Blink.

In preparation for my trip to Japan in May, I've had several discussions with my professor regarding cultural perceptions. The one thing I now look forward to learning more about is the idea of impermanence that pervades the entire Japanese culture. Verbs usually emphasize travel, movement from A to B to C and so on. Personal space, unlike Western cultures, is derived simply from fleeting moments in time...you must capture them yourself, savor them and everything within them. Instead of closing doors, shutting blinds, and literally caging yourself in, you have to use nothing but your own senses and your own mind. Housing itself, traditionally, is not permanent; sliding doors and screens take the place of solid walls, futons roll up and are stored away during the day, and most furnishings can be shifted around easily. Personal possessions are almost always passed on from one person to another. It seems to be a culture of fleeting moments, but each is bursting with sensory accumulation and introspective insight. An increasingly appealing outlook if you ask me...

Knocked over by sound waves.

Music has the potential to be a powerful, driving force...common knowledge, sure, but every once in a while there'll be a song--a single sound, even-- that reminds you so. Overwhelmed by the mundanity of the daily routine, you sit down and plug away at your work...and then, there it is. The dissonance of a chord. The gentle fuzz of distortion. A clean snare hit. A biting lyric. Whatever it may be, it's a welcome jolt to the senses. It sets the mind off to wander while the body lags sorely behind. A constant reminder of all of life's possibilities. At its best...

...it takes you exactly where you want to be.

Opportunistic architecture.

[Photo courtesy LTL Architects website]

Being a design student, I have come to see the world from a much different angle than that of my childhood...forms and spatial relations are so much more clear to me, and I'm constantly seeking inspiration, not only in design and architecture, but in all aspects and forms of life. Working on final projects last month, I booked plenty of time in the studio, which (fortunately) keeps plenty of literature on hand, most notably back issues of Architectural Record. The copy flopped next to my computer (September 2004, if I recall correctly) was a great read, and though I was tempted to smuggle it home, I left it in its proper place. One of the most stunning case studies was also one of the most understated...the Ini Ani cafe in Manhattan, designed by Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis. Their use of corrugated cardboard is brilliant, and surely highly desirable given the current push for "green" design. The varied textures provide warmth and depth without infringing upon the spacious feel. It all comes down to the details, though...the decorative motif consists of impressions of varied coffee cup lids(!), which typically go unnoticed in the daily grind (no pun intended). The LTL Architects firm has also put out a book, Opportunistic Architecture...I'm hoping to be able to pick up a copy soon...

More specs and photos of the Ini Ani Coffeehouse can be found here:

http://www.ltlwork.net/pages/portfolio/projects/iniani.html

Refresh.

I survived the first day of spring term, but I'm already nervous about the workload...there's going to be enough reading to make my eyes bleed (or at least fall out of my head), and I can already sense that I'll have to make sacrifices in order to succeed. But I say bring it on. Two of the five classes that I'm taking are related to Japanese (one for language, one for culture), and in that vein, I feel that now is as good as time as any to pursue total immersion. I'm aiming for all of my hard work to pay off both in the short term and long term. Eat better, sleep more, keep up my workout routine, focus, focus, focus...and always make a little time for something fun, be it leisure reading, origami, photography, goofing off, etc. A fairly reasonable "road map" for the term ahead...

On a random tangent...things I'm loving lately? Chrysanthemum tea. Nong Shim instant udon (not the best for you healthwise, but sooo good). The Raveonettes' "Lust Lust Lust". Anything silver. The rush you get after a really satisfying workout. Muenster cheese. My roommates and our "family" setup. Feeling motivated. Feeling in control. And you, of course.