left brain common thread.

i feel like if i don’t labor through this in blog form, it will never find the words meant to convey it. so welcome to my process:

analog table.

that’s the name. it has begun its process of becoming legally legitimate, so stay tuned. 

i figured that if i don’t sit here and focus what this project is about before starting the work, that i may lose sight of its mission. in the spirit of truly an ultralight startup, i’m stepping out with a wealth of prayers and strong arms. that’s a proverbs 31 reference in case you didn’t catch it, which is one of the catalysts for this project.

“business” in my own mind signals simply for profit which is why i call this a “project,” as a way to release the work you love out into the world and if it turns that other people love it too, then that makes at least two of you. 

the concept of analog table comes from austin kleon’s idea of having two desks in your workspace— the digital (comprised of anything electronic) and the analog (equitable to your desk in architectural school littered with scraps of foamcore, trace paper, and glue stains … but basically where you build things) under the premise that it is absolutely necessary to unhinge your brain out of that glowing screen you spend so many hours in front to:

USE YOUR HANDS

the idea is number 4 on mr. kleon’s list of ways to unlock your creativity. 

my analog desk is the dining table simply because its the largest table in the house for an organized clutter like myself. but the dining table is so incredibly appropriate for this process because food is the most non-discriminant junction for all walks of life. biologically, we all need to eat and what if we take that experience one step further to share in an exchange of a small part of your life process, or moveable feast of experiences which hemingway has referred to it as, that will leave us both more interesting people if we are open to absorbing the lessons.

analog table is my imparting of the food experiences that i’ve had the ever so delicious pleasure of having, infusing the character of the conversations i’ve had over them, and sharing it with those who will partake in it. that you too will use this tool as a non-discriminant junction and engage the simple art of conversation. 

trinity and lotus, two of my favorite little black holes of entertainment. not a single dull moment with these kids. of course, unless tita chris’ age begins to kick in and she needs a nap.

this photograph was taken this afternoon with their lolo at our house.

i figured i’d share with them one of my favorite things as a kid and made them dirt cups comprised of chocolate pudding, gummi worms, and crushed oreos . . in that order. i think my 23 year old brother was more stoked about it than they were.

if there’s anything that trin and i really enjoy doing together, it’s anything creative. this girl has no end to that interesting brain of hers. usually the output is something drawn and today was no different.

exhibit a. a greenhouse complimented by the enormous collection of stickers my mom gave to the girls.

exhibit b. the lake picnic also with a little finesse from the sticker collection.

also on the family front, my grandma shared some of her pickling expertise with me this afternoon. it’s cool getting cooking lessons from the master chef herself. :)

made for one fantastic day.

my application for the 2013 ULI mentorship program needs to include a bio. my thoughts on it are that professional bios really don’t give even a fraction of a glimpse into what a person may be like. and also, it’s rather erroneous to simply fixate on what someone does as an indication of whether or not you’re going to continue getting to know them. i’ve found that my most interesting conversations with people were never the resume worthy things.

i’ll admit, the filipino mindset places a huge emphasis on your career as a means for a better life. i get that. but what it does is it perpetuates a performance based on a need that may not necessarily be as important as our parents hyped it up to be.

here’s three scenarios:

1. your parents sacrifice to send you to the college of your choice and encourage you to pick a lucrative career in an illustrious field like medical, business, or engineering so you can have lots of money to support your family. and you pick a career in one of those fields doing what you really love to do.

2. those fields aren’t really for you but you find something else you’re passionate about that involves a committed education and makes a decent living.

3. you pick go to college, graduate, and work in a career simply for the money because your parents told you to and it sounds like a well-respected job.

of all of those three, i think the third sounds the most miserable. steve jobs spoke about picking a job you love with the rationale that you’re going to be spending your most of your adult life doing. it should also be pointed out that misery at your job = miserable you. miserable you = miserable everything else, including your relationships with other people.

one thing our parents may have forgotten to teach us in this whirlwind of good intentions to “succeed” in the world’s standards is the importance of a strong sense of self and that leads to your ability to take ownership of your decisions in life.

one very good friend of mine reminded me about the importance of being intuitive. your parents know what’s good for you, but not necessarily what’s best. and it’s true. my parents and i haven’t always seen eye to eye on a lot of things. i’m not implying that every decision i’ve ever made against them was the right choice either. but i’ve made a couple of good ones.

trying to write my bio is an interesting process simply because there isn’t much emphasis on what i’ve accomplished as much as trying to encapsulate my story about what i’m about. to know what it is i do is simply a blip in the picture, the way i see it. and knowing me in the most intimate way is understanding what i think.

and how do you write that in 400 words or less? that’s like pouring an industrial-size vat into the dixie cups you gargle with.

it’s a fast company article about women who have asked themselves the question “what impact do you really want to have?” and then did something about it. it’s a list of 60 women that have chosen to tackle areas of dire need.

i’m working on a scholarship application for the ULI women’s leadership initiative for the fall meeting in denver this year and one of the questions is: how will your involvement in WLI and attendance at the fall meeting serve your long-term professional interests?

how do you possibly funnel all that passion into 400 words? ugh.

michelle obama in her speech at the democratic national convention this evening said that “success is the difference you make in other people’s lives.” i joined ULI to help the building industry make more educated decisions in the way our communities consume land and my involvement in the mentorship program and placemaking initiative council in orange county has inspired that desire to create quality public experiences through the spaces i help design as key to the collective health of community.

what i need to do this is feel like i’m not alone in my effort. involvement in WLI will give me the network of supportive women equally passionate about creating awareness across disciplines in the industry in regards to their impact on this goal to look to as mentors. my interest is in their process— what story has been crafted through their trials and tribulations, what lessons have emerged to affect their direction positively. i’m looking for a mentor who promotes the exploration of curiosity as a means of taking ownership of the learning process. involvement in the women’s leadership initiative will enable me to hone a craft for creating an experience through architecture as the medium. going to the fall meeting will allow me to bring my knowledge and experience on the topic of placemaking as a member of the 20s and 30s demographic to engage the discussions about the future of communities that people like me will live in in hopes to cultivate the kinds of experiences that not only will be successful to the local economies but the social capital as well.

what impact do i really want to have?

i want to participate. respond. remix. i want the ability to impact the quality of the built space to create an environment where there is a willingness to collectively participate in the public experience of coexistence. i’ve experienced it in a city i didn’t even live in. imagine the irony of that. 

it needs some work … and i’m currently out of brain power. to be continued …

last year, i applied and was accepted to uli’s young leader group mentorship program with close to zero involvement in the young leaders group hoping to learn a difference facet of the industry— the development side.

little did i know, one year later i’d be literally immersed in the organization and contemplating a possible career redirect.

applications for the 2013 year are up and as i was reviewing my app from last year and also the placemaking initiative council app that i applied and was accepted to in the middle of this year, it was interesting to see the evolution of my direction.

i read an article by the minimalists about the importance of direction sometimes versus goals and that once you reached the surface, or the base of yourself that a direction was more important than a target. that allowing yourself to sometimes be a student of the process was a better track. i believe it. it has resonance with everything i believe in about God’s plan and not ourselves being able to guarantee the results. one interesting thing i learned from the sermon was the analysis of the phrase in the “Our Father . . ” that says “give us this day our daily bread.” notice it doesn’t say weekly, month, or any further than the end of one day. so that we rely on Him each day.

so with that, i guess i don’t have an end goal. what i want is to the ability to learn and adjust my path accordingly in the event that i find something that really resonates in my bones but know that i will take the things i choose to take on with complete and sheer love for the craft … nothing else.

a verse i came across recently said, “for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole word and forfeits his soul?” (matthew 16:26) precisely my view on doing things for anything other than craft and imparting it simply as a labor of love for others.

anyway, i’m working on my bio and cover letter to reflect the stage in life that i’m in and what i hope to speak to is the continuation of my process to have my work make a positive impact in the quality of the built environment. here’s my draft:

to whom it may concern:

my first application for this mentorship program stemmed from the intrinsic desire to be part of the entire building cycle from development through construction to redevelopment and my hope was to cultivate information from other aspects of the building cycle and inform how i proceed as an architect, and to facilitate a more collaborative process with other members in the industry.

as i have proceeded through this program and others like the associate american institute of architects program and involvement in the international interior design association, i felt that more responsibility should be demanded of architecture than simply function and a stunning aesthetic and its power lay in the ability to create experiences in the built environment. that as louis kahn put it, architecture is a service profession.

a theme in a multitude of discussions lately has been to define community in the context of public space. my thought is that it isn’t constrained simply to physical proximity and i always bring it back to my experience in dolores park in san francisco as quite possibly the largest surrounding of strangers and yet the most commune i’ve felt with others in a public space because of the mutual respect for people’s existence. that is one of the experiences that has catapulted my passion for placemaking.

when the opportunity arose to join the ULI placemaking initiative council, i seized it and was awarded the position as the young leader representative because i too believe that placemaking is key to the well-being of the community at any socio-economic level.

my involvement in the mentorship program and the placemaking council has inspired a strong interest and possible career shift into urban planning, placemaking, and public interest design.

as a candidate for this program,  i’d like to continue to infuse my own passion and insatiable curiosity into making this experience a positive one if given the opportunity to participate. my exposure to the program and insight i’ve gained from my involvement in ULI can be a valuable asset in the peer to peer exchange in a group setting. feel free to contaft me at … (insert contact information here).

thank you for your consideration.

sincerely,

christine geronaga

finally sacked up and bought the brew kit. granted i had done a bit of research on bigger kits and a more home grown set, but impulse struck when i was at the bruery in orange and well … my instincts on these kinds of things has never led me wrong. either that or the saison de lente that i had that afternoon was doing some work.

i like ales. pales. reds. browns. so it seemed appropriate that when i decided to make my first batch, it’d be an ode to the one and only. (newcastle, in case you didn’t catch the reference) my next batch for the kit is going to be the jalapeno saison.

it’s funny everytime i hear brown, i think tribe. a tribe called quest and the lyric in scenario that says exactly what is going to be on the label of the bottle. i decided rather than creating some kind of cleaner graphic in illustrator, i’d keep the rustic quality of scanning this image in my moleskine exactly as i drew it, get it printed, and use that.

powerful impact. boom. :)

this particular topic having come up in multiple, completely unrelated discussions prompted a deeper dive into this phrase that has seeped its way into my conversations.

at work, we’re doing this town square initiative to create city centers near each of our 42 offices. newport beach presents an interesting dynamic simply because orange county does not have one major “town square” like our other offices have to work with. instead, it’s an amalgamation of 34 different cities all with fairly distinct character to amplify in this effort. a portion of the discussion yesterday had to do with bringing the “community” together and what that means. is it necessarily the people in physical proximity to you? share similar interests? my argument was that i could be anywhere in the world that is not familiar to me and with the right type of people willing to participate in the public experience of coexistence could feel just as much a part of the “community.”

so what is the defining factor?

in a conversation with my cousin tammy, she defined it as a place to just be. she and i had the pleasure of visiting dolores park together in the mission district of SF. that, to me, was the quintessential experience of community with complete strangers i didn’t necessarily interact with.

having to distill my own ideals on a place i would feel part of community in a group of people who were raw, honest, responsive, and vulnerable. for starters. boldness is important. i think the idea of “talents” doesn’t speak to the effort required to cultivate its full potential, so often times i’ll refer to it as a craft. your craft requires perfecting in a glorious process of showing up to do your job, that clearly being whatever God designed you for. i place a lot of emphasis on the process to show each decision you are held responsible for at the end of your life. will you be able to say, “God, i took the life you gave me and tried to make a difference.”?

i read a quote today about the creative adult being the child that never died. my participation in the creative class always involves the shared experience of absurdity. i love laughing. ask the people i talk to on the regular. let’s hash out all our crazy ideas together. if humor is a sign of intelligence, what does that say about you? the shift of “creativity” isn’t for a selected elite. everyone possesses it. it just manifests differently for each person.

can it be a group of people who live close to you? or people you share interests with? go to church with? sure.

but it could be possible that you’re stopping at titles.

peering into my own “community”, raw, honest, responsive, vulnerable really sums it up. raw as in boldly themselves grounded with the decision to come from a good heart. it is a decision. honest in a willingness to tell you when your shit stinks. responsive as agents of change— proactive in helping, holding you accountable, lovingly correcting you, bold enough to ask the questions and see things differently, inclusive. vulnerable— a willingness to hug your own beautiful process inclusive of all your bad decisions and hangups and taking ownership of your story as the most intimate thing you can share with a person in an effort to feel connected at a molecular level beyond whatever roles you may play in people’s lives.

when i have time, i try to hone my cooking skills by picking up a new ingredient or two at the store in my weekly market cycle.

this week: spaghetti squash.

have you ever read the sticker on it? the directions are a little cryptic. so i found something online that said to cook it at 375 for 45 minutes. go with that.

bought a new basil plant for the kitchen which i pillaged to make the pesto. i’ve had pesto a billion times and my chief complaint is always that it’s too salty so i went heavy on the garlic and less on the salt. i personally was happy with it.

for extra protein, i cut up some squid, sauteed it and onions in a lemon butter sauce before adding the squash and pesto into the the pan.

i added tomatoes as the garnish for color.

the squash texture is interesting though … it’s like green papaya strands … crunchy.

but in an effort to be a healthier option on this latest binge of eating better, mission: accomplished.

i’m working on a grant application for the urban land institute’s placemaking council that i currently serve on as the young leader rep and the intent for this program established by the organization is a tool for these initiative councils to use as evidence to inspire change in municipalities. in other words, presenting ourselves as thought leaders on emerging issues. currently in orange county, the issue is this:

the 18-35 year old demographic, rich in knowledge and creativity, is leaving the county for more access to entry level “creative professional” jobs elsewhere. this presents itself problematic to the sustainability of orange county’s local economy and it’s competitive edge.

the purpose of this exercise is to enable discussions with cities, proposing a more holistic approach as a county, that this particular demographic is an asset rather than an inconvenience as orange county has tended to treat them.

i read an article recently about the shift of public space from play to profiteering and how tragic is it … as i sit on my computer and blog inside my house … that we spend less time being a community and more on polarizing the individual. during the young leader’s 15 minutes of fame exercise was the question prompted of one of my peers, “what is your dream project?” … your big, bold idea for the built space you’re passionate about getting into the community. and while my cousin and i were on our post-workout snack binge, she had this brilliant idea of wanting to own a grocery. i wouldn’t necessarily want to take on the thought of franchising another ralphs but perhaps more of a smaller market type with a fantastic butcher, local produce providers, community garden, freshly packaged ready-to-eat dishes, and a communal industrial kitchen for lessons, educational seminars, and what not.

the project for public spaces issued an article recently about food creating a multi-use destination which if you think about it is the very core of any community . . or used to be anyway. i happened to have an interesting conversation with an absolute stranger i had met at the ULI’s summer networking event. he created his own aquaphonics system to sustain his own fish and produce because he believed that at the center of this food culture is the produce.

as my cousins and i say, “THAT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE.” 

Pearl in San Antonio is my market idea on steroids. it hopes to become a place where restauranteurs can breed as well as all the educational programs i just alluded to. i don’t necessarily know that’s the thing that orange county needs but it’s the place i, in that target demographic, and i can think of a few other folks who would utilize the space, want to see in the community i live in.

this has to be one of my favorite images of what it means to be outdoors— around some of the greatest people on the planet.

in my mentorship program meeting tonight for ULI (urban land institute) was the discussion on the importance of outdoor places in the community. it’s unprescribed park spaces such as this, in dolores park in SF, that we were able to pack up some homemade sangria and spend the afternoon indulging the fantastic art of chill. this particular park experience is unparallel to any others simply because it wasn’t as sectioned off as orange county and you could find yourself in other people’s personal space without offending anyone. how refreshing.

one of the reasons i’m on the placemaking initiative council is so that our industry can create organic spaces like these that invite people to participate in the communal experience— where people talk in person, remember what nature feels like, and generally forget this inbreeding of suspicion between fellow humans.

i think the conversation is a skill we as a culture have forgotten and the public experience is another art form we will lose if we’re not careful. one of the ideas we hypothesized in our mentorship meeting today had to do with a test community where the inhabitants prescribed the public spaces that were developed in it. traditionally, the municipalities plan these parks and squares without any regard to who will specifically be using it. what if it were the other way around? what if the city developed public spaces based on how the community used them? sort of a hackable community.

at my age, i’d be more inclined to be part of a social experiment to develop where i lived. i’d like to feel like my opinion about somewhere that i spent so much time and money in mattered. how the eff did we forget such a basic concept?

i’d like to carve out my own living space just so that i and my future kids could have experiences like the moment above. it’d be a great reminder to come back down to earth every once in a while and enjoy life.