Archive for the whatever Category

this is NOT an architectural post

Posted in architecture, internet, tamospaya, whatever on October 15, 2009 by TOI

CHAOS / OUT OF CONTROL. are we ready to deal with tools that produce uncontrolled results? do I know the consequences of writing something in a blog? Do I care?  Should I? Should I do less thing but keep a closer look at them? Should I let things to grow wild? Do I know what the consequences are?

SURPRISE OR NOT? And there you go, I found some days ago that my blog, this one, tamopaya, the one you’re reading right now was on the links page of the EastCoastArchitectureReview blog. Like, WTF and then WOW and finally COOL & Thanks.

INTERNET. That’s why I love Internet, suddenly you’re open to the world, and everything becomes out of control, and my blog has a life without me, it’s autonomous. Everything I write can be reproduced anywhere, and one day you see that a very friendly person is refering to your page.

REALITY CHECK. Sadly I haven’t been writing a lot about architecture lately as I haven’t been doing mainly doing architectural stuff over the last year and the few things I’ve done I cannot published them yet as I am hoping to get lots of money for them, so all my ideas are confidential at the moment.

PROJECT ABSTRACT. The blog was thought to reflect architectural issues, thoughts, events, ideas, stupid realities, everyday stuff and everything you can imagine. It was thought to be the home for a diary of the office, an inside view to the way we work, we chat, we think, we party and we travel, but the setup is taking so much long than expected.

STAND BY.  unbelievable useful engineering concept. we are there, we are ready, we are shut down, for now.

VARIABLES. time, location, funding, opportunity, contacts, chances, competitions, contracts, intentions, friends, infinite

Next Stop. Sydney Australia.

a nice trip around

Posted in personal, travels, whatever on September 19, 2009 by TOI

I am back from a long road trip across Spain and Portugal, I actually came back on thursday, but it has taken me some time to recover, plus I had a nice PS going 90 km away to see one of my idols. It’s been a 2 week trip and much longer since I last wrote in the blog. No excuses, not worth, not true. I’ve made a competition I knew I was going to loose, but it was fun doing it, I injured my shoulder, I’ve had research meetings, and I’ve had one of the best trips ever going around the country with some friends. It looks like a busy agenda, but somehow it feels like an empty and void period for me. Maybe because what I am doing and what my mind would like to be doing are different things, not sure yet.  The trip has made me a long lasting impression, one of those things I am sure I’ll remember forever, it was intense, fun, busy, full of anecdotes and challenges, I had some of the best and deeper conversations in very long time,  I’ve faced the mirror, and tested my cultural and professional knowledge, I talked to people from other backgrounds to see how different we are, I’ve been drained out in so many ways, and I have to say I really liked.

small break, readings and snacks.

It’s been 6 months since I came to spain, and they have gone extremely fast. I can say that I have done many things in this time, most of them unique, fun, exceptional, things that I was not able to do before, all those things I always wanted to do but had no time for, It’s like extended holidays, after 4 years of overworking, but somehow I cannot help but feel a bit guilty inside, like if I should be doing something other, like if I don’t deserve this, though I do. I am lazy, that’s a reality, and maybe I feel guilty about that, not about my time off. I always feel I should be doing more, and doing it better. Demanding and tiring.  I’ve thought about stopping all this, about giving up and having an easy life, why not, just kick back and enjoy, 9 to 5 job and make the most of it, but somehow i feel that would not be fair and that I would not be happy, but who knows. By now, I’ll just enjoy my time off, at least 3 more months and an exciting trip ahead.

I’ll try to post more, some funny things ongoing.

europan, submission, meetings, zaragoza, alicante

Posted in architecture, tamospaya, travels, whatever on July 11, 2009 by TOI

Last three weeks have been a bit busy, from a competition deadline to some meetings with city officials and a day visit to zaragoza.  Not much to talk about, but some images to sum it up.

Submission was fun as always, there is something happening on those nights that it’s tough to explain and probably people won’t get it unless you’ve been through it.  it’s that 5.oo am moment in which you just have to finish things up and there is this text missing or an explanation, and you need a drink to keep awake, and suddently someone comes with a brilliant solution, or something that at least at that time looks brilliant.

Gerardo working on his leopard chair, that’s classy, eh, hahaha

ger working

Laura on the phone, what was it about, oh yeah, ….”hey A. could you tell me how to open AutoCad? I have forgotten, sorry to wake you up for this. “

laura on the phone

My workspace window at madrid school of Architecture. They have the fence so students don’t jump in desperation.

window view ETSAM

My workspace at the place I usually crash in Madrid. it’s all about comfort.

workspace at grandma's

After submission the meetings came, and so I went to Zaragoza for a day, firstly a traditional walk through downtown Zaragoza, where you cannot escape from the looming cathedral. Walking around town you can find anything you want, like a guy talking about his life with a green background for television, or a nice commercial passage, or a Wi-Fi square in front of the cathedral.

zaragoza main's

This was the street where I had to go for the meeting, lucky I found it, someone is asking for a parking spot?

meeting street

Well you know, I come from Canada, and I am burning in hell right now, you can see my redskin, apart from that, yeah, I like it whynot.

telling stories

the trip came to and end, a night ride to Alicante back,  speeding in the desert.

night on the road

blowing in the wind

Posted in travels, urban on the move, whatever on April 11, 2009 by TOI

a ride through the lands and roads of castilla,
bitw_01

…the answer and the entertaiment in blowing in the wind my friend, we are riding through the wind
bitw_02

countless, sameless, useless?? futureless? beautifulness????
bitw_031

blue diamond sky in a spring afternoon, they roll as if they’re gonna be the forever.
timeless
bitw_04

Perversion

Posted in personal, tamospaya, whatever on April 8, 2009 by TOI

Todo ha perdido su significado, todo se mezcla, te venden consignas en chistes, en anuncios, todo ha perdido su sentido y las cosas se han mezclado, ya no sabes de lo que hablas, ni lo que ves, ni lo que compras. Te venden una batidora de cocina que a la vez tiene un gel en el mango que hace que tu pene se haga mas grande, ese es el resumen que saco de una semana en contacto con la realidad mayoritaria de este país (españa-europa-elmundo). Nada funciona porque nada tiene un rol o un objetivo claro, todo tiene que valer para todo, y mañana además servirá para otra cosas porque si no será viejo y aburrido.

Viejo y aburrido es lo que me parecen la mayoría de las personas que me encuentro, sin nada que decir, sin nada que hacer, no se hacen preguntas en sus cabezas, no dudan, no cuestionan, son felices, se creen el estatismo de una realidad pasada. Me he quedado casi sin gente con la que hablar, al menos con los que puedo hablar ya no están aquí, ya no hablan este idioma, que tontería estar escribiendo esto en este idioma, que tontería estar escribiendo esto.

La gente sigue siendo muy paleta, esta como adormecida, esta muy adoctrinada, los mensajes que he escuchado me han dado mucho miedo, me parecia increíble seguir escuchando ciertas cosas, me parecia obsoleto, inmoral, indecente. El presidente hablaba en los mitines como los peores discursos comunistas de los años 20 y 30 en Rusia, la gente aplaudia enfervorizada, los programas de televisión eran terriblemente sesgados, los argumentos superficiales, la gente de 80 años ve la televisión de manera impasible y simpatiza, el mundo se suma en el oscuro pasado y en un futuro donde la relatividad se ha entendido como el todo vale.

Por eso prefiero seguir en mi realidad paralela, por eso prefiero seguir desconectado, sin tele, sin noticias, sin cierto tipo de realidad. Tengo necesidad de leer, todo se aclara pero el campo se agranda y necesito conocer más, leer más, investigar mas. La práctica profesional es inútil si no has definido una posición social y filosófica de antemano. Si no transmites una visión social de la actualidad, la profesión se convierte en un juguete de niños, un juego divertido y entretenido, pero que no merece la pena.

Mañana cuando vuelva al mundo online escribire esto traducido, quizas revisado, quizas extendido, quizas tenga alguna idea mas clara de cómo irme. Las ideas se aclaran, pero abren nuevos horizontes aun mas lejanos y que hacen banales intereses anteriores.

Por eso tengo claro que me quiero pirar, que si no puedo armar mis ideas de forma plausible e investigar como expresarlas es mejor irse, irse a otros mundos, a otras vidas, a bajos fondos, a mundos decadentes donde todo es mucho mas directo, claro e instintivo, es supervivencia, es franco, honesto, directo. Prefiero vivir noches sin fin, disfrutar la vida sin ligaduras, abusar del sistema y ser un parasito del mismo una vez que aprendes a vivir simplemente trapicheando.

Trapicheando significa escribiendo, traduciendo, haciendo renders, es decir trabajos temporales con plazos de entrega cortos y que no tienen una coherencia en el tiempo ni aportan una producción interesante o provechosa a la humanidad, es decir simplemente cumplen una necesidad pasajera e inútil de alguien. Le ofreces un servicio efimero en el momento que lo necesita. Pero no es un servicio que “produzca” aportes o resultados ni que vaya mas alla de si mismo. Una vez que aprendes a vivir trapicheando, (lo tengo en tareas pendientes), el resto del proceso es mas sencillo, viajar a donde uno le apetezca, según los vientos, alquilar espacios abandonados, cutres, olvidados, sencillo, unicos requisitos: un enchufe, internet, una ducha y un armario.

Apegarse a una cotidianeidad y a una serie de lastres como son hipotecas, creditos, compromisos, etc, no tiene sentido sin no se lleva un trabajo que sirva de algo. Si solo quieres un trabajo para ganar dinero para sobrevivir, entonces puedes vivir trapicheando, lo que ademas te da la libertad de cambiar de aires cuando quieras.

Si por el contrario tu trabajo aporta algo, sirve a la humanidad a la par que a ti, y te enriquece, es decir es lo que da sentido a tu vida, la cotidianeidad es probablemente un peaje que hay que pagar. Pues esa labor sera sin duda alguna una labor a largo plazo, condicionada a una serie de colaboraciones externas a tu propio trabajo y con un lugar fisico mas o menos constante o con pocas variaciones, y siempre variaciones dependientes de los requerimientos del trabajo, no de la voluntad.

nature crash

Posted in architecture, whatever on March 3, 2009 by TOI

Lesson to everybody.
They’ve just improved and re-paved a street near my place.
No comments.

tree-01

tree-02

 

tree-03

tree-04

tree-05

base-tree

ideas

Posted in architecture, whatever on February 23, 2009 by TOI

OK, so a friend of mine told me I should take pictures of my “folded papers” I consider “architecture models” and then throw the papers to the bin. I argued that those “folded papers” represent what I think were some of my best ideas and that if I throw them away I might loose the idea cause the pic is not gonna make me remember the idea.He then said, well take a picture of the idea and throw the paper away. So I tried.

1. some time ago, trying to do some other stuff, I came up with this idea for a tower, basically made of one folded torn paper.

folded-towers-copia1

2. but I also realised that if you change scale, it is perfect as a place to put your plants, you can make it out of ceramic , and it looks pretty cool.

flower-pot-copia

3. if you don’t like plants and ceramic, you can keep it on paper and translucent and make really cool lamps. Perfect for parties and dinners, but be careful not to burn them.

lamp-copia

4. a simpler version of the same game is this chair/bus stop/bookstand piece made out of just one fold and one cut to a rectangular piece of paper. Deformations due to paper resistance make it look more “organic”, though it’s a mistake, don’t take it wrong.

bookstand-copia

5. last but not least. the torn façade. No comments need it, perfect for a hotel.

torn-facade-copia

ideas or whatever

Note. All ideas, shapes, structures and pictures showed and explained in this post are copyright and property of tamospaya

questions

Posted in common thougts, friends, personal, shame, whatever on February 22, 2009 by TOI

Today I had a lot of questions, but I was not brave enough to ask all of them. Normally when I start making questions, one questions leads me to another one, so I end up with hundreds of questions and no answers, but normally I ask that type of questions that normally don’t need an answer….. more or less.

BACKGROUND.
Today I had an appointment for lunch with a friend (it sounds more formal that it was, but I didn’t know how to write it), sometime before we were supose to meet I got a call from my friend telling me that she was going to be 30 min late, basically because she was not able to take a shower before because her flatmate was taking a very long shower.

ok, so…
why people are always late when they meet up with friends? why are they never late when they go to a job interview, or to work, or to catch a plane? (i know some people are late in those situations, but percentage in hugely smaller) do they do it because their jobs are something that give them money to live? does that mean that money is more important that friendship? if so, why people say the opposite and assure that friendship is the most important thing in life? why do people tend to believe that jobs are only temporal and that sooner or later you’ll change your job while they think that friendship should last forever and ever? but then they are late when they are meeting friends, not when they are going to work. If it is not the money, is the fear and hierarchy what determines that people are not late to work, maybe  the power of the superiors? so, being late when meeting a friend is a sign of abuse to their feelings and patience?

how can an adult say that is late to an appointment because someone else not related to the appointment was taking a shower? how can you be a “successful” professional and cannot use the shower at your place whenever you need or want, and if you have to share a flat, cannot you talk with your flatmates to see the daily schedules and make the necessary adjustments so everybody is on time to their respective meetings? why people don’t make those small efforts?how architects can build a 4 bedroom flat with the two bathrooms inside two bedrooms, so 2 rooms have to go through another bedroom to access the bathroom? why nobody cares? how can someone say “i started walking out of my place a bit late, I’ll be 15 min late” and not be terribly ashamed? didn’t you know how long does it take you to get to the place? why didn’t you check? what was the reason that made you walk out of your place late?….. and this is only about a small, tiny issue like being on time to your appointments and meetings and the abuse of friendship.

sometimes people ask me, why are you such a solitary person?… I guess answers are easier than one normally thinks, but normally you don’t want to hear them.

not related
Why am I so lazy with household stuff? because I don’t care a shit, but my conscience tells me I should care.

5.16 am

Posted in weird stuff, whatever on February 19, 2009 by TOI

It’s 5.16 am, already thursday, i am at home, no big party, no late work, just hanging around at home, nothing really to do tomorrow that requires me to be up early, in fact i haven’t got to sleep yet.

there must be something wring if I am awake for no reason at 5.16 am.
I should think about it.

quote of the day.

“if you are a 21st century nomad, all your possesions should fit in a suitcase and a laptop, nothing else you should need when you move out of town,,,”

something that is making me think a lot……

white sky

Posted in London, dark side, whatever on February 15, 2009 by TOI

Under London’s white sky…. like every day.

white-sky-02

white-sky-03

white-sky-04

It was 1o.oo am.

white-sky-01

this is the closest to blue….