Supanova 2009

Apparently I've used up almost 90% of my data limit so I shall refrain from uploading anymore pictures until my new data measurement cycle starts on 11 April.

I'm still stuck with fate + prediction, but I have an idea of what's it going to look like.
It's going to be asian themed, with katakana styled typography and vector silhouettes in the background - a la Birgit Amadori.
I want a minimalist design with sleek vector finishing so that it will not look too complicated.
I've chosen the asian them because the Chinese are one of the pioneers of fate and prediction.

Went to Supanova with Josh and Johnson today, and man was it a blast! Packed full of anime, cosplay, and (wait for it) AWF! Australian Wrestling Federation! AWA(Australia) champion TNT, Mad Dog, and Kracker Jack were a few of the main attractions there. Main event was awesome, even though it was a really low cost event. They literally fought around the convention centre, and Johnson and I had a lovely time following the action.

And I also (finally) got my Wacom Intuos3! Although I still can't get it to work.. dang. I've got to bring it to school and get them to troubleshoot it for me.

Touch on Saturday was awesome as usual. We need more touch buddies.

Dion if you're reading this, I bought Batman: Cataclysm. You can go ahead and buy No Man's Land cos this book is the prelude. Oh and I had a picture taken with a cosplayer dressed as nurse Joker. Man was that awesome!

Ok enough rubbish back to the drawing board.

More nudies tomorrow! Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

Colourways

Completed 1/4 of my Colourways project for Studio C.
Got to come up with designs for subtle colours, as well as start illustrator on analogous/complementary and tints + shades.

Check out my colourwheel final.
Here's the brief so you guys won't get lost.

1.0
Creative Colourwheel:
Starting with the three primary colours [blue, red & yellow], create a typical artists' paint or pigment colourwheel. Using your eye, mix the secondary and tertiary colours. This is an opportunity to show some of your own style, it doesn't need to be the traditional donut shape.

2.0
Analogous + one Complement:
Create an abstract design using at least 12 different analogous colours, plus just one complementary colour. Remember, you can use darker and lighter shades of colours, both bright and dull colours also.

3.0
Tints & Shades of One Colour:
Choose one colour. Create a design using a set of 5 tints and 5 shades of that colour. Remember to add the colour to the swatches to create a Spot Colour, then apply tints. Shades need to be CMYK mode, just add black.

4.0
Subtle Colours:
Create a subtle design using a set of at least six colours able o be used as a background for either black or white text. Subtle means that they will not overpower the text placed above them. To achieve that most of the colours have a similar tonal value.

Posted the completed 1.0 above as well as roughs for 2.0 and 3.0
Still working on subtle colours though. I want my Wacom desperately, would be sooooo much easier drawing 2.0...

I know the drawings are horrendous, but that's exactly what they are - roughs! Do you know how many thumbnails I have to produce to get to the final rough? Haha!! Perhaps a look at my sketchbook will reveal the arduous task I have to endure before finalizing the design.

Anyway, comments will be appreciated! Please critique my work as hard as possible. My aim is to break conventional thought and design, hence these weird roughs. I may fail now but you never know unless you try. And I believe if there is a time to fail, it is now. When better to experiment and fail when you're still studying - still sheltered by the education umbrella. There'll definitely be no room for failure when you step into the workforce.

I've made an effort to refrain from using the words "real world". Lots of people like to throw that phrase around very easily. "It'll not be like that in the real world." "The real world is much tougher."

My lecturer said this, and I quote, "are we not living in the real world now? How different is what we are doing now compared to the 'real world'? Are we fake? No! We're living and breathing here right now, so don't tell me we are not relevant in the 'real world'."

Ok I'm starting to rant. Pardon my incoherence.. it's hard to get my thoughts organized when I'm hit by a wave of verbal (or in this case typing) diarrhea. Just a few more quotes before I end this post. From the same lecturer, and I love quoting him because of the controversy and sense in the stuff he says (and also I won't get into trouble cos I can say I quoted him).

"When you fail, it means you are trying something new."
"Any mark that a lecturer gives you is just a gauge of how well you have tickled his/her fancy."
"Not everyone's opinion is valid. Which person's opinion do you value?"

- Reinar Rivera

Love/Hate

Tell me if it actually works for you.

Parkour/Free Running

Teenagers across Victoria are putting their lives at risk carrying out dangerous stunts as part of a daredevil craze sweeping the globe.

Images posted on internet sites and reports to the police reveal the extent of the "parkour" frenzy in which youngsters copy the exploits of extreme sports exponents.

The Australian Parkour Association estimates more than 300 Victorians practice parkour regularly - often in and around the CBD.

Videos posted on YouTube show youths leaping from high perches on buildings and balconies and climbing construction scaffolding.

Some of the videos show young teens leaping from up to 5m from the Herald Sun building at Southbank, jumping between suburban rooftops and leaping from second-floor apartment balconies.

A Victoria police spokesperson said the daredevil behaviour was "disturbing".

"We are getting reports about young people doing dangerous things, but the nature of them is fleeting," he said.

The parkour craze was begun by French extreme-sports fanatic Sebastian Foucan in the 1980s.

It's been blamed for dozens of thrill-seeker deaths in the US and Europe.

But exponents describe parkour as a "lifestyle" rather than a sport.

Australian Parkour Association senior member Chris Hayes-Kossman said the craze was just a hardcore training regiment aimed at keeping fit.

"The average practitioner will tell you they've never scaled a building because it is not worth the risk," Hayes-Kossman said.

"It's really just a few kids imitating daredevil stunts they've seen on TV that cast a bad light on thousands of innocent participants.
They are often not trained and therefore take a huge risk, because getting on a rooftop is never a joke."

- mX, Wednesday March 25, 2009

Read this article and found it to be totally off the mark. Firstly, what they are describing is definitely not parkour, but free running. Secondly, Sabestien Foucan did not popularize parkour. He is the founder of free running, which teaches a completely different concept.

I am a fan of parkour, and I believe if practiced properly, the sport can really yield tremendous results on both physical and mental conditioning of the practitioner.

I believe it should not be attempted if one is not sufficiently trained, as the consequences are often deadly or fatal.

Parkour is not about flair, that is another sport often confused with parkour - Free running.
Free running focuses on the finesse and style of getting from point to point, whereas parkour is all about the quickest route.

Parkour focuses on practising efficient movements to develop one's body and mind to be able to overcome obstacles in an emergency.

Founded NOT by Sabestien Foucan, but David Belle. Foucan is the founder and practitioner of free running, which he defines as a discipline to self improvement. It embraces elements of tricking and street stunts, which are considered by the parkour community as inefficient and not parkour.

Made famous probably by the global release of French film "Yamakasi", which sensationalized parkour, as well as free running. "Yamakasi" featured characters escaping from villians using parkour, and then enhancing the escapes by performing acts of free running.

My point being, there is a distinction between the two. And both require years of dedicated training. It is good that the paper recognized the problem - teens being too rash and performing dangerous stunts, but at the end of the day, always question what you read, because it might not be correct or accurate information.

Ambigrams

Currently working on project 1.0
"Fate and Prediction"

To produce 02 x 'fate and prediction' theme cards that would be part of a hypothetical set.
The 2 'fate and prediction' cards are to be two different themes.
Your creative aim is to successfully express the 2 themes with visual language that clearly and strategically utilise colour and shape.

I've had a book on ambigrams but DAMN I left it in my room in Singapore!!!
Anyway I've decided to incorporate them into my card design.
Shall update when my creative juices start flowing. (Hopefully soon enough)
For those who don't know what ambigrams are, GOOGLE IT!

I shall leave you with an abstract from John Langdon.

“If you love and respect letters enough, they’ll let you have your way with them.”

Fulfilling

Here's an interesting passage I read from Herald Sun Magazine.

"Supermarkets perpetrate the illusion that life's full of choice. Under their bright lights, the shelves heave and groan with so many options and alternatives. Only on much closer inspection do we realise that, within all those colourful packages, most of the contents are depressingly similar."

Just thought it was something worth pondering.

Yes, Supersprint is done and over with! I'm proud to say that even though I did not participate in the swim leg, I still managed the 20km bike leg and the 5km run leg. Yeah sure some might say it wasn't much of a challenge without the swim but hey, cut me some slack lah I'm damn scared of the open sea can? (Is that Singaporean enough? Seems I haven't lost it!)

Results!

Hi Shawn,

CONGRATULATIONS!

Thank you for competing in the Gatorade Triathlon Series 08/09. Your results have been processed and are included below:

Name	Shawn Heng
Race	Race 6 - St. Kilda
Category	M 20-24
Overall Results
Total Time	01:38:07
Place	755
Swim Leg
Time	00:19:05
Bike Leg
Time	00:49:37
Run Leg
Time	00:26:00

We hope you enjoyed your experience and hope to see you again at the next event!

Regards,

Yeah it wasn't a good result but I'm just glad to be able to experience it. Its really depressing cos all of them are so FREAKISHLY fit! Next time, choose a sport that won't make you so malu.

Oh by the way, I'm so addicted to Hommus now. For those who don't know, watch Zohan. It's deliciously good and it's healthy!

Ok think I'm going to crash out now. I'm going to be hurting whilst drawing nude people tomorrow in class!

Oh and ade, seems like you were the only one who responded. Sorry, seems like Ellis commented as well but I didn't check my comments! My Bad! Haha appreciate it. However, I went with confusion instead cos it was easier to bullshit to that one. I've posted the completed product above, but too lazy to type out the rationale. Anyhoo, its CONFUSION.

Next event: Run For The Kids (5th April 2009).

Nerves

Here's an example of the erratic Melbourne weather.
A high of 31 degrees and a low of 16 degrees.
I'm sweating my ass off in my room.

The Supersprint Gatorade Triathlon is tomorrow.
Quite frankly, I'm really at a loss of what to do.
For those who would like to take part in a triathlon, a piece of advice would be - do not decide on joining one just a week prior to the event. It is stupid and not enough training and conditioning can be done in time to safe your life.
Tried out the open sea swim at St Kilda's yesterday with Wilson and Yang. It is VERY different from swimming in a pool, and definitely different from swimming in open waters IN SINGAPORE.
The waves here are MASSIVE. I barely made it out 50m from shore. In addition to that, the waters here are freezing cold. They bombard you with ruthless efficiency and God knows how much salt water I ingested yesterday. HENCE, I'm seriously reconsidering even participating in the swim leg.
Yes, a triathlon can be done with proper training, but this sudden jump might prove to be fatal.
Perhaps I should have known better. Let me stick to what I'm comfortable with. Let me stick to running.
To all triathletes, I take my hat off to you, for you are indeed brave to traverse the choppy waves and freezing waters.

Oh yes, just a plug before I end this entry.
Speaking of running, there's a charity run on April 5th called "Run For The Kids".
Participants can choose from either a distance of 5.6km or 14.1km and the course takes you out to St Kilda's beach and back through the CBD. It's for a good cause and definitely worth signing up for people who wants a little bit of exercise. No timing will be taken as it is a charity "fun" run so no worries if you think you'd walk. I encourage all to sign up, have fun, get some exercise, and contribute to a good cause.

What Do You See

Ok I need opinions on this.
I have a project brief that requires me to play with shapes and colour to represent an emotion.
I've come up with the shape, but I need opinions on what it means to you.
Remember people, emotions.
So far I've got CONFUSION from Dion and Yang.
More please!
I have a deadline and I need to add colours!

Design vs Logic

It seems that I have alot to write about every week after Design Theory lecture.
There are many interesting theories apparently shared by others that I totally agree with.

"I believe that 'design' as such is grossly undervalued in our society and education - because the awful Greek gang of three* led us to believe that analysis and judgement were enough. Most of the major problems in the world will not be solved by further analysis. They need design.

Then there is the visual element. I have always thought it a pity that the world was run by literary blokes because the visual side is so much more powerful and constructive.

Too often we think of creativity just as 'art'. But art is not in fact a very high expression of creativity because art can be wonderful without much change in ideas or perception.

For hundreds of years we have believed that if something is logical in hindsight then logic should have been enough to get the idea in the first place. This is complete and total rubbish in a patterning system. Most of our thinking and education is based on this absurdly false belief.

We are not beginning to understand the game of creativity and it may soon be the case that conformists will become more creative than the rebels - if the conformists have the motivation to learn the game of creativity.

The definition of a provocation is simple: there may not be a reason for saying something until after it has been said. This is totally contrary to out normal permitted habits but we now know that provocation is mathematically essential in a self-organising information system.

Contradictions which we are told to avoid in the world of verbal logic do not exist in perception, which is based on water logic rather than the rock logic of fixed identity.

There is insufficient design and creative energy in our traditional judgement habits. The opposite of traditional logic is not irrational chaos but the more powerful non-linear logic of perception. Only perception gives value to life. Perception is fuelled by habits, history, underlying objective reality - and the way things are presented.

Each design is a sort of perception experiment. The reader can watch the experiment being set up and can then judge if it works."

Edward de Bono
Abstracted from the foreword from the book "A Smile in the Mind"

It might be interesting to note that this man is not in or associated with the design field in any way. His major is on thought. And for him to place so much emphasis on design and creativity as opposed to logic is a refreshing change to the "reality" of logic over creativity that has been force fed to us from a young age.

I believe that design, if anything, supplements logic in the sense that without a creative design, logic would have ceased to exist in the first place. Logic came to be because of a solid design that became the norm because of its usefulness and contributing values to society.

Design definitly existed before logic.

The industry in the current age is grossly understating the power and contributing factor of design. That in turn depreciates the value of commercial designers, and the craft that they specialise in. Make no mistake, anyone can be creative. But not everyone can design.

I shall end with a favourite quote from my year coordination -
"Think about it."

*For those who were lost at the reference of the "Greek gang of three", Edward de Bono was referring to three famous Greek philosophers who have shaped the thinking habits of Western culture. They are Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.

Risk Assessment

Remember back in the army day's where it is every safety officer's job to ensure everyone participating in a physical activity has

1. been properly hydrated
2. had 7 hours of uninterrupted rest
3. no signs of sickness/nausea
4. no history of vomiting or diarrhea in the past 72 hours
5. inhalers if asthmatic

Any of the above would have constituted in the participating soldier being withdrawn from physical activity.

I recall as a young officer that it was such a chore to go through these stuff during safety briefing.
I figured the soldiers are all intelligent people, and they would have heard the briefing umpteen times. Nevertheless, I would go through the motion as failure to do so would result in extras for me.

Sometimes, a person will push himself past his physical limit. For whatever reason, be it motivation or just pure stubbornness, one might not give up till his body fails on him.

I've just realised that pushing yourself is one thing. Not being adequately prepared is another.
I've just tried to get some run time before the Gatorade Triathlon this Sunday. Having not enough sleep for 2 days running has taken its toll. I couldn't even complete 3km and already I felt a massive pumping of blood in my jugular. Seriously, it was a weird feeling. I've never felt that before, and that's when I stopped.

I might sound like a pussy for not pushing myself, but I definitely lived to see another day.
There's always another time to train.
Life is too short.

SuperSprint Gatorade Triathlon

I think I just bit off a little more than I can chew.
This might be a half triathlon, but I'm really worried for the swim leg man...
Its 750m! I do 200m and was sore for the next week!
But yeah, I guess I would enjoy the challenge.
Seeing pictures of my friends all keeping fit in Singapore, right Adelene?
Dion did the SubUrban Run last Sunday and he's taking part in Sundown 2009.
Can't lose out now can I?
Heh!
Finisher tee, here I come!

Andrew "Test" Martin Passes Away

Andrew Martin, also know to the general public as "Test" from WWE and "The Punisher" from TNA, was found dead in his apartment on 14th March. He was 4 days shy of his 34th birthday.

Although I was never a fan of "Test", he played a considerable part in bringing entertainment and "attitude" during the attitude era and should be remembered as a diligent, contributing member to the then overwhelming, overstaffed WWE roster.

God bless his soul.

Happy Birthday Mom!

It's a really special day for you!
Happy "30th" Birthday.
Yeah I know, forever 29. You finally made it to 30.

HAVE A GREAT TIME IN SINGAPORE!!!

Love,
Shawn

Truth

Acedemic (non-design) education tends to reward students who find the single "right" answer to a question or assignment. The possibility of many right answers for each problem is extraordinarily liberating because it increase exponentially the chances of success. It is also extraordinarily instructive, because seeing a variety of responses, even "wrong" ones, sharpen developing critical skills.

Holtzschue, Linda. 2002. Understanding Color: An Introduction for designers - 2nd Edition

There's a footnote at the end of this paragraph, it says -
"Some students who have been very successful in traditional acedemic areas find this flexible standard of "rightness" very difficult!"

I'm starting to like this course.
Tell it like it is baby, screw the lousy flawed system!

Man do I sound angsty.

Thunder

When you walked away
Nothing left to say
Never saw the end would be so near
So run away and hide
The pain you feel inside
Whoever saw the price would be so dear
And you say...

Baby please believe me
Oh please believe me when I see you again
That now you have to go
And i want you to know
This is goodbye
This is goodbye
(Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, say goodbye)
(Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, say goodbye)

Everyone we met
All the ones you had
Would never be the same without you here
So fuck all the cliches
We'll say them anyway
There'll never be a day we won't believe
And you say...

Baby please believe me
Oh please believe me when I see you again
That now you have to go
And i want you to know
This is goodbye
This is goodbye
(Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, say goodbye)
(Goodbye, say goodbye, fair-thee-well)

Don't let the words you say slip away
Don't let the words you say fade away
Say goodbye, say goodbye, say goodbye
Say goodbye, say goodbye, say goodbye

(Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, say goodbye)
(Goodbye, say goodbye, fair-thee-well)

Goodbye, goodbye, fair-thee-well
Goodbye, goodbye, fair-thee-well...

Astro Ninja
A tribute to Wayne Thunder

Astro Ninja Rock My Socks

For all you hardcore rock fans, this is an album you can't pass up on.
For all the supporters of local music, go buy this mutha.
For those who've never heard of Astro Ninja, it's time you did.
For those who are lost, take my word and go buy the album!

Check out their site and have a taste of their songs.
http://www.myspace.com/astroninary
Might not appeal to everyone, but you've got to admit it definitely is quite revolutionary for a band from Singapore.
Just look at the damn titles!
Kiss My Astro - suggestive album title eh?
The Bukkake Udon Song. Enough said.

This is a definite must-hear for ALL rock fans.
"Thunder" is dedicated in loving memory to drummer Wayne Thunder from local band The Suns.
It's a really nice song.

I've been searching for the album here but damn Aussies don't stock Singapore bands!
Looks like I would have to buy from iTunes store.
Anyone wants to sponsor?

Are All Women From Venus?

Before i get into the above mentioned topic, let me just briefly touch on this.

"Millions of Australians are paying up to $100 a month for high speed internet but getting just half of what they pay for.

Ground breaking research has found the average speed delivered by companies such as Telstra, Optus and AAPT is almost half the figure advertised, making Australia a broadband backwater.

The report, by global broadband authority Epitiro, revealed Australians received an average 65.5% of the advertised download speed from their internet service providers.

Speeds slumped to just 14.5% when downloading content from international servers, while Telstra managed just 8.7% of its advertised package speed when downloading from international servers."

Already this country is killing me with its lacklustre internet service and speed. I have to deal with the minimal 5gb of data download a month, add to that lousy speed and ridiculously high prices, sure makes me want to tap RMIT wireless that much more.

Now here's an interesting read I got from the local paper MX.

"The claws are out when it comes to friendships between women. Bitching, backstabbing and bust-ups seem to inevitably rear their ugly heads.
Women secretly hate each other. The fairer sex generally does not want to see other women doing well, whether it's a celebrity, a colleague, or a mate.
In short: To other women, she is a threat.
I wished I had the type of friendships men seem able to make with other men. They have a string of mates who have been in their lives for decades and are genuinely dependable, fun and won't develop inappropriate feelings for their significant others.

-Nadia Salemme"

Well now guys, doesn't that make you feel that much more valuable?

Labour Day

Happy Labour Day to all who deserve it.
The economy's tough right now and you totally deserve a day off from work.
I got a day off too.
Well, technically it was a day off.
Oh yeah, RMIT is the ONLY university to observe Labour Day!
All the other universities can go fly kite. Woohoo!

So technically I've got the day off, but been working on my Studio A project due tomorrow.
Well, I wouldn't say it is a masterpiece.
I would even call it a little crude.
Didn't spend enough time to touch up the thing...
Hence. It only looks good from the front.
Yeah.

Snapshots 005: Moomba Waterfest is up on facebook, check it out when you are free.
I'm off to do more prep for project work.
Who said my course was slack?

Again?

What is it with NTU?
More specifically, what is it with NTU's School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
First a student stabs his lecturer and then commits suicide, now, a project officer is found hanged in the staff apartment.

Seriously, is it really that taxing or stressful?
Is there not a better way to solve things without ending your life?
Because to me, by doing that, you're just running away from your problems.
Why?
Because you cannot confront them?
Are you not man enough?
I know it's really harsh to be criticizing two dead guys but hey, they might think they've got their problems solved, but how many more problems are created just because they decided their lives should be ended prematurely?

Pardon me for being so crude.

SAF Doctor Found Dead in Melbourne

It seems like Melbourne is the destination of choice for many Singaporeans.
Be it to make a living, or it seems, a place to die.

An SAF doctor has been AWOL since October last year and believed to be in Melbourne for the duration leading up till his death.
Firstly, if the Singapore government "believes" he is in Melbourne, why was there no attempt to extract him?

The body of Captain (Dr) Allan Ooi was found under the Westgate Bridge in the south Australian city on Tuesday, police from the state of Victoria told The Straits Times.

The 2,600m long bridge across the Yarra River is a vital link between the city centre and Melbourne's western suburbs.

Now for those who don't know, Westgate bridge is a notoriously infamous place for suicides.

Police data show up to one suicide is reported every three weeks. Wow, next time you wanna jump, you know where to go!

I think it is an absolute shame that a brilliant doctor loses his life in such a manner. I can only say that I wish the SAF had put in more effort in searching for him. If he is such a valuable asset to the force, you will not allow him to go AWOL for that long a period.

Current Song: Jump - Van Halen (pretty ironic huh?)

Studio A Part II

Ok I've done a really bad Illustrator job on the caricature, but hey, I'm not Illustrator trained!
Would definitely dig a better job though, but here's what I have for now. I will add in the shadows and stuff probably tomorrow.
Damn, I hope I'm doing a good job cos it seem real sucky to me...
I won't be impressed by this.
Shit.

On a happier note, went for the SSA (Singapore Student Association) gathering today.
That was fun, you realise that the world is actually really small.
People from BMT, people who knew people, even people who knew my cousin Deane.
So yeah, I'd say it really is a small world.

Ok back to Illustrator.
It's 1230am now so I hope to be done by 3am.

Current Song: A Story About A Girl - Our Lady Peace

Studio A

Ok I've been submitting a flurry of posts.
Really rushing for the Studio A project due Tuesday.
Even though its only worth 5%, I think my standards aren't up to scratch. So yeah, I'm cramming all my creative juices for this 5%. Hopefully it'll be fruitful.

Here's the brief.

Using any media for a gallery-style exhibition, create a visual profile of/about yourself.
Format: A4

Assessment is divided into three categories:
Think, Form and Performance.
Think - 30%
Form - 30%
Performance - 40%

Well, imagine that for 5%. I must be really paranoid.
I've posted part of it above.
I know it seems narcissistic but it's a profile of ME.
I'll explain the end product when it is done.
And yes, I'll include shots as well.

OMG I'VE DRAWN MYSELF WITH REALLY UGLY TEETH!!
I'll definitely edit that. Definitely.

Our Preconceptions

Design Theory lecture today for me, reinforced the notion as to why I decided not to pursue my studies in Singapore.

We are all bounded by the misconception that everything is based on a set formula. You get the formula right, and everything moves swimmingly for you. That's what we are taught in Singapore. Study and memorize. Know what the teacher wants. Once you've got that basic formula, your results will reflect accordingly. Everything boiled down to how much you think you know, or rather, how much the teacher wants you to know. We don't challenge views, we don't question enough. Singaporeans are best at sitting and listening. We are followers. Whatever is fed to us, we do. The fear of not conforming often drives us to the point where we feel that it is safer to just blend with the majority.

That might be fine for Primary, maybe Secondary education. What about tertiary education? Junior College? That is the time where we grow into what we are, how we think, what we perceive is right. Is it wrong to challenge the norm? Society says yes. Why bother doing extra when you've got a set of rules that works, and more often than not, yield results? What we are not seeing is that instead of an education system that grows and evolves as we progress, it has become narrower as we go. Its a reverse funnel effect, with the narrow end on top.

Education is supposed to get more diverse as we progress. That is why when we go to poly, we specialize and go in depth into a certain field. And as we go further into Uni, we encounter a wide spectrum of materials that wasn't available to us before. However, by following the current education system, all it is doing to us is narrow our vision.

Picture this. You have just completed Secondary school and have opted for a tertiary course of study. You graduate in 3 years with say, a Diploma in Engineering. You are good at it and say to yourself, "hey, I can do this for a living. I'll improve my skills in Uni and emerge a qualified professional engineer that will contribute to society."

Therein lies the problem. You have already visualized your end point. You will emerge a qualified engineer. But ask yourself this. How many engineers do we need? Are there enough vacancies to fill? More often than not, one will find themself doing something outside their field of specialty. Such is the economy now that no one is guaranteed a position.

I am taking a course as a designer. Specifically, communication design. What would I expect myself to be in 3 years? A graphic designer? Are there really that many vacancies to fill?

Education, for that matter, should be a process of learning of practical skills that one can make use of. I do not condone the "memorize" method. Where has that gotten anyone? Will you be better at a job because you can memorize something? Would your client be impressed if you could memorize all 52 states in America? Rather, education should be more of an open learning journey. One where you get to explore possibilities. Not to go by the book because you know that will get you the A. The A will be irrelevant when you go out into the workforce! Who'll give you that A? Your client again? No way! Exploring possibilities like how this would work if I've done it some other way. Challenging the norm, dismissing preconceptions. If you don't do it now, when will you have a chance to do it? I'm absolutely sure no client would pay for their project to be "experimented" on.

Here's something from my lecturer -
"Creativity is defined by whether you accept something, or affect it's outcome."
"Anyone can do wonders on Illustrator. I can teach a monkey do great work if I feed it loads of bananas. But nobody can teach my Mac to dream."

By taking the initiative and taking the reigns on your education will define who and what you will become in the future.

Am I ready to challenge myself?

What's Going On?

It's amazing how out of touch with the world you can get when you're deprived of TV.
I have absolutely no idea what's going on now.
Got to miss the times where I just hop onto my couch and flip the remote to Discovery, CNN, Star Sports, and even Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon.
Seriously, Singapore could be hit by a hurricane and I wouldn't know.
Ok maybe I would, cos there're way too many Singaporeans here.
But yeah, the analogy kinda highlighted the gravity of the situation.

Didn't check out the news till YK told me to look up CNA.
NTU student stabs lecturer and then commits suicide.
Now that's scary shit happening in Singapore.
Is anywhere in the world safe anymore?
It's understandable that he might have problems coping with stress and workload, but seriously, how does stabbing your lecturer help?
It certainly won't give you extra credit!
Neither will it put you on the Dean's list.

I feel it was a bloody waste of life.
He was an international student, like me.
He paid to go abroad to study.
He should make the most out of it.
While it didn't help that he stabbed someone, ending his life just made him a coward.
What a dumbass.

Would that make people sorry for you? Doubt it.

Erratic

Have you ever watched those nature shows on Discovery or National Geographic and thought to yourself - "damn, what will it feel like to brave those tough winds and sub zero temperatures."?

Well, head down to Melbourne. The city that allows you to experience the hot summer heat, cold winter breeze, and a howling 100km/h wind all in the same day!

I took a walk down Swanston Street after class and I swear, I was PUSHED ALONG by the wind. No kidding. Now, you all know how much I weigh. I'm not light! And for it to actually drag me along the sidewalk, now that's quite a feat!

Inversely, by coming down Swanston, I now had to make my way back up right?
I was held back by the wind. The freaking gust was so strong it really took twice the effort to get back up and home.

And then, it started to become hot as hell.
Yup, the winds are still going strong, but it's hot air now.
Sweating my ass off in the room even though the fan was on.
And this morning?
FREEZING.

Temperatures hit a low of 9 degrees today.
Shivering my balls off.
Talk about erratic weather.
Tomorrow's going to be a cold day too.
I'd better stock up on warm clothing, filmsy Adidas jackets just won't do it anymore.

I'm listening to the wind howl past my window as I type.
It's freaky.

A Change in Pace

Being late for my first class didn't really set me off on the right foot in uni.
Was 45 mins late cos they shifted the class from building 88 to building 7, and I spent 45 mins looking for it.
Damn that sucked.

Anyways I found out that Studio B is about drawing and illustration.
Basically a fine arts class with live drawing and stuff.
We already drew pictures of a nude model for the first class.
Before you go gaga over that, it was an old female model.
I shall leave it at that.

Class was interesting though, we were told to draw with our dominant and non dominant hands.
Later we had to draw with our feet.
All to break our inhibitions and let loose so that our strokes will flow.
It was fun while it lasted, although our lecturer wasted no time in throwing us our first project.

Studio A was about design and symbolism.
We got a brief introduction to the class and our lecturers, which by the way are 2 wonderful professionals in my view.
After that we just got to know each other from the class.
Class ended early, BUT not before the mandatory project was issued.

Day 1 complete and already 2 projects on hand.
And one of them is due next week.
I thought Aussie was a land of laid back studying.
I guess I thought wrong huh?

The Start of Something New

Shawn starts uni today.
Let's hope he does well.
Watch this space for his first class honours announcement!

Rejects of the Singapore system cannot be stopped.
Lol!

Snapshots 004

It seems that Australia really has a binging culture.
And international students are not immune to it.
It's one thing if you can hold your liquor, another if you don't have a good gauge of where your threshold is.
Penny got really smashed yesterday... from... wine?
Haha I can't figure that out myself.
That's why when in doubt, always opt for the safest drink like me!
Iced Mocha!!

Played touch at Princes (no this is the actual correct spelling) Park yesterday.
Quad was still sore from the Wednesday game with the Aussies.
Couldn't do much. And for some reason, perhaps my bright red shirt, everybody was on me.
Damn.
Anyway, I did succeed in busting my quad again.
Think it is worse than Wednesday.
Lesson learnt. Don't play touch with a busted quad.

School's starting tomorrow!
Finally, after an excruciating 3 weeks.
I can't wait to start with the photography club as well.
Fun days ahead.

Will be heading down to the internation student's festival later with Josh and Jia Wei.
Hopefully we'll meet lots of people.
I've got my camera ready.
That means more photos coming up on facebook.

By the way, I've finally completed my shoot on Royal Botanic Gardens.
Photos are on facebook. Check out the lush greenery and BIRDS there.
Also, pictures of Crown, Southbank, Yarra River, people in their daily activities etc.
And I managed to get a few shots of Swanston Street at 2am.
Damn shiok stand in the middle of the road and take only.
So check out Snapshots 004!