T H E A N I M A T E D C H R O N I C L E S O F A J U P I T A R I A N

Graduation

2009-07-13T12:46:00.001+08:00

This is Adrian Tan's speech at the convocation of students (class of 2008) at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (NTU).

Adrian Tan is a litigation partner at Drew & Napier LLC.

----------

LIFE AND HOW TO SURVIVE IT

I must say thank you to the faculty and staff of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information for inviting me to give your convocation address.

It's a wonderful honour and a privilege for me to speak here for ten minutes without fear of contradiction, defamation or retaliation.

I say this as a Singaporean and more so as a husband.
My wife is a wonderful person and perfect in every way except one.
She is the editor of a magazine. She corrects people for a living.
She has honed her expert skills over a quarter of a century, mostly by practising at home during conversations between her and me.

On the other hand, I am a litigator.
Essentially, I spend my day telling people how wrong they are.
I make my living being disagreeable.

Nevertheless, there is perfect harmony in our matrimonial home.
That is because when an editor and a litigator have an argument, the one who triumphs is always the wife.

And so I want to start by giving one piece of advice to the men:
when you've already won her heart, you don't need to win every argument.

Marriage is considered one milestone of life.
Some of you may already be married.
Some of you may never be married.
Some of you will be married.
Some of you will enjoy the experience so much, you will be married many, many times. Good for you.

The next big milestone in your life is today: your graduation. The end of education. You're done learning.

You've probably been told the big lie that 'Learning is a lifelong process'
and that therefore you will continue studying and taking masters' degrees and doctorates and professorships and so on.
You know the sort of people who tell you that? Teachers.
Don't you think there is some measure of conflict of interest?
They are in the business of learning, after all.
Where would they be without you? They need you to be repeat customers.

The good news is that they're wrong.

The bad news is that you don't need further education because your entire life is over. It is gone.
That may come as a shock to some of you. You're in your teens or early twenties.
People may tell you that you will live to be 70, 80, 90 years old. That is your life expectancy.

I love that term: life expectancy. We all understand the term to mean the average life span of a group of people.
But I'm here to talk about a bigger idea, which is what you expect from your life.

You may be very happy to know that Singapore is currently ranked as the country with the third highest life expectancy.
We are behind Andorra and Japan, and tied with San Marino. It seems quite clear why people in those countries, and ours, live so long.
We share one thing in common: our football teams are all hopeless.
There's very little danger of any of our citizens having their pulses raised by watching us play in the World Cup.
Spectators are more likely to be lulled into a gentle and restful nap.

Singaporeans have a life expectancy of 81.8 years.
Singapore men live to an average of 79.21 years, while Singapore women live more than five years longer, probably to take into account the additional time they need to spend in the bathroom.

So here you are, in your twenties, thinking that you'll have another 40 years to go.
Four decades in which to live long and prosper.

Bad news. Read the papers. There are people dropping dead when they're 50, 40, 30 years old.
Or quite possibly just after finishing their convocation.
They would be very disappointed that they didn't meet their life expectancy.

I'm here to tell you this.
Forget about your life expectancy.

After all, it's calculated based on an average.
And you never, ever want to expect being average.

Revisit those expectations. You might be looking forward to working, falling in love, marrying, raising a family.

You are told that, as graduates,

you should expect to find a job paying so much, where your hours are so much, where your responsibilities are so much.
That is what is expected of you.
And if you live up to it, it will be an awful waste.

If you expect that, you will be limiting yourself. You will be living your life according to boundaries set by average people.
I have nothing against average people. But no one should aspire to be them.

And you don't need years of education by the best minds in Singapore to prepare you to be average.

What you should prepare for is mess. Life's a mess. You are not entitled to expect anything from it.
Life is not fair. Everything does not balance out in the end. Life happens, and you have no control over it.
Good and bad things happen to you day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment.
Your degree is a poor armour against fate. * Exactly.

Don't expect anything. Erase all life expectancies.
Just live. Your life is over as of today.
At this point in time, you have grown as tall as you will ever be, you are physically the fittest you will ever be in your entire life and you are probably looking the best that you will ever look.
This is as good as it gets. It is all downhill from here. Or up. No one knows.

What does this mean for you?
It is good that your life is over.

Since your life is over, you are free.
Let me tell you the many wonderful things that you can do when you are free.

The most important is this: do not work.

Work is anything that you are compelled to do.
By its very nature, it is undesirable.

Work kills.
The Japanese have a term "Karoshi", which means death from overwork.
That's the most dramatic form of how work can kill. But it can also kill you in more subtle ways.
If you work, then day by day, bit by bit, your soul is chipped away, disintegrating until there's nothing left.
A rock has been ground into sand and dust.

*** There's a common misconception that work is necessary.
You will meet people working at miserable jobs.
They tell you they are "making a living" No, they're not.
They're dying, frittering away their fast-extinguishing lives doing things which are, at best, meaningless and, at worst, harmful. ***

People will tell you that work ennobles you, that work lends you a certain dignity. Work makes you free.
The slogan "Arbeit macht frei" was placed at the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps.
Utter nonsense.

** Do not waste the vast majority of your life doing something you hate so that you can spend the small remainder sliver of your life in modest comfort.
You may never reach that end anyway.

*** Resist the temptation to get a job. Instead, play.
Find something you enjoy doing. Do it. Over and over again.
You will become good at it for two reasons: you like it, and you do it often.
Soon, that will have value in itself. *** I am enjoying my job.. not 100% of the time, but most of the time.. as compared to office work.. I think I would be much happier continuing this job.....

I like arguing, and I love language. So, I became a litigator.
I enjoy it and I would do it for free.
If I didn't do that, I would've been in some other type of work that still involved writing fiction - probably a sports journalist.

So what should you do?
You will find your own niche. I don't imagine you will need to look very hard.
By this time in your life, you will have a very good idea of what you will want to do.
In fact, I'll go further and say the ideal situation would be that you will not be able to stop yourself pursuing your passions.
By this time you should know what your obsessions are.
If you enjoy showing off your knowledge and feeling superior, you might become a teacher.

Find that pursuit that will energise you, consume you, become an obsession.

Each day, you must rise with a restless enthusiasm.
If you don't, you are working.

Most of you will end up in activities which involve communication.
To those of you I have a second message: be wary of the truth.
I'm not asking you to speak it, or write it, for there are times when it is dangerous or impossible to do those things.
The truth has a great capacity to offend and injure, and you will find that the closer you are to someone, the more care you must take to disguise or even conceal the truth.
Often, there is great virtue in being evasive, or equivocating.
There is also great skill.
Any child can blurt out the truth, without thought to the consequences.
It takes great maturity to appreciate the value of silence.

In order to be wary of the truth, you must first know it.
That requires great frankness to yourself. Never fool the person in the mirror. *

I have told you that your life is over, that you should not work, and that you should avoid telling the truth.
I now say this to you: be hated.

It's not as easy as it sounds. Do you know anyone who hates you?
Yet every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated, not just by one person, but often by a great many.
That hatred is so strong it has caused those great figures to be shunned, abused, murdered and in one famous instance, nailed to a cross.

One does not have to be evil to be hated.
In fact, it's often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one;s own convictions.
It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions.
Then one will gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average.
That cannot be your role.
There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself.
Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong.

The other side of the coin is this: fall in love.

I didn't say "be loved"
That requires too much compromise.
If one changes one's looks, personality and values, one can be loved by anyone.

Rather, I exhort you to love another human being.
It may seem odd for me to tell you this.
You may expect it to happen naturally, without deliberation. That is false.

Modern society is anti-love. We've taken a microscope to everyone to bring out their flaws and shortcomings.
It far easier to find a reason not to love someone, than otherwise.
Rejection requires only one reason. Love requires complete acceptance.
It is hard work - the only kind of work that I find palatable.

Loving someone has great benefits.
There is admiration, learning, attraction and something which, for the want of a better word, we call happiness.
In loving someone, we become inspired to better ourselves in every way.
We learn the true worthlessness of material things.
We celebrate being human.
Loving is good for the soul.

Loving someone is therefore very important, and it is also important to choose the right person.
Despite popular culture, love doesn't happen by chance, at first sight, across a crowded dance floor.
It grows slowly, sinking roots first before branching and blossoming.
It is not a silly weed, but a mighty tree that weathers every storm.

You will find, that when you have someone to love, that the face is less important than the brain, and the body is less important than the heart.

You will also find that it is no great tragedy if your love is not reciprocated.
You are not doing it to be loved back.
Its value is to inspire you.

Finally, you will find that there is no half-measure when it comes to loving someone.
You either don't, or you do with every cell in your body, completely and utterly, without reservation or apology.
It consumes you, and you are reborn, all the better for it.

Don't work. Avoid telling the truth. Be hated. Love someone.

You're going to have a busy life.
Thank goodness there's no life expectancy.

-----------

Fair

2009-05-08T02:45:00.010+08:00

This song i want to share with you Fair by Remy Zero.

Remy Fair - Zero - The funniest bloopers are right here

Hey, are you lonely?
Has summer gone so slowly?
We found the ground
And that damage was done
It's cold as you fade into the sun
Where'd you go? To me.

But you're alive!
Well, it's only
Fallen frames, they told me
You stand out, it's so loud
And so what if it is?
It's cold as you face into the wind
Where to go?
(Tonight a sun shall see its light)

So what if you catch me,
Where would we land?
In somebody's life
For taking his hands
Sing to me hope as she's
Thrown on the sand
All of our work
Is rated again
Where to go?

And you were somehow
The rain this thing could allow
I tried
But it's all wrong

You're so strong
And this life and work
And choice took far too long
Where to go?
(Tonight a sun shall see its light)

So what if you catch me,
Where would we land?
In somebody's life
For taking his hands
Sing to me hope as she's
Thrown on the sand
All of our work(worth)
Is rated again

And I was sure you'd follow through
The world was turned to blue(so fair)
When you'd hide your songs would die
So I'd hide yours with mine
All my words were bound to fail
But I know you won't fail

See, I can tell...

-----

i heard it while watching the movie Fanboys and its also on the movie Garden State. Side track into some trivia about the band..

the band Remy Zero also did the very popular Smallville theme song Save Me. Unfortunately they have also disbanded since. The song Fair can be found in their 2nd album called Villa Elaine.

Love the song, its so haunting.

-would you even catch me now?-

Zilch

2009-04-19T12:34:00.002+08:00

suffering from Post Architecture-project-submission-vacuum Syndrome

**makes sucking sound**

Pre-Submission Mayhem

2009-04-07T10:35:00.003+08:00

angry, red and painful pimples start popping out on the face
puffy, swollen eyelids
bloodshot eyes
pale complexion
disheveled hair
bloated stomache
aching arms, neck and back
constant feeling of fatigue

some of the listed symptoms above may sound like what women have to go through once a month when good ol' aunt pays a visit but don't get me wrong, what i'm referring to above is not to lament about the major inconveniences women have to go through but rather the sad plight of year 3 architecture students in NUS who are about to face their first big hurdle in becoming an architect, RIBA Part 1.

the idea of a SoHo is captured in the architecture studio where students work and live here as submission draw near. amid the cutting mats, broken off pen knife blades, new materials, waste materials, butter paper, cartridge paper, sketch pens and pencils, UHU glue, white glue, laptops, chargers, books borrowed from the libraries, mineral water bottles, empty drink cans, cup noodles, chocolates, models, drying towels, safari beds and movable boards, we architecture students work and sleep (wait, what sleep?) endlessly throughout the nights before submission to finish the deliverables. it sounds and looks like a junkyard or just and accident waiting to happen, but we get along. accidents to happen sometimes when people slice part of their fingers off or worse the 'blue screen of death' from the computers and the scream and scramble after to ensure files were backed up.

nothing compares to this. maybe some journalist should shadow an architecture student and keep a journal tracing what they go through.

its so so twisted, its sometimes funny.

i just have to make it through till the 17th..

I WILL GET THERE IN ONE PIECE!!!

On a lighter note

2009-03-30T09:33:00.008+08:00

i havent much to show for design later this afternoon but i found time to search for some entertainment online and found these..

i hope you enjoy them as much as i did, no matter how small the entertainment value, its still waayyyy better than doing design now :/

this last one is my personal favourite because it happens all the time :/

laugh..

In an unconcious state

2009-03-29T12:24:00.003+08:00

" she dreamt of him today.. "

" was it good? or a nightmare? "

" oh, it was a good dream. he came back, and said he loved her. everything like before.. "

" is she okay now? "

" she woke up and reality sets in, you know how it is. she's still hurting inside, i can see it in her eyes.. "

-----

fridays and weekends are like a dream to me, they hold so much promise during the weekdays that when i think of them, i feel happy, almost seeing my soul leave my body and i envision myself doing what i would be doing this weekend. an out of the body experience. perhaps they are now an escape for me. an escape where i wont have to face work, faces that i dont want to see, and the stress i leave behind in school. dreams, i realise, are an escape. its this small part in your brain that keeps and locks up the sweetest memories but also the worst fears. then when u close your eyes at night, the gears in this tiny part starts working, setting off a serious of frames. sometimes jumbled, sometimes making full sense. sometimes waking up up perspiring all over in fear, sometimes smiling with sweet thoughts and the worst, sometimes waking up cheeks wet with tears.

i used to have frequent dreams when i was a little girl (yes i was little once) and they were always the same ones. one always starts with me somehow sitting on the parapet wall outside my grandparent's house on the 13th floor and a strong gust of wind comes and blows me over and i start to fall in slow motion down to the ground below. i always picture the motion of falling very slowly and it feels almost relaxing but before i really relax, i hit the ground and that's when i always wake up, with my legs slamming the bed as if in mimicry of my body slamming into the ground. i would break out in cold sweat after because as a child that really scared me. another vivid occurring dreams i remember was this one where i find myself in this extremely expansive huge white space, so huge i cannot see the end of it. but as i start to explore, i see the walls and ceiling start to enclose towards me. they start to increase in speed and i quickly find myself breathing heavily, in a space that continues to move in closer. the air becomes stuffy and i just before i wake up, in the dream, i always find myself unable to breathe, in foetal position, the walls are still packing in, just slowly now, i feel like i am in a box, claustrophobia sets in and with my last ounce of strength i scream and try to push the walls away. It is at this moment where i wake up and find myself cramped into a small corner of my bed, in foetal position like my dream, breathing heavily as though i had just ran a marathon, heart beating quickly beneath my chest.

these dreams haunted me almost every night but i never complained or told anyone about it. soon, as i grew older, they slowly started to disappear and i rarely get them now. but when i do, i feel the same way like the little girl i was about 15 years ago. they never made any sense to me and i dont think they ever will.

-----

" dry her tears. i hope she will be okay tonight and every other night. "

Through the hard times

2009-03-27T13:10:00.002+08:00

Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence

You know how songs and music seem to touch you in transcending ways? well this song, in a weird way calms me very much. when i'm frustrated or flustered, it manages to calm my nerves. must be the way its composed (:

i love it very much (:

She Obviously Hates Me

2009-03-23T18:20:00.002+08:00

What do you do when someone cuts you off as you speak?
What do you do when they think you're slacking off and haven't been attending their class for 4 for 5 times?
What do you do when they feed you what they think is the right answer?

WHAT DO YOU DO?

i'm really upset. very upset. its not like i dont try okay. and i'm not f**king invisible either. i've only not gone for your studio for 2 times and not 4 or 5 times you bitch. effing go change your glasses if you cant see properly, i'm not exactly what most people call a small girl and i never excelled at the game hide n seek either. u snide thing. behind that thin smile you always give lie the daggers behind..

"oh may! do you know you are severely behind time?", " where are your plans and sections?"

well if u cared to look, did have plans and sections before during the interim and besides i dont work well with two dimensional drawings, i need to make models to visualise the space and architecture BEFORE i get started with the drawings when i'm satistfied. dont judge me because i cant do it the way you want all your minions to work.

argh. i'm so angry/upset/frustrated/desperate with studio, no, wait, school. i was THIS close, THIS close to letting the wave of emotions overcome me. As she sat there in her stupid European manner, looking at me in the condescending manner, i felt a lump form in my throat. it was horrible. i felt horrible. had zero mood to say anything else in the defense of my project. ZERO. i just sat there "uhuh-ed" my way through.

she obviously hates me.

obviously, i'm too damn dumb for my own good to think of a solution that you're happy with.

i hate you. i hate school.
but i have no choice.

A Case of Schizophrenia

2009-03-19T11:24:00.002+08:00

A Psychiatric Report
-----------------------------------

I cannot concentrate on the tasks ahead of me.

the mind is an amazing thing. Its like a web that weaves in and around each other. so intricate. when i try to go through and make sense of my thoughts, they seem to be on track for awhile before i think i lose my way again somewhere along another line, lost in translation before i find myself tumbling through another 'issue' again.

this happens more than once day and perhaps driven by the things that happen around. it feels like spontaneous combustion sometimes where everything just explodes at one go and i find myself doing things that i would not usually find myself doing. i become clingy and needy (in my opinion), i neglect important tasks, i find myself in emotional turmoil half the time thinking of the past and what-could-have-beens, i spend too much for my own good..etc.

i am desperate. i sense this immense desperation inside. like i'm desperate to be normal, desperate to be happy, desperate to do well, desperate to act like everything is okay, desperate to maintain the front. why the desperation? because everyone tells me i have to move on? but what happens when when i'm not ready to do so and maybe just maybe, i'm just forcing myself to do just that and in the process of doing so, i lose myself. i dont recognise myself sometimes, this person i've become. i hate it. i feel torn between expressing my grief and pain and trying to move on. deep down i live wth regret and remorse of what i've done and its re-precussions. i try to put everything in a sealed bag n bury it deep it my heart n mind but like a man who refuses to die, it keeps coming back. i dont know how to deal with it and i try to keep burying it back into its grave, hoping that one day it will stay there. i will it to.

somedays i feel strong enough to face the world, somedays i just want to lay in bed and hide under the covers, afraid of what life may throw at me today.

today is such a day.

as i spill my thoughts here as i would to a psychiatrist, i feel vulnerable and weak. i think some good friends try to help but i guess because of my inert nature to keep my innermost thoughts to myself and how these thoughts are very messy and weird, i dont even know how to express them to someone else much less try to make some sense of it myself.

----

to my good friends,

u may think i'm too weak
u may think i should learn to move on
u may think i've become someone else
u may think i've already moved on
u may think u dont recognise me anymore

u may think a million other things that this entry cannot hold, but i have a simple wish that i hope u can help me with.

i hope u can be here for me when i need a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, an honest opinion and a guide to keep me in check.

i promise i will do the same for you.

please dont leave me alone and walk away. acquaintances i have many, but true friends i have few.

forgive me for i do not know how to express myself clearly most times

----

sometimes i am filled with so much self-doubt it scares me. i am afraid, afraid that i'm a mental basketcase.

believe me, i want to feel loved and i want to love but somehow i think that part of me just died too on that fateful day when he left..

my greatest fear : losing someone i love

a tribute

2009-02-16T08:46:00.002+08:00

happy belated valentine's day

no more

2009-01-19T11:17:00.002+08:00

dear friends

i don't think i will be blogging again anytime soon.

i've lost a huge part of my life, i no longer feel like myself anymore.
until i've found what i've lost, i will likely not come back here.

i wish everyone the best.
cherish those who love u and love them back.
make sure they know it.

dont be like me.

goodbye.

RANT!!!

2008-12-14T17:35:00.002+08:00

JUST WHEN I'M BEGINNING TO GIVE A DAMN ABOUT MY WEIGHT.. THE STUPID WEIGHING SCALE DIED ON ME!!!!!

ahem ahem

okay, got that out. sorry folks, i just had to get that out of my system.

I'm so starving right now cos i haven't eaten much in the last 38 hours. Only a packet of chee cheong fun for lunch yesterday and a single roll of spring roll for dinner and nothing else after that.

No. thats not my new diet regime.

its just cause i was working at ZOUKOUT and i hardly found the time to eat or there was no appetising stuff around. ahh..but its all good, had alot of fun at ZOUKOUT, in between the working and running around to the different areas to watch and dance..haha..a hell of an experience :) doing set-up again felt awfuly nostalgic of pre-study days where events, exhibitions and parties where the roster of the day..ah i do miss it.

i need to get ready for my HK trip already :) what clothes to wear and bring, what baggage to pack in, where to go, what to see... OOOO EXCITED!!!!

Mish Mash

2008-12-12T03:23:00.003+08:00

its deathly quiet at home now. all the lights are off and the computer screen casts an empty glow in the room.
i have no idea why i cant seem to get to sleep. maybe cos of all the flood of events that happened recently. like all hell broke loose.

dear friends
dear me

some depressing
some so happy
some so embarrassing
some i have no idea what to make out of
some i have yet to know the full story

christmas is coming
new year is coming

i know what i want for christmas this year. which is good. i dont usually do. but this year. i've my sights on several things. ahhh. hopefully but some weird twist of luck i'll have my wish come true hehehehehe.

the new year is always the time where i feel most lost. i look back on the going year and maybe be filled with regret and sometimes joy in the things that have happened. but most importantly, i'd rather spend it with ppl close to my heart..not some insane party somewhere..

i feel old already..

no idea what's this post about. everything is scattered. i know. no train of thought. so all over the place. but maybe in this messy messy mess some coherency is present. i need to get my blogging mind back. blogging abt such un-interesting thoughts and events are so mundane. abt how i feel day in day out. boring. life i need a life.

ok let's take this nice n slow, walk with me if u will.
i warn u it takes great patience..

nice and slow
nice and slow into the new year

All Strung Up

2008-10-04T02:23:00.007+08:00

Videos coming up..

Was in studio today and Andrew was very very enthusiastically telling Sri and i to search Youtube for this little Korean boy who plays the guitar damn well. So we did a search and here's what we found...

Living On a Prayer by Bon Jovi

Yes, amazing right for an eleven year old boy? We looked at other videos of his and his WIDE and i mean WIDE repertoire of songs. Chanced upon a cover of Eric Clapton's (Slowhand), Tears in Heaven and that went on to me gushing about Clapton's songs..

One of my ALL TIME FAV LOVE SONG...(sing this song to me and i will so totally melt)

Wonderful Tonight

Which then lead on to...

Layla

Then to...

My Father's Eyes

Did a wiki search on Eric Clapton and his life story is undeniably full of ups and downs..lost parentage, substance abuse, affairs, loss of a child. Go wiki his name if you really want to know, but seriously, all those life experiences led him to write amazing songs including collaborations with the late Bob Marley.

Sighs...

I could just listen to the songs over and over again..
I'm all strung up..

One week

2008-09-27T03:12:00.003+08:00

Best fliend and i

When best fliend and i are together, we do the craziest things :)

I have no patience for blogging now but i'll do it anyway since I'm trying to kill time while my hair dries so i can go to sleep.

F1 started today and the sound of the machines whizzing by made hair all over my body stand on end. It was a weird feeling, quite hard to describe but i secretly found it quite pleasurable. It made this tingly feeling inside that just made me smile. Odd really, but nice :)

(note: not even an F1 fanatic, know nuts about the sport, except Raikonnen's blue blue eyes)

Its Sam's birthday today, and best fliend and i went through alot of trouble making a surprise for him as well as getting his gift. I hope he liked it though :) and we had good fun going through all the trouble. Happy birthday Samuel Low Yan Yun!!!

hehe..

Mambo was awesome as usual on Wednesday. Think full house Zouk and excellent company on the dance floor. Bumped into a few familiar faces as well. Good stuff i say.

Finally got the full protection for my new lappie today. Its FLAMING RED and I LOVE IT!

One week almost over..

Buzz Buzz BUSY

2008-09-18T00:07:00.005+08:00

Now don't blame a girl if she's too busy to update her blog.

Its a good sign isn't it? Like she has better things to do then pour a tirade of her emotions out on cyberspace and hope to gather some sympathy votes?

No! i will not do that today, maybe some other day though..haha

we're nearing the end of the 1st term of Sem 1 of my 3rd year in hell-hole Architecture School and i'm glad to say after all the shit i've been through i'm still loving it. Of course with great group mates and the occassional stress relieving session of good ol' volleyball, i'm still ALIVE.

Now, i'm just looking forward to the holidays :)

Catch up with friends, do the necessary spring cleaning although its technically autumn now, get my Europe trip album into place..most importantly to hang loose and have fun..

i like the way life is going now. Fuss-free with no strings attached.

LOVING IT!

The Pursuit of Architecture

2008-08-17T09:53:00.002+08:00

Site studies in sweltering heat
Rolls of yellow butter paper
Hours spent sketching
Beating the mind into plup for a credible concept
Translating that into space
Rolls of yellow butter paper
Hours spent sketching
Toying with pieces of cardboard
Transforming paper architecture to actual space
Sessions with tutors who slam you for your own good
Back to the drawing board again
Start all over
Reach a conclusion and make it work
Start work on deliverables
Slog like mad to make sure everything's in place
Presentation
Relief and satisfaction

At the beginning, one dreaded this one week workshop. Now at the end of it, one begins to see what were the lessons taught and the lessons learnt.

Only people who have had experience being in architecture school or its equivilent know what it really is like to be coupled down with so much stress and work and still be able to function properly. One enjoys what one does and no matter how stressed and busy it all is, its always a sweet ending when one has given it all.

Some friends might never understand how appointments, birthdays or even a simple meal together can be forgotten.

Its all in the pursuit of architecture that one finds true happiness :)

Goodbye Life, Hello No Life

2008-08-12T17:14:00.002+08:00

Alrite, its the 2nd day of school and i'm already moaning and dreading it. So not a good sign, reminds me of Yr 2 Sem 1..Sighs..

BOO!

We have this Tropical Architecture Workshop running for 1 week and we have deliverables that have to be done by this Saturday for the final crit which is almost like possible considering the scale of the project. We have to design a building within a 8.3m x 18m x 15m site which is situated in a private housing estate, at the end of a row of terraced houses. Its supposed to be converted into a cafe and 2 other programs which suit the context of the building. The design has to encapsulate tropical design as well as concepts relating to the context of the site. Sounds like alot? You should hear about the deliverables..

1 A1 panel depicting your design in concept and rendering
Full Floor Plans
Sectional Drawings
1:50 scale model of the overall design
1:20 scale model of a sectional door/window/opening

so there..all by this Saturday did i mention? Oh well, at least i should take heart that its group work? But you know me, i'm not that good with group work in unfamiliar environments and unfamiliar people. Its just weird. We have to establish a whole new studio synergy all over again. :(

The next 5 weeks are going to be a whole new project all over again. I just hope its interesting..

Yes, i know i promised more abt the trip and some pictures to go along. They'll come up as soon as i manage the time and got them all put together. I've yet to show them all to my family either.

Goodness, i realise i have nothing much to blog about now except things happening in school. I need to find another focus somewhere somehow, by hook or by crook. How apt a title!

Verbal Diarrhea

2008-07-31T02:41:00.002+08:00

Greetings from this very inactive blogger who has just returned from her 42 day long trip to Europe, covering 16 cities and 6 countries namely France, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany, Czech Republic and Austria.

Awesome would be the typical way to describe it but me being me wouldn't say it like that..
It was a very enriching trip in which i learnt many valuable lessons from the people i travelled with, met and studied with. I don't think the entire experience could be measured by a single word or even a passage. Enriching is the best word i can think of to say of it and ENRICHING it will be.

It was..

FUN = when laughter and stupid moments happened
EXCITING = moments when we threw caution to the wind
IN AWE = private moments when we took in the breathtaking view or simply admiring the beautiful architecture
HOMESICK = the yearning for a taste of home just so we know we weren't too far away
FRUSTRATION = tempers flaring and ugly scenes followed

and the list goes on which would be too long for an entry. I would love to post pictures to share but you'll have to wait as they get sorted 1st. 42 days without full access to my laptop means no less than 10GB worth of pictures to sift through before they are fit for publication here. I plead with you to bear with me while i do so and i promise u will not be disappointed.

And so ends my 1st Eurotrip and you can be sure i will be back for seconds. Just too much to see in so little time. Maybe the next time i'll try couch surfing or something of that sort. :)

I'm just glad to be back now, at home, where all my loved ones and friends are. Being away for this long ( the longest time i've been away ) taught me much and i think i really do treasure everything i have back home more.

But its okay..
I'll see you soon Europe..but not before i conquer the Americanas first!
*grins*
Work and Travel USA in the pipeline..

I know this post isnt doing justice to the trip but i'd love to tell u more about in person if i have the chance to :)
Its a personal thing i'd love to share with you..

Patience is a Virtue

2008-06-19T14:59:00.001+08:00

hi folks..

i know its been awhile and i apologise for the lack of updates but monotony isnt very much fun to update abt..
hehe..

but anyway, i have to keep this post short because in less than 3 hrs time i'll be on my way to Europe to take in the sights.

yes..everyone says "WOW, what a great opportunity!"

one half of me agrees..but the other half..erm..kinda sad..i'll be super home sick lah..

urgghh...sound so weak. i hate it.

i promise everyone i will come back with loads of pictures to show and hopefully, if i can afford it, a small token.. :)

while i'm away, i'll be thinking of my new crush and his awesome moves on the podium..

whahahaha

cissa...only u know who okayyy...

OMG..here i go again..

okok..got to go now..

I LOVE YOU PEOPLE!!!!

I See You, Seeing Me..

2008-05-15T13:44:00.002+08:00

Random thing i came up with and unglamourous-ly grammatically incorrect but i don't really care and it stays as the title of this post. And to think, i don't think i ever fall into the category of 'correct-ness' anyway.

Day 4 of work and i'm home, not at work. No, i didn't get fired or fake an MC, i just didn't go. Oh alright, Mom took the day off so i get the day off too! Being the 'odd-job labourer' in the office does help sometimes. HEE! And since i didn't have to go to work i spent the entire morning sleeping my ass off on my comfy bed (brother's bed-long story) and only waking up at 1PM..hahaha..had like a 13HR nap. I love sleep-ins..

We celebrated SM's birthday yesterday and she's turned 20!!!! Ahhh..i remember my 20th year, it was filled with many fond memories, so young, so naive. Anyway, back to her, yes, it was supposed to be a surprise thing, like us getting her the coveted jacket from JB Holiday Plaza and the dinner which was supposed to be only her n LR and having each one of us turn up suddenly. But oh well, i think i kinda spoilt it..opps..yes..I'M SORRY!!! BUT..we had amazing burgers at Relish at Cluny Court. I was FAMISHED by the time we got there and i RELISHED the thought of having amazing burgers the whole way. Lastly, i certainly RAVISHED the Seafood Burger with Lemon Mayo entirely. HEE! Yes, i was THAT hungry. We savoured a banana chocolate cake from Awfully Chocolate and then headed over to Mel's house for a peek at her mom's much talked about collection of Plumerias by the Plumeria Queen. It certainly did not disappoint, even in the darkness, the entire garden was FILLED with Plumeria plants and OTHER plants which i, being a noob at gardening, couldn't tell them apart from each other. Then there was also the well that's at the back of her house in an obscure corner. In the darkness, (yes, we went to have a look) it looked kinda spooky because of the countless ghost stories surrounding wells and the infamous 'SADAKO', so we all caught a glimpse of it before scurrying off to find refuge in Mel's house. Quite funny actually..the whole way, because Hello Kitty kept saying he wanted to eat Mel's mom's flowers. HAHA!

Right, i know i don't have the pictures to show for it but i promise i will put them up once i get a hold on them :)

Today, Maverick's getting some micro-thing put into his gum for his braces procedure so he has to undergo minor surgery for it. Poor boy, i hope he can eat after that. He's already vanishing into thin air already (so skinny that boy) and braces aren't making things easier. Alot of people say i steal my brother's food, but in actual fact i don't okay :( its just that he cant seem to grow more meat around his bones where mine displays prolifc growth around it.. No fair..sighs..

Lastly, to all my faithful readers of The Animated Chronicles of a Jupitarian..

I See You, Seeing Me..

In Plain View

2008-05-13T00:19:00.000+08:00

Right, as of the last entry, so much has happened and zoomed past, it totally missed me to update it all here. (also because i don't have exciting pictures to post here because the one and only camera in my household has been abducted to spend 3 weeks in Taiwan together with Rackey brother)

I'm trying, as best to my abilities to remember what happened..

Okay, there was a JB day trip with SM and LR which totally rocked cos her parents played such good hosts and we had so much shopping and eating fun together..and i say again..the shopping was excellent..

Right, then there was the BBQ at CL's place which was kinda good as well apart from the fact that i was ill..

Oh!..yes..i was ill..came down with a horrid virus which i caught from my brother (and is spreading around the family) which aggravated my weak weak lungs and became an asthma attack again. Luckily this time i acted fast and stopped it from becoming full-blown, or so the doctor says, and didnt fall as sick as i was the last time it happened about 5mths ago. I'm still not well yet though but getting better :)

Ah, the after that, SM, LR, HX, KY, KK and myself enjoyed a very fruitful prawning session follwed by cook-out at LR's place and sleep over. As usual, it was awesome. LR's place was really tastefully decorated and i really liked the home-ly feel :) Scamper, Ezad and Russel are such cutie pies.

Saturday's routine is back again with us heading up for the fix of beach volley. Its been so long, we're all so stiff and rusty..haha..better get back in shape people..

Sunday had dinner at grandparents cause my grandaunt from Penang was visiting. I haven't seen her in the longest time and i really remember her shouting my name 'MAY MAY!!!!' in her signature high pitched voiced. haha..i miss her too..she's really like my grandmother and they're quite close to each other. I could tell from the look in my grandmother's eyes that she was really happy my grandaunt's here to stay for a few days.

So now to Monday, i started work today at my mom's office. Its actually a fixed decision on my mom's part because she called me on Friday evening and said over the phone that she got me a job at her company doing data entry and that i start work on Monday. So you see, no fight. Cant say no..so i took it. But she did say she'll pay me relatively well, so i was compelled since i have such a short time to work before i leave for Europe and no architectural company in the world wants me. SOB. Work was alright, nothing too hard or too stressful. That's the best part..no stress..hahaha..Anyway, its not the 1st time i'm working under my mom, so i'm used to it i guess..although i think i still need to steal time away from her if not i'll suffocate under the scrutiny..

Ahh, yes, its 12.56am and i got work tomorrow. Barely squeezed in time for this entry, hence explains the rushed manner of writing. Apologies, i promise i'll make it up to you by writing another one in unhurried sense soon..

Love you all...

Generally..about MEN

2008-04-30T02:09:00.003+08:00

I need an outlet to express the sad state of the male species here in sunny singapore. No offence to the guys out there but seriously, WHERE HAVE ALL THE GOOD MEN GONE? (realise i did not specify that they had to be good-looking to qualify)

True to the movie of its time 'A Few Good Men', i did not think then that it would apply to the current supply now which adds up to almost ZILCH.

I can feel the wrath of men coming my way..

Okay, maybe its me, generalising the entire male population to this sad state, not looking hard enough, or maybe i'm just not attractive enough. Whatever it is, i'm getting quite tired of looking for the supreme Alpha male that will come and sweep me off my feet, leaving me speechless and spellbound by every single word that leaves his lips, his actions purposeful and dripping with sincerity. Where..Where..WHERE can i find someone like that? Is there some undiscovered colony of men that still exists, untouched by the perverse evils that abound everywhere?

URRGGHHH...

Before this gets anywhere near a literary male bashing post or a sad, left-on-the-shelf me bemoaning about the sad state of my relationships with the opposite sex..

I went on a hunt, not really a hunt kind of HUNT, but a hunt on cyberspace for the pictures of hunky-doodle MEN that held a sizeable amount of captivation at some point in my life. And in doing so, i will become, have become and became the puberscent little girl again..and so i would like to share some of them here (so we can drool together..hehehe)

Josh Harnett

Yes, if you remember him for his performance in Pearl Harbour..absolutely drool-worthy. I had the earliest and the longest celebrity crush on him. The boyish good looks, who can resist? Even Rihanna (rumours) couldn't. Oh but, just look at those eyes and that half smile, like he's so shy that he's so damn good looking..ahhh..i'm melting..

Johnny Depp

Oooohh..this one i like...hahaha. Not the typical looker but its the charisma, the indie-kooky-weird vibe, the EVERYTHING that makes him soo..i dont know "OOO..AHHH". His numerous screen collaborations with equally indie-kooky-weird Tim Burton in films like Edward Scissors Hands (made me cry), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride (animated) and most recently Sweeny Todd are brilliant and his portrayal of Capt. Jack Sparrow is PRICELESS. He's hot because he's Johnny Depp. (see, even his name sounds so damn 'SEH')

Wentworth Miller

Hello Michael Scofield..unfortunately, i'm no Sarah..sigh..Yes, again, i fell for the eyes. Their piercing intensity makes me giddy. I don't care how many people tell me about the rumours that he's gay or not, I DON'T CARE! I still love Wentworth Miller. MUAH MUAH!

Richard Gere

Ahh..the only old fellow in the bunch but don't you think he's got that "I am a gentleman, i will always treat my lady right" kind of look? Even with a whole head of white, he still looks so refined and youthful. Remember him and Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman? He was good right?! Ah, yes, Richard Gere, the epitome of graceful aging. The older he gets, the better he looks. This kind of man is of the rarest kind. The legendary gentleman with a cigar in his hand...

I shan't say much or rather, can't say much..legs and hands have turned jelly and mind is off wandering in another realm where i'm in the company of these 4 MEN. Ahhh...

Truly in bliss....

Things to be happy about

2008-04-28T19:08:00.002+08:00

1. Like FINALLY, Arki-torture is over and i am done being a Year 2 student finding my way through the hum-drum of university life. With submission long over and the exams just over, i'm left with the collection of portfolio from school and then its the HOLIDAYS..WOOHOO YIPEE!!! Year 3 here i come..gawd, why am i so happy when its supposed to be RIBA year and everyone dies from the work load? Oh well, whats new..we always end up dying anyway haha..dark humour. You know what, i'm hoping to see a glimmer of an A in my results this sem, but, that's just me and alot of wishful thinking. heh.

ok..next up is..

2. Work. I think i might really end up working in Surbana for a short period before i fly off to realising my European dream. I have yet to send in the form but i will fill it up and do so after this entry. Keep telling myself procrastination is bad, Bad, BAD. Paul's just been real nice to offer lah. Yes, and anyway if i do start work there, i'd probably start on the 9th of May, giving myself a lil break before slogging like a mule for peanuts again (ok not so much peanuts i hope) Bukit Merah it is, that the office. Quite near home, so i'm happy. No long drawn rides home in strange places.

followed by..

3. THE MUCH ANTICIPATED HOUSEWARMING.. yay! its here..finally! I love parties, everyone's having a good time together. As it turns out the Ipoh people aren't coming anymore because they think China is a much more exciting place to visit (they are SO wrong), but who cares, better still, big party without having to be nice to unfamiliar guest..hehehe..selling my smile (mai xiao) is just not my trade.

the next best thing..

4. Mommy and Daddy are COMING HOME!!! Phew, like after 10 days being Maid Leong, certainly not pleasant. I just want them to hurry come back so abit of normalcy can come back into my life. Dont have to play all the roles of Parent, Gaurdian, Big Sister and Maid. Its tough you know? Alrite alrite, its not just cause of that, i miss them too lah. Didnt spend much time with them before they left because school robbed me of my home life and the moment i had a break they're off flying to cool Denmark. BOO. Just heard from them over the weekend and it was reported that they were having fun at...guess where...LEGO LAND! Like !!!!..urrgghh...

wait..i forgot what comes next..OH..yes..

5. Dates. Yes, i have dates with SM, LR and AL to go JB together. Cant wait on that one too, imagine the good food, the fun..hehe. And yes, the CRAB date with MT, HX and AL..slurps..Oh and not forgeting the ARKI (half cohort) Party at CL's place on the 7th..much exciting days to come..hehe..EH..wait, how come all my dates are with women? Sighs..need men in my life..where have all the good men gone?

Okay, i think i've come to end of my list of things to be happy about. Quite a long entry i must say, probably due to my tendency to write more then i should. Pardon for the lack of pictorials lately, cam with the parents and not trigger happy with phone cam..

Till then..Goodbyes..

Flat Faced

2008-04-26T19:52:00.002+08:00

Archi Con totally bombed out on everyone today.

So much so i feel like writing an orbituary notice here but we shall not go THAT far..

and lets not speak further about it.

My body is not used to being a nerd so its malfunctioning on me. Coughs whrack the system every now and then, phelgm fills the lungs, throat is constantly dry and itchy and runny mess fills my nose. I am a wreck.

And its making me feel emo about everything..urgghh..

Can't get myself to get started on doing some productive time on Climate which comes closely behing archi con on Monday. Not prepared at all. Its open book so i guess i'll just bluff my way through and hopefully pass somewhat. Out the window goes my CAP score. It'll be a miracle if i manage to pull it up to 4. HA! dreaming again...

Yes, this looks like an emo post and it is an emo post.

Writing this entry and feeling sorry for myself. This sucks.
I miss my Mommy and Daddy..

Mug Mugging Mugged

2008-04-24T22:19:00.002+08:00

haha..sounds quite funny..

SPOTTED :

Tuesday afternoon.
Spotted at the Foyer at SDE, with accomplice Andrew, in the company of a pile of books and photocopied lecture notes and books. Numerous tea breaks and people watching sessions. Average amount of topics revised. Beads of prespiration and sticky skin. Dying for a gust of cool wind, company and titbits. Ended with dinner in the company of WJ, HY and SH.

Wednesday
Spotted at the tables outside the main entrance of Central Library. Apparent relocation of operational base. In the company of a group of people (SM, KK, AL, HJ, RT, LR, KY) Effective teamwork with larger ground base covered. Facing green space with occasional cool wind from the opening and closing of library doors. Excellent place to peole watch. Managed to make contact with AG, AL, WJ, V, CH. Pros of close proximity to library resources, NUS-Coop, toilets, photocopier and the ever excellent THE DECK. Cons of having tons of people walk past staring at you and your company and the desk full of scattered paper and titbits, constant interruptions of attention span and the humidity hitting hard.

Thursday
Hatched plan to move to PGP residences seminar room proved to be an excellent idea. Groundwork 1st laid with courtesy by RT and HJ, with the rest strolling in at later times. In the enjoyment, comfort and privacy of our very own room, quiet, undisturb bouts of fervent studying was observed. Only interruptions were nonsensical chatter, feeding times and snacks. Amazement at the environment at PGP ( think good food and good amenities) It was everything we hoped for as a SME.

We should be spotted there again tomorrow but we do not garantee the same space. As traditional nomads, we must seek subterfuge and hide operations. Only the priviledged are in the know.

No, we do not condone crime and violence but we encourage flouting the Copyright Act and fervent mugging.

Mug away people..

--this ends the post about mug period in yr 2 sem 2--

OOO AAA WAAHH

2008-04-19T14:02:00.002+08:00

yes.

Submission - check
Crit - check
Exams -

mmm, after a week and a half of painful slogging, managed to finish 9/10 of the requirements although some were done half heartedly. Crit was surprisingly good, i mean, they did say i had a good idea but the final product could have been developed further if i had like another 3 weeks? yah i wish i had cos there was just so much more that i could have resolved and made it a kick ass project. oh wells, pretty happy abt the outcome and i sure hope i do well for Design cos it FREAKING 12 MCs and i really wanna pull up my CAP.

1st paper is on the 24th, only started mugging now, last paper 29th. Like my exams end when everyone's starts..

oh yes, n we gotta clear out DDS by Monday, already starting to bid a long drawn slow goodbye to my very comfortable, home-like desk..i think i'm going to miss it quite badly. So many nites, so much good company (think shan ming, lirong, andrew and some other people too many to name, the projector soccer sessions, projector scary movie session, maggi supper session, too-little-sleep-talk to keep us awake) really super funny times i tell u..hmm..i must say i enjoyed myself this semester. Hmm, i'll miss this Studio 7 more than the last Studio 7..

Other then feeling closer to my studio, i think the tutor was good too. I guess all in all i learnt alot from Paul. His direction in the way the projects were run was very different from what the other studios were doing and he really encourage us to pursue and tackle the issues that were our concern. Just further reinstating the fact that my tutor last sem was a load of crap. Thank you Paul for erm..your erm..aiyah..everything lah. He even offered us to work for him in Surbana can? Still thinking if i should, but i think i will. Close to my home, good experience to finally work in an archi firm and of cos to earn some moolah for come July.

The adults are not home for the next 10 days. Doesnt mean i can go crazy, cos it only means all the responsibilty falls on my shoulders, to wash, cook, clean EVERYTHING. MAID LEONG again. BOO!

signing off : Nerd May, Maid Leong

Sani-quarium

2008-04-13T18:07:00.003+08:00

Fat Cat Found Dead at the foot of barrier pole at 7pm on 11th of April, Dover Road. No signs of sturggle were visible at the crime scene. The police urges eye witnesses to come forward should they have any information regarding the case. The number to call is 999.

That's my table at school which also happens to be my home now for the last 3 days, or should i say 'intermitently in the last semester' . Notice the mountain of models in the background, the messiness, the SIA blanket on the chair, the jacket, the desktop, the laptop, the book, the butter paper, the notes, the glue, the cardboard, the foam, the drawings, the cutting mat, the water bottle, the toiletries bag, the essential cupboard and last but definitely not the least, MY SAFARI BED (if you cant spot it, its beneath the table). Yes, i live in the 'hood'. 3 more days to submission and i'll move out of this shit hole (okay, not so much of a shit hole if u compare it to open studio).

This is a glamourous shot of the layout model. I desperately need to get my life back. I dont see day turn into night and night turn into day anymore, its just 'still' in this artificial environment. URGHHHH...

One bright note though, settled on cheaper tickets for Europe. Will be visiting, Paris (4 days), Barcelona (4 days), London (4 days), Amsterdam (4 days), Prague (3 weeks) then Frankfurt (2 days).Seriously cant wait for it but we still got so much more to plan. That will come later.

Paperthin Hymn

2008-04-12T01:30:00.006+08:00

Paperthin Hymn by Anberlin

When your only friends are hotel rooms

Hands are distant lullabies

If I could turn around I would tonight

These roads never seemed so long

Since your paper heart stopped beating leaving me suddenly alone

Will daybreak ever come?

Who's gonna call on Sunday morning?

Who's gonna drive you home?

I just want one more chance

To put my arms in fragile hands

I thought you said forever

Over and over

A sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion

These thoughts run through my head

Over and over

Complaints of violence become my only friends

August evenings

Bring solemn warnings

To remember

To kiss the ones you love goodnight

You never know what temporal days may bring

Laugh, love, live free, and sing

When life is in discord

Praise ye the Lord

Who's gonna call on Sunday morning?

Who's gonna drive you home?

I just want one more chance

To put my arms in fragile hands

I thought you said forever

Over and over

A sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion

These thoughts run through my head

Over and over

Complaints of violence become my only friends

I thought you said forever

Over and over

A sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion

These thoughts run through my head

Over and over

Complaints of violence become my only friends

I thought you said forever

Over and over (And over and over)

These thoughts run through my head

I know i havent been updating, dont have the time to do so but i will when i can, like now. The above song is ringing in my head every min, good one by Anberlin ( special thanks to CherMink ). Mind not working on blog writing hence the less descriptive words. But you should hear it, the video's pretty, erm, cool. Great i should stop lest i embarrass myself. Oh n 1 more song..

洋葱 by 楊宗緯

very nice too..i like..

enjoy the songs.

EURO TRASH

2008-04-04T22:57:00.003+08:00

I'M GOING TO PRAGUE!!!! and the REST OF EUROPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, you heard me right. I AM GOING TO EUROPE!!!!

It all started when i applied for an overseas workshop by the Lee Foundation to study urban textures of two historical cities, Prague and Shen Zhen. Prague was the only one open to Yr 2 and Yr 3 students. So yes, i applied, fingers crossed i would make the cut since selection was based on CAP scores. So came the day, about a few weeks ago, and i wasnt selected. Not surprising since i dont have sky high CAP score. Moped for awhile but everything was okay until today...

Was sleeping when andrew excitedy rang n told me school called and said he could go to Prague. He asked if i got the call too but sleepy me, replied in a deadpan voice, "No.", and went back to sleep. Within seconds, i got another call, picked it up and it was Hwee Lee on the line delivering me the good news. She still asked if i was interested. OF COURSE I WAS!!!! like...DUH! Yes, so that the story of how i got to go to PRAGUE.

But what the heck right? Who cares about the story when i can go to the rest of Europe as well?!

In all, about 15 of us are going and all of us are flying off earlier to do a Euro road trip before the workshop starts. I've decided to join Ling and Lee Hua on the Barcelona-Paris-Belgium-Amsterdam trip before hitting Prague. We'll see great Gaudi's work on the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the Eiffel Tower and Champs Elysees in Paris, attend Rock Werchter in Belgium ( open air concert) and Amsterdam for its cool architecture. LIKE WOW right? I KNOW....

See, now i cant stop thinking about what's going to happen in July and design is like at the back of my mind now..

Shucks..

Oh, and here's a plea for kind sponsors out there who might be so kind who want to contribute to my "Help May tour Europe Fund". All donations including job offers to work my butt off for some cash will be greatly appreciated.

AND, if you would like to join me in Europe for some fun contact me quick!

LOVELOVE!!

Achmed

2008-04-02T13:32:00.002+08:00

Achmed the dead terrorist, the drop dead funniest thing in the longest time since i last watched Russel Peters clip (also drop dead funny ).

Please please please for the love of all things go watch this clip..

if not...

I KILL YOU!!

2pm

2008-04-01T18:33:00.003+08:00

Today i woke up at 2 pm. No one called. No alarm rang. So i slept till 2 pm.

Class is at 2 pm. But because i woke up at 2 pm, i didnt make it for class at 2 pm.

Because i woke up at 2 pm, i cooked maggi for lunch.

I sketch and tried to come up with a good idea for design till my head cracked open and still nothing because i woke up at 2 pm.

Spent the whole day at home because i woke up at 2 pm.

It like it, it sounds like a really emo song on a broken record. haha. i shall name the song 2 PM. Like how creative right? I know, i surprise myself sometimes. I LIKE IT.

oh, PS : happy april fools to all you fools out there.

to procrastinate is to sin

2008-03-31T05:45:00.002+08:00

Terribly non-productive weekend just flew by. Was supposed to get Design work done cos there's Interim on Monday and i ended up NOT doing anything at all.

Paying for it now cos i'm up at this unearthly hour getting my model and stuff done for Interim later at 2. Soo last minute..bad habits die hard (or dont die at all)..

Even with beach cancelled this week, i had all the time in the world to bathe the dog (Hugo), do a rejuvenating pedicure and even go shopping for furniture but no time to do design.

Procrastinate Procrastinate Procrastinate
thats the word of the day..

oh, but one thing good came out of the weekend...*drumroll please*
I FOUND MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE BBQ CHIX WINGS AND PORRIDGE STALL AGAIN!!!

for those who have not a HOOT about what i'm talking about listen close..
a few weeks ago, i had my usual craving for yummy bbq chix wings and porridge so drove all the way to Meiling Street Hawker Centre to get my fix, only to my horror to find the stall "WEST COAST BBQ CHICKEN WING & PORRIDGE" missing from its station. On the verge of tears i reluctantly left without asking the neighbouring vendors if they had any idea where they moved to. Wallowing in my misery, i spread the word to uncles and aunties who share the same love and mourned for the next few weeks for the loss.

BUT, just yesterday as i went to grandparents stall for lunch, I SAW IT! It was in the same hawker centre as my grandparents stall. UBER HAPPY..cannot describe the joy..had that for lunch instead and went ravishing to everyone how good it still is and always will be :)

happy happy happy...

Absence

2008-03-28T23:02:00.010+08:00

Hello Hello Hello..

Apologies for the lack of updates but its been a horrendously busy 2 weeks. I shall feature the highlights here in this i-believe-will-be-a-very-long-post..

First Highlight :

Moving for the grandparents has been AWESOME..unpacking the boxes to find more treasure, old photographs ( almost died laughing ), seeing bit by bit every piece of furniture coming into place, it just so rewarding you know? I shan't post any picture on this one as yet cos i think it should be done when the actual house warming is held. Hopes it will be soon. Oh yes, i must add that the new house is absolutely GREAT! Its cool, bright, good view, high floor, basically everything one could ask for. So happy for my grandparents they got it, I'm sure they're really happy too! :) except for the fact that we threw away much of they're old blankets forcibly and bought them new ones..hehehe..i'm sure they're happy LAH! Anyway, the unpackings almost done, just short of a new TV console, some carpentry works and my aunt who's moving back in. CAN'T WAIT for housewarming to come!

Second Highlight :

Remember that concrete-blangadeshi project that i've been complaining about for almost a month? ITS FINALLY OVER! Although the end result didnt really turn out the way we or i envisioned it to be, looking back, it was quite fun experimenting and stuff punishing ourselves because of the impossible cuts and angles and formwork making stage. The squabbles, the money spent, the burnt nights, the burning foam, the mixing, the shoveling, the sanding, the cutting..sometimes i think we're really SOMETHING! Anyway, the name of the project was Slitty Eyes although my term of endearment for it was Slutty Eyes..hehe..now let your eyes savour on some pictures of the process..

Slitty Eyes aka Slutty Eyes

It all started with this lil thing above..

Pouring in the concrete..

Curing Process..

Prying away the formwork..

Digging out the foam..

Burning out the foam..

In all its raw beauty..

So there you have it my concrete-blangadeshi project in its full glory.

Third Highlight :

Beach Fiesta was eventful. Other than the weird format in which the games were played, the abundance of sandwiches, the scorching sun, the horrible tan lines. Overall, it was quite fun. Pata Pon met The Reds (which ended up being No Name and consists of Weijie n gang) in the 1st game. Subsequently, we were quite lucky to be drawn to play with not so good teams. The same luck cant be said for The Reds though. So, out of 3 matches, we only played 2, the last one was a miserable walkover by some team that could not face their defeat. Anyway, we though we had a good shot of getting into the Semis but..we only found out, after much debate and rain we missed by 9 points and were in 5th place...BOO to the Refs who were so slow in releasing up-to-date statistics. 5th is good though, highest i ever got in a beach competition :) Pata Pon was fun to play with :) I was hoping to get some pictures online for the whole thing but i guess they're not up yet..

Forth Highlight :

Call me shameless, call me show-off. I dont really care cause these are the darn nicest drawings i have ever drawn in my entire life. Okay so they might have been traced from a photogragh, but i think i did quite a decent job out of replicating them for the sake of my Theory of Urban Design and Planning Module in which i have to study the urban context of Serangoon Road and derive its GENIUS LOCI. Loosely translated as Spirit of Place. Yes, and the assignment requires all diagrams or illustrations to be manually drawn. Never in my life have i drawn like that before so just bear with me here :)

Right, so that just about sums up the highlights of the last 2 weeks. Pretty happening i must say. Got Interim Crit this coming Monday for my Design Module and i've done nothing much for it..haha..still going to beach this Sat..heh..dont ask me how i do it..i just want to :)

Mistakes

2008-03-16T11:57:00.003+08:00

Huge ass mistakes by me.

1. Team name is not Tataton, its PATAPON!!!! Sam almost killed me. Now i have to go call the organisers to change it. CRAP.

2. Moving date for grandparents house was yesterday not today. Ended up cramming all my events into one day. And in Sam's words "Even your family also know how to take advantage of your niu li May..." But at least some good came out of moving, managed to gather some old treasures from Popo and we have to go do some shopping for them TODAY! YIPEE..

Alright, that should be about it for mistakes. Phew..

Oh and about the ANIMATED part about the blog name, things will be done to prove that its animated soon when i get my cam back and the habit of being tigger happy again :) Till then, wait longer...

48 hours in a day

2008-03-14T16:31:00.002+08:00

Burning some oil to last me through the night. I've downed countless cups of tea and coffee, working at the computer, drawing board, cutting board, all in the efforts to come up with some mind-blowing, fantastic, super incredible concept, model and drawings, in which all my blood, tears and sweat present in the making process would be evident. Oh help me... running on empty soon.

Monday to Friday - preoccupied with school work, work, work and more work.
Sat - the usual beach volleyball games at KM8 and dinner afterwards
Sun - trying hard to keep it for family or if things dont go my way then its spent in school.

So you see my Mondays start on Sundays sometimes, really...

Yes, i'm whining and i think i have my perogative to whine all i want here. BOO to school man.

On the brighter side, Beach Fiesta organised by NUS arts club is coming up and Kok Liang, Sam, Esmond, Yong Chen, Han Ping, Sihui and I are gonna participate! YAY! 1st competitive beach game i had since 2006! Even Weijie, Jia Wei, Hui Yee, Victor and Sebastian are forming a team of their own. Yipee.. Hurray for everyone!

PS: My team's called Tataton (thanks to Kok Liang)

Grandparents Popo and Gonggong are going to move into their new house this SUNDAY! Like finally, so happy for them. Beautiful house with beautiful view. Cant wait to go see the changes since i last went to check on the renovations. :) hee, i did help a lil with ideas and stuff. But the claps should go to my uncle who did alot to make all nice and sweet. He even did the electrical wiring on his own can! So professional. Yes, now the entire extended family doesnt have to squeeze into the little living room anymore on Tuesdays cos we've got a new BIG RED living room to lounge in now. Which means more space for poor Hugo to explore too :) But i must admit, having everyone squeezed together does give off a lil family warmth especially when we all get really excited discussing the HOT HOT topic of the day. HAHA i loves my family. LOVE LOVE!

Speaking about these happy things makes me fell better now. I guess this blog really is magic. rubbing off feel good vibes.

Off to my Theory of Urban Design and Planning tutorial now, not much to show mut i'm gonna go anyway. See what the TA says *grins*

HOME SWEET HOME

2008-03-12T15:42:00.000+08:00

Having just moved from a older blogsite, i am happy to say i'm pretty impressed with Blogspot for its user friendliness. Kudos to the creators, its greatly appreciated. doesnt make blogging such a hassle i avoid it in the end. Which sorta happened to the old one. I want fuss free blogging. fine, okay, say i'm lazy..i know i am and not ashamed of the fact.

No more cutesy, childish rants.
JUST ME, me and ME.

hmm, so what got me started again. Went home one day and saw LITTLE brother working up a storm on the laptop, creating a blog. Which reminded me of my cobweb collecting old blog, and decided to make a fresh start somewhere else. Like they always say the grass is always greener on the other side. (coincidently, it also reminds me of a song, i think its by BLUR) Yes, as i was saying, i decided to move somewhere else and..HERE I AM!

For the uninitiated, blogging is not new to me, i'm just notorious for not updating. So don't say i didn't warn you before, i say it now and God bless who forgets.

However, I promise better things to come for this new home of mine. More pictures, more posts (when i can) and definitely more interesting entries other than ones about my boring life. :)

Alright, so i end here, my first entry for my new home.

LOVELOVE!