Growing an architect.

Yet another post on architecture.. well, thats just my life lately. In fact that's what i guess my life's gonna be like for a long time. Ive studied architecture for 6 years now. Its almost as long as medicine... Why should it be that long? What have i learnt through all this?

I went through 6 years of education, and yet, unlike other courses, i didn't have to memorize much. I had to tackle every design task the lecturer gave me without question. (although they did provide briefs as to what the assignments learning outcome is, i didn't bother reading it).

So now close to the end of my education, i suddenly feel like a design architect. When did this metamorphosis happen?

Year 1 - In the first year, I was thought the basics of design. Amongst many other basic design principals, i was thought of how lines, geometry and forms interact with each other, and I learnt also of the way form and colors could evoke certain emotions on everyone who interacts with it.

Then i looked at how these lines, geometry and form, could also have a function.With a function, these elements becomes objects and spaces. I learnt that objects and spaces could have relationships to one another. Which object should be placed next to the other? Which space should be within or next to another?

Year 2 - Entering my second year, I experienced how these spaces and objects, in a built form, could then interact with its surroundings. I tried my hands on a large open space project as well as a tight spaced one. How would a built object affect its surrounding and how too will the surrounding affect the built object? This interaction is part of what makes a building a piece of architecture.

Later on, I had to take that principal of interaction and apply it to a larger scale. How will a piece of architecture interact with the community, town or city? How do i encourage people to visit it? Will it bring any benefit to the community?

Year 3 - The following year, i learnt of another form of architecture. Architecture could be a space not to be in, but merely an intermediate space, a space to come and go. The architecture would then have to interact differently with its occupants.

With that much design knowledge i head out into the working world of architecture. I returned back to school after half a year for more architectural education that i didn't even realize i was getting.

Year 4 - At the start of my fourth year, I was given the opportunity to experience design with repetitive spaces. Then designing for a target group of people. With every new project, ALL of what i have mentioned as well as the ones i forgot to mention comes into play. Every project calls on new challenges.

I now know how to apply what i have learnt onto any architectural challenge. With the knowledge to design a building, i graduate with my BSc.

But architecture education isn't over yet. There are 2 more years of official architecture education to go through. Bullocks. What more can i learn? - So i thought.

Year 5 - In the fifth year of my education, i didn't design a building at all. Fair to say, i already know how to design a building... so why teach me again. The education i got thought me how to appreciate architecture. I spent a whole year learning how to appreciate materials and practiced the craftsmanship of building technology.

Year 6 - Finally on the last stretch of architecture education, I delved into the art creating beautiful spaces. While doing that i learnt to appreciate the history that goes into a piece of architecture.

Ive still got a few more months to go, but hopefully by the time i graduate with my Bachelors, i would be a better architect then i was before. With new and constantly updating appreciation for the world.

I wish i could see my design constructed

I wish i could see my design constructed. It must feel good to be able to see something that you thought of come to life. I mean like one of the most amazing feeling you could ever feel.

It was once just a figment of my imagination. I thought about how id like the the visitor of the building to feel in each transition of spaces. I would have even designed the approach to it. Each step of the way i had planned the view each visitor should see.

I nursed my design from nothing but a square box to a fully constructed entity which i had guided to be this building that i hope to be perfect.

And the feeling I would get to actually be able to go through those spaces. The feeling of success for pulling of such a master plan.

"Did it turn out as i had hoped for?"

"Did it make its occupants behave like i wanted them to?"

My grand scheme which took years in the making is right in front of my eyes.

If it became as i had wished for it to become, then that must feel really really good

My building, my home

Throughout the 6 years involved in architecture, ive never tried designing my own house... wonder what the end product would be like.

As anyone in architecture or design know, design is not something that just materialize when you think of it. It is a process. With just a year and a half working in firms, i wouldn't say I have got plenty of actual experience. But i do think that I've had quite a bit of experience designing for studio... I know that the finish product would be far from the idea that first came to mind in terms of form and what not. They would only stay in terms of concept.

So for my own home, what would that concept be.. what would the initial brief be like.

Might be nothing special, but what would i choose to define and house my lifestyle? What is my lifestyle? Is it something that i would design according to my current needs (whenever that time wold be) or would i design it to what i want my lifestyle to be like. Since im the architect for the building, my design style would find a way to manifest itself onto the form of the building. No lecture, boss nor client to stop me and my design ego. Hopefully by then i would design more maturely.

Then again its not just gonna be my life involved in it. Ive got to consider what my girl wants as well.. will two architects make it even more complicated? Furthermore, there are functional requirements such as a workshop for myself or a pool. Perhaps a slightly larger garage to fit more cars. Study room and a library for ska.

The building i design would also have to capture natural light and air, therefore it would be highly influenced by site and surrounding.

I guess the design process is just too deep for me to even imagine what my house would be like without enough information on site, cost, brief. But i know that when the time comes, the house will be my statement to the world regarding my life, my individuality and my career.

It will set out from the very beginning to awe

... hopefully within budget

Summer 2010: Oh, hell.. why not

The month after my eurotrip started as a time of nothingness. Nothing to do, while everyone waited their turn to fly back to Malaysia for the holidays.

A lot of my friends' housing contract ends at the end of July, but they would only leave the UK in late August or early September. Therefore, a number of them crashed in my house throughout this period.

A lot of guys in one house yet nothing to do... woke up, played some PS, watched some movies.. yada yada. So whatever idea that came up, such as "hey, lets ..(fill in blanks)..", was always supported with a Oh, hell.. why not.

Few of the highlights include,

A fishing trip to the North of Wales! A friend of a friend would supply everything we need for an overnight camping and fishing trip, the remaining three of us had minimal fishing experience.

Oh, hell.. why not.

The site was far from sunny beaches. It was hard rocky edges drenched in cold rain.

Me and a friend went hiking on the edges of the sea, climbing and hopping from rock to rock, far out from camp and back. One stayed in the camp and slept for most of the time. Leaving the avid fisherman to battle a sea-lion to haul in food for the day.

In the end, we spent a total of 200 pounds only to eat 4 mackerels.

Back from the trip was some time in Manchester.. Someone suggested that we spend a night out in town as 'gentlemen' to celebrate a friends graduation.

Oh, hell.. why not

Next, was the trip to send my friend to Heathrow airport, London. In London, we met a Malay prostitute who offered us a night in her apartment. Unfortunately, we declined. After having dinner in the famous Tinseltown restaurant, we were ready to head back to Manchester.

"There are some great nudist beaches in Brighton, two hours south of London" said a friend.

Oh, hell.. why not.

Nude people don't come out at night so we decided to spend the night on the beach. On arrival, we saw a group of guys lighting up a campfire. We wanted one as well.

We drove around town looking for something to burn. Surprisingly, there were a stack of construction planks next to a bin. We loaded them into the car, found some discarded boxes as well and we were good to go.

Few hours later, as the fire died out... I said "Ive never been to Portsmouth, its only an hour west of here".

Oh, hell.. why not.

We drove an hour to Portsmouth at 5 in the morning. Parked the car in Portsmouth and slept till 9. Woked up and walked around Portsmouth till about noon. My friend still wanted to see the beaches of Brighton. We got back in the car and drove back to the east.

We did not find any nudist beach. Oh, hell

From there we headed back to Manchester where I spent a few more days before my flight back to Malaysia. I was almost broke at this point but it was money well spent. It turned out to be a rather interesting month after all.

Summer 2010: Eurotrip

I would say that my last summer holidays felt like the most fulfilling holiday Ive had in a long long while. The holiday lasted close to four months and I don't think there was a single dull moment through it all.

I'm just gonna list down the things that happened for my future reference's. Don't expect to read of any new epiphanies ....

Kicking off at the start of summer was my euro trip!! First leg of the journey covers Krakow-Stockholm-Oslo.

Krakow was beautiful and warm. The city's appeal come mostly from its medieval history. Parts of the fortress wall still surround the inner city. It gave me the rare opportunity to get a glimpse of what it would have been like living in one of those medieval towns. I also went underground into an ancient salt mine that is rumored to be the inspiration behind the Mines of Moria in The Lord of The Rings.

On top of that, I got free accommodation and tip top hospitality from my host, Peter. A polish guy who is into Amy Search and nashid music (he doesn't understand the language btw).

From there I flew to Stockholm. The last time i was there the temperature was -15c. The weather was more bearable this time around and yet still too cold to feel like summer. Nevertheless, there is a certain charm about Stockholm. The city feels almost archipelago like and the hop-on hop-off ferries are one of the best ways of getting around.

Next up, Oslo. The city of Oslo is not as dense as most other European cities. There was part of an old fortress wall on top a hill that looks over the Oslo bay which i enjoyed. Sorry to say, but it is one of the more forgettable places ive seen so far. What i will remember though, is eating whale meat stew. Much to my surprise is that whales have red meat - complete with a beefy flavor.

A week on the road got me bummed. From Oslo I head back to Manchester for a week of rest and preparation for my Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam trip.

Paris is much like London or Kuala Lumpur in my point of view. Being a Metropolitan city, it drains my energy just by being there. A source of energy however, would be French girls. hehe. As expected from the fashion capital of the world I suppose. People who actually shop would enjoy Paris more than i did. Spent the last night in Paris on top of the Eiffel tower. The view from there was amazing. The city looked like an ocean of gold coins below my feet.

En-route to Amsterdam lies the city of Brussels. First striking feature of Belgium is that it doesn't have its own language. Belgium is a small country in between giants like France, Germany and Holland. Its interesting to imagine Belgium's origin as a rouge town formed by people from those three giant states. It must have only been a stopover town for travelers. Brussels itself was alright, but not one of my top picks. Chocolate and waffles galore.

From Brussels, I got the bus into Holland. One one side of the road was a vast expense of farmland. On the other, a vast expense of open sea. The sea was on higher ground. (Try imagine sitting by the beach, but instead of looking down to the sea, you'd have to look up to the sea). A few hours later I finally got into Amsterdam....

Amsterdam oh Amsterdam....

no further comment ;)

6th sense, 7th sense, 8th sense.. how many senses is really out there?

I was thinking about human senses the other day. These senses are what we use to define our world. What we can sense, we believe.

Then again animals are able to sense things that we couldn't; like a coming earthquake or tsunami. So what else cant we sense? Like in the 6th sense movie, it defined the 6th sense as being able to see ghost.

Then i stumbled on a documentary on tv: The possibility of life in other planets.

It showed that the discovery of life in areas of earth with no sunlight and (if not mistaken) no oxygen has opened up the possibility of life existing in any atmospheric condition - no matter how hostile it may seem. These lifeforms would just look different from what we are accustomed to as they would have to adapt to different conditions.

However, one scientist predicted that if there were life somewhere else, It would look similar to those on earth.

Reason being that in concept, our organs are already picking up on the smallest unit of elements in the universe. Our eyes are designed to capture photons of light. Our ears pick up on the vibration of molecules around us. Our nose and mouth identifies the chemical composition of these molecules or atoms of materials. Our touch could feel energy in the form of heat.

Then when we study animals, we identify some of them to be blind or deaf. Those animals have less senses than us.

Well, Isn't it arrogant for us humans to assume that we are sensing everything there is to experience in the universe?

Why is it that only the things that we can see, feel, smell, touch and hear be considered a fact. Why is it that only things that could be proven to these five senses be considered the truth.

Try imagine that we were a species without the sense of sight. And perhaps one person, for some reason, is able to. If he told us that the sun rise into the sky everyday.. would we believe him? or would he just be ridiculed?

So, could it be possible that there are things right in front of us that we could not experience? Something that we just could not comprehend. Like people telling us about light when everyone is blind.

Scientist now are able to study light, sound waves, molecules etc. But there might be things that are not made of atoms nor plasma nor any elements we have yet to identify. Something that could be defined as things of another dimension.

If these elements are out there and we are not able to sense it...

who are we to dismiss its existence.

and...what if these elements are what supernatural beings are made of?

The system

We were playing Pro Evo Soccer (PES) on the PS3 the other day. After each match we became increasingly competitive about who wins, forcing us to do our best every time we play. Nevertheless, some times it seems like it just wont hit the back of the net no matter how hard we try. No matter how precise we setup the opportunity.

Which begs the question "why??!!!"

Then my friend mentioned "its all in the system". I had no idea what 'the system' meant at that moment.

I retreated into myself for some time trying to figure out what 'the system' means. Obviously its referring to the PES system. What is the 'PES system'??

well, its a system that allows me to input my decision (via action) into the system to produce an outcome or consequence that affects the PES match.

Does that mean that im part of 'the PES system'?

Then again, my opponent had to input his decision in order to make the same outcome possible.

Does this mean that we are part of 'the PES system'??

We are designed into the system as the system was designed to allow us to input our decision.

Following defeat in a match, we naturally wanted something to blame. Therefore we would blame it on the 'PES system'... (ignoring the fact that we are in fact part of the system. I decided on my actions and affected whether i won or lost) .The system that was designed to decide who wins or who loses in any particular match.

Then i started to wonder deeper into my thoughts,

The guy who made the 'PES system' must have been a genius to produce a system that enabled me to decide on something and let my decision affect the outcome of the match. He designed it so that when i decide to press shoot, the player would shoot the ball and hopefully the ball would hit the back of the net.

But the system was designed in the limited context of a football match. I could not have punched another player in the face even if i wanted and decided to.

In order for that to happen, the games designer would have to design a new system that allow me to punch another player when i decide to. The more opportunity for me to make my own decision, the more real the game becomes.

For a game to be totally real, the system would have to be designed so that we could do whatever we feel like doing. Which is actually doable in real life; We could do whatever we want to do.

So is real life a system?

Real life is still a system because it allows me to decide on something and let my decision affect the outcome.

You cant argue that there is no system, because there is a system that allows us to make our decision. The act of making a decision is within the design of the system.

As i mentioned earlier, we are part of the system. This is because im not the only one capable of making a decision. My decision and similarly your decision would affect a single outcome. There can not be more than 1 outcome. As seen through the win or lose of the PES match.

Therefore, i am part of 'the system', you are part of 'the system' and everything that we could see touch and act upon is part of 'the system'. Everything is part of 'the system' because everything was designed to allow us to to make a decision. Our decision is part of 'the system', and the outcome was allowed to happen because 'the system' was designed to allow it to happen.

If you insist that there is no system, then you are not 'thinking'. Because thought was allowed for in 'the system' in order for you to make a decision. The system goes like this:

Thought > Decision > Action > Reaction.

If you believe that everything is merely action and reaction, then there is no thought. If you believe that you are thinking and making your own decision.. then the above system is right. Is it not?

Like the 'PES system's designer, The designer of 'The system' would have to be a genius.

Then, at this point of thought, these words from the Koran struck me....

(I cant quote where ive heard it from, but im pretty sure ive heard it before)

If you think, then you will find god.

Dont try to figure out god. For he cant be comprehended. Thats why god asked us to think..not necessarily about anything in particular..but think about thinking. Then you can see that god must exist.

God is the creator of everything you see around you.

There must be a system that binds everything around us. Everything is part of 'the system' that allowed us to think and make decisions. And all systems must have its creator.

God is in you. God is in everything around you.

God is the very concept of 'the system' itself, We are also part of 'the system', everything around us is part of 'the system'.

Man was given the characteristics of god

First and foremost, we were given the ability to think. We are also given the ability to create. Not just static objects, but create systems as well.

Not only is Allah a genius for creating 'the system', he was even smart enough to tell us about the whole concept of 'the system'. Amongst countless other things he told us.

Science and Islam goes hand in hand, because Islam is a way of understanding the system, and science is also a way of understanding the system.

Isnt it all beautifully made and tied together? :)