In Link With G

2005-07-20T13:19:00.000+08:00

All smiles =)

2005-07-20T13:18:00.000+08:00

Image change , bye bye wavy mane!

2005-07-20T13:16:00.000+08:00

Getting my cornrows done =)

2005-07-20T13:12:00.000+08:00

WARNING Sze Chuan Steamboat can cause : Bee stung lips, numbness to tastebuds , profuse sweating . Eat at your own risk. No pain No Gain :)

2005-07-20T13:06:00.000+08:00

Wooi Tee, the Royal Tester and the two Royal Chefs - Snoopy and Joe

Of Cornrows , Sze Chuan Staemboat and being a Nomad

2005-07-20T12:46:00.000+08:00

Hello, I'm back all geared for the new semester.

The past few days have been great, being nomadic and all . I'm still wandering in the wilderness for a new room to call my own. I'm grateful to Cecelia for providing this vagabond a place to pitch her tent and stay for the night =) Thanks Cecelia, it's slumber party every night !

SZE CHUAN STEAMBOAT

Yeah , yeah I was warned about Sze Chuan food before. SPICY. But only yesterday have I got my tastebuds challenged to numbness from Sze Chuan Steamboat . I thought I can handle spicy food with a breeze , being cili padi dependant all along. But man, yesterday I knew my limts.
The food was really nice, at first the pain was bearable but after another two more mouthfull, my whole mouth was numb and I felt like I have been brushing my teeth for like the 50th time in the past 10 minutes .

Lips were bee stung , faces flush and sweating profusely.

Anyway, besides having to go through all this agony, noone could resist for extra helpings of the steamboat... with jars of H20 in hand of cause !! The food was very finely prepared by two Sze Chuan gourmets , yours truthly - Joe and Snoopy with the freshly fetched ingredients from Tecso . Thanks guys ! The food was really worth it all...next steamboat encounter?
Errr... that has to be posponed for the time being with the tummy's best interest in mind =)

C.O.R.N.R.O.W.S

I had my hair done in cornrows by a hairstyling apprentice , who's very passionate about his work. I have always wanted cornrows done all along but am rather afraid of what to expect. Anyway, when it's done the hair looks great ! What a transformation for my wavy mane !
Thx Snoopy ;p great job !

So, everything's falling nicely into place again for me . PTL

2005-07-13T00:35:00.000+08:00

Can U believe Khireen's gonna be the next Bio & Chem teacher?

2005-07-13T00:31:00.000+08:00

Jia Shin ( 5Sc1 2001 Class Monitor ) and I the ever blur Math Student = )

Long time no see...

2005-07-13T00:28:00.000+08:00

I've been guilty of not keeping in touch with all my high school friends for such a long time since the days of SPM. So the other day when Hasliah called out of the blue, we decided it was high time that we meet up again, since I was back in Malacca for the semester holidays.
It was great to be able to contact as many of us who were back in town, in such short notice. Welcome back Raneesha !!
Some of us are already back in various varsities, [ as for me, my new sem starts next Monday ;( ] All the Best Everybody in Your New Semesters !!

2005-07-13T00:19:00.000+08:00

Janey and I after the long delayed reunion

2005-07-13T00:15:00.000+08:00

IJC-ians Unite

2005-06-10T01:16:00.000+08:00

Friends are God sent :)

God Sent

2005-06-10T00:59:00.000+08:00

Dear God,

Thank you for sending me angels all through the day, today. I am learning to cast my cares upon you for you careth for me.

I woke up today because of Hana's sms. See this was what she sent me :

I ask God to make you happy. Make you smile, guide you safely through every mile. Grant you wealth. Give you health. And most of all give you care and love.

What a great kickstart for a brand new day? How did she know I needed this words ? She heard me crying before I slept ? Aha~ I can see the twinkle in God's eyes. Thank you Lord .

Thanks for Yose who'd be ready to pray for me everytime I send him a prayer request. Thank you for using him as an instrument to channel your promises to me. Today , Yose reminded me that Jesus is with me. " Fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God; I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."

>> I am reminded about the time this promise jump up to me one morning when I was in secondary 4. I was down and low and this verse spoke directly to me...I am reminded of it again today. What great assurance.

By noon I had a friend who sat with me as I cried. Though this person was not here in person, he was there giving me support through MSN. Thx :) He is not a Christian but he suggested that I listen to Christian songs and pray about things. I am blessed.

Then at 4pm Kim called me just to ask me if I have recovered from my cold. How sweet of her. Her ever so cheerful voice was bubbling all over me as I coconned in my blanket shivering from fever. She made me feel better. Thank you Lord.

Dinner time was the best. I sincerely haven't had a good laugh and being so happy for such a long time already. We went for dinner on 2 bikes, LJ, Teoh and I. I had Teoh's really cool helmet on and they made me beam and smile. The wind was blowing on my face as we took a ride through the village to find the dinner spot. It was the same spot but we took a dirrefent way there , thanks LJ :) I got all the fresh air I needed. These guys just sat there as I ate. Made me feel so bad about making them ride all the way just to make sure I have my Chinese food. I havn't eaten from morning.

Then there was an unexpected visitor - Haseeb, my Pakistani friend. He stayed awhile to chat and catch up on what he missed. We talked about school and he told me to pray for his transfer to UK... ok another friend going overseas. Haseeb, take care.

All through this day, I have met up with my other true friends also, Cha Chun , Edy and Nadeem. Thanks for all the barter trading of information on the Building Science report. Gam ba teh :)

Then now, finally Yappy has stopped giving me his silent treatment. Now at this very moment I am typing this post he is handing me some Vitamin C to boost my immune system. Well, he had the curtosy to call even though he was busy today. He was nicer than usual. Thank you God.

Thank you God for all the angels you sent for me today. Indeed today was a good day for me. A day I am starting to learn to live my own life again. Please continue to give me the strenght to go through all this trying times. Pull me through it all and help me not make anymore mistakes that would make you sad.

Amen.

Isaiah 55

2005-06-09T00:48:00.000+08:00

Isaiah 55 :8

" For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your way my ways,"
declares the LORD.

55:9

" As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

55:12

You will go out in joy and be let forth in peace ;
the mountains and hills will burst into songs before you, and all the trees will clap their hands.

55:13

Instead the tornbush will grow the pine tree,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This is for the Lord's reown,
for an everlasting sign,
which will not be destroyed."

...

2005-06-08T12:55:00.000+08:00

Last post removed. Served its purpose.

Who Am I ?

2005-05-21T10:32:00.000+08:00

I am your greatest companion.
I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.
Half the things I do you might just as well turn over to me and I would be able to do them quickly and correctly.

I am easily managed-you must be merely be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done and after a few lessons I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great individuals and, alas , of all failures, as well.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.

I am not a machine, though I work with all the precesion of a machine plus the intelligence of a human.
You may run me a profit or run me for ruin- it makes no diference to me.

Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet.
Be easy with me and I will destroy you.

Who Am I ?

(7 Habits of the Highly Efective Teen, Sean Covey)

2005-05-20T11:00:00.000+08:00

Only my Daddy knows how I feel.

EMO attacked...

2005-05-18T23:11:00.000+08:00

What happends when the person whom you care the most betrays you?

How do you feel when you are at the bottom most and the one who's supposed to stand by you chooses to stand beside the person who is againts you?

....the worst is when you are broken and torn apart and you are all A.L.O.N.E

2005-05-14T23:32:00.000+08:00

Dad in all 6 TV screens....thanks Bobbi 4 the pics

Today Daddy's on TV !!

2005-05-14T18:18:00.000+08:00

My Dad was on Remaja, TV3 at 1pm today.

You could have seen the tears in my eyes when my Dad came on air. He was talking about the juvenile delinquents in Sekolah Henry Gurney , the institution he has been serving in since 1996. In the brief take, my Dad expressed his hopes for the boys in the school to find acceptance and love from their families at homes once they are released. According to him, the Malaysian government has had the rehabilitation programme tailored to instill discipline and a renewal of mind and attitude in the lives of this young boys. He also reminded them that having a strong believe in God is important regardless of their race or religion.

I am so proud of you Daddy!

I was in Uni today taking my illuminance readings in the library. I was contemplating since last night whether to go to school or stay around at home finding a TV to watch the programme. Well, eventually I decided to go to Uni as the queue for the lux meter is way to long to wait for another round to come along. At noon Dad called to ask if I was doing ok (one of his usual calls to make sure I am safe and well). Before he could say anything , I rattled out a string of apologies for not being able to catch that show, giving him excuses that I have assignments and I am in Uni taking my readings. My Dad was as usual, asking me to put my full attention in my work . Asuring me that my studies are really important and that I should not let anything stumble me ( even if it means I miss catching him on air ? ) Oh , I so really wanted to kick myself !

After hangging up , I dashed to the library counter in hope to find someone I know who could get me a TV,knowing that there is a TV in the AV room in the library.I had by now 45 minutes to the show. After explaining to the librarian on duty, he told me that there was no way a student could go in without being accompanied by a lecturer.

Uh, I murmured. Dissapointed.

But, if you could wait for Aida to leave at 12.30 then I could slip into her office and get the keys to the AV Room. He said with a twinkle of mischief.

Oh thanks! I was so relieved.Thank God for the favour.

Then at 10 minutes to 1pm he came up to me telling me that the TV has got no antenna and asking me if I could tune them myself. I HAVE 10 MINUTES ! Nadeem, Bobbi and Fayaz was with me at that time . And when Nadeem found out he quickly volunteered to help. He was already tuning the TV even before the librarian could say another word. Anyway, we were unable to tune into TV3.

By now I have 3 minutes left!

GYM! Suddenly it strucked me. The gym has TV. I made a dash to the Gym and after briefly explaining to the receptionist, he smiled and changed the channel. Hah TV3 finally ! And there was not only one huge TV but SIX of them all in a row.

By now, my Maldivian friends were already here and we all settled down all ready to watch Remaja. Nadeem was sitting on a huge excercise ball while the rest of us sat on different exercise machines.

" That's my Dad! That my Dad! " I was brimming with pride.

Bobbi took pictures of Dad in the TV and Fayaz was poking at me for being so exited. Nadeem on the other hand was too focused to notice .

Even though the take was not very eleborate, it was able to capture the passion my Dad has for all the boys under his care. He was their father figure as most of them were from broken families. I know my Dad is doing a good job , sometimes returning to work at the wee hours of the morning to clear all the paperwork . I know he has set marks in the lives of his boys as the ones realeased would constantly call or write to him. Some would drive all the way to Melaka with their greatful parents to pay Dad a visit , most of them now changed and lead different lives.

I thank God for you Daddy. I thank God for Mummy too. The both of you are God's earthly support system for all 3 of us, Cheryl, Jo and I. May God Bless You both with good health. Amen.

2005-05-10T20:48:00.000+08:00

Lord, I am lost. Without you, I'm next to nothing. Help me Lord I pray, let me learn to find comfort , security and peace in knowing that you care for me too much. Lord, even if i am as stubborn and helpless as that little lamb, call out for me Lord for I know your voice. Thank you Lord for the plans you have for me, thank you for loving me. Amen

2005-05-09T12:36:00.000+08:00

Kush Kush Hotta Hey!

2005-05-09T12:34:00.000+08:00

Intimate moments...they are not gay ok. They are just loving housemates...All four of us are, me, Eugene, Ashraf and Kenny. :)

2005-05-09T12:32:00.000+08:00

Getting blurred by the buzz of Kuala Lumpur. See how Ashraf looks so lost. hahaha....

2005-05-09T12:30:00.000+08:00

The sun, the Sultan Abdul Samad Building and I.

2005-05-09T12:28:00.000+08:00

I took this carefree shot of my housemates Ashraf and Eugene. Eugene is currently making a phone call to Kenny who is missing.

2005-05-09T12:26:00.000+08:00

Wonder why do I look so happy ?

2005-05-09T12:25:00.000+08:00

The moments when KL traffic stood still. We were on a main road and there were no cars. Remids me of a chilhood story of Minti the Mouse going to Town. Haha

Wondering around KL....wondering around lessons

2005-05-09T00:09:00.000+08:00

We ( Eugene, Ashraf,Kenny, Andy, Jun Hong & I ) went wondering around KL last Saturday morning. This time , we were asked to identify the building styles and sketch them...sigh, nobody sketches at site anymore,the lecturer should know by now. All everyone does is snapping pictures and later sketch in front of their own desktops in their own comfortable air -con room.

So, this leaves me plenty time to fool in front of the camera when we were there.This " Take my photo, take my photo" thing was also mainly driven with the thoughts that I have lost all the photos of myself this past 2 years when I accidentally reformatted my computer....thanks to the MSN bug. I shall upload those light moments in the next post.

Last Friday night, I paid RM 8 for an hour's nap at this place in IOI Mall. The place was really uncomfortable ( which left me with another hour's dose of neck ache and back ache...ouch ~ ) Plus , there was this food munching machine and really firece open fire and explosions being exchanged at my slumber's expense....Ok people, I slept in the cinema AGAIN. My third time already. Bet I was too tired and the movie ( xXx 2 ) err...was not really my type-lah . Sorry all you kind Maldivian fwends, I just can't keep my eyes open. I think the feng shui master would clarify that seat no F12 in cineplex 4 has indeed it's own powers of putting sand into people's eyes...to test if they can be forced to be awake for their RM 8 worth...haha

It seems like everybody is talking about a dark end this semester. At the rate of imput we are getting from the lecturers and tutorials (or maybe no imput at all) it seems that we are all lost in in the AS 301 maze . Here are a few key problems :

Communication Barrier :

Lecturers tend to use harsh words, most of the time using really fantastic English terms that most of us haven't even heard off before. Plus, they assume that we already know all this Building Codes and terms that they have been babbling endlessly about, which, we were never exposed to before. Students on the other hand, after enduring all the 'critic' sessions would be too afraid to speak up. Everybody just keeps their distance from the lecturers ...to avoid anymore unwanted scolding. Some even don't bother to turn up anymore.

You see, we can't see what you expect of us, when we go to you, you assume that we want to be spoon fed. Shooing us away to information in the library. Tell you, if we knew which book to look into, we would have never asked before. Thank you very much.

Asian Students Being Asian :

We Asians tend to really take things to heart. I guess this is because we were brought up not to critic people and to always accept what elders, in this case lecturers would say. We tend to take crit sessions as an attack on ourself esteem and thus, exposing our weaknesses . So after crit sessions, you'll see some teary eyes, down cast faces and torn self esteems.

Haiz...you taught us place architecture in respect to site, well, you really should apply that in human behaviour and fit education with respect to your students and their cultural background. Like you said before, everything , the built and the natural should live in harmony with each other , so should we the students and the lecturers. We have been a real fantastic batch 3 semesters ago but now all we see is a bleak end.

Aiyoh ....I really don't know what you are talking about-leh :

One lecturer speaks to herself and the laptop she is using. A little improvement in technology on your part. Congrats, last sem you were still talking to the OHP.

One lecturer speaks in her own accent. The first half of the class we were numb, trying hard to concentrate, then the later half we all just gave up. So we jot down all her translation and pronounciations so that, hmm..we'll understand you next lecture.

"Die-lighting, is, a, natural, way, to bring light, into a space. Sometimes,....we have , to , provide,...for, sun-sadding , if there is too much glare. Another option, is to, introduce, lie-self , so that we can get diffused lighting ..."

Die lighting : daylighting
Sun sadding : sun shadding
Lie self : light shelf

So, I guess, we'll die with this kind of lectures, our parents would be so sad and we have to lie to ourselves that we failed because we shortchanged ourselves.

Then there is this really kind gentleman who really puts in a lot of effort to drill physics and numbers into our heads. He talks with great enthusiasm but sadly, only the co-lecturers understands what he is saying. The shallow ones would count the number of times he abuses the phrase,

" What do you call that, what do you call that? "

Hmm, sorry, you should ask your co- lecturer. Our minds are in tension and the marks are soo under compression.

Then of course there is the other one I talked in the last post, the one who said she'll give a silent presentation and no more asking questions...Geezz, if we ask you qustions,meaning we actually understand something. Isn't that good?

Ok nuff said.

Dress for a Ghee Hin

2005-05-05T21:55:00.000+08:00

I camped in the library again today. I have soo much to reseach on and so many things to read. Currently working on my Carcosa Seri Negara report for an entry for the Mubin Shepard Award. The Jalan Doraisamy Conservation Option project ( another entry for the Mubin Shepard award) is also screaming for attention. Sigh, so much to do so little time.

My readings for the past few days brought me back to the days Yap Ah Loy and Sir Frank Sweetenham and his brain child the FMS - Fedarated Malay States. By the way, The Carcosa was indeed the official residence of Sir Frank Sweetenham upon his appointment as the First
Resident -General in 1897.

I also have this bad feeling that Yap Ah Loy , the Chinese Capitan might be the big tai-khor of the Ghee Hin vice group. Hmm...

Anyway, this is how you are supposed to dress for a Ghee Hin iniciation ceremony :

white coat and white pants
grass slippers
red piece of cloth

you are to:

expose your right arm, right shoulder and chest
left leg of the pants to be folded until above the knee
tie a red piece of cloth around your head
and wear the grass slippers

hmmm..... I am glad the tin minimg days are over now.

Can I have 80 sens please?

2005-04-30T10:23:00.000+08:00

This incident happended to me not too long ago :

I was waiting for the public bus to return home after a long day at school. It was already 6pm and the breeze had just started getting cooler. All the other kids have gone home, they had pakciks waiting in the cars at the porch.

It was just this little girl and me at the bustop. She was about 9 . I looked at this girl who was still clad in her dark blue pinafore , she was all skinny limbs . Her bag was so huge that they made her sloutch a little. Poor girl, I thought to myself. It was already late and she was still here in school. Then, I smiled at her.

Instantly, she came up to me. Smiling , swaying side to side balancing her school bag strapped to her shoulders and the 1.5 l water bottle in one hand and a pile of dog- eared excercise books in the other.

" Can I have 8o sens for the bus fare, please? "

" Oh, sure. "
I handed her a RM 2 note. Poor girl, so this must be why she hasn't got home yet. She must have been stranded here because she didn't have the bus fare, I thought.

She dug into her pinafore pocket and handed me a crumpled RM 1 note. Then she dug again and got the 20 sens .

"Thank you," she said as she handed the change to me, waving as she runs to flag the bus. I was to stunned to react. Before I knew it, she was waving from the bus window.

Hmmm, I still wonder what happened that evening. Was I cheated?

Well, she said she wanted the 80 sens and that was all she took. Somehow, I felt cheated .

So , what do you think ?

Goodbye, Uncle Eng Wah

2005-04-29T22:47:00.000+08:00

I got an sms from my Dad in the middle of my Culture tutorial today. It did stunt me for a moment , the desmise of Uncle Eng Wah.

The Great Uncle Tan sits beside me in church every week, all my high school life and also in the occassions when I return for semester breaks. He saw me when I was a fat low self-esteemed teenager in baggy jeans and T-shirts, he saw me slipping my Chemistry notes between the pages of my Bible in form 5 , and recently, he's been commenting on my sketching 'sessions' in church agreeing with me that the sermon is boring :)

I rarely talk to him much besides this small occassions , only exchanging the usual "Good Morning" s and polite smiles between sermons. In my church, we always sit at the same seats every week , year in , year out. It would be sad not having him fill the seat beside me now. I would really miss peeping over my shoulder to look at his endless scribbles, something he always does once the service starts- random thoughts, scriptures, songs filling exercise books with his huge cursive handwritting.

I would be different now not having to guess which minute his head will fall on my shoulder as he dossed of to sleep. I'll truly miss him now that the next seat is empty.

Sorry Uncle Eng Wah , the seat beside you have been empty since I left too.

God Bless Your soul, Uncle . RIP

Being Called Names

2005-04-25T17:09:00.000+08:00

One of the questions that I am usually asked about is about : My Name

My name is Angelyn Tan 'G'- Ling.

Angelyn - Christian Name
Tan-Family Surname
'G'-Ling - Chinese Name

The 'G' in inverted commas is mean to be pronounced as G , like you'll pronounce the more common Jie, Gee, Jee. Thank my mom for being creative in coming up with this very unique name. I bet only my siblings and I have such names . I've seen people with names like E-Min, Su-N, Jo-N, V'Jack, Sher V ...but mine by far is the most unique right ?

Anyway, I've been often called up by the admin office in school asking for my real name. They couldn't believe that 'G' is indeed part of a name , some even queried how in the first place the officer at the Registration of Birth Department passed my name in the first place. Well , I am glad he did. :)

Plus, my Christian name actually rhymes with the Chinese name, in the Mandarin pronounciation ~ :)

All my life, I've always been known as Angelyn. However, when I entered college, there was another Angeline in class. She was an Angeline Tan too, now how confusing can that be ? People started calling me G-Ling since . It really took sometime for me to get adjusted to this new name.

Now, I go by the names of :

Angelyn , Angelyn G , G-Ling, G-Lin, Chen Yi Ling, Ling to my friends
Cheh-cheh to my family
In (always refered myself to In when talking with my grandparents)
Ah Lyn ( to my grandpa, well, he got my name and my aunt's mixed up , so to him I am Ah Lyn and my aunt is Angelyn)
Bau Bei to Ah Boy Khor-Khor
Tiger Lily , Twinkle-star* , angelyn_ler : www names

Ok, I hope this entry would clear the questions about my name. However, if you should like to enquire, I'll be more than glad to explain.

2005-04-21T06:33:00.000+08:00

Hearing Echos

Ar Angelyn MD

2005-04-21T06:26:00.000+08:00

Tell you, I am having this thoughts all over again.

Thoughts of if how wrong I am to be in such a course. Thoughts of how come I can never imagine myself working as an architect. Thoughts of whether I'll regret choosing this career path. Thoughts of- will the me 20 years from now be cursing the choice that the me in year 2002 made? Thoughts of me being talented enough for a designer. Thoughts of me doing something that seems to challenging for me. Thoughts of me....being an Ar. ?

The decision to study architecture was solely mine. I hastily put in the application to study in LUCT without actually giving it much thought. It was just something I did because everybody else was doing it at that time - applying for places in various courses... talking about peer pressure. ( Well, I was simpler minded then)

Year 2002 :The initial plunge I took to undertake this course was a choice I had to make in 10 days. Those 10 days I sat pondering about things. Those 10 nights I lay on my bed hearing the clock ticking away. Wide awake. Those 10 days I was in a daze watching my parents getting all exited to prepare me for college life. In those 10 days I had a brand new wardrobe. I watched my new things piling in neat stacks. Boxes were filled with lots of things you would need to start a new life away from home. I remember walking aimlessly on my shopping trips, too numb to function. To lost to choose anything. Every trip we made to town, we came back with a full car. Pails, alarm clock, mirror, steam iron, new bedsheets, plactis cupboard, more new clothes, new shoes, handphone,bank account,nail clippers, door locks, foodstuff- lots of instant noodles , biscuits and milo ( something I hated all my life) , toiletries......

I remember the phonecalls to arrange my accomodation. The direction to my new rented room. I remember the new phone numbers that were given to me . Numbers that I were to call in any case of emergency. Numbers to people my parents trusted to look out for their daughter when she is alone in KL.

Then there was the sorting out of funds. Money. I remembered my parents calculating the amount of cash needed. I remembered the checkbook. I remembered feeling so bad about making them squeeze every sen they have for my education fund. I remember my attempt to not go to college. I remember scaring my Dad with the huge amount of money needed for my whole stay there.

But I clearly remember their assuring words. I remembered all the support and encouragements. I remembered the talks that we had about how education is important. About what a bright future I would have. Most of all, I remembered about their unconditional love and support , the works and effort put in to arrange for my leaving home and adjusting to a new life . I remembered their sacrifices- the finance.

They had very high hopes for me. They trusted in me, in my ability. They were confident that I would make it great in Architecture. They saw the potential in me that I never believe I had.

So, the 10 days were soon over.

I had to reluctantly trade home for KL. Traded MD for Architecture. I secretly packed my IMU brouchers in my backpack. Keeping my dreams at the bottom drawer of my desk. Constantly pulling them out. Looking through their glossy pages. Wondering what would life be if I had made that desicion to take the other path. Imagining myself in Africa. Working with the children. It is all wishfull thinking now. Pretty childish and shallow, thinking of it now.

I knew I was not cut for 'brainy' study-hard-and- born- to- be- brilliant kind of person...

So, I taught myself to love Architecture. I put much afford in my work. Turned into a modelmaker. A big fan of Deconstructivist works. AutoCAD and AchiCAD is my new language of communication . I came to know Zaha Hadid and Enric Miralles, Calatrava and Lord Norman Foster. I like what I do now. I have a passion for conservation works- documenting and preserving history. Design is fun, yet challenging. Workload weights tons. Stress gives me bad mood. Stress helped me loose weight. Yeah, my parents were right, I did have a certain flair for Architecture.

but sometimes...at times like this , I get this thoughts again. Maybe in the next life, I tell myself. As for now, I'll try my best to achieve Ar. Angelyn Tan 'G'- Ling MD (master designer)

I smile at the thoughts of my new definition to the MD now. But somewhere deep inside there is an echo of loss dreams.

From my Keyboard to your Computer Screen.

2005-04-21T05:16:00.000+08:00

It's been ages since I last blogged. Last week was a really hectic week.I parctically spent all my waking hours here in front of the computer. It feels so good now that the workload is of my shoulders and siting at this spot this time wondering what the web has to offer. I have been here since I emerged from my 9- hour- deep- marathon sleep at 11.00am. Had had my brunch while watching Movie Guy's dvd at this spot (pretty pathetic ..huh ?) Well, anyway let's plunge into something less of a bore for your eyes.

I have been actively MSN-ing again. Something I have never been doing since I left highschool. Anyway, it's really nice to have company from friends that you don't get to see so often anymore. The wonders of cyber life indeed still gives the human touch into things.

Let me tell you about my MSN buddies :

I have LJ online with me all the time. Helping me out with things and answering my questions. I also use him as a gauge to measure my work progress. He gives me a nudge when I am 'quiet' too often engross trimming and off-setting my Cad drawings. Then he is there wishing me good morning everytime I am back from my sinful naps...oh ya, my ho peng u. Wa lang kong Hokkien way...for once MSN lets me speak in Hokkien without having any problems with my pronouncation. Very liberating or someone like me who don't have the guts to kong Hokkien way in real life because of ..the pronouncation problem.

Then there is Mrz my gal pal with whom I exchange 'brainy' thoughts on things and people around us...hahaha. Really enjoy the bitching sessions without worry of any eavesdropping if we were in Uni.

Recently I got in touch with Necromunky and gang Mun Yew and Ban - The happy Fun Club people who are taking Perth by storm. Really miss having them in person. Well, seeing them online again feels really great. I hope you guys are ok :)

Then there is Ashu - my housemate . Believe it of not, we use the MSN service to communicate...hahaha talking about abusing technology!!

I often see Pam too . She is always giving tips on any partime work available. Such a sweet gal. Thanks for your help babe.

Then there is *X whom I use at my advantage to get back at someone. Sometimes I use her to self-inflict pain on myself- to kick my self to get over and move on with things. She is one person you talk to online but would never be caught face-to-face. ( What a shame?)

Well, add me on your MSN angelyn_ler@yahoo.com so that we can keep in touch

ok
gtg
brb

( ....may not reply because his or her status is set at Away)

Could You Feel The Mountains Tremble?

2005-03-30T16:39:00.000+08:00

I have deviced this earthquake detector in the 3 minutes of tremor I felt from my 5th floor apartment.

2005-03-30T00:45:00.000+08:00

Angelyn's Earthquake Detector

Plain Lazy

2005-03-26T10:30:00.000+08:00

I am just plain lazy. There are tons of work to do. Muluk wants the proper layout plan, site plan, elevations and even sections by Tuesday. I barely have my plan drawings worked out yet.

"It's somewhere here in my head," consoling myself. Yeah , yeah I am just being plain lazy.

Yesterday's Building Science was a continuation on Acoustics , class was , as usual, a really rollercoaster ride- for those who care to pay attention tho'. Mdm Ong was changing the slides like it was nobody's bussiness. She gets so annoyed with questions- especially from me, she daren't look at my direction, so I noticed. Whatever this dBA things she was talking about, she shouldn't bother explaining if all she do is just dashing through, missing essential parts, then returning to explain them when time permits. She makes simple things get so complecated! Well, at the end of the 3 hour lecture, she decided to give a silent presentation-meaning changing slides at speed her brain has no time to tell her mouth what to say. Ah, so it goes. Oh ya, she said "No more questions!" so, I just snuggled into my jacket and watched the chaotic mime.

Acoustically speaking, I am so diffused. Madam Ong, you are in a hotspot.

Ok, I'll better run along.

To do list :

Buy food from Tesco
Pay my bills
Design ASSignment- arrrgh!!
Culture Tutorial Part 2

tata

Seeing Like Grace Sees

2005-03-24T04:34:00.000+08:00

Let me tell you about my special friend. Let's call her Grace. I met Grace only once nearly 2 years ago and or the past 2 years, I've been learning to see things the way Grace sees. For the past 2 years also, I've been often reminded about her when I see her pictures or when I pass the home she stayes in. More often than not, I'll remember Grace when my schedules takes a pause, when situations are gloomy, I'll think of her. Grace lives in a home for disabled children in PJ. You see , my friend Grace is blind.

I was visiting the home 2 years ago for a research paper on a community centre. The home ran on donations and sales of handicraft made by the children there. The instant I called at their doorstep, all these children ran towards me , welcoming me with such warmth that tears stung my eyes. Bolder ones hugged and kissed me, some were shy but held out their hands for a handshake. I was so overwhelmed with this instant 'celebrity' greeting, when I knelt to hug a little girl who was pulling at my t-shirt, 3 other children ran towards me, climbing onto me . I lost my balance so we all came crashing down. I felt so bad for the little girl as I was afraid she wuld get hurt from the 'crash' . Anyway, we were all sprawled over the porch laughing. I remembered laughing so hard that day that my stomach hurt till I had happy tears .
The kids brought me around the home, showing me the things they made for the fun raising - bookmarks with pressed flowers, beaded bags and a fair amount of cross stitched. They were the happy kids.

Then I saw at the corner of the room, a chubby Chinese girl sitting by her own cross legged on the cement floor with her back to me . She had her little plactic temborine and was singing to herself. I called out to her. But she didn't turn around or notice me. She was lost in her own soft singging and the rattling of the temborine. Maybe she was a little hard on hearing as the place was in a buzz, I thought to myself . Realizing this, one of the caretakers there called out to her in Tamil. I was puzzeled but the intantaneous responds towards the caretakers voice puzzeled me more. When she turned, for the first time I could see her face. She was smiling and a little bit shy. Her long hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. The caretaker told her to say hello to me . I shook her hand, she bowed and giggled.

We spent quite an amount of time together. I felt a sisterly bond with Grace since the instant I caught sight of her in that corner with the purple velvet dress. She didn't really talked much. I was trying to ask her questions but she only smiled. Sometimes , she bursts singging to the tune of the Hindi song playing on tv. At times there would be long pauses and she would sing softly to herself. I couldn't make up a word she was saying. But I sat by her. Stroking her hair. She told me that she goes to a Blind school and every morning a caretaker ties her hair for her. I asked her if she liked her school and she nodded smiling. To get her to talk, I asked her many other questions. When I asked her where she lives, she rattled in an almost answer machine like tone:

"Saya tinggal di,( followed by the complete address and phone number) , Terima Kasih. "

Since she dosen't want to talk, I kept on asking her this question each time she answers, I was trying my best to beat her record in the speed of answering. I was like a game and we giggled like best of friends.

The caretaker later on told me about Grace. This little girl was rescued from a nightmarket where she was sitting on pieces of cardboard singing to beg . Both she and her elder sister ( also blind) were made to beg by their parents. He told me that when they brought her in, her parents constantly came to bring her home , often they came bangging and shouting at the home. He said that the girl's parents were not working and the whole family's income was based on the girls's earnings. He said when she was rescued and brought there , she would never talk but sing out all her requests. Grace is fortunate as she is enrolled in a school for the blind. He told me that she would wake up every morning , get dresses and make her own breakfast all unsupervised or being told . Then she would sit by the gate waiting for the van to send her to school. In the evenings, she would sit at that spot with her temborine, singging to herself. This was her life now.

However, she is unaware of the constant kidnapping stint her parents have tried. The home has got partial custody of her now . But every Chinese New Year, her parents could take her home. Now, this is when she is forced to beg again. Often, she is not returned to the home after the one week break. The caretakers would then have to search at nightmarkets all over to locate her and bring her back again. She will be in safe hands untill the next holiday season. So that is my Grace's story.

I like being there with the kids. They allow me to put off the 'front' and just enjoying innocent fun again. They made me feel so excepted so quickly unlike all the 'bonding' sessions and the ' I'll scratch your back when you scratch my back theory ' in the outside world to get a committed friend. The kids made me appreciate my family more. I am so blessed with good, supporting parents. They make me feel thankful for the things that I've taken for granted all this while - sight, hearing. They make me a better person. Now everytime when life seems unfair, I'll remember Grace, I'll remember them and my problems sees trivial.

The kids always make my day!

If you would like to contribute to the home, please contact me .

2005-03-23T12:58:00.000+08:00

Kheng Saik , me and the Happy Kids

2005-03-23T12:50:00.000+08:00

Grace and G-Ling

2005-03-23T12:14:00.000+08:00

Lost Past ?

Who Is Doraisamy?

2005-03-21T07:45:00.000+08:00

Hello. I have been wanting to keep my thoughts in blog for ages and am now trying to keep this commitment to myself..haha

Now, who is Doraisamy? Yesterday a group of 6 of us went through the whole street, Jalan Doraisamy, Kuala Lumpur , in search to clues as to whom this street was named after. Ok, before you think that we Architecture students have no life getting baked in the fierce afternoon sun on a Saturday... well think of it we really don't....emm, ok nevermind. So the story goes, we were all walking in the blazing heat , taking pictures, sketching, asking the 'older' people we could get whole of all in the quest of putting this street's broken history into pieces.

Why? Well, developement has been cruel to this particular community. I'll name Ringgit Malaysia (RM) as the big tai-khor behind all this 'developement' works . The street used to be home to the Loke clan, a better- off slice of the immigrant Chinese in Kuala Lumpur. Two rows of houses were built one on each side of the road, the left being built in the 1930's and the later ones on the right , somewhere in the 1940's during the Japanese occupation. Now, the place has been bought over and the residents 'kicked' out. Their family homes are now suberb works of interior design- place changed into posh dining areas with pubs and music. An extended time in the nightlife of the once quiet neighbourhood. I'll leave the facts out for now as we have yet to get full and sited information on this place. Would dig the archive files and get my facts straight soon.

Well, being the person I am, read: kepoh ( busybody) , i took to the task of talking the the people there naturally. Pakcik Rahim who operates a makan stall on the UDA gezetted land says his food bussiness is at the mercy of UDA. The land that his modest kitchen and makan area sits on would be returned to UDA at any sign of developement of the place. I asked him about the nightlife there. He paused, then just shrug his shoulders. According to him , society has to accept this fact. Time has changed . I asked him if he, being someone 'senior' to the place would mind of what the lucrative industry is doing the young. He said that he had indeed came in terms with the girls having to dress as they are because the tiny outfits they are wearing are part of the uniform...hmm. He was quick to add that surely they would not dress this way when they are returning to their kampungs ( villages) as it is not their adat ( culture). Okay, so RM justifies all this huh?

It was just Eugene and me left at site now. Everyone else left. So we approached one Chinese man who was busy mending a water dispenser. He told us he stayed here all his life. His father and mother stayed here. He grew up here with his other 8 siblings. He pointed to the house with her facade ripped off in places. Now under construction for the latest addition to the 'new' developement. He reminence about the place, at times reluntant to express himself. He spoke in few word sentences. Maybe we were such niusence, maybe he thought there was nothing we students can do. He stays across the road from his family home now. A rundown and dusty home he rents with some other people he dosen't know. He was generous enough to let us measure and look around the place.

We took shade in the cool interior of his rented place while waiting or Kenny to come. Aparrently the train was delayed. I struck conversation with an old aunty who also stays there. I felt so helpless because of my hopeless Mandarin . There was so much I wanted to ask her. She reminded me of my maternal grandma. Someone I regretted not having the time to know. I smiled telling her I was not from KL and we spoke English and Baba Malay at home. I looked at the bottles of medicine on her table. Her China tour photos on the walls. I smiled again. She smiled back. She was weak and pale. I wonder if she has any children and why was she here all on her own. When Eugene came down from touring the upstairs, she reminded him about the photo of her that he took. She asked for a copy. I smiled again, feeling so hopeless. Not having being able to talk was not me. Eugene said he would drop by again with her photo and we left her there sitting by her Japanese alter.

Outside, the old Chinese man was still busy at work. We told him we should go already and thanked him for his insights. As we approached the gate he called us, " By the way, I'm moving out of this place by next month." And my heart sank.

So , we walked along the street again. The place has been stripped of all her past. The old buildings, now in shades of black, purple, orange , yellow and electric blue is a buzz once the day retreats . Music piped from speakers, waters trickle from manmade carp ponds. Broadband everywhere . The new place boasts of her international influence Vietnamese, Italian, Japanese, Turkish. Buddha heads were everywhere - one of the concepts in one outlet.

I sighed. We couldn't do much for you now Jalan Doraisamy. RM kicked us all out of the picture long before we even knew you . But we will search for your past, document it, preserve it in the humble way we can. We will write things down.

As for now, nobody knows who Doraisamy is and that is a question we'll seek to answer in our course of research. Wish us luck .