not strike me as punk. Most of it was from the same time period, but I don think that the works really carried the punk spirit. Oh well. I think a tiny bit more of Jean Michal Basquiat and Keith Haring was needed. The afternoon was splendid. I saw the Drowsy Chaperone, and it was very hilarious with many crazy hits.
Afterwards, I went to the meeting with Robert Sheppard. I was a bit late however due to some mix up in the tube. Richard Sheppard of the Art Worker's Guild gave us a talk about the history of bookbinding at Faulkiner's and then the most expensive book in the entire world. It sold I believe for 56 thousand pounds? Still quite a crazy amount for a book.
Today, I dragged myself out of bed to see. . . .the Abbey Road. Next to it was the very studio in which the Beatles recorded their albums, including their first recording. It was definitely by cool by all means, even if I felt groggy. Oh well. With a few other people then, I booked a ticket to go to Bath this coming Saturday. Afterwards, I worked on my sketchbook some more.
Lastly, we saw Graham Fink, another person working in the realm of advertising. Actually, what impressed me more was before and after the meeting when we saw the lobby, The walls of the lobby are covered with sharpie, black and white drawings by some artists that are more into the street art scene. The work was amazing, done by people called Daydream. Afterwards, we were introduced to the actual people who run Daydream and learned more about their art work and their website. Through a booklet they gave to us, we saw some amazing art work that we would not know have ever existed! Sooooo cool.
Afterwards, I went to the meeting with Robert Sheppard. I was a bit late however due to some mix up in the tube. Richard Sheppard of the Art Worker's Guild gave us a talk about the history of bookbinding at Faulkiner's and then the most expensive book in the entire world. It sold I believe for 56 thousand pounds? Still quite a crazy amount for a book.
Today, I dragged myself out of bed to see. . . .the Abbey Road. Next to it was the very studio in which the Beatles recorded their albums, including their first recording. It was definitely by cool by all means, even if I felt groggy. Oh well. With a few other people then, I booked a ticket to go to Bath this coming Saturday. Afterwards, I worked on my sketchbook some more.
Lastly, we saw Graham Fink, another person working in the realm of advertising. Actually, what impressed me more was before and after the meeting when we saw the lobby, The walls of the lobby are covered with sharpie, black and white drawings by some artists that are more into the street art scene. The work was amazing, done by people called Daydream. Afterwards, we were introduced to the actual people who run Daydream and learned more about their art work and their website. Through a booklet they gave to us, we saw some amazing art work that we would not know have ever existed! Sooooo cool.
6/15/07
A lot has happened these past couple days. To start, Tuesday morning, we saw Michael Johnson, part of Johnson Banks. He is a brilliant graphic designer who competes with Pentagram. Simply remarkable. He has done top notch design, very friendly, and is an amazing guitarist. I got video of him wailing away which I really enjoyed. He has done a lot of work for Save the Children, Christian Aid Awareness, and a few projects in Japan. The interesting part about working in Britain and then Japan are the aesthetic differences between the two. Japan will be more concerned with aesthetic and are less rigid in the communication of the logo. Britain is more rigid, and for some reason, Michael Johnson has not go work yet in the USA or is not as successful.
Then, we went to the Pepper Tree, a Thai food restaraunt all thanks to Bill. Props to Bill! The food was amazing. I had the red chicken curry which had a great kick to it. Afterwards, I got my ticket for Paris and went to EYE Magazine. At EYE Magazine, the basic discussion was about the future of the magazine. That talk was interesting, but I didn't really connect to it as I do not see how the continuation and survival of the magazine is affecting me now. Maybe later on when I draw comics, it will. The articles and the layout were quite cool. Too bad that this beacon of glory is ridiculously expensive.
Then, we went to the Pepper Tree, a Thai food restaraunt all thanks to Bill. Props to Bill! The food was amazing. I had the red chicken curry which had a great kick to it. Afterwards, I got my ticket for Paris and went to EYE Magazine. At EYE Magazine, the basic discussion was about the future of the magazine. That talk was interesting, but I didn't really connect to it as I do not see how the continuation and survival of the magazine is affecting me now. Maybe later on when I draw comics, it will. The articles and the layout were quite cool. Too bad that this beacon of glory is ridiculously expensive.
6/11/07
I was expoed to two things today through Phil Baines and Katherine Dixon. THe first was the British Library. The British Library was really neat. We went through the Special Exhibitions part to see all the sacred manuscripts and illuminated manuscripts. The books were amazing. It is definitely interesting to learn about the history of book making and book binding. There were no set rules or standards back then in the first millenium. Many things were tried. Illuminated and carpet pages were so detailed and ornate. Sheer outstanding. I love looking at those old manuscripts. The Sacred part was really neat too. I loved it so much. I wish to have spent more time there.
After lunch, the group and I were exposed to an art school in London for the first time. St. Martin's school of art and design. With Phil and Katherine, we looked over much typography and some of the curriculum that the students go through here in St. Martins. Some greats such as Alan Fletcher, Eric Gil, and Colin Firth have passed through the building. The school definitely has a reputation. Next was seeing Gary Wallace who taught photography specifically for graphic design. He embraced improvisation and experimentation I remember.
After St. Martins, we had a talk with this guy whom I remember the previous class loathed a bit. It was Peter Saville. I had this idea of this guy being negative the entire time. Indeed, Peter is a negative person, a pessimist. Yet, through his cynic views, he does have some insightful comments which can be a reality check for the most of us. Example, is what we do honest? Is it true to us? He went further into saying that there's a lot of advertising and design that misleads the user or the viewer into thinking something. He realized this and is now in the process of backing out of design and stepping more into the realm of fine art saying that we wouldn't want to do design for the rest of our life. He wants us to do something important, or something that matters. Let's be more cynical. What is really important in life anyways? That's really what we decide to do, not his decision. Peter Saville in short loves to hear himself preach and talk. The way he sat in the chair gives it all away. His body language shows that he's not really concerned about other people and is curled up in himself. Not impressed with the guy I'll admit.
After lunch, the group and I were exposed to an art school in London for the first time. St. Martin's school of art and design. With Phil and Katherine, we looked over much typography and some of the curriculum that the students go through here in St. Martins. Some greats such as Alan Fletcher, Eric Gil, and Colin Firth have passed through the building. The school definitely has a reputation. Next was seeing Gary Wallace who taught photography specifically for graphic design. He embraced improvisation and experimentation I remember.
After St. Martins, we had a talk with this guy whom I remember the previous class loathed a bit. It was Peter Saville. I had this idea of this guy being negative the entire time. Indeed, Peter is a negative person, a pessimist. Yet, through his cynic views, he does have some insightful comments which can be a reality check for the most of us. Example, is what we do honest? Is it true to us? He went further into saying that there's a lot of advertising and design that misleads the user or the viewer into thinking something. He realized this and is now in the process of backing out of design and stepping more into the realm of fine art saying that we wouldn't want to do design for the rest of our life. He wants us to do something important, or something that matters. Let's be more cynical. What is really important in life anyways? That's really what we decide to do, not his decision. Peter Saville in short loves to hear himself preach and talk. The way he sat in the chair gives it all away. His body language shows that he's not really concerned about other people and is curled up in himself. Not impressed with the guy I'll admit.
6/10/07
This is the first time that i have written since Stonehenge! What happened. . . .Friday was a blur. I woke up at 1 PM and I milled about a bit. I got food at EAT. I then packed up and started wandering. I don't remember where to really. I believe that I hit the Mac store for email, returned a shirt and got a new one. I made a little circle. I think afterwards, I went back and did some work in my sketchbook. Saturday, I went to the other side of the river and saw the Design Museum. By totally random hance, a person's work in the exhibit, Luigi Colani, was sitting in the cafe and Bill randomly noticed this. Boom! We got ourself a tourguide.
His work was very futuristic and made for speed. Everything seemed to be fast and cutting edge. Then again, he was into cars a lot! Saturday was lunch next to a church called WorchesterSquare I want to say. Next was the Tate Modern located right next to the Millenium Bridge and close to Shakespeare's Globe Theater. The Tate Modern had a great exhibition on Dali and his films with his paintings. Very inspiring. The highlight of that entire museum was seeing Dali's "Destino," a cartoon that Dali worked on with Disney and was not realized until a few years ago. Sooooooo amazing seeing surrealism in animated form. The other, Helio Oiticia, was rather boring. It seemed like color theory class on wood boards. Oh well. . . .
Today, I worked on my sketchbook, and then I went to the Tower of London. The tower of London was amazing. The yousmen(?) guard or beefeaters were really cool. They had huge loud voices from over 22 years of military service and rising to the rank of sargeant. Many theories surround why these guys are called beefeaters. One is they got paid in beef. Another is it derives from English meaning of a gentleman or nobleman. Then some French thing that they hated to mention. Cooool.
I have never seen so much bling in my entire life. Britain has WAY too many jewels. James I was a really small guy in real life, and Henry VIII had a HUGE codpiece. I'd rather not talk about that one. Many pictures were taken. I think that it was great to see actual medieval castles and ruins and some interesting facts. It definitely was touristy though. At the end of the White Tower and Crowned Jewels place, right in the gift shop you go. It always amazes me. Definitely a great day. Good weather too.
His work was very futuristic and made for speed. Everything seemed to be fast and cutting edge. Then again, he was into cars a lot! Saturday was lunch next to a church called WorchesterSquare I want to say. Next was the Tate Modern located right next to the Millenium Bridge and close to Shakespeare's Globe Theater. The Tate Modern had a great exhibition on Dali and his films with his paintings. Very inspiring. The highlight of that entire museum was seeing Dali's "Destino," a cartoon that Dali worked on with Disney and was not realized until a few years ago. Sooooooo amazing seeing surrealism in animated form. The other, Helio Oiticia, was rather boring. It seemed like color theory class on wood boards. Oh well. . . .
Today, I worked on my sketchbook, and then I went to the Tower of London. The tower of London was amazing. The yousmen(?) guard or beefeaters were really cool. They had huge loud voices from over 22 years of military service and rising to the rank of sargeant. Many theories surround why these guys are called beefeaters. One is they got paid in beef. Another is it derives from English meaning of a gentleman or nobleman. Then some French thing that they hated to mention. Cooool.
I have never seen so much bling in my entire life. Britain has WAY too many jewels. James I was a really small guy in real life, and Henry VIII had a HUGE codpiece. I'd rather not talk about that one. Many pictures were taken. I think that it was great to see actual medieval castles and ruins and some interesting facts. It definitely was touristy though. At the end of the White Tower and Crowned Jewels place, right in the gift shop you go. It always amazes me. Definitely a great day. Good weather too.
6/9/07
Getting up at 1:50 AM sucked. Not feeling the best at 2 in the morning on the bus. However, 4:20 came about and I got a glimpse of Stonhenge in the bus. It was quite somber and eerie. 4:20 in the morning, and I could see far into the distance. I could see the skyline. THe day was very cloudy, and no sun was going to rise. I felt that the clouds really set the mood of seeing Stonehenge. Better than a blatant sunrise postcard.
5 AM, we start walking up to it, and there they were.The first thing that struck me about the stones were the amount of moss on them actually. The size of course was impressive. That goes unsaid. The rough feel of the rocks. They were real. They were set in a circular pattern. The guide talked, but I'll be damned if I remember everything or anything. I remember him saying that a lot of dome shaped hills were UFO burials or saucer burials. Tombs.
A lot of it is still shrouded in mystery. For example, it's claimed that there are missing stones but don't know what or who took them. If that is the case, was there ever a rock? How can you claim that something is missing when you haven't seen it? What's remarkable though is the land surrounding Stonehenge. 2 roads. That's it. Everything else was grazing, open land. Being out there was therapeutic. Beautiful, nice. The land with rolling hills and interspersed tree lines. I thought that it couldn't have existed in the modern world I'm in. It does exist though. Being out in nothingness. The sheep were cool too.
It was freezing I do remember, and getting back was a blur. I knocked out on the bus after Stonehenge. I slept until 1 PM today. Crazy.
5 AM, we start walking up to it, and there they were.The first thing that struck me about the stones were the amount of moss on them actually. The size of course was impressive. That goes unsaid. The rough feel of the rocks. They were real. They were set in a circular pattern. The guide talked, but I'll be damned if I remember everything or anything. I remember him saying that a lot of dome shaped hills were UFO burials or saucer burials. Tombs.
A lot of it is still shrouded in mystery. For example, it's claimed that there are missing stones but don't know what or who took them. If that is the case, was there ever a rock? How can you claim that something is missing when you haven't seen it? What's remarkable though is the land surrounding Stonehenge. 2 roads. That's it. Everything else was grazing, open land. Being out there was therapeutic. Beautiful, nice. The land with rolling hills and interspersed tree lines. I thought that it couldn't have existed in the modern world I'm in. It does exist though. Being out in nothingness. The sheep were cool too.
It was freezing I do remember, and getting back was a blur. I knocked out on the bus after Stonehenge. I slept until 1 PM today. Crazy.
6/9/07
Yesterday morning, I got up to go to the British Museum. It is indeed a sight to look when walking into the walled area and being stunned by a huge classical structure that is the British Museum. All of golden brown, it was a huge monument that could have been built by the Greeks. The inside was extroadinary, the white room with a huge circular done coming into the middle.The room actually was shaped like a doughnut.
To the left was the Rosetta Stone. The stone itself was in three languages, heiroglyphics, Greek, and Latin? maybe. It helped uncrack the code for heiroglyphics which is kinda amazing to think about. I wonder that if we didn't have that stone, how much less would we know? Walking around the ancient Egyptian, the Parthenon, and other ancient spectacles is a weird experience for me. The things that I was looking at is over 2000 years old. Minimum. I try to imagine when that this was made, put myself there in the situation, in the times when it was made.It becomes an out of body experience. The most interesting parts are the skeletons and remains of people. Thinking back 3000 years, it is beyond imagination where that person's body would have ended up.
I was exhausted however. Hence, I only did the museum for an hour and 15 minutes. I started heading over to Greyworld and got on the tube. Greyworld was awesome. The bloke Andrew Shoben has an out of this world imagination. His ideas are unrestricted and never edited. He said not to edit the ideas until they come out of your mouth. Most of the time, he doesn't even ask himself if he would be able to do it or how to do it. It just happens. Some ideas were an actual mechanical tail, the Dublin bridge, flowers up the elevator, talking hedge maze, the song on the rails, the moving benches and litter bins, the London stockmarket signs, the moving statue, and the technicolor town. It was freakin' awesome. It was a short day lived as Stonehenge was tomorrow. . . .
To the left was the Rosetta Stone. The stone itself was in three languages, heiroglyphics, Greek, and Latin? maybe. It helped uncrack the code for heiroglyphics which is kinda amazing to think about. I wonder that if we didn't have that stone, how much less would we know? Walking around the ancient Egyptian, the Parthenon, and other ancient spectacles is a weird experience for me. The things that I was looking at is over 2000 years old. Minimum. I try to imagine when that this was made, put myself there in the situation, in the times when it was made.It becomes an out of body experience. The most interesting parts are the skeletons and remains of people. Thinking back 3000 years, it is beyond imagination where that person's body would have ended up.
I was exhausted however. Hence, I only did the museum for an hour and 15 minutes. I started heading over to Greyworld and got on the tube. Greyworld was awesome. The bloke Andrew Shoben has an out of this world imagination. His ideas are unrestricted and never edited. He said not to edit the ideas until they come out of your mouth. Most of the time, he doesn't even ask himself if he would be able to do it or how to do it. It just happens. Some ideas were an actual mechanical tail, the Dublin bridge, flowers up the elevator, talking hedge maze, the song on the rails, the moving benches and litter bins, the London stockmarket signs, the moving statue, and the technicolor town. It was freakin' awesome. It was a short day lived as Stonehenge was tomorrow. . . .
6/7/07
Yesterday was a pretty awesome day. The visits to pentagram and Saatchi and Saatchi were amazing. Pentagram made ME want to become a graphic designer full time! I know, but their creativity, ingenuity, and research with the client was inspiring. Saatchi and Saatchi was just as impressive in the advertising world. We spoke to Kate Stanners, and learned about her climb up the agency and business which is dominantly male. The adverts for Toyota and Carlsen was the best ad campaigns I believe. From the rest of that day, a group of us went out later into the London nightlife, and found a club that had student night every Wednesday. That was wonderful I thought, except that I didn't have my student ID card. . . . I am kinda annoyed that I did not bring it. It was only a two pound difference, but saving money would be nice. London is twice as expensive as New York City. Not good.
6/6/07
Today is D-Day. Yesterday, I was at BBH, the ad agency of awesomeness. I feel that they were an agency keeping with the times, but not in the forefront of advertising. They're not into guerrilla advertising, but they expand their advertising to the web. Apparently, once out of college, people pair up as art directors when getting hired. I like that idea of pairing up with someone to go into art direction. It's a cool concept.
Last night, the night was filled with walking and chilling out in front of British TV with people. I have more to say concerning people that I met. Now I'm in Pentagram. They are a design agency. THey design, and when neccessary, bring in people to design. Even further, it is partner led. The designers work directly with the client. Work doesn't get reinterpreted through business heads. This model has been duplicated from London, to New York, LA, Austin, and Berlin. The most important part of designing to them is the up-front research with the client. Pinning down what the client wants is what they do making it good for the client's business. Lastly, they try to not let their decisions be personal opinions, but something to measure.
Last night, the night was filled with walking and chilling out in front of British TV with people. I have more to say concerning people that I met. Now I'm in Pentagram. They are a design agency. THey design, and when neccessary, bring in people to design. Even further, it is partner led. The designers work directly with the client. Work doesn't get reinterpreted through business heads. This model has been duplicated from London, to New York, LA, Austin, and Berlin. The most important part of designing to them is the up-front research with the client. Pinning down what the client wants is what they do making it good for the client's business. Lastly, they try to not let their decisions be personal opinions, but something to measure.
6/5/07
Hey, right now, I am at BBH ad agency, and it is a nice advertising agency. Earlier this morning, attended a speech by Trend union and speaker Phillip Fimmano. He spoke about trend forecasting in fashion and interior/package design. I fell asleep for a bit, but most of was pretty interesting to think about. THe ideas beind trend forecasting are that the trend in the next couple years is observed through all kinds of social change. The take into account politics, world climates, culture comparisons, and so. For example, fashion will soon absorb terrorist masks and cover ups into the youth culture. It is an act of rebellion. Some with veils. Covering up the woman's body will come.
Everything is really cyclical. Nothing is brand new, but comes in turns. Color is the biggest one for certain colors fit the seasons much better. Nonetheless, borrowing from other cultures and bringing up new ideas across the globe is amazing. What some cultures like can be very different from other. I believe that trend forecasting doesn't set the trend though. They're reactive. Phillip touched on it, but in other visual forms of communications like graphic design, those are the ideas being exchanged. Those methods of communication start the trends. Interesting slide show and music too. Very avant-garde.
Everything is really cyclical. Nothing is brand new, but comes in turns. Color is the biggest one for certain colors fit the seasons much better. Nonetheless, borrowing from other cultures and bringing up new ideas across the globe is amazing. What some cultures like can be very different from other. I believe that trend forecasting doesn't set the trend though. They're reactive. Phillip touched on it, but in other visual forms of communications like graphic design, those are the ideas being exchanged. Those methods of communication start the trends. Interesting slide show and music too. Very avant-garde.
6/5/07
I did not write as I said that I would yesterday. I left my garbage(or rather my stuff) in the flats below me. I just got it back this morning. Our first meeting yesterday was at the University of Delaware's embassy in London really. We found it in this back alley street, the Brownlow Mews I think it is.I would guess that it is really sketchy at night. It's all brick laid down for the street.
We had the meeting inside in a white spacious room called Marlowe. We had a visit from the police chief of London himself, David Pullum. Well, detective constable really I am told. He is quite a jovial Brit(he specifically said British, not English), and he does embody that expected British spirit that is my first impression of Brits. He's like Robin from Scotland really.
After that, finally got groceries for the flat. Frosted flakes are "Frosties" over here. Weird indeed. However, I made pasta for myself later. Yay! Then came the V&A Museum. Wow! I definitely must get my bum back to the place. It is huge and gorgeous! The Surrealist exhibition was cool indeed. I saw in there works of Dali, Ernst, Magritte, and others that I cannot remember unfortunately. I must say that I wished that I studied dreams more, and psychology. Freud is definitely weird, but he does have a few insights on where some fetishes come from such as the foot, and furs. If I knew more of that, then I'd probably understand a lobster phone better.
We had the meeting inside in a white spacious room called Marlowe. We had a visit from the police chief of London himself, David Pullum. Well, detective constable really I am told. He is quite a jovial Brit(he specifically said British, not English), and he does embody that expected British spirit that is my first impression of Brits. He's like Robin from Scotland really.
After that, finally got groceries for the flat. Frosted flakes are "Frosties" over here. Weird indeed. However, I made pasta for myself later. Yay! Then came the V&A Museum. Wow! I definitely must get my bum back to the place. It is huge and gorgeous! The Surrealist exhibition was cool indeed. I saw in there works of Dali, Ernst, Magritte, and others that I cannot remember unfortunately. I must say that I wished that I studied dreams more, and psychology. Freud is definitely weird, but he does have a few insights on where some fetishes come from such as the foot, and furs. If I knew more of that, then I'd probably understand a lobster phone better.
6/4/07
This is Monday morning, so there'll probably be another entry later in the day. Yesterday, I left with getting into the flats. The details of it can be shown in pictures. Hence, the neighborhood. It was Sunday. EVERYTHING was shut down. It didn't seem like I was in London. It feels like Ocean City to me, All the buildings, a quiet street, and all that. We were in the diamond district, Hatton Gardens, Virginia pointed out. I walked a huge circle and didn't get lost! The tube was kinda far away. Chancery Lane it is. After the walk, I fell asleep.
I woke up afterwards from the nap. I walked to the Tube, rode to Oxford Circus, and walked up to Regent's Park. Wow. Everyone was out there. HUGE PARK. Groups of people walking, picnicing, playing soccer, rugby, and then some. Couples all around. I sat there and doodled on the side of a tree.
Afterwards, with some drawings, I went back and hung about with people. Eventually, all the ILL peeps came back and went out to a local pub. THe pub was called the Duke of York with a red painted wooden outside. It felt vry good to have a couple "pints." It felt very official that I am in London or England now. Not too soon after, I fell asleep exhausted.
I woke up afterwards from the nap. I walked to the Tube, rode to Oxford Circus, and walked up to Regent's Park. Wow. Everyone was out there. HUGE PARK. Groups of people walking, picnicing, playing soccer, rugby, and then some. Couples all around. I sat there and doodled on the side of a tree.
Afterwards, with some drawings, I went back and hung about with people. Eventually, all the ILL peeps came back and went out to a local pub. THe pub was called the Duke of York with a red painted wooden outside. It felt vry good to have a couple "pints." It felt very official that I am in London or England now. Not too soon after, I fell asleep exhausted.
6/3/07
Today's Sunday, and I'm in London right now! The flat indeed. The flat is pretty spacious. Amazing view of the street right outside the huge window. Great drawings and pics to come. The trip from yesterday to today was already interesting. 2 people missed the flight. One threw it out it sounds like, and the other at a graduation party in Jersey when she was called at the airport. That really sucks, but is kinda funny.
The flight had good service and ok food. Every single seat in a row was either aisle or window. . . except for mine. I was stuck right in the middle of an Indian woman to my left, and an English mum who slept with her mouth open on my right.The flight movies were exceptional. Much to choose from. I finally saw "Shakespeare in Love," and liked it. Comedy, romance, tragedy movies are my kind of movies. The second was "Letters from Iwo Jima," and was hard to watch. Very powerful though.
London, finally! The getting bag part was good. It really slowed down when the bus was going to take us both to our flats. Then, we got onto another bus and left about an hour after we got off the plane. The bus ride was dead silent for most of it. Everyone was tired most likely. Absorbing everything. We passed tons of suburban houses, miles of suburban homes. We passed Hyde Park, Regent's Park, V&A Museum, stores,the other bus, and gas stations that were 9.6 pounds. The bus was HOT too. However, finally made it.
The flight had good service and ok food. Every single seat in a row was either aisle or window. . . except for mine. I was stuck right in the middle of an Indian woman to my left, and an English mum who slept with her mouth open on my right.The flight movies were exceptional. Much to choose from. I finally saw "Shakespeare in Love," and liked it. Comedy, romance, tragedy movies are my kind of movies. The second was "Letters from Iwo Jima," and was hard to watch. Very powerful though.
London, finally! The getting bag part was good. It really slowed down when the bus was going to take us both to our flats. Then, we got onto another bus and left about an hour after we got off the plane. The bus ride was dead silent for most of it. Everyone was tired most likely. Absorbing everything. We passed tons of suburban houses, miles of suburban homes. We passed Hyde Park, Regent's Park, V&A Museum, stores,the other bus, and gas stations that were 9.6 pounds. The bus was HOT too. However, finally made it.
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