Why, Hello There

A University of California, Davis student who finds out about stuff regarding the city of Davis and its cultural offerings.

[brandicoley]

Looking at everyone else’s blogs, it seems like most people went to Joe Wenderoth’s house in East Davis either during class session or on the weekend. I missed the class meeting, but decided to go to the farmer’s market the next morning. It was my first time going to the farmers market at Central Park. I have visited the one held on Wednesdays at the silo, but have yet to actually buy something. Anyways, the farmers market was pretty cool and had lots of vegetables that I had never seen (which is exciting as a  vegetarian!). The last picture was this pretty cool bench I saw that looks uncomfortable but I thought it was cute because it had to have been a collaborative project and the symbolism + that collaboration can make me imagine the friendships built doing something like that. There was also some guys clothes sprawled across the top of the bench… maybe he had a wild friday night. Anyways, the picture up top that looks kind of like a bunch of radishes are actually called cranberry beans. I thought they were a pretty plant, and really interesting too because its not something I’ve ever seen before. Besides that, they had all types of mushrooms(another one of my favorites), tons of baked goods, a variety of squash, green onions—you name it I’m sure someone had it. What surprised me even more was that there was fresh fish. They had salmon and I can’t recall what the one in the picture was called. It does seem a bit weird that they had fresh fish for sale at the farmers market though. But enough talk about food…there were multiple organizations there as well. Specifically, I met a man who claimed he was having a fundraiser for the homeless population in Davis. Not exactly sure how legit he was about his organization, but it was nice to see him being so enthusiastic about helping members of the community who don’t have a roof over their head. Coming from a big city, homelessness is something that I see all the time. However, what I do not see is people like the man I met advocating on their behalf, which was actually inspiring. Another reason I am really worked up about this is that I am pursuing a career in the environmental science & management field, and it seems that environmental issues have fallen off of societies radar when it comes to what is important in the world today. I suppose it is hard to wrap your head around environmental issues that were caused by generations before us and will affect the generations after ours, in addition to the costs to cover policies addressing these issues would affect the current generation. But, I think that people are forgetting the issue at hand and putting their own motives and interests before everything else. We do live in a consumer world, but I think a shift in focal points from material items to worldly morals need to take place for human lifestyle not to go bleak. I could probably go on and on about population sizes approaching carrying capacities, which I’m learning about in all of my classes it seems, but I will just leave this post with these last words: Don’t leave behind the psychological benefits you get from being in nature for the worlds material things.

[theandrewblr]

I liked that you went to the farmers market the day after you missed the class meeting. The honor system is strong. I also liked the pictures. You went a little deep in the end of the post. Your opinion about society enlightened me a bit. Thanks!

[mmaands]

Five out of six! Today’s scavenger hunt was one for the books. We had one task; to scourer the confounds of downtown Davis and take a picture with the artwork or place in the photos we selected. We had six pictures and one hour. Throughout the 8 weeks of the course, we had to visit several...

[theandrewblr]

Second place isn't bad! Only finding five out of six pictures isn't bad either! Anyway, I liked the pictures. The pictures made it seem as though you all have known each other for ages. Some of the pictures looked a little bit awkward. The pictures you chose were pretty far. I saw you guys biking further as we were walking back to Olson.

[cmcaulfield-blog]

This week after meeting in our regular classroom for a discussion about what we have experienced from this class so far through our excursions we had the option to either bike to a poet named Joe Wenderoth’s house or we could branch out on our own and adventure through downtown locations like...

[theandrewblr]

I liked reading this post because it described the alternative route for the class. I took the route that included the teacher because I didn't really know what to do otherwise. Reading this post enlightened me on the experience I could have had in taking the less prestigious route. Thank you for sharing your experience. I had no idea where the places you described were, but they all sound really nice and beautiful. You should really get a bike though! You could save so much time taking the less prestigious route and visit even more places!

[mmaands]

Some classmates who make class at 2:10 on a Friday bearable. Jk Doctor Jones, I love this class. Really.

[theandrewblr]

I didn't even see you guys take these pictures. And Amanda? You would. I think it's funny cause I thought the first part of the comment you made about making this class was bearable. Then you realized Dr. Jones would read these. I bet in your head you were like , "Oh crap, I better make this a joke." I'm just kidding Amanda, don't tell me off on Facebook.

[alyssaindavis]

When I first heard that my class was going to a museum in Davis, I got a little excited because I like looking at old artifacts from another time and imagining how life was then. While I was biking to the Hattie Weber Museum, I got lost for a second. I ended up biking to a building a street...

[theandrewblr]

I also expected the Hattie Weber Museum to be rather large as well. The only other museums I've been to were a couple in Europe including the Lourve Museum. It was really big. I thought the museum our class was going to would be rather large as well. Sadly, it was not. I was a little disappointed. I like walking around in museums. In this museum, there was not a lot of room to walk around and explore. The exploration aspect of museum walking is my favorite part. This museum did not meet my expectations, but it was still cool to see what kinds of artifacts it held.

[toshiki-adachi-blog]

It was bad but I could not understand what two guest speakers said clearly because of my shortage of skill, in particular, abstract idea was hard to understand. Besides, their talk speed was a little bit faster for me, so I refereed to another person’s blog a little. In my feeling, both two...

[theandrewblr]

I think your intro of this blog is really funny. I didn't really understand what the second speaker was saying half the time. I think his overwhelming passion and need to say "um" in every sentence threw me off on a tangent more often than not. That one day where you asked whether you could hang out with Cesar and I after class, you just left without saying anything. That was awkward.

[ispossiblekim-blog]

Growing up I never liked coffee. During breakfast and 6:00pm coffee hour (which is a tradition in Peru, similar to tea time) I would see my grandparents, uncle and aunt, and my parents drinking black coffee. They seemed to like it. My cousin would put milk in it, but when I sipped to know how it...

[theandrewblr]

I never liked coffee either! I liked the taste but I didn't like drinking it because it made me stay up really late and that's not good for height. Also, athletes need their rest. I'm also surprised you have never tried Starbucks until coming to Davis. I think Starbucks has really nice drinks , especially the iced cold drinks. I don't really like hot coffee. I understood Mishka's purpose but I don't think I'm really into sitting down and talking to random people. If you ever go back to Starbucks, try the steamed milk, it's tasty and healthy!

[ucdavisguy-deactivated20140722]

Rob Salas visited my freshman seminar class to talk to us about himself and his program. As I was waiting in the hallway for class to start, Rob and I started talking. He is a very friendly and nice guy. I asked him if he was going to be presenting for my class and he was not sure. When class...

[theandrewblr]

For a second there, I was not sure whose blog I was reading because it didn't have any form of nomenclature. However, since your blog is called ucdavisguy, I assumed you were one of the four male students in our class. By deductive reasoning, I have ruled you out to be Cesar, since I just read Andrew Nguyen's and Toshiki's blogs. I like your blogs too, by the way. I like how you go off on tangents when describing the pictures you took. 

[jannyexploresdavis]

For some of you that may not know, I’m from Los Angeles. Because of its location, size, and diversity, there are so many food options to choose from. Every corner seems like there’s a taqueria of some sort or a generic Chinese food restaurant that mimics big “generic” businesses like Panda Express...

[theandrewblr]

Wow, this post was really informative on food. I think I'll try out some of these places. They all sound really good to eat. I really miss Panda Express, it was like my favorite place to eat Chinese food. 

[brandicoley]

Here are photos that we took on the last day of our FRS. Our photo destinations included the tunnel by Davis Commons, the outside dining area at Davis Commons, Varsity Theatre, the Hunter-Bowley Mansion, and the Billie Holiday painting over by Ketmoree. You may notice that there is an extra photo in this set, that is an arch made out of shovels donated by various members  of the community. The piece is titled “Shovel Gateway” and is representative of the partnership between the City of Davis and the UC Davis Arboretum & Public Garden. The Shovel Gateway is also part of the public art movement of Davis. 

[theandrewblr]

I wonder how you knew that the art made of shovel was called the "Shovel Gateway." I thought it was pretty cool, too. It was too bad our side of the group didn't get to see the Billie Holiday painting over by Ketmoree. I really wanted to see it because it looked really cool in the picture.

[theandrewblr]

November 15, 2013

             Why, hello there, and welcome to another Andrew web log.  This is the eighth week of our “The Cultural Offerings of the City of Davis” journey. In today's class, we broke into assigned teams, blindly choosing photographs of attractions we have seen (mostly), and ventured out to take photos of ourselves with those attractions. Then we returned by 3:15 to share photographs with our classmates.

             We met in the classroom to choose teams and pictures. Earlier, my friends and I decided to sit apart to try to be placed onto the same team. However, we later decided that because we did not know what the count was, sitting apart was futile. I was chosen to be in the same group as four other girls. We introduced ourselves but now, I’m not sure what their named were although I remember their faces. I realized I was the only male in our group. I looked around the class and also came to the realization that there were only four male students in our class. The male students consisted of Andrew, Cesar, the Japanese dude, and myself. My group chose five pictures. Each member chose one picture. Thankfully, the places in the pictures were all relatively close in proximity. Two of the objects were in the same area and two others were also in the same area. The fifth was placed between the two areas.

            Our group split up into two groups to cover more ground. My group took two pictures and the other half of our group took three. We decided to take pictures of our two pictures and meet up at the spot of the fifth picture. My group took a path that was unfamiliar to me. We passed a piece of art made of shovels. It was one of those things you walk under. I’m not really sure what it was called because I can’t think of the word for it right now. We then walked to the Davis Commons for our first picture. Our first picture turned out nicely because we were able to leave Brandi’s camera on a table in front of us and set it on a timer as we posed for the camera in front of the Davis Commons. Our second picture was right around the corner and in a tunnel. We asked a passerby to take a picture of the three of us in the tunnel. She was blonde, wore sunglasses, and was smoking a cigarette. Afterward, we walked further downtown to find our rendezvous point at which our two, split groups agreed to meet. We captured the picture perfectly and headed back to Olson.

            At Olson, we turned out to be the first ones back. However, our stellar performance and efficiency went unrewarded. Oh well.  The other two groups came back and we all shared pictures.

            In reflection, I felt that this scavenger hunt was more fun than I expected it would be. I met new people, outside of my little quail of three males: Cesar, Andrew, and myself. I also learned that the class ended two weeks earlier to give students more preparation time for our finals of the classes that reward us with more credits. This class was interesting and unlike any other I have attended.

            Andrew out.

[theandrewblr]

November 8, 2013

            Why, hello there, and welcome to another Andrew web log. This is the seventh week of our “The Cultural Offerings of the City of Davis” journey. This day, we meet at 2:15 with Sinisa Novakovic, the owner of Mishka’s Café on 610 2nd Street. Initially, I thought our class was going to get free coffee or something of the sort when Dr. Jones said something on the lines of “our host is making delicious drinks for us.” I became instantly intrigued at the thought of free coffee. I suppose that was the “hook” to keep the class hooked in on the topic at hand. Well, it worked.

            Our class went to the second floor of Mishka’s Café to listen to Mr. Novakovic speak of his life and passion in the art of making coffee. Mr. Novakovic gives off a very business-like vibe. At least, he does to me. He has a very business-like, clean-cut haircut, rolled up sleeves on a button-down dress shirt tucked into jeans. I could tell he was a very good-looking guy as a youth. This statement is only an admiration; get your head out of the gutter. He told us that in the beginning, his Café project consisted of three people total. Two of those business partners left, leaving Novakovic with the burden of carrying the project to its full potential. Mr. Novakovic was stuck with a Café with many bills to pay. Amanda asked Mr. Novakovic “Why didn’t you leave the Café project when the other two people left?” In reply, “Generally the person who came up with the idea sticks with it. And, I’m a very stubborn guy. Stubbornness pays off.” This is a paraphrase of the dialogue that went on, but you get the idea. The Café was inspired by Mr. Novakovic’s childhood memories of Cafés in Yugoslavia. When coming to Davis, he saw that none of the Cafés were of top-notch quality. Cafés, before Mishka’s Café, were a stop-and-go place of commerce, not communication. Mr. Novakovic decided to start-up his own coffee shop where people can come together and talk, do homework, or simply enjoy the coffee.

            Mr. Novakovic eventually grew his coffee shop, enjoying the company of various customers on a day-to-day basis. One day, he thought of making the next-door building into a theater. He named it the “Varsity Theater.” The Varsity Theater plays high-quality films that don’t generate a lot of revenue. Lower quality films generate more revenue. Mr. Novakovic needed to decide whether to play high-quality films and make little to no profit, or play low-quality films and make more profit. He chose to play high-quality films for older and more understanding generations and the occasional young enthusiast. Mr. Novakovic informed us that the Varsity Theater was just a side-business of little-to-no profit.

            From this story of a man who worked from the bottom to a higher place, I learned many things. Because he had a good education, Mr. Novakovic was able to put his entrepreneurial skills to the use of pursuing his dream of opening a coffee shop. Listening to an intelligent speaker is a thing I enjoy very much. I admire Mr. Novakovic’s stubbornness and entrepreneurship. If I had these two traits, I’d use it not for passion, but for the purpose of generating a high income. Perhaps one day, I’ll be bigger than the sun. 

[theandrewblr]

November 1, 2013

Why, hello there, and welcome to another Andrew blog. This week, our freshman seminar class had two guest speakers. I don't remember the names of the two people not because they weren't interesting but because I'm bad with names. The first man was a leader or director of the Shakespeare company. The company specializes in theater performances. The second man was an artist who spoke about his passion in art and paintings. He said that the connection between the artist and the painting is strong. I guess you had to be there. 

There were no pictures on this day because the class sat in the classroom for two hours straight listening to these two blokes. I could tell they were both very passionate about their works. I like seeing people passionate about their jobs. I think I would like a more organized and stable job like a cardiologist. I really hope I get into a stellar medical school like John Hopkins, U.S.F., or Stanford. I need to get good grades right now. Thinking about grades and the future makes me depressed.

I went swimming later that day. It was really nice. I had a damaged toenail because my friend Andrew Nguyen from my freshman seminar class stomped on my foot. My damaged toenail did not act up as I kicked so that was good. Every time I swim, I feel much lighter like a leaf afterward. 

Just now, as I write, I heard the most out of sync and tune "Happy Birthday" ever. It was pretty awkward. 

Anyway, I went over to Andrew and Pareel's place after swimming to watch some movie. I think it was Riddick. It's kind of weird going over there because they have this weird role play thing where Pareel is the master and Andrew's the slave. I usually try to ignore the awkwardness. We bought eggs from Trader Joe's for cup noodles. I forgot how good cup noodles tasted with eggs. 

I feel like I've been getting fatter recently. My eating schedule is really messed up because most days I would eat 1-2 meals but I would eat a lot in each meal to satiate my extreme hunger. When food is wasted, people usually say "A kid in Africa could have eaten that," Whence I reply, "How are you going to get this broccoli to Africa?"

So, I feel like playing games right now but my roommate is sleeping and my game called League of Legends involves a lot of clicking. On the topic of League of Legends, I wonder if my best friend from back home still plays League of Legends. I haven't communicated with him in a while. His name is Andrew Bui. Bui is Amanda Nguyen's boyfriend. He's not really my best friend, I just like saying he is to annoy Amanda, although Bui plays along when I call him my best friend. He's a really good guy though. I miss that sucker. 

I wonder what the future holds for me. I feel like I haven't used my brain ever since coming to college. I haven't learned anything new and nothing appeals to me. Is college money's black hole? I sure hope not. College is a grace period between grade school and real life. Kids tell themselves they are "finding" themselves in college. I think college is just an excuse for kids to use their parents' hard earned money as their source of independence. I feel sorry for parents. They don't need to be immersed in this fantasy that their hard earned money fuels their children's college education. Real education seekers work part time to pay off their college debts. Only when the struggle is real do kids grow up. 

Andrew out.

[theandrewblr]

October 25, 2013

Why, hello there, and welcome to another Andrew web log. As I write this, I'm in a very foul mood so I apologize in advance. Our class went to a quaint museum today. It would be cool if we went to a large museum like the Lourve. This museum was cool enough. There was a lady there who introduced us to pieces in the one-roomed museum. It was fairly small. Here are a bunch of pictures for you all to admire. I'll try to say a little something for a few of them but I'm not making any promises. 

Just now, my hall mate invited me to watch horror movies with the rest of my hall mates but that stuff just doesn't interest me. Maybe I just don't like people. 

I'm not really sure what this is.

I thought this was just another music player from the old days like the ones we see on the television.

I bet he used tree sap or something to keep his hair up like that. Either that, or he hung upside-down for an hour so his hair would stay like that for the whole day. 

This is Andrew.

I wonder how people even rode this thing. It's probably for miniature people or kids. I'm pretty sure the wheels were of a metallic sort. Must have been a very uncomfortable ride with no suspension or anything to brace the bumps. 

This was a very small dress, even for women's standards. It's nice though.

Nice mask Andrew. Guffaw.

I don't know who this baby is but he/she must have been someone really important because my parents have never gotten a portrait of me as a baby.

'Murica

Well, that's the end of the picture slideshow. I apologize if it wasn't as entertaining as it could be. Anyway, a couple of friends and I biked to 7-eleven so I could purchase a twenty-five dollar game card for a game I'm addicted to. When I arrived at the 7-eleven, I started having doubts as to whether I should buy the game card or not because it was a lot of money. I ended up not buying the game card and my friends were pissed at me for making them bike all that way. I felt a little bad but not especially. Later that night, my friend Pareel wanted to get a free haircut from a barber shop that will go unnamed. Andrew Nguyen and I checked out the stores there as we waited for Pareel. We went into Gamestop so I bought the game card I wasn't going to buy from 7-eleven. Bring on the hate. (i'm now listening to Crickets as I write this web log. The song reminds me of my friend Rahul from back home. I miss him.) Anyway, I bought the game card I was trying to hard not to buy. 

Today is now Halloween. I don't really like Halloween and I get sad and unsociable every Halloween. I'm not sure what it is about Halloween that makes me depressed and hateful of the world. I found out my chemistry class I'm currently taking does not count for any credits. It's too late to drop that class though, so I'm working my butt of for nothing. A lot of things amount to my cause of depression. A big issue is my lack of innovative thought. I can't imagine a future version of myself. This is a really bad sign. Or so I think. I'm too depressed to think and type right now. Good night.

[fitindavis-blog]

Last Friday, another day in October, I was feeling quite exhausted from the week’s load of studies and entertainment. It was my first time on that very day that I entered a stranger’s house for a trip into downtown. Our class visited Joe Wenderoth’s home. Technically, it was optional if i wanted...

[theandrewblr]

I also agree that Wenderoth's home was one of peace and tranquility. The comment he made about our worlds becoming smaller as we age is understandable but the bluntness with which it was delivered was a tad depressing.

[mmaands]

“To take the daring, adventurous route or the boring, generic route.” I had 5 minutes to decide whether to take the easy choice to roam around downtown of Central Park (also known as Farmers Market Park), The E Street Plaza, and the public area behind the Pence Gallery. It was an easy, short trip...

[theandrewblr]

I was shocked by the duplicitous nature of the mac and cheese endeavor. However, I like the organization of your entire page. Very crisp.

[ameliaevard]

Tonight I went to one of the twice-monthly poetry readings held at the John Natsoulas Gallery. I initially hadn’t intended on reading a poem, but decided to at the last minute. I picked one of my short poems that I wrote around this time last year. I was super nervous because my only other public poetry experience comes from reading at my high school’s annual slam. I enjoyed attending the poetry reading because of its broad range of poets. From other freshman like myself to local Davis poets who read somewhere every week, the diversity added to the range of poetry read. This photo shows one of my friends and classmates for this seminar reading one of her poems aloud. Unfortunately, we were too young to attend the after party. 

[theandrewblr]

I commend you for your bravery, young one. I would never have had the guts to read a poem in front of an audience.