back to the beginning

folks, it's about that time. the end is nigh! my two years in seoul is almost up and i'm on the prowl for a new job that will take me back stateside.

the plan? 

i'll move back to the states, get an architecture job, rack up my hours, get licensed, and then take a long hard look at my life and decide if i want to pursue something else or stay an architect. i know many of you are rooting for me to switch careers as soon as i get back ... but ... i need a safety net. i need to have a back-up plan. i figure, considering i went to school for 5 years for architecture, i should at least get licensed. i don't want all of that tuition money to go to waste, do i? i also am unsure if my unhappiness with architecture is due to my current environment (korean office, korean people, korean architecture ... korea in general) or the actual work itself. i think i'll give architecture one last chance.

phase one: research.

phase two: apply.

phase three: work on my portfolio.

phase four: interview. (hopefully!)

phase five: either repeat steps one, two, and four all over again or accept a position!

i spent most of my day researching firms i'd want to apply to. i'm currently looking for a job in new york city, san francisco, or chicago. does anyone have any contacts in any of these places that would be able to give me a bit more insight into the application process for their particular firms? i only know a few people in nyc and chicago and i know i'm going to need all the help i can get.

and ... that's as far as i've gotten. just the research. 

my plan is to have completed phase two by the beginning of next month. i need to start getting together my work samples, write a cover letter, and update my resume! there's only two weeks left till october! two weeks for all of that? mon dieu!

wish me luck!

thought party up in my head

i'm young.

i have time.

i need to chill the fuck out.

i know. i know. i know!

i agree wholeheartedly.

i've been making a valiant (at least what i believe to be valiant) effort to relax, kick back, and just take everything day by day. however, i can't help but feel this certain amount of anxiety. i need to get my ducks in row! or is it line? who knows. i don't like ducks. they're loud, annoying, and they freak me out.

excuse me, i digress ...

anyway ...

it's probably not helping that we're already halfway through 2011 and i still have yet to plan my next move. questions looming ...

where do i move?

when do i move?

where should i go in january?

when am i going to visit london?

should i just stay in korea till after stephany gets married?

why the hell is everyone getting married in 2012?

will i ever get married?

do i really come off as emotionless to everyone?

can i really run that half marathon in june?

what's the big plan?

will i ever finish my portfolio?

do i even want to work on my portfolio?

do i even want to stay in architecture?

do i want to be underpaid and overworked forever?

is it time for a career change?

can i hack it in fashion?

do i want to start all over again?!

does that mean i have to move to new york city?

do i want to live in a tiny cramped apartment with a roommate i'll inevitably hate?

when am i going to have the time to travel the world if i'm starting all over again?!

what's the right thing to do?

just a sampling of the questions hanging out and causing a ruckus up in my brain. they haunt my dreams ... not really. but that's quite a lot to think about. maybe it's time to actually start answering some of them.

don't worry. this isn't me taking a dive into the dark lake of depression. i'm just trying to figure things out. what really makes me happy? after all, that's what i, what everybody, wants in the end. right?

to just be happy. =)

bollocks to adulthood!

hi all.

long time no see.

it's a beautiful saturday afternoon in seoul. it's sunny and warm and it looks like everyone is out enjoying the weather. well, everyone but yours truly. i am currently sitting at my desk, in front of my computer, in my office, and NOT out and about trying to fool myself that it is warm enough to sit outside of my favorite cafe and people watch. i should also mention that one day this week i was at the office till 3am and another night i didn't go home till 8am the next morning. it's just like college but without all your awesome friends to keep you company! what fun! oh adulthood, you suck. a lot. pay attention kiddies, it's not all fun and games, designer shoes, and trips to exotic lands you thought it would be. sad, but true. however, all this hard work is what provides you the resources necessary to fund your trips to fun and exotic places (should you ever get enough vacation days to go). a prime example would be my recent trip to singapore/indonesia!

yes folks, you read right. i ended up going to singapore and indonesia instead of singapore and vietnam. funny story. americans need a visa to get in to the awesomeness that is vietnam. yup, not really a funny story but a story nonetheless. apparently koreans don't need one but americans do. that's where i got confused. i kept telling everyone in korea i was going to vietnam and no one, NO ONE!!!, mentioned that i might need a visa. so, i didn't realize i needed one until i got to singapore and my cousin asked me if i got my visa to get in to vietnam. say what????? uhhhh no ... i had not. i tried to get one last minute but since it was chinese new year the embassy decided it'd take a little holiday for the ENTIRE WEEK!!! those lazy bastards! we only get 1 day off for our stupid new years! apparently asians are not the unrelenting, super-efficient, workaholic robots we thought they were. lame balls.

however, my trip was still awesome. also, korean airlines is awesome. seriously. i've decided that, if given the choice, i will fly the majority of my flights on korean airlines. of course, this is when funds are available. sadly, korean airlines ticket prices match the quality of their impeccable service. it's freaking expensive!!!! however, they were able to reroute my return flight from vietnam-seoul to singapore-seoul free of fees. i only had to pay the $60 dollar ticket fare difference. one word. AWESOME. especially since when i called expedia to inquire about the same thing they said it would be impossible considering i was mid-trip. idiots. bollocks to expedia.com!!

anyway ...

it's almost dinner time and it looks like i actually have some work to do. update on my singapore trip with pictures (yay!) coming soon.

twisted

galilee ... studio bellencour architects
toulouse, france

an update to appease the masses

happy 3 month anniversary to me!!

it's been 3 months, to the day, since my first day at work!

may: complete and utter boredom paired with a serious language barrier.

june: became (and still am) the official department translator. so far i've had to contact people in italy, germany, hong kong, france, england, and america. i'm international, bitch!

july: finally able to open up autocad and sketchup!!! granted, it's to work on the front gate to a university campus. the gate that is the bane of my existence (said whilst shaking fist in air)!

slowly, but surely, i'm moving on up! we'll see what august brings.

actually, knowing both english and korean has some benefits. i was able to go along on a photoshoot with roland halbe a few weeks ago as his translator. we went to photograph the korean anime museum by NBBJ and Gansam architects. for those of you who are unfamiliar with his work, he is an architectural photographer. he shot the MTCC on the IIT campus and he's the one who shot this photograph.

werner sobek's home r-128, stuttgart, germany

he's actually a very interesting person. adventures were had. climbing on apartment building roofs, knocking on random people's doors to shoot the building from inside their homes, and i'm in a few of the photographs! we'll see if they show up somewhere ... c3 or space maybe? he also told me about the time werner sobek got locked in his home on his way to the airport and couldn't get out. fun stuff.