Why let a journal go to waste?

After a long hiatus. I’ve finally decided to start using this journal for a more broad use then just travel. Granted, I’m currently in NYC finishing up my internship this summer which technically counts as travel. I will be using this more to express broader, and possibly more well put together entries.

*Originally posted in my LJ (Livejournal)

I’ve been in NYC for almost 8 weeks, and my internship is coming to an end. I haven’t been the best at updating my own LJ, but surprisingly enough it’s not because I never go on it. I guess you can call me a creeper because I make it a daily basis to read all of yours. I guess at times like these where I can’t physically hang out with my friends it’s always good to know what’s going on in their lives. I really enjoy reading about my friends because I always feel like I’m learning something new and it allows me to better understand them.

Just on the terms of basic updating, I’ve really enjoyed my internship and learned a lot in the field of publishing. It has definitely opened some new doors that I might have not thought of originally. Living in NYC is definitely something that grew on me, and at this point I can see myself trying to pursue something more here in my future. It just seems slightly more logical seeing the jobs that are available in my field here.

Living in NYC and London has definitely allowed me to fully realize how independent I can be, and it’s rather reassuring. Granted, I don’t know if I would be so happy without at least one familiar face in my general area. I’ve learned to really appreciate some down time though, and where I’d love to share these experiences with others it has also helped me further understand things about myself.

I’m going to be honest with you all and say I’ve always been one who likes to have a change in scenery within my grasps. To say it in some of the lamest terms, I get bored with my surroundings easily. At times I feel like I have to be stimulated with the unknown, and the ability to discover new things. I never realized that I really do love traveling and discovering new places.

I don’t have to be with people because I don’t mind doing things alone, but it is always nice to share the experience as well. I was thinking about it, and if I were to ever settle down I’d really need someone to be able to keep up with me. Not that I’m saying I am some crazy, wild person or anything, but I do feel like at times I am rather spontaneous and don’t like t be restricted with things. I like being able to explore and discover new things, and I sometimes I get really motivated or inspired to do things. I just feel like I’d need someone who can keep up with that, and not hinder the process I suppose. Sometimes it’s just not everyone’s cup of tea.

I do a lot of thinking and self reflecting, and where thinking too much can have its cons I feel like I’ve gotten to understand myself  a lot more over the past years. Where I may not say it out loud to people, or express it I feel like I’m rather self aware at times. Doesn’t mean it’s always a good self-awareness because clearly no one is perfect, and I know I’m far from it at times.

I feel like being in the city has allowed me to do a lot more thinking about life, and the not so distant future. It really has grown on me, and I know I’ve always said I wanted to live in a city, and I suppose that really hasn’t changed. I’m going to miss the city though, and how expansive it is. I loved exploring random areas not knowing where I was, and the feeling of discovering and learning my surroundings in the process. There so many people piled into a small area of land it is crazy, but for some odd reason I really like that too. Not that I’ve actually made any personal connections with the millions of people who live here, but people in general are so intriguing.

I guess it might sound weird to some, but I’m definitely the type of person who likes to people watch. I don’t mean in the creepy-stalker sort of way, but I enjoy observing how people interact. The idea that everyone has a story behind them, and the way they act is something I believe in. Not there is necessarily always a reason for someone’s actions, but overall there are many influences. There is so much to wonder about a person, but you’ll never know for sure until you make that connection with them. I enjoy that about people, and how you can make connections with people in the simplest way or even in the most complex. There is always something new to learn about a person because sometimes they’re ever changing.

Sometimes I feel like I majored in the wrong thing, haha. Human nature and people’s psyche’s can be so complex or so simple. I just like learning and understanding things about people and getting to better know the reasons behind them. I guess that might explain my weird ways of people watching or my lack of posting, but consistent need to read others LJs. I hope you guys don’t think I’m sort of creeper. I just enjoy the learning experience, haha.

I feel like I’ve rambled on long enough, but it is rare that I get a strong enough feeling to really write out my thoughts. I tried to go to a coffee shop hoping the setting might motivate me more, but oddly enough it wasn’t until I got on the subway to go home that I had a sudden stream of thought. Funny enough I’m writing this on my cell phone on the subway, and I’m already home.

Sometimes you just got to go with the flow, yo.

This might be the most you get out of my for a while, haha, so respect and enjoy!

Never thought I’d say it, but I miss “Exit” Signs.

Exit signs are just one of the many things that I finally realized I missed from back in the States. It’s weird but true. The tiny green signs with the man walking and an arrow pointing out a open door just doesn’t cut it for me anymore. “Way Out” has just lost its novelty and is now something of my past. I never thought I’d be so happy to be back in America, and back to some familiar things. It feels like I never left, but the memories still remain which is most definitely a good thing. Going to London was something that was well worth everything I’ve experienced. It just feels really good to be back home again. I actually got to eat McNuggets that tasted like… well McNuggets, and I got to experience Denny’s again! Haha, not that anyone is really missing out on anything if they haven’t experienced Denny’s.

I still have a lot of stuff to unpack, and my room is pretty much the same bombshell that I left it in when I went abroad. This disappoints me slightly, haha. I’m feeling lazy, and not quite up to having to reorganize everything. I also go back to school on the 24th, so I have a lot of repacking to do along with buying books and stuff for my townhouse. Oh craziness.

It’s just great to be back, and tonight was beyond amazing. Let’s just say it was nearly perfect.  ~_^

I’ll be updating more about what I’ve been up to during my last few days in the U.K., and also hopefully I follow up post of my overall experience

The Scots are still of the “hizzy”…

I don’t even know where to begin, I had such an awesome time in Edinburgh, and the city in general is just one of a kind. Edinburgh, Scotland is an amazing place, and reminds me very much of Harry Potter, haha. Seeing that J.K. Rowling lives there and wrote the Harry Potter Books there. I could definitely see where she got the inspiration for it. Where else can you find a castle in the middle of a city? Okay, well a castle on an old volcanic mountain? It definitely has this old magical feel to it that I can’t say I’ve felt anywhere else.

The train ride was about 4 hours, and once we got closer to Edinburgh, we started passing a lot of coastal cities, and it made me wish I went out to visit them. The beaches looked so beautiful because all the coastal cities also had cliffs that you saw in travel magazines. The first night I got there, I went on a Ghost Tour of Edinburgh, which was pretty cool, but not that creepy. It did give me a good view of the whole city at night, and a good historical background on the place. Edinburgh has a lot of brutal history behind it and lots of haunted places. I did get a free flashlight keychain that I can wind up to produce light. They’re really cheaply made though, but I had fun winding that thing the whole tour. At the end of the tour they take you to a pub for a free pint, which I took full advantage of and tried Strongbow, which is a hard cider. I thought it was pretty good, a lot better than Magner’s cider, but not as good as Kopparburg’s Pear Cider. Haha, I’ve become quite the alcohol buff.

I did end up meeting two girls, Amy and Liz, who were both studying in Ireland for the summer and go to school in California. They were really chill, and I ended up meeting up with them throughout my stay in Edinburgh. It was nice to have company while I was there because I feel like I wouldn’t have done have the things I did if they weren’t there to help motivate, haha.

On Saturday, I went on a free walking tour done by the same New Europe Tour group that I was telling you guys about when I went to Paris. Again, they are wicked awesome for free tours if you’re on a budge or not on a budget even. The tour gave me a good grasp on where things were located in the city, and I also got to see The Elephant’s Head, where J.K. Rowling started writing the Harry Potter books on Napkins. From that café, you can see an all-boys public (which in the U.K. Means private) school that she might have modeled Hogwarts after. It was way cool to see. I don’t even joke when I say the Old City of Edinburgh constantly reminded me of what places in Harry Potter would look like. After the tour, I went to check out Edinburgh Castle, which is located on the top of a really steep hill. The outside looked really cool, but there wasn’t really much to look at on the inside. From far away, it looks like Hogwarts Castle, haha… I know I’m a loser.

After I checked out the castle I did some shopping on the Royal Mile, and ended up buying myself a Kilt! I couldn’t resist myself, and I’ve always wanted one when I was younger. I met up with my new found friends for dinner, and then we ended up going to see a free comedy show that was part of the Fringe Festival. I forgot to mention that Edinburgh is known for their festivals in the summer, and I happened to be there on the weekend that the Edinburgh Fringe Festival was starting. For those who don’t know what the Fringe Festival is, it’s the biggest Theater festival in the world. It couldn’t have been any better timing to go! What did suck though was that the amount of tourists who come during this time pretty much doubles their population. The main streets were so crowded with tourists, and people trying to promote their show it got a little annoying after a while. When the show was finished we ended up going up to this really cool hill, where you can get an awesome view of the city and has a monument that is an exact model of the Parthenon. The only thing is that it’s only half done because half of it was privately funded, while the other half was told to be funded by the state, but they never got around to giving the funds to finish it. Therefore, you have half the Parthenon on top of a huge ass hill.

On Sunday, we decided that we wanted to climb a mountain that was located right outside of the city, and are the remains of what was once a volcanic mountain. Let’s say it was wicked epic, and the view you got from the top is beyond words. Even if I tried, I would not be able to give it justice. I felt wicked liberated once I reached the top of that mountain though because we got a little lost off the trail for a while. It was well worth the time though! I thought it was so random, but at the same time extremely amazing. When we finished trekking down the mountain, I decided to hit up the Palace in Edinburgh where the Queen takes her annual summer vacation at. It was nice to look at, but nothing as grandeur as I saw in Versailles or London even. After doing some more shopping, I then went back to the hostel to drop some stuff off and meet back up with Amy and Liz for dinner before we went to go see “Plague! The Musical”. I tried Haggis, and it really wasn’t that bad at all. It kind of reminded me of Beef Ravioli, haha. “Plague! The Musical” was a show that was being performed as part of the Fringe Theater Festival, and was actually pretty good. The venue was way small, and I think they crammed in like 2 more stages into this really big room. It’s crazy how many shows were going on in that one week, let alone the next three weeks.

The rest of my trip consisted of a lot more shopping around, before I left back for London. I feel like Edinburg was one of my favorite places I have visited during my whole trip. I definitely hope to go there again.

Much Oblige,

K. Pho

You’ve got to try everything at least once…

K. Pho: Wow, it feels like I haven’t updated in forever.
Blog: Well that’s probably because you’ve been a lazy ass and finally started updating people on recent events.
K.Pho: This is true…
Blog: You’re talking to a blog… pathetic.
K.Pho: Don’t blame me, blame Amsterdam…

Haha, before I get into any details of this weekend I shall update you on what has been going on this past week. Having come back from Paris last weekend, I’ve come to realize how much I would love to live in London. It has been my home away from home and it’s been amazing. I don’t know how people can go backpacking to different places crammed into such a small amount of time. I can barely handle these weekend excursions for three days.

Last Monday I went to see Avenue Q the musical, and it was pretty much amazing. I thought they would change the script to make people in England understand, but they haven’t. The musical is so much better live then it is to just listen to. The acting was great and the voices were pretty much dead on to the original Broadway cast. We managed to get some wicked awesome seats, and since the theater was pretty small to begin with it just made the experience well worth it.

Tuesday, Paul and I went on a tour bus that took us to the city of Bath and Stonehenge. Bath is known for its Gregorian designed buildings and Roman Baths. The city itself was really cute and all the buildings were made with local limestone or at least material made to look like limestone. The architecture seemed to be really influenced by Rome. The Roman Baths were alright, but a little boring after the first 10 minutes. I did learn that Johnny Depp resides in Bath, but I didn’t see him of course. The city is really pretty and is located in a more country like area with lots of sheep, naturally. Supposedly, Bath wins a lot of rewards for being the prettiest city, etc. I can see why because they were explaining how strict they are with any new buildings that are being built in the town.

On the way back from Bath we stopped to see Stonehenge. It was quite the sight, and granted it was a little bit smaller then it appears to be in pictures it was still well worth the visit. I think I really enjoyed Stonehenge a lot more then Bath, and this is probably because we’ve all been exposed to the wonders and mystery of Stonehenge so to be able to finally see it in person is amazing. I have a lot of pictures of Stonehenge from pretty much every angle, it’s almost sad.

Wednesday, I went to visit the British Museum with Paul after class, but it was wicked crowded with various tourists and school groups. I got to take a snapshot of the Rosetta stone though and then came back. It’s amazing how many free museums there are in London. I’ve yet to visit most of them, and I’m already down to my last week hereL.

Wednesday night, for my Celebrity, Media, and Society class we got to be part of a live studio audience for a talk show called, “Big Mouth Big Brother”. Surprisingly Big Brother in the UK is a big deal, compared to the one in the US. It’s pretty much a late night 30 minute commentary show on the episode of Big Brother that was just shown that night. Here’s a convenient you tube video of the episode I was in. I don’t know if you can see me at all, but I know I’m there. It was really cool to see how these shows work and how they get the audience to be responsive and loud. I also got to walk by the set of Big Brother, but we weren’t allowed to take pictures nor be loud because the people were still living in there. Pretty sweet.

Thursday, I went shopping after class, and it’s pretty much a problem. My school is literally down the street from Oxford Circus, which is the biggest shopping street in London. Therefore, I get to be surrounded by all these major sales at these brand name stores every day. I couldn’t resist so I finally went shopping and bought a lot of clothes. I’m totally in love with Primark, which is a brand in London, that sells designer looking clothes for cheap. The quality is pretty good too, but there is rumor that they use Child Labor. I know this is horrible, but for cheap clothes in London…. I’ll risk being an indirect supporter of Child Labor… just this once.

After Shopping, I went to meet up with some of my classmates from the Graphic Design Class I went to. Some of them are leaving soon, and we all wanted to have a drink beforehand. It’s always nice to see them and hang out with them. They really open my mind to like a lot of things that I might have to deal with in the future of my life and career. They also help me get in-tune with the Graphic Design part of me that should really start educating myself on designers and the foundation behind it. I pretty much have acquired an awesome taste for hard ciders because they’re so sweet and fruity.

This then leads to this weekend where I went to Holland and Belgium with my school. It was a 12 hour drive there, and I was like going crazy just thinking about it. We had to leave at 6am to get to the meeting spot, and it wasn’t that bad once I woke up and got myself going. The drive wasn’t that bad either because it took about two and a half hours to get to Dover where we then took SeaFrance ferry to get to Calais in France. We then proceeded to drive to a town 20 minutes outside of Amsterdam to get to our Hotel. We stopped by a Cheese and Clog making place before we went to the hotel, and it was kind of interesting to see how Clogs were made. The cheese they had there was wicked good, and they also had this Dutch Wine that was sooo sweet it tasted like fruit juice. I wanted to buy some, but I opted not to because I wouldn’t be able to bring it back to the States with me. I did buy some of these Dutch cookies that were like waffles with some sort of caramel in between both sides. Wicked gooood.

The first night we arrived at the hotel, we got dinner and they had a free bar between certain hours. I didn’t really feel like drinking much, but we did decide to go into Amsterdam. It was pretty much amazing, and a city you won’t find anywhere else but there. It looked like a normal city, but there were rivers and bridges everywhere. It’s very much like Venice from what I hear. It’s funny because there are “Coffee Shops” everywhere, and lets just say they don’t just sell coffee. The red light district is also something to see because they have windows with prostitutes that try to advertise themselves through them. It’s pretty amusing. The people there are so nice, and everyone speaks really good English too. It’s just a nice change from Paris and even London sometimes because people here aren’t always in a rush, and are always willing to help.

The second day we went into Amsterdam for a Bus tour and then a ride down the canals of Amsterdam. I was way tired, and pretty much slept through both of them. We got to wander the city during the day, but Paul and I were way too tired so we went back to the hotel early. We had dinner at the hotel, and then they took a bunch of us back into the city at night. Our tour guide and bus driver were so cool, and really funny when they were talking about taking part in Amsterdam’s Culture. They were very encouraging of trying things to say the least. On that note, they took a group of us back into Amsterdam to take part in one of their infamous Sex Shows. Let’s just say it was very graphic, but I’m not going to lie, it got boring after like the first few people. I figure if I’m going to be in Amsterdam I might as well experience their culture while I can.

The next day we left the hotel and started to head towards the city of Bruges in Belgium. It was really pretty, and had that small town stereotypical European city feel. All the buildings were made no higher than like two maybe three floors, and the architecture was really interesting. Paul and I just walked around, got some food and ice cream, and then headed back to the bus. Once we all got back, we made our way to a chocolate factory where of course, I bought chocolate. I have yet to eat it though, but I’m hoping it’s good, haha.

To sum up my weekend in Amsterdam and Bruges, it was really cool. I might have made a couple stops at some Coffee Shops while I was there, but if I were ever to try anything just once where else would I do so besides AmsterdamIt was interesting to say the least, and a ton of fun. I wouldn’t mind going back there again for a longer stay. . Did I forget to mention that everyone reminded me of my Computer Science Professor Frits Lander because he’s from that area and has the same accent and mannerisms of everyone I’ve talked to from the area.

Back in London, I haven’t been up to much. Today, I went with Paul to go see the inside of St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was wicked nice, and the ceilings mosaic designs were beautiful. The best part of it was that you were able to go to the galleries in the top of the dome, and it gave you the best view of the cityscape. I know have to start working on a Media Analysis paper on Celebrity Gossip magazines, not looking forward to it.

I’m not going to lie, this class is a waste of time, and my instructor isn’t really the best. It’s probably because she isn’t even a certified professor or teacher. I kind of wish I took a different class, but I mean it’s letting me stay an extra three weeks so I don’t mind. I can’t believe I’m down to my last week in London. I’ve finally gotten so adjusted to living here, that going back is going to be a really sad sight. Granted, I do miss a lot of things back at home, but it’s going to be really boring. There is just so much you can do here, and it’s easy to get around places without having to drive. I also think all this walking is healthy.

I’ve recently developed a new love for sushi, and it’s almost a problem. I really miss eating like good food though. Ever since I’ve been here, I’ve been eating crappy food because it’s cheap and convenient. I also miss not having to spend hundreds of dollars a week for various life necessities. I have been keeping up with news in London because they give out free newspapers every day, and even though they are rather gossipy, I think I know more about what’s going on in London then I do back in the States. It’s really sad.

On that note, I think I should start my paper, and I hope everyone is doing well. I want to thank everyone who has been sending me letters this past week because I received them all in the last couple days. It’s really nice hearing something from back home, and I’ll keep them forever, haha! Hope you are all doing well, and I’ll be back home before you know it.

The Coolest Kid You Know,

K.Pho

Je ne suis pas dans l’amour avec Paris, mais il est O-Kay.

This post is referring to my trip back on July 17 – 21st, I finally got around to finishing it. There will be more posts to update you with my recent trip to Holland and Belgium.

I don’t even know where to begin with my extended weekend in Paris. It was quite the trip with a lot of picture taking. I suppose it would only be right to start it from the beginning. Thursday, I might have skipped some class time because well, it’s really boring to be honest and I’d rather sleep on something comfortable then a desk. After making breakfast of Eggs and lots of British Bacon, I packed my shit and rushed it to the train at St. Pancras International where we caught a Eurostar Train to Paris Nord Station. We took one of the fastest trains to Paris and it took roughly 2 and a half hours. I’m not going to lie, at first I thought it was pretty cool to see cars driving on the right side of the road again, but I was still too scared to talk in English in front of French people. It was a problem, but we eventually got over ourselves and decided that if they hate us already then why not butcher their language too.

Alright, so maybe it might be a stereotype that the French hate Americans, but you can never be too touchy on the topic of that. Once we arrived to our destination we jumped on the Metro to get to our hostel. While on the topic of the metro I have to make a complaint for their ticket machines not taking bills of any sorts. We had a many problems with not having enough coins to purchase tickets it was insane. Some future advice for anyone going to Paris and using their Metro system, their ticket machines also don’t take our Credit/Debit cards. Much like the UK their debit/credit cards have a tiny chip on them known as a “Chip and Pin” that allows them to make purchases without having to use the magnetic slide bar. Therefore, our debit/credit cards are unacceptable for their systems sometimes. Especially at restaurants or Shops it’s a safe bet to ask if they take a credit card that you need to “slide”.

You also have to manually switch open the doors to get off or on the Metro. It was slightly ghetto not going to lie.

Enough of the topic of Debit Cards and Metro systems, when we finally arrived at our Hostel we were pretty much in the middle of a rather ghetto and sketchy area of Paris. Granted, we just accepted it for what we paid for and went on with our adventures anyways. The hostel was alright, and kicked you out of your room everyday from 9am – 3pm for “cleanings”. This is why we locked out luggage to the bed… I know we’re paranoid.

That first night we decided to go see the Eiffel Tower at night, and I’m not going to lie when we got off the Metro it was a total “O.M.G.” moment. It’s true, Paris’s monuments are totally worth going to see. When I got to London it was really cool to see Big Ben and Westminster Abbey and that jazz, but it just didn’t have the same effect as Paris. That first night we arrived and took the metro towards the Eiffel Tower and it was truly a magical moment. Once the metro got out from underground everyone rushed to the side of the train to check out the Eiffel Tower as we passed. It was most definitely an O.M.G. moment if I were to ever have one.

The next day in Paris we actually left the city and took a train to the city of Versailles. Naturally, Paul and I were all pumped to see the palace at Versailles because of the movie Marie Antoinette. The palace was really plain in the front and had scaffolding covering most of it, which I’ve come to learn to accept that there will always be construction or tourist blocking all your pictures. Even though the outside was rather disappointing the inside was far from disappointment. Versailles is a huge palace with hundreds of rooms, and every room we saw was intricately lavished from the floor up. We recognized some of the rooms from the movie, no lie. We were pretty excited, haha, it was kind of sad. The back of the palace consists of a shitload of gardens and fountains… it had to be at least more than a couple mile radius. It was intense and we took plenty of pictures of ourselves while we were there. It was truly well worth the visit… and it was kind of nice to get out of Paris.

Once we got back into Paris we went on a free tour with a company that hires volunteers who pretty much love the city so much they’ll give free tours for only tips (http://www.neweuropetours.eu/) . They have these tours at most of the major cities and from my experience they’re really good because the tour guides have to work for their tips and are wicked into it. The walking tour allowed us to get a good idea of the history of the city, but also helped us figure out where everything was. I feel like I learned a lot, but also remembered a shitload that I learned in history class during high school. I guess you really do remember that stuff. After the tour we only thought it would be appropriate to go see the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs D’Elysee which is the biggest shopping street in Paris. It’s pretty much their equivalent of Fifth Avenue in NYC. The Arc de Triomphe is the center of that infamous 9 lane rotary where 5 major streets meet up. Supposedly, there is an accident every half hour so Paul and I sat around to speculate. Sadly, there were no accidents, but we could definitely witness why this exaggerated statistic is possible.

On Saturday, we decided to hit up the museums and churches. We hit up The Louvre and it was well worth the entrance fee. We got to see the Mona Lisa and it wasn’t as small as I thought it would be. Afterwards, we went to see Saint Michael’s Cathedral and then Notre Dame both shared the common gothic style of architecture and were really cool. We took a break at a park and the whole time I was there it reminded me of the movie The Happening for people who don’t know what it is it’s M. Night Shyamalan’s newest movie. Let’s just say the weather was really nice but lots if wind and rustling leaves…

We then decided to be stereotypically French and get baguettes, cheese, and wine and eat it in front of the Eiffel Tower. It was a picture perfect moment… as in we took a bunch of offensive stereotypical pictures of us in front of the Eiffel tower. We were pretty exhausted that night so we went to bed early.

On Sunday before we left, we decided to go check out the Catacombs underground. Ever since my friend told me about them when she went to Paris I’ve wanted to check them out. It runs miles wide under the streets of London, and they’re pretty much crypts. It was way creepy and that was only the path to the actual tombs. When we got to the actual tombs it was something out of a horror flick with rooms full of bones and skulls. I was told that there is an accumulation of about 6 million bodies worth of bones down there. Definitely a holy shit moment so it was probably a good thing they told that to us after we got out.

We decided to leave to catch our train before we left, but with some miscommunications we missed our train. Therefore, with Paul working his magic we were able to get a new ticket at a reduced price but still mad expensive. At that point though, I just wanted to get the hell back to London.

To sum everything up I thought Paris was an okay city, but was rather trashy and reminded me of NYC. It is okay to visit, but I don’t think I would ever want to live there. I was just really happy to go back to London by the end of the trip. The people were rather French, and err… yea to say the least they weren’t the friendliest people nor were the downright rude.

Sorry I took a while to update, but I’ve been mad busy. There will definitely be more posts too in order to bring you up to date. I’m trying to get some pictures onto Facebook, but my internet has been crap sooo worst comes to worst I will upload them all when I get back.

Mind the Gap

First day of classes today, and it was pretty much what I expected it to be. A bunch of American college students scooped up into a room, while being shown a power point presentation of what to do and not to do in London. My lecturer for this class is a TV producer, which is pretty cool but I don’t know how qualified she is to teach a class. I’m taking a liberal arts class called, “Celebrities, Media, and Society,” which sounds pretty interesting. It seems like a class where we’re going to gossip about celebrities a lot, and I guess my lecturer said that she’d be theorizing her own thoughts on celebrity… a.k.a. gossiping about famous people. It is no surprise to see that my class is full of a certain type of people… who may resemble West Coast Southern Cali. I don’t want to judge to quickly though because I mean, maybe they aren’t as west coast as I think they are.

I’m pretty excited about hearing from people within the business. I believe we’re having a few special guest speakers throughout the class, and we get to go on a trip to a TV Studio where they film the British version of Big Brother. We also get to take part in as a live studio audience for some sort of spin off show based around Big Brother. Kind of cool, not going to lie. The only thing I can’t really stand is the whole three hour lecture. I’m not used to having to sit down and listen to a person talk for such a long period of time. It definitely differs from Central Saint Martin’s and how we did a lot more hands on productivity. It should be an easy class though because the way these classes are made is pretty much for tourists who want to travel.

Is it kind of bad that I haven’t really been to open to meeting people lately? I mean at CSM it was a small group so we all just learned to get to know each other since we spent like 6 hours together every day. This time around, I know Paul isn’t in my class, but since we’re going to the same school I don’t feel the need to really branch out. I think it’s that and I know I won’t be around at all for half the week because I’ll be traveling. That and none of the people really seem worth getting to know wicked well, but we’ll see how that plays out later on in the course.

So I managed to move into Furnival House from Wigram House. It pretty much sucked because even though it’s only about 8 miles from each other, everything takes way longer to get to in London. I had to take the Tube with most of my luggage and change lines then take a bus. It sucked a lot because I had way more stuff then what could fit in my suitcase at the time, and it was incredibly inconvenient. It’s about a 40 minute commute from Central London to where I live now, which is a little bit outside of central London. It’s really different in a sense that it’s so much quieter and residential then where I used to live. I live in the Highgate Hill area, which is supposedly a really rich community which is kind of evident when you walk around the place. It’s a nice change from the inner city and I guess I don’t mind too much. I also got my mailing address so everyone should send me stuff as long as it gets to me before August 4^th!

Kim Pho
Rm 125
Furnival House
Cholmeley Park, off Highgate Hill
London N6 5EW
UK

Besides that, the last couple days I’ve been hanging out with some of my friends from CSM. A lot of them are leaving this week, which is sad so I feel the need to hang out with them beforehand. I went to a Karaoke Bar with them, where they got a private room and sang to music that had weird Korean Movie clips in the background. Crazy stuff indeed. Then on Saturday I met up with a friend from home and we went out to eat dinner.

Afterwards I went to see the Musical Wicked because Les Miserable’s was all sold out for that night. Wicked was well “wicked” good, and even though the stage was a lot smaller then the theater I saw it in on Broadway it was still really good. The singer who played Elphaba was alright, but her voice seemed a little bit too high for the part and kind of annoying. Besides that, I totally forgot how much I enjoyed that musical.

Yesterday, I met up with them and had a pint, but we also got Vietnamese Food. It wasn’t as great as back home. It was a little weird because they put curry in a lot of their food, which isn’t too common I think in usual Vietnamese food. I’m not going to lie, I wouldn’t mind having a nice bowl of “Pho” when I get back.

Today after class I haven’t really done much. Paul wanted to go around London and start taking pictures of each other in front of major sites because we both have no pictures of ourselves in London. It didn’t take use long to get bored of that though so Paul and I went to Hyde Park and rode in Pedal Boats. It was a pretty nice day out, and it was calming to say the least. Even though I was worried Paul was going to make the boat tip over, and these British girls kept crashing their boat into ours… and listening to American Pop music.

So besides that, I have nothing to really update on. Tomorrow I’ll be going to Hampton Court where we will be looking at Hampton Palace and Gardens… which has a huge maze. It should be a good time, hopefully if the weather is nice. I’m also seeing Avenue Q next Monday, and leaving for Paris on Thursday evening. I’m going to be crazy busy the next three weeks because I’ll be cramming everything I haven’t done yet that I want to do in London. Not to mention I’m going to be super poor, and financial issues aren’t looking great for when I come back. I guess I’ll just have to start working hardcore when school starts. I’m so done with the whole classes thing already, and I need a break before classes start up for fall semester. Damn son. I’ve been taking classes ever since freshmen year and I haven’t stopped since. That is crazy!

I hope everyone is well, and the weather and gas prices aren’t getting to high back in the states.

Cheers,

K.Pho

Learning experience or not… all things come to an end.

It has reached the end of my Graphic Design Summer Course at Central Saint Martin’s. Originally, I wasn’t looking forward to a full day of critiques, but today ended up being a lot more fun than I expected. I don’t mind critiques, but I just get really antsy and restless during them. Today’s class was rather casual and relaxed. I was all pumped because I got up early and left early for class, but then I realized after I got there that I left all my work in my dorm room. Oops, my bad. Luckily, they let me go back and grab it, but it was another 20 minute Tube ride back and then another 20 minute ride back to the school. We ended our class an hour early so our teachers could take the class out to a pub for a drink. It was pretty freakin’ cool that we got to do that, haha, definitely not something you see in American Universities. It was really awesome to be able to see everyone’s work and you could definitely depict the different styles and methods people have towards Graphic Design. Quite the learning experience if I don’t say so myself.

I’m not going to lie, this Graphic Design Summer Course was really intensive, but I’ve learned so much or at least picked up some tricks of the trade that I want to bring back with me home. Putting 13 different people from entirely different backgrounds and educations in the field has definitely been an amazing thing. The people in my class have been a lot of fun to work with, and it’s kind of sad that it wasn’t towards the end of class that we all started to see each other’s true personalities. At first, I think I had a rough time trying to adapt to certain teachers because we seemed to do things differently. I just felt like I had trouble communicating my ideas correctly and maybe that’s why we had a little confusion at first. Overall, this course has taught me different approaches and methods of starting projects. I’ve noticed a lot of things in my style of GD, and I really want to start expanding and improving in by incorporating different types of media and methods that I’ve observed from my fellow students.

Even though at times I’ve felt really sophomoric around them, I’ve been able to really pick up and observe the differences from Fitchburg State, and how things are taught at Central Saint Martin’s. I’m happy that I got to go out and see things outside of the Comm. Media Department. I’ve realized that the students back at FSC all have a very similar style of design, and we’re all in a rush to just get work done that we don’t really notice or take the time to try out different things. So enough babble about learning and the wonders of worldly perspectives, and I’ll just end it with the fact that the last three weeks have taught me so many things that I wouldn’t have learned from back home.

My fellow students in the course are pretty amazing in their own ways. I really loved the diversity and the fact that yea we’re all Graphic Designers of different levels, but I never felt that we were at all competing. It was all purely a mutual learning experience for all of us. We helped each other out, and definitely learned a lot from one another if it were something about GD or even their own home country and culture. The ages ranged from early twenties to thirties, and it still felt like we were all college kids trying to have a good time. A bunch of us have been going to pubs and started showing our true personalities outside of class. They’re all a bunch of really fun people, and I’m really sad that we haven’t started hanging out sooner.

So now to for an actual update of events, yesterday we had our farewell dinner for the API program I traveled here with. We went to get Thai food, and it was spicy to say the least. I’m not going to lie, I’m not a huge fan of it, and it made my stomach make funny noises. After dinner we all went to see The Sound of Music, which was amazing. I haven’t seen the movie since I was a way little kid, so I didn’t remember most of it. I forgot how many famous songs came from this musical. When the musical ended we all went to a pub including our Resident Director to get a drink. It was a really good time, and lets say we all discovered some funny things that we did not expect to hear from certain people. I’m really sad that it’s coming to an end because I really liked my Res. Director, Rachel, and she has definitely taught me a lot about London.

The last couple days has allowed me to realize how much I really love London. Yea, it may rain all the time, and everyone may be in a rush to get places, but in the end I can really see myself living here and being happy. I’m really thinking about either going to graduate school here, or even trying to get a job or internship here. All I know is that I don’t’ want this to be the last time I’m in London. I know I still have another three weeks ahead of me, but it has finally hit me how much I really love this place.

I’m getting kicked out of my room by 10am on Sunday to move to Furnival House in Highgate Hills, which is a really nice area. I don’t get to check in until 2pm though, so I’ll have to figure out a way to stow my luggage away. I’m also seeing my Jacko/my friend, Heather, who is staying in Cambridge to take a course, on Saturday. It should be a good time; I also plan on seeing Les Miserables with some people from my GD class tomorrow night. Hopefully, my wallet won’t be empty by the end of the weekend.

Until next time,

K.Pho

I watched you board a train in the London rain…

I’ve already been in London for over two weeks, and I feel that it’s time for another update.

It’s crazy how ever since I got here the weather has been unusually crazy for London. The concept of “London Rain” seemed to be nonexistent for the first couple weeks. This amuses me because from what I’ve heard back home it has been raining almost every day. Well after that being said, I can now say I’ve started to experience the London rain though. The last couple days it has been “pissing” rain, as the Brits would say, on and off all day. It’s quite unpredictable to be honest; the sky can be blue skies and fluffy white clouds and still start raining at random moments. I don’t really mind the rain because the temperature most definitely beats MA. It’s always between 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit, which to me is awesome temperature. I’m still wearing a light jacket and it’s July! This is probably a major reason why I’d totally want to live here in the future.

There are some things that I’ve started missing from back home. Besides the people of course, I’ve really started to realize how much I miss Dunkin Donuts. The only things they have in London are Starbucks, Nero’s (Italian Coffee), and Costa’s. They’re all very similar to well… Starbucks and kind of expensive to be honest. You just can’t beat a medium Iced Coffee – Blueberry flavor with regular cream and sugar. Seriously, I miss that stuff. I’ve also missed Denny’s crappy yet satisfying breakfast foods, and I’ve also missed Panera for some odd reason. I don’t hate all British food though I’ve actually grown a huge fondness for British Bacon and English breakfast. Their scones aren’t too shabby either, but I’ve yet to really take part in an afternoon tea. Surprisingly, it’s a common misconception that they actually take a break for Tea, at least not in the city.

I feel like I’ve really started adapting to London society, and as dorky as it sounds “becoming one” with the culture. Maybe not to its fullness, but I’ve started getting used to my surroundings. Sometimes I forget I’m in London because it feels like any other city I’ve been in, but with way cooler accents and giant red double decker buses. I really think I’m going to miss the city once I go back, but right now it’s just become such a routine for me lately.

This past weekend, I went to Cork, Ireland with my friend Paul and it was a pretty good time. It was nice to get away from the city for a while. Granted, Cork is supposedly a city as well, but in Ireland terms… it reminded me a lot like Fitchburg minus a lot more sketchy ghetto-ness. It was actually really cute, and hilly. For people who don’t know, Cork City was originally made up of 14 separate islands. They slowly filled in the rivers that separated these islands to form the City of Cork. I guess they’re still some rivers running underneath the roads, and they have over 40 bridges in the city because the various rivers are still running strong through the town.

My flight left London at 10pm and we didn’t get there until about 11:30pm so the first night we just checked into our hostels and went to sleep. Saturday we started off our day by going to check out Blarney Castle and the Blarney stone. It was really cool to be honest; Blarney Castle wasn’t anything grandeur in size, but it was definitely a stereotypical “Irish Castle”. Stereotypical in means that it was really old, crumbling, with lots of green surrounding it, and looked like something you’d see out of an Ireland Brochure. It’s really small, but it makes sense for its purpose and age. At the top of the castle is the Blarney Stone, which is supposed to give you some sort of gift from the Gods or good luck when you kiss it. Supposedly people make yearly trips far and wide to kiss the Blarney Stone. What I didn’t know though is that you pretty much have to lie down on your back and have someone hold you down to be able to kiss it. Pretty much you’re hanging from the top of Blarney Castle upside down. It was scary, but I did get a picture of myself kissing it, and I look really stupid to be honest… at least I have proof though!

After we hit up Blarney, we went back to Cork and walked around the main streets and looked at various shops. We also went on a bus tour that showed us a bunch of the major sites in Cork. It’s such a pretty place and Ireland really is just a lot of rolling hills and fields of green… lots and lots of green to be honest. Oh, and sheep, cows, and various other farm animals. It rained on and off while we were there, and I guess it also always rains in Ireland as well as London. The Hostel we stayed in was pretty nice, but the others guests were so freakin’ loud. Granted they were all young and probably drunk, but I haven’t heard so much drunken drama in my life… not even College. Besides that the bunk beds were cute and looked like a 10 year olds bed, but it was fairly clean and secure.

Now back in London, my classes are reaching its last week, and every teacher I have has assigned some sort of final project. It’s going to be intense, and I feel like I’ll be working on a lot of my work outside of class. Today was really cool though because we got to work in the Print shop and learn how to do Letter pressing, which is the old school style of printing. We got to stack our own letters by hand, and overall it was really interesting. I’m not going to lie, as intensive as this course was I’m really learning a lot. Overall, it’s definitely different from an FSC class, and I feel like I’m learning a different aspect of Graphic Design that they don’t cover in the Comm. Classes at FSC. It’s just weird being with different people who have totally different styles, and are more accustom to different things. CSM is a lot more artsy and they’re constantly pushing for us to achieve more creative, personal, efficient, and practical ways of design. Definitely, not something you really get from FSC.

On a non-academic note, I went to see Lord of the Rings the Musical. It totally brought me back to my days where LOTR was my fandom. It was pretty good, but I didn’t think it was the best. The set was really cool, and the stage was a constant circle that could be broken into pieces to rise and be lowered when needed. The music was alright, it was cool because they used some of the songs that were written in the book. A lot of the musical was more closely related to the book, which was also really cool. What I found odd though was that they concentrated a lot of the play around Lothlorien, which was only really in the Fellowship of the Ring. The actress who played Galadriel though had a really good voice, and was probably the best singer in the group. I feel that for an adaptation from a huge ass trilogy, it was alright but a little confusing because they had to leave a lot out because of time constraints. I totally want to see more theater while I’m here though because tickets are so much cheaper than in the U.S. On my way home, the line that I usually take to my stop closes early on weekdays so I got off a stop early and decided to walk home. Thank God for my A-Z London Map book, which pretty much a necessity for any Londoner in general.

I’ve made some adjustments in my travel plans so now I’m going to Edinburgh, Scotland from August 2 – 4, and I don’t know if I mentioned I was going to Dublin, Ireland on August 5 -8 before I head home. I know I’m cutting it close with all the traveling, but I figure when else I’m I going to get a chance like that.

I really hope to get some pictures posted, but my internet here is really crappy when it comes to uploading photos. I’ll try my best to get some up, so keep a look out! I hope everyone is well, and keep in touch!

Cheers,

K. Pho

P.S. The theater  I saw LOTR in was totally the Theater they filmed a scene from the movie Closer in. I recognized it right away, and took a bunch of photos. Yes, I’m a dork.

O’ Diversity.

Things have been feeling a little bit better since my last post. I’m really enjoying my class, even though at times it’s a little tough to not get wicked insecure with myself. My fellow classmates are pretty cool, and we’re all so different and diverse it’s a good time. We all went to the pub after class last Friday, and that was a good time. It’s so interesting to talk to people from different backgrounds and surroundings, only to realize how similar we all are in a sense. It’s also funny to see us all walking down the street because I’m not going to lie, we make quite the unlikely crowd.

Besides that, I’ve been exploring the different parts of London. I’ve seemed to have spent the most time in Leicester Square, Chinatown, and Camden Town. Leicester Square is pretty much in/part of Soho, and is where a lot of cool pubs and bars are… not to mention it ventures into the gay scene, which is always nice to see such accepting diversity. Chinatown was pretty much a give-in site that I had to check out. It’s not actually that big, but I mean it’s one of the only places where I’m not the minority for once haha. They also have good Asian cuisine, and fairly cheap compared to a lot of other places in London. It’s good stuff, and I’m not going to lie, I’ve had like legit Chinese food for the last two days. It definitely reminds me of home because my parents used to buy this type of food when I was at home. Camden Town is a wicked cool place, where most of the “young folk” hang out. It’s really hip but in a youthful punk/rock/funky/goth sort of way. It really is an awesome place to go if you want to shop for some funky clothes. It’s pretty unique and has an awesome market open during the day. I looked around a little bit today, but I haven’t actually bought anything yet. It sucks that European sizes tend to run smaller then America… it makes me feel fat :-p and it makes it difficult to figure out what my clothes size is.

Paul and I have been planning some weekend excursions on our own, and it’s been pretty stressful not going to lie. It’s been costing some major dollars to book various transports and hostels to stay in. It’s almost a sore topic really, but hopefully it is all worth it in the end. For weekend trips we have planned the following:

July 4 – 6: Cork, Ireland
July 17 – 20: Paris, France (with hopefully a minor excursion to Versaille because Paul is obsessed)
July 25 – 27: Holland and Belgium with a visit to Bruges

For July 11-13 we were hoping to get a train up to Edinburgh, Scotland, but that hasn’t actually worked out yet… we’ve run into some difficulties with booking and the price of train tickets. I know I really want a chance to go visit, but maybe if it doesn’t work out while Paul is here, I’ll just plan to go on my own towards the end of my stay in London.

So I’m pretty excited about traveling to some different countries. I’m just really worried that when I go to Paris, I’ll pretty much be like looked down upon at all times because I’m American. We were thinking that maybe if we attempted to speak French, they wouldn’t hate us as much, but I can very much see this going in the direction where they hate us because we killed their language, haha.

On some entirely different and separate notes, I’ve noticed that I have started to lose patience with people who walk slow or get in the way. This whole fast paced life has totally been effecting me in a sense that I’m absorbing that sense of speediness. It’s kind of bad that I can’t stand people who get in the way on the streets or on the Tube…seriously, people can be really stupid sometimes. I’ve also developed an understanding to why people in London think American Tourists are really annoying… because personally some of them are. The people who are living in my dormitory are constantly boisterous and yelling at late hours of the night how they’re Americans as if it were an awesome fact. I suppose this also ties in to the whole “stereotypical study-abroad” student. I sympathize for most of the countries that have to deal with us as tourists because I’m not going to lie, I’ve seen some really rude and obnoxious behavior in the last week.

To sum up this entry, this weekend I went to Stratford-upon-Avon, and to sum that all up into one word I would call it “quaint”. It was really different seeing the transition from the city to the country side. The train ride there was a little bit over 2 hours, but you could see that “This is it” this is what the rest of England really is. Countrysides of rolling hills of green grass and sheep. It all reminded me too much of 28 Days later, and I was waiting for the Rage carriers to start running out. It was really cool to see where Shakespeare grew up, and I also got to check out Anne Hatheway’s Cottage.

It was really nice to get away for the city for a bit, and see a different part of life in England. Later that night though, I went out with Paul to experience the nightlife of London, and lets just say it was pretty hip and expensive.

I hope everyone is doing alright, and I’ll be sure to update later. I’m also working on the postcards, but I haven’t had much time to really write, but hopefully I can figure out how this whole postal system works and those will be sent out soon!

Toodles,
K. Pho

Being “Pho”-British in London.

Haha… get it “Pho”…”Faux”… as in Fake… as in I’m being Fake British… as in I’m an American in London? Okay, I get it… not funny.

On a more updating note, I’ve been meaning to make a post about what I’ve been up to since I got to London. I’ll try to do a whole day by day or place by place update.

Thursday, June 19: My flight left at 6:30 from Logan airport, and well to be honest it was rather unclimactic. I flew with Aer Lingus, and they aren’t that bad for what you pay for. All the staff had Irish accents and that was pretty sweet, but they all seemed like they hated their job, haha. The flight was actually a little bit ahead of schedule because it was a clear day and we got to Dublin a lot faster than expected. From London, I caught a transfer flight to London, where I pretty much conked out the whole time. After landing, I got my baggage and waited to meet my Resident Advisor.

After we picked up the three other people from the airports, we all went to the hotel we’d be staying at during our orientation. I’m still surprised at how huge London is because when you look at a map you tend to take the distance for granted. It looks so close at first, but in actuality there is so much distance between point A and B. I never realized how big London is until we had to Drive from Gatwick Airport to Heathrow. It was an hour drive there, and then an hour drive back to our hotel. The other people who are studying through API are alright. Two of them are rather… NYC divas that are clearly there for the generic study abroad reasons. The third person is alright; he’s from Charlotte, NC and is a pretty nice guy. I don’t really see them that much anymore since they all go to the University of Westminster. I’m not complaining though.

To sum up that day, we later on went on a Red Bus Tour around London and saw the major sites in London. It was really cool to see everything up front in person. We also went on the London Eye, which is that giant Ferris wheel in London. You get an awesome view of everything, but all I could think of was RAGE infected zombies and 28 Days Later. ‘Nough said.

Saturday, June 21: I got to experience the “English Breakfast”, which is pretty much a shitload of breakfast food and baked beans. Crazy people those Brits. I did notice that their bacon was pretty different and reminded me of Spam to be honest.

So to sum up today, we went to the Tower of London, where they kept a many famous prisoners or royalty and such. It looks really cool because it’s located in the middle of the city, but within a fortress. It’s pretty much this olde timey castle like structure in the middle of a cityscape. Supposedly the Queen wants to fill that mote again, but they’ve yet to do so successfully.

Afterwards we went on a walk to check out Trafalgar Square, where there happen to be an Anti- BNP demonstration going on. It looked intense, and I was really tempted to go in and check it out, but my Resident Director was pretty much like… uh let’s not go through there. For people who don’t know the BNP is the British National Party, and pretty much it is rumored that they are very similar to white supremacists. The reason why she didn’t want us to go through there was because soon enough the BNP would be there… and let’s just say supposedly they resemble the same idea of Skin Heads. Just bad news in general I suppose. It was pretty intense though because they had cops surrounding the place in case anything did break out.

Averting the fiasco, we then walked down The Mall, which leads to Buckingham Palace. There was a random parade of British Arms of all sorts and we didn’t quite know why. We were assuming maybe it had to do with that first British Women soldier that died in Afghanistan. I didn’t get to see the Queen, but the palace looked pretty pimp.

Sunday, June 22: We checked out of the Hotel to move to our real residence hall. But before we actually moved we went to Greenwich Park to visit the Old Royal Naval College and the National Maritime Museum. It all looked really pretty with lots of green grass. We also went to the Old Royal Observatory where I got to stand on the Prime Meridian… it was pretty much Bad Ass. I was on both halves of the hemisphere at the same time. Word.

Besides that you all know that I moved into my Residence Hall, but now I have the internet! I also have a mailing address, so if you want to send me letters that will arrive before July 12 you should mail them to this address.

Kim Pho
Wigram House
Room 246
84-99 Ashley Gardens
Thirleby Road
London SW1P 1HH

I’ve already started classes and they’re pretty awesome. I’m really excited for the course, it just seems like wicked intense sometimes. I have three different instructors, which is cool because it’ll show me different creative teaching styles and they’ll all be concentrating on different things. There are only 13 students in the class including me. Two other of them are American and the rest are international, which is pretty cool. I’m not that disappointed that there aren’t any British people in my class, but they all seem like they’re there because they really have a genuine interest in Graphic Design. Being around people like that can be intimidating at times, but it’s really cool to see people who truly want to learn and not just study here to party or drink.

Well, I think I’m going to end my post here, and hopefully I’ll be writing a more interesting one later.

Till then,

K.Pho