pages

finally got around to getting images of 5 sketchbook pages i thought are cool. I am sorry they are photographs, and kinda blurry at times, i don't have my scanner yet..

this is the page on which i took notes for the entire class. maybe the notes are not as useful anymore but i think it looks pretty neat.


here is the hot potato spread in my sketchbook. it may have been explained, but if you don't know, its basically a game of tag where people swap sketchbooks and draw in each others. the only thing i actually drew on this spread is the red bull on the right side of the spread.


This was a 4 hr drawing early one Sunday morning watching the sun rise. not really that creative but i like it anyway.


Funny story, a few of us were laying around the gardens outside the Louvre when i saw this guy in a full suit with brief case charging across the grass like a man on a mission. He then finds a spot in the sun and in record time takes off all his clothes and knocks out. he is the one in the square frames.


One of the 15 pages, i like this one because its kinda silly. The brownish haze is a burn mark i made by putting my sketch book over a toaster for a bit. The heat toasted the intended page but went through a few more pages though i did not intend it to. kinda neat haze though.


There are still plenty of things i want to try in my Paris sketchbook so i think i will keep adding to it as i have a number of empty pages left. Maybe ill post some more.

Is this the end?

I am back home and trying to adapt to my regular life again. I had such a wonderful time on this trip, not only seeing Paris, but also getting to know such wonderful people. I have so many memories from our adventures that I will treasure forever and I loved getting to know you all better.

Thank you to John, Kim K, Kim A, Nikita, Corwin, Clam, Gus, Kira, Yung-Han, Tiffany, Priscilla, Sarah, Mark, and Lain for making this a great experience.

Here's some of my favorite sketchbook pages from the trip.
See you all again soon.

Favorite Pages and last assignment

So now that I am back in the comfort of my own home and have a computer that doesn't freak out on my (I'm looking at you computer lab) here are some of my favorite pages from my sketch book.






and last but not least this is my answer for the final assignment John


"Ok, so this is how it happened."

more post to come

-Mark

Lost Chronicles: Gus, I, and Versailles

A post about a story not documented by photos or other witnesses

Versailles
(photo by Leann)

This is a first hand account of an adventure Gus and I had visiting Versailles. We got there early in the morning to avoid huge crowds of tourist. I was impressed when I first saw the gardens. The fact that it was empty of tourist and lit with cool morning sun made the view a grand spectacle. But man, these gardens were HUGE!!!! HUGE!!!! It's possible to see from the photo, but starring out to the Versailles gardens, the horizon line is not even the end of the gardens. Although we came in a group of four, Kira and Leann were separated from Gus and I when an old man jogger gave us two a little tour of the gardens. It was about 9:30am and Gus and I could not find Kira or Leann. We decided to meet them at Marie Antoinette's house since we were all planning to go there. We didn't grab a map because we figured it was easy to find. And it should have been, but little did we know that Gus and I would spend the next few hours lost walking the gardens. We passed the main gardens of Versailles which contained many impressive statues and fountains and ended up walking to the outskirts of the garden. The outskirts of the garden is like a giant man-made forest. There were no maps, and no people except for the occassional joggers. Gus and I figured we weren't lost because it was still early in the morning and the tourist hadn't showed up yet. We found a snail and made marks in the grounds as indicaters of our guesses to where it would be in a few hours. As we continued to walk further into the gardens, our search for Marie's house became less confident. The paths in the forest were long, and we couldn't really see past the trees so we were searching for the house aimlessly with no idea to where the house could be. We walked and walked. After a couple hours we stumbled into a supermarket. I thought it was odd to put a supermarket in the middle of the Versailles gardens but we used it to gather refreshments and we asked a lady if she knew where the house was located. She looked at us confusingly and then told us that we were not in the gardens anymore. It so happened that Gus and I walked so far we had accidentally exited the gardens!!! She told us to go back and turn left as soon as we reentered the gardens but she lied!!! We went left but we couldn't find it!!! So again we walked aimlesslyin search for the house. We were tired and we were lost and we were slowly going insane because we had no food! I was about to crack when we stumbled into the marking we made hours ago (mr. snail was nowhere to be seen). The markings saved us, and we finally started recognizing our surroundings. We didn't care about the house, we just wanted to get back to main gardens, to where people were. But eventually found the house and finally got something to eat. The gardens were now packed with tourist and the sunlight was hot. I checked the time and it was about 1:30pm meaning we were lost for nearly 4 hours! I think Gus and I got to see a part of Versailles that not many get to see. It wasn't the coolest thing ever, but it sure was an adventure!

Paris Chronicles: Best Memory

Fete de la Musique has got to be it. The day we finished the official class happened to be the day of the Parisian annual festival. During the day, various musical artists and bands come out to the streets of Paris and perform for the public. By the evening, every street in central Paris was occupied by musicians. You could literally watch a free concert by children with guitars and walk 100 feet to a brass band performing familiar tunes. Music was everywhere!

(Above are photos I stole from Leann and are two examples of event)

What made this evening my best memory of Paris was the atmosphere of the festival and how our crew of 14 contributed towards its hype. After dinner, our group met outside a cafe that happened to be hosting a DJ. There were giant speakers blasting electronica dance music and lasers were shooting into the streets. Some of us began to sway to the music, and by the time all 14 of us met outside the cafe, we formed a dance circle with all our backpacks and purses in the middle so no one could steal them. The funny thing was that everyone around us weren't dancing but watching us in amusement. The DJ himself was amused and took pictures of our group dancing without a care in the world. When he handed us fliers we screamed for no reason... haha! Our circle got wilder and wilder and tourist around us were filming us and taking pictures. Soon three french girls asked to enter our circle and they danced with us a bit. After they left I noticed that more people watching us were beginning to let loose and dance. As more and more people began to join the festivity, our circle was engulfed with dancing tourist and parisians alike. We ended our dance circle with a Shrunkenheadman clap (which inspired others to do the same haha) and then we left the dancing barricade of people that we created. Look what a bunch of kids from California can start. That was truly a night I will never forget!

le famille

At Houston's flight back to SFO.
You all rock; thanks for the best Paris trip ever.

i'm not ready yet...

to say "good-bye" to Paris...


yung-han

Well what can I say? The days are done, the time has come. We will be on a plane heading home in a few hours. Living in Paris for a month has been by far the most useful event in my life. I've learned some life lessons and learned a lot about how I learn and think. It was a very cool growing up kind of transition. When I get a chance I'll post an entry with some pictures, but here's to Paris, good night folks.

Come fly with me, lets fly lets fly away
If you can use, some exotic booze
Theres a bar in far bombay
Come fly with me, well fly well fly away

Come fly with me, lets float down to peru
In lama land, theres a one man band
And hell toot his flute for you
Come fly with me, well float down in the blue

Once I get you up there, where the air is rarefied
Well just glide, starry eyed
Once I get you up there, Ill be holding you so near
You may here, angels cheer - because were together

Weather wise its such a lovely day
You just say the words, and well beat the birds
Down to acapulco bay
Its perfect, for a flying honeymoon - they say
Come fly with me, well fly well fly away

-Nikita

Its done. Tomorrow morning we leave this amazing city. I am looking forward to tonight because it is the last evening out with everyone. We are all going to dinner at a restaurant that John recommended and it is the final expense I can afford. This journey has been completely worth every cent, even with the exchange rate. I hope our little Paris family stays together... I told everyone we should have potluck dinners together in the states like we did here. Yung-Han called it PASTA HELL!!! The name stuck. We might not serve pasta because we are all sick of it, but I will definitely be missing everyone when we get back home.

Kim A