How Flickr Got It Right: The Tube

While studying abroad, I took a trip to London, England. While there I realized one thing that is so true about the city, they sure do know public transportation! After my time in London I don't understand why every other major city in the world doesn't have such an amazing transportation system. Everywhere in London that I wanted to go, the Tube was able to get me within a few blocks, so I grew to have much respect for it. I'm sure living there and experiencing the foot traffic the Tube experiences daily wouldn't make me like the Tube as much as I do as an outside, but as a traveler with limited time and no car access (Not to mention the fact that I probably wouldn't even be able to drive it on the left side of the road! It would throw me off so much!), the Tube was total perfection. 

So I thought I'd do a little background information on the Tube. Wikipedia has to say about the London Underground:

The London Underground (often shortened to the Underground) is a rapid transit system in England, serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex. It incorporates the oldest section of underground railway in the world, which opened in 1863 and now forms part of the Circle, Hammersmith & City, and Metropolitan lines; and the first line to operate electric trains, in 1890, now part of the Northern line.
The Underground system is also colloquially called the Tube.The Underground serves 270 stations and has 402 kilometres (250 mi) of track, making it the second largest metro system in the world in terms of route miles, after the Shanghai Metro. It also has one of the largest numbers of stations. In 2007, more than onebillion passenger journeys were recorded, making it the third busiest metro system in Europe, after Moscow and Paris. The tube is an international icon for London, with the tube map, considered a design classic, having influenced many other transport maps worldwide. Currently, 86% of operational expenditure on the London Underground is covered by passenger fares. Almost all London Underground trains currently lack air-conditioning, which leads to the network getting very hot in the summer, although plans are under way to mitigate this problem with new air-conditioned trains and other schemes.

- Wikipedia

So, admittingly it does get quite hot inside of the Tube (even when I was there in the winter, I was sweating because of how many people are crammed into such a limited underground area), but even with the heat and the sweat I still think it's an amazing feat of the modern day. So on that note I'd thought I'd find some awesome pictures on Flickr and share them with this post, not to mention my own photos from my trip.

My photos:

From November 2010.

Me! From my "About Me" page.

From one Victoria to another.

How Flickr got the Tube right!:

"London Underground map - H Beck diagram, first public version, 1933" by mikeyashworth on Flickr

"Mind the gap" by Andrea Blanquez on Flickr

"London Bridge Tube Station" by Kavinda.K on Flickr

"London Tube" by Joseph^ on Flickr

"London Tube" by gintoxin78 on Flickr

"Tube" by gastanuke on Flickr

"London Tube" by Coto Photo on Flickr

"London tube train moving through station" by Misterzeee on Flickr

"London Tube: Bank station" by PJWoodland on Flickr

My Library: "Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything" by Joshua Foer

Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer

Book - Amazon | Goodreads | Wikipedia | NY Times book review by Alexandra Horowitz

Author - Website | Goodreads | Wikipedia | Interview with Foer from The Colbert Report

I bought this book not long after it first came out in March of 2011, started it once and never finished, until about a month ago when I picked it up again and started afresh and I am pretty glad that I did because it was a very interesting read. I have read a few negative reviews of the book on Goodreads and what I found was that people didn't seem to like the book because it read more like a long magazine article (which is what Foer did before becoming a book author), but in my own personal opinion that didn't matter too much to me. I was more interested in the information that he presented, the strange cases of memory loss, and the ways that competative memorizers memorize information. I also found it interesting that the ways that were presented in this book were apparently the learning of daily lives in olden times. The more modern we became as people, the less we taught people how to learn opposed to what to learn. It's a very interesting read but do not mistake it for a "self-help" type of book. While it does present ways one can memorize better, I do not believe it's main goal is to help people to memorize, even though you might assume that from the title (The Art and Science of Remembering Everything). 

Playlist: Tyrannosaurus Rex

Following in the flow of yesterday's playlist post, I thought I'd try one with the great, the amazing, the tyrannosaurus rex, also known as Marc Bolan, also known as T. Rex. Wikipedia has this to say about T. Rex:

T. Rex were a British rock band, formed in 1967 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band formed as Tyrannosaurus Rex, releasing four folk albums under the name. Tony Visconti (their producer for several albums) claimed in a documentary on the band that he had taken to using the abbreviated term 'T.Rex' as a shorthand, something which initially irritated Bolan, who gradually came around to the idea and officially shortened the band's name to "T.Rex" at roughly the same time they started having big hits (shortly after going electric).
In the 1970s, the band had reached success with glam rock hits like "Jeepster", "Get It On", "Ride a White Swan", "20th Century Boy", "Children of the Revolution", "Hot Love", "Telegram Sam", and "Metal Guru".
After earning success in the early and mid-1970s, the band broke up after Bolan was killed in a 1977 car accident.

- Wikipedia article on "T. Rex"

Here are my top five most played songs by T. Rex.

1. Jeepster (actual video) - Electric Warrior & Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof Soundtrack 
2. Mambo Sun - Electric Warrior
3. Lady - The Slider
4. Metal Guru - Rabbit Fighter
5. 20th Century Boy (actual video) - Great Hits 1972-1977 : The A-Sides 

Playlist: Death to the Pixies

I have been on a bit of a Pixies marathon lately and thought that I'd start a new thing on this blog where I do short mini playlists of songs that I love and would totally recommend. So what better way to start than with one of my favorite bands of all time, the Pixies! (This blog post titled comes from here.) I went into my iTunes and found the songs by the Pixies that I've listened to the most so obviously they have to be my favorites! Here are the first 5.

1. La La Love You  - Doolittle
2. Crackity Jones - Doolittle
3. Mr. Grieves - Doolittle
4. I've Been Waiting For You -  Complete 'B' Sides
5. Here Comes Your Man (actual Pixies music video) - Doolittle - a really awesome cover of Here Comes Your Man by Meaghan Smith

How Flickr Got It Right - Italy

One thing I find really interesting is looking through some of the amazing photos people post on Flickr. One of the best ways to find photos is to search for a certain tag and since I am obviously in love with Italy I thought I'd discover a some more of Italy through the Flickr photos. (Insert PBS cheesy travel show intro here.) So, come with me! And discover some of Italy's greatest places.

VENICE

"Venezia, ponte storto, 1994" by Zaffiro&Acciaio: Marco Ferrari on Flickr

"Venice" by marymac28 on Flickr

"Misty morning Venice" by marymac28 on Flickr

"Venice" by marymac28 on Flickr

"Ponte Rialto-" by *- Grumpy Girl -* on Flickr

"img120it" by Natalia Buldakova on Flickr

"Ponticello veneziano" by Davide Cassenti on Flickr

"img125it" by Natalia Buldakova on Flickr

ASCOLI PICENO

"Tavertine Break" by Tommaso Manzi Photos on Flickr

SAN NICCOLO, FLORENCE

"La campagne toscane" by NOV-A-KA-IINN on Flickr

ORGOSOLO, SARDINIA

"Murales in Orgosolo" by inerich on Flickr

"Murales in Orgosolo" by inerich on Flickr

"Murales in Orgosolo" by inerich on Flickr

ROME

"My unique Colosseum shot ..." by Achintya. on Flickr

"Fontana di trevi" by Saanna on Flickr

"Modern Gladiators of Rome" by Saanna on Flickr

"img657it" by Natalia Buldakova on Flickr

"The Vatican" by Saanna on Flickr

LUCCA

"Piazza San Martino" by osolev on Flickr

SIENA

"Siena" by clearbluelight on Flickr

IVREA, PIEDMONT

"Piazza di Citta'" by OrkoLuca on Flickr

LAURIANO, PIEDMONT

"Lauriano" by carlobaldino on Flickr

"Campanile" by carlobaldino on Flickr

"Rosone" by carlobaldino on FLickr

Pretty amazing, right? Hopefully some of those photos will inspire people out there to start saving up money and take that much awaited trip to Italy. Believe me, it's a place not to be missed!

Now tell me!

• Where would you like to travel most in the world? 

10 Things You Might Not Know About Me

Recently I've been looking up different ideas of things to blog about (here & here), and I thought one that I could do easily would be things about me that perhaps not a lot of people know. I find that I like reading other people's blogs when they talk about themselves so I thought that this might be stuff that other people enjoy too, so here we go!

Mittens I knit for my best Italian friend Maila as a Christmas gift.  1. I first learned how to knit when I was about 15 from my grandmother. Now this may not be interesting but the thing is, my grandmother doesn't even knit! She had to remember how to do it then taught me what she could remember and I went from there. To this date I've knit sweaters, scarves, beanies, mittens, gloves, socks, and blankets. Also, I cannot seem to grasp how to crochet, even though many people say crocheting is much easier than knitting, I've always been a knitter who can't understand crocheting!

2. I have done a volunteer work twice, once in high school at an old folks home's voting ballots and once last year at the LA Times Festival of Books where I met Patti Smith at the end of my shift where I got her totally amazing book "Just Kids" signed. I was so so so happy and would love to volunteer at the Festival again, but since I've moved I don't know if I will have time. I'm currently doing training for READ/San Diego and am very happy to start work with that soon. I think more people should volunteer if they have the time/ability to. It's a very rewarding experience to do things for others without expecting something in return.

Me and Dee Dee in the Hollywood Forever Cemetary in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

3. I really enjoy going to graveyards. This may seem strange to some, which I realized when asking friends to accompany me on graveyard trips, but I think it's wonderful. There's something strangely relaxing about graveyards and I love finding graves of famous people, which when I was living in Los Angeles wasn't a very difficult thing to attempt!

My gelato that I had in Chiavari, Italy, right next to the Ligurian Sea!

4. I prefer gelato to ice cream. Having the true gelato of Italy will make you forever hate ice cream and become a slave to the magic of true delicious fresh gelato! Also, if you are ever in Firenze, Italia (Florence, Italy) you MUST take a trip to GROM, the best and most reasonably priced for how amazing it is. It is one block down from the Duomo in Florence, it's super easy to find, and always has line of people, which guarantees that it's got good gelato! (But luckily, you can find GROMs elsewhere in the world besides italia!) My favorite kind of gelato has to be any sort of mint or coffee flavors.

5. When I was growing up my grandmother put a lot of emphasis on getting me to get involved in classes and activities. I've taken a million art classes (many with LAUSD's Gifted and Talented Student Program), acting classes (horrible, only did that once), and tennis lessons which I took for 7 years and became moderately good at. I joined the tennis team in high school but quit after a month or so because I was basically too lazy to attend practice. I wish I had stuck with it and hope to pick up a new racket soon!

One of the picture's I took while in Chiavari, Italy.

6. I am half English and half Italian. My grandmother on my father's side was born in England and moved to America because of the beginning of WWII and my great grandfather on my mother's side was born in Chiavari, Italy (which I visited during my study abroad to track down surviving relatives, which I did, and was turned down! Huge disappointment!).

7. I have been vegetarian now for 4 years, every time I think about going back to having meat every once in a while, I think of all the knowledge I've gained about the cruelty that animals experience in slaughterhouses I cannot bring myself to eat meat. One of the best quotes I've heard about vegetarianism is by Paul McCartney - "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian."

Picture I took inside of the Camposanto Monumentale in Pisa. This is close up of one of the very damaged frescos that are currently being restored, the fresco is titled "Trionfo della Morte" ("Triumph of Death") attributed to Buonamico Buffalmacco.

8. I would love to do another study abroad program where I could work hands on with fine arts in Italy. While on that subject, I would love to live in Italy at some point on a more permanent basis. Living there for 3 months just wasn't enough.

Some of my hair dyes throughout the years.

9. When I was in high school and still up to current times I have dyed my hair almost every color of the rainbow. I'm sure along the way I've damaged my hair permanently.

One of the many postcards that my friend Maila has sent me from Italy. 

10. I have a modest collection of post cards I collected while studying abroad and from friends who have traveled/friend I made while in Italy. I've started a photo album of all the postcards I've been collecting, and hope to collect many MANY more in the future.

Now I'd like to hear from you! If you'd like, leave a comment so I can get to know all of you out there!

• Tell me something interesting about you!
• Do you collect anything?
• Where have been your favorite places to travel/live?
• What's your favorite flavor of gelato?
• Have you ever volunteered? If so, where and why?

My Library: "Black Hole" by Charles Burns

Black Hole by Charles Burns

Book - Amazon | Wikipedia | Goodreads

Author - Wikipedia | Goodreads

One could easily say that this book is very very different thank other comic books out there. It's a real life situation where STDs become a metaphor, where teenagers have to live with the evidence of their sexual relationships through visual representations and grotesque mutations. An interesting thought, but at times I have to admit this book made me cringe and it is most certainly not for the faint. The artwork is amazing, normally I'm one to love color, but this black and white artwork is so strong and perfect for the story. There has been lots of talk of this book being made into a movie, but to date there is no real definitive answer, there is however an abbreviated live-action version of it on Rupert Sander's website, I will say this though, it is not safe for work and is a tad disturbing. You can find the video here. 

Here is what Goodreads has to say about the book: 

Suburban Seattle, the mid-1970s. We learn from the out-set that a strange plague has descended upon the area’s teenagers, transmitted by sexual contact. The disease is manifested in any number of ways — from the hideously grotesque to the subtle (and concealable) — but once you’ve got it, that’s it. There’s no turning back.As we inhabit the heads of several key characters — some kids who have it, some who don’t, some who are about to get it — what unfolds isn’t the expected battle to fight the plague, or bring heightened awareness to it , or even to treat it. What we become witness to instead is a fascinating and eerie portrait of the nature of high school alienation itself — the savagery, the cruelty, the relentless anxiety and ennui, the longing for escape.And then the murders start.As hypnotically beautiful as it is horrifying, Black Hole transcends its genre by deftly exploring a specific American cultural moment in flux and the kids who are caught in it- back when it wasn’t exactly cool to be a hippie anymore, but Bowie was still just a little too weird. To say nothing of sprouting horns and molting your skin…

-Goodreads

Definitely worth a look if you're into the weird.