星期三, 10月 31, 2007

To my dear friend

My friend...
I heard you said that you make a decision of you will move to another place and got a high rise of position.
I am truly happy for you.
But I had to say that I feel sad too.
SInce we had so many good time that we spent together.
I realize that it became a habit that called you out every time.
And I'm really used to that you just showed up.
This few month I believe we all changed a lot.
You had new position and move to another place and I chose to stay at US for six months.
I do miss old time and after hearing that probably that's the last chance we can hang out.
I had to say I'm shock. But I'm truly thank you for your companionship and you taught me a lot.
I am appreciate it. 
Hope you have better and better day than before.
Hope that I can see you soon.
Good-bye is just a part of life and most important is we do treat every moment as gold.
Leaving no regret about it.
Oh! I gonna miss you.
Hope that one day you will memorize that one guy who ever spent good time with you.
See you.... later ......  on the trip of life.
We shall meet one day.
During this time, I will just play the moment that I recored in my mind.
Although I have bad memorize ability, but you, I shall remember.
farewell......... ^^  My dear friend

星期一, 10月 29, 2007

Cook video 1

Hi everybody.

It's really nice to leave message at here again.
This time I want to share about our daily life at San Jose.
Before this, I need to explain that I never really cook when I stay at Taiwan.
Of course I cook instant noodle before, but real dish. never.
After I got here, I mean SJ. I feel so many interest in cooking.
Like now, I cook three meals a day for four to five people.
I cook for everybody before in SF. That's like seven people.
During that time, I invited a student in AAU to share some works or course in our loft.
It's pity I left there, because I had invited Astro's designer to share with us too.
But anyway I had good life at here too.
Like I said, I cook three meals a day.
Usually mike will cook with me.
And Li-wei do cook too.Oh man, he is good at instant package.
Like a master.
He and Stephanie will help us do dish washing.
I want to share part of my joy about here.
So we took video and share with people.
Hope you can feel our happy at here too.

peace........


星期日, 10月 28, 2007

Naoto Fukasawa in connecting 07 (ARTICLE 1)

Naoto Fukasawa in connecting 07(ARTICLE 1)


We met Naoto at connecting 07 in SF. He was one of major speakers. Most of his speech was about his work and why or how he think he want to do design like that.He tried to explain it to everybody. But time is short.

He was not most attractive speaker on the stage. But everyone is touched by his work. Although he is quite famous now.He still try his best to do good design.After speech, I want to talk with him and maybe ask him to sign for me on his book.I bought it last month, Sept..

I didn't see many people want to talk with him. I mean like us. We looks more like design fan than designer. It's fun.And why not? We went to his seat, we introduced ourselves and try to discuss questions with him.I didn't ask many questions ,like I always do. Actually I wrote several questions and tried to discuss with him before. But I didn't ask all of them. I tried to act more polite and gave him more respect.But I still asked him several questions.

First of all, I asked one of my biggest question now. I asked him that sometime, I feel tired. Because I did many design which I felt meaningless. I apply many style but just for appearance.

Before he answer we should know that Naoto is famous about doing minimal design which is full of Japanese culture inside.I asked this question was kind respect what he did and maybe he would agree with my point.It's a little bit tricky.If he agreed with my point which was very shallow, I would feel sad. I apologized that I asked this kind tricky question.

Naoto answered that question in a different way.I didn't recored every words he said precisely.I just want to express what he said to us.

He said we should build one ability that allow us express our idea precisely.Once we got good idea, but we don't have good sense of beauty or good forming ability, idea will disappear.Which is very pity.And he encouraged us that keep practicing and experience more.I shouldn't feel too rush of myself and take baby steps.One day, my switch will turn on.Then I can realize. 

I felt that I'm relieved. And I know more about what I should do now.It's simple. Just keep walking.Recently, I just finished one presentation here. Of course I didn't do presentation like I always did.I only do design.And I felt desired that I want to change my design or execute process.People who know me closely will know that I do that all the time.It's kind normal to me.Because I feel boring easily. If I kept doing same thing.And I am lucky that the company which I stay provide me a Wacom tablet with touch screen. So I tried to apply it to my process.Even though I spent more time to finish it.And I am not satisfied what I did yet.But I do feel good.Because it's first time that I use that device and apply it in project. This is first story. 

The second story is that I met many good designer here and they showed me many of their design and sketches.I felt that designer here is more concerned about sketches than Taiwan's designer.And I do see some good sketches were pasted all over the wall.So I can compare it.I felt that it is true.When you see many many sketches on the wall.The good one will reveal it automatically.I am not saying good sketch means good design.But good skill's sketch will be more outstanding and attractive.I think this is what Naoto said why we should sharp our skill.Many things are like strategy than a random behavior.

This one is also reflect to what Naoto answered about another question.

I heard people asked him that why he did supernormal.He use a metaphor to answer.Like a seesaw, when every designer on this world try to make stuff outstanding and aggressive.Naoto think he should do something different with others.So he chose another side which was minimal and normal.Maybe some people will think it is easy when they saw what Naoto did.Like Milan furniture exhibition last year what Naoto showed in there didn't get many echo. But for me. It is more difficult.Because it required more sense of beauty and more precise forming ability.It is not easy when you reduce stuff from your design.So I think if Naoto answered that question in east way(more philosophy thought), people here will not understand.But they can understand strategy. It's more easy for west sociality.It is interesting if we compared same question where he answered it in different place.We can discuss that later.


There were few other questions that I asked him.Maybe I can share it with my thought to you guys.Here is some of his presentation pictures. Enjoy it!



星期六, 10月 27, 2007

I left piece of my heart here...

I look at pictures about here once and once.

I realize there is no place like this anymore.

星期二, 10月 23, 2007

What is grow up looks like ?

Why one person can has both happy and sad together?

Why one person can has both possession and abandon?

Does this is a reality or just a dream?

No matter what it is? Right now I tasted bitter and sweet both at same time.

星期日, 10月 21, 2007

What is well prepare? In connecting 07....

Past three days, I was really really busy.
I paid 495 dollars for student pass then I can join connecting 07 congress.
It is a really big design seminar which is host by IDSA.
It is held at different country every two years.  
We were lucky that it was held at SF. So we decided no matter how expensive it is we need to be there personally.
I am so glad that I made this decision and I really enjoyed this event.
I met many many people at both seminar and after party even my college classmate Mike(Fat-Fat).
I brought he and Brian to after party.
I'd like to share it to all of you. Please allow my slow typing and let us discuss this topic first.

What is well prepare? 

Let us think about it few seconds.........
Don't make your answer so quickly.
Let me tell you a story.
Before I went to this congress, my friend told me that I should prepare my portfolio.
I said same thing to one of my best friends here, Li-Wei.
I didn't do it, but he did.
A lots of people said well prepare means that you need prepare yourself at every moment.
I believe my friend did it.
At very first day of congress, we chose one interesting topic which is D.I.Y. design in Brazil. 
The speaker didn't show up and the host ask maybe someone here who can explain Brazil design.
At same time Li-Wei  raise his hand with confidence and said I can present my portfolio.
I had to be honestly that at same time I really felt embarrassed.
Then he run to speaker's platform.
Although many many people of that room was leaving.
But he still keep seven audience there and presented his work properly.
After that I feel pride of him.
He did a very good job and also gave us a very good lesson.

Which is what is well prepare and confidence.
No fear, just show yourself to this world.

Here is part of video that I recorded it at same time.

Please give him a big clap.


After everybody left, we went to platform and tried to pretend that we were invited by congress.
You know many people need to paid IDSA money to stand at this stage.
We can stand here for free. That's exciting.


星期六, 10月 13, 2007

what I learned from U.S. trip. Lesson 01

I had been long time that I didn't upload my blog.
Actually it means the life I spent at SJ is way much better that I used to be.
I feel so good when I stay here but I think there's a reason why I felt like this.
It is I lived at SF before so I got life to compare with.
This is not complain about life in SF, only feel so grateful to my lord.
Specially I had friends like Karen and Calvin who treat me like part of their family.
During that time they helped me a lots to pass through painful moment.
Truly thank you. My dear friends.
I tried to record my thought here. Because I found myself keep saying that what I learned from this trip is?....
So I thought maybe I really learned something here.  
I used to be afraid that to look back of my experience at here.
I am afraid that I learned nothing about design or how to do good design.
I start realizing that it is not only one way to persuade what I want or what I thought.
It was too limited that the way I think about design.
So there you go, you can see that I try to record here, my blog.
Somehow you really want to do it, it goes away. You need to catch them as the time you think about it.

There is a good movie which is called "short bus".In mandarin if I translated it directly it will become sex bus.
So when I first time saw this movie that I thought it was an adult movie which I was wrong.
It was a movie that you can see a lots of naked people and make love in it.
It's true. But like film review said after watching it, all sex scene were gone. 
So what I feel after saw this movie? What I left in my mind about it?
Now I had to agree with the film review.
what left in my mind about it which is distance between people.
And why it has any connection between what I learned here and movie?

It is distance. It is that we shared some fears with people who we fear. 

When I stay in Taiwan, I loved reading stuff about design.
About how they make such beautiful design.
I pretty know every famous designers and design firm, about their design and some stories.
Sometimes I believed in Magazines or books too much or enjoyed what they did too much.
It appears that they really had a high level position in my heart.
Like a design idol. 
After I got here, I met many people and some of them are really famous not only in U.S. but also in other countries.
Like dodge-ball game, I saw Yevs Behar there. 
He is a quite normal guy who stood in front of me and waited  in a line to get a drink.   
Yesterday's party, I met Dan Harden who is the founder of Whipsaw design Inc. and pre design director of frog.
We chatted with him like one hour.
We talked about every thing from culture to travel. 
I really enjoy it.
Suddenly I realize that they are not idol for me anymore.
More like a live people or a friend of mine.
We had same cares and same dreams that is what I want to said here, in this article.
So that's it. that is what I learned here. And it is the first lesson.

Thank you again my Jesus that you arranged this chance for me.
And you know me more then myself that you prepared this route.
Let me go through it. I learned more then if you put me at here in very first time.
Thank you for everything. I am happy now.