Snacky...

The one thing I don't like about fall is the hunger pangs that go along with keeping warm. I've been eating more, and Tita Boots told me I'm going into hibernation mode. HA... Ha... ha....

I bought myself a thermos to bring a hot drink--and thought it was kinda silly to bring along hot WATER. I've been wearing off tea and caffeine (and only drink it when I don't need it). I might go out to get some honey to sweeten the water and give an extra sugar boost.

I have been talking about cookies to some classmates and have gotten myself to bake some brownie cookies. Recipe altered by yours-truly and I'm hoping to find a less sweet concoction of chocolate. Tita Boots says it's good, but I will see if dark chocolate will work with these cookies

Toshi likes them too (^^)

King Kong, Chinese Steamed Pork Dumplings, and Matisse?

I decided late to go to with fellow Art students to the Art Department field trip to San Francisco, maybe two weeks after it was first announced. I didn't want to miss another Club Day or the Illustrator class. I debated those two weeks and decided to finally go. I finally paid the 20 dollars fee for the field trip and thought--oh wow. I get to go to more than one museum!

Uhm... No. I guess not.

What -WAS- given was a bus ride to SF and back. They basically dropped us off in the middle of SanFran and we're let loose into the busy streets. I didn't find my Roller Derby classmate, Aly, while waiting to get in, and ended up befriending a funny, crazy gal, Victoria at the line.

We watched King Kong on the bus ride and I snickered throughout Vicky's running commentary about King Kong and his poor misadventures with the "want some chicken" "tarzan ain't got nuthin' on me" t-rex fight and the "triflin' white bitch" who left the huge ape for little ones.

It isn't so odd to me anymore that similar people just gravitate towards each other. Vicky's an African American growing up with father with a strong Martial Arts background, and a hilarious sense of humor when it comes to messing around with stereotypes. "Being dark doesn't mean I'm African!" Haha. She's got the craziness to try and scare away a persistant (ugly) brother with a Brit accent--which didn't quite work so well, put valley girl airheads to shame for assuming she was Nigerian.

So we head on down to the new Cartoon Art Gallery and oggle some Disney Sleeping beauty animation cells and sketches, and a whole bunch of other comic books. It's still pretty new, with new, ever-changing displays going on. I think I enjoyed the museum store more, just because I got myself the "After Halloween" alphabet book by Daniel M. Davis. God, it's so well done and cute. I bet Sheryll would love all of this:

Steam Crow Press

http://www.steamcrow.com/

http://www.steamcrow.com/products-page/books/after-halloween-book/

I have number 288 of 1500! Whoohoo

We had lunch after hiking our way through to the Chinatown (I'd rather call it China STREET just because it just went through several blocks). Had a good dimsum lunch of steamed pork buns, BAKED pork buns, steamed pork dumplings and some shrimp dumplings with green onion. Good thing we walked back--too much pork in the system.

We spent a good deal of time just talking and laughing about crazy stories and realized we'd better head to the MoMa before rendezvous time with the other students. She'd spent her money on purple and pink Maneki Neko (Fortune Cats) and a jade elephant from one of the souvenir stores. I opted out of buying fortune sticks and fake Chinese coins :p

The MoMa wasn't all it was cracked up to be. I recognized more names now from Prof. Mehallo's Graphic Design History class and the chapter on Modernism, and from Craig Smith's Design Fundamentals class. I saw works from Salvador Dali (surrealists), Pablo Picasso (though this was at another gallery we stumbled into, and wasn't necessarily one of his cubist works), Duchamp and his toilet seat fountain, and a Trompe L'Oiel painting of a comb, makeup brush and glass and a Henri Matisse statue, Madeline1. I can't believe I didn't go through the part with his paintings--ARGH.

I had seen these other ones before I started recognizing and photographing the artists and names, but they really impressed me when I came into the sections of the room and just headed straight for them:

I loved the colors on this one. Reminded me of the pink Sakura theme colors the Japanese would use in print design or more the brighter color scheme of origami colors.

This was the first piece I saw on the 5th floor, after making kumusta to a Pinay guard. I noticed when I looked around that most the guards were a little older, and Asian :p Well anyway, this piece made me think of our continents sinking into the sea :( Stupid Ondoy. I hope the PH can get back on its feet. I just heard about the blackouts. I guess that's why my mom hasn't left a message or contacted me today :(

This piece got me curious and I was quite happy when I walked up close. It's stippling! I love it now after our assignment/project for Typography. I should do a blog about that once we're well on our way...

I don't think you can quite see the perspective of these two pictures, but they're from two window panes from the 5th floor, I believe. Looking out these buildings remind me of the Tokyo Tower and being able to see the tall buildings out the observation deck. I also like Victorian design (not related to the photo, just a random thought)... is this a bad thing? :p

The architecture of the SF MoMa got me good, I had to take pictures of the damned staircase! And part of the stair corridor on the 5th floor :)

This one was interesting. I think I only started photographing the details of the work after this piece. By Christopher Wool, untitled... it's enamel paint on aluminum. When you get real close you can see where the paint is bubbling/aluminum is riveted. You can see how the paint gets sticky and the residue marks and all that subjective processes in making the piece. It's very--er... I don't know how else to describe it, but I like it very much. It's feminine, but not.

Okay, time to hit the hay (Miss you Daddy! I'll bring you back some California raisins when I come back, haha!) Today's been a long, interesting day.

PS: Toshi was a little too shy to come out for the trip, so he got his photo on the bus, riding on the seat top (not for very long). We'll come back again... you'll get your photo in the MoMa again, someday.

Busy, busy Monday... SS card Voyage + Inventory madness

I am so tired! A day of driving around from Mack Road (Elk Grove) to Folsom to find the Social Security Card Center was not a very good start to the day. Can't believe that they decided to do something different and not give out Social Security Cards in the local office. I suppose that it's nice that I only had to wait about 30 minutes to be finished with the entire process. That doesn't include the time taken to get to the actual office. Good thing that AT&T has a navigation system, and that the new SS Card office is not too hard to find. It still is a bit scary driving in a place you don't know (and being freaked out if you'll miss a turn).

I decided to go towards school (since I was too far away from home). Had lunch of chicken tenders and left-over Crush orange soda (it was yucky na) with a bunch of Latino boys who were absolutely noisy! How do you spell Syllable, my butt. Wondering if they were just trying to be friendly. Too friendly and too loud! UGH.

After lunch, I spent time just sitting out in the sun. It was nice and quiet and warm! The sun did a lot to negate the chill. I wasn't looking forward to freezing in Graphic Design History class in the Raef Hall, but a couple hours baking in the sun was all right. Damned sun kept on moving and giving me the cold shade of the tree!

Class went well... and we were let out early.... for me to go do inventory for the ISA. We had a lot of soda, styrofoam plates and cups and chips. Ay. I don't think I want to see/count another potato chip bag in a long while. I hung out with a few more members of the ISA at Jamil's office, and left late.

I didn't realize I had a lot of things to prepare and do: digitized inventory, email call for BBQ setup volunteers, online bulletin board discussion for a class, and, crap, I have to do other things pa. Good thing I did most of my homework during the weekend! I guess it's from all the driving I've been doing (and on Sunday?).

It's my own fault for deciding to go to SF for a field trip, eep (><)

Pumpkin Patch!

The beginning of fall means: crisp cool winds, all spice, thick clothes and pumpkins! It's a fitting beginning for my first post of my blog. Autumn was my favorite season in Japan because of the slowing down of life in the city, rustle of trees from the winds and the gradual glow of orange, red and yellow leaves.

For Sheryll's birthday, we decided to go to a pumpkin patch! Another first of Firsts: I had to drive the car 3 hours! It was fun, though isn't so nice when you've got cars cutting in front. Sucks even more if you don't know the frickin' way!

First thing you notice at the pumpkin patch is... the smell. It smells like poo-poo! Maybe not necessarily as bad as cow poo-poo but you smell the "aroma" as soon as you get out. Once that's in your system you find the wide field of pumpkins!

As I hear, this particular pumpkin patch has more than just the field of pumpkins! It's got stores galore, piles of different colored/sizes of pumpkins, inflatable slide/bouncy castle, display of antique farm EQ.

I love this last photo just because it has a Where Is Wally feeling. There was a little baby girl who was watching me, and looking at little Toshi (the Ochibo) I was carrying and taking photographs of.