10 June, 2008

an architectural exposure

This is EXACTLY what I wanted out of working here: to be thrown into architectural theory, practice, and play.

This Thursday there will be a symposium held in Frankfurt where JEFF KIPNIS and other big names will be giving crits to students and speaking to the public. If I have nothing to do at work, that is where I will be.




International Practices:

http://www.coop-himmelblau.at/

As the architect and designer of the BMW Welt (pics of which are featured in a previous blog entry) CHBL seems to have created an icon for himself: steel + glass... I am tempted to call him Gehry-esque stamping his style accross the world.
-Local to Germany includes BMW Welt, München
-Local to US includes the Ohio Akron Art Museum.



http://www.fosterandpartners.com/Practice/Default.aspx

Who on the 21st of June have been commissioned to lead an interactive sculpture peice will be launching the London Festival of Architecture and will be created and demolished by the public, all in one day. Sound artist is the famous San Franciscan Bill Fontana.
-Local to Germany includes Free University, Berlin (97-05)
-Local to US includes World Trade Center Design (2002), Greenwhich St (06-12),
-Local to CA includes Clark Center @ Stanford (99-03)


www.graftlab.com
Famous for their ongoing interaction with Brad Pitt, this firm does more than just pose for the Paparazzi in Hollywood. They are world class architects of hotels, are featured in art exhibitions, and even design furniture.

www.makeitrightnola.org

-Local Germany: Hotel Q, Berlin (02-04)
-Local U.S: Design Resort Hotel, Palm Springs (02-now)
Sirens Club @ Treasure Island, Vegas (03-04)
-Local CA: Brad Pitt's Guest House, LA (99-01)

http://www.zaha-hadid.com/

If you know me at all, you already know she is my hero. What you may not know is that I will finally see some of her European architecture in person. Analogy: she reminds me of Ursula from the Little Mermaid, and even though I know the movie by heart, I would probably still give ZH my voice if it meant I got Prince Eric.
-Local Germany: Science Center, Wolfsburg
-US: Cincinatti
http://www.zahahadidblog.com/


http://designmuseum.org/
London. a great way to keep up with top notch shit



09 June, 2008

wilkommen zu muenchen

short version:

i have to get used to the keyboard ALLLL over again.

EURO 2008 has begun, and I couldnt have been introduced to it any better than I was yesterday coming off the plane. Greeted by singing and cheering fans on the S and U Bahn, I realized two things:

1. the game i missed while I was on the plane mustve been a good one, meaning, Germany won!

2. Futbol is a bigggggggggggg deal. Perhaps bigger than football.




Back at work on Monday I decided during my lunch break that I would purchase some of my very own Germany '08 gear. After all, I am a resident of Deutschland now. The boys will be so proud ;) I think I will hang with them tonight.




xoxo




long version:


Plane Ride:

I sat next to a guy who I seriously think was in the Russian, Polish, or Yugoslavian Mafia. He smelled like shitty leather and his girlfriend had the biggest fake-and-bake Ive ever seen...and Ive sen a LOT. Anyway, we flew on KLM Royal Dutch which provides its passengers with free beer. Big Mistake. The Mafia Man and his cheap girl friend drank about 10 to themselves and became the laughing stock of the plane. I managed to sleep through most of it until I was awoken by the Englishman sitting in front of the Mafia Man and asked him to "stop blabberin your fucken mouth off"

It was pretttty funny. As if that wasnt enough drama, while we were waiting for the S-Bahn (suburban train) to arrive, there were rowwwwwwdy German fans on the platform who were drunk and singing as louuuuud as they could. One of them began to follow an officer and actually grabbed his ass just to be put in a headlock and knocked to the ground. The officer eventually let him go and the rowdy skin-head continued to sing songs of German Pride (their team had just won the match) and though I found it wonderfully entertaining, the Polizie did not.

The fabulously furious bunch of fans got on the same S-Bahn as me and caused just as much commotion on the train. In fact, thanks to them, I even learned a few Deutsch futbol chants:

1. The first one is where u just keep saying DEUTSCHLAND!!!!!!! in a lot of different tones of voices

2. The second one sounds a little bit like "the itsy bitsy spider" but with a lot of jumping and German words. I know the tune and a few words, but dont ask me to sing it. It is reminiscent of "Shout! A little bit louder nowwww" when the singer gets soft and low to the ground then louder and louder until hes jumping.. Just like it. But to "itsy bitsy spider"

There are a ton more, but I dont remember them anymore.. Anyway the ones listed are the funniest...

I was laughing at the situation the whole way to Marienplatz on the S-Bahn but the woman sitting accross from me (who clearly thought I spoke German) wouldnt stop going on about how irritated she was with the whole deal. The S-Bahn Poliz surrounded the guys to make sure they didnt fuck around too much, but they didnt do much else. I think they were just as entertained as I was... The boys got off before I did, and, as they say, boys will be boys, and they as they got off the train they flicked off the Polizie who STILL didnt do anything. I guess when the Germans win futbol matches, nothing else matters.



After all that fabulosity, I knew that I HAD to get some "Go Germany" gear so I picked up a lei and some face tats today of the German flag.. Ive always been a futbol fan anyway.. And now that I live in a E U Country I absoltely HAVE to represent my German Pride.

Haha woah.. never thought I would say that, especially not so soon, but München and its people already hold a special place in my heart.

I am SO STOKED for Euro 2008....its gonna be awesome!! And I love that I have awesome boys to watch it with :D



WORK:
Officially just finished my first layout which is going to print. Its a 2 page spread which will be in next months issue and Im totally excited. I think before I leave Im going to have everyone sign the last issue that Im a part of. Lol, how awesome is that. Im going to frame it too.

I also kinda want to work for GRAFT when I get back. I was talking to someone who worked for their office and he seemed totalllly cool.....Maybe I will go to LA after all! But I still want to check out the NY scene.. so maybe ill still do the SHOP thing. Im seeing so many cool projects though while Im here I dont want to get caught up with the same old popular architects, but I REALLLY like the way the people at shop run their firm - or at least the way I think they run their firm... Decisions Decisions.

I thought that working at DETAIL would turn me towards Journalism, but everyone here is a professional Architect, except for like 2 people (Journalism and Mass Comm). I didnt expect that though I suppose Im not surprised... Afterall the magazine is verrrrry specified for Architecture. That makes me kinda hapy actually :) Yay Architecture!


FAMILY
My Mom is coming to visit at the end of this weekend and she will be here for 21 days. I think my dad thinks I need a babysitter, or that my mom seriously needs a break from my dad. Either way, I dont know how excited I am, but Im going to have to make the best of it. I thought I would be living alone in Munich, but apparently my parents think that my apartment is their summer home. Fabulous. Just in time for Euro 2008. Well, all I have to say, is my mom is going to have a much higher tollerance by the time she goes home.


xoxo

08 June, 2008

Preston, England!

Hellllloooooooooo darlings!

I was out last night till forever with my cousin Aastha, and therefore, we did not wake up until 2 pm. We got ready and left to head out to Preston, England! We walked around around the city center, did a little shopping, and saw some ancient architecture. Ok so it wasn't ancient but it was still pretty old. Shopping wise the place was pretty decent, I just bought some sandals, nothing big, because everything was so expensive! A pair of socks was like 5 pounds!

MOVIE REVIEW:
We went to see sex in the city and i loved it. It was a little predictable and kinda cheesy, (big had some pretty cheesy lines, and the whole Louis / St Louis / Louiiise thing was a little cheesy too & the whole "Love is the Thing" line that she had I really didn't like..) but overall it was pretty awesome and funny.

RESTAURANT REVIEW:
Then we had mexican food at a restaurant called "Chiquitos" where we were able to order a drink at the bar, but not at the table because apparently a copy of your passport doesn't suffice to show that you're 18. Stupid waitor. Anyway, the food was pretty good but it was funny that being from California and eating "real mexican food" my whole life I came all the way to England just to eat some more. We ordered chicken enchiladas, which were pretty good but not very spicy and a sort of sweet, actually.. and Chicken fajitas which Aasthas frind Gazal and I shared. The veggies werent sautayed for long enough but the food was prettttttty good.


TRANSPORTATION REVIEW:
Englands transportation system is pretty awesome. I got to see one of their train stations today which I was able to evaluate because of the teachings of the wonderful Professor Littman (im a big nerd get over it) which was pretty cool to see the whole like industrial revolution movement in person.. Shoot I should've taken pics. Sighhh... But train tickets work for buss passes as well! And once trains stop running, they know that college students are out here, so you can take a special bus which goes straight back to the college until like 11 from Preston to Lancaster which makes going around town without a car definitely feasible. Taxi's are relatively reasonable as well.





Overall, I had loads of fun... especially last night ;)

Tomorrow we're off to Manchester to check out the city and do some sight seeing, and then I have my flight at 4 to fly back to Muenchen!! wooot woooot!!

I picked up a random present from the restaurant for my German Boys hahha.. They might read this so I won't say what it is until AFTER i give it to them.. Unfortttchh I only got 3 (not 4) so hopefully they can share or something.



xoxo





FCUK











aasthu and i in preston



in the cabbie :)



on the waterfront outside Chiquitos



aasthu and i being silly at the restaurant :D



gazal and i

07 June, 2008

Club Cuba!!






So. Just got back from club cuba and had to uplod pics like RIGHT AWAY cuz we had a "blaast nd a half"

the dj was a little whack cuz he talked too mch, but generaly music was prettttttttty good and girls weren't tooo sluty.



xoxo

06 June, 2008

p.s. ... : German Politics

Everyone knows that the primary's are really important right now with such a historic event taking place RIGHT in front of our eyes. I figured that people around the world were probably making fun of Americans for making such a big deal out of race, gender, or religion, and that was if they were even watching the primarys in the first place. It wasn't until this past Thursday that I realized how involved non-Americans are with American politics, and furthermore, how much they actually CARE...

I went to lunch with some of my colleagues (do I sound European yet?) to a nearby (amazing) cafe and the topic of politics invariably came up at the table. Despite the warnings I received from my German friends to keep politics separate from work and especialy lunch, we couldn't help but talk about how Hillary hinted that was going to step down.

My colleages were going on and on about how Obama did this or that, and how they didn't liek Hillary because she stood for this and that, etc.

Overly impressed with their vast knowledge of American politics, I soon realized how sad it was that I wasn't more involved in the politics which are occuring throughout the rest of the world. Luckily ( or unluckily) the only channel on my tv which appears in English (besides MTV) is CNN.


I'm all OVER that shit now, baby.


Uhhhhhhhhhhhh (the way Master P would say it).





Additionaly:
A professor at a highly distinguished University in France held an open debate about how Obama would do in the presidency, and apparently the hall was full of zealous students who all were loyal supporters to Obama.




xoxo

Lancaster & Manchester, UK

I flew into Manchester today!!!

My cousin Aastha came to "receive me" at the airport and we took a train back to Lancaster for 15 Pounds (which amounted to more than $30 at the current rate...I think I like the Euro better).

After we came back to her apt, we went to a cute little Indian Restaurant on campus lol and I met one of her friends, Avinash, a sindhi Indian guy from Barcelona! Crazy! I got to practice my spanish with him so that was fun, and my Hindi, and my Sindhi, AND MY ENGLISH! Unfortunately he didn't know German but if he did I think I would have had to shrink him and put him in my pocket to be my personal pocket dictionary.

We ate biriyani and I had a tandoori chicken wrap, and because he was so impressed with my language skills he gave me a Mango Lassi. I think I may have to include that amazing factoid about me on my C.V. :


" Awardee of Mango Lassi for incredible linguistic capabilities"


After lunch I got some cassssssssh and transferred my leftover dollars to Pounds ( $100 = 46 Pounds... Ouch) and then we did some sight seeing!!!!



Aasthu and I on the double decker bus on our way to townnnn :)




Look! No Hands! Haha... No but seriously it was like a roller coaster.. I wish I took a vid for yall.



UKs next top model hahaha.



randddddddddd



the view!



Aastha in front of the Lancaster Castle.. half castle half prison!


entrance to the prison.. It looks soooooo mideival..


cells? where cell mates stay? I don't understand what they could've done besides being AWESOME so that they can stay in a castle.




The Priory Church, Accross from the Lancaster Castle




The View from the church (shadow of the castle on the ground)



more of the view from the church



in front of the Priory church on the ground they have all sorts of inscribations which are fading and ohhh soo cool to see the various layers of history peeling away..



Priory Church



This statue looked exactly like me.. There must've been one of my awesome ancestors there, too.



All Hail Great Britain. NOTTTTTT! (borat voice) hahhaa...


After we checked out that whole area, we went to the Gardens nearby where:




word.



Myself and Aasthu again





the view^

a park bench in front of the butterfly gardens:




^ that's what I'm doing :D.. I really feel like while I'm out here I'm like searching for my own path through life with all the crazy cool amazingly awesome experiences I'm experiencing.. And of course the people along the way are enhancing my journey more than I ever thought they would...

I already miss Germany. How crazy is that! Away from deutschland for not even a DAY and I'm sad... I know I'm going to be verrrrrrrrry sad to leave at the end of the summer...


Anyway, enough of that, tonight Aastha and I are going outtttttttt! We bought some rum for a pre-party in her party.. We're going to club CUBA tonight. I'll let yall know how that went tomorow ;)



xoxo

AMSTERDAM

currently here, en route to Manchester, Great Britain. lol.


see you there ;)