seeing yourself seeing.

Work
I start to wonder why I've come out here to see more of the world, when I find myself in studio everyday, till 3 in the morning, trying to churn out a presentation with my mates here...but i guess that's what they call school.







It's getting colder everyday, and it's definitely getting harder to cycle back everyday, the icy wind slicing into my very bones. shudder. I dread the day that i'll have to put aside the trusty bike and trudge to school in the slush and snow. What am I talking about, the bike isn't even mine! A temporary loan from my housemate during this period of injury and immobility..anyway he's in New York with the rest of the lucky First-years, so I have the bike for the rest of the week.
Toronto is beckoning to me to visit it after these 2 weeks of intense projects..just this one essay to go..and then it'll be time for...refreshment!

It seems that my heads needs a bit of a nudge before i realise my plight of self-pity. In the words of Yumin the great, maybe this place isn't such a bad deal, and even though i may come out battered, bruised and bored, i'd still reckon the time i had here was the time i learnt the most about myself. I guess you learn the most when you're immersed somewhere for the first time in your life..makes you realise certain things, makes you see who you really are. You can only learn more. And so i've decided to brush off this dumb injury, and carry on with my work, which is the reason i came to this school in the first place. To everyone who cared to talk and listen, my sincere thanks, you know who you are.

Busted

It just pains me to know that i could have avoided this injury that's bothering me right now. And it will bother me for at least another week. Sure, I did wear shoes that were probably a size too small, but the blister that i got was beyond earthly proportions. Worse still, it got infected and now my ankle's the size of mother earth. Swollen, lah. So now i have to get lifts to school and i can walk with some difficulty, but overall the feeling is that of incapacitation. I for one cannot stand being stripped of my ability to be healthy and fit...and this is just about the last thing i need. Only thing i can look forward to i guess is Toronto and getting there in 1.5 weeks' time, and hopefully by then i can walk properly. Then i can stand on my own 2 feet and take in the incredible view:

hello city
FINALLY. after 13 long days in cambridge, (which is getting better for me by the way, getting used to it slowly) i got my ass onto a greyhound and moved my fat self to the city of Toronto. My euphoria can only be understood after you've known that i moved from this:





To this:












Yeah, many thanks to Qiuyan and her 4 flatmates at 62 Wellesley Street for taking this overwhelmed, over-country-ed singapore boy around town, grocery shopping, noodle gorging, window shopping, and basically just having a whale of a time. Frank Gehry's new art museum says it all:

San Francisco!
While this pre-school lull is hitting me head on with boredom and anticipation, i think i'll show a bit of my one-and-a-half day stopover in San Francisco. Bright lights, museums, fast cars, and miles and miles of never ending, undulating city! Thanks to Steph, i had accomodation, good food, coupled with a whirlwind tour of the Castro..gah! i need to travel.


Steph's house on 22nd (i think.)


The view! and when you see slopes like this:


You're bound to see signs like this:




We took a bus down into the heart of the city...


SFMoMA! San Francisco Museum of Modern Art


nice shot of the footbridge...


the roof from inside at the central airwell


its just...sooo....w...wwhite....
Next Stop, The City of Toronto. Hopefully i'll make it there this weekend to shop, eat, snap and take in the hustle & bustle before i return. School finally starts tomorrow, can't wait to see how they run their design classes!

24

Its sad to think, that almost a decade ago you and i would be just fine sitting at a table, reading something, eating something, playing a game, drawing a picture, listening to music, WITHOUT a computer in front of you. Worse still, its sad to think that nowadays we (especially singaporeans) spend more time talking on our handphones and msn messenger windows than we do with our very own vocal chords. I'm saying all this because...i lost my internet access for 24 hours. Thankfully, i think i can redeem myself by saying that i would much rather design things by doodle & sketch rather than by mouse and keyboard, a hands on approach always lends a more human touch. However, i do thank the heavens for inventions like the webcam and the microphone :)

the village comes to life

I made my way down to the main campus at Waterloo today, just to get a few health forms filled in and most importantly to obtain my WATcard. Had i known how tired i looked this morning, i would NEVER have gone. Damn these offices with digital cameras on site!


The main campus, as you can see, is quite big, and froshies (orientation week here is called FROSH) were EVERYWHERE playing frisbee, soccer, volleyball...anything you can think of...on the school's big and endless fields. It was almost surreal seeing all these people suddenly...after a week in the monastery that is Cambridge City.

Made my way back home in the late afternoon, and soon my two housemates Amir and Matt (Ubercool-Froshies, i might add) were back getting ready for Monte Carlo Nite. You have to dress up as a pimp or a gambler or a whore or something, so the guys picked up some stuff at a garage sale for a few bucks. World, meet the pimp all-stars. Yes, i live with wonderful people.

The funniest thing is, these two pimpin' rockstars seemed to have lost the keys to their shiny limo, so all they had was their lousy bicycles hahaha. sorry guys i just had to.

Black & White, or Colour? I think i prefer BOTH.

posted by JJ  # 10:09

They say that you are your worst enemy. Although i totally agree that some degree of solitude and isolation is good and essential for the soul, i think everyone gets used to a certain way of life after a while-In my case, that would have to be city life.


And then i begin to question the choices i've made. i.e, People seem to be asking me "why on earth did you come to THIS place?" all the time, and i give the usual reply...for the love of the...because i have passion for the...for a change in environ...ment. That's the thing. sometimes changes can catch you off guard so suddenly you kinda lose your balance for a while.


To put this simply, the mere presence of other people, and the fact that you actually get to know them all better, makes it easier to adjust to new places, especially in a town with nothing to do. (or nothing much at least.) i thank God daily for the days that i got lazy and told mac lovers to go and club themselves, and sat at home to strum the guitar. Music is the universal language, and it brings everyone together.

Tour de Ecole

After some lunchtime hotdogs, i figured it would be nice to check out the school. Although it's a Sunday, we figured the school would've had someone in it since the freshmen were beginning orientation week the next day, and sure enough a few seniors were there to let us in. Apparently you require the use of a student card to enter the school...nice security feature, makes you feel like you're in some exclusive organization.The school seems well organized, and there's even a supply shop right opposite the school that sells seemingly everything. Looks like life may get better yet...




lounges both on the upper and lower floors. quite an artsy vibe...




All nus architecture people! look! the world uses the same kind of desks that they just gave us!


this picture is for all those mac crazy bastards that i know. oh wait. or do i only know one...


graduate students' desks...more arty vibe...




Something for just about everyone!

Neighbours just popped by..they live across the river so i don't know if they're considered neighbours...but there's food and more space, so i guess its goodbye for now. Seeya folks!

Sleepless in Cambridge

Finally touched down in Cambridge in Ontario. A definite far-cry from the bustling city that was San Francisco. Maybe making a stopover there was a bit of a mistake? Its quiet and slow paced, to say the least, and i wonder what i'm gonna find here to do besides school itself. Anyhow, you lucky guys get a free tour of the house, so enjoy.


The house in all its splendor, i think the backyard is quite fetching...


My wonderful room with all its(or lack of)perks and decoration.




I guess this will make do for now...


More to come from the land of the slow and the steady, someone take me to the city where the life is fast and the money is even faster. Time is standing still!