Author Archive for adib

A letter about love to my imaginary unborn son

adib published on February 8, 2012 in zeitgeist. 0 Comments Tags: letter, love.

In celebration of the looming Valentine’s day, I wrote a letter to my imaginary unborn son to share what I know about love and hopefully he will learn from it. Here are excerpts that I particularly liked. You can read the full piece here.

Even after your heart has been broken into more pieces than you ever knew it was made of, I hope you continue to believe in love. Even when it seems that your heart is damaged beyond repair, still, you must mend that heart and love again like you’ve never been hurt before because if you want your heart to be alive and full, you must risk and accept this pain.

But here’s the good news. One day, when the universe decides so, you might catch a glimpse of the perfect woman for you. She will be the one with a soul that sings so beautifully that you cannot stop thinking about her in your waking moments and the only reason you go to sleep is to dream about her. Her absence will mean more than the presence of millions of others and you might find yourself either losing all verbal capabilities or suddenly turning into a poet and when that happens, you know that you’ve met the perfect one. However, I beg you to not confuse this with ”the perfect woman” because she doesn’t exist although one that’s perfect for you does.

Along the way, never make a girl feel like she’s not good enough and always show her how special and beautiful she really is. Remind her that none of her scars can make you love her less and then prove it with your actions. Do not let expectations and jealousy pull you down and try your utmost to be an oasis of calm that she would want to return to everyday but most importantly, always be fully present for her.

Know that there will always be another love out there but never the same love twice. The next girl will be completely different in every sense of the word so don’t impose baggage from your past onto her and don’t you dare use the same words that you’ve once told a girl to another because if she means that much, you will have words that are meant for her and only her. In the words of a friend, ”Don’t let your Antarctica dictate how you tell her how she’s your Europe.” Find the words for the feelings that you never knew existed until you found her.

Thanks for reading Superforesters. You can read the full piece here.
And yes, I will be a godfather to your son if you want me to:)

Love,
A

Mindfulness as a Foundation by Thich Nhat Hanh

adib published on February 4, 2012 in zeitgeist. 0 Comments

This is a very long video but if you have some time, I invite you to listen to this talk which Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh gave to some workers at Google. He speaks about being present, about loving and practicing our consciousness.

Note: Video starts with singing and Thich starts speaking at 57:00.

TEDxSF – Louie Schwartzberg – Gratitude

adib published on January 31, 2012 in zeitgeist. 4 Comments

We are what we do, not what we say

adib published on December 3, 2011 in superforest journal and zeitgeist. 1 Comment

In 1992, a 12-year old girl named Severn Suzuki told the world how we have disappointed her and failed to take care of our environment. In her words “what you do makes me cry at night”. Still inspiring after all these years.

Live simply so others may simply live

adib published on November 12, 2011 in zeitgeist. 1 Comment

My Friend Jason. from Shot at The Dark on Vimeo.

A Stroke of insight

adib published on October 21, 2011 in zeitgeist. 1 Comment Tags: nirvana, stroke.

This talk gave me goosebumps and made me shed a tear. This was what I needed today while I battle some demons that have been tugging at my emotions over the last few weeks. Thank you to the friend who sent this link to me.

Which side of the brain will you choose?

Dear Steve

adib published on October 11, 2011 in celebrity and zeitgeist. 1 Comment Tags: Apple.

Dear Steve,

It’s been about a week since you left planet earth for somewhere else. I’m not sure what kind of gadgets they have there but I’m sure you’ve seen all the amazing things that have been said about you around here.

Geeks, designers, businessmen and regular users of the products that you have helped to make are all gushing about how you’ve touched their lives in some way. Words like genius, audacity, visionary and great have all been mentioned in the same breath as your name. I think someone should update Wikipedia to list you as a synonym for these words and someone in Apple should change the auto-correct dictionary in iOS so that every time we write “Great”, it corrects itself to “Steve”.

In fact, so much has already been written about you that by the time I’m writing this letter to you, all the good words have already been taken and I don’t want to bore you with another one. So I’ll keep this one short.

Thank you for showing us how to be awesome.

You be well in wherever you are right now. I’m going to go put a dent in the universe.

Peace,
Adib
-written and sent from my iPad

The Day You Read this

adib published on September 4, 2011 in superforest journal and zeitgeist. 1 Comment

Digging through my digital notebook and found a link from yesteryears. Read it again and am so glad to have found it. I think some of us can appreciate it too.

On this day, you read something that moved you and made you realise there were no more fears to fear. No tears to cry. No head to hang in shame. That every time you thought you’d offended someone, it was all just in your head and really, they love you with all their heart and nothing will ever change that. That everyone and everything lives on inside you. That that doesn’t make any of it any less real.

Read the full thing here

Notes about life for my sister

adib published on August 21, 2011 in superforest journal and zeitgeist. 2 Comments Tags: life, notes.

I recently wrote a little note to my sister for her 19th Birthday and seems that it has found resonance with some people in my personal networks. With that, I would like to share it with all of you here at Superforest and perhaps some of you might find some meaning in it too.

Here’s a pick of the three that I find most important. You can find the rest of it here.

–

3- WORK HARD. This life doesn’t owe you anything. No one owes you anything. You have to work hard and earn every single thing that you want. Earn the money for the things you want to buy. Create your own opportunities. Earn the respect of others. If it’s not in your hands yet, then you haven’t finished with your work. Of course sometimes, it may seem that it’s not working out and all the effort that you’ve put in will seem futile but I want you to keep believing. Believe that there are larger plans in this universe that our puny brains cannot comprehend. Believe that we always get what we deserve and need at each point in our life and we will only understand it much, much later. Nonetheless, keep believing.

6- LOVE. Don’t just expect it from others but turn yourself into Love. Fill your life and every single thing you do with it. You will also encounter it in many forms and there will be many who will come and go. You might even fall really deeply in love with some people.

The truth is, a few of them will break your heart into more pieces than you knew your heart was made up of. Sometimes you will feel like your everything isn’t enough for the other person and the other person isn’t doing enough for you. If you start feeling that way, it probably is true.

I’m no expert but this much I know. Just be patient, be honest, be faithful, and always be there. Love unconditionally without expecting returns and take care of your partner’s feelings and emotions but don’t overthink it. The phone works both ways so don’t just wait for him to call you, you call him instead. Being somebodies significant other is a big duty and there is no holiday from being that. When you feel like you’re ready for that responsibility and all the emotional roller-coaster that comes with it, open your heart. But if you’re not, the time will come. But sometimes, even if you’re ready, the other person might not be ready yet. I did say that you have to be patient right?

9 – I LOVE YOU. No matter who or what you become; gay, straight, transgender, I love you. You can travel the world, be a struggling busker, a teacher, a clerk, simply put, no matter what path you choose or don’t choose, I will always be proud of you. I will never be ashamed of you, even when you are being a complete ass. No matter what kind of trouble you get yourself into, I want you to know that you can call me no matter the time or place that I am at and I will take care of it. Never feel scared to tell me something for I will always accept you, and I will try to always be there when you need somebody to listen. And if we disagree on something, i’ll promise to agree to disagree. And if I don’t do something for you, it’s really for your own good and in your best interests.

You can find the rest of it here.

Wish you were here

adib published on August 21, 2011 in zeitgeist. 1 Comment Tags: home, nature.

A few months ago, I moved into a new rented place, the first time that I’ve “owned” a place of any sort. It all started with an unexpected opportunity arriving in the form of a text message from the project manager of a project that I was working on, telling me about the availability of a house that she used to rent. Upon reaching the estate, it then took me all of five minutes of walking through the main gate and into the depths of the house to know that this is the house for me and after four months of living here, I am even more convinced of that statement.

The past few months in this abode has been a personal journey of growth for me as I adapt to a new lifestyle, one where I am the owner of my own design studio and also a home owner. I have been trying to cultivate a new lifestyle, one that is in tune with the rhythms of nature and also with my natural body rhythms but the fact is, the rhythms of modern life doesn’t always align itself with that of the natural environment. Nonetheless, I’m trying my best and I am grateful that this house that I am living in has been helping to nudge me in that direction.

This rented house is now a home for me. It is a place where I deeply enjoy being in, coming back to, working from, entertaining from and doing everything in. Living in this house has given me the opportunity to be closer to nature and also given me the space and time to have the solitude to listen to my own thoughts, recharge my batteries and find my own voice in the creative work that I produce. I love this house so much that I had to share it with all of you.

This is me sharing my joy and appreciation of the bounties of my life with the community at Superforest.

That photo above shows my tiny and relatively clean workspace. That’s where I do my drawings, my emails and where I am writing this post. Right in front of me, is a poster that reads “Keep Calm and Carry on”, a gift from a wonderful friend that now serves as a reminder to myself on so many levels- a reminder to keep a cool head, a reminder of the friendship that I hold dear and also a reminder of the office that I used to work for that had the exact same poster on the wall.

When the time comes for me to take a break from work, I am grateful that all I have to do is direct my view to the right, out the low window to see this:

This is nature presenting its tropical self to me in it’s full glory. The lush greenery, the outdoor seating that has played host to my friends for a few BBQ sessions and at the same time provided comfort to the cats and dogs that roam around my compound, the myriad of shapes and subtle variations of green interplaying with the bright tropical sun, all of it is such a sight to behold and everyday I give thanks and my appreciation for having this literally at my doorstep.

I’ve never had the luxury of having my own front yard which means that I’ve never had to do any gardening throughout my whole life but now, with this little piece of paradise, I am learning how to do that though I have to admit that my neighbour and myself have only pruned the plants twice in the whole four months I’ve been here.

My desire to make this outdoor space better have also seen me adding a pair of DIY lamp-post to the garden, one made up of a solar-powered pendant lamp from IKEA, a $2 wooden pole from the provision shop across the street, some raffia strings and bricks to anchor it down.

Of course, it’s not all great. Mosquitoes start to appear everyday at dusk, dead leaves and dust get blown into the house but I have learnt to accept all of it as part of the deal of being this close to nature. Truly, this house is bringing me closer to my environment.

Nature does not reside only outside of my little house. Every morning, at about 8am, my room is illuminated with ample sunshine. Mornings are always beautiful as I wake up to the warmth of the sun’s rays kissing my cheek and the sound of birds chirping from the large trees nearby.

And at the back portion of my house, lies a little air-well that helps to ventilate the spaces within and this is where I keep some plants and let the bounties of nature in – light, air and even rain. This is possibly my favourite part of the house, especially when the sun is shining beautifully but the truth is, it is just as amazing when it is raining.

When the skies open, rain falls directly into that square space and onto all the plants that live there. Rainy days will also see me placing small buckets to collect rainwater that I may recycle for my other household needs and the sound of water hitting the insides of these metal pails is like percussion music to me. On some days, I will just sit and watch the rain fall onto the glass pane and drip furiously from the edges of the window frame and into my tiny courtyard, all the time marveling at the gifts that I am experiencing.

Not a day goes by that I do not express gratitude for all these wonders that I have been gifted with and I figured that the best way that I can show my gratitude for all of this, is to be fully present at every moment of my life so that I may experience and derive great joy from every second of it.

And last but not least of the many awesome things about where I live, is that I have this view a mere five minutes walk away from my home.

I wish all of you were here to share this with me and this post is how I can bring a piece of my little paradise to you. With all of you in my thoughts.

Love,
Adib

Lately

adib published on July 17, 2011 in superforest journal and zeitgeist. 3 Comments Tags: lately.

I’ve been rather off the radar in recent times and in recent weeks, I’ve met many of my friends and acquaintances after a long while and all of them seem to be asking me the same question, “So what have you been up to lately?”. I’m also sure that my friends here at Superforest are curious too.

All this concern have inspired me to write a poem about it and here it is called, “Lately“.

Lately,
I’ve been observing the constellations.
Picking out a favourite star and learning about the universe from afar
Understanding how the lunar slides in and out of all it’s twelve houses and then sending its waves down to us humans way below,
teaching us when to go fast and when to go slow
and look! A shooting star!

Quick! Make a wish.
Some say they don’t come true
but you should, just in case they do.
Because that’s no ordinary star.
That’s the Star you put in Star-ting over
and over and over again.

Lately,
I’ve been chipping away at a granite block to create an image in the likeness of awesomeness.
And I’ve got some students around me too.
Daily, I am striking my tools with the innocence of a child struck for the first time,
Discovering bursts of emotions that explode and implode at the same time,
just like the laws of science that said energy cannot be created nor destroyed but merely transferred from one form to the other
And I’ve been working on the absorber
that drives the converter
that drives the generator
that powers the lights in my little beach house.

Lately,
I’ve been untying the knots in my forehead
And loosening the bolts on my shoulders
And fixing the hole in my soul
by wearing out my shoe sole,
kicking up sandstorms and shitstorms
Walking through them like an adventurer feeding his penchant for danger and later,
realizing that all his swagger and thunder were merely the echoes inside an empty man looking for himself.

Looking. Looking. Looking.

Lately,
I’ve been looking for an enigma that goes by the name of love and it looks like… Her.
I’ve travelled to the past to see the future and it looked like… Her.
And if I had a dollar for everytime I’ve seen her, I would have..a dollar.
But honestly, I’m not really sure if she’s real
Though I think she might be
because like the woman who has long left the room,
her scent is still there, lingering in the air,
triggering memories,
And missing her is what I’ve been doing much lately.

A reminder from a friend

adib published on June 22, 2011 in zeitgeist. 3 Comments Tags: sustainability, world.

Hello friends, it’s been a while since I last posted here and I hope everyone’s doing awesome.

Today, I’ld like to share with you an email that my friend Chia Chia wrote in reflection of a work-trip to Shanghai that we had. Reproduced with her kind permission, this is a reminder to myself of what I can do for this planet of ours.

A bit about Chia Chia – she is a full-time volunteer at a Singapore-based non-profit organisation called Ground-Up Initiative. Here’s how they describe themeselves.

About Ground-Up Initiative (GUI)

GUI is a community-based and volunteer-driven non-profit organisation that brings together people who value reconnecting with and nurturing the land. Since April 2009, we have progressively built a Sustainable Living Kampung (SL Kampung), based at Bottle Tree Park, Yishun, where we promote environmental awareness and responsible practices by encouraging more people to come together to work, learn, play and in the process, care for humanity and the earth. SL Kampung is open to the public. To find out more about us, do check out our website at http://groundupinitiative.org/ or visit our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/groundupinitiative

Read on my friends. Cheers!

—–

of Detached Cities & the need for EARTH CARE, PEOPLE CARE & FAIR SHARE

One of my biggest takeaway from this exchange is to hear from the locals, and one of my aki friend who has been working in Shanghai, their thoughts on how Shanghai is developing. Quite disturbing but it rings true of our cities is that people are increasingly feeling detached from the very city they build…feelings of angst..helplessness. My friend told me “i know of the problems, but there’s nothing i can do.”

Seeing this strengthens my belief that we have to rethink our track of development. The urgency of this cannot be ignored. We do have opportunities and are in a good position to influence the people we work with, the clients we work for, the materials we use, even our own families and friends etc.

“Work” is taking up a majority of our modern lives now…and it is easy to get pigeon-holed into our lives as “professionals”…Architects, Engineers, Developers etc. A common grouse i hear from my friends is “life is tough…”. When they hear of what I’m doing in Ground-Up Initiative, the common response is that “Wow! U’ve earned enough to go into retirement?!” or “Why are you giving up Architecture?”.

Even on this Shanghai trip, i’ve been asked the same questions. To me, i’m simply living my life…responsibly. To have deep consciousness and gratitude…to share and care for people and the very Earth that supports us all.

We are blessed in many ways… there are many people in our societies who do not have the opportunities and options like we do. How then do we pull our skills and resources together to create positive change? to have sustainable development not at the expense of the less privileged, not at the expense of environmental degregation?

of HARDware Vs HEARTware : the strange case of Sanitarywares vs Funny Bunnies / Fan Bing Bing Syndrome

We are lacking not in Hardware, but in Heartware.

a simplistic example will be how we’re talking more about the “funny bunnies” than the sanitary products we see at the Expo during our Shanghai trip…the stampede of people rushing to see Fan Bing Bing rather than the latest brands of bath wares. The social connections are what engages & draws people together.

What we build plays a big part in this “supply & demand chain”, currently driven more by Wants than by Needs. It is disturbing to know of what drives our Youths today…How Youths are willing to sacrifice their sense of smell for technology (see attached report “Truth About Youth”) and how a Chinese teen is selling his Kidney for an iPad2!

If this is the future we’re headed for, a society of Wants…all talks on sustainable technologies, environmental conservation will be feeble attempts to slow our paths to self destruction.

If i were to redefine Architecture, I’d like to see myself as being an “architect of life”, it is not only about the buildings or landscapes we design…it is also about building relationships with the people we work with, the people we’re designing for and the greater Earth that we all share..

To Connect and to Heal our environments and the people around us.

It is not a lofty aspiration, everyone of us Can do it. It is only a matter of making the choice.

to Live, to Green and to Give

we need to redefine “Progress” and it take everyone’s effort to make the shift in perspectives.

Only when perspectives & attitudes change will we see a shift towards a model for sustainable development. Redefining economies, our built environment and our landscapes. Here’s to share a ted talk link about the “Happy Planet Index”. Ultimately, are we not seeking happiness in our lives? To be able to Receive and to Give is a blessing…

http://www.ted.com/talks/nic_marks_the_happy_planet_index.html

…of Dreams & Possibilities

i do dream of a better world…to turn dreams to realities takes time & effort

If you’ve managed to read this far into my email and find that things resonates, lets come together to explore the possibilities ahead.

I will be travelling in Europe from 06-25.June and may not be checking on my mails regularly. But do write and we can link up when i’m back.

That said, you guys are always welcomed to come by our SL Kampung and get to know the many interesting & sincere people who are part of this movement. From engineers, to accountants, social workers, psychologist, artists, graphic designers, chefs, students, teachers, neighbourhood aunties and uncles, young & old…

For those of you who came before, i’d like to emphasis that it is not just about urban farming per say. Urban farming is a platform and a starting point for us to reconnect with Nature and People. It is the building up a community that supports one another that is the key.

it is not about Ground-Up Initiative as an organisation…but Ground-Up Initiative as a Movement to inspire positive change, first in ourselves and then our Brave New World…

I err therefore I am

adib published on May 6, 2011 in zeitgeist. 0 Comments