Quill & Parchment

back home!!

2007-06-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

At this very minute, im sitting on my bed(well, my bros bed) at my home bangi. Home at last. Despite traveling half the globe, my day/nite clock seems to work just fine. Got a great nite sleep last nite(which im not suppose to). Now, let me tell u abt the flight. watched goal 2, ate dinner(ayam ape ntah..x sedap), slept for god know how many hours, mkn lagi, then watched the number 23. Next thing i know, touch down!!KL!! The 1st step out of the 747's fuselage, was like stepping into a massive oven. the 10 meters long bridge connecting the door to the airport arrival lounge was blistering hot despite the weather being gloomy and supposedly windy. with my laptop and roller bag, i paved my way through countless arrival gates before i reach the connecting train to the main terminal.my parents were there waiting for me chatting to an old friend of my dad back in his office days. the local immigration check in was smooth as always. KLIA never fail to amaze me. You know how ridiculously long the q is when u check in at europe's airports, and that includes the local q as well. Here proudly to say, feels like ur a decade ahead of those in the west. Slip ur passport, wait a few seconds then press ur thumb on the finger print scanner, then off u go. no q's, no hustle and more importantly, no unnecessary questions from the immigration officers. after collecting all the bags(theres 7 of them), we went straight to the arrival exit. My brothers, sis and little hazeeq greeted us as we made our way to the carpark. n yes, its freaking hot. ok, dats about all for now. its raining outside and i mean proper rain(tropical) unlike those in uk. It feels nice to be home;) u can hear the drops gravitating its way through the forever green leaves and the smell of it, this is what i call home.

Now and back then

2007-05-23T01:43:00.000-07:00

5 years ago: 2002

How old were you?: ~ 18

Where did you go to school?: Think i just got my spm result n bumming ard bangi

Where did you work?: ~ Told u, bummed ard

Where did you live? ~ Bangi, always and forever

Where did you hang out?: ~ I dont really hang out much back then..but if i did go out, itll be midvall or klcc.

How was your hair style?: ~ i think i had short hair as always..

Did you wear braces?: ~ nop

Did you wear glasses?: ~ no i dont

Who was your best friend?: ~ I cant really remember..good friend, yes..best...dont think so..

Who was your regular-person crush?: ~ Sadly, i dont hav any crush whatsoever.

Who was your celebrity crush?: ~ I think it was alisa milano..cant remember for wat reason.

How many tattoos did you have?: ~ 1?..haha..kidding..none

How many piercings did you have?: ~ i have enough holes on me..hahaha

What car did you drive? ~ My moms suzuki swift.

What was your favorite band/group?: ~gosh..dis is tough...its like sitting a history test. i have to pass this one..cant remember.

What was your worst fear? ~ lipas kot

Had you smoked a cigarette yet?: ~ nop..i was a clean teen

Had you driven yet?: ~ just got my license!!

Had you been arrested?: ~ ive been chased by cops 3 oclock in the morning coz of some bloody fireworks jokes that me n my mates use to play.

Had you been to a real party yet?: ~ yeah...its either new year or merdeka..cant really remember.

Had your heart broken? ~ nop....single all the way

Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter: ~ single!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOW : 2007

How old are you?: 23

What grade are you in?: ~ 3rd year architecture..just finnished my part 1

Where do you go to school?: ~ Dundee school of Architecture.

Where do you work?: ~ currently nowhere...looking for one though

Where do you live?: ~ Dundee, Scotland

Where do you hang out?: ~ City centre, My house, Fetty's, Rizals, and Shidi's

Do you have braces?: ~ Nop....think my teeth r alrite

How is your hair style?: ~ messy as always..just had a cut..

Do you wear glasses?: ~ I have nite driving glasses..im blind at nite.

Who is your best friend?: ~ I hav a lot of good friends...I dont like to single people out.

Still talk to any of your old friends?: ~ lately, yeah...a friend of mine is gettin married soon. So everyones talking bout it. So its kinda fun to hear from everyone after 5 years leaving highschool. Itll be exiting to meet them dis summer..hopefully.

Who is your celebrity crush?: ~ keira knightley..lot of people say she's skinny..I DONT CARE!!

How many piercings do you have: ~ I still think i have enough holes..haha

How many tattoos?: ~none

What kind of car do you have?: ~ Dont have any...I'm eyeing an Audi TT!!(I plan things 5 years in advance)

What is your favorite band/group?: ~ Foo fighters!!, Fallout boys...My chemical romance...Live..Bush..Creed

What is your biggest fear: ~ Knowing my year out place for next year is not sorted out yet.

Had you smoked a cigarette yet?: ~ yeah...once..twice..3 times...i dunno..many times..Im not addicted though..just a social smoker.

Have you been arrested since?: ~ nop....im a good citizen..or more like foreigner

Has your heart been broken?: ~ yeah...twice..once in a relationship, and another when Arsenal lost to Barcelona in the Champions league final...both are hard to get over with..haha

Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter: ~ Single rowks!!!

Time flies

2007-05-23T01:33:00.000-07:00

Finally, a new post for Mei. Have to admit, it has been a while since i last updated it. No lame excuses, just an ordinary no mood no effort kindda thing. nway, just thought about things that has happened for the past 1 month or so. Ive just finished my part one Bachelor Science of Architecture a week ago. It's been quite a battle towards the end as the project workload pretty much sucked every ounce of steam out of me. The final viva, or as we say it here as crit, was probably the best i had in this unpromising 2007. Everything did worked out as planned although there are corrections to be made. A week later, i was called again for the external reviews which consist of 2 invited architect/lecture from manchester and dublin. The crit went quite okey considering no effort nor much preparation was made beforehand. Until...the former head of Manchester uni architecture school asked me the following question...

Joe something2: So, do you have any particular reason why u chose the composite of concrete columns and steel beams?
Me: ......................................................(trust me, it was the longest pause ever).......................................................................................................................................................................................I'm not really sure. Honestly i cant remember (I knew i missed something went i went through my report project papers the nite before!!!!!!!!!)
Joe something2: Okey, next question...(with a grim smile)

There you go..what a way to end my part one. Well, i still have another two parts to redeem myself. What's important is I manage to past every module. Alhamdulillah. Could've been better, but considering a quarter of the year failed, i think a pass is good enough. There use to be a time where 100% is the main goal. And just passing is a total failure....I guess i'm not in that period nemore. Am i getting dumber or is it just the stress of the course thats keeping me down. anyway, im not gonna moan over that or anything. During the degree show on that following weekend, it suddenly hit me. Time....3 years!!! its amazing how quick time flies and we're not gettin any younger. I still remember the 1st day of Architecture, our studio is an over elongated rectangle box with a never ending corridor on the right side if ur coming from the north end. The hierarchy of year runs from north to south which consist of 1st to 3rd year. You can clearly sense the increase of maturity and complexity as u walk down from north to south. not to mention the workload. Back then, id stand facing the very far end of the studio and wonder abt the long 3 years to come. The exact feeling back in high school where u see the form 5 people running along their corridor and u just cant wait to be up there.(maybe its just me) After shit loads of work, and 3 years full of pain and joy, here i am standing at the south end looking back towards the spot where i use to stand and ponder. A half smile is more then enough to reflect the satisfaction. But that feeling suddenly stopped when i turn to my left facing the 4th and 5th years bays. owh well, i guess thats just how my life works. The anxiety on the starting grid. I guess it'll happen again when i start my 2nd and 3rd part, my career, and of coz marriage. owh, also the moment when i buy my 1st car. haha. next year's gonna be my year out. which means practical. I'm still searching for jobs here and there(mainly London), hopefully i can sort things out as soon as possible. Cant wait.

Spice up a boring afternoon with some lame jokes

2007-04-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

Joke 1

It got crowded in heaven, so it was decided only to accept people whoever had a really bad day on the day they had died. On the first morning when the policy was employed, St. Peter was standing at the pearly gates and said the first man in line, "Tell me about the day you died."
The man said, "Oh it was awful. I was sure my wife was having an affair, so I came home early from work one day to catch her in the act. I searched all over the apartment and couldn't find him anywhere. So finally I went out on the balcony (we lived on the 25th floor) and found this man hanging over the edge by his fingertips. So I went inside, got a hammer, and started hitting his hands. He fell, of course, but he landed in some bushes and lived. So I went inside, got the refrigerator, and pushed it out over the balcony and it crushed hi, The strain of the act, though, gave me a heart attack, so I died."
St Peter couldn't deny that this was a pretty bad day and that it was a crime of passion, so he let the man enter heaven.

He then asked the next man in line about the day he died.
"Well, sir, it was awful. I was doing aerobics on the balcony of my 26th floor apartment, when I slipped over the edge. I managed to grab the balcony of the apartment beneath me but then some maniac came out and started pounding my fingers! I fell, of course, but I landed in some bushes and lived! But then the guy came out and dropped a refrigerator on me!"
St. Peter chuckles a bit, lets him into heaven and decides that he could really start to enjoy this job.

"Tell me about the day you died, " he said to the third man.
"Okay, picture this. I'm naked, hiding in a refrigerator ..."

Joke 2

A surgeon, an architect an a lawyer are having a heated barroom discussion concerning which of their professions is actually the oldest profession.

The surgeon says: "Surgery IS the oldest profession. God took a rib from Adam to create Eve and you can't go back further than that."

The architect says: "Hold on! In fact, God was the first architect when he created the world out of chaos in 7 days, and you can't go back any further than THAT!"

The lawyer puffs his cigar and says: "Gentlemen, Gentlemen...who do you think created the CHAOS??!!"

joke 3

Three engineering students were discussing the possible designers of the human body. One said, "It had to be a mechanical engineer, look at all the joints."
Another said, "No, it had to be an electrical engineer, the nervous system is just a marvel of millions of electrical connections."
The third said, "Actually, it was a civil engineer. Who else would run a toxic waste pipeline right through a recreational area?"

joke 4

One morning a contractor called an architectural firm and asked to speak to an architect regarding a particular project. The receptionist, with a voice full of regret, said, "I'm sorry, sir, but the architect recently died a slow, agonizing death out on a project site." The contractor stated his condolences and hung up.About an hour later the same contractor called back and asked to speak to an architect regarding the same project. Again, the receptionist gave the contractor the bad news: "I'm sorry, sir, but the architect recently died a slow, agonizing death out on a project site." As before, the contractor mumbled his regrets and hung up. This pattern repeated itself each hour throughout the morning, until, at last, the receptionist recognized the contractor's voice, whereupon she said to him, "Sir, why do you keep calling here when you know I'm going to say the architect has recently died a slow, agonizing death out on a project site?" The contractor, exploding with long-suppressed maniacal laughter, gasped, "Because I love to hear you say it!"

Insane brief

2007-04-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr Architect:

Please design and build me a house. I am not quite sure of what I need, so you should use your discretion.

My house should have between two and forty-five bedrooms. Just make sure the plans are such that the bedrooms can be easily added or deleted. When you bring the blueprints to me, I will make the final decision of what I want. Also, bring me the cost breakdown for each configuration so that I can arbitrarily pick one.

Keep in mind that the house I ultimately choose must cost less than the one I am currently living in. Make sure, however, that you correct all the deficiencies that exist in my current house (the floor of my kitchen vibrates when I walk across it, and the walls don't have nearly enough insulation in them).

As you design, also keep in mind that I want to keep yearly maintenance costs as low as possible. This should mean the incorporation of extra-cost features like aluminum, vinyl, or composite siding. (If you choose not to specify aluminum, be prepared to explain your decision in detail.)

Please take care that modern design practices and the latest materials are used in construction of the house, as I want it to be a showplace for the most up-to-date ideas and methods. Be alerted, however, that kitchen should be designed to accommodate, among other things, my 1952 Gibson refrigerator.

To insure that you are building the correct house for our entire family, make certain that you contact each of our children, and also our in-laws. My mother-in-law will have very strong feelings about how the house should be designed, since she visits us at least once a year. Make sure that you weigh all of these options carefully and come to the right decision. I, however, retain the right to overrule any choices that you make.

Please don't bother me with small details right now. Your job is to develop the overall plans for the house: get the big picture. At this time, for example, it is not appropriate to be choosing the color of the carpet. However, keep in mind that my wife likes blue.

Also, do not worry at this time about acquiring the resources to build the house itself. Your first priority is to develop detailed plans and specifications. Once I approve these plans, however, I would expect the house to be under roof within 48 hours.

While you are designing this house specifically for me, keep in mind that sooner or later I will have to sell it to someone else. It therefore should have appeal to a wide variety of potential buyers. Please make sure before you finalize the plans that there is a consensus of the population in my area that they like the features this house has.

I advise you to run up and look at my neighbor's house he constructed last year. We like it a great deal. It has many features that we would also like in our new home, particularly the 75-foot swimming pool. With careful engineering, I believe that you can design this into our new house without impacting the final cost.

Please prepare a complete set of blueprints. It is not necessary at this time to do the real design, since they will be used only for construction bids. Be advised, however, that you will be held accountable for any increase of construction costs as a result of later design changes.

You must be thrilled to be working on as an interesting project as this! To be able to use the latest techniques and materials and to be given such freedom in your designs is something that can't happen very often. Contact me as soon as possible with your complete ideas and plans.

PS: My wife has just told me that she disagrees with many of the instructions I've given you in this letter. As architect, it is your responsibility to resolve these differences. I have tried in the past and have been unable to accomplish this. If you can't handle this responsibility, I will have to find another architect.

PPS: Perhaps what I need is not a house at all, but a travel trailer. Please advise me as soon as possible if this is the case.

The truth about working as an ARCHITECT

2007-04-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

1. You work weird (night time) -Overtime ...Just like prostitutes.

2. They pay you to make the client happy...Just like a prostitute.

3. The client pays a lot of money, but your employer keeps almost every penny...Just like a prostitute.

4. You are rewarded for fulfilling the client's dreams...Just like a prostitute.

5. Your friendships fall apart and you end up hanging out with people in the same profession as you...Just like a prostitute.

6. When you have to meet the client you always have to be perfectly groomed...Just like a prostitute.

7. But when you go back home it seems like you are coming back from hell...Just like a prostitute.

8. The client always wants to pay less but expects incredible things from you...Just like a prostitute.

9. When people ask you about your job,you have difficulties to explain it...Just like a prostitute.

10. Everyday when you wake up, you say:"I'm not going to spend the rest of my life doing this."Just like a prostitute.

..............And why am I persuing this field again?hahah

My turn to cook

2007-04-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

As a routine, me and my housemate, nizam n mirin take turns to cook dinner for every two days. Normally it'll be some easy/express lauk ayam berkuah n rice which would cover 2 dinners. On my turn which was abt 2 weeks ago, things went rather differently. I was forced by some anonymous people to cook for abt 12 people. In Dundee, we would occasionally have a big lunch or dinner organized by certain people. But never me...until now:( heheh Thank god i just started my easter break on that Saturday and i had a pretty good week before that. So, my mood was pretty much up high and luckily for the 11 starving Dundonians, that mood catalyses the whole planned agenda. It was a briliant weekend as me,rafiz,nizam,fetty n zarif went out to catch the much talked abt movie, 300 followed by tescoing for ingredients that i need on the next morning. Owh, btw..the menu is beef and chicken lasagna with coleslaw and mash potatoes. Been craving it for quite a while. So, the cooking started rather late but fortunately i got few extra hands from my housemates plus zarif n rafiz. Things went quite well and food r served rite on time as all the guest waited/whining and chattin in MY kitchen. (sigh...its annoying..haha)So, here r some pictures to be shared.. Thanks to Nizam,mirin,zarif n rafiz for helping. And also to fetty for baking the lovely caramel pudding. To KAK lizzy for being a host catering people needs while the real host r busy eating or lepak.hehe. Kak Inda, Kai n baby Danish for coming all the way from glasgow, and also danish's nanny,Siti(heheh) Also thanks to Rizal, D, Kak Bel n Zakiah for turning up.All of us had a great time and the foods good(puji diri sendiri)haha..

it's been a while

2007-03-25T15:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a really long while since i last wrote something in this blog. sorry people, i've been really busy for the past 5 weeks(about) since im approaching my final stage of my degree project. Thank god the weather's gettin better, which means we're enjoying sunshine visits more often then we use to couple of month back. Anyway, despite the hectic schedule of my course, i did manage to put things to pause, kick back and hav fun. The joy of weekend seems to become like a fluid in motion without anything barricading it. My gift from 2007 as i would like to think. Enough babbling, lets talk abt fun and exciting weekends!!!

24th February 2007 - Once again, Dundee football team repeated history by exiting the tournament in quarter finals..hahahaha..despite lossing, we did played arguebly the best football compared to other teams.(i think) For my personal record, i manage to score the 1st goal for the team which was a bold long range attempt which went beautifully into the right side of goal. I was damn proud of it as it gave the whole team confidence and all those craps(u know).. (i seriously feel like braggin bout lots of stuffs..haha..) just for fun, i feel like listing down the the players and also the fans;) also few short comments on their role..haha(dis is fun)

Players:

Hedzril (team Captain) - quite useless at times although being highly rated by opponents.didnt last long in the 1st group game(pancit!!) scored one goal and set up a few. made plenty of stupid fouls(kononnye nak try jadik aggresive)

Shidi (striker) - Scored 2 really good goals. Highly composed in front of goal. Bit more of fitness training would definitely help.

Larry(midfield) - played as a defender most of the time. worked really hard and scored 3 goals.A good passer of the ball and highly technical.

Lee(defender) - the tireless Lee. Really aggresive despite the small figure and really quick.Doesnt speak malay, so he's quite clueless in halftime talk.haha..

Zarif(goalkeeper) - A natural defender turn goalkeeper. Did briliantly in most games. just bit unlucky in conceding goals. for his tummy size, he can fly..i tell u, he can!!hahah..

Rafiz(striker) - Rafiz ultimate goal in life is to score a goal.(ahaha) unfortunately, he didnt manage to. played briliantly in 1 or 2 games and worked really hard to win balls. very technical and composed player.

Mirin(striker) - Another striker.......played few games and made an impact as fresh legs. Had few chances on goal and worked really hard. A fast learner and really aware of surrounding. A good player to play one touch football with;)

Vijay(defender) - Vijay the bulldozer as i would call him. He's hugeeeee. who needs a perfect tackle when you can just stop a player with your body. Quite surprisingly didnt recieve any card in the tournament.heheh. a realiable defender for any 5 aside team.

Cheerleaders:

Fetty - a really energetic and hyper type of person. brought up the whole idea for the banner(dunno where it is now) and bought all the stuffs to make it. really enthusiastic and have a loud cheering voice. She's also the photographer for our team.

Nizam - Fetty's best friend to be. (hahah) cheered loudly during matches which is frankly quite distrubing..hahaha...was really supportive of the team although im not really sure which team it is..dundee or Aberdeen??..heheheheh..

Lizzy - like fetty, she's also energetic but less hyper. could it be bcoz of the none sugar coffee and tea?..haha came all the way from glasgow(her home) to join us. although im not really sure of her true intention of coming along,(checking out boys in shorts) but she did contributed a lot for the team spirit.

3rd March 2007 - again, another football tournament. But this time, its all about scotland. Dundee, Edinburgh and glasgow combined strengh to form what we call the Scottish all stars..haha.. the venue is Manchester. the pitch is shite. So as the weather. Typical english weather?..no, typical manchester weather..haha..no offence to my manchester mates!! a long drive from dundee the night before really did put us into fatigue. stayed at my ex-schoolmate
house(elly) for a meer 3 hours of sleep. We lost in the quarter final of plate to some random team but again, for my personal portfolio of goals, i did manage to bag one for the team. a one two with larry put me through one on one with the goalkeeper and somehow i manage to chip the ball past the keeper.(im damn F&*king proud of it)haha

thats pretty much it for this post..its already bit too long. next post will be something similar but slightly different in endings;)

1st blog in february

2007-02-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since i last post something here. Haven't had the time nor the right mood to write something. Actually they are a lot of stuffs i wanted to talk about. Both good and bad. Let's start with the good shall we. Have u ever had a really2 good weekend that made you all fired up for Monday's work? i'm sure everyone has. As for me, havent had that feeling for a really long while. had brilliant holidays and summers, but hardly a meaningful weekend. But the past 3 weekends has been brilliant. Starting from the surprise kidnap of my friend raffiz on his birthday followed by 'lepaking' at raffiz's crib the next night. owh wait, we also went to help kai and kak inda move to glasgow on that afternoon. It was something of which im not planning to write about as it wasnt a fun thing. It's rather a sad momen for all of us here. anyway, the next day was another meaningful lepaking session capped with a wonderful display of arsenal's footbal in the evening. Me, Shidi and fetty decided to send rafiz back to stracanusidnlnvcsadjf hospital after dining at a snail pace service restaurant in Dundee.

After 5 days of "hardwork" another brilliant weekend was on the table. Friday night - Picked up raffiz from the hospital and went off to dine in Abroath followed by a day trip to St Andrews on Saturday. Unfortunately i wasnt able to join the guys on Sunday for a dinner trip to perth due to the accumulated workload i've left from the week before and thanks to my laziness, i had to stay up all night to get some assignments done.sigh...

Last Saturday was another of those great moment i hav here. A bowling tournament organized by the Malay community in Dundee. Great play, wonderful atmosphere, full of laughter, simply fun. Although i played badly, it was definiely one of those days where winning is not the only success. There's a brief moment where i actually wished all these people would be here for a long while. not having to finnish their study and just living 'normally' in dundee. how selfish of me:( Definitely gonna miss all this as im appraching my final few month in Dundee. life in dundee is everything i could ask for.

There u go, the good. Unfortunately i dont think i have the time to write abt the bad. I'll put it in tomorrow.need to do my essential. sleep..

Ever wonder what architects do?

2007-01-23T04:04:00.000-08:00

Architects have an enormous influence on our surroundings. It takes at least seven years to train as an architect as they must be proficient at designing safe structures and working with people such as builders, town planners and landscape designers. They need extensive knowledge of the uses and limitations of various building materials and awareness of legal requirements. Only individuals sufficiently qualified are allowed to call themselves architects, as the title has been protected by law since 1997. Anyone not certified who practises under the title will be prosecuted by the Architects Registration Board (ARB). Architects must pass three stages of assessment to qualify. The first is an undergraduate degree in architecture. A postgraduate diploma of two years follows, with the final stage a part-time postgraduate diploma with professional exams. Two years' work at an architectural practice must also be fitted in, usually after levels one and two. Architects need to be versatile, as every job and client is different, and plans often need to be adapted and changed.

Income

When fresh out of university, architects start on around £22,000 - or less - as assistants. This increases depending on experience and responsibility. Project architects earn an average of £34,500 while partners or directors of large firms are paid between £38,000 and £90,000 depending on the size of practice and type of firm. The average earnings of a self-employed architect are £30,000 but this depends on the frequency of contracts and the size and type of projects.

Advantages

Architecture is primarily creative. The job offers opportunities to experiment with new materials and structures or to work with old ones in a new way. Architects meet and work with people who each have different visions; it is exciting to use these ideas as a starting point.
Being presented with a client's brief and requirements and taking a creative leap to achieve something new is a challenge. When everything comes together and hurdles such as planning permission and building regulations are overcome it is satisfying to have created a product the client is happy with.

Disadvantages

Architects may find a client's brief restrictive, but they must work within the limits set.
It takes two years longer to qualify as an architect than as a doctor, and is often not as well-paid. The work is hard and hours can be arduous. Dealing with builders, manufacturers and suppliers can be stressful; if one party runs late the whole project gets behind. Keeping creativity flowing under these conditions can be difficult.

The future

There are opportunities in urban design across Britain, with areas rather than specific buildings being targeted for attention as local councils try to make city centres more desirable. Affordable housing for essential workers such as teachers, nurses and firemen in London is in increasing need. On a national level, architectural innovations such as the Tate Modern, the glass roof of the British Museum's Great Court, the Millennium Bridge, and Cardiff's Millennium Stadium have been welcomed by the public. Increasingly, architects have more room to experiment with daring designs and newly developed materials.

Source: www.money.guardian.co.uk

A Day in an Architect's Life

On a typical day an architect will:

Discuss the objectives, requirements, and budget of a project;
Provide various predesign services which may include conducting feasibility and environmental impact studies, selecting a site, or specifying the requirements the design must meet;
Prepare drawings and present ideas for the client to review;
Develop final construction plans that show the building’s appearance as well as details for its construction;
Follow building codes, zoning laws, fire regulations, and other ordinances;
Make necessary changes throughout the planning process;

Talking from experience:

"Architects design building, meeting their clients specification. After this, when the client gives them the go ahead, the architect basically changes role from designer to Project Manager for the whole development and construction of the building, ranging from contract details and hiring of contractors to carrying out assesements of the construction to insure that the building is being constructed correctly. Thats kind of what they do in the building process, there's also a lot of law based stuff they have to take care of, like health and safety assessment and so on. In the end the architect has to make sure that everything is on paper somewhere so that at a later date, when something goes wrong and you try to sue the architect you can prove that its not your fault but the contractors =P"

John Eckert, Dundee University School of Architecture

Arsenal 2 - 1 Manchester Utd

2007-01-22T11:08:00.000-08:00

A night to remember...two moments of brilliance againt the runaway title favourite, Manchester United. Clubs top scorer, Robin Van persie levelled Arsenal after starting the match on the bench and Thierry Henry powered a header for the winner at the dying moment. A true fan i am, has been and will be....i just couldnt believe it. A draw makes more sense but a win with a stoppage time header just seem unreal. The venue was The Emirates Stadium, London. Magic doesnt happen very often at this part of London. But last night, it just did. In a match with such magnitude, bets are often balanced, journalists fight for story rights, and match tickets are priceless. "buku bertemu ruas" as they would say back in Malaysia. Indeed they are. Every single meeting is a classic. I wont pen down much about manchester(because i hate them), so here's a bit of an inside on the young spirited Arsenal team. with only 3 players from the first 11 aged above 25, they do seem raw and inexperience. Are they? Let's think about it for a second. All of them have played in the european champions league and apart from Thomas Rosicky & Gael clichy, they are the individuals that drove Arsenal all the way to play in Paris for the final last year. In 2006 worldcup, Every single one of them, I repeat, Every single one of them played for their respective nation and what's more, all played a huge part in bringing their country to the knockout stage. Now, let us ask ourselves again. Are they inexperinced? My answer would be yes. They still are. why? Simply because the fact remains that they are still young and with many years ahead, 'experience' is just a label to signal the end of their much illustrious to be career as profesional footballers. It's definitely a nightmare for other premierleague clubs to ponder while football fans around the world would much appreciate the talent nurture of the club.

When people write a column on Arsenal's young talents, not singling out a player is just a sin. Yes, some may argue that other teams do have young and bright talents of modern football as well with Wayne Rooney, Aaron Lannon, Christiano Ronaldo and Stuart Downing to name a few. But the past couple of years, we've seen one name truely stands a class above all. Francesc Fabregas Soler. A spaniard whose been nicked from Spanish giants Barcelona at a tender age of 15. He made his debut at 16 and at the age of 19, he's already a senior figure in last night's winning team. Lacking physical abilities but exceptional in others. He may not be the va va voom, but who needs the speed when he have an extraordinary level of composure. He's practically the ABC book for football. So simple yet so intelligent. Splitting defences with his pin point passes, most goals were orchestrated by the young Cesc.

The teenager was then rewarded for his outstanding displays with a call-up to the Spanish national side. He kept his place for the World Cup and emerged with his reputation enhanced after coming off the bench to inspire a comeback victory against Tunisia in the group stage.
Cesc became the Club's youngest player and youngest goalscorer shortly after joining the Gunners in 2004. On the evidence of last season, Arsenal's 'Fab 4' will be an influential figure at Emirates Stadium for years to come.

The wind blew east - Japanese cuisine

2007-01-13T16:44:00.000-08:00

'Less is more' - Mies Van De Rohe

Goreng wei..jangan posing jek

Who said guys can't multitask???

Leading by example...yea rite!!haha

Miso Soup

Chicken Tariyaki

Takoyaki & Sushi

Vegetables Tempura

Sweet aint it?

Frankly speaking, vegetables and fish are nicely written at the last page of my most wanted list of cuisines. They are just there. Enough said. However, tonight is all about that. Japanese is the theme and as we all know, they have a super duper fishy diet(literally speaking) as if no one across the japanese shore has ever told them about the existence of mr cow, mrs chicken or even the ugly pig(haram2). Bookmarked as the masters of food art, they simply look pleasing to the eyes but one would wonder(more like me) if the taste deserves the look. I wouldn't bet on it. owh God, prove me wrong cause i have to eat it.(i dont mind preparing it though) Ironically, I was somehow nominated as the main chef to cook the dishes thanks to nizam, fetty and lizzie's nagginess(if there's such word) . But i'd blame mirin for waking up late.(he'd be more enthusiastic bout japanese food)huahaha Surprisingly, it appeared to be quite an interesting adventure for me. Starting with the fun recipe browsing on the internet, then the search for ingredients at the city centre to the delicate making process and wonderfully capped by a briliant night of exquisite japanese cuisines. Who can resist names such as chicken Teriyaki, Takoyaki & Sushi, crabs, fish and vegetables Tempura. The names can be anything but aweful. Being me, i would say they taste great. Might fancy trying the real thing in the future but not too soon though. Thanks to the host (siti & iftida) for lending us their warm cosy crib. Despite the miserable weather, everything was just splendid. Credit to everyone and shall the night be a reminder for us of how shy figure can mean much more.

Mirin and Zarif's birthday

2007-01-07T11:55:00.000-08:00

Some genetisists believe the aging process is a form of desease. It's a process which can be slowed down by means of chemical subtance or natural cause. Marked by a single date in a year, the desease is celebrated as a milestone in one's life. Today, we celebrate the milestone of our two "deaseased" Dundee friend, Sang Mirin & Sang Zharif. Simple yet thoughtful is our aim and that's what we achieved tonight. No balloons whatsoever to paint the atmosphere with pretty colours. No need for that. A simple black forest Geteau & summer fruit juice was just enough to touch the hearts of the two. Did it? we hope so. All the best for them in the future and hopefully mirin will realize he's too old for anime and mangas(haha..sure dia bengang gile) and as for zharif, lose some weight please(hohoho)

Regards,

Hedzril, Nizam and satu lagi Nizam..haha

Setahun masa berlalu,

Berlangkah-langkah menuju maut

Project 3.01 - semester 1 (2006/2007)

2007-01-04T22:01:00.000-08:00

3d generated model of the site

Initial idea sketch

Interior view of cinema hall

Exterior perspective

View from main foyer

3d generated model

The first semester draws to an end on the 15th of november 2006. Crits for project dedicated to a groupstage masterplan marks the closure for a hectic semester. It was the moment of truth. Some came out bursting with tears of joy, few needed the solace of a friends hug, and others just went home to sleep. I'm pretty sure i wasnt the only sleepyhead there:p Anyway, the project is basically about the redevelopment of a site which has been underused and being overseen by the city council of Dundee. The site possesses great pottential in becoming one of the major pivot of the city. With its topological location, our group (me, John, Mirjam, Prince & Beth) identified it as capable of forming a node for strings of activities around the area such as commerce, social, leisure and cultural. After finalising the masterplan, we devided the site to individual buildings for every single one of us to work on. Naturally, some building are more challenging then others. As for me, i decided to tackle the leisure centre which is relatively huge in scale. The design process went on for 5 weeks and with just once a week of tutorial day, its a huge ask. Frankly, i would say my design could've been better in many ways but sometimes you just hav to accept it as it is. I came across quite a few setbacks during the process but i dont really have other choice but to keep going. For me, the 1st semester is always about learning new softwares. The project became my testing platform for powerful tools such as 3dautocad and 3dMax. Getting use to 3dautocad is a huge task and 3dMax is not as "simple". Then comes the final 3 weeks of the project to test my software skills. It turned out to be a total nightmare. I picked up really slow and deadline is catching up on me. The final week was my final swing of the project as i battled through the long night road with mugs and mugs of caffeine as my gas. Thank god the complications become less as deadline approaches and a smooth finnish caps the whole semester long project. Definitely a week to remember with millions of reasons not to. As i look back at it, i can only smile. and say...(siut aaa, nyesal gile gi tgk movie hari tuh, nyesal gile tido byk, nyesal gile x bgn awal, nyesal gile ponteng class....)and it can go on forever. Damn it!

Architecture - the dilemma

2007-01-04T21:02:00.000-08:00

Three years into architecture course, I see myself breathe somewhat different from before. The world seem so different yet its still the exact same. From the possition of a door nob to the giant scale of urban landscape, it all appeares to spell its own meaning which only a trained mind able to define. In todays world, where countries strive to touch the sky with their steel and concrete arms, the architecture language is bound to evolve. New technologies and scientific improvement is vital. Engineers are constantly pushed to the bounderies and architects measured challenges upon their skills. Playmakers as they are dubbed, architects are technically, financially and politically involved in every sense of construction. They are the key to a success as well as the culprit of a failure. Nevertheless, they possess great influence in shaping the world and to make it a better place for us, our children and our children's children. A tight spot i'm in, i begin to ponder whether i'll ever be ready to shoulder the responsibility of shaping the world both literally and metaphorically.

The king is back!!

2007-01-04T19:59:00.001-08:00

Thierry Henry signalled his return to Arsenal's attack with a goal and an outstanding performance on his 250th League appearance for the club. Against a Charlton side reduced to 10 men for the final hour, Henry helped rid Arsenal of the depression caused by their defeat at Sheffield United and took them into fourth place, albeit still 15 points behind leaders Manchester United.

Still new in blogging

2007-01-04T18:24:00.000-08:00

Trying to get a hold on the functions and tools. surprisingly simple they are and the templates are interesting enough to get me started. That's a good start i guess. To kick start, I need a catchy title for my blog. Manage to come up with few decent names but not cunning enough to please my thoughts. As I struggle, My housemate mirin somewhat making fun of my blog behind my back. And I mean literally.(heheh) he’s just fooling around with my mobile phone with his legs crossed laying on my sofa bed. Idea would be greatly appreciated I thought. Like a mind reader, he answered my call. “pen & paper” he said. Indeed….catchy enough yet still space for a better metaphor. “haaa….quill & parchment” on his second call. Excitement clearly painted on his face as he entertains me with the story of mr potter’s wizardry adventure from which he got the idea from. Thank you my dear friend.

My hopes are high for this blog though I do have worries of keeping it decently updated as my past tells me stories of my own inability to keep things up to date. I guess there is afterall, something of an addition to my already few 2007 resolution that I have penned in my mind.

A start of something new

2007-01-04T17:43:00.000-08:00

5 days into the year of 2007, i sat upon my desk pondering about life. It has already been 22 years 9 months and 26 days since i first step into this world. Long enough for a giant spanish Oak to reach the mist yet humbled by the age of the smallest pebble in the ocean floor. What hav i achieved?what have i become? and more importantly, what will i become....questions which i cannot answer as my head and mind beds itself into the comfort of holiday and boredom. 'arghh..apehal plak pikir bende2 mcm ni!!' cried myself as i tried to set myself free from self justification. what to do?what to do.....

Done this, done that...too malas to do this..or even that...do what?..owh, i cant really afford to spend on leisure.

Let try blogging shall we. And that's exactly what i did as i speak. 1st timer in this sort of phenomenon, I apologize for any flaw or such.