the nth iteration

The Serpent

2006-03-12T20:32:00.000+08:00

I haven't been blogging lately and it's this building's fault.

It is called the Corviale. It is also called many other things like the serpent, the starship, etc.

One kilometer long, it is an Italian experiment in public housing.

Any experiment is not foolproof against unexpected results. Since it is so large, it is kind of difficult to maintain, and people don't feel secure with its long hallways and large open spaces around it. It also feels quite isolated from the rest of Rome. The city seems to have given it a wide berth having grown right past its location in the periphery.

So how do you dock a starship into a city that doesn't have a proper port? In some ways that is my approach to this exercise, though things really aren't that simple.

MIDTERM!

2006-03-05T00:52:00.000+08:00

Water Everywhere

2006-02-18T07:31:00.000+08:00

My first blizzard: 26 inches of snow

Not bad for my first winter in NY.

Another Italian Classic

2006-02-06T10:45:00.000+08:00

I am not refering to architecture, but to food. There is the New York cheese pizza, which I fell in love with when I first arrived, then there is the Italian pizza, which is even better!

Sadly, I wasn't able to take any photos of my meals, but this one from wikipedia is close enough! I guess the last thing you want to do when faced with food this good is to delay the inevitable by stepping back and taking photographs of that crispy thin crust, molten cheese, and fresh tomato sauce... I'm salivating just thinking about it.

I got to find real italian pizza in New York, I just got to...

Pronto!

2006-02-04T09:10:00.000+08:00

My belated post. Well, you know what they say: When in Rome... And Romans... they sure take their time!

The Streets of Rome

Anticipation...

THE PANTHEON!

I can stay here all day.

The Oculus

Trevi Fountain

Spanish Steps

Tourists!

One More Time

2006-01-29T08:54:00.000+08:00

Ever felt like repeating something?
Welcome to my "new" blog.

Imagine

2005-09-09T09:12:00.000+08:00

Central Parks 2

2005-09-09T08:39:00.000+08:00

The second installment:

Central Park Zoo

Central Park Rocks

Bethesda Fountain

The Great Lawn and beyond from the Belvedere Castle

Summer in NY

2005-08-30T05:22:00.000+08:00

The summer term of the Architecture and Urban Design program is finally over and I feel terrific. Studio work was tough, and though there's still room for improvement, at the very least I have realized just how to make the most of studio the next time around, or so I would like to believe.

I think I did pretty well in the other courses, so I can't wait to pick my electives for the next term. Hmm, okay, maybe I can wait a bit more. Besides, it's summer in New York and I still have the rest of the city to explore before I become a slave to my course schedule once again.

Here are some pictures of the stuff I worked on:

Okay, I know it isn't much, I'm still perfecting the art of collage. If you haven't figured it out, it's about pollution mitigating urban design. Something that you would definitely need along EDSA, Aurora Boulevard, or any major urban thoroughfare if you don't want your kids to develop asthma and other respiratory diseases while growing up in the city.

If there is one thing I'm learning to do all over again is to be a hard-nosed idealist. And this is a good place to do it. So I'm glad.

Okay, that's enough for today. Time to go out and see the rest of the city... or maybe some sleep... Yeah, I've been missing that too. Well, there's enough time to do both! Until next time...

What's gone and what's still there

2005-08-07T22:25:00.000+08:00

Last weekend, I visited the Seagram Building and the former World Trade Center Site. One location contains an existing skyscraper frequented only during the weekdays by office people along Park Avenue, while the other is essentially a void visited by people from all over almost every single day... a curious comparison.

Seagram Building

A couple at the Seagram Plaza

Seagram Plaza

The former World Trade Center Site

Visitors to the former World Trade Center

Barriers in Public Space

Plant boxes or additional security measures?

42nd Street

2005-07-21T07:58:00.000+08:00

Take a walk through 42nd street...

The American Airlines Theatre

Bryant Park

New York Public Library

Chrysler Building

United Nations Headquarters

The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine

2005-06-25T10:04:00.000+08:00

More pictures of the Upper West Side

The world's largest (unfinished) Gothic Cathedral

Even without the spires, it's huge.

I bought my first New York hotdog by the church steps for one dollar. It was fine, but hotdogs taste the same wherever you go.

Central Parks

2005-06-18T18:22:00.000+08:00

Harlem Meer, the little "sea" in the park

A quaint little house by the lake

Spring in New York

Purple fluff

The city (and my laundry) beckons...

Central Park has a nice mix of trees and wide open spaces, but I think that the Tiergarten in Berlin is still a better park to enjoy getting lost in :)

Tiergarten in Berlin

Welcome to my neighborhood

2005-06-06T07:52:00.000+08:00

The place to talk about nothing...

The People You Meet on the Plane

2005-05-25T20:17:00.000+08:00

Flying alone halfway across the world does have its moments. For one, you get to meet interesting people. The person seated beside me for the 18 hour flight was a Nepalese Sherpa mountain guide. Check out his site by clicking on the title of this post. We talked about a lot of things to pass the time. We even touched on religion (he's buddhist) and local folklore (he told me about the Yeti and, for the lack of a better monster, I told him about the Manananggal). If I ever save up enough leisure time and money, not to mention balls, maybe I'll look him up in the Himalayas for a quick trek through the mountains (usually a month long) in the near future. The thought of going to the Himalayas never crossed my mind before I met this guy. Well, maybe I did imagine it when I read this Tintin comic.

I guess traveling does open your eyes to the possibilities, even if it is just eighteen hours on the plane.

Planes and Terminals

2005-05-23T21:29:00.000+08:00

Traveling halfway across the world is quite an experience. It takes extremely long and requires a lot of walking. Despite the numerous benefits of modern air travel, travelers must still rely on their own two feet, especially when in transit, to get to where they are going. Having such a huge number of people flying all over the world requires massive airport terminals, and large airport terminals mean lots of walking from one gate to the next. Such is the case when I visited the Hong Kong International Airport. The terminal is beautiful to look at, no doubt, but hard on the heels. I walked for almost an hour, taking a few snapshots along the way of course, while standing on moving walks (never have I appreciated the technology of a moving walk as much as I did then). As for my thoughts on the terminal itself, I would say that airports should efficiently drive you to your destination without any hesitation. The more fleeting the experience, the better. It is only when relaxing at the gate lounge that you will have the time to contemplate the beauty of the details that a few minutes ago were just a blur in the periphery of your vision, preferably without noticing the wear in your shoes and the ache in your legs.

Sorry, I can't help it :)

2005-05-17T19:52:00.000+08:00

Start spreading the news
I'm leaving today...

Blog Link 2: Staring at the Bright Blue Sky

2005-05-11T06:52:00.000+08:00

A fellow blogger writes about love.
Read it by clicking on the title of this post.

Honrado Fernandez

2005-04-30T23:20:00.000+08:00

A former dean of the University of the Philippines College of Architecture passed away Tuesday April 26, 2005 at the age of 55. His highly opinionated comments will be missed by a few. His quirky and self-deprecating humor will be missed by some. His incessant stories and lessons will be missed by many. His unwavering advocacy for Philippine architecture and art will be missed by all.

Despite being a man of many talents, I feel that Dean Fernandez was first and foremost an educator. He brainwashed entire batches of architecture students to keep the fires of indigenous art and architecture burning through his unique ability to inspire both guilt and pride in what would otherwise be taken for granted. Though many flames were inevitably doused, some embers still smolder in the hope of catching flame once more. I think I still keep a tiny ember of his making, fueled by rememberance and protected by sentiment.

May his memory live on.

Blank Screen

2005-04-22T12:09:00.000+08:00

I can't seem to view my blog when I use Mozilla Firefox. I wonder what this means.

I've been tagged

2005-03-28T18:30:00.001+08:00

Nakanamamboogie! I've been tagged!
I have never been tagged before, so here goes...

You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451. What book do you want to be?
Farenheit 451 is the temperature that paper starts to burn. In Ray Bradbury's story, the "firemen" did not stop fires, they burned books to discourage independent thought. If I want to make a difference and go in a blaze of glory, I would like to be Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species. However, if I want to effect change yet survive a regular neighborhood book burning, I would like to be a dictionary, pretty harmless by itself yet capable of bringing forth great ideas in the right hands.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?
To satisfy the (perverse) curiosity of the one who tagged me, I especially liked Dr. Arroway in Carl Sagan's Contact. (It also helps that Jodie Foster played her in the cinematic version later on.)

The last book you bought is...
Aldous Huxley's Island

Five books you would take to a deserted island:
1. A survival guide (preferably one written for castaways on deserted islands)
2. A gourmet cookbook for seafood or whatever's edible on a deserted island
3. An entertaining book about the true-to-life experiences of a real castaway, so I won't feel particularly unfortunate.
4. A compendium of different world religions. When I'm not busy chasing crabs and harvesting coconuts, I'll probably wonder about my place in the cosmos.
5. A book on sailing and navigation, just in case I get tired of the seclusion and decide to return to civilization.

What are you currently reading?
Jane Jacobs' The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Why didn't they teach us all this in college?

Who are you going to pass this stick to and why?
Yo and Ferdz. They read very curious books.

The Other Metropolis

2005-03-23T16:26:00.000+08:00

I have realized that growing up exclusively in Metro Manila has greatly contributed to my ignorance.

I have traveled to different parts of the country, but mostly on short vacations, tours, or site visits. However, I never experienced working for an organization based in another distinct city until I went to Cebu on a teaching assignment.

That's me in the airport admiring the shiny floor

There's the gate lounge and some airport employees amused by a camera-toting pseudo-Japanese tourist

The plane I thought I would be on until they changed gate assignments at the last minute

Cebu was a pleasant surprise, every bit as urban as Metro Manila minus the traffic and the crowds, more comprehensible in scale as a city, at least an hour away from pristine mountain and shore, and full of nice friendly people.

Not my aerial photo but you get the idea - Cebu City

Unfortunately, I did not get around much since my classes were back to back, but i did manage to sample some of the local food, experience a bit of the relaxed nightlife, drive through the city, and live for a couple of days with the very friendly and considerate extended family of my friend and teaching colleague.

Cebu is a wonderful city and metropolis of its own right. Metro Manila, though much larger and more diverse, is a sad comparison in terms of livability and lovability. What makes a city great is not how many people or how much economic activity it generates, but how much it makes you want to stay and explore the possibilities. I would sure like to go back someday soon.

Blog Link 1: Pointyman2000

2005-03-16T07:56:00.000+08:00

A fellow blogger writes about teenage angst and buddhism.
Read it by clicking on the title of this post.

Is this possible?

2005-03-06T08:05:00.000+08:00

You Are 50% Left Brained, 50% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning.

Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others.

If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic.

Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet.

The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility.

Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way.

If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art.

Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

Solo Flight Around the World!

2005-03-04T07:52:00.000+08:00

The Virgin Atlantic Globalflyer piloted by Steve Fossett at the conclusion of the fastest, non-stop, non-refuelled solo flight around the world

Aldous Huxley's Island

2005-02-27T10:04:00.000+08:00

I once read a passage quoted by the authors of A Pattern Language (which can be viewed in its entirety online via this fabulous website). The idea eventually slipped my mind until I picked up a copy of Aldous Huxley's Island.

"How many homes does a Palanese child have?"

"About twenty on the average."

"Twenty? My God!"

"We all belong," Susila explained, "to a MAC -a Mutual Adoption Club. Every MAC consists of anything from fifteen to twenty five assorted couples. Newly elected brides and bridegrooms, old timers with growing children, grandparents and great-grandparents everybody in the club adopts everyone else. Besides our own blood relations, we all have our quota of deputy mothers, deputy fathers, deputy aunts and uncles, deputy brothers and sisters, deputy babies and toddlers and teen-agers."

Will shook his head. "Making twenty families grow where only one grew before."

"But what grew before was your kind of family. As though reading instructions from a cookery book, "Take one sexually inept wage slave," she went on, "one dissatisfied female, two or (if preferred) three small television addicts; marinate in a mixture of Freudism and dilute Christianity, then bottle up tightly in a four room flat and stew for fifteen years in their own juice. Our recipe is rather different: Take twenty sexually satisfied couples and their offspring; add science, intuition and humor in equal quantities; steep in Tantrik Buddhism and simmer indefinitely in an open pan in the open air over a brisk flame of affection."

"And what comes out of your open pan?" he asked.

"An entirely different kind of family. Not exclusive, like your families, and not predestined, not compulsory. An inclusive, unpredestined and voluntary family. Twenty pairs of fathers and mothers, eight or nine ex-fathers and ex-mothers, and forty or fifty assorted children of all ages."

Island is a work of utopian fiction set in (believe it or not) Southeast Asia. It is my first book by Aldous Huxley (unless you consider watching the movie A Brave New World akin to reading the book) and I am thoroughly impressed. Though Huxley appears to be quite fond of fantastic drug-induced mental states, I would say that his ultimately tragic vision of the nation of Pala is one of the best fictional constructions of utopian society I have read thus far. The story of the island nation is wonderfully appealing, yet the events that transpired are almost real, like something that could have happened in the region in our very recent history.

The book was written two years before Aldous Huxley died and is often considered the culmination of his utopian/dystopian writings starting with A Brave New World. Huxley envisioned a hopeful alternative to the world we have today, a human society that paid "attention" to the "here and now," and by doing so, found happiness in the most mundane.

Interactive Feng Shui Adviser

2005-02-22T08:49:00.000+08:00

Check your room's Chi with this simple interactive adviser.

I'm writing some more!

2005-02-21T18:17:00.000+08:00

MORE THAN JUST A BATH
from My Home Magazine February 2005 Issue

People enjoy doing all sorts of things in the bathroom. Much like the multi-functional spaces in contemporary homes, the bath also provides for other activities besides maintaining good hygiene. Its calm seclusion and comfortable intimacy has transformed the bathroom into a much needed escape from the daily grind. Fortunately, bathing as a form of therapy has gained popularity in recent years, and as a result, the pleasure of bathing is finally being restored to our harried lives.
So, how does one transform the common bathroom into more than just another utilitarian space? The most versatile and responsive baths share a number of fundamental characteristics: ample space, light, air, water, and privacy. Together, these qualities contribute to a more holistic bathing experience, a far cry from the regular shower.

More Space
Added space, whether physically accessible or just the mere sight of it will surely enhance the bather’s sense of well-being in this often most claustrophobic of rooms.
In a spacious bath, one may stretch out comfortably without tipping bottles or striking fixtures by accident. Of course, not many bathrooms pass this criterion, but there are ways to transform seemingly small spaces into larger ones. One method is to simply reduce clutter by relocating items that do not contribute to the bathing experience. The remainder may then be stored inside built-ins, preferably beneath the sink or flush with the walls for a cleaner look. Another way is to use curtains instead of panels. Curtains allow the freedom of movement often lacking in small showers without sacrificing privacy. One more technique is to integrate curves into the design. Curved surfaces look more fluid, thus adding a sense of depth to an otherwise tiny space.
If practicable, the bathroom may be physically extended into an adjacent area, like a neighboring bath, closet, bedroom, garden wall, light well, balcony, or even part of the hall. A visual link between different areas and borrowed scenery will also add to the bather’s sense of space. If no adjoining rooms are available, an illusion of additional space may be fabricated through the clever use of mirrors or translucent surfaces.
More Light and Air
A well-lighted bathroom encourages activities usually overlooked in no-frills bathing like reading, appreciating art, and catching some rays. Windows, glass panel doors, skylights, reflective surfaces, and artificial lighting can help brighten up the room. However, indirect light is often favored over direct light to avoid heat and glare.
Since more time is to be spent inside the bathroom, the space must also be well ventilated like a regular room. Water makes the air humid, so if items such as art pieces or books are to find a place in the bath, items must be protected and humidity must be controlled by good ventilation usually through operable windows or quiet exhaust fans.
More Water
Tubs are notorious for consuming excessive amounts of water, but a mere dip need not be wasteful if done correctly. In traditional Japanese baths, bathers usually scrub themselves clean before a good soak. The Japanese-style tub is shorter yet deep enough to cover the shoulders of a seated person. Since the person is already clean, the water can be shared or reused for other purposes. People enjoy sensual contact with water and indulging in a warm soak every now and then is a sure way to relax.
In addition, one of the best ways to conserve water is to do so in the bathroom. Some bath arrangements and toilets make use of recycled water from the lavatory and tub for flushing and some new fixtures use even less water. Clean potable water is a luxury, and it is always wise to make the most of it.
More Personal Space
Despite the importance of spacious, bright and airy bathrooms, privacy must always be respected in the bath. This can be accomplished by defining several spaces within the bathroom according to varying levels of intimacy. In other words, the bath environment must allow a bather to go into different modes of seclusion depending on the need, especially if the room is shared between couples or among family members.
The most private space such as the toilet must be kept separate from the bath, if possible, in an adjacent room with its own door. At the very least, it must be hidden by a low partition and face away from the bathing area and circulation space. The shower must be enclosed as well to keep the bather out of clear sight. If there is a tub, it must likewise be hidden from view, at least in part, and located at the far end of the room. If the tub is meant to be used by more than one person at a time, racks for large towels are needed close by, possibly one for each bather. His and her sinks for couples are also becoming the norm, preferably with a table or enough space in between to avoid overlapping activity. All these features are meant to safeguard the personal space of bathers.
More than Just a Bath
Indeed, the bathroom can be so much more than just a place for keeping the body clean. It can serve as a retreat for the mind, an intimate space and a wellspring of comfort, where day-to-day concerns are simply washed away. The bath is like an oasis for the weary, yet one does not need to travel far in order to find it. It may be waiting to be discovered right in your own home.

UAP GAM Green Forum 2005

2005-02-17T08:30:00.000+08:00

UNITED ARCHITECTS OF THE PHILIPPINES
GREEN ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT
GREEN FORUM 2005

Theme: Saving Energy thru Green Architecture & Engineering
Date: February 26, 2005 (Saturday)
Time: 8:30AM – 5:00PM
Venue: Legend Villas, Pioneer St., Mandaluyong City

The Green Architecture Movement (GAM) is holding a one day lecture series and forum complete with the exhibition of building products related to this year's theme which is "Saving Energy Thru Green Architecture and Engineering."

PROGRAM

Morning Session

8:30 – 9:45 Pre-forum (Registration, Fellowship, Exhibit Viewing and Coffee Time
9:45 – 9:55 Invocation & National Anthem - Arch. Armando T. Tantoco, uap
9:55 – 10:15 Green Architecture & Forum Objectives - Arch. Geronimo V. Manahan, fuap
10:15 – 10:20 Welcome Address - Arch. Enrique O. Olonan, fuap UAP National President
10:20 – 10:25 Introduction of Keynote Speaker - Arch. Raymond L. Sih, uap
10:25 – 10:40 Keynote Address - Ms. Teresita M. Borra Director, Energy Utilization Management Bureau, Dept. of Energy
10:40 – 11:15 Energy Awareness in Architecture - Arch. Amado P. De Jesus, Jr., fuap
11:15 – 11:45 Open Forum - Arch. Lora B. Rivera, uap
11:45 – 12:00 Acknowledgement of Guests - Arch. Romulo G. De Jesus, Jr., uap

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch

Afternoon Session

1:00 – 1:40 Product Presentation – Green Roof SPECSERV
1:45 – 2:06 Energy Savings in Electrical Engineering - Engr. Roger Amper
2:10 – 2:30 Energy Savings in Mechanical Engineering - Engr. Jose Hilario
2:35 – 2:55 Saving Energy in Architectural Design - Arch. Stanley G. Fernandez III, uap
3:00 – 3:30 Open Forum - Arch. Lora B. Rivera, uap
3:30 – 4:00 Coffee Break and Exhibit Viewing
4:00 – 4:30 Summary
4:30 – 4:40 Awarding of Token of Appreciation - Arch. Edgar V. Reformado, fuap
4:40 – 4:45 Closing Remarks - Arch. Joven F. Ignacio, uap
4:45 – 5:00 Raffles - Arch. Rajelyn Busmente, uap

Masters of Ceremonies: Arch. Lora B. Rivera, uap and Arch. Maximo F. Cacapit, uap

Sometimes from the Moon, other times from Saturn

2005-02-17T08:24:00.000+08:00

You Are From the Moon

You can vibe with the steady rhythms of the Moon.
You're in touch with your emotions and intuition.
You possess a great, unmatched imagination - and an infinite memory.
Ultra-sensitive, you feel at home anywhere (or with anyone).
A total healer, you light the way in the dark for many.

You Are From Saturn

You're steady, organizes, and determined to achieve your dreams.
You tend to play it conservative, going by the rules (at least the practical ones).
You'll likely reach the top. And when you do, you'll be honorable and responsible.
Focus on happiness. Don't let your goals distract you from fun!
Don't be too set in your ways, and you'll be more of a success than you ever dreamed of.

What Planet Are You From?

In the name of another

2005-02-15T12:11:00.000+08:00

People who profess to act entirely in the name of others are cowards and liars. They hope to escape accountability by invoking another's name, or so they think. They hide behind whatever convenient and popular "authority," denying personal responsibility for wrongdoing in the name of god, in the name of country, in the name of the republic, in the name of "public service," in the name of the "masa," etc.

If there is one thing I wish for those who claim to act in the name of others, it is that they do so for the rest of their natural lives, that they truly serve whatever greater good they ascribe to despite themselves. What a difference that would make.

Happy Lunar New Year

2005-02-09T07:56:00.000+08:00

what is this chicken thinking?

Sally Shears

2005-02-05T23:24:00.000+08:00

Sally Shears a.k.a. Molly is one of the recurring characters in William Gibson's science fiction novels. If you haven't heard of her, the enigmatic and dangerous female lead character (often with dark hair and dark mirror glasses) in many cyberpunk films are probably based on her (but that's just my opinion).

Why did I bring her up? I finally found an inexpensive copy of Mona Lisa Overdrive, the third book of a loosely connected series starting with Neuromancer. I think the stories are loosely connected because I still do not have the second book, Count Zero. I really want to dive into my new purchase, but not having the book in between is a real drag. I guess Mona Lisa Overdrive will have to wait until I find that elusive second book.

Don't you hate it when you try to enjoy a sequel, but miss out on some references made to an earlier installment?

Archinect

2005-02-02T07:07:00.000+08:00

I visit this website almost every day.

What is it all about?

About Archinect
The goal of Archinect is to make architecture more connected and open-minded, and bring together designers from around the world to introduce new ideas from all disciplines. Archinect was initially developed in 1997 by Paul Petrunia. The site has since become a top online destination for progressive-design oriented students, architects, educators, and fans.

Robert Smithson

2005-01-26T08:21:00.000+08:00

Robert Smithson's "Spiral Jetty," a 30-year-old piece of so-called "earth art" has re-emerged from the bed of Utah's Great Salt Lake due to the drought being experienced in much of the Western United States.

Here is an excerpt from Robert Smithson's essay 'Sedimentation of the Mind:'

The earth's surface and the figments of the mind have a way of disintegrating into descrete regions of art. Various agents, both fictional and real, somehow trade places with each other - one cannot avoid muddy thinking when it comes to earth projects, or what I call 'abstract geology.' One's mind and the earth are in a constant state of erosion, mental rivers wear away abstract banks, brain waves undermine cliffs of thought, ideas decompose into stones of unknowing, and conceptual crystallizations break apart into deposits of gritty reason...
Slump, debris, slides, avalanches all take place within the cracking limits of the brain. The entire body is pulled into the cerebral sediment, where particles and fragments make themselves known as solid consciousness. A bleached and fractured world surrounds the artist. To organize this mess of corrosion into patterns, grids, and subdivisions is an esthetic process that has scarcely been touched.

Sustainability Starts at Home

2005-01-24T18:15:00.000+08:00

Here's my first attempt at a magazine article for public consumption. It was published in My Home Magazine last November 2004.

Almost everyday, we experience problems somehow related to the declining quality of our environment: pollution, unusual weather, overcrowding, and disease are but a few items in our growing list of concerns. It looks as if a troubled future awaits us unless we mend our ways and reconsider our role in the natural world.
Our relationship with our surroundings is very much like a complex loop: we change the environment and it also changes us. Oftentimes, we may feel that much of the degradation is beyond our control. On the contrary, what we do in the places where we live and work has a greater impact on the immediate environment than we may think. This is especially true in the place where we spend most of our days: the home.
The home is an integral part of our lives. It is one of the places where we can actually control much of our situation. There are many things that can be done for the home with respect to the environment, and the suggested activities here are just the tip of the iceberg. Although the goals may be the same, there is no specific way of making the home more sustainable, and the actual methods may vary depending on the resources available. Ultimately it is up to the home-maker and the household to decide, because no one has a bigger stake in the home than those who actually live and work in it.

Devoting Energy
One of the simplest and best ways we can help ourselves and the environment at the same time is by reexamining the way we use energy. The money we save on utilities can actually reduce our dependence on oil, so this strategy helps a lot.
We use different types of energy at home: electricity from the convenience outlet, light from the sun, and heat from liquefied petroleum gas. An effective way to save energy is to match energy and fuel choices to different household tasks.
The production of electricity is plagued with hidden costs. Most conventional power plants and utilities waste around half the energy generated from burning fuel and another 1/5 during transmission. Therefore, an electric stove only uses only around a quarter of the fuel’s total energy output, compared to gas stoves that are three times more efficient! Cooking by gas saves more energy than using electric stoves and ovens, and this is reflected by the gas and electric bill.
Another example is using compact fluorescent lamps instead of incandescent bulbs. In addition to converting electricity into light, incandescent bulbs also generate more heat, so much of the electricity used is converted into heat that you do not need.
The simplest example is just letting in sunlight and a breeze instead of switching on the lamp and fan. While the latter adds to your electric bill, the former requires little or no wasteful fuel to energy conversions whatsoever.
Hence, before buying and using an electrical appliance, think of other ways that achieve the same effect without the inefficiencies and the added cost.

Find Space
The best way to get something started is to make space for it, whether it is physical space or just some extra time in a busy schedule.
Storage space is a must for sorting garbage, recycling materials, and replacing inefficient appliances. Without allotting enough space, the resulting mess can get very frustrating and end the recycling project long before it serves its purpose. Store items that look especially long-lived and without any immediate use. Keeping trash that cannot be recycled will also serve as a reminder as to which products are no good to buy.

Sustain Life
In addition to finding space plastics and old batteries, you can also look out for more garden space. Besides providing oxygen and cleaning the air by gathering dust and toxins that would otherwise end up in our bodies, plants can also serve as a source of sustenance and a constant reminder of what we are trying to preserve in the environment. Plants can take root in a variety of conditions. They can grow on walls, indoors, or any conceivable place as long as there is enough sunlight, soil, and moisture.
If maintenance is a problem, hardy local varieties require less care than their fussy foreign counterparts. Instead of fertilizer, you can mix chopped and dried plant and vegetable matter in the soil. Composting is also a good idea, but only if you are willing to experiment. Though scentless when done correctly, nothing kills enthusiasm faster than a composting project gone wrong, especially if it is done within the confines of a small house where everything is within smelling distance.

Share Experiences
Finally, share your experiences with other members of the household and housing community. It is much more fun to work with others and benefit from their insights and experiences. Starting new habits can be difficult without the proper support, so before you begin, find willing individuals, regardless of skill, to aid you in your endeavor.
It does not take an expert to figure out what is right for the home environment. A little sensitivity and determination can go a long way to make the home (and everything beyond) a better place to live in.

What age do you act?

2005-01-24T18:00:00.001+08:00

You Are 30 Years Old

30

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe.

13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.

20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!

40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

Man, according to this, I do act like an older person. And I thought my friends were just making fun of me...

What Age Do You Act?

Today is Monday

2005-01-24T18:00:00.000+08:00

According to this news article today is one of the most miserable days of the year. I cannot agree more. Today feels absolutely wretched for some strange reason. Why exactly? I am too preoccupied with unpleasant feelings to figure it out. This is most unusual. Maybe I'll just find out tomorrow.

Bookshelf Update 1

2005-01-09T17:43:00.000+08:00

The bookshelf has just received a major update, starting with books by my very first and favorite nature documentary broadcaster David Attenborough: The Living Planet and The Life of Mammals.

I also thought that I needed to update my garden designs with a few books by cutting-edge British gardener Diarmuid Gavin: Homefront in the Garden and Outer Spaces

Finally, a book on two of my favorite subjects, travel and food: Anthony Bourdain's A Cook's Tour.

What's great is that all of these books were on sale! National Bookstore Cubao is fast becoming my favorite place.

He who has departed

2005-01-07T22:07:00.000+08:00

I attended my uncle's burial yesterday. It felt surreal going through the motions of an odd mix of Christian and traditional Chinese burial rites: attending a Catholic mass, putting on a white and red sash, walking a few blocks with the funeral procession, traveling via convoy to the memorial park, continuing the funeral procession once again, dropping white roses over the coffin, sealing the tomb, discarding the white sash, watching my uncle's daughter - my cousin - walk away with a portrait of the deceased only to see her come back later on (unusually), and ending the rites with a quick meal before heading home.

Besides the Catholic priest, there was another informal master of ceremonies, a mute with long gray hair dressed in shabby clothes who joined us during the first leg of the funeral procession. He then showed again in the park, directing family members where to go and what to do, writing the chinese burial date on the newly plastered tomb with a barbecue stick, and making sure that everyone discarded the white part of the sash and took the red portion home. All that without saying a word.

Though often unnecessary and superstitious, rituals and those who make sure that they are done properly do appear to serve a purpose, perhaps to preoccupy those who are grieving by giving them simple tasks to carry out when they would otherwise be drowning in the depths of sadness. In that sense, the priest and the strange man played very similar roles, even though they looked worlds apart.

My uncle, though I don't know him very well, was a kind and generous man. My cousins, niece, and nephews love him very much, and I guess those of us who do not know him so well still love him for what he did to deserve that kind of love.

Despite the recent death in the family, I still think that nothing really stops. People live and die, but what they do with their lives, the little acts of kindness are the things that last. They add to the goodness in this world, and those who truly learn and benefit from those actions, tend to do more good in turn.

So, to everyone, a life full of kindess. After all, that is what truly matters long after the end.

A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

2004-12-25T11:07:00.000+08:00

I'm sure you foresaw this entry, but no one I know (see links to blogs) seems to have done it yet. So, here's a post wishing all of you a merry Christmas.

Now that the year is almost over, I am tying up loose ends and doing a little reflection. However, I am beginning to feel that nothing really ends, it all just goes on and on. I try to make sense of things by organizing experiences into discrete little episodes, but maybe that's just me and what my little mind can contemplate. So here I am, thinking about my past, present and future, quite perplexed yet still holding it together.

The funny thing is, I can't imagine having it any other way.

Lion Dance of Love

2004-12-11T02:26:00.000+08:00

I attended a wedding reception last Sunday in Makati, and the program included a very unusual number: a lion dance. I've seen some lion dances over the years, but I've never seen a dance at a reception before, so this was a first.

There were two lions, and since it was a wedding, they were depicted as "love" lions. So, I guess you can try imagining the routine. The two lions were in foreplay throughout the entire performance. Thankfully, there were acrobatic feats to break the monotony, like the lions jumping from one high place to another and standing on their "hind legs." It was quite entertaining, but i think they went slightly overboard with the "love" bit. At one point, the "lions" were sniffing each other and giving each other back rubs. I am well aware that these are mythical beasts played by two people in special costumes, but if you watch animal planet, you know what comes after the sniffing and preening. I don't mean to sound prudish, but I never thought of the lion dance in that context before.

Overall, I found the reception interesting. There was an effort to present the wedding reception in a different style. There weren't any doves, the poor birds with clipped wings that sit throughout the wedding only to be released into the glaring lights and some kid's eager hands. The program didn't involve tipsy uncles belting out karaoke songs. And there was the lion dance. I wonder what those inspired wedding planners are going to think of next - and how much the sponsors are going to pay for it.

I am the pilot

2004-12-11T02:12:00.000+08:00

How sad yet hopeful at the same time.

Collective Guilt

2004-12-04T19:50:00.000+08:00

After the flooding in Central Luzon, what just happened makes me think twice about specifying wood. The government will punish the illegal loggers, but how about those who use the wood?

The Dispossessed

2004-11-21T21:32:00.000+08:00

I am now reading Ursula Le Guin's The Dispossessed. I would like to thank Yo and Hong for recommending this excellent author. The different worlds she created in the book are very detailed and interesting. I cannot help but interpret the different societies portrayed in this work of science fiction to be rather extreme versions of the ones we have had throughout history.

From my choice of reading materials as of late, I guess I am turning out to be a fan of both utopian and dystopian fiction and non-fiction. I wonder if this has anything to do with my chosen career or my favorite childhood pastime. I used to imagine entire cities of talking animals: rabbits, birds, etc. and often made up situations wherein the different animals interacted with each other in the form of comics and short stories. I guess people were too difficult to draw or maybe too real and complicated to make fantastic stories of at that age. Haha, the ideas I had then were pretty strange. Maybe too much David Attenborough and Looney Tunes in the morning.

I'm a writer!

2004-11-13T01:11:00.000+08:00

Woohoo! I've finally written something for a magazine people actually buy!
Check out My Home Magazine November Issue and look for the article "Sustainability Starts at Home."

Trip to Tagaytay

2004-11-03T23:31:00.000+08:00

Farewell Dog

2004-10-16T20:22:00.000+08:00

I'm saying goodbye to our dog. He has been a kind and loyal animal. He will be missed.

The WTN X Prize

2004-10-12T23:21:00.000+08:00

The X Prize has expanded its scope to include some of the greatest challenges facing mankind in this century. The WTN X Prize will build upon the success of the X Prize Foundation's Ansari X Prize Space Race competition and launch a series of technology prizes in the fields of transportation, longevity, medicine, nanotechnology, alternative energy, and even millenium development goals among many other potential breakthroughs.

Imagine the possibilities considering how this ten million dollar prize had just spurred the development of private space travel in only eight years!

"There are over billions of people on the planet, almost each of whom has a dream for a better world. The chances of us finding a truly worthwhile series of challenges for the WTN X PRIZE competitions over the coming years are that much greater the more suggestions we receive. We are asking you because your dreams are the repository of an enormous amount of creativity and hope. In the spirit of man’s first reach into space, we ask you to stretch your imagination to help take humanity to the next level. Are you up to the challenge?" - WTN X Prize

I guess there will always be hope as long as there are people who dream.

The Ansari X-Prize

2004-10-05T21:25:00.000+08:00

Scaled Composite's SpaceShipOne has won the Ansari X-Prize! Two flights to sub-orbital space were accomplished in six days, the first piloted by Mike Melvill and the second piloted by Brian Binnie. Sub-orbital space, here I come :)

Red, Green, and Blue Mars

2004-09-26T22:18:00.000+08:00

I am now reading Blue Mars after having finished Green and Red Mars. The second book, Green Mars, started off slow, ending with a long awaited and eventful climax. The last book, Blue Mars, continues the pace of the previous book's final chapters with a positive tone.

Putting aside the science fiction, the books basically speak of hope, the possibility of creating a new and better society out of the old. Tempered idealism essentially drives the story, and the ideas come from many places: astronomy, geology, robotics, climatology, ecology, genetics, psychology, sociology, religion, politics, planning, engineering, architecture, etc. I guess all the author needed was just the right situation to allow all the ideas to come together, and the first place that came to mind just so happened to be the fourth planet from the sun, Mars.

I wonder if we can find a similar place closer to home.

Architects urged to copy India

2004-09-13T08:45:00.000+08:00

Renowned Indian architect Charles Correa has said housing designs from his home country offer the key to eco-friendly buildings of the future.

Correa, who is famed for design principles based on low-density, low cost architecture at a reduced environmental cost, wants architects to examine low-rise, high-density urban areas such as Rajasthan as a way of best using natural and local resources.
"The basic principle of housing in a country like India is that you have very limited resources," Correa told BBC World Service's Masterpiece programme.
"Therefore you have to use great ingenuity. That's when you really learn to respect what traditionally is done.
"If you look at a village in Kerala, everything is re-used and recycled. Leaves which fall from palm trees are used again for the roofs.
"There's nothing like poverty to be the mother of invention. As an architect, looking at those solutions, I was absolutely stunned by it."

Rubbish dumps

The explosion of the Indian economy in recent years has triggered massive expansion in the heart of India's major cities.
Correa, who said that Indians use space "extremely intelligently", explained that in India, tower blocks - "going high" - do not attract many people, and therefore better use of space in low-rise buildings has to be achieved.
Correa has played a part in designing some of the large number of developments which have begun springing up.
He said that this had been a chance to put his principles into practice - not only environmentally-sound buildings, but ones that fit with their surroundings too.
"In New Bombay, this new centre, what we've done is try to use some very simple, direct housing which uses open-to-sky space, which is very important in the tradition," he said.
"A courtyard, a terrace, is actually another room."
As environmental concerns become ever more prevalent, some architects are moving away from the glass, steel and concrete model of modern city building.
One example has been the rebuilding of houses in Afghanistan using waste polystyrene.
A similar scheme has now been tried in south London, where polystyrene from local rubbish dumps is mixed with cement to form lightweight yet durable building blocks.
But Correa stressed that the knowledge of how to work with the environment, climate and materials had long been available - but modern architects had "forgotten and forsaken" it.
He cited the Alhambra Palace as a "machine for dealing with the hot desert climate of southern Spain".
"The walls and water fountains are not just decorative elements, they are a way of trapping the dry air and humidifying it.
"Today that is done by mechanical engineers... the architects make any arbitrary shape they want, and then the engineers step in and make the thing liveable.
"We must understand that's the big difference in the process. We have abdicated something very important to architecture, and that is the well-spring of imagination that comes from a response to some basic elements."

Traditional solutions

However, Correa conceded that in the West, sustainable architecture is not cheap.
He said that one environmentally-friendly element on one building could pay for electricity for a Kerala village for a year.
"It is very cold and so you have to use brick and steel in order to build," he said.
"While you're doing that, people go in for high-rise buildings."
Some new buildings are taking this into account - the new Swiss Re tower in London has been designed to maximise daylight and natural ventilation so that it uses half the energy typically required by an office block
Meanwhile Correa said that his best example of environmental sustainability was not a building, but the city of Yazd in Iran.
The main feature of the city is its "windcatcher" houses and towers, which take the dry desert air down into the basement, where it is humidified by water and then circulated through the houses.
"The whole thing is a masterpiece of connected spaces," Correa said.
"What I've learned, living here in India, is that the most wonderful traditional solutions exist which exemplify all the concerns of the environmentalist today.
"We don't have to invent these things again."

Architect E. Fay Jones dies

2004-09-09T08:00:00.000+08:00

Architect E. Fay Jones, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright whose glass-and-wood Thorncrown Chapel was honored in the United States as the nation's top design of the 1980s, has died.

Here is an excerpt from his AIA gold medal acceptance speech:

In the future - in a changing world - whatever the sources of our creativity - whatever stirs our imagination - whatever architectural language we choose to speak - as architects, we have the potential to build well-composed places, large and small, that will not only accommodate our functional needs, but will stand as models which represent the best of our ideas. We have the power - and the responsibility - to shape new forms in the landscape - physical and spatial forms that will illuminate - and nourish - and poetically express - our human qualities at their spiritual best. As architects, as transformers of our living environment, we must eventuate that potential.

E. Fay Jones

Bookshelf

2004-09-05T11:04:00.000+08:00

I'm experimenting with an online bookshelf. That means all the books listed by author on the lower right margin are available for circulation! I will also list down some of the books I'm interested in as well, so it will essentially work like a book swap. Originial ownership, of course, will be maintained. In addition, the books that are on the list but in use will be marked with the initials of the user, so it will be clear which books are temporarily out of circulation and with whom. Books are so damn expensive nowadays, so maybe this will help keep us interested in the written word. I'm still figuring out the details, so please do tell me what you think :)

Love is the Seventh Wave

2004-08-22T01:23:00.000+08:00

by Sting

In the empire of the senses, you’re the queen of all you survey. All the cities, all the nations, everything that falls your way, there is a deeper wave than this that you don’t understand.

There is a deeper wave than this tugging at your hand.

Every ripple on the ocean, every leaf on every tree, every sand dune in the desert, every power we never see, there is a deeper wave than this swelling in the world.

There is a deeper wave than this. Listen to me girl.

Feel it rising in the cities. Feel it sweeping over land. Over borders, over frontiers, nothing will it’s power withstand. There is no deeper wave than this rising in the world.

There is no deeper wave than this. Listen to me girl.

All the bloodshed, all the anger, all the weapons, all the greed, all the armies, all the missiles, all the symbols of our fear, there is a deeper wave than this rising in the world.

There is a deeper wave than this. Listen to me girl.

At the still point of destruction, at the centre of the fury, all the angels, all the devils, all around us, can’t you see? There is a deeper wave than this rising in the land.

There is a deeper wave than this nothing will withstand.

I say love is the seventh wave.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

2004-08-15T06:47:00.000+08:00

I recently took a personality test, specifically the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. It is "the most widely used personality inventory in history," according to the Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc. If it is that widely used, it is possible that I had taken a similar test before and simply forgot about it, or even worse, turned it into a self-fulfilling prophecy! Nevertheless, it always helps to learn things about oneself, no matter how simplistic the process.

According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, I have an Introverted iNtuition, Extraverted Thinking, Introverted Feeling, and Extraverted Sensing, or INTJ for short. Here's a really pared down analysis:

Introverted iNtuition. INTJs are idea people. They enjoy developing unique solutions to complex problems.

Extraverted Thinking. Thinking tends, protects, affirms and directs iNtuition. Thinking argues not so much on its own behalf, but in defense of ideas.

Introverted Feeling. Feeling lends its influence on behalf of causes which are good, worthy, and humane. It may be seen in the unspoken attitude of good will, or the gracious smile or nod.

Extraverted Sensing. Sensing has only a rudimentary awareness of context, amount or degree. Thus INTJs sweat the details or, at times, omit them. Sensing's extraverted attitude is evident in this type's bent to savor sensations rather than to merely categorize them.

I cannot really say if it is all true. I guess I do not know myself that well, or I'm just reluctant to agree with a system of sixteen catchy four-letter acronyms. However, it is a widely used personality inventory, and it should be helpful to know. I guess I'll just file it with the other tests I have taken so far. Understanding without resorting to stereotypes is such an elusive state of mind. Then again, is it possible to understand complexity without simplification, or are we just flattering ourselves in thinking that our personalities are so complex?

Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars

2004-08-07T17:18:00.000+08:00

I'm rereading Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy, starting once again with the first book, Red Mars. I have never encountered science fiction like this before. Some of its chapters not only talk about technological change, but social change as well. It is like a book on utopia in the garb of science fiction, essentially creating a new society in another place. Despite the fantastic setting, the issues are strikingly relevant to the here and now. Here's a short exchange between characters to give you a better idea, it's about ec0-economics:

"The basic equation is simple, efficiency merely equals the calories you put out, divided by the calories you take in... In the classic sense of passing along calories to one's predator, ten percent was average, and twenty percent doing really well. Most predators at the tops of the food chains did more like five percent."
"This is why tigers have ranges of hundreds of square kilometers," Vlad said. "Robber barons are not really very efficient."
"So tigers don't have predators not because they are so tough, but because it's not worth the effort," John said.
"Exactly!"
"The problem is in calculating the values," Marina said. "We have had to simply assign certain calorie-equivalent numerical values to all kinds of activities, and then go on from there."
"But we are talking about economics?" John said.
"But this is economics, don't you see, this is our eco-economics! Everyone should make their living, so to speak, based on a calculation of their real contribution to the human ecology. Everyone can increase their ecological efficiency by efforts to reduce how many kilocalories they use-this is the old Southern argument against the energy consumption of the Northern industrial nations. There was a real ecological basis to that objection, because no matter how much the industrial nations produced, in the larger equation they could not be as efficient as the South."
"They were predators on the South," John said.
"Yes, and they will become predators on us too, if we let them. And like all predators their efficiency is low. But here, you see-in this theoretical state of independence that you speak of-" she grinned at John's look of consternation-"you do, you have to admit that that is ultimately what you talk about all the time, John-well, there it should be the law that people are rewarded in proportion to their contribution to the system."

RCBC PLAZA, Makati City

2004-07-27T17:55:00.000+08:00

2nd Runner-up for New and Exisiting Buildings Category
ASEAN Energy Awards 2003 for Energy Efficient Buildings

Competition or Cooperation?

2004-07-26T15:19:00.000+08:00

I'm a realist get me out of here!
Unreality TV as you’ve never seen it before
- Story Board by Polyp

New Internationalist Magazine 368 June 2004

Mahatma Gandhi

2004-07-24T18:29:00.000+08:00

I have just finished reading The Essential Gandhi edited by Louis Fischer. It is an anthology of writings by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, otherwise known as Mahatma Gandhi, with editorial notes by Louis Fischer, a journalist and biographer.

From what little I have read about Gandhi, I gather that he was a seeker of truth and a believer of love. He was also a human being and a product of his place and time, but one who managed to transcend so many limitations despite it all. His written thoughts are intimate, frank, reassuring, and altogether inspiring. This was a man who truly knew how to love, in the best sense of the word.

I used to think that people who imagined that love would save us all were delusional. I still do. I have begun to realize that all of us are, in one way or another, imagining the world out of what little we know. The search for truth merely provides a way to make sense of it all, and different people search for different things. The previous owner of the book wrote an interesting question at the very last page: "Why does Gandhi believe love is the strongest force in the world?" I cannot help but ask myself the same question. After some thought, I have come to the conclusion that the answer entirely depends on one's ever-changing definition of love, and this is the best answer I can think of at the moment: love is a compulsion to create and sustain life - and life is the very reason why we are all here.

Lecture About Sustainable Design Innovations by Max Lindegger

2004-07-17T07:40:00.000+08:00

The lecture, entitled Sustainable Design Innovations for Tomorrow's Communities, was held July 16, 2004 at the Social Science Building of the Ateneo University in Katipunan Quezon City. The main speaker, Max. O. Lindegger, a Director at Ecological Solutions, Pty. Ltd. and the founding Director of the International Global Village Network, is an ecological community developer and consultant with an engineering background.

In his lecture and slide presentation, Lindegger described a number of alternative communities in rural, suburban, and urban areas in Oceania, Europe, and the Americas, including the World Habitat Award winning Crystal Waters in subtropical Eastern Australia. He also explained concepts such as the restoration of brownfield sites, urban and suburban infill, rammed earth construction, solar energy, wastewater recycling, permaculture, and other sustainable design innovations. All in all, he emphasized a holistic approach to sustainable design, to address both social and spiritual needs in addition to the universal need for clean air, water, land and food. Finally, Lindegger shared his dream of an integrated suburban and rural culture that essentially lives within its means. Lindegger ended his lecture with an invitation to contact or visit him at Crystal Waters.

The lecture was organized by the United Architects of the Philippines Green Architecture Movement, the Philippine Business for the Environment, and the Ateneo University Environmental Science Department.

Have you...

2004-07-06T21:45:00.000+08:00

Have you ever imagined turning the world upside-down?
I do not mean literally turning everything upside down, but changing the positions of different people, places, and things.
Surprisingly, a great many things do not seem so out of place.

The Dragons of Eden

2004-06-30T23:41:00.000+08:00

I am reading my fourth book by Carl Sagan,
the first 3 books being Contact, Cosmos, and Broca's Brain.
Fascinating.

I think... too much

2004-06-27T21:43:00.000+08:00

It's funny, but I'm starting to think that I'm fast approaching that point in my life when I'd rather not think about my real age.

When Imagination Turns Into Reality

2004-06-25T18:49:00.000+08:00

Vacation House in Batangas 2004

Why write? Why now?

2004-06-23T16:55:00.000+08:00

I kept a written record of my life once. I owned a diary. I wrote prose and a little poetry. I started writing in my teens and wrote for a few good years. I was growing up and my life seemed full of possibilities. Then, after a while, all the energy and excitement slowly faded. Without noticing, I kept my writing pen in its case and my journal in its drawer: I never touched them again.

Now, I am somehow compelled to write. The energy is returning, and it is almost like high school all over again. Maybe I've rushed and put off a few things in the past. Maybe I still have some more growing up to do. Whatever it is, it is happening all over again, and it is good to know. It is good to know.

Strange and wonderful times

2004-06-22T09:01:00.000+08:00

Does anyone want to fly into space?

Finally!

2004-06-19T22:20:00.000+08:00

After much thought, I have finally decided on a template, title, and description! Although it isn't exactly what I want, it will serve for now.

The description is a little difficult to read, but until I find a more suitable template, it will have to stay, right beneath the title, in small capital letters, discouraging anyone who just so happens to browse by from reading the rest of it. So if anyone feels like sharing some lines of code that will move it to the side, or change the description's uppercase letters into sentence case, please do.

Thanks for viewing my first crack at online publishing, and I hope add more relevant posts soon.