dream sketches...

before i head home... can anyone guess what this is?




haha... was thinking abt it the whole of last night. i even scribbled out some possible modifications (not included in this sketch).

Subvert the usual paradigm...

"do a paradigm shift my boy..." was the last advise given for the day by one of the associate.

It feels like im back in the design studio cracking out my brain to figure out an idea/ cutting edge idea for the bungalow. On one hand its pretty exciting to be designing. i've heard many who never got a chance to design since uni days until many many years later. But also it would be quite embrassing to come out with some cliche/ childish concept.


I know so little yet i've learnt so much...

Almost there...

We're almost crossng the finishing line in terms of completing the showflat. Hopefully all will be done by next week. They are intending to launch pretty soon. Its a pity that this building will only exist on a temporary basis.


okay... its a friday night... yes... ummm... yea.

It won't be soon before long...

Parents have left the tiny singapore island and back to my motherland- Malaysia. Sigh, it was fun while it lasted. eating non-stop similar to techno music.
Since non of you will be allowed to enter my current workplace (unless ofcourse you acquire mkpl as your designer), i have no choice but to post it up on the blog. With limited images ofcourse.

What more do you want to see aside from my working space?

Image 1- The main working area, split into 4 bays.
Image 2- I'm located at the 3rd bay
Image 3- I'm seated in the middle in-between the associate i'm to follow and the hired ID staff who smokes in the ladies every 3-4 hours. ofcourse this activity increases when she gets even more stressed out.
Image 4- My working space close up
Image 5- My 2 bosses' office a.k.a the FISH TANK.
Image 6- The model making area located opposite the FISH TANK.

Anyway, thanks mom and dad for making your way all the way here to visit me. So blessed and happy indeed. Not till another 6-7 months i'll see you guys again.

Before i leave the office...

i wrote a whole lot of stuff regarding this building.
but basically... this is where i work. my unique office. column free due to the twisted fins. those fins are purely structural which are 4 times stronger than an untwisted fin. amazing.
the slabs are post tension... therefore the slabs are able to be about 220mm thick.
its the first building in Singapore design with 2 levels of basement on clay soil. Built in the 1970s by KTP consultants.








The engineers must be enthralled by the images. a unique aesthetic created through structural rationalization. Why... is another question to be answered at another day.

Happy mother's day...

the showflat is coming along. dont be fooled by its external look. interior defects is a nightmare. we had to kick down all the walls to ensure they dont try to be funny and repaint the mouldy walls....

this project is one month past its actual completion date.

i shall spare u all by not showing u the interior shots yet. its still... too embarrasing to show.

Thanks for the e-card... my dear parents.

currently there is an uninvited big piece of LARD sleeping on my sofa. i was so angry when i had the sudden knews that the lard was coming to sleep over without my approval by the string bean. Some people will never change. Never change indeed, as the Lard is still as smelly as ever. my apartment now stinks like shit. smelly socks... smell of undried clothes/ sweaty clothes/ stinky body odour. i can go on and on about these mannerless people. but i've other things to think about. such as... yong tau fu.

anyway, my tonites plan with ahjihn has been cancelled. i was actually looking forward to it. good way to spend pre-labour day "partying". unfortunately, one of them fell sick so the whole thing was cancelled. nevermind... tonite is movie marathon on channel 5. Shoots! the smelly big is occupying the living area. maybe i should bring the tv into my room. i hate smelly people.

bought myself a pair of pants. realised that the color was darker than my suite. hmmm don;t think anyone would notice... would they? but anyway its still nonetheless a nice pair of pants. have to send it to be trimmed.

I've signed up for the DATUM: KL 2007/ UIA Regional Forum 2007 at KLCC on the 6-7 July.
so far all the AAs arent attending... must try to presuade them.
the key speakers?
Ryue Nishizawa (SANAA)
Ma Yansong
Cho Minsuk
Zhao Xiaoiun
Billie Tsien
CM Lee & Kapil Gupta
Mok Wei Wei
Lillian Tay
Rory Mcgowan

So exciting indeed. now all i need to worry about is the cost for the whole trip.

SIA Dinner...

its shopping time... My boss has apparently "invited" us to attend the SIA annual dinner coming May. Ofcourse its never a choice when it comes to office events. We are a proud bunch and face is very important at MKPL.

But problem is... we're required to dress up formally. mens attire- Lounge suite. my current wardrobe has nothing of that standard. Hence we junior architects are given a $300 wardrobe allowance. Unfortunately, a $300 budget is not enough for me to get an Armani suite. sigh...
Should try an demand for more... if he insist that we need to "build up our wardrobe".

Anyway, the weekend is here. but have to head back office tomorrow and hopefully not Sunday as well. Crunch time...

Speaking of which, i'm getting hungry. John has really spoilt me on them sandwiches at The Sandwich Shop. die lar... brie and ham... yum yum. NO!! Yongtaofu! yummier!!

Very very... behind schedule

Current project i'm involved with. This is the showflat for the development located somewhere in Bukit timah. very posh wan eh. sneak preview... possibly be selling at $2000/sq f.



Kiasu engineer? with columns that big for a canopy... i think the purlins are totally redundant.

moonlight serenade...

have not been writing in this space for a very very long time. thats the problem when you don't have internet access at home. but ofcourse eventually there will always be time to do so.

whats been up? tsk tsk! collected my first pay cheque. sadly it isn't the full sum of my salary as i only started working on the 5th. now the next thing is to pass my probation period and get my name card... that would be the coolest thing in the world. i currently feel like a nobody during meetings etc. no namecards to give out.

this is going to be a pretty short week. the time passes so quickly here... yet not quick enough. but theres just so much to do in such a short time, or actually the client keeps squeezing our time shorter and shorter. so many meetings... so little time to complete stuff. sadly, the interns will be leaving us and heading back to school. guess who's left to pick up the leftover pieces.

watched SHOOTER over the weekend. Mark Wahlberg was the main star of the movie. it was okay. the action was pretty enjoyable, but the story line and the development of the characters werent really there. but it was good entertainment nonetheless. cinemas are good places to get away from it all. the layout is as similar to almost any cinema in the world, that you wont be able to feel the difference. watching a movie in Sg was not any different from watching a movie in aussie. in a sense its a place you sometimes can feel at home.

had a meeting with the marketing people organise by the project manager regarding the current project im doing. it was truly slightly a waste of time. tomorrow would be a long day the client's office.

thinking of what plans to make during the weekend. thinking of heading up kl to celebrate easter and do my banking stuff as well. still deciding.

anyway. i'm heading off. time to sleep.

at the office...

taking the opportunity to check my emails. hence i wouldn't be having any internet access at home for awhile more.
working is...

Been asked to do toilet details. its an ongoing project, we're in the midst of constructing the show flat for the condo. i guess its true that every fresh grad architect starts with the toilet details. mind you, when we say details.. its really detailed. alot of work. it'll probably take a week.. but since im abit slow on the autocad. probably more than that.

getting ready to go home. looking forward to be assigned to my proper place. temporary using another technicians space while he's on leave.

its a pity i didnt bring my camera along today. haha.

life is not a bed of roses...

so far it has been a breeze. the whole process of starting my new working life seems so far so good. many thanks to debbie & family, my parents, and other misc supporters. tsk tsk.

still currently residing at deb's place. till i get my place sorted out. i need to get a new matress you see, and ofcourse a good and super secure padlock. you'll never know when they will strike.

it's a pity i couldn't bring my sport shoes over, or else i would had gone exercising/ whatever.
i've begun planning on m financial expenditures. the big question! am i gonna be taxed? need to find out. heck why don't i ask my hosts. heck i keep forgetting. anyway! first things first... move in to my place ASAP. my fingers are crossed hoping that they are good landlords. you'll never know when they will strike.
hope they'll get rid of that alter and sort out the fridge thing soon. best before i move in. haha. i'm pretty proud of the place i've found. the best thing is that i have it all to myself. no more housemates!! 6 years of endurance... finally!!

other worrying issues. grandpa is ill. thinking i should visit the family one weekend.

starting work on monday. theres goes the end of my life of freedom. sigh. it was fun indeed while it lasted. sigh sigh sigh. wonder what are my other peers doing? i bet some of them are still shaking their legs.

time is money...

i start work on the 5th. pretty exciting indeed. curious to see how busy would i really be. is the owrking life so dreadful as everyone describes it to be.
been bumming around the past few days. i think i've been eating one too many mandarin oranges. i should go out and exercise these couple of days. plus i have not started on my packing. getting really comfortable here at home. which is a sign indeed. heck i'm even getting comfortable of this given freedom from work and studying.

met up with old school mates. time passes so fast. everyone has changed mostly in a subtle manner. but glad everyone does make an effort to see each other. all we have is each other that is real, new friendships are becoming more superficial. classmates become friends due to forced circumstances, friends nowadays become friends for a reason/ purpose. but having said that, i think meeting up once in awhile should be enough. we probably would have nothing to talk about if we see each other too often.

can't believe i'll be starting work soon. this time i'll be starting my new life and career alone. atleast when i was in KL there was alvin and Co. then i had my coursemates to accompany me in Melbourne.

hope i'll be able to find myself a nice place to stay. cheap and cosy.

i think i should de-tox myself before i head off. i'll do it when mom gets back from KL.

A'cross...

" i'm thinking of becoming a christian... where can i get one of those necklaces with a T? "

' It's a Cross... '

" Across where? "

' ... '

Sick...

what do you do when there's a brown-out?
Absolutely nothing...

What do you when you have a runny nose?
Blow...

What do you do when your eyes are watery?
Rub...

What are you like when you're sick?
Miserable...

Humourous...

Simon: So i heard that you're a writer. What do you write about?

Robert: yea. its about the story of robert.

Simon: how interesting. How did the story ended?

Robert: It ended with a period.

Simon: oh... ummm... ...

my girl next door...

She's definitely THE girl. i had forgotten how hot she is until i watched 'a guy thing'. the movie itself wasn't great. in fact i would rate it a type C movie, but it was so obvious that she stood out and everyone else were just dumbos. she's truly a potential academy award winner. everything about her just give me the tingles... theres just something about her... that aura of substance and classy style. its just the whole package when you add it up that makes her so hot. even Scarlett falls way behind her. if anyone were to ask me what do i look in a girl... i'll tell them Julia.

personally, i like girls who read. i personally am not a hardcore bookworm. i probably have only read finish at most 3 books a year. but i find girls who read very attractive. maybe it's because i was brought up in a house where the women love to read. and when i say read, i don't mean trashy mags/ novels only. i believe that girls who read are oppinionated and have substance.
other reasons why i like girls who read is because 1. it'll keep them occupied 2. they have more things to talk about 3. they can be my synopsis 4. it shows more character in a girl 5. more active and creative/ imaginative mind 6. easy for me in the gift department

its about time i start applying. my heart and mind is well rested and now ready to take on a new challenge. plus its also due to the fact that i've been getting questions about getting a job or have i gotten a job, etc. getting a bit tired and paiseh of replying the same old answers. high time i start moving my lazy ass. sigh... so sad. wish i could bump around a lil longer, but yet, i am gradually getting pretty restless.

'tis the season to be jolly... fa la la la la.

5 years of my academic life is seriously over. i'm currently in a twilight zone. post graduation isn't really exciting as i imagine it would be. another phase of my life has just ended, and now its time to just move along. can't hold up on the queue. there are a few things i've told my self to do just before the finals. a number of them are actually reading up the architectural books (non-graphical ones) i've purchased months ago. other agendas would be ofcourse job searching. in the meantime... me chill in KK till icy cold.

i've been thinking about relationships between engineers and architects. its a bitter rivalry. i always thought that when i become an architect, i will try my best to respect them engineers in there area of expertise. sadly to say i cant say the same for them. so far their obviously out to back stab us and trying to prove to us that we're dispensable. we're just a bunch of stupid profesionals who didn't do/ sucked in science and math. this has been a good warning for me before i start work, to learn not to give face to these engineers. its either because they hold some sort of a grudge on us or they just think they are far way too superior. whatever the reason is, all i need to know is to stay as far away from them and to treat them like shit whenever i've got the chance to do so. they are indeed a real "busy" bunch. never sleep and always on the move.

im going down town today... boxing day sales?!?!
i seriously need to update more...

do you prefer digging your... ear or nose?

been busy touching up and re-organising my portfolio. yup, this is it. here i come "real world"... i've still yet gotten the hang of post-uni life. somehow i still feel like theres another semester to go. 5 years of uni is really no joke. preparing to enter into a new chapter of my life is so troublesome. its back to the drawing board figuring out where and what the heck i should do next. every option sounds so tempting yet so worrying. its like picking A and regretting not picking B. hmmm... if deciding between A and B is so complicated... maybe i should pick C. but then, theres D... and E, F, G... etc.

anyway, cherries are back in season. i have not eaten bananas in months. wonder if my parents would be interested in cherry picking. for me, i prefer to just pick them from the market. yummylicious. i should try this new duck confit recipe. but the bad part is that it requires a heap load of olive oil.

tonight on tv... HowIMetYourMother/ MyNameIsEarl/ Bones/ JamieOliverAustralianDiary/ FamilyGuy. seriously i ain't addicted to tv.

glad Grant Hill is back and playing. he's not been playing a full season for almost 3 years. so far he's been starting all 10 games. please don't sprain anything. maybe the orlando magic has a shot for the championships... let alone the playoffs.

And, its almost a month before christmas.

new obsession...

someone has not been flushing the toilet downstairs after shishi. i wonder who could it be? its definitely a guy. i shall do a profile check on the unsub...
the juice was probably excreted through a phallus... as the seat was last seen lifted. (did you know that the word penis originally meant "tail" in latin. however, some say that it originates from the indo-european word pesos... then the spanish decided to name their currency... minusing the S. okay the 3rd part isn't true. or is it?!)

since australia has not yet begun screening season 3 of HOUSE (although i am getting a bit tired of the fella for now). i have discovered a new show... CRIMINAL MINDS! i just love profilers... don't you? this reminds me of my research paper on Criminology back in college. i think criminals are an interesting subject. but this doesnt mean that i'm actually brave enough to look at one in the eye. i know squat about them besides the fact that majority of killers have cave man features. another show that i wouldnt mind watching would be THE UNIT. love the action part hate the family housewife etc parts. we don't want to know life away from the killing fields. we wanna see bangbang... kaboom action!

i've begun to respect supermodels ever since i found out that the geek a.k.a Dr. Spencer Reid a.k.a MatthewGrayGubler(weird surname) in Criminal minds was formerly one. i've always thought that models were just 2 dimensional humans with exaggerated features. he's also a sketch artist and directed short films. he even has a webpage. interesting. although i suspect that his geeky character in the show is actually pretty similar to who he is in person. borderline paranoid schizophrenic. i always wanted to be a supermodel sometimes... so i could take home the nice looking clothes. sigh...

Little Miss Sunshine is a must see. funny sad funny.

oh ya. one paper down... one more to go!

now that design is over my life feels so empty... not!

che... chec... check it out!! Gradex2006. and remember to click on the RF link situated at the bottom under 'Studio Quick Links'. yea man...

dooms day is next week...

Zakaria... sigh... double sigh...

Opinion by LEE KIM CHUAN
Friday November 3, 2006

Turn Zakaria’s mansion into public library

EVER since Datuk Zakaria Md Deros' controversial “Istana Idaman” in Klang was highlighted in the media, there have been many calls by the people to demolish the mansion which reportedly costs over RM8mil.

By law, any structure that is illegally built has to be demolished. Many small temples on government land and squatter homes have been levelled to the ground for the same reason.

Both the Prime Minister and Selangor Mentri Besar have said that no one is above the law. Thus, it is obvious that the mansion has to be demolished.

But, as a Klang resident, I do not agree. It is a complete waste of money and resources to demolish the mansion.

It serves no real purpose to tear down the beautiful building.

Many visitors to Klang have complained that this royal town of the only developed state in Malaysia is dirty and dusty with uneven and dark roads, noisy and ugly crows, and poorly maintained public facilities.

One example is the Klang public library in Jalan Tengku Kelana. It is very small and the reading materials are pathetically outdated.

The library is supposed to serve more than 500,000 Klang residents, but how many people actually go there?

I suggest that the government turn Zakaria's mansion into a new public library complex.

And I am sure Zakaria, who is known for his contributions to charity, will not mind.



i don't quite agree on the mansions aesthetics. although, the proposal for a library isn't half bad.

enveloped in... dark skies

pretty bum-out on the model making. still trying to figure out how to actually built the gallery in a non-messy way. tough it is. i guess the columns are really structurally important... even in the model. but im trying to avoid putting the columns (oh i sound so much like an architect). when i say putting columns, i meant poking sticks all the way through the slabs. this might cause messiness and waste of materials due to trial and errors. dang! but another problem might occur if i do the other option which is putting columns individually at every floor... thats troublesome. plus. it has to be real accurate and aligned in a perfect linear fashion.
should i drape the whole contour now? or after placing all the mullions? dang!

anyway. other things to worry about aside from submission on the 9th. umm... Archi Prac on the 13th november, and PBL on the 16th. not forgetting the HWIDC... thats if i'm still motivated to do it then. haha. dang! jobs jobs jobs... decisions decisions decisions... chill chill chill... dang!

har... har... har??

and you thought... the durians were everything.

singapores moving real fast. and we all thought that there isnt any space left for huge developments. behold! Vivo City... supposed to be the largest shopping centre in singapore (maybe SEA as well) by Toyo Ito. makes Berjaya Times Square look really pathetic.
vivo city has a similar look to the EPLF centre by SANAA. its the in thing to design undulating platforms...

check out the Vivo City video!!




then there is the ever so awaited Marina Bay Sands. Moshe Safdie's newest masterpiece. Jayjun tried to discribe the building to me but i couldnt really process the image in my head. i guess seeing is believing.

bolehland is really losing out on this design escapade. Please no more lame-o Danga Bay like designs. our type of tropical design style is getting us nowhere.

it ends in 2 weeks time...

decisions... decisions... which one? A or B?

do you recognize this fella... ?

of course you do! he looks pretty familiar... oh gosh! its one of the back up singers at the church back in KK. Anthony is his name. man... winning the astro talent show bladibla (never heard of the show until today). wonder if james would upgrade him being worship leader. heck, maybe he already has.
yea... he's the guy who sang some duet 2 christmas ago. his voice to me is somewhat similar to Aaron Neville's. didn't know he was actually that good. haha. amazing.


here's the link: making astro richer...

there isn't enough love to give... for all the ladies

Women over 30 prefer to marry younger men

KUALA LUMPUR: Educated women above 30 prefer to marry younger men even though they are financially unsound and are less educated, a Universiti Malaya associate professor revealed in her working paper.

National Family Development and Population Board acting director-general Aminah Abdul Rahman said this was happening because women of this age found it hard to find men of the same education level, economic status or age. Most who fit this criterion were already married anyway.

She said this was based on a working paper by associate professor Tey Nai Peng from the Economic and Administration Faculty of Universiti Malaya titled “Marriage and Family Development in Malaysia” presented at a national seminar, Building the Future Generation, recently.

According to the working paper about 13% of women above the age of 30 and well educated in this country were still not married. Based on a racial breakdown, about 29% were Chinese followed by Indians (26%) and Malays (16%).

“But it is a different story altogether for bachelor professionals, and one of the major reasons for not getting hitched was that getting married was expensive.

“Of bachelors, 34.5% of those above 30 said it was economically not viable to get married because of the cost of marriages,” Aminah added

She said if this trend was not checked, it would certainly contribute to a fall in the fertility rate and this was expected to have a big implication on the plans for Vision 2020 in the next 15 years.

Another used to be...

ahhh... we've finally more or less completed our third assignment. its been a real blessing working with LA4 (ChangHan, SiewWoon and XiaoYi). teamwork is pretty evident i think. we compromise, cover each others back, sacrificed, forgived, took nothing personal. who knows, we might actually start up our LA4 for real.
shouldn't speak too soon, who knows i might be wrong.

i'm back to my R&B mood again. its R&B music or no music at all. Joe's the man, along with A.Keys, BEP, J.Legend, babyface, M.Jordan, etc. And with a little bit of Timberlake. he's a mix of pop and r&b, and i dig the latter genre. love those jiwa-ful drum beats.

Anyway! three more weeks before design submissions and four more weeks before d-day. slightly worried about my exam timetable how everything is all squeezed in 3 days. just can't wait to be finish. then i'll have to concentrate on the HWIDC.

heading for lunch then straight to uni. wonder if i should cycle there?? heck i'm starving...

LA4... a proposition to the world.

took advantage of the cheap monday movie tickets to watch THEDEVILWEARSPRADA. it was funny. and i loved the whole life in the city going zoom zoom (notice that i only said "zoom" twice, mazda would have sued me if i had said it 3 times).

anyway... earlier in the evening i attended a forum organised by lab.3000 which was part of this STATEOFDESIGN week thingy. the title of the forum was 'THE CHINA CONNECTION'. pretty interesting, but it was a pity that only 3 out the 5 invited guests speakers were able to attend. nevertheless it was a good chance to hear Peter Davidson speak of his design intentions for the SOHO Shangdu project in China. he seemed like a terribly misunderstood person especially by critiques and academics. i guess that's that' s the sort of respect you get by doing arbituary designs that uses the same technique all the time. but in his own right he is pretty well read and has his own oppinions and perspective on things that are worth listening to. i personally dislike his design for the SOHO shangdu. the idea was good, but the design for me was not very convincing. using a computer to develop the whole concept is pretty interesting. however i still prefer the classic way of the conventional SKETCH. its just more meaningful and soulful.

LA4 has been selected to present our design proposal for the former power station site along spencer street. and as the director of the company, i have to present our work in front of more than a 150 students. scary. at first i figured that our chances of being selected to present our design in the finals was pretty high. but then i thought maybe being not selected would prove to be a better alternative. true enough we were selected. now all we're hoping is to come out as winners.

safari is lagging. i better end here.

LOWIE... !!!!!!!!!

courtesy of CKY

puppy poo...

im currently in the law faculty's 'legal resource centre'. its tiny in comparison with the Architecture's. the reason i'm here is to use their computers to do my PBL workbook. however, all the comp labs are full except ofcourse the public ones which does not have the workbook installed. why is everyone so desperate in using them. they should go out more... enjoy the sunshine and drink coffee or something. then i wouldnt have to be waiting around with no guarantee that i'd be able to get hold of a pc. *which reminds me, i need to post a letter at the post office.

whats coming up?
1. PBL test on Friday... another 60 cases to hafal.
2. Design Position statement due next monday... i need my inspirasi back, it was stolen from me.

anyway. i better get out of here.

love being overated...

people can be just so weird. emotions are given away too easily.

as a cell member... i have an equal right to say that i don't want to go for CG activities. I have the choice of just being happy to have cell groups only on friday nights. furthermore i am not obligated to entertain any of my cell mates, and i can leave just so when i want.

It pisses me off when people try to blackmail and take advantage of me being a christian.using these so called christian standards and expectations to get what they want. i am not a standard nor do i have/ must comply to an organization's standard by force. i have a free will too. i'm not being paid to love and give a damn about my ocf/ cell members anyway.

heck i can just walk off anytime i want. everyone's doing it and so can i.

back to the... futurama

Question: why does the moon taste better than planet earth?

Answer: because it's a little meteor.

Respond: hahahaha....

in search of cardboards...

the phoenix suns has decided to improve on their players footwork. hence they have acquired Ronaldinho to enhance their teams quickness on the floor. fast breaks can't be as fast as this. it's a pity that they have traded Carlos Arroyo to the Orlando Magic. it would have been a dynamic brazillian duo.

just for laughs...

So true among many architects and students... hahaha. im not one of them. hmmm... occasionally.

10,000...

It's set. i'm officially a participant for the HWIDC. wish me luck. now im double loaded. k'ching!
okay, i should still keep the MoMA as my first priority.

hmmm... what sort of style should i go for?? maybe something wild and totally out of my conventional style. tsk tsk...

FLUSH...

at this very moment, i am itching to hit some balls with my racquet. no kaki. i didnt know channel 9 screens usopen matches. i guess federer will be taking this trophy home as well this year. man, i wish i could play with such finesse. can't believe nowadays im playing tennis with 1st and 2nd years, gosh! out of 3 of them 2 are archi students.

hmmm. what i'm intending to do this weekend.

1. complete my plans and sections.
2. supermarketing on saturday morning.
3. Picasso exhibition on sunday.
4. church on sunday.
5. start on HWIDC

feel so relieve that the 2nd practice assignment is over. it was such a pain and burden. then, i've got 4 weeks to study for PBL test.

i think i need to use the bathroom...

study... study... study...

i've been waking up at around 9-930am pretty regularly. trying to establish a habit of waking up earlier, so by next year i would hopefully be routinely waking up at 7am (yes, stop rolling your eyes you people who have no luxury in deciding when you wanna wake up). the weather is getting warmer, which is a good thing and as well a bad thing. good because i wouldnt have to be shivering and bad because i'd be sweating more other than my weekly tennis activity.
hmmm... maybe i should increase the number of days i play tennis since its so sunny.

anyway, PBL test tomorrow at 9am. dearie me.

wonder where clients go...

budak milo...

minum milo anda jadi sihat dan kuat!!

Practice... perfect.

was flipping through a korean architectural journal. the issue was mainly on the entries and winners of the SPACE PRIZE competition. pretty interesting ideas; some of the ideas/ proposals were pretty cliche, yet it was re-evaluated through a totally different perspective. i must say, the korean journals have better graphics than the Malaysian Architecture and Singapore Architect Journals. koreans have pretty hi-tech funky architecture. although it is pretty obvious where they receive the inpirations and resources from, thanks to globalization. now i'm begining to wonder about the substance of these built designs.

nevertheless, the issue on SPACE PRIZE has Architectural thought and substance. one particular project that caught my attention was a proposal of a new way of experiencing a lift/elevator. the idea was base on human's self concious. how people react different or behave in a manner that does not reflect on their true identity. they behavior becomes somewhat droning and colorless. there isn't any excitement as well as enjoyment when entering a lift. in-fact it supposed creates anxiety and uncomfort. most people would just stare at the floor level indicator, impatiently waiting to get out.
so this student proposes an idea of a dark lift where one can only see a silhouette of a person with tiny infrared dots that follows and detects the persons movement. by doing this, this would allow a person to feel that he is able to act freely and at ease. because noone would be able to identify him. i wonder what happends when they exit the lift. and they probably can see you digging your nose even if its just a silhouette.

totally unfeasible.

years and... years ago

guess who did the collage. don't think it would be hard to guess who it was. this was from years ago when i think it was 1 year after secondary school. such a bias compilation.
were you all dressed up for prom? haha. man i feel so extra in the collage. gotta love that beach!

kids... are just kids.

haha. the kids from my vbs class. one is already alot to handle.
let me introduce them to you all...

bottom l-r: Matthew, Phillip, KitMun, Joshua, Simon
Top l-r : Timothy, Rebecca, Elinna (i think), Jocelyn, Eleanor

21st Century... the Century of Cities

man... PS2 freaks in the house. can't believe people would actually lug their PS2 around uni to play. real addicts. the world is becoming so small that carrying these sort of gadgets aren't a problem. its the size of my text book, 3-4 inches thick. amazing.

borrowed a DVD regarding the great Portugese architect- Alvaro Siza. hehehe... so exciting!! wonder what's it about. during the holidays i stumbled upon a documentary on google videos about the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Porto by Alvaro Siza. interesting idea behind such simple buildings. i had always love architecture around the spanish, italian, and portugese region.

okay. 2 minutes to tutorials.

hmmm. i think i'll pop by the Faculty to check out the Superstudio Exhibition. would have gone earlier if i had known.

Ohh... SANAA!!

-quote-

SANAA
Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa
Zollverein School
Essen, Germany






“Our aim was to achieve transparency in the concrete structure.”
SANAA

The Zollverein School of Management & Design, inaugurated on July 31, 2006, is the first new building on the historical coal-mining Zollverein site; declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001.

“We wanted to design a simple cubic building to compliment the existing buildings and achieve continuity within the site.”
SANAA

The design, a cuboid structural shell, picks up the basic functional and effective idea used by the original Zollverein architects Schupp and Kremmer.
The oversized cube, which measures 35 meters by 35 meters and is 35 meters high, reflects the dimensions of the Zollverein mine.

The seemingly coincidental organization of the openings, windows in three different sizes, create an unusual interaction with the surroundings and the interior.

“We have made many big openings in the facades to create different daylight situations inside the building. The position of the windows are defined by the interior programs. By varying the ceiling heights each floor has a very different atmostphere.”
SANAA

-un quote-

Fed Square... 2

the architects who designed Fed Square, LAB Studio, have now ventured into Newcastle. along with their infamous manifesto...





you would had thought that one is enough.

but not for me...

i have begun to understand and appreciate better the works of Carlo Scarpa. he has given me a new perspective on old buildings. his works are just so beautiful. Beautiful is definitely the word to describe his works. i can recall 2 years ago i'd totally ignored CS. first time i took notice of him was while i was browsing through the shelves of the archi library. i pulled his book out of the shelve just because i thought he had a nice name. running through the pages i couldn't understand nuts about what he was doing. his work seemed old fashioned. it was somewhat similar to the works of frankloydwright, which i am not a fan of. who would've known 2 years later i would have picked up one of his book and could understand his intentions.

however the new installations done by Eisenman is horrible. totally incongruous with CS' restoration work of the Castelvecchio musuem. it's hideos! he totally ruin it. they should'nt have asked an american to do the job. it should had been european, i.e. CampoBaeza, even Renzo would have been a better choice. geez.

anyway, class in one hours time.

a wink and a smile...

the holidays are over. my first class starts in 6 hours. i hope they won't request me to leave the class halfway through when they realised that i have not yet paid my fees. i really hope there won't be any complications for my elective sub. please please please. i just want to graduate in peace. happy happy woopdedoo...

had july camp over the weekend. it was surprisingly quite enjoyable. nick and ethan were hilarious. the speaker was... okay. he was super pro-america. everything good happened to him while he was in America i guess. the workshops were... you don't want me to go there. but the general atmostphere this year was so much more different than the one 2 years ago. things have changed so much ever since. this may not have been the best and most memorable camp but its definitely my last, i would assume. why are camps usually held at very secluded and obscured places? but i must say this july camp's campsite was nice. warm and comfy.

after being away for 2 days, the kitchen is back to a mess. sigh. can't wait till i move out and live on my own. things would be easier then.

better prep up before class.

rather like a habit... you could always break.

the winter break has been fun. though i am dredging to actually go for july camp. i absolutely agree w ming that the last weekend is better spent by yourself or atleast with a much smaller crowd. but, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

im wondering if the "shampoo" left in my bathroom is really shampoo. it's so dry.
My place has been turn into some sort of motel to many visitors during the past few weeks. we now have another new guest from Adelaide. courtesy of jules bloodline. but that's not the worst of worries... not looking forward to Archi Practice B. Raisbeck is taking our class!! ugh! fat bald bastard. from what i heard from the 3rd years. he makes your practice life a living hell. apparently we have to write our letters and assignments wearing gloves. gawd! and we have to work in groups! with landscapers. i tot the group thingys were long over. we final years need our own space and time to ourselves.

other subjects taken: Design (as always) and Principles of Business Law (hope it isn't a heavy loaded sub)

picasso exhibition at the NGV. hope it won't be a dissapointment.

woody allen's 'anything else' is a true parody of many relationships. a must see. available at your local video rental stores.

only because i know...

a conversation i had with Ben back in Sydney.

Ben: so how's architecture? i heard it's a pretty busy course.
Me: yea, well... we're probably relatively busier during the semester than the exam period
Ben: no exams eh?
Me: depending on the subjects taken, architecture is more of a... err... hand... hand...
Ben: hmm?
Me: whats the word? oh! a HAND JOB experience...
Others: *Gasp* ?!
Me: hmmm that doesnt sound right...
Ming: you mean "hands on"?
Me: oh yea! HANDS ON experience... oops!

the heat wins in 6 games...

was reading my cousin's   blog. she was rampaging about nuclear war that is soon to come or in-fact already have taken place. it's interesting that malaysia would hold a anti-nuclear war forum. finally malaysians are being warned about what is happening around the globe. being such ignorant people, what we know only revolve around the country. which majority of the information would be gossips and half truths. and to think i was once and at times still am as ignorantly blissful.

Dr. Helen Caldicot was one of the 5 guest panelist. wish i could have been there. but then again, i might had been bored to tears. i've read her book and that would had been more than enough to be well aware of the nuclear situation. nuclear war is a business.
a nuclear winter would be the worst scenario that could fall upon mankind, if a nuclear fiesta were take place. we've all seen a sneak preview of the damage and possible effect if a nuke winter were to fall upon us in -the matrix. i would rather surrender myself to the robots and be kept in the matrix.

but hey, look on the bright side. many of these nuclear weapons have not really been tested (in a larger scale) anyway. hence theres a small percentage of possibility that these buggers might not even work. or maybe this is all a hoax, and the nuclear bombs are infact just an empty shell. all just to scare the wits out of us all. afterall, its just a marketing business strategy. humans arent that evil and heartless. are they?

but anyway, why are we so scared and freaked out about the nuclear crisis? i mean, this has been going on for years since the ColdWar. back then, not many people really knew what was going on anyway. its just that now, things are becoming more publicized. as i said, its a marketing strategy- a strategy of fear. the more scared we are, the more likely we would pay our taxes. truly, the coldwar has not ended. yea, russia lost its superpower status all because of faulty nuclear missile switches . but that doesnt change the fact that it's over. infact its an accumilation of thingss in the past brought forward to the present. this makes it more so confusing to understand what the heck is going on?!

anyway, im just crapping here. so i'll just leave you with the currently infamous 22 questions  . and i'm off to have my hair cut.

aussie soccer sucks.

AsianFood & Wine Show...

visited the GoodFood&Wine show held at the Melbourne Exhibition centre today. and i was utterly dissapointed. being an asian in an angmo country you would expect or be looking forward to see "angmo" food cuisines. however, asia had taken oer the place. the show was dominated by Asian food/ products. even the chefs were cooking stir-fry pork. to my dismay, i could not find a single italiano stall. aside from asian products, the other half of the exhibition was dominated by Wine stalls. darn alcoholics. as expected, the wine section was dominated by the "angmos" happily sipping away their alcohol in their tiny alcoholic crystal. out of the whole show, i managed to see 2 celebrity chef/ barista. well, we saw the barista who hosts a tv show about coffee. i remember mom and dad watching the show, and wondering how DOES he manage to make coffee with his hair in the way. he has a way of preparing a latte tilting his head at an angle with his hair dropping on the side. damn "yaoyeng". and today he was at it again. then the other chef was the editor of the SuperFoodIdeas magazine, and i think producer of the ReadySteadyCook show. she was teaching the angmos how to be the best stir-fryers in the country.
but then again, it was a good experience. knowing to not go ever again. sigh, i should had book a seat for the celebrity cook show. apparently they had celebrity chefs such as Kylie Kwong, Bill Granger, Donna Hay, Curtis Stone and Ben O'something. But ANyway... atleast we know that african liquor tastes like cough medicine. bleargh!

i wonder if it would snow...

ahhhh... homemade pasta and pesto. and it's so freakin' easy.

butts that taste like hamburgers...

when it came to kissing butts. politicians are good at it. take for example the current events of Mahathir slamming PakLah.
with unreasonable doubt we'd all support the current prime minister. afterall, he's the man thats ultimately in power. not to say that i disapproved of PakLah's dictatorship, in fact i think he's doing a pretty okay job.
on the contrary, i am quite disappointed with Mahathir's childish behaviour in dissing the current PM. he's obviously showing the nation that he's more concern about his own personal interests rather than the nations. The johor bridge for one is a good example. he's obviously trying to stir up some old tension with the singapore government with the curvy bridge. i agree that the form of the bridge is an obvious provocative symbol of how mahathir wants to potray malaysia's relationship with singapore- complicated. it is not an easy road for singaporeans who are interested in venturing into the Malaysian market. okay, maybe its better that way. if not we'd probably have to establish a new "kampung lagi baru". not being racists here. purely referencing it through precedent events.
thank goodness the cabinet is on PakLah's side... vocally.

one of my tutor once adviced me to always have a sceptical mind when reading texts. it made sense, to establish a non-gullible mindset. not believing everything you read or heard. somehow or rather, i find it hard to establish a sceptical approach especially when reading most architectural texts. in particular things regarding Lecorbusier. despite the fact that he's a fetish hornbag, arrogant, and total weirdo; he is still an absolute genius. the greatest architect ever, IMHO. i feel that i know so little of architecture and everything i read made sense. every manifesto and theoretical stand to me made logical sense. everything is possible and sensible. heck im a sponge.

oohh... there's House today.

what a difference a day makes...

2:15pm... my last paper for the semester. actually, its the only paper for the semester. i wonder what i'm gonna do tonight or the days after?
smoke pot? go fishing? run a marathon? eat more? scavenging for truffles?

last night, while trying to get some shuteye. i thought of a whole new design for a house. man, the wrong time to be thinking of that. fengshui! fengshui! focus!

strangely, i'm not really all that stress about it. i mean, technically i should be studying at the final hours before the exam. every minute counts.

okay. i better read up. once more.

origin of minimum...

idea of being a true "minimalist".

Mass - the uncomplicated beauty of the unadorned wall

Light - shadows and the power of transformation

Structure - the discipline of mathematics

Ritual - voluntary poverty and its enduring appeal

Landscape - marks made by man

Order - reason made visible

Health - hygene and the overall neatness

Containment - how architecture defines space

Repetition - the elements of simplicity

Volume - the transforming power of proportion

Essence - the irreducible minimum

Expression - silence as landscape

Memory... a precedent?

derived from the past, determines the future.
all sources are from memory.
everything is a derivation from memory.
a reflection is seen through memory.
creation or recreation is only able when there is a memory.
reaction retraces memory.
everything has been experienced by our senses
but the memory is hidden.
all memories will in due time reveal.
the future of memory is uncertain.
it is an unpredictable parallax of time.
cities are generated through memory.
architecture is the re-emergence of memory.
it existed from something or somewhere.
reinterpreted or copied into the present.
repetition is the key to instill realised memory.
boldness and exaggeration magnifies memory.
time does not induce memory.
memory is forgotten but not erase
kapoof!!

"Architecture is the art of how to waste space."

Johnson wrote (Heyer, 1966):

The painters have every advantage over us today...Besides being able to tear up their failures—we never can seem to grow ivy fast enough—their materials cost them nothing. They have no committees of laymen telling them what to do. They have no deadlines, no budgets. We are all sickeningly familiar with the final cuts to our plans at the last moment. Why not take out the landscaping, the retaining walls, the colonnades? The building would be just as useful and much cheaper. True, an architect leads a hard life—for an artist.

...Comfort is not a function of beauty... purpose is not necessary to make a building beautiful...sooner or later we will fit our buildings so that they can be used...where form comes from I don't know, but it has nothing at all to do with the functional or sociological aspects of our architecture.

super cool...

okay... i ended up youtubing for 20 minutes... heehee.

eggs are delicious...

apparently its official. the egg came first-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/nottinghamshire/5019682.stm

question is... then who sat on the egg?!
it's definitely not Adam.

what i've been up to...

during the construction period


finished product in context w its surrounding.