I have to admit that I’ve been blessed to be able to gain tickets to 4 different Olympic events in London. The Olympics has been one of those events I’ve always been excited about and having it in London was a special moment for many of us here in London. From cheering alongside with the Brazilian fans in a volleyball game at Earls Court, to being captivated at the skills of Team USA’s basketball players playing their semifinal game at the O2 arena.

From mesmerising the wonderful diving showcase from the Aquatics Centre to chanting the name of Bolt with 80,000 others at the surreal and brilliant atmosphere in the Olympic Stadium.

Every moment was an experience. Standing with the crowds to the national anthems of the winners was exhilarating and emotional at the same time. It truly has been a fantastic event and one that I’d always remember. So here goes the snapshots taken from the 4 events / venues. Enjoy.

Watching Usain Bolt winning the 200m finals was sensational. You’d never expected the whole stadium routing for just one guy! This is the moment when Bolt sealed his status as a track Legend. First human ever to defend the Olympics 100m and 200m events. Can finally say that I’ve been there.

The amazing Jamaican sprinters doing a lap of honour after winning the 200m finals.

A Jamaican 1-2-3. Bolt, Blake and Weir.

The moment everyone was waiting for. The whole crowd stood up when Usain did his trademark lightning.

Arguably the best race from the athletics event in this Olympics. The mens 800m finals showcased supreme speed and talent. Nearly all athletes gained a National Record and personal bests.

That includes a World Record run by Kenya’s David Rudisha. It was a privilege to have witnessed history.

Arguably one of the best athlete ever. David Rudisha. His performance was touted as good as Bolt’s if not better.

A proud Malaysian. With over 200 countries participating, I’d thought I’d joined the fun by draping my very own Malaysian flag. Though not as fun enough as Captain Bolt seen on the left hand side of this photo. Everyone was having a fantastic time at the Olympic Park.

The Olympics wouldn’t be complete without a proud American. Here an American receive a random accolade celebration from volunteers in the Olympic Park.

Watched the women’s 3m platform finals at the Aquatic Centre. Had always wonder how these athletes do what they’re doing. Superb performances all around.

But as always, Chinese divers blew the competition away. Wu Minxia being interviewed after winning Gold.

Not to forget the great sportsmanship embodied by the the athletes. The mens Decathlon athletes thanking the crowd for the marvellous support.

Yes, after that many events, these athletes deserves some break albeit on the track

Watching Team USA play was definitely a dream come true for an NBA fan like me. Watching them play with their arch-rival Argentina in the semifinals was an icing on the cake for my Olympic experience. Here seen, Oklahoma City All-Star Kevin Durant hitting a jumpshot.

My favourite basketball player ever – Kobe Bryant showing his moves.

The Brazilian crowd was fantastic throughout this volleyball match between Brazil and Serbia. The Olympic crowd in Rio in 2016 will be as awesome as this. Seen here in photo a Brazilian player doing a thunderous spike. Brazil, a former world champion won the game.

and yes, you’d always need to take the photo of the fool just to say that he’s been there

That’s me and the most incredible Olympic cauldron designed by Thomas Heatherwick. Such an inspiration. British creativeness at its best.

How was your Olympic moment? Which event will you remember most?

In case you’re wondering, I’m still in the Olympic mood.  I hope you too. Why not since we’re nearly half way through the Games. Tomorrow, I will attend my second Olympic event – the Triathlon at Hyde Park and also watching former world champions Brazil in volleyball. This is followed by Diving at the Olympic Park on Sunday. I’m also looking forward to see the Mens Single Badminton Finals between Malaysia’s very own Lee Chong Wei and China’s Lin Dan (albeit on TV).

Until then, enjoy these photos taken right in front of Tate Modern today.

Which event are you looking forward to see most?

I’ve been running off topic since the starting of the London Olympic Games. But due to requests made from friends, I thought I’d just share with you some of my Olympic experiences in the capital.

A lot of people think that it’ll cost them a lot of money to watch an Olympic event especially in a city like London. The truth is, there are events that you could see and enjoy for free. Take the men’s road cycling. The track takes you over 250km in a loop that starts and ends in the Mall right next to Buckingham Palace. Yes, that’s quite a stretch to see an Olympic event Despite you’d only take a glimpse of the Olympians for a mere few seconds, at least you’ll get to enjoy London’s iconic landmarks along the way.

If you’re reading this you’re likely to miss this event, but fear not there’s a few more free events coming to you here in London. Watch for the triathlon and the marathon in the coming days.

In the meantime, enjoy the photos I’ve taken from the Arch of Wellington and Knightsbridge.

I have to admit that I’m quite a big sports fan. I enjoy almost every sports (watching them at least) and as a kid had always dreamt of being in an athlete shoe. Of course, I’ve been stuck in a limbo (prolonged dream state) since then but that’s another story for another day. How excited was I when I was invited to have a dinner session with the Malaysian Olympic Team courtesy of OMEC. Which sportsmen (yeah right) would ever give up a chance to see the best Malaysian players in a meet and greet session just a day before the Opening Ceremony? Definitely not me.

So here I am in an event, where I am slightly clueless who the Malaysian athletes were. Yes, surely they were wearing the bright orange Malaysian jersey but having lived away from Malaysia for years now, I do feel slightly embarrassed not knowing many of them. Of course I was hoping to see Malaysia’s brightest gold medal prospect and the world number one Badminton player – Lee Chong Wei. But that did not materialise since he needs to prepare himself in a conducive state. That’s what Malaysian coach, Rashid Sidek told me when we had a chat about the preparation being done for the Games.

Oh wait, did I say Rashid? Yes, instead of talking to Chong Wei, I did get to talk to former world number one player and world champion. Yes, you can see me smiling albeit abnormally and definitely tired in this photo.

You see back in my crazy badminton days, where I’ve spent my evenings perfecting my skills, Rashid Sidek was my idol. He was the guy who helped won the elusive Thomas Cup for the Malaysians for the first time in 25 years. Plus he was a friendly chap too. Never knew a former champion could have such a humble and grounded personality. We talked about the Games,Opening ceremony, events, training and my biggest question of all – how much pressure athletes received during events. According to Rashid, without a doubt the biggest pressure for any Malaysian athlete is to win a singles event in an Olympic Game. Badminton is still Malaysia’s biggest hope.

Despite that, Rashid was optimistic about Malaysia’s chances of winning a gold medal. And so am I. Good luck Team Malaysia. I will support you all the way. Though I didn’t know almost all of you that attended today’s event, I’m definitely proud that you’ve made it to the London Olympics. Meeting you was truly inspirational.

Malaysia Boleh!

Why the 2012 Olympic Games is a big deal to me

Yes, that’s me feeling over excited of having the Olympic Games in my backyard. Well, not literally backyard but we do have some events at Hyde Park which is a not far away from my house. I’ve been a huge fan of the Olympics since I’ve first seen it on telly back in 1988. The city was Seoul and I was living in Penang, Malaysia cycling around my neighbourhood chasing stray cats away from basically.. anything.. Yes, I was 5 back then but I do remember clearly my dad taping a lot of the events on our VCR. He didn’t have time to watch it, but my mom and I did. We were enjoying everything from swimming, gymnastics to athletics. Heck I remembered us glued upon our telly to watch the Opening Ceremony. I knew back then that there was something special about this event. Afterall, my dad doesn’t watch telly but he only watches the Olympics. There must’ve been something truly extraordinary about it.

This tradition continued until the next games – Barcelona. The year when the Dream Team was formed by professional American basketball players. Again, we were glued in front of the telly watching the Games as often as we could, checking out the medal tally and hoping for Malaysia to win our very first Olympic medal – which we did through Badminton. It was a big deal. We were living in the multicultural melting pot of East London back then and as the only Malaysian in my primary school, I knew I was going to be quite proud should Malaysia win at least a medal. Why not, since none of my friends (or teachers I believe) knew nothing about Malaysia. Heck I was asked whether we lived on trees! Yes, kinda offensive when I think about it today but heck, I was a kid back then (and a little bit stupid).

My fond of the Games continued steadily over the next few Games. Atlanta in 96′, Sydney in 2000, Athens and then Beijing. I was following the Games quite religiously, watching it on telly as much as I could. In fact they’re the only thing I’ve been watching on tv. If that wasn’t enough, I had also bought magazines of it and sometimes memorabilia.

The Olympic is a big deal to me and that’s why the 2012 Games is going to be fantastic.

For the first time ever, I will actually live in an Olympic city. I’ve never thought this would’ve ever happened but I’m sure proud it is happening this year. There’s so many exciting events happening around the city almost everyday. For a start, Hyde Park has been turned into a massive event area with huge tv screens showing the Games. Lots of concerts are also happening. I was so excited about this Games that I tried scouring for any Olympic tickets to see as many events as I could afford. So far, I’ve managed to secure Volleyball, Basketball and the Finals of Diving and Athletics. Yes, I’ve been denting a big hole in my pocket but as do my travels, what matters most to me is the opportunity and the experience.

Like my dad always say to me when I was younger, you could always find money but opportunity doesn’t come that often so as the experience.

Go get it whilst you can. I’ve lived to that till this day.

Thanks dad! This Olympics for you.

With the current political conflict worsening in Syria, I am currently revisiting my travel experiences to the country as part of an attempt to raise more awareness to this Middle Eastern country. Due to my limited amount of time, I have decided to share some of my experiences, photos etc. through TTT Facebook page.

I know this wouldn’t do much (if anything) to help the country and the people of this amazing country, but as an individual and a human being, I feel obliged to show the world that Syria is an amazing country with spectacular history and people. It deserves more attention and help from the rest of the world. My thoughts are with the Syrian people.

Feel free to join me through TTT Facebook page

Scandinavia is darn expensive.

Not a very good way to start an article isn’t it? Short sentence, but enough to put me off for a very long time.

I’ve always enjoyed travelling to exotic looking places as far and as detached away from the hectic life of living in London. Places that looks and feels different but at the same time doesn’t hurt my wallet. My fascination was always towards the East of Europe, Middle East and more recently India. There’s something exciting of being in a totally different environment. And of course my curious mind helps too. It stimulates my mind and cures my enthusiasm towards something new. I’m not saying that London is boring (I doubt it ever will be), but I’ve made a choice to explore as much as possible when I still can afford to do so.

However, my perception towards travel has changed dramatically very recently. After having a short hiatus from architecture, I have since regained a renewed energy and interest not only to this field, but also to the quality of life in urban areas.

I have travelled to places as far as China, India and the Middle East to find a culture and environment which is totally alien to the West. Only to find myself looking for an even further region to explore. After 5 months of being away from London, I came to a realisation that I do not need to travel to the corners of the globe to find architecture (In this advanced era, I’m not sure how much I could learn from Petra or Angkor Wat apart from its history and surroundings), but I should just look around the corner for inspiration. Kinda those textbook thing you’ll learn – proven and could be applied right away (though bearing in mind that I get easily bored with the same stuff, lets see how long I could travel this way).

Oh yes, as a note – I did try to write about Petra and what we could learn from it, but I found it hard to make sense of the story and hence left it on my growing draft post list (30+ if you wanted to know).

Meatpacking District

What better way than to travel to a region that is rich in design but never on my list. Scandinavia. Or to be extra specific – Copenhagen for a long bank holiday weekend. Copenhagen as you know it, is the place to be in Scandinavia. Or at least that’s what I was told in my favourite magazine ever the Monocle. Besides boasting one of the highest quality of life in any city in the world today (it was rated number 1 in 2008), the city has every single thing a designer would love – nicely designed houses in perfect surroundings, a cool and buzzing airport that uses timber flooring throughout (yes, read timber), clever signages so that you wouldn’t get lost, and cool looking shops and cafes that miraculously combine design and tradition as I found it at the meatpacking district (you need to keep those Viking traditions don’t you – I mean, shipyard cafe looking interiors – as if I’ve been to a shipyard before).

There’s 2 bicycles for every resident in Copenhagen, or is there..

All of that plus one of the highest bicycle ridership in any city in the world (I was told by a local that there were more bikes than people in Copenhagen). I would’ve never imagined how cycling really adds to the quality of life of any city in the world today, until I decided to join them Copenhageners along. It was an eye opener for sure, especially when you’re able to cycle across those countless green fields on your way to the city without worrying for your safety on the road! Oh, add another thing – they all speak good english which makes any short trip outside english speaking countries a wonder especially when you’re travelling alone.

To say it short, this experimental trip has been purely a designed-orientated one that had rekindled my spirit to enjoy simple great design and understanding higher quality of life in urban areas.

I hope I could entice you with some designed-related Copenhagen articles in the next few posts. But, since writing a post only in design would bore out the hell for some of my readers, I thought it might be a good idea to start off by inserting some of the more famous places that this city has to offer.

Have you been to Copenhagen? What do you like most about the city?

Tivoli Gardens – an amusement park smack bang in the heart of Copenhagen. It’s decently sized for something in the middle of a city. One thing that shows how quality of life could be achieved in the heart of the city (provided you have money to pay the entry fee that is)

Christiana, a self-proclaimed autonomous region – or at least that is what they say – it has its own laws, which is literally no law. It is a self-governing society where everyone is responsible for the wellbeing of the collective. People buy and smoke hash here and the atmosphere is free-spirited. Oh by the way, photos are not allowed here.

I thought the interior of this clock tower really look cool here.

Nyhavn, Copenhagen’s liveliest street buzzing with bars and pubs

As a kingdom, Copenhagen possess lots of palaces and castles. If you’re into this make sure to give them a visit.

They also have an abundance of museums and galleries. This is the Carlsberg Glyptotek which has this cool tropical garden in its courtyard.

Oh before I forget, they have this Little Mermaid which is apparently their number one attraction. How amusing..

8Tallet – has been voted as the best place to live in the world. Each house has a private balcony and entrance.

Yes, they even designed a parking space. How cool is that?

Credit: MrBassett

If you’ve been following this blog for awhile (a million thanks to you guys!), I’m sure you’ve realised that I’ve literally stopped writing. I’ve been very busy lately (at work and pondering about my future as always) and hence the time off from this site.

The good news is, that after talking to a few friends, I’ve found some encouragement to continue writing my thoughts and share some photos on the site. Since I will not have any additional hours added to my days, I’ve decided to write smaller articles with less words (hopeful focusing on specific topics rather than generic – but who knows?). I’m also planning to gear up my plans to have as many passport stamps as possible this year.

There you go. I thought I might just share with you what’s on mind at the moment. For the 10,000+ people who visited the site every month (I’m sure a fairly large number are bots) – thanks again for taking time browsing through the articles.

Here’s to the future!

This post was long overdue.

Six months to be precise. Despite my continuous effort to travel and experience as much as possible, I simply could not afford to write all of my experiences. I would not blame this solely to the lack of time I have nowadays, but some experiences seem so special that describing it wouldn’t do any justice.

One of them is this unintentional visit to the raft house in Rompin, Malaysia with two of my best mates Fakhrul and Shaliza. It was a typical monsoon day – cloudy with the occasional rain. There was not much activity we were excited to do at the resort we’re staying, so after a really good Malaysian breakfast, Fakhrul had this great idea of visiting this raft house he’d known for a while. Being a fairly urban type of guy, I was naturally excited to see myself what this raft house really looked like.

To be honest with you, I was kinda nervous to see this raft for the first time. The river was flowing fast in the middle of the monsoon season. Some villages around the area were flooded and connection between towns were affected. But hey, staying in a resort wasn’t my kind of thing either. So off we went relaxing on the deck chairs watching the time passing by.

This was one of the rare occasion when we were all in awe and stayed quiet for a few hours. Listening to the soothing sound of the flowing water and the light rain whilst trying our luck on fishing. It was good times. Definitely a simple experience to remember.

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?