Shutterbug - Wannabe #004

In the mood for doing some photography for our next Visual Techniques plate, I just want to share a couple of pictures I took early this morning when I walked around Timog Avenue for some cool landscape-hunting.

Site Review: Dear God

Different convictions. Different beliefs. Different faiths. Doesn't matter what version of your God is. Doesn't matter whether it's 'Jesus, Allah, Buddha, or simply a spiritual universal energy'. Why not share your prayer here and create hope one prayer at a time?

Dear God is a website that is totally independent, non-denominational, neither a religious nor a new-age organization that has no affiliation or relationship to any religious church or spiritual organization. It's simply a global project for people around the world to share their innermost hopes - and fears - through prayer.

Been hangin' around this site lately, and I love all the things I get from the commentaries and entries of other people from different parts of the world sharing their perspective and hopes to a certain issue. You'll be surprised at how you can relate on some issues and how diverse, either enlightening or annoying, some commentaries are. Overall, it's not only informative but it's also a great way of sharing your personal beliefs but definitely not to the point of trying to shove it on someone's face.

Try dropping around sometime. You'll love it.

Turning Torso 2

Here is the finished product of my Turning Torso. Yeah, I know it's not that great but I think I'm very proud of it. A blockmate of mine told me that it was supposed to look realistic but it turned out really cartoonish.

Architect in the Making

Thank God it's Sunday!

Exhausted. Weary. Tired. Words that may as well describe my days from Thursday to Saturday last week cramming over my Design plate (Recreational Center and Internet Cafe). I will never forget this experience that led me into a conclusion that BS Architecture really is BS Architorture! Torture not in the sense of dragging yourself over something you don't want to do, but torture in the ironic sense of 'come hell or high water', you really have to sacrifice a lot of time, sweat and sleep, dramatically pushing yourself over this delicate passion, or quoting from one of my professors, a lifestyle.

Yup. Being an architect is not just a profession. It is continuous process of learning and development. A lifestyle. A statement that sends me bits of inspiration to continue on my chosen process of growth, and as well as shivers for the uncertainty of what my future has in store for me.

Below are some of my personal Dos and Don'ts of drafting. Some personal lessons (of I'm not sure) I learned from this weeks cram.

Do Make a table of your tasks to monitor your accomplishments and to budget your time wisely.

Do Take short 10-minute breaks to stretch, to go to the bathroom or to take some snack. Working straight from the moment you wake up until 3 in the morning of the next day is not really healthy. Have a break, have a Kitkat.

Do Make yourself comfortable or make your workplace conducive to long hours of drafting so as not to get bored. You may open the radio to stimulate your mind or sing while you draw. Have an electric fan at your feet to prevent mosquitoes from feasting on your legs.

Do Have a decent drafting table to work with. Never be content on an improvised stomach-high wooden furniture with a flat surface as your table if you don't want your feet sore from standing all day or your sleep interrupted by an excruciating leg cramp.

Don't sacrifice your lunch so as not to be late on your 1pm class. You may prefer to have your lunch early or end up stuffing yourself with an indecent meal of junk/street food at around 5:30pm.

Do Be alert and ready. Anything can happen on your way to school. Always carry an umbrella just in case a sudden freak heavy downpour happen a few steps after you got off from your doorstep(that's exactly what happened to me) And yes, a tracing tube that will protect your precious design plate from getting wet.

And lastly (okay, you can now ignore my last 6 ranting), Do plan ahead and start early so you'll never have to cram at all.

I know its lame. But either way, it's more of a lesson for me and not really for other architecture students out there. It’s just a small reminder of not doing the same mistakes again.

Well, the finished product turned out really great. Am very proud that I finished early enough to make a few adjustments in the rendering of my perspective though I have to admit that my proposed plan wasn't really that perfect. I made a mistake in my space programming in the early stage of my research that I decided never to mention in this post because it was down-right stupid and shameful. But it's okay. I'm a student and this early stage of learning is the right time to make mistakes because it is in those stupid things I did I learn how to make things right.

After that one heck of a week I had, I'm very much happy to relax this weekend. For today, I'm only planning to soak under the warmth of the morning sun as I make my way through my newspaper route I retired from for a week, play with our kittens and dogs and read the Sunday paper. The rest will spontaneously unfold in front me.

Shutterbug - Wannabe #003

"Afternoon Flicks", a compilation set of my favorite flicks taken during afternoons. Oooh, I just love playing with our camera!

Thousands of Filipinos in Sydney for World Youth Day

World Youth Day (WYD) is the largest youth event in the world and will be held in Sydney from Tuesday 15 to Sunday 20 July 2008.

Organised by the Catholic Church, WYD brings together young people from around the globe to celebrate and learn about their faith on a more regular basis.

WYD08 will be the largest event Australia has ever hosted. It will attract over 125,000 international visitors - more than the 2000 Olympics.

WYD08 will mark the first visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to Australia.

Through the WYD08 experience, young people from throughout the world will make a pilgrimage in faith, meet, and experience the love of God.

World Youth Day is an invitation from the Pope to the youth of the world to celebrate their faith around a particular theme. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Are You Jesus?

"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

Below is an e-mail sent to me by a special friend. It's a story that really rang in my heart and left me in a state of prayer. I've always wanted to be used by God. To be His hands and feet in this time of crisis. To help those who are in need and those who are broken.

I've longed to do voluntary service that involves caring and lending a helping hand or even going as far as immersion. Helping, not just to feel good about myself but helping, as a means of service to my God by serving those who belong in 'the least of these.' Somehow this story brought me back this burning passion I've always kept in my heart that I lost in the midst of my noisy and busy daily life.

This story belongs in my 'too important not to share' list. Hope this would leave a mark in your hearts as well. Here goes...

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.

All but one....

He paused, took a deep breath, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.

He told his buddies to go on without him, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.

He was glad he did.

The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, and helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?" She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly.

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, 'Mister....' He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, 'Are you Jesus?'

He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning in his soul: 'Are you Jesus?'

Turning Torso

I've been very busy with all my academics lately. Despite the feeling of burnout, ironically, I'm now starting to enjoy the course I'm taking.

Just finished rendering a week long assignment on a chosen skyscraper and my choice was Turning Torso, in Malmo, Sweden. Reaching a height of 190 metres (623 feet), it is the tallest building in Scandinavia and the tallest residential building in European Union designed by the internationally recognized and award-winning Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava.

I've never been this serious about my course before. Thank God my wind finally came in. I'm just happy to see myself engaging in my studies more.

Shutterbug - Wannabe #002

Introducing my beloved pet kittens! I call this flickfest "Muni-muni", 

(that is, 'Musings' in Filipino)

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The secret of life is not just to live, but to have something worthwhile to live for. 

Mary Jane