Saturday, January 27, 2007

Now Every Egg Can Fly

AFTER the trial on Wenesday, the 'Jatuh Telur Cucur Atap' activity was a SUCCESS yesterday. However they were three groups didn't manage to land their eggs safely.
At 4pm, all the groups passed their egg shelter to our sixth year senior, where they will help us to dropped it from our studio at the 4th floor. And the rest of us watched a exicting egg landing show from below, at the FAB (Faculty Alam Bina) Square.



Preparing for the launch
Kel and Naz
Ujang and Sheril
Bee Li and Kay (missing in action)

Vanessa and me

Students waiting for the eggs
Our parachute was the first to launch

Jenny and Ariq's structure

Shika and Azizan's UFO
Here we go! (Kel and Naz's)
Be careful
Students checking the results
Didi (left) and the seniors
Opps.. -_-"

Can yours fly?
Never been so fun in architecture course for a long time. Before that it was assignments, assigments and then submissions.
So miss the first sem with activities like Sedili trip (staying in chalet), enchanted night (dressing as fairy tale character), pasar Rabu (selling Bel's rojak), puisi night (wearing baju Melayu) and the kite fest (making and flying kite).
I really hope this sem is as exciting as the previous one. Heard that other workbases are going for a trip to Bangkok and even as far as Cambodia during the semester break. Maybe our's is Langkawi, according to Mr Fawaz.
Well I'm not so sure if it's true. So let's just hope that is! =)

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Is Your Egg Broken?

OUR tutor, Mr. Fawaz bring forward the studio hour from Friday. We had our studio this morning and started with the first unit of our second project.

All of us started constructing our structure for the egg. There is abit changes in the materials given. The maximum length of the thread allowed is up to 3 meters. And the satay sticks given are 30. The size of the butter paper is still the same, A1 size.

Vanessa has this idea of making a small box for the egg. Then another bigger box to support the small box, with some strings. There will be parachute above to hold the box from falling fast.

Meanwhile, my idea (thanks to David) is to make a tripod which then the egg will be put inside. Then attach a parachute to slow down the fall. The purpose of making the tripod is to equally spread the impact force to the center of the egg shell when the structure touches the ground. Thus the egg will not break easily.


From tripod to tetahedon shape
Vanessa and I decided to start with my idea. First we tied the satay sticks with the thread to make a basic structure. Then we put the egg inside before 'locked' it with some sticks. As the results we got a tetrahedron kind of shape.


The egg stays inside
There were some space inside so that the egg could move a little bit but not out of structure. Using scraps of butter paper, we stuffed them inside the structure to act as a cushion for the egg. And the egg is still visible from the outside.


Cushion for the gg

Next, we make a triangle shape for the parachute since there were three sides for us to tie on the structure. However later we change it to a diamond shape (two triangle) to get a much bigger parachute.


Vanessa cutting the shape of parachute


Our final product


Group Jenny and Ariq was the first one to test their structure, without the egg and the parachute. Well, it didn't go so well because the structure landed on its side instead of the base. Other than the ground, there is also wind factor we need to consider about.
Next Jim and Han Chee tried their completed egg structure. They were the first group to test out the experiment.
"So long, baby"



And it turned out to be succesful. Everybody cheered! =)
'Ji dan mei you po', (鸡蛋没有破)said Mr Fawaz, happily.


Here are some of the groups' models:


Jim and Han Chee's structure


Jenny and Ariq's. Looks almost like the above.


Ujang and Sheril's cube shaped box. Vanessa's idea at the beginning.
Azizan and Chika's egg basket??


Bee Li didn't want to show hers =(


Next it was Vanessa and my turn to test our structure. She released it go from the fourth floor at our studio block.
And I waited below.


"Ready?"










3..
















2..
















1..








HERE WE GO!










Weeeeeeeeee..........








It took about 7 seconds for the structure to land.

Haha. Egg didn't break!! We made it!!



Then some other group tried with their models.

Some passed, some of the egg cracks abit, some were totally broken.


"Telur pecah! Boleh goreng", said Mr. Fawaz.

And one group's model landed on the first floor. However on the second try, they succeed.

We did have some fun during this day. Throughout is whole activity there were some things that we learned about constructing a stable, safer and economic structure for the egg person to stay in. Besides, we have to write a report on what we have done today.
As today is just a warm up and testing day for us, we will have to do it once again on Friday. It will be real on that day.
Can't wait until then.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Let's Go Europe

JUST finished watching 'Eurotrip' awhile ago. Nop, it isn't a travel documentary on Europe. This is a comedy movie released in 2004 but it was banned in the cinema screens in Malaysia. It was probably due to some nudity and sexual scene in that movie.
Basically. the story is about an American teenage guy, Scott, who thinks that his long time German pen-pal, Mieke, is a guy. However after discovering that Mieke is actually a hot babe, he crossed over to Berlin to find her.

Things went wrong. He and his friends ended up going around Europe before meeting his beautiful German girlfriend to be. This was how it went:

First, Scott and his friend went to London. Met a group of Man Utd fans which brought them to Paris. They met up with another two friends there. While they were queing to enter the Lourve Musuem, there was a funny scene where Scott was fighting with a Robot Man with his mechanical Kung Fu skillin the street. This part is truly hilarious!



Challenging a robot


Waiting for train at Crans Sur Mer, France


They also headed straight for the nearest nude beach. Dissapointingly, there were only males on the beach. So many kinds of sausages could be seen there =p



The naked guys


Being chased by naked men
Next, they went to Amsterdam by train. A Italian pervert joined them in the same cabin. Something happened while the train went into the tunnel. He he.


Stay away from us
In Amsterdam, the drug and sex capital of Europe, some of them found some 'entertainment' and had a wild night before heading to the East Europe. Then they headed to Berlin where Scott could meet up with his pen pal. Unfortunately she was in Rome for a field trip at that time.
An unforgetable moment in Amsterdam


If this couldn't help..
..maybe this will
So the group flew to Rome and to the Vatican City. Scott was 'elected' as the new pope and he finally met his German friend and confess to her. They then made out in the church.
In Vatican City with the Swiss Guard
After years of exchanging mails, Scott and Mieke are able to express their feelings in person
The movie ended up in a happy and unexpected way. Kristen Kreuk (from Smallville) appeared in the first part of the show. And there is also the lead actress from Xena: the warrior princess. It also stars Michelle Trachtenberg from the series Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

By the way, the girl who played the German pen pal, Jessica Bohrs is quite pretty. Worth watching if you like those American Pie kind of movies.


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This just reminds me of Inah, a Korean friend whom I known her through the internet. We got a chance to meet up in KL about 3 years back. Really hope I could see her again when I got the chance to visit Seoul.

Monday, January 22, 2007

First Project Submission

AFTER four weeks the first studio project were given, we are required to submit our project today. A 1:25 scale model, coloured perspective and axonometry/isometry drawing.

My workbase was given choices to do either a personal studio cum sleeping area or kitchen with dining room. I chose to do the personal studio. We had to create spaces within the dimension given and also to have an opening view from the space inside.
It's about planning the working space and how we can fully utilise the space with smooth flow.

Anyway, this is the model I have done in about a week's time:
My personal studio
Entering through the door

Overlooking the computer table and drafting table

View from the outside

My personal space - a piano and a couch to relax
View from another angle

The sleeping area at the upper floor. The blanket is made of toilet paper =p

Blur foreground, clear background
...and vice versa
The model, perspective and axonometry drawings

Some of my coursemates' works. And I realise that my drawings are really suck compared to the theirs.

This is Jenny's studio:


She idolise Jay Chou so much that she has a BIG poster of me him

This is Han Chee's studio:

Even the sliding door and window are moveable

A fish aquarium inside
Our tutor, Mr Fawaz, taking photos of all the students' works.

Submission of a project means the beginning of another project. This time, on the second project, consists of three units:

1) The Egg Structure

We are asked to think of and build a structure which supports an egg and prevent it to break after dropping it from the fourth floor. The materials given are 15 satay sticks, an A1 size (equivalent to eight A4) butter paper and a meter long thread.
Any ideas on how can I do that??

Mr Fawaz decided to choose our group partner by random. Since there are seven girls and seven guys. The girls have to choose their guy partner by randomly picking paper provided by our tutor. Each paper has a guy's name on it.

"Come, pick your lucky prince charming"
My partner for this activity will be Vanessa. By this Friday all of us should have our structure ready to be tested together with the egg. Recording of the whole process is part of the project's requirement.
Maybe I should read this first

2) Wakaf in a Garden

All of us have to construct a wakaf (a small shelter made entirely of timber) which will be assemble in a housing area nearby. The purpose of this activity isfor us to learn and understand the joinst of the timber and the connectings of the post and beam.
A sample wakaf outside the girls' block
All the works have to be done in the workshop. It is a group assignment. The members have not been selected yet.

3) A Welcome Gerbang

Every group of two has to design a gerbang pintu for a school by using the Sketchup program. The winner for the best gerbang will be selected by the PTA (Parents and Teachers Association) of the school and his/her design will be build at the school's main entrance.
A gerbang on the East West Highway
This is a project which really attracts me. Of course, it is not easy to have our design selected. There are many aspects to be carefully considered. The cost, materials, colours, concepts, uniqueness etc.

Each of the project are only given a week's time to accomplish as there are only three weeks before our mid sem break. I think all these are much more easier compare to the first project. At least we get to enjoy ourself while working on the project =)

*twist fingers*