complexities and contradictions

As an ego-stroking exercise, that kind of scale works out just fine for a person with a god-complex syndrome like me

2008-07-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

43 acres masterplans, 8 million sqft of floor space. Among other. My mind went into an automatic shut down when confronted with a lot of figures, so I can't really remember what those other impressive figures are. I got dizzy just listening about them, partly because I couldn't even begin to comprehend the physical vastness of those figures translated into the built environment.

So I reckon I have to forget about designing intimate urban spaces like user-friendly surface car parks (yes I actually enjoy designing car parks, parks is the operative word here), squares, pocket urban spaces, and the like and don that cloak of masterplanner. It's just so much easier if the solid and voids are already there and my task is only to make the voids work, but it's back to my old role of shaping the solids and voids.

And my 10-12 hour days will start next Monday. Well actually I was asked to come tomorrow, but I wanted some more days of sprawling out like a beached whale while staring stupidly at the telly. Some people are born with the natural talent to work and some don't. I belong to the latter.

It's really nice when the boss told you that they'll brief you on the projects and then you can see what you wanna do and they'll help you to build your portfolio. What's even nicer is it only took 15 minutes of a very casual conversation with the boss to get back in. Boy, they must be pretty desperate to take me back that easy, heh. Or maybe it's because I told him it's only temporary and the thought that I will leave one day make it better.

Nah. He's a nice guy.

I even know where I'll sit. Opposite my old desk. Yeah. Not much change of a view.

So I'm back to working on top of that Renault showroom in PJ while figuring out my next step. And from the looks of it, it's all urban design and masterplans full throttle.

Perhaps I'm preparing myself for something.

Ad Hominem

2008-07-17T06:26:00.000-07:00

To find out its meaning, ask our Cheeky minister.

Not a fan of the Well-Dressed F'ler, but the Cheeky one's tactic is downright disgusting. I'm sure it could have been a better circus though were it our former Information Minister on stage.

Call me elitist but I bet you can find a better debater at the Piala Perdana Menteri tournament (Trans: The Prime Minister Cup).

I don't wanna grow up, I'm a Toys 'R' Us Kid

2008-07-13T10:34:00.000-07:00

I am gonna be 27 soon and sometimes I'm worried by the fact that I'm not worried that at this point of my life I have nothing to show except for a big debt. In fact the only plan I have for the next couple of years is just to clear that debt off which is admittedly a pretty sad goal. Nah, I lied. I have no such plan. What I have is a wish that I'll be able to clear off my debts in the next couple of years. I have no plans whatsoever. I can't even see beyond October.

Most of my friends are beginning to settle down - some have started to build their own families, paying mortgages, bought nice cars, and to afford all that securities they've got their feet firmly planted on that career ladder or at least they have stable jobs. The single ones who regularly moan about still being single and reflect about the lack of potential eligible partners abound, use the free space and time to fully concentrate on their career, and perhaps making that first real estate purchase or getting a sleek new ride. Or maybe just invest the money in unit trusts and let it grow so that there'll be enough to take care of their cats when they're gone.

In short, my friends are doing grown up stuff. And what the hell am I doing?

I simply refuse to grow up.

I just wanna skip merrily to a foreign land and sample life abroad. And since the last time I check I am not crapping money, hence the only way I can actually afford to do that is to build my career on the sideline. Note that the career is only a means to an end, to get me around the globe, or something like that. In my line of work you most probably have to stay put for a few years to actually get something built from scratch, and since I have the attention span of a dory fish, I may never oversee anything of my design gets built myself. Furthermore, since my interest is of that scale larger than your average building, I might as well forget about staying put to follow the project through unless I'm prepared to sort of be permanently rooted in one particular place for a particularly lengthy span of time. Which is of course contradictory to my original intention. So at this point, to achieve my intention, it looks like I'll spend some good years working at a conceptual level. Which is probably not a bad thing considering I am too tender for the real world.

Or maybe I should switch to something smaller like furniture so that I can produce something in a shorter time span. In that way if you hate my design you can just refrain yourself from buying it or if you really hate it then you can buy it only for the pleasure of destroying it. At least I won't have whole city blocks cursing me which is a probability if I were to stick with urban design.

I also want toys like a Holga, a Vespa, a Brompton, a Macbook, an iPhone, Vertigo comics, Lego Technics, the latest toy from McDonalds Happy Meal, a nice pair of trainers, some nice expensive pairs of jeans, some nice expensive understated t shirts, and a pilot license. Oh, might as well throw in a small plane too. Yes, my friends are having kids and planning their kids' future or investing money for their lucky cats, while I can't see beyond my own shortsighted pleasure. Now that I've mentioned shortsighted, I also want a cool expensive pair of designer glasses. You know the ones, those pairs that can make you look cool without trying while actually you're trying really hard.

I just realized that I wrote that I want trainers and jeans and t shirts. See, I have no intention to dress like an adult too. Which is probably a bad move considering that strangers always assume that I spend my days behind a school desk somewhere, which I probably would still be doing if they still implement that system of having to pass exams in order to progress and finish high school. I am assuming that people assume that I was in high school, because the thought that people think I was in primary doesn't bode well with my self-esteem. At all. Maybe I should stop bouncing up and down when I get excited and that might help.

Sometimes I try to catch a glimpse of the future to see if I would be seated at a table with my partner having dinner with our close friends who are mostly couples too while having a very interesting intellectual conversation (their children and mine are conveniently not in this particular picture. No we haven't chucked them to a boarding school somewhere, they're just mysteriously not present at that moment). In this picture we are all young and beautiful although all that I can see of my partner is a big question mark on his face. I think I would like to have that kind of stability and security somewhere down the line but honestly I don't know when. Not now, that's for sure. But those things take years to build and if I want to taste that life while all my faculties are still intact so that I can participate in that intellectual conversation and not fall asleep over my soup, I probably should consider doing something now to make it happen. Either consider finding a partner or at least stay put in one place. But I've already fallen asleep at a dinner party once despite the engaging company so maybe I'm a goner. So we're back to the the original plan of hopping from one foreign place to another.

I am gonna be 27 soon and I'm worried that I'm not worried that I don't want what my friends have. Well I do want a cat but I am sadly allergic to cats. Something is probably wrong somewhere when I'm not worried that I'm on my own and haven't produced a mini-me yet but more concerned with the fact that I can't get a cat.

Passage

2008-07-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

A very powerful image. We are what we choose.

Miss Tall Dane, I remember seeing this particular one in Venice, do you?

Tindakan menyebarkan fitnah & pembohongan melalui internet & SMS untuk mewujudkan persepsi negatif rakyat terhadap kerajaan adalah perbuatan khianat

2008-07-09T22:04:00.001-07:00

The Prime Minister

Trans: The act of spreading seditions and lies through the Internet and SMS to create a negative perception towards the government among the people is an act of treason.

Dear sir,

First of all, you give the Internet and the SMS too much credit. One can read the mainstream newspapers and still belch at the incompetence of the government. The mainstream newspapers are about as serious journalism as News of the World is.
Second, why should we take your word that they're all seditions and lies? You sir, have a reputation of not delivering your promises, almost as soon as they escape your mouth. Hence, please forgive us if we couldn't take your words as gospel.
You are shooting yourself in the foot by saying that this act is a breach of the Rukunenagara. For example, the Rukunegara states loyalty to King and Country, I don't see the word Government in there, do you?
Finally, it's called democracy, which we apparently practice. You ever heard of the term check and balance? I hope you have, because otherwise, you have no business running my country.

I could go on to pick on that brilliant statement but honestly, I feel that picking my nose is much more worthwhile. Toodles.

Berkhidmat untuk Negara

Rain

2008-07-07T23:40:00.001-07:00

The drops of water heavily pelting the landscape as though helping to cleanse the earth off our sins and the raging sound it makes that drown the petty noise of every day life and all you can hear is that sound until it becomes a steady rhythm that deadens your thoughts and you feel relieved because for once you can't hear the demons in your head.

And you sit still relishing the peace of mind that comes once in a while and you stop thinking and start feeling. You inhale the metallic smell of the tar wafting faintly that you have long associated with rain. You are aware of the rare coolness in the air that provides relief to the usual humidity and you appreciate the dark raging sky that comes once in a while to replace the blinding sun. You wistfully reflect on memories of childhood when you run wild in the rain and you realize what you long for is the simplicity of those early years.

And when the rain subsides you are left with the pitter patter of the light drizzle. You make a cup of tea and you sit back and enjoy the solitary moments when your senses come alive and your thoughts numbed.

(Applicable only to South East Asian heavy torrential rain and not those light drizzle that go on and on and on and on in the northern hemisphere which is chicken by comparison)

Beirut - Elephant Gun

2008-07-06T23:41:00.001-07:00

If I was young, I'd flee this town
I'd bury my dreams underground
As did I, we drink to die, we drink tonight

Far from home, elephant gun
Let's take them down one by one
We'll lay it down, it's not been found, it's not around

Let the seasons begin - it rolls right on
Let the seasons begin - take the big king down

Let the seasons begin - it rolls right on
Let the seasons begin - take the big king down

And it rips through the silence of our camp at night
And it rips through the night

And it rips through the silence of our camp at night
And it rips through the silence, all that is left is all that i hide

I have to accept the fact that politics in the country has become dirty. There are certain quarters willing to do anything to achieve their aims.

2008-07-06T05:17:00.002-07:00

The Deputy Prime Minister.

This has got to be the best joke of the day.

Having said that

2008-07-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

It doesn't hurt to have a couple of lawyers in the family.

I am reminded why I didn't become a barrister

2008-07-02T03:54:00.000-07:00

I've been reading, or more apt, trying to read and make sense of immigration rules. It doesn't help that my eyes tend to glaze every five minutes and after half an hour I physically belch. I wonder why they won't write the bloody document in English and instead resort to that foreign language called legal jargon. And it doesn't help that they keep on changing the rules every time I blink my eye. And according to an immigration barrister, common sense just don't prevail for these bigwigs. But it means work for the barristers so they're not exactly complaining either. I thought that my love for reading will sustain me while going through the immigration rules, I was wrong. In fact I am amazed that it hasn't killed my love for reading yet.

I actually flirted with the idea of becoming a barrister, or if that sounds too much like those blokes who serve caramel latte at Starbucks, a lawyer. More like a flame that was never lit rather than an old flame, I never pursued the idea. I don't trust words per se, as effective as they are for communication, they are also too fluid and slippery and most of the time, get in the way of the real issue. It doesn't help too that I'm not in love with the sound of my own voice, although I must admit that in the initial stage of my architectural education, I did rely a bit on my verbal communication skills to survive the course. A box in the hands of a gifted orator can become architecture, backed by crap loads of argument.

I feel that as time goes by, instead of improving my graphic skills to complement my bullshitting, I mean, verbal skills, the latter has gone down the drain. Now that I can finally put together a few lines to resemble a house, I can no longer give a verbal explanation regarding the house. It's like I can only communicate in one way, either through graphics or through words. And lately, the graphics side is getting better while I tend to turn mute while standing in front of my drawings.

Having your oratory faculty, or maybe really, the ability to reason in words leaves you when you most need it, is not so great when you can't present drawings to save your arse in front of the immigration people. I am sure as individuals, they are lovely people with common sense, but they are subjected to impose rules made by policy makers who have no common sense whatsoever.

I know that architects and lawyers maintain more or less the same hours, but I would rather burn the midnight oil painstakingly poring over drawings rather than going over legal documents. I know that as an architect I must at some point examine legal documents myself if only to protect my dainty arse, but I believe that that will be just a necessary evil crucial to keep me in the game of shaping the built environment.

If you know any immigration barrister well-versed in the British law and won't burn a hole through my pockets, do tell. It feels like an uphill battle. In the end it's a gamble, and the only thing at stake is the direction of my future.

It's only a matter of time before I'm done playing Sisyphus and sign that Faustian contract.

Gay or not I don't care

2008-07-01T02:12:00.001-07:00

So it's time to investigate our de facto opposition leader's sexual orientation again. Yawn.

Besides screaming of blatant conspiracy (just like last time), I honestly don't care about his orientation. Really. What the leaders do in their personal lives is not my concern. At all. Not when they can barely deliver their public duties satisfactorily.

Maybe it's true maybe not. But even if it's true, so what? I mean, your sexual orientation is no indication to whether you're a good leader or not, right? Just look at our leaders. All allegedly straight but most are hopelessly incompetent and corruptible like hell.

I want leaders who are competent, accountable, incorruptible, intelligent, and can put two words together without sounding like a moron.

They can be as gay as a picnic basket for all I care.

,

2008-06-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

The thing about being in a relatively deep shit, is that having friends who care, sometimes you tend to be left out of the loop, because your friends think that surely it would be insensitive for them to babble about their issues, when you clearly have a lot on your plate?

I don't know about other people, and though I do have the tendency to whine about my issues, that doesn't mean that I'm too self-absorbed that I didn't want to listen to your troubles. No, not because I rub my hands with glee with the knowledge that sucky things happen to you too, but because I honestly believe that friendship is a two-way street.

I'm not made of porcelain and so I won't break. Don't worry.

-------

Have you ever felt like all of a sudden you're trapped under an avalanche of personal issues? And they all look different on the outset but you have a feeling that they're all interrelated? And you just feel lost because you don't know how to even begin tackling these issues. Something tells you that given the right approach, you would in time come to terms with all your issues. All you need is the right angle, and you're practically banging your head against the wall because you have no idea where to look.

And it feels all the more difficult because you're not settled, and you feel that you would be better equipped to deal with them once you're no longer in transit. Or maybe you just don't want to deal with it where you are at the moment, because it confuses you.

And then you think that maybe you have to sort out your issues now, when there are no apparent obligations and commitments as dictated by your situation. Perhaps this is your window, perhaps this is why you're still there, and unless you sort out your issues, you're not going anywhere.

But though the time may be right, the place is not. At least you don't think it is. There's too much expectations and norms that have to be observed, and there's something about it that drugs you into complacency. Your mind feels clouded.

And you just want to flee.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotty Mind

2008-06-28T03:47:00.000-07:00

The movie of my life.

It would start with the narrator saying grimly, 'It was the best of time, it was the worst of time...'

Well, I never set out to be original anyways.

Is it just me

2008-06-26T10:06:00.000-07:00

That feel that in recent years all the movies worth remembering are all cartoons and animations?

McDreamy was looking pretty as usual but I probably should have watched another round of Kungfu Panda. Rom coms these days are not memorable, they don't make 'em like that anymore.

Or maybe I've grown up to be a bitter cynic. But that doesn't explain the cartoons now does it?

Best movie this year to date: Horton Hears a Who. It goes to show that you can never go wrong with Dr Seuss.

Currently reading: The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Kundera. (I'll try to finish the Malayan Trilogy by Burgess this weekend, promise).

Que sera sera

2008-06-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

One has hit the plateau.

What will be will be.

When fingers dance without plotting

2008-06-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

Putting ink on paper without thinking expecting to crash ended up soaring.

mea culpa

2008-06-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

The Nocturne

2008-06-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

nocturne (n): a musical composition with a dark, reflective, dreamy atmosphere

Dum di dum di dum di dum

2008-06-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

To the 100 (give or take 20) people who visit this blog daily, I have no idea why you keep coming back considering that most of my posts are self-indulgent, self-serving, lack insight, and generally whiny.

But thanks anyway.

Perhaps you need to read some mindless ramblings in between other meatier stuff.

Perhaps you need to check whether that well-fed and seemingly well-educated (although these days with those dodgy degrees you can never tell) Asian girl is still out of touch with the real world and should take into consideration the global food crisis, depleting oil reserve, the situation in Myanmar, the situation in Iraq, the situation in Palestine, Obama's chances of winning the election, global warming, and who will win Eurovision (not necessarily in that order) before blogging about her mindless worries about insignificant personal issues.

Perhaps you need the amusement, although how my blog is amusing is beyond my limited comprehension. It's just a place for me to dump my thoughts, and most of the time they are evidently not coherent at all.

Honestly, I don't know what is it that my blog has to offer to you, but whatever you reasons are, I appreciate you dropping by.

I do care about the global food crisis, depleting oil reserve, the situation in Myanmar, the situation in Iraq, the situation in Palestine, Obama's chances of winning the election, global warming, and who will win Eurovision (up until a year ago, I never knew of the existence of Eurovision until out of curiosity, misplaced Asian politeness, and no doubt overdosing on caffeine in a London flat in the small hours of the morning, I sat through some past Danish contestants' performances complete with live renderings by a Dane, God that woke me up).

I do care about those things, but I don't generally blog about them, because they're bloody depressing. Anyways I'm way too lazy to organize my thoughts which is really the primary reason for not blabbering about the global food crisis, depleting oil reserve, the situation in Myanmar, the situation in Iraq, the situation in Palestine, Obama's chances of winning the election, global warming, and who will win Eurovision (actually I don't give a toss who will win the Eurovision, I really don't).

Whatever it is, to the 100 (give or take 20), I thank you.

Past, Present, Future

2008-06-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

Maybe to unravel the mess that is the Present we need to tie the loose ends of the Past.

And hopefully, the Future will take care of itself.

Or if it doesn't, well, c'est la vie.

Sketch Series 5: The back of the house next to Heeren House, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock

2008-06-11T05:56:00.000-07:00

Bagus jugak ada pokok mangga kat tepi tu, tak payah lukis fasad belakang Heeren House. One of the tricks we did as students was to draw trees when we have no idea how to design a facade. The fenestration could already be in place but sometimes we were clueless on how to treat them (penangan kerja last minute), so the trees came useful at this stage. Obviously we are not from that era where architectural drawings are void of vegetations. Pokokkan aje, habis cerita.

Today it rained heavily in the afternoon, and after that it was pretty cloudy. But still I cycled to town to sketch. Today instead of turning right from Lorong Hang Jebat into Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, I cycled straight passing by the side of Heeren House, just to check out the back facade. It's pretty utilitarian, but still handsome. And so I parked the old black bicycle and got to work.

And oh, pardon me for my mistakes before. All the sketches of the facades were actually of the houses along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, which incidentally, was the stretch of road where I did my research on facade conservation. Again, proof that that report was put together only to pass the bloody course, or maybe my memory is really that shitty.

There are things I need to improve, although I notice on my 3rd day of sketching, my lines are getting more and more 'sketchier'. I was never good with drawing straight lines but now it seems like I'm getting worse. Maybe I'm getting more confident or maybe I'm just getting complacent.

As with the sketches before, I cheated here and there. Sketching directly with ink means that any mistake is very likely irrevocable. And so I had to improvise and yet try to remain as true as possible. Takde lah tipu kaw-kaw punya. The thing about sketching objects (both still and life) is that the trick lies in getting the proportion right. Personally for me it's usually the scale or the angle that screws things up.

Basically if you get the proportion right then congratulations you've got the reproduction of the object on paper.

But if you want an exact picture then take a photograph lah. For me sketching is about capturing the essence of what you've seen, because not all of what you've seen will make it onto the paper. You choose what to put down. Subconsciously, with every line you draw, you're determining what's important and discarding what's not. It becomes personal because the interpretation goes through your brain first, unlike using a camera.

I should have started doing this years ago. I'm just trying to catch up and make up for the lost time. This was the exercise from my first year as an architecture student.

Am flirting with the idea of doing a travel diary the next time I go out traveling. This time I mean it. Again, first year exercise. I did a rather half-arsed travelogue while traveling in Vietnam. But since I don't think anybody would be willing to stay in a spot for about an hour just so I could sketch, I probably should travel alone. One sketch a day ala Craig Thompson and his Carnet deVoyage (I wonder if I had actually returned it back to Mr Ex No. 2). And maybe one day I'll manage a tome like Blankets, meruntun jiwa. Alang-alang self-indulgent biar sampai ke pangkal lengan.

My all-time favorite illustrator though, has to be CS3, I mean, Quentin Blake. He was the bloke who did the illustrations for Roald Dahl. I really love his style! The lines look like mere doodles and scratches but that's the exact charm. It takes great confidence to draw like a child, ask Picasso, he should know.

Artline 0.2 on B5 white paper Ordning & Reda.

Sketch Series 4: 22, JalanTun Tan Cheng Lock

2008-06-10T08:57:00.001-07:00

I find drawing the clay tiles rather challenging. Well, the problem lies in getting them on paper at the right angle as the real thing. And I shouldn't have started sketching immediately after getting off the bicycle and my heart was still pounding madly, it made for really shaky lines. Rather proud of the motorbike though.

But, what a way to start this post, by whining! OK let's talk about some cheerful things now.

While I was cycling home today, my phone rang, and who should be on the other side but Chepah, my partner-in-crime at boarding school! Apparently Pah is in Melaka for a meeting, so she suggested we meet up for dinner.

It was fun seeing Pah. Oh the adventures we used to have at boarding school! We were classmates during Form 3, which meant that we usually skipped lessons together. Favorite lesson to skip, Geography. And it was through our Geography teacher that our moms finally met. It was during the parents-teachers meeting for examination classes. After being exposed by our Geography teacher, we stood sheepishly by our moms while they chatted about how to deal with us.

When I went to school to get my exam results, they actually tried to prevent me from continuing my education there. The HEM (Students' Affairs) teacher actually showed me a list of the rules that I've bended and broken. Chepah's list was very similar to mine but each of us had some adventures on our own. But they had no problem accepting her back. Actually I wasn't that crazy about coming back to that school because I really wanted to take art or technical drawing and the school didn't offer the subject (they only produced future doctors and engineers and accountants by the bus load, future architects were not exactly catered for. I doubt it has changed much since then). But naturally because I wasn't allowed back in, I wanted to get in badly. So we went to see the Principal, whom upon seeing my results, said that there should be no problem because I qualified to stay. And so to the HEM's chagrin, I stayed.

When they distributed us to our dorms, they took into consideration our past 'escapades' to make sure that we wouldn't have ready 'accomplices' in the same dorm. Some wisdom those wardens had, they actually put Pah and I in the same dorm! Apparently our 'cases' were different. Little did they know that most of the time we did them together, only some of it appeared on my record and some appeared on hers. And so we continued our adventure together.

Pah is a really gifted person. She has a brilliant mind and is one of those people who doesn't need to work hard at her studies. She napped during lessons only to give a perfect answer when the frustrated teacher specifically asked her a question. We all marveled at her brilliance. I didn't take a nap during some lessons (Science subjects usually) but even after listening to the teacher's explanation I still couldn't get it some time and I had to do some extra studying afterward just to get some understanding. I napped at other lessons, and mind you, it wasn't pretty. Probably explains why I didn't have a boyfriend in high school.

As predicted Pah did really well for her SPM. Her mom nagged to her days and nights asking her to choose medicine to study but Pah just wasn't interested even though she could do it. Now all her 3 younger sisters are blaming her because they have to study medicine instead.

We went to Uni together but we drifted apart a bit because we took different courses, and my coursework was just crazy. We hung out together then from time to time and it helped that we shared a house for a year (or a semester, can't remember). But after that she graduated earlier than me. We rarely met up, even when I was working in PJ. But even back then we knew that we could trust each other for help and emergencies.

Pah has changed. It's funny to see how people change sometimes. Our little gang at school didn't really thrive on being feminine, we were a rough crowd or imagined that we were. We skipped lessons, escaped preps, sneaked out to go to town, sneaked in Walkmen and cassettes of 'decadent' music, and a million other petty things for cheap thrills. Whenever something went wrong at the hostel we would be in the list of usual suspects. In other words, taxpayers' money was wasted on us.

Pah now wears make-up and her handbag was from Coach and she actually wore a pair of ankle length boots when I saw her. Very stylish. I was in my orange Orang Utan t-shirt, jeans, and flip-flops, and my wallet and hand-phone were in my back pockets. I felt like a right slob standing beside her. But this is my town and although I get lost sometimes, I rule supreme.

We have agreed to meet up again as there's really a lot to talk about and 3 measly hours were barely enough. I took her home to see my parents and they were really happy to see her. Pah is one of those friends from school whose home I could just visit without prior notice. I once arrived when she's wasn't around but was welcome anyways because her family knows me. There's this other friend whose house I even know how to enter and I usually just help myself with the locks.

We were tight, and I have a feeling despite these years of drifting apart, there will be time when we would become close again, albeit a tad more matured and mellowed. Or maybe not, maybe being together will remind us of our daredevil days and we will relive those carefree school days in our own 'adult' way. After all, having spent our formative years together by seeing each other constantly in most of our waking hours for 5 long years, we accept each other as we are and we don't pass judgment. We leave that to society at large. There were things that annoyed us about each other but we have long accepted those as our individual quirks and part of who we are. It warms the cockle when a friend you haven't met for a long time tells you that she knows that you will not freak out after listening to her issues. And she doesn't need to say it but you know she will do the same for you. But she says it anyway and it is nice to hear.

And I say, that is a friendship worth cherishing =D

Artline 0.2 on B5 white paper Ordning and Reda.

Sketch Series 3: 46 Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock

2008-06-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

(GM, we didn't carry our research on this house did we? We only chose those fancy ones I remember).

I chose 46 Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock today because I was looking for something simple to draw. Time constrain was one thing, sheer laziness another. Right next to this house is the Baba Nyonya Museum, which is rather heavily rendered by comparison. Now that would be hell to draw with all the carvings and reliefs. It makes me dizzy just thinking about it.

And don't you just hate it when you realize too late that you can't fit the bloody thing on your paper?

I became rather obsessed with these town/shop houses for a bit when I was studying at UTM. They still fascinate me today. It would be a dream come true if I could afford to own one of them one day.

A short history on this typology. They were built during the Dutch time. The Dutch taxed the Chinese businessmen according to the width of the opening and so being shrewd, the Chinese made it really narrow but quite long to the back. Some of these houses have 3 internal courtyards! That's how long they are. I really love this architecture.

No 46 still serves as a shop because I saw the 'open' sign. But the facade gave no clue to what's inside. One of the reasons why I chose No 46 was its lack of signboard on the facade. Some of the new signboards on these old facades were so badly designed I had to fight the urge to tear them down myself.

Proof that I only did the research to pass the subject is that I can't even remember if Melaka had a guideline regarding signboards then. And my research was on facade conservation. I did facade and GM did the internal courtyards. Pretty good team when we were out doing fieldwork.

Proof that research was not exactly my forte was that I barely passed the research method subject, dropped the topical research subject the next semester, failed it the next semester, and finally delivered it during my final semester because well, I did want to graduate. Thank God I didn't do too shabbily. Although I could have probably spent more time writing the conclusion.

Thank you Encik Kamarudin Ali for being my supervisor. Half the time I didn't understand what you were saying as you had this habit of speaking slowly with a low voice and having your sentences trailing into incoherent mumbles. When I took the South East Asian History subject with you, I used to sit dead centre in the front so that I could hear what you were saying. But we came to the conclusion that even if we were to sit on your lap we still wouldn't be able to hear what you said. But it was fun nevertheless. Glad I didn't opt for Western History. Can't sit through another semester of trying to identify and draw Greek columns. Doric (female), Ionic (male), Corinthian (plant-inspired). See? Education not wasted. Now I can use it to identify which style has a Mak Datin chose to adorn her house. Very useful.

Hmm, have to dig out that purple-bound report somewhere.

And oh, I've also decided to draw only one facade per day. Quality control. Either that or a perspective of the street. I sense fickleness kicking in.

Note to self:

Maybe 530 pm is a tad late in the afternoon to start cycling from home. Sure it's nice and shady, but buildings lost their contrasts too and not terribly exciting too draw without their shadow projections. Next time must go when it's really sunny it hurts the eye, and to hell with the heat. Which simply means that must go earlier in the day as it's almost always blindingly sunny every day.
Before drawing, make sure that whole facade will fit on paper. It is always the ground floor which opens to the street that is more interesting anyway.

Artline 0.2 ink on B5 white paper Ordning & Reda.

It's that time of the year again

2008-06-08T22:22:00.000-07:00

Yes ladies and germs, it's time for doing those Internet tests again!

I stumbled upon this invitation from Tickle while I was trying to clean up my Yahoo Mail account which has over 2000 mails (yes, please feel free to gasp). It's an invitation to do this test to find out your compatibility with religion, based on 10 major world religions. Amused and curious, I decided to give it a go.

It should be clarified that when I did the test, I did my best to answer the questions as truthful to myself as possible. Meaning, instead of answering them as they should be answered, I thought about the questions and tried to be honest in choosing the answer that closest resonated to me personally.

Apparently I am most compatible with Unitarian Universalism at 67%, second most compatible belief would be Buddhism at 62%, third in running is Islam at 59%, very close behind is Judaism and Bahai at 58%, at 4th place is Neo-Paganism at 55%, 5th would be Spiritualism and Christianity and Native American at 47%, last in line is Hinduism at 42%.

Frankly speaking, I haven't a clue about Neo-Paganism, Spiritualism, and Native American (totem pole maybe?). Neo-Paganism is a major world religion? Really?

As for Unitarian (I don't know why but I always alternate the word with 'utilitarian' whenever I think of it), well, apparently this is what makes it unique:

What sets Unitarian Universalism apart from other religions is their view on religious tolerance. The church is organized around a broad set of moral ideologies, which invites a diverse congregation that welcomes any member. Since members are actively encouraged to seek the spiritual truth that is most true for them as individuals, there is a diverse variety of ideas and this can be confusing or stimulating, depending on your perspective.

Which is all wonderful and lovely. But it bothers me that although they seem to thrive on diversity, they still feel the need to have official positions on certain aspects of religious discussions. For example, their official position on the origin of the world supports the big bang theory. My answer on that question is I feel that evolutionism and creationism are not necessarily exclusive. Not that I'm saying that they should have the same view as mine, but why bother having an official position at all when the very core of the faith is diversity?

Personally I feel that it would have been more attractive if they don't have any official positions on anything.

Upon telling my result, this is what follows;

But did you know that even though Unitarian Universalists have mixed beliefs about the existence of God, they tend to share the belief that there is something to be learned from every world religion? It appears that you are also open to a wide variety of religious and spiritual ideas. By accepting differences between individual spiritual beliefs, Unitarian Universalists come together under a few broad and inclusive moral ideologies. They pass their beliefs from generation to generation through their church's literature and their teachings, both of which draw on many of the major spiritual texts from a variety of religions. Typically open-minded and intellectual, Unitarian Universalists encourage individual exploration of many different spiritual truths. They also tend to be politically liberal. It seems that you also see the importance of being open-minded and curious.

Don't worry, I'm not about to jump ship yet, although I know there's a Unitarian Church near Newington Green. I have a feeling though that my legs would automatically walk to Belle Epoque for their delicious cakes whenever I'm in the area. That chocolate-glazed rabbit-shaped cake I had on Easter was simply divine. Perhaps food is really my religion.

Personally, what I can deduct from this finding is that it spells out that my interest is really in the study of comparative religion and that there's something to be learned from everywhere.

Also what really matters is that you try to understand your chosen belief and not just accept without thinking what's being prescribed based on the interpretation of others. After all, if it is to be your way of life, I reckon it's worth finding out.

Interested to do this test? Try to answer it as honest as possible and then, do share the result!

Seeing is believing.

Believing is seeing.

Viva la vida

2008-06-08T09:55:00.000-07:00

Coldplay is playing at the Brixton Academy on June 16th.

There's no way I'm gonna make it.

They're playing again at the O2 Arena in December.

It's a date. I hope.