UK's climate...天气篇

Many friends asking me what the differences between the UK and Malaysia. Indeed, this sort of question is not easy to answer with single words because it is two different worlds. However, I would like to share with you partly by partly about the differences that I've discovered.

The UK's Climate:

The most dramatic changing in my life here is the cold climate. The average climate in the UK is low and windy. In fact, my place Edinburgh is considering the nicest climate in the UK but not for me. Now the temperature is around 10 degree, at night it can be dropped to 1 or -2 degree. Please don't think the cold climate is good, it will bring a lot of problems when you are taking bath, going out side, clothing, and even sleeping. Here, you have to protect yourself from the bad cold weather properly, if not someone will really die because of the climate. And the sunlight here is very short, the sun will say “bye bye” with you after 4pm. The heater is the new thing for me, it just like air-corn in Malaysia, but you need to lean how to use it properly, if open it too long it will cost you an unbelievable electricity bills, if it not open in right time, you will felt cold all a day long. In Malaysia the climate is nice and suit to our human life. Even some people said the weather is hot lah or humid, but you won't be die because of the Malaysia's weather. You can go any time, anywhere you like, that why many Mamak is open 24 hours.....but not in the UK, the latest Pubs are closed at 2am. And every time I go out I have to wear 3 to 5 layers cloths, so if I take 1 min to change my cloth in Malaysia I have to spend 5 mins here before I go out , and take another time to taking out one by one after I come back. 

英国的天气对我而言是不能和马来西亚相比。每天的生活就象和天气作战；出门前都把自己包到厚厚，衣服穿了一件又一件；冲凉正的是“冲”凉，冲完两凉就冲着快把衣服穿好。有几次我慢了几秒，整个人抖的不能自我控制，由脚趾头抖到头皮屑。在马来西亚我们是多么的自由自在，想去那儿，就去那儿，除了下大雨，若不，天气绝对不是课题！在英国，如果你很穷没钱买衣服，你定会冷死街头，但是在大马你只要有一条短裤，你就可以在天桥地下过活了（所以才那么多流浪汉）。在马来西亚天气报告其实都不重要（交通报告才重要，因为有塞车），但在这里天气报告就象我的每日批命老，算我要穿多少件衣服。有是真不了解几千年前为什么人会选择住这样冷的地方。在马来西亚我们都喊天气热，喝的要放冰，房子要冷气；到了这里我才了解到温暖的可贵，太阳的难得和脂肪的重要性（所以圣诞老人才有这样的身材嘛）。朋友，别埋怨明天早上的太阳了，它带给我们的并不是热而是温暖；马来西亚的天气其实是我们的骄傲！

Harnham Monastry...英国佛寺

今天一大清早7点钟我们一行人就准备出发去Newcastle, 目的地是一间佛寺－Harnham Monastry。 这是一个寒冷的早上，一路上只见迷迷的雾，就象在天堂。不时，我们经过一些小镇，不时又经过清油的农场；穿过山谷，又经过了树林；两个小时后，我们终于到达了一个小乡村。那佛教道场就在山丘上，高处望下，四周只是蒙蒙胧胧一片。这里就象世外桃源，远离红尘的圣地。但，天气却非常非常冷。

进去了大殿，礼拜师父后，就开始供养仪式了。师父是白人，他是在泰国学习佛法和出家；他所念的经文，所穿的袈裟，是多么的熟悉和怀念呀！用餐后，师父就为我们开示，过后还带领我们静坐。能在这西方世界里听闻佛法，是多么不可思议的因缘呀！师父的开示让我的思绪回去了马大时期学佛的时候。在马大，我们其实是多么的有福报啊？有那么多位的师父护持我们，还在马大的朋友，请别错失因缘，学佛来的并不容易，要抓紧机会学佛。在马大，要听闻佛法可以去上佛学班，去不同的佛寺，团体；假期还有佛学营，进修营等等。在这里，学佛真不容易，听闻师父开示要开两个多小时的车才到达，学会活跃的会员也只有五六位，会员和执委是同一人。平时聚会我也迷迷糊糊的带领佛学班，诵经，静坐等。真的是半桶水倒半桶水，罪过！但无论如何，佛学会肯定有它存在的意义，无论有多困难，我们都会让它延续下去。只愿一步一脚印的走下去。。。。

哈哈。。佛学会所有活跃的会员
鸟语花香，不过如此吧
世外桃源，修行的好地方

Design Project...设计作业

I would like to share with you my first individual design project in the UK, a house for a historian in Warsaw. This project with be completed on 5th of Dec, it is mean I have to rush it for my presentation. Actually, I still blur blur what kind of presentation I going to do. I really not familiar what kind of material that I can get it here and most important is how to find a cheaper material. Here is not like Malaysia that I can find any materials in my mind or what I wanted, so it is quit difficult for me to search possible material in this strange environment . Alamak....I still thinking and thinking!

Massing study with Skecthup
Site model- I used all recycle materials to do it, nothing were paid for the site model 

conceptual model-my building was build in the between two different periods style architecture, and the design was intend to link up the two buildings

Part time...打工咯！

Crazy Scottish fans- BBC news

I am have had working two jobs in this week. Two jobs that totally extreme different kinds of job. The first job is easy and gain high salary: I was became an surveyor in a fire alarm consultant company. The task was stand on one of the fire escape in a building, and then their rang the fire bell, and what i did was observed how the people emerge out and how many people came out from the door,lastly I have to write a short report to describe it. It just take me one and half hour and they paid me £30(RM 210); However, the second job in the same week was as a waiter in a stadium. The task was to serve the football cup VIP, Scotland VS Italy in Europe cup(when Scotland get in a goal, I can felt the whole building shaken!). The work started at 1pm until night time 9pm. No break and hard work, serve foods, cleaning stuff, move table, collect rubbishes and so on. It is really exhausted job, I was worked continually eight hours. But this job was paid £5.50 per hour. It mean eight hours work equalize to £44 (RM 300). You can see how different between this two jobs? Easy and high paid, another is hard work and low paid. Anyway, I was felt very enjoyable to work both kind of jobs. It is undeniable that working can help me to earn some pocket money to let me eat some better foods and buy better materials for my studio work. Even the waiter job is tired and difficult, but I am very happy to do that because I can meet people from all around the world (Poland, England,China, India, Switzerland and so on) and from different background and ages.

At least the job let me learn to do something that I never ever do in Malaysia. This is my first time to be a waiter in my life. By the way, after I finished the waiter job,the manager might like my attitude and my effort; He offer me a job and ask me to join their company in the spot. He write down his phone and address immediately and ask me to go to interview next week with my CV. Haha....I am so lucky!

有时候，工作量和收入并不一定成正比。就如以上所说的。用脑力赚钱真的会比用劳力赚的钱高出好几倍；这也是世界一种的不公平，赚钱真的不容易呀！

Western Education....西方教育

The western education culture is teaching you nothing. In studio, their won't tell you what you going to do like UM, for instance UM lecturer will ask you this week has to come out a floor plan, next week has to come out a scale 1: 100 section and next following week has to do perspective and so on. Here, they just distribute the brief and that 's it. The tutor just come to studio once of a week and meet you individually, half an hour for each student. Just present to them what ever you want to present, it is totally up to you! And the rest of the time you do work of yourself, no guide no instruction and no limitation. This is the secret of the successful education in western countries: it's teaching you nothing!

P/s: The latest world University ranking: Edinburgh University has move forward to 22nd rank in the world and 5th best University in the UK. Congratulation.

西方学生的独立性很强，教育制度自由性也很高。我们受东方教育的学生依赖性比较强，很多时候我们都会问老师有给什么指示或要求吗？由于这里讲师并不会理你，每星期只有一天见讲师，也只是短短的半小时。其余时间都是自己做研究，他们也不会管你做什么。我曾经问不同的讲师：What I have to do for this project? Any requirement for the submission? 他们都会讲一句：Do what ever you like! 这就是他们教书的方法，就是什么都不教，由你去发挥，去创作。但他们能够非常耐性的听你的意见，然后给你建议。最后，他们还喜欢讲一句：well done! 因此，工作室里所有的同学们都做着个别不同的设计，差异非常大。在这里，他们也不会每个星期给你分数，就好象没有分数这个概念，只要你投入去做，享受过程就行了。他们做课业也不会为了分数而去做，讲师也不会用分数来威胁你，也不会把分数挂在嘴边。教育本身就是教人并不是教分数，着一点我们东方社会就比较执着。所以没有所谓的外来压力和逼迫，只有自己的动力。他们也不会管你来不来学校或上课，我到至今为止还未签过任何的出席名单。在这里，若你自发性不强，便可能会在这儿虚度光阴，因为没有人会管你的屁事，你要为你自己负责任，这就是西方教育。西方能有那么多优秀的学校，一定有它的原因所在。

How are you Malaysia...马来西亚怎么啦？

Can we see this picture in a local media?

40,000 or 4,000? Local media please don't lie!

The week I read a report from Malaysia said have 40,000 people demonstrate in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. The people ask were asking to change the election system more clean and fair situation. I love my home land, I proud of those who brave to attend the meeting; Malaysian are very peacefully people, we do not fight, but what happened today it is because we do not have others choices to voice up our request. The government push us to the limit, we don't want to march on the street if we have choices to discuss how to improve our country. But, the answer is No.

We can see that what happen this couple of years in Malaysia was: our University ranking is going down and down every year, UM for this year was out of 200; Our local item price was become higher and higher, how much for a cup of coffee today? Our international investment from oversea is decreased and decreased every year, how many companies has move to Vietnam or China? And finally our image in the international stage was become worst and worst. Who are the one who have to safe our country? Not American or British! It is ourselves, all the MALAYSIANs who have been lived in this country;the land that we growth up together. The land that built by our grand parents, our brothers and sisters and friends;The land that ours children will born, played and studied. 

If you are from Malaysia, please don't give up our country, please give any support that you can to chance our lovely homeland to get a better future.

我在星期六当天读到了吉隆坡40，000人上街示威的消息，心里非常震撼！示威只不过要求一个公平的选举，就是那么的简单和理所当然，并不是要求政府派给每一个人一百万。难道这样的要求会过分会自私吗？马来西亚现在实在是退步着，在教育，经济，政治，司法和廉洁都在退步着。 

最令我觉的羞耻和生气的是我们每天面对本地媒体，尤其是主流的媒体。对于这次的事件，他们都选择做政府的口舌：有的不把正确的人数报道出来，有的不把看到人群的照片登出来，有些夸大报导负面的消息，说什么示威阻碍交通，请问40，000人民为我国争取一个公正的未来不会比在星期六阻碍一条街那几个小时来的重要？（反正我们平时也都习惯在马路上塞两三个小时）更可恶的是TV3当天新闻并没有做一丝的报导，其他国营媒体更不用说了。反而巫统大会连多少人出席都做了详细的报道(www.tv3.com.my，10日的BERITA BULLETIN)还当众播党的歌。可怜的我们，不知被这些媒体欺骗了多少岁月？

我们就像被养在农场里的母鸡，每天有饭吃有歌听，又有很多朋友在一起。长大后遇到一个英俊的公鸡，就生活在一起，还生了很多小鸡，生活是多么的美满幸福，不愁吃不愁住。我们都非常感恩主人给我们的一切。有一天，住人来捉我，母鸡大喊大叫问为什么，主人说：你养来就是要被吃呀！母鸡问：为什么我不知道？主人说：因为农场是我买的，食物是我给的，你们的命运是我管的，我当然要怎样都行呀！母鸡含着泪回头望着它还在农场里玩耍的孩子，丈夫和朋友们，用它最后的力量和生命来喊：您们别相信主人呀！可是它知道一切都太迟了，它所爱的人也将会和它有着同样的命运。

Daylight saving time...天昏地暗

Every last Sunday of October, the European Union will adjust the clock one hour backward. It make the morning have less sunlight but more in the afternoon.In fact, this is the first time that experience this kind of adjustment. It make me very confused, and I have to remember Malaysia time in the same time and have to use to the day lighting in the winter. The first two weeks, I have done a lot of wrong things because of wrong timing, for instance late to meeting, or too early to get to class, and some time sleep very early unconcernedly.

由于冬天将要到临，现在的天暗的特别早。中午4.30pm天就开始像马来西亚的七点钟似的，天慢慢暗下来了。第一次经历夏时制的我，真的被时间和那阳光搞的我天昏地暗。首先是全英国把时钟调早一个小时，如平时是八点钟，现在却成了七点钟；再来是太阳提早收工，中午四点种就开始下山了。我的二十多年的生理时钟告诉我说，天黑就该回家吃晚饭了。有一次，当我在中午一点吃午饭，五点放学回家后，天已非常暗了，就如晚上八点似的，我也就很自然地做晚饭了。可是就是觉得不怎么饿，但心里就认为已经很夜了，快吃晚餐吧。撑饱后，上网一看才知道我看错了时间。哎呀，我提早了两个小时吃晚餐呀！之后，我才把家所有的时钟调快一小时；问题是我并没有对着表来调，看到时间就去调快一小时，结果我的闹钟调快了两个小时我却不知道，那天晚上我睡迟了整一个小时才去开会，真不好意思！在马来西亚太阳和时间一整年都是那么的忠心耿耿地为我们报时；但是英国的太阳却是那么的狡猾，冬天来还会早收工来骗人！

Poland is not a nice place to go!别来波兰

People in Warsaw

Modern shopping mall in Warsaw

The tram

Poland is not a visitor welcoming country. Most of them can't speak English and not polite. I have many unhappy experiences in Poland's capital -- Warsaw. They do not have proper policy to protect visitor and the transport system is terrible. I have fined 70 dollar (appox RM105) in the tram station. On that day, I taken a tram to go back to my hostel, in half way, there is a ticket checker came to me and ask me show ticket. I shown to them and they said my ticket is non-valid because the discounted ticket only for international student. I've showed my University card to prove myself as an international student, but they don't accept that. I said if i can't buy this ticket why your company sold it to me? and there are only have Polish on the ticket, how do I check the ticket myself? They just asked me to get out from the tram, and fine me 70 dollars. I said I don't have enough money to pay that, and then they bring me to ATM machine to take money. I just feel shame and insulted. They have abuse their power and not respect my personal right. This is only one of the bad things happened in Warsaw, it does has a lot of stories.  I just wanna to advise all my dear friends: If you don't have any important thing to do here like won a million dollars, please do not come here! 

这是我被赶下车的城市主要交通工具，电动火车。波兰人并不会热诚地欢迎外国人。很多人都会板起一副沉沉的脸来对你。他们会有点看底亚洲人，对我们很不友善。他们的城市系统很乱，并不统一。一旦有出错，他们会不认，还会返回来说你错，这太难以接受了！虽然波兰要努力把首都成为欧洲其中重要的城市，但除了那新百货公司以外，我一点都感受不到他们的诚意。还处处砍外国人的菜头。这里有不少的新兴的商业活动，也造就了许多中产阶级的白领；可是，穷到没房子住，脚受伤的老婆婆却要在街上乞食。在这里，你可看到许多的不平衡和极端；先进的商业大厦的背后，隐藏的却是肮脏落后的角落。这里有许多心里冲突，一方面要与世界接轨，一方面却在寻找自己的方向感。一方面要摆脱社会主义的影子，一方面却活在一个社会主义建造的城市里。以我的个人经验和意见：若你并不是有重要的事情来波兰这里，如拿一百万奖金，千万别来这个国家！