Archives – January, 2008
I spent 6 hours in the darkroom today. Printing 2 assignment, the first one is “face of a stranger,” (The professor asked us to take pictures of 20 strangers, and I did it in a resturant. Eh……It’s not really difficult to me, as I just won’t feel shy.) and the second one “depth”. I spent more than 10 film papers on the first assignment. (While there is only 25 papers in one package, I think I have to buy a 100 papers one soon.) It really drive me crazy. The result is totally different if the exposure time is more or less for one second. I think my friends would probably think that I fall in love with the woman in the pictures……as I printed her face repeatedly……Ah….I bring bunch of failed products back dorm……I don’t want to waste it.I think I should post it on the wall, reminding me not to waste the film papers again.
The depth one is in good progress as I learnt from the failure.
Coming out from the darkroom, the sky is already dark……The Sunday that I usually laying on the bed, watching the soccer match contributed to my photojournalism class.:-<
My messy table and my products.
January 28, 2008
I have a dream…….It’s a well-known said by Martin Luther King. It’s too heavy, I want to do something fun only.
I went skiing on the Martin Luther King Holiday. I don’t want to waste my day in the campus……Ah…….maybe I just hate to stay in Muncie.
Skiing is really cool! I can do it quite good after 1 hour beginner lesson (While the one go with me keep falling down, ha). Take a ride and rush from the middle striaght down hill! I can’t do turning good, but going striaght down is much faster, of course, more exciting! And I always fall down when I want to stop…….
And I also tried snowboarding (this one is a bit difficult, but I can do something basic at the end of the day) and tubing.
There are still something fun to do in the freezing winter. Hope to do it again!
January 24, 2008
The spanish class is more difficult than I expected, I’m quite sure I won’t get an A in it in this semester. But who cares? I see every class in this year as hobby class only. Who will work really hard on chess class?
Today is the first time processing film, ah…It’s a bit difficult to me, you know, guys usually are not good at dealing with details especially a careless people like me. I spent some time learning how to load a film in the darkroom. I can tell you the darkroom is really totally dark, I just load the film by my sense. Luckly, I did quite a good job in the film process (thanks for my teammates also). Ah…But I didn’t focusing well when I was taking pictures. So, some of the pictures are blurred and out of focus. Some of them are pretty good that I can print out as my homework on the next week. The film process is something new to me, following the instruction step by step, looking forward to the result. I can tell you guys it was fun.
This is my new old film camera for the photojouralism class! It’s a used one, probably a product from 1975. Everything is manual, I think I’ve to spend some time to get used to it. (I can choose a semi-automatic one, but I didn’t. I was thinking it looks nice, maybe I can bring it back to Hong Kong as display even I’m quite sure I won’t use it in Hong Kong. My persist in something vintage again……)
January 17, 2008
Add/drop period is ended. Creative Nonfiction writing, photojournalism, spanish, journalism writing, I think it would be fun, maybe.
January 13, 2008
The basic english class here really dump……I dun know why I still have to attend it……People having worse english than me dun have to attend it. What the hell is going on? I think I will only attend the first week of these dump classes. I’m really angry and become easy to get mad on everything now……..Stay in my room in this period untill I feel better……And stop to learn driving in bad temper…….
The result of my last semester is quite good. I will not say it here as someone may say I’m showing off here. To be honest, I dun feel really happy or pourd of it. Ah…..everything is too easy here instead of the IEI(the name of basic english class), it’s a black spot in my exchange life.
January 11, 2008
12/17/2007-wake up in the morning, go from Indianapolis to Detroit, Detroit =>Baltimore, MD, =>take the bus, subway in Washington to Hostel=>7-11 fired chicken=>take away curry chicken rice=>sleep
12/18/2007- walk around in the building near the white house (Bank of America, treasure department.etc.)=>Washington Monument (Free ticket)=>WW2 memorial=>Lincoln memorial=>Vietnam War memorial=>Dinner in a restaurant outside Chinatown…=>walking around the shop near subway station(wok & roll, what a good name)=>following the staff in hostel to a bar…..
12/19/2007-Mall near Washington train station=>supreme count=>congress library=>congress building=>national museum ancient American=>dinner eating Chinese food…ah….many fashion shops around, but it’s meaningless to a people who’ve just been to Europe.
12/20/2007-past by the old post office to national archive=>art museum(yo, Andy Warhol)=>castle, not much to see(no adventure or something old)=>African museum near the castle…it’s near to close, so just hanging out in the first floor=>Thomas Jefferson Memorial(no bus…walk to there….ah…..)=>Dinner in wok & roll, Sushi & fired rice, noodles=>watching movie “Alvin & the chucks”, really fun!
12/21/2007-take the bus to Philadelphia=>鰻魚飯, 小籠包=>wearing a big backpack to see NBA game, 76ers VS Lakers=>go back by tax
12/22/2007-Fired chicken as lunch, it’s always good to feed myself by meat=>independent hall=>liberty bell=>city hall=>火鍋 in Chinatown,MKstation, beef and beef…
12/23/2007-national liberty museum=>ah….the church is closed=>lunch in Chinatown, tried the Vietnam food, tried to order by Vietnamese, failed for sure=>it’s rainy day….heavy rain=>doll museum by taxi, it’s closed=>went to the art museum which is close to it=>take photo with the statue of rocky=>go in, it’s Sunday! So, just give some donation(as less as you want) and get in there. It’s raining heavy and no taxi, we walked a long long way to starbuck and take a rest, and my clothes were wet…..ate something in china town…福建炒面,龍眼冰,咖哩牛腩煲
12/24/2007-take the train to NewYork, I met a staff working in Ballstate Alumni center in the train station, he say hi to me, how can he recognize I’m from Ball state? I wore Ball state sweater everyday in the trip…so….Take the train and subway, been to the hostel at night. Put the luggage in the room. Go to find some place count down for the Christmas. Lincoln center in NY=> Dan, Japanese food=>walk around in the time square=>count down in the time square for Xmas=> Go back
12/25/2007-take the subway to Columbus circle=>central park=>street near central park=>take the subway to south ferry station=>take the ferry to island=>take a long bus trip in the island=>take the subway and then go back=>time square, Dollas BBQ!
12/26/2007-World trade center=>mall=>soho area=>time square m&m shop=>
12/27/2007-metroplitan museum=>terminal station=>Korean town=>Korean BBQ=>Celebrate my 21Bday with my friends, love you all
12/28/2007- Guggenheim Museum=>metropolitan museum of art again=>the other China town, eating Shanhai food,蟹粉小籠包&小籠包&小籠包=>desert糖潮
12/29/2007- Day of lining up-Statue of freedom=>asking information for ticket in broadway=>dinner in 吉野家=>empire building=>Mcdonald=>Washington square at 2:00a.m=>come back at 5:00a.m….
12/30/2007-sleep until 11:00a.m=>lunch around the hostel=>church appeared in the national treasure, wall street, the stock exchange department, the bull=>eating real quick in 吉野家again=>Broadway show, RENT live for today=>taking pictures in rainy day=>go back hostel
12/31/2007-eating lunch in the bumpa gump=>start waiting in Timesquare for count down at 1:00pm until 12:00a.m…we success! Happy New Year!!
1/1/2008-Nothing to do…MoMa was closed…Ah….everything is closed in new year day….so….hanging out and eat my lunch in Harlem area=>visit the Columbia University=>United nation=>take the cab=>subway go back, killing time in hostel=>go to the airport and go back to ballstate……
Days after the trip….
Waiting for the beginning of semester in campus till 1/7/2008…..learn driving sometimes, cooking something really easy….I’m tired of cooking, and I knew I am only good at cooking pasta and noodles…and nothing else…..killing time……cursing the director of the basic eng class everyday, I should be still in the trip if not her!…..miss the food in Chinatown….feel pity myself for staying in the closed campus……
January 6, 2008
今天就像大年初一一樣, 大部份店舖都關了門, MoMa(其實我對這家博物館真的頗有興趣, 可能它的內容較近代, 而電影海報, 特別是對B-movie這個課題很好奇。)也不例外, 旅程最後一天百無聊賴, 有哈林區吃個午飯, 四周看看。 不知是否大白天的關係, 沒有想像中亂, 人流不多, 看上去不似會有槍戰, 黑幫仇殺發生, 我想得太多了吧。
沿路一直走, 走了兩個地鐵站的距離, 到了Columbia University, 都關了門的。建築物有點舊的, 有歲月的痕跡, 書卷味就是這樣溢出, 在這種環境讀書, 真的不錯。當然, 在長洲度假屋上課也別有一番風味。
坐地鐵到聯合國紐約分部, 門外拍照看看, 便坐計程車走, 就是看見很多, 但沒有坐過想試試。
回到旅館, 煮即食麵填肚, 赴機場返回寒涼荒蕪的曼西小鎮。
後記:
整個旅程最喜歡華盛頓, 雖然對不斷出現的American Dream有點抗拒, 但空礦舒適的環境和不用付費的國立博物館真的很吸引。比較下, 費城的遺蹟因為很多是重組出來的有點失真。至於紐約, 住在鬧市香港廿載, 對這種繁華都市有點膩。
回校後還有數天才開學, 時而學習駕駛, 時而煮點吃, 我充分了解自己的煮食技能, 只限快與簡單的公仔面與意大利粉。炒飯是另一個層次的東西, 怕麻煩如我也不想耗心力去煮, 及折磨自己的胃去消化失敗品。
此外, 我亦每天埋怨著英文基礎班的主管阻礙我的地球轉。
January 1, 2008