DAY 29, MARTIN&CO.

Decided to pay a trip to Architectural Association today. I have it from a lot of people about how intense their first year programme already is, and they also had a lot of books published. But I actually have no idea what this school is about. I wasn't very sure when i got there either, since I stood there like an idiot for half an hour before I manage to find a way in.

Knock knock on the door.

Well it was kind of a disappointment cause I wasn't allowed to enter the studios to look around, so I guess I have to pay another visit on a normal school day.

So I walked down the street and arrived at the famous street of guitars in London. I walked up and down the street for a few times, trying to find the emptiest guitar store so I can actually go in and play. Most of the time you just walk in, and you see this person sitting there playing some really nice tunes, and you don't feel like picking up the guiar to play anymore. Funny how the guitar store is the place where you start learning guitar, but it is also the same place that makes you feel extremely small and worthless....
I ended up finding myself in a store that sells Martin&co. guitars only, and it is like the most luxurious  guitar store i've seen. To my small extend of knowledge in guitars, these ones placed in front of me are ones from one of the best brand, and I just stood there admiring the craftsmanship.
I should go back and hide in the corner now.

-Jon

DAY 28, TUBE

Something happened on my way to work yesterday, so even though I was too tired and didn't get to blog yesterday, I am going to cheat a little and repost about yesterday.

They always say that the tube is one of the most inconsistent systems in London, even worse than the weather. Well, I guess you can kind of guess that when they have a smart phone app to notify you the disrupted services on different lines...
But normally the planned engineering work (which happens almost every single weekend) only happen on weekends, but yesterday the system broke down during the worse time of the day - Rush hour.

When I arrived at the platform, I noticed a abnormal amount of people waiting for the train, then I noticed a conductor standing next to the speaker phone right behind me.

"Sorry for the minor delays due to some lighting failure, the train service will restart very shortly"

"Please fill up any gaps on the platform, yes move down, keep on moving y'all, but stand behind the yellow line for your own safety, and don't push."

"I don't see you people moving down, there are a lot of spaces at the other end of the platform, and I can ensure you can get to work on time! But for the people here, I dont see you getting on that train, so keep on moving! You'll be late for work"

But he was wrong... I was at the front of the crowd but because of all the pushing, I ended up waiting for 3 trains before I got on.
But listening to the man made my day.

-Jon

DAY 27, 2 HOURS

Today I felt like I am totally not going to function at work, so I decided to take half the day off so I can get better soon from this flu at with the wrong timing.
I went back and slept. After rolling around for quite a while and still not managing to keep my eyes closed, I realized that sleeping is not what I needed. I got dressed and left the house.

I haven't even relaxed my brain in a while, even on the weekends I am always occupied by church stuff, or I try to get myself occupied by exploring around.

Today I decided to take a 2 hour walk to work.

Exercise wasn't the thing that kept me unrested, it's the thought that I have to always make good use of my time here. But today I had a walk in the park, I didn't entend to do anything, I am just trying to find my way to a known destination, and anything else I come across on the way is entirely accidental.

Travelling is lonely, sometimes a little empty, But I guess it's the emptiness that makes you look at the small details of things? Like how someone is desperate for people to buy magazines from him, someone is such a hurry he didn't notice a car coming fast, someone who is talking on the phone so loud not noticing others staring at him. There is always someone doing something.

Just when I got home from work thinking that today is going to be a relaxing day, I realized that course selections for the coming school term started already, and the available electives right now are fully enrolled.
I had been thinking about going to photography when I first heard of it last spring, well, I guess I dont even get to think twice about it anymore.
What a bad way to ruin a day.

-Jon

DAY 26, CRAZY?

He sat down next to us interns at the lunch table in the common area. He had a bowl of salad, a bread and a drumstick. He arranged the bowls and the dishes, stared in amusement, rearranged the dishes, and the looked at us for confirmation.
The next thing you know, he started eating like it is the best meal he had in his life, and that he didn't eat anything for a very long time.

"You came from Japan right? "

In order to not let him feel awkward having us staring at him eating, I asked a very obvious question, in attempt to try to start a conversation.
He stopped eating and looked at me.

"I told myself, whenever someone asks me a question about me, I will ask them to answer the same question themselves first."

I laughed a bit in the inside, this man is very interesting.
So I told him a bit about my background, and so did he.
This process repeated a few times and he gave up.

"I don't think this idea works at all does it..."

Then he asked the question that raised a thought in my mind, about what I am supposed to accomplish in this work term, at school, or even in my future career.

"Do you think we have the responsibility to make architecture beautiful?"

If we agree that we are supposed to make architecture beautiful, why is it that in the company right now, when we see designs that are ugly and doesn't make sense, we are too afraid to voice out our opinions? He challenged us to a dare, he said before you interns leave the office, do something bold and brave. Voice out on one project that you think is ugly, tell the designers in the face,

"This design is ugly."

Let's say when you and your friends are flipping through an architectural magazine and you find a really bad design, you will probably make fun of it.
Then imagine the project you are working on, the thing that even you yourself think that it is ugly, it will probably appear on a magazine, and someone will point at it and say how it sucks.
Do not be satisfied with a design that will put you in that position.
If you think that the design doesn't even make sense, why stick with it and sacrifice your ambition and standards for design?
I don't think I recorded the conversation very well in words, but at that moment I was amazed, in how passionate this person can be about architecture. Other colleagues think that he is weird, but I am dying to know more about him, to talk to him more so that I will have the same amount of passion to create something that will stun the world.

Another colleague stared at him while he was talking. The japanese looked over to the dutch and said if you stay in this office for too long, you will slowly become more and more boring.

"Better than being crazy". replied the dutch.

"You can be boring and serious when even when you are young, but in the end you are just an imitation of an older, serious person, just without the same amount of knowledge.", The japanese guy looked at us while joking with the dutch.
To me, he suddenly became the most interesting person in the office.

-Jon

DAY 24, DETERMINATION

There is nothing stopping you from advancing, the only question is if you have the courage to do so.

One of the dilemmas I have in every one of my jobs so far, is that I want to do something productive and memorable, but when the chance comes I suddenly feel that I am not equipped with the knowledge to do so, and I am very scared of screwing up.
Right now, I have the chance for my designs to actually be built in real life, the problem is that I have no idea what to design, and all I can come up with are blanks and nothing to show my supervisor. Ever since friday, every time she walks in my direction scares me, and I still have nothing to show.
Well in the end I did come up with a few schemes, but if you ask me am I proud of it or not, I would say no.

Not only in work, it also happens in real life; not only me, but a lot of people too.
We always wish for opportunities, and we dream about the things we would do when we are finally granted with the chance and equipments, and we make promises to ourselves that we will accomplish great things.

"If I have a nice camera, I will bring it around and take lots of amazing pictures."
"If I get into the program of my dreams I will work extremely hard and get a scholarship."
"If I earn a lot of money in the future, I will donate it and help the people in need."
These are just some very vague examples, since I am not a very sophisticated person.

What we didn't realize is that with the promises we make, it requires a huge load of determination in order to carry it out. For the first few days it seems easy to carry it out, but as days goes by, it seems more and more impossible to keep up have the same amount of interest and ambition as before. Lets say a daily habit, once you stopped doing it for one day, you will find it easier to skip another day than to start again.
I really admire people who can finish a 365 project without cheating, without skipping, because in the end it is all about determination.
And when a person is able to have the determination to carry out what he set off to do, what he gains in the end is unmeasurable.

Just some food for thought.

-Jon

DAY 23, WAIT

After a long and restless week, I decided that today I am not going anywhere, partly because I woke up being sick too haha bot really the best time to be sick right now...
Instead of out venturing around, I stayed home and decided to bake, something I always do when I want to slow down the pace of my life.

Every day we have so much to do, and even when we are off from work, we are occupied with something else: gaming, internet, talking to people, we don't really have the time to slow down and relax our minds anymore. The same thing when a person is just waiting for the bus, and pulls out his phone for no apparent reason, just trying to not look like he is not doing anything at all.

What is wrong with having nothing to do? Compared to wasting your time doing something that is pointless either?
Weird.

-Jon

DAY 22, PAY DAY

It didn't occur to me that I have been here for 3 weeks, although I am getting very familiar with how things work in London already, but time flies so fast and I felt like I have accomplished so little in these 3 weeks. Today it's finally pay day, money in my bank account always feels great haha.
3 weeks ago I first arrived in London. At the airport waiting behind the yellow line, I have no idea what is waiting in front of me. Today, after being exhausted after an extremely long week, I stood in front of the same line, again, and honestly I still dont't know what is waiting in front of me.

Today I was talking to a colleague of mine, and he was telling me how he never realized that the company now is the only place he worked for. First in the New York office, where he met quite a few interns from Waterloo also (haha), and then he decided to move to the London office.

"When I was young I wanted to build huge buildings, sky scrapers, and when I found this firm as an intern I thought to myself, I will be staying here."

And so he did. Now he wants to design things in a small scale, and I told him I wanted to do the same too.

"Then KPF isn't the right choice for you" He said.

I always considered myself really lucky, and this is one of the huge number of occasions. Honestly as of right now, if you ask me what is my ambition in terms of architecture, I can tell you I have none. I am only here because this school is a place where I am enjoying what I am doing, and I see life in my work, even if they are not good at all. I never thought I would be a good designer, even till now. But I am lucky, because I have a dream that is reachable. I want to go to as many places as I can, and to experience the different culture in my own, quiet way.

Of course, things will be a lot greater if I stayed in Canada. I don't need to pay rent, I can save money and maybe buy a nice pair of headphones, a camera I always wanted to have, and afford my tuition with money to spare. Life abroad would be different. You have to save money, then you will have to live somewhere sketchy and cheap, eat just the right amount to make you not feel hungry anymore, and find the cheapest way to commute to places. Does that mean you are not making the best out of your time in another country? I don't think so, because that way you are really experience the real life in different levels, and maybe it will open your eyes more than visiting famous places over and over again. Compared to a big road that is well lit at night and filled with stores to shop in, I would rather walk in a sketchy alley going through the backdoor of restaurants.

Oh where was I... Right, I was lucky that I am able to live with a friend here for a really cheap price. It is not the best place to live in, but at least it is clean, and occasionally there is hot water for showering, no complains.
I feel like I am not making the best out of my time in London yet. Someday I would just hop on the subway, close off my senses, and then get off without knowing where I am at all. Let's see where that brings me.

-Jon