Tranquility

There have been times in my life when I could not bear the hustle bustle of a metropolitan. Having schooled, and then worked in the heart of Kuala Lumpur; the infamous Bukit Bintang for its horrendous traffic jam and red light alleys, and not to forget my college life in Houston.....

I found peace and tranquility in the little town of Geelong. Happiness is abundance in basic life and simple things. Life becomes more meaningful in the absence of material obssession; a never ending race that often leaves the poor soul forever discontented.

Kids

While we try to teach our children all about life,

our children teach us what life is all about

by Angela Schwindt

I Wished I were a Bird

7 months into my studies, I have been utterly worried. More than not, I am the kinda person who draws a framework in everything that I do...not that I am a perfectionist, but I like to draw out the task to keep my track. When my supervisor kept on wanting me to wander without anchoring to a framework, i was really in trouble. And so, I sent this message and got back answers in red. I wished i were a bird that can fly free and find the way back to her nest.

I dont know how to put this to you but I am very worried about my studies and it has been affecting me. The problem is still about the "unclear research problems" and "unclear framework". I have been thinking a lot after our last meeting, your advice to continually build my interest in the area alongside with developing models and writing before summarizing everything in a thesis.

your research problem is not "unclear" at all. The process of a PhD is to have a "flexible" framework. Its a big task so my advice is to break it up into smaller chunks. You can continue to write as you go along but the main thesis would be written at the final stage.

I have been reading a lot already and I think I now need to focus. I am so afraid that by allowing myself to continually search in the area of digital media which is such a big name and involves many tools with each tool having its unique application and applied for different purposes might be dangerous for my studies that has a limited duration of 3 years. While it sounds exciting, I am afraid Sambit, that your bottom-up method may not work for me. I dont think that I can afford to spend more time in the later stage of my studies to find other literature and struggle to find a framework to support my results.

Focus is very important. we have to work both bottom up and top down. I guess the process or framework I am advocating is the same as any other research project,
1. identify the problem (literature review),
2. establish the methodology (tools, techniques, methods),
3. undertake some experiments (project, case studies, Mdec)
4. validate the results (findings, successes, failures)
5. writeup the research findings (thesis)

The other thing that I am particularly worried about is my research heavily depending on building 3D models. I am very sorry to trouble you but I really need to clarify these matters before I can proceed and these worries also come from examining and comparing with the experience of others.

Not really. The 3D models come in item 3 above only. My advice is that you continue in the direction we have discussed, but perhaps you want to spend a bit more time on 1 and 2 above to make it more tangible?

Raglan and Jeans

This combination is the most comfortable one for me. One of the earliest T shirts that I own many many many years ago was a raglan and I have been a "raglaner" since then. Easily said, I am more of myself when I am in these, and with a comfortable pair of platform shoes...I am set to go free. Well, to answer your question Win, I guess those jerseys are also in the raglan cateogory, but maybe not the sweaters. But to me, a raglan needs to have that diagonal cut near the shoulders. It somehow gives the rugged and carefree look to the T Shirt and the wearer, at least physically. So now you wear to imagine huh.

A Pinch of Salt

A senior colleague of mine, during his working trip down under stopped to visit me. He said he wanted to check on me but I think he actually missed me. You see, he liked to provoke and annoy me and he probably missed doing just that. On one day during the trip, he had asked me to drive him to his old landlady's who he has not seen for umpteen years. He had once studied at this part of the world, you know.

So we went to see Maureen for a cuppa at Margaret Street; a quiet road at the Rippleside. As I stepped from the car, I could clearly hear the sound of waves coming from St Helen's beach at the other end down the road. It was surreal and my colleague was so excited to meet his Maureen. She is in her 70's but full of life and she has this lovely cosy house with knik knaks all over the place, neatly arranged as if they are telling a story. As I was admiring the little blue china sets on the white mantlepiece and pots of Azaleas and Forget-me-nots, the two were busy catching up and rekindling memories. Somehow, I couldnt help noticing the other part of this colleague of mine. The part that I wouldnt have known if I had not been here to witness.

It tells me that sometimes, we are just too easy in judging others, yet we know so little about them. And we easily welcome praises. Perhaps, we should learn to take them with a pinch of salt.

Aisyah does not want to brush her teeth

I had to find a creative solution since all normal efforts have proven failed. All the fancy toothbrushes; from glittery Sleepy Beauty to the fluorescent Shrek didnt help, and nor did the new bath robe with little fairies on it. Aisyah was really testing my creativity. Then I thought about the digital media. I have been looking at the potential of the new media to demonstrate the effects of certain actions on others, for example design decisions on the built environment. I have used it at three different offices and proven the impact in my lengthy report. I have also written about it in a dissertation.

Hmmm..I thought, why not use the same technique to show my dear little girl the effects of not brushing would do to her teeth. So, I started this little project and I did 2 sets, one on her and the other one on her elder sister Icha so that she wouldnt cry when she sees that she is the only one who gets to become ugly. In the first stage, I used Adobe Photoshop and it involved a series of picture of Aisyah with a wide smile, showing the levels of degradation on her teeth. The next step is putting it all together with some text and other photos in a movie maker to show the impact. However, I could not post the movie in this blog yet due to some technical problems with my laptop.

U know u are an architect when...........

U know u are an architect when...........
found it on a website......... i find it very true so it was interesting to share.... enjoy u know u are an architecture student when..... ...your roommates say "good morning," and you reply "good night." ...you carry a toothbrush in your backpack. ...someone asks you for your phone number and you give them the studios. ...you start paying rent for your desk space in studio. ...You total up 3 meals of the day to your breakfast. ...'Red Bull' is you favorite drink. ..you ask Santa Clause for architecture supplies ...after all of your expenses, you can't afford to pay attention ...you have 3 or more cups of double shot coffee espressos in one night ...you hear the same song on the radio 3 or more times in one night. ... You know the different taste between UHU and Pritt glue ... You can stay alive without sunlight, communicate with people nor having foods but you would commit suicide if the plotter doesn't plot your work out ...the only sleep you get is in your G. E. classes. ...construction workers are already working. ...You've lost your house key and u realized week later ...you sleep more than 16 hrs at weekends .. You are an expert and Photoshop, illustrator and auto cad but u don't know how to use MS excel ...you've got 2 subjects / day but u got to study it whole day ...you spend more time in studio than in your own bed. ...you only leave studio to buy supplies. ...you haven't taken a shower in a week. ...you see showering as a waste of time. ...you've ever dreamt about your models. ...upon hearing 'supermodel', you think of a nicely crafted-foam core model. ...you know how much a cubic foot of concrete weighs (150lbs). ...you slice your finger, and the first thing you think of is if you'll be able to finish your model. ...you know how much a cubic foot of concrete weighs (150lbs). ...you slice your finger, and the first thing you think of is if you'll be able to finish your model. ..you can listen to all your CD's in one night. ..Sister's favorite brand names are Prada DNKY etc... But yours are Mastex, Staedtler, pentel, rotring ..you can conceptually compose the food on your plate. ...you think the 'Weekender' happens every weekend. ...upon hearing 'Weekends' you think of sleep. ..you wake up to go to school and you're already there. ...you start wearing all black ...you say "It's only midnight- I have plenty of time to finish." ..you start to critique a radio selection's selection of songs. ...you bring your friends to studio to keep you company. ...you refer to outside studio as the "Real World." ..."going out to eat" is at the 'Shop Cafe'. ..you refer to outside studio as the "Real World." ..."going out to eat" is at the 'Shop Cafe'. ...going on a vacation involves going to 'Flax' or 'Pearl'. ...you confuse today and tomorrow. ...you tell time by when other people leave studio. ...you can write a 6-page term paper by procrastinating. ...you hear "Didn't you wear that yesterday?' followed by "and the day before that?" ...you roommate files a Missing Person Report. ...you count the number of days (not hours) you've been awake. ...you think days are 48 hours long. .you go to the store to buy a six-pack of 'Red Bull'. ..."Homecoming" happens once a term. ...concept of time is not forward, but a countdown from the time a project is due ("What time is it?""4 hours 'till"). ...you contemplate suicide 3 times a day. ...you contemplate dropping your major 3 times a day. ..you think "X-Acto Blade Throwing" is a sport. ...you have 3 or more 'Mountain Dews' in one night ...you use your T-square or straight edge as a baseball bat. ....the day has 2 sunrises. ....you test which glue will cause your model to burn faster. ....when you tell people you major in "architorture" ...U can't draw without listening to music! .. When the books that you read consist primarily of photographs and not so much of words ... When you have to ask your fellow architects to give you wake up calls ... When you have three or more alarm clocks in your room. ... When cutting yourself with an x-acto seems like a good idea because it will give you an excuse for not having finished your work
-- Mahrukh Mirza, August 28, 2008

U know u are an architect when...........
Thanks a lot, I think that it is great how all architects all around the world are united with the same circumstances, and the same destiny
-- Hiba Al Kadri, September 6, 2008

U know u are an architect when...........
Hehehe...so hillarious but true. For new comers to the world of architecture, reading this book will help, I reinstate, might help. Architecture 101: A guide to the Design Studio by Andy Pressman AIA
-- Mimi Zaleha Abdul Ghani, September 8, 2008

Digital City

Digital City, Is it a tool, medium or it is an aim?
-- Mohamed El-Sibaey, February 8, 2000


i think digital city is a medium , to interact and to feel in the real sense the meaning of the term 'a global community'.thanks
-- Harshada Deshpande, March 1, 2000


Digital city is the place people interact, get information, make some time good use of it, and so.It can no way be the aim untill every body gets a free link which is impossible.It can be a medium, but basically it is a tool which is one of the option to interact and get information.Reply to other answer the "global community" is somthing has to be common for all,but we can see that the work here is with power, wealth, or so, which is the wrong meaning for global world.
-- Muhammed Atif Shaikh, March 11, 2000


The technological relevancy has apparently changed over time. To wire every public to the digital city is now so possible, the issue still lies in the role of the digital cities. I am currently pursuing PhD in the area of 3D modeling and visualization in urban design and planning and still searching for the gaps. I plan to develop a digital city model integrating GIS information and use it to find the critical issues to direct my studies. Please advise.
-- Mimi Zaleha Abdul Ghani, August 12, 2008


A combination of 'medium' and 'tool', but more inclined towards the latter. What can be motives behined treating Digital Cities as aim? and, above all (Lolz)... What exactly do we mean by a 'Digital City' here?
-- Prashant Das, August 13, 2008


Different roles of DC i guess. The "aim" is to respond to the global digital demand, and the "tool" is to improve delivery of information about the city and enhance communication about the city among stakeholders. But I presume the tool is more than a tool and it can actually produce better design and control for the city as people understand their cities better with the digital information. What exactly do we mean by a 'Digital City' here? The editorial writing by Michael Batty in 2001 for Env and Planning B; Planning and Design 2001, vol 28 pgs 479-480 gives some food for thoughts and I find still relevant. Regards.
-- Mimi Zaleha Abdul Ghani, August 13, 2008


Interesting reading, Mimi! Thanks for posting the details. This debate really gets interesting now! Indeed, Michael has described at least three ways 'Digital' cities are being interpretend: 1. The "Content" theory: "...Digital cities would then constitute ways in which infrastructure and behaviour are being augmented by hardware, software, and data ..." 2. The "Method" theory: "...thinking of the nondigital aspects of cities digitally, by using computer methods, or by thinking of the ways digital infrastructure and related behaviour is developing in cities..." 3. the "VR" theory: "...thinking about the city as a material artefact in contrast to a social process..." So far, only the third interpretation seems to be closer to treating Digital Cities as "Aim". The other two, perhaps consider DC only as tools/media to achieve a better quality of life. The third theory, I believe, has been debated and questioned for its intent. May be, a 'fear of the unknown'; but apart from 'virtual pleasure', I don't see any strong reason why DC could be treated as an 'aim'. Please share your thoughts on it.
-- Prashant Das, August 15, 2008


sorry to interrupt, but i'm just curious about one thing: in this Digital City, what happens to those who are not on-line?
-- Jofer Magsi, August 17, 2008


A very sharp question, Jofer. The contributors may want to check this book by William J. Mitchell (1996) City of Bits: Space, Place and Infobahn, MIT Press. You can read excerpts at http://books.google.co.uk/.
-- Ziad Aazam, August 17, 2008


I agree with you Ziad, City of Bits by Mitchell is definitely the book to shift your thinking about "the digital world". Another one is "Recombinant Architecture" by the same author. There are many issues; cultural, social relating to the use of this new media that will reshape our traditional ways. A simple example Mitchell gave is how the internet has changed our daily lives from how we start our mornings. Back to the digital city, as with other tools can be destructive. There should also be a limit to the idea of "wired" and I am not a taker to the Singapore's idea of "Virtual 2000". Taking all into consideration, there are the good points to digital media which is becoming more inevitable today and digital city is one. Please excuse me if I am wrong, but I believe there is just no other way but to embrace the new paradigm.
-- Mimi Zaleha Abdul Ghani, August 17, 2008


Jofer, I hope my opinion did not seem arrogant, just my personal view on this fast digital wave. I too have many reservations on this new tool but whether we like it or not, many cities worldwide are adopting this, spearheaded by digital cities in Japan and London for different purposes including to increase public participation. There is a project, I think by CASA, they had 'wired kiosk' stationed at the housing site to facilitate online participation by those 'unwired'.
-- Mimi Zaleha Abdul Ghani, August 18, 2008


Your attitude Mimi towards the paradigm of 'digital space', I believe, is the right one. We do need to invest in understanding digital possibilities and actualities, specially their effects on the largest human artefacts being that of cities and buildings. We simply cannot afford not to, and because some of us (my view is global) have already been part of a digital city/world for at least a decade now. We are affected by 'digital space' in ways we still have not evaluated their full extents yet. For example, it appears that a new divide between those who operate within digital space and those who don't has already been established in our collective consciousness. Globally, this divide is seen as a 'sub-condition' of the already established 'Have and Have Not' worlds along with other dichotomies such as democracy/oppression, rich/poor, developed/underdeveloped, 'bullying/bullied', civilised/primitive, progressive/backward, contemporary/traditional, etc. Locally, the divide is reflected in individuals and collective attitudes towards digital space, such as 'I/we hate computers' statement vs. 'I am/we are fully connected' statement. In my view, these global and local conditions of digital space need to be assessed at two dimensions: (1) as a reality in itself and as (2) a perception of reality. To assess these conditions, we need to step back and be critical of them. To be critical is to emancipate oneself from a condition when one is totally immersed without questioning one's act. Why 'digital space criticality' is important and how to be critical of these conditions are questions that require serious answers. But for now we can start with a simple answer that digital space simply affects individuals and society before it affects 'real space' (urban and architecture) and therefore a thorough understanding of how digital space condition affects our well being and social cohesion is a prerequisite to our understanding of material manifestations of our social actions and subsequent shaping of urban and architectural form. To answer these questions we also need to be careful not to confuse the two dimensions mentioned above: that (1) digital space as a reality is just another force of the changing life that we need to deal with in a highly conscious way that reaches our deep essence of being humans, e.g. Google map, satellite images technology and Global Positioning System (GPS) are part of daily life when we need to take a trip somewhere or mobile phones when we need to meet people on the spur of the moment, but how far digital-dependent we afford to be before we lose touch of our human ability to navigate in space and honour our pre-arranged time; and that (2) a perception of reality is what some of us (to avoid 'Them vs. Us' suggesting that we could also be implicated) want you to believe for their own special interest not for humanity's interest, e.g. implication of what may be called 'Western-centric' invented dichotomies that equate all extremes on one end of the continuum with one another, i.e. democracy=rich=developed=civilised=progressive=contemporary, while oppression=poor=underdeveloped=primitive=backward=traditional; which then alters our perception in such a way as to affect our understanding of what is real and true. (Truth is not relative; it is absolute). For example, traditional solutions are not necessary backward, in fact some 'progressive' ideas are now realised that they are harmful to humanity and the only solution is to go 'backward' to 'traditional' ideas.
-- Ziad Aazam, August 18, 2008

More Pictures of Loved Ones

Bon Voyage

February 28th 2008, the journey begins. Thank you to all who came to wish us farewell. We love you. Aisyah cried all along the way until she slept

The wind was cold and winter was coming

The wind was cold and winter was coming. It was one morning in the early July in 2001 and I was walking from The Sea Mist motel towards an old brick building that looked no different than the other wool stores surrounding it. The night before, I had taken The Ghan from Adelaide that arrived at the North Shore Train Station few hours later than scheduled. It was a long delay and I was uncertain if the taxi that was supposed to pick me up would still wait. The thoughts of being stranded at midnight in a strange place worried me all the way. The worries were soon gone when I was welcomed upon arrival by a smiling taxi driver who had earlier waited and went off but came back on the arrival time. Far from complaining, he even gave me a prelude to the city of Geelong as we passed through the northern side and the esplanade towards the motel. We reached there at half past midnight just to find the motel owner still waiting for me.

As I slowly marched along the Western beach, my warm thoughts about the nice people suddenly halted when I found myself standing in front of the Dalgety wool store. I thought, “Could this really be the place I am looking for to interview a few staff for my research?” The sign read, “Deakin University”. I stepped inside the aged building with uncertainties running through my mind and could not believe what I saw inside. The interior was a classic refurbishment showcasing impressive conservation of material and structural detailing. The exterior and interior contrast was cleverly done and the roofing lets in natural lighting that gives a sense of warmth to its inhabitants. “This is a stunning impression of an Architectural School”, I thought again.

That day, I interviewed more people than I originally planned, including academic and non academic staff who were eager to participate. I departed to Melbourne the next day and as I was leaving I could still clearly remember what I thought to myself as I gazed at the calm Corio bay, that I love this place its people and I will come back. It actually took me seven years to pursue this dream.

I was previously working as an architecture lecturer at the University Technology MARA in Malaysia and currently a PhD candidate at the School of Architecture and Building at the Deakin Waterfront Campus. My research is in the area of urban design and planning using 3D modeling and visualization. In fact, my supervisor is one of the people whom I interviewed back in 2001. Since arriving here early this year, I find that many things have changed and the little shop on the Eastern beach street which I tasted the best fish and chips has now been taken over by luxurious apartments overlooking the bay. However, besides the calm Corio bay, many things still remain the same. I am so glad to say that the people in Geelong are still as friendly and willing to go extra miles to offer a helping hand.

I find that being an international student, the elements of settling down are equally as important as academic matters. It is even more imperative for the students who have their family with them, like me. I have realized that it would not be easy for me to settle down and more urgently, to find a house to rent without a rental history. With that in mind, I have started my preparations way back from home, for example, preparing the necessary documents and searching the internet for houses to rent. I was very fortunate to have my colleague in Malaysia, Rima who has started her studies at Deakin much earlier. However, the settling down and the amount of stress was still immeasurable although I have already had similar experience when my husband and I brought along our two little children when did our masters at Adelaide University in 2000. It actually took me one month to secure a house to rent, largely owing to a reference letter from Rima to support my application to the housing agency. That is besides enrolling the children to schools as I have three children; a thirteen year old son who goes to a secondary school, an eleven year old daughter who attends a primary school and four year old girl who goes to kindergarten. My own enrolment and settling down in the course were “the other things” I had to manage. Juggling through chores and studying, I receive immense support from my husband, Yazid who sacrifices his architect job in Malaysia to be with us in Australia.

Other than that, the whole experience of studying and living in Geelong has made the difficulties we faced in the earlier stage seems worthwhile. There are some shortcomings here and there but I am confident that Deakin University is continually working to improve its services for the international students. Perhaps, one area to look into is to ease the transition period faced by the international students and to cater the needs of their families if Deakin aspires to increase the number of its international postgraduate students.

Trip to the Great Ocean Road

We started in the morning from Geelong heading to Port Campbell. We stopped at wherever interesting and whatever that caught our attention. GOR and the 12 appostles looked as solemn as I saw them 7 years ago. There were 3 cars altogether that were joined by walkie talkie. Cheerful throughout Apollo Bay to Port Campbell where we stayed a nite. Had great bbq and next day, drove to Warrnambool to try catch a glimpse of the whale at Logan Beach. We stopped at Timboon to check out its cheese, honey factory and ice cream parlour. More bbq with a stop
for coffee and headed home with great memries.