Field Trip and Another for Good Measure!

This past Saturday was quite a day.

Our History of Art R1B class, a reading and composition course with the theme of Japanese art, went on a field trip to San Francisco to check out the Asian Art Museum! Led by our GSI, Namiko, most of us took the BART to get there.

Almost there!

There was a huge protest for Iran going on by the City Hall.

History of Art R1B WHOOOOOOOO! =D.

After we went inside, bought our admission tickets, and checked off our backpacks, it finally came time to see what the museum had to offer! Namiko led us around the Japanese exhibit, providing historical information for the different showcased artwork and sculptures. Though the museum didn’t have many Nihonga/Yoga (Japanese/Western style paintings), there were a lot of interesting displays.

This woodblock print was done by Shiko Munakata, a master of the technique. I wrote about him for one of my papers.

Here, Namiko describes the Japanese artwork painted on a traditional Japanese scroll.

Kasey mimicking the Buddha.

There were exhibits for other countries as well (of course, it being the Asian Art Museum). I really liked the Chinese exhibit as well. A lot of its featured artwork were colored gold, so the luster was very captivating.

A prince, to be sure.

I really like these figurines.

Once we finished checking out the museum, it came time to leave for Berkeley.

I came back to my apartment, ate dinner, and later went to go watch “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” in Emeryville with my roommate, Nicholas, and a friend of ours, Girish. Why Emeryville? Because the UA theater in Berkeley is just plain horrible. Uncomfortable seats and a tinted screen. Ugh.

We planned out our trip, such as the time we should get on the bus to get there by a certain showtime, etc. Unfortunately, the F line bus stopped right before our stop because the driver decided to take a 20 minute break. -_-. We waited it out, and finally got on. When we got to the AMC in Emeryville, it was exactly at 9:15 PM, the time the movie was supposed to start (the previews actually). Just our luck – the tickets were sold out! The next showing wasn’t until 10 PM, and since it was a two and a half hour long movie, the AC Transit (bus) would have closed down, as well as the BART (subway). We contemplated for a long time what to do, since we felt we had invested so much time into getting to Emeryville that not watching the movie there would be a vast waste of time. We walked around in search of another movie theatre that was indicated on Nick’s iPhone, but of course, it wasn’t anywhere within walking distance. Finally, we fought off rationality and decided to watch the movie at 10 PM.

Regarding the movie itself, I thought it was alright. Not fantastic like I thought it’d be, but just ok. Considering that the movie was originally slated to be released last year, I expected better. What I really miss is the old actor who played Professor Dumbledore, Richard Harris. He was the perfect one to play the role. His raspy voice and wise charm are attributes I sorely miss. The new actor, Sir Michael Gambon, the one who plays Gandalf in the “Lord of the Rings” series, doesn’t even compare in my opinion. The movie had really slow pacing and not much action. Too much focus on romance! Apparently (it’s been a while since I read the book), a scene was in the movie that wasn’t even in the book. I won’t mention it because there are those who haven’t seen it yet, but if you know what I’m talking about – why did they put that there? It really didn’t advance the plot in any way. The quality of the “Harry Potter” movies seems to be dropping with each successive one. I liked “Sorcerer’s Stone” and “Chamber of Secrets” the most. They should bring the director from those movies back.

Once the movie was over, it came time for the long journey ahead. We walked all the way from Emeryville to Berkeley. 3.3 miles. In the dark. I was so tired afterwards.  Two field trips in one day is good enough for me. .

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