August 6, 2012 11:33 PM
First day of school at BTK.
That campus (and by campus, I mean building) is really nice. It's so much nicer than NewSchool.
The program is great: housing, breakfast and lunch, transportation in Berlin are all part of tuition.
The instructors and faculty seem really friendly and very eager to help and teach. I'm really excited about the program--it's looking at the theories of the Bauhaus and how that affected/influenced Berlin, during and after WWII, and especially when Berlin was divided. It's going to be great.
So, as part of the program, we went on a boat tour of Berlin on the River Spree, which was the same one I did last year, except now it's nice and sunny.
I am on a mission to find a light, waterproof jacket so that I don't repeat yesterday's fiasco.
Also, the Lush conditioner bar doesn't condition my hair very well.
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Monday, August 6, 2012
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Rome: The Final Week
7:39 AM August 6, 2011 on the train to Venice.
I am delirious and tired. I look like a monster with red eyes and dark circles. I couldn't sleep last night because I kept thinking about how the hell am I going to lug ALL my shit throughout Europe. Anyway, I left my big luggage at Chelsea's apartment because they have until the 11th, when we leave for London.
Anyway, majority of the week was spent working on our project.
As it was our last week and we still had things we wanted to see, we decided to go check them out.
Coliseum: it's smaller on the inside. It's still pretty impressive, but the facade makes it look like it would be bigger.
Palatine Hill and Roman Forum: a lot of ruins. Still pretty cool to see.
Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel: I hate people who use flash photography in museums. It ruins the colors. Oh! And this one mother fucker touched a 500 year old tapestry! WTF! The oils on your hands will ruin it! Anyway, the museum has a great collection of Greek statues and a decent Egypt collection. Rafael frescoes! Sistine Chapel was amazing. Except for the part where people don't know how to keep quiet.
Galleria Borghese: Love love LOVE the Bernini sculptures! They are sexy! Also alot of Caravaggio pieces. The frescoes on the ceilings are amazing!
On our last day of class (presentation night), our profs invited us to their place and they made us dinner. If only every presentation was like that: food and booze and very informal. Drinking with your professors = good times.
Found a bar on the way home (ok direction of home, but we didn't exactly wanted to go home). Got an Italian ice tea...it's just like a long island, but it has disarono instead. A lot more sweeter than a long island.
Found the RANDOMEST bar afterwards. It's this tiny, tiny room (about the same size as a bedroom), completely packed with people dancing, playing popular hip hop songs. Naturally, we had to get in. I was basically squished between everyone. Still got my dance on hahaha!
The second part of class continues in 2 weeks when we get back to San Diego.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I am delirious and tired. I look like a monster with red eyes and dark circles. I couldn't sleep last night because I kept thinking about how the hell am I going to lug ALL my shit throughout Europe. Anyway, I left my big luggage at Chelsea's apartment because they have until the 11th, when we leave for London.
Anyway, majority of the week was spent working on our project.
As it was our last week and we still had things we wanted to see, we decided to go check them out.
Coliseum: it's smaller on the inside. It's still pretty impressive, but the facade makes it look like it would be bigger.
Palatine Hill and Roman Forum: a lot of ruins. Still pretty cool to see.
Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel: I hate people who use flash photography in museums. It ruins the colors. Oh! And this one mother fucker touched a 500 year old tapestry! WTF! The oils on your hands will ruin it! Anyway, the museum has a great collection of Greek statues and a decent Egypt collection. Rafael frescoes! Sistine Chapel was amazing. Except for the part where people don't know how to keep quiet.
Galleria Borghese: Love love LOVE the Bernini sculptures! They are sexy! Also alot of Caravaggio pieces. The frescoes on the ceilings are amazing!
On our last day of class (presentation night), our profs invited us to their place and they made us dinner. If only every presentation was like that: food and booze and very informal. Drinking with your professors = good times.
Found a bar on the way home (ok direction of home, but we didn't exactly wanted to go home). Got an Italian ice tea...it's just like a long island, but it has disarono instead. A lot more sweeter than a long island.
Found the RANDOMEST bar afterwards. It's this tiny, tiny room (about the same size as a bedroom), completely packed with people dancing, playing popular hip hop songs. Naturally, we had to get in. I was basically squished between everyone. Still got my dance on hahaha!
The second part of class continues in 2 weeks when we get back to San Diego.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, July 25, 2011
Rome Day 18
12:30 AM July 26, 2011
Got back from Milan yesterday. Flight was at 7 and airport was 1 hour away so I was up starting 3 AM
For those who think I'm just running around Italy and not studying, let me say that that is not true.
What school work am I exactly doing in Rome? It's rather difficult to explain exactly what I'm studying. We are studying the baroque and it affects the urban fabric and how it affects the contemporary urban fabric. Specifically, I am studying Chiesa Sant'Andrea al Quirinale by Bernini and how the void becomes a voluminous space that is carved out from the poché. Can I explain that to you? Not really, not yet anyway.
Basically, we are analyzing and diagramming our assigned buildings. From this analysis, we create a 3D object that is a representation of the diagram.
See! School work!
Anyway, yesterday I spent all day working on my project, not knowing exactly what I was doing (happens all the time). I finally got to present my building. Got feedback from our professors and they guided me to the direction I wanted to take for my project. Now that I know what it's about, I just need to figure out how to do it. I need to redo some stuff but I think I'll be ok.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Got back from Milan yesterday. Flight was at 7 and airport was 1 hour away so I was up starting 3 AM
For those who think I'm just running around Italy and not studying, let me say that that is not true.
What school work am I exactly doing in Rome? It's rather difficult to explain exactly what I'm studying. We are studying the baroque and it affects the urban fabric and how it affects the contemporary urban fabric. Specifically, I am studying Chiesa Sant'Andrea al Quirinale by Bernini and how the void becomes a voluminous space that is carved out from the poché. Can I explain that to you? Not really, not yet anyway.
Basically, we are analyzing and diagramming our assigned buildings. From this analysis, we create a 3D object that is a representation of the diagram.
See! School work!
Anyway, yesterday I spent all day working on my project, not knowing exactly what I was doing (happens all the time). I finally got to present my building. Got feedback from our professors and they guided me to the direction I wanted to take for my project. Now that I know what it's about, I just need to figure out how to do it. I need to redo some stuff but I think I'll be ok.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Greetings from England! Day 29
So tired. Session 1 is over. Let Session 2 begin.
I finished my paper [which was due on thursday at 4pm] at 2:30 am that day. Thank goodness I am done with that class because I don't know how I could handle any more philosophy. I AM DONE WITH PHILOSOPHY!
Friday:
Tiffanie and I went to Winchester. We missed our first train, but our tickets were open-ended so we just took the next train. Winchester is very nice. It's how I imagined smaller English cities to be...it felt like we stepped into a book. There were not very many tourists so Tiffanie and I were able to just walk around and explore. We went to Wolvesey Castle...it's not really a castle anymore...it's more like a castle ruin. The guide book says its a Norman castle ruin. That was really fun! No one was really there so Tiffanie and I were just running around the castle!
best part of the trip....
VISIT TO JANE AUSTEN'S HOUSE!!!!!! We took the bus to Chawton, a village outside of Winchester, where Jane Austen lived her last years. She rewrote Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility here. She also wrote the last of her books here. It's not a very big house. She lived there with her mother, sister and her brother and his family. It reminds me of the Collins' house in Pride and Prejudice. I can imagine Mr. Collins working in the garden while Charlotte stays inside the drawing room. I bought 2 books: Tea with Jane Austen and Being Elizabeth Bennett Create Your Own Jane Austen Novel [it's like a create your own adventure books but involving all of Jane Austen's books]
Saturday:
Jeany, Carolyn, Ruhi, Margaret, Tiffanie, Emily, and I all went to Bath. LONGEST TRAIN RIDE EVER! ok...not really, but it did take about 3 hours. I slept most of the way...but there were girls behind us that were very loud at 9 AM. We went to see the Roman Baths. It was pretty cool. The water in the baths was green...kinda gross. I liked how the museum gave us giant cellphone looking things that was part of the audio tour so you could listen to a tour guide without having to crowd around a tour guide. Apparently, the hot springs have curative properties. In the 17th century it became fashionable to drink water from the springs. The Pump Room opened and drinking the spa water is now kinda like a thing to try when you go to the Roman Baths.
It was gross. It was pretty much drinking warm mineral water [and yes, the do filter the water].
We headed over to Sally Lunn's for Tea. It's the oldest house in Bath. Sally Lunn was a baker in Bath and made really good buns and bread. IT IS THE BEST BUN I HAVE EVER HAD! The bun is HUGE [it's as big as my face]. Anyway, I had the Jane Austen Cream Tea [Jane Austen lived in Bath for a while--she hated it, but her last 2 books involved being in Bath]. It was half a bun with raspberry jam and clotted cream and a pot of tea. The bun was so soft, and perfectly toasted...the jam was just right, not too sweet, not to tart.
Charles Dickens also visited Sally Lunn's.
Sunday:
We went to London. We went to the Covent Garden market. It sold a lot of crafts stuff. I thought it would be more like a market market--with fresh fruits and veggies, food, arts and crafts--that sort of thing.
We split up and Ruhi, Margaret, Jeany and I went to the Tower of London. That was really fun! The tower is just a tower. It used to be a town in the middle ages, which became a prison and fort. Narrow, stone, spiral steps in towers are great exercise! [and can make you feel very claustrophobic] We also got to see the torture devices they used on their prisoners--like manacles, the rack, scavenger's daughter and something used for quartering and drawing.
The Crown Jewels. I..yea...WOW.
We got to take a picture with one of the Queen's Guards...he was off duty and was just walking around when Ruhi asked if we can have a picture with him. He was kinda cute....hahaha
I need to do laundy. Very tired.
I finished my paper [which was due on thursday at 4pm] at 2:30 am that day. Thank goodness I am done with that class because I don't know how I could handle any more philosophy. I AM DONE WITH PHILOSOPHY!
Friday:
Tiffanie and I went to Winchester. We missed our first train, but our tickets were open-ended so we just took the next train. Winchester is very nice. It's how I imagined smaller English cities to be...it felt like we stepped into a book. There were not very many tourists so Tiffanie and I were able to just walk around and explore. We went to Wolvesey Castle...it's not really a castle anymore...it's more like a castle ruin. The guide book says its a Norman castle ruin. That was really fun! No one was really there so Tiffanie and I were just running around the castle!
best part of the trip....
VISIT TO JANE AUSTEN'S HOUSE!!!!!! We took the bus to Chawton, a village outside of Winchester, where Jane Austen lived her last years. She rewrote Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility here. She also wrote the last of her books here. It's not a very big house. She lived there with her mother, sister and her brother and his family. It reminds me of the Collins' house in Pride and Prejudice. I can imagine Mr. Collins working in the garden while Charlotte stays inside the drawing room. I bought 2 books: Tea with Jane Austen and Being Elizabeth Bennett Create Your Own Jane Austen Novel [it's like a create your own adventure books but involving all of Jane Austen's books]
Saturday:
Jeany, Carolyn, Ruhi, Margaret, Tiffanie, Emily, and I all went to Bath. LONGEST TRAIN RIDE EVER! ok...not really, but it did take about 3 hours. I slept most of the way...but there were girls behind us that were very loud at 9 AM. We went to see the Roman Baths. It was pretty cool. The water in the baths was green...kinda gross. I liked how the museum gave us giant cellphone looking things that was part of the audio tour so you could listen to a tour guide without having to crowd around a tour guide. Apparently, the hot springs have curative properties. In the 17th century it became fashionable to drink water from the springs. The Pump Room opened and drinking the spa water is now kinda like a thing to try when you go to the Roman Baths.
It was gross. It was pretty much drinking warm mineral water [and yes, the do filter the water].
We headed over to Sally Lunn's for Tea. It's the oldest house in Bath. Sally Lunn was a baker in Bath and made really good buns and bread. IT IS THE BEST BUN I HAVE EVER HAD! The bun is HUGE [it's as big as my face]. Anyway, I had the Jane Austen Cream Tea [Jane Austen lived in Bath for a while--she hated it, but her last 2 books involved being in Bath]. It was half a bun with raspberry jam and clotted cream and a pot of tea. The bun was so soft, and perfectly toasted...the jam was just right, not too sweet, not to tart.
Charles Dickens also visited Sally Lunn's.
Sunday:
We went to London. We went to the Covent Garden market. It sold a lot of crafts stuff. I thought it would be more like a market market--with fresh fruits and veggies, food, arts and crafts--that sort of thing.
We split up and Ruhi, Margaret, Jeany and I went to the Tower of London. That was really fun! The tower is just a tower. It used to be a town in the middle ages, which became a prison and fort. Narrow, stone, spiral steps in towers are great exercise! [and can make you feel very claustrophobic] We also got to see the torture devices they used on their prisoners--like manacles, the rack, scavenger's daughter and something used for quartering and drawing.
The Crown Jewels. I..yea...WOW.
We got to take a picture with one of the Queen's Guards...he was off duty and was just walking around when Ruhi asked if we can have a picture with him. He was kinda cute....hahaha
I need to do laundy. Very tired.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Greetings from England! Day ....uh..start of week 4
Week-end:
On Saturday, Jeany and I went to London via Coach. We have been craving Asian food really bad, so we decided to find Chinatown. It's not very big compared to the Chinatowns in major cities in the US. It's just like one block or something like that...food was pricey. If you changed the pound sterling sign to dollar signs, they'd still be pricey. Anyway, Jeany and I got dimsum [SOOO GOOD AFTER BEING DEPRIVED OF ASIAN FOOD FOR WEEKS]. ...felt like we were being judge [Jeany felt it more that I did]. We wandered around Chinatown in their grocery stores [I bought more instant pancit canton because it was only 20p]. We also bought some pastries that we ate in front of the British Museum.
British Museum is HUGE. [also free :D] It's overwhelming how much stuff they have! We were in there for at least 3 hours and I don't think we finished the entire museum! I think we saw most of it, but we didnt get to finish looking at the some of the exhibitions. They have several rooms and floors dedicated to their Egyptian collection. It was kinda creepy being in the same room as real dead people [even if they're mummified]. The terra cotta warriors went back to China :( But, GOOD LORD! Their majority of their Asian collection had something to do with BUDDHA! THERE ARE SO MANY BUDDHA STATUES!
So, while booking our coach tickets, I printed out the wrong page. When we got back to the coach station, the bus driver wouldn't let me on the coach because the page I printed did not have the ticket number [even if the other bus driver did]. So, I had to cross the street to the other terminal to use the internet to check my email. By the time I was able to check my email, the coach already left. I WAS STRANDED IN LONDON! Hahaha! No worries. It gets kinda funny.
So, apparently I didn't finishing booking my coach ticket because I didn't have the ticket number in my email or any form of email from the coach company. So, I got to go to London for free!
I just bought a one-way ticket back to Brighton at the station and I left an hour later.
Once I got back to Brighton, I barely missed the bus going back to the Universities, I wasn't that worried, there was another one coming in 15 minutes...THAT ONE NEVER CAME! So I had to wait another 15 minutes for the next bus. That was not fun. I was hungry and cold.
Yesterday, we went back to Primark. I bought 3 camis for 1 pound each and 2 more necklaces for 2.50 pounds each. They even gave me the hangers! We didn't know there was a parade going on so it was kind of hard navigating our way through the crowds.
We made it to Mock Turtle to have cream tea...I figured out the difference between Cream Tea and Afternoon Tea [ok wiki told me] ...both usually take place in the afternoon [between 3-5 pm]
Afternoon Tea: a pot of tea with milk and sugar, served with various sandwiches, scones and cakes
Cream Tea: a pot of tea with milk and sugar, served with scones [with clotted cream and jam]
I love tea time! I really want to learn how to make the Mock Turtle Scones and I want to bring home clotted cream [I'll milk a cow and learn how to make it myself if I have to!]
My final paper is due on Thursday. I have an outline, but I don't have a thesis. It's an opinion/philosophy paper on "must 'good' architecture be beautiful". UGH. I DON'T KNOW.
On Saturday, Jeany and I went to London via Coach. We have been craving Asian food really bad, so we decided to find Chinatown. It's not very big compared to the Chinatowns in major cities in the US. It's just like one block or something like that...food was pricey. If you changed the pound sterling sign to dollar signs, they'd still be pricey. Anyway, Jeany and I got dimsum [SOOO GOOD AFTER BEING DEPRIVED OF ASIAN FOOD FOR WEEKS]. ...felt like we were being judge [Jeany felt it more that I did]. We wandered around Chinatown in their grocery stores [I bought more instant pancit canton because it was only 20p]. We also bought some pastries that we ate in front of the British Museum.
British Museum is HUGE. [also free :D] It's overwhelming how much stuff they have! We were in there for at least 3 hours and I don't think we finished the entire museum! I think we saw most of it, but we didnt get to finish looking at the some of the exhibitions. They have several rooms and floors dedicated to their Egyptian collection. It was kinda creepy being in the same room as real dead people [even if they're mummified]. The terra cotta warriors went back to China :( But, GOOD LORD! Their majority of their Asian collection had something to do with BUDDHA! THERE ARE SO MANY BUDDHA STATUES!
So, while booking our coach tickets, I printed out the wrong page. When we got back to the coach station, the bus driver wouldn't let me on the coach because the page I printed did not have the ticket number [even if the other bus driver did]. So, I had to cross the street to the other terminal to use the internet to check my email. By the time I was able to check my email, the coach already left. I WAS STRANDED IN LONDON! Hahaha! No worries. It gets kinda funny.
So, apparently I didn't finishing booking my coach ticket because I didn't have the ticket number in my email or any form of email from the coach company. So, I got to go to London for free!
I just bought a one-way ticket back to Brighton at the station and I left an hour later.
Once I got back to Brighton, I barely missed the bus going back to the Universities, I wasn't that worried, there was another one coming in 15 minutes...THAT ONE NEVER CAME! So I had to wait another 15 minutes for the next bus. That was not fun. I was hungry and cold.
Yesterday, we went back to Primark. I bought 3 camis for 1 pound each and 2 more necklaces for 2.50 pounds each. They even gave me the hangers! We didn't know there was a parade going on so it was kind of hard navigating our way through the crowds.
We made it to Mock Turtle to have cream tea...I figured out the difference between Cream Tea and Afternoon Tea [ok wiki told me] ...both usually take place in the afternoon [between 3-5 pm]
Afternoon Tea: a pot of tea with milk and sugar, served with various sandwiches, scones and cakes
Cream Tea: a pot of tea with milk and sugar, served with scones [with clotted cream and jam]
I love tea time! I really want to learn how to make the Mock Turtle Scones and I want to bring home clotted cream [I'll milk a cow and learn how to make it myself if I have to!]
My final paper is due on Thursday. I have an outline, but I don't have a thesis. It's an opinion/philosophy paper on "must 'good' architecture be beautiful". UGH. I DON'T KNOW.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Greetings from England! Day 19
So session 1 ends on Thursday and I really want to go on a long week-end and planning is really hard and it's stressful. Everything is becoming too pricey!!! DAMNNN IT! I think i talked myself into wanting to go to Edinburgh. DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE. EDINBURGH CASTLE. Food?
Or go to Dublin. I really don't know what I would do in Ireland...hahaha. Those 2 places are the closest "far places" to go to...but DAMN IT! It's getting expensive....looking for a place to stay is hard...There's just so much I want to do, but can't.
We went to a tea room today called The Tea Cosy. It was an intense experience. You HAD TO FOLLOW ETIQUETTE or else be kicked out. The owners LOVE the Royal Family. The menu is based on the Royal Family. The decor of the place is covered with memorabilia of the Royal Family. We were pretty quiet for fear of being kicked out. The tea was good. Some of the biscuits[cookies] tastes weird. The scones already had clotted cream and jam on it, but it was still very good. I don't think we'll be going back to that place... http://www.theteacosy.co.uk/
Then we went shopping at this place called Primark. It's pretty much a favorite! The clothes are soooooooo cheap and really nice quality!
So here's the damage: 22 pounds for one pair of jeans, one top, 3 scarves, 2 leggings, one pack of tights [3 in one pack], 1 necklace, 1 pair of earrings.
I think I might come back with a new wardrobe from shopping here. Their basics are very cheap...it's like 1 pound! Target doesn't sell basics for that cheap!!!
I also bought The Fellowship of The Ring! It's part of my LOTR set!!! yay! I couldnt find this version in the States [and it cost too much online]. My LOTR set is now complete :D [my cousin lost FOTR in Germany].
Wednesday:
My class went to an abandoned cement factory for a field trip [topic of discussion for the next class was decay and ruins]. It was kinda creepy at first because we were in a big abandoned place next to the motorway! It was like the setting for a gruesome murder! But it was kinda interesting seeing the inside of cement factory. Parts below ground were filled with water...but it wasn't murky, the water was really clear. Apparently, it's not that abandoned! The building itself was abandoned, but there are still people working in the that site. Long story short, we got kicked out of a cement factory. And the guy made sure we got out by driving VERY SLOWLY BEHIND US AS WE WALKED TO THE EXIT. I think that is the highlight of my class.
Thursday:
I presented in class today. Not that fun. OH WELL. IT'S OVER.
It was our friend Tiffanie's birthday yesterday. We bought her a bake in a box cake from the store. It turned out really good. 4 girls, one chocolate cake...that cake was destroyed!
We went gay clubbing as a social event with the school. WHOOOT!!! We pretty much took over one bus. The place we went to was called Charles Street. It's a bar downstairs and the club is upstairs. They were having drinks specials that night. Pretty much majority of the drinks were no more that 1.50 pounds. It was .... WOW. We took a birthday shot for Tiffanie with Samuco [it tastes like licorice, and goes down VERY SMOOTHLY] and we also had shots to Tequila Rose, which pretty much tastes like a strawberry smoothie [that can be a good or bad thing].
The club played techno all night...eh, TECHNO DANCE PARTY!
Got my ass grabbed twice. First time I thought it was one of the lesbians that were behind us, it ended up being my friend [she admitted it at the end of the night while I was freaking out about it]. The second time I was telling this gay guy at the bar about the ass grab and he grabbed my ass too! He's cute...and slightly pissed [drunk]. He also told me that if he were a lesbian, he'd totally hit on me... a good thing? But all-in-all, it was a good night: music, dancing, friends, alcohol. hehehe
Or go to Dublin. I really don't know what I would do in Ireland...hahaha. Those 2 places are the closest "far places" to go to...but DAMN IT! It's getting expensive....looking for a place to stay is hard...There's just so much I want to do, but can't.
We went to a tea room today called The Tea Cosy. It was an intense experience. You HAD TO FOLLOW ETIQUETTE or else be kicked out. The owners LOVE the Royal Family. The menu is based on the Royal Family. The decor of the place is covered with memorabilia of the Royal Family. We were pretty quiet for fear of being kicked out. The tea was good. Some of the biscuits[cookies] tastes weird. The scones already had clotted cream and jam on it, but it was still very good. I don't think we'll be going back to that place... http://www.theteacosy.co.uk/
Then we went shopping at this place called Primark. It's pretty much a favorite! The clothes are soooooooo cheap and really nice quality!
So here's the damage: 22 pounds for one pair of jeans, one top, 3 scarves, 2 leggings, one pack of tights [3 in one pack], 1 necklace, 1 pair of earrings.I think I might come back with a new wardrobe from shopping here. Their basics are very cheap...it's like 1 pound! Target doesn't sell basics for that cheap!!!
I also bought The Fellowship of The Ring! It's part of my LOTR set!!! yay! I couldnt find this version in the States [and it cost too much online]. My LOTR set is now complete :D [my cousin lost FOTR in Germany].
Wednesday:
My class went to an abandoned cement factory for a field trip [topic of discussion for the next class was decay and ruins]. It was kinda creepy at first because we were in a big abandoned place next to the motorway! It was like the setting for a gruesome murder! But it was kinda interesting seeing the inside of cement factory. Parts below ground were filled with water...but it wasn't murky, the water was really clear. Apparently, it's not that abandoned! The building itself was abandoned, but there are still people working in the that site. Long story short, we got kicked out of a cement factory. And the guy made sure we got out by driving VERY SLOWLY BEHIND US AS WE WALKED TO THE EXIT. I think that is the highlight of my class.
Thursday:
I presented in class today. Not that fun. OH WELL. IT'S OVER.
It was our friend Tiffanie's birthday yesterday. We bought her a bake in a box cake from the store. It turned out really good. 4 girls, one chocolate cake...that cake was destroyed!
We went gay clubbing as a social event with the school. WHOOOT!!! We pretty much took over one bus. The place we went to was called Charles Street. It's a bar downstairs and the club is upstairs. They were having drinks specials that night. Pretty much majority of the drinks were no more that 1.50 pounds. It was .... WOW. We took a birthday shot for Tiffanie with Samuco [it tastes like licorice, and goes down VERY SMOOTHLY] and we also had shots to Tequila Rose, which pretty much tastes like a strawberry smoothie [that can be a good or bad thing].
The club played techno all night...eh, TECHNO DANCE PARTY!
Got my ass grabbed twice. First time I thought it was one of the lesbians that were behind us, it ended up being my friend [she admitted it at the end of the night while I was freaking out about it]. The second time I was telling this gay guy at the bar about the ass grab and he grabbed my ass too! He's cute...and slightly pissed [drunk]. He also told me that if he were a lesbian, he'd totally hit on me... a good thing? But all-in-all, it was a good night: music, dancing, friends, alcohol. hehehe
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Greetings from England! Day 5
Current Time: 6:49 PM
The weather today is what my mom would call "a typical English day". I woke up and it was sunny but windy, then when I got to class it was cloudy, then it cleared up, got cloudy and windy, and is not currently starting to clear up. At least it hasnt rained yet...
I'M TIRED.
Yesterday:
I woke up to the house cleaning ladies pounding at my door around 9 in the morning. I stayed in bed until 11. I had a class field trip to the Thistle Hotel in Brighton, near the marina. We talked about how a hotel lobby can be a "non-place", how we identify with a place and in turn, the place is identifying us. After class, i finally got my other adapter! YES! Walked around and had lunch with girls in my class.
On custard tart: it tasted good at the first few bites...but then it started to taste like fake sugar. It has a flaky crust...I think it would be better if it has a graham cracker crust. Also, it has the the same consistency as jello. yeah.
Jeany, Kathie and I missed the first group bus to the "Big, Bad Pub Crawl" but luckily we met up with friends who missed the bus as well and we all took the train together. It was kinda frustrating because the guy who knew which pub we were going to[his friend was in the first group...the one we missed and he was communicating with that person] didnt know where the pub was so we were just walking around in circles. But thankfully, we found our group with people we know. They said the 1st pub wasn't that great.
OH WELL. The second pub we went to was called The Globe. They gave me a business card that has discounts on drinks! WHOOOT! I got a Tanqueray and Splash [gin and tonic]. I think I like gin now. It doesnt hit you as hard a vodka, I guess. At any rate, it's really good. I learned that Strongbow is a cider beer! It's good. This pub has a very chill atmosphere. They have comfy couches downstairs with coffee tables. They also have boardgames and stuff. It was kinda dim so I was starting to fall asleep.
The next club we went to was really nice. I forgot what it was called [Water something...] It had a very sleek, modern look to it. Leather booths and low tables. There was also house music, so that was great. I went to the bar to got vodka and cranberry juice and turned around NO ONE WAS MY TABLE! I had a milli-second freakout until I found them at the next table with another group. They were really cool. The guy[Kyle] was kinda cute[I agree Jeany...he does look like the guy from Across the Universe]. A bunch of guys played a drinking race, where there were 2 lines of guys and the lined that finished their pints of beer first wins. That is some insane game! Those guys all chugged their beers! There were girls that played too, but they drank 1/2 pints. That is INSANE! I can't chug a beer...the bubbles would go to my head and I'd throw up.
We finally went to the club. We got in free because the school had a deal going on with that club or something. THAT CLUB IS HUGE! It had 2 floors, several lounge areas and 2 dance floors. The lounge areas were separate from the dance floor rooms[although the dance floor rooms do have lounge areas]. Each room was a different theme. The Ski Lodge [ASPEN] was reserved for ISS students only!We had a bouncer in front of that lounge room and everything! That room was very log-cabin-in-the-winter feel.Played alot of American rock music. There was the Boudoir [PARIS]. It's very Moulin Rouge type of room. Most comfortable sitting area EVER! Instead of booths, they had beds [with tables in the middle for drinks] with pillows. Elevator music. Very chill, relaxing. The Tiki Room was closed :(. Then there was the Monte Carlo Lounge [Monte Carlo]...very upscale casino/club type of feel. Very bling bling.
The 2 dance floors: I love Disco [New York in 1970s]. This room was how I imagined Studioi 54 to be..it's very Saturday Night Fever...complete with the disco ball and light up dance floor! Very very fun! I don't know if the other dance floor had a name, but the theme was kinda like a winter wonderland...everything in the room was either white, silver or crystal [except for the floors...they were black]. They played a lot of different music from hip-hop/rnb to techno and whatever's in between. They projected the music videos [or just videos] on the walls surround the dance floor. It was really fun until it got really crowded and people started getting pushy, grabby and then violent. Some guy w as trying to dance up on Jeany all night and I tried to stop him, but he was very persistent! We moved to a different spot and he found us again! Then there were a bunch of guys who were trying to mosh to Mr. Brightside and one guy was trying to start a fight. Thank goodness for those 2 older guys[who I pressume are gay because they were all up on each other] for protecting us! They made the creeper go away and got us off the dance floor without getting hurt! They had cheap drinks at the club! 2 pound drinks!! WHOOOT! I had this drink called VK Vodka Blue...if blue had a taste, it would taste like that drink! I also had a Malibu and OJ...it had a weird after taste because it was coconut Malibu...but it was still good nonetheless.
I have noticed in mixed drinks, they don't put too much alcohol, so you dont get messed up as quickly...yay for trained professionals!
At the end of the night, it was very sausage fest at the dance floor. There were lots of guys dancing together in groups. LOL. At the end of the night, I was tired and hungry, but had LOTS OF FUN! there will be a repeat.
Today:
I woke up early to do my readings for class that I thought was going to take awhile but didnt! After finishing my readings, I went back to sleep until 12! hahaha The fire alam went off because my flatmate burned the chicken she was making. Kathie freaked out! hahaha
Went to the grocery store ...took freakin' forever because there was traffic!
I need rice. I live on rice.DAMMNN ITT! I can't even make rice in the pot because it doesnt have a lid. I resorted to microwavable rice...eh. I'm just going to stay home and do my readings for next week so I don't have to worry about it.
Random note: today I hate 442 kJoules of cookies! hehehehe [it says it on the nutrition facts]
MERINGUE COOKIES ARE AMAZING.IMUSTHAVEMORE!
The weather today is what my mom would call "a typical English day". I woke up and it was sunny but windy, then when I got to class it was cloudy, then it cleared up, got cloudy and windy, and is not currently starting to clear up. At least it hasnt rained yet...
I'M TIRED.
Yesterday:
I woke up to the house cleaning ladies pounding at my door around 9 in the morning. I stayed in bed until 11. I had a class field trip to the Thistle Hotel in Brighton, near the marina. We talked about how a hotel lobby can be a "non-place", how we identify with a place and in turn, the place is identifying us. After class, i finally got my other adapter! YES! Walked around and had lunch with girls in my class.
On custard tart: it tasted good at the first few bites...but then it started to taste like fake sugar. It has a flaky crust...I think it would be better if it has a graham cracker crust. Also, it has the the same consistency as jello. yeah.
Jeany, Kathie and I missed the first group bus to the "Big, Bad Pub Crawl" but luckily we met up with friends who missed the bus as well and we all took the train together. It was kinda frustrating because the guy who knew which pub we were going to[his friend was in the first group...the one we missed and he was communicating with that person] didnt know where the pub was so we were just walking around in circles. But thankfully, we found our group with people we know. They said the 1st pub wasn't that great.
OH WELL. The second pub we went to was called The Globe. They gave me a business card that has discounts on drinks! WHOOOT! I got a Tanqueray and Splash [gin and tonic]. I think I like gin now. It doesnt hit you as hard a vodka, I guess. At any rate, it's really good. I learned that Strongbow is a cider beer! It's good. This pub has a very chill atmosphere. They have comfy couches downstairs with coffee tables. They also have boardgames and stuff. It was kinda dim so I was starting to fall asleep.
The next club we went to was really nice. I forgot what it was called [Water something...] It had a very sleek, modern look to it. Leather booths and low tables. There was also house music, so that was great. I went to the bar to got vodka and cranberry juice and turned around NO ONE WAS MY TABLE! I had a milli-second freakout until I found them at the next table with another group. They were really cool. The guy[Kyle] was kinda cute[I agree Jeany...he does look like the guy from Across the Universe]. A bunch of guys played a drinking race, where there were 2 lines of guys and the lined that finished their pints of beer first wins. That is some insane game! Those guys all chugged their beers! There were girls that played too, but they drank 1/2 pints. That is INSANE! I can't chug a beer...the bubbles would go to my head and I'd throw up.
We finally went to the club. We got in free because the school had a deal going on with that club or something. THAT CLUB IS HUGE! It had 2 floors, several lounge areas and 2 dance floors. The lounge areas were separate from the dance floor rooms[although the dance floor rooms do have lounge areas]. Each room was a different theme. The Ski Lodge [ASPEN] was reserved for ISS students only!We had a bouncer in front of that lounge room and everything! That room was very log-cabin-in-the-winter feel.Played alot of American rock music. There was the Boudoir [PARIS]. It's very Moulin Rouge type of room. Most comfortable sitting area EVER! Instead of booths, they had beds [with tables in the middle for drinks] with pillows. Elevator music. Very chill, relaxing. The Tiki Room was closed :(. Then there was the Monte Carlo Lounge [Monte Carlo]...very upscale casino/club type of feel. Very bling bling.
The 2 dance floors: I love Disco [New York in 1970s]. This room was how I imagined Studioi 54 to be..it's very Saturday Night Fever...complete with the disco ball and light up dance floor! Very very fun! I don't know if the other dance floor had a name, but the theme was kinda like a winter wonderland...everything in the room was either white, silver or crystal [except for the floors...they were black]. They played a lot of different music from hip-hop/rnb to techno and whatever's in between. They projected the music videos [or just videos] on the walls surround the dance floor. It was really fun until it got really crowded and people started getting pushy, grabby and then violent. Some guy w as trying to dance up on Jeany all night and I tried to stop him, but he was very persistent! We moved to a different spot and he found us again! Then there were a bunch of guys who were trying to mosh to Mr. Brightside and one guy was trying to start a fight. Thank goodness for those 2 older guys[who I pressume are gay because they were all up on each other] for protecting us! They made the creeper go away and got us off the dance floor without getting hurt! They had cheap drinks at the club! 2 pound drinks!! WHOOOT! I had this drink called VK Vodka Blue...if blue had a taste, it would taste like that drink! I also had a Malibu and OJ...it had a weird after taste because it was coconut Malibu...but it was still good nonetheless.
I have noticed in mixed drinks, they don't put too much alcohol, so you dont get messed up as quickly...yay for trained professionals!
At the end of the night, it was very sausage fest at the dance floor. There were lots of guys dancing together in groups. LOL. At the end of the night, I was tired and hungry, but had LOTS OF FUN! there will be a repeat.
Today:
I woke up early to do my readings for class that I thought was going to take awhile but didnt! After finishing my readings, I went back to sleep until 12! hahaha The fire alam went off because my flatmate burned the chicken she was making. Kathie freaked out! hahaha
Went to the grocery store ...took freakin' forever because there was traffic!
I need rice. I live on rice.DAMMNN ITT! I can't even make rice in the pot because it doesnt have a lid. I resorted to microwavable rice...eh. I'm just going to stay home and do my readings for next week so I don't have to worry about it.
Random note: today I hate 442 kJoules of cookies! hehehehe [it says it on the nutrition facts]
MERINGUE COOKIES ARE AMAZING.IMUSTHAVEMORE!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Greetings from England! Day 2
technically today is day 3.
current time: 4:03 PM
Yesterday:
Orientation was like any other school orientation...welcome...have fun...ACADEMICS IS IMPORTANT...have fun...stay safe...useful info...IT stuff...have fun...welcome.
I also learned that many places [aside from the grocery store] give student discounts...all you have to do is ask.
After orientation, we went to the Student Union store to get dibs on merch because they don't get new stock of clothing until the next school year. YAY ME! i got a sweater! Also got ONE adaptor, I need 2 more for the external hard drive and my chargers. So, I've been hearing that US hair driers get messed up in the UK, so I havent even tried using it. Kathie, Jeany and I met up with other girls to go get ID cards. Freakin' A! T'was a journey up several sets of stairs, then a hill, then more stairs! It took a while, but it's ok...my ID is cute! hahahaha [again...pictures later]
speaking of cute...there were cute british boys getting their ID's too...well, actually, they were getting replacement IDs.
Got a pay-as-you-go SIM card. 10 bucks! not pounds, dollars! yay! it's T-mobile and it kinda sucks. I don't get reception in my room or in some places in campus. I'm kinda upset about that, but it's ok. Incoming calls are free and text messages aren't that bad...I'm going to text the way I do in the US. Anyway, having my crappy SIM card is better than using my SIM from home. Over here, I've been able to get roaming via Orange, O2-UK, and Vodafone-UK networks, but I bet that was hella expensive. It was just so that my parents could call me...but it's ok, now my parents can call me[and it would be free for me] and I can have it for emergencies and keeping in touch with people I made plans with.
We went on a walking tour of Brighton with the ISS staff. It was really nice. The weather was great. NO RAIN. nice breeze. We got to see, I guess, "Downtown Brighton" where the majority of restaurants, pubs, and shops were located. We saw the mall[H&M and Borders] at Churchill Square, and the stores and pubs in The Lanes[it's kinda like a maze of buildings and the alleyways get very narrow], and all the other pubs and stores in the area. We went to the Royal Pavilion. It is a former royal residence. It was built in the 1800s by George IV. It was his seaside retreat [apparently, the seawater in Brighton is good for the health]. It was also his getaway from the Royal Court in London and he was able to "visit" his mistress, Mrs. Fitzherbert. It's really pretty. The architecture style is so different from the rest of Brighton.
It's got an Indo-Chinese [not Indo-China] influence. The outside looks Indian, and the interior is Chinese and Indian. This called the "Regency Style."We also visited the Brighton seafront. The beach here is very different. It's not sandy, it's very pebbly--and not small pebbles that can fit in your shoe type of pebbles, but the kind you use to skip rocks with. We also saw the Brighton Pier [it's got a boardwalk thing going on, but it's very small]. There are actually 2 piers, but the other one is burned down and they can't take it out because it's a historical landmark.
After all that walking, my group was REALLY HUNGRY. So we followed the ISS staff because they said they were going to a pub to eat. Go to the pub it was 8:30. To our dismay, the pub stopped serving food at 8! WTF! The only other food places that were open to serve food were Italian restaurants, and fast food. We wanted to go to the Fish and Chips shop we passed but we forgot which way it was. We ended up at The Lanes and tried to find out way to the chip shop, but we found 2 restaurants that were still serving so we decided to check them out.
First restaurant served "home cooked British food" ...they didnt have very many in their selection and we were looking for something more familiar [less bangers and mash]. So we ended up at an Italian Restaurant called Donatello. It was a really nice and cheap restaurant. Their antipasti, pasta and pizza were very reasonably priced. They ranged from 3 to about 8 pounds. The pricier dishes were the seafood and meat dishes. I had a pizza Donatello. It had cheese, mushrooms, bell peppers, olives, shrimp, italian sausage and anchioves. IT WAS THE BEST PIZZA EVER! I don't think I can look at another pizza the same way ever again. The crust was very thin and perfectly cooked. The toppings didnt fall off the pizza. OMG. IT WAS JUST AMAZING. Half of us got cocktails. A few girls got Pina Coladas. Their Pina Coladas are different...they're not slushy-like....its more of a Pina Colada on the rocks hahaha. Jeany got a Sex on the Beach. GOOD CHOICE! I got a Boozie Suzie...I've never heard of that drink before...could be a British thing? It had gin, appletiser(sparkling apple juice) and grenadine...really good. Tasted very light. hehe...very pink. I think Italians ran the place. Our server was Italian, by the way. Jeany thought he was cute but was not feeling the Italian accent. I thought the accent was cute. HAHAHA. Who would have thought that my first meal outside the campus would be at an Italian restaurant.
Today:
School started today. I didnt finish my reading [UH-OH!]....good thing about a philosophy class is that you can bull shit your way out :D hahaha. My teacher ?[he's a grad. student, but not a teaching assistant] is cute! hahahaha. ACCENT <3...in words that end ing -ing, be doesnt pronounce the "g"...he kinda reminds me of Colin Firth but he doesnt look like him. He's got curly hair and he's scruffy and dresses well...hehehehe.
After class, Kathie and I went to Brighton to go shopping. I got Maddie's present and I got something cute for Mary. We went to the mall so that Kathie can buy some clubbing clothes because she didnt bring any. We got to Brighton around 5 so we didnt get to explore many of the shops because a lot of them were closing. We found a 1 pound store and a 99p store. We finally had FISH AND CHIPS for dinner. It was really good...the fish was really fresh and it was HUGE [we ordered a medium]...their chips were kinda weird because the potato was not white on the inside like American fries, they were yellow on the inside too.
We went exploring after...just for a little bit. We went back to the pavilion to take nicer pictures. We also learned that the Brighton Museum is free [coming back for that one]. Then we went to Karaoke Night at Ye Ole King and Queen Pub at Brighton with ISS. That pub was how I imagined pubs to look like...historic looking [the pub is historic....something about it being an old farm house and royalty or something like that] and kinda dark...it sorta looked like the Green Dragon from Lord of the Rings [minus the hobbits]! Drinks: 2 for 6 pound cocktails...Kathie: Cosmo, Ann: Screaming Orgasm. Our RA sang SEX BOMB...funny shit! Kathie and I didnt stay that long....we were getting really tired so we caught the 11 PM train at the train station and went home.
I WANNA GO TO WIMBLEDON! I'LL GO BY MYSELF IF I HAVE TO!
current time: 4:03 PM
Yesterday:
Orientation was like any other school orientation...welcome...have fun...ACADEMICS IS IMPORTANT...have fun...stay safe...useful info...IT stuff...have fun...welcome.
I also learned that many places [aside from the grocery store] give student discounts...all you have to do is ask.
After orientation, we went to the Student Union store to get dibs on merch because they don't get new stock of clothing until the next school year. YAY ME! i got a sweater! Also got ONE adaptor, I need 2 more for the external hard drive and my chargers. So, I've been hearing that US hair driers get messed up in the UK, so I havent even tried using it. Kathie, Jeany and I met up with other girls to go get ID cards. Freakin' A! T'was a journey up several sets of stairs, then a hill, then more stairs! It took a while, but it's ok...my ID is cute! hahahaha [again...pictures later]
speaking of cute...there were cute british boys getting their ID's too...well, actually, they were getting replacement IDs.
Got a pay-as-you-go SIM card. 10 bucks! not pounds, dollars! yay! it's T-mobile and it kinda sucks. I don't get reception in my room or in some places in campus. I'm kinda upset about that, but it's ok. Incoming calls are free and text messages aren't that bad...I'm going to text the way I do in the US. Anyway, having my crappy SIM card is better than using my SIM from home. Over here, I've been able to get roaming via Orange, O2-UK, and Vodafone-UK networks, but I bet that was hella expensive. It was just so that my parents could call me...but it's ok, now my parents can call me[and it would be free for me] and I can have it for emergencies and keeping in touch with people I made plans with.
We went on a walking tour of Brighton with the ISS staff. It was really nice. The weather was great. NO RAIN. nice breeze. We got to see, I guess, "Downtown Brighton" where the majority of restaurants, pubs, and shops were located. We saw the mall[H&M and Borders] at Churchill Square, and the stores and pubs in The Lanes[it's kinda like a maze of buildings and the alleyways get very narrow], and all the other pubs and stores in the area. We went to the Royal Pavilion. It is a former royal residence. It was built in the 1800s by George IV. It was his seaside retreat [apparently, the seawater in Brighton is good for the health]. It was also his getaway from the Royal Court in London and he was able to "visit" his mistress, Mrs. Fitzherbert. It's really pretty. The architecture style is so different from the rest of Brighton.
It's got an Indo-Chinese [not Indo-China] influence. The outside looks Indian, and the interior is Chinese and Indian. This called the "Regency Style."We also visited the Brighton seafront. The beach here is very different. It's not sandy, it's very pebbly--and not small pebbles that can fit in your shoe type of pebbles, but the kind you use to skip rocks with. We also saw the Brighton Pier [it's got a boardwalk thing going on, but it's very small]. There are actually 2 piers, but the other one is burned down and they can't take it out because it's a historical landmark.
After all that walking, my group was REALLY HUNGRY. So we followed the ISS staff because they said they were going to a pub to eat. Go to the pub it was 8:30. To our dismay, the pub stopped serving food at 8! WTF! The only other food places that were open to serve food were Italian restaurants, and fast food. We wanted to go to the Fish and Chips shop we passed but we forgot which way it was. We ended up at The Lanes and tried to find out way to the chip shop, but we found 2 restaurants that were still serving so we decided to check them out.
First restaurant served "home cooked British food" ...they didnt have very many in their selection and we were looking for something more familiar [less bangers and mash]. So we ended up at an Italian Restaurant called Donatello. It was a really nice and cheap restaurant. Their antipasti, pasta and pizza were very reasonably priced. They ranged from 3 to about 8 pounds. The pricier dishes were the seafood and meat dishes. I had a pizza Donatello. It had cheese, mushrooms, bell peppers, olives, shrimp, italian sausage and anchioves. IT WAS THE BEST PIZZA EVER! I don't think I can look at another pizza the same way ever again. The crust was very thin and perfectly cooked. The toppings didnt fall off the pizza. OMG. IT WAS JUST AMAZING. Half of us got cocktails. A few girls got Pina Coladas. Their Pina Coladas are different...they're not slushy-like....its more of a Pina Colada on the rocks hahaha. Jeany got a Sex on the Beach. GOOD CHOICE! I got a Boozie Suzie...I've never heard of that drink before...could be a British thing? It had gin, appletiser(sparkling apple juice) and grenadine...really good. Tasted very light. hehe...very pink. I think Italians ran the place. Our server was Italian, by the way. Jeany thought he was cute but was not feeling the Italian accent. I thought the accent was cute. HAHAHA. Who would have thought that my first meal outside the campus would be at an Italian restaurant.
Today:
School started today. I didnt finish my reading [UH-OH!]....good thing about a philosophy class is that you can bull shit your way out :D hahaha. My teacher ?[he's a grad. student, but not a teaching assistant] is cute! hahahaha. ACCENT <3...in words that end ing -ing, be doesnt pronounce the "g"...he kinda reminds me of Colin Firth but he doesnt look like him. He's got curly hair and he's scruffy and dresses well...hehehehe.
After class, Kathie and I went to Brighton to go shopping. I got Maddie's present and I got something cute for Mary. We went to the mall so that Kathie can buy some clubbing clothes because she didnt bring any. We got to Brighton around 5 so we didnt get to explore many of the shops because a lot of them were closing. We found a 1 pound store and a 99p store. We finally had FISH AND CHIPS for dinner. It was really good...the fish was really fresh and it was HUGE [we ordered a medium]...their chips were kinda weird because the potato was not white on the inside like American fries, they were yellow on the inside too.
We went exploring after...just for a little bit. We went back to the pavilion to take nicer pictures. We also learned that the Brighton Museum is free [coming back for that one]. Then we went to Karaoke Night at Ye Ole King and Queen Pub at Brighton with ISS. That pub was how I imagined pubs to look like...historic looking [the pub is historic....something about it being an old farm house and royalty or something like that] and kinda dark...it sorta looked like the Green Dragon from Lord of the Rings [minus the hobbits]! Drinks: 2 for 6 pound cocktails...Kathie: Cosmo, Ann: Screaming Orgasm. Our RA sang SEX BOMB...funny shit! Kathie and I didnt stay that long....we were getting really tired so we caught the 11 PM train at the train station and went home.
I WANNA GO TO WIMBLEDON! I'LL GO BY MYSELF IF I HAVE TO!
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