A Young Designer's Blog

This is it.

2009-07-09T03:33:00.001-07:00

That's right, this is it. My China blog is coming to a close. Maybe soon there will be a London blog.

Anywho, I've been in Beijing for 13 months now. Generally, I feel this is the best thing I could have done right out of college. Working in Beijing for the year, that is. I came here looking for another perspective and I certainly found one.

Retrospect
As this is a designer's blog, I'll first log on architecture. In architecture school, correct me if I'm wrong, we eventually learn that design is a robust process and should not be the product of "I did it because I felt like it". We learn to designate a methodology to approach a project brief, we learn to research and diagram our research to arrive at design proposals. The goal is to avoid preconceived notions about what something should look like and perform like.

Beijing architecture, maybe even architecture in China, has no time for that. Preconceived notions and precedence, as well as "artistic will", take charge in the design of architecture in Beijing, at least in both offices I worked at. I'm not saying I know what's right or wrong, but I do subscribe to the school of the "design process". As a result, I finally understood how some architects I talk to say that, at one point, they started a design research practice. I think a healthy course of action for architects in Beijing, and maybe all of China, is to dedicate time to thinking problems through and experimenting with solutions. Subsequently, when the arsenal is mature, unload it onto the architecture scene. I've gotten to know a few firms that actually do engage in the "design process" and I'm excited at the prospect that when I finish with graduate school in London in the next two years, the architecture scene in China will be more saturated with thinker-doers, not just doers. But what do I know? I'm still new at this.

About Time
I officially ended work on June 30th at the Chinese firm. This means I have the whole month of July to myself in Beijing. This is not to say I'm not making myself busy. Most of my time is taken up by recording my work experience in China and applying it towards my Internship Development Program record in the U.S.A., which puts me closer to being eligible to receive my architecture license in California.

Other than that, I'm trying to design a pair of men's leather sandals and men's leather gloves. For me. I really don't have that much time considering I'm planning a trip for me and my brother in China between 7/19 and 8/1. That effectively gives me a week from this post to design and prototype sandals and gloves. Thanks for wishing me luck!

The trip? Let's see, I'm trying to visit Xian, Chengdu, Shanghai, Sanya, and then return to Beijing. Since it's my brother's first time in China, I thought I'd give him a good taste of Chinese cities and life. Xian and Chengdu might be compromised to one or the other for travel time reasons.

Final
Although it'll be another 3 weeks before I head home on August 1, I have final words. I may have already posted these things, but I still feel the same way about them. Shame. The Chinese culture reminds me of how many unnecessary things we do and think about in life back in Los Angeles. Yes, there is vanity in modern Beijing, but, since most people are proletariat, they live a much simpler life. Which is not to say a better or easier life. Whether it be overly large buildings, lifting your shirt up and over your belly in the summer to cool the stomach, or playing your favorite music on your cell phone really loudly on the subway and bus, or having a loud conversation with someone in a restaurant or public transportation on speaker phone so as to make everyone around you privy to the conversation, the shamelessness of Chinese people impresses me and inspires me.

Work. There is work in China. I encourage everyone, at least my architecture colleagues, to come to china if times are tough back home. There will be work for at least the next 100 years. Yes, you'll be worked like a dog here, but if you're interested in seeing a different culture and challenging what you know about yourself and your skills, apply for work in China.

I learned in grade school that the U.S. was known as a melting pot in the 19th and 20th century immigration rushes. It's no longer a melting pot. It's stew that has been ladled into many a bowl in the last several years. A true melting pot that I have been a part of is taking place in Beijing right now. People from all around the world are situating themselves in Beijing. Of course, nationalistic, closed-minded snobs exist in every culture. But, I met a lot of long-term-relationship-worthy friends in Beijing. Since the global village has been prevalent for over a couple decades, it's only beneficial to know people from around the globe. One day, you will see these people or their friends again when you travel abroad, which, in my opinion, makes traveling experiences richer.

That's it.

Medical Healing

2009-05-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

Just about two and a half months away from returning home after 13 months of living in Beijing. And then London for a couple years. It's about time. I'm not tired of Beijing, part of me wishes I was here idefinately. Another part of me is now more motivated to go to grad school and explore ideas/concepts/tools/techniques/methodologies that are simply impossible to to explore in the real world, China more so. Things are fast here for architects.

So, since I've been leaving my office at 6pm sharp for the past month and a half, I've had time to join a gym and do some China traveling. I still have no camera(s) except for the one in my macbook pro, so you wont be seeing travel photos.

Joining the gym was a good idea 'cause cardio needs to be in the life routine of an architect. And, I know I may look like a greek god in stature but those are just looks... I am totally out of shape. I've been engaged in pilates, yoga, and spinning, in chinese. It's all good fun. And really hard.

The Chinese month of May holds two holidays: one is similar to labor day; and another one uses the word dragon in its name. However, I decided to take a day off work a weekend earlier to go to a southern city named Zhuhai, in Guangdong Province. If you've heard of Macau, the casino city in China, Zhuhai is across the river from Macau, you can see the big buildings of Macau from Zhuhai. There's actually little to nothing in Zhuhai. I think there are big plans to develop it over the next 50 years, though. But, the seafood is great in Zhuhai and it's lush with greenery. It was a really nice break from Beijing city.

I traveled to Zhuhai with a friend who was there for business. She and I eventually taxied two hours away from Zhuhai's center to a sort of business Disneyland resort where she would be attending a conference. It wasn't Disneyland but it was huge. Big companies like Microsoft and Coca-Cola rent the whole mini-city out when they have company-wide meetings. It was quite ridiculous to see this huge complex designed like a Mediterranean oasis in the middle of nowhere. It was good to see, however, because I wouldn't mind having a project like that to design.

So, since eating seafood is the most popular thing to do in Zhuhai, we went on to the next best thing. Massages. It was recommended to me by the masseuse that I receive a cupping massage. Look it up in Wikipedia if you don't know. I have never done cupping before so I was all for it. Apperantly, my back was so f'd they had to cup the whole thing.

This is right after the cupping.

Two days later.

Five days later.

Over a week later. It took a while for the bruises to go away.

I'd say the cupping was a success. It really loosened my muscles up. The only problem is, after you loosen muscles you have to retrain them as far as posture. Pilates is helping with that.

So, Zhuhai was nice and relaxing. On top of the following weekend being a three-day weekend for labor day, the Monday after was international youth day. In China, if employees are born after 1981 they get to put in a half day at work. That was nice :) I'm still waiting for the second holiday to take place, but that'll be at the end of the month.

In the meantime, I got sick. Bad timing, too. I'm pretty sure it's not A/H1M1 but who knows... Well, I think I know. I'm pretty sure I have a bad sinus infection. I opted to see a chinese doctor instead of the international one. And for good reason.

I payed about $1 US to have a consultation with a Chinese doctor at a Chinese hospital. That's 7.5RMB. The international doctors charge 1,100.0RMB. 145 times higher. Kinda gross....

The experience at the hospital was a bit overwhelming. I speak a little chinese, but nothing specific to illnesses or medication. I had to call a couple different people to help with translations. In Los Angeles, the doctor-visit routine goes like this: you register for your appointment, you seat yourself in the waiting room, and then you're walked to a private room for you consultation. If you're taken to a specialist like Ear Nose Throat, for example, there's another check-in point.

In Beijing, which actually made my soviet parents nostalgic, you pay for your visit in a cut-throat, no-time-for-honor-system line where people cut in front of you left and right. Then, for my case, I went to the 4th floor to see the Ear Nose Throat department. There's no waiting room. Just a hallway and consultation rooms. I didn't know what to do so I just sat down in the hallway thinking there's a number system transferred from the downstairs registration office. No. Eventually, after asking a few people in the waiting hallway, I was told to walk into the consultation room, where patients were being diagnosed and treated, and drop off my registration materials on the desk next to the doctor. I was hesitant to go inside. Because I thought I was violating someone's privacy. But, there's no shame in China so, I walked right in. And then you know what I did? I decided to wait in the consultation room because someone walked in out of order and just sat down and had a consultation. I was not about to let that happen again.

So I was eagle eyes. I kind of liked the low-tech environment. When I finally sat down with the doctor and told her my problem she reached for one of those dental mirrors to see far back in the mouth and throat. Nearby was an oil lamp. She picked up a lighter and ignited the oil lamp and then held the mirror over the flame for about 3.2 seconds. Then into my mouth. It was quite sanitized I thought.

Next, time for prescriptions. I informed the doc I didn't want to take antibiotics 'cause I'm not a fan of them, so she prescribed me Chinese medicine. I left the E.N.T. department and went back to ground level where I had to process the prescription in the cut-throat, no-time-for-honor-system line, where old and un-old women tried to cut in front of me, and then to the cut-throat, no-time-for-honor-system prescription line.

I was excited. This was my first time going to a Chinese hospital and getting Chinese medicine.

Here's what they gave me. Vials of liquid that taste like the black turtle jelly Chinese people eat to prevent illness. Never had it? Oh. It's not good and it's not repulsive. And even if it was repulsive I'd still take it. I want to be a believer.

The smaller boxes on the right are "pills" to be administered sublingually, as the accompanying instructions put it.

These black suckers go under the tongue and have a licorice-y hint to them. They dissolve and you keep taking them forever. The prescription gave me two boxes, each box has 100 pills, so 200 total, and i'm supposed to take 5 pills 3 times a day. Are they trying to make money off me? Oh well. It's a good experience, the way I see it.

And I'll leave you with this. It's what I made for dinner tonight cause I didn't want to order Italian food to my apartment three days in a row...

Ciao Ciao

Surprise Surprise

2009-04-10T06:34:00.000-07:00

I think Beijing is a really cool place to be right now. It's quite the melting pot and nearly everyone I meet, specifically westerners, at least seems interesting. It makes for a year well lived.

FYI, the degree of separation between someone you know and someone they know that can help your career is about 1 -2.

Now,

There was a little bit of drama at the office last week. I'm a bit peeved. The project I was working on switched managing hands. This guy is the type of guy that you can't tell whether or not he likes or dislikes you. On any level. This is a general problem I have with the Chinese people - you can't judge them based on western body language and you certainly can't listen for the "how-they-REALLY-feel" signal in their speech. So, I just don't judge them unless I can do it empirically.

I was doing concept design for a Saturday submission. As you may know, I'm the only one in the office that uses Rhino. Inevitably, my design took longer than the PM's alternate design to be finally output for submission. The client wanted to see progress every day leading up to the predetermined Saturday submission. Thursday, before the submission, I come into work late as I stayed up until 2am doing the renderings on my own 'cause the 3D guy has tenure and doesn't stay late. I get a text message 2 minutes before I arrive at the office saying I don't have to come into work, that I worked a lot of overtime so I can rest. I found that bullshit as I'm the one designing the project and I haven't finished the facade. I finished the ribbon-like roof but I planned to do the facade on Thursday.

Feeling a bit weird about the text, I came into the office and confronted the PM first thing. I, in Chinese, had a conversation with him saying it's not necessary for me to go home because there's a lot to do. He relentlessly insisted that he'll take care of the facade and that I can go home. I went to the HR lady to find out what was really going on.

Apparently, the PM created a huge stink with management about me using Rhino and taking longer than his CAD design. All of a sudden, I get the most ridiculous questions thrown my way form the HR lady. She asked me if I knew AutoCAD, if my AutoCAD is the same as their AutoCAD. She asked me why my totally different design didn't take the same amount of time to develop as the PM's. She insisted that we're running out of time and, since I don't know CAD, the PM should carry on the facade development. After 20 minutes of me explaining to them that they're being ridiculous, I mentally threw my hands in the air and went home. I actually was really tired and needed the rest. By far, the PM's facade solution for my design is hands down the dumbest possible solution. I had a feeling he had malicious intentions but, like I said, I can't judge.

Ultimately, it was suggested to me that I ask one of the senior staff how to use AutoCAD. I responded by writing a short-tempered message to the HR lady to review my CV to see my 8+ years of experience to which she apologized for her misunderstanding and life went on.

So that's the drama.

On an up-note, since it's warm in Beijing these days, the entire office caravan-ed to a nearby park after lunchtime. We spent the rest of the day taking boats out in a lake, hula-hooping, jump-roping, and singing Chinese nursery rhymes. Yeah, I know. Bizarre. But I really enjoyed it and the spirit of my coworkers. It was refreshing and good fun. I admire the Chinese people for not submitting, or even being aware of, western temptations to not be yourself and have fun at company outings.

I still haven't bought my new camera. Prices are too high. I want a Nikon D90 with 18-200 VR2 lens. With the AA around the corner I feel ill-equited to buy such a setup.

Oh yeah, I went to Hong Kong for the first time last weekend. It was really cool 'cause a rugby event called Sevens was in town and the place was literally behaving like it was Mardis Gras. I don't think Hong Kong is particularly special compared to other long-standing international cities, though. It's cool, but not really cool. Good dimsum, good black-pepper beef with flat noodle. I stayed with a former co-worker's parents in their apartment. Turns out my Mandarin is not too shabby.

-_-;;; Part 2

2009-03-10T02:03:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons I haven't posted in a while is because my blog is blocked in Beijing. So it's a hassle to bypass their buillshit to post - doesn't always work.

So, it's been 3 months since I started working at the Chinese office. Still no internet on my computer, still no USB access on my computer, still getting charged 10元 every time I show up to work a minute or more passed 09:10. No worries, my involvement in this firm has been fulfilling.

They actually gave me the rest of the week off because I just finished working on my third competition since joining the firm. That equates to about one competition a month, one of which I was the entire team with the exception of a couple days where a couple interns helped out with putting the presentation together. Yes, it's cool to be given responsibility and trust to do everything your way but by yourself is just inappropriate. But, I guess they're getting out of me every 元 they put into me.

I got no specifics about work, just generals but life has improved a bit for me in Beijing. Firstly, I got my landlord to reduce my rent from 4500元／月 to 4000元／月. Secondly, the doubly increased cashflow has been treating me well. I take taxis when I'm tired of waiting for the bus. I know, way posh. Speaking of which, I need a massage. A two girl massage. Those are good.

Aside from domestic highlights, I travled outside of Beijing for their one-week long Spring Festival. I gotta admit, one-week long national holidays should make their way to US calendars.
I went to Harbin, alternately spelled Haerbin. That's in the north of China close to Inner Mongolia, Korea, and Russia. I'm not gonna lie. It was cold there. I posted pics of the Harbin Ice Festival on my facebook. Check em out.

On a down note, after my two day excursion in Harbin ended I went to Tianjin for a day. Tianjin is 30 minutes away from Beijing when you take the 350km/hr train from Beijing's new South Train Station. It's pretty cool. Really big. I must say I'm not a fan of Tianjin. They're famous for BaoZi but I found them to be 还好. The problem with Tianjin is that my camera was stolen in Tianjin. My DSLR. With lens. To top it off, my superphone Omnia busted on me and the dicks in New Jersey who sell whack ass cell phone insurance totally didn't hook me up with a new phone. So, I've been camera-less for about 4 months now. Which is why this entry and the last have no pictures.

Life continues. It's time to pay for graduate school. As the blog header announces, I will be starting my studies at the AA in London in late September. I plan to go home for a month in August so if you're in Los Angeles in August, Party.

It's time to enjoy my week off. Cheers everybody.

Working In A Chinese Architecture Firm~~O(@-@)O;;;-_-part1

2009-01-20T08:27:00.000-08:00

Since the wonderful Luck-o-the-Jews kicked in on that holy Christmas day my life has reverted to normalcy. Good word, normalcy.

There is quite a distinct difference between architecture firms grown in the west and architecture firms grown in the east. I'll tell you what the differences are, but only by describing the east side of things.

Day 1 Christmas Day:

I woke up from a food coma the night before and noticed I had a text message. It was the Chinese firm. The company summoned me by text message. So I arrived at the Chinese firm thinking they would just take care of administrative tasks and send me on my way - as far as communications went before this day it was understood that I would begin work after the turn of the new year, January 1. Not the case. They asked me in to work today because they started a new competition.

So, I was sat in a room with a form to fill out. Among the items requested on the form are blood type, the name of my entire family, what they do, and where they live, and more practical things like how long it takes me to get to work, what mode of transportation, yada yada yada. The bloodtype question kinda set the mood for what shenanigans I might encounter thereinafter.

Then they gave me an architect's kit: (1) pencil pouch, (1) pencil, (1) red pen, (1) blue pen, (1) metric-ruled 30/60 triangle with protractor, (1) stack of post-its, (1) eraser, (1) binder clip, (1) portfolio case, (1) presentation cover w/spine. I thought this was cute of them. I almost chuckled. As if receiving this kit from them wasn't enough, I had to sign off on each item I just listed on a receipt-like form. I was informed then that should I want more supplies I would have to ask a secretary and sign off on it. That's not a problem. I have friends who work at Chinese offices who tell me about the supply closet.

Following the architecture kit, they dispensed two cards to me. One is a copy card, one is a time card that opens the door to get into and out of the office. Sure, when I was at MAD no one cared really if you came in at 9:30 or 10:15, but I can adjust. Then they hit me with it: I can be late up to 5 minutes which equals between 9am and 9:05am. If I'm late beginning at 9:06am they will charge me 10RMB. If I'm late 7 times, the fee goes up to 50RMB. The eighth time is 150RMB. I understood more, at that point, their managing philosophy. So far I've been late a couple times but I don't know if they're really gonna take money from me.

By the way, I got a nearly 100% raise at this firm compared to what I was paid at MAD :)

So this is all before I went upstair to see my new setup. I finally made it upstairs and the IT guy was loading a fresh copy of Windows in English on a computer. He asked me, in good-enough English, if I had my own programs because all of theirs are in Chinese. I only had SketchUp and Photoshop 7 in english. No AutoCAD and certainly no Rhino (computer modeling program) - I'm the only one in the office that a) doesn't use or know how to use SketchUp and b) uses Rhino. Splendid.

Not a problem. Day one is over at this point. For the next few days I only sketched and attempted to embrace SketchUp. Eventually I loaded all of my digital tools onto my state-of-10-years-ago computer.

And guess what's really special about the computers in this office.... Yes, that's right!! None of them are connected to the internet! There are four floors in the Chinese firm and the top three have a community computer to do research or, as all the employees do, chat. I kinda giggled when I realized I couldn't connect to the internet from my work computer. I kinda like it this way, though - no distractions, just architecture.

To top it off, there is no USB communication in the work computers. I cannot plug in a USB drive to transfer files. First, I have to send my files to be transfered over the intra-net to the secretary. Then, I have to go to the first floor to plug in a hard drive or jump drive. This was cool considering it took about 20 minutes to transfer all of my software to my computer one morning while half of the company wanted to transfer files from their USB's. The only foreigner in the company was fucking up their routine. It was quite nice.

Finally, on a good note, an hour lunch is honored and, in addition, at 3:40-4:00pm Tea Time commences on the second floor. Music comes on the PA and zombies funnel up and down the staircase to nibble on some bites.

This is where I work now. No complaints.

Not MAD.

2008-12-27T10:45:00.000-08:00

My Life in the Last 3 Months

It's been two months since I've blogged. I'm not tired of blogging but strenuous shit happened in the last couple months that discouraged me from blogging.

I got fired from work. I was off for two months and finally started a new job on Christmas day. But let's go to October.

I had a feeling in October that my ride at MAD was coming to a halt. That would be month 4 in the timeline of my Chinese work experience. MAD sets aside 3 months of probation for all new entrants and then decides if they want to continue the work relationship by issuing a contract. I never got that talk.

I realized what the problem was, but it was too late. I was still in school mode and I didn't submit myself to MAD (was stubborn). But, I did get with the program on the 4th month, October. I was given a masterplan for an art village near the 6th ring road and I approached it realistically: "What would Ma do?" The answer to that question is, "Whatever he wants to do, unapologetically." Aside from being stubborn, I didn't allow myself to "just do it" - I polluted my thoughts and approaches to the previous projects with a notion that I had to produce a specific product, a preconceived specific product. That didn't get me anywhere.

I approached this project in a more suitable manner, I opened up Maya and started pulling and pushing shit. I came up with something that I thought would satisfy Ma and save me. Unfortunately, I don't even think Ma saw it. I was given the one project that had uber-rational, non-crazy-contemporary intentions: they wanted square boxes scattered on the site. My Maya-driven solution to a landscape/masterplan project was never talked about because the managing partner told my chinese-coworker to tell me to stop doing crazy things in Maya. That's when I knew it was actually shit that hit the fan.

First week of November I'm pulled aside by the office manager. "We don't think it's working out, we think it's beneficial to your growth as an architect if you practiced with a different firm", something to that effect. At least it was diplomatic. Keep in mind this is a Monday. In response to my inquiry about when my last day is, I received an email an hour later that said the coming Friday is my last day. I thought "It couldn't get any better than this."

I've never been "let go" before. And to those of you I've chatted with since this, i haven't lied to you when you ask me "how's work" or "what's up", I just cleverly evaded the question. I had no emotional/behavioral precedent to act on. What did I do? I said "I'll be right back" and left at lunch. I went to my apartment, picked up my portfolio, and instinctively, for some strange reason, took the subway to OMA's office. I dropped off my portfolio at OMA's office with a horribly presented resume that I made just for grad school applications. After OMA, I went to Steven Holl Architects and dropped off another portfolio. Two days later my first rejection. Steven Holl Architects said "We like your work but we are looking for a senior architect." I panicked. I emailed Graft and searched for DnA. I thought I was in survival mode and I thought that meant that I needed to act quickly.

That was all Monday. For the rest of the weak I crafted my CV and developed pdf's of samples of work from my portfolio. Yes, a CV, a Curriculum Vitae (equivalent to a resume outside of the US). I started writing cover letters and appropriately prepared myself for garnering interviews through emails. As I was still in a hurry, I continually developed my CV, cover letter, and design samples as I emailed the next firm.

I was prepared for a slow turnaround and started calling the firms I emailed at least one week after I emailed them - this was not a bad move. Some of them haven't seen my CV by then so my calling them actually got my CV to be noticed and considered. I highly recommend cold-calling the firms after sending a CV to them - secretaries sort through so many emails on an hourly basis.

Also, let's not forget the current situation affecting the globe's economy. Being let go now was such bad timing because all I heard from people is that Europe and the US is firing firing firing. But keep your head up, things get better.

So I was unemployed. I kind of felt free. For the next several days I stayed up late because I wanted to, not because I had to, and slept in until about 3pm. It was nice. I did spend most of November day in my apartment, though, because I was sending out CV's to so many firms and I was following up with firms I had previously sent CV's to by phoning them. I considered that I should be more of a tourist while I'm unemployed but I couldn't get myself to not look for a job for a whole day so I turned out to not be much of a tourist.

Finally, I got a call. I scheduled an interview the Friday after my last day. BMA, a guy who worked for Ito and is credited for Sendai Mediatheque, called me in for an interview. I was excited and clueless. This was going to be my first REAL job interview post graduation and I was anticipating the BIG question: "So why are you no longer with MAD?" I thought about it a lot but only time would tell if I choked on that question or not. Did I mention the economy is shit? Yeah, I tried to put myself in the hirers position and consider what I would think if an interviewee said he was cut. But I didn't freak out. I kept on going.

The days leading up to the interview were spent looking for more firms to send my CV to. I was surprised at how many interesting firms there are in Beijing. Check out www.chinese-architects.com - good resource. It was around this time that I made the decision to also email Shanghai firms. I certainly wasn't planning on coming home - 1) I'm too proud and didn't want to be "defeated" 2) seems like there are no jobs at the moment. I wasn't seriously considering moving to Shanghai but I wanted a contingency plan in case everyone in Beijing closed their doors to me.

Time for my first interview. Nice jeans, a button-up shirt, my leather jacket, and my scarf (it's cold in Beijing now, windy too. but nice skies). I got a massage earlier that day at a friend's spa called Kocoon in Sanlitun - nice place, you should go sometime - so that I would be more at ease in the interview. BMA has all of three architect staff and a secretary. They were looking for a fifth member. I choked on the question - I'll get to that in a sec.

I learned in that interview that I don't have much REAL experience. In most cases, REAL experience is considered by architecture firms to be the work you've done after graduating. I have more than seven years of experience working for different firms but I didn't accomplish much in the five months I was at MAD. I certainly learned a lot though. I learned what it means to be a designer. I matured a lot by working at MAD - I had to, my job was constantly on the line. So that's what I had in my interview arsenal. I decided to be very frank with the firms and explain to them, albeit diplomatically, that I learned a lot in the last five months.

So I had a great conversation with BMA. He liked the rocking chair I built. We talked about my expectations as far as salary and his work and what kind of work I'd be doing. The salary question is always a shitty question. I feel like I could appear less attractive as an employee if I ask for an inappropriate figure. But it's all business and there's no avoiding that very important question. As I told you, I choked on the "Why I left MAD" question (hereinafter referred to as "the Question). I don't remember exactly what I said but it had something to do with MAD expecting more from me than I had the experience to offer, only I made it sound like I fucked up and learned valuable lessons. I consider this choking, perhaps I'm too harsh on myself. Anyway, I left that interview feeling good and the "gotta get a job now survival mode" feeling lessened a little bit. I was told to wait a week for a response. Ultimately, they hired a Chinese speaker. No biggie.

After the BMA interview I was optimistic but without an interview for about a week and a half. Then things changed rapidly. My follow-up calls payed off and I scheduled five interviews in about two days. But before the interviews took place I began to involve myself in extra-architectural endeavors.

In my spare time before the critical mass of interviews came into effect, I attended a networking event on China's official National Singles Day - called Line up Day in Chinese. I met some interesting people that night and one of them is a fashion designer. Soon after the party I interviewed with the woman. She gave me a test, a quick design test where I had to design women's professional wear. She offered me a full time job that I couldn't accept because I needed and wanted to have a full-time architecture job. She and I agreed that maybe I can help them part time with accessory design. Also in my off time after the BMA interview, I joined the Network Club in Beijing, the guys that put on the networking event, and started doing graphic design for a charity event they're putting on as well as other events in the future. It's all good fun.

About a week later, it was time for more interviews. I interviewed with a couple small firms and made my debut in corporate firms. I came out of each of those interviews feeling great. I did much better overall in regards to the Question with one exception where I actually uttered the phrases "... and I think it scared them a little..." and "...so at that point it was already too late." I had to keep myself from both laughing out loud - yes, loling - and strangling myself. It's ok though, I wouldn't be upset if they said no - I would have been the only non-Chinese person in the firm and the only one that used something other than sketchup to design with. I don't mind that at all, could be a great experience. One of the firms actually gave me a design test to take home. I was asked to come up with a design for a project they already completed so they could compare my approach/thinking with theirs. They liked it and called me back to meet the partners. The corporate firms were great to interview with because they said things I never dreamt of hearing in an interview from an architecture firm in China. They said things like "health care" and "retirement fund". That opened up my eyes. I feel like it couldn't hurt experiencing architecture in a corporate-structured firm. I left the corporate offices feeling good also, envisioning that I'd strongly consider working for either of them if they offered me an agreeable package.

The week after these five interviews I bought a plane ticket to Shanghai. I had a great time in Shanghai because even before I stepped off the plane a girl offered to take a taxi with me to my friend's place because she lived nearby. On top of that, I met a Chinese man that worked at the Green Tree hotel that I stayed in whose English name is Peter Pan. Anyway... Architecturally speaking, I think Shanghai went really well. I flew in Monday night and stayed at a friend's place (thanks JuanLau!). I only had one scheduled interview but managed to be interviewed by four firms in the next two days. I walked into MADAspam and another small firm unannounced and was received warmly. I just showed them my portfolio and talked to them about me. In these situations it was helpful to say I worked at MAD.

I think I'd have a great experience working for a Shanghai firm. However, at this point, I'd have to be strongly persuaded to move from Beijing to Shanghai. One reason is because I signed a year-lease. Another is because I want to experience living in a different place for a year. I've met cool people in Beijing. Both are like L.A. though. Beijing because it's spread out, Shanghai because it embraces trends and superficiality to some level.

I haven't done a success ratio yet on CV's sent out : interviews had, but I tried to make more happen in Shanghai. Two corporate firms I tried were both not searching for applicants and the people who interview are traveling a lot so catching them in two days is difficult. But, I had a great experience so far in Shanghai and the time has come to go back to Beijing on a fine Shanghai night. News update: just before I left, OMA declined to interview me. Oh well.

So we're in December now. I've been emailing and calling firms, even getting more interviews. To my surprise, the firm that I interviewed with where I chocked on the Question expressed interest in me and we started talking about working there. That would be the Chinese firm.

The Chinese firm and I talked for about two weeks through email sorting out the fine print. In that time I was hesitant to say yes because I was hoping more firms would follow through with good news. The tally at this point is: two offers in Shanghai and one offer in Beijing. The holidays were nearing and my tourist visa was expiring so I wanted to keep my word to myself about going home after not finding work for two months and I wanted to be in a better visa situation.

On Christmas day, after sleeping in from a food coma I had fallen into after the Italian potluck Christmas Eve dinner I went to the night before [I made really good latkes, you should try some (if you don't know what latkes are look them up in wikipedia)] I received a text message asking me to come in to the office and start working. Just in the nick of time - my two month rule was closing in and the New Year was fast approaching. I can have fun now without worrying about work.

That's it. That's the last three months of my life. The Chinese firm is an interesting place - the Beijing office is 100% Chinese which means good posting material.

Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, no love for Kwanza, and have a Happy and Safe New Year's celebration!!~

Back from Japan

2008-10-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

I'm back in the blogosphere.

This entry is about my trip to Japan. I posted pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/Bryan.Oknyansky/ScenesJapan# so you can follow along with post chronologically. Videos are at the bottom of this entry.

THE STORY

China had a one week national holiday at the beginning of October so I went to Japan. My entire trip spanned 12 days and I visited many cities. I planned my trip around where a Japanese co-worker of mine, named Mine, had friends who agreed to let me stay. I totally didn't have to pay for hotels, except in Tokyo.

I flew into Nagoya from Beijing. Sara let me stay in her apartment for the couple days I spent in Nagoya. Sara explained to me that there are a lot of "princesses" in Nagoya bcause it's a town of industrial success = rich kids. By far, the most amazingly dressed/undressed girls in my Japan trip experience live in Nagoya. They give Santa Barbara during Halloween a run for its money. Then, I took a train from Nagoya, which is in the middle island named Honshu, to Saiki, a little town in the Oita Prefecture on the south island named Kyushu. It was a four hour scenic train ride on the Shinkansen - bullet train. Chisami let me stay in her home for 3 days with her husband and six-month old baby. I learned to make tempura batter and ate great, delicious home cooking each night. I also drank a lot of sake and shozhu with Chisami's father. My last day in Oita was spent in Beppu, about an hour away by regular train. Beppu is famous for its monkey park and its plethora of onsen - natural hot spring bath houses. So, I went to the monkey park at Takasakiyama in the morning and spent the whole afternoon at an onsen.

After relaxing in the various baths, I embarked a ferry that took me from Beppu to Kobe over night. The ferry had a good buffet and the group-room accomodations were excellent. By the way, I really like the concept of covering a floor with tatami mats and sleeping on a foam cushion atop the tatamis. Around 5:45 a.m. the next morning I got up to see the Japanese red sunrise right before reaching Kobe. It is really red. So, I disembarked in Shin-Kobe, outer Kober, and took the subway to Kobe where I met with the mastermind of my trip, Mine, saw Frank Gehry's Fish, and then jumped on a Shinkansen to Tokyo.

Two hours later I arrived in my newest favorite city - Tokyo. Tokyo, I've decided, features the essence of both the West Coast and East Coast of the United States. It is laid back and hustle-and-bustle at the same time. I stayed in my first capsule hotel in Tokyo named Capsule Hotel. I kinda liked having an indicidualized space within a group-room - beats hostelling. Walking through Omotesando, Tokyo rivals Santa Monica's 3rd St. Promenade and has really cool buildings. Miki, a friend of Mine's showed me around a bit and took me to a good unagi restaurant (eel) that her friend owns just outside of Tokyo in Chiba. That was a fun time. The next day I toured around Tokyo with two of the restaurant's waitresses before taking off to Osaka.

Osaka was a bit of a home base for me in Japan because I stayed there the longest. Why? Because I needed to renew my Chinese visa ( a four day process) and Maki let me stay at her house with husband, children, and resident New Zealander, Hamish, the whole time. The house was a bit far from Osaka proper but that's ok. I took the train and the subway regularly in Osaka, and Japan, because, throughout Japan, taxis are expensive - basically, Japan costs as much as Los Angeles in a lot of respects. But sushi is always reasonably priced. And really good. I love it. I love sushi. Love. There's a castle in Osaka, named Osaka Castle and I went to it. I got there too late to go in it but walking around it was good fun also. I'd say Osaka proper is like a spread out Beverly Hills/Sherman Oaks. It has a few funky buildings so I had something to see.

Because of Kyoto's and Nara's proximity to Osaka, I made a day trip out of visiting both. Kyoto is the historic capital of Japan (kyoto/tokyo). Kyoto's great becasue it's about 40% heritage site and 60% modern city. I visited 3 sites in Kyoto, temples and pagodas, and hopped on a train to Nara. Nara's claim to fame is its gian Buddha statue. That's all I did when I went to Nara, I saw the big Buddha. The temple that houses the big Buddha is now my single favorite building. Not only because deer roam freely in the temple's surrounding parks but because the building is the epitomy of vane ancient eastern deco architecture. It's got pizazz. I ended my stay in Nara by eating at a KFC and hopped on a train back to Osaka. The last couple days in Osaka I just roamed the streets and hung out with a couple of Mine's friends, Ryoku and Maria - had sashimi, tempura, and beer.

The journy back home was sort of intense because I stayed up late in Maki's house, chillin with her, her kids, and Hamish, and woke up after a 4 hour nap at 5:00 a.m. to begin my train-hopping adventure back to Nagoya. Between 5:58 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., I traversed Japan on four different long distance trains to make my 9:00 a.m. flight back to Beijing. I was a little tired. I really like barely making flights. It's a good feeling.

So. That's my Japan trip in words. Pictures are posted here: http://picasaweb.google.com/Bryan.Oknyansky/ScenesJapan# and videos that sometimes have stupid comments by me are posted below. Enjoy.

On the Train to Saiki

Me and Monkeys

Wrestling Monkeys

Monkey Slide

Tokyo Tower

Changing Room in the Prada store, Omotesando, Tokyo

4 Minutes to Tokyo Station

Pachinko in Osaka

Deer in Nara

And I'll leave you with this:

Aaaaa. Olympics Part II

2008-09-03T08:22:00.000-07:00

Wow. I've just about hit rock bottom in the blogosphere considering I'm down to one post per month. So, I made this post choc-ful-o Olympic pics.

Unlike the previous post where I lamented, that's right - lamented, that I was unable to see Olympic tennis, I successfully witnessed Athletics (track and field for you lay-people) and a world-record-breaking athletics at that! As you'll see towards the end of this post, I actually shared the lane with the Jamaican 200m world record breaker.

But, before you indulge in my memories, I made this post even specialer by adding photos of the National Olympic Stadium that I took when I broke into it last year - I'm 2 for 2 so far! So, there's a before and after in some parts of this post. You're welcome.

Have a look!

The greeting Bird's Nest (if you took the subway to get there)

It's really big. Lots of birds can nest here.

The Bird's Nest Lantern.

This is a detail of the National Aquatics Center at day.

And finally, I'm at the Olympics.

Reconcile the before and after views.

The Hammer Throw hammer retriever. Put it on your christmakkah wish list.

This is the race where the yellow guy in the middle (Jamaica) broke the 200m sprint world record. Remember which lane he's in, there will be a test later.

Hurdles was cool too - the cuban guy is really fast (not pictured here).

Pole Vaulting form my seat.

Pole Vaulting from ground level.

Before.

After.

Chiaroscuro (a la JK)

The Bird's Nest at night.

B for B.

Detail of the National Aquatics Center by night.

No comment.

And then I broke in.

What I saw when I broke in last summer - '07.

What I saw when I broke in this summer - '08.

Only the press, maintenance & crew, and kind-of-security present after everyone went home.

Olympic Zamboni.

Before they uglied the roof.

After they uglied the roof.

Remember the Jamaican guy? I'm chillin' on his lane.

Me and the hooligans.

Taking my mark for my own 100m race.

I won of course.

Talk to you soon.

Ooo. Olympics Part 1

2008-08-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

I wanted to wait until I actually saw the Olympics live and in the flesh to post again, which could of happened, but didn't. So, this post includes pre-Olympic events and the BEACH. That's right, from intense rains to soaking in rays........................

Right.

Beijing has made a lot of air-quality improvements in time for the games which amounted to a car-free* Beijing for the Olympics.

*It only endured for the opening day. But it was nice, the rain of previous days cleaned the air just a little and the sans-cars helped keep it a little cleaner.

Here is where my almost-Olympic experience began. I waited for a friend to get out of a volleyball game at the Capitol Gymnasium so she could hand me a tennis ticket for later that day.

I took some pictures.

Painted-faces-people were all around.

Chinese guys with funny t-shirts were all around.

And I quote: "Falling In Love She Is My Girlfriend" underneath the Jiffy Lube (Registered Trademark) logo.

Approaching the Bird's Nest on the way to see tennis. The building looks great even in sh*tty conditions.

Oh, there's the Water Cube.

And here are supporters of the Colombian team. You can tell because the jerseys they're wearing say "Colombia" on them.

This guy is security for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

And here is where the chip-implanted tickets become actuated.

Oh, and then there was rain. Right before the tennis match.

Did I mention Federer was playing? Yeah.

So, the game was canceled due to pore-penetrating rain.
What? All I can get is a refund? I can't see the game when it happens another day? Bummer.

So Olympics 1 didn't pan out. but I'm looking forward to Olympics 2 for me, the illegitimate ticket I bought for Athletics on the 20th. Gonna be great!

This is the first step to getting out of Beijing and into the Beach. The nearest beach is about 45 mins away by train but it's all mud. So I went to Beidaihe Beach which is two hours away by the Beijing bullet train.

By the way, all the pictures of my beach experience, including this one are taken with my new cell phone - Samsung Omnia. (5mp b*tches)

Had my Chinese breakfast.

After arriving, My friend and I taxied to a local seafood restaurant. I was skeptical, but intrigued.

These are the before pics.

This is 5 miutes after.

Succulent.

Savory.

Exoskeleton.

Then it was off to the beach after becoming more buoyant from eating seafood. The guy in the blue underwear is a local.

And here's the scene of a beautiful day in China. Mmm. Save for two bandages floating in the water, this was a great day.

Despite rain ruining what would have been my first tennis game experience and first Olympic experience, everything's fine. The weather has 180-ied and I've been sleeping a l'il more. And now this:

A beautiful Beijing day with blue sky, clouds, contrast, shadows, you name it, it was there that day. Again, taken with my new Samsung Omnia.

See ya.

I Olympics!

2008-08-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys, I'm sorry I haven't updated the blog. It's just, well, I've been working a lot. I don't even remember pulling all nighters on Sundays when I was in school (I'm sure I did but I can't remember). That's the story, though. I think I worked 60+ hours in 3 days during last week, so apply that math to 7 days. But, when you're doing shop drawings for a 1:200 scale Utopian city for the Venice Biennale you gotta do what you gotta do.

I got a day off out of it, though. With it, I visited Little Moscow in a part of town called Ritan. I was mighty disappointed, however. I thought I'd run into a lot of Russian people but instead encountered Chinese people who speak Russian. That's cool and all but I wanted to see Russian-operated businesses. Only signs were in Russian. I did see a lot of Russian tourists however at a very special place that I felt I really fit into - Alien Street.

Alien Street is a huge mall for Russian people only. I know this because all the Chinese people who work there tried to sell me things in Russian. It was alright. The food court was pretty good though - no Russian food but a sh*t-load of Asian food. Cheap and good.

Of course, this experience was made possible by my shiny bike. So I continued to ride around and I came upon the world's largest TV screen.

The entire canopy is laden with screen stuff so I reckon the whole canopy is a TV. Coca Cola, the local soda pop manufacturer, has installed their "experience" center just in time for the Olympics. Drink Coca Cola.

Also visible from my bike, but barely, is this building with a funky facade.

Alas, I finally cooked for the first time in China. It was good.

With a few simple ingredients I invented a kind of Chinese food that hasn't been pioneered yet.

Soy bean oil, soy sauce, onions, garlic, tomatoes, soy beans, aubergine (that means eggplant), and chopped chicken parts.

Not bad, huh? The chicken was questionable because usually woks are used on open flames but I had a touch-operation electric range top so each piece had a range of done-ness from rare to well done. The sauce from the tomatoes, garlic, onions, soy sauce, and oil was delicious and the eggplant came out on top. Sh*t was real.

In fact, the chicken was fine because I and my friend the test subject are still well three days after. Let's hope that means we're in the clear.

So, even though I was busy I had fun and got to relax. C'est la vie.

I'll leave you with an uber-cool ending:
I got my nearly-four-times-more-expensive ticket to watch a bunch of track and field events in the new National Stadium dubbed the Bird's Nest. Awesome.

Beijing is Real

2008-07-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

Hello.

A lot of pictures this time - take it all in.

I can Finally explore Biejing (somewhat) now that I have a shiny bike. Remember?
I and a friend I made when I was apartment hunting set out on our bikes to see an art district/colony/township thing named 798. The ride took about an hour and commenced while it was really hot. No problem. It was worth the ride:

Whether bound to the picture plane or variably plastic (these are art words), I found pleasure in the art on display as well as some of the new construction in the way.

I tend to drift through exhibits after seeing what I consider to be a representative sample of work on display. But this time I think my perception of the Chinese culture/status quo was challenged based on the work I saw at 798.

Firstly, it was an eclectic collection. There was a great mix of conceptual material manifestations, photography, book stores, vendors, buildings, sculpture, and painting. It made me uncertain about what the issue(s)-du-jour is. That's one reason it held my interest.

Secondly, aside from subject matter, the detail was plentiful. Check out some of these paintings and sculptures. You can really feel the expressions. On top of that, there was this one exhibit that kind of correlated the surrealism of Dali with the real surrealism of China today. There was nothing detaching or strange about the relationships of the images within the works.

Instead there was familiarity with strangeness experienced in the real world. (write that down)

the peoples' skateboard at the 798 store.

great facture (it's an art word).

I call this one "Jason King"

a personal favorite.

www.798space.com

Man.

So what else? Oh yeah. I went to Zhongunacun e-Plaza where, quoting a sino-aussie co-worker, "things aren't quite stolen and things aren't quite not stolen" in search of a certain cell phone that's possessed me recently (the Samsung Omnia i900 - get it for me - please)(please). I didn't find the cell phone, cause I'm white or something, but I did discover a casino-like basement arcade and internet gaming zone. The building is unassuming but the basement - B1 - is full of fun-loving freaks. A lot of people were just hanging out dressed in Chinese fantasy animation garb - no picture - and a lot of people were gaming.

I admit I was a little timid when taking these photos. It won't happen again.

Ah, yes. And then there was mung.

My friend B really likes to eat mung (alternate spelling - meng). I found it in this congee restaurant. Congee is a rice-and-water porridge-thing that's served cold and fruity or hot and sweet. You pick.

Hmmm, what else?

I found Milano cookies in the convenience store on the ground level of my hotel, I mean apartment. Oops.

Oh, I got a good one fore you! Ready?
You know you're in China when..........

And, finally, I'll leave you this time with this:

A Mexican Hostel
(ask your local Mexican if you don't know what a haina is)

Next time.

A Beijinger, Me

2008-07-10T04:53:00.000-07:00

Women's Volleyball is fascinating.

There's actually a lot to log in this web log. I'll begin by updating my relationship with the dragon fruit but then I'll get into more juicy details about me and my life. Pictures will follow!

So the dragon fruit was really a fling. It's a seductive fruit but aside from boat loads of antioxidants and vitamins, it's kinda flavorless. It's more about the experience, I guess, not so much the substance of said experience. We're cool, though.

So, I had somewhat of an epiphany, more so an actualized realization. Professors at my alma mater, Woodbury, warned that the things we did in the design studio as students over the course of a week really had to take place in a day at most in the real world design studio. I didn't doubt the validity of the warnings but I haven't challenged them until now. I'm not in danger of being "let go" at all. It's just that I'm ambitious and I want a lot of design responsibility. In order to gain that trust I need to learn to do the things I learned to do in school (think) over the course of a week in the course of a half day. Otherwise I'm just a really good "intern". I'm up to it, but felt like extracting that thought. Here I go.

Also, I pulled my first all-nighter in the name of architecture after graduation. It really sucks.

Another realization - I'm getting architectural and stuff here - is that designing in meters is huge. My boss likes to make big architectural gestures so when I'm in the act of making his vision come to some kind of life I get all wide-eyed when I realize how big things are. Anyway. AutoCAD is whack.

So, I have great news. I bought a bicycle! (and she's a beaut!) But let's talk about the bus. I like the bus cause it secures me some me time. Also, I think I like the bus because everyone looks at me like they don't understand something. I wish I had that picture to post but here are some bus environ photos.

And Now the Bike. The bike cost me nearly 500 kuai and it includes a basket, loud ring thing, and a ring-around-the-wheel lock. There's something about the majority of new affordable bikes in China that worries me - seeing how last year in Nanjing a certain someone "taco"-ed my back wheel (Boris). So I'm fine with spending a li'l flash for a nice ride. What.

I wanted to get a second-hand post-WWII looking bike but I couldn't find one so the next best thing is the Forever brand bikes that print Shanghai China on the top bar (look up top bar in wikipedia if you don't know) so you know it's good. This bike is a post-WWII throwback design so I'm happy.

The ride to work will now take about as long as waiting for and taking the bus - 10 mins. Beats a 30 minute walk for sure. And, now that I'm an avid, if not voracious, ipod user, I get to enjoy the Beijing scenery to a soundtrack. Is nice.

Speaking of Beijing scenery en route to my office, I found a Russian restaurant and ate there. Had some traditional Russian cuisine that took me way back to the days in Russia where I hung out as a little kid [that's a lie(because I've never been in Russia except for when I had a layover in Moscow between Beijing and Berlin)]. Take a look:

So when I finally get to work, on a sunny day, this is what I see:

Final thoughts for this blog:

I'm a Beijinger now. I have an apartment, a bank account, a public transport card, and a bike. Oh, and Beijing boogers - the shit in the air makes them gnarly. Now life is about working and playing. I'll leave you with this image:

你好 - I can actually write that!

2008-06-27T01:05:00.000-07:00

Have you guys tried Dragon Fruit? It's really good, but let's get started.

And now that that's out of my system, I have for you my laundry. My washer/kinda-dryer, that's right, didn't dry my clothes by any stretch of the imagination (kinda a pun). So, I took it downstairs to the laundry service to dry. Thankfully, to only air-dry my clothes in their space and on their racks, which are positioned adjacent to the entry, where everyone can see what's hanging there, only cost me half price because I already washed my underwear and socks in the privacy of my own room.

The perk, however, is that my clothes came back to me in multiple re-sealable bags:

It's pretty nice.

I went to the U.S. Embassy to eat lunch recently. The McSpicyCrispyChicken McSandwich was really good - I'm not joking. Oh, and the Americana? Pretty good also.

As far as life goes, things aren't too different since last time. I've plateaued for a bit, perhaps until I get a bicycle. Don't worry, you'll hear about it. So here are some images updating my experiences in my office and Beijing:

The Office
The guy sitting to my left smokes like a chimney. One thing I miss about smoking laws in L.A.

The Beijing

Breakfast and Dinner - sometimes

Peanut Butter and bun.

The Dragon Fruit

So good.

So, talk to you soon.

A Beijinger Almost Still

2008-06-22T03:19:00.000-07:00

So, still no internet in my room, but the tv (still inside box) is ready to be installed at my inconvenience. My washer/dryer, however, is pretty cool (yep, it's an 'all-in-one) -
And, just like last time, let's back up to some days ago, now that you're primed to have an interesting read because of the picture of my washer/dryer.

At the office, I play ping pong (look up "ping pong" in wikipedia if you don't know what it is). The table is behind my computer work station so i'm kinda constantly playing because I get hit in the face often by stray balls (relax) - but I can't complain, right? (relax)

Aside from ping pong, lunch is served in the office daily and I can't express how excited I always am about that. To top it off, even dinner is delivered when a lot of people work late. So, I'm really enjoying the office at the moment.

Recently, I've been taking the bus to work - it's nice. Gets me to work in about 7 mins (would be 5 if Beijing didn't have a billion pedestrians at every intersection (hyperbole) (picture to come soon)).

Oh, also, the office usually holds happy hour on Fridays. A swedish employee left the firm on Friday so we had swedish snacks with Svensk Vodka and Yanjing Beer (I'm not a Tsing Tao kinda guy). And guess where the salmon and potatoes came from - omg you're right! IKEA!

But Wal-Mart...but Wal-Mart. Definately the low cost leader of the world. IKEA turned out be relatively expensive but Wal-Mart delivered - even with fine dining. I had a meal twice better than Panda Express (registered trademark) at half the price. This fine specimen cost 23 kuai = about $3. China.

IKEA is great in Beijing but expensive. I guess you can't beat a 3 kuai (kuai = Chinese Yuan, RMB) hotdog, but a 300 kuai 5 piece cutlery set? C,mon.

In other news, the view from the 26th floor roof deck of my apartment is quite nice. I can see CCTV and the other really tall building next to it.

My apartment is quite nice also. It's a spacious 48 sq.m. (figure out the conversion) studio, fully furnished, and has a great view. I appreciate the Chinaman's gratuitous use of glass walls both for views out of the room and for views to and from the bathroom and the room. Here's what I'm talking about:

Oh, and check out my door handle. To begin with, the key looks like a watch battery and simply touches the door aparatus to unlock the security mechanism. It also has a number pad to key in a door code and a video monitor:

All in all, again, things are great. I'm almost a Beijinger - just need a bike and a foot massage. Oh, and here are a couple pics of the Olympic Stadium by H&DeM:

Day 1 - day 5: Almost a Beijinger

2008-06-15T07:49:00.000-07:00

I had my first bad chinese food at this restaurant near my hotel. But this is day 5 so lets back up a little.

The flights were great, a quick one from LAX to SFO and then to PEK - Beijing Capitol. I didn't really start packing until 3am in L.A. when I had to leave for the airport at 5am. I ended up taking out half of what I packed including my trumpet and guitar in order to meet weight limits and extra bag limits - United allows two checked bags and I payed to bring four. So no getting back in touch with my musical side.

Anyway, the flights were great, I slept with my mouth open for a long time and the seat next to my window seat was empty, so I slept alone. Side note, that movie "The Bucket List" is stupid. Luckily, Han, my angelic Beijinger architecture classmate, was in town and picked me up from the airport. It turns out I know as much about driving in Beijing as she does, but I was and am greatful for her help. We showed up at my Hotel where I intended to stay for five days but became six - no biggie - and then walked to the place that is the reason I am in Beijing - the architecture firm MAD (www.i-mad.com).

DAY 1: I honestly thought MAD would put me to work right when I walked in, but they didn't. One German lass walked by me and Han and told me to enjoy my last day of freedom. I didn't take that lightly. So, Han and I left after short and awkward introductions to eat at a hip hutong (look up hutong in wikipedia if you don't know). I ate thinly sliced pig stomach and it was d*mn good! I had some other food but the pig stomach was all the rage. So, Han and I walked around my new neighborhood and I eventually crashed in my spatially Japanese-esque room, where the mattress is a would diaphragm with cloth. I'm not joking. I sleep well on it though, real flat.

DAY 2: I started work the next morning. I was explained the protocol for accessing the company server and archiving files. Eventually, the principal that hired me charged me with a tall task. He explained to me that he was unhappy with a scheme that all other architectural constituencies sanctioned so he asked me to design a new concept proposal. So my hands were tied right off the bat. Meanwhile, and seriously meanwhile, I began looking for apartments with the help of the office secretary and one other guy. Seriously, how can one live when the shower head is located directly above the toilet in the prison tile-clad bathroom? So two apartments down.

Also, my quadband cellphone needed to be unlocked and I was quoted 150RMB (look up chinese currency in wikipedia if you don't know) from one guy to unlock it. That's about $20US. $20US can buy a bicycle and a 6-month supply of cotton underwear. So, naturally, I didn't go forward with that transaction at that time.

Day 2 ended with me strongly contemplating pulling close to an all-nighter to produce new schemes for aforementioned project (and only because people who had a deadline to finish competition drawings were pulling all-nighters), but I said NO and went to sleep.

DAY 3: I come into the office at 9:30am and continue wher I left off the night before. Eventually, I presented my sketches and computer models to boss and it went well. That means he said NO to what I showed him and implied for me to keep on keepin' on. Progress on that account was put on hold so that I could focus on my quest to satisfy the basic human need of securing shelter. Abandoning aid from my Chinese colleagues at the office, I looked at multiple listing sites including Beijing Craigslist. I emailed a bunch of folks because I still haven't unlocked my cell phone and made appointments.

In the middle of the day, around 4pm, I experienced strange climate changes. Lightning, thunder, and rain pummeled the streets and the sky turned black - not dark, black. For a second I thought it was night. But, at the same time, I knew it wasn't - I'm pretty smart... right? Sho nuff, the light sky returned and only rain persisted. No eclipse, just black.

I got to know a few people at the office throughout Day 3 and it turns out three employees are from SCI-Arc, a few either graduated form the AA (Architectural Association) or were planning on/slated to attend the AA next year (like me). We went out for Thai food and then checked out some bars in Sanlitun, a pretty foreigner-popping part of town. A soccer game was going on so a lot of ig'nant ass folks were being loud. Fine night.

DAY 4: Still, no unlocked cell phone. I used my hotel room phone a lot this day. I saw four apartments that day from studios to two bedrooms. One was nice and new with a sunflower-style shower head and with a mattress that was still in its factory srinkwrapping (I think). The unit was on the 18th floor with a great view of big buildings and the roofs were accessible. I liked it. The other units didn't compare but some were more spacious, some were closer to work, and they were all cheaper except the two bedroom - forget that.

Later that night, I met up with some students and professors from my Alma Mater, Woodbury, who were in Beijing as a last leg on a China study abroad course. We watched pictures and videos they captured in Nanjing (look up Nanjing in wikipedia if you don't know) while drinking beer and then went to dinner at the hi hutong I went to on Day 1. Fun times at the Tibetan restaurant. We, then, went to the new Olympic Stadium to take night photos of the thing but we couldn't get close 'cause security's tight. We took the elevator of the adjacent hotel as high as it would take us to take more pictures of the stadium dubbed "Birds Nest" (look it up in wikipedia if you don't know) and then I retired. Still no unlocked cell phone.

DAY 5: Today's the day, and a sunny one at that. I signed with the first place I mentioned, the new-ish one, which eats up a substantial amount of my salary. It's ok - the shower and the two-button-flush toilet are separated and I have a view of the city. So, after I maxed out my daily credit card ATM withdrawals and signed a one-year contract to rent the studio, I bought my first public transport rechargeable card and unlocked my cell phone. I now have a cell phone. To top it all off, I had my first bad meal in China - an historic event.

So that's my experience as of now. Stay tuned. I'll be back in a year.