Pillars of Expression

Today I happened to browse through Marlene's and Melissa's blogs and found these wonderful pictures. It is the project we have been talking about for so long and it has finally materialized! This is indeed one of the best news I ever have since I left KDU. I'm really touched to see these pictures because they reminded me of all the struggles everyone have been through in the Design Department.

Maizul jokingly said that these columns are dedicated to me, however I would rather think that it is a contribution from all of you to show the importance and relevance of art in our society. Thanks to Maizul's creativity and the hard work of the students, the execution of these art works marks a big step forward for KDU aspiring to be the premier art school in northern Malaysia.

Well done and once again thanks to those involved for making this possible!

The Japanese Spirit

Just back from Tokyo and my god what a great city! It is a huge city with a population of 12 million people! What intrigued me was not the size of the city but the culture of its people. With so many people living closely in this mega city, Tokyo somehow is an amazingly clean place! People always say that Singapore is clean which I never deny that, but one has to think about the size of Singapore which is way smaller than Tokyo and easier to be maintained. Furthermore Singapore managed to achieve its cleanliness today by way of heavy handed enforcement on the part of the government. We were told by our tour guide that the police in Japan are quite lenient and courteous to the offenders. The city's cleanliness is completely attributed to the Japanese culture and education.

Speaking about culture, one can't help but respect the Japanese spirit when it comes to the level of commitment they put onto their work. Everyone from waitress to driver to hotel staff, all were so absorbed into their work and maintained the positive attitude and cheerfulness the entire time they serve you. When we disembarked from our bullet train at the Shin Yokohama Station, I saw 3 Japanese cleaners diligently wiping the surface of the stainless steel compartments along the boarding platform. You can feel that kind of energy and seriousness they possess even doing such task which most of us would think as trivial. With this kind of working attitude, no wonder Japan is a country destined for greatness.

Mahathir was right when he adopted the Look East Policy when he was PM of Malaysia and encouraged all of us to learn from the Japanese. However, when I compare the working attitude of the Japanese with the Malaysian, I hate to say that we still have a very long way before we can catch up, that is IF we can ever catch up at all!

Tokyo Here I Come!

On my way to Tokyo in about 1 hour's time. Now happily blogging using the free internet service available inside Changi Airport. Malaysia airports should seriously have this service, after all what's the point of bragging about the Multimedia Super Corridor when people can't even surf the net while waiting for their next flight!

Anyway very excited about the trip. Will snap lots of pictures of interesting places and buildings and share with everyone here!