Goodness gracious me. We hit #5 on the list?

Above India, China, France & the USA?

While I’m wondering what kind of guidelines/key indicators this trust and admiration is based on, seeing this also brings home the message from interim – do not be obnoxious and condescending (however much you think of your own country).

Dear crits: I’m trying to filter it out okay?

Cos as you now know, my heart is brimming with SG lurrrrve.

Also, doesn’t the Reputation Institute sound like an interesting place to work?

You make me nervous HCMC.

I can’t believe I’m heading there on Wednesday. No time!!

Also this video pretty much Rawx.

A lovely day to head out for a walk… Sunny, humid, and hot… But what a way to feel alive

Listening to (500) Days of Summer playlists on youtube Isn’t this teapot cute? I love polka dots! (It’s for sale as a postcard)

Just watched (500) Days of Summer today… It was a pleasant enough movie but what I really liked was the soundtrack! That and Zooey Deschanel’s (extremely gorgeous) eyes.

I also covet a chalkboard wall a la Tom Hansen’s bedroom. Although perhaps I would not sleep next to it (you know… chalk dust is not my favorite kind of air).

A low-resolution shot is as good as I could find… here is Summer with the wall in the back. Supercute bedhead!

Another point I found intriguing is how ‘architecture’ is represented. The film seems to be romanticizing art deco skyscrapers (note all the sketches)… I find it kind of funny that these are the buildings being directly linked to the idealistic, artistic, sensitive etc nature often depicted as characteristic of architects. No better examples? A sentiment echoed in this article discussing emo and architecture (HAH!)

Next up Julie and Julia, Coraline… and The September Issue! Mmmn… films about strong women. And I wonder if Where the Wild Things Are will be worth watching?

<3s monsters. We’ll eat you up! And now Back to Work.

Whenever I visit factories, I start having fantasies about moving in and converting the space into my home.

I love the polished look of well-worn concrete and the high ceilings. I love all the little observation decks and open plan spaces.

I just wonder how long I would have to save to buy one for myself a la Ricardo Bofill. What a gem it is… This one even looks great on the outside. How about you chip in some $? And we could go shop around for one in a few years?

Come on folks… How sexxay is that mezzanine?

This was the question posed to the audience, at a lecture I recently attended by one Mr. John Hardy, founder of the Green School in Bali.

The premise of this school was one that I found really seductive. Every aspect of it from the curriculum to the infrastructure is thought through from the viewpoint of sustainability. From growing their own food to employing local knowledge and traditional techniques in the construction, the school is focused on minimizing its impact on the surroundings.

What I thought raised this up to another level is that the ideas were so well-executed, and the school actually comes out looking gorgeous. The spaces are innovative and inspiring, and look very much at home on their site… It looks like an awesome place to study and a school I would have loved to attend.

I already enjoyed going to school as a kid, but what an adventure it would be…

Taking this path to school everyday…

Having lessons like this every single day…

He mentioned that this landscape is a luxury, but this still seemed like an understating of the facts to me. I’m staring at the massive concrete block that now houses my former alma mater and trying to imagine how we might have all turned out if we had grown up in a school like this. I don’t wonder that people move their families there just so their kids can attend this school. It’s just a pity that such an experience is still largely limited to those wealthy and privileged enough to buy a slot in these niche market schools.

Had a nice long day out going for ArchiTours ‘09 and a belated mooncake/birthday celebration. Shall post more on ArchiTours when I muster enough strength for it…