i'm all jittery inside, wondering why summer still hasn't arrived? the changin weather, hurricanes & tornadoes have shaken me a bit & apart from my yoga sessions, music is all i have to keep me grounded. life is short, let's enjoy the good times while we can~

>> http://grooveshark.com/playlist/+mix+Summer+Twentyeleven/53321588?src=5
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it's almost like meeting nina in the movie. the fluttering feathers, distressed leather & array of crystals/ mesh/ lace/ cheesecloth...all combined to make the perfect tutu. & then, the teeny tiny frame of natalie portman's figure, so fragile & delicate. i almost need to slow down my breathing.
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i had such a great time with the family in hk/ japan. here's a tidbit of an archi-find in hakone: woods of net by tezuka architects. photo credit to lily who travelled with us too!
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to brighten the gloomy/ overcast days.
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feelin for a plunge right now...
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spent a wonderful saturday. an early lesson with student, short hike in elysian park, dinner celebration with friends followed by chinatown summer nights & mountain bar. my roommates showed up even though they were supposed to be in vegas! oh i love them much. although i hate being a year older, having the boy & my closest friends around me made my day. it's goin to be a fabulous *golden* year.
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Today, we started a programming exercise - collective effort was realized and a matrix of color blocks were created. Twas labor-intensive but much was conceived in the process. Now, back to the computer.

& here's my mild summer mix.
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it's a luxury to find time to paint these days.. i think i need more art and less work in my life.
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will ferrell's pimp-turned-cop character in 'The Other Guys' should no doubt be an instant classic. ohhh boy.

& for the movie itself, twas so funny i was barely bothered by my front row seat.
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campus design in progress - LEDs included :] it makes working late a bit more enlivening.
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sometimes i wonder if the summer will pass by at the workplace...

anyway, here's my midsummer mix!
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LA's marvelous hot summer has finally arrived!!!! Coworker KK invited me to join his delirious party at the beach and of course I can't pass up the chance to soak up the sun. Had a lovely time drinking (tasting) mysterious margheritas and hangin out with good company.... :]
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i don't know if it's the immensely catchy phrase, or the wonderfully made video, i'm hooked. plus, i looooooove q-tip!

*je te plumerai la tete
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Plastic, 3-wheeled awesomeness. Thanks Clarkson for brightening my days ;]
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Recently, we decided to hit up UCLA's Archi School during lunch hour. Afterall, it's only 10 minutes drive away and we are in need of inspiration! What struck me after walking through the immense display of student works was a feeling of I wouldn't describe as boredom, but that architecture is leveling out. There were the usual Zaha-looking forms, the mapping exercises, parametric explorations and then more form-making exercises. Then, we saw it, the digital technology class display. My coworker/ former UCLA student told me that's a class students take in addition to studio, and it's a LOT of work. The results spoke for themselves...we were awestruck.
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a simple mirroring effect yields fascinating imagery.

by daihei shibata.
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All I can say is that i can't survive the office without music, and apart from a few solid classical pieces, here's what's been playing on my headphones lately.

Positivity guaranteed.
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We drove up to San Francisco/ Bay Area for Memorial Day weekend. twas a long weekend and i was reeeeally anxious to leave LA and i couldnt help smilin when we hopped on the 6 hour drive! My yoga instructor kindly suggested a hike up Mt. Tamalpais and boy was i glad i went. i felt more alive than ever walkin amongst the dense pine forest and breathing in whiffs of fresh air. as we ascended we finally approached a clearing which opened up to the hills and ocean beyond. it's a magical place.
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An impressive parking garage that redefines a seemingly stringent/ boring program and introduces magnificent structure & daylighting to a fine piece of architecture. H&deM did it again.
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A concrete pod materialized with the use of hay stacks, which when cured, was ingested by Paulina the cow -- a nature-inspired, process-driven project.
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90's-influenced, So cal-inspired eyewear, designed for the post-modern architect.

>Freeway Eyewear
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Last thursday marked the once-a-month event : Downtown LA Artwalk. I finally arrived early enough to get the real experience! Galleries, taco truck eats, street performances & crowds. Lots & lots of crowds. We cruised along Main & Spring street for about 2 hours before settling in for some drinks at our friend's artsy loft.
>los angeles art walk
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wishing i'm in hong kong to be part of this.
*support 1 country 2 systems*
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Aurora Moreno >aurora .currently easing out of monday gloom.
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i've been away forever. i guess adulthood and the working world have slowly eaten up my energy. being an architect is tough tough tough!!! u probably will burst out in laughter if i say the most exciting thing that happened at work was me visiting a construction site. yes, a construction site... xo mui
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listen to sigur ros' long-awaited album online through streaming..these icelandic musicians are exceptional*
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IT's always been a romanticized idea to me as camping back home (h.k.) means stepping in cow dung and waking up in a soaking wet tent. But camping here in los angeles redefined my impression towards camping. The welcoming weather here is perfect almost all year long and it's dry enough so that choosing a site next to the ocean doesn't mean walking around in muddy grass at night. The hills aren't overgrown with trees which means i could actually go on night hikes under the moon light! LIFE was sweet when i recently went on a camping trip to yet another beautiful part of los angeles - "point mugu" - further north of malibu. The beach was in walking distance and the hiking trails branched out from our camp site. We spent two days strolling down the beach, hiking and gathering around the fire for smores. Lazy afternoons just can't be better.
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every dollar counts. >>>red cross society of china
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due to a recent mishap, i'm now phone-less. and due to another mishap...i'm so broke i can't even afford a new phone. and that's when m.i.a. saved mah life!

: what can i do with ten dollar? anything you want! :

>>listen to m.i.a.
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IT was a super eventful Sunday. I did my regulars: visited my violin teacher + yoga instructor and after some sun-bathing under the glowing Californian sun, I headed off to a music event hosted by one of the siteLA residents. MY cellist friend and his brother were invited as one of the performing groups and it was actually my first time listening to them play. Not only was there free music but everyone came from a creative background (isn't it a given that cool people hang out with cool people?) and it was great to mingle. At the end of the day, I got to spend a lazy evening and listen to some very much danceable music.
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the long-awaited Beijing airport - by foster + partners. >>hong kong chek lap kok has definitely met its own competition
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-featured in the new Apple Air commercial. i wonder if it came across any hong kong viewers as well? The rest of her album is a wonderful treat. Highly recommended ;]
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After watching the new Apple Air commercial, the hype wasn't only the computer itself, but the soundtrack it came with. This French singer, Yael Naim, is definitely a breath of fresh air that comes with the new product. Apparently how she came up with this song 'New Soul' is from a devastating experience in which her ex-boyfriend left her. I'd say everyone would agree that the song is a surprisingly pleasant outcome! Finally finished listening to her entire album today. Although I still prefer Feist [ whom people might find reminiscent of her voice ], it will be a good addition to anyone's music collection.
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HIS mastery of material use and light to create powerful/ memorable spaces undeniably makes him one of the most gifted architects in the world. source: http://www.0lll.com
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ZUMTHOR'S mastery of material use and light to create powerful/ memorable spaces undeniably makes him one of the most gifted architects in the world. THE reason why you can barely find any books on his works is because of his belief that architecture must be experienced first hand. His writings, however, are very compelling [ and easy ] reads and I recommend his book "Thinking Architecture" to anyone who is waiting to be inspired. >Kolumba source:www.0lll.com
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I'VE been meaning to put this up for months. BRAD PITT hit it right this time. The project caught my eye with the bright pink colour and the concept of tangram that allows these seemingly rigid temporary structures to achieve formal flexibility. I really do love the simplicity of the idea and how these tents render at night..! * * * THE last time I saw Brad Pitt in real person was probably 4 years ago, when I came face to face with Frank Gehry. It was a special afternoon in which starchitects from around the world gathered to discuss about the future of Los Angeles. The Downtown LA Symposium I believe it was called. At the reception, I made a beeline towards Gehry and asked for an autograph [ remember, i was still a nerd ] and his reply was, "OH no no... you should ask HIM for an autograph instead!" and he addressed the man standing right next to him that was, who else but Brad Pitt himself? At that moment, I was literally in touching distance from the sexiest man on earth. What followed after was somewhat embarrassing and I shall not dwell into it. But since then Brad Pitt made much effort in promoting the field of architecture and here, I shall thank him for that. >help build homes in New Orleans source:www.makeitrightnola.org
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FORGET about functionality and it's claim to prevent "wrist dorsiflexion". It's ingenious, it's chic, it's comfortable. And a good night's sleep is all there is to it. >the love mattress source:red-dot.sg
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IT'S been a horribly busy month. The office's school project reaching 100% Construction Documents and having to make last minute adjustments pushed me to the edge of living hell. Luckily, things are over and the holidays arrived, my brother flew in from Toronto and here I am finding some free time to read about out-of-work architecture. AND to no surprise >>Dean Ma accepted yet another interview. Ma Qingyun came all the way from China to Los Angeles two years ago, and began asserting great changes to my school as a new dean. He promotes community and the sharing of ideas, and he never misses a Friday happy hour [ a tradition that he started as well ]. I have to say i'm looking forward to the day when the piece of paper i received on graduation becomes something i can be seriously proud of. >>read the interview >>MADA s.p.a.m. source:archinect
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CHRISTMAS started to seep in immediately after the thanksgiving holidays last week. Turkeys and pumpkins are gone and in came Santa and elfs and wreaths and many merry joyful things. ONE of the very elevating things to be living here is really the holiday atmosphere. Los Angeles doesn't snow, and in winter it almost feels like home, but people don't skip on decorating their houses. Lights line the eaves and window frames, dress up giant sugar canes and light up lanterns that shape like >>Rudolph. ACROSS the street from our teeny tiny office, is a christmas tree lot. I swear it was the saddest plot of barren land when I first started working there. But on a beautiful day last week, in the span of a few hours, it transformed into a glowing field of christmas trees! NOW every day I walk by, I contemplate buying a tree home to make this year a special one.
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This HAVE to be the best Project Runway episode ever: Not only were there beautiful men dressing up [ and down ;p ] in front of you, menswear was definitely a refreshing idea. I've seen too many skinny females on the runway, it was time for some real muscle and flesh. Havin a brother makes me realize that what boys wear [ to look good ] owes much to tailor/ fitting. Thus the contestants were pushed on design, on fitting, on time. They were SO stressed. Not only were they 'freaking out' in the midst of constructing their outfit, but they said things like, 'i have no idea what i'm doing right now.' yes, people, that reminds me of my studio days. >>hit the runway source:bravotv
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WE had a conversation at lunch. It was about architecture. We don't talk about this a lot since we are, alas, architects, and we find screwed-up relationships and sports and food a lot more interesting.

HE said, architecture is a weird profession because the better you are, the less you get paid. The more effort you put into generating a good design, the less willing people are to pay for it. Very few people pay for good design nowadays. Not just that. The personal attention to detail has vanished and people turn to generic solutions, aka mass production.

THE other he said, look at 'suburbia'. The endless repetition of boring contractor houses and people competing merely through size not design. Wasting money and resources on lawns and maintaining the ginormous house. At that point, he picked up the fork on the table and jabbed it into his eye and swirled it around so hard it became a squishy mess.

OR so he said he would.

>>keep off the grass

source: land+living

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AFTER a 13-hour >>work day [n pondering how much time ive wasted], i decided to add a little twist to my daily life and mark today as the beginning of my postings. thanks must be given to dbdbking for letting me stumble upon such a great finding. enjoy.
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