Love, Architecturally

(The time is 01.50 A.M. The day is Sunday. And the place is archi studio.)

Oh well, the reason for this post is that I drank too much coffee this afternoon in preparation for an archi-project-chiong-all-the-way nite...turns out my group finished a bit faster than usual, and here I am, having nothing to do but can't sleep also....wretched glass of coffee....

And so I decide to analyse some more my relationship with Architecture.....

And I come to the conclusion that it is, if anything, a lot like "love"....

Archi gives me a lot of pleasure, turns me giddy with excitement, puts a smile on my face when I think that I'm studying it....This high feeling...it's better than chocolate-high... (Oh well my seniors told me it's the honeymoon phase, but even they wonder cuz mine seems to last pretty long....)

It occupies my mind day and night, when I'm eating, when I'm walking, when I'm daydreaming, and especially when I'm NOT sleeping, due to studio work....

Juz like a spoiled lover, Archi enslaves me, takes over my weekend (yesterday had studio and today had to skip church for whole day group project..darn...), demands almost all my energy, time and commitment..and yet I do not complain because this enslavement, if anything, is voluntary, and, like a sadomasochist, I thrive on this torture....

Also, it is a lot like a mother-child relationship, albeit in a much smaller scale and shorter time-span. Projects keep me awake at wee hours, make me frustrated, robs me of any notion of 'spare time', and make tons of demands...Yet, when it comes into fruition, when my designs are completed, done, finished, and it doesn't need me anymore...Looking back over the whole design process, from the birth of an idea, the growth of a concept and the final blooming, I feel some unmistakable hint of relief, pride and loss....

There are times when I hate it, thinking everyone else has a better lot, if not in terms of fun then in terms of shut-eye they've had...But I know that hate in this case is just love frustrated, and everything will be okay once Archi warms up to me again...

Well, there is, I guess, a trifle of lust...Archi can prove so seductive a mistress, that I would willingly spend on it the time meant for God, for church, for friends, for family, even for myself...guilt follows, and yet the pleasure of Archi always entices....

And I am not alone. The time is 2.16 A.M. The day is Sunday. Yet around me archimates are discussing projects animatedly, some are making what will be gorgeous study models, others scratching their heads for inspiration...life goes on in the studio, punctuated with whines and yawns, measured in terms of A1 panels and study models.....

While love is measured in the number of weekends spent staying overnight in the studio...

Joke....or Not?

"How many architects do you need to change a light bulb?"

"None, we'll order the civil engineers to do it."

;p

day one year TWO

First day of school!!! Woooh!! Well I actually am excited cuz it's been darn long since I enjoyed studio culture n discussed lotsa architecture stuff..
So...met Edo as I passed by Yr 1 studio n we decided to take a look...seems forever since I've spent time there...the stress, the excitement, the gratefulness, the hopeless feeling sometimes..n Edo, as we stepped into that hallowed place, summarised all that in one sentence: "I miss this smell, man.."
Well said, Do! ;p As we loitered around the studio corridor, an ID senior passed by... in a skateboard
....where else could you find these kind of things in NUS?? NUS Architecture: unexpectedly unconventional. (A bit of harmless propaganda...)

First lecture? We had Mr.Tsuto Sakamoto - Yr 2 co-ordinator cum Jap architect. (Hm...tmn2 archi gw kyknya pd tau kl gw sempat jadi penggemar dia..hehe..keren sih..coba lebih muda dikiiit aja...pasti gw caper terus..ahaha..) As we read through the handout, there were some spelling mistakes n what was his reaction? "Oh sorry, I did this 4 A.M this morning..." Duuuudeee!! That so reminds me of what lies ahead during the semester :'( As we read further, there were a bit more mistakes n he said,"Oh sorry, sorry, I was sleeping when I did this..." So archi...
(Note: This post in no way means archi tutors are not excellent tutors - they are. I'm writing this down cuz I'm so amused that archi tutors and students practically have the same experiences, juz on different scales. N yes, Tsuto did say that being an architecture student or architect always involves working hard every day, even day and night...oh well, we've committed to it...everything in life has got a price tag...)

The students..is it juz me or is everyone making an effort to look nice n cool today? (Yes, yours truly included. I wore JEANS...which is hot and stuffy!!!! But well, am fed up of being called a 16 year old so will endure hot-and-stuffy for a change of image. Miss my bermudas though...hiks...)

Assignment 1 has started- plywood construction. Excited excited excited! My tutor - Mr. Erik L'heureux - is unfortunately still in the US...Looking forward to Wednesday studio!

Oh yeah, year 2 studio is nicer than year 1..hehehe...will take photos n upload soon.

Cinta dan Komitmen- Part 2

(Lanjutan post "Cinta dan Komitmen", 11 May 2007)
Hm...setelah beberapa waktu yg lalu sempat kepikiran apakah komitmen itu betul2 dibutuhkan kalau suatu pasangan sungguh saling mencintai, dan apakah komitmen berarti "berkompromi" alias menurunkan standar kita akan apa yg kita anggap sebagai pasangan yg sempurna, akhirnya aku menemukan jawaban yg membuatku puas.

Jadi jawabannya....jreng jreng jreng...hehehe... komitmen dan cinta itu bukan dua hal yg terpisah, tp komitmen tuh bagian yg sangat penting dari cinta -baik itu kepada Tuhan, ortu, pasangan, sahabat, etc. Kalau mau corny sih...komitmen adalah bukti dan perwujudan cinta yang sebenarnya.

Begini, orang seringkali berbicara ttg cinta seolah2 cinta itu suatu perasaan, suatu feeling, yang nggak bisa kita kontrol apakah akan timbul atau tenggelam. TAPI seharusnya cinta dilihat sbg sebuah tindakan. Wajar dong, gak mungkin lah kalau kita ngaku2 "I love you" ke orang tp kalo ngeliat tuh orang malah kita gampar.. Sebaliknya, meskipun kita nggak mengumbar sayang lewat kata2, cukup dgn tindakan2 saja kita bisa meyakinkan seseorg bhw kita sayang. So, kesimpulannya, love is ACTION. (And the greatest act of love in my world? Jesus that died on the cross for me!)

Nah, kalau cinta adalah tindakan, maka komitmen adalah janji utk terus bertindak dan berbuat seolah2 kita tetap dan terus mencintai seseorang, tak peduli apakah perasaan kita pada orang itu tetap sama. Mengutip C.S Lewis, "A promise must be about actions since no one can promise feeling the same the whole way." Commitment is the promise of loving, and continue acting as if we love no matter what our feelings are.

Begitulah! Merasa puas krn udah ketemu jawabannya, tp merasa bodoh jg krn gak menyadari hal yg sesimpel itu...apalagi Tuhan udah memberi contoh, menunjukkan cintaNya padaku dgn rela disalib meski dosa2 n pemberontakanku (yg sayangnya masih cukup sering terjadi..) pastilah menimbulkan emosi marah, sedih, bahkan jijik, dalam diriNya. He is faithful when we are faithless, and that, for me, is the greatest commitment.

RANDOM thoughts

1. I love my room. I love my plants. I love my books. I need to spend more time inside my room.
2. Wearing jeans is hot n stuffy!!! Gimme back my surf shorts!
3. Thanks Reren for the comics!
4. The freshmen are cheeky, though cute - each n every one have their own quirks. But so very cheeky!
5. Been spending too much time with the freshmen.
6. Renewed motivation to learn digital design: so I can keep my drawing table flat n put lotsa cool containers on it.
7. Somewhat can't wait for school to start. Somewhat scared of the pressure level n totally-hazardous-to-health schedule.
8. Am in the Wed-Fri studio group. Nice change of atmosphere. (hopefully..)
9. Must confirm what SS n GEM modules to bid.
10. Think I need lotsa rest or im gonna be sick.
11. Singapore immigration is a time-consuming place.
12.I'm a Singapore PR now.
13. Need to take bath n sleep.
14. IKEA rocks.