recentaboutlinksarchive
Hebitch

sHa-Z

Twitter Updates

    follow me on Twitter

    Bitch here

    Shazi Ezan

    Create Your Badge

    Favourite Photos

    Taj Mahal, Agra, India

    Loch Ard Gorge, Victoria, Australia

    British Columbia, Canada

    al-Haram Mosque, Mecca, Saudi Arabia

    Beijing, China

    White House, Washington D.C., U.S.A.

    Skagway, Alaska, U.S.A.

    Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia

    Fatehpur Sikri, India

    Emerald Lake, Yukon, Canada

    Times Square, New York City, U.S.A.

    Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Beijing, China

    The Twelve Apostle, Victoria, Australia

    Burj al Arab, Dubai, U.A.E.

    Emerald Lake, Yukon, Canada

    Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    The Twelve Apostle, Victoria, Australia

    Beijing, China

    Taj Mahal, Agra, India

    Icon: LJ/sixthmile
    Layout: tuesdaynight
    Inspiration: DayBefore!Misery

    Layout: Like a knife.
    Best viewed: Mozilla Firefox.
    Resolution: 1280X800.

    W.I.A? The Dome win over the toilet bowl.
    Bitched on: Friday, January 25, 2008
    Time: 1/25/2008 05:02:00 PM

    I made an error last year when I said that this was the design for the new National Stadium in Singapore:

    This design stirred quite a bit of controversy. I thought nothing of it until you see the aerial view of the design.Just imagine some stools (and I don't mean the kind you sit on) floating around... To make it worst, you can actually 'flush' the field with water to have any water sports played in the same stadium.

    First durians, now this? Well, you could alway
    s look at it this way, after having some durians, you need to visit the toilet, right?

    But jokes aside, it didn't win the judges and the public over. Neither did this:You can view all three entries here.

    So the winning entry is (*drumrolls*)... this one:

    Introducing your new National Stadium, Singapore. The Cool Dome.

    At least thats what people are calling it...
    Its... ermm... a cool name. Well I think we should lose the 'cool', sounds like we're trying too hard. Just call it the Dome.

    The "Cool Dome" design, submitted by the Singapore Sports Hub consortium, will be Singapore's next iconic structure.

    The Singapore government on Saturday revealed the consortium as its preferred bidder for the Singapore Sports Hub project.

    The consortium beats two other bids.


    These were the "Horse shoe shaped design" submitted by the Singapore Gold consortium and the "wrapped-Stadium design" submitted by the Alpine Mayreder.

    The new sports hub will be completed by end 2011 and will cost some S$1.2 billion.
    The integrated complex includes a 55,000-seat capacity stadium with a retractable roof, an aquatic centre, multi-purpose arena and retail space.

    In sunny Singapore, the "dome" will allow plenty of ventilation and help
    bring the temperature down along with spot cooling for the seats.

    - Channelnewsasia.com
    It also aims to incorporate the nearby Indoor Stadium into its long list of activities.
    I'm convinced already. This dome will become a unique icon for Singapore.

    Oops.. that's a stadium in Malaysia... I meant to show this:


    See the rest of architecture-related entries in Strictly Architecture.

    Labels: ,


    0 comments

    Brokeback Mountain just got quieter.
    Bitched on: Wednesday, January 23, 2008
    Time: 1/23/2008 12:58:00 AM


    Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan apartment, naked in bed with sleeping pills nearby, police said. The Australian-born actor was 28. It wasn't immediately clear if Ledger had committed suicide.

    He had an appointment for a massage at a residence in the tony neighborhood of SoHo, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. A housekeeper who went to let him know the massage therapist had arrived found him dead at 3:26 p.m.

    A large crowd of paparazzi and gawkers gathered outside the building on an upscale block. Ledger's body was still inside, and several police officers guarded the door.


    0 comments

    W.I.A? Another look into Singapore's future skyline 1
    Bitched on: Thursday, January 17, 2008
    Time: 1/17/2008 03:28:00 PM

    I need to keep reminding myself that I am an architecture student and not a mass communication student (...who is hell-bent on being a journalist...). Lol.

    So allow me to go back to blogging about what I love most: Architecture. (Whether or not I become an architect in the future, que sera, sera....)

    So here goes: 'What is Architecture? Another look into Singapore's future skyline'.

    Picture from Urban Redevelopment Authority, Singapore

    "The new waterfront promenade and bridge at Marina Bay by COX Group, Arup Pte Ltd (Australia) and Architects 61 : a 280 metre bridge designed as a double helix structure. It comprises two opposite spiralling steel members that are held together by a series of connecting struts to form a tubular structure." -www.worldarchitecturenews.com

    Picture from http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/

    Looks interesting enough and more importantly.. its unique, I suppose. Like you don't have another pedestrian bridge like this in every city in the world right? Definitely not another Singapore flyer.

    Its kinda reminiscent of Santiago Calatrava's anthromorphic works. Very organic and sculptural. It would definitely bring more sensuality to Marina Bay (but we already have enough of that with the phallic combination of the Esplanade and the Raffles City building in the distance... use your imagination...)

    Picture from Foster+Partners website

    Another much anticipated addition to the city - a 150,000 sq m mixed-use development for Beach Road (see above and below) beside Suntec City. Designed by Norman Foster + Partners, it will be another addition to the list of works by 'star-chitects' in our humble shores...

    Picture from Foster+Partners website

    Other than incorporating the existing blocks of colonial-looking buildings into the design, Foster has also made it 'green', passing the local ‘Platinum’ sustainable/green design rating.

    "The canopy is articulated by ribbon-forms that flex above the primary circulation routes and public spaces and dip near the edges - reflecting the changes of use beneath it. The ribbons rise up the exposed east and west elevations of the towers where they form a series of vertical louvres. These filter the sun and provide a framework for the planting which will transform the towers into a series of vertically linked green spaces. The buildings’ forms and slanted facades are oriented to catch the prevailing winds and direct air flow down to cool the ground level spaces." -www.fosterandpartners.com

    I simply love 'green' architecture. Not only does it look aesthetically pleasing and befitting in our Garden City, it also uses much less energy (or some Zero Energy Buildings, ZEB, use none at all) to operate, mostly because its design minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by enhancing efficiency of the energy used.

    For example, designs which promote natural ventilation is definitely preferred to simply air-conditioning a building because one, it saves electricity and two, the air quality is better.

    And since reducing energy usage, as well as its polluting effects, has the utmost importance in the world right now, architects should be designing buildings with sustainability and efficiency in mind. Especially since buildings use a huge percentage of energy globally daily.

    To be continued in Part 2.

    See the rest of Architecture-related entries in: Strictly Architecture

    Labels: ,


    0 comments

    Auntie Shazi.
    Bitched on: Monday, January 14, 2008
    Time: 1/14/2008 11:22:00 PM

    I have become one of those bloggers who would just put up pictures and not blog much..

    Who cares?

    I just wanna show off that my niece is like so cute...

    She had 5 camera phones all aimed at her for these shots. This is her spot-on impersonation of Paris Hilton
    .
    Cute right? Aiyoh...

    Now, two things make me rush home everyday. First its her, definitely, to catch her before she sleeps.

    And secondly to catch the 9pm Chinese drama serial. Its like so good lah...
    All the veteran actors namely Chew Chor Meng, Li Nanxing and Chen Liping are bloody good...

    Oh and Tay Ping Hui 's character is so hate-able... Grrr.... Don't let me see Tay Ping Hui in person, man...

    Oh, did I tell you I saw Christopher Lee and Jeanette Aw in my school? They were filming some new drama serial... I think the characters are students from my (Architecture) course. They were filming some scenes of their Freshmen Orientation Camp and stuff like that.

    And they were using mainland Chinese people for the extras... Like hello? We so don't look like them lah... We do not wear polo Tees with khaki pants and running shoes.... Like yucks...

    But we do dress sloppier..

    Labels:


    0 comments

    Uncle Shazi.
    Bitched on: Saturday, January 12, 2008
    Time: 1/12/2008 01:43:00 PM

    I was wondering what my 'title' would be now.
    What my little niece would be calling me soon after she says her first words.

    Uncle? Pakcik? Cu? Cik Bongsu? Uncle Cu?
    ('Bongsu' is Malay for 'youngest child' and 'Pakcik' is Malay for 'uncle')

    Well, I have decided to be known as Uncle Izan since that was what my cousins' kids called me... but now they just call me Izan.

    Did I mention before that I have been 'demoted' a generation now? I feel like I am no longer amongst the generation of my cousins but instead I am in the one after that, that of their kids'.


    Firstly, cause I am the youngest of my cousins on my Dad's side and secondly, I am still schooling while all my other cousins, including the one who is just a year older than me, are married with at least three kids in tow...

    I hang around with their kids now... Haha... That's so pathetic.

    OK, OK, back to my niece.

    I have been relishing the role of an uncle now: cradling her, watching her bathe, playing with her and doting on my little princess.

    Sigh...


    I will never get it how people can abandon babies just like that. Especially newborns. Or worst how those monsters can take away their tiny little lives by smothering or going physical on the baby or... other horrendous barbaric acts...

    What wrong have they done?


    Don't even get me started on abortion... I am definitely a pro-li
    fe supporter now.

    Again, I'm digressing.
    So back to this silly uncle of hers.


    I was helping my Mum to feed the crying baby one time and my Mum had asked me to test the temperature of the milk in the bottle that had been partially submerged in a mug of hot water.

    So she said in Malay, "Pour out a bit of the milk on the back of your hand and 'rasa'."
    Well, to those who don't understand Malay, 'rasa' has two meanings: it can mean 'feel' or it can also mean 'taste'.

    So you all must already now which of the two I did.
    Luckily it wasn't breast milk. Or else it would have been very... very weird...

    "Ermm... That's my uncle..."

    Labels: ,


    0 comments

    Our Little Princess.
    Bitched on: Tuesday, January 08, 2008
    Time: 1/08/2008 10:18:00 PM

    She's extremely cute, isn't she?
    (Suri
    Cruise definitely has a tough competitor.)
    Her eyes are big and round, her lips small and cute and her hair thick and long. I fell in love with her the moment I first laid my eyes on her.

    One of her first shots after the delivery. She still has a bit of blood above her upper lip. And look at how active she can be, looking around with those huge peepers of hers and nibbling her tiny but slender fingers.

    Me carrying her the first time. She is so small and fragile I was really nervous. And I kinda teared. Words can't describe how happy I was, how happy I still am... and how happy I will always be.

    I never knew I could be this happy, just stroking your soft hair
    and staring into your eyes.

    Labels:


    0 comments

    "Alesha": Protected By God.
    Bitched on: Monday, January 07, 2008
    Time: 1/07/2008 11:46:00 PM

    You are beyond perfect.
    Welcome to this world, Orked Alesha.

    I will love you always,
    Uncle Shazi.

    Labels:


    0 comments

    Me is going to be a Uncle.
    Time: 1/07/2008 01:11:00 AM

    In less than 12 hours from now... I will be an uncle...

    (They are going to induce labour for my sis cos baby niece is overdue by one week.)

    And I will love my niece like my own.

    :)

    Labels:


    0 comments

    New Phone. New Year.
    Bitched on: Sunday, January 06, 2008
    Time: 1/06/2008 12:20:00 AM

    Disclaimer: The last thing I want to sound like in this entry is a spoilt brat who is ungrateful and rotten.

    I bought a new phone. N81.

    My contract was expiring so I happened to pass by one of those StarHub service shops and I happened to walk in and then walked out with a new phone and a few hundred dollars poorer. (I gave my N73 to my Daddy.)

    While I was extremely ecstatic about getting the N73 the last time, the lack of 'preparation' and knowledge of the new phone didn't stir half as much excitement.

    Well yeah, its a good phone; it has a damn good stereo, large memory space for tonnes of music, large screen, decent 2 Megapixels camera, plays crystal-clear videos (DVD-quality), plays N-Gage games, has a nice design (its a slider!)... it has almost everything that I can ask for in a phone... its just, I'm not in 'love' with it.

    Something is just not right.
    Maybe the phone isn't 'me'.

    I remember the last time when I saw N73 when it first came out.
    I told myself, "I have to get my hands on the phone..."
    Ohh
    ... The
    3.2 megapixels camera on that phone could make any cam-whore like yours truly fantasize (at that time)...

    And then it was (still is) N95... I love the 5 megapixels on that baby...
    Now that's a fantasy...

    Just that the 2 megapixels on the N81 is just so... you know... it feels like you're downgrading... *cue to slap this spoilt brat*

    (complaint, after complaint, after complaint; only know how to complain...)

    Man, I am sure spending a lot of money the past month. And I foresee many more s
    pending sprees in the future. I need to buy a laptop (I have my eyes on this HP model, dunno what's the model number) and a new camera (I am set to buy the Olympus 560).

    And my wardrobe for the States this May is only half bought...

    Sigh...

    My life, as I know it, is over!
    *another cue to slap this crazy bitch to his senses*

    Related Entry: New Phone! New Nose?

    Labels:


    0 comments

    Quote of the New Year.
    Bitched on: Tuesday, January 01, 2008
    Time: 1/01/2008 11:18:00 PM


    After the countdown at Marina Bay, some friends and I went to one of those 24 hours Arabic-themed eateries down at Arab Street/Haji Lane. There, we ate heartily and played those silly games to pass the time. In the following conversation, I might have sounded drunk, but hey, its just me. I can get drunk without a drop of alcohol in me.

    Friend: Shazi, truth or dare?

    Me: Ermmm... Truth.

    Friend: Would you sleep with a man for a million dollars?

    Me: I'm a whore. So definitely.

    Friend: A thousand?

    Me: Nope. No way...

    Friend: Ten thousand?

    Me: Hmmm... Tempting but still nope.

    Friend: A hundred thousand?

    Me: You could buy a car with that much money, so yeah, I would.

    Friend: So you would sleep with another guy if you could get a car with that money?

    Me: Yeah. I think... Guess my ass is worth the price of a car.

    So there, quote of 2008.
    "My ass is worth the price of a car."

    Labels:


    0 comments