New Term, Paris + Inauguration

Well, this is my first update since beginning the Lent term at LSE. Things have naturally been pretty busy and hectic, but with some fun mixed in here and there as well.

Although I'd initially thought that LSE was pretty easy, maybe even easier than undergrad, things have started tightening up and I'm beginning to feel the pressure. Last week I turned in all my term papers that were assigned in the fall, and subsequently pulled my first all-nighter since coming to graduate school. I checked out 21 books from the library - the maximum permitted - and carted them all the way back to my room, and only ended up using a handful. The interesting thing about LSE is that all papers are marked twice by two professors each, and then the scores are averaged or the professors debate which mark is more accurate. It takes a ton of time but it's pretty fair I think.

On Saturday, I took the Eurostar from London St. Pancras station to Paris Gare du Nord. With a journey time of about 2.5 hours, it's an incredibly fast and smooth ride from central London to central Paris. Getting ready to board:

Once we arrived, I went to stay at Garance's apartment with her friend Andrei, a classmate from Chapman who I've hung out with before at UCLA. My friends from LSE - Jim, Jackie and Josh - stayed at a hotel. Highlights from the trip included visits to the Rodin Museum, Père Lachaise Cemetery (where Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, and others are burried), and the Louvre.

Musee Rodin:

One of his most famous works, "The Kiss".

Eating a waffle with Andrei.

Tomb of Oscar Wilde.

Garance thinks this looks like the photo from the beginning of a spy movie, haha.

My friend David from high school works as an English teacher in Paris now, so we got the chance to meet up with him twice. It was good to catch up on how things in Oroville are and relive old times.

Out to dinner with Garance's family.

Before boarding the Eurostar to return to London.

We arrived back to London on the afternoon of inauguration day. Though I had decided to skip class to watch, Obama's speech had ended well in time for me to still go. I watched it in the quad at LSE, which was standing room only. Not surprisingly, given the liberal nature of Europeans and the Americans who go to LSE, there was a lot of cheering and jubilation.

One fact that I admire about Obama is that he is a devout Christian with strong convictions, yet he is genuinely respectful of other faiths and doesn't hesitate to acknowledge their existance. Sure, our nation may have been founded by protestants, but our intellectual diversity and individual liberties are even more valuable, in my opinion. In this respect, I think Obama's rhetoric of inclusion matches his message about wanting to unite, not divide the American people.

Obama's high approval rating with inevitably take some hits over the next 4 (or 8) years as he approaches the many challenges that our country faces. But nonetheless, there's no denying the historical moment that took place on Tuesday. This is a man who only a half century ago would have been turned away from many restaurants in the south, or even more troubling, could have faced lynching for approaching a white woman the wrong way.

This is the smile of progress!

The mall, where a few of my lucky friends were.

Maybe President someday? Hahaha...

A Change in Temperature

High today in Oroville, California: 61 degrees F

High today in London, England: 38 degrees F

Hence the reason I'm walking around in a long jacket with a scarf as I prepare to head to the airport today.

Goodbye, North America.

Hello, Europe.

A Time for Everything

"All things have their season, and in their times all things pass under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.
A time to kill, and a time to heal. A time to destroy, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather. A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to get, and a time to lose. A time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.
A time of love, and a time of hatred. A time of war, and a time of peace."

--Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Goodbye, 2008.

I didn't realize until last night that today was the last day of the year.

This marks the end of another year filled with many ups and downs... new experiences, places and people... 

This has been a pretty momentous year globally. California legalized then banned gay marriage. We elected the first-ever black president in the United States. China hosted the Olympics. Home foreclosures reached an all-time high, the price of gas and stock market plummeted, and we entered a global recession. Tina Fey impersonated Sarah Palin on SNL. Etc, etc, etc.

Personally, it's been a pretty momentous year as well. I graduated from college and embarked on a new life in graduate school overseas. At the beginning of the year, I never would've guessed that it all would happened in 2008. I guess I've managed to pack a lot into a short amount of time, but I somehow wish time would go slower as well.

I don't really know whether to be optimistic about 2009 or not. Like any new year, it offers a lot of new beginnings and the chance to start over. George Bush will finally be out of office, and hopefully Obama can bring the "change" that he's promised. But I don't think all the problems that we've created for ourselves can even begin to be solved in the coming year. But at least it's a step forward, at least in theory.

For me, 2009 will (hopefully) bring my graduation from graduate school, my 23rd birthday, and the search for a job amidst a recession. For the first time ever, I really have no idea where I'm going to be by the end of this next year. Probably somewhere between London and California, trying to make money and get by.

I'll leave you with some photos that I'll remember 2008 by. But first, I'm going to post my new years resolutions. Sure, they usually get broken, but I figure that if I make them public then at least I could be held a bit accountable for them!

-- Exercise more (such a cliché new years resolution)

-- Become more organized

-- Quit biting my nails

-- Take more photos

-- Think before I say things

See ya'll in the new year!

Merry Christmas

Just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas! I am very fortunate to have you all in my lives.

Here's to the new year... stay tuned!

Home.

Last night I arrived home to Oroville around 10pm after taking an 11-hour flight to San Francisco, followed by a short 25 minute flight to Sacramento. I slept for 14 hours last night, and have been doing laundry and unpacking today. London seems so recent yet to far away at the same time.

This last 2.5 months have been truly amazing and crazy and eye-opening in so many ways. I feel like I've grown up a lot and have gained a broader view of the world and its people. I've learned quite a bit, probably more from the people I've met than the classes I've taken. I'm going to try to enjoy this break and get as much rest as possible so that I can go back and make the most of the rest of my time there.

I leave you with some photos taken by Alvaro a few weeks ago... I'm jealous of his camera. Click the photos to enlarge.

Westminster Abbey. 

Hyde Park with leaves everywhere. This is my new desktop background.

Two birds biting themselves. Probably trying to look attractive for each other :P

So tourists don't look the wrong way and get run over by double decker buses. I reckon that these have saved my life at least a couple times.

Picadilly Circus, sort of like the Times Square of London.

Let me out!

Christmas on Oxford Street

It seems all romantic and Christmas-y, until you feel how miserably cold it is.

Home on Wednesday!

Discursive construction of British identity

Before I came to England, a lot of friends commented by saying, "Are you going to come back with a British accent?" Considering famous examples like Madonna (who developed one after being married to a Brit and living in the UK), I guess it's possible, but I still scoffed at the idea.

But now that I've lived here for over two months and am preparing to come home in less than a week, I've actually noticed that the way I speak has changed a bit -- not so much my pronunciation, but the type of words that I use and the way I construct sentences. Maybe I just sound more pretentious, or use the passive voice more. But here are a few examples that come to mind:

"Proper" -- Proper isn't a word I ever would have used in the United States. It always seemed to evoke the following stuffy imagery: a high-class family sitting around the dining table, and when the young daughter eats with the wrong type of fork, the grandmother angrily exclaims "That isn't proper!" Well, British people use the word proper about 50 times as much as us Americans. For example, to mean genuine or legitimate: "This is a proper meal" or "This is a proper restaurant." I've found myself using it a lot in everyday conversation, and sometimes catch myself and wonder why.

"Kind regards" at the end of a letter or e-mail -- I don't think I'd ever used this in the United States, but I'd say it's even more common than "Sincerely" here. When sending e-mails to my professors and other formal recipients, I've started writing that now without even thinking.

British people use the present perfect tense a lot more than Americans to describe events in the recent past. For example, if a friend calls and asks if I want to get dinner, I'm more likely to say "I've already eaten, I'm afraid" instead of "I already ate." Another example: "I've just arrived home" instead of "I just arrived home."

The subjects you study in school are maths, not math; sport, not sports. It's cookery book, not cookbook. What we call French fries, the British call chips. What we call chips, the British call crisps. Instead of knock on wood, British say touch wood. This things have all gotten me more than once.

Spelling is very different between the two countries. But my professors have said that I can turn in papers written in American English (color instead of colour, organization instead of organisation, etc) and they don't care. So I've been lazy with regards to adjusting to this issue.

Final note: If you come to the UK, don't use the term "fanny pack" to describe the bag you wear around your waist.

Yay LSE!

"London School of Economics is well represented among Obama's buddies"

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f1b3ff9a-bcec-11dd-af5a-0000779fd18c.html

I met Britney Spears.

I met Britney Spears last night. It was kind of surreal, and was a very strange experience. I actually left pretty disappointed and annoyed, however. Here is the full story.

I lined up with friends about 9pm to ensure that we got into the club where she was playing, Heaven, which was opening about 10:30pm. They finally let us in, and there was a huge stage set up at the end of the dance floor, so we immediately rushed down and saved spots right near the front so we could have a good spot to wait when she performed. Although she hadn't officially announced that she would be performing, The Sun, Sky News and MTV UK were all reporting it, so we were pretty sure it was going to happen. The club has historically hosted a lot of big acts, including Madonna a couple years ago.

We waited and danced until about 1am. Then a bunch of bouncers and security guards cleared off the people who had been dancing on the stage, and everyone started cheering. It was so crowded that I was being crushed against the front of the stage. Then, one of the managers for the club came out on stage and said. "I have some good news and some bad news. Britney Spears is here, but she isn't coming on stage." Everyone booed, and they invited people to come back on stage and started playing music again. We were all confused as to why she would show up, but not want to come on stage? 

After about 20 minutes, a bunch of a security guards came and started pulling people from the crowd onto the stage because we were being crushed. When I got pulled on stage, I walked over near one of the doors on the side. So many people ended up coming on stage and were pushing toward the door that I was literally being crushed again! The security guards were trying to push everyone back, but I managed to get squeezed through the door onto the other side.

Suddenly, I was in a smaller bar with about 100 people. There were 15 or so drag queens dressed up like Britney Spears, and people were dancing around. The atmosphere was completely different than out in the main room, where people were in tears from being crushed. Above the bar, there was a balcony with glass walls that looked down on the main room. One of the guys next to me suddenly said "It's Britney Spears!" I looked up, and I could see her inside of the balcony, with a cigarette and drink in her hand talking to some people. 

I realized that the stairs that I had just walked by lead up to the balcony, which not a lot of the other fans realized, so I walked over and was waiting next to them. I was thinking that maybe I'd wait around for a few minutes and see her while she was leaving, since it was already about 2am. A few minutes later, a bunch of the drag queens walked over to the bottom of the stairs and the guard said, "Ok, you can come up now." Without saying anything, I quickly just snuck by him with them (I don't think I blended in with them, but maybe they were more distracting!) and I walked up the stairs.

In the VIP area, there were about 15 people standing around -- body guards, club employees, and the drag queens. They were standing around a small bar talking to each other, and in the corner I noticed that Britney Spears was sitting by herself smoking a cigarette. She looked really tired and was wearing an old grey t-shirt and sweatpants. It was obvious that she wasn't planning on any performance.

Being bold, I walked over and sat down on the couch next to her. I figured she'd just ignore me, but she immediately looked over and smiled at me. I suddenly felt pretty confident since she'd made the first advance, so I leaned over and said "So they're keeping you up here, huh?" and she just smiled back without saying anything. She stood up and walked over to grab another cigarette, so I stood up too and was standing in the corner still. A couple of her handlers came over and started talking to her. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I saw Britney turn around and point to me with her cigarette, and they kept talking for a few more minutes.

Then one of the guys in the circle with her walked up to me and said, "Who let you up here?" I'm not sure whether she explicitly had asked them to kick me out, or if she just asked them who I was. But before I could make up a good excuse, he had already grabbed my arm and was leading me to the exit. On my way out, I grabbed a Britney Spears pin that was on the counter as a souvenir. I waited downstairs in the bar area for a few more minutes because I was hoping I'd run into my friends, and a few minutes later when I saw people rush toward the exit on the left and start taking pictures, I knew that it meant Britney Spears had left the building.

In all, it was a pretty crappy night. Of the 3,000 people who showed up, I'd say only about 100-200 were actually able to even get a glimpse of her. Why even show up if you're just going to disappoint your fans? She could have at least walked out onto the stage and thanked everyone for coming. I was exhausted by the end of it, and my whole body was sore from being crushed and pushed around in large groups so much. Although it was cool to get to talk to her for a few seconds, it simply wasn't worth all the other turmoil of the night.

I recently saw an interview with Britney Spears where she said that she felt like she is a prisoner, which I thought was pretty ridiculous, but after last night I can almost see why she would say that. There were thousands of people crowding and pushing each other to try to get to her, and she was literally trapped in a small balcony area completely surrounded by people wanting to get to her. What kind of a life is that? 

Through all the intense media scrutiny and insane fandom, she has become an abstraction, not a real person. I almost felt guilty for being one of the hordes of mindless people contributing to that.

Anyway, here are a few photos stolen from friends:

Waiting to get inside.

When we thought she was about to come on stage.

One of the many crowds of people pushing.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

It's crazy to think that this is probably the first Thanksgiving in my life that I haven't had any turkey. But the weather is definitely cold enough right now that I can tell it's the end of November. And I also have a lot to be thankful for this year. So -- no complaints! I never liked cranberry sauce much anyway!

Life has been pretty crazy here lately. On Saturday I went to my first foam party at a club near where I live. For those who aren't familiar with the tradition, it's where they have a gigantic machine that makes suds of foam, and the dance floor becomes almost like a gigantic bubble bath. I didn't have a camera with me, but found this image on Google which pretty much captures what it was like:

It was so much fun! The foam got so tall that I literally had to hold my breathe at a few times. I didn't get back until after 4am, and it was only a few degrees above freezing, so the run back was pretty crazy. Unfortunately I ended up losing my shirt, shoes and cell phone! I went back the next day to try to recover them (especially the cell phone), but the manager said they hadn't been found.  So I had to buy a new cell phone... and now my whole face is peeling; I think I had some sort of reaction to the soap. An Italian girl I know told me that my face was distracting her from focusing in class! C'est la vie... I'd almost say that the turmoil was worth it for the experience.

Aside from that, everything is going well. I got back my first written assignment -- I was pleased with my mark, but the professor marked the whole paper up because I didn't cite the way she wanted. It's a slow transition into the British system, but I'm adjusting. 

I also wrote an article for The Beaver this week defending media studies as an academic field. The shadow minister of education said in a speech that students who choose to study it and other "soft subjects" are actually doing a disservice to society by not learning anything valuable! I basically harpooned him for being so academically elitist, and discussed how communication majors actually land some of the best jobs. So take that!

Can't wait for the weekend. I'm going to a friend's birthday party, and on Saturday, none other than...

...is playing a free show at a club near where I live. I managed to log online with some friends and get free vouchers for admission. Can't say that I'm really that big of a fan of her music anymore, but it should be a pretty crazy experience! The venue only holds about 800 people.

That's it for now. I'll be back in the U.S. in less than two weeks!

Ross Parrot

One of my professors just pronounced Ross Perot's name as "Ross Parrot." It got me to thinking.

I'm rather fond of parrots. 

Ross Perot... not so much.

Alvaro's Visit

This weekend Alvaro -- my family's former exchange student -- flew up for a visit from Madrid, Spain. It was mainly work related, as I helped him with his applications to American universities, but we managed to squeeze in some time for fun as well. I took him on a walking tour of London before the rain started, and we went out to dinner at TGI Friday's and then to a club in SoHo. The Internet was down for the entire LSE network for about 24 hours, and us two "frikis" had a hard time figuring out what to do with ourselves. Fortunately we managed alright after going to Starbucks to use the wifi.

It was a good weekend!

An upside to the economic meltdown

This graph from Yahoo! Finance shows how much value the British Pound has lost is comparison to the U.S. Dollar over only the last three months:

Essentially, a British pound used to cost almost $2 U.S. dollars to get, and now it costs less than $1.50.

Translation: Time to start my Christmas shopping! :P