Applying - M.ARCH
January 22, 2008 | Filed Under Simplify, Architecture, Family | 4 Comments
Aside from the apartment fiasco, I have been laboring away for the last couple of months, on a personal portfolio, along with the other requirements–as I am applying out-of-state to another graduate program in Architecture. I already did my undergraduate work in Utah, and we have been here since 2002. But I took a leave of absence for the arrival of Keane. It was the best thing for me to do at the time. Gave me a chance to step out of school and focus on family and future goals. We decided it was time for a change. Ever since Keane was born, we have been looking seriously at moving. So I have been looking at Midwest-area Architecture programs, because my family is back there. Graduate school takes a lot of work and time. We believe that having family near, will be a smoother experience for everyone (especially Kuei and the boys), while I’m on a site somewhere or in studio all day. Another important consideration is the fact that Brighton has lived in urban areas for most of his years (Downtown SLC, Taipei, etc).
Now Utah, in general, is a great place for kids. Utah is a great place for families. (The Bear Lake area, for example, with the green fields, the farms and mountains, is very beautiful and we love that area). But here in downtown SLC, it is the only city in the whole State with an accredited Architecture program. So Brighton’s day-to-day experiences have been more of the urban variety: Trains, sirens, high-rises. All things that I love. But kids need to stretch their legs more, you know? Run in a field as endless as the horizon. Get away from the ambient light. Children need the ocean, the soil, the fields, the sky. At least that’s what I want my children to grow up experiencing frequently. Our time allows us to experience some of that in Utah, some of the time. But the boys are growing fast, and at this stage in our lives, we’d prefer living in an area a little more serene. Maybe a little boring, mind you, but with family near, it should be worthwhile. Maybe we’re trying to simplify our lives a bit? Probably. So we are likely planning to move this summer to the Midwest (upon my acceptance to an M.ARCH program).
If I get into a graduate program there, we hope to find a house eventually (without the sprinkler head system, of course) for a few years. So I sent out my records (don’t have to take the GRE again, thank goodness) and I got my references lined up, nearly finished tweaking my “statement of purpose.” The thing that is taking some time is making the book. I’m preparing a PDF of my work in Adobe InDesign , then plan to send it off to Lulu to bind a 32-pager in either saddle-stitch or perfect. It will be a nice 8.5 x 8.5 (square) full-color presentation. Then it’s two months of waiting…
Almost Back
January 22, 2008 | Filed Under Friends, Family | Leave a Comment
Many of you know that we had an interesting situation that started on New Years Eve. Three weeks later, it’s nearly over. By February, we hope it will all just be a bad memory. Thank you for your calls and emails. During this month, Kuei and the boys have been staying with Alonzo & Cora, with Seth and Ya-fun, and our friends outside the ward, Diane and Mike, while I get the apartment back in shape.
Some will recall that we moved from our previous place, in the same building, because someone above us, flooded their apartment, which damaged our place beyond livability. That happened about 10 months ago. Well, when living on the top floor of an apartment building, one never thinks someone will flood it, and moreover, one never thinks that it will be your own doing, that causes the incident.
Talk about irony.
We had a small fire(ball) in the kitchen (thanks to yours truly) on New Years Eve, and it was a matter of seconds before those little annoying sprinkler heads kick on and the place is flooded in no time. Even after we shut the valve off on that floor, the way it is set up, the whole system has to drain out. The fire was manageable and out soon enough, but it was the water (like last time) that did the damage. As you can imagine, it wasn’t the best way to ring in the new year for anyone in our building. Firefighters and angry neighbors didn’t help either (2 apartments below us, and about 5 on our level were also affected). But the other apartments, luckily, only suffered minor damages (a piece of tile or something). Still, as you can imagine, we aren’t the most popular residents right now.
While the family has been out, I have been cleaning, throwing out a ton of our stuff that was damaged, mopping, etc. Also, some friends of ours (Elizabeth and Patrick) are licensed in this type of repair work, and they have graciously approached the management, to assist in the repairs of our place, to cut down on costs. So I’ve spent the last weeks painting, caulking, sanding, and dry-walling (part of the wall had to be removed) with them. It has been nearly a month, and we should have the carpet crew come in this week and get things deep-cleaned, so the family can move back in soon.
We can’t begin to thank all of our friends that have been more than willing to help us with this little earthquake in our lives. We hope to be in a position at some point in time, to return the help and hospitality you’ve shown us.