i am happy.
because of 2 things.
[first] school is getting more and more interesting. it seems that my jc subjects are finally put into good use again. i just started on my media studies classes today and it was on manipulating numbers and transforming them into 3d modelling patterns. In which, it was fun to use the formulas again to make the patterns and graphs with formulas. Next up, physics is back into action again, i'm analysing the luminosity of the light bulbs in relation to the street lamps in st ives. Yes! History is definitely applicable and it's certainly great to be immersed in it again. But readings are piling up though, in addition to other good reads like fukuyama and derrida. Watch this space for completed projects.
[second] it's evelyn's birthday!!! happy birthday to you... happy birthday to you... happy birthday to evelyn....... happy birthday to you... lumpy is also finally one year old too... lumpy will get a present too...
okie, 2 happy things... shall retreat to my monster den...
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Sunday, October 15, 2006
educators or teachers? an update on St Ives trip
After my cornwall trip and all the tutorials i had so far, I came to the conclusion that my tutors are not really teaching at all, they are facilitators and consultants. Most of the time, each tutor gives different opinions which makes the continuation of my projects difficult. It's also kind of interesting to switch from grading based education to a system where there is only pass or fail... It's ironic that it doesn't provide you as much drive but yet you will be very concern about failing too... Seriously, it's easy to fail, you just need to fail one single component and that's the end of it... My course is divided into 4 subjects per year.
1. Studio - the main design projects
2. History and Theory - 3 essays a year to hand up only
3. Technical Studies - civil eng suff, with one case study and one physical model structure test
4. Media Studies - 2 main courses a year (i took information systems - information, programming and how they translate into architecture.. it's kindda mathematical and intersting)
as you can see there is neither exams not no gpa or cap grading system... perhaps i'll give a comparison with nus at the end of my school term and see if AA system is as busy or tough... school has been picking up...
I remember sarah mentioning to me about her first studio trip in nus to bangkok, which was filled with 40 sketches of the building facades, which left them totally no time to enjoy the place. Well, I was expecting something like that too for my St. Ives trip, but it turned out to be something different, it was a project about finding patterns, making them visually apparent on prints and there is another essay which i have to write on the landscape and urban forms of st ives... St Ives is a coastal area in the city of Cornwall which is located on the south western part of UK. It's a small town with loads of green hills and beaches, and ironically the food is more expensive over there.
there were so many different ideas of patters: circular growth of mosses, human traffic, tidal patterns, sand patterns, shop patterns, demographical pattern and my group did on street lamp patterns. I will post the photos up once i'm done with the project. Pattern recognition and representation seems to be fundamental part of architecture, as compared to the traditional free hand sketching. Although, the ability to sketch is important, and i hope to improve of it, cuz i can't draw for nuts, i guess having a deep appreciation of the environment is more important. It is this ability to spot an understand the built environment that will allow us to be very conceptual and analytical. That's the difference between American (US and Canada) schools and European schools. Perhaps it's best to be well trained with the technicalities of architecture too during internship, to ensure my desirability in singapore's architecture industry, which is still very commercialised and conservative.
I realised that more than half of my classmates smoke and it can get kind of intoxicating when they smoke in the meeting area too. Anyway, got to know qutie a number of classmates better through the trip and some of them are really nice. John actually went to look for me in the streets at 2am (i was still counting the street lamps and light bulbs) just to see if i was alright. Sylvie is such a great person to talk to, perhaps it comes with age. It seems that I have more in common with the older people in my class as compared to those who are younger than me. It's easy to talk to anyone apart from eastern eu, cuz there is still this language and cutural barrier which i will try to eliminate it over time.
1. Studio - the main design projects
2. History and Theory - 3 essays a year to hand up only
3. Technical Studies - civil eng suff, with one case study and one physical model structure test
4. Media Studies - 2 main courses a year (i took information systems - information, programming and how they translate into architecture.. it's kindda mathematical and intersting)
as you can see there is neither exams not no gpa or cap grading system... perhaps i'll give a comparison with nus at the end of my school term and see if AA system is as busy or tough... school has been picking up...
I remember sarah mentioning to me about her first studio trip in nus to bangkok, which was filled with 40 sketches of the building facades, which left them totally no time to enjoy the place. Well, I was expecting something like that too for my St. Ives trip, but it turned out to be something different, it was a project about finding patterns, making them visually apparent on prints and there is another essay which i have to write on the landscape and urban forms of st ives... St Ives is a coastal area in the city of Cornwall which is located on the south western part of UK. It's a small town with loads of green hills and beaches, and ironically the food is more expensive over there.
there were so many different ideas of patters: circular growth of mosses, human traffic, tidal patterns, sand patterns, shop patterns, demographical pattern and my group did on street lamp patterns. I will post the photos up once i'm done with the project. Pattern recognition and representation seems to be fundamental part of architecture, as compared to the traditional free hand sketching. Although, the ability to sketch is important, and i hope to improve of it, cuz i can't draw for nuts, i guess having a deep appreciation of the environment is more important. It is this ability to spot an understand the built environment that will allow us to be very conceptual and analytical. That's the difference between American (US and Canada) schools and European schools. Perhaps it's best to be well trained with the technicalities of architecture too during internship, to ensure my desirability in singapore's architecture industry, which is still very commercialised and conservative.
I realised that more than half of my classmates smoke and it can get kind of intoxicating when they smoke in the meeting area too. Anyway, got to know qutie a number of classmates better through the trip and some of them are really nice. John actually went to look for me in the streets at 2am (i was still counting the street lamps and light bulbs) just to see if i was alright. Sylvie is such a great person to talk to, perhaps it comes with age. It seems that I have more in common with the older people in my class as compared to those who are younger than me. It's easy to talk to anyone apart from eastern eu, cuz there is still this language and cutural barrier which i will try to eliminate it over time.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder - Love.
You are asked to "make something beautiful"! What does this mean? What is beautiful and how does one make it. "Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder" and you are asked to make it - are you someone who tells the truth? I guess the emphasis lies on the "making". Can you make something? Can you make something that is beautiful? Can you make something that you think is beautiful - in 4 days? How do you start? What can you make? What means making? Has it something to do with you, your hands, your body and your voice, How can beauty be made? One might say that architecture is utilitarian, funcational; it keeps the rain out. But can it be beautiful? can it be just for hte sake of being beautiful? Is something funcitonal beautiful, more beautiful? Might this be one clue of how to find beauty? You are asked to "make something" that you think is "beautiful".
My very first introduction project brief. Deadline - next tues.
School has started officially and it has been an interesting week visiting architectural practices and going for all the get together sessions. By the way, there are 52 students in 1st year. Friendships are formed through this short week and I hope that they will blossom and last, and they will not just be work relations but of true friendships. I guess this introductory project is very apt in bringing out the beauty of everyone. It is only through the discovery of the beauty of everyone that will make our education pleasant and lovely.
OCF (Overseas Christian Fellowship) is kind of great! I went for their fellowship meeting yesterday and it feels like back at home, singaporean christians worshipping god and having a cozy fellowship together. Anyway, shi ning and jonathan shared about what she did during summer to the whole fellowhsip and it kind of resounded with my me.
My very first introduction project brief. Deadline - next tues.
School has started officially and it has been an interesting week visiting architectural practices and going for all the get together sessions. By the way, there are 52 students in 1st year. Friendships are formed through this short week and I hope that they will blossom and last, and they will not just be work relations but of true friendships. I guess this introductory project is very apt in bringing out the beauty of everyone. It is only through the discovery of the beauty of everyone that will make our education pleasant and lovely.
OCF (Overseas Christian Fellowship) is kind of great! I went for their fellowship meeting yesterday and it feels like back at home, singaporean christians worshipping god and having a cozy fellowship together. Anyway, shi ning and jonathan shared about what she did during summer to the whole fellowhsip and it kind of resounded with my me.
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