In the blink of an eye, I haven't REALLY sketched in a year now, since moving to New York, and everything else happened.
It's been all about: MONEY. GETTING AHEAD. EXERCISE. THE BUSINESS OF ARCHITECTURE. EXPECTATIONS. BUYING NICE THINGS. GOING TO NICE PLACES. TECHNICAL DETAILS. CORPORATE LIFE. AREs. CODING. You can say, ALL THE THINGS OF LIFE. Meanwhile, the art has taken a deep backseat. Man, I miss the days when we can just make beautiful drawings, and things weren't as expensive. Having nice things is nice, but so is MAKING nice things. Recently, my dope classmate Charisse won the Blank Space "Space" Competition (link). That is after she put on this awesome exhibition at Cornell AAP, talking about her travel grant to Italy. I have so much respect for her talent and drive. I have to step back and say that, wow - isn't THAT why we all got into the Architecture and Design game in the first place? Before all the contracts, the coordination, the negotiations, the exams, the licenses, the competitions, the compensations, et cetera? We should never forget that, these things of adulthood are always in the pursuit of those childhood dreams -- to remake the world a better place, and to dare imagine potential futures. Isn't THAT our highest purpose possible, no matter how we get there, and through whichever career?
Across Rivers: The Hudson and The Spirit River (Spirited Away)
I never knew that I would like running so much.
Until I moved next to the Hudson. Until I realized that the river was two blocks away from me. Tonight I ran 7k, from 163 to 72. Running is a way to survey the landscape. To keep moving, despite all the noise and clutter. Running is meditation in motion. It just happens to also be good for your heart and body. People say that Central Park is the great release valve of the gridiron - an open space to roam free, free of the traffic and stress and business of the city. But for me, that is the Hudson. There, along the stretch from Washington Heights to Midtown, you survey and traverse multiple landscapes and neighborhoods, connected singularly by a large expanse of water, where across lies Jersey and the heights. This is the one place that feels "open" in New York. On the east side, Brooklyn and Queens feel too close. I love openness. I always have. There's something about being spatially "out in the world" that liberates and heals and perfectly juxtaposes the "digital interior" world we live in, and all the urban chaos and smells and trash. Sometimes I wish I can do what Forrest Gump did in the movie, and run across the country. And run away from all the problems and people and past and baggage:
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Since 9/1:
1) Went to kayaking by myself. Signed up for volunteering. Kayak trip! 2) Read some self help books. Wharton. 3) Saw married friends. Had a cheesecake. 4) Completed JS module. 5) Went to Hip Hop Class at House of Movement. 6) Restarted AREs. Take one exam by December. 7) Went to Boston. Visited Downeast Cider. Old colleagues. Drinking. Pie. Harvard Square. Fenway. Old Stomping Grounds. 8) Visited AAP Cornell. Saw some old classmates. Everyone great. 9) Went to 2nd MBA Info Session. Met and talked to new people. 10) Went on morning runs. 11) Bought new clothes. 12) Concert Tickets to BBC @ October. Another friend's concert end of this month. 13) Reached out to Entrepreneurs. 14) Late nights at the office. 15) Mindfulness training. 16) Reconnected with old friend from Shanghai. Drawing. "Architecture". Comedy. Writing? Code? Am I even competent enough to do any of these things? At least, I'm trying. One Year in New York. Have to get back up. Have to move forward. ARCHITECTURE BY DAY.
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