Reconciliation and Maximization
Sometimes I catch myself going in circles when talking to people, at work and at school. People usually respond after I explain by saying, "So in short..." or "Bottomline is...". Must be the sigurista in me. We all know that Contract documents and correspondence should be all complete, but not conversations. If I can compress three sentences into one, so much the better.
Got tired of this phd student going around in circles during a discussion about our proposal for the survey. He's a professor of architecture at another school. He speaks reaaal slooooowwww... so I rescued my groupmate by sharing my cents worth of Architecture and the need for surveying. I began by introducing "...two keywords that should be remembered, reconciliation and maximization." Data, as in user needs should first be reconciled, then the resources, or the space can later be maximized. This goes the same for Architecture, planning or any other fields that dwell on the pooling of resources and the identification of user needs.
So maybe I'll just introduce a topic by using keywords first. That way I can stay away from going in circles.
I wonder if "reconciliation and maximization" has already been put in books...hmmmm....
Ninety five
Here's an update from our high school batch:
1. Many are married.
2. Many are outside of the country.
3. Some are into the medical fields, some in information technology, some sell encyclopedias, some do multi-level marketing, and some married early.
Looking back, how do I compare myself to them? I don't have to. I'm happy with what I have and what I do.
Overworked?
I get amazed when people are surprised that I work for the government. Maybe it's because of people's impressions that we government employees are not that overworked, or we just spend time surfing or doing other things aside from work. One person even made me promise not to waste the taxpayers money. Ok, noted.
But are we really under or overworked here in our share of the beaurocracy?
The answer, we're doing just fine. Our office has around 30 projects per team, so that makes it 90 projects all at the same time. The key here is that we queue the projects in order for us to manage finishing each and every site investigation, project scoping, design, drafting, estimating and supervision. It's not enough to just finish a requirement, but to finish it with all points noted and consulted with other people. That's what makes the process slower, but makes it surer.
So don't worry dear taxpayers.
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I had a massive headache last night, and up till now I still feel it. It feels like my one hundred and thirty degrees visual cone has been reduced to ten degrees, because I can't focus. Working for 8 hours straight for work and 4 hours for academics really drained my powers. I was supposed to go straight to a watering hole with some of the former Firm but I decided to do a win-win situation assessment. It turned out that I cannot make it to the said gathering so I opted to just sleep sufficiently, if not soundly. Prioritization muna, next time na ang saya.
The question now is do I continue with this 12hour for two days endeavor for the next 3-4 years, or just enjoy what I already have? I guess the answer is not yet that obvious.
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So I have only two nights free for the whole week, since I have to sleep early even for Saturday because that day is my physical improvement cum recreation day. The rest is spent on reading and research. The problem is I have many things unaccounted for in my schedule: night outs, dates, window shopping sprees. I just laugh to myself whenever an acquaintance always begin his question with "kailan". As in, "Kailan tayo blah-blah-blah...". You go ahead, I'll follow later. But he never does.
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So am I overworked?
Beautiful
"Make no little plans, they do not have magic to stir mens blood."
Daniel Burnham sure knows his stuff. I delivered a voluntary report last night for the PLAN 201 class on the works of Daniel Burnham and the City Beautiful Movement. I spent a week researching on the net and inside the library for the guy. By Saturday, I managed to finish the research and do the outline and bulk of the report by Sunday.
I finished the visuals by Sunday night, a few hours before meme time. Due to the low techness of the SURP, I managed to make do with acetates, but upon projecting the slides, the pictures are too dull and the font small (mental note: buy laptop). I planned to go around the Manila Area to photo-doc the entire Burnham planned city, but I didn't have the resources and the time to go (note: car). Another problem was that my printer makes a lot of noise so I have to be quick and discreet going about my printing, so minimal errors are all that is acceptable (note: laser printer).
By the time I started the report, I apologetically made a joke that I haven't made a report in class for over three years, but I meant it as an ice breaker. So I went through the report, in time-line form. I started speaking extemporaneously, but after a while I realized that I have an outline and notes. But it was hard to go back to reading, so I just went ahead, skipping and going back to some points I need to emphasize. My hand writing and my sketches sucked. But at least I got the message through.
I guess I'm not yet cut out to be a teacher or instructor, but I did manage to impart knowledge and show the non-Architects a thing or two about Architecture and its role in Planning. Maybe by the time I go into thesis (pray) I will be able to have a more Ekistically structured report.
Until then, I'll just have to live by Daniel Burnham's words, and although it's farfetched that I get to purchase each and every item I mentioned above, at least I get to plan big.
whew!
Tennis is not what I hoped it to be. It's physically challenging, you have to run and hit the ball at the same time. It's not enough to just hit the ball, but you have to hit it real hard and you must achieve the correct form at the same time. It cannot be related to badminton, mainly due to the physical effort you have to exert in order to deliver the ball to the other side. That's why people tend to grow muscles at one arm and leave the other behind.
Well at least I get to exercise with all the running, mainly due to catching the ball and picking up all the scattered balls all around after a round. I get to enjoy playing even if its not that good, and get to sweat at the same time.
The coach is all accomodating, even if we can't deliver the balls right. She provides us good insight into how to do proper deliveries and form, as well as explains the physics behind the game. I really like to run after the ball end to end, especially when she throws the ball really high. Reminds me of physics.
Bridge
Manny, Jeck and I went to the video launching of the new Radioactive Sago single
Astro at the 70s Bistro last night. Due to some alcohol intake I failed to wake up early for work. But it was worth it.
The video was directed by my former art studies blockmate R.A. Rivera (yes...strangebrew). R.A. now sports a mohawk and wears those nerdy looking glasses. We also met up with Ramon Bautista, R.A.'s partner in crime, who, after 10 years still has a crush on one of our arki batchmates. We talked about old times, old friends, and the still unrealized dream of making the film
Elevator Man and His Sidekick, Bellboy.
Talk about nostalgia. Well, that was not the end of it. After stepping out of the Bistro, I was surprised to be greeted by an old Narra Dorm acquaintance. He was the lead singer of a u.p. band that made it big. It was funny because they asked me a few years back to sign up as their bassist. But I declined. I want to be an architect. Now they're famous. Ah, what could have been...
The Magical Mystery Tour
The fab four has influenced me in a number of ways:
1. I learned to play musical instruments because of listening too much to their music. The Beatles is one group who really knows how to deliver a very good sonic experience, in terms of musicality and song writing;
2. The philosophy of their songs gets to me to the point of relating my experiences to their lyrics.
3. They give me soul food.
Mabuhay ang Beatles.
jaded
I have come full circle. Well that is as far as living within Quezon City and studying is concerned. After living outside of the University for 4 years, I am finally back, after finding a place near my place of work. It's advantageous in terms of proximity to work and school, as well as having a place I can finally call my own (well, that is I still pay rent and share it with one other person).
And another thing is, I think I'm getting over my jadedness inside the University. I remember one movie wherein the actor comments "you know what your problem is? (in terms of living within New York CIty) You're all jaded! What you need is to reach out..." (somebody help me please, I forgot the actor and the movie. Oh well).
Living inside the University for over ten years has erased the sense of place for me. At one time I no longer felt proud of living inside the campus, of having the excitement of discovering new places and new things. The Ikot route and the hills have no meaning for me. Especially during the latter part of my stay in the College, wherein I practically live inside the building. The buildings are all the same, the people are the same, and the food is the same.
But having the honor and priveledge of being appointed as Architect inside the University, I am having a second look as to what the University can offer me, both visually and physically. I now see the buildings more in terms of its history, it's value to the end users, and the sense of community within the various units. As my engineer-companion in terms of ocular inspections and girl watching (haha!) is concerned, it is not the pay that keeps the people at the oca going. It's the sense of community. And I am now part of that community.
Now, travelling along the various routes of the campus, I am now seeing it in a new way, and eventually I also feel a little bit of nostalgia. I am reminded of events and incidents during my stay as an undergraduate, especially when I go back to the places I have visited a decade ago. I feel as though I am a freshman again, having the same difficulties of travelling and finding a place to eat.
Now let's just see how far the story will go.
