With another temporary flat secured and myself settling in fairly well at the workplace, I’ve decided to expand my wardrobe that will include other creature comforts (such as more clothes and pillow?). So I’ve decided to pick up some stuff from the storage I’ve been renting near Latimer Road.

Look at those stuff piling high, I can’t even fit in the bottom bit in the photo..

When most people would be happy to be reunited with their personal items, I felt otherwise. Well not that anything bad had happened, but I was shock to see how much item I’ve amassed within 5 years of working in London. Double the stuff, 5 months ago. Yes, despite seeing a lot of stuff in my storage, it would’ve been more had I’ve not thrown out half of the stuff beforehand. I’ve managed to go through the boxes only to find stuff I don’t remember ever existed. There were boxes of clothes, books and also a large box of shoes. I never realised that I had something like 15 pairs of shoes. That’s too many. I’ve only used a pair of shoe for the past 5 months! I will need to sort this out soon (throw away maybe?)..And the clothes, lets say I only need 6 pair of work shirts rather than 20 of them. And then there are the books. Never realised I’ve had that many too. Never remembered reading any of them (oh well maybe 3 or 4 books).

Then there is a box full of die-cast metal planes and small souvenirs I’ve been collecting throughout the years. I love planes and there’s no doubt about it, but I feel I do not need to build my own mini airport filled with 1:400 plane models to make me feel good (though I’ve always dreamt of designing one, one day). Add to that my collection of souvenirs I’ve felt guilty of disposing. Souvenirs tend to make me confuse. Throwing it away will eliminate the some of the problems I’m facing (i.e. space and mobility), but throwing it away may not seem to be the best idea either.

Travel has definitely made me aware of how insecure I’ve been living this normal life (like you and me I guess). This same insecurity that has made me accumulate so much ‘junk’ that I don’t really need especially when moving from one place to another. I feel that material wealth does not do much for me (at least for now), but rather the experience I’ve gained that counts the most. I’ve realised that I do not need stuff other people has. A 32″ flat screen tv included.

There aren’t many possessions you can keep throughout your life, but the experience you’ve gained from travelling remains with you forever (or at least that’s what I’d like to think).

My small backpack, a deuter rain cover-converted-into-a-bag plus a dented worn out suitcase

So here I am on the tube with some stuff brought back from the storage to be used again. I think this is all I need to live comfortably in London. Yup, everything in these bags. There’s a luggage full of shirts, t-shirts, socks, a pillow and 2 pair of shoes. Then there’s a bag containing outerwear and a set of hangers to hang work clothes with. Whilst the blue bag contains a set of good quality duvet which is always nice to have. That’s pretty much all I need.

I can’t imagine how my little travel adventures changes the way I’ve perceived life generally. Imagine if I’m travelling indefinitely on a round the world trip? Surely I’ll learn a lot more. But for now, simplifying feels great.

What aspect of your daily life does travel affect you most?

What’s the point of having an Olympics when an average guy like me can’t even get tickets? That’s me venting out my frustrations over my miserable account of acquiring the golden tickets from last year’s lottery. Oh well, at least we’re expecting some public upgrades on many things plus the construction of this really wacky sculpture by Anish Kapoor. But hey if we had chosen Antony Gormley’s design we would have had an even more awesome sculpture comparable to the Statue of Liberty in NY..dang..(no offence intended to the superiorly talented Kapoor)

Having said that, I applaud Anish Kapoor to think outside the box, coming out with something totally unexpected (just like the official logo). Having viewed the sculpture at multiple angles, I came to a conclusion that the idea behind this was one of a fallen scaffolding of a would be built tower..huh..smart! (Obviously not, do read this article here)

I’ve been to a couple of Olympic Parks throughout the years – Barcelona, Beijing and Sarajevo (ok let’s exclude Sarajevo) but I have to say, this one looks the greyest of them all. Yes, the greyish background you see in the photos doesn’t help. Who would’ve thought that an Olympic stadium could be designed like this? Only the Brits can! On the other hand, this is the only Olympic Park which should have one of the best legacy plans (if not the best), so in this case we Londoners get something back.

The Olympic year is synonym with the year of world sports. It’s a norm to see more and more people becoming active in sports (or at least having an increased fascination with any sports) thanks to the spirit of the Games. I too have joined the bandwagon (sad but true). After using the same old Nike running shoes for nearly five years, I have officially bought a new pair of Nike’s shortly after visiting the Olympic site. To be honest with you, even my newly acquired Nike Free Running shoe looks a lot more cool than the Olympic stadium…So not cool to say uncool things about other designers.

In the meantime, enjoy the photos..I hope we could get rid of the grey sky in July!

I feel like runnin’..

The photos were taken from the ViewTube, a public space that is open to all to view the progresses made at the Olympic Park. To visit, simply take the Dockland Light Railway (DLR) to Pudding Mill Lane station.

eh..tipu ajer..bad April Fool joke..yup..memang tak lawak..Aku akan miss bangun tido anytime aku nak, families dan juga rakan2 dan bukan rakan2 jugak.

Memandangkan aku akan terbang dalam masa beberapa jam sahaja lagi (dan packing pon tak abis, rumah di sana masih lagi dicari) aku ingat boleh jugak aku share article pertama aku yang diterbitkan oleh Kosmo. Mula-mula rasa macam taknak letak, tetapi setelah beberapa hari dan upon consultation dengan super experienced blogger Shaliza Mokhtar aku letak juga so korang boleh baca (sila klik untuk imej lebih besar). Terima kasih juga kepada Cik Rosma kerana sudi melihat website TTT ini dan mencadangkan title yang tersendiri. Memang aku pon tak tahu title apa yang nak diletak apalagi topik apa yang dia nak tulis. Yang aku tahu hanya untuk memberi beberapa kepingan gambar menunjukkan Bosnia dan apa aku buat dekat sana. Jalan cerita, graphic etc semua Rosma dan teamnya. Lastly thank you to all that has supported TTT! Keep connected and hope to see you back in Malaysia soon!

Salam.

I’m usually good with names of the places I’ve been to, especially the names of capital cities. Let me take you back when I was 8. I was in living in London back then and one of my prized possession was a world atlas given to me by my dad. I loved the atlas. I was always fascinated to know the fact that I’ve flown half the world away from Malaysia. It was then when my knowledge about capital cities began to developed. I was memorising as many names as possible. I remembered clearly about this TV show where this kid who was about 10 years old going to the show to showcase his memory of the names of capital cities around the world. When asked about the capitals of nearly 30 countries, he answered all of the names correctly. So did I.

This is not a post trying to regret the missing chance of me becoming a child TV star, LOL, but this post is about the capital city of Slovenia, Ljubljana, a new independent state. Back then, it was still part of Yugoslavia. Despite already visiting the city and loving the small scale and urban planning, I still have problems with spelling its name correctly. I’ve tried Llubjana, Lubjlana, and most recently Ljubjlana. Upon multiple spell checks, I’ve still found my spelling to be wrong.

A tiny capital city

Despite being the capital city, I consider Ljubljana to be a small sized city. With a population of below 300,000, Ljubljana is the smallest capital city I’ve been to – yes sadly that is an achievement to me. Having said that, small doesn’t mean boring. Ljubljana is one of the greatest example of great city planning. I came across the name of the city upon studying my MA in Urban Design at Oxford a few years ago. I remembered our professors constantly talking about the famous architect – Jose Plecnik who designed the city based on ancient Athens. Plecnik uses a great deal of detailing and integrated a host of columns, pillars and balustrades to the capital – making the public realm looking really beautiful. Instead of me giving you guys too much history lesson on this, why not we enjoy the magnificent city in these ordinarily looking photos.

There has been a great deal of preservation done to the city. Most of the city has been kept the same since the Plecnik days. At the heart of the city lies Ljubljanica River. Its riverbank are lined with small trees and outdoor dining areas.

The old city is quite small. I loved the cobbled street and the pedestrian only roads which adds to the experience of walking around the city. When you have a set up like this, it’s easier to introduce seating on the pavements. Who doesn’t like dining like this today?

Even special care has been given to decorate the bridges. Planter boxes has been used widely. It is hard to imagine that this is the photo of the heart of a capital city. The scale of things are beautiful indeed. I even liked the roofs.

Another building designed by architect, Jose Plecnik. Again he uses the large Greek-inspired columns. What attracted me most about this building are the roof with the arch detailing.

I even liked the colours of the buildings. On the far side of the photo is the riverbank of the Ljubljanica river.

This is the picture of outdoor dining areas designed to maximised the appreciation of the riverbank. I’ve managed to have dinner only once in this area. The food prices are definitely a lot more expensive compared to the non-riverbank sides. Though, the experience make it worth spending. This bank becomes lively in the evenings.

The Triple Bridge is one of Jose Plecnik’s most original design. Staying true to the name, the triple bridge actually started of as one wooden bridge until Plecnik redesigned it by adding two more bridges side by side.

All of the bridges in Ljubljana are decorated with beautiful ornaments.

The city centre are adorned with beautiful sculptures such as this fountain.

ex-Yugoslavia

A bit of history – Slovenia is an EU state which declared its independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. For those who doesn’t know, I’ve taken interest in visiting ex-communist countries – Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovakia and Hungary being the most recent trips. There’s something really fascinating about these countries – from their architecture to the way people has changed throughout the years. Out of all these states, I felt that Slovenia is the most ‘westernised’ or simply put as – rich.

Have you been to Ljubljana before? Tell us what did you think about it

This is a guest post by Luis Alvarez. Read more about him below.

One of the things that make Porto a great place, besides port wine and Portuguese cuisine, is architecture. The Cathedral and the Clérigos tower in the historic centre (recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site), and the Dom Luís bridge by Gustav Eiffel across the Douro river, are some examples of the many architecture styles that work together to complete this city’s beautiful face.

And in the middle of this mix of gothic, baroque and even some Moorish revival: the Casa da Musica. Located just across the Rotunda da Boavista, this standout was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, and in no time became one of Porto’s city icons.

Originally planned for the Porto 2001 European Capital of Culture events, this unusual construction was delayed and finally opened in 2005.

It is one of the most acclaimed projects by Koolhaas, and has been called one of the most important concert halls built in the last 100 years, among the Walt Disney Concert Hall, in Los Angeles, and the Berliner Philharmonie.

The outside shape of the building is so memorable and eye-catching, that it’s even used as the logo. The interiors are incredibly perfect as well: two main auditoriums, a restaurant and several small halls used for workshops, connected by stairways that seem to be inspired by labyrinths, are all decorated independently and each has its own identity.

Spending hours without noticing, a walk inside the Casa da Musica will most likely feel like an impromptu visit to a museum where the main exhibition and star …is the building itself.

Luis is a freelance graphic designer, wanderer and food lover from central Mexico. He writes about his travels, foodie experiences and other fun stories through his blog, Mexican Curious

I know this is slightly off topic for my architectural blog these days, but I thought I would try to connect to my Malaysian readers before I finally fly off to the UK again soon.

I have to make a confession, I haven’t been to Thailand. Nor Vietnam or Cambodia. Heck, I’ve never ever been to the other side of Malaysia yet – the Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak. Despite that, these places are definitely in my list and it has been for a very long time too. Yet, I continue to save money to travel to more places. Why do I do all of this? and who cares anyway?

Well I do.

I have received a number of emails from my fellow Malaysians about why I travelled extensively and the cost associated with it. To answer these questions, I thought it may be a good idea to share my thoughts on this site with all of you. So here goes.

This piece of writing is meant to be shared and not to brag

Despite having travelled for quite a bit within the past 4 years or so, I still can’t claim that I’m a well-travelled person. I know there’s so many people out there that has been to more places and had far better experiences through their travels than I do. There are heaps of travellers out there who’s on the Round The World trip right now. I know a few travel bloggers who’s been on the road for over 7 years. Despite that, I do know there’s many more who does not travel as often. While this is true to many different cultures, it is especially true to Malaysians. What this piece of writing intended to do is to share the benefits I’ve gained through travels with you and how it could enhance your personal growth. Before I continue, let’s make it clear that I have NO INTENTION to show off with this piece of writing.

Why Malaysians need to travel abroad more?

This topic I believe hasn’t been raised as much as I thought it should be. Lets face it, travel DO cost money. Some people spend a fortune, some spend less. I consider myself more of a budget traveller with the occasional splurge if I find it necessary. But all of these experiences are possible if I make travel as one of my main priorities. In fact I do save a big portion of my salary to travel. Unlike most Malaysians, I do not have a house or even a car. Heck I don’t even have savings for later days. But what I do have is the fulfilment that travel brings. I can write a lot more about money but I’ll save this for another time.

Travel in this context does not necessarily mean going abroad regularly (though it does help), but it could also mean travelling within the country, anywhere that is slightly different to your usual environment, your home. But since the benefit travelling abroad outweighs more than travelling locally, I will just focus on the benefits of travelling outside Malaysia for this post.

1. Travel opens up your mind and knowledge

There’s so many benefits of travelling. Ask anyone who travels on a regular basis, they will tell you that they’ve learnt a lot from their travels. I can only support this statement. When you travel, you are being exposed to something different from what you’re used to back home. Travel will stimulate your sense of a place. This stimulation will enhance your self-awareness within a place and therefore will force you to evaluate the conditions you are in. Be it good or bad, travel will make you adapt to the new environment and will force you to make the necessary changes. It will broaden your knowledge of a place and ultimately sense of survival.

2. You’ll learn a new language and a different culture too

One of the coolest thing about travel is you get to learn a new language. Don’t expect to master a language within a couple of days or months, but you do naturally pick up a word or two in the local language fairly quickly. Simple things such as ‘hello’, ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye’ in a local language do wonders in your travels. Try remembering a few sentences in a local language where you’re travelling. You will generate conversations with locals and who knows you might also be invited for tea if you’re lucky. And for those of you who loves shopping, it’s not rare for some sellers to give additional discounts should bargaining be possible.

This lamb ribs in Albania’s capital city, Tirana was surprisingly good (and cheap too) 

3..and the variety of food you’re not exposed to at home

Another really cool thing about travel is that you’ll be able to sample different dishes from around the world. A dish tells many things about the place you’re in. In Italy you’ll be exposed to superb quality of food sourced from locally fresh ingredients. This shows that Italians (as if you don’t already know) are very particular about their food and what goes in their plates. In Albania, I was exposed to the wonderful taste of lamb. Lambs in Albania are organic and this was evident in the quality of their meat. In Portugal I was amazed by the abundance of fantastic fish dishes at great prices, whilst in the UAE, each dish are accompanied by superb and fresh salad bowl for free. Later throw in the Damascene cuisine from Syria which amazingly tasted great with a wide array of dishes too!

Surely Malaysian food is amazing, but why not open up your palette a bit and explore the wonderful world of gastronomy. Besides, learning about other cuisine will enhance your understanding of our very own beloved Malaysian cuisine better. With all of that grease, you’ll realise that we Malaysians are not eating as healthily as we should (myself included).

4. Meet a lot of people

One of the greatest assets of travelling is to meet a host of people. Everyone is different but yet the same. We all like to communicate and to connect, no better way to do this than by travelling. You will connect with a number of wonderful people on the road. Best of all, you will learn a lot by talking to them. Like the time I’ve spoken to this Bosnian lady about Sarajevo when she openly talked about her gruelling experience on the Bosnian war. It was harrowing but certainly an eye opener to me especially on the effects of a civil war. Or on a lighter note, I was once laughed upon by the entire bus in Albania as I tried to speak a bit of Albanian to the bus conductor. All of this communication are memorable and priceless. It’s not rare to connect with other travellers once you’re back at home.

5. You will learn how to manage your finances properly

Believe it or not, travellers are really good at budgeting their money compared to most people. It is a misconception that all travellers spend a lot of money travelling. A lot of people who travels abroad regularly don’t spend as much as you think they do. These travellers often have a certain limit to their daily spending. This includes accommodation, food and drink bills, transportation and other expenses. When you travel on a regular basis you always have to consider the unexpected expenses that might disrupt your journey. So taking all of these factors into account could in times make or break your travels. I’m always frugal about how much I spend during my travels. I would normally have a certain budget in mind and would try to stick to it. I’m not saying I’m really good at sorting out my finances, but my awareness towards my financial goals have increased through extensive travelling.

6. It will look good on your CV

Believe it or not, a lot of travelling will help you find the next job you’re looking for! Employers love their future prospects to be self-dependant, adaptive to a new environment and have great interpersonal skills. Most travellers do have this quality and a lot of employers do know this. Plus they have that added local knowledge of different places they’ve been to. Who knows your next employer might just send you abroad to meetings.

7. You’ll learn more about yourself than ever before

All of this benefits bring to the most important benefit of them all – Learning about yourself. My continuous travel abroad has made me a different person than I was before. Travelling solo extensively has given me more confidence in myself particularly in my ability to trust upon my instinct when I have no one else to refer to. It happened to me many times on my travels which includes my trip to Albania when a taxi driver actually invited me to coffee whilst washing his taxi enroute to my hotel. Or the gamble I took to take this train ride where even locals don’t take it. For me it was quite a gamble but the experiences paid off.

8. If it’s good for you it’s good for the country too!

This is pure common sense. Any experience deemed worthwhile for any Malaysians surely would be good for Malaysia too? As a country that is fast developing into a First World status, comparable to any European Nations, Malaysia needs its people to have the broadest mind possible. I have to admit we have quite away to go but it’s better to get there then not. There’s so many things you can learn from visiting other countries that hopefully you’ll be able to implement it in the future! For instance, my travels around Europe reveals to me that the usage of cars could be reduced by a margin should we change the way we design our cities. The extensive use of public transportation would help this even further. Also, it is very important to preserve our culture and heritage. A country without strong roots are likely to be stiff and boring.

Photo credit – Mir Zafriz

9. Thanks to AirAsia (and surprisingly MAS too!)- It’s cheaper to travel abroad now than ever before

We’re Malaysians are a lucky lot. 5 years ago, Europe was the best base to travel around the world. How things changed with Air Asia. Air Asia has changed the way we travel (Malaysia Airlines has since followed suit). More and more Malaysians could now afford to travel abroad thanks to the cheap online airfares. In fact, I’ve already bagged some great return tickets myself. My flight ticket to India costed only RM380 (£73) whilst a return flight I’ve bought to Phnom Penh only costed RM50 (including taxes). How crazy is that? It’s actually cheaper than a return train ticket to travel within the UK. It’s now MUCH more affordable to travel than ever before! Heck, Kuala Lumpur is by far the best base to travel around Asia. Make use of this and expand your horizons.

Hopefully you’ve seen the good sides of travelling abroad. If you haven’t travelled abroad yet, do save up some money and start with somewhere nearer to Malaysia like our neighbouring countries Indonesia or even Singapore. I’ve also included below 20 21 Malaysian bloggers I think that has reaped the benefits of travelling abroad as an encouragement to all of you Malaysians out there! Please do check them out:

20 21 Malaysian bloggers who often travel abroad

Addiction of a Travelholic by Lily Riani
Aviation, Travel and more by Azuan Zahdi
Backpacker Busuk
Beauty in Darkness by Bique
Bit by the Travel Bug by Fie
Cumi dan Ciki
Five Feet Flat by Anis
From Malaysia to the World by Dan Arif
Idelish by Jeremy and Shirlene
Journey of Life by Mas Zuber
Kaki Berangan by John
Malaysia Asia by David Hogan
Meitzeu’s Blog by Meitzeu
Places and Foods by Wilson Ng
Thristhan by Thristhan
Trail of Asia by Elaine Chung
Traveller Anatomy by Byya
Travel and Living Journal of DT by Diane Teo
Untitled Journal by Shaliza Mokhtar
Wanderlust Theories by Dian
Yasz Amzah by Yasz Amzah

Have you travelled abroad before? Did you find your travels useful?

I was browsing the web as usual on this quiet and lazy Sunday when I stumbled upon photos of Kuala Lumpur from the 60′s. As I continue to marvel at the rate of construction around KL’s city centre, I though it would be a good idea to share with you the photos I’ve found on the web (more info on the photos below).

1960′s

Taken circa 1960. The middle left hand side of the photos is of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building next to Dataran Merdeka. Check out how green the city is back in those days.

This photo was believed to be taken in the late 1960′s showing KL’s 2 famous landmarks – the Kuala Lumpur Railway station and the National Mosque (Masjid Negara). When I looked closely at this photo, I can’t help to realise that the National Mosque roof was not cladded with the blue tiles it has today. The roof was simply left as a bold concrete structure. actually looks quite cool like that too!

1970′s

This photo shows the area of Jalan Raja Laut and Jalan Tun Perak where the DBKL (KL City Council) is located today. A few more tall buildings started to spruce out in the background.

Just like its beginnings, the city centre was developed around the area next to the Dataran Merdeka and Chinatown. The huge dense patch of rainforest in the back is where KL Tower is located today.

Probably Kuala Lumpur’s most beautiful building to date. It surprises me how the skyline behind the Sultan Abdul Samad Building has changed since. As for the boy, my dad always say that’s how he grew up back then – walking endlessly alone without a shirt nor slippers on. Imagine doing this today in KL

Kuala Lumpur’s Railway Station sporting a cool black painted domes. Loved the cars!

Anyone knows where this photo was taken from? The photo show’s KL’s skyline around Jalan Sultan Ismail or today’s Golden Triangle.

It seems like the Masjid Jamek area is teeming with people till today. Despite that, traffic back then is nowhere near today’s craziness.

The iconic National Mosque (Masjid Negara) back in those days. Again, the blue tiles of the umbrella-shaped dome didn’t appear yet back then. Did you know that the mosque was commissioned just after Malaysia gained its independence in 1957? The mosque was designed by a 3 person team comprising a British Architect and 2 Malaysian designers.

1980′s

The 80′s were the period when the Malaysian economy really picked up upon. The city’s skyline started to change rapidly until the end of 90′s. This was the period when our economy grew more than 8% per year for more than a decade! In the foreground remains the lively area of Petaling Street and Chinatown.

The Masjid Jamek skyline started to change to a more familiar background you’ll see today. Masjid Jamek sits on the confluence of the Klang and Gombak Rivers where the city was born.

1990′s

Bukit Bintang and the luxury hotel area of Jalan Sultan Ismail. Photo was taken in 1991. The 1990′s were a significant decade to the country. Not only did Malaysia managed to sustain incredible growth, the country did also went into the Great Financial Crisis. This is also the decade where most of Malaysia’s significant developments were made. This includes the construction of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, The KL Tower and the Petronas Towers.

KL’s ever-changing skyline depicted in 1992. Yet still no KL tower nor the Petronas Towers to be seen (yet).

The site of the Petronas Towers and the new Kuala Lumpur City Centre project taken from a magazine. Also check out Kuala Lumpur Tower being built in the background! Photo taken in 1993.

Ah yes, there you go – the KL Tower is finally making a permanent sight on KL’s skyline. As you can see, this photo was taken in 1996, 2 years before Malaysia hosted its biggest ever international event yet – the 1998 Commonwealth Games.

Today

Fast forward to 2012, this is the skyline you’ll see of Kuala Lumpur today. The starting of the year 2000 has been a bit slow. However, construction has picked up recently with the completion of many tall apartment buildings around the Petronas Towers.

Judging from these photos which period of KL do you prefer

These photos were taken from skyscrapercity.com forums. If you have time, please visit the respective websites where the photos has been obtained. FYI some of these images has been distributed randomly on the web that it is very hard to track the original photographers. If any of these photos are yours please do contact me.

How often do you see photos of the Petronas Twin Towers on the web these days? Too often I would assume. Why not, the Towers has been around for 14 years now and with a title of the World’s Tallest Twin Towers to its name, this iconic KL structure would surely feature somewhere in various architectural journals and travel related magazines today.

Despite that, it took me awhile to give this post a suitable title. I wanted to name it something more subtle originally, despite the unique angle to the shots. I knew there was something special about these shots but I don’t want to sound too corky about it. I’m not a photographer and will never be. So putting such overused and often easily abusive word is not really a good idea to me. But then, something tells me that the great shots I’ve taken wasn’t due to my photography skills but more importantly it was due to the design of the Towers itself. A beautifully crafted building would make any amateur photographer look like a pro! I’m sure many architects would agree. Hence credit should be given to the man who spectacularly designed this Kuala Lumpur icon – Cesar Pelli.

Asked anyone who’s seen the Petronas Towers themselves and I’m sure they would agree with me that the best time to take photos of the towers is at night, when the floodlights are at full strength, magically transforming the towers into something more..well, magic. What I love about these shots is not just because it was taken at night (approximately 10pm) but rather the condition of the Kuala Lumpur weather at that particularly time – right after a heavy downpour. When most night photos of the icon are taken in such clear skies (which I also admire a lot and am willing to photograph them in the future). I believe these kind of shots are unique in a way that it represents itself in typical Malaysian weather.

A good portion of the 88 storey Towers disappearing into the clouds that was forming around the city.

At one point, the spires looked as if it’s emitting puffs of smoke.

This effect is further dramatized with the orange coloured lights reflected on the clouds. The low clouds reflected the light pollution of the city centre very clearly. One unique feature of the towers is the introduction of a two-level skybridge. Both towers are connected by the bridge on levels 41 and 42. Interestingly, the introduction of this skybridge presents the most difficult part of the construction. The whole bridge was actually lifted up as a single piece!

Initially the Petronas Towers weren’t designed to be the tallest in the world until one day, Malaysian-then Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohammad thought it was a great idea to go for it even during construction! This resulted in design and structural changes done as the towers were gaining momentum in construction!

The towers official height had also sparked a lot of controversy. At 452 metres, the Petronas Towers were the tallest buildings in the world recognised by the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) from 1998 to 2004.

This even to the fact that the then Sears Tower (now Willis Tower) in Chicago had more floors (110 compared to 88) and is actually taller overall when its antenna is included. However under the rules of the CTBUH, antennas does not count towards a building’s overall height. However spires do count since it is part of the architectural design. Smart move by the Architect I must say!

Look closely to see how well the Architect uses stainless steel facade in its design. According to Pelli, the idea was to create a multi-faceted diamond sparkling in the sun. The steel extrusion was used not only to define the height of floors but also doubles up as a shading device!

Smart.

The Towers are cleverly juxtaposed with the use of curves and straight lines in its floor plan. Two simple square-shaped plans are rotated to form a star – a typical form used widely in Islamic architecture. In my architectural library, a curve could never compliment a straight line. This however is an exception to the Petronas Towers which effortlessly weaved the two contrasting lines. The circular sections were used to softened the solid star-shaped plan.

Try to visualise this star-shaped plan in your head and compare it with how it stacks up with this view.

After a couple of hours (yes I’ve actually spent 2 hours in the drizzle), the last patch of clouds started to disappear and the tower is back to its picture perfect scene – cloudless and serene!

I hope you’ve enjoyed the shots as much as I do (as well as learning a thing or two about its design). With the continuous drizzle pouring during this shoot, I can only hope my camera wouldn’t be short-lived.

Have you been to the Petronas Towers before? What do you think about it?

Watched the first trilogy probably 6 times in a row, merely for the spectacular scenes and special effects and not really the storyline. I mean why would I trust Frodo to save the world we lived in today? Used to be my all-time favourite movie until architecturally-driven Inception came to the screen. Yes, I trust Leonardo DiCaprio to deliver better.

Being a visually driven type of person, my decision to visit Jodhpur was made solely by looking through the photos of Mehrangarh Fort in Google. Yes, it was that easy. No thinking required, just a few images to woo me to this beautiful Rajasthani outpost.

So what did those photos captured?

The first time I saw the photos, my mouth just said – WOW! Yup, I thought the photos were too incredible to believe that I actually spit the word out instead of letting my mind say it. I used to like forts. I mean I’ve been to Edinburgh a few times and the image of its fort is the only image that I associated with the city. It was grand and majestic. Plus it was in Scotland (an insanely beautiful part of Britain) in a small but beautiful city. But that beautiful notion just faded away as I started to visit monuments such as the Pyramids, Petra heck even Eiffel Tower. Maybe as an architect, I’ve realised I will never get the chance to build a fortress, so why waste time visiting them? Okay, that’s really stupid of me to put Edinburgh Castle with the Pyramids nor Petra in the first place. But what I’m saying is that the lure of visiting another fort wasn’t as exciting as visiting another major historic landmark simply because it is just a fort and nothing else. The architecture isn’t cool looking nor beautifully detailed. Besides you wouldn’t wanna build a building that looks like a Fort today (though you would build another pyramid-liked building – check I.M. Pei’s Louvre in Paris)? Would you?

But Mehrangarh is different..

I could not imagine a grander more majestic looking fort. So I was thoroughly surprised, excited and what ever word I would’ve not thought off (huh?) when I saw this photo:

Photo credit – t2world.com

I knew I had to go. It was located between Mumbai and Delhi which was part of my itinerary anyway.

Mehrangarh as seen from Jodhpur’s town centre near the Clock Tower and market area

What I liked most about this fort is that it does look really monumental (aren’t forts supposed to be like this?). The scale of it is just breathtaking. This sense of absolute strength is further amplified with the fact that the fort sits on an entire hill. Yes, Mehrangarh Fort was built on top of the highest hill in town. 122 metres high. Flashes of scenes from Lord of the Rings concurrently emerges in my head. It was that powerful as an image to me (makes you wonder how far my mind goes at times).

All of this monumental’ness’ made me think (not again!). How much does this fort really weigh? I mean that’s quite a heavy-looking thing sitting on top of that poor hill. If a block of stone weighs around 5 kilograms, then times that with 5 million and..there you have it..about 1 million of those Boeing’s 747s. On top of each other. So much for my maths.

From the outside, the hill looks like its made of sand too. Soft ones. How the hell did the hill be able to support it, I don’t know. The piling must be huge as well if there’s any. Well I guess my lack of geological knowledge (and structural sense obviously) really shows here. Maybe that’s why we need em’ geologist and engineers. But in 1459? Now we’re talking.

I guess if we architects build forts today, it’ll be made of carbon fibre. It’s super strong, durable and lightweight. And oh yes, we can make em’ float too..Good for the hill and good for the warriors defending the fort..oh wait, they don’t use bow and arrows anymore..

View of Jodhpur from the Fort

On a more realistic note, I can only applaud the local council managing Jodhpur to restrict the construction of tall buildings. Do not follow other cities. That’s an order not an idea. Your identity is crucial for your own survival (tourism that is) for the coming hundred years or so. So instead of seeing an interrupted view of the Fort, you’ll see an awe-inspiring view of that old beauty. Nice one. You guys are smarter than most urban planners in developed countries.

This powerful image is being further exaggerated with the amazing blue-coloured painted houses surrounding the monument. Yes, for your info Jodhpur is also known as the blue-coloured city. Thousands of houses are painted in my favourite colour using the exact tone I loved most – #00A2FF. Stop there weirdo.

Oh wait. I haven’t even spoken about the architecture bit yet. Well, for the more exciting bit I’ll write it in the next post. *Spoiler alert* you will be amazed when I show you the pics inside! Oh might as well I attach a photo to make your heart race faster now than later. Duh..

Judging from these photos, how much does this fort really weigh? 

1. First, browse for your favourite buildings

Yup..I wanna see that building…let’s go to that city…

not vice-versa.

A lot of architects do travel to places to see a building or two. We can’t resist it. It’s like ice cream shoved in front of your face. I can’t say every places we go, but most of them. It’s quite a norm for architects to find out which buildings they like or famous, only to pay homage to the edifices. This is easier to do if the places you’re visiting has world-famous architectural attractions – such as the Alhambra, Empire State building or Angkor Wat (I do not think that Empire State building belongs to the same category as Angkor Wat but you know what I mean). I hate to admit this but my recent trip to India did have that aspect of ‘oh yes, finally I do get to see Taj Mahal myself’. My mates are going to laugh at me on this..shoot*

If you’re visiting big cities like London, Paris and New York then you’ll automatically drawn to a number of landmarks within just one city. Yes, a collection of buildings to be indulged and raved about (or slated). That’s why we love these cities.

2. Aspire to stay at great designed places..or at least talk about visiting them

Choosing a place to stay is quite easy. If money permits that is. Every architect knows one or two famous hotels that is known for its world-famous designs. For instance, if you go to Romania during winter, you will be tempted to stay at the ice hotel, if you visit Barcelona you might want to stay at any one of the super-architect designed rooms of Hotel Puerta America. If money is not an objection then why not splurge your monthly salary for a night at the Burj Al-Arab? yeah right..Though we rarely do stay at any of these posh places, we do talk about them or sometimes attempt to visit one to check out the cool interiors (huh..did I really admit that).

3. Take lots of photos

We architects take more photos than most people save for photographers themselves. We’re a visually driven lot. A camera is a compulsory item to carry, be it a DSLR or a basic camera phone.  We stumble across many different things that attract us, from geniusly designed spaces to a beautiful detail of a glass staircase. We naturally scrutinise bits and pieces of our favourite buildings. Okay that is an overreaction but hey, a camera is the most precious possession for any travellers today so why not capture every single shot possible? Have a camera, use them.

So what about photos of the glorious food and the fascinating cultures explored during our travels? Yes, as stylish as the word ‘architect’ carries, we do take photos of our food even though it was the cheapest, tasteless option according to local taste buds. We’re human beings after all and sometimes our taste is different to yours. Just like our designs.

4. Bring a sketchbook or at least a working pen

ok. this might be over the top. I mean who sketches anymore? Architects draw a lot when in the office, but on holiday? nah..screw that. Anyway, I thought it’s a really cool thing to bring a sketchbook whilst travelling. Not only can you jot down those details that you’ve never seen before, your sketchbook WILL become your most prized possession. After owning a few of these Moleskines, the numbers of souvenirs I’ve bought has gone down pretty dramatically. I’ve thrown away most of my souvenir t-shirts already (really?..well some of it). Why do you need those cool fridge magnets when you can have a really cool documentation of your travels? hmm…maybe not those fridge magnet…They’re cool. Keep it.

We architects naturally draw a lot and might not have notice it. It is normal to see architects jotting down a piece of information either on bits of paper or more famously on paper napkins whilst wandering away with our unsettled minds. Hey, if you draw quite a lot why don’t you do yourself a favour by getting a small sketchbook like I always do? It would help your creative juice flowing regardless which corner of the globe you’re in. More importantly, it will help you to organise all of the information you’ve discovered on your ‘expedition’ throughout the world.

Oh by the way, don’t forget to bring your pens.

5. Talk about it when you can

Architects do talk about their profession whilst on travel. Most architects love their jobs so much that it’s hard to separate job with life (that’s why we’re often taken advantage off and paid peanuts compared to other professions ;-P). We talked about buildings anywhere we go. Sometimes a bit too much. But hey, if you’re so passionate with what you’re doing, why not share them with your travelling partner or friends? Who knows, they might learn a thing or two not shown in guidebooks. Worst come to worst, you’ll only get ridiculed with your diminutive point of expertise. But then, who cares? We architects often get ridiculed with our pointless dreamy ambitions anyway.

okay I’ll take that back, I actually care.

There you go. Follow these 5 simple steps and you’re definitely travelling the architect’s way. If you’ve already been following these simple steps, welcome to the life of a travelling architect! What do you think? Any suggestions? Feel free to leave your suggestions below.