PartI: Field Trip to Houston

Rice University in Houston, TX!
I am sooo inlove with it.
Aggies tell me its 4x more expensive to study there.
It is exclusive in its setting....
very english and lots of landscaping!
ohhhhhhhhhhh----so romantic...
and i saw a cute asian walk pass...hahahah

quite unlike TAMU...
where its really american...whites...conservatives...football...t-shirts n sweats...
2 very interesting settings


i met Xinli there....made contact w her in Singapore because i knew she was gonna be the closest nus person to me here....
she is an exchange student from life sciences!
i was sooooo happy to meet her...

it was funny.....
i didnt realise how i wasnt speaking usually until i met her!
so were like speaking singlish all the way....
ohhhhhh....so qin qie~

This was the mission of the field trip---to see this exhibition on cardborads...they made it into terrain like curvatures....but exaggerated...like after a seismic explosion or something..

.and i didnt know it was life-size and interactive! i was soooooooooooo excited!

hahahaha....FUN DAZZLE!!!

My Fairy-GodFather for the day....he made all the Architecture in my textbook alive!!

MVDR's chair. i need to own one one day
By MVDR!
Sculptural Garden by a famous Japanese Sculptor.

Beautiful!!!

No Kidding!

Its wake up time!!! I have been taking this too much like a holiday.
I was very up-tight at first about this being a serious study trip and all but then many said to take it at ur stride and i figured they were right.
also the first few weeks were less challenging and easy.

Until today! Wake up call.
When 1 thing goes down hill, the rest follow...and vice versa. incredible!
I got the test results for my ethics test: 76.5%
But u know what, thats a C!!!
Damn it...i should have found out the grading system here earlier!

A --- 90%-105%
B --- 80%-89%
C --- 70%-79% Passing for ARCH modules!!!
D --- 60%-69% Passing for other modules

WTH!
I am a borderline case!
I was thrown off tangent today....
and i m back to my nerd-ish schedule i did for the first 2 weeks while i was here..

*****

Also...i was thinking....i never did before
was....to do MArch elsewhere
and i was thinking America....not central though...east or west.
prestigious ones....

i guess i m kinda influenced by the ppl here too...
since my studio is a yr 4 one so they r all preparing to go off somewhere for their masters prog....
preparing portfolios for scholarships or just uni application....

it's all planned for me to be here to focus on what i should be doing in a few yrs
i m glad i am seeing how they r preparing for it and what i ought to be doing.
Cornell? Harvard? Yale? Berkely CA?...
or maybe just NUS?

I dunno but i am thinking tt these r possibilities i never thought of before coming here.

anyway...until then....work hard n smart and pray for inspiration

o.

1st presentation finally over!
It was a group effort and we did well.
next one is due in 2 weeks time and its individual.
But he wont tell us which group's scheme we will use until next studio which is on wed.

the dont drag studio time here. i prefer they do actually so i can think about the scheme now...but no....so there r constantly gaps i feel...

the prep for today's digi presentation could have been a breeze but my grp members sure love to drag, in a good way though....
like...i think they can think deeply and conceptually.
sometimes we understand each other, other times we dont.
like we both can think chim-ly but in diff directions...
but all 3 of them can understand each other.

i m sure language aint a barrier but it can be u know.
like certain words they use often and they know what each other r talking abt.
but me...wwe dont use those words often to relate to a certain thing so ...we dont exactly understand their colloquialism.

and they talk very fast. i m sure we all can understand an angmoh who talks fast but if they talk fast n chim n in a different expression of words....
i find myself stopping and thinking so much....even before i could decipher the 1st sentence they r on to the next one already and its chim too...

but there was a point in time i stopped them. i just couldnt let my design too....to be decided without me feeling 100% about it.
so i told them they not narrowing it down ...
their brain-storming is superb!!! but...leading to no where cuz they rn't departing away from it.
i felt i needed to be extra tactful when disagreeing...although they disagree alot and it seems its very common to be....
they can be dam subtle and sacarstic too so i dont know when they r n when they r doing constructive crit....
i think for my grp we did a constructive one...

anyway the point is this!!!...
ppl from diff places think, and react differently....work ethics n culture...
so i think its impt to understand it.
so i m trying to breakdown their 'code'
a bit diff...
but i will not be shy to show how i think n work too.

they r aware of time...but i dont think they get as gan jiong quite as fast as i do...
but then again every one say i m super gan jiong...
but i can foresee how late we can get....

VERY INTERESTING!...
but no more last minute!
oh their digi knowledge is broader i think...
image today's presentation was on site analysis and to propose a prog.
we made it into a website and all..
unfortunately i was busy doing my part so i couldnt get to see how they made it into the webpage..
i will ask soon...

ok...going for lect on memorial comp now.

Wish me luck n inspiration in my design....
i still dont feel 100% abt the prog!!!

i realise how pampered we r back home.
sheltered to everypart of the tiny island it seem mandatory.

i had to rush back from studio to dorm to get dinner otherwise i wouldnt have food.
nearest place is at least 20min.
no shelter whatsoeva.

and my fire antz wounds are burning.



******

I feel like i m in crystal jade now!





yum yum... it only it was piping hot...
i made it in the microwave...trial an error cuz i dunno how high is it on...

Busy and disorientated!
for the past few days...tired...i think dorm got not enough Oxygen.
got to open windows more often.....
but insects will come in....thats the problem architects got to solve.

******

Kanna bitten

at the site...
i stepped onto the grass to take panoramic shots....
grass felt exceptionally prickly...
(ignore)

and before i knew it....
my entire feet was infested w red ants!!!
MY GOD!!!

it bit everywhere...
and this morning when i woke up, there were small red bumps everywhere on the bitten spots...

Today was FABULOUS!

18th Sep 2006:

0715: I jumped out of bed! Literally...1st time i did it here.
Cus today is submission day for the Design Competition on War on terrorism!
Due at 2pm but i have studio in the morning today from 8-12.
But here, studio time is ALOT OF TIME. very unlike nus
we can make use of studio time to do our design. so unless u want to talk
to him u can or he will talk to us...
so as expected today he allowd us all to rush our submissions....i was almost done but i decided to go to him to ask him to give me pointers on my presentation technique. I absolutely love Marcel...I can go to him anytime (and ppl at home! i know u will think he is my next 'old man' target...NO! but u know what recently i thought he looks very cute too...and again cute means adorable not like the way girls say it. he is from venezuela!

So he gave pointers but before he did tt he mentioned kyle and how kyle has quite a character... then he showed me pictures kyle sent him...they were great...
later he offered me all the brand new 'scrap' materials he collects from studio the end of each sem. he said he knows i have no car so going to hobby lobby might be a chore so i m free to take anything i see .... just tell him!!! oh my god! so thoughtful (but tts not why he looks cuter, i think he looks cute cuz he has a round head and his moustache looks like a muskerteer's....and he speaks w an english accent sometimes adding spanish into his speech too....hahah)





2 pointers---1. more dramatic perspectives...i cant believe i forgot to use it on revit...sometimes after a break u get so rusty even things like tt i can forget to employ. 2. put human scale in my model. he even cut it for me on balsa wood...and he said if u dont like it u dont need to put it...i dont think he cut for me....just to show me...and i think he is very free so he wants to use his x-acto knife...

he also loves tt i used the SI metric sys in my work...hahhaa he used tt all his life until he came to america. he tried to revolutionize the metric sys w his students but to no avail...so he gave up...

and what i like abt here is tt i like the relationship w my lecturers...
i m sure not all r like marcel but many are.
or so i will find out later tonight
its like i can tell marcel i regret making my entire model black cuz it doesnt show the shadows to clearly.
but he say no...and he thinks it looks quite good...
its just tt in nus u dont tell them ur 'weaknesses'....during presentation if u ever say like ya...i think this is not drawn well...tts like the last thing to admit...
i think here....they r really there to help....so u tell them anything...anything at all...

I am happy

1000: Had to rush back to dorm to do the nec stuff Marcel told me.
and i wanted to put in the photos i took of my model so i kinda re-did my panel again...
then i had to figure the printers out.
printers here r complicated man!!!! u need to go through all the settings n there r at least 10 different types of printers here....

lucky me....everything went well n i handed up my work 10min before time.
it was quite a breeze...i didnt lose sleep or got heaty during production...
a little tense....but all so healthy.

1730: Marcel told me this morning of a really good guest lect later so i decide not to miss it although i have no clue who the speaker is.
i was sooooooo early and the lect started late somemore so i waited almost an hour in the lect theatre but soon i met two studio mates n i talked to them.
one from 305 (Steven) n the other from 405 (Elias)
So kinda killed time.

Lecture started n it was about how the relationship between Arch n Math change w time....thus diff type of Arch derive ....unfortunately now...the relationship is weak and so there is almost none....and tt it led to alot of...to me chim stuff ...
lots n lots of qn during the qn n ans session....the things they say u need to digest slowly...but it was too fast i couldnt understand the sig of all the qns...

then we had cookies for reception.
i think its the first time i stayed back after a guest lecture...
and it was good....i talked to Marcel again and my studio mates...
got to meet new lecturers too and they all seem really happy to meet me too.

but what i really was doing there was to wait for faye (my other studiomate) to ask if she wants dinner cuz i m starving!!! n cold...but she is busy talking to so many people.
so as i stood there w marcel i asked him abt 'miss venezuela'....
u know they r reknown for their beauty title!
so he told me abt it n i was so glad to hear insights of the culture n its implications! he said how women there have so much self-esteem because they make use of tt...even if they r not pretty....they use it to their advantage...and he feels sometimes they get too agressive....
kewl! how a simple statistic ofwinning many beauty titles can lead to a culture in society.
oh and he said tt when he was teaching back home....the arch girls r known to be the prettiest in the entire uni so everyone flocks to their cafeteria!!! hahaha...
he says they (and all women) puts on make-up all day....its a norm!

and guess what....it lead on to dinner w the guest lecturer (he had soooo many credentials....all i can remember is he teaches in Delft now too) and he is Greek which makes Faye go all ga-ga!!!!
dinner w him, and 2 other profs of arch....and 2 grad students, wife of one of them, faye n i....
it was INCREDIBLE!
intellectual but not at all intimidating....
we JUST SHaRED IDEAS...



From left: Nicole (wife of the guy on my left), Faye Hays (the first 405 studio mate i met, introduced my Marcel), Prof for MArch (forgot her name), Alejandro (here to do his MArch in Healthcare design, which is what A & M is known for), me, grad student (dunno his name), Nikos (Guest Speaker), Micheal Newman (Prof for UD, very friendly and offered to answer any of my qns on it in his office, i think he looks old n charming, he was previously from California)
then it occurred to me tt i can really stay here to study....i like it.
this morning while bathing i was thinking of tt too...
but i had no concrete reason to do so....but now....i really like the way interaction of knowledge is conducted...
of course it was truely an extrodinary evening and it doenst happen all the time....but it is easier to happen if u know what i mean.
i did manage to share idea with them again....
the qn was whether or not vern arch can merge w imperialistic ones...
to us the ans is obviously a yes....
but the truth is tt in some countries it cannot happen....like so most of them understood as.
singapore was lucky...althought we were colonised...but it can be regarded as a friendly one...they wanted a port...we wanted them...so we saw a merge in the arch as a display of integration n friendship.
but in some countries which they mentioned they couldnt cuz the countries fought n to establish one as the ruler....they saw nothing like what we did...

also anotherthing...the hist they learn here goes furthest to egypt....which to them is the oldest too...
its surprising how asia really is out of the picture...
thats why what i say seems to fascinate them alot and i do feel like knowledgeable too when speaking to peers, graduates and even prof....
of course the 3 understandings of arch ranges but truely....asia is not in their syllabus like how egypt n greece is not in ours....
but i m fortunate to be taking it in the hist module i mapped here..

so i told them about the marrying of colonial n vern arch and i really want them to know abt it....so i m going to see if my hard disk have all the lect notes of widodos...otherwise i think i will e-mail widodo soon....
i know i sound hardcore...but really i m not...
u just appreciate all the knowledge u once took for granted...
but now u r in a context where ppl never heard of what u learnt...and u r eager to share because its another aspect of architecture which is what we all are after.

so....my days r really exciting....meeting int'l students in dorm or anyway outside of arch....and ppl in arch whom share my passion ....

ah...this is a long one...

it was truely an incredible evening......DAY

FIRE DRILL!!!

Damn it...it woke me up from my slumber ... it wasnt like the ringing kind....it was like the like....erm....in graphics, they will show waves radiating outwards type...

half awake i thought it was a drill...but then i recalled i dug my ear too many times within the past week. like 3 times! and it isnt good for my ears, i know...so i thought i might be the only one hearing the deafening sound because i dug too deep!

i decided to leave the room anyway in case there's really a fire.
i looked out into the corridor, no one! i think i was the last to evacuate...
but i cant get out yet cuz i couldnt find my keys!!!
i search for a good 2 min and tt is a LONG time to escape!
So i just left..
by then the fire-retarding (is tt what its called? damn! i forgot! how can i?)
doors were closed...
like segmenting the long corridor into portions....2 hr fire-resistant doors? mmm i really forgot...
okokk....
n there was this like 'lightning' light flashing at the corner of the ceiling....
it was damn scarey la! i thought its like electricity..
n i have never taken part in a fire drill since pri sch...
n those days...it was considered fun n nothing like this...
so i kinda ran down....n out...

n it was outside i met this taiwanese girl.
everyone was outside...
its good to know ur neighbours through such evacuations...
tts interesting isnt it...we always think of ways to get everyone to mingle...
the solution to tt is to simple empty a building! turn it inside-out!

so she is taiwanese...
n she immediately asked if i was the singaporean girl she heard abt so much lately!
i was taken aback....u mean there is another singaporean in this block n i didn know???
KEWL! girl somemore...all the singaporeans i know here r guys.
turned out...there is only 1! n will only be 1! hahahah
someone told her abt me while she was doing laundry in another block (so i guess i have made my mark here...hahahha...nah i think it was e friendly senior i talked to while i was in the laundry room pickingup my roommate's 'mess' days ago)
then she said she heard of the 'singaporean girl' in studio too!
*hey...suddenly i feel like the SQ stewardess...the singapore girl! woohoo*
hahahahhaha
what a GREAT IDENTITY to take on....
should have brought their kebaya...
anyway.......ya...so
turn out she was kay-poh la...eavesdroppin in studio (she is a freshman)
then she overheard people's conversation n names...
so kyle was talking to one of my new studiomates abt me n marcel came in.
he knows him so they talked abt the 'singaporean girl'...

call me miss singapore from now on, people!

*****

i went to site visit today...
their site visit damn short! i was thinking of spending 2 hours there but no one did...
but then to think abt it...there's nothing much to do onsite...its so flat n barren.

but what was fun was the interviewing of residence...
i was kinda scared at first...cuz its really diff...
some houses look abit shady w a porch....n remembering the fact tt they have the right to have guns i was afraid they could see me taking photos from their glass panes n think i m a threat esp when i m yellow....so i was constantly paranoid abt getting shot.

haha...

****



People! see i can make breakfast ok!!!
Yeah yeah its not cooked on a stove but....
i can put it all together....i had been trying to convince everyone tt when the time comes i can do it....tts survival instinct

I am soooooooooooo EXCITED~

This feels really like the first day of School! its the first studio of ARCH405 w Marcel!
It feels more 'correct' here!!! I really feel the other one was way out of track.
Not really the syllabus but the mix of ppl really.
really...i have nothing to complain about n i m just excited!

1. the people are really friendly. majority or not all man!
2. they share ideas openly!
3. we talk like archi students!
4. they are keen on the road trips to visit famous architecture...

...it goes on.....i met so many people in the past 2 days on campus, more than the interaction i got from the last one.
and i thought it was me then. but it really isn't!
Thank u god thank u god thank u god!
the chances....n the people!

lets see....i have my group set for the studio project on a mixed use building on a site just 10min away from campus.
they r hardworking girls. 1 hispanic (Edna), 1 greek-american(Faye), 1 costa-rican(Maria) n i!
we wanted to call ourselve United Colours of Benetton!
and take profile pictures on the submisison panels, like the Benetton ads!...hahah (tt was my idea though)
then i met a super helpful n friendly guy in studio, he is hispanic, called Eli...mmm i dunno how it is spelt though.
I went for lunch w a feshmen from hist class. n she is having doubts abt Arch so i wanna lend her a hand...
i want her to see me as a senior guiding her and all...i do regret not having more interactions w juniors back home....but then...i think they dont seem to need help...
Sasha...she looks sooo lost....and scared...no one in NUS ever looks like tt i tell u!
So yeah....then today i discovered she is actually Russian...but moved here while she was 10.
and she is so knowledgable...i think its the migrant thing...her parents r russians n i guess they emphasize on good education....general knowledge...
she could even tell me where singapore is...and tt malaysia is a peninsula!
so why is it tt singapore no water resource? cant we desalinate?
i was telling her abt NEWater u see...
yup....
she's good...i hope she leads america in politics next time.

****

Oh and i will be joining a competition held by the sch.
winner will have the scheme funded....
memorial for war against terrorism.
price: USD$4000
pretty excited abt tt too...i ve got an idea...so i will be doing tt once i m done w inserting today's blog.

******

Yesterday...Faye drove us to the site. i will go there again tmr w them
it so inconvenient here...in singapore i go to the site anytime i like and i can depend on myself to bring my ass there....here....i got to tag along cuz i dont have a car....n the sch bus service dont go there ....needless to say they can ferry me there to-and-fro anytime of the day...

she offered dinner at her house n she cooked! it was fun!...
she is so in love w her Greek culture she kept showering her pasta w Greek Sea Salt!


mmm i wonder whats wrong w blogspot...i cant seem to upload pictures since 2 days ago!

i wanted to include a picture of chilli cheese fries too...
they r damn good n sinful!
its almost like rendang n cheese...but not so strong asian taste...
maybe u guys should try it at home n if we get it right...
we should open a stall n sell it!!!
SERIOUS!

Yes so after I left 'ta' for classes i decided to wash my hands off her!
she said she can manage and she made me feel silly for getting so gan-jiong.
but i wasn;t trying to be a gan-jiong spider! but we had to compile (she havent done her part), then have to make it co-herent n all...u all know what i m talking about!
still got to print! and its 4 hrs away....and 'ta' works infront of the computer soooooooooooslowly....she even make hand gestures to animate the scene....like when 'ta' clicks on the 'x' to close a window, her arm swings away to show how the window 'whoooossses' away!

OMG!!!!!

But I wash my hands off 'ta'....
anyway people will see the discrepancy in the slides....if she dont finish on time..

so i went for my hist class.
met a really nice, sweet n apprehensive (abt arch) freshman...
btw freshmen=yr1 sophomore=yr2 junior=yr3 senior=yr4
so all majors standard 4 yrs to complete.
and for the various yr u r in u got a different 'cheer' sound to make!
tts the traditions their known for...there r many many more
i thought it was soooo ridiculous at first but its really fun now!!!
hahahaha...i wish i could really say it for myself...the cheers...

so i finish hist n had 30min before studio starts..
i decided to grab lunch.
then i saw marcel...and was kinda afraid to let him see me eat in studio (although its allowed).
he was nice....when i finished...he asked to confirm n asked me to go to his office.
i could guess what was coming although i didnt anticipate it but tts the only thing to talk abt
he asked if i am keen to transfer up to his other class in the morning --- studio for the seniors.
he explained how TAMU's arch course is diff from many other sch n what nus reqs is really ARCH405.
Excited? I was thrilled!
He said he took so long cuz he didnt know my standard but he decided on it anyway after the int'l competition. so its good i made a gd impression there...

he also mentioned how his yr4 studio is a good bunch....
as compared to the yr3 one....so yes! i was right about feeling wierd there!
i m very excited too as i have also mentioned how the seniors r more open n all cuz they had been on their exchange the last sem n all...
so i cant wait...it also means i will know more of them cuz i m taking the ethic class w them too!
so WHOOP! *clasps ur hands together like a gun and point it upwards!*

cant wait. but i have to call NUS first n i just did!
I just need them to confirm but i m sure they will.

had dinner w the singaporean guys!
sometimes i cach no ball but when they talk decently .... i love listening!!!
it was interesting how they told me abt religion n racism here...
i guess u just got to live here longer to come up w substantial theories!
:)

on my way back i saw a guy who took the initiative to light candles in memory of 9/11.

then the corps did theirs too soon after ard 1030....

not hyped up just to remember.

ARGH!

This is the 2nd time i am stressed up over someone else here....
Pace is already slow enough!...
i m also going at a slow enough speed...
and 'ta' has to go even slower.

my god....its few hours before a very 'small ppt presentation' later and she havent done 20% of her part.
i know everyone is confused over the instructions but please!!! can u interpret as much as possible from it and PRODUCE something????!!!!

we went to class late by half an hour last week for the 1 week span int'l comp presentation cuz the printing cocked-up...
i was like.....looking at my watch's second hand tick in cold sweat....
its like the most sinful thing ever to commit in studio!!!
and this week.....'ta' probably doesnt mind going late by a few minutes again....

heart attack man!!!

Still got to submit the int'l comp thing ourselves...i think i better just do it all by myself.....
otherwise 20% off my final grade because i decide to 'wait' for 'ta'!

faster! faster! faster!
many reasons to rush cuz i wanna go to houston and austin over 2 weekends....
i want to do my sporting schedule...
and quizzes n exams alternates all through the sem...
i want to hang out....so...i still need to keep up to a quick pace....

*deep breathes*

:)

[NOTICE: Fashion Catalogue starts from the previous entry!!! This is a continuation...]

(F) this reminds me of Crys... Picture speaks for itself!

(G) I think this is cute...but close up not so nice i feel....

Losts of boots but i didnt bother looking at them cuz i am out of that phase...

I used to go ga-ga over them while i was younger in HK..

but anyway for u girls out there....if u really really really like it...then i will give in i guess...but i really doubt i got much space in my luggage to bring them back cuz i might be stopping over somewhere before returning home.

but here u go.....(H) this one kewl...hahhaa..loud maybe...

and as u can see i m pretty crazy over headbands...1 for USD$3

the ones u see above which looks patchy....is actually shiny silver threads...i think those r pretty versatile...i tried the... if u pick the duller colours...the one like blue r abit more loud...

so let me know if u want anything k...:) love ya

I had a blast at the Mall today!
So excited to see a building higher than 2 levels...or so i thought!
I arrived at another 1 storey (but very high ceiling) building.
But horizontally commanding...
Big enough for me to not walk into half of the number of shops there.
I will definitely make another trip down again.
But i was advise to do it during the Thanksgiving period to get better buys!


I met my studio mate at the mall. Joanie Wheeler is 35, i think. finishing up her arch studies in the uni...
have a child....n tts her husband also finishing up uni...
mmmmm.....tough huh...she doesnt come to studio always...
her son Bryan is going for a ear surgery on mon so she wont be coming for studio again...
he was cute....i think he like me...he clasped my finger tightly! hahah

But, I have seen many 'yummy' things and the first thing i thought of was my shopping mates at home!
So as i was contemplating on how to make u satisfied friends...
i thought i will come up w a catalog of things i see which acc to my taste is nice...
i was busy taking phots there so i could come up with this and let u pick up anything if u like.
I can help u buy....

Its from a place called PayLess...
And they categorize the shoes according to sizes...smalled being 6. How lucky I was. it fits perfectly. Largest being 9! so....hahah...i can see jo clapping her hands already!! yes yes...sizez for everyone!

So these r the items:
(A) I like them very much! Reminds me of Charlotte from Sex & the City. But what i dislike is the chuncky heels....so that stopped me from buying. all the shoes here are around USD$15

(B) I really think these r cute! the front is plain though....just a peeping hole at the tips where the toes show....its rounded in front.

(C) Nice pointy ones....i like the heels...the front is just a ribbon. It comes in black, cream and red

(D) I bought these!...metallic ...not exactly gold but rusty coloured... V-shape at the front where ur feet slides in. and its relatively higher than the others above. It comes in black shiny too. All i tied are comfortable...the seams at the edges are all smooth! So i didnt feel too much discomfort while trying them on.
(E) I got these too. It U-shape where ur feet slides in. I got the black ones though. Its not the plastic-y material...its leathery type....sharp...comes in black and gold...i got the black since i already got something like gold above...this reminded me of jo!

My first lunch out by the shady bench of Langford Arch Building.


My roommate filled me in on its nickname, the "Langford Hotel" cuz Arch students stay there all the time!
Nice~
Maybe we should give Nus Arch building a name too so we can est a hotel out of its name!

Then I decided to be hardworking and visit the Evans lib for the 2nd consecutive day.
Browsing through the Arch Sect and i got curious, I wonder if they have a section on tropical arch, since they have chinese arch, jap and all that.
Then "Singapore" caught the side of my eye.
no tropics...but a few Singapore Arch books....less than 10...
suddenly it occured to me how i have never been as excited to see it then now.
buildings i live in now r just so different from what i m use to.
its brick-like...like european but w an American touch to it, so its not european.
and its all short.

So i borrowed Arch Art Identity in Singapore by William Lim
Singapore: Arch of a global City by robert Powell
SCDA Arch

I know we got all these back home but i wanted to show friends and maybe even my tutor just to let them know more about me and where i m from.
Ishowed my roommate and she asked me about how much land costs in Singapore n stuff so I guess it was worth carrying those books (very heavy) from lib to dorm.

And see! the book is so new! No one borrowed it yet!
I am the first! I came all the way here just to be the first to support them!!


and the lib there is huge!
many stories....i cant find the lift shaft at first. and the lift is sooooooooooooo old.
i m sure u cant find one as old in singapore...
so old i cant recognise the buttons n the first time i was in it i press the wrong button! I rang the alarm!
Damn paiseh!
Then wheni was inside i got a shock...i thought the lift stalled! cuz each level the lift reaches it beeps in this wierd loud sound i thought something is wrong!

Dont u think this is interesting.
in america they love using wood for construction....remember when Belinda first told us about it
well its true...but the sculptures they display at Langford are these...Concrete...
While in Singapore we use Concrete all the time the tutors get so frustrated...
our sculptures are wood n tension strings right??

Was suppose to go for the first Tennis game today.
They promised me a racket too, since i didnt brought mine along.

So i first landed up at Rec Center.
The complex looks equivalent to like a Fitness First or one of those big city gyms for the Uni.
I asked for the intramural courts n the customer service officer couldnt understand...
i had to spell it out to him n mention its a tennis meet-up...
i just wondered if i didnt articulate myself properly....
so he said its quite a dist n i would prob want to drive there.
i walked anyway.....

when i finally arrived, people were over-flowing out of the courts....
i couldnt find the guy in-charge, no one could direct me to him either
and so i didnt get my racket...
so i had no business over there....

being not too happy abt it i decided to run back....i was prepared to workout tonight anyway
so i took off in my jeans n haversack.
ran...ran...ran...and a car slowed down to a halt at the zebra-crossing.
she thought i was in an emergency n offered me a lift.
SO SWEET.... but i felt abit silly later on....

sigh. 2nd time i felt a little silly today (i don't think i m silly but its a relative thing i m talking abt)
i thought the archi ranch at riverside is a ranch for livestock...
but it isnt....its another archi building somewhere off-campus where they have a workshop n computer labs....
so for the longest time i was trying to research on my animal ranch dsign for studio!

and guess what....I got my brief for the design here already
Essentially u r suppose to design a component.
study components and what role it plays in a building.
determine its function n how u could re-design it....having unconventional usage
after doing research of those then u will zoom in on one and design n build it.

i was abit shock at first....tt means i would be coming up w a building in this studio...
and the 1st third n last third of this project is group work....
HUH!!!!!
mmmmm.....ok....
and then we would finish the bulk of it before thanksgiving because from his experience, its hard for him to get students to do work for the long weekend (thu, fri, sat, sun)
HUH!!!!!
ok....mmm....maybe he is afterall like Erwin just tt the students here over-power him so he got to back off.....they talk about individual rights here...rememember?
like back home we have a schedule....but its a rough one...
here its like having many many deadlines....so i really dont see how u can get stressed up...
at least not as bad as while i m in singapore.....
(i still rememember while i was in fong's studio where i stuck a knife in my thigh ....
or in rene's where i queue up in front of the workshop at 3am for it to open at 930am...
or in james's where by nose bled all through my production period....)
well, dont judge too early yet...i might get more stress here cuz i m not familiar w my surroundings.

sian.....i m still not satisfied abt the tennis incident.
i will go check out if they have a wall....

*hmpf*

I am super not-dao here.
I do consider myself quite dao in my comfort zone though.

I talk to everyone beside me now that i think most of the time they are surprise when i start speaking to them.
I made so many 'friends' tt i really cant keep track of their names.
and i have tonnes of tiny scrape paper of their contacts n all.
each time a conversation would last at least 30min...
so i coming all alone is really the best way of immersing into the culture cuz u r left vulnerable (in a good way of course) :)

this was yesterday's pin-up of my studio mates work....

dunno why i m so silly but i never took a picture of my work...

show u the boards to give u a feel of the atm....not sure if its successful but...here!

***********

I m taking lots of chips n chocs everyday.

*sigh*so can u tell its effect on me already? :(

***********

my roommate's old Chevy which she hates so much....but i think its pretty kewl cuz its old...

no gear there to obstruct 'making-out' sessions....

hahhaa i remember Kenneth bringing tt up once in Yr1 studio...

room for better design...maybe we should bring make the old Chevy model! for the convenience of precreating into a better millenium for all! (esp. Kenneth Sim)

Pedicure.....using the College Discount Coupon Booklet...

i never pay for this in Singapore. so why m i paying USD$17 here???? huh???

*********

And man!....i never really thought have Corps on the campus ground is kewl...but now i think they r.... they having their raincoats n all the complete set of uniform to grace the occasion.

i just came back from the silver taps....
a commemorative ceremony for Aggies who dies in the past.
We all trotted (the corps too... in their boots n spurs made very nice sounds)
to theacademic building n all the lights went out for about 30min.

then from a dist....a few boots came towards us....
i couldnt see much cuz there were so many ppl there....n dark too....
so suddenly all ur senses becomes sharper....
3 gun shots.... got shocked on the first
and it was the first time i was present at an event when they had gun shots in the dark n u hear birds from the trees suddenly flying off.....
(there were lots of trees)

so while i was standing there.....
suddenly a brilliant thought came to my mind....
what if my exchange here was with the Corps?
OMG..... tts so kewl right....
there r females in the corp too but they look nothing like those in OCS
so ya.... i really really want to realise this idea......

Yeah! final presentation for the 1 week 'kick-start-sem' project meant also for the int'l design competition is finally over and it went "good-good-good-good-good" says marcel.

Although honeslty many technical parts are not resolved yet but hell! its a product meant for marketing so, no need all the nitty gritty stuff although we gave the most out of 8 groups.

*cant upload my "almost" A2 panel thought*
had so much prob w negotiating on who's metric system to use.
i cant visualize hers n vice versa. hahah
then come to paper size also got problem.
the printers here r more complicated
better get use to them in time!

mmm...studio is different. (maybe this 1 week cannot count cuz it was a product design n not architecture? tts what they say but to me its still a design....n we r train to be designers so....ya)
well, many of them were questioned on their form. and they said they did it simply because it looked good to them. *bang*

Marcel, to me wasnt even half as bad as most of out critics in nus. and he is already considered the most strict one around. he even got to explain tt he isnt against us, but our project.
gosh!!! u dont have to explain urself. i have critics back home who shoots u right into ur heart u wish u were never alive. they even sleep through ur presentation if u weren't impressive enough and they tell u, u dont deserve to be here!

so although it went well today, i really could have done soooooo much moree....
i was just lazy during the weekend and decided to go for open-house to see all the clubs available! haha...too many to join....i cant decide!

And really if it wasnt for Randi, i would have not have 3D models of curves and all.
It is true tt here, their IT skills are so much better than ours. they pick up by themselves and they creat 3D stuff!....I am still getting use to autoCad for god's sake! Thanks to the Board from nus who made us use Revit!! No one here ever heard of it!

So really i have extra work to do besides the 'so much more readings than nus' i have to find time to learn 3D max, Viz, sketchup..... and i still want to join a sport n all ....n break the chain of monotonous semesters in nus where i cannot do CCAs.....

I pray for greater efficiency! and endless motivation

Authentic American Football!

How lucky could i get? the senior, Kyle offered me a free ticket at the privileged formers stand where you could seat comfortably (opp the students stand, i know i will want to go to tt side too where they stand all through the game which lasts for 3-4 hrs. but today i got the 'VIP' seats n i couldnt be more excited!)

SO GLAD I WENT!
I got to learn how to play the game, not an expert but at least i know where the ball should be heading. And what really made it exciting was the spirit!
It wasnt just the spirit of the student body n the corps but the many generations of Aggies (mostly parents who were alma maters) who are so involved in this big season of football. They will come from all over Texas just to root their Maroon team!


This was after the 2 Quarter. the famous military band plays n marches into formations.
They r really quite awesome.....
its interesting to see how military of various countries execute their marches and turns n all tt stuff.

So Kyle brought me in with official tickets to Kyle Field which seats 80,000 ppl (Kallang seats 40,000. this he found out while he was in singapore for the past 6 weeks). Met his parents who were Aggies of '78 if i remembered correctly. over here, uni is set at 4 yrs, so u already know when u would grad when u come in, tt is if u complete all ur hours (credits accordingly in time). Once u receive enough hours, u can buy their most valuable Aggie Ring... his parents still wear till today like engagement rings! Kewl right?

So we were discussing football n occasionally asia. He is rather fortunate compared to his peers to have seen much of Asia. Aggie went to Cambodia to build the Landmine museum too.... and he bought a real human skull for USD$2 to remind him the many unfortunate circumstances of the world outside the States. Very thoughtful although i like many of his friends think it was prob a wierd thing to remind him of the realities...haha....I wonder who's skull is it.....mmm



got to go to his house n meet his friends after the game.
AND I SAT A MOTORBIKE FOR THE 1ST TIME! and it in the states somemore!
abit scarey!... haha but fun...woo hoo!

i love his bunch of arch peeps, reminds me so much of u guys back home.
gossipy...hahaha...politics, boyfriend/girlfriend in the fac.
so unlike my current design studio where everyone keeps so much to themselves...
always plugging up their ears...haha....who told me ppl would do models n then suddenly the music goes off....cuz they accidentally cut their wires. haha

but i think it would get better...i wa thick-skin enough to get all their contacts n offer to compile it....all in the name of making conversation.....

yup but these grad students seems like i have lots of exciting ideas abt arch to share....
they seem very serious abt making it their profession too....
:) *darn! forgot to take photos w these nice people*

back in my dorm....my poor roommate has relationship problems..
so her parents came to visit her n she is stayin w them in her sis house off-campus.
so i m all alone tonight again.

tts bad, cuz yesterday i took back 3 extra slices of the yummy cream icing cake (widely available here) w the excuse of giving it to my roommate cuz she couldnt come to the party. In the end i ate.....slowly.....it dimish....n tonight it was all gone!
sigh....i dont't know how i m gonna keep to the veg diet i talked abt be4 i came here.

NVM, dont lose hope yet...i still have yet to visit the REC Centre...
I know i have been talking abt this for a long long time....but i will make a trip down there tmr...