My fourth tattoo...

This is my fourth tattoo ... did it in batu ferringhi mid of last year.

It's a temporary.

Well, it's said that it'll last for 2 weeks ... mmmm... if you don't wash?

This is how it looked like after a week.

I had a some difficult times with this tattoo.... cos I couldn't hide it during meetings with clients.

I have learnt my lesson.... never go for the normal exposed part of canvas.

Why Work Late?

illy's Push Button House

ILLY INTRODUCES “GREEN” PUSH BUTTON HOUSE at the 52nd International Art Exhibition, Venice Biennale

June 7, 2007

International Art Exhibition in Venice illycaffè is partnering with the Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia for the fourth time.

At the Biennale illy will provide art-lovers and coffee connoisseurs a beautiful space to relax, reflect and enjoy a perfect cup of espresso. Visitors to illymind, the rest and refreshment area founded by illy in 2003, will be introduced to the Push Button House which opens like a flower and transforms from a compact container into a fully furnished and functional space with the push of a button.

After the preview at Art Basel Miami Beach, the Push Button House, a work designed by American artist-architect Adam Kalkin and redesigned for the presence of illycaffè at the 52nd International Art Exhibition, arrives for the first time in Europe.

Kalkin is known for designing comfortable spaces and placing them in unusual contexts. Visitors to the Push Button House will experience the artist’s ability to transform industrial materials into a domestic masterpiece, beautifully contrasting between the indoor and outdoor worlds, while enjoying complimentary illy espresso for a complete authentic Italian experience. The entire work was created from recyclable materials.

http://www.illy.com/wps/wcm/connect/US/illytools/footer/press/press-releases/pbh-biennale#

Going green with business cards

Stumbled upon this cool article. Growing Business Cards. Great idea... your business card will stay on someone's desk for sure!!! For how long? mmmm...

With watering instructions on how to grow the alfalfa or cress at the back of the card.

http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/05/22/growing-business-card/

Respect?

Yesterday, I had a brief talk with a friend working as an illustrator. He mentioned that (a number of) developers nowadays look for them to visualize what they have in mind and from there the developers will proceed to look for an architect to prepare building plans for submission and project implementation.


Isn't it sad? What happened to the architect's job? According to the Oxford dictionary...

architect
· n.
1 a person who designs buildings and supervises their construction.
2 a person responsible for the invention or realization of something.


architecture
· n.
1 the art or practice of designing and constructing buildings.

What happened to a person who designs buildings? What happened to the art or practice of designing buildings? It seems that a majority of Malaysian developers and a number of architects do not recognise this anymore. Are architects to be blamed for this trend?

This is a pathetic situation... is it because of the existence of some "business" architects who will do anything just for money? Just to generate cash flow to cover their monthly office overheads? Or is it because there are too much competition in the market and the fees are too little?

Oh yeah... grab whatever job in the market... take it in with a pathetically low fee and squeeze your lemon draftpersons to their last drop. Reminds me of an article I read in my college years... the architects equivalence of prostitutes. Sell your service to satisfy the client even if it means degrading yourself and your beliefs in architecture?

Recently, I was approached by a friend to do a small renovation job. I couldn't bring myself to accept the work. This provoked him. Said I was too proud and called me stupid for rejecting money. Well, as long as I don't torture myself doing what irks me, I am fine. I am not saying that I am a saint in the architectural world. I believe that we can still survive by standing firm. Anyway, me not accepting the job, doesn't mean others won't. And the result is another eyesore somewhere in Penang.

Another good reason that you might want to wear glasses?

Advertisement by Oogmerk Opticians via Ads of the World.

taken from http://blog.miragestudio7.com/

Stained Glass Window at Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang

This is one of the many feng shui features found throughout this restored mansion(http://www.cheongfatttzemansion.com/ ). The yellow colored glass is actually depicting a chinese fan. Notice the green colored glass patterns? They are actually depicting pineapples.

In Hokkien, a dialect widely used in Penang, pineapple is ong-lai. Superstitious chinese believe that the pineapple represents "the coming of prosperity or luck".

A combination of the fan and the pineapple... tada... you get prosperity or luck fanned into your house.