Project 7 : BIG DOME

24092010 Friday

The plan : We (The Integrated Studio I students) are to make an 8m high bamboo dome.

For my group, we managed to choose Section 5 - strut type: E measuring 2599mm.

For our group of 3, we will be doing 4 struts of the same measurements.

Choosing suitable bamboo is part of the challenge as it is best to get bamboo with

diameter of 75mm with a certain thickness.

This is Sue Anne.

The saw.

Task accomplished for the weekend.

27092010 Monday
These are the poly pipe joints to be fitted onto each end of the bamboo struts.

 In the process of shaping the poly pipe joint.

 joints well done.

28092010 Tuesday
This was the day of the fitting of the joint.
This is Stephanie thinning the end of the strut with a chisel.

Well fitted and done.
We were glad that we finished our work on Tuesday and we got to focus on other works :)

 This is another new experience with bamboo and the mechanical tools we used to cut, trim and drill.
What I thought was important was actually the marking of measurements on the bamboo.
Every millimetre counts.
It is also best to double check measurements because if  mistakes happen, we won't be able to continue once it's cut.

I can't wait for the assemble of the dome!

Something to leave behind - a monument of mine

On Monday (20th July), Sue Anne, Stephanie and I went for an assignment trip to the Jewish Cemetery.

 

Location: Jalan Zainal Abidin (next to Lorong Selamat in Georgetown, Penang Island).

All about prisms.

We have the triangular, semi-cylindrical, and rectangular prisms...

I have never been to such cemetery before as the tombs are rather 

special and different in terms of their designs.

They can be as simple as a cuboid and complicated with floral designs and layers.

Just like when addition and subtraction of a volume is applied, a simple cuboid

can turn into a complicated shape.

The layering and curves at the base creates a sense of stability.

Shape and dimension create a character of a structure.

 Triangular ones appear to be more stable and strong.

Semi-cylindrical ones seem softer in attitude.

These characters will then affect our emotions, say the visitors of the cemetery.

That is all for my study on Jewish Cemetery.

Here is a monument I designed for myself.

 I started off with some general thoughts of a monument.
A monument is a structure you build to commemorate a person or an event.

For me, I would like people to gain something from my monument when I am no longer alive.
What I would like to show and share to the people through
my monument is definitely my beliefs in life.

In order to make my monument understandable to others,
simplicity is the word.
The structure may be simple, but what simplicity can do is impactful.
A simple structure has the potential to show complexity of an idea.

 I began with a person sitting down with legs crossed, head bowed
and hands on the knees.
As the posture of this human structure shows the thought pondering of a person,
it shows that one is sober and aware of
his/her capabilities.
Then, I moved on to a structure number 2 and 3 with different leg positions.
They showed the idea of being faithful and committed, humble and selfless.
However I feel that these 3 designs are too soft in character: it may seem negative to viewers.

So, I sketched another one.

 The last and chosen one shows a frame with with a support base underneath.

What I want to share through this structure is the power of our thoughts.

As we are bombarded by information and theories from the environment everyday,

our filter of mind acts to filter out information we don't need, and keeps the ones we want and need.

The filter is then dependent of our values and beliefs

as they shape and influence our perspective of seeing things.

The frame acts as a filter that filters information. What we get on the other side of the frame will be the knowledge and information we keep for ourselves.

Next, this structure also shows the many ways of seeing a picture.

Just like a camera man trying to find the best angle of a view,

we know that what we see in the frame will be different when we stand in different positions.

There are many perspective in looking at things. We can look at what's in the frame. We can also look out of the frame for the out of the box perspective.

Lastly,

The space in the frame reminds us to be tolerant to the people and environment around us, just like how the empty space in the frame tolerates the wind blow.

The model of my monument.

 

Materials to be used on actual monument:

Bamboo stems.

With this, I would hope to open minds and stimulate thoughts of others on what our mind is potential of.

In the end of the day, it is all about awakening of the mind and being sober.

sketches 2

some sketches I did during the Raya Holidays..

this was taken from a photo


taken from Plan and Section Drawing by Thomas C. Wang




a staircase at Colmar Tropicale, Berjaya Hills, Bukit Tinggi, Bentong, Pahang.
 

looking forward >

PAST . PRESENT . FUTURE
Pasts cannot be undone. But what we have now is the present time that shapes the future.

As what was said in my last blog post, thought affects behaviour and behaviour affects your result.
What I anticipate and perceive now can be a reality in the future.

Pasts can be so helpful if we know how to extract lessons out of it and reflect ourselves from what has happened.
So, from some of the midnight stay ups, last minute works, delay of work and etc, right now I get to have a clearer direction ahead for future projects.

NO last minute work.

Always have a PLAN B.

Be RESOURCEFUL.

Health is wealth.

Have meals ON time.

In these 3 years, I expect tremendous growth: spiritually and intellectually.
It is scary to think about it right now because I am not aware of what will happen after that. But I know that I will gain a lot of edifying skills and knowledge.

As for the Bigger PICTURE of the future, I shall share about my thoughts on 2012 happenings.
Some predicted that disaster will happen. Some said nothing will happen. Another prediction is that something will happen but it will depend on what people perceive about 21 December 2012.
For me, I do not know whether which prediction is true but I feel that we can do know is going to make a change as the time comes.

Change of paradigm.
We are easily blinded by the things of the world. We are exposed to so many information, theories, philosophies and ideas. Some can be true. Some might be untrue. To know the reliability of these information, we have to be sober and conscious enough to differentiate the right and the wrong.

Paradigm shift: From nothing to something.
We often see ourselves as an individual too small to stand up and make a difference. This is a mind set we need to shift.
Right now, we should be aware of our responsibility in this place (the Earth).

"Newton's Third Law of Motion: For every action there is an equal an opposite reaction."

Thus, there will be something happening for every human action in this world.
Good or bad? It all depends on us.

What we can do now is to be responsible for every actions we do and it begins with our thought.
Everything we build and construct with the resources we get from the Earth has to be earth-friendly. It is vital to consider every aspect of consequences of the things we do as the human and the environment is interdependent to each other.

The environment needs to be taken care by us.

&

We need the environment to survive and live.

One last word to conclude: CONSCIOUSNESS.

< looking back

It has been 11 weeks since the day I came to USM for registration and orientation.

My first note book is almost filled in with notes and to-do lists, plus some scribbles of ideas on projects over the 2 months.

My first month here in USM (July) was a new phase of my life. Everything has to start anew as I move into university life, living in a hostel far away from home. I'm still glad that I got USM instead of some deserted places like Kedah and Terengganu where some of my friends are in, since Penang Island is something close to Kuala Lumpur. I thank god for also bringing me to USM together with my twin sis too! :D

Living in a hostel, I have learnt to be independent. As me myself is responsible for my own assignments, studies, laundry and meals, I have to manage my time wisely.

Most important of all, is my health and wellness.

Dr Ilias Said shared yesterday that one of his third year student passed away recently.

Life is fragile, so fragile because you do not know what is ahead of you.

With this, I believe all of us have to remind ourselves EVERYDAY to live life to the fullest.

But to live it to the fullest, I strongly feel that spiritual growth is one thing that I have to take care of.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (New International Version)

 ⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
       and lean not on your own understanding;

 ⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him,
       and he will make your paths straight.

Studio wise, I was exposed to so many new experience throughout this first half of Semester 1.

The word Bamboo was all over my head. I got to cut bamboo, sketch bamboo, make sound tool out of bamboo and make models out of bamboo.

As we were 'bombarded' with all sorts of projects, I 've learnt much about self rediscovery in uni life.

As I meet new friends from all over Malaysia, I began to resize myself, reflecting again about what I have, what I was blessed with and what I have in me, my potential and capability to learn and be stretched.

What I think and perceive today will definitely affect the days to come.

Thought > Behavior > Result

and then it is a cycle when results/products you get will affect your thoughts again.

"Attitude is a feeling, belief, or opinion of approval or disapproval towards something. Behavior is an action or reaction that occurs in response to an event or internal stimuli (i.e., thought)."

http://psychology.jrank.org/pages/52/Attitude-Behavior.html

In group projects, there was more commitment to make, especially the time and effort that you have to offer. Initiative is something to be pondered every time. We mustn't be too selfish and foolish to wait for something to happen by itself. Nothing will happen when there is no input. In the end, it's all about what you can offer for the good of everyone.

Lastly, friends make quite a big part of my life. They are the ones to count on and lean on. I won't survive without friends. Friends help us to grow spiritually and emotionally. They bring joy and encouragement for you to move on. As you meet friends with different personalities, they colour your day.

During the Raya break, I got the chance again to spend time with family and friends in KL. It was a time of refreshing when I get to meet up with friends who are back from their own university life in other places.

And I felt good to be able to update and share different experiences together with them.

Feels good to catch up with one another and to know that these friendships are still alive. This made me move on with a renewed mind :)

Cheers for the assignments that helped me grow and cheers for the good and bad times that in the end, there is always something to learn!

Remake of Project 1B : Me, My thoughts & I

Previous work:

Now:

For this remake, I divided the space into 3 columns. It will be easier for viewers to read

as compared to my previous arrangement.

I was arranging the words so that they fit the space exactly

before writing them down with ink.

The illustrations.

There are still some untidy handwriting here and there.

Some words came out of the margin a little

and 

some row of words were not justified perfectly.

But, it's good that I could practise neater handwriting and better space planning.

This second piece of Project 1B is definitely more viewer friendly.

Project 6 : Survival Kit on IBU

Study on the KIT

First of all, my findings of definition of a kit from the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia: 

kit   
1. a set of articles/implements used for a specific purpose 
2. a set of parts/materials to be assembled.

   Picture: Scribbles on ideas of my survival kit.

From the definition of kit, here is my thought of the survival kit to be put in IBU:

My Survival Kit for IBU: THE LAST KIT

THE LAST KIT is the last kit to go to when there are system failures in IBU during emergency.

THE LAST KIT has 3 groups of items in it. They are equally important during emergency.
G1: Tools
G2: Communication
G3: Medication

The CASE

Airtight (a rubber ring is attached on the edges of the cover)
- so that it will stay afloat on water and be visible to people, items inside will be kept dry.

Red in colour
- The most outstanding and suitable colour for emergency purposes.

Material: Biodegradable Polymer with Superior Properties from Palm Kernel Oil, 2005 by Dr K. Sudesh http://www.usm.my/my/inventions/2005-p42.pdf
- light weight, a cheaper bio plastic, environmental friendly

Base
- Lines embossed to serve as a grip on ground.

Measurement
-  500mm(length) X 350mm(width) X 350mm(height)

WHAT is in it

Layers
- Consists of 2 layers.

Layer 1: Medication & Communication 
*containers can be pulled out right up to 270°

Featuring:
Haruan Spray for Burn and Wound, 2007 by Prof. Dr. Saringat Bin Bai http://www.usm.my/my/inventions/2007-p149.pdf
*product can remain sterile, fast to apply, covers any size of wound and stops bleeding.

Eurynones: A Potential Herbal Based Anti Malarial Product, 2007 by Prof. Chan Kit Lam. http://www.usm.my/my/inventions/2007-p169.pdf
*disasters often brings forth infections when hygiene is a major issue. This product will help cure malaria and it comes in soft gel capsules.


Layer 2: Tools
*Hardware and heavy duty tools are normally bulky and heavy. Thus, Layer 2 is meant for tools like axe, ropes, knife, saw, etc.

sketches

recent pieces from my sketch book...

trial with colour pencils. They're not sharp enough. The lines are too thick.

with 8B pencil.
I was lazy to sharpen it. haha!
The curtain was my first time.

out of the window.
I was getting impatient with the strokes.

gloomy day. but after I sketched this the clouds were gone. crazy island weather.

An apple for the day.

I drew this while having dinner during countdown for merdeka at Youth Jam 2010.
After the first portrait sketch at class 101 with Mahram as our model, I thought of sketching more people. This is Stephanie.
A little change you make with the shades and lines makes a lot of difference to the face actually.. It was tough.
She has a sharper chin. This one looks rather chinese.

Project 5B : Merdeka Countdown 2010

here we go..
due to the public holiday last Friday on 27th Aug, our practice on merdeka countdown was cancelled.

On Monday, we had our first and final rehearsal for the countdown for Youth Jam 2010 at night.

Picture on the left is the back view of our studio. Nice stairs..

For my group Strikers, we merged with Band 10 to handle the bamboo sound tool (BST).

Practice was fun despite the sun because it was done outdoor.











Next picture : My best shot in the bus on the way to Penang Times Square in the evening.

Arrival at Times Square.
The sky was clear blue with snow white clouds.

This is the second phase of Penang Times Square, Birch Regency.

Before dinner, we pumped our balloons for the night.
I felt so annoyed when quite a number of balloons flew off to the sky unintentionally due to the light weight of helium gas.
And the balloons were metallic ones. What a waste.

half an hour away to countdown.
Everybody was lazing around while waiting for the big thing.

The day ended well but one of the team called Sprint did not get to perform. I thought they started the countdown a few minutes early.
Anyway, I enjoyed myself that night because I get to have more time with course mates and again, it's outdoor :D

more pictures at http://www.hbp.usm.my/1b/101/flog/2010aug31pts.htm

Exercise on perspective

We had a talk on perspective last Monday for studio.

Finally there was something other than merdeka countdown preparation :)

Our exercise: 15 minutes sketch showing a perspective with 1 vanishing point.

I drew the interior of the lecture hall because I find it quite difficult to extract an image outdoor.

So, i had the center view facing the lecture space.

I think i need more practice with perspective.
Perspectives can be confusing especially when drawing a 3D view onto a 2D plane of paper.

Next we have another round of sketching.

This time with Mahram as our model :)

This was my first time sketching a live model and I thought it was fun!

Coming up, post on merdeka countdown!