PAaaarrrty!

So one of my flatmates had her 20th birthday celebration on Friday. And so me and my trusted Canon took pics of the pretty people all stuffed into our little kitchen. It was great fun. Drunkedness for some, and great amusement for others.

1. The cake that we bought at Marks & Spencer: Dennis carries while () gaurds our precious candles.


2. The koreans drink free beer and stand about looking kool.(no pun intended)


3.I get caught in a photo with Dennis.


4. Dennis and his friends are caught for posed fun.


5. The birthday girl has had a whole bottle of white wine by herself.


6.fotis and julia pose in front of the fridge for a sweeeeet shot.


7. The hallway is haunted by a german on his way to the toilet.


8. Half of how stuffed the kitchen became.

I managed to leave this corner to take a picture of it (The rest of the kitchen was filled with people smoking)

and just as a little fun for all ya'll: a bit of music.
money, don covay (hidden message?)
lilly allen, knock 'em out (personal experience?)
dont wait too long, madeleine peyroux (sweet)

Cheesy factor

This is what I wrote for my proposal to have my own show at the Leeds Uni online radio:
(I am now somewhat regretting some of it)
A picture of Keegan and me dj-ing at KDVS (my last time)

Music is, personally, the most international form of communication. And although most people are willing to listen to various forms, there is not always the opportunity. Living in halls with a great variety of international students present, all with their personal favorites blasting from their dorms, I was inspired.
To have a radio station that brings the ecclectic favorites of international students to the programming of a British radio station. There is Philip the German who plays hard rock from both Germany and the states, and Vivi the Greek who has salsa music on her playlist. I don't even know how to explain what Ashi the Korean listens to.
These are those living on my floor, and I hope to approach each person with a blank cd to ask for their personal favorites to than play. I like to play things that will catch your attention and keep you moving or bopping your head.
I love music, but I hope to learn even more by raiding my flatmates' ecclectic music tastes. I will also add in to the two hours, half an hour of old radio mystery shows.
The show would be good for mid-day because it would be an upbeat addition to any day.
The show would be in the moment with all the tracks and such pre-picked out.
In accordance to how I think LSR will be 'enhanced' I believe that would be by them allowing a time for others to hear what is getting playtime around the world. It is hard to find new music, I wish to help the process by educating in a university setting.

They asked for a list of 10 songs that I may play on the show:

Huey 'Piano' Smith & The Clown-Don't You Just Know (link)
Madeleine Peyroux-Don't Wait Too Long
La Lupe-Fever (link)
Payom Moo-Tamai Dern Sae
fat freddy's drop-this room (link)
Peaches-Operate
The Casual Dots-Clocks (link)
Dj Jazzy Jeff-we live in philly
Jehro-Everything
Cab Calloway-The Man From Harlem

Bulking Up

I did what any college student would do today: putzed and got around to various bits and pieces that needed to be completed throughout the day.
But this evening I got together with my flatmate across the hallway and tried to share a bottle of wine. Unfortunately, the Pub closes at 11pm and we were only 1/2 way through the bottle. So what to do with a bottle that we certainly payed for? Stuff it in my jacket and make it through the door and past various coppers posted outside to watch the various freshers dispersing. I definitely had gained a few pounds between entering and leaving, and in a bizarre elongated way.
That bottle is now sitting in our freezer (most likely turning to ice due to its cheapness).
The campus newsletter had listed various events and activities that are available to Leeds students, one of which is a film festival in November.
It is weird, living in a city with opportunities to rival berkeley, but with closing hours worse than Davis. The juxtaposition of buisnesses closing early and the potential for nightlife is mind boggling.
Oh well, that means its 12pm I am a bit thrashed (pissed) and going to bed.

and for your entertainment and mine: andrea on the beach.

Out and About

So we went to the pub down the street from the I-house in Headingly and got a bit of something to drink. I have a few pics to document the group that trailed on down. The two first are of the pub itself, and the one below is before we headed out. (These are all either flatmates or students from the building)



Last night I went out with a couple of Americans to have some Indian food in England. Very good. And we ordered naan that came on a tree holder. In the background is the English guy Gary, a friend of the girl I had dinner with.
He was surprised when I asked for my uneaten food for take-away. Personally it was very good for this morning's breakfast.

Internet Blows Up

Well, it has been on and off for the past few weeks, but the new internet in our housing decidedly stinks. Unable to sign on from my dorm, I thought I would go find an internet cafe.
Freshers week begins tomorrow and already both city centre and headingley are swarming with students intent on becoming completley pissed. I joined the mass a couple of times this weekend, going out with my flatmates, none of whom speak english as their first language except for me. The whole situation was fun and interesting. I have a new neighbor named Julia from Germany, and the girl living across the hall I have come to know a bit better: Vivi from Greece. Other than those two and another girl from Germany, the remainder of the rooms are boys (men?). All 12 rooms have been filled. I am hoping that we do not go at each other's necks before the end of term, but right now everyone is very nice and jovial.
I have met one guy studying interior design at the College of art and design, and his friend who are both from Holland.
Other than that everyone is either studying international relations, international buisness, or the entertainment buisness in one form or another.
Everyone who moved in when I was in Edinburgh got to know me as "the girl from the States." Not too bad a rep I suppose. But I have managed not to unnerve anyone with my base American attitudes and find myself correcting people that it is NOT always sunny in California.

an ancedote:
On returning from Edinburgh I caught the tail-end of international week, part of which was to have people extolling the virtues of Leeds with booths about the possibilities at our doorstop. I was stopped by one guy selling "not Tourists" a company set-up to help students visit the various corners of the UK for little money. I was personally put-off by his need to talk so slowly to me. And after his speech he asked me where I was from. I told him California, his response was to tell me that he thought I was from Norway because I was "so pale". And than on learning that I knew perfectly good english began flirting (hurmph). Admittedly I have been working on diminishing as much of my tan as possible, but still!
And on that note, I have seen more English that look like the idealized California than I have in California.
I apologize for my tirade, I have enjoyed myself quite a bit in England, but I am still floating in a type of irridescent bubble of unbelieving at the moment. Knowing that I am living and going to school on the other side of the world still seems so unreal.

Food for thought?

Well, today I had to get off my train from Edinburgh to Bourmouth at York because lightning had struck the Leeds station and the signal lights were out. They instructed us to 'alight' and take another train, as they were going to go around Leeds instead. Took me two seconds to realize that 'alight' meant 'leave' and that meant me. The train left and I and a few other passengers tried to figure out what to do. While waiting for the next train to come and bring us to Leeds a HUGE thunderstorm started up, wind, rain, and lightning bolts followed by thunder that rumbled on, wrapping around the station. 30 minutes of rain that would stop and start up again, to only be greeted by bright blue skies and small white clounds on our way to Leeds. The remainder of the day stayed sunny and bright.
I am now back in my dorm, not much has changed (that I know of) and celebrations of a kind happening in the kitchen across the way (the walls arent that thick)

And a couple more pictures just for the fun of it: the first is rather self-explanatory, and the second shows how a certain type of bird will reguritate it's food to fight off predators. (I thought the display was so bizarre, I HAD to share!)

Scotland Pictures

Me and (fill space here)

The high street hostel front room

The view of the craig in Edinburgh from the classroom and me on top at the end. (The picture was taken by an old lady from the highlands- she and her husband have climbed all the mountains in Scotland) (and personally not the best of pictures!)

Top of arthur's seat and the view of the new Scottish parliament building (pretty nifty huh?)

This is how cool Edinburgh is: the left is a vintage store and the right a walkway covered in graffiti on both sides.

At a bar/club called Frankenstein, they were looping the old frankenstein movie. I caught a few scenes from the screen.

MOre edinburgh

Last night was the last night of Orientation for Schools through the University system. I got a bit drunk, had great fun, and than woke up at 7:30 the next morning after falling asleep at 4am.
And admittedly, its only writing that down that I realize how lame that might sound... Last night I went on a 'ghost and ghoul' tour of Edinburgh vaults under the streets near the royal mile (not really worth it personally-even though getting under there was pretty cool!) Than there was the drunk'ness. Today I visited the Royal Museum of Scotland (free) it was soo cool becuase it had all of those old school stuffed animals and pinned bugs. On one hand, very disturbing, but on the other it was just SO exciting. I will post pictures once i get back to Leeds. I spent 3.5 hours in there wandering about and perusing through everything. They had a floor with all old-school science equipment, including instruments invented for astronomy, chemistry, and random other science concepts. There was also one of the first cameras ever invented. There was a floor talking about sea creatures, and a bit on this one artist who created models of sea creatures from glass, of which they showed 20+ models. (pictures promised)

There was a model of a dodo, and what the creatures in a drop of lake water look like:






Tonight I spend the night in the same hostel as before, and I am going to go out dancing with the girls from Davis. (which I ended up being too tired to do and almost fell asleep on the hostel couch)

––Apparently my description of 'drunk' may throw a bit of you off. I am a rather responsible drinker and when i do drink it is not to excess, as i like to know that I can get home each night if i need to depend on myself. Therefore 'drunk' for kristin is a bit tipsy with highly friendly overtones!

Edinburgh

I have plenty of pictures, but as I am currently on a pay-as-you-go computer, I figured I would make this brief. I am currently in orientation for my UC and have met some rather interesting characters all from the various different UCs, and each attending a few different schools. I was surprised at how interesting and unique some of the characters were (as i have to admit that I was expecting sorority and fraternity types) But I am happy to report that instead I got drunk on free wine last night, had a very interesting conversation with the director's wife and dinner (as they are from davis as well) and than went out to a karoake night with some of the other students. All in all quite fun. I am a bit nervous about classes now, due to warnings of the differences in teaching, but I am also way too excited about the topics to be scared away.
I will come back with a more thorough and concise draft, but figured you all might want a bit of an update.
Going home the 14th, and than school still doesn't start til the 25th, so who knows what other kind of mischief I can get into??
here are the pics:
coastal town in scotland

street entertainer

Socialising

Nnn


I have forgotten to mention how warm its been here in Leeds and London.
Last night I ventured down to the main social area of the building and met a girl from Holland, and a few guys from: India, Pakistan, Syria, England, Canada and places I can't recall. Their names ranged from rather simple: Jay, Che, Samantha to complicated (dont ask me to remember they were difficult enough to repeat). I now have four new roommates. A girl from India, a guy from Austria, a boy and an older guy from Greece, and apparently another girl has just moved in (and she is from Greece). None of these people can I remember their names. I am working on it. and the guy from Austria-sexy HOT!(like my phone)

Today I went and visited the International office and figured out some class issues, and also visited my design counselor. He was the sweetest middle-aged little british guy, Helped me switch some classes around so that i didnt have too heavy of a course load, and helped me pick out a few others.
For those of you to know this is my class schedule so far:
First semester:
Nationalism, colonialism and 'religious violence' in India
Printed Textile Design 2a
Digital Media (motion/interactive) 2b
Visual Communications project a

Second Semester:
Old Mistresses:Women in the Visual Arts (Art History)
Studio Practive 2b
Visual Communications project b
and i have to chose now between:
printmaking 1 & the professional practice of design 1 (with freshers)

A pretty hefty schedule, it all depends on how many of these units will transfer to Davis, b/c I need to make sure I am not going back after this year. This is supposed to round off my education. No more college after this. Just (dun dun dunnnn) work, or an internship.
So anywho, I also visited the radiostation on campus, its a bit all over the place. A different approach than KDVS and only online. apparently too expensive to be on air (competing with bbc i guess)

and tomorrow I take the train to Edinburgh for a few days! I am SO excited.

Second Day of London

That was tuesday, and wednesday both Nancy and Troy were coming into London. I woke up and went to walk Beamish with Jean again (at a different park) and than went to go find the Design Museum. Now, I realize that yes, I do get lost easily but in a way, I wasnt the first american to make this mistake: There are bridges that go across the Thames in various places, but there is the Tower bridge and the London bridge. The museum was near Tower bridge. Now ask yourself, which is the pretty one? The one everyone knows? Well if you said London bridge, you were wrong. And so was I, and so was the whole country of America when they thought they were buying the "London bridge". So take that mistake, multiply it by a thousand and you have me. Although I kept asking for directions, it was never really specified which one was which and the fact there was a difference. So there you have Kristin's first Two hours around that area. If nothing else I worked off a weeks' worth of food.

After that I finally found the design museum. Personally, not worth 4 pounds. (it was bad.) But the museum definitely did a choice job of parting me from my money! Two magazines for Lucy to check out, and a book on undeground international graphic designers. (I was drooling).
I was to meet Nancy, Troy, David, Jean, Lucy and Beamish at The Farm around 5:30 for a pint and a chat, David was going to cook his famous risotto. The whole night was marvelous. Much laughing, talking, and recouting of stories. It was quite fun to be a part of.
After we had coffee and biscuits, I packed up, and dishes were cleared away, I was going to spend the night at Nancy's hotel. Waking up the next morning, we walked down to Nancy's favorite tea shop to get egg and bacon sandwiches with coffee. (I picked off the bacon). We then parted ways when Nancy and Troy's bus came to pick them up, and I hefted my backpacking knapsack to take the tube back to King's Cross (an hour early). Fortuneatly even though there was no where to sit, the knapsack was perfect for back support. My butt fell asleep though. I had bought Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island and was trying not to laugh out loud and startle those nearby. A recommended read to anyone who wants to know the sensation of spurting milk out their nose.
Back safe and whole, but the internet was dead for the all of Wednesday.

Between The Farm and David & Jeans is a street named Fabian, we took a picture for Fabian:

London Trip

Arriving at the Leeds train station an hour early, I had my first Starbucks(!) so that I could sit about and wait while reading in their little seating area. The ride was rather idyllic, and I couldnt get photos taken fast enough for what I was watching whiz by. I was going to visit David and Lucy becuase Jean was still in Marakesh, due back that evening. I arrived in St. Pancras (believe this isn't the worse of them). I was met by David, Lucy and Beamish(something about black & white and the fact he is from Ireland) at West Brompton.

I went right back out the door to join David on a walk to his favorite pub The Farm. Everyone was splendid, and I had a Tiger beer (from Thailand). That night David cooked, and admittedly I might be visiting more often(!) Lucy was fun to talk to, and she wore the KDVS shirt I had given her the next day to school. Planning to hang out the next evening. That night Jean came in as if a tornado, pulling gifts and purchases that were wrapped in her "knickers" and silkens. We heard stories of goats who climbed trees, and women who retrieved the nuts from their excrements to grind into oil. Jeans explanation of the event: Wide mouth astonishment.
The next morning Jean and I walked Beamish in the park (never show him a ball unless you intend on playing for awhile).
I left the house after and visited the Albert and Victoria Museum, a bit put down that I missed the Ché Guevera exhibit, but everything is so amazing (x10 because its free). Afterwards I walked through Hyde park, where a woman almost ran a boy down, galloping on her horse.
I than visited Harrods, and was a bit put out by the mass tourism of it all (and the prices). but when I took the lift back down it made it ALL worth it.
Lucy made dinner that night: Salmon and vegetables (with her George Forman). And we basically gave up on our plans to do something and instead watched America's next top model. (Don't judge).

the cool ass phone

i have predicted it. now here it is:







and with camera mode on back!

cleaning up

Today I woke at 11:30, took a shower and than surfed the web for a bit.
Around 1 I realized that I had promised myself to clean the kitchen that former residents had left a bit unsettled.
What I thought were dishes left to dry in a kitchen sink, were actually dishes never cleaned for I don't know how long. About 2/3 of those dishes got thrown because they were too gross to even bother with.
There are only three people living on my floor, Jin from Korea, and a guy from the UK who apparently is never in. We have 12 rooms to fill on my floor alone, with kitchen cabinets for each room. About 6 of those cabinets were filled. All of the little baskets in the freezer were filled, and there were questionable left-overs in the fridge. I discovered rather old frozen meats, condiments with an expiration dating to 2004, and three rice-cookers (not including the one Jin is using from Japan).
I also found an ingredient that will render all your dishes "suprisingly delicious":

the room

manchester lounging

in my new jacket in the hotel with nancy

cultural inspiration

work "inspired by microscopic images of bacteria, chromosomes and sperm. "

manchester roofs

red

window seat

completley taken by the clouds outside my window, i thought i would share!