Governmentgirl1943lp

Idea Log 30062011

ARIES horoscope for the week of 30th June 2011

When astronaut Buzz Aldrin flew to the moon and back on the spacecraft Apollo 11 in 1969, he was paid less than $8 a day. That has to stand as one of the most flagrant cases of underpaid labor ever -- far worse than what you've had to endure in your storied career. I suggest you keep Aldrin's story in mind during the next six months as you meditate steadily on the future of your relationship with making money. Hopefully it will help keep you in an amused and spacious and philosophical frame of mind -- which is the best possible attitude to have as you scheme and dream about your financial master plan for the years ahead.

Idea Log 29062011

THE MAGNETISM of DETERMINATION
A magnet attracts steel. The power of attraction is invisible but clear. The magnet naturally pulls steel toward itself.
In our work, there are various qualities that we try to cultivate, but surely the foremost is a sincere enthusiasm for what we do. Knowledge is important. Talent is important. But even without either of them, you could get the job done. But with minimal knowledge and little knowledge and little talent, if you were determined to complete the task, you would ultimately be able to accomplish the work well.
Even if a person cannot do a job personally, his or her sincere enthusiasm for the project generates an invisible power that draws people around. It works magnetically to mobilize the kind of support that is needed. And the job will be complete through the assistance and intervention of others.
Know-how and talent would be useless without its use for work. We should do our best each day. Each of us has something to contribute, pouring the best of the resources at our disposal into the job to be done.
(Matsushita, pg. 106-107)

Additional references: http://governmentgirl1943lp.typepad.com/blog/2011/06/idea-log-02062011.html

Idea Log 28062011

Regal Constellation Hotel currently under demolition

The Regal Constellation Hotel was a large hotel with focus on trade shows, convention and hospitality training centre near Pearson International Airport near Toronto, Ontario.

Built in 1962, the hotel consisted of two 15 floor towers, 6 storey atrium, a Chinese restaurant and 90,000 square feet (8,400 m²) of convention space. Renovations took place in 2001.

Once a popular hotel and convention venue, the hotel is no longer operating due to declining business and other setbacks, culminating with the SARS crisis. It was owned by Hong Kong-based Regal Hotels International.

In 2004, Hospitality Investors Group (HIG) of Scottsdale, Arizona acquired the site and was planning to add a 350 room hotel to the existing 800 room hotel. Construction was planned to begin in 2005. However, since that acquisition, HIG was broken up and one of its chief officers has formed a new organization, Alatau Hospitality, with the principal shareholders of Lancaster Group of Kazakhstan. Alatau Hospitality retained the domain name of HIG (hospitalityinvestors.com) and its web site does not list this hotel as one of its current construction projects. As of November 2007, it is not clear who owns the property.

Plans are to re-brand the hotel under Red Lion and Crowne Plaza names. Other tenants of the new complex include:

• Wolfgang Puck
• Tu Tu Tango
• Gordon Biersch
• Gold's Gym

Construction and demolition company, Terrasan has begun work on the Regal Constellation in September, 2007. The entire hotel property is now surrounded by tall Terrasan fencing, and the company's logos are posted as large signs on the corners of the main hotel building (on its south face).

As of November 16, the rear garage building is being torn down. This will probably be the site of the planned new third tower.

As of October 9, 2008, most of the complex has been torn down, with the exception of the two taller towers fronting on Dixon Rd. and the smaller wing to the east that fronted onto Carlingview.

Also visit:

http://jermalism.blogspot.com/2011/01/urban-exploration-regal-constellation.html

http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/10/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_regal_constellation_hotel/

The credits for the following pictures go to ABANDONED UE for more:

http://www.uerev.com/index.php?pid=faq

http://www.uerev.com/index.php?pid=constellation

 

 

 

Idea Log 27062011

Currently reading...

PREFACE

The projects included in this book are some of the very best examples that our post-war architects, designers and artists have given our city, Toronto. This book is a celebration of their work, their vision and their vision and their energy.

At the same time, the work featured here is fast disappearing. The year 2004 marked the demise and complete eradication of Parkin's Terminal One at the Toronto International Airport and of the A. V. Roe Company's administration building and the very hangars were the Avro Arrow and the Avro Jetliner, North America's first commercial airliner, were designed and built. The cancellation of the Arrow stands as a symbol of this Canadian duality; fresh, energetic design filled with possibilities, stifled by MOR administrative decisions.

The forum, the concert venue designed as part of Ontario Place, has been destroyed, replaced by the Molson Amphitheatre. The CNE Grandstand Stadium was replaced by a parking lot, its majestic cantilevered rood dynamuted, coming down in one fell swoop. The Shell Oil Tower, George A. Robb's seminal work of modern architecture, was torn down more than a decade ago to make way for the Molson Indy. The O'Keefe Centre for the Performing Arts and the modern collection at the CNE are threatened with each new corporate quaterly report.

The fact is, not much has been learned since Eric Arthur wrote his battle cry, Toronto: No Mean City, back in the early 1960s. Little has changed and Toronto remains a city with one of the wrost records for heritage conservation in North America. Our heritage laws have no teeth. Facadism is rampant and we are still turning sacred places like Maple Leaf Gardens into supermarkets.

It is my hope that this document inspired us to rediscover our modern past, to reflect on it and to preserve it in a meaningful and throughtful way; that it serves to encourage and support indigenous talent and to create places that speak to us.

For the industry, it is my hope that the work included here serves to move a new generation of architects to strive for excellence, to pick up the torch where modernism left off and to go further.

For the public, it is my hope that these works inspire them to expect more and demand excellence of their built forms; that they understand that architecture is not an elite sport but part of everyday life; that they learn to appreciate its beauty and poetry; that they be more discriminating in their scrunity of what is being passed off as architecture; that they observe and debate architecture and design in all its glory.

JOHN MARTINS-MANTEIGA/curator, Mean City/Director, DOMINION MODERN Museum of Modern Architecture & Design

Featured Projects:

>> Don Mills; Yonge Subway; Sun Life Building; O'Keefe Centre for the Performing Arts; Toronto International Airport, Aeroquay No. 1; Toronto City Hall; Toronto-Dominion Centre; Canadian National Exhibition; Grandstand Stadium; Shell Oil Tower; Queen Elizabeth Building; Food Products Building; Dufferin Gates; Hockey Hall of Fame; Better Living Centre; Ontario Place; Maple Leaf Plastics; Canadian General Electric K40; A.V. Roe Canada

Idea Log 26062011

Highlight and biggest & best surprise from this year's IIFA Awards in Toronto~ Rahul Khanna arrives at the 2011 IIFA Awards in Toronto at the Rogers Centre on June 25.

 

Idea Log 25062011

 

> http://dominionmodern.com/

> http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dominion-Modern/146075508303?sk=info

Dominion Modern is Canada’s foremost archive of 20th Century Canadian architecture and design.
Our mission is to collect, catalogue, preserve, and promote public awareness and understanding of our architectural and design heritage.

A registered non-profit organisation, Dominion Modern operates with the generous support of individual and corporate donations

METRO FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN
Since 2003, Dominion Modern has established itself as a leading authority on this essential, yet often overlooked, period in our nation’s cultural development.

Your support will enable Dominion Modern to continue its vital work in these key areas:

-ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
-PUBLISHING PROGRAMME
-EXHIBITIONS PROGRAMME
-CATALOGUING COLLECTIONS

Give us $2M or this masterpiece of modern architecture gets demolished

Posted: April 23, 2008, 6:11 PM by Rob Roberts

 

By Matthew Liebenberg, National Post
At a time when much of the city’s modern architecture is being lost to the wrecking ball, its fans think they have a solution. All it will take to allow the Dominion Modern Museum to find a permanent home is $2-million.
“I’m full of ideas, I’m full of energy, I just need money,” said John Martins-Manteiga, the museum’s founder and director. “We’ll raise the money to purchase the building and have a fund that will keep the museum functioning. I don’t want to get the building and then lose the museum. I want to keep it forever.”
Mr. Martins-Manteiga thinks he has found a suitable building to provide a permanent home for the Dominion Modern, which he established in 2003 as an archive of modern architecture and design. He hopes to establish a blue-ribbon panel of Torontonians to give prominence to fund-raising efforts.
Toronto city councillor Adam Vaughan, an ally of the museum whose father Colin worked as an architect in Toronto during the fifties and sixties, said he is confident funding can be raised pretty quickly.
“It’s a legacy project that the architectural, engineering and development partners in the private sector have a stake in protecting,” he said. “They have a lot to be proud of in terms of what was accomplished and the legacy left to the city. They have an even greater stake in making sure the dialogue is sustained so that buildings contribute to our urban fabric rather than just be places to live and work.”
Catherine Nasmith, a Toronto architect and president of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, said the postwar building boom reflected one of the most optimistic periods in Canadian history, but that architectural legacy is now under attack.
“It’s a huge issue,” she said. “We’re rapidly losing the best works of a whole generation.”
Mr. Vaughan says the city’s modern design tells the story of an era in which Toronto became a new city. “There was something interesting about what happened in Toronto,” he said. “It had to do with the convergence of immigration and of a postwar building environment that has a lot of unique components. To not understand that history explains why you end up with buildings like the ROM that are already falling apart after only opened for six months.”
Mr. Martins-Manteiga is an indefatigable, if quixotic, crusader for Toronto’s threatened architectural gems of the modern period, an era that stretches from perhaps the 1930s to 1970.  He’s had more failures than successes, as developers knocked down the old Inglis plant for townhouses, Loblaws bought Maple Leaf Garden to gut it for a food store, and wreckers demolished the Bata Shoe Headquarters, the Inn on the Park and the old Riverdale hospital. The striking half-round Riverdale Hospital building appears to be the next one to go.
Although Ms. Nasmith appreciates the work already done by the Dominion Modern to create a record of modern architecture, she does not want a museum collection to be the only evidence of an era.
“These buildings should be looked after and enjoyed,” she said.
Mr. Martins-Manteiga said the aim is not to preach to the converted, hoping to get ‘‘people who would not ordinarily go into a gallery or museum to come in, to walk around.” He is also proposing an architect lounge at the museum, where architects and designers can ‘‘exchange ideas.”
“Architects used to argue and critique each other. That doesn’t happen any more, it’s a very tight fraternity.”
While happy to talk about his plans for the museum, Mr. Martins-Manteiga is reluctant to say too much about the building he has found. He still remembers what happened when they looked at the former TD Bank building at Queen Street West and Ossington Avenue.
“We actually named the location to stir interest in people,” he said. “There was a buzz, but that buzz also created the fact that it was taken out of our hands and someone else bought it.”
With the museum’s expanding collection of artifacts and material languishing in storage, Mr. Martins-Manteiga speaks with a sense of urgency. He is currently completing two books, one about architect Peter Dickinson and the other on the Montreal Métro.
“After they’re launched I really have to think about the future of Dominion Modern,” he said. “We either do it or we scrap it.”

Photo of John Martins-Manteiga in front of the now-demolished Inn on the Park in 2005 by Brent Foster, National Post 

Link: http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2008/04/23/give-us-2m-or-this-masterpiece-of-modern-architecture-gets-demolished.aspx#ixzz1Q4cbFq1z

Idea Log 24062011

Peter Allgood Rastall Dickinson, (October 21, 1925 – October 15, 1961), was a British-born architect responsible for many modernist buildings in Toronto.

Born in London, UK, he studied architecture during World War II and served during 1944-1945. He came to Canada in 1949 to work for Wells Coates. He moved to Page and Steele in 1950 and later with his own firm Peter Dickinson and Associates. He died in Montreal, Quebec.

Some of Dickinson's works:

• Continental Can Building, Toronto
• Benvenuto Apartments, Toronto
• Dickinson Tower, Toronto
• Westbury Hotel, Toronto
• Juvenile and Family Courts, Toronto
• Jesuit Seminary, Willowdale, (now Tyndale University College and Seminary)
• Ottawa Police Station, Ottawa
• 111 Richmond Street, Toronto
• York Mills Collegiate Institute, Toronto
• Inn on the Park, Toronto
• O'Keefe Centre for the Performing Arts (later renamed Hummingbird Centre for the Performing Arts, still later Sony Centre for the Performing Arts), Toronto
• Park Plaza Hotel (Toronto), Toronto
• Courtyard & Canopy, Park Plaza Hotel, Toronto
• Medical Building,, Toronto
• Lawrence Heights School, Toronto
• Beth Tzedec Synagogue, Toronto
• Church Street PS
• Four Seasons Motor Hotel, Toronto
• Canadian Red Cross, Toronto
• Queen Elizabeth Building

Ten Newest Buildings

• 365 Bay Street 12 floors 1962
• La Tour CIBC 45 floors 1962
• 4 King Street West 20 floors 1959
• 500 Avenue Road 13 floors 1958
• 55 Yonge Street 12 floors 1958
• 111 Richmond Street .. 15 floors 1956
• 561 Avenue Road 14 floors 1956
• Lord Simcoe Hotel 20 floors 1956
• Marriott Courtyard 16 floors 1956
• Four Seasons Motor Hotel at 415 Jarvis Street 1961 - sinced demolished

Dickinson's most famed design is the Hummingbird Centre in the downtown Toronto.

His legacy lives in the firm created by his former partners in Webb Zerafa Menkes Housden Partnership.

 

Dickinson, left, with 561 Avenue Road in Toronto and his phallic masterpiece, Montreal's CIBC building, "in many ways like Dickinson himself," writes John Martins-Manteiga, "tall, lean, smart ... and forever young."

also see: http://dominionmodern.com/exhibitions/peter-dickinson-architect (please read my entry on DominionModern tomorrow!!!)

Peter Dickinson by John Martins-Manteiga (This is the first major book on architect Peter Dickinson. The 304-page catalogue traces the life and work of architect, Peter Dickinson from England to Canada. PETER DICKINSON is the first comprehensive catalogue on the work of this important modern Canadian architect.)
PLEASEpleasePLEASE pleasePLEASEplease BUY!

ISBN 978-0-09681933-1-0
John Martins-Manteiga
2010
First Edition, Binding: Paperback, 304 pages.
Dimensions: 8" x 10"
Dominion Modern
Price: $50.00 Shipping within Canada: $16.00
International orders contact us:
[email protected]

Idea Log 23062011

Styles of Architecture in Buffalo, NY

KIT/ CATALOG Houses

After World War I, between 1900 and 1917, middle class society was expanding and, for the first time, beginning to buy more homes. To meet growth demand, companies started expanding in the residential building industry. Kit houses purchased through mail-order became popular in the 1910s, allowing new homeowners to be a part of the design and building process and giving the option of buying the home in stages,

Between 1906 and 1940, thousands of North American homes in the United States and Canada were built according to plans sold by mail order companies such as Sears and Montgomery Ward.

Aladdin Homes of Bay City, Michigan premiered the idea of kit houses in 1906. It wasn't until 1908 that the largest provider of kit houses, Sears, Roebuck and Co., building upon its earlier forays into building materials and house plans, entered the market for complete kit houses.

Often the entire mail order house (in the form of labeled timbers) came via freight train.

Other times, builders used local materials to construct homes according to the mail order catalog house plans.

According to Houses by Mail, over 100,000 kit houses were built in the United States between 1908 and 1940. Many people have lived in kit houses for years without realizing the historical and architectural significance of their humble abodes... Aladdin Homes of Bay City, Michigan premiered the idea of kit houses in 1906. It wasn't until 1908 that the largest provider of kit houses, Sears, Roebuck and Co., building upon its earlier forays into building materials and house plans, entered the market for complete kit houses. In the years that followed, Wardway Homes (Montgomery Ward), Harris Homes of Chicago, the Ready Built House Company, and Robinson's also got in on the kit home market. Sears Roebuck is still the most well-known of kit home manufacturers, perhaps because of their market share. Ordering directly from a catalog entitled Book of Modern Homes and Building Plans, prospective buyers enjoyed the convenience and affordability of a pre-fabricated dwelling. The purchaser would receive all of the necessary supplies in shipments by rail car (a typical house could fit into two boxcars) for assembly either by the new homeowner or a local contractor. These houses came in a wide variety of styles, designs and prices, although kit houses were generally cheaper than traditional building options. Following the stock market crash of 1929, the construction of these houses gradually declined and in 1940 Sears printed its last Book of Modern Homes. For many years these house were slowly forgotten, but in the 1980s, people looking for affordable housing began to discover kit houses. - University Libraries. University of Maryland, Kit Houses http://www.lib.umd.edu/NTL/kithomes.html

"Between 1908 and 1940, Sears sold about 70,000 homes in 48 states through their mail-order Modern Homes program, with 370 designs that you might not readily recognize as a kit home. Sears kit homes were shipped via boxcar and came with a 75-page instruction book. Each kit contained 10,000 - 30,000 pieces and the framing members were marked to facilitate construction." - WikiHow, How to Identify a Sears Kit Home

Above content taken out from: http://www.buffaloah.com/a/archsty/kit/kit.html

See also:

Francis R. Kowsky, http://www.buffaloah.com/a/archsty/kit/kowsky.html

The Rail Barons, http://www.railbarons.org/Layout/layout.html

Thorne House, 16 Tillinghast Place, http://buffaloah.com/a/tilling/16/ext/index.html (don't forget to look at pics of the interior!)

Idea Log 22062011

WILLINGNESS TO LEARN
We may believe our ideas are our own and our knowledge something we acquired on our own, but in fact, all of it is taught to us by others. Without being taught, without learning, a human being would have hardly a notion in his or her head. Small children learn from their parents, students from teacher, juniors from seniors, and so on. Your own ideas and thoughts are the result of this tremendous amount of learning. So naturally people who produce good ideas and good wisdom are those who are at the same time good at learning.
When you possess the spirit of a good learner, everything around you is your teacher-the silent trees and rocks, the drifting clouds, the innocent child, the stern lecture of a senior, the good advice of a junior. This is because everything in the universe quietly pulses with the laws of nature, and so does everything in the long history of humankind, no matter how small, no matter how old. Valuable human insights and experiences are reflected in these constants.
There is something we can learn from everything. We should be ready and willing to learn from anything and from everyone. Only when we are thus willing can we learn something new and be able to come up with good ideas. The spirit of learning is the first step toward true prosperity.
(Matsushita, pg. 148-149)
Additional references to the book: http://governmentgirl1943lp.typepad.com/blog/2011/06/idea-log-02062011.html

Idea Log 21062011

Whenever a major outer planet moves into a new constellation - and a new sign - in our solar system, it's always big news, for it heralds an exciting new influence that is about to begin. The world is seeing this situation now, since Uranus, planet of surprise and sudden action, has just recently moved into Aries on March 11, 2011, for the first time in decades.

Uranus is called "the great awakener" because this planet is known to bring lightning-quick flashes of insight along with very rapid change. This is the planet of rebellion and also the ruler of all things quirky, idiosyncratic, and just plain unreal. People with strong Uranus in their natal charts are pathfinders, courageously venturing into new realms. They often do the exact opposite of what everyone tells them to do. You might want to have a look at the Timeline assembled for you to see all the wonderful inventions that came into being the last time Uranus was in Aries.

A Timeline of Uranus In Aries 1927-1935

Things that have happened when Uranus was in Aries last time 1927-1935

Keep in mind: Jupiter was in Aries too in 1927, as it is now in the first five months of 2011. Aries rules pioneering, competition, force, bravery, brashness, courage, adventure, being a pathfinder, business enterprise, discovery, and also rules the face, hair, and individuality.

1927: Charles Lindberg becomes the first solo person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.

1927: First transatlantic telephone call occurs from New York City to London.

1927: It takes 32 hours to fly from New York to San Francisco.

1927: A diamond rush in South Africa includes trained athletes hired by several major firms to stake claims. (Aries rules athletes AND pioneering.)

1927: First sports commentary on the BBC radio by Teddy Wakelam occurs. (Aries rules sports and competition.)

1927: First part-talking feature movie released, The Jazz Singer.

1928 First full, all-talking feature, Lights of New York, released.

1928 Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin.

1928: The Aschheim-Zondek urine pregnancy test is developed.

1929: The Great Stock Market Crash, the most dramatic and serious in the history of the United States occurred in October of this year, beginning a 10-year economic depression, affecting all Western countries.

1929: St. Valentine's Day gangland massacre in Chicago. Aries rules force and weapons.

1929: German psychiatrist Hans Berger develops the electroencephalogram (EEG) for recording brain waves. (Aries rules the head.)

1929: US Admiral Byrd, along with Floyd Bennett, Captain Ashley McKinley. and Harold June become the first to fly over the South Pole. (Now that is an adventure!)

1929: First public demo of color TV by E. Ives and Bell Labs in NY. Same year, Vladimir Zworkin had taken a first color patent for the TV set.

1929: Edwin Hubble, an American astronomer, proves that the Milky Way is not the only galaxy in the universe.

1929: Albert Einstein announces a new theory relating gravity and electromagnetism.

1929: Graf Zeppelin takes off from New Jersey on around-the-world flight and finishes it successfully in New Jersey.

1930 First diesel engine auto trip is completed from Indianapolis, Indiana to New York City.

1930: 3M markets Scotch Tape.

1930: Pluto is discovered in space.

1930: The then-tallest building, the Empire State Building. is completed.

1930: Frozen food (processed by Clarence Birdseye) hits commercial market for the first time.

1930: Visionary plans submitted for Rockefeller Center, New York.

1930: Edison tests 1st US electric passenger train between Hoboken and Montclair, NJ.

1930: Karl Landsteiner wins Nobel Prize for Medicine for identifying A, B, AB positive, and O blood types.

1931: The rise of the Nazi Party.

1931 General Motors's Frigidaire makes refrigerators safe for household use.

1931 Gangster Al Capone sentenced to 11 years in prison for tax evasion (freed in 1939; dies in 1947).

1931 Thomas Edison submitted his last patent application.

1932: April 14: John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton split the atom's nucleus.

1932 Chemist C.C. King isolates vitamin C.

1933: Marconi announces discovery of microwaves.

1933 Edwin Armstrong devises frequency modulations (FM) that permit radio reception without static.

1934: Hitler becomes Fhrer when chancellorship and presidency are united.

1933 Construction of Golden Gate Bridge begins in San Francisco.

1933 King Kong released.

1933: Nylon first produced by Dr. Wallace H. Carothers, a research chemist at DuPont.

1933: Great Depression: The US begins to enact FDR's New Deal.

1933: Adolph Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany.1934 First Purple Heart awarded for bravery.

1934 Dust Bowl Storm, a strong 2-day massive storm, creates chaos in the Great Plains, in one of the worst storms ever in this region. The storm is to ruin 100 million acres and does damage another 200 million acres of cropland in Kansas, Texas, Colorado, and Oklahoma ("Dust Bowl"). (Aries is arid and dry and rules the desert; Uranus brings unexpected events).

1935 Amelia Earhart becomes the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California.

Full Link:  http://astrologyzone.com/lifelove/uranus_in_aries/

Idea Log 20062011

"Crawling In The Dark" by HOOBASTANK
I will dedicate
And sacrifice my everything for just a second's worth
Of how my story's ending
And I wish I could know if the directions that I take
And all the choices that I make won't end up all for nothing
Show me what it's for
Make me understand it
I've been crawling in the dark looking for the answer
Is there something more than what i've been handed?
I've been crawling in the dark looking for the answer
Help me carry on
Assure me it's ok to use my heart and not my eyes
To navigate the darkness
Will the ending be ever coming suddenly?
Will I ever get to see the ending to my story?
Show me what it's for
Make me understand it
I've been crawling in the dark looking for the answer
Is there something more than what i've been handed?
I've been crawling in the dark looking for the answer
So when and how will I know?
How much further do I have to go?
How much longer until I finally know?
Because I'm looking and I just can't see what's in front of me
In front of me
Show me what it's for
Make me understand it
I've been crawling in the dark looking for the answer
Is there something more than what i've been handed?
I've been crawling in the dark looking for the answer

Hoobastank used to be my favourite band back in about 2001 but then 'The Reason' came out and its popularity totally ruined the experience for me. Anyways, I used to listen to this song when I was finishing my last year in high school; before heading off to university. I thought 10years would have given me enough time to figure out my life but here I am a decade later wondering the very same thoughts... "I will dedicate/ And sacrifice my everything for just a second's worth/Of how my story's ending/And I wish I could know if the directions that I take/And all the choices that I make won't end up all for nothing". 'Tis Life! Is it? 어 쩌라고?!

Idea Log 19062011

I watched the movie INCEPTION yesterday with my sister~ you will not imagine the drama ... well we got stuck in Little India till 8:30 pm when the movie was starting at 9pm on Movie network. Anyways, I was mesmerized by 'the idea of the dream' and the references to architecture.

(BTW, Leonardo's house is the Freeman A. Ford house in Pasadena, built in the Arts & Crafts style by the Greenes in 1908> http://www.usc.edu/dept/architecture/greeneandgreene/154.html 

 
)

The entire time I was watching the movie Frank Lloyd Wright kept running through my mind and as it appears there seem to be more references on google with Inception+Frank Lloyd Wright rather than the actual architecture featured in the movie! While doing some research I came across this interesting entry. For full access go to: http://wright-up.blogspot.com/2010/07/architectural-inception.html

Architectural "Inception" by The Weekly Wright-Up

If you're like me, you don't remember the characters or plots of your dreams as much as you remember the architecture - the built environment that your mind somehow conjures every time you dream.  Dreams and dream analysis are often framed in architectonic terms, and Christopher Nolan's new movie Inception is just the latest example, writ large in the language of film.

The premise of Nolan's mind-bending (and city bending) action thriller about agents who hack into others' dreams to retrieve - or plant - information relies heavily on architecture and the role of architects.  Near the beginning of the film, Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) must find a new architect for his "dream team" of operatives.  He consults his father-in-law (Michael Caine), an architecture professor, who recommends a promising student named Ariadne (Ellen Page).  As it turns out, the design of maze-like "levels" planned to disorient the dreaming quarry is the crucial groundwork for the dream hackers' craft.  This presents a dream job (so to speak) for an ambitious architect, as she gets the opportunity to design entire cities, with the added perk of incorporating certain uncanny, super-spatial illusions inspired by the drawings of M. C. Escher.  The results are rendered with eye-popping digital effects that feel essential to the narrative - rather than a gratuitous distraction from it.

Somewhat predictably, Frank Lloyd Wright elements show up in the design palette of the Inception dreamscape.  The pseudo-Japanese palace of Saito (Ken Watanabe) features barrel chairs (of the Cassina / Wingspread variety [right], not the Martin House variety) in the dining room, and boxy pendant lights in a stair hall reminiscent of those from Unity Temple.  But these Wrightian appropriations are fairly subtle, and seem right at home in the japonisme of the set.  And these nods to Wright place the film on a growing list of Hollywood fantasies that utilize Wright buildings or designs, including Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982) and Gattaca (Andrew Niccol, 1997).

Wright's reviled fellow architect, Le Corbusier, steps in as architectural inspiration for two levels of the film's dream architecture:  for the first layer of the team's convoluted attempt at an "Inception" job, and for "limbo," the ominous waiting room of the dream world (think Dante meets The Matrix, with few exits).  The latter appears to have been inspired specifically by Le Corbusier's grandiose, imperialistic vision of the modern city, his Ville Radieuse plan (below).  Thus, we find DiCaprio's character wandering the canyon-like street grid of a seemingly infinite urban core, where a few vernacular buildings drawn from his personal history are dwarfed by steel-and-glass sentinels.

Idea Log 18062011

Too much, too soon: The pitfalls of early success

by Barbara Moses for Wednesday's Globe and Mail; Published Tuesday, Jun. 14, 2011

A former client of mine skyrocketed into the executive ranks when both his boss and boss’s boss suddenly quit in the middle of a high-stakes marketing project. He was 28 at the time.

He changed. Previously a self-deprecating man who wasn’t terribly ambitious, he began to dress and act like a caricature of a confident, successful executive, peppering his conversation with stories about power lunches, bonuses and stock options.

A former client of mine skyrocketed into the executive ranks when both his boss and boss’s boss suddenly quit in the middle of a high-stakes marketing project. He was 28 at the time.

He changed. Previously a self-deprecating man who wasn’t terribly ambitious, he began to dress and act like a caricature of a confident, successful executive, peppering his conversation with stories about power lunches, bonuses and stock options.

But he never quite grew into the role he was trying to project and didn’t develop the emotional depth one would expect of someone at his level. It finally caught up with him 10 years later when he was dismissed. He drifted into a deep depression. Always the golden boy, he had never failed before. It took him a long time to find new employment and it was at a much lower level.

The stellar success early in his career was the worst thing that could have happened to him. Just as I worry about the long-term impact on young people who miss out on crucial work experiences through unemployment, or being marginalized in service jobs, I also worry about people who have too much too soon.

We frequently hear stories about one-hit wonders, such as pop stars or writers who initially appeared to have great promise and a few years later drop off a cliff, mentioned only in “whatever happened to?” features. The same thing can happen to people in the business and professional worlds, whether they are brilliant young scientists, brokers or consultants – except that few people wonder where they are now.

Those who succeed too soon miss critical formative experiences in building a career – the rough and tumble of being in your 20s or early 30s and trying to make sense of the irrationality and politics of organizational life: dealing with bosses who treat staff like dirt; being asked to perform seemingly insulting tasks such as making photocopies; working with a mixed salad of personalities, some difficult, over whom you have no power; having your ideas not taken seriously. And, of course, dealing with the angst of wondering: Is this what I want to do with my life?

These experiences lay the foundation for later success and socialize people into corporate life. They also provide the necessary fodder for learning to deal with rejection and failure.

It is not easy to hit the career jackpot when you are young. As one woman who built a company in her 20s, and sold it in her 30s, described it: “You are the recipient of all kinds of passive-aggressive comments, such as, ‘How lucky for you that you were in the right place at the right time’ and condescending remarks from older people about being pretty. It was as if skill and talent had nothing to do with it.”

And it can be lonely, especially for those who make it today. This generation’s crop of twenty- and early-thirtysomethings are tribal in bonding with people their age; they treat work relationships much as they did student friendships. Making the transition to being a boss of pals can lead to self-consciousness at a life stage when you’re still trying to fit in, gauging personal success in relation to that of friends.

Significant differences in income can also lead to petty resentments. As one whiz kid put it: “When you go out with friends, you always wonder if they expect you to pay. Or if you go to a cheap bar people say things like, ‘I guess this is slumming for you.’”

Relationships often take a battering. For example, I know several highly competitive couples who met in their 20s and used income as a means of “keeping score.” Their relationships unravelled when one of the high achievers hit career gold.

Another challenge is what to look forward to mid-career when you feel you have achieved it all at an early age. One very successful client of mine, who had been fixated on career advancement at the expense of everything else, fell into depression when he was offered a six-figure bonus at the age of 39. It raised the question for him: Was the singular pursuit of money what really mattered? He also said he felt hollow because he had scaled the mountain and there wasn’t anything else to accomplish. The worst thing? He couldn’t talk about his problem to anyone because it would seem like “a problem most people wished they had.”

Becoming highly successful at a young age is the result of a mixture of talent and good fortune. For most, talent is the major contributor. For a smaller number, luck contributes more.

Those who attribute their success purely to luck, whether accurately or not, suffer from imposter syndrome. They may continue along a successful path but they are chronically anxious, worrying they will be caught out. As a result, they never enjoy their success.

At the other extreme, people with big egos who attribute their success entirely to their own efforts don’t mature well, and are ill-prepared to handle reversals of fortune.

So who is most likely to build on and sustain early career success? Those people who are humble enough to understand the positive circumstances which contributed to their good fortune, but at the same time recognize their accomplishments, are the ones with the right foundation for capitalizing on a great head start.

Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/managing/barbara-moses/too-much-too-soon-the-pitfalls-of-early-success/article2060721/

 

Idea Log 17062011

Just watched today~~ X-Men!!! truly 1st Class..

Storyline

Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-MEN. Written by Twentieth Century Fox

link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1270798/

 

James McAvoy~~! love of my life!!!!!!!!!! honestly...

Idea Log 16062011

STRATEGY#1: Take Control

Overcoming the Past

Underneath the shock, surprise, anger, and resentment (if you've been terminated by a company), and the apprehension, frustration, and feeling that you're trapped (if you're currently employed but unsatisfied with your work), comes a small element of fear. "What if the right company doesn't come along? How will I handle rejection? How will I maintain my lifestyle and the plans for my family? Will I be able to land something that is at lesat as good as my old job?" Or, "What if I want to apply for a job outside my division, and my boss decides that I'm being disloyal? Will people become suspicious if I start trying to build relationships in anoter department? What if I apply for a position and don't get it?"

The pain is real, the fear is real, and the stress of transition is real. I often recommend Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's book entitled On Death and Dying (Simon and Schuster, 1997) as reading for executives going through difficult career transitions. Dr. Kubler-Ross outlines seven stages that we go through when facing death or loss. People ending a job, especially if they've been with the company for a long time, experience a similar series of emotions. You can't force yourself through the stages, nor can you will yourself into the fonal stage of resolution until your mind is ready.

(Lassiter, Pg 19-20)

Earlier entry from this book: http://governmentgirl1943lp.typepad.com/blog/2011/06/idea-log-03062011.html#tp

Went for a picnic with the family to the Peterborough Zoo this afternoon... ! and my favourite part was the Otanabee River Power station <3 who in their right mind would convert a 'Chicago World's Fair' inspired building to house monkeys!!! "MONKEYs"

Idea Log 15062011

Finding the right employer fit: turn the tables and look for a company that matches your work style

(I don't know why G&M's published titles and online entry titles are never the same!!)

WALLACE IMMEN

From Saturday's Globe and Mail/ Published Friday, Jun. 10, 2011 5:13PM EDT/Last updated Tuesday, Jun. 14, 2011 5:49PM EDT

The job-hunting client phoned Jim Beqaj expecting to be congratulated for having landed a lucrative new position. Instead, the veteran career adviser warned the man to reconsider.

[...]

While it may seem counterintuitive, Mr. Beqaj said the best strategy is to limit your options right from the start. “Conventional wisdom says that when you are looking for a new job, you should network widely and get your CV seen by as many eyes as possible. But that shotgun approach is often a complete waste of time.”

The options become clearer if, rather than looking for any possible job, you target only employers who are likely to have an affinity for you, Mr. Beqaj advises. To do this, take it step by step:

Interview yourself

Be as specific as possible in answering these questions: What are you really good at? What do you most enjoy doing? What kinds of people do you like to work with?

Choose your targets

Make a list of companies, whether in your region or elsewhere in the country (or even the world), who might need someone like you. Narrow the list to about three or four top prospects by doing serious homework on the Internet and through networking contacts. Aim to find out how these companies tick and why they might need to add your specific skills to their teams.

Create an infomercial

From your results, write an elevator speech with statements that define the skills that make you unique and why they matter to the employer. For example: “If you need a good judge of character who has hired more than 900 people and has 20 years experience, I’m the person to do the job.” In a single sentence, people can see what value you provide. Mr. Beqaj said.

Look at people as much as product

The job may be right, but are the people and their work styles compatible with the way you like to work? “Many job candidates are often too focused on the potential job to notice that the place is micromanaged, or that the team has habits that irritate them. But look around; you can feel it in your stomach if something doesn’t seem right,” he said.

You shouldn’t only be interviewing for a job you should be looking for a personal fit. “No matter how good the job is, you are just not going to function well and grow in a poor environment.”

Don’t fool yourself

You may find yourself being tempted by a company that has a particular problem or challenge on its hands. You can fool yourself into thinking you can turn around a situation that is a mess, but keep in mind that it’s often just wishful thinking, Mr. Beqaj said. “There are times when an organization is looking for someone who is different enough to be a game changer. But you have to make sure that they will give you the support and resources you need to actually make the changes.”

Trust your gut

“Don’t be afraid to tell them exactly who you are,” Mr. Beqaj said. And if you have concerns, don’t let anyone else persuade you that a job is great. “It has to be your decision that it’s right, otherwise you’ll always be doing something that is not you,” he said.

“If you are trying to win a job by contorting yourself into something you’re not, to become what you think they are looking for, you are soon going to find yourself unhappy and not likely to be very successful.

Don’t fool yourself

You may find yourself being tempted by a company that has a particular problem or challenge on its hands. You can fool yourself into thinking you can turn around a situation that is a mess, but keep in mind that it’s often just wishful thinking, Mr. Beqaj said. “There are times when an organization is looking for someone who is different enough to be a game changer. But you have to make sure that they will give you the support and resources you need to actually make the changes.”

Trust your gut

“Don’t be afraid to tell them exactly who you are,” Mr. Beqaj said. And if you have concerns, don’t let anyone else persuade you that a job is great. “It has to be your decision that it’s right, otherwise you’ll always be doing something that is not you,” he said.

“If you are trying to win a job by contorting yourself into something you’re not, to become what you think they are looking for, you are soon going to find yourself unhappy and not likely to be very successful.

______

KNOW THYSELF

The first step to finding the perfect employer is to be sure you understand your own work style and goals. Do a thorough interview with yourself:

What makes you unique? Write out not only what you think you are really good at, but evidence from experience that backs up your beliefs.

What’s your best day? Look back at what you were doing on days in your work life when you felt most enthusiastic and came home and said, “If I could just do this every day of my life I’d be happy.” What are the worst experiences you want to avoid at all costs?

Who works with you? Create a list of people in your life who have worked effectively with you. What were the common characteristics of these people in terms of mindset, background, habits and personality traits?

How do you resolve conflicts? Do you compromise, accommodate, compete with or hide from people? Organizations can have a variety of way of sorting out issues and if you have a different style, you’re unlikely to be seen as a team player.

What’s your work style? Do you like juggling multiple problems or the ability to complete one task before moving on to the next? Would you like to be on the road or in an office? Compromise in this area and every day could become a nightmare or a slog.

Who needs you? Build a list of employers that have the kinds of jobs and work that are most compatible with your work style. These should not only need your skills but also be likely to want you as a person. Make them your priority targets.

Article Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/managing/on-the-job/finding-the-right-fit-in-an-employer/article2056378/page1/

Idea Log 14062011

WATCHED 'Kung Fu Panda-2' with my Dad and sister (even though I had been-"Xmen! Xmen! Xmen!") But the movie was totally worth watching.

My sister insisted that this was going to be funny (that I wasn't very keen on ~) but this one was a little emotional with a 'moral of the story' and hence, made the movie totally my type ^_^ Plus the architectural imagery featured is BREATHtaking. Want to go to China!

 

There were a couple of themes in the movie I liked and found this blog entry from someone else that pretty much sums it all up. Enjoy!!

Lessons from Kung Fu Panda 2

1. Teamwork

2. Fathers give identity

3. The mentors

4. Investing in the next generation

http://www.actlikeaman.org/lessons-from-kung-fu-panda-2/

Idea Log 13062011

Currently reading... and I highly recommend the book and the WATER Exhibit at the ROM (even you can buy the book there!)

"In 1763 a twenty-seven-year-old instrument maker named James Watt repaired a model of a Newcomen steam engine owned by the University of Glasgow. Britain was in the grip of a dire fuel famine resulting from the early deforestation of its country side, and many of the primitive engines invented by Thomas Newcomen a half century earlier were working to pump floodwater from coal mines so that more coal could be excavated as a substitute fuel. While repairing the Newcomen machine, Watt had been startled by its inefficiency. Filled with the spirit of scientific inquiry then going on in the Scottish Enlightenment, he determined to try to improve its capacity to harness steam energy. Within two years he had a much-more-efficient design, and by 1776 was selling the world's first modern steam engine.

James Watt's improved steam engine was a turning point in history. It became the seminal invention of the Industrial Revolution"

(Solomon, Pg.1)

 

Idea Log 12062011

100% MUST SEE!!!!!!! One of the best curated shows I've seen in Toronto! Very well done. Neat and just the correct amount! I loved it! I only wish they had more '80s films! How come no Qayamat Se Qayamatak??

A stunning array of Bollywood cinema showcards and other forms of film advertising have been assembled for the first time in Canada. Almost 125 pieces are on display, featuring star celebrities in popular movies from India's colourful film history.

Member Preview | Bollywood Cinema Showcards: Indian Film Art from the 1950s to the 1980s
Friday, June 10, 2011
10 am to 8:30 pm

No registration is required. Enter ROM via main Bloor Street entrance. Each adult member must present a valid membership card and ID for free admission to the ROM. No guest privileges.

Bollywood Cinema Showcards: Indian Film Art from the 1950s to the 1980s is organized by the Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) at the ROM in collaboration with The Hartwick Collection. Bollywood Cinema Showcards: Indian Film Art from the 1950s to the 1980s and Embellished Reality: Indian Painted Photographs have been made possible through funding provided by the Government of Ontario.

Supporting Sponsor:		Promotional Partner:		Exhibit Patron:		Media Partners:			Government Partner:
				Moira & Alfredo Romano

 http://www.rom.on.ca/ecommunications/members/bollywood_blast.html

 

Idea Log 11062011

2-day Japanese Lesson!
*Participants are expected to attend both lessons
Time: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM (Doors open at 5:30 PM)
Location: The Japan Foundation, Toronto
131 Bloor Street West, Suite 213, Toronto, ON
Fee: Classes – no charge, Textbook required (approximately $10)
*The textbook is available at cost at the Japan Foundation, Toronto
Registration required: Deadline 13/10, 2011
Apply online http://www.jftor.org/whatson/rsvp.php
(Please note that the registration may close earlier if the total number of participants reaches maxi­mum capacity before this date.)
Level: Introductory. It is designed for people with little or no previous knowledge of
Japanese. It focuses on Katakana, one of the three Japanese writing systems, which is used mainly for onomatopoeia and foreign words.
Inquiry: [email protected] or 416-966-1600 ext.230

 

Registration Guide / Terms and Conditions
 
Thank you for registering for the Introductory Lessons on Onomatopoeia in Manga at the Japan Foundation, Toronto. We received many more registrations than expected. To accommodate the large number of people who have expressed interest in these lessons, we are now offering the course twice so that you may choose which 2-day session you would like to attend.
 
As each 2-day session is designed to cover the material over 2 consecutive lessons, participation in the first lesson is required in order to attend the second lesson. Both 2-day sessions will cover the same material. The class size will be approximately 40-70 people.
 
We would also like to ask that you please consider the following guidelines before completing your registration.
 
These lessons are designed for participants who:
1)     In principle, do not have any knowledge of Katakana.
2)     Are high school students or older.
 
Please be advised that some of the pictures may contain scenes of mild violence that may be inappropriate for sensitive readers.
 
To complete your registration, please fill out the attached Registration Form and return it by e-mail to [email protected] by June 13.
 
Dates & Time:
 
Option 1 (Original dates):
Lesson 1: Wednesday, June 15, 6:00PM – 7:30PM (Doors open at 5:30)
Lesson 2: Wednesday, June 22, 6:00PM – 7:30PM (Doors open at 5:30)
 
Option 2 (Additional dates):
Lesson 1: Wednesday, June 29, 6:00PM – 7:30PM (Doors open at 5:30)
Lesson 2: Wednesday, July 6, 6:00PM – 7:30PM (Doors open at 5:30)
 
Please arrive early If you plan to purchase a textbook at JFT on the first day.
 
Location:
The Japan Foundation, Toronto
131 Bloor Street, West, Suite 213, Toronto, Ontario
 Website: www.jftor.org
 
Textbook required:
Title: Kana de Manga: Japanese Sound FX
http://www.howtodrawmanga.com/campusstore/kanademangaspecial01.html
ISBN: 978-4-921205-12-6
Cost: $ 8.00
*The textbook is available at cost on the first day of the course (cash only)
 
Thank you for your cooperation, and we look forward to seeing you in class!
 
Brief Course Description:
The Japanese language is rich in onomatopoeia (words that attempt to recreate sounds, such as “vroom” or “meow”). The aim of this two-day lesson is to help learners be able to read those sound-effect words, commonly used in Japanese comic books, by referring to a katakana chart.
 

Idea Log 10062011

DONE!! Cover to Cover by 11:43pm!
for the full photo journey go to the album 'How I read 'THE BIG MOO' in 1 evening

THEY SAY I'M EXTREME
(Taken out of "THE BIG MOO' from Seth Godin)
They say I'm extreme.
I say I'm realist.

They say I demand too much.
I say they except mediocrity and continuous improvement too readily.

They say,"We can't hande this much change."
I say,"Your job and career are in jeopardy; what other options do you have?"

They say,"What's wrong with a 'good product'?"
I say,"Wal-Mart or China or both are about to eat your lunch. Why can't you provide instead a fabulous experience?"

They say,"Take a deep breath. Be calm."
I say,"Tell it to Wal-Mart. Tell it to China. Tell it to India. Tell it to Dell. Tell it to Microsoft."
...
They say,"We need an initiative."
I say,"We need a dream. We need dreamers."

They say great design is "nice."
I say great design is necessary.
...
They say,"Plan it."
I say,"Do it."

They say,"We need more steady, loyal employees."
I say,"We need more 'freaks' who routinely tell those in charge to take a flying leap... before it's too late."

They say,"We need Good People."
I say,"We need Quirky Talent"

They say,"We like people who, ith steely determination, say, 'I can make it better.'"
I say,"I love people who, with a certain maniacal gleam in their eye, perhaps even a giggle, say, 'I can turn the world upside down. Watch me!'"
...
They say,"Fast follower."
I say,"Battered and bruised leader."
...
They say,"Market share."
I say,"Market creation."

They say,"Improve and maintain."
I say,"Destroy and reimagine."

They say,"Happy Balance."
I say,"Creative tension."
...
They say,"Peace, brother."
I say,"Bruise my feelings. Flatten my ego. Save my job."
...
They say,"We need happy customers."
I say,"Give me pushy, needy, provocatove customers."
... (x9)
They say,"Times are changing."
I say,"Everything has already changed. Tomorrow is the first day of your revolution ... Or you're toast."

They say,"We can't all be revolutionaries."
I say,"Why not?"

They say this is a rant.
I say this is just a reality.

«this excerpt has been edited for publishing; for full version go to page 34-37 of the book!!! or for more information go to: http://www.sethgodin.com/bigmoo/ or borrow it from Toronto Public Library~!

Idea Log 09062011

333 Bay Street, Toronto

Above: A view of Toronto's "stump" in April 2005.

Previous construction attempts

The tower was the last of a series of construction projects in downtown Toronto launched in the boom years of the 1980s, when a number of massive towers were built nearby, such as Scotia Plaza. It was a joint project by Markborough Properties and TrizecHahn: a 57-storey office tower to be constructed at the corner of Bay and Adelaide in the heart of Toronto's financial district. It was to have cost almost a billion dollars.

The building caused considerable controversy among those opposed to the erection of such massive structures. The tower would have stood far higher than was allowed by the city's official plan. To gain city hall's approval, the developers committed some $80 million towards new social housing and other projects. A portion of the site was turned over to the city for use as a park that is now Cloud Gardens. Both of these deals went ahead, despite the tower never having been completed.

Construction began in 1990, but the developers soon ran into problems. The economy went into recession and office vacancy rates in Toronto rose to 20%. Construction was halted, and in 1993, with over $500 million already invested, the project was permanently put on hold. All that was completed was the underground parking garage and several storeys of the concrete service shaft that stood from 1991 onwards, as a monument to the failed project in downtown Toronto. The stump of the service shaft was known to security and the locals as "the bunker" or simply "the stump". The parking garage was in operation, and the stump itself was used as a surface on which to mount advertisements.

There were several attempts to revive the project. In 1998 TrizecHahn briefly revived it, but another shift in the economy caused them to again pause. In 2000 there was again talk of reviving the project, but the next year TrizecHahn sold its 50% share to Brookfield Properties for $49 million. Brookfield was committed to completing the structure to a smaller height of either 40 or 50 storeys, but later that year the economy again soured and the project remained on hiatus.

In October 2005, plans had been filed with the City of Toronto to develop the property. An information sign (notice to amend the by law regulating zoning) was placed on Bay St. between 347 Bay and 355 Bay, both also Brookfield properties. The notice, in short, informs the public that three mixed-use high-rise towers surrounding an urban plaza will be built. The towers will vary in size from 43 to 50 storeys and contain an aggregate density of 240,396 sq. metres. Brookfield Properties has signed KPMG and Goodmans LLP as anchor tenants for the first tower, with Fasken Martineau DuMoulin and Heenan Blaikie also taking up residence in the building .

The stump was demolished by December 2006 so as to permit the construction of a differently-designed Bay Adelaide Centre.

 

 

The Bay Adelaide Centre is a skyscraper in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The first and tallest tower, at 51 storeys, has already been completed as of July 2009.

Design and construction
Architect	WZMH Architects
Developer	Brookfield Properties

 

link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Adelaide_Centre

Idea Log 08062011

"The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep. "
- by Robert Frost from his poem 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening'

find the full poem here: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/stopping-by-woods-on-a-snowy-evening-2/

*P.S: I've put myself on the job market recently and so this part of the poem completely reflects my emotions right now. Actually I went to Value Village a couple of days ago and when I opened this book called "Gung Ho!" I saw this quotation in the first page (and it made me want to buy the book and I did).

Idea Log 07062011

There is a popular belief in Japan that a person's ABO blood type or ketsueki-gata (血液型) is predictive of his or her personality, temperament, and compatibility with others, similar to how astrological signs are used, though blood type plays a much more prominent role in Japanese society than astrology does in the West.

Japanese blood type personality chart

Type A
Best traits	Earnest, creative, sensible, reserved, patient, responsible
Worst traits	Fastidious, overearnest, stubborn, tense
Type B
Best traits	Wild, active, doer, creative, passionate, strong
Worst traits	Selfish, irresponsible, unforgiving, unpredictable
Type AB
Best traits	Cool, controlled, rational, sociable, "split personality"
Worst traits	Critical, indecisive, forgetful, irresponsible
Type O
Best traits	Agreeable, sociable, optimistic
Worst traits	Vain, rude, jealous, arrogant

You can read another person’s personality through their blood type and sibling relations.

>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2007/09/22/korea-blood-type-and-personality/

Blood Type A, the dreaming romantic
Sensitive person. You’re easy to be hurt from even a small matter and you are unnecessarily sensitive. You think in your way, interpret, and misunderstand. But hiding your own thought, you look like a nice person considering others and take care of your surroundings. You like the romantic mood, forget reality, and are indulged in fantastic world. Unexpectedly, you are a stubborn perfectionist…

Blood Type B, enjoyable optimist
Optimist who enjoys life. You can even laugh facing your failure. Having a romantic tendency, you sometimes have thoughts distant from reality. But if you enjoy liberal life way too much, you might make enemies unexpectedly. You should change your easy-to-give-up personality.
You should think over whether you give up way too fast…

Blood Type O, leadership filled with confidence
You have a bright personality and lead others well. Your kind personality doesn’t let you leave people in trouble. You want to make your life dramatic, so people around you might not be so comfortable. Don’t forget there is happiness in ordinary life. You are proud of yourself and don’t like other people’s interruption. You would like to live in your own way, but over-confidence might return to you as a poison. When you fail you will feel in a slump due to your confidence. Take it easy and don’t forget even you might fail.

Blood Type AB, consistency with your patience and concentration.
With your strong patience and concentration, you can do anything. You can back up to let work go smoothly and easily when you are involved with projects with others. Being interested in politics and environment, you are full of intelligence. You make others who don’t know as much as you do look foolish and show an authoritative attitude. Don’t look down on others. Remember you should respect others’ values and the ways they live.

I am type O (haha .. very very true! and shhhhhh.. I want an AB type 남자 친구!)

My Sister is type B... (lol it's PINK!)

Link for more images for all Blood types Comics: http://blazesun.com/funny-comics/blood-type-comics-by-realcrazyman-type-ab-overview/

This post is dedicated to Kim Heechul; my fav AB Blood Type flag bearer! hahahaha.. just yesterday I just thought about looking up these blood type personality traits and instantly thought of him and today his friends had a AB blood type celebrity gathering that was revealed a couple of hrs ago! I must be psychic!! The next image is dedicated to Kim Heechul!

Idea Log 06062011

"Books allow us to emerge into another world," said Andrew Piper, professor at McGill University and author of Dreaming in Books.
(Taken from article 'BEYOND THE COFFEE TABLE: The printed book is finding a new life as lovingly displayed art piece' by Betty Ann Jordan for FASHION Magazine Summer 2011 Issue)

vvvvv Below is my book collection!!!

--more pictures of my books in the 'Finding Lost Time' album

Idea Log 05062011

Class Struggle

by Stanley Bing for FORTUNE magazine (I found an old one from Nov,2011)

Most of the time I feel okay with the way things are going. I'm not part of the half of our nation that seems to think everything is heading to hell in a handcart. But sometimes I get grossed out by wild discrepancies. A sense of dislocation overwhelms me, and up comes the gag reflex. It's not pleasant, but it always tells me something.

Anyway, three things happened. The first concerned Rupert Murdoch. He was at a black-tie dinner accepting one of the many awards I am sure he will receive this year, and he made some comments about how American public schools weren't up to snuff. "It's time to stop the excuses," he said. "It's time to push aside the obstacles in the way of reform and ensure that every boy or girl who enters a public school has the same shot at the American dream that our sons and daughters do." Of course, he then went off on a tear against teachers and their unions, but that didn't interest me as much as the fact that this was the first time in a while I'd heard a business mogul put out a clarion call to defend our public schools. Bravo, Mr. Murdoch, I thought. Good for you.

Thing Two: A couple of days later I sat down to pay the bills and found some I didn't understand. "What's this for?" I asked my wife. "Soccer uniform," she said. Gee, I thought. When I was a kid, my school had money for that. "And this?" I inquired. "Costume for drama class," she said. Gee, I thought, when I was a kid, my school had money for that. "How about this?" I said. "A clarinet," said my wife. "She's in band and you have to rent your own instrument." Gee, I thought.

In the town where I grew up they closed two schools recently. One has been made into condos. The other they tore down. The remaining schools have practically no resources. Average class size is up to about 30. This is in a town with two country clubs, both with excellent golf. Most parents with money send their kids to private school now.

Thing Three: Last Monday a couple of executives and I went down to the financial district of our fair city. In that small pocket of Manhattan not far from where the World Trade Center was destroyed, a forest of gorgeous glass and steel has sprouted. Residences. Parks. Offices. And the most beautiful building of all is a tower that rises over Battery Park, an enormous, glandular cathedral dedicated to the worship of Mammon. One company is housed there, but you won't find its name outside. They don't need you to know it's their building. They're doing fine without a lot of exterior branding, even if they're not well liked by many people.

I have visited St. Peter's in Rome. I've strolled around Notre Dame in Paris and the Temple of Dendur at the Met in New York. For sheer flamboyant display of unapologetic excess, none of them approach that spire on West Street. If Pharaoh had been presented with plans for this structure, he would have told his architects to scale it back a bit. Just for the optics, if you know what I mean.

We went up to the second floor for the investor conference that was the purpose of our visit. Serious people in business suits bustled to and fro. In a kitchen down a hall there were big vats of M&Ms and other munchies, plus lots of beverages in case anybody was in need of hydration. All of it was gratis. They say there's no free lunch, but they lie. Work hard. Dress right. Presto! Free lunch. We stayed there for about an hour. Did what we had to do. Then we went back to work at our building, which is very nice, even if the ceilings are a whole lot lower.

Last night I was downtown again, and I walked by the building on West Street. It was just as beautiful in the chilly autumn darkness, perhaps even more so -- because they leave all the thousands of lights in the place burning far into the night.

I wonder how many clarinets that would pay for.

link: http://stanleybing.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2010/11/12/class-struggle/

Idea Log 04062011



STROLL THE HIGH LINE, New York, NYC

What used to be an abandoned 1930s-era elevated rail line on Manhattan's West Side is now one of New York City's newest parks. The High Line was resurrected in 2006 after Friends of the High Line converted the rail bed into a handsome elevated garden and promenade. The High Line is divided into sections; No. 1, which opened in June 2009, starts at Gansevoort Street and continues up to the 20th Street and 10th Avenue; Section 2 opens later this year. Take your time and walk the whole thing, passing by the Washington Grasslands and Northern Spur Horticultural Preserve en route. Stroll like a local and snack on oysters at the nearby Chelsea Market. (www.thehighline.org)

taken from: Westjet Up Magazine (www.upmagazine.com > June 2011 Issue)

picture credits to: http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/egXTBSZ-R1H/New+York+New+High+Line+Park+Opens+Public/w65mlku7OSb & ( June 9, 2009 - Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America)

* The High Line was formally an elevated railway 30 feet above the city's West Side that was built in 1934 for freight trains hauling dairy products, produce and meats and had become derelict after the rail closed in 1980. The first portion of the abandoned elevated railway has been transformed into a public park and the rest of the space is to be renovated in the future.

Idea Log 03062011

from 'The New Job Security' by Pam Lassiter

Market for Mutual Benefit
To market for mutual benefit means that you obtain your own objectives by helping other people obtain theirs. By helping those people whom you want to employ you, or in the language of product marketing, "consume" you, you get their attention and you differentiate yourself from the crowd. There are direct parallels between product marketing and your own career planning that not only will give you a structure for managing your planning but will also set up for substantially improved career results.
(Lassiter, Pg. xii)

Idea Log 02062011

from the book "The Path" by Konosuke Matsushita: The founder of PANASONIC

OUR PATH

Each of us has a path that is ours and ours alone to follow. That path is our own life, precious and heaven-sent. We don't really know where this path will take us, but we know no one else will ever have one exactly like it. For each of us, it is our own personal path, and it is one we will never travel down a second time. Our way takes us through wide, open spaces but also into narrow, tight spots. The path ascends, carrying us high at one time, but at other time, it descends, bringing us down. The way is sometimes smooth, and we stride forth unencumbered, but at others we must clear obstacles from our way, struggling with each step.
There are times when we are at our wit's end, unsure as to whether the path is a good one or bad. There are times when we want to take a detour. But ultimately, there is no other way for us than the path that we are on.
It is not a matter of just meekly resigning ourselves, but the important thing is we must keep going along the path we are on. Isn't it the path that we are only we can travel, the life that is uniquely and irreplaceably ours?
We may gaze in envy at the lives of others, and we may be stymied, but we cannot see which way to go. For our way to open up, what we have to do is to keep going, to keep moving along. We have to make up our minds and be resolute, to the best of our ability. The journey may seem long, but when we stride forth, without pause, our path will open up and will lead to happiness.
(Matsushita, Pg. 2)
...
"Do not think regretfully about the past. Make no complaint about the irretrievable months and days you have invested. And if until now you have relied on others or expected them to get you out of trouble when life got tough, you should bravely sweep the slate clean. What is important is that you seek your goal on your own. What matters is your own attitude. No matter what others may say, you must carry on, passionately, towards your goal. You must yourself show what you can do.
We should all have a dream- for ourselves, for those around us, for our countries, and for the world.
(Matsushita, pg. 6)

About Konosuke Matsushita
Konosuke Matsushita (November 27,1894-April 27,1989) was a Japanese industrialist, the founder of Panasonic, a company based in the suburb of Kadoma (on the Keihan line), Osaka in Japan.

After working for Osaka Electric Light Company from the age of fifteen to twenty-three, he grew dissatisfied with the job due to the differences of opinion from his boss, and decided to leave the company and set up his own company. This turned out to be the turning point in his life. This company he set up at the time grew rapidly despite of his lack of education, and bacame one of the most well-known electric companies in the world, Panasonic.

For many Japanese, he is known as "the god of management". A biography of Matsushita's life called Matsushita Leadership was written by American business management specialist John Kotter in 1998.

About the book
“The god of management” Konosuke Matsushita had written so many books, which is a very rare activity for an industrialist. This book “The Path（『道を開く』）”is an assemblage of the essays written by him which were carried in the bulletin “PHP”.

Ever since the book was first issued in 1968, it has a circulation of more than four-million, and people still admire the long-seller book in the present time. It is impossible to estimate how many people there have been who are cheered up or taught a lot of things not only about management of a company but about a life from reading the book. This book has an unchangeable truth that transcends the age-gap.

It’s highly recommended to read this book when you are in a big disappointment, when you come across such a high wall that you can’t even imagine how to get over, or when you want to discover something in your life. This book may lead you to a way of sorting them out.

Link: http://www.cue-group.co.jp/blog/entertainment.php?itemid=1656

Idea Log 01062011

from'What they don't teach you at Harvard Business School' by Mark McCormack

"... From my experiences and observations I have drawn the advice in this book covering selling, negotiating, starting, building, and running a business, managing people and personalities, getting ahead, and getting things done.

But in a way this categoric breakdown is misleading because what this book is really about is "street smarts": the ability to make active positive use of your instincts, insights, and perceptions. To use them to get where you want to go, preferably by the shortest route, even if this means jumping some fences or going through a few back alleys.

Can you really learn to apply gut reactions to business? Perhaps not totally, but what you can learn are the results of street-smart thinking. Much of what I say and do in business, from a self-effacing comment to an intentionally provocative one, is designed to give myself a slight psychological edge over others, or to help me get the most out of others. This is what street smarts really is: an applied people sense."

(McCormack, Pg. xiii)