Friday, November 26, 2010

Sunrise

This past weekend, I had my first adventure outside of Los Angeles! I took a 3 day bus tour to Las Vegas and Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, the tour group I went with was allllllll Asian, even though it was a bilingual tour. I was caught in the middle because I'm Chinese so everybody assumed I spoke Mandarin (I only understand the basics of it) but I just wanted to speak English!! So I mostly kept to myself and did my own thing.

Day 1: I had to wake up at the crack of dawn to meet up with the tour group. Luckily, my roommate drove me into downtown so I didn't have to take the bus. Our first stop was the Barstow Outlets. We drove through the Mojave Desert where a bunch of movies have been filmed before. Lots of off-road racing goes on around there. After shopping around for an hour (the tour guide advised people to buy jackets if they didn't have one), we had another hour for lunch. I decided to try out In N Out for the first time... and I don't understand what all the hype is about. The place was packed with hundreds of people. It took 20 minutes for my order (cheese burger, fries, and a shake) and it totally wasn't worth it. After that, we headed for Las Vegas and arrived around 4. The tour group really lucked out the entire trip--during the drives, it was awful weather, but once we stepped out of the bus, every time, the skies cleared. After I threw all my stuff into my hotel room on the top floor of the Imperial Palace (I had two queen beds for myself), I headed out on the strip. There's really nothing to do other than gamble, drink, and go to a show. I mostly checked out all the hotels and walked around. I met up with a friend for dinner and had sushi, and then I continued my trek down the strip. Since I was in Sin City, I decided to play $5 at the penny slots. At first, I was up about $1.50... and then I lost it all. That's how they get you!
I don't know how people can live there... one night was enough for me. It's too commercial and superficial--all about instant gratification.

Day 2: Left the hotel at 8:30 and headed over to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory (where some Mars candies are made). Bought and chugged a coffee. Then we were off to the Grand Canyon (the west side)! The whole drive over, it was rainy and windy. Once we reached the canyons, it was actually snowing! I never thought it could snow in the desert. We finally reached our destination (Hualapai Ranch--part of the Native American reserve). And, like I said, once we stepped out of the bus, the skies cleared up! I think the wind played a part in that as well. After throwing my crap into my single room, I spent some quality time with my Nikon D80... oh, how I've missed it (I had to get it repaired at the end of August)! We headed over to the Skywalk where Eagle Point is. I can't even describe how majestic it is to see the canyons... seriously incredible. So for $32, I got to walk on the skywalk, which was not worth it at all because you aren't allowed to bring your camera (or any type of metal for that matter) and you don't even get to walk on glass (they make you stay on walking mats). Lame.


Our next stop was Guano Point, which was my favorite part of the whole trip. From the top of one point, you can get a 360 degree view of the canyons. Once the tour guide told us we could go to the top, I raced over so I could beat all the other tourists and avoid having them in my photos. It was a bit like hiking/rock climbing, which I LOVE to do but haven't done in so long. When I got to the top, the wind almost knocked me over a few times. The view was spectacular though. The reds and purples in the sky and rocks were beautiful together. I took a TON of pictures. And we were fortunate enough to be there during sunset.
When the sun went down, we drove back to the ranch and had dinner. Apparently, everything on the ranch must be driven or flown in from Las Vegas (food, water, waste, etc) so you have to be careful with the resources. During dinner, some guy played country music on his guitar and in the back of the dining hall was a magician. After I ate dinner, I sat down to watch the magician (named Chris). He did mostly card/slight-of-hand tricks. I was lucky enough to be chosen as his volunteer, so at the end of the show, I got to keep a playing card with my name on it.  It was completely entertaining and mind-blowing; magic tricks have always fascinated me. I ended up talking to Chris for a while afterward, and it was just so nice to have a conversation with someone.
Around 8pm, I headed outside to take some night shots, but there weren't many stars out, surprisingly. After 30 minutes or so, my fingers and toes were freezing, so I headed to my room where I was at a loss for what to do. There was no television or internet, I didn't have a book, and I didn't have any games. Soooo, because I had my netbook, I played Minesweeper and Solitaire for a while, journaled a bit, and then went to bed.


Day 3: Woke up before the sun came up. It was wonderful. Ate breakfast and photographed the sunrise. I can't even explain how beautiful the sunrise was. There were colors that you only see in paintings. Definitely my favorite sunrise I've ever witnessed.
6:30am, off to the little airport 5 minutes away. For $179, I got to take a helicopter down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, take a boat ride on the Colorado River, and helicopter back to the top. Initially I wasn't going to do it because I'm still on a student budget, but at one point, the tour guide said "you can always make money but this is once in a lifetime," and that was a sign because that has sort of been my philosophy since I've been out here. Carpe diem! I'm so glad I did it too because it is just amazing. At one point, I realized where I was and what I was seeing and just laughed. It was so surreal.



After the helicopter rides, we went back to the ranch, packed up our stuff, watched some lame "western gun show" performed by the staff, and then headed out for Los Angeles.
I didn't realize how long the drive would be... it took probably 9 or 10 hours to get back to Monterey Park, then I had to switch to another bus to take me back to Chinatown in LA (another 45 minutes), then I had to get on the LA metro bus to take me to Venice (another hour). All that traveling plus the dryness of Arizona hit me hard. I felt sick on the LA metro and knew I was going to throw up... If the bus driver had opened the door a few seconds earlier, the door would still be clean. But alas, that didn't happen.
I'll save you the details, but I was very sick that night; I couldn't keep anything down, including water. After googling my symptoms, I believe I had dehydration. I went to work on Tuesday and was a complete zombie. Came home and slept for 13 hours and now I'm about 90% better.

I was a little sad for Thanksgiving this year. Really missed home and the family. I didn't even go Black Friday shopping today. It's hard to let go of traditions. Sigh.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

To the Light

Side view of BCAM
Today, my roommate (James) and I went to the LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) to see the new additions by Renzo Piano. I actually wasn't aware that he had worked on the museum in LA, so I was excited to learn that it was nearby.

I have admired Mr. Piano's works since learning about the Menil Collection back in freshmen/sophomore year. When I visited the Art Institute of Chicago and got to experience his work first hand, it was awesome. He really has a way with light.

Mr. Piano designed two additions for the transformation of LACMA: the Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM) and
Interior of Resnick Pavilion
Richard Serra
the Resnick Exhibition Pavilion. The layout of the museums themselves were pretty normal, but the filtration of light in the interior was very Renzo. On the exterior, he highlights the structure in a bright red, which actually reminded me of Japan for some reason. Anyways, I enjoyed the structure, but I think the Chicago Art Institute was more impressive. I can't wait to see what the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum addition looks like (someone in Boston update me on the construction, please).

As for the artwork, I was thrilled at what they had! I wasn't expecting to see Barbara Kruger or Jeff Koons or Richard Serra. It was a fantastic collection. We didn't have time to walk through the entire campus (it consists of 6-7 buildings) but we managed to see all the contemporary pieces.

Jeff Koons

Urban Light
View of Resnick Pavilion from the top of BCAM

Monday, November 15, 2010

Live Your Life

Our project for work was due on Friday, so I have had the weekend PLUS today and tomorrow off, which means I have been out and about again!

On Saturday, I was feeling a bit home sick, although I don't exactly know what "home" is these days. I think a quote from the movie Garden State sums it up best:

Andrew: You know that point in your life when you realize the house you grew up in isn't really your home anymore? All of a sudden even though you have some place where you put your shit, that idea of home is gone.
Sam: I still feel at home in my house.
Andrew : You'll see one day when you move out it just sort of happens one day and it's gone. You feel like you can never get it back. It's like you feel homesick for a place that doesn't even exist. Maybe it's like this rite of passage, you know. You won't ever have this feeling again until you create a new idea of home for yourself, you know, for your kids, for the family you start, it's like a cycle or something. I don't know, but I miss the idea of it, you know. Maybe that's all family really is. A group of people that miss the same imaginary place.

So I decided to head over to the Westfield Shopping Center in Culver City for some retail therapy. I now understand why it is referred to as "retail therapy." The moment I entered the mall, I felt at home... as strange as that may sound. It just felt familiar. It's comforting to know that no matter where you are in the country, every store is set up the same way. Anyways, the mall itself was pretty impressive. The two sides are on different levels, so to get to the other side, there are ramps that go from the second floor to the third floor. Very different from the usual malls I have been to.

Today was epic. My roommate and I set out to attend the 1pm tour at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (2002), designed by Rafael Moneo. When we got there, we unfortunately learned that there was a funeral going on, so there was no tour for the day. We found out that the funeral was for Dino De Laurentiis (who I didn't know of and didn't know had died because I've been out of the news loop due to work) who was an Italian film producer, behind several of Hollywood's most successful movies. The only connection I know is his grand daughter, Giada De Laurentiis, who hosts a show on the Food Network. So my roommate and I walked around the exterior, wishing we could see the interior. At one point, we just sat on a bench, watching all these powerful Hollywood folk walk by us. We noticed that everyone was in black and red, which we guessed and later found out was requested by De Laurentiis.

Governator
David Lynch
While we were looking for the mausoleum, we entered the actual cathedral and figured, "why not?" so we sat in the back of the service, completely sticking out like a sore thumb because we were both in blue while everybody else was in red. While we were listening to the eulogies and prayers, I was admiring the interior. Then... the priest introduced... THE GOVERNATOR. Celebrity sighting #2! I must admit, Arnold gave a damn good speech. After the governor spoke, De Laurentiis's daughters spoke, then David Lynch (celebrity sighting #3! -- director of films such as Mulholland Drive and Blue Velvet) gave a speech about what a joker De Laurentiis was. Lastly, Baz Luhrmann (celebrity sighting #4! -- director of Moulin Rouge, Romeo + Juliet) summed up the ceremony by discussing De Laurentiis's love for life, art, and family; a perfect peroration in my opinion.
As I was sitting there, listening to the kind of man that Dino was, I couldn't help but reflect on my own life. He seemed like an amazing man, full of energy and ambition. Even at age 91, he kept plowing through life, not letting anything get in his way.

Afterward, my roommate and I explored and photographed the interior. The cathedral is beautiful; the use of materials, the filtration of light, the geometries... all of it was just breath-taking. When we got down to the mausoleum, I was a little less impressed. It felt a little corporate and out of place. But, I did find Gregory Peck's columbarium down there.


Bradbury Building
When we finished examining the cathedral, we headed over to Broadway to find the Bradbury Building. I didn't know much about the building other than its appearances in a few movies. From the outside, it doesn't look like much. It actually reminded me of the Monadnock building in Chicago. I was pleasantly surprised when I entered; it was like stepping back in time. It was just gorgeous. The detail, the look, the feel... it was awesome. It even had the old cage elevators that are manually operated.

Grand Central Market

Across the street, I saw the Million Dollar Theater (one of the first theaters built in America) and then walked through the Grand Central Market where I bought a smoothie. On the other side of the market, we noticed the Angels Flight Railway, which is the shortest railway in America that shuttles people up and down a steep 298 feet hill. For a quarter each, we rode the railway up and then
Angels Flight Railway
walked around downtown. We ended up exploring the Walt Disney Concert Hall again, which was great because I saw parts that I missed the first time around. It was also sunset, so the reflection of the orange light on the metal was actually really beautiful.

Our last stop of the day was the Central Los Angeles Area High School #9 by Coop Himmelblau. Sadly, I wasn't very impressed. It's definitely different than usual high schools, and I love the fact that there's so much outdoor space, but I didn't like the symbolic tower that didn't serve much of a purpose other than a visual signal. It looked as if it were trying to become a Morphosis building but didn't work out. I was also confused about the swirl/ramp which I just researched and found out it is supposed to look like the number "9." I don't know; I left with a feeling of "ehhh."

To avoid driving home in LA rush hour (which is an absolute nightmare), we ended up having dinner in Chinatown before concluding our day of epic adventures. More tomorrow!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Pursuit of Happiness

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about my blog. Sadly, I haven't had any fun since my last update due to work and studying. However, I have a few updates.

As I mentioned in my first post, I have become Elizabeth Gilbert on an "Eat Pray Love"-like adventure to discover parts of myself that have been forgotten or neglected over the years. I had my first epiphany a couple weeks ago, and I decided to do something to mark its importance.

Family has always been important to me, but I never knew how much I actually miss them. I suddenly realized that I would be missing Thanksgiving at home, which happens to be one of my favorite times of the year. I would usually wake up to the smell of my mom's cooking, turn on the Thanksgiving Day Macy's Parade on TV and drift in and out of sleep before I would wake up for the festivities. Black Friday was the highlight of Thanksgiving weekend; for the past few years, my brother or mom and I would wake up at the crack of dawn to join the other thrifty shoppers and kick off the Christmas season.
Sadly, that's another holiday I'm missing as well. Every year my family and I would join my dad's side of the family and have a huge dinner before unwrapping a pile of gifts. I love the feeling of Christmas, with the crisp, cold air, the white snow that makes the world seem clean and new, the spirit of giving, the warm cookies out of the oven, the hot chocolate, the blankets, etc. All of that will just be a faint memory this year.

And as much as I get annoyed with my parents calling me every single day to check up on me, asking the same questions and telling me the same things, I deeply appreciate how much they care (of course, I would never tell them that). But my family, from parents to cousins, have been there for me through thick and thin, always ready to listen to my problems and support my decisions. Therefore, yesterday, I got a tattoo of my family name (Ngo/Wu) on my finger (inside of my right index) to show how important family is to me. Not sure what my parents will say when they see it, but it's too late to change it now.

I never thought I would get a tattoo in my life, but one thing I've learned is that there are no absolutes in this world. One day, you'll have your whole life planned out, and the next, you're on a different path. Just go with the flow.

On another note, my friend Erik, who I met as a freshman at Wentworth, had a layover at LAX today so I got to meet up with him and hang out around Venice! It was so so nice to see a familiar face after being out here for two months. I haven't had many people to talk to due to my location and work.
He quickly learned how awful the public transportation is, as it took him 2 hours to figure out how to get from LAX to Venice. However, we had a great time. I took him to a cute little diner called 50's Cafe where we had a hearty breakfast for a very cheap price. Then I showed him Abbot Kinney Boulevard and we stopped to have mimosas at Three Square Cafe (no celebrity sightings this time). Lastly, we hit the beach and walked around the boardwalk for a bit before I had to drop him off at the airport.

This is how every weekend should be.