September 11, 2009: Life Changing Day

I have finally drifted onto “my space” and I mean me and my mind working together in silence, travelling back through time and picking up bits and pieces of breadcrumbs (not for solving crimes, this ain’t CSI!) that can feed my mind.

12 months and 27 days ago in Amari Coral Beach Resort wharf in Phuket, Thailand. I was asked a life changing question which I suppose there should be 2 choices for an answer, a YES and a NO where the former awaits a happy ever-after while the latter will devastate not only me and Eric but the people who knew us as well.

Anyway, back to The Question -- there has been only one answer for me.

Just Y-E-S...

It was not like in the movies where everything was all perfect -- zoom-in-slow-mo shot-like moment where the guy have John Cusack’s perfect soft spoken voice as he is uttering his proposal speech that melted the girl’s heart and got her all choked up while cupping her nose and mouth, then she finally says yes in tears as the guy slips the ring on her finger and then another staring-onto-each-other’s-eye-moment where the world stopped revolving while slow melancholic music starts playing. Nope! Not even close.

Ours was just purely spontaneous and fun topped with (cute) blooper moments BUT despite of those “moments”, I would not (ever!) trade it for anything expensive in the universe. Those few precious minutes were just priceless and could never be equal to the diamond ring being slipped onto my finger.

That windy sunset with its golden rays peeking through the clouds and waves drifting beneath the wharf shall be kept fresh on a vacuum tight compartment in our now united hearts and shall be later re-lived in time we re-tell this funny story to our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

***

Lets take the LEED!

Dear Fellow Architects,

As the lead professionals in the construction industry, let us take advantage of our post on this progressive era of steel, concrete and electriciy to support the fight against climate change. There are over hundreds of advertisements and campaigns from all over the world, showing us of where this fast-paced planet is leading us – disaster! Which we ourselves caused.

However, these foreseen disasters coming our way can still be prevented. As architects, we play a vital role in this critical issue .The decisions we make,can either build or destroy nature. This may be an imposition to us, but if we look more closer and dig deeper, we are not being consulted and we do not sign things off for nothing. Our approval is not being sought after just for formality, rather it is needed as it is the right thing to do.

I am encouraging everyone to adapt the LEED’s (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) principles which for certain we are all familiar with.

Let’s take this chance to not only work closely with our clients but let’s make them fully aware of what they can do in their own simple ways to rejuvenate the Earth. Our country is abundant in land, that’s our one advantage!

With such a small land area – which the Negros Island is ever bigger, Singapore is able to implement to their people to maintain a certain square meter for greens (both vertical and horizontal) on all buildings, and then that should not be a problem for us.

Lets ask ourselves this question, What Can We Do?

Let's take the LEED,

Arch. Fran Marie I. Flores, UAP

Wild Things in Life

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/ap/20100407/tap-as-philippines-giant-lizard-2nd-ld-w-fe2a5de.html

Having read the link above, we are clearly one of the world's best paradise (supposedly). Our natural resources are (supposedly) as rich as the oil deposits in the Middle East.

Why I am I being a cynic?
That's because we are too passive to care for our country. Cutting down trees is just like harvesting rice and sugarcane. Inappropriate dumping of garbage is like broadcasting seeds in the farm. Moreover our unique wildlife has become endangered because we kill and slaughter as if the we are starving and could not find food anymore.


I still keep my hopes up though.
For as long as we are seeing greens, hearing sounds within its thick foliage and for as long as sky remains blue and clouds are white. Our chances are still overflowing. We could still propagate the lushness of those greens. Make those sounds louder and Keep the skies clear and the clouds whiter.

Serendipity...

Part of me always wanted to become a writer.

Which I eventually gave in to writing, as I thought, that it might work for me. Sadly, it didn't...never did. Though, if you ask me if it was a waste of time, I'll will straight away give you an N-O for an answer. I was once a writer for my school paper and I somehow managed to sneak my name into the lifestyle pages of my hometown's local daily.

The first time I saw my name on the by-line that one particular sunday was probably like how Loius Sullivan felt when the Wainright building was considered as one the first skyscrappers in the world. I read my article over and over and over and over again that night. It felt great!

Little did I know, it was just the beginning of a fortunate accident. That's why I always love to look back at those little imperfect moments as it reminds me, how I got here.

...to moments! cheers!

Recollection :: Off the top of my head::

The pressure is on! It has always been on.

If I may say, I consider pressure as human being's greatest stalker. From the simplest decision making as to what coffee and donuts to order while on a long queue, up to opening that piece of envelope with your billing statement on it. While you are on a plane, you are definitely under a huge pressure -- literally! and so many other negligible things that is unknowingly contributing pressure.

Where I am now (geographically), pressure has been a part of its culture. Everyone is not an exemption. Locals, expats like me, and even one who is as young as a pre-school kid, goes through it, in school and most sadly at home.

This reminds me of what I witnessed one Friday ago while I was lounging at the pool, I overheard and saw one of our neighbors whose unit was nearby the pool. He was tutoring (or should I say torturing) his kid like Hitler. He was yelling and screaming because his son couldn't give him an answer on some Arithmetic questions. Poor kid, he was in total tears while guessing the answers. Of course, how could the poor thing focus and give his "tutor" the right answer when, he is being yelled and screamed at and being embarrassed by his dad.

They where at the living room and their glass door was wide open where anyone who is nearby could hear the tormenting treatment he is getting from his dad -- HIS DAD. Most of all it was a Friday!

On one of my conversations with my boss, he mentioned, quite a few times, "the system is not very forgiving so there is no room for errors". Wow! does the system say that kids must study and must not be given some slack on a Friday night? I guess it does...I just don't get it though.

Everything here is almost perfect but ironically their imperfections are just way too obvious. No rooms for questions and clarifications otherwise you'll be reciprocated with sarcasm or worse, you'll be screamed at. No room for explaining, otherwise, you'll be cut-off mid-sentence.

No room for forgiveness as they do not know how to.

One of those days...

::fmflores photography::2007::

It's just sad to see people who were trained with anger and pessimism all their lives. Their mindset is just too ideal that when they are "out there", they would never survive except on that tiny cage they are in.

It's a pity that they never experienced the perception of goodness. This clearly explains why it is too difficult for them to show affection, sincerity and warmth towards others as the "good" that they grew up with are all that can be seen and can be bought.

As stated in an article published by the International Herald Tribune as early as 1994: Rise in Materialism Prompts Worry about a Moral Decline: With more Money Fewer Values?...

...tsk tsk tsk...

Project "I DO" :: How's it goin'::

::How's it goin'?::


It's been one month and 10 days after I got engaged....and exactly 11 months before our wedding.

Out of the endless checklist, we have so far scratched out the wedding date (check out our wedding website) AND the Videographer...and the lucky winner is...(drum rolls please!)...Mayad Studios! (confetti everywhere!!! *whistles* weewheet!).

They are just spectacular! and (award winning too!)...and not cheap (argh!).

If there is one thing that we both would like to splurge on our big day that would definitely be the memories. It will always be that moment, that day at that place on that hour/s thus we will capture as much moments - candid or not as we could.

and so we shall relive that day over and over and over and over...and over and over...again...

Looking forward to meet the team (and to a very loooong vacation) once we are home in february. woohoo!

...okay so for the rest of the Project "I DO"...here we go!...