Monday, February 25, 2008
To Ernest and Zhengqi,I can't be more thankful for great friends. I don't think words can truly describe the special bond we share and how much you guys mean to me.Happy Birthday dudes.
nimgnoy let the night fall at 9:30 PM
Thursday, February 21, 2008
"Obviously, I'm -- for me, every day is a new thing. I approach each project with a new insecurity, almost like the first project I ever did. And I get the sweats. I go in, I start working, I'm not sure where I'm going. If I knew where I was going I wouldn't do it. When I can predict or plan it I don't do it. I discard it. So I approach it with the same trepidation. Obviously, over time, there's -- I have a lot more confidence that it's going to be okay.
But the work -- the actual work on the project is with, I think, a healthy insecurity. You're not sure. And when you look at it -- when Bilbao was finished, I looked at it, I saw all the mistakes. I saw -- they weren't mistakes. I saw everything that I would have changed and I thought of -- I was -- I was embarrassed by it. I felt an embarrassment...
...How could I have done that?"Frank Gehry, on hindsight. How true as we look back and marvel (in incredulity or sheer stupidity) at our endeavours and say "how could I have done that?".If great architectects have such thoughts of their masterpieces, what more the man on the street and thoughts of their little (execrable) actions in life.
nimgnoy let the night fall at 10:26 PM
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Happy Birthday Fa, always and will be a friend I trust and cherish.
nimgnoy let the night fall at 4:23 AM
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
We live our lives, do whatever we do, and then we sleep. It's as simple and ordinary as that. A few jump out windows, or drown themselves, or take pills; more die by accident; and most of us are slowly devoured by some disease, or, if we're very fortunate, by time itself. There's just this for consolation: an hour here or there when our lives seem, against all odds & expectations, to burst open & give us everything we've ever imagined, though everyone but children (and perhaps even they) know these hours will inevitably be followed by others, far darker and more difficult. Still, we cherish the city, the morning, we hope, more than anything for more. Heaven only knows why we love it so.The Hours.
nimgnoy let the night fall at 1:54 PM
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
I remember Chinese New Year of 2006, a poignant coincidence of the very same festival one year before. Grandma was home, just in time for what was (and still is) the family's most joyous time of the year. January 2005 saw her first major operation, which left her almost a month in Mt Elizabeth, and we were thrilled of course, when the doctors who attended to her gave the green light for her discharge, one week shy of CNY.I could have never had thought that CNY of 2006 would be our last.I remember making the decision when I was 13 or so, to wake up early each CNY to accompany my grandma to the Waterloo St temple - a tradition I kept up till I was 20, till she could no more be healthy enough to make the trip herself.I remember grandma and I, walking hand in hand in the early hours of CNY, the sky barely litted up, as we approach a specific Hainanese flower vendor whom she bought a bouquet from each year. In the temple hall, I remember how she looked as she prayed - loyal, devoted and true - characteristics I've grown to know her for.I remember her ang pows, each with a handwritten greeting with our names on it.I remember the love in every littlest gesture she made.* *It has been 2 CNYs since she's gone. Time just passes you by when you least expect it, doesn't it? I still keep the ang pows in my wallet, and I'm glad I did that for they are the only articles which she wrote our names in her own handwriting.Sometimes I do not know how to make sense of time, to grapple with such a force that seeks to remove me further away from memories of grandma, to gradually accept that I have lost something I cannot replace.I can't go on writing this.Always my source of strength and love, I will miss her unceasingly.
nimgnoy let the night fall at 4:15 PM
Monday, February 11, 2008
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from iron or steel by "forging" the metal; i.e., by using tools to hammer, bend, cut, and otherwise shape it in its non-liquid form. Usually the metal is heated until it glows red or orange as part of the forging process. The techniques of blacksmithing may be roughly divided into forging (sometimes called "sculpting"), welding, heat treating, and finishing.On relationships.ForgingForging is also referred to as sculpting because it is the process of shaping metal. It includes the process where depth is reduced, the width narrowed, or both the piece is lengthened or "drawn out".It really all begins with the individuals, our past and present - circumstances which mould us to what we have become, the face everyone comes to know. It remains the essence of our being, the invariable caught in a moment of time.WeldingWelding is the joining of metal of the same or similar kind such that there is no joint or seam: the pieces to be welded become a single piece. The pieces are heated to what is generally referred to as "welding heat". Any foreign material in the weld, such as the oxides or "scale" that typically form in the fire, can weaken it and potentially cause it to fail. Thus the mating surfaces to be joined must be kept clean. The smith will also carefully shape the mating faces so that as they are brought together foreign material is squeezed out as the metal is joined. To clean the faces, protect them from oxidation, and provide a medium to carry foreign material out of the weld the smith will use flux -- typically powdered borax, silica sand, or both.And then we meet, carrying with us baggages of all kinds, some that we are less proud than others. The initiation is an inertia to overcome, pretty much getting through the formalities and the inevitable but necessary process of simply spending time trying to figure the other out - sussing out points of interests and the less than desired ones. It is a tough and cumbersome process nonetheless, but absolutely crucial in the directionality these relationships take.Heat treatingOther than to increase its malleability, another reason for heating the metal is for heat treatment purposes. The metal can be hardened, tempered, normalized, annealed, case hardened, and subjected to other processes that change the crystalline structure of the steel to give it specific characteristics required for different uses. This is usually done to increase the toughness of the piece and reduce its hardness.And with time, something seems to work out. The increased time spent reinforces and build upon a foundation cemented as certain perculiar dynamics are set into motion - the fuel that would propel this relationship into the future. Each experience shared strengthens the ties and you're ready for take off.FinishingDepending on the intended use of the piece a blacksmith may finish it in a number of ways.* *It's amazing how this parallel came into my head as I was trying to get to sleep at 4:30am, just 5 hours ago. And I figured this is probably one reason why my immediate social circle extends not beyond my jc days - the whole process is simply too time and effort consuming - leaving people I would have wanted to know better at bay, with some exceptions of course.Else, I'm just too comfortable with you fellas, authorized readers. In these years, you have given me your best, and for that, you get the best of me too.
nimgnoy let the night fall at 10:37 PM
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
It was a pleasure listening to Dr S/askia S/assen's talk yesterday, after reading so much of her papers and quoting her ever so often in my essays. It's like finally putting a face to someone you never met, but somewhat know.* *I am beginning to discover quaint cafes and nice shops with a keen sense of aesthetics around campus. Things we probably need to have more back home, a culture to bud and grow. These are places I find myself most at ease, just like days back at home with the gang.The weather today is amazingly exuberant - sun shining down lavishly and the outdoor lawns become a plush living room where everyone gathers to enjoy.I'm really glad I made it out to appreciate the day God has made, despite the huge pile of work to be done, and I do not think anyone can make me feel that I've wasted my time - it's just me to value the ephemeral and transient matters of life.
nimgnoy let the night fall at 3:57 AM
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
The 2nd basketball game.* *I'm tired. And I'm so afraid of becoming the person I do not want to be. nimgnoy let the night fall at 7:39 AM
