spring break.

i had amazing week with jae lim, and haven't had the time to write blog entries.

jae lim and I went to oxford, and spent the weekend in Paris, visiting versailles. tons and tons of fun, and the week felt more like a day.

now that I'm on my spring break, I'm scrambling to get some work done before I leave for germany on thursday with my dad, who's arriving on wednesday. so one day to write my shakespeare paper and pack for europe. I can do it!!

here are just a few of the many pictures we took, a lot of which are on facebook.

christchurch college, oxford.

exeter college

beautiful reading room. sad how one of the most seemingly interesting buildings are off limits to visitors, but I can understand why. the students wouldn't get anything done, if everyone who wanted to go in, could.

oh, louis XIV. what a lovely place you've got.

the man doing precisely what the hall of mirrors was designed for: checking himself out.

rowing.

epic.

i want a study room like this, with a giant globe and all the shenanigans.

i like the color scheme.

montmartre.

sitting on the steps of montmartre, overlooking the parisian nightscape. amazing night

the seine.

artsy, cute left bank.

shakespeare and co bookstore, where we saw ethan hawke, looking rather old and grungy.

pont neuf.

yummmmmmm dessert.

did a lot in one week, but every memory is crystal clear. especially the weekend trip to paris. it really inspired me to learn french, so i'm looking into taking classes during the summer.

it was nice to travel with someone. I've been taking all my international trips by myself and really enjoyed the freedom to do whatever I wanted at my own pace. but having company was definitely exciting as well. i'll experience both accompanied and solitary traveling during spring break, as i'm spending the first half with my dad and the second alone.

after having a blast with jae lim, I'm honestly a little nervous about being alone again in a foreign country, but I'm looking forward to some "creative hanging out."

saatchi gallery in chelsea.

on sunday, when jae lim was sketching and I was watching her at the v &a , an elderly gentlemen approached us and started talking to us about his iPhone. we just nodded along through his iPhone talk, but before saying bye to us, he suggested a couple other galleries worth visiting. one of them was the saatchi gallery, which I'd heard of before, so that's where we spent our monday afternoon.

saatchi gallery is in chelsea, a posh and more luxurious part of london town.

sloan sq.

perhaps, I will become rich enough one day to have an apartment here.

saatchi gallery is a contemporary gallery, composed of 13 smaller galleries. very modern building with all white and glass interior decoration. they hold temporary exhibitions that each last a few months.

currently on exhibition is "the empire strikes back: indian art today."

gandhi's famous speech on british salt tax, made out of clay bone-like small sculptures.

"her suburban dream." by huma mulji.

"the concrete water pipe has forced the vow in her suburban dream into an aunnatural and somewhat degrading position at the mercy of humanity. This compelling work explores change and disorder in the region [of india and pakistan] and beyond."

boy selling books on the streets of mumbai.

representing nomads, whose home is where their feet stays.

installation, filled with petroleum oil. very virtual-space like.

then we headed to covent garden.

the tea house.

a local coffee shop that I found all on my own. monmouth coffee factory.

notting hill, v&a, and jae lim chung

portobello rd. lots of pastel, colorful houses.

the blue plaque says "George Orwell lived here...(i forget the dates)"

antique store

then jaelim arrives!!!!

v&a museum.

renaissance sculptures.

narcissus looking at his reflection.

sketching away.

one sculpture that stood out of the clutter of v & a. "fallen angel" by rodin.