KAFKA

So this is my new semester.
Ya, how time flies.
A new semester marks a new starting point for me, and it really does.
To me, entering the university again after a 2 months long break really makes no strange feeling to me.
Maybe in somewhere deep in my heart, there is an isolated area where light of conscience would never reach. And in that place, keeps the nostalgia and emotions I own, to the university, to the friends of mine and a few people who are just too indelible in my memory.

The new studio for Architecture students.

I once shared a joke:

There are only two 哦ccasions where my table will be clean, the first day and the last day of a semester.

Just not bad

So the first project is to design a gazebo to be located near the Studio building.As usual, the first task is to carry out site analysis and land survey...Was it fun? SUREeee...

Thanks to my friend Elliot who accompanied me ...and sacrificed himself to the mosquitoes!

.

Organizing the information

And the initial idea, a gazebo which has separated platform and roofing

It has the curve roof which is an idea derived from a water droplet flowing from the slope to the ground.

However, after discussion with my studio master, Dr.Sharifah, I felt that there was a need in expanding my idea and to include more design philosophy in this gazebo

Then, the idea came out from nowhere....

                                                  Integrating THE GOLDEN RATIO...

And doing the studio work at late night was never lonely because there was these group of students campaigning for the university election.

"To estimate what a type of man is worth, one must calculate the price paid for his preservation.

The condition of the existence of the good is the lie."

well said Nietzsche.

And these few days I was just fed up by the strong propaganda carried out by the so called candidates.

The vague and ambiguous manifesto just made me laughed so hard.

blah blah blah~~

''However, between a high, solid wall and an egg that breaks against it,

I will always stand on the side of the egg.''

                                                                                   ~Haruki Murakami

What makes you stay strong for sleepless night.
Thanks to my friend Pika!

The night before submission!

KEEP FIGHTING！·

And it was morning, off to studio.

Final Presentation Board, the Kafka.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This is a project about Change.

As for me, everything changes in the new sem, 

sometimes,

 I do have an intense feeling that some parts in my life has really changed.

Imperceptibly, so fast like a piece of tea leaf releasing itself in a pool of warm water.

It is not a bad thing, neither is good.

The people I met a year before, the events took place, the endless conversations we once had,the smile you gave me, the indelible memories we hold in our hands. \

It really was a happy time spent in the first year. 

And now, some part were gone, and ironically another parts came into the "system" and play the same roles

But the similar feeling would never be the same.

There are things that I still cherish, care about and shall not forget. 

However, time, the monster that ate up all the gigabytes of my life still carries on its duty, occupying my "space" minute by minute, day by day and I can't find a way to resist.

And suddenly one day , 

I woke up in my bed in the hostel as usual. 

The intensity of sunlight passing through the opening, the warmth I felt on my face. The morning breeze flipping the curtains , following a slow and non-repetitive rhythm. 

 I slowly tilting my body to the right, opening my eyes.

 I lay on my armour-like back, and if I lifted my head a little I could see my brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections. 

The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment. 

My many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of mine, waved about helplessly as I looked."

"What happened to me?" I thought

.

.

.

And it wasn't a dream.

SANGOMA

Below was a story happened 6 months ago.

If I'm not mistaken, it's around twelve at night
So I ate a bread, a bread made up of two slices of bread. The two slices of bread then combine into a piece of bread.
Now I'm not sure whether I ate a bread or two.

After the supper, I took out my design sketches and doing some add-on and refinements, it'still interesting doing so although I've done  it a thousand times in my mind, on the shutter bus, in the canteen, and frankly speaking, during some period in a lecture.

It's a shelter designed to accommodate 2 person during a natural disaster.
The design focus on the post-disaster settlement, I added 4 clamps to the shelter so that it has 2 pairs of legs that can stand to desired levels to levitate the victims.

Or something that sounds like that...

Not sure what's the time now,

but i love the light.

And after a hard long night's effort, I finally managed to erect....the model.

The structure

I remembered I was joyous to see the shape of my shelter, a feeling akin to a pregnant mom having her embryo's body parts developed!! Look at my SON!!!

Giving the shelter a wall :)

(Skipped 5~10 steps) ...and presenting you...

The final model.

The name of the shelter is called Sangoma, which means healer in South Africa, the shelter is inspired by the traditional hut commonly found in Africa, I admire the wisdom and perseverance of the natives in this continent so much. There has been to much suffering among the people in Africa and I know there is not much I can do to alleviate their agony. 

However, I will do my best to bring out the issue so that more and more people will start to notice it and put their awareness into action.

That's also a reason why I'll dedicate myself in Tzu Chi activities because it is a non-profit organization that has the purest compassion and vows to relieve the pain of those who suffer regardless of nation and race.

The people in Africa turn from aid receiver into living bodhisattva who can give help to others 

A  local Zulu Tzu Chi volunteer  

 Because we are a family :)

     There are numerous disasters that continuously occur in our nature, be it earthquake, tsunami, droughts...
However, as the name Sangoma suggests, there is always healers who are willing to step out and bear the burden of those who suffer, it does not matter who you are and what religion you believe in, aslong as we live together in this world, under the same sky, we are a family.

"We can do no great things, only small things with great love."
                                                                                      ~Mother Teresa

Sangoma at tonight 10/9/2012.

Your face in my Book

It really has been ''a while'' since the last post I made, but that's alright, I didn't post much status in my personal Facebook account neither, let alone Twitter or Google+ ...

Sometimes I wonder what's the purpose of having accounts in social sites that you don't even bother to update from time to time. lol.

Ever recall the days that we don't have Facebook? Yes I do. I always do.
And I always miss those days:

''As you enter the class,
you and your friends talk about the shopping mall they went with parents last weekend, showing each other our drawings, share the laughter together in front of the children magazines....Children nowadays do not practice these again I presume.''

Why am I so sure about it?
Because Foursquare, pic uploads and ''Share'' button that's why!!

But the inconvenient truth is that we don't chat to the person we wish anymore, the intention is there,the urge is forceful, the need is intense but they just can't compel actions from us
Ya, as long as from the perspectives I see, you have photos tagged in lively gathering, joyful interactions with your friends, funny status updates. 

It's just fine for me to wish you a happy life. :)

However, sometimes I hope that our friendship can find a way back into the very beginning of the relationship.        #justwish

And sometimes, I wish to tell you more, something more than a mere Like.

PROJECT 9: INTEGRATED PROJECT (ANGLE)

In this project, I'm able to work under the same team again,it has been a while since the last group project ...which means ''Sleepless Studio Session'' once again?  :)

 But  I'm glad  that I can meet and work with my team members again! as the rapport we built up still holds~

The next thing that makes me happy is that the project is quite challenging as we're assigned to design a single storey freestanding structure, precisely, a pavilion with floor area not exceeding 500 sq meter on the basis of our interpretation of USM Mission and Vision.

In short, the design has to be Sustainable, Eco-friendly, User-friendly, Innovative and Prospective.

An early sketches of our design

      In the quest of a better flow of work, our team leader Cheryl Chew  has prepared  a schedule listing each member's specified task and deadline in accordance to respective field and workload. I was
selected to be in the design team , responsible for creating the 4x A1 presentation board and the model of pavilion.


After settled all the task, here marks the beginning of
 ''FROM  NOTHING TO SOMETHING''

The three stages ,..transforming a water bottle into a Globe of  the model

A picture depicting the design team's work environment

 


 


We took about a week to complete our model, most of the time we make use of the studio at night for our job. It is a great facility that provides convenience to us. I would also like to thanks our tutor Ar.Haris for his guide in the design concept of the model, he does not interfere a lot in our design, instead he supports our concept by giving suggestions and refinements that are applicable to the design.

The pavilion with grass roof.

Rear staircase connecting the grass roof with the ground.

The completed model with scale 1:200

After completing the model, our group starts focus on the presentation board, which is in 4 A1 size.

The site analysis

The interior design

Nicolas with the concept evolution diagram~

The key plan and location plan with perspective drawing below

The completed board!!!

After completing this last integrated  project, it could be said that the end of the semester is just around the corner.

Looking back into the 2 group project, I am so grateful that I have many wonderful teammates that worked together with me.

 It was them who convinced me when I was about to give up.

 It was them who support me when I was about to fall

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the support and tolerance given

It was my best time in sem 1 studio to be in this Group 7 for the assignments !