ai wei wei - never sorry

ai wei wei - not god's gift man to man
i like his ideas and some of his works, but at the end of the day he is an egotistical artist at the head of a massive workshop of nameless people
he doesn't seem to appreciate the valor of others because he thinks he is the leader through twitter
that he lives alone and that one person can enact all the change
he doesn't seem to believe in the strength of those who support him and also risk their lives just to help him do the things he does--only without the fame of being a fat man with a twitter account

that being said, some of his works are truly inspiring -- especially the sichuan earthquake victims pieces, but others are not as moving
some of it feels like dada on steroids, and some of its just him camwhoring it up because people don't do it in china and he's so different
he's the one cat that opens a door and leaves apparently
and like a cat, i love and hate him
so i guess what this means is he's definitely a great artist.

Ai Wei Wei: Never Sorry (2012)

She lived 7 years happily on this earth.

and definitely an amazing documentary which can only attest to how things should be done--you really do get a good full nuanced complicated picture about the situation and that ai wei wei is not an amazing idol who is perfect, he's also flawed and sometimes not right

"One person can not solve the problems of a whole country. But if everyone ignores the country's problems, what will happen?"
- Gao Ying, Ai WeiWei's mother

i would've loved to see an actual bit from ai wei wei's wif about ai lao, his son from another marriage. why does he speak for everyone? hell, why did the mother of the child only get two lines and the two lines are "oh he's so nice to the son"?

" Ai had his only son through an extra-marital affair. “It was important to show Ai Weiwei as a father, not only because his son plays a crucial role in his life, but also because it’s one of the major reasons why authorities are now able to put more pressure on him,” says Klayman. “Without getting too much into his personal life, it was also important not to hide the truth, and to show that Weiwei is not a superhuman. He is a real person.” " So the man is not an island.

eames - math/science/art

what amazing sensitivity

Eames: The Architect and the Painter (2011)

"We don't do art. We solve problems."
"Best for the most for the least" - Ray Eames

sick day

woke up feeling worse than ever
napped, set up the horse blanket so im extra comfy
gonna be a day behind or so

Art:21 Identity~
starring Steve Martin, Bruce Nauman, Kerry James Marshall, Maya Lin (eek), and Louise Bourgeois
amazing
http://video.pbs.org/video/1237561998/

i like the series because even though it's thematically organized, the content is so rich with great interviews and images
maya lin is like all at once the most serious and adorable artists ever

"I cannot remember a time when I was not concerned with environmental issues or when I did not feel humbled by the beauty of the natural world. A strong respect and love for the land exists throughout my work.
I take inspiration from topography and natural phenomena: water patterns, solar eclipses, mappings of the ocean floor, ice formations, undulations of the landscape. My work asks the viewer to pay closer attention to the land.
As we begin the new millennium, we have to think of peace not just as among our own species but as encompassing all species that live on this planet. We must look at how our activities affect the natural world in which we live."
- Maya Lin (http://www.scu.edu/ethics/architects-of-peace/Lin/essay.html)

joy joy

interview went really well
northwestern might like me haha
nintendo store right afte rinterview
met up with samson and we went to the tree at rockefeller center, as well as the famous image of 30 rock and the christmas tree
lunch at tgifridays
walked over to kelvin's building and we saw the cool lever house with the tapestries and the huge bronze rat (that looked plush)
had some coffee in the blackstone building which was a little cracked out on christmas
after discussing e-waste and sustainability in the lever house courtyard, went down to the maker bot store on mulberry st--which had the most awesome heart gear and huge 3-d printed displays
after that, did a mini derive because i saw the street art wall changed and took some awesome photos
then went to the new museum of art, saw the exhibitions there on Rosemarie Trockel, and my favorite were definitely her wool pieces and her kunstkammer inspired curiosities with the beautiful scientific illustrations :)
omg Günter Weseler breathing pieces--amazing and terrifying. art really came alive o_o
after that we realized the new museum has a studio space next door called studio 231 which is currently featuring Haroon Mirza, "Preoccupied Waveforms" which was a thumping awesome room
http://www.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/view/preoccupied-waveforms
following that we walked a bit, went into freitag which had the overwhelming smell of vinyl baggage
and then took the train to penn station to have red mango and look at the empire state building at a nice distance
walked to times square, spotted the ball from a nice distance and saw skyfall :D
good view from the empire terrace and now back homeeeee
whew--did so much!

i feel so lazy..

especially after watching this

First Position (2011)

_amazing_

i only like ballet when it's like this, not the dopey wannabes who fit every stereotype of a ballerina. the major draw for me to ballet is literally doing the impossible with your body--not so much the plinkety music and the classical characters;
every dance has their bad schmoozey moments, like ballroom faces and bboying crotch grabbing but ballet is one of _the_ cheesiest because so many of the girls all look like they desperately need a cheeseburger and to not be fragile pieces of glass

but once in a while you see people who are strong, talented, and beyond graceful and it reminds you that even if everyone can dance or make art, there is such a thing as talent and not everyone has it.

the whole movie reminded me that passion and motivation are the real drives in life, and that if you're not feeling that inner hunger and ache from time to time, you're not really doing what you live for

Michaela DePrince

Jose Sebastian

Aran Bell

degenerate art

Degenerate Art: The Art and Culture of Glass Pipes (2011)

the art of glass blowing is amaazing
"it's like willy wonka of making bongs!"
amazing.

seriously some amazing piecessss

operation pipe dreams!

Sunday Afternoon in NYC

THROWBACK WEEKEND -- no documentaries though

saturday was nice
pho in chinatown
arc sale (part 2) with zarek
caracas arepas with kelvin
rye bar & speakeasy raines law room -- amazing drink champs elysees & the not so bad 5 points

sundayyy
swoon studio party, being in the presence of JR and tennessee jane watson whattt
meeting an assistant of JRs who wants to "follow me on instagram" (what does this mean, i feel so old)
and then vintage subway train party!!
live jazz, swing dancers, people in their finest vintagery--and some quite lovely women in their flapper dresses and 50s styled dresses and coats (and the hats!)--what a great party in a vintage subway train
the looks on peoples' faces made my entire day
that and the fear of dying on the old train because that ride was _not_ smooth.
now whenever i look at a new train i just have to remember that one guy: "not vintage enough."

http://www.mta.info/metrocard/promos/Vintagetrain/index.html

uh..

yeah..

Craigslist Joe (2012)

yeah......i mean i wanna travel like him but not weep at everything
not the greatest, i wouldnt recommend it really but hey, entertaining somewhat
and lols zach galifianakis

the pot holes of self-understanding

more and more parallels, or maybe it's just the way i see things

They Call It Myanmar: Lifting the Curtain (2012)

really starts off dopey in the beginning and has some weirdly humorous things in the middle because he really has no clue what he got himself into
beautiful footage, good summation of burma i think
some horrifying images from cyclone nargis but is definitely most up to date now

"What I do observe is a land where the precepts of Buddhism are so embedded that philosophical acceptance is widespread. It is not a successful nation... and although its tourist business thrives, the nation (at least as seen here) has not yet been colonized by fast food and chain stores that make much of the world look like a Western shopping mall. Even Lieberman, an outspoken critic of its military regime, loves it." - Roger Ebert

and it's a bit unsettling just how much he loves it, starting off the movie by saying how exotic and culturally intact burma is because of its closed of nature
but at least he comments on the fact that it's dilapidating, it's decaying, its hardly thriving and preserving what is most important which is the human experience.

"Lieberman's film is the only doc about Burma available. I gather he may not be an infallible source."
that is also a lie, good job Roger Ebert.


"The lorry is crammed with Buddhist pilgrims, but Mr Lieberman gives his attention to another foreigner seated next to him, who quite ominously explains that the trucks frequently veer off the winding road as they make their way to the top of the mountain, plunging into deep ravines and killing everyone on board.
The drivers, the man further explains to the camera, are not bothered by the prospect of dying....But those who live in Myanmar or who possess reasonable knowledge of the country will immediately recognise the man for what he is: a charlatan unable to resist the compulsion to impress others with “special knowledge” about the supposed dangers of visiting “exotic” locales like Myanmar.

This might seem like a minor point foreigners, but when I’ve described this scene to Buddhist friends in Yangon who have not seen the film, the reaction has ranged from mild disapproval to deep shock that a director could be so poorly informed about the subject of his movie. The handful of Christians I surveyed were more forgiving.

Some audience members at the January screening in Yangon also questioned the title of They Call It Myanmar, about which Mr Lieberman responded that he thought the title was somewhat ambiguous: “I mean, who is ‘they’?” he asked the audience.
Of course when foreigners talk about Myanmar, particularly those like Mr Lieberman who make a point of referring to the country as Burma, there is really only one “they” from which to choose. It would be a stretch to assume that the word is a reference to the poverty-stricken people depicted in the film.

....

Mr Lieberman did acknowledge that there has indeed been a different kind of change, of the sort that is important to people in Myanmar in ways that most Westerners can barely imagine; that is — to borrow the title from a book by Aung San Suu Kyi — the freedom from fear."
http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/timeout/621/timeout62104.html

i know im not in d.c. but

i still want to use this blog for at least my documentary documenting :)

PressPausePlay (2011)

Like the title, it took me a long time to just get through the movie because my mind is so spazzy now, but then again so is the pace of today's society. Everything is multi-tasked, no one really stops to just sit and look in silence, no one really listens to music just to listen to it. People listen to music more as background noise on a daily basis, something to have on while you do work, etc.

ÓLAFUR ARNALDS live with the RNCM Symphony Orchestra at Bridgewater Hall Manchester on July 1, 2010.

Conducted by André de Ridder.

Filmed by the Press Pause Play documentary team: presspauseplay.com

The studio version of 'Gleypa okkur' is available on Ólafur's second album '...And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness'

“WE ARE ON THE VERGE OF A NEW DARK AGE. THE CREATIVE WORLD IS DESTROYED. ALL WE HAVE IS CACOPHONY AND SELF OPINION.”
—ANDREW KEEN, AUTHOR, THE CULT OF THE AMATEUR

“THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING. THE INDUSTRY IS DEAD. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BE AN ARTIST.”
– SETH GODIN, ENTREPRENEUR, AND PUBLIC SPEAKER

treat yo self + birthpocalypse

oh d.c. part 1 you have been amazing to me and i can only look forward to more good times in part 2: inauguration edition

art market was beautiful, so was the ridiculous 3 page menu for the inaugural ball tasting (spoiler: everything will be delicious)
bought myself an ammonite beaded necklace from keith pearson (aka choctaw keith) from IL and a turquoise and lapis lazuli ring from veronica bennally

saturday:
birthpocalypse was pretty epic, the trail went as follows
shophouse
nanny o'briens
haydee's funk and soul night (regia one liter beers and beggin')
doner bistro

livestreaming? really?

got a hot dog from dc-3 (pickle spear, chili, and tomatoes)
chai at ebenezer's with the lovely erin lau
dinner with the lovelies 7 gals you'll meet at ted's bulletin watching Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
leslie, raquel, hsiu mei, kailin, cate, lucy and kailey

just now leslie gave me a pair of beautiful quill and bead earrings from pine ridge, south dakota (oglala lakota/geronimo territory say whatttt)
and kailey gave me a copy of sherman alexie's reservation blues

seriously d.c., you're really rivaling santa fe here and it's a bit scary just how much love im feeling for the world

cluttered mind

to remember:

NOVEMBER

7–8   Wednesday–Thursday

Navajo Skies

1:15, 2:00, 2:45, 3:30, & 4:15 p.m.

Potomac Atrium, 1st level

Join Dr. Nancy Maryboy (Cherokee) and Dr. David Begay (Navajo) in their 16-feet-high Skyscan dome for a unique exploration of the skies–Navajo style! Native people have keenly observed the universe for thousands of years. Maryboy and Begay will provide colorfully illustrated examples of the Navajo ways of knowing the sky with comparisons to western astronomy. Learn how Navajo constellations relate to hunting and planting cycles, ways of living in harmony with Mother Earth and Father Sky, and how Navajo Coyote stories can speak to the origins of the universe.

http://indigenousedu.org/about-iei/what-we-do/

Amazing.
I need to add astronomy and cosmology to art and science. Life is just too wonderful sometimes :)
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=naiupukab&v=001J8BvtJGIt7uojsOTOb5KB3ftx9wluvwlavu57ReYQyKLlIG9IfSwH-YCq9SNezy9DeAGyMuLsjqurUnmvXr1GbklhOeNzvWS3AWuFJvJQQa0w2C9ZmcNEQUp_q7Ii406

"Yesterday a group of approximately 20 Smithsonian interns were led on a tour of the "African Cosmos: Stellar Arts" exhibit currently on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art.

 

The group received a special welcome from museum Director Dr. Johnnetta Cole and then proceeded to learn about the African Cosmos exhibit from Deputy Director and Chief Curator Dr. Christine Kreamer."

:D

Brown Bags:

those feelings

...when you're skating on ice and you feel like youre flying
...when you meet new people who remind you that life will always be interesting
...when you feel appreciated and that a job interview you wanted to work out works out!
...when you sit and ponder in a quiet room full of beautiful poinsettias with a cup of tea, feeling like at least for that moment, this is exactly where you want to be.

CRIME ON BLUEBERRY STREET

THE DVD IS OUT OF MY LAPTOP YAYY
for the miracle of top gear and being productive and packing, the universe finally spat out the dvd from my laptop!
now to keep the good karma a-flowing
definitely got an offer which is great!!
interview is tomorrow!!

as for work, went into the liquor cabinet to take inventory, printed out holiday cards
and watched the all staff meeting
talked to philippa hughes and louie gong on conference call :O
reallll crazy work haha

omggg red velvet cheesecake and enchiladas at the cheesecake factory
mathilde is leaving tomorrow but we ate well today :)
sad sad days ahead, wrapping up d.c. part 1 with all of these amazing people...
so nervous about tomorrow :(

stag party haha

woke up with enough time
but i got a dvd stuck in my poor macbook and it wont eject properly
man i really need a new computer..

but anyway, got brunch with kailey, lucy, and two other girls i dont know downstairs
chatted on about celebrity crushes haha
got ready and left to meet erin to go to the holocaust museum which was amazing and really powerful--ive never read so much text in a museum that was legitimately interesting and well-done

then walked over to the hirshhorn which has the great ai wei wei exhibit on
yay for snakes made of lunchboxes and cube light :)

then took the train to foggy bottom to go to burger tap and shake
had an amazing burger
and a stag party which was bourbon, vanilla ice cream, and cherry liquer
and some onion rings
deliiicious and so filling

i feel like such a fatass
i have to really start packing :(

yo sushi!

woke up today in a groggy mess, too bad
girl across the hall stuttered on about how my alarm goes on and on every single morning
so i guess i have to work on that though honestly my alarm doesnt go off at 6am anymore and the last week i didnt even have it on, but whatever. dorm drama.
i should really clean and pack and get ready but i just cant bring myself to do it quite yet

went to pentagon city with hsiu mei and kailin
shopped _all_ day
bought so much stuff, all that im really excited about at least!
had lunch at chipotle
and dinner at yo! sushi in union station, a cute little sushi conveyor belt place haha

celebration of all things quinoa

woke up, bought parks and rec for myself >_>
applied to a few jobs whoooo
went to the postal museum to realize i misread the email about hte discount, so i have to go back next week
strolled over to work after getting somethings from cvs
spent the rest of the night at the museum helping out with the embassy of bolivia celebration of quinoa which was kind of a mess
but a beautiful one!
crazy wonderful colors, a boat full of quinoa, trippy flags
amazing costumes and masks <3
awesome dances and of course, lots of quinoa to go around (quinoa goodie bags and all dishes had quinoa in them hahahah)
good dinner and time haha
yay for awesome diverse thanksgiving celebrations and black friday

tribe called red

happy thanksgiving!!
:)
slept a lot
lunch from china kitchen
went out to dukem, ethiopian restaurant, for dinner with kailey
and watched tribe called red rock outtt electric pow wow forever :)
met john and juan, two wonderfully gay boys who danced with us alll night haha
yayy happy thanksgiving~

southeast asian day

NOTHING to do at work yesterday, so I just prepped for job stuff and looked for jobs--anacostia community museum anyone?
lunch in the break room, enjoyed a nice stroll to the us botanic garden--sooo nice, but a bit too much with the holiday theme already haha (poinsettias as far as the eye can see)
after work, got on the train to foggy bottom and ran into erin and caitlin in the same car haha
met up with yen and we all went to the kennedy center millennium stage for an indonesian hip hop group that was just called the "jogja foundation" (i think)--so good!
the performance was great, but it was so awkward because everyone should have been really up close and rocking out but instead everyone was sitting quietly in chairs and being far too uptight haha

yay balance~
after that, went to burma restaurant and had some ohno kauswe and lepeh (kind of). yen had mango pork and ethan had ja-zan, it was just nice to be around a homey feel but i do miss my mom's cooking haha
good southeast asian day

chocolate bacon and sweet tomatoes

to do:
GRE~~~~
job interview prep
job applications
canada~

today was a really nice day, got some good news about an interview that made me overlook the bad
just loving life, and nmai
had lunch with arley
meeting about meetings, secret service set parameters and it made me realize its ball season now!
gotta love linder & associates, best special events team of gals you'll meet
walked home :)
amazing dinner at tmh
potstickers, shrimp, turkey, mini quiches, punch yayyy pre thanksgiving dinner!
had it with kailin and hsiu mei and ended up eating tomatoes with sugar on top
very interesting, and it's apparently "jiandan style"
but kailin wont try chocolate and bacon -_-

haha talked for like half an hour with kailin in the stairwell about gres and grad school, which is why my to do list is up top and not down here

i need thanksgiving plans :(

the artist is present

A truly amazing artist and documentary, the only performance artist i appreciate

today was great, this whole weekend was amazing really
woke up late, listened to some vinyl with ethan
met up wtih leslie, cate, and kailey at capital hill books, this crazy crowded small bookstore with themes like "Hail!! Canada" and "Titanic books"\
lunch with ethan at cava
then bought two boxes from fedex, walked home
walked to national gallery and watched the documentary
got some dinner from burger king with kailin, now at home

things to do:
- thank you emails
- upload photos
- job search
- job applications

:D W.o.W - Tiffany Win

helio sequence was great last night at black cat
went to the standard (beergarden) which was nice, had some pear cider
met brackett hahahah omg ridiculous name

woke up early
got breakfast and found out im woman of the week (WoW) hahaa (from leslie who texted me)
ebenezer's with elaine pinson, yummy vanilla chai
talking about fundraising, so much to look forward to....

then i rented a bike with leslie and raquel which was TERRIFYING at first
but i got back into the groove, i hope i get to do it again
took some photos
went through the mall, to the lincoln memorial, to the river <3
loooove my gals

grocery shopping and eating with raquel, yay for whole foods hahaha

still need to get a box for all my stuff :(

what to do tonight...

hahahaahahahahaha
just watched The Fugitive ON VHS with milla, raquel, and kim
omg so funny
tommy lee jones made the movie into a comedy and romance
the intern made it into a coming of age story
harrison ford made it into a physical exercise proving he is still indiana jones
amaaazing.

ping pong dim sum

$7 dimsum? yeah okay
but at least my lychee roses martini was delish!

saw joe today for lunch
talked with shawn herne (curator at the babe ruth museum) and joy liu from smithsonian hr who gave me completely different opinions on my resume.

seriously just give me a job.

Seriously someone give me a job

i say it far too much ^

museum support center was amaaaazing, i need to upload photos, too many cool items
one conservator for like a million objects for like 5 smithsonians....ridiculous.
earthquake damage --> 200 broken ceramics --> sadface.

today was pretty light
i wish i had more energy to apply to shit
but i wake up feeling sick now
got into work late
free lunch - bagels and pasta salad :)
brown bag lunch deal with sandra starr who presented on american history though ndn art <3
went to watch an imax movie flight of the butterflies at natural history (beauuuutiful--millions of scales make up butterfly wings! how breathtaking)
after that, got back to nmai, enjoyed a cup of coffee and watching some stomp dances by the muscogee nation (festival~)
still got my work done and now i gotta get my life on track stupid job applications

got home, ate some dinner and had an impromptu birthday glass of wine with kristin (yayy)
after two drinks mathilde was dizzy (lol)
kailey, lucy, and some blonde worked well, suuch a fun group
swapping stories and cultural stuff since with tmh it's always an international gathering (yay for scotland, france, and canada)

sooo i need a dress for inauguration
i also need a job and monies :(

i know..

i really should finish Our City Dreams...

been busy with work, inputting data
had a really good interview with aperture, think i got it, i definitely will be contacted for a second interview :)

AMAAAAAAAZING dinner wtih main event caterers:
hors d'oeurves - mini crab cakes yummm
specialty cocktails - spiced apple pie cider
favorites from the 7-course meal - raw zucchini noodle lasagna (ricotta, pistachio pesto, balsamic laces, halved red grape tomatoes, basil crown) and winter cod with grapefruit sauce <3
chocolate hazelnut torte and truffles~

enjoying my time here
fucking beauuutiful weekend that just passed, loooved the national arboretum with leslie, really was one fo the best days ive had here
beautiful landscape, reminded me of vassar

heehee botany jokes like american beeches haha

need to get my apps out there~~

best quote of tonight:
"Wait what about 2013? What will the Jews do?" - Tiffany Wheeler (amazing.)

life is subtly sweet

i could go into the negativity, the chaos, the discomfort of being in my own skin, the loss of so much which has happened becuase sometimes you cant unsee how much sadness there is in the world
but after confronting my pains of the past i am ready to move on proud and optimistic, because i deserve it and i love myself

friday was good, had coffee with pedra chaffers
spent the night relaxing and had late night pizza
slept in next day, rolled around and watched a documentary on PK 14 a chinese underground band which rocks pretty hard haha
went to work at 4pm, for the hobbs strauss wedding (lol)
gina kind of freaked out at the orchid
caught up with arley which was good

stayed until about 8pm
went to the dc native community round dance which was so much fun and reminded me of home--but better because i saw museum colleagues which was _awesome_. met whitney in development, and robert from cultural liasions, dennis sang (as always)
native pride dancers were there too, it was just a beautiful sight and im glad i went :)
drumming was awesome, food was good (yay fry bread)
after that went to a cool bar on u street called dodge city (i think) where i had a nice cider
walked to howard by accident
went back to u street and to a beer garden with some friends
went back to sleep

woke up way too early because ethan wanted to watch tottenham play soccer, but i fell back asleep until the second game for the Mönchengladbach victory
lunch at chipotle
ate on a soccer field and watched little kids play
went back to watch jim gaffigan, and mr. show which is ridiculous. man i cant wait for arrested development

for all the illfitting moments and sadness i think there is so much more to enjoy and be happy about
so i missed a few things here and there, but i truly think i make the most of my day :)

another day

talked with gabi at least
learned about repatriation at the CRC from jackie swift
sitting at my desk doing very little
my toenail isnt doing very well poor thing
got a shout out from ann drumheller hahaha so great
after work i went with erin to potbelly and chatted~
lunch from the edibles cafe, sat in on doug mcmains' brown bag lunch special, really cool stuff on his films and photos--stunningly beautiful for sure
i wish i could just travel around the world and take photos

Manufactured Landscapes (2006)

AMAZING. amazing. so straight to the point that there is no real good/bad message, amazing. the power of images is on the level of koyanniqatsi (sp), baraka, and samsara really. Ed Burtynsky's work so good

"There are times when I have thought about my work and putting it more in a politicized environment...but then people will either disagree or agree. But by not doing that, that may allow them to look at something that they never looked at and to see their world a little differently. So I think many people today sit in that uncomfortable spot where we don't necessarily want to give up what we have but we realize what we're doing is creating problems that run deep. It's not a simple right or wrong. It needs a whole new way of thinking."

Our City Dreams (2008)

 I fucking. love. this. I havent even watched the whole thing yet but Marina Abramovic? Kiki Smith? and SWOON? SWOON OPENING UP THIS MOVIE MAKES ME SOO FUCKING HAPPY. <3

waiting with bated breath

extension is official
so is potentially an interview
met korah english who is an amazing individual <3
went to capitol lounge with tiffany, gabriella, and kailin
too crowded had to leave
anxietyy

keep calm and carry on, i guess.

Microcosmos (1996)
(very surreal and interesting)

Bill Cunningham New York (2010)

amaaaaaazing man :)

Jazz (2000)
(episode on Swing, made me wanna get up and dance again :))

now you look like jackson pollock's easel

haha too much bo burnham
somewhat quiet of a day which was necessary, it's good to have days like that
sent out some emails to my contacts, need to get back to them & others
gotta edit and continue the job hunt x-x
stupid usajobs
did some good work on RE, it felt like i belonged today at work which made me really happy

gonna start my next month really well
joe's right i better start on my gres and schedule shit this december--esp figuring out student visa stuff

fell behind on my documentaries but i'll just extend my month, dark days was pretty good :)
though i wish i knew what happened to them after

Dark Days (2005)

whooooo so tired

got some great news about my extensions :D
now to find a real job!

also must remember to contact people tomorrow and RSVP to shit
yesterday was a full day of work, but with great surprises--truffles and invite from main event caterers, extension, getting business cards :D
then after work was shwafala or something on h street
watching the woods at the red palace
and a funk and soul dance party at another bar with ethan and his friends

stayed out far too late
barely made it to my 8:30am career development day
omggg
deer running around, awesome amazing museum people stories
must contact everyone haha
networking is nice because people are nice
but i have to tell my boss to not hire a specific girl because she's kind of craaazy -_-
so far behind on movies but yay life is happening!

Grizzly Man (2005)

two meetings im not invited to

all staff meeting, cant wait for Native NY exhibit in GGHC, i hope they're okay
mom and dad finally got back power, dad's finally _home_
had two walk throughs, lunch with kailin at mitsitam
need to continue my project
looong but really interesting meeting
need to finish up everything augh stupid office supplies list

need to also print out business cards tomorrow early morning
then finish office supplies list
and the rest of my day

dinner with a new friend, kim from brussels and zita :)

need to go to the women's museum of art and textiles museum, watch an IMAX movie...so much to do!

best.documentary.ever. Urbanized
amazingggggggg yes

Urbanized (2011)

happy halloween?

work was tiring, gotta live on raiser's edge and i hate how crazy this particular woman is
inaugural ball planning is going well though, i think
need to see more of d.c., like the national museum of women in the arts and the textiles museum :)
augh usajobs

it's so strange that it's halloween...and wednesday...and after a hurricane...

The Philosopher Kings (2009)

really great

"wait that's it?"

seriously that's it sandy? a few branches, piles of wet leaves, and a few outages in NW? wow the gov't closed for two days for almost no good reason
had another nice movie filled quiet day
woke up, watched Top Gear (yesss) James Bond Special (hammster <3)
then Best of Show (super funny)
then my documentary of the day on Gerard Richter--honestly i felt really uncomfortable watching the movie because it was really obvious that Richter hated being filmed, and i couldnt get Pollock out of my mind
but still some beauutiful artwork

met cancelled the interview tomorrow, definitely not getting the position because im in d.c.
sigh
oh well!
:)

Gerhard Richter Painting (2011)

oh sandy

sandy convinced the govt to shut down for today and tomorrow and for nmai to cancel of all of its big events
my interview got cancelled and after watching my documentary i think its for the best because it opens me up to really pursue those what i want to pursue and what will open for me :)
keeping a compassionate and open mind, gonna have to keep working on that inner beauty

can't wait for top gear haha

Compassion in Emptiness (2011)

double whammy

went to the fairgrounds near navy yard for a costume party
accidentally got on a bus to anacostia -___-
rewatched exit through the gift shop and archer
now finishing up the two party documentary on woody allen's really messed up life

Woody Allen: A Documentary (2012)

koala costume -_-

had a busy busy busy Friday of work
mountmaking tour, lunch with leslie and kaitlin at the cafe
meeting meeting meeting
event went on for so long, sorry natural history inuit studies conference, you kind of dropped the ball a _lot_ -_-

left, went to adams morgan
one eh bar, one bad club, and an okay irish bar
i will never bother with meeting people on a dance floor again, its just not worth it.
im getting too old

need to study study study

Page One: Inside the New York Times (2011)

oooh scary door

what a grey day
i dont even remember work, it just ended up going on for far too long
enjoyed a nice bento box from "tokyo in the city" food truck
put on the michael buble, and just had some good calm time to myself as i data entry-d
more to do of course but at least its getting done
took a picture of a really sketchy red food truk with only one window and teh words "handmade sausage"
went to happy hour with raquel, leslie, and leslie's sister carrie at a mexican place, loooved it :)
then came back to the house and chatted with kailin
just decorated my door and made some spooky ghosts :) even if its not perfect at least i tried...and of course once its up i realize what i couldve done better. oh, well still fun :D
the house looks so great!

looking forward to this weekend :D

Helvetica (2007)

"the clone version, Arial, which is worse than Helvetica, but feels the same..."
- Spiekerman

haha

woke up early, realized i could sleep in :D (pure bliss)
got into work at 1pm haha
had kimchi bulgolgi sub with ethan
flyered around starbucks
more database work
arctic symposium opening -- few hiccups here and there but with some mechanical tape on the smithsonian seal, everything went well--yuum salmon and caribou burgers and some agua fresca in garbage bins
applied to more jobs (more to go)

Just For Kicks (2005)

"shopping for sneakers online is no fun for me, i would rather fly there, throw a jam, dance with a fat bitch, buy dem sneakers, and leave"

"yo i know you catering to runners, we run too, not on a track but from the police"
- Just for kicks

~~

butterflies in my stomach
hate this part of my life, applications, and all
but then i look at great museums
i watch movies
and i know im doing it for a good reason

two crazy short meetings
met with paige rozanski at the national gallery and chatted
figured out raiser's edge
gotta stalk these artists now
if only i had my materials from SWAIA really :(

but oh well
time to go back to the grindstone

Herb & Dorothy (2008)

 RIP Herbert Vogel July 22nd 2012

workworkwork

today was okay, i really gotta wake up earlier!
site visit with the overly enthusiastic EPA guy who bought < $10 maori wine for denise >_>
got my access rights to RE, can't wait to get some good work done! (you really have to appreciate the little things)
lunch at mitsitam cafe with erin who came from nmah how sweet
talked to jill, who was very very supportive of my move, and is offering to edit my resume whoo
CRC visit with denise, arley, and milan--arley's moving into my hood~ and milan told me about a jobs site
after work, met up with erin again to try to find halloween costumes (fail) and then had dinner at a bar, yay for happy hour quesadillas
time to apply to jobs jobs jobs~~

Make Believe (2010)

Good except for the fact that

completely botches the statement "I've never seen a really good CD act before" (Bill Koch)

Style Wars (1983)

 The Exit Through The Gift Shop before Exit

why is it sunday...

woke up kind of late
met up with joe to go to georgetown area
got new shoes, walked around, took some pictures
watched joe go into 5 stores trying to find the perfect purple button down shirt (to no avail)
ran into mat leonard who is apparently the internship coordinator and will float my app to the top when i apply (woooooot)
came back home to the pumpkin carving & pizza party, so i carved a happy pumpkin named Buddy with hsiu mei :D
now to do the rest of my life

Planet Bboy (2007)

double entry

friday was eh..resume workshop turned out to be a complete bust
yesterday saw the Master and went to RFD, enjoyed a goose island "minx" and an apple beer i forget
watched beer wars, which was eh. never hated a documentarian more than Anat Baron, really ruined the interesting parts for me. but learned enough i guess

Beer Wars (2009)

falling behind in my movies but i'll make it up

~~ peacock room

went to work, didn't do much i guess
site visit at 9:30, learned that the EPA looooves nmai
my boss i think is starting to get tired of me
learned some data entry stuff with RE which is good
had lunch with ann drumheller who is amazing :) talking quite frankly about indian market which was amazing
helped her, then went off to the grantmakers' panel about stewardship from foundations
learned enough
ran into kailin which was funny
roamed around the freer gallery and realized that because of my month long promise, i happened to be at the freer the one day of the month that they open the shutters in the peacock room
and it was
beautiful
amazing

and talking to people about how much i appreciate them really fills me with joy to hear that they were having a bad day and that my message helped perk them up a bit :)

documentary was also really heartwarming and amazing <3

a lot of the movies i am drawn to and really appreciate are all about details, evidence of how complex and resilient the human spirit is. that life is actually quite beautiful and painful at the same time, but seeing the beauty is what is worth it. so why believe in an afterlife when the one you have is full of so much wonder...why fixate on the problems that society and life present us without diverting as much energy and passion into how to overcome it? it's in our nature and we are all part of nature

Waste Land (2010)

“The really magical things are the ones that happen right in front of you,” [Vik Muniz] said. “A lot of the time you keep looking for beauty, but it is already there. And if you look with a bit more intention, you see it.”

:D

woke up late for work
but got to work and realized i _love_ my job
when i was in chicago i listened to a ton of angry rap and donald glover talking about his penis
but here, all i want to listen to is michael buble's "Everything" on repeat all day every day :)

saw my favorite conference room ever, wtih the most stunning view of the capitol and its tucked away
did some good work, found out some contact information of celebrities, gonna learn how to use it more :D

The Botany of Desire (2009)

AMAZING documentary, and so glad i watched it with my botany friend leslie <3 who had a beautiful flower from burma :D

best ending to a day

aaah first day in washington d.c. planss

- breakfast at thompson (dorm)
- buy smartrip card & soda (661 Pennsylvania Avenue Southeast Washington, DC 20003)
- lunch  at Tortilla Cafe (210 7th St SE)

sigh

not the best day, but not a bad one
gave rumi a goodbye hug this morning and got to work late
but by the end i realized it didnt matter that i came in late
did my errands, am always doing my best
felt kind of sick by the end of the day (because of too much sugar)

had really good soup at the department of ed
i hate doing deliveries because the smithsonian is the shittiest place to try to get from point A to point B with purpose -_-
really interesting tense meeting about choosing the designer for the IB invitations--between two people, one who got it right on the dot, the other who didnt quite. but of course the one who got it right on the dot is a crazy, and so nmai averted a long journey of disaster lol

came back to my bachelorette pad, which really needs some posters and probably better feng shui but honestly i dont think i care enough to move shit around haha
miss rumi already, but i guess im happy to have my own space to do my own things
met a girl at dinner who is like me...but so much more win because she's from shanghai and has her shit better together haha

but good times are to be had of course

pic of the day: the dc duck tours (a huge amphibious car that reminded me of top gear) right outside of the capitol, with tourists taking photos of the building and of me taking a photo of them

Freakonomics (2010) - eh

but it's okay

diiiiied because this is the hell week
for whatever reason i need to be into work at 7am this week
rumi's leaving in 10 hours
im leaving for work in about 4.5 hours :(
i set up my room
and i am going to need a lot of coffee to get through tomorrow
so to catch all the sleep i can get, i'll keep it short :)

really happy though, that im doing this month long promise
i feel more balanced, i look forward to more things
i smile when i look at myself in the mirror more now
im more grateful for those in my life, for even when i "lose" contact with someone it's not a real loss because i know there's reasons why--and i will always reach out again when it is okay, so i have been catching people off guard
it's time for me to explore more and share, even if its just me and my canon :)

pic of the day: air and space museum around 7am, huge metal sculpture outside its walls

Happy (2011)

day 4.5

sasha's last day!
nmai wtih rumi--gave her a little goodbye gift in the form of a beaded turtle necklace :)
national gallery sculpture garden
sardi's delicious chicken
made of honor -_-

pic of the day: rumi with the beaded bag!

Objectified (2009)

sasha comes to washington!

yayyy
national portrait gallery, american art museum, national gallery, nmai
food at teaism
drinks at room 11--most delicious drink ever: rite of spring (gin, chamomile, honey, lavender bitters)
sitting at yen's drinking coke&vodka, playing drinking games to awful lifetime movies (The House Next Door and You Belong to Me)

pic of the day: spencer!

The Parking Lot Movie (2010)

day 3 :D

finished the 111-page list
need to put together the board books
had a 5 HOUR MEETING (lordddd)
and gotta get my shit together
won't know if i'll stay in d.c. until oct 26+
time to get my applications a moving :)

documentary du jour:

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (2011)

pic du jour: Smithsonian Castle

Month Long Promise 10.10.2012

#1 Write a I-Like-This-About-You note/text/email each day for someone (Easy)

#3 Take one picture each day (Hard)

#6 Take a moment each day to practice self compassion and self-love (Hard)

#11 Watch a documentary each day (Easy)

 Day 1:
Indie Game: The Movie (amazing)

Indie Game: The Movie (2012)

picture of mushrooms outside of the national botanic gardens

Day 2:
Life in a Day (great)

Life In A Day (2011)

picture of fake flowers in thompson during breakfast with leslie

Argo was awesome, met some great gals from NMAH (American History) where we went to Chef Geoff's on Pennsylvania Ave and saw their bacon bar. had a candy apple sangria and some delicious yucca fries
then went to the pre-release for Argo, which was legitimately thrilling :)

"What is this, an act of congress?!"

- Angela Leipold

The tale of the hole punched paper conquest is one that stretches over 48 hours, or two business days.
Locked up reams of hole punched paper were as isolated as Rapunzel, stuck in a locked cabinet in a locked room to which there were only two keys.
The key keepers darted in and out, refusing to take heed of anyone's pleading for the emancipation of the hole punched papers--whether by phone, email, or quick chat in the halls--all words fell on deaf ears.
So as you can imagine when the hole punched paper was finally freed, there was a joyous celebration of food and drink.



....Or it was immediately mocked and onwards to the quest of getting the files which need to be printed onto said paper.

First Event! Davidson Institute Awards :D

Bunch of 16-18 year old nerdy asian boys milling about in suits who've done math/scientific projects
Got a nice free catered dinner out of the event :D

Delish

Got back to the dorm _just_ as dinner was ending and there were all these balloons to celebrate the finishing of the kitchen...plus there was a raffle and people won stuff :(
OF ALL THE DAYS TO MISS DINNER AT THOMPSON, I MISS THE ONE THAT HAS COOL SHIT AND GOOD FOOD
snagged a cup of vanilla ice cream with strawberries though
headed upstairs and lovely leslie informed me that a bunch of girls were going to head over to Pour House as a farewell for one girl and also to watch the debate

so yep. sunk into a leather couch, had two glasses of wine, and watched the debate with thompson girls and a bunch of quiet d.c.ers
certainly interesting, but after a while i was thinking about what i should be for halloween and if i should decorate my door haha

Found this on my desk this morning :D

college lyfe~