7 Sept, 09 - 9 hours

My elective course, British Painting from Holbein to the 20th Century, started today. Our first museum visit for the course is to the British Museum, home to the Rosetta Stone and Elgin Marbles. I studied about the looting of the Parthenon Marbles during my freshman year at UCI. I was fascinated by the legality and the morality of it ever since, and I was thrilled to finally see it. I still can't decide either the British Museum should keep them or return them to Greece. However, I do feel that the marbles were protected from further damages and even the possibility of them disappearing thanks to Lord Elgin, who acquired them "legally" during the time from the Ottoman Empire.

We also walked through some galleries holding Egyptian art. One of these galleries is the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Gallery. Raymond Sackler is Arthur M. Sackler's brother; the Sackler Gallery in Washington, D.C. that houses a nice collection of Asian art in D.C. is named for Arthur. I was a nice surprised to see that the Sackler family has influence in the U.K.

After our museum visit, my friend and I went around the city. We came across THE umbrella store that I had just told my friend about the night before. James Smith & Sons sells hundreds, probably thousands, of umbrellas in addition to canes. It was amazing! But since I am a broke college student I could not afford the £145 deep blue collapsible umbrella with a leather handle. I left the store sad.

Then we made our way to Bond Street for some window shopping. Along the way, we had some good snacks: cream puff from Beard Papa's and macadamia nuts & white chocolate cookie from Ben's Cookies. Then the greatest surprise yet so far happened. I found a Laduree boutique! The boutique was plastered with gold colored paint. It was like a cake of desserts! And on top of that, I got some truffles from Charbonnel et Walker. I was happy and my wallet was happy. They are self-indulgence that reasonable prices.

Since Harrod's wasn't too far from where we were, we took the tube to Knightsbridge. (We were going to take the bus but my Oyster Card was out of fund.) Harrod's is outrageous. Outrageous! We went to the Kid's Floor to discover Pet Kingdom where they sell Siamese cats, gerbils, and hamsters. The Gentleman's Luxury Toilet had an attendant who passed out paper towels, a fine collection of fragrance for you to sample, and a water fountain with cups to quench your thirst. And there is an incredible collection of designer clothing...for kids. John Galliano, Dior, Moncler, Energie, Barbour, Armani all come in kid's size.

 Passed by the Ritz on the way to the tube.

I finished the day at Sainsbury's buying only groceries that were on sale. Most useful purchase of the day: 160 page recycled paper notebook.

My messy side of the desk that I share with my roommate.

Vermeer

Vermeer, Officer and Laughing Girl, 1657, Oil on canvas, Frick

This is my favorite Vermeer that I have seen in person. During a special exhibit at the Frick Collection in New York City, this painting along with the two other Vermeers in the Frick Collection were hung side by side. The light in Officer and Laughing Girl glows beautifully, is still, and warm. The light has a quality that will capture your attention.

The Greatest

The Greatest is featured in Wong Kar Wai's My Blueberry Nights that I reviewed before. When combined with the saturated scenes of MBN and the film's pace, The Greatest creates a synergy that has so much feel and mood.

Delacroix

Eugene Delacroix, The Barque of Dante (Dante and Virgil in Hell), 1822, Oil on canvas, Louvre

The Barque of Dante was Delacroix's entry to the 1822 Salon. It won him considerable fame and Delacroix became a leading figure in the Romantic movement. Delacroix played with color theory painting water drops with red, yellow, green, and white to create what looks like the color of water. This painting is also much influenced by Gericault's masterpiece, The Raft of the Medusa.

Stranger Than Paradise

I must say Stranger Than Paradise is a difficult film to watch. Not only is it slow, it is also in black and white--something I stay away from. I only watch black and white when I am forced to in class. And, yes, I watched STP in my film course.

STP, which is a lovely title I think, is a dark comedy but I found few of the scenes funny. It's about Eva, a Hungarian teenage, who visits her cousin, Willie, in New York City. Willie who is a hipster lives a very American life. He has his own apartment with a television and appliances that can be found in every American home like a vacuum. He demands his cousin and aunt to speak in English. And in the very beginning, he makes sure Eva knows that he does not want her to be staying with him. He is cold, unwelcoming, and arrogant. But Willie's friend, Eddie, takes an interest in Eva and everyone eventual become friends.

The rest of the film documents their adventures in and around Cleveland and Florida. The film goes by very slow which is not made any better by the fact that it's in black and white. The ending is, however, rewarding. There is a fantastic, ironic twist at the end that made me chuckle a little. Also, it ends on a good note that brings the film to a full circle.

The story and the way the characters behaved reminded me of my favorite book, The Stranger. People did not care much about others and even themselves. They would watch television programs for hours and hours without any reason and they showed no expression of liking what they are watching. They lived a very empty life without any ambitions, living their lives as their lives come to them. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, nobody really cares.

Despite me not truly enjoying the film, STP has been recognized several times. It won awards at the Sundance, Rotterdam, Locarno, and Cannes film festivals. Furthermore, it is a film preserved by the National Film Registry as a "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" film.

Buy n Large

In Colorado, everything is large. The land is large, the sky is large, the roads are large, and, of course, the supermarkets have to be SUPER everything. I went to Super Target and Wal-mart Supercenter last month when I visited Denver with my family. Every Target we drove by were a "Super." These megastores reminded me of Buy n Large from Pixar's Wall-E. Excessiveness and over-consumption are now the norm. Buy everything in large quantities for bigger savings! Have everything you need in one location! Sounds good psychologically and on paper but much waste goes into such spending. And in the end, it's probably the corporations that gets the benefits.

There were nearly 30 check-out aisles.

The canned aisle was completely filled with food.

And they even sell produce.

Don't get me wrong though because Target is my favorite store! Wal-Mart--not so much.

Natural History Museum

After the 2nd day of orientation, I went to the Natural History Museum which is literally a street across from my dorm. (Sorry for the quality of the photos. They were taken with my mobile phone.)

There are so many fantastic details in the building.

Unfortunately, I must say that the collection of the museum did not wow me. Smithsonian's Natural History Museum is still my favorite.