A Very Random Entry

Time to flex my creativity with an exercise.

First word: PASSPORT

A compound word. Allows you to pass a port. Gives you access to the world. Represents freedom. Represents experiences and memories. The first few pages of my passport are littered with my adventures through Europe from this past year. The stamps are much more boring than you think. Ireland used green ink during St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Or maybe they use it all year round. I wouldn’t know; I’ve only been there once.

Passports always remind me of junior high. In junior high we would have an annual International Day. Parents would come and set up booths representing different countries from around the world. At every booth, you can pick up food (Antarctica had ice cubes) and get your passport stamped. Those stamps were fun.

In my opinion, the U.S. passport is the best passport. I love looking at other countries’ passports. Our passports are nice and thick with images and quotes representing our diverse country and proud heritage. The Australian passport just has pictures of animals and the outback. The Canadian passport is just embarrassing.

Now that's a high-quality passport.

Most recent passports have an RFID tag in them. This allows them to be easily scanned or something. Some people believe the RFID tags put you in danger because terrorists could have an American RFID tag-detecting device that will track down Americans so they can hold them hostage. Some people are crazy.

My passport is in a safe in my house in Katy. In my mom’s opinion, it is very important that I never lose my passport or my social security card, so they are both in a safe. This is usually fine unless I unexpectantly need my passport. I wanted to spontaneously go to Toronto this summer but I couldn’t because I didn’t have my passport. Or I could need my passport because I lost my primary form of ID- my driver’s license. When I went to Vegas for Labor Day weekend this year, I left my driver’s license at the airport in Austin. This caused many problems because 1.) I didn’t have my passport, the only other acceptable form of ID and 2.) I was in Vegas without an ID.

I want to use my passport to its fullest potential. It expires 2017. That gives me plenty of time to travel and fill it up. I got my first passport when I was ten. It was for Vietnam. I got my second and current passport when I was seventeen. It was for Mexico. I will use my passport next when I go to Belize to volunteer during my final spring break. During my last spring break, I was using my passport to go to Italy and Greece. These memories always make me sad as I sit in my apartment in Austin.

Second word: TEAPOT 

Another compound word. A pot that holds tea.

This weekend when I was in Denver, a friend told me that I seemed like the kind of person who would own a teapot, and if I didn’t own one, I should buy one. I don’t know what kind of person would own a teapot, but I would have to agree- me owning a teapot seems completely natural, even if I don’t drink tea. I had a friend who collected teapots. She was from Kansas and she and I were quite similar.

I like teapots. I like ceramic ones. I like the strength of ceramic. I like the form of the teapot. I like the curves. It reminds me of Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast. Except Mrs. Potts was old and plump- two things that I hope I am not.

When I was younger, my sister and I had two wooden teapot sets from Vietnam. Of course we played tea party with our stuffed animals (Beanie Babies to be exact). You don’t even need to ask.

Now I am older and I still have a younger sister. This one is six. She enjoys playing tea party too. Why do children like playing tea party? Who came up with the idea of children playing tea party? Why don’t children play brunch party?

I went on a first date at a teahouse a couple of years ago. I didn’t like tea but I lied and pretended that I did. It worked out; don’t worry. Then I went to England and a French guy with British and American parents taught me how to drink tea with milk and sugar while we sat in first class on a chunnel ride over from London to Paris. Since then, I’ve enjoyed drinking tea.

Tea with milk and sugar is the only way to go.

I actually don’t know how a teapot works. It seems too beautiful and fragile to heat up on the stove. My roommates make sweet tea in a pot. An actual pot. Not a teapot. Would it be considered a teapot if it were a pot containing tea?

Combination: PASSPORT AND TEAPOT

1. A teapot with a passport pattern on it
2. A teapot that acts as a passport
3. A passport with a teapot pattern on it (probably for the UK)
4. A passport that acts as a teapot
5. A passport that holds tea leaves
6. A teapot that hides a passport inside
7. A teapot made of passport material
8. A passport made of teapot material
9. A teapot that comes with your passport
10. A passport that comes with your teapot
11. A “passport” containing teas from around the world
    

My last idea of a “passport” containing teas from around the world might work. Tea is different from country to country; and there are many people who would like to experience that firsthand. I am imagining this tea passport as a large book with different packages of tea leaves attached to the pages. Each page will tell the story of the tea and how to prepare it. Did this tea come from Nepal? If so, do we need to seep it in milk and top it with cinnamon to make dudh chia? Mmmmm… yes please.

Going Underground, Mind the Gap, or Some Other Generic Tube-Related Title

Let me preface by saying I love every part of London. I love the abundance of theatres and museums; I love the conglomeration of cultures and languages; I love the city's history. But the coup de grâce is London’s public transportation system.

The London Underground, which will be henceforth referred to as "The Tube," opened in 1863, making it the world's first underground railway system. Think about it; it opened before the Internet, The Beatles, World War II, even World I and not only is it an icon of the city, it's still in use today. Most impressive of all, in a world of constantly innovating technology, people still love this aged system. Well, at least I love it.

The reasons I love the Tube can be broken up into three aspects: physical, cultural, and community.

Physical

One of the most iconic parts of the Tube is the colorful map. This has also become an icon of London. Go to a souvenir shop and you can get the Tube map on shirts, towels, pens, shower curtains, facial tissues, and even shot glasses. It was revolutionary because the designer, Harry Beck, realized (one could call it a customer insight!) that people do not really need geographical accuracy in an underground transportation map. They are more concerned with getting on and off at the right spot. Because of this insight, in 1931 he created a simple, colorful map, based off his design concepts, which are still in use today. Many cities have since incorporated his ideas into their own subway maps.

I have been to many major cities in Europe and the United States, and I must conclude that London does the best job of making each stop unique. Get off at Baker Street, and you will see many tunnels lined with different aspects of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. Westminster, one of the most tourist-packed stop, is a dramatic futuristic larger-than-life space that gives the impression that one is stuck in an Orwellian novel. You do not get this type of personality in Stockholm, where the underground system feels like an immense cave, or in New York City, where the white bathroom-tiled walls reinforce the emphasis of function over form.

The Beautiful Tottenham Court Road Stop

Despite not having any trashcans (thanks Irish terrorist groups!), the floors of the station are not that dirty. This is because London was clever enough to design a ticket machine that “eats” up your ticket once you exit the station. This eliminates much of the waste that you would see on the floor of the Paris metros (Here, metros mean underground transportation systems. Each city has their own term for their underground system and Paris, like Washington, DC, uses the term metro.). Of course, you can always opt for the more environmentally friendly Oyster card, which leaves no physical trace behind.

Billets! Get off of the floor!

Cultural

London is a city with more museums than Paris and more theatres than New York City. So of course it would be natural to assume that this prevalence of culture permeates throughout the city and what a more natural way to move throughout London than through the Tube? The London Underground makes an effort to promote music, art, and poetry both inside and outside the train carriages. This movement has become hugely successful, as evidenced by the countries around the world that have emulated this idea. It is amazing how a short science poem about the galaxies can brighten up your daily commute.

Approved musicians perform in designated areas that they pre-book for 2-hour intervals. 

Art on the Underground <3

Poems on the Underground educate and entertain you inside of train carriages.

Community

The physical aspects of the Tube made me like it. The cultural aspects made me respect it. The community aspects are what makes me love the Tube system.

One of my favorite advertisements in the Tube features different Londoners making promises to be more conscientious of others such as “I won’t play my music out loud. And I won’t eat smelly food.” The tagline is “A little thought from each of us. A big difference for everyone. Together for London.” That is what I really love about London. It is more collectivist and community-oriented than America. It’s Together for London. The police’s slogan is “Working together for a safer London.” The agency in charge of transportation is known as the Transport for London (TfL). This emphasizes that everyone, even the tourists, should work together to make the city a nicer place to live.

Another display that stood out to me explains why certain stops were temporarily shut down more than a simple “Out of Order” notice. The “Transforming Your Tube” campaign shows life-sized construction workers fixing the Tube system. The tagline was something to the effect of “Thank you for your patience. We are undergoing a massive transformation to rebuild a better transportation system for you.” Again the collectivist “for you” theme shows up again. This is so important because people often forget in the rush of their day that inconveniences happen for a reason and that reason is often that something is being improved for them not because the UK government loves to ruin their day and cause them to be late for their 9 o’clock meeting. You see explanations like this repeatedly in London. The city likes to keep its citizens and its visitors informed.

TfL also shows an immense amount of respect for its employees. There are posters reminding people that TfL employees are people too and as such, do not like to be insulted. This is a helpful check for those with a temper. The Tube also has art showcasing the faces of employees. Each face comes with a name and how long the employee has worked in the Underground. Together this gives the Tube a greater sense of community. It personalizes the workers. If we remember to treat them with respect, they could become our new friend.

The combination of all of these forms of communication makes me feel as if I were a part of the community. As if I were in on what is going on. It makes me feel like a Londoner, and that is perhaps the greatest gift a city can give a visitor.