School

Tomorrow, or should I say today, school begins. I'm scared!!! Hope I can put all my plans into practice. I wonder who or what will be my obstacles and will I overcome them? I'm sure, the school's new policies will not make this semester easy. Any case, we'll see how it goes, wish me luck.

The Salk Institute

This place just speaks for itself. "A forced view, it's like having horse blinders on" - Marvin Guevara

I can't tell you how many times I've been to this place. I first visited when I was working on my Bachelor for interior design. We took a tour and it was mind blowing! I loved it and I thought right away on how this was my favorite place in the world!

After beginning a Masters in Architecture I was once again able to visit this place on my own and it was a different feel. Not only was I looking at it from the inside but also from the outside and from its site orientation. My visits became more of pleasure and inspiration rather than school related. I even was part of a photo shoot for a "Portfolio" at this site. There was always something that would bring me back and I always was able to enjoy it to the fullest.

Now, I'm working on my thesis. And I'm looking at this building again. Again, I'm looking at it with different eyes and for a different inspiration. I'm looking at it's orientation, it's relationship with its surrounding and at the way it speaks to every person that has the opportunity to visit. So, now I'm leaving San Diego and I can say I was lucky enough to live close to this masterpiece and I was able to take advantage of it to the fullest.

La Jolla Veterans Affairs Medical Center

The 355-bed La Jolla Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) is considered the most modern and best-equipped VA hospital in the country. The professional staff consists entirely of full-time members of the UCSD faculty, and the chief of staff is an associate dean in the School of Medicine.

Following my research in San Diego. Once again, I went back to UCSD and this time was to visit the VA Hospital. Why is there a VA Hospital dead smack in the middle of UCSD, when it only serves military members and their families? Well, this is also a teaching hospital and many of the staff members are from UCSD and School of Medicine. And even though the signs will lead you to it, make sure you have a proper ID otherwise you will find it difficult to even park. The sense of security is very well noticeable and the very proud veterans run the front desk.

This is quite a big building to research compare to what I will be designing but I found that the services it offers, other than medical, will be really helpful to my research. Programs such as, social services, patient library, job seeking services, and more. This building, however, does not offer PTSD services. What I learned is, those cases are taken over by the social services, later to be transferred to a mental health clinic or another VA Hospital that specializes in PTSD. The Mental Health department for this hospital is solely on one level and it focuses on substance abuse and more psychotherapeutic services, where in-patient is required.

Over all, it was a very "crowded" hospital for what it wants to offer. It looks as though they "moved in" and crammed all the program in. Way-finding is also crowded and its hard to get around. The colors are blues and grays and depressing. Still, you can see Doctors and nurses walking the halls helping people and being very friendly. The VET Homeless Services is heart warming. I got to stand close to the elevator in the lobby, doing what I do best, people watching. It was overwhelming to stand still and see all of the "vets" walking up and down the hall of the hospital. Vets from all walks of life. Young men coming in for physical therapy and older men and women coming in for a routine check ups. Therapy dogs and their trainers taking the elevator to visit the rooms of the patients on the upper floors.

I have a list on my mind of all that I would change and make better. Things I would like to add to the program, and all that I would love to include in my building. Sometimes, something that let's you know "what not to do" can be more helpful than that of what you can copy from. Over all, what a great day. Makes me proud of being a military wife.

Shot from the parking lot

Therapy Garden on the Mental Health Level

Today I went to visit The Moores UCSD Cancer Center. I was told by a friend to go check it out while I am in San Diego for winter break. Going to La Jolla for research can be really delightful. It can be really cerine in so many ways. It offers many state of the art buldings along with some great recreation. Aside all of that, I need to focus on my thesis research. So, I went and found it quite easily. We got there at 5 pm and there was no patients around. It was great to walk around with nobody around. I was able to take pictures of areas like the theater, conference room and lobbies.
After a long semester of learning the basics of what a medical clinic has to offer, I was able to point out every single element of the visitable program in front of me. A lobby three stories high, columns every ten feet along the front of the building. It was definitely is steel frame building. The materials we all stone, wood and glass. A courtyard accessible to everyone, including patients. Natural lighting was used in every way possible to the point where hallways are used to light interior offices with the used of translucent materials and clear stories. The articulation in plan is also seen in elevation and I think this is why this building works in its surrounding environment. The program is easy to understand to and get around and its a clear understanding from public, semipublic and private.
Many mental notes and pictures are now with me to help me with my thesis and hope to find many more places that I can be inspired from before I begin this endeavor.

The Moores UCSD Cancer Center was founded in 1979. The Center is one of just 39 in the United States to hold a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center. As such, it ranks among the top centers in the nation conducting basic and clinical cancer research, providing advanced patient care and serving the community through outreach and education programs.

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Occupation : Student

Occupation : Student
I been a full time student for about two years now. I pretty much stopped looking for a job as soon as school got more demanding. I worked as a freelance makeup artist but even that looks outdated on my resume. I cross my fingers as graduation gets closer, finding a job might be a little harder than I'd imagined. I joined grad school thinking that I would ride out the recession, but oh my, it's not over yet and school soon will be over. Now, my interest lays on a very lucrative career. I'm not talking about architecture alone but I'm talking about "medical architecture" and for what I hear, that line of work is doing pretty good through this recession. Now, this interest was developed by a life experience that changed my life. The illness of my father and the realization that even though ADA is on his side, design in hospitals and clinics can be WAY better. I see it as a puzzle. OSHPD and UBC give you a set of rules, with them come limitations. Now it's up to me to make it work and make the best design from it. Sounds simple right?!? Not, really. But, I guess it will all start with that one opportunity that will change my employment status from student to architect. And just like this, I will see how my idea of changing the world might come about someday. For now my occupation is student.


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Location:Sleepless Night

Life...

So, I've been in San Diego for over 3 weeks and have managed to do absolutely nothing with my thesis. I did write a few questions for an interview I plan to do.
Here is what I have so far:


These are a series of question that will help determine what program will better fit a therapy center catering to the veterans and active member of the military suffering from PTSD and other mental disorders.

What is more important in your environment when visiting a therapist?

Do you prefer group therapy or one-on-one therapy?

Do you prefer a building near to public areas ( downtown, ,markets and parks ) or secluded areas away from the public?

Does having access to views and natural light while in therapy important to you.

Do you find it beneficial having a hospital in the vicinity.

Would you take advantages of anemeties such as, exercise rooms, meditation gardens, and other recreational areas.

Rate the importance of the following services available to you at a therapy center. 1 being the lowest 5 being the highest.

Social service
Legal service
Job search assistance
Daycare service


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iPhone 5

Waiting for the new iPhone 5. Having a iPhone that is 3 generations behind has been a pain. Every update makes it slower and less reliable. I think if I were to have an emergency where I would have to use my phone to call 911 I would be out of luck. I don't know who to blame, which giant is the biggest devil, AT&T or Apple. Did they do this
on purpose? Do them make it so that you have to buy a new phone every 2 years because your phone now it's absolute? Either case, that's some funky business and if I were on the other side of the coin it would all make sense.
Still, I don't see myself with an android or a blackberry. So, I will wait till the summer where I will find out if it will be worth changing carriers and who will carry the best iPhone.
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So, today I began the first stages of my thesis.  Many things are in my TO-DO list and I don't know where to begin.  I can start by just simply beginning with the smallest task, but even that seems hard to do.  Avoidance?  No, just too much on a small plate at this moments.  While I start, here are come pictures of the places I'll be looking into for precedence.  

The Salk Institute.

Cancer Center UCSD

Any VA Hospital that offers PTSD meeting...

I'm an Architect Student and I use a gaming computer to do my work!!! Okay, yes, I can see why it might seemed like a little overkill but you don't understand the MADNESS of a computer lab at finals and how every time you hit RENDER you are have a 50 50 chance of loosing all your work! So, I've decided to reach out for the monster computer that will keep me from pulling out my hair this semester. The best computer out there! I know, a lot of gamers out there would be so MAD to learn that a geek like me will not be using this baby to play video games but I plan to use it to its FULL potential. I promise to run Illustrator and CAD and 3D max all at the same time. I promise to let my husband play Call Of Duty on it, and I promise to let any nerd out there drool over it whenever he/she sees it.