where's... sammy?

its that time of the year...

short weekend getaway to Malacca. despite it being the most bad of timings... i still went up nonetheless. Well i did not had much of a choice since it was pre-planned months ago. but getaways are always fun especially during the most busiest of times. ofcourse i am not re-energized nor refreshed... in-fact it was rather exhausting and i think my stomach has expanded over the weekend. time to tie a knot on it.
One thing perhaps i noticed under the deceiving warm hotel bathroom lights is the hideous looking eye bags. people have always commented on them but i never really had a good look at them until now. and so i discovered that it really looks horrible! i seriously look forward to the end of September... all this will end too, atleast momentarily for the weeks creeping up to christmas! 4 months to go!

i have been receiving many phone calls as the wedding draws closer. the day of reckoning for the husband to be. i can hear all in excitement in everyones voices. so many things to plan and to do for the husband to be im am sure he has not the time to reflect and rethink. sounds so wrong. but i guess we're more excited of having the group together which has not been possible for many years. they will be numerous gatherings as the year end approaches. yes! when September ends indeed it will be the light at the end of the tunnel. but until then... its all still rather dark and gloomy.

as of late i have been involve in other architectural ECAs. and alot of them involves writing which i find it rather odd. I write terribly. yet i have been tasked into writing synopsis and reviews. well, just as long as do not have to write speeches for my bosses, then its still okay. but these miscellaneous activities have been eating alot into my time. apart from disrupting my daily works it has already become a pain in the head when i try to sleep. already tossing and turning over design issues is such a nuisance... this just adds to the misery.

well i would love to show you the current kitchen im working on. but i think it'll have to wait until it gets built. its a rather expensive kitchen, a $120k customized Bulthaup kitchen system to be exact. man... its just crazy! its double the cost for the kitchen i did for the penthouse. ofcourse this is a much bigger kitchen than the previous one. but still... it's really expensive. i really wonder if my client will be willing to pay for such a price. and this does not include the other items for the house. i am still struggling to select fittings for my client. every thing in the DornBracht catalogue looks so expensive. even i am very concern over my clients pocket. and to think quarter of a million of the budget will only be spent on the kitchen and sanitary fittings.
bad... after finishing this house... i will never be able to settle for the things of the mediocre any more.

spoilt for choice indeed...

the reasons i won't be coming...

rushing for tender... how on earth can i complete my documentation by the end of September?! if i do managed to do so... it really is an amazing feat. And i will vow not to repeat such a feat ever again. never ever!

i hate working on weekends. i think the reason being is because i know that technically i shouldn't be working on the weekends. but i guess there isnt much of a choice in this case. atleast not for the next few weeks and months ahead.

really can't wait till the house finally gets to be on site. i've been pretty sick of staring at it on paper. its high time the thing gets built.

Thank goodness the client liked the new design. it was a tremendously extensive change from the initial approved design. Its indeed a risk i had to pay ofcourse. time waits for no man. but i'm glad i made the changes. i honestly did not think much of the previous one, the flat nor sloping roof design was... well, it never did work for me. lets see how it goes. Boss says its gonna be a fun house to built. thats if the drawings are in order ofcourse. all fingers are pointing at me. damn.

on another note. i think i passed my exam. I'm officially a Green Mark Manager! i survived a week without a single phone call from the Building Construction Authority. so this must mean that i pass... hopefully.

and to leave you with the on-going progress of my other work... sigh... also very slow. faster! faster! PIAK! PIAK!

the art of doing absolutely nothing...

wishful thinking... enough said.

next rendezvous...

conversation of the day...

"i was told that there are alot of flies during the Australian summer season"

"true... and the flies especially love to stick onto your lips because of its moist."

"disgusting!... that's very annoying then. how do you avoid and get rid of them?"

"not to worry... the flies in Australia are clean."

"oh really? then thats good. no wait?! that can't be true??!"

WHAT TREE DID YOU FALL FROM?

Find your birthday and then find your tree. This is really cool and
somewhat accurate. Find your tree below
and see what you are like ...

Jan 01 to Jan 11 - Fir Tree
Jan 12 to Jan 24 - Elm Tree
Jan 25 to Feb 03 - Cypress Tree
Feb 04 to Feb 08 - Poplar Tree
Feb 09 to Feb 18 - Cedar Tree
Feb 19 to Feb 28 - Pine Tree
Mar 01 to Mar 10 - Weeping Willow Tree
Mar 11 to Mar 20 - Lime Tree
Mar 21 (only) - Oak Tree
Mar 22 to Mar31 - Hazelnut Tree
Apr 01 to Apr 10 - Rowan Tree
Apr 11 to Apr 20 - Maple Tree
Apr 21 to Apr 30 - Walnut Tree
May 01 to May 14 - Poplar Tree
May 15 to May 24 - Chestnut Tree
May 25 to Jun 03 - Ash Tree
Jun 04 to Jun 13 - Hornbeam Tree
Jun 14 to Jun 23 - Fig Tree
Jun 24 (only) - Birch Tree
Jun 25 to Jul 04 - Apple Tree
Jul 05 to Jul 14 - Fir Tree
Jul 15 to Jul 25 - Elm Tree
Jul 26 to Aug 04 - Cypress Tree
Aug 05 to Aug 13 - Poplar Tree
Aug 14 to Aug 23 - Cedar Tree
Aug 24 to Sep 02 - Pine Tree
Sep 03 to Sep 12 - Weeping Willow Tree
Sep 13 to Sep 22 - Lime Tree
Sep 23 (only) - Olive Tree
Sep 24 to Oct 03 - HazelnutTree
Oct 04 to Oct 13 - Rowan Tree
Oct 14 to Oct 23 - Maple Tree
Oct 24 to Nov 11 - Walnut Tree
Nov 12 to Nov 21 - Chestnut Tree
Nov 22 to Dec 01 - Ash Tree
Dec 02 to Dec 11 - Hornbeam Tree
Dec 12 to Dec 21 - Fig Tree
Dec 22 (only) - Beech Tree
Dec 23 to Jan 01 - Apple Tree


TREES (in alphabetical order)

Apple Tree (Love) -- quiet and shy at times, lots of charm, appeal, and
attraction, pleasant attitude, flirtatious smile, adventurous,
sensitive, loyal in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and
tender partner, very generous, many talents, loves children, needs
affectionate partner.

Ash Tree (Ambition) --
extremely attractive, vivacious, impulsive, demanding, does not care
for criticism, ambitious, intelligent, talented, likes to play with
fate, can be very egotistic, reliable, restless lover, sometimes money
rules over the heart, demands attention, needs love and much emotional
support.

Beech Tree (Creative) -- has good taste, concerned about its looks,
materialistic, good organization of life and career, economical, good
leader, takes no unnecessary risks, reasonable, splendid lifetime
companion, keen on keeping fit (diets, sports, etc.).

Birch Tree (Inspiration) -- vivacious, attractive, elegant,friendly,
unpretentious, modest, does not like anything in excess, abhors the
vulgar, loves life in nature and in calm, not very passionate, full of
imagination, little ambition, creates a calm and content atmosphere.
Cedar Tree (Confidence) -- of rare strength, knows how to adapt, likes
unexpected presents, of good health, not in the least shy, tends to look
down on others, self-confident, a great speaker, determined, often
impatient, likes to impress others, has many talents, industrious,
healthy optimism, waits for the one true love, able to make quick
decisions.

Chestnut Tree (Honesty) -- of unusual stature, impressive,
well-developed sense of justice, fun to be around, a planner, born
diplomat, can be irritated easily, sensitive of others feelings, hard
worker, sometimes acts superior, feels not understood at times, fiercely
family oriented, very loyal in love, physically fit.

Cypress Tree (Faithfulness) -- strong, muscular, adaptable, takes what
life has to give but doesn't necessarily like it, strives to be content,
optimistic, wants to be financially independent, wants love and
affection, hates loneliness, passionate lover which cannot be satisfied,
faithful, quick-tempered at times, can be unruly and careless, loves to
gain knowledge, needs to be needed.

Elm Tree (Noble-mindedness) -- pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest
demands, tends not to forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but not
to obey, honest and faithful partner, likes making decisions for others,
noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor, practical.
Fig Tree (Sensibility) -- very strong minded, a bit self-willed, honest,
loyal, independent, hates contradiction or arguments, hard worker when
wants to be, loves life and friends, enjoys children and animals,
sexually oriented, great sense of humor, has artistic talent and great
intelligence.

Fir tree (Mysterious) -- extraordinary taste, handles stress well, loves
anything beautiful, stubborn, tends to care for those close to them,
hard to trust others, yet a social butterfly, likes idleness and
laziness after long demanding hours at work, rather modest, talented,
unselfish, many friends, very reliable.

Hazelnut Tree (Extraordinary) -- charming, sense of humor, very
demanding but can also be very understanding, knows how to make a
lasting impression, active fighter for social causes and politics,
popular, quite moody, sexually oriented, honest, a perfectionist, has a
precise sense of judgment and expects complete fairness.

Hornbeam Tree (Good Taste) -- of cool beauty, cares for its looks and
condition, good taste, is not egoistic, makes life as comfortable as
possible, leads a reasonable and disciplined life, looks for kindness
and acknowledgment in an emotional partner, dreams of unusual lovers, is
seldom happy with its feelings, mistrusts most people, is never sure of
its decisions, very conscientious.

Lime Tree (Doubt) - intelligent, hard working, accepts what life dishes
out, but not before trying to change bad circumstances into good ones,
hates fighting and stress, enjoys getaway vacations, may appear tough,
but is actually soft and relenting, always willing to make sacrifices
for family and friends, has many talents but not always enough time to
use them, great leadership qualities, is jealous at times but extremely
loyal.

Maple Tree (Independence of Mind) -- no ordinary person, full of
imagination and originality, shy and reserved, ambitious, proud,
self-confident, hungers for new experiences, sometimes nervous, has many
complexities, good memory, learns easily, complicated love life, wants
to impress.

Oak Tree (Brave) -- robust nature, courageous, strong, unrelenting,
independent, sensible, does not like change, keeps its feet on the
ground, person of action.

Olive Tree (Wisdom) -- loves sun, warmth and kind feelings, reasonable,
balanced, avoids aggression and violence, tolerant, cheerful, calm,
well-developed sense of justice, sensitive, empathetic, free of
jealousy, loves to read and the company of sophisticated people.

Pine Tree (Peacemaker) --
loves agreeable company, craves peace and harmony, loves to help others,
active imagination, likes to write poetry, not fashion conscious, great
compassion, friendly to all, falls strongly in love but will leave if
betrayed or lied to, emotionally soft, low self esteem, needs affection
and reassurance.

Poplar Tree (Uncertainty) -- looks very decorative, talented, not very
self-confident, extremely courageous if necessary, needs goodwill and
pleasant surroundings, very choosy, often lonely, great animosity, great
artistic nature, good organizer, tends to lean toward philosophy,
reliable in any situation, takes partnership seriously.

Rowan Tree (Sensitivity) -- full of charm, cheerful, gifted without
egoism, likes to draw attention, loves life, motion, unrest, and even
complications, is both dependent and independent, good taste, artistic,
passionate, emotional, good company, does not forgive.

Walnut Tree (Passion) -- unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts,
often egotistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions,
spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon
partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very
jealous and passionate, no compromise.

Weeping Willow (Melancholy) - likes to be stress free, loves family
life, full of hopes and dreams, attractive, very empathetic, loves
anything beautiful, musically inclined, loves to travel to exotic
places, restless, capricious, honest, can be influenced but is not easy
to live with when pressured, sometimes demanding, good intuition,
suffers in love until they find that one loyal, steadfast partner; loves
to make others laugh.

no one mourns... the wicked

Friday was the interns last day at the office. Unfortunately i was not around the office to bid my farewell. then today as i arrived at the office, a bag was left right on top of my desk. and in the bag was a black card with minimal ornate and a Zara Man sweater. it was a farewell gift from the interns. goodness me, i was in total shock. in my cynic approach i must have somehow inspired them in one way or another. but then perhaps its probably a "crush" as my colleague so bluntly puts it. okay what ever the reason, these people really know how to make me eat my words. ahaha. damn its a cruel world indeed. okay dad... i guess the PR was on me.

heading to the cinema to check out the movie - 21. i discovered that the movie was actually an adaptation from the book "bringing down the house". hence its a must see. i somehow knew they would make this into a movie, the only question was when. and true enough its on screen. i hope the movie will not be too much of a disappointment. these movie adaptation it seems always fails to exceed the readers expectations.

tata!

unadulterated loathing...

me nak mati sudah...

pesky interns...

as of late there has been a sudden influx of architectural interns. this is probably because NUS is having their mid term break. boss has imposed a new policy for hiring interns instead of a proper interview / application. Now interns who are interested in working for the office only need to walk in together with their portfolio and if offered the job should just make their decision on the spot. no more going home to think about it etc. its either you take it or leave it.

i find the interns rather unhelpful and further more irritating. i know i sound pretty mean. but its rather true. everytime i was asked to assign the students a task to do, my mind goes completely blank. and with that i just ask them... 'what type of task are you capable of doing?'. they would then paused and think very hard... and then tell me... 'i can make models... but not very good at it actually.' knowing my boss when it comes to models, he wants all the models (be it just a mere study model) to always be in top quality standards in terms of workmanship quality.i always find it rather ridiculous and insensible. but boss can be quite a whacko nut.
However, at the end of the day, when the quality and workmanship of the model turns out poorly... he would blame it solely on the architect in-charge of such failure. so i always avoid making models if i know that i do not have the time and patience to do so.
back to the interns... apart from model making... they cant really do much except whine and walk around the office chatting with one another. ask them to do authority submission drawings and all i get is a blank stare in return. its not impossible for them to do... but who is going to be there to sit down with them an explain every little thing. definitely not I for sure.
another reason why i dislike these interns is their attitude towards being an intern. they dont' give me the impression that they are here to learn. ofcourse when you ask them why architecture, they can go all night talking about how passionate they are and all that crap nonsense and be all dreamy about it. but when given a task... all i hear is grumbles and they don't shy away in showing how unhappy they are and how much suffering they have to endure. and they call me a slave driver?! damn the angmoh is more of one than i am lar.
i remember when i was an intern... i only had one motive. that is to work and learn and take what ever i'm thrown at. unlike these interns i wasn't concern on being friendy with the other staffs or expecting everyone to be free and happy. in fact i remember being rather anti-social and just glued myself in front of my desk and computer screen. ofcourse perhaps i was much more fortunate to be given more exciting things to do. i had a better task giver than i am to them. well i did offered them to do some design work... but they didnt seem pretty excited anyway. nevertheless at the end of the day... who am i to judge these interns of their passion and interest. After all, they are only interns and still learning the meaning and essence of Architecture and all that bullshit stuff we architects do for a living. and perhaps i was just an exceptionally anti social intern then.

in the evening, boss came up to us and told us not to give the wrong impression of what Architecture is about to the interns. the interns are not to have the idea that the life of an architect is a bed of roses. so we should give the students more task with proper instruction and a deadline to finish the work. no doubt Architecture is indeed a busy profession. but unfortunately that is the reason why we have not the time to give the interns task with proper instructions. further more our deadlines are always pretty impossible to meet.

love isn't blind... it's retarded.

it has been awhile since i last step foot in the office over the weekend. unfortunately today isn't one of them. but sometimes its good to work on the weekends because theres limited distractions apart from the occasional small talk with the other colleagues around or the bosses, which of late has been busy match making me. the worst part of it is that all her candidates are above 40 years old. "its all about marrying a rich old lady" she says. i'm so much younger than them that i probably be better off marrying their grand-daughter instead. but ofcourse they are all single old ladies.

finally managed to watch kung-fu panda. its really a good end of the week wind-down movie. super hilarious and brainless at the same time. i laughed till i cried and if the movie had gone on for another hour... i would had dirtied my pants as well. thank goodness it didn't. before the movie, i decided to have dinner at Crystal Jade Kitchen. Apparently its a different type of cuisine from the other crystal jade restaurant. i was hoping to eat some "dan dan mien" instead it was towards a HK-ish sort of menu. nevertheless still viable for me appetite. but i tell you, the set dinner's portion for 2 was huge. pretty decent price for a set that can be eaten by 3 person or even 4. but next time i must be more well prepared for the feast.

i think i writing nonsense. i was intending write something about something but i can't seem to remember what it was. this is a sign that my brain has gone into sleep mode. which is not good because i intend to continue my work at home.
my computer is dying on me as well... my CAD has suddenly hung an di can't seem to print out the drawings. sigh.

wee small hours...

discovered that i was featured in the latest issue of FORM magazine. during our lunch break, one of my colleague came up to me with a magazine in her hand pointing at the photo with my face on it. i was thrilled and immediately bought a copy of it. cheap thrill indeed.
I've always wondered and had wishful thinking of being featured in the people section. always been interested as to how these people get to be in the limelight. their known to be the so called 'beautiful/ funky/ happening' people at some event/ party. and so my first ever feature. pretty nifty. haha.
the irony of it was that it was a photo shot of my office group... and both of the principle partners were no where in sight. my colleague advised i shouldn't let the boss know any of such magazine. he'd be furious if he finds out his face was not featured. but all of us who were in the magazine, when and bought ourselves a copy. sad people we are.
but i must comment, some of the girls from IP:LI architects are quite pretty. haha. just an observation.

i've purchased my air ticket to return back to KK in October. but i've yet to apply for my leave yet. just didnt seem like the best time to do so. i am walking in thin ice if i were to hope he'd approved my leave. okay just cross my fingers and hope October isn't a busy month. The culprit owes me big time for this... i'm sacrificing 3.5 days of my precious leave for him! why on earth did he choose to wed on a non public holiday infested week?! and it so happened that 2 of the public holidays fall under the same month! puzzles me... but he is a rather strange man.



went to visit the Singapore Art Museum over the weekend. It was the second last day of the Giacometti exhibition. I guess Switzerland wasn't enough. however, it was rather a disappointing trip. for S$8 it really wasn't that worth it. perhaps given the fact I've already seen a large quantity of his works and collection in Swiss. a Big "DOH" i would say. haha. but it felt good reading through his chronology and skimming through the images of his important life's work knowing that I've seen more than half of it in the flesh. i still find this rather amazing.
Not all was a waste to say the least. i thought his lithography of Paris collection was interesting. I love his sketches, so wild and loose yet so vivid in its meanings and its intentions.

i must sign up for gym membership. i feel my body becoming gradually unfit and turning into a piece lump of fat by the minute it horrors me to think i might just fall dead anytime.

designer's block...

Weekend in Batu Pahat with the family was interesting. So many new faces and old faces that have grown older during the years of my absence.

To prove the extend of my terribly long hiatus. One of my cousin came up to me with his plaque infested teeth bombarded right at my face. He asked me if i had noticed anything different. without looking at the obvious, i kept staring at his hair wondering how was it different from when i last saw him. in the end, i just couldn't make out what the change was. with great disappointment, he replied "my braces has been removed!". I paused for a moment, trying to picture him when he had braces, but couldn't. Then i realised that i wasn't even around when he wore them. I was completely absent during his braces years, and that's when it hit me of how terrible a cousin i am.

but i must say. i really do not see any resemblance to this teh ping hui fella. i finally managed to see him on TV and don't see what all the HOoHAa is about. i reckon i'm more of a Takashi Kaneshiro or even the Brad Pitt sort. ya? but i do like Teh Ping that's for sure.

I took the whole day off on Monday. Trying to catch up on my sleep regime. I decided to call in MC when i started to feel a slight tingle in my throat the day before. This insistent on staying at home was due to the recent epidemic of this estranged virus being circulated around the office. Just today, 3 of my colleagues have called in sick. I further discovered that this virus apparently goes beyond the 4 walls of the office. I received a call from my landscape architect, and she sounded so sick that i wasn't sure if she was sick or in her dying breath. She sounded so terribly sick, i was tempted to exempt her from attending tomorrow's meeting. fear of catching her virus.

Anyway, i think i should forget about finishing this report tonight. my brain has ceased to function.

lately i've been thinking. If one day i should return to KK. I want try nominate to be the Mayor of KK City. just a thought.

OH NO!!!!!!!!!!! i just discovered that the P.Ramlee musical has already made their rounds in Singapore! and the kuala lumpur show till 14 June is the last!!! and i booked my bus ticket a week late!! OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! why didnt anyone warn me! oh no!! can somebody just stab me in the heart please! i've no will to live. i wanna die and cry...

falling slowly...

i have decided to not expect too much from the current company. its a plain fact that the bosses are just terrible listeners. they are just so self absorbed. its probably my fault for even asking them how their weekend went. it was the "official" lunch with the 2 big bosses. the purpose of the lunch was the bosses' effort to catch up and see how the staff are doing in the office. in actual fact is just to check if the remaining staff have any inkling feeling of leaving. but i do not see how one session of "so... are you doing okay in the office?" going to determined whether plotting to leave the office or not. not everyone is as vocal as they are. but unfortunately the lunch turn out to be more about them then it was of me. for them all they wanted to hear an "okay... im doing fine" and that was it, before i could say my 'buts...' they rattled on to some other topic. well atleast the food was tasty and very expensive. 

at dinner time, i decided to have it with one of my colleagues. its unfortunate that he falls under the soon to be leaving category. but all the more i did not mind sharing to him my thoughts about the lunch appointment. everyone assumed i was getting a promotion or even a raised. but sad to say it wasn't in fact it was hardly about anything at all. a well spent $50 meal. after talking to my colleague and hearing his perspective about my view of the office. i dawn on me that i might be making a huge deal over nothing. i guess it's true that at the end of the day i am still young and in-experience. and in any case, i should not expect so much from the bosses knowing where to place me in the office, when i myself am not planning to stay for the long term. i have already begun planning my next endeavor in the next 5 years. and at the end of the day, my purpose for being in the company is get my share of experience. i am fortunate to be given so much opportunity (gosh, i suddenly remember that i owe the committee my write up for the designer's forum!) . all i need to do is to prove that i deserve to be given such a chance and to make the most of it for my own benefit. once i've had enough of sucking the companies resources. then i shall bid my farewell and be gone. haha. better not speak too soon. who knows i might be stuck here for the next 10 years or so.

anyway, i bought a new CD. its the soundtrack from the movie- Once. pretty good actually. and it really sounds very good when your in a melancholy mood like i am.

managed to catch "Sex and the City" the movie over the weekend. don't ask me why. Even i can't explain it to myself how on earth i got dragged into watching it. i wanted to watch indy jones... the manly stuff. but it seems like im the last person on earth who have not seen the movie, thus im "kaki-less". But it was 2 and 1/2 hours of girl fantasyland torture. its actually pretty sappy. but not to totally write the whole thing off... i did find the funny scene quite funny.

damn you sarah jessica parker! i had to look away from the screen a few times just to try to keep my emotions in tacked. goodness me... i still think its better off left as a tv series rather than be made into a movie. it's the sort of show you'd accompany your girlfriend to watch in closed doors, i.e. at home. weird... totally weird.

here's the lyrics one of the songs from my newly purchased... very nice.

Falling Slowly

I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You've made it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody

I'll sing along 

So glad i've found my musical/theater/concert buddy. well, its him and his wife, so its the 3 of us. pity i have to give Steve Tyrell a miss this coming weekend. well family comes first i guess. 

Sonny Rollins concert was superb... well he was great, but i didnt think the same for his band members... they were good no doubt, but i was hoping it was solo concert. well, atleast i can say i've been to one of the last great musical legends.

dancing on water...

some images from the house thus far...




i took the opportunity to make some drastic changes to the design. it was an immediate reaction when the boss said to me... 'i'm sure after the swiss trip you would alot of new ideas you would want to change for the house...'. and indeed i did, a whole list of them. but it was not so much of the swiss trip instead it was the notion of giving me the green light to do so that prompted the reaction. all along i hated the current look of the house. i had problems with the plans but i struggled to translate the plans into the overall form of the building, which is a more obvious and important aspect of the design. rarely would someone comment much on the plans and how beautiful the layout was, instead its the immediate first impression when staring at the building and experiencing the spaces in 3-dimension. so with my recent swiss influence... i spent the whole of last week reworking the design day and night until i was pretty satisfied with the result. more well suited and less forced as compared to the previous.
well i thought to myself. if i am going to be stuck with this project for the next 1 year. i better be running a job where im happy and excited with the design and be eager to see it evolve into reality.

pink killer...

was unable to sleep last night... so i started browsing through some old photos and found some pretty interesting "artistic" experiments/ projects done throughout the past 4 years.



having so much time on my hands, i decided to make a collage out of it to pass the time. ofcourse as you notice... i got gradually board and sleepy, hence the top right corner is pretty unresolved and the remaining photos just got gradually smaller.


i discovered that our marina competition entry is featured in the latest Singapore Architect magazine. must buy. but i heard the layout was a cookie cutter piece. no respect at all. stupid.

before i call it... a day

Its a Friday evening and i am the last person in the office. Dad says my life is practically non-existent. i beg to differ in some ways. But for sure i need to improve my health regime. I had the confirmation when i received 2 'Men's Health' magazine from the contractor's Archi Coordinator. Yes, i have an unhealthy lifestyle, which is probably why i fall sick so easily maybe. But it could also be due to my weird sleeping hours factoring the cruel weather just now. whatever it is, i need to boost up my immune system. Its global warming people! stop chopping down trees and stop driving! i cant comment on the construction industry, as its my bread and butter.
The reason why me being the last person in the office is because half the office had left for JB to attend one of my colleagues wedding. I was suppose to attend but decided to opt out last minute. Just didnt want to see and hang out with my colleagues anymore. quite tired of laughing and joking and seeing their faces. man, hope i'm not running into a state of depression.
I had a short lunch chat with one of the big bosses. It was a sneak preview of the upcoming dinner with both the 2 bosses. this lunch/ dinner session is apparently the bosses' effort to catch up with us employees to get constructive feedback and to update us on our current progress. The conclusion of the whole discussion from what i can gather was basically me being still very young. hence i still do not have anything solid to offer... this translate as... cheap labor. He observed that i apparently have a lack of "passion" in my quest for Architecture, as compared to my other colleagues, i.e. china and korea. but he later commented that it could be an inward thing, which is more likely true. There are just some things not worth sharing to the bosses. For one, i do not like them to know and pry into my thoughts. Architecture for me is a very private and personal thing. its like telling people the color of underwear i am wearing.
i can work for you and churn out the best possible designs, even though i do not show great enthusiasm all the time. And i'm in still of search for my Architecture. so i'd prefer to listen and reserve my thoughts for now. i know some of you would disagree with my way of thinking. but i dont give a damn on what you think. even if my method is wrong. i am very stubborn and have my own way of doing things. so please spare me the advice. not interested. apologize for the rudeness, but i am in a slightly bad mood.
i took the opportunity to share my concerns of my workload in the office. As i am becoming a little confused on the sort of role i play in some of the jobs. so he obliged to pull me out from one of the jobs, which i was most happy to. I am abit exhausted working with the Korean (dont get me wrong, i do not hate the Korean. I find him a very nice guy. We chat and get along pretty well as friends and infact going for the upcoming Sonny Rollins concert! i think it's mainly the boss' mistake of not giving us a clear understanding of each of our roles in this project. hence things got abit messy in terms of the designated responsibilities among other things).
Later we went into the topic of the recent influx of resignations. Already in May, 4-5 of my colleagues have either submitted their resignation letter or are scheduled to leave. And i suspect that was the bosses' main concern and reason for this session with me. He immediately started assuring me of the reason behind it all. That it wasnt unexpected and in a way it was the their intention for some of them to leave. Sadly this does not translate into a huge upgrade in my salary to ensure my stay. but yet he did not give me a good assurance of my existence in the company. in fact he made it seem that i am fortunate to be in this office and be given so much opportunity, and bla bla. hmmmm... me very young no talent yet so better shut my mouth. the only pseudo-praise i got was me being quite an all rounder... having management/ contract admin/ and design work skills.
Well atleast as a consolation, there will be a pay rise in the coming months of June/ July. but that is tailored and dependant on our individual talents and ability as decided by the bosses. damn, which means a possible no pay rise for me? damn.

On to other things. I've been assigned to run this years designer's talk and to sort out the publications for this years Archi Festival. Man, what sort of hole am i digging myself into. haha. I personally voluntered to do publications, reason being to get some exposure in this field to better equip myself when we do eventually start our own architectural magazine. but unfortunately i was asked to lead the designer's forum as i had prior experience in this line of work. hope i'm able to delegate most of my works to other minions. This reminds me, i still owe Richard an article 3 months ago. by now i should have already submitted 2 articles. must focus.

Theres another competition at stake. this time the prize money is worth well over S$20,000.00. OHHH goodie... money money. but ofcourse its a much complicated brief and it captures a wider participation entry. must think carefully. 25K... perhaps i can go on a sabbatical with that amount of cash.

last but not least... Good bye spidey... Marvel has a new no.1 hero.... IRON MAN!! oh my goodness. he is just so polished and shiny (literally). Its a refreshing take on superheros. Filthy rich, obnoxious, heartless, and no secret identity. that in a way, is being true to yourself.

anyway i think its about time i leave this place. time to play!!

we'll i...

i need to exercise.

cry me a river...

i must blog something before i leave. my small boss has left for the US of A. its a happy stress feeling. Happy because for the next 2 weeks i have one less boss breathing down my neck, stress because now everything has fallen into my responsibility.

The annoying QS has gone from bad to worse. she still incessantly calls at every second of the day. i get phone calls up till 10pm. it has become so frequent that the whole office knows about my so called "prank calls". then when the phone rings after office hours... i could hear giggles at the back and someone telling me to pick up the call because its undoubtedly mine. i refuse to answer the call. but somehow or rather she always manages to get through. sabotaged!
let me give an example of how useless the conversation is...

" phone rings...
me: hello
QS: hello and good-a evening, simiuo
me: yes. oh yes i tried calling your colleague and yourself earlier but no one answered.
QS: is it you call me? when you call?
me: around 6 something
QS: i am in the office at that time. are you sure you called? we were in the office. im very sure of it
me: i dont know. maybe you all left for dinner
QS: no. i was in the office.
me: anyway... what is it you want?
QS: can i check with you something?
me: yes (actually it means NO!!)
QS: it;s about the stone and tile tender
me: what about it?
QS: Can i check with you, is it the supplier comply to your specification?
me: eerr
QS: what i mean is, have you reviewed the sample and is the supplier comply to your specification?
me: why you need to know?
QS: why i need to know ah. is it they comply to your specification? .... (everything is mumbled because i had stopped listening and went back typing my reports).... so is it they comply to your specification? can you let me know
me: hmmm
QS: how about X's submission? is it they comply to your specification?
me: only X complied on their submission for the tiles
QS: how Y? is it they comply to your specification. how about their alternative submission? is it acceptable to you all? they only submit alternative
me: nope. all alternatives were rejected
QS: how about Z's alternative? is it you accept their submission?
me: nope. why are you asking me this?
QS: i need to know is it they comply to your specification
me: are you just being Kay-po?
QS: kay-po!? no i am not being kay-po. this is very important i need to know is it they comply to your specification. hey simiuo, how can you say like that.
me: but i tot we're having a tile interview this friday. can this wait?
QS: i need to prepare myself before hand. so i need to know is it they comply to your specification.
me: okay. for tiles its X supplier. then for stones its Y for durango marble.... Z for the ash grey bla bla
QS: i never ask you about the stone. i only ask you for the tiles. i dont need to know about the stone.
me: oh. okay. as i said X comply to all tiles for the units.
QS: what about the common areas? is it they comply to your specification?
me: all comply for the tiles to the common area.
QS: what about your report? when can u issue it to me?
me: i tot we're having an interview in friday. so i cant issue until thats done.
QS: what about the suppliers alternative proposal?
me: as i said. we reject all alternative proposals. all not acceptable.
QS: can you give me a tabulation on the things.
me: eerr.
QS: are you sure you called at 6? i am at the office at that time. or you make a mistake.
me: no one picked up. what can i do
QS: really? but im sure i at the office.
me: anyway thats not important now.
QS: hey simiuo... i am sure i was in the office... (everything was muffled again as i went back to typing my work...) * silence*..... so what about the stone? is it they comply to your specification?
me: huh?! eh can we have this conversation another time? im trying to finish up my work and its 10pm.
QS: okay. can you call me when you are done with your work?
me: what?
QS: nevermind. just issue me the tabulation if they supplier comply to your specification.
me: okay bye.
QS: thank you bye bye.

half hour later...

me: hello... mkpl architects
QS: simiuo
me: yes
QS: can i check with you something?
me: yes
QS: is it they got the site meeting tomorrow at 9am?
me: yes
QS: so you will issue the minutes?
me: im typing it right now
QS: oh oh... okay. so you will send it to me.
me: yes.
QS: thank you bye.


goodness me. that was a bloody long conversation. i wanted to write some more on my other happenings. but its so late now i wanna go home. sigh.

zip-a-dee-doo-dah... bibbidi-bobbidi-boo

i've finally ran out of fairy dust and am back to living the Asian way of life. Time really had stopped while i was away. nothing was completed and all was left untouched. sigh and you thought life would go on without you... apparently this does not apply in my work life. oh well...

tsk tsk... but soon i will be leaving on a jet plane again in 2 days time! haha! the party is not over yet. and to think i've scheduled a presentation the following Monday. hopefully, things would just miraculously be completed while im away this time.

Will post up pictures shortly. once i've cleaned up all the pictures. i've managed to take over 1000 pictures. thats pretty substantial in my standards for a person like me who rarely takes photographs.
but being assigned as the designated photographer... what choice did i have? its snap this... snap that... " sam.. please take this... please make sure you get a shot of that... sam the lighting ia perfect to take a shot at that angle, make you you get the image with the shadow cast exactly falling 45 degress onto the building..."
its a small price to pay to get a free meal in a posh restaurant and a nice warm bed to sleep every night.

and its off to Zurich...

the week had gone by so painfully quick. so much to do and more so left unfinished.
But then again, work will never end.
the worst part of the week was falling sick right in the middle of the week. I was not able to take leave becaused i've already scheduled 5 meetings. Woke up on the wednesday morning feeling so hot and my body was aching like hell. Was so upset, of all days... it had to be during the busiest week.
but the good news is. Am feeling much better, and i hope my immune system will be in full swing for the trip.
am now in Changi airports newest terminal 3. i must say, the building is indeed a dissapointment. beside from the fact it was done by CPG. the building had no meaning and soul to it. everything around felt like it was done without a reason, but purely ornamental.
Well i think the previous terminal seems more well thought of and planned. of course the good thing is that everything here is still very new.
anyway, just wanna to wish everyone... Ta Ta!

3 more days before the trip!

instead of heading back to the office over the weekend to slave out all my works before the trip. i decided to skip the trip altogether.
Why? its all because of this little creature...



This is ZUMTHOR. the kitty poo. I must say, cats are indeed very clever creatures. it was very easy to toilet train Zumthor. Just one demonstration and she got it.
Just so you know, i did not poo right in front of the cat. that would be just an aweful sight. although it would be good way to train a puppy i think. or maybe little Zumthor is just so brilliant... ain't you zumthor.

The little creature just waltzed in my apartment. So far no one has claimed for ownership. all my neighbors chased it everytime it lingered around their premises. I've asked all the other cats.. and they can't seem to tell me where Zumthor's mommy is.

Zumthor is adapting to this new environment very well. Will show some pictures later of how well its adapted.

did you know cats require 16hours of sleep per day? damn... and they called me a pig.

of course im now looking for a baby sitter while im overseas. any takers?


just to give you an idea of how tiny Zumthor is...

endless paperwork...

i must confess and i'm sure some of you already know this. I utterly hate doing paperwork! but on second thought, it has begun to grow on me. I feel very "office-y" (if you get my drift) every time i'm handling these administrative task.
The down side however, it has become the majority part of my working life. during office hours, its all of that and none of designing. although people approach me to help them resolve their own design works, which is however not beneficial to my own designs.

was sharing with one of my friend yesterday about my current aspirations. I would to design and built a school. But not the sort of schools (in Dubai) my current office are engaged with. Instead it would be great if i could design a village school or missionary schools back in KK/ Malaysia.
I have been dreaming up different ways i would design and built a school referencing from past memories of my old school days experience. Re-envisioning the kind of spaces and environment while i was a teen.
Of course, I am still hoping in some miraculous way being handed a commission to design a resort as well.
All of these seems rather far fetched. But we all must dream. the bigger the better.

Just before my big boss was leaving for home. He offered me to take home his new MacBook Pro laptop to play with. My goodness, i was shocked (i would never let anyone touch my baby, ever!). Ever since i queried him about his laptop. he's been showing it off to me without fail every night. Telling me how wonderful it is and apple is just the greatest. I couldn't agree more, as i myself being an avid devotee to the fruit.
Now that apple is being supported by Intel Core processor, it has now become possible to run Windows on a mac. pretty amazing stuff. So my boss asked me to take his baby home to test out and see how well does Windows run on a mac. if its as smooth as running on a normal PC. heck the PC can really close shop man.

okay. i shall end here and go fiddle with and rape his Apple and watch my Korean drama!

the "happy slave"...

given up for the day... seems like i'm beginning to slow down and gradually am becoming lazier.

some update photos of my life in the office... its a disaster!

biofuels... its a battle between humans and automobiles

its close to the end of the week and yet theres still so much pending work to be done. i really doubt i'm able to sort out all my things before the trip(s).
been feeling so easily fatigue this week. don't know why. it definitely isnt the busiest week i've had. things don't help when you have an annoying QS who keeps calling every 5 minutes every day! call up to asked for stupid stuff or expecting me to answer emails/ queries sent out seconds ago. in addition, she's not even a pretty QS. i know im shallow, but it helps if the QS was pretty or atleast has a sexy voice. this particular one is unfortunately "chingchongy". always need her to repeat her sentences and even that does not help make it any clearer. argh! My boss knows that i cant stand her... so naturally he makes favors for the QS and me having to deal with her and do all the unnecessary dirty work.
Today was a built up of all these sickening calls. true enough, the first call i had for the day was from the QS. Sadly for her, me being in grumpy morning mood had no patients at all. I started raising my voice at her, which i so rarely do (but she annoys me like crazy!). i could tell she knew i wasn't sounding very happy. i kept refusing to answer her quesries and insist she go figure it out herself. She is a persistent little fly and kept pestering me to help her. but she not knowing how to read drawing dimensions cant be my fault, dammit your the QS... calculating quantities is supposedly your forte! damn! thankfully that phone call was miraculously the one and only for the day. atleast some peace of mind from her for a day.

later in the afternoon, i received a phone call from a head hunting agency. Apparently i was head hunted and offered a Project Manager job in Vietnam. how on earth did they track me down? I declined the offer with a slight reluctance on my tone because i was actually quite curious on what this job was about and more so on the offered salary. Did not dare to query further because sitting at close proximity by was my boss. ah nevermind, hopefully another offer would come by my window again. hehe.

i am... contemplating on getting a new apple desktop. just sent my powerbook for repair. apparently the CD drive is busted. and it cost a bomb to replace it. sigh... no money. how come my boss never pay me more?!

other bad news! visit to the Thermal Baths in Vals is not possible! the building is not open to the public during this time of the year! so sad!!!!!!!!!!!! that was the highlight of the trip for me!

it has been awhile...

things i would like to update before i call it a day at the office...

1. swiss trip in less than a month's time. time for shopping!
2. sister coming to singapore... no extra bed/ mattress for the couple. *gasp*
3. spilled coffee onto my keyboard. the letter Q and A abit sticky to press. must sort it out
4 . a gazillion things to do. and it keeps on piling.
5. added 2 new projects into my job scope: a high rise condo and interior designing job for a penthouse unit. this makes it 4 for now.
6. went scouting for some over priced furnitures for the ID job over the weekend.
7. still no where near in finishing my tender documentation for my sentosa house.
8. presentation next monday to the client for the high rise condo project. stress level going up
9. attended the EARTHWINDFIRE/ OMARSOSA/ YANOKAMI in lieu of the Mosaic Music Festival
10. just realised that i have not finish my minutes. but am too tired to do anything now.

and it feels like...

it's already 5pm on a gloomy Sunday. i've got presentation/meeting with the client tomorrow for my third job. this is indeed one of the toughest site to handle. its so hard to juxtapose between the site constraints and the clients wishes.
i have already spent more than a week on this design and still have yet to generate a floor plan. and what's worst is my AutoCAD has seriously hung. i think it has given up on this site.
i have a feeling that i will be in serious trouble tomorrow. despite telling the client that it would be impossible to produce a decent floor plan tomorrow... still all they care about is instant results no matter how difficult it is... their deadline is non-negotiable.
but most of all i am more worried about being slaughtered by my boss. hate it when he panics.



A snapshot of the late-showflat. sadly most good things don't last forever.

its time for... ME COMPLAIN!!

It is so depressing that now 2 out of my 3 clients have gotten hold of my personal handphone number. Which in my opinion is a deadly and terrible thing to happen.
At the moment im in serious trouble with my work. So many things to catch up. i'm running out of things to stall my lapses.

Moved in to my new place. its so far off from where i used to stay.

one of colleague came by my desk to kaypo. then she exclaimed... 'wah so nice you get to design..' at that very moment i was so tempted to shove the drawings into her mouth. Instead i replied... 'syok right? you want to do it?'. she kept quite after that but later went on to say she is much more busier than i am. she handle 2 jobs and my jobs are just so small and simple that its close to being insignificant. despite the fact that i run 2 of my jobs independently, i'll have to do the design, submissions, tender drawings, corresponding with the clients in a simultaneous manner. she came in took on the 2 jobs which have already are in motion. hardly any design issues to handle aside from some petty landscaping layout which can be much less than a 3 days max. all she needs to do is attend meetings and write minutes. all her submission drawings are taken care of. why should she be complaining? plus she hardly ever have to work late at the office. when asked to get involve in the competition... all she does is grumbles. when we win... runs away with the money without giving a portion to poor little me. On top of that! she is my senior... so being more experience her current work should be peanuts.

tbc

Middle of the week... tired.

starting to realize what dad meant when he said as time goes by its more of administrative/ contractual work rather than designing.

Evidently during the past three days or even since the week before. i have been bogged down with endless paper work. typing emails/ reports/ letters/ talking to clients/ attending meetings and site visits. Recently been given a new project to run on a temporary basis. somehow rather it feels like its gradually becoming permanent. already the client has become quite accustomed to my voice. its rather fun actually even though alot of my designing time has been eaten up. the worst part is now im running 3 jibs independently. its high time i request for a personal assistant!

Moving house this weekend. the movers quoted $200 for a full service. sigh, lots of money being wasted just to move. i should pay the port a visit and purchase me a container.

Been asked to chaperon the PAM Sabah chapter's visit to one of our office's built works this Saturday on the company's behalf together w angmoh boss. Looking forward to see the bunch. haha

Lately my stomach has been of much nuisance. i get hungry and it starts to growl very so often. sometimes less than 2 hours after my lunch or dinner. I complaint to my boss about it, and he said its because i've been using my brain alot... which he then comment and realized that this would suggests that all the while i've not been using it up till of recent times. damn!

Vamos!

smoking will kill... 1 billion people

i decided to take my parents advice and meet more people rather than buildings for a change. after all, the end users of architecture are the humans and i should get to know better of the species. haha. and so for the first time, buildings were less thought of and a more human oriented focus was adopted. i even picked Conrad over my usual architectural readers for the plane ride back home to KK.
So for the past few days, i have been in and out of the house seeing old friends. friends i've not seen for the last 5-8 years, which were quite a number of them. It's amazing that even after so many years, no one has really drastically changed apart from the physical bit for a few.
Suffice it to say, the most talked about topic was nonetheless about money. and everyone are making their plans of how they can make their monetary breakthrough, all hoping sooner than later.
at times i feel like an idiot sitting through these conversations. thinking I must be living in a world of solipsism. something is wrong with me for being purely interested in architecture and not eyeing to run after for the big bucks. of course i do yearn for a luxurious lifestyle and job opportunities, but all architecturally related.
Everyone wants to venture into the business sector. no one is deeply passionate about their current work, but only the incentives it gives. instead, most hate their jobs and dream to retire and relax as soon as they have the chance. only me being the odd one who sees my architectural pursuance being eternal. perhaps i'm still very optimistic of my life in the profession. due to my insufficient working experience. only being out for a year, i probably have not truly felt and experience the wrath/jaded effect of the working world.
However, one thing is for sure that we all can agree on is the fact that we're all being underpaid!

Finally some wedding bells within the circle. it is indeed a joyous occasion when one of your friends are tying the knot. just the other day, i was talking to my parents about marriages within my circle of friends and realizing maybe my group of friends are undoubtedly a pathetic bunch of hopeless fellas being nowhere near the stage of making prenuptial agreements.
Perhaps everyone is waiting around for each other to make that first step. For the bunch of guys i know, marriage seems to be somewhat of an embarrassment. no one wants to be the first to enter into the realm of fatal amalgamation. But at the end of the day... WE are still very young to be thinking of stepping into such territories. for sure its a thought that will never cross our minds, atleast for the remaining singles.
back to my friend, he was indeed reluctant and slightly scared to share such an auspicious occasion to me. it took him 3 days to finally blurt the thing out. ofcourse it is still to be kept in the dark. However, there is a reason for the early invitation. dad warns of having to eat shit on the groom's behalf- literally. nevertheless, still very honored indeed. muahaha! So that was the important news... 1 down... 8 to go!

Happy Chinese New Year...

I was summoned by my boss to his his office. fear rushed through my head not knowing what to do but to just follow instructions. i thought to myself, " this is it... this is D-day that i will be slaughtered for God knows what." I always have this lingering thought in my head that one day... i'll be whacked by my boss for whatever reason. don't know why, but just is.
I grabbed a stool and positioned it 3feet away from my boss.with anticipation, i watched him as he turns his body, legs crossed towards me with his eyes piercing straight into mine. all i could think was that i wished i had closed the door shut behind me, avoiding the embarrassment i aspect to face with.
however, instead of being slapped in the face, his serious yet shriek-y voice suddenly changed to a smile and said. "just to let you know, we (the partners) have decided to pick you for the study tour to Switzerland in April." he went on mumbling other things... which i just nod my head in agreement.
"however!" he continued, " please bare in mind, you must now plan your workload wisely, and ensure no outstanding work to be pending during the week we leave for Switzerland."
my stress level started to elude my joy as the thought of unending piles of work and the cant help thinking of what the consequences will be after the study tour. having no strings attached is definitely wishful thinking.
nevertheless, still very excited... to be able to visit the land of the swiss cheese fondue. and the opportunity to meet the great architects such as MarioBotta, PeterZumthor, HerzogDeMeuron, GigonGuyer and RogerFederer in the flesh. I will get to physically caress the great swiss buildings with my own hands and be one step closer to understanding the thoughts that ran through the mind of the great LeCorbusier.
wow. but must first finish all my work... and it doesnt help being a one man band for the projects im in-charged of.

also... finally managed to find a new place. no longer will i be in Chinatown. instead i will be moving to Whampoa. some strange place with no MRT in proximity but heaps of buses. atleast theres a direct bus to work. the location isnt seedy as the previous one in commonwealth and its bigger than my current place. plus i guess it was a blessing in disguised that i inherited all the furniture/ household items from this current apartment.

yet again... another competition

and so it begins yet another exciting year ahead. the pistol was fired and we're all off running like wild dogs with a leash.
friday is the deadline. and i have got nothing at hand apart from photos and base cad drawings. the canvas is still blank as it was when the competition was announced.

the office's theme for this year is... "no excuse, be the best!"
how? must shine and stand out from the rest. no choice.

possible trip to... switzerland

this will be Heath Ledger's last movie. so sad... very sad indeed.
maybe this had something to do with the tragedy... shouldn't speculate.

old school funk...

i bought tickets to the EarthWind&FireExperience at the esplanade theater !! Thank goodness i bought it early... tickets are selling like hot cakes. did not want to wait for my colleague to make his decision so i just decided to buy mine first. its a once in a lifetime experience, for whatever is left of the band ofcourse. people aged you know.

short update...

back in singapore after the long Christmas/ new year break. think i managed to put on some weight... which is not encouraged. but what to do... food yummy must eat like theres no tomorrow.

highlights... spend the first day of the new year constructing my new kitchen counter table. built it with supplementary shelfs and wheels. will post a picture of it. thank goodness Ben was around... i would not have been able to carry all the scrap from people's park back home. good weight lifting non the less.

other than that... working. things are beginning to pick up. holiday mood is almost gone.

upcomings... going to watch a play next friday- " the invisible life of mr robert finch'.

current... going home soon. had meetings the whole day. chaired my first site meeting. its obvious my senior is slowly taking the back seat.

improvisation...

my probable new year resolution...


is to play the piano like a cat. damn! indeed a winning combo.

i'll be home for christmas...

the office is empty. some have gone to catch their flight/bus back to their hometown. others have gone home to meet their wifes/ family earlier than usual. and a few have gone for drinks to celebrate and bid their farewell to colleagues leaving for studies. which i so politely declined. i have just about enough of attending office social events and such for the year. it has been one helluva year this year. so many many things happened that i had not foreseen at all. good pr nonetheless- but apparently its part of my training to socialize.

it was good meeting up ben over the past few days. dont know when will be the next time we meet.

ofcourse the only foreseen matter was the working like crazy... and still more to come. it was good to get some minor feedback from the bosses of the year long performance and most importantly the early year end bonus... tsk tsk.

so here i am being the last person in the office, trying to clear up as much as i can before the break. flooding out as many emails to clients and such so i that i could have a good nights sleep. and clearing most but unfortunately not all my overdue workload. after hours are the best times to work actually. because that is the only real time i get to concentrate. damn.

i guess this is the time of the year to reflect back on what has been done.

but seriously, i cant wait for Christmas. ,my personal favorite season of the year. dont exactly know why but just is. as what my colleague would say... "Heck Care".

this entry is very scattered as always. anyway time to go PLAY!!

article from business times

Winning debut in Singapore...

many exciting things have happened recently... just check out this comprehensive compilation on the recent marina south competition for further details... SKPS Projects

I personally don't quite agree to the articles written about us... basically theres no simple and short way of describing our scheme, perhaps maybe the others but definitely not ours!
So disappointing!

I'll post up snippets of the plaque/ trophy later. But seriously... please show us the MONEY!!

fallen sick...

realized that my stress level has been gradually increasing. which is indeed a concern.
explains my sleepless nights... just cant sleep coz of work.
horrible!! i need a distraction or something to deviate my thoughts away from work.
need to get my sleep time!!

quick reminder...

must collect bus ticket asap...
book accommodation in kl/pj - seapark maybe.
venue at holiday villa

query SIA regarding eligibility to attend fest FOC.

oh la la...

ow.. my neck is seriously aching.
trying to push for submission for my house. finally the client has been active again. i think things would have been much more convenient if the client was based locally. then again... convenience can also be a hazard. no freedom!

think i should stop and continue at home. the more i work on the house... the more i feel like staying there. yes im ineffectively praising my own work. but seriously, its becoming very personal to me. however, its still a dream up until the client gets seriously involve in the design. hope they are a compliant bunch.

still in the office...

kopi pun dah habis minum...

so sick of staring at each other's face...

never ending prints...

a sneak peak of the end result...

moving to chinatown...

in every job that's to be done, there is an element of fun.
you find the fun and.... BAM!
the job's a game.

Just a kilo full of sugar, helps the bitterness go down... in the most delightful way.

silence in the dark...

lately been busy with work. but on top of that, was asked to organise and lead a group of us in the office (still under the associate's watchful eyes ofcourse) to take part in this competition which is due in less than a months time.

it was pretty fun having just us colleagues working on the scheme. but then my superior insisted in getting really involve in the scheme... hence it was all reverted back to his propaganda.
he reminded us we shouldnt take his comments too literally as they are just mere oppinions. its more like "guidelines" for us to work on. because techincally he is not to get involve.
however, even though he insists on it being mere oppinions... the boss is still and will always be the boss. he has the final say on everything.

its a pity i was not able to present my personal scheme today... thought i had a pretty good scheme in my pocket. but then again... you're always biased towards your own work.

nevertheless... i can always try to wiggle or weave my ideas into the overall scheme. it be such a waste not to use this refine idea of mine.

partially looking forward to the trip up KL this weekend. its all part of the competition's working process as we're collaborating with an architect there. since he made the effort to come down... boss feels its fair we go up as well, since we were the ones who invited him to collaborate.

everyone seems quite excited especially the ones who've yet to visit... but for me, i feel... sigh theres work to be done.

but! if the office is paying, then why not. haha.

okay time to wrap up and go home.

I can C/U...

everyone in the office was handed a book- 'contract administration guide to the singapore standard form of building contract' to read. its a big signal for us to start registering ourselves. well atleast the book is FOC.

Signed up to attend a talk by Claudio Silvestrin (JohnPawson's ex-partner). Looking forward to it this coming thursday. He was featured in the Straits time few months back, where he was interviewed on matter of TASTE. ofcourse indirectly he was trying to say that basically good taste is HIS taste. but nevertheless he done some pretty nice works.

returning back to my title of C/Us. during my trip back to KK. i finally found my way around the kk city (something i've wanted to do for a long time). i managed to cover a fair bit of the CBD area. there is one thing that until today i can't quite understand and am very annoyed about is the lack/ no consideration for C/Us in the design process.

As we all, in Asia there is never enough aircond to go around. however, being such an obvious matter that man can't live without the Aircond, why do Architects still never factor it into the design considerations? ofcourse clients will always want the architect to maximize land the plot as usable space, but still... how much space can you save anyway, if you sacrificed it for C/U compartments. well, atleast have the courtesy to screen it off.

but the next problem is no one ever consider the fact of expansion, i give the architects the benefit of the doubt when they atleast provide C/U pockets, but after seeing so many buildings over flooding the facade with additional C/Us, then now architects should consider to over provide for the future.

seriously it is as simple as that... either you strongly insists that your building must not be airconditioned or you just have to give in and provide.

1234
1. It seems like this Post Modern building is undergoing its natural puberty phase... zits popping out of nowhere.
2. For this image, i'm not sure if i should give credit to the M+E and strangle the Architect or just leave it that the client just ran out of budget and couldnt afford the screens
3. Well, atleast the architect decided to integrate the C/Us into the facade making a strong statement of how we humans just can't live without them.
4. Amazingly managed to make the same mistake twice. or was it... intentional?

i in KK now...

its been awhile. i've taken a slightly extended weekend to take a break back home in KK. its always good to be home. i was welcomed with heavy down pours, rain always makes it nicer to sleep.

I am amazed how early i woke up this morning. way before my usual time which is 30 minutes after my alarm clock rings. partially due to mom bringing me a glass of her special brew of applejuice with 'other' ingredients.

must distract myself away from thoughts of work. todays agenda... relax. might pop by innotech and visit my former employer. must catch up with whats been happening in the KK construction industry.
ofcourse hopefully if the weather is fine, dad is bringing to some project site for view.

theres one building im keen on visitng. the old kk public library. see if i can take some photos.

the new maid has smelly armpits... its horrible. i can smell her scent all over the place. sigh... and buddy is freakin FAT!! like a big balloon. oh deary me! and ofcourse i got to sit in the new camry. so nice.

the long awaited images...

the great Angkor Wat... Detail.

the... temple where tomb raider was shot.



one of my favourite temple. i terlupa its name.


detail. interesting combination betwenn larva stone/brick/sandstone.

the only modern building in siem reap.

that's me... ready to leave.

theres more... but these are just some of the highlights.

a change in scenery...

Back from my trip to the land of the Wats over the weekend. What you say? yes im very funny indeed. so natural in fact.
At first I was pretty excited about going for this cambodia trip. However during the last month I was dreading to go, due to the fact that it would be a trip with the bosses. However, I did somehow manage to enjoy the whole thing despite the fact that it was pretty rush one. Its all about snapping as many pictures don’t care what it is your snapping, then reach home only start to go through them to really appreciate the place. Unfortunately, my camera died half way during the second day of the trip. Hence, wasn’t able to snap pictures at the Bayon temple and the inner parts of Angkorwat plus I took for granted the fact of not bringing my sketch book along. But I guess, sketching would not have been possible given that we had a very packed and rush itinerary. I hate going on these sort of packaged tour trips. You’ll never really get to experience in real time when you go for these sorts of schemes. Its all run here run there see this see that… cramming as much visits into such minimal days. In the end, all you get is just a bit of everything and never the full circle of things. So sad. But still interesting indeed, for the fact the past half year all I see is concrete modern buildings in a concrete jungle. Over at Siem Riep… its all low rise super old shops houses, lush greenery, farms, and ofcourse temples. I think there were more stray cows than both cats and dogs. If I was living there… I could just randomly catch one a kill it to eat. Its like having free steaks running around.Yummy.
i'll post some pictures real soon of my cambodia/SiemRiep trip soon.
for now, the night is still young!!
heres a question. what does SiemRiep mean in english?
haha. it means... Defeated Thais.
Siem=Thais and Riep=Defeat
why so? go figure...

whats been up...

the office has taken up a new competition. its an invitation only competition for NUS. we're asked to come out ideas and design for university's staff housing and to allow/ foresee future expansion.
pretty big feat huh? i guess so. but with such a huge group brainstorming... shouldnt be a problem.

anyway, we're into the final stages of the preparation. drawings have been settled etc. now its all about the pretty pictures and photoshoping.

i've been asign to monitor the photoshoppers- whom are bunch of grumpy workers, and to do the ultimate presentation layout boards. to me is the most important of all... consolidating everything thing to look good. at the end of the day, its all about looking good. funky diagrams, awesome perspectives, catchy plans and sections. sigh... stress.

im the last to leave the office today.

other agendas... suddenly the C&S engineer tells us our terraces structurally arent feasable. what?!! now you tell us? we've sold all the units. adding additional columns are just looking for trouble.
plus... i'm still waiting for the sentosa cove client to call. sigh. i havent done much since. wonder where is he off to now... the last was Canada.

test render...

trying to achieve an interesting spatial quality as you enter the space.

have yet to add in the water.

if only floating stairs were feasable... sigh.

damn be the laws of gravity.