after an extremely long night of working on huge ass 1/4" models (monsters!) and plans, there's nothing like a nice bowl of pho to smash the woes of the weekend.

i started the entry thinking of all the things i could possibly write about, but i neither have the brain function nor the ability to sound coherent, so i'll leave it simple. memories have always been nice to look back on...and for me, require little effort if the memories are at the extreme good/bad.

i'll start at the bad. i remember the beginning of 1ga, the slap in the face with the reality of studio life and the next 3 yrs. the panics that come the night before deadlines, the familiarity with the software and new lingo used by faculty (i.e. pita's "articulation" and rocha's "soid"). the overall comprehension of architectural jargon. hardcore softech deadlines and demands, body aches of all-nighters and countless times of cold/flu. there just never seems to be enough vitamin c to prevent it.

and now the good. the availability and instant formation of a community, a family. fellow peer critiques/ideas and encouragement in the middle of the night. late night snacks and mini-group discussions about food. countless impressions of a particular fav instructor with some particular people in bay 3. farmer boys (although this could be considered a nightmare). being challenged, excited, pushed, validated, trashed, praised. the time when everyone is learning together, suffering together, and partying together. fridays @ 5, loft parties, late night chatter, the sound of rain through the ducts. the sunsets and sunrises.

during the middle of 1gb i wondered if the 2nd yr was going to be easier. i was praying that i would be able to balance a semi-life with school...hoping that every once in awhile i'd be able to take a run around the block in the early morning, or pop in a movie on a studio night, or just to have regular brunch dates with old friends. i'm finding that the 2nd time around isn't easier because of the work load or the material, but because after the hell/heaven of 1st yr, i have learned what my weaknesses and strengths are; i've learned to better manage my time, and i've learned that many many (most) times, simpler is better. in today's crit, the instructors repeatedly mentioned that a design doesn't have to do EVERYTHING and have every idea pumped into it at once. i think if i had heard this for myself last yr, i would have relaxed a tad more. there's something strange about knowing and realizing/recognizing something, but not really understanding until someone else confirms it.

man...what a brain fart.


on a side note, people who wear LOUD ASS CLANKY DAMN SHOES SHOULD BE SHOT. i've memorized each and every one of your faces. ya'll should take our tempering the environment class. you'd learn all about large spaces and reverberations. but isn't that just common intuitional knowledge? c'mon! be considerate and ATLEAST TRY to walk a little more softly, esp if you SEE a crit going on. no one cares about your damn ugly shoes. try or else, expect a nerf dart to the ankles. or a tackle...depends what kind of a deadline i'm up against and if i've been fed.


grad tent

neil denari

brunch at my fav brunch place