Thesis Photos

Just a few shots off my thesis boards...

Infectious Kababawan

Really irrelevant and shallow thought for the day: Magaling kaya si Ornussa Cadness mag AutoCAD? Hmmmm… wala lang…

 

Ok, to snap myself out of my really shallow state of mind…

 

Our subdivision’s homeowner’s association is a real mess right now… why? Well its because Globe wants to put up a cell site right next to the subdivision’s water tank, they intend to pay the Association 30k for this, the president in his due diligence did the legwork, checking the DENR, the DOH, etc. about the safety of the installation, and it comes out that people’s fears about radiation are really unfounded.

 

But here’s the thing… the Association president was elected without a quorum in the proceedings, and a lot of people are bummed about it because they are all jockeying for position, so anyway, they go rabblerousing and spread nasty and really dumb rumors about the cell site project.

 

So anyway, this morning I woke up and walked to the sari-sari store to buy pandesal and get our morning paper. While I was waiting in line, our newspaper dealer, Inday, comes over and asks me…

 

Inday :  “Andoy, pabor ka ba dun sa cell site?”

Leandro : “Uh, oo naman, kailangan nung association yung pera eh”

Inday : “Naku, wag, pag kinabit ng Globe yang cell-site na yan dadami ang kidlat dito sa atin! Sige kayo Andoy, masusunog yung mga computer at gamit niyo…”

Leandro : <dripping with veiled sarcasm> GANUN?!

Inday: “Naku Oo no, tsaka baka hindi na natin magamit yung tubig sa tangke kasi parang xray daw yang cell site eh.”

Leandro : <now flowing with sarcasm and wonder> TALAGA?!

 

I don’t want to be intellectually arrogant, and it really is sad how shallow and ignorant people can get. As my dad would say… “Masyado kasi maraming genius dito sa Pilipinas eh…”

 

Yes, shallowness can be really infectious

 

And Yes… they call me andoy…

Clutch basket!

My car's clutch lining gives way, and stalls in the middle of the road... but then God really works in wonderful ways... I'm right next to a PNP Swat station and a Caltex. I go over to the Swat hq, and I ask if they have the contact number for a towing service... the really helpful team head goes out and calls his team to come over to the car and push me off to the side and into their garage. And so a bunch of really scary uniformed personnel drop their routine (cleaning their submachine guns) and push the car... and in the process save me 2k pesos.

Then i cross the road to the gas station, and lo and behold, the chief mechanic used to be the casa floor supervisor  for Toyota Alabang... he swiftly, expertly fixes and replaces the clutch assembly... and charges me really low for the work.

So there you go... wonderful proof that I'm really blessed and that God smiles at me... in the face of trouble

Basketball Team Society

When I was growing up, especially during the growth spurt years, family friends, my dad’s clients, my mom’s officemates, my titos and titas, well… almost everyone would ask me if I played basketball or if I was a varsity team member. Much to their disappointment, I would say no, and go onto a really nerdy elaboration… explaining why, and telling them that I actually played the clarinet and that I was into computers…

 

Everyone would mutter the same thing in amazement, and say… “Sayang! Ang tangkad mo panaman!” Thinking back, I wonder how things could have been if I were a bit more athletically-inclined… yes, I do have the height, and... I had flashes of game… no… I mean… like really more like split nano-seconds of game… oh… ok… maybe just the height.

 

Being part of the honors class during my high school’s intramural games was really quite a thrill… and at times… quite an embarrassment… because we were only a handful of guys who could play basketball… and that’s not high-school caliber basketball at that, its really just a few studious geeks trying their best at not looking ridiculous while the other team pounded them senseless … this usually meant that given the 7 or 8 people who could play ball, we would have to be playing straight quarters, with little or no time-off and no substitutions, (this plus the fact that there were other sports being played in between or at the same time, so subs would be coming from volleyball, I’d be leaving a half for chess, etc.) especially for me, because I had to pull my weight as the only center for the team. In fact, there was a year, wherein we had to resort to asking the other team if it was ok to have our girl classmates play (the irony is that, our girl classmates were actually better basketball players than most of us… Let’s go, Pabsy and Carla I!)

 

Looking back, I enjoyed the anxious, nervous anticipation of the annual games, because you never know, it might be the year that we might actually qualify for a playoff, but then we had to psyche ourselves with the fact that, yes we are going to get creamed… so we might as well make it swift and painless.

 

The games we played were what you would classify “garbage games” but not in the sense that they were trash, but… you know how it is when sportscasters call out a rookie being given playing time by their coach, usually during the end minutes of the game, with the outcome assured… a win or a loss?... with the coach doing it really just to see how the rookie actually plays and works in a game situation? Well, it was something like that, we played those games, with as much “lets not make fools of ourselves” candor along with the “lets show them that we aren’t as lampa as we look!” attitude…

 

And I loved every moment of those games, even when we were losing… I remember a good friend: Joseph, whom no one would really consider a “take it strong to the hoop” fellow, considering his tall wiry and… almost fragile frame… my heart leapt in a “kita niyo na moment” when I saw how everyone reacted to his quick first step/sidestep drive to the hoop. Everyone was like… huh?! What the?! He sidestepped, slashed and dribbled and drove to the hoop just as efficiently he would write C… (yes he is a programmer/software developer) And I was grinning and laughing because during our lunch time breaks, he would tell me that he really is a slasher… I mean who would have thought?!

 

I remember my “moment”, when I got the ball outside the three-point arc, of course being the center, I’m just supposed to pass it off to an open man and rotate to the shaded lane… but then, no one seemed to want to get the ball… so I just shot a three, or did my best impression of shooting a three… and it went in… so there you go… You have a programmer driving to the hoop, and a center taking three-pointers…  No street cred whatsoever!

 

Of course, we had our go-to guys… the ones who had street cred… Roman, a real thick, aggressive guy… who was someone you wouldn’t want to be next to as he tries to score… with his flailing elbows and all. He was the catalyst for I think a year or two, but then he got himself out of the section… so we were left to fend for ourselves…

 

Then there’s Pipo, who was in the class for a year, (the same year I got kicked out… <that’s another blog entry>) and he was a real athlete… a volleyball player, he could leap, score, drive, pass… whatever… and considering that I was out of the section then, I was kind of envious because maybe it was that year that the class finally got to the finals…

 

I guess the main key about basketball is that, since everyone gets to touch the ball, everyone gets the chance to be the “star.” That is why Pinoys are the biggest fans, despite the overwhelming evidence that our race/mix isn’t exactly tailor-made for the game. (Which is why… we end up with Fil-ams, Fil-foreigners and Really tall probinsyanos <with all due respect… no offence meant> playing in our leagues)

 

In a country of 80+ million and counting, in the midst of the fecundity of our masses, we look for ways to stand out, to become sikat, to become stars… (ergo… all the contests, pageants, talent searches, etc.) and basketball, is one of the myriad of ways of finding “our moment/s”… because in the basketball court, everyone, could potentially be a star, for a blink of an eye, be it the tsambalerong spotter point guard, the pabandang center, or the ala-hoy na bangko.

 

And its evident, if you go to any serious basketball court, you’ll see people trying really hard… at either showing what game they got, or trying to not look like they don’t have any, and it takes serious work and a lot of contradictions… we all want to do well and score the winning shot, but we don’t want to be called a “bakaw” or a ball-hog by everyone else in the team. Basketball is about mastering the fundamentals so that you can be a generalist, because you have to play both sides of the ball… Especially in Pinoy-style larong kalye, wherein since everyone grows up to a similar height… the variance in positions is very little… with the point guard at 5’5” and the center at 5’8”. So almost everyone evolves playing almost the same way.

 

Recognizing my height advantage at an early age, and wanting to put some specialization into what I was doing… (since I’m a fancy-pants nerd), I watched and observed how the centers play… and I tried to emulate them, but here’s the kicker, I didn’t grow to their size… so at 6’2” (which is really just a good height for a guard) I’m either a really short and reasonably mobile center, or a oafishly slow point-guard.

 

That’s the reason why I gave up on my basketball dreams, because aside from my above-average height, I had asthma, plus the fact that I wasn’t exactly going to beat anyone in wind sprints, I really just didn’t fit. I was an in-betweener.

 

And then I learned about American football, which is on the other hand, a game of specializations, guys do just one specific thing… but they do it very well; offensively: either they throw (the quarterback), they catch (the wide-receivers and ends), they run and carry the ball (the tail/full backs), if you didn’t do any of those pretty well, you’d get pigeonholed into either the defense (wherein you just have to tackle and hit the ball carrier (or if you could, intercept the pass) or you get thrown into the trenches… (with all the sumo wrestlers) and play the offensive or defensive lines.

 

The beauty of American football is the sheer specialization involved. Literally, the team has to be one well-oiled, cohesive machine. If the lineman doesn’t protect the quarterback well, the pretty-boy team leader won’t be able to throw the ball, to top things off, if the receiver doesn’t catch a well thrown ball, then its all for naught! If the linemen can’t open holes in the defense for the running back to run through, then they will end up with nothing but 3^rd and long. (all the knowledge on something I really don’t get to apply much here in the Philippines, except for some frustrated/aborted attempts at touch/flag football)

 

Conversely, if the defensive pass-rush doesn’t pressure the QB, its going to make life difficult for the Defensive backs in protecting against the pass. Never mind if you didn’t understand a single thing I mentioned, because the point is that, everyone depends on everyone else in the team.

 

In basketball, its not new if Kobe takes the rebound, takes the ball down court, beats 3 or 4 defenders and slams the ball for a score, trotting back up court with a “That’s all me” look in his face. In football, despite all the showboating by star players, its simply unheard-off... you simply cant pull it off alone.

 

But then again, I may be overanalyzing something simple. But are basketball and football really that simple? Or are they microcosms of how our societies work? Is Philippine society really a bunch of “individuals” working under the guise of a team/group to plot his/her own glorious moment/score? Just like in Basketball?

 

Or maybe I’m just talking like this because I don’t have game/bano lang talaga ako? Tara limahan nalang! Laro lang naman eh...

The Root, the Heart, and the Mind

              A quick survey of our daily broadsheets gives you a cross-section of our Real Estate industry. From the Mediterranean villas, Swiss chalets and Neo-Victorian manors to the sleek modernist condominiums, this shows a very wide selection of styles catering to our various tastes and sensibilities. But what is it behind all of these? What is the driving force for the development of such a broad range of tastes all catering for the Filipino?

 

            The answer is anchored really on what the Filipino considers his or her underlying values. What is the Filipino all about? Dr. Tomas Andres discusses these in his book “Understanding Filipino Values,” which surprisingly has a lot of implications and applications on the direction of our prevailing local architecture. (Particularly in the housing sector)  

 

            Basically, the Pinoy is made of three main things:

-          The Root;

-          The Heart;

-          and The Mind.

 

The Filipino’s Root is the Asian within us, the Malay, Indian, Arab and Chinese influences which have given us our shrewd, pragmatic and conservative nature and the hardy and fiery emotions, all of which are anchored on strong family and tribal values.

 

Architecturally, these manifest themselves as the Bahay Kubo, the fiery colors of Maranao tribal houses, the steep, tiled dragon roofs of Chinese ancestral homes, and other varied vernacular forms. These, despite their humble nature, are actually very well-adapted to our environment, our indigenous materials and our primordial core and behavior as Asians.

 

The Filipino’s Heart is the European within us, the Spanish-Christian and Greco-Roman influences have introduced us to western culture and taste, teaching us our love for the good and refined things in life, which we have learned through the grandeur, splendor and “dating/porma” of Europe, these have brought us our definition of beauty, our fixation for the jaw-dropping, mestiza and our stately “don” demeanor which sometimes borders on the imperious.

 

Architecturally, these manifest themselves as the grand mansions, the majestic cathedrals, and the beautiful to the not-so-tastefully designed full and mid-sized Mediterranean villas which have dotted almost all villages and subdivisions not just within Metro Manila and its suburbs but in the provinces as well. These, by all accounts are already imported forms, which have been tweaked and adapted to local materials and conditions. Of course, many will argue that our old Spanish buildings were actually adaptations of Mexican-Spanish types, but that goes without saying, these are still innately European, and have contributed greatly to our Architectural tastes as a people.

 

            The Filipino’s Mind is the American within us, the straight-shooting, educated, twang-tinged, English-speaking, ambitious, democracy and freedom-loving side of our psyche are all products of our American-influenced educational and democratic systems. It’s not a mystery why almost everyone would go through hell or high water just to get a green card to the ‘tate… almost all Pinoys want to live the American Dream. Proof of this is Jollibee, a Filipino company, which has made its fortune by selling an American product, the hamburger, to an otherwise rice-fed nation, by tuning it to our taste, but adapting the sharp American marketing and management savvy.  

 

Which brings us to the manifestations of this dream, our vision of peaceful/serene suburbia with the Salt-box house with dormers and the wrap-around porch, complete with the white picket fence, the Labrador retriever, the lawn, and the all-terrain, gas-guzzling SUV parked in the garage; or the hip and happening, “Sex and the City meets Friends”- downtown lifestyle, with the 3-storey walk-up flat, the skyline, the city views, the park, the tree-lined sidewalks, the bars and nightlife… all the hallmarks of a cosmopolitan, city lifestyle. 

 

            And all of that’s really just the tip of the iceberg. As you can see, we are an overwhelming mix of the east and the west. I remember during the turn of this millennium, the American and Western press all talked about the wave of globalization that will sweep the world. Apparently they did not hear about the news… that they were the ones who started it way before all the talk of globalization. In fact, we as a country, as a people were one of the first beneficiaries or victims (depending on how you see it). The only difference is that, during the 1500s, trade, information and culture all moved at the speed of a galleon, while nowadays, all of these move at the blink of an eye. But as Newton said it so well, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction; the push of colonizers during their periods of active expansion is now met by the equal and opposite reaction of the former colonies… in the form of growing immigration, outsourcing and off-shore production.  

 

            We really can’t blame ourselves much for what has happened in the past, geographically, our country/collection of islands sits at the cross-roads of the east and west. That’s also a key reason why we never seem to have a very strong sense of identity, particularly in the field of architecture.

 

            So, What is Filipino Architecture? Is it the Bahay-kubo? The Bahay-na-bato? The Adapted Mediterranean Villa? The Concrete Salt-box? Or The Modernist Floating Mass? I leave it up to the experts to debate and discuss. But all I know for sure is that we as a society are evolving and mutating towards our own Identity and like a fresh-graduate, just starting to strike out on his own, our designers and architects will have to make sense of all of these influences and be able to meld and harness them into a strong cohesive whole. Truly, it is this raucous mix that makes us Filipino… all of the above… not this or that… but this and that… and that… and that… oh… and that too.

Drucker 3, Bluprint, Renzo Piano and sails...

Last night I met with some classmates from high school... it was good to see and hear from them again. It was very refreshing to get involved, maybe last night, my brain was a bit slow to absorb everything happening, but this morning, a whole storm of thoughts, ideas and questions popped up about the discussions last night. I need to pray over these things, and to check my Drucker 3 (values, environment and resources) to understand these issues. I don't want to jump ship suddenly, without learning about my own ship more... and also, I don't want to commit something that would look like I'm rebelling against my family's background.

In the mean time, I got a reply from Bluprint mag, telling me that they would check out some material I've written... hopefully they do publish the critiques/articles I wrote up. (I'm really excited about this development )

I'm also fixing up my applications for several post-board exam possibilities... the most exciting of which is the Ermanno Piano Scholarship in Italy/France under the Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Its really challenging, because I'm against other graduates from around the world, I don't know if this school-of-hardknocks-indio from the Philippines stands a chance against the theoretical-design-geniuses of the west.

I hope God reenergizes the breeze pushing my sails and points me to the right direction.

SFO, NYC 2004 ... art/building shots

Are you one of the atlases who carry the world?

These are just some of the photos I took while I was doing my thesis research abroad... visiting university campuses, cities, cbds, etc.

Whats in a Name?

Name Meanings : Whats in a name?  Leandro Nicholas LEANDER

Gender: Masculine Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized) Extra Info: Popularity, Related Names, Namesakes Options: Contribute Information, Add to List

Means "lion of a man" from Greek leon "lion" and andros "of a man". In Greek legend Leander was the lover of Hero. Every night he swam across the Hellespont to meet her, but on one occasion he was drowned when a storm arose. When Hero saw his dead body she threw herself into the waters and perished.

-naku how tragic naman...

NICHOLAS

Gender: Masculine Usage: English, French Pronounced: NI-ko-las (English), nee-ko-LA (French)   [key] Extra Info: Popularity, Related Names, Namesakes, Websites, Comments Options: Contribute Information, Add to List

From the Greek name Nikolaos which meant "victory of the people" from Greek nike "victory" and laos "people". Saint Nicholas was a 4th-century bishop from Anatolia who, according to legend, saved the daughters of a poor man from lives of prostitution. He is also known as Santa Claus (from Dutch Sinterklaas), the bringer of Christmas presents. He is the patron saint of children, sailors and merchants, and Greece and Russia. Nicholas was also the name of two czars of Russia and five popes. -aha the source of my socialist thoughts is discovered...

Of Anakin and Luke Skywalker, Prisoners, Practice and a School of Parenting...

 

Continuing with the Star Wars line of thought… I am a panganay, the eldest son of 3 offspring, (2 girls followed after me). And as such, I am also subject to the perks and pains of being the first born. I’m sure other first-born kids would relate very well with what I will be talking about.

 

My Tita Tetos, a very bright academician, a teacher and a mentor to her students in Canada is also a panganay, she was coaxed, cajoled and pushed by my strict, disciplinarian, yet sickly lolo (he had to stop working because he got sick due to stress caused by his duties as a Professor in Mining Engineering in Adamson University) to excel and work hard in order to help her family out. Because of this, she grew angstful and rebellious. My mom would tell me that she would go up the stairs with heavy footsteps and declare… “Ayoko na dito sa Pilipinas!”, and so… upon graduating, she took a Fulbright scholarship to the University of Chicago and took her masters and PhD in Sociology and Demography.

 

This was during the martial law years, and she decided not to go back to the Philippines when she realized that our country’s turmoil at that time was not a very healthy ground to sow seeds on. Its sad, because in a way, other people of her generation did the same, in a way, becoming the aborted generation of Filipino minds, teachers, artists, etc. But that’s a little beside the point, she saved and scrimped very hard in order to keep her living costs low, in order for her to send a portion of her scholarship stipend back to the Philippines to help out my Mom’s family survive.

 

This continued even after her graduation and her eventual tenure as a professor in a University in Canada, she continued to send money back home in order to help sustain my then ailing lolo and struggling lola. When my lolo died, my tita couldn’t get herself to go back home, coming up with excuses as to why… it also repeated itself when my lola passed away in 2003, instead of coming home to a reunion of sorts (in my entire mother’s side of the family, we are the only ones remaining here in the Philippines, everyone else has left for Canada or Australia) she decided to remain in Canada, for health reasons daw. But then, if you consider the gravity of the occasion, I really thing it’s a bit unjustified. But being a panganay, I kinda get a feel for what she was thinking and feeling. The wave of angst and pain must have been overwhelming, as well as the guilty relief that would have swept over her. She did say this though: “The first born is the prisoner of the family.”

 

The story has parallels with my father, who was also raised by a very strict, disciplinarian father (my papang) who was also an academician… who also imposed his will on my dad. My dad rebelled and was bull-headed at an earlier age, deciding to take up Architecture instead of Accountancy/Business, which my lolo was pushing on him. For this, I think, he would have paid (of course I’m not privy to the details) but I’m sure, knowing how strict Papang was when he was younger, he would have made life very difficult for my dad.

 

When my papang passed away, my dad couldn’t even look at his corpse or even come up to touch him at the hospital. Its not that my dad was queasy, but I felt it as more of fear and angst as to what has happened before. Believe me when I say that it has left an indelible mark on my dad. It is something that has befuddled my entire family to no end, and as a panganay, it has also left a huge imprint on me, my behavior, my thoughts and my entire existence.

 

I’m sure this story is repeated many times the world over, especially in patriarchal societies like ours, I’m positive that I’m not the only one around. All panganays carry that in them (of course I’m not so sure about the other siblings… maaring dala din nila, pero hindi kasing bigat ng dala ni kuya/ate).

 

Ever since magkamalay ako and I was able to use my brain, I remember trying to reach out to him. Everything, from my choice of profession to how I behave, to how I am the only one in my family who can put up with his idiosyncrasies, everything I’ve done so far has been to reach out to him and try to make things right.

 

I don’t know how things will be for me, if I do get blessed with children, I’m not sure how I would handle the task of bringing them up. All I know is that the blueprint that’s being repeated/reused definitely needs a bit more updating for the changing times.

 

But then I realize that parents, are human beings too. And that maybe the tough upbringing of the kids is brought about also by their lack of practice, they might not have any idea on how to do it, except for what’s been done to them, thus perpetuating the cycle.

 

Maybe kulang lang ang new parents sa practice, or better yet, kulang din sila sa training. Maybe there should be a school specializing on good parenting and family life. But then, how weird and surreal would it be if AMA opens up a St. Mary and Joseph School of Parenting and Family Life diba?

 

So anyway, what’s the point? Its tough to be the eldest in the family, but we’re not prisoners to our family, in fact, we might even be the ones who hold the key to setting our families free from the cycle of angst, pain and torment. Oh, and the Star Wars correlation? You go figure it out! May the force be with you. (nlabo)

Blood is thicker than water; Think in 4 dimensions

Situational Update:

            I wont be pushing through with my trip to Vancouver, my mom went ahead, I decided to focus on my local engagements… in other words… my work, besides, its peak season for air travel, and as standby passengers, its tougher to get a seat if you are part of a family/group traveling together.

 

            Anyway, I saw Episode 3 with my sisters yesterday, great effects, great action sequences, hot Portman!, great jedi master Yoda, really dumb Skywalker… and as many have mentioned already… shallow script.

 

            So what are my thoughts and reflections on the movie?

 

1.      Blood is thicker than water…  no matter how well you train or mentor someone, chances are, they will strike out from you and radiate into their own interests. This is so prevalent in the workplace, especially in my field of work. Architecture in the Philippines is like the Caribbean during the colonial times, full of pirates, big empires and stragglers, screwing each other for booty. Most of the time, you can trace architectural career lines based on which architect/developer did he/she screw, or which client did he/she pirate to start his/her own practice.

2.      Learn to think in 4 dimensions… Yes, Anakin actually did bring balance to the force, if he did not step into the dark side, he wouldn’t have learned the yang of the jedi yin, thus he wouldn’t have been able to balance things and eventually correct them in episode 6. It was just a matter of time. (the fourth dimension.

The Contradictions of Pluralism

Pluralism is a belief/ideology that everyone has his/her own view/opinion and that each voice is of value to the whole/big picture.

But the contradiction of this is that... as with any belief, if you know and firmly believe in what you are saying, you are urged by your beliefs to spread them and preach it to other people...  so what if, lets say the person you're preaching to is a dictator/ideologue or extremist who has his own beliefs, by preaching and "sharing" your pluralist philosophy to this despot... wouldnt that infringe on his own views too? The same view (no matter what its all about) that pluralism is also trying to value?!

AYALA Competition Entry

These are just snapshots of my entry to the Ayala Dreambuilders Design Competition... this was last year... 1st prize yan hehehe

Divisions in Philippine Society

I had a ym conversation with a good friend, Monica who has left the Philippines and re-migrated to Spain, yes she is Spanish, but a true citizen of the world. Basically, the conversation made me realize just how deeply divided our country is. In the States, the main divisions are mainly along race lines… the black, white, latino, asian lines are defined by the color of your skin and what language each group speaks… they aren’t as divided in terms of class or economic lines because the United States has a dominant middle class.

 

Our country on the other hand, if you look closer has a really whacked-up society, these are just a few of our divisions:

 

1.      The Economic divisions = Mayaman at Mahirap …. Very few middle class kasi

2.      The Race divisions = Mestiza, Chinito, Moreno/Mullato (for the rich brown skinned folk) and Nognog (for the masa) <no offence meant!>

3.      The Regional divisions = The manileno, ilocano, kapampangan, bikolano, bisaya, ilonggo, batanggeno, etc. – which is really part of our clannish tribal mentality.

4.      The Religious divisions = The Christian majority … which in itself is divided among the Catholics, the Iglesia, Mormons, Born-again, Baptist, Adventist, Anglican, Dating Daan (YEMEN!) <again… peace tayo mga followers ni Bro. Eli> and then the Muslim community pa…

5.      The familial divisions

6.      Oh and on a lighter note, nandyan narin yung Media Divisions = Kapamilya o Kapuso, MTV or Channel V…

 

So what does all this mean? Well, it just goes to show we have a very rich socio-cultural fabric, but what’s so sad is that this is the main reason we can’t seem to get our act together as a country, because in the first place, ask anyone on the street the question “Ano ka?” They’ll probably answer …. Tao! (if he’s pilosopo), Atenista (malamang if he’s from ateneo), Ala eh! Batanggeno (if he chugs 5 gallons of beer and plays with switchblades) <again no offence to them… Jords… peace tayo pare!> ….

 

Rarely will you get an answer saying: “Pilipino ako” <again, kung pilosopo yung tao, sasabihin niya … eh ang labo ng tanong mo eh> but then that’s beside the point.

 

I grew up as a bystander/observer to these things, going to DLSZ for my elementary and secondary studies, and seeing how the top 5-10% of Pinoys live, while myself coming all the way from a middle/working class neighborhood in Paranaque… with an ultra-conservative and Chinese/Ilocano family upbringing, I was in a unique position to see these cliques and divisions. Sometimes, during my stay in Zobel I felt that there were invisible class lines and exclusions to people like me, who weren’t exactly part of the Ayala Alabang community, but don’t get me wrong, I’m not bitter or anything, because, without going through these experiences, I wouldn’t have been who I am right now, and I wouldn’t have wanted to strike out on my own in UST and go out of my old comfort zone and try to discover what the rest of society is all about. In retrospect, that’s probably why I learned to grow an emotional and social armor around myself and do and like all sorts of off-stream/obscure things (such as learn the clarinet, like American football, learn programming) because I wanted to define myself as better or at least different from the pervading cliques.

 

When I got to UST, I got the culture shock of my life, especially with my college, which used to be CAFA (College of Architecture and Fine Arts) we had a crazy mix of bohemians, rockers, artistes, and (just simply) weirdos… everyone in Arki had a slight weirdo-on-the-edge kind of feel mainly because we were more constrained and limited by what can be physically done.

 

So… what am I leading to… basically, I found the middle ground in UST, I met people who weren’t exactly coming from exclusive educations, rich families or Spanish heritages… they didn’t revolve around the same clique as Ateneans or Lasallians… but what I realized is that … You really don’t have to come from those “exclusive” schools to be classy and to have a proper upbringing… It was a humbling experience for me, and because of this, it has made me more sensitive of the huge disparities in Philippine Society. I guess being in the middle makes you see who is on top and who is below much better than anyone else, at the same time, being in the middle gives you the unique position/opportunity to make a difference and bring those two together…

Journal Topics that I'm itching to write about...

One of my main frustrations is the fact that I always run across some great topics for my journal, but I always end up not being able to write about them and follow it through, now for future reference ... things I really want to write about in the future, but I'm just not in the mood to talk about them right now (in my most artsy-fartsy, bohemian writer cum architect cum artist tone):

1. Sell-out architecture/Commercial Architecture vs. Good Architecture

2. Being square/boring is good!

3. Nationalism and Discrimination of the local Filipino-Chinese (thanks to Mac)

4. U2's rock opera style

5. Me as a thesis tutor/adviser (helping out 5 students with their thesis) - the lessons that I would love to impart to them.

6. My overall design philosopy - Contextual Determinism

7. High School Stratification/Cliques

8. Class Lines in Manila

9. Love and Reality/Pragmatism

10. The Contradictions of Pluralist Ideology

11. China ! - The Country not the female wrestler

12. Religion/Faith - sects

13. Metropolitan Traffic in Manila

14. Dumbass, Good for nothing mayors... not to mention... really dumb legislation regarding MMDA.

15. Engineers vs. Lawyers... Doers vs. Talkers...

16. Architect - Client Relations... should architects just roll over for their client's desires and follies.

17. The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged - The correct definition of ego.

Obviously... I have a lot of things and ideas that I'd love to tackle... I hope to write about these things soon.

 

New Thinkpad

I am typing this on my new Thinkpad, which I was able to buy at a ridiculously low price of 42k, well it is relatively low, compared to how other similarly spec’d branded laptops in the market… the difference? Its parts and components are made mostly in Asia, in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, with more expensive parts coming from Taiwan and Japan… All of these brought together and assembled in China. What does this mean? It means China has busted down the doors of production quality discrimination and stepped into the “quality” psyche of consumers and producers.

 

Kudos to Lenovo Inc. for purchasing IBM’s PC division, this is a huge development in Asian business, considering that IBM started the whole PC boom, its kind of ironic to see an Asian company buy them out. Maybe IBM realized that they were better off with letting themselves focus on their core competency, which has always been the big, mainframe/server business, and letting their smaller, consumer/personal computing division go to a more production-savvy Lenovo, which has China’s production muscle as part of its main business arsenal.

 

What do all of this mean? Well, simply put, watch out for a flood of cheap, branded, quality PCs and notebooks from China. This will energize the local and regional electronics sector and bring about a wave of democratization of IT technologies throughout more backward and rural areas of Asia, particularly the mainland.

Come here little guppy !!!!

A380 take-off with learjet lead plane

Waiting for take-off...

Now... continuing my train... or... plane of thought... hehehe

I feel like an A380 fully fueled with the flaps down and the brakes off, lined up at the end of a long runway ready for take-off... but the control tower hasn't given me clearance yet. I really hope ALI finally set a date for my interview this week.

When I was in high school, in the midst of deciding for what I want to do for my career, I actually gave aeronautical design/engineering some thought. But the thing is, the opportunities for that profession don't sound so optimistic, especially here in the Philippines.

So I got into architecture, and don't get me wrong, I love what I'm doing right now, its just that I really want to be able to fly a plane someday. Oh well... in the mean time, I've kinda adapted a subversive design "image" in terms of my architecture... which, as one of my profs mentioned... "You're buildings look like they're about to take-off" hehehe ... which really is a compliment for me... because I guess... thats what I've been wanting them to do in the first place.

Now... about flying... Looks like I'll be travelling with my mom to attend my cousin Miguel's wedding in Vancouver. I'll be leaving in 2 weeks, and I can't wait to get out of Manila's heat. Hopefully, ALI calls na so I can clarify how long I can stay in YVR...

 

On the tarmac...

 

Kudos to the Airbus A380 design team... what a huge bird... hehehehe... it took off with a learjet observer/spotter plane ahead of it, and it seemed like it was about to gobble the poor thing up.

That is one of my frustrations in life, being a kid, and being blessed/allowed to travel the world at an early age opened my eyes to the wonders of flight. Nothing compared to the rush of take-off... well we always travelled stand-by (because my mom used to work for an airline) and because of that, we usually get stuck in airport departure lounges and check-in areas waiting for the clearance to board the flight. I really didn't mind the wait, because I always carried around a small steno notebook and I'd find the nearest curtain wall window and just sketch whatever new aircraft I see.

Its sad that for a lot of people, getting on a plane is almost the same as getting on a bus. hopefully, with the a380, this is going to change, hopefully it will bring back the glory and glamour days of air travel.