Mr. & Mrs. Glup

Good Bye Los Angeles! Hello Boston!

2009-05-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Sorry it has been WAY TOO long since we wrote something here. We are moving to Boston after living in Los Angeles (Crystal for 4.5 years and Jawn for 7 years). Crystal would be working at least part-time and Jawn would be studying full time.

Thank you everyone!!!

Jawn+Crystal

Hong Kong 2007

2007-12-12T12:18:00.000-08:00

Mun was on a rampage... with her 50 must eat places in Hong Kong Guide. Crystal was absolutely tickled by her manifesto reading of the guide! We moved from restaurant to restaurant to try different cuisines.

An expensive dinner at Yong Kee Restaurant with my favorite cousin, Edwin Chiam (left to right), my ma-ma (who flew in from Singapore), my eldest sis, Su (who flew in from Shanghai), my elder sis, Mun (who flew with mum), the blessing of my life, my wife, Crystal and an oversized me... must be the puffy T-shirt. hmmmm... I do look bigger than most of my family.

An Arquitectonica-esque looking building at Repulse Bay, HK. Supposedly for the "dragon" to fly through the building from the top of the mountain to the ocean (where the camera-girl is standing taking this picture). Some kind of wise, mystical "dragon" that must be... since it has trouble flying AROUND a building... oh well...

I should really avoid standing INFRONT of everyone... sigh... not very flattering on my fattened frame... sigh.. must be all the good food!

Graduation for SCI-Arc Singaporeans 2007

2007-12-02T12:41:00.000-08:00

The amazing class of 2007 graduates from SCI-Arc that came from Singapore. Front Row from left: Sern Hong Yu, M.Arch '07, Recipient of the SCI-Arc Service Award, Sylvia Bay, B.Arch '07, Recipient of Undergrad Top 3 Thesis Prize and Calvin Lim, M.Arch '07, Recipient of the Thom Mayne Scholarship and Graduate Selected Thesis Prize.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Back row from left: Chelsea Phua, visiting from the Sacramento Bee Newspaper... OK, she was just on a holiday, Jawn Lim, M.Arch'04 SCI-Arc, beloved wife, Crystal Lim, Accountant and UCLA alumni, Rachel Tay, Architect and MIT alumni, Winston Lim and fellow SCI-Arc Alumni, Sihenne Ng, B.Arch '05.

Regent Cafe on a Sunday Afternoon

2007-11-18T22:21:00.000-08:00

We went to Regent Cafe after church for lunch at 130pm. We were all starving!! Had joy of the company of Roger, Margaret, Nethanel, Nigel, their "Fisherman" Church friend, Joyce and Maffrine. Crystal and I have been thoroughly blessed by the Ngs in the way they speak with such wisdom and tact. We will miss them when they go back to Singapore.

Comic Con Photos...

2007-09-11T21:32:00.000-07:00

730 days Wedding Anniversary

2007-09-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

Yes! We have been married 730 days come this Monday the 10th Sept 2007... that is 2 years for those who are a little mathematically challenged... heeheehee... do relive the moment with us... http://www.jandkphoto.com/crystal&jawn/index.htm Thank you to the many people who have been supportive through the years by offering wise counsel and helping hands to us!

Singapore National Day at the TAYBAY residence (LA)

2007-08-13T14:38:00.001-07:00

We had a BLAST at Sylvia Bay+Rachel Tay's house on the 12th Aug 2007 (Sunday). Cooked up the best Singaporean meal we had in L.A. for a long time! We were suppose to be dressed in white and red but dear Sern Hong and Lennard had to be special in the coordinated blue! Even Taiyo's pink was forgivable as blend of white and red. Well, just to give you an idea of what we had... the menu included Chili Crab, nor-hiang, cha tao gui, laksa, hainanese chicken rice, etc. As you can tell, Crystal and Jawn are happily stuffed with all the fabulous food! (Crystal more than Jawn). Happy Birthday Singapore!

Comic Con San Diego 2007

2007-08-02T14:31:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

We just attended the Comic Con San Diego on the 28th July 2007. More pictures would follow soon (after we unpack our house). We got to take a picture with legendary concept artist Syd Mead and a bunch of star wars lego guys. Jawn to got beat up a Predator too! Well, part of the fun of it was taking the Amtrak to SD from LA Union Station instead of driving and looking for parking.

Someone tried to pour beer down Jawn's mouth when it was slightly ajar as he was napping on the train home to L.A. Thank God that Crystal got up in time and scolded that oversized guy who was probably half drunk himself. She yelled at him and said that "He does not drink beer!" He whimpered feebly back to his sit and muttered "How can anyone not drink?!"

The LIMs

Moving 27miles West to West L.A.

2007-07-12T17:22:00.000-07:00

We are finally moving to the West Side of Los Angeles. Jawn having lived in Pasadena, Monterey Park and San Gabriel, is finally moving with his LOVELY wife, Crystal to a HUGE 1,100 square feet duplex in West Los Angeles. We are sad to leave the delicious food haven for Asian cuisine after being spoiled for 1.5 years in the middle of San Gabriel. Well, here is the floor plan of the new rental we are getting. Easily the largest place Jawn and Crystal has ever lived in since coming to Los Angeles.

The main entrance is from the upper left hand corner. The living room / dining room is big enough for a small church to start meeting! (364 s.f.!!!) Then as you keep moving rightwards in the plan, you would arrive at the kitchen and a nice breakfast nook (about 7' x 7'). Just north of that a litte, is the undersized utility room with built in washer and dryer. That is a bonus for us as we can just directly throw our dirty laundry in there! Then the bedroom we would be sleeping in is at the upper right hand corner. At the left of that would be the bathroom which would have enough space for our oft-neglected fish tank. Then the next room to the left would become our study/guest room. Next to the main entrance is a shoe storage room. We would be fencing up the outside service corridor for Poogi to stay during the day! (Can you see the dog in the drawing???)

It just 2 miles from Crystal's new office, Horton Lees Brogden Lighting. She would be leaving her much adored office of Francis Krahe and Associates for an exciting change in her career. This new place would also be closer to the office of Frank Gehry. Jawn would be taking Ballona Creek by bicycle (hopefully) at least 3 times a week. http://www.ballonacreek.org/

We just bought a Cannondale Lifecycle AIDS awareness bike. Not the prettiest colors but very functional. Jawn is hoping to cut some of his fats out and keep a healthy heart beat.

Ours?

2007-06-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

OK... so in case you guys felt that it has been THAT LONG since you checked into our blog that we have 2 kids already.... please do not worry... these are just our friends, Allan & Karen Ng's Amadeus (with Crystal) and Ben & Wei Fang's Yong Ren (with Jawn). We took this picture last September in Singapore!

A tribute to our Mothers!!!

2007-05-12T23:44:00.000-07:00

Phoenix Suns All-Star Shawn Marion!

2007-04-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

Yes!! That is Jawn and Phoenix Suns All-Star Shawn Marion! And Yes... that is a Phoenix Suns Logo Jawn has painted on his cheek! Ok... so Jawn was standing on a 6 inch step to make him look a little taller but still a midget next to the 6'-7" basketballer! This was taken 6 years or more ago when Jason Kidd was still part of the Suns and Steve Nash was relatively unknown! Go Suns Go!

Gnomon Workshops...

2007-03-15T16:52:00.000-07:00

Somehow the photographers at the Gnomon Workshop always gets a picture of me. The top photo is me looking grumpy (but really engrossed) at what SPARTH (www.sparth.com) had to say about custom brushes. This was taken in Feb 2006. The lower picture was taken during the Dec 2006 Gnomon Workshop. I am the guy standing in the picture. Notice how my mop had grown. Nice lecture hall...

Griffith Obsevatory + Sushi @ East

2007-02-28T07:19:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone! Sorry for not posting as often as we should. Well, our desktop crashed and we just got a new laptop which I am still setting up. This picture was taken at the Griffith J Griffith Obsevatory overlooking the Hollywood Sign. Yup... we are your typical small eyed Asian couple... well... the sun was really burning our pupils so we had to keep our delicate eyes protected! HAHAHA!

This is Alina Chau and Anusha. Alina is an amazing artist who could not help but sketch and paint as we were up there. You can find out more about her sketches and designs at http://alinanimation.blogspot.com/ Anusha is an architectural lighting designer like Crystal and her colleague, Shigeki. On the subject of Mr. Fujii, he had a sushi meal (what else?!) at East Yakitori. To find out what I was doing before they came from the office, do check out
http://jawn-tze-hin-lim.blogspot.com/2007/02/where-can-i-see-this.html

CROOKED CUTS

2007-02-03T11:48:00.000-08:00

This is a GREAT LIST of Techniques to Misunderstand the Bible. I just thought I share this. Amazing how we can conveniently apply much of this to our advantage when we do not want to hear what God wants to say to us. Well, I hope this would be helpful.

----------------------------------------

“CROOKED CUTS”

By Richard Mayhue
Grace Community Church

A Text Without a Context

PROOF-TEXTING: Stinging together an inappropriate or inadequate series of Bible verses to prove out theology.

ISOLATIONISM: Failing to interpret a single Scripture text in light of its context.

Adding to Scripture

SPIRITUALIZING: Reading a spiritual or historical truth into a text rather than extracting truth from it.

NATIONALIZING: Seeing one’s own country as the recipient of natioinal promises made by God in the Bible to Israel.

Editing God’s Mind

EMBELLISHING: Reading current thinking into the Bible.

METHODOLOGIZING: Interpreting the Scripture by means of an unproven theory about the Bible’s literary origin.

Modernizing the Bible

ACCOMODATION: Viewing Scripture through the lens of human reason.

CULTURALIZING: Limiting a text to a specific time in history or culture, when in reality the text demands a wider application in time. OR extending a past practice or culture into our time, which in fact should have been limited historically.

Twisting Scripture

REDEFINING Giving historically accepted biblical words new definitions to support our theology.

ANGLICIZING: Reaching inaccurate conclusions by drawing theology from the English text alone.

MYSTICIZING: Finding hidden meaning in Scripture that can be understood only by the one who knows the “secret code”.

Over Literalizing

LETERISM: Ignoring figures of speech and drawing woodenly literal conclusions.

LEGALIZING: Overemphasizing the letter of God’s Word at the expense of its spirit.

Reverse Interpretation

GENERALIZING: Assuming that any specific historical experience reported in Scripture is a valid, general experience for today.

EXPERIENTIALIZING: Reasoning that if any experience has occurred in Scripture, and I have the same experience, then it must be from God, i.e. using experience to validate Scripture instead of vice versa.

Over Systemizing

DOGMATIZING: Starting with a conclusion, which is then used to interpret the evidence, thereby assuring that the desired conclusion will be affirmed, i.e. circular reasoning.

DISPENSATIONALIZING: Overemphasizing the variations in God’s stewardship of redemption throughout history while minimizing God’s never-changing dealings with mankind according to His never-changing character.

EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT!!! JAWN's BLOGOLIO!

2007-02-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

Please go to http://jawn-tze-hin-lim.blogspot.com for Jawn Lim's Portfolio stuff. Do continue to visit this blog for family related stuff. THANK YOU!

From another planet?

2007-01-29T12:53:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick sketch in Corel Painter. I think I am getting more comfortable with the WACOM tablet. I hope the few of you that visit our blog would enjoy this.

Crystal & Shigeki Fujii holding up the roof of the Bradbury building

2007-01-27T01:50:00.000-08:00

Yes... is my strong wife and her co-worker Shigeki Fujii. Do check out his stuff from http://shigekifujii.main.jp/ AMAZING WORK... I think their office does not work them hard enough... that they have time to spend holding up the roof... well... at least they are having fun!!!

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 102 NEW JERSEY NETS 101

2007-01-26T15:55:00.000-08:00

This must have been one of the most exciting games that I have been to at the Staples Center. Sam "I am" Cassell hits Cuttino Mobley for the go-ahead 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds left on the clock for the game winner. Vince Carter had a chance at the buzzer to tip in a perfect pass from out of bounds by Jason Kidd (whom my dear wife noticed had alot of similarities with reigning MVP Steve Nash). However, his tip attempt bounced out. Tough, tough lost for the Nets. Third lost in a row by 1 point. Tough. Vince was amazing as usual. Guess the hometown Clippers finally got into 50% win-loss column. THANK YOU MR. WINSTON E. LIM FOR THE TICKETS!!!!

We Are Singapore!!! We Are Singaporeans!!!

2007-01-20T21:57:00.000-08:00

From Left: Jawn Lim, Nathaniel Ng, Roger Ng and Crystal Lim.

It was a thrill for us to find our tiny countries flag in a $0.98 store in Los Angeles. Oh well... I know I am a little early for this but... Happy National Day Singapore!!!

Crystal's Sleep Over @ Carolyn B's + Purple Skies

2007-01-20T10:56:00.000-08:00

Hello! I did this piece in Corel Painter while Crystal was hanging out with Carolyn B. I hope you guys like it.

Crystal's Basic Drawing Lesson 1

2007-01-09T23:55:00.000-08:00

Actually, this wasn't intended to be posted on our blog but I do not know any other way of posting it so that my online drawing class teacher can review it. So dear friends, if you see this and wonder what is going on, Jawn and I have signed up for a drawing lesson class individually. Mine is to learn drawing by hand, his is a drawing class using the Wacom tablet.
So dear Miss Jacobs, this is for your personal viewing. Please do not disclose this blog site to others. Thank you.

HOT NEW BAND!!! THE CRYSTALITES!

2007-01-09T22:31:00.000-08:00

New on Avex Trax!

OK so ... there is no such band on the face of the earth... but I thought that this photo taken in 2005 of our trip to Japan was pretty cool. Crystal looks a bit like the lead singer of some alternative rock band... hee hee hee... We were in the Yokohama Port Terminal by The Foreign Office Architects. It is known more for the varying sections it has and its topographical, landscapish roof scape. But I must say the ceiling looks pretty cool too!

Photo taken from a poster...

In Memory of Madam Takako Shirato

2007-01-06T17:06:00.000-08:00

Front Row: Abigail Lim, Aunty Chiou Yunn Lim, Gabriel Lim, Pastor Yoh Shirato, Takako Shirato, Michelle Demoret, Rachel Lim.

Back Row: Deacon Gee Han Lim, Jawn Lim, Crystal Lim, Mrs Chin Shung Lim, Elaine, Victor Yang, Ro Wei Mo.

This picture was taken at our second wedding in Singapore. Our sister-in-Christ, Takako Shirato had a bad fall on New Year's Eve and had been comatose for a few days before going back to be with the Lord on Thursday 4th Jan 2007. Our prayers and condolences are with Pastor Yoh Shirato at this time. Pastor Yoh had just graduated from Bob Jones University (PhD) recently and has decided to serve in Singapore as a missionary.

C + J.Lim = ?

2007-01-06T09:17:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite pictures from the Wedding... Thought I share this! Makes me looks slim... TIP of the Day for larger husbands: Hide a little behind your wife when taking pictures! It would make you look SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much slimmer! HA HA HA

Dim Sum during Winter...mmmmm

2007-01-05T10:29:00.000-08:00

Front Row: Crystal, Jawn, Laura, Christian, Shigeki

Back Row: Hann

We had a good Dim Sum breakfast at Alhambra last month with our friends. Christian has been most inspiring as always. My friend Szue Hann Tan, who is an exchange student at UCLA from the National University of Singapore, took this picture. He really enjoyed the meal and conversation. Shigeki Fujii (he is the guy on the who works at Crystal's architectural lighting design company) was so excited about concept art work (when he went home to saw some of it online), that he bought a WACOM tablet and pen!

Gnomon December 2006

2006-12-31T00:37:00.000-08:00

Here is my entry for the Gnomon Workshop December 2006 image competition. Took me quite a while to understand lighting, composition, texture, shadows, etc. Got to thank Nicolas for the help he rendered to me on Friday. I told him that I wanted to hit the computer with my head and he very calmly reminded me that I need my head... Ha ha ha... well it's been quite a journey of self-discovery through painting in Adobe Photoshop.

Gnomon November Image

2006-11-30T23:18:00.000-08:00

This is taken from an older entry and slightly doctored for the Gnomon 3D November image competition. Let's see what happens!

Me @ Gehry's

2006-11-15T15:26:00.000-08:00

I know machiam like very ego but I thot I let those of u who have not seen me in my office have a look mah. Nothing really impressive but pleasent work environment lah.

Unplanned Thai Lunch + Christmas Concert

2006-11-14T19:05:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

We have been procrastinating to blog more often. Sorry. We shall do a better job of it now that the wedding madness is over and my work deadline has sort of taken a pause. Crystal is currently working really hard at the office. I am waiting for her in my office posting this blog.

Well, here is a picture of Crystal and I with Angela and Steve at KRUA THAI restaurant on Sherman Way and Ethel in the San Fernando Valley close to Grace Community Church. We met Angela and Steve at the Foundry at Grace Church. I still remember playing basketball with him in the church gym the first day I met him. Angela has been a great help to us during our wedding preparations. It was nice to have lunch with them without planning it.

Talking about our church, the Christmas concert is coming up. http://www.gracechurch.org/home/calendar.asp?ministry_id=1&date=12%2F15%2F2006
We are so looking forward to it.

Also, we found out that my office would be closed for the week of Christmas to New Year's day. Some suspect that the holiday was given because the bonus this year would be tiny. Well, I am just glad to have to time off. I rather rest than make more money. Having worked a few weeks of 16 hours a day can take alot out of me. Rest allows me to refocus and spend time with my lovely wife, Crystal and dog, Poogi!

Yesterday was out 429th (day) anniversary. Yup... I am still counting!
Dating is over-rated. Marriage is under-appreciated.

2 Weddings 1 Marriage (+ 1 dog)

2006-10-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

We are finally back in Los Angeles and posting again. It has been a very hectic 5 weeks of travelling back to Asia. We would be posting some wedding pictures from the banquet soon I hope. My computer at home just crashed. Will be looking into getting a laptop. HP hopefully. Once the next paycheck comes in 3 weeks time.

There has been many lessons that I have learned this year. Lessons about humility and service to the Lord. Sometimes I wonder if getting shouted at is a form of character moulding... then I realized that keeping quiet when I have to choice (and power) to shout back is actually the most God-honoring thing to do. Work has been hard with everyone stressed out and losing control over themselves. The pain of being verbally abused echoed in my being even though I was suppose to be preparing for our wedding. A tree is only as strong as the storms it has braved.

I am blessed to have such a supportive and sharp wife in Crystal. I feel so special just thinking about how she has been taking care of me. Wow! We have been together for 6 ++ years! Married for 13 months and counting... We have a new member of the family... no not a kid... a dog... POOGI! yes... you need to read his name with the exclamation mark... pronounced poooo-geeeee !!! He is so mixed I have no idea what the original breed was... does it matter in L.A.? When there are so many cross cultural marriages... (and the off-springs being so gorgeous most of the time?)

Stay tuned for more updates!

Some Urban Void Usage Images...

2006-08-08T22:28:00.000-07:00

One month till we get to go back to Singapore. I am currently trying my hardest best with the help of my lovely wife to write an essay entitled "Distilling Urban Void Interventions".

Here are some pictures that my fantastic father-in-law took... yes... In-laws can get along... and enjoy every moment of it. He has a great sense of humor and enjoys making fun of people. I like that alot... even when I am the butt of the joke... hee hee hee...

Well... enjoy these situational responses to urban void photos... One is the clever use of an alley way for a make shift barber shop... which has been around for decades... and the other is a magazine store which when closed takes up less than a foot of space but when deployed, embodies the 5 foot way. AMAZINGLY SPATIAL! ViVA la Singapura!

Marriage takes three

2006-06-28T23:27:00.000-07:00

I once thought marriage took
Just two to make a go,
But now I am convinced
It takes the Lord also.

And not one marriage fails
Where Christ is asked to enter,
As lovers come together
With Jesus at the center.

But marriage seldom thrives
And homes are incomplete,
'Til He is welcomed there
To help avoid defeat.

In homes where God is first
It's obvious to see,
Those unions really work
For marriage still takes three.

-----

Sandy Alderman's Dad read this during Mr. and Mrs. Allan Luciano's wedding at Grace Community Church last Saturday. Needless to say... Allan and Sandy would of course remember this day... and I hope and pray that they would remember this poem too. So... just in case you guys are reading this, keep this wedding day poem close to your hearts OK?

Congratulations Allan+ Sandy Luciano!

Jawn+Crystal Lim

Mandarin Bible Study Group

2006-06-16T00:27:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

For those of you who have no idea where we spend our Sunday afternoons, it is with this bunch of avid students of the Word... in Mandarin!

Actually... I failed my Mandarin AO Levels exams TWICE before passing it the third time which allowed me entrance into University in Singapore. And to think that I am now learning Mandarin willingly is definitely from the guiding hand of God.

These folks are an encouragement to me. They are mostly from UCLA and came to MBS even though they had a paper the next day. That is dedication and discipline! WOW! Amazing!

Our marriage counsellors (Roger and Margaret Ng) are also in the picture! No... we were not having problems with our marriage. We had counsellors PRIOR to getting married (and now have them as post-marital guidance). We avoided alot of potential problem areas with their advice from God's word as well as their own personal experiences in the light of Singaporean ideological baggage.

OK! Time to end off by introducing the people in the photo.

Front Row from left, Nathan Ng, Grace Yang, Shirley Hsieh, CRYSTAL KAILIN CHEN-LIM (my beloved wife...), Priscilla Chang, Margaret Ng.

Back Row, from right (just to keep you guys alert), John Zheng, Beland Issac Huang, Jeff Hsu, Nathaniel Ng, myself... (in case you have no idea who am I, check the profile log... why r u even reading this blog if you do not know me??? Well... feel free to get to know us then! POST SOME COMMENTS! THANKS!), Nigel Ng, Roger Ng, Addison Luh, Robert Liu, Andrew Wai.

...

Concept Artists R Us

2006-06-05T22:55:00.000-07:00

I know that it has been a LONG while since we posted something. I just want to introduce you guys to some of my friends in the concept design world. Please feel free to click on the links below to check out some of the stuff they have been doing.

Crystal, Jawn, Marquis de Salade, Christian and Laura, 7th Jan 2006.

This was taken at the end of the ENTROPIA exhibition at the Gallery Nucleus, in Alhambra, CA. Laura is currently finishing up her PhD in studies on inter-racial marriages in the USA. Marquis de Salade is the dude with the green hairstyle on the chair.

You can check out a previous blog I had about him on the Entropia show and how he introduced me to this world of concept design. I will remember his encouragement to pursue what I really want to do and not be afraid to do so. That was just before I left my previous company and moved to Frank Gehry's office. His phone call from London surprised and comforted me in the storm of life we call career crisis. Thank you Christian!

Once again, you can check out his work at www.christianlorenzscheurer.com

Next, we have SPARTH (Nicolas Bouvier) and myself, 18th Feb 2006, at the Visual Amalgam Show at the Infusion Gallery in downtown Los Angeles. It was very encouraging to hear that he grew up in Singapore for much of his teenage years. His memories of shopping on Orchard Road and buying his first handheld computer game (I think it was a tetris game). His dad was posted there for work so he and his siblings enjoyed roaming around the very safe streets of Singapore. He is now living and working in Dallas, Texas with his wife, Lorene have 2 kids Arthur 6 yrs old, and Leopold 3 yrs old. I was so excited to talk to him about Singapore and about putting his family as a priority in his life. Great encouragement!

Do check out his work as well on www.sparth.com

Last but not least, here is Neville Page and the Lim Family at the signing of the Concept Design 2 book at the Hennessy and Ingallis book store in Santa Monica on the 3rd Jun 2006.

The poster we are holding was given out free to those who bought the book on that day. It is a picture by Nick Pugh (not in picture). Crystal and Neville were trying to point to Nev's signature but ended up aiming at Harald Belker's instead.

We had a good time chatting about why he is in the industry and how he just did his own thing and then got jobs on different films because his friends recommended his portfolio to the directors and/or producers of those films. It seems that their stint is usually a very intense 3 to 4 months and then they move on to the next job. Neville has been on what seems to be the longest job of 13 months with James Cameron.

Neville came from England and has been living in Los Angeles for many years. He works in Culver City for the www.designstudiopress.com and is in the same compound as Eric Owen Moss's office.

You can also check up on Nev's work at www.drawthrough.com

Congratulations to the Hunters

2006-05-06T00:57:00.000-07:00

ODE to Arquitectonica L.A.

2006-03-23T16:25:00.000-08:00

Dear Arquitectonica L.A.
This would indeed be my last day.
Thank you all for memories fond,
Of daily lessons, ups and downs.

Offense to some if I had made,
Apologies for the things I said.
No malice in my heart was there.
To everyone here, please take care.

Instructions and advice I gained,
to overcome some tasks and pains.
Appreciation to those who led,
in projects embedded in my head.

Examples by action some of you are.
In your careers have come so far.
Thank you for teaching so willingly,
Alas, the best is yet to be.

Chinese New Year & Valentine's Day

2006-02-18T13:49:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since we last posted a blog. Our friends have been asking us to start blogging again. So here I am, in SCI_ARC computer lab, typing my saturday afternoon away in a school that I have visited more often than I wanted to, while Jawn is at an animation workshop in Hollywood. (ref: http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/weekend_workshop2.html) Why do people read and write blogs? Is it for people who have nothing else to do, or for people who have the most number of things to do but don't want to do any of them? Hmmm... (I noticed that my wife is getting philosophical here... hmmmm...)

Anyway, an update on ourselves. Chinese New Year has came and passed. So has Valentine's Day. The mood of CNY in LA is the equivalent to Thanksgiving in S'pore, uncelebrated (because there is no public holiday) and uneventful. A couple of streets was blocked out for holding carnival that was nothing compared to S'pore's Chinatown and Marina Bay. However, we still went, hoping to taste a bit of festivity out of this seemingly repressed celebration. I think the highlight of the 15-day CNY festival was the second last day. We went to a 10-course dinner organized by the Club Singapura LA, each person had to pay US$50. The food was delicious but we were totally under-dressed for the occassion. We were the only ones in jeans. The women came in 'sparkling' cheong-sam or evening gowns. The men came in suits, a few of them went to the extreme of wearing the traditional Chinese men costume with the pigtail cap. (I had to call it costume because people don't wear that on the streets anymore). But it was quite interesting, I had not been to a 10-course chinese dinner for a long time, I think the next one we are going to will be ours - the Chinese wedding banquet back home in Sept and Oct this year.

Valentine's Day. I wanted to start with finding out its origin. Do we need to know why we are celebrating something to celebrate it? Who is Valentine? I know the internet is an unreliable source, but it's the only source I had at this point. (poor wife trapped in SCI-Arc while I was being blown away by some of the coolest contemporary artists in the animation industry) I found out that he was the Catholic Bishop Valentine who secretly married couples during the heyday of Roman Empire when Emperor Claudius outlawed all marriages for fear that men wouldn't go to war. People set this day aside to honor Valentine, who was beheaded by Claudius in the end.

It is interesting to see how it has evolved to a non-official holiday that becomes so commercialised and sometimes crazy because of what people do during this day. I heard from a colleague that the statistics of women sending flowers to themselvs so that they appear to have admirers have gone up this year. Men are comparing with one another how many gifts or gimmicks they have come up with to please their female partners. I had to take my hat off to one of my colleague's gimmick. He bought a bunch of nice stuff for his gf but in addition to those, he also bought a $1 Nascar racer's biography book for her and deliberately keeping the $1 tag on the cover. (By the way, she hates Nascars). The idea was really funny and he got the exact response that he wanted from her when she opened the wrapper. (One of shock and confusion that was a blend of "I want to kill you" + "I think it is quite funny" + "but I cannot laugh because you would be too happy"... kind of emotions... maybe I should pull a similar shocking trick on my wife... hee hee... great move Mr. Nick Albert!!)

As for Jawn and myself, we both secretly bought gifts and cards for each other. (and I want to highlight that she and I got presents that were approximately the same size as well. We should be adding the images of the cards to this blog in the near future). It was more difficult for me to get a gift for him because I don't drive and it is almost impossible to get anywhere (at least to where you want to go to) without a car. Haha...the good thing was I got one of our friends to buy it, which was very much to his surprise. Jawn initially thought that I bought something from the market just across the street from my office since I can't drive. So then we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner at night and it was freezing cold that day but we had to sit outside because it would take an hour or more to get a table indoor. Fortunately, our waitress was very sweet and she even sang an Italian love song for us in her soprano voice. She even said that we were her favorite couple that she had served that night. Hi-five glupper! (hi-5!!!)

verti-CITY

2006-01-15T23:35:00.000-08:00

Singapore as dreamt of by 2 Los Angeles based Singaporean Architects.

Sern Hong and I just completed the Skyscraper Competition. Here is the verbage and images of the boards that we did. Have fun (or be bored to tears...) I definitely found a friend that I could work with. Which is not always the easiest of tasks when architecture is filled with many self-confident and oft prideful people (me included). This is technically the first USA based competition I worked on. Enjoy!

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Verti-CITY

Evolution involves the transformation of the DNA system. In architectural evolution, there must be a change in the nuclei-structure of how we perceive and design skyscrapers. We must consider the conceptual and infrastructural limitations we have placed on high-rise buildings.

The persistent heritage that plagues the skyscraper typology is that no matter what form or variation in skin it takes, the skyscraper is known only to be an independently erected mass. Whether there are bridges that link these monolithic blocks or blobs, they serve only as umbilical cores that can be easily severed without affecting the skyscraper. The autonomy of each skyscraper results in the lack of interdependency of both physical structure and spatial infrastructure.

The term “skyscraper” itself seems to be a struggle to grasp for more square-footage in the sky. It is of course the result of pragmatic decisions informed by the lack of land where much economic activity desires to dwell. Embedded in these “towers of Babel” is man’s pride. Thus the hectic race to build the world's tallest buildings would always feed this lust.

We are proposing a system where the reclamation of land is done so by growing architecture skyward, where several buildings would “lean” on each other to spawn further evolution. Land reclamation by adding of soil to increase the geographic border of a country is not the only way to gain square-footage.

The vertical planning of a city unlike just a planar organization would enable sectional city planning to emerge. This approach to tomographic skyscapes is a challenge to the traditional topographic landscapes to which the “skyscraper” is designed and built.

The verti-CITY would allow for Atmospheric Zoning so that the city could have stratospheric centers instead of just on the ground level. We often hear about landscape design but in this verti-CITY proposal, we can have skyscape designs. We can now consider AIR-Ratio (which is free) instead of just plot ratio.

The verti-CITY grows from the existing infrastructure of the roads and empty plots of land. Instead of just have an anonymous building, the verti-CITY encourages the skyscrapers to latch on to each other as well as the city’s arteries. A monolithic tower can only grow to a certain height because of its small foot print. In the verti-CITY, the buildings no longer have that restriction. The verti-CITY reaches new heights and spatial possibilities by growing simultaneously and interdependently.

Because of the new heights made possible by the verti-CITY system, the natural elements of sunlight and wind energy at the cloud levels can be harnessed to feed the verti-CITY. The sustainability of the architecture is creates a self-supporting environment.

Transportation also evolves with the skyscape system. Design for transportation pods that can move in various angles would be encouraged. The elevators of our day were designed so as to achieve vertical transportation. These pods would thus be manifested because of the new DNA evolution of skyscrapers.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2006-01-01T00:24:00.000-08:00

I am writing this blog at 12:25 am Jan 01 2006 while my hubby and a sporean friend Mr SHY are brainstorming design ideas for an architectural competition. There's no place where we could really think of going to celebrate the new year. Hollywood would be too crowded and crazy...downtown is filled with homeless at this hour, hmmm...nevermind.
The most frequent topic mentioned during this time of the year is "new year's resolutions". I used to do that in the past, but I stopped doing that for a couple of years. The reason being I seldom fulfilled my new year's resolutions so I decided not to make any.
2005 flew by just like that! It's amazing what changes happened in our lives from 2004 to 2005. From making long-distance calls daily to getting married; from never being behind the wheel to (still) learning how to drive for me; from being students to being working adults; from receiving pocket money to earning salaries; from not doing any household chores to becoming satisfied with having done a good housecleaning job....the list can go on forever, but I shan't bore our readers. It has been the most exciting year for me, with so many transitions.
I almost freaked out a few days ago when I mistakenly thought that one of my friends in S'pore got married without notifying me. Then I realised their online journals had the incorrect status written. I have the strong feeling that by the time we really move back to S'pore, most of our friends will either be married or engaged. I often confided in my co-worker how I miss being involved in the lives of my friends. I could only keep myself updated with emails or blogs that they wrote. However, friends, do not get me wrong. Married life has been wonderful. We see ways in which we can join efforts as a married couple to minister to others like never before. God has placed us in LA for His purpose.
(Peering over to my right), ok they are still drawing. I guess I am not as energetic as these guys are. I shall pen off here and hit the sack.
It's so cliche to say this every 1st Jan, but HAPPY NEW YEAR!

"Move ahead into a new year knowing that God is before you preparing the way in love, and will not keep any good thing from you." -- Roy Lessin

Meeting Conceptual Artist Christian Lorenz Scheurer

2005-12-17T23:41:00.000-08:00

Queen Pingo, the Young

Crystal and I attended an art gallery exhibition in Alhambra that featured conceptual artist Christian Lorenz Scheurer (www.christianlorenzscheurer.com) who is world renowned for working on many big productions, like The Matrix, Animatrix, Titanic, The Day after Tomorrow and one of my all time favorite, Final Fantasy just to name a few . We enjoyed The Entropia, A Collection of Unusually Rare Stamps show and purchased the booklet. (www.radioentropia.com) Christian gladly autographed the booklet with an amazing 1 minute sketch. He was very patient in chatting with us and advising us how we should pursue our interests and do what we really want. Here I was, talking to THE MAN behind the conceptual designs of some of the most architecturally exciting spaces on screen and I had previously not even knew who he was. He carefully chidded us into publishing a webpage so that others can see our work. I have become so inspired and attracted to his drawings. Do check out the links above. ENJOY! (I have not started my webpage yet but yah... we would start soon).

Our first Ice Hockey together as the Lims (LA 2 Carolina 3)

2005-12-08T22:56:00.000-08:00

This was the first ever National Hockey League game that Crystal and I attended. We got free tickets from Omega Stucco Company's Dave who gave us a lunch presentation at Arquitectonica the day before. Taesik and Suzanne gave up their tickets for Crystal and I during lunch. (THANKS GUYS!). We got the VIP booth so there was a free flow of Wienerschnitzel Hotdogs and deserts... which (in VIP fashion) came in a cart just outside the VIP room. Some smartie asked the host why did the cart park outside and not in the room. Anyway, the point of sharing this is that Crystal picked out these absolutely cute (and almost feminine) cookie KINGS. They do look like they were wearing skirts... don't you think so? Well, more feminine comments ensured as the lackluster play of the home team brought about chants of "Los Angeles Queens" from our fellow VIP room-mates.

My 2 Arquitectonica co-workers, Joyce Ip and Erik Hagen were there as well. They were of course much better behaved than I was. I think that these 2 colleagues probably never saw me so hyped up and screaming mindlessly every time the Kings smashed a Hurricane into the walls. My wife believes that she is getting deaf already no thanks to the volume of my "whispers" as I cheered for the Kings.

Players flying into the acrylic panels really seemed more exciting than the goal-less-ness of the first period... OK ... I take that back... the Hurricanes stormed out with a 3-0 lead after the first 2 periods... (I was referring to the Kings' drought). Then the Junior Kings came out to play at the first intermission and actually scored a goal in 2 minutes of play! I guess the adults took notice and jumped out in the 3rd period to score twice. Alas, my hopes for a come-back win from the Kings seemed too ambitious.

I did not notice that I have began to subconsciously consider L.A. as my home team. It was almost sublimal how attending the L.A. Kings Hockey game and previously a L.A. Dodgers game, made me think that I WANT my home team to win... it is so subtle but... am I actually calling Los Angeles my home??? hmmmm....

Relationships spelt out in building phases?

2005-12-05T20:59:00.000-08:00

My co-worker made an interesting analogy today while driving me after work to Jawn's office. Thankfully I didn't have to take the subway today...phew! And yes, going to Jawn's office after my work also meant that he has to do OT today. I also realised that the number of times I post on the blog by myself were the number of times Jawn did OT. Oh I must also make another comment: this is the first time I saw an electronically operated seat belt in my whole life, cool! (basically with the touch of a button on the driver's side you are clicked on). It's probably not a big deal but considering the fact I have only started commuting in a car (taxis not included) on a regular basis at the age of 23, this is something revolutionary to me even though it's not a new technology.

Anyway(s), the analogy my co-worker made was that he analysed relationships in terms of building phases...not that i totally agree with it, but it's funny how he rationalised relationships to that extent. I think it's the occupational hazard. He said he's in 90% SD with his gf, (ok before I go further, let me explain the abbreviations used daily in the architectural field).
SD - schematic design (the first phase of design),
DD - design development (when some details are drawn),
CD - construction documentation (the package prepared for construction),
CA - construction admin (construction has begun and we deal with on-site issues).
So in his terms, DD is when you are officially dating each other, CD is when you are engaged and preparing to get married, CA is when you are already married.
According to him, one of our other co-workers is in 110% DD (i.e. should have been engaged long ago but not yet), while jawn and myself are in CA. I told him in a marriage we'll never be done with CA though. There are always areas for fine-tuning and things to work out.
Hmmm...

My Best Friend's (Akan Datang) Wedding

2005-12-04T23:23:00.000-08:00

Hsia Pin and myself 10th Jan 2002

This is my best buddy from the School of Architecture in the National University of Singapore. He is about to be married to Eunice on the 10th Dec 2005 (which incidentally happens to be exactly 3 months after Crystal and I got married). An interesting point to note is that Hsia Pin and I were the orientation leaders for the freshman orientation group named Sottsass in July of 2000 where I met Crystal. Unromantically, Crystal and I did not fall in love at first sight. But of course... you guys know the rest of the story... :) . Hsia Pin is one of the privileged few who saw my emotions develop exponentially for Crystal. I have also followed Hsia Pin and Eunice's relationship like an eager fan chasing the latest tabloids. I am so glad that my buddy is marrying the woman of his dreams pretty soon! Congratulations (soon to be) Mr. & Mrs. Hsu!

(My wife censored alot of the other things I wanted to say... she thinks I am getting too mushy for her liking... oh well... guess this is what family blog is about... mutual edification. I love Crystal... I know you are reading this... OK OK stop hitting me on the head! OUCH!)

* Akan Datang is Malay for coming soon... often used for coming attractions or before movie trailers.

KOI FISH

2005-12-03T11:28:00.000-08:00

Jawn's KOI FISH 2004

I have always liked Fish... One fine day in Dec 2004 I decided to have my own Koi Fish tank. Today, only 5 of these 13 Koi are still alive. However, they have grown astronomically (ok.. just twice their orginal size). I thought that perhaps today would be good day to remember the late annoynomous pet Kois that are featured here. I know that for pet's they are not the most ...well... pet-able... still there is a serene comfort that I get watching them endlessly for hours on end. Any fish lovers out there?

Wedding Photo Links

2005-11-26T07:58:00.000-08:00

Photo taken by James Lo & Keri Kaba, 2005

Our wedding photos can be found on www.jandkphoto.com [taken by our wedding day photographers, James Lo ( http://www.joeblowdesign.com ) & Keri Kaba ( http://www.kabahead.com/photoindex.html ) ] and www.soohoocity.com/jawn (taken by my co-worker, Leticia Soohoo, check out www.soohoocity.com as well)

It has been 60 days since we were married... and it is FANTASTIC! The commitment is for a life-time. Not till our fancies do us apart. Dating is over-rated.

P.S: Jawn chanced upon this link below after we got married so he didn't use any of the tactics to propose. (Aiyah....) However, we thought these short stories of different proposal methods very sweet and innovative, so we decided to post it http://lifestyle.msn.com/Relationships/CouplesandMarriage/Articletkt.aspx?cp-documentid=112629&GT1=7386

Enjoy!

Day after Thanksgiving @ Casa Lim

2005-11-25T10:11:00.000-08:00

We had our wedding party (well... most of them) over at our house for dinner... which we spend 7 hours cooking 8 dishes. We were slow but hey... it was worth it...

We invited (from the left upper row), Marti Page (yes... we just met her last night at her mum's house for thanksgiving), Carolyn Barnett (from the left lower row), Rajeev Chitamoor, Mark Vischer and Angela Sur (whom I must say was the most prolific crab attacker last night).

We had previously promised Raj that we would have him over for some authentic Singaporean Chilli Crab so... we decided to put to action our vow. We had the crabs live and violently active in a bucket which we had to wrestle prudently out of the plastic bags they were grabing onto. We bought them at 3pm so that it would be fresh. To see them bath in an "onsen" of herbs and chicken broth was ... well... OK... so we did have some sadistic fun in going at them. We cooked 4 crabs. 2 in the Singaporean Chilli Crab style and 2 in the black pepper style. (Thanks to Mummy Lim's Belacan chilli that she smuggled into the USA).

This night marked the FIRST time Ms. Page and Ms. Barnett had crab!!! WELL DONE LADIES... Marti even managed to crack open a whole claw with the meat intact.

Raj and Angela were the experts. Even Raj choked a little on the chilli. This is a big deal because Raj is Indian and I know that Indians have a super high tolerance for spicy food. Angela on the other hand was quietly but systematically finishing off the crab. She explained candidly that if there was crab at the family's dinner table, NOBODY would be talking as they would all be rushing to finish as many pieces as possible.

Crystal passionately prepared the Hainanese Chicken Rice as well. We got that done about 230pm. Danny Yim and Darci Wong came by at about 430pm for their late lunch. Danny was busy preparing for his sudden geographic relocation to Taiwan and had to leave before dinner. Sorry buddy... u missed out on the Chilli and Pepper crabs!

So... it was a tiring but rewarding day. The fellowship was sweet and the food... well... let's see what our guest had to say about that (if they comment on this blog).

THANKSGIVING, NAME GAMES & DRIVING TO SANTA CLARITA

2005-11-24T22:08:00.000-08:00

This is our first thanksgiving together as husband and wife! We spent the evening at Santa Clarita at the home of Marti Page and family. Marti has been a bosom buddy and was one of our bridesmaids at the wedding. She sang the special number entitled "Our Wedding Day"... come to think about it, she has yet to return the song book or the CDs... oh well... we would be seeing her every Sunday at Church so it would not be a problem.

We came in late because we underestimated our 44.5 mile journey to their house. It took us 1 hour in low traffic condition. It was dark by 5pm and we had trouble looking for some of the signs that were blocked by trees and surrounded with a darkness that puts those lighting designers in charge of the streets to shame... OK... my wife thinks that the city had to do with it and not caring lighting designers like herself.

We had a good time eating and playing this name game... we had to write our names and pass it to one person in the group to read. Upon the second time he or she reads it, we would have to start asking questions to a specific person like "Are you Tom Hanks?" To which the mischievous answer was "No... I am not ... but I would like to be!"

So Crystal was Bruce Willis, Michael Jordan, Jim Elliot, Mao Ze Dong & Meg Ryan all in one night. I had the privilege of being momentarily Audrey Hepburn, Clayton Erb, Geoffery Reggio, Tom Wofle and Marti Page (yes... the bridesmaid).

Rusty Page (Marti's Bro.) tried to be clever by writing his name as Jiang Ze Min, so as to deceive others that Crystal or myself would "contextually" use as Chinese celebrity. However, his name was pronounced as Jan Simeon. We thought that it was some retired football star or some unknown hollywood star. We had such a blast when we found out who he was masquerading as.

Well... we are happy to experience a supposedly typical American Thanksgiving evening. We think that how each family spends their time on this holiday is of course unique.

And yes... we had turkey...

los angeles - the city of angels?

2005-11-21T21:36:00.000-08:00

After living almost a year in Los Angeles, I have a whole new perspective of staying alive. Los Angeles actually means "the city of angels" in spanish. Whoever came up with that name must be very disappointed with the state it lands itself into today.

I plucked up courage to take the subway in downtown on a Sunday evening. Boy, I thought I was in the land of the undead as I walked through the grimy stinky streets of downtown. I didn't choose to take this route, but I had to bring dinner to my hungry hubby and his colleagues 4 streets away from my office. I had to walk one block to get to the subway. Downtown at night on weekends is scary, scattered with the homeless. Penniless, starved and some even psychotic, it is dangerous to even look at them. According to the locals, they approach people who look lost or directionless. So I could only walk briskly and focused.

When I reached the subway, I didn't feel safe still. There were only a few souls around the ticketing booths, which is a level above the platform. At that moment, I suddenly thought of the movie "Crash". There was a statement that left an impact on me, something to the effect of "it's only when people crash into one another do we realise the existence of ourselves". It is true. Growing up in a densely populated city of Singapore, with 4 million people in a 24 miles by 11 miles island, I realise that as much as I hate the rush hours on the train, jostling with people at close proximity on the bus, hundreds of pedestrians at the orchard rd crossing, I actually miss the crowds. I miss observing people falling asleep onto their neighbour's shoulders, the busy street of Bugis Junction, queuing up for a $3 meal at hawker center. Your existence is highly defined by the level of interaction with others. The word collision has a different meaning to me nowadays. Of course, colliding into someone else's car is still not a pleasant thing, as my husband and I have experienced recently. LA has too many cars, that's why the air is so polluted. But that is also why the sunset here is so pretty. The dust in the air actually paints the sky a purple tinge.

The whole LA is a stage set. That's what my hubby said, which I think is true. Downtown especially, because of its grimy and stained condition, makes a good textured backdrop for filming. I just witnessed a stage set right where my hubby worked yesterday. One of the street was completely filled with waste paper on the road. Ashes all over, and interestingly, the homeless(I don't think they are actors) standing around looked like they were part of the show. Hollywood, it made LA look so glamorous on-screen. Media is a big fat liar.

What is a blogger?

2005-11-08T23:02:00.000-08:00

That was the first question I asked myself when I created my blog. I found an answer from dictionary.com. I love that website, except for the distracting ads that come with it. It was my buddy that faithfully accompanied me through my dissertation year.
Definition of "blogger": a person who keeps a Web log (blog) or publish an online diary.
It sounds like an oxymoron to me, 'online' and 'diary'....hmmm isn't a diary supposed to be private. So how can it be published? okies enough of terminology dilemma

So something about "us" to start off with..."Us" refer to my husband and myself.
We both came from the little island that many in US have mistaken as part of China called Singapore. The most frequent comment we have from people who first met us in the States is "Oh...you speak English pretty well..., so you speak English back home?" We have gotten used to it...My husband's silent response was : we should reply by saying "So do you". Haiz, after a while we realised that as big as US may seem to be, the Americans actually are not informed of the world outside their country. I think the education system and the media are the major factors. (suddenly I feel like I am about to embark on a GP essay)...Ok, anyway, the truth of the matter is: there isn't much broadcast on TV or radio about world news outside the States. Or maybe I haven't watched enough TV to make an accurate comment. However, every news we have watched on tv so far is about USA. Whether it be politics or domestic violence, it's always revolves around their own country. Maybe it's because the country is so huge, news about home alone can cover a full hour of broadcast. Oh well, not that it bothers me terribly, cos we seldom watch tv anyway.

Ok, I think i trail off too much, the last para has nothing to do with the title....