"The Architect"

So one day in architecture studio, my friend's iPod is playing on the speakers. Billy Joel's "Piano Man" starts playing with the line "It's nine o' clock on a Saturday...The regular crowd shuffles in..." Eventually, the song sounds like it's about studio ("if I could get out of this place...") and the idea hits me. So in a few late nights, I modified the "Piano Man" lyrics to make them about summer studio. I didn't have to change various lines because they fit studio life so perfectly.

Here it is, "The Architect" sung in the tune of Billy Joel's "Piano Man"

It’s nine o’clock on a saturday

the Students are sitting on their stools

There’s a young teen sitting next to me

Gettin' really intimate with tools

He says, man, can you lend me those calipers

I can't get this thickness down

It's these lines

and these sections

They're so far from perfection

And then he left for the dorm lounge

La la la, de de da La la, de de da da da

Chorus:

Build us a cube, you’re the architect

Build us six more tonight

Well, I want them all to be exquisite

And you’ve got to go at it alright

Now Ethan across from me is a friend of mine

He sings me melodies for free

And he’s quick with a song but not for long

Till a TA comes in to see.

He says, Dan, I believe this is killing me.

As the smile ran away from his face

Well I’m sure I could be a great starchitect

If I could get out of this place

Oh, la la la, de de daLa la, de de da da da

Now Won is a true man of his craft

He cuts neatly with his Olfa knife

And he’s talkin’ with Gretchen who’s still tonin' and sketchin'

And probably will be for life

And rooms get filled from head to toe

As some insomniacs slowly get stoned

Yes, they’re sharing a drink they call studio

But it’s better than drinkin’ alone

Chorus

It’s a pretty good crowd for a saturday

And the professor gives me a smile

’cause he knows we're confused

on what the hell we should do

We forget about life for a while

And the studio, it sounds like a carnival

And the air smells pretty weird (It's the fixatif)

As we sit at our desks and put heads down for more rests

We say, man, what am I doin’ here?

Oh, la la la, de de daLa la, de de da da da

It is still a work in progress, so feel free to suggest changes.

Architecture

I'll be leaving for summer school this Friday. A six week architecture studio awaits

What this summer will mean to me is two things:

one, to see if i have any continued interest and talent in architecture

and two, as an experience for me to look back on. to never say 10 years from now, "what if i did that summer studio. would i be an architect now?" to say instead, "that was awesome and rewarding" regardless of what i'll be doing 10 years from now.

i've taken other architecture courses before. the professors i've had are incredible characters. i get intimidated, which seems to blind me from seeing what's important. this time, regardless of how well i'm doing, i definitely need to have fun with it. ride the wave whether i'll wipe out or reach a paradise shore.

as to what my "architecture" style will be like in studio, i don't know. call me unsophisticated, but i've been skeptical and confused when i see some comtemporary architects' work. here are some designs that either won competitions or have been built

New Port House in Antwerp [wtfuzzy?!?!]

CCTV Building [nicknamed the "Boxer Shorts" building]

it seems like architects purposely go for something boldly remarkable. sure the buildings will become famous, even notorious. then again it's probably very hard to create something so balanced, something iconic and romantically inspiring, while at the same time sensible and cost effective.

but hey, it's just my first studio. i don't need to start solving the world's problems just yet. let's see what happens.

cowabunga

Book List

Rather than inundate this post with long lists, I'll try to keep it short: 3 books I will read, and 3 books I will recommend for all you bibliophiles.

To-Read list:

The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene:

Since I read an excerpt in high school, I have wanted to read the whole thing. It's a physicist's attempt to explain relativity with accessible metaphors and terminology.

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain:

After watching No Reservations for a while, I now want to read what made Anthony Bourdain legendary: his outlook on the restaurant business as a dishwasher who rose to the rank of chef. Maybe his awesome writing style will rub off onto me...

iWoz by Steve Wozniak

The auto-biography of Apple's co-founder, the other Steve. I've already started reading and it's pretty interesting.

Recommendations:

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

First book I read by HM. Great story. Unlike his other novels, this one is short and relatively unsurreal, but equally awesome. If you want more surrealistic stuff, Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is amazing as well.

A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink

This book offers an interesting view on how traits like empathy and creativity are becoming more valuable in today's economy. Whether or not you will agree with this, this books does offer a good collection of other books to read, places to visit, and things to do.

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett

It's part of a series set in a place called Discworld. You don't need to know much about the series to read these novels though. Unlike a lot of fantasy books I've read, the Discworld series is witty and funny. The best Pratchett book I've read so far.

Really though, I've written this post to give a general idea of my tastes. Now I'd like to hear what you would recommend. Suggest away.