VCUK'07

July 9th: Day 37- LAST DAY

2007-07-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

Today was really sad, riding the tube for the last time, walking past Sainsbury's and Betty's for the last time. Went to grab breakfast with the flat with all the change the guys had been collecting over the past 5 weeks. Bus picked us up and we went to the airport to head back to the states.

Haiku of the Day:

Time to pack it up,
It is a bittersweet day.
Back to the US.

July 8th: Day 36

2007-07-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

Speakers corner was awesome. But you have to go knowing that you are going to see really intense people preaching and speaking their minds with such conviction that any other opinion other than their own is simply wrong. In some respect you have to be a little close-minded to get up there and talk. Except there was this Polish boy who was probably no older than 9 or 10 and he was up on a soap box talking about environmental issues. It was kind of hard to understand him, but I was impressed that he was able to get up in front of the crowd and talk at all. There are a lot of people talking all at once there, so you can move from conversation to conversation. Went to Harrods, that place is crazy. Over 300 types of cheese and 150 different kinds of olives (to give you an idea). Went out for a flat dinner that night. And then to the After Skool Klub (or something like that).

Haiku of the Day:

Some more Tour de France,
Democracy at it's best,
Harrods is crazy.

July 7th: Day 35

2007-07-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

The Tour de France wasn't really anything THAT cool. I mean I am glad I went, and I went just to say I was there, but you would wait like an hour to see a cycler speed by you in half of a second. But like I said, if the Tour de France is coming to London you have to go. Oh and I went back to Portabello Road today to get the rest of my gifts for people.

Haiku of the Day:

Catch up on some sleep,
Back to Portabello Rd.,
And the Tour de France.

July 5th/6th: Days 33/34

2007-07-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

WIMBLEDON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really cannot even write about this two day experience including sleeping on the street (cardboard boxes, garbage bags and all), in the freezing cold and rain, being on Norwegian television, waiting for about 24 hours, getting third row court one seats, seeing great tennis (including the most intense 5.5 hour match and 145mph serves). It was probably among the top 3 greatest experiences of the entire trip. Ask me about it in person. And you want to see pictures. Trust me.

Haiku of the Day:

Norwegian TV,
Coldest I have ever been,
Just no freakn' words.

July 4th: Day 32

2007-07-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

The best meal I had all trip = 5 course greek meal at Lomonia. The canal ride was nice and relaxing. Touched slime so that John would clean the flat. I got a lot of compliments on my mohawk that night for our 80s/red white and blue 4th of July flat party. Maybe I should consider a change of hairstyle. Happy Independence Day!!!

Haiku of the Day:

Heights at Penrose Hil,
Fairwell Lunch at Lomonia,
And the canal trip.

July 3rd: Day 31

2007-07-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

Today was another free day so I finally got to go and see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. I have never seen so many people in one spot in my life. It was nuts. I got great pictures thanks to the zoom on my camera. I am glad I got to see it. It was weird though, when the procession of guards finally got into the Palace gates, the first song they played was the theme song to Pirates of the Caribbean. Then we went to the guards museum to learn a bit about the history. The rest of the day was pretty much the internet and more rain.

Haiku of the Day:

Changing of the guards,
Pirates of the Caribbean,
Internet-more rain.

July 2nd: Day 30

2007-07-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

Morag was a good visit, have not heard much about exhibition design before so that was interesting. But today's winner was Nadav Kander, by far. He was just one of the coolest guys. A few semesters ago I did a presentation about him for my ad class, so it was really cool to know all a lot of information about him and then to hear him talk in person. It poured on the way home, I mean we were absolutely soaked. Watched X-men that night, and just relaxed, it was nice.

Haiku of the Day:

Morag Myerscough,
Nadav Kander thanks to Ann,
Got completely soaked.

Quotes of the day,
"Mistakes don't happen as easily on the computer." - Nadav Kander
"Finish your own book"

July 1st: Day 29

2007-07-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

Just went back to the beach for a little bit with our new Canadian friend. Then headed back to the hostel, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and back to the airport to head back to London. Got in around 4:30 AM, it was such a long travel day, we had delays in the airport, then had to take all theses buses and then walk back the last leg of the trip to the flat. When I get to the flat, all I want is my bed, and there is someone in it. Turns out it was Dave's brother, so it was okay.

Haiku of the Day:

Beach, back to London,
Home at 4:30AM,
Someone's in my bed.

June 30th: Day 28

2007-07-16T15:14:00.000-07:00

Today was a total beach day. It was great. Swam in the Med. Sea. The sand was a bit dirty in a weird dusty way. And it took us forever to find a food store to get stuff to bring to the beach. Stumbled upon a nude beach which was really quite different. Women go topless more often on regular beachs than with a top. The beach was really relaxing though. Overall, I was surprised by the food there, but I am just so glad I was able to go to Spain. The original Aquarius was better than the orange.
Meet some pretty cool people-some not so cool. I wanted to kill these guys in the hostel. But it was a great trip. Oh, and "Mesahee?!?"

Haiku of the day:

Barcelona beach,
One crazy freakin night out
Damn Austrialian boy!

June 29th: Day 27

2007-07-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

Went to Las Ramblas today for some open-air shopping. Mostly flowers and animals (chipmunks and pigeons for sale). The street performers were ridiculous. One guy was a question mark. Others were trees, cows. This one woman was a little person. And that was it, like she wanted money for just standing there being a little person in a yellow dress. That night we went to this Cuban nightclub with this really sweet French girl named Maria that we met the day before. Her roommate is a famous Cuban singer so we went to see her perform. It was such a great time.

Haiku of the day:

Went to Las Ramblas,
The Cuban nightclub singers,
Interesting day.

June 28th: Day 26

2007-07-16T15:05:00.000-07:00

Today we did all of the tourist type things. We went to La Casa Mila, La Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell. They were all so amazing. I really enjoyed Parc Guell a lot. We had to practically hike up a mountain to get there, but it was so worth it. We were there for a while. We went to the beach later on in the day and we met SANDRA OH!!!!!!! If you know me at all, you know that is huge. It was sooo cool, she was sooo nice too! And she had blue nail polish and purple streaks in her hair. She was really nice and so sweet. We meet some nice Norwegians that night on Las Ramblas.

Haiku of the Day:

Gracias Hodum.
Caminar una montana,
Muy buena dia

June 27th: Day 25

2007-07-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

Up at 2 AM to go to Luton and head to Barcelona! We got to Spain around 11. I couldn't believe I was finally in Spain, I remembered all of Hodum's advice about where to go in the city and what to see. The first day was really tiring though so we sat in a park near our hostel for awhile, it was nice. I had Paella that night, it was good, weird with the whole fish in it though. We went to the bars that night at like 12 (on London time) and it was DEAD. They dont go out in Spain until 2AM, that took some time to get used to. And dinner isn't until 10 ot 11.

Haiku of the day:

A Barcelona
No tengo energia
Los discotecas.

June 26th: Day 24

2007-07-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed the letterpress workshop today. I have to do more experimentation in Raven next semester. It was a long day with that and Tom's talk on poster design. The Stanley Kubrick archive was cool, but I think I built it up in my head to be something different from what it was. All packed for Spain and so excited. I am glad we decided to take a taxi at 3:30 AM instead of waiting all night at the airport. Should go to bed!

Haiku of the day:

Very busy day,
Girls drive off a cliff. the end.
And Stanley Kubrick.

June 25th: Day 23

2007-06-25T08:06:00.000-07:00

Weird day today. Thought it was going to be jammed packed and ended up just seeing a show at LCC (London College of Communication). The exhibition was okay. Cool ways of presenting work though. Glad it was a rainy, slow day though because I finally got to catch up on these blogs and such before Barcelona. I got an ace bandage for my ankle too which is good. Tonight is movie night and pizza and really excited for a low key night, haven't had one in awhile.

Also, I have organized all of my pictures down to the visit, but it takes forever to put one picture on this blog, and for some reason it wont let me upload that many, and considering I will be back in the US in two weeks from today, pictures will just have to wait! Sorry all, but it will be better when I can explain them anyway!

Haiku of the Day:

I now hate the tube
LLC exhibition
Internet. Movies.

June 24th: Day 22

2007-06-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

MORE SHOPPING at Camden market. Apparently I am into skulls and skeletons on clothing. And I also realized that I wish I looked good in hats and head wraps-but my head is too small. Camden is like Portabello, but a lot more goth for some reason, Portabello is better. Then went for a Sunday roast. Which is a typical English dinner, it was like thanksgiving, you get sooo much for so little. It was great. But I almost died today. I got stuck in the doors in the tube, like totally smashed, all bruised, sprained my ankle, it was horrible. I pulled myself back in the tube as hard as a could, right before I was about to lose three of my limbs!!!! I am fine though, just banged up.

haiku of the day:

Smashed in the subway
spending a lot of money
sunday chicken roast

June 23rd: Day 21

2007-06-25T07:57:00.001-07:00

Today was mostly spent at Portabello Road. It is really awesome with tons of everything from antiques to goth stores/booths. I got sneakers and my feet are loving that!!! I dont really like fish and chips, and I am probably going back their next Saturday. The weather here is totally bipolar. One minute it is pouring rain and cold, and then it is hot and sunny. Also there are no hellium balloons in this city! I looked all morning for Jess because it was her bday today. And also 21 bdays are assciated with keys over here, not sure why. Also meet these really dodgey guys, yuck. Bought such cool stuff though! Then out for Jess's bday.

haiku of the day:

Portabello Road
Jessicas birthday dinner
So tired again

June 22nd: Day 20

2007-06-25T07:52:00.000-07:00

The stonecarver was really interesting, and crazy to see it done, it looks so tedious. A little intervention to save Craig, and on the way back we stopped at this gallery. It was okay. There were a few really nice things. Went for a nice run with Jess. And then was convinced to pay 12 pounds to go to this premier night club in London called Fabric. Now I am glad I went for the experience, but never again! I knew it wasnt my scene, but it was fun. The music and the DJs were amazing and the lights and everything, the bathrooms all crazy cool, but only so much I can take of it.

Haiku of the Day:

First the Stonecarver,
Saved Craig by getting him food
12 pounds for fabric!

June 21rst: Day 19

2007-06-25T07:45:00.000-07:00

We went to John Smith publishing, which is a company that designs and publishes a lot of different magazines. A lot of there stuff was really nice. Then a few o fus went to the hayward gallery, to an exhibition called Blind Light. It was the craziest experience ever. It is a huge cube filled with white light, gas, and vapor. It felt like heaven, totally blinded walking around in this white light and seeing people fade in and out of existence. Only when someone got right on top of you could you see them. It was totally surreal. Amazing. I was also invited to go to this dicussion at the RCA about graphic design, what it is, where it is going, and about graduate school education and things of that nature. It was totally fascinating! And it really caused me to confirm my beliefs about the topic. More details on that it you want it. Then that night was WICKED. Now I love the play, but I will stick to broadway. You could really notice the cultural differences in the play with certain scenes and the humor. And I dont think I like the accent with the songs, it threw me off. But so glad I went!!!

haiku of the day:

Vapor, white, blind, light
Cause no one mourns the wicked
Really great debate!

June 20th: Day 18

2007-06-25T07:38:00.000-07:00

OH, I dont know if you realized but I officially lost track of the total cost...oh well. Today we say Satwinder Sehmi. He is a calligrapher. He came to Delaware when I was a sophomore. He is amazing, just brilliant. Words cannot descirbe this guy's talent. Then we had this talk by a writer in the park, and this creepy guy comes over and asks to join our group. We find out later that he is some notorious gangster just out of prison, and waiting to go back in. Totally infamous in London, movies have been made about him and his brother. Crazy scary. Then went to the Kenetica Museum, which had an exhibition on all audio and kenetic stuff. Really cool stuff to play with in there. Overall, great day. I also wrote a really nice reflection of the trip so far in my journal. I have so many ideas that I cannot wait to get started on!

Haiku of the Day:

Grace and elegance,
Scary gangster in the park,
And Kinetica!

Quotes of the day:
"dance on the page"
"use whole body to write"
"fastest nib in the west"
"do something cool"

June 19th: Day 17

2007-06-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

Kerry William Purcell, who is an writer who has written many books about graphic design and designers, spoke to us. He was a very interesting guy. And I decided that, in general, I need to research more about things. Then I went to John Smith who is a film editor, he mostly edits commercials and works with all the major ad agencies, but he also does films. He turned down The Insider, Batman Returns. He is really talented and got me even more excited about ad and working with guys like him! Went to Faulkners and bought paper and magma and bought a book. That night we made a fort in my flat with all the sheets and furniture and had a dance party under it.

Haiku of the Day:

A relaxing day,
Lesson in film editing,
Shopping for PAPER!

June 18th: Day 16

2007-06-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

We had a bunch of stuff planned on the schedule today, but things got mixed up and we ended up at the RCA (Royal College of Arts) senior exhibition. It was good, sooo much stuff in it, and it consisted of two buildings. Really cool stuff with type there, and I enjoyed the industrial design stuff a lot. I collected so many postcards from the show and I have no idea where any of them went. We also went to the Serpentine Gallery and we went to the Princess Diana Memorial. Then that night Craig and I decided to just go somewhere, expecting it to be a low key night, and we get off a random tube stop and we see Chris Daughtry pass us. So we go up to him and start talking to him, and he says he is playing a sold out concert tonight. Loooong story short we GET IN his sold out concert, it was amazing. I am not soo into Idol but he played a really good show, and then at the end we got his PICK!!! It was exciting!

Haiku of the Day:

Schedule mix up,
RCA exhibition,
Chris Daughtry concert!

June 17th: Day 15

2007-06-25T07:23:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day today in Scotland. And we heard bag pipes on the royal mile. It was great (I have a video). We went to the Edinburgh castle for most the day, it was absolutely huge. Beautiful architecture. After that it was back on the train to London.

Haiku of the Day:

Beautiful castle,
I really love this country,
And back to London

June 16th: Day 14

2007-06-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

First day in Scotland, and it is amazing. It is also freezing!! We woke up and looked outside our hostel window and it was monsooning. The hostel btw was very nice, really clean and comfortable. I absolutely love this city. I felt very comfortable immediately and everyone is soooo nice. And they are so proud of their country. The men wear their kilts all the time, even to pubs. I feel like I could live there. Also in our hostel it was just the three of us and a guy named Steve. He is an ausy! He was cool, he went out with us that night. we went shopping and we went to the Edinburgh dungeon, it was fun. The nightlife there is great. But there are "hen" parties EVERYWHERE (bachelorette parties). Like at least 5 in one bar. And they go crazy here, the bride to be has to carry around a blow up doll and where a letter "L" (I dont know why). And they are themed, everyone is dressed up cowgirl, or angel etc. Crazy city.

Haiku of the day:

Nathan gave great tips,
Shopping in Edinburgh,
Scared in the Dungeon.

Quote of the day:
"The quality of living is better in Scotland, but the standard of living is higher in London."

June 15th: Day 13

2007-06-25T07:10:00.000-07:00

The majority of today was spent on a train. An hour train to Baseline. Which is a typographic magazine. The place was beautiful, the countryside of England is magnificent. The people at baseline prepared this feast for us and we sat at a huge round table. The magazine itself is really unique and the design is meant to enhance the text and each article is designed so differently. It is a work of art itself. I bought 4 issues (all at reduced price). Then had to rush out to catch a train to SCOTLAND. It was a 5 hr train ride, but we were sitting next to this really nice guy from Edinburgh and he told us of a bunch of places to go and he gave us wine.

Haiku of the day:

Feast during Baseline,
Awesome train ride to Scotland
Bday Genevieve.

June 14th: Day 12

2007-06-19T04:49:00.000-07:00

Went to abbey road..took the classic pictures and posed as the beatles, but it was a busy road so it was kind of hard and we were blocking traffic. I was totally honored to have been invited to lunch with Graham Fink. Just great conversation..I really admire him..he is a big ad guy. Loved his story about how he got into the business. LOVE IDEAS!!! It was the first ad visit that was really inspiring, when he talked to the group, it was not just the normal, let me show you and talk about my work. He was demonstrating points about originality and was thought provoking. He gave real advice from his experience...amazing. Went shopping for a little. Went to the pub with Graham and a bunch of vcers after his talk, then had great indian food with my flat.

Haiku of the Day:

Great lunch with Graham Fink,
Abbey Road and the Beatles,
Where ideas come from.

Quote of the Day:
"Be a sponge"
"BE YOURSELF"
"get out of the way of yourself"
"putting two things together"

total cost:
-not calculated yet.....

June 13th: Day 11

2007-06-19T04:45:00.000-07:00

Slow day compared to the other ones. Went to the Barabican gallery and saw an exhibition on punk art-not for me really. Got WICKED tickets for thursday!!!!!!!!! And we spoke to this guy who is big in the book binding industry...it was interesting. PS the clubs here are fabulous.

Haiku of the day:

Not so into punk,
Finally wicked tickets
and the cursed Omar.

Quote of the day:
"Today is the tomorrow you were promised yesterday"

total cost:
$744.00

June 12th: Day 10

2007-06-19T04:37:00.000-07:00

I was surprised that Michael Johnson bashed Pentagram, and to be honest I didn't really love a lot of his work, but I thought he was a great person with valuable things to say. But I know now more than ever that I do not want to work in a small firm. He was good at guitar. The editor of eye was nice-just a great diccussion about graphic design in the park (after the fire drill). The questions he asked really made me think about what and how I personally feel about graphic design....it also made me realize how much I truly learned and grew this past year. Also, I have realized not to care SOOOO much about money..I am in freaking EUROPE!!!!!

Hiaku of the day:

Yum, the Pepper Tree
Michael Johnson played guitar,
Fire drill at Eye!

total cost:
$704.00

June 11th: Day 9

2007-06-19T04:30:00.000-07:00

Today was such a learning experience, one of the best days visit wise so far. Went to the Sacred exhibition at the British Library. Some of the old Jewish texts and Torahs gave me chills. I bought the book. Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design was great too, awesome professors and teaching philosophy, not to mention the resources they have there. Best visit so far = Peter Saville. Legendary graphic designer whith great insight and very cynical. People thought he was a downer, I thought he was so inspiring. Whether you agree with the point he made or not, just the questions he raised are important to consider. He made you look at yourself and ask some moral and important questions about what matters. He should write a book.

Haiku of the day:

Phill and Catherine
Sacred at the Library
Peter Saville. Great.

Quotes of the day:
"internal veritcal juxtaposition"
"doing something because it matters"
"creativity that isnt worth doing is pointless
"the solution is in the problem"

total cost:
$683.00

June 10th: Day 8

2007-06-19T04:26:00.000-07:00

So today was our first free day. Went to the London Eye. It was cool, but I wouldn't do it again. View was great though. Certain tubes stops being closed on Sunday is a little annoying and I definitely wish I brought my computer, oh well...nice and relaxing day overall though. Went for a great run today also.

Hiaku of the day:

Did the London Eye
Wish I had my computer
Where is the damn maid!!

total cost:
$640.80

June 9th: Day 7

2007-06-12T11:15:00.001-07:00

Crazy thing happened- we went to the Design Museum to see an exhibiton of this guy Luigi Colani's work, and he is sitting in the cafe!! So Bill approached him and he took us on a personal tour of his work. This guy is truly the "father" of everything. He is a designer and engineer that bases all of his designs off of nature to produce the most aero and hydro dynamic machines in the world. He single handedly revolutionized the shoe, camera, automotive, train, plane, boat, etc. industry. He built the fastest Ferrari 20 years ago and they have yet to make one that is faster. This guy was crazy. He has gold business cards!! Actual gold that comes coated in that plastic that coats new electronics when you get it. Then we went to Borough Market, an outdoor eating market type thing, it was nice. Then we went to the Tate and it was a tad disappointing. But I think it is because I played it up so much in my mind considering it is one of the most visited museums in the world. They have certains pieces and artists that were great though, like Rothko and Oldenberg.

haiku of the day:

Real gold business cards
How much Dali and one see
Refrigerator

total cost:
$608.80----I know but it is because of the trips that I booked!!!!

June 8th: Day 6

2007-06-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

Saw all the sites today: Stonehenge, Big Ben, London Eye, Parlament, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey I loved this guy Busty at stonehenge- he believes that the stones were placed there by aliens.

haiku of the day:

Busty at Stonehenge
Crazy sight-seeing all day
Feet are falling off

total cost:
$579.30

June 7th: Day 5

2007-06-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

It was unreal to see such famous and old pieces of art at the British Museum today (the rosetta stone, Parthenon, Discus thrower etc.). Then I got the most amazing hot dog I ever had. Greyworld with Andrew was sooo crazy. He is a true genius I think. His company does public urban installations. I don't understand how he thinks up what he does. I want a tail!! Pizza was amazing. Then it took forever for us to get our tickets to Scotland but we did it!!!

haiku of the day:

Late to the BM
Greyworld was ridiculous
Tickets to Scotland!

Quotes of the day:

"water your geek"-Andrew
"if you need something clever in the name, you probably should have put it in the work"-Andrew
"anything written in Latin sounds clever"-Andrew

total cost:
$566.90(usa)

June 6th: Day 4

2007-06-12T10:59:00.001-07:00

I was really inspired by both visits today. I got to go into Pentagram (huge graphic design firm) early today with Bill and talk to Debbie. Their work is so inevitable. Kate Stanners from Saatchi and Saatchi (ad agency) was funny and it seems like S&S was a lot more like NY then BBH.

haiku of the day:

Saatchi and Saatchi
Pentagram just changed my life
What an awesome day

Quotes of the day:

"we design stuff"-Debbie
"we know where to find the right people for the right jobs"-Debbie
"learn stuff for yourself"-Kate
"make work that makes noise"-Kate

total cost:
$362.50(usa)

June 5th: Day 3

2007-06-12T10:52:00.001-07:00

Heard a lecture from Philip from Trend Union. He gave a very interesting talk about trend forecasting. I didn't know such a thing existed. But I was definitely falling asleep by the end. Went to Regents park after and just relaxed. BBH (ad agency) was cool. Very laid back. They said a lot of things that I was surprised about regarding how the creative teams work there and how people get hired in teams (art director and copywriter)- very different from NY. I GOT PEANUT BUTTER!! Me and Jess ran today, hopefully we can keep that up! OH and booked the trip to barcelona today! YAY

haiku of the day:

I love advertising
Trend Union was good but long
Ran around London

total cost:
$360.50 (usa)

June 4th: Day 2

2007-06-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

The city is definitely more alive during the week. We had an orientation today, it was nice, we talked to a London cop and he was very entertaining for some reason...the accent maybe?? The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) surrealism exhibition was pretty good. Saw a lot of Dali, but my favorite part was the clothing. We met with the designers of the exhibtion...they were nice, the work was clean and simple but relatively safe I thought. Really disapointed at the grocery stores and I need to find peanut butter, and the soups aren't really soup. And they don't have shopping carts-very odd. I also think I am going to become a vegetarian while I am here.

haiku of the day:

The cop was awesome
Surreal and the V&A
Finally got food!

Quotes of the day:

"Don't get dipped"-Detective Constable David Pullum

total cost:
$102.10

June 3rd: Day 1

2007-06-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

Today was definitely exciting but severely exhausting. The flats are a lot nicer than I expected, but we got to London on a Sunday and the town is pretty dead. Looking forward to starting the visits and stuff.....but right now, I am going to BED!

haiku of the day:

Flight wasn't too bad
Mixed feelings 'bout the locals
Way too exhausted.

total cost:
$18.50