Session 3 - October 27

[Philip Bramble]

In Fukuoka, Japan, there is an ongoing dispute over the reconstruction of Fukuoka Castle.  Most of the former castle grounds are now a public park with only a few original structures standing.  However, the mayor has pushed for a reconstructed castle to be built, as it would give the city another tourist attraction.  Some people have protested against this plan -- after all, would you be happy if Athens decided to restore the Parthenon to its "original" glory? -- but as writer Alex Kerr points out, once a bureaucratic plan is set in motion, it is never defeated but simply lies dormant until it can be brought forth at a more opportune time later.

[Philip Bramble]

One haiku I like to keep in mind when things go wrong is this one by Masahide:

My storehouse having been burnt down
Nothing obstructs the view of the bright moon.

[Philip Bramble]

Beats me, but I'm sure with a little digging we could find the answer!

[Philip Bramble]

Yes, indeed, it is so much nicer now!

[Jennifer Lee]

Thank you for sharing Yan. I discuss the Forbidden City in my Art History class and feel like my understanding on the meaning of it could be stronger.

[Jennifer Lee]

Your field trip with the students sounds amazing.  I also agree with you about the contrast between the Huntington and San Diego Gardens.  I've only been to the San Diego one once and there weren't very many people there, but I'm not sure if that is typical. I also felt the San Diego one was more peaceful because its protected in its lower location from busy Balboa Park. I really felt seperated and transported in that sheltered location.

[Alison Douglas]

Thank you for sharing! I've always been fascinated by the Forbidden City and hope to see it one day. 🙂

[Alison Douglas]

There was so much information that I found interesting from the scrolls to the Japanese geisha dresses.  The scrolls are fascinating how they tell a story and are about 8 feet long with so much attention to detail within them.  I found it interesting how you said that they replace them with new ones every so often.  There were many topics that I've heard of but never had much of an understanding, for example how feug shui works and how they planned the cities to follow certain energy.   It would be interesting to know the electromagnetic energy in my house.  That was interesting to hear about your wife and finding the energy levels in your house.  There is so much attention to detail within the environment and it all has a purpose.  I think I'm one of the few people in the class that have never been to Asia, but the more I learn the more I would like to go and see it for myself.  Not sure if I want to share bath water, but to see it all for myself would be an awesome experience.  I believe these lectures will allow for greater appreciation to all the details.  Also, very interesting the topic about finding housing for people.  I do agree that there is much much needed besides shelter alone.

[Thomas Pineda]

That brings up such an interesting topic for debate- when should we consider certain monuments or edifices obsolete, in a sense, that it would no longer be sustainable to maintain them? There is a delicate balance of preserving culture and history but also factoring the environmental or societal cost this maintenance. After the lecture, I ended up watching the "Life on Our Planet" documentary by David Attenborough and thought of what this model of sustainability would look like and how can science be leveraged to preserve some of these majestic or artistic sites while allowing nature to repopulate our constant development. 

[Elizabeth Rosales]

I have never studied Feng-shui, and I would never have thought of it as geomancy, but I see the connection.It is important to take into account how the paths of energy flow through an area you want to live in. If you decide to build a house in tornado alley, you run the risk of losing everything to the tremendously destructive energy that comes in the form of a tornado. I have seen the effects of a house couched in the protection of a mountain. A tornado repeatedly bounced off of the top of the mountain behind my father's house and took off the top of the tree next to their house and landed out in the unprotected flat area of a cornfield, leaving a circular mark. Coincidentally, they also have a meandering river out in front of their house. I never gave a thought to these things until I read this article. Water that meanders through a riverbed has a different structure than water that runs straight down a pipe. This is a scientifically proven fact that supports the same idea that Qi can be good or bad, based on the same idea of either meandering or flowing in a straight line. In fact, I use a water structurer because of what I have learned about the difference in the molecular structure of natural water as compared to 'piped' water. That is a whole other amazing, but relevant, subject.

I can think of some pretty fun, messy activities that students would love in testing out some engineering principles around this idea of house placement.

[Elizabeth Rosales]

Such a sad story! It seems we are all bound by that ruthless master, taxes!

[Elizabeth Rosales]

I have been to both of those Japanese gardens, as well. I think the vast openness of the space at Huntington feels just that, open. But the San Diego garden IS more comforting. Like the difference between a pond and the ocean.

[Elizabeth Rosales]

I get over those thoughts by planning how not to go through them again. I think through what caused them, and then I often write down my plan for solving that problem, and then I let it go, believing that it will never happen again.

Breathing techniques help immensely, as well. Your brain functions more effectively if it has adequate oxygen, and when we are stressed, we tend not to breathe well, because of tension, especially in the stomach/diaphragm area.

Lastly, I started reasoning with myself when I felt I had done something wrong or ineffective. I asked myself, "Is anyone going to die because of what I did or did not do? No. So it really is not that bad. Just do better next time and let it go today."

[Elizabeth Rosales]

Beautiful example of positivity!

[Elizabeth Rosales]

Same question! I have wondered this for a long time.

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