Day 31- June 25th: The dead have it all and the living have New York Palace!

Beata stopped by the hotel and checked on us this morning and she always tend to sneaks her way next to me or pop up around me. She is like a cat on the tippy toes. I am always surprise to see her or hear her talking near by and than realized she is right there, next to my face. I saw other artists work and it's so interesting and people are getting all sorts of different inspirations from being in Hungary. I know I will be doing more residencies around the world and this being my first and it will always have special place in my heart. I will never forget about these wonderful and meaningful experiences.

I tried to catch up with my blog, flicker, and email this morning and did a bit of research on fining hostels in Bratislava and Prague for my up coming travel before heading back to the States. I also went to the local post office and finally sent the postcards out. The postmasters even personally licked the stamps and put it on for me!!!! It's great but they don't use computers so everything is manual and each person takes up a good amount of time.

I than took the train to Buda side and had lunch at my friend's restaurant. This was my 6th time and he had been so nice and treated me all these times but I have also been teaching him English in return. I should really learn more Hungarian words but it is a very difficult language.

After lunch and English lessons, my roommate Andreas and I went to the Keleti Cemetery for a morbid art discovery walk. I really love this experience!!! I was amazed by how many beautiful century old tome stones are in this peaceful place. A wonderful collection of amazing art and sculpture work that's worthy of being in any world-class museums. We must have walked around for a couple of hours and took some pictures, some with strange poses that I think I might go to hell for. I did leave some flowers for the souls I disturbed. The place is so picturesque and the dead have it all. I thought about my mother briefly.

I suggested that we should have a drink at the New York Palace: a historic hotel and restaurant built by an American insurance businessman in the 1930's. Amazing building and wonderful interior, even though it's not my style of work but I very much appreciate it's beauty and details. Being in such space made me realized how the upper class must have lived and the opulence of this place really shocking. Everything is over the top, the scale of the building, the detailed of the interior are ll expensive and material used in building will sure last a few hundred more years. I notice that we were drinking water from Italy, eating Éclairs from France in a building called The New York Palace in Budapest, Hungary.

Sometimes life can be as sweet as the Éclairs I had at the New York Palace but usually one is more than enough.

Day 15- June 2ed: Working; Networking

It's another day filled with running around getting materials and some work at the hardware stores. I went back to the same shop where I had first got my plywood board cut. This time they recognized me and is very helpful and not much English was needed other than some sign language and easy phases.

I later ran to my friend Utilla's restaurant and had more Goulash soup and deep fried catfish with almonds. It was like eating at Coco's, a bit strange to be eating this in Hungary, I don't even eat this 'American' in the US, but hey it's free. He can definitely do this for a living in America.

Megan, Lisa and I went to a art opening that night and it was “interesting” because entertainment is planned. This just happens to be a crazy, singing, dancing and painting Clown!!! It's absolutely insane and he looked so scary and full of that 'Clownergy', I was even brave enough to have taken a picture with him. We met some local people and chatted with them; good times!

I than took off to a bar and met up with some Canadian friends visiting the city at a local joint and chatted with one of them. The other guy is Chinese living in Canada and he seems bossy and I didn't say much to him.

I got back around 1130pm and worked on my art for a bit before going to bed.

Day 12- May 29th: Scary Adventure

It's been a interesting day and it started just as normal as any other day for me here in Budapest. I had 2 pieces of cake for breakfast, 2 cups of tea and some ham slices. I had to do some errands before attending Beata's art opening at 5pm so I rushed myself and get my web material uploaded and went to a frame store and talked to the owner about getting my doll heads framed.

I than hoped on the train and arrived Beata's opening. It was near Angal st. where I had wondered around before and the art work and installation are beautiful and a couple pieces reminds me of my work “How are you, my darling? (2005)” I hope I had a role of inspiring Beata's work.

Four of us met some local artists and talked to a few people and played with Beata's grandson Patti and dog Max; both adorable. We escaped the gallery from Megan's older gentleman suitor (who I affectionately called her long lost Hungarian father). We had dinner at Mexical (a Hungarian Mexican food restaurant) after dinner the fun began....


We were followed by a young man in his early 20th and clearly on drugs from his uncontrolled movements and blurred speech. Rudee had mistakenly strike a conversation with him and gave him some cigarettes and very much the pigeons she feeds in the park every morning, came back for more.

He followed us on the train and back to the hotel and on the way he verbally assaulted a young woman on the train and she left the train cursing at him in Hungarian. Megan, Lisa and I took a detour and hoped the guy doesn't find out where we are staying but Rudee end up spending more time talking to him in the park. Three of us felt a great deal of threat from this stranger and we also got a bit annoyed that Rudee had put us in this situation.
I alerted the hotel security and let's hope my head will still be attached to my body tomorrow morning, unlike my dolls.

Day 9- May 26: The real Fleas of The Flea Market

I am getting a little uneasy about finding the right material for my art work so today, I must go to the flea market. It was a 30 mins bus ride away from downtown Budapest. The bus was pretty easy to find and the ride there was interesting. This is the real Hungary that must tourist won't see. It's mostly poor and a little it rundown; factories, big box stores, residential buildings and abandoned structures lined the Highway.

It was about 1130am when I arrived there and according to their business hours they are open from 7am-4pm weekdays and weekend with shorter hours. A completely surprised : the place is 90 percent closed with only a few shops opened and even fewer shoppers. I later was told y a shopkeeper that people come early in the morning it was almost a completely wast of time but I did manage to find some bizarre dolls in a basket from a vendor, they are made of rubber, soiled, missing body parts and dusty to the touch.

She wanted a lot of money for such garbage did purchased the dolls after a it bargaining. The final price is 3800Forints about 24 dollars- a complete rip off but only she knew I would have paid even more due to my desperation for the dolls for my art work. The dolls would of cost no more than 5 dollars in most thrift stores in LA. I also got a mink stow for the frame of my art work for 15 USD which is very reasonable. I will have to to back to the flea market this Saturday to search for other materials and hope this time I won't get rip off.

The afternoon was filled with running around to the art stores, the mall and walking around the city and had a very nice dinner alone.