"My civil engineering education proved helpful."

a few years ago when i told a lawyer friend of mine that i was intending to pursue an architecture degree, he said, "mark, i have a civil-engineer friend in the field who'd gladly resolve the technicalities for minimum fees; you don't need an architecture degree to design buildings. you should do law instead."

it's never really bothered me to know that the artistically-inclined Calatrava is well recognised as a master architect of sorts thanks to his works incommensurable to anyone who isn't either a rocket-scientist or well, a civil engineer. however, it does bother me when Prof Shih Choon Fong, President NUS say that in his life of mad endeavours, "I also had the joy of designing my own house and helping its construction. My civil engineering education proved helpful."

maybe i'm wronging prof shih, maybe his house is kind of a fantastical imagery of--i don't know--an armadillo or something, as are many of Calatrava's imagery of birds. maybe his house is really really beautiful, and SIA even has it featured in some arcane issue of its magazine.

maybes.

what is most certain is that i'd like to believe that his house is barfugly so that i wouldn't suffer anymore existential angst associated with this profession.

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in other news, Aaron Soh and Kelly Tong will depart for their studies at Unimel in an hour or so. best wishes to them!!!