I grew up playing with sand and hollow blocks when I was a kid. There was always something being constructed, and the two, along with some rocks, were constant. As the construction workers (or plain workers) would mix the three along with water, us kids would be on the side, emulating them, or going our own way, building sand castles.
This memory makes me realize how easy it is to construct things here. Houses are built on the fly with nary an architect or engineer in sight. Construction permits are useless when the homes being built are made only of found wood, plywood and yero. Building inspections are dreaded not because buildings do not meet city safety standards (they don't most of the time), but because it means another round of under-the-table payments to the inspectors.
My heart goes out to Japan for the recent calamities happening to them. But I also am proud of them, knowing that the destruction in their country right now is but a fraction of what would've been, if it weren't for their discipline, dedication, and foresight of building things with a plan.
Jordan
031711
*Wall of an abandoned building at Aurora Avenue, near the Betty-Go station of the LRT 2.
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