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Scattered Update

Its been a while since my last update, blame it on Madden 2006, great
game... totally different passing game engine, just when I've mastered
reading defenses in the old engine, EA comes in and brings in a totally
more realistic vision system... its so addicting!



Anyway, mahirap magpapayat! Argggghhhh! There are days I hold it
together well, there are days, I feel like a garburator... you know,
one of those sink mashers?



I had the chance to meet one of my dad's oldest friends/allies in the
business during an aborted round of golf, had lunch in the Highlands
Steakhouse, and can I just say that I totally ate back something like a
week's worth of protein...



Just our luck, we got to see one of the country's premier taipans
having a family lunch/boardmeeting in the same resto. Got introduced to
them, and I have to admit, I was a bit star struck.... hehehe...
because I couldn't help but admire the old man for having built his
huge business in just one lifetime. Galeng! Some families would take
several generations to realize that kind of success, tapos for them, it
happened in a span of decades. Bilib ka nga naman talaga sa
entrepreneurial spirit and guts ng family nila. And the nice thing
about it is that, despite the success, they've remained tremendously
low-key and conservative, trumpeting family values and steady decision
making.



As for me and my pops, I hope na they like our folio kit enough to
prequalify us for one of their projects, we know they are very kuripot
when it comes to professional fees, pero they give so much street cred
to any architectural practice... if I know my dad and the firm, we're
all up to the challenge

How to Become a Famous Architect... repost from Risha's email

How to become a Famous Architect
a brief step by step guide. 
 

This
is not a cynical exercise. It is a guide which will help you navigate
the strange world of design. It will help you achieve what you deserve
only if you believe in yourself. Don't fake it.

^{Becoming
a famous architect shouldn't take too long, but don't expect too much. 
Its not a passport to riches, nor an introduction to high society.  But
if its what you want, here's how to do it.}

 

First,
pay a visit to any well stocked newsagent.  Buy one copy of each design
magazine.  You will use these to find out what not to do.

Now
go to your local remaindered book store.  Buy a copy of a design book
with lots of pictures in. Not only is the remaindered store cheaper,
but its stock is between ten to fifteen years old. These are the least
fashionable and so most shocking of all styles. You will use this to
copy your new designs from.

On
the way home, choose a name for your cutting edge design firm. 
Something punchy, arty, and a little stupid should do.  There are not
too many rules about this but make sure it doesn't include ¨urban¨ or
¨studio¨.  Your name will present an efficient image, suggest an office
in a fashionable part of town, and a committed workforce. No one will
know that you are really operating out of your bedroom.

Now
that you have a name, you need a project. It must be a radical design
of a house. It needs a catchy title. Pick a popular word or phrase,
then add house to the end of it. If it sounds good, it is good. Scan in
some of the pictures from your new book. Scan in some other pictures
you like. Stick them together in the latest version of Photoshop. Play
around until you get a nice picture that you can believe in. Check that
it doesn't look too much like the pictures in your magazines.

 

Now
its time to develop your mystique. This is all important, because it is
what you are selling. Remember, you won't have to design a building for
at least ten years. And in this time you will live off your mystique,
so make it good. Mystique is what you say, and the way that you say it.
If you come from continental Europe,
great. If you don't, pretend that you do. Mystique should also suggest
revolutionary politics and french philosophy. Don't talk about these
things directly as it never makes good copy and will only confuse you.

In
order to alert the magazines, you must write a press release. This
should be full of your mystique, good copy, and have your telephone
number on it.

 

Know
your audience: Journalists. Its important to remember that design
journalists are desperate for anything interesting. This is because
architecture is mainly boring. So be interesting. Make outlandish
claims; tell them everything they know is wrong; most of all, be
prepared to have a radical opinion on anything that may crop up in
conversation. They will print it and thank you.

 

Fax your press release to the magazines. The numbers are in the magazines you bought earlier.

 

No
rest yet, because you must now prepare the packs that you will send
out. You will be too busy answering the inevitable calls over the next
few days, so do it now.  The pack should contain your new picture and a
radical design statement (see how useful developing that mystique was?).

 

When
the phone starts ringing, you know what to do: Use your cutting edge
firms name, your exciting new house title, and your fascinating
mystique to full effect.  When the phone stops ringing, go to the post
office and send your project packs out.

 

Now
its time to relax. Head on down to a fashionable architects bar (you
will recognize it by its converted industrial look, expensive bar
snacks, and people with strange glasses on). Enjoy yourself, but
remember your mystique! All you need to do now is remember to buy the
magazines that you feature in.

 

Welcome to the world of international design.

Shallow laughtrip

A friend of mine was reading my responses to Mac's tag and told me na
ano kaya kung ang ipangalan ko sa anak ko... Edgar Allan ... as in
Edgar Allan Po... co...



hahaha...  Oo nga naman... pero I dread the idea, if my son
eventually lives up to his name... hehehe... he must get pretty
morbid...



I went to a petshop last weekend and I almost burst out in laughter
when I saw a sign for Jack Dempsey Cichlids, which are black-ringed,
aggressive, freshwater fish...



For sale... Black-Eyed Fish...  tamang tama apat sila...



Hahahahaha!!!

The New Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Check out how the wings flex more, almost higher than the actual plane fuselage! Just goes to show how effective the new carbon fiber composites work...

More old photos from UST

best buds!

Blogthing blitz

Obviously, wala ako magawa, this is what you get when you have 2 hours
to kill, and a free wi-fi internet connection... hahaha... Naaliw tuloy
ako sa Blogthings...

Nax... talaga lang ah...

You Are a Pundit Blogger!

Your blog is smart, insightful, and always a quality read. Truly appreciated by many, surpassed by only a few.

Further proof that I'm in the right line of work...

Your Dominant Intelligence is Spatial Intelligence

You've got a good sense of space and how the world around you looks. You can close your eyes and "see" images. You have innate artistic talent. An eye for color and shapes, you're also a natural designer. Since you think in pictures, visual aids and demonstartions help you learn best. You would make a good navigator, sculptor, visual artist, inventor, architect, interior designer, or engineer.

My Altitude/Attitude

How Your Attitude Ranks

Your Attitude is Better than 80% of the Population If you scored... 80-100: You've got a winner attitude. You're always optimistic and cheery. Your personality will get you far in life. 60-79: You have a good attitude. While a realist, you do see the positive side of most things. People love to be around you. 40 - 59: You have a positive attitude... somtimes. You prefer to see the world through clear glasses, not rose colored ones. 20 - 39: You have an average attitude. You take the good and bad in life as they come. Though sometimes you could use a little more good. 0-19: You have a negative attitude. You tend to see the dark side of every situation. Free ice cream? No thanks, it will just make you fat!

My Ideal Career Type - hmmm... looks like I'm in the right line of work

Your Career Type: Artistic

You are expressive, original, and independent. Your talents lie in your artistic abilities: creative writing, drama, crafts, music, or art. You would make an excellent: Actor - Art Teacher - Book Editor Clothes Designer - Comedian - Composer Dancer - DJ - Graphic Designer Illustrator - Musician - Sculptor The worst career options for your are conventional careers, like bank teller or secretary.

My Personality Type

You Have A Type A Personality

A You are hyper, energetic, and always on the mood You tend to succeed at everything you attempt And if you don't succeed at first, you quickly climb your way to the top! You could be called a workaholic, but you also make time for fun As long as it's high energy and competitive, you're interested You have the perfect personality for business and atheltic success

My EQ

Your EQ is

133 50 or less: Thanks for answering honestly. Now get yourself a shrink, quick! 51-70: When it comes to understanding human emotions, you'd have better luck understanding Chinese. 71-90: You've got more emotional intelligence than the average frat boy. Barely. 91-110: You're average. It's easy to predict how you'll react to things. But anyone could have guessed that. 111-130: You usually have it going on emotionally, but roadblocks tend to land you on your butt. 131-150: You are remarkable when it comes to relating with others. Only the biggest losers get under your skin. 150+: Two possibilities - you've either out "Dr. Phil-ed" Dr. Phil... or you're a dirty liar.

My Thinking Style

Your Dominant Thinking Style:

Modifying Super logical and rational, you consider every fact available to you. You don't make rash decisions and are rarely moved by emotion. You prefer what's known and proven - to the new and untested. You tend to ground those around you and add stability.

Your Secondary Thinking Style:

Exploring You thrive on the unknown and unpredictable. Novelty is your middle name. You are a challenger. You tend to challenge common assumptions and beliefs. An expert inventor and problem solver, you approach everything from new angles. You show people how to question their models of the world.

Rote Memorization vs. Common Sense and Good Design + some Biblical application

An officemate asked me for help with a
sideline project, the owner wants it to be a 3-unit apartment building, and
this officemate was asking me for ideas on how to go about the design of the
structure. I decided to skip lunch so I could think of solutions for the
problem, besides, I think it would be a good way to save money… and lose some
weight in the process. So anyway, I came up with something that was different
and that wasn’t exactly conventionally accepted. I brought home the work and
tried to clean it up some more and settle the finer details of the solution.

 

The following morning I presented my ideas
to my officemate (around 35 years old, hasn’t passed the board yet, and extremely
diligent and trustworthy when it comes to jobsite coordination). I was
frustrated to see the look on his face and to hear the succession of questions
and protests… “Eh diba sa Building Code dapat minimum ganito, eh diba dapat
standard height ganito, eh diba dapat ganito yung ruling diyan?”

 

            I felt irritated and annoyed at his
rote adherence to the rules, because as far as I was concerned, I did not break
any, and in fact, enhanced the project by going beyond the rules. I felt an
uneasy combination of pity and guilt because I thought that maybe that’s
exactly the reason why this guy won’t be designing anything of importance or
impact.

 

            In the first place, those rules were
instituted in order to provide bare minimums for good, safe design. Now, even
if you don’t fully memorize those rules, but you know what the basics for good
and safe design are, along with a basic understanding of human dimensions, how
can you go wrong? Common sense!

 

            The same situation goes with my
classmates and my instructor in Microcadd, where I’m taking up ADT, as if every
window has to be a casement window, every sill has to be 900mm above the floor
line, every main door is 900mm x 2100mm, and every roof has to have a
Spanish-molded gutter.

 

            Do you tell Frank Gehry that he
needs to square off all his buildings because its cheaper to do it that way? Do
you tell Ken Yeang to remove all his roof gardens because they are going to
leak? Heck no! Of course I’m no Gehry or Yeang for that matter, but I’d like to
think that, based on my training, I can solve problems and design.

 

            Shucks, if anyone wants a definition
of our true vernacular language of architecture, you don’t have to talk to
Bobby Manosa, you just take a look at our building code, because it has
virtually dictated how the rest of the rote population design their houses.
True enough, if you visit the village I live in, almost all the new houses look
the same.

 

            Whatever happened to thinking out of
the box? Whatever happened to pushing the envelope and actually designing
something unique? So anyway, he takes the sheets of paper I worked on, and goes
home and does his own thing, the following morning, voila, he shows me his
work, and what do we end up with? Exactly what I was imagining, a 3-door
apartment building with the units side-by-side, and their firewalls jutting
out.

            I realize he didn’t ask me for my
design opinion because he valued it, he asked me for my design opinion so that
he could point out that he knew the rules much better than I did. An
architectural Pharisee!

 

            Doesn’t it go the same with the Ten
Commandments? Didn’t the Israelites get too stuck up with the law, that they
eventually forgot what God’s point was? Didn’t God have to send His Son to come
over and teach us what God really needed? As my friend would say, it’s a heart
issue. Are you good because you adhere to the rules and do nothing to break
them, or are you good because you love God and realize Christ’s sacrifice so
much that you do not break these rules and go beyond them out of love for God?

 

            Do we follow the rules and
regulations instituted in the Building Code because we know that our plans
won’t be approved by the Building Official? Do we stick to the rules because
we’ve run out of good ideas? Or do we follow these rules and go beyond them
because we know what good design is? I guess that’s the distinction that
defines an off-site project coordinator and a project designer.

 

            But then again, at the end of the
day, I still have to memorize the rules, because I still have to take and pass
the board. Arggh!

ASEAN - Apec Practice for Local Architects

I visited UST the other day to take a break
from work and to have some paperwork and certifications done. I dropped by the
college to check the Best Thesis exhibit, I saw some of the works of my
batchmates last year, most of which, curiously, had Sir Noche as their adviser,
hmmm… anyway, hindi ko naisama yung trabaho ko, kasi hindi ako nainform na
kailangan pala dalhin dun. So… maiba… I went upstairs para makibalita kay Dean
Ponce, so here is the basic list of issues discussed:

 

1.      Congrats to Roy Mendoza, for winning the
NUS-Asean scholarship, nice work bro, sana
magqualify ako sa November.

2.      Congrats to Mac Ong a.k.a Nakanamamboogie,
for graduating from the NUS Urban Design Program – top of his batch ah!
Luhfeht! Actually matagal ko na to alam… pero inaanounce ko narin.

3.      Congrats to my batchmate… si Gops… este
Gopuansuy for winning the scholarship to Milan… talaga naman ah… tindi talaga
ng batch namin.

4.      I found out that a lot of professors are
starting to become antagonistic against Dean Ponce, I think that’s the case
naman talaga, kahit former faculty member din yung Dean.

5.      And the most important and promising piece
of news… The 2 year post-date requirement for us to take the board exams,
instituted in the new Architecture Law Implementing Rules and Regulations, is
being implemented not just to make life difficult for kids or relatives of
architects, but also to prepare the succeeding batch of graduates to be able to
take the ASEAN Architecture Registration Examinations. Hopefully daw, by 2007
we can take the board, pass it, and be registered professionally not just here
in the Philippines, but also in all ASEAN nations. Plus… we also get to have the
opportunity to take the Architecture Registration exams in other APEC countries
like the USA,
even if we haven’t taken Arki units in that country. Astig! Kaya pala the Board
of Architecture has been phasing in new subjects into the exam syllabus. The
APEC din is also trying to implement a universal building code, para unified na
lahat ng building standards among its member nations. This is really great
news. I’ve been a bit dejected kasi I couldn’t take the board, samantalang I’ve
completed more than the required apprenticeship hours. This gives me something
to look forward to and plan for. Galeng talaga ni Lord, yung akala mong
problema, opportunity and positional advantage pala.

Raul Roco

I would have voted for Raul Roco, because
aside from sharing the 3 ¾ letters of his family name, I also shared in his
ideals. In fact I was the only one of voting age, in my household to actually
express this during the last elections. My mom didn’t like him, because
according to her, he was a primadonna who made life difficult for PAL employees
(His office was located in the 5^th floor of the PAL ticket office
that my mom used to work in). My dad didn’t like him, mainly because of the
usual Pinoy tribal/regional reasons, Roco is Bicolano, my dad is
Pangasinense-Ilokano, and according to him, if Roco wins the election, most of
government funding and development would go south, instead of north to his
beloved Lingayen. Plus the fact that my dad thinks he’s too smart for his own
good. Talk about skewed logic!

  

        Anyway, I know that Roco was human, and as such,
he isn’t free from fault, but I really thought that he was leading somewhere.
He would have actually won, had GMA not run for president. For all you know, GMA’s
decision to run for president might have actually triggered intense stress in
Roco’s body, along with the rigors of the campaign, pushing his dormant cells
into their cancerous state. Whatever it is, bilib ako dito kay Roco, he is
proof that, maski-paano, there is a meritocracy in the Philippines. He shouldn’t worry,
because marami parin namang idealistic dito sa Pilipinas. Every year, we
turn-out a fresh batch of young, idealistic individuals ready to change the
world, this year, I’m one of them. Yes, youth is wasted on the young, ideals
are wasted on people who have little or no absolute, direct impact on the
nation, but I know that there will be a few good individuals who will have
their ideals survive the rigors of making a living and paying the bills. I hope
to be one of them.

Fully Booked, Rockwell - A critique

Kudos to Arch. Joey Yupangco on his work
with the Fully Booked branch at Rockwell’s 3^rd floor. Very well
designed, well thought off and well executed. 
He starts off by continuing lines of sight on plan, extending the
octagonal grid of the mall’s atrium well into the store. He creates intriguing
processional spaces and unique niches of space within the store by playing
around with levels. Of course, this also creates volumes of storage space
underneath the elevated platforms, this just goes to show that you can create a
lot of space by thinking in 3 dimensions, instead of the normal 2d plan view.

 

He makes the books the centerpiece of the
design, by showcasing them, just as a museum would. It is technically, a museum
of commercial knowledge, wherein people can literally lose themselves for
hours, because of the disorienting grids, but I guess that’s the point. You
rarely walk into a bookstore knowing what you want, so this layout allows you
to browse through the books in a spiraling storyline of A to Z. My dad first
pointed the shop out as an example of good design by an architect dabbling into
interiors, and I totally agree, and the thing is, we both tend to be very
kuripot with our design compliments. Galeng! Luhfeht! Asteeg!

 

Oh… and by the way, the design execution
isn’t as expensive as it may seem, in terms of costing and construction, the
shelves are very basic, with seemingly randomly painted or varnished intervals,
almost everything is painted in FWE white, the lights and the steel elevated
platforms, along with the granite floors would probably amount to the largest
chunk of the expense. The aluminum screening walls are also a nice touch, but
the workmanship tends to be a bit rough, and the design of the screen although
unique in the local setting, is too Libeskindish. Aside from a few highlight
sculptural ceiling forms, which by the way, are done in basic furring and
gypsum, the rest of the “up-space” is composed of the shop’s exposed,
white-painted utilities. The ceiling forms also play a great role as an
orientational device, silently and subversively gliding you from one node to
another.

 

All-in-all, this shop is a great example of
what a good architect can do to your business – save you money, create a buzz,
make things more efficient, showcase your product, and give you and your
customers a feel-good kind of environment; nothing chop-suey here, its puro,
everything was pinag-isipan at pinag-tiyagaan. Its good that real designers
like him are given the chance by clients to execute their thoughts in the way
they want. I can’t wait to get to work on a shop myself, sana in the future, ganun din magiging
clients ko.

Continuation of Mac's tag

Three names you go by:

1. Lean

2. Pox

3. Leandro



Three Screen Names you have had:

1. haha... DrScholl

2. p0x

3. saarinen



Three physical things you like about yourself:

1. I'm tall...

2. Siguro... I'm relatively agile/nimble given my size

3. ?



Three physical things you don't like about yourself:
1. I gain weight quickly

2. I'm slightly portly... ahehehehe actually... fat!

3. I lack stamina...



Three parts of your heritage:

1. Chinese

2. Ilokano/Pangasinense

3. Spanish

hahaha... Kuripot na nga, magulang pa, tapos bolero pa! yari!



Three things that scare you:

1. Scary movies

2. Failure

3. Haha... extremely beautiful women?



Three of your everyday essentials:

1. Food

2. Music

3. Laughter



Three of your favorite musical artists:

1. U2

2. Coldplay

3. John Mayer...

dami pa eh... Maroon 5, Rivermaya, etc. etc.



Three of your favorite songs:
1. John Mayer's  Bigger than my body

2. U2's Vertigo

3. Coldplay's Fix You



Three things you want in a relationship:

1. Compatibility

2. Trust

3. Passion



Three lies and truths in no particular order:
1. I can open car doors with a piece of wire.

2. I used to have a "model airport" when I was 8.

3. I'm colordumb.





Three physical things about the opposite sex that appeals to you:

hard to pin down, I focus on the brains, breeding and depth kasi eh...

Tagged by Nakanamamboogie

Three of your favorite hobbies:

1. Looking for patterns in whatever I see... hahaha... feeling John Nash

2. Read (Currently Reading... Whats so Amazing About Grace, and of course... The Bible)

3. Sing (and headbang during traffic) while driving



Three things you want to do really badly now:

1. Be independent... which is predicated on:

2. making/saving/investing enough money in order for me to move out

3. Go to the gym... I feel like a slob... last week pa kasi last workout ko.



Three careers you're considering/you've considered:

1. Aircraft Designer/Pilot/Adventurer - mala Burt Rutan/Steve Fossett

2. Lier... este Lawyer (peace to all the Attys)

3. Rock Star (I LOVE YOU MANILA!!!! haha... just had to do that)



Three places you want to go on vacation:

1. Go back to Paris...

2. Easter Island

3. Tasmania



Three kid's names you like:

1. Francisco

2. Luis

3. Maximus?

Three things you want to do before you die:
1. Have a happy family- be a great father/husband
2. Maging liwanag sa dilim? - influence/affect positive change... kahit dito lang sa Philippines

3. Serve the Lord

Three ways that you are stereotypically a boy:
1. I'm an NFL fan... nufsaid... GO 49ers!
2. I know the range of the AIM9M Sidewinder Missile (9km effective range, 15km max)

3. I ogle... hahaha guilty!

Three celeb crushes:
1. Natalie Portman
2. Jennifer Connelly
3. Claire Forlani

Three people I'm Tagging:
1. JM
2. EJ
3. EL (hahahaha... alphabet soup names)