On Location: California Academy of Sciences

  

H&M coat & skirt, Factorie backpack, Thrifted sheer top, 

Forever 21 bralette worn underneath.

{Image credit (above): Ashley Fenison}

As art school kids, we are constantly on the edge of being broke, thus when the golden opportunity of free Sunday at the California Academy of Sciences arises, we take it. How can we not when it's the only museum in California that has a planetarium, aquarium and rainforest under one roof? It is ridiculous.

Looking into the rainforest.  

Inside the rainforest.

There was so much to see, to touch (I touched and lifted up the head of skinned cheetah or tiger I can't remember and I'm still shaken by that experience). The rainforest was amazing and surprise surprise, the first level was Borneo. It was nice to be surrounded by greenery that reminded me so much of home. Also, the humidity. Butterflies were everywhere and a striking red coat is a bright decision (get it, no? No, ok.) because it attracted a couple of butterflies to chill on my arm. (We freaked out so we didn't get to take a proper shot. As usual, we are always on top of things.)

The aquarium was nothing to shout about but it sure was nice to see all sorts of sea creatures. Seahorses will always remind me of aliens, they just don't look natural at all. But then again, what does something 'natural' really look like huh? We touched starfishes and sea urchins; the latter feeling like toothpicks.

The best part about this museum is most definitely the planetarium. Flashback to Interstellar, in which you witness the vastness of it all and realise how earth is just a speckle. It makes me feel so small and insignificant. How there are bigger things out there, yet we are so troubled by the issues here. But then again, what's before us and happening to us right now has its own weight in being significant in our lives. Time to reread some philosophy books, kids.

Hello reindeer!

Our last stop was the living garden that is the rooftop. It reminded me so much of a dystopian book/movie, in which good things happen and humans didn't fuck things up for once. Perhaps the aftermath of said fuck up. It's always so sandy when the future is depicted. (Interstellar is still fresh in my mind, that's why. Resident Evil comes to mind too though.)

Also, the earthquake stimulator was pretty rad.

Till then,
3 more days till the end of finals.

On Location: Kayo Books

Juxtapoz $3 ; Absolutely Zippo! $15

Living in a city means constantly stumbling upon new spots. Thus, I've decided to document such glorious finds as we all know urban exploration is oh so thrilling.

This week, Nikki and I decided to check out a bookstore that carries pulp fiction, erotica and generally books that are NSFW classified. Nikki refers to it as 'the sex shop', which it kinda is in some sense because look at the titles on display [refer to image 2 & 4]. Besides the erotica/gay/lesbian/prison genres, they do have a lot of other books, such as those produced by the Beats generation, war stories and all forms of other literature. Most of these books, if not all, are secondhand, but they are in extremely good condition at really good prices.

Browsing in this bookstore can take hours. There's so much to see what with such a wide selection available, it's tough to stop your inner bibliophile from imploding. Venturing upstairs because I had to tear myself away from the art books, I met up with Nikki. She told me about a book that was of a Nazi's pilot diary. It was sad because he didn't believe in what he did. On a brighter note, she found a Canadian bill in one of the books along with this note:

Kayo Books is instantly my new favourite bookstore, replacing Bound Together only because Kayo is within walking distance. Now I don't have to take the MUNI all the way to Haigh-Ashbury or Mission just to get my zine fix.

This time, I tried my very best to refrain from getting any new books. Yet my lack of self control decided it was a good idea to get a copy of Juxtapoz, an art magazine, and Absolutely Zippo!: An Anthology of a Fanzine 1988 - 1998. My reasoning: I probably won't be able to find this around, so may as well get it now.

Kayo Books

814 Post St

San Francisco, CA, 94109

(415) 749-0554

Till then,
Live life with no regrets. [Hook x2]