ok listen people!!! i have no idea why but i can't edit my posts!

the last one got posted twice but i can't edit it. why is that? HELP!

My night's saty at the HILTON

I know when you all finish reading this post you’ll are gonna think that I’m a total godaya. Ok but tell me would any of you bother staying at the Colombo Hilton a night when you’re already living in Colombo. I dunno if you’ll have that kind of money but I don’t. so this is about my night stay over at the Hilton.
It was the 28th of April and we had to go to Hilton for one of my dad’s award ceremonies. (We in the sense, me and my family) so all of us were excited. After the award ceremony we got to stay the night stay at the Hilton with complementary breakfast at ‘spices’. AND, it was the world cup final that that and everybody was more excited about that. I wouldn’t talk about that coz it’s too heart wrecking.
Anyways, it was around 2.30 am when we started hearing gun shots from outside and opposite the room I was staying was the army headquarters. O me god… when I opened my eyes it was not a pretty sight. The Colombo skyline was roaring with machine gun fire and everything else was pitch dark. There were gunshots going on from all the angles and it was scaring me to death. It must have been around 30mins until the shooting were stopped but still it was freaking out all the guests. The management of the hotel were putting announcement for guests to come downstairs to the lobby to which my freaking brother wouldn’t give a damn. He’s too big in his head and wanted to see what was going on outside.
After sometime the shooting started again and this time they were aiming at two air crafts. We could see the planes and the shots going so close but missing them. It was worse than Sangakkara missing Gilchrist’s catch! Damn.
Anyway, we were at the hotel lobby for about 45mins and somehow the firing ceased. Everything was settled around 4.30 in the morning but I’m not sure of the time.
All in all, the night was exciting and happening. I’ve always wanted to witness war first hand or go back to the time when the World War 2 took place and be a nurse at the US marines. I know all those are fantasies but I could say although it was scary, I liked the experience of witnessing war first hand coz think again of the kids who live in the north and the east, they do that every day. Isn’t it nice to share they’re feelings at least once in our lives being brothers and sisters of one nation?
So… that’s my night stay at the Hilton but the morning breakfast buffet was amazing and I ate like a pig!!!

So here i am again after...mmmm..can't really remember..anyways..wat i was gonna say was..i had 'kinda' forgotten about my blog when i accidently bumped into the website when i was jobless in office when everyone had gone on avurudu holidays...the one and only people workin for the whole of Bumbalapitiya junk is our office..(not really so) but u get the picture right?

so where was i? oh ya...so today i'm really jobless and its damn cold outside coz of the weather..tomorrow is officially a holiday and i'm going out of colombo with my folks and i wasn't really looking forward to it but now i am coz i think i need a break freom staring at the computer for the better part of the day....

well...what have i been upto for the last few weeks..oh..i participated at an easter retreat last week starting from wednesday to easter sunday....call me a dork but i love god and i'm a good catholic....and after that i'm now sure of where i'm heading with my life....i don't think i can share it with u dorks coz u'll wouldn't understand..so for now i'll leave it at that...

yep so that's it for now...hey dimmi....this is my new post...do i pass the 'don't suck' post now? HEY FOR YOUR 411..I DON'T SUCK!!!!!!!!!

well..i'm here after a month i guess.. alot has been happening around but the most important thing is fiishing the blessed HND 've been doin for the last two years...where did i start and where have i ended up? god i still wish i had done fashion design instead of interior...its not that i regret it or anything..and i'm really good at it..but i still wish otherwise...certain things in life can't be changed and u live the rest of ur life thinking of what might have happened? the 'WHAT IF' that doesn't leave the mind once u screw up....what if i had done fashion instead of interior..what if i had told the truth to my parents that i wanted leave...what if i had told that good for nothing bastered that i'm through with him when i knew he was cheating? what if i had stood by my word when i DID tell him off?..............................................god help me...

i know u're somewhere there god listening to all this...but don't u think u should give me another chance? ok ok....so u have given me well and enuf and i shudn't be complaining...and i'm not complaining u know..i'm just saying wat comes to my head..i know u have a very secial plan for me but when is it gonna happen? its already happenin? really? u're serious? wow! then how come i dont see anything?????

things ar gettin abit boring...god y do still hate that guy? i should be forgiving and forgetting rite? thats what i promissed and intended to do.. but then why do i still hate him so much...........

help!

Production reasons

Why is it made that way? And why is it that color? These are just a few questions we ask or would like to ask from the person who made it or at least from the person who is selling it. But in reality, we never get to do this because we don’t get to meet the person who actually designed it. But as a designer one should strongly accept the fact that the consumer does ask these questions when purchasing a product. So why not ask the questions yourself and answer them before it is actually produced.
When thinking of production reasons, it is wise to think of the market segment. In other words, to whom the product is being designed? The visual and the chemical characteristics of the product may vary depending on who is going to use it. Thus, the market segment is very important and definitely should be thought of when designing a product.
Also when choosing a material, the designer should think of the chemical and the physical properties as this could cause health matters. It is a responsibility of the designer to think of these factors and approval should be taken from the relevant authorities, such as the ITI so that many hazards could be avoided. Even in renovations and demolitions in architecture and interior design, the designer should get his approval from the authorities. This again is done to protect the consumer. It is the designer’s responsibility to the client to do so.
When starting to design something, the designer should always consider the time span he has been provided. As a designer, he has a responsibility to the client to do the job on time. And not only a responsibility, he should think that not completing the job on time might end up resulting, loosing the client. This is a win- win situation where the designer wins if the client wins. And also, before taking on a job, the designer should always think whether or not he could do the job on the given time. This should be discussed and dealt with, before starting off a project. That way both the client and the designer are safe.
When talking about production reasons, it is a must to think of the packaging of the product. How ever much said, it’s a fact that any human would go for the one the eye likes. At least at first. This is why the packaging has to be given prominence. If the package is eye catching and interesting, then the product is already 50% sold at the beginning. And also, how the product sits in the packaging in relation to the packaging is important as it will enhance the effect the packaging has already created. For example, if the product is fairly small compared to the package, then it could be a disadvantage because it will make the product look inferior.
Lastly, the display. The display has to be one of a kind as this is what buys the customer. If the display is perfect, it makes the consumer stop and look at it. If the package is good, he wouldn’t be able to step away from it. And of course if the product is good, the designer has bought the consumer.
All in all, a design is done to be produced and the design is produced to be sold.

aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhhh......really bad day..started off bad enough and now its getting really worse..had an arguement with my mom in the morning and it made me feel shit..but nevermind i came to class and now their saying that we don't have classes..god this place sucks..not organiced at all...they waste out time and still load us with a heap of work and expect us to do all that..man ...aren't we human? no for them we are not........anyway...noe i've gotto do 5 essays 500 words each before tomorrow....god knows how i'm gonna do it...

splendors of south east asia!

hey folks...did i mention that i won the geoffrey bawa travel award for the year 2006? well, i did...below you can read the essay i wrote for the competition..the competition was open to the architecture students of the faculty of architecture moratuwa university, Sri Lanka institute of architects and interior design students of the academy of design colombo..i'm a student of the academy of design and this is the first time the academy students were eligible to take part...lucky me ha? and by the way..we had to write an essay saying why this travel award is important to me and what do i hope to get from it, and the like...this essay only took me to the best five candidates..the rest was done at the interview..and i was chosen! i toured in india for whole five weeks..and it was awsome! shall write about it some other time!!! so enjoy!...the title is 'splendors of south east asia'

The world we call the earth is a place full of wonders and magic, created by human hands. and the story of the world and man goes a long way back to as many years as ancient civilizations can take us. speaking of civilizations, one could think of many that tells us marvelous stories. it is a well known fact that the 'inca maya' civilization of south america holds the pride of having the best town planning and architectural skills.
Yet, isn't it a bit odd that none of their work has any sign of the 'wheel' which is known as the dawn of advanced technology? this proves the fact that someone else should get the credit for the technology they had. this brings me to a very interesting and curious point of my discussion.
during the period when the incas reined the maya civilization, king 'veerachana' ruled the 'hela asura' kingdom in the south eastern coast of sri lanka. this king belonged to the 'raakshasa' tribe who were worriors. this whole tribe were worshipers of the sun god and called them selves the sons of the sun, whereas the incas worshiped king veerachana and used the sun as their holy symbol. but why did they worship the raakshasa king? now the jigsaw starts falling in to place.

A foriegn research group came for research in the south eastern costal belt of sri lanka recently but returned due to unexplained reasons. people believe that this is because of the legend of the lost city of king ravana. during the rein of king ravana, sri lanka was the most powerful kingdom and followed by the ancient kings and their creations prove this. in line with king veerachana's and king ravana's kingdoms, are the kingdoms of the mauryan king, asoka of india(the tower of asoka), the kingdom of anuradhapura, and in myanmar is the shwedagon pagoda. this gives an incline to as what had been happening. the whole of south asia had been a very powerful unit. and to answer my question as to why the incas worshiped the raakshasa king, it is because that they got their technology from king veerachana of the hela asura.
now to make a point, the strength of a civilization is measured mostly by the technology they possesed. this brings me to the topic of architecture and soforth to design. once, having been the most powerful unit of the world, south east asia holds a rich culture and a tradition of its own. this culture and tradition has had a great influence in the fields of architecture and design. the best examples are, the taj mahal of agra, the sanchi stupa in madhya pradesh india, the forbidden city of cina, the shwedagon pagoda in myanmar, and also caves at ellora nad ajantha in maharashtra india, the kornak sun temple, forts and palaces all across india should b specially mentioned for their breathtaking architecture and creativity.

although they had a similarity in being south asian, they stood apart from the rest of the world because of the cultural and the traditional influences they had from their own country. as such, the taj mahal or the 'crown palace' is considered as the most beautiful piece of architecture in the world. the mausoleum also has the mosque, gardens, gateways and fountains, and so, a seperate dtory of its own. it is said that talents of the muslim and the western world came together to build this masterpiece and so a combination of the two worlds. in contrast to the gleaming white marble of the mausoleum, there's a pair of red sandstone buildings flanking the tomb to the west and the east, built to complete the symmetry. this masterpiece includes the three majo elements of islamic art; the saying from the quran, geometrical forms, and a variety of plant forms and flowers, often repeted as borders. the calygraphy has its own style too. the size gradualy increases as they go up the side of the structure, so that from the ground all leters appear in perfect uiformity. the moghul emperor has used extrvagant materials for the building, such as, makrana marble, red sandstone, jasper, carnelian, turquouise, malachite, jade, crystal, pearls, diamonds, emaralds and sapphires. the makrana marble that is used on the walls has the ability of taking on subtle variations of tint and tone. this comes in very beautifully at dawn and dusk when the sky changes its moods and colors every second, and specially because the sky stands as the background for the mausoleum, it gives a tremendouse effect. also the composition of forms and lines are in perfect symmetry. as for the main dome, below it lies the tomb of the emperor's beloved 'mumtaz' and the dome gives and effect of soaring the tomb to the heavens.

as a student who's studying interior and spatial design, i think it is very imporant for me to study about these and expand my knowledge and talent. this masterpiece itself is a great example os the use of space, mterials and nature in bringing out the best of one's work. more than the structural behaviour of the building, i think the detailed elements are more important for my studies. keep aside the architectural value of the building, the legend that leads one to the taj mahal itself is enough to someone to go visit the mausoleum. it's not just the tomb of some emperor's wife, it is the symbol of love and it is a once in a life time chance if someone gets to see it. it is also said that if someone turns around to take a second look at it, he will deffinitely return.

not only the taj mahal, india is famous for its cultural values. another great example is the sanchi stupa done by king asoka. it has the structural elements of the buddhist temple and specially the four pandols that salute the four directions are tremendous.

in the east side of asia is the empir of china. this land also holds a rich history and one of the great wonders of the world. the great wall of china. it was built mainly to protect the chinese empire from mongolian invaders. this huge wall streches over 1500miles and extends from kansu in the west to the yellow sea in the east. although china is famouse for the great wall, not only this but the ancient architecture has a long history of its own. chinese architecture has a few different catogories. those are, inperial architecture, which includes palaces, and imperial mausoleums; buddhist archiecture, which includes temples; taoist architecture which includes various structures according to different functions, catogarized as palace for oblation and sacrifice, altar for praying and offering, cubby for religious service, residence for taoist abbes and garden for visitors. chinese temple and garden architecture too played a vital role.

among the mausoleums, is the most famous 'forbidden city' which belonges to the Qing dynasty. one thing that makes it so great lies with the layout. symmetry and the logical placing of all these buildings are located everywhere. there are many structures which make this city stand out as a place of many treasures and great art. there are avenues of lions, mythical animals, camels, elephants, horses, officials and guardians carved from single blocks of marble atnding guard. they are placed right along the 'spirit way'. chinese architecture atands out apart from the others because os its use of materials and materials in collaboration with their tradition. this is shown very clearly in the roofs. 'although it may not seem like, roofs are an important part of chinese architecture. roofs did not only protect residences from the elements, they also had a deeper meaning. for example, temple roofs were crved because the buddhists believed that it helped ward off evil spirits which were believed to be straight lines. the temple's roof is also made of glazed ceramic tiles and has a over hanging cave distinguished by a graceful upward slope. the curve of each roof can be no more than a sweep and the most intricate designs on the roof are almost always pointing south east. however, there are some down sides to having all these decorations on the roof. the tremendous weight could eventually bring down the entire complex. that is why the chinese have added an additional collonade to support the weight under the outer edges, reducing the bracket system to mere decorations.' Source: Chinese Architecture.

as i have stated above,each country has its uniqeness while being truly asian. as a design student, i'm capable of examining all these intricate details and i'm eager to study more about these also because of my passion for the subject of history. i think history has a major role to play in the fields of design and architecture as it is the foundation of the future of the country. even if someone wants to break away from the tradition, that person will have to know what the tradition is. and, i being a first year student of spatial design, i think i'll be very fortunate if i get to visit these places and widen my knowledge. and also, once being the great power of the world, why not witness the wonders and powers of our ancestors?

Be asian, live asian!