Part 2 has arrived #Murakami

I just picked up my copy of part II of ‘Killing Commendatore’ . I wrote about part I here.

I had a voucher to pick it up. So as I approached the cashier we had some small-talk about it and how she would have to scan the voucher in the cash register.

What followed seemed like a conversation straight out of the book.

‘Would you like a bookmark to go with that?, the cashier asked me.

´Here is one with a cat on it.’

‘Considering the writer, that would be appropriate’, I replied in an unusual sense of wittiness.

‘Are there no cats in there then?’ , she said.

‘I haven’t seen one up till now, but I will be sure to let you know when I do.’

As I walked towards the exit I had a big smile on my face…

A day like a perfect pancake…

…sometimes the day just works out brilliantly.

You get up early like your new years resolution you again committed to. I get up at six and work on my morning routine. Read the news feeds I like to follow and pick one beautiful building a day for my blog series.

I drink water, do early morning stretch exercises and crunches and work until about 7.30 after which I wake up the kids to have breakfast.

In the office by 8.30 to pick up some paperwork for the meeting that is about to take place. Notes were send prior to the participants. Everybody is prepared. We take care of the progress report we have to send in by the end of the month and prepare for the closing meeting of the project that we will have by the end of June this year.

I get home by 13.30 and have the afternoon off as always on Friday. I am on my bicycle by 14.00. I ride hard for two hours. Get back home. Get cleaned up. Do laundry, grocery shopping. And make pancakes for my youngest, who returns from hockey practice and is starving. Things do not get much better than this.

Getting things done does not always come from lists and to-do’s, sometimes it just happens by itself. Those days seem like a perfect pancake to me.

Friday Faves – What We’re Reading This Week

This is really an interesting blog from a service consultancy firm in Australia. Too bad they are so far away…

Jakkii Musgrave's avatarRipple Effect Group

Friday Faves is our weekly blog series highlighting a few select pieces from the REG team’s reading lists. You can catch up on past Friday Faves on the archive. 

10 Technology Travel Trends for 2018

lgw-ar-wayfinding-check-inSource

Anne says: It’s that time of the year – everyone’s doing it – so I’m joining in to review some of the technology trends to determine how they might impact us or our workplace.

As this is also holiday season and many of us will have flown, or are about to fly somewhere – and as a previous travel/airline executive – I’ve decided to focus on travel technology trends this week. In fact, the airline and airport industry are quite advanced in their use of emerging technologies. In many cases, how these are applied provide both the organisation and the customer extensive benefits. Subsequently, we can look into other organisational contexts to…

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Rocio’s Hospital / Manoel Coelho Arquitetura e Design

#intheseries

…a beautiful hospital building a day….

© Nelson Kon Architects: Manoel Coelho Arquitetura e Design Locations: Campo Largo – Paraná, Brazil Authors: Manoel Coelho, Antonio Abrão Team: Carolina Henares, Andressa Kreush, Andréia Ferrari, Cátia Branco, Manuela Ferreira, Victor Escorsin, Roberta Perozza Area: 55300.0 sqm Project Year: 2014 Photographs: Nelson Kon Constructor: Engerama © Nelson Kon Text description provided by the architects.

Source: Rocio’s Hospital / Manoel Coelho Arquitetura e Design

Getting back on my feet

This week I realized I have spoken to 24 start-ups, read through an equal number of profiles and discussed business ideas with 12 other innovation brokers / change agents / investors and seasoned entrepeneurs.

And now at the end of the week I still have to do my weekly review and have a project progress meeting tomorrow morning which I have to prepare.

And will chairing the bi-weekly teammeeting I read two lines by Seth Godin while preparing;

…

Charisma doesn’t permit us to lead.

Leading gives us charisma…

 

I knew I was going to be alright today.

Slash House / Conrad San Roman Flores

…a weird house a day…

© Renzo Rebagliati Architects: Conrad San Roman Flores Location: Asia, Peru Area: 203.0 m2 Project Year: 2016 Photographs: Renzo Rebagliati Collaborator: Gabriela Rivera Constructor: Bronco Construcción Structure, Electrical Installations And Sanitary: Bronco Construcción © Renzo Rebagliati Text description provided by the architects.

Source: Slash House / Conrad San Roman Flores

#rockstart selection days

And we are off for the class of 2018 in Digital Health startups with #rockstart @healthvalley

Update: I spoke to 6 new inspiring entrepeneurs working on their healthcare propositions. They will have another two full days with talks, pitches and negotiations ahead of them to make it to the final 10 for this coming year. In February the program will start and my colleague Marc and me will again act as mentors. Hopefully we can help them advance their companies in the Health Valley.

Scene House / LCGA Design

#architecture

…a beautiful small house a day…

A very nice alternative for my next house. Not bigger, but smaller. Less stuff, less footprint. Dematerialize is something that I really feel strongly about. And I am not the only one. More and more friends around have expressed their desire to move into smaller alternative housing now that their children will leave in the next couple of years.

Sounds familiar?

 

© Hey!Cheese Architects: LCGA Design Location: Taipei, Taiwan Lead Architects: Circle Huang, Gina Chiu Area: 75.0 m2 Project Year: 2017 Photographs: Hey!Cheese © Hey!Cheese Text description provided by the architects. The main concept for this case is “light”.

Source: Scene House / LCGA Design

#Murakami Complete…not quite yet

Yesterday after completing the first part of Murakami’s new masterpiece, ‘Killing Commendatore’, pt. 1, I realized my collection of his works was not finally complete without these last 4 works. So I looked around and ordered them all at once. I read the English versions of the Dutch translations before, but I want to have all of his books in Dutch and English. So part one of that collection is now finished.

I have 8 or 9 English copies, so it won’t take too long hopefully to collect the rest. And I must say that it brings an extra dimension to the work of Murakami if you read the same book in different languages.

For instance I have read “Hard-boiled Wonderland…” in English and can’t wait to read it again in Dutch now. This Saturday pt. 2 of Commendatore will be in the bookstore, so I will finish that book first before I will start on the ones below.