Unexpected Interest in Architecture!

When I started my lifetime journey in deciding what I wanna be in the future I picked to be a scientist, I started going through encyclopaedias and getting frustrated on why our brain can't contain all the theories, pictures and information

I was a person who loved science in any form it came.

that trait's vibe stroked powerfully when I grew older, I didn't become a scientist as I dreamed to be, but I realised there is an alternative way to celebrate science as if it was my own!

respecting the work of others and building bridges of all those touching achievements and educating yourself more about them would make you a scientist, an intellectual human being!

working on this belief footsteps, I wanted to choose a cultural elective subject that would introduce me to a new field and there it was 

"Contemporary World Architecture Course"

a subject that mixes art in beautiful decorative pieces and science in balancing all these blocks on top of each other to fulfil its function with a lot of room for analytical thinking

and As expected I fell in love with many great buildings just like I would do to any valuable painting

Architecture gave me another angle to stare from when I wonder around the streets in future :)

My professor was such an inspiration, he visited various countries and paid all the magnificent buildings a visit so all his presentations were filled with personally taken pictures

How exciting can it be to go on reunion trips at one of the greatest building of the history

I think beside a religious building a breath taking building is as holy!

What was the architect thinking when he placed that column here and how he figured that such structure would stand against harsh circumstances?

and most surprisingly how one human being could manage to build a massive building so percisely!

Thats the beauty of Architecture !

Below are some of the inspirations I got out of this course:

Buildings: Sagrada Familia Church in Barcelona by Gaudi

if you ever went to Spain, you should pass by this church because its not just a church it one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites! 

The work started back when Gaudi was assigned the project in 1883 and is still incomplete till nowadays!! can you believe that? a building that is being built over history and is expected to be done in 2026 !

Its really huge and complicatedly decorated reminding us of the gothic era, Gaudi made a wonderful job on every piece he laid his hands on over Barcelona ! 

much respect to this man, it will always be a dream to visit this place..

People: Frank Lloyed Wright

I fell for this man's arrogance because it was right in its place.

he didn't receive a formal education in decent architecture universities but he polished his skills on his own with a long experience and natural talent

When he spoke he knew what he was capable of and he saw himself ahead of time and space and dared to call himself immortal!

One inspiring story when he designed the Wax company offices and built a lily pad shape as a roof supported by thick columns that would go thinner at the ground level just as a stem to those pads. It made other architects worried on their stability, a very thin base column to support a huge round piece would go against the known architecture physics at that time! 

so they called for a live demonstration and a daring demonstration they got! that roof was able to hold 10 times it weight until it collapsed!

The view of the offices

I was trying to imagine his feelings watching the site workers add those weights to his structure, that could've been his career collapsing  over there not just a column but he was watching silently how his work came to prove his greatness!

"Early in life I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility. I chose the former and have seen no reason to change."
- Frank Lloyd Wright 

oh there are many other stuff I want to share but had to stop on these two! 

Currently I'm working on a final project of looking up one of the world's expos to write about. I never appreciated such events until I worked on them and found that it is somehow a festival of architecture !

Architects from different countries come together in one place to be given a chance to build a pavilion representing their country.

and now I wanna go back in time to Yeosu expo and analyze every single pavilion I went through! xD

 

so that was a dedication to an interesting subject I took this semester, what about you readers any influential subject you took this year? 

- Amna Al Dhaheri

Welcoming 2013 !

Happy New Year~

2012 is not the end of the world and I'm still alive :D haha in ur face you.. donno know whoever was claiming its the end lol ~

I know its kinda late but there was no way I'm gonna be able to write a decent blog after arriving on new years  to my home country 

The tiredness, cultural shock and formalities kept me from having any fruitful time with my blog

Now that I'm back on my feet again I thought I'd write a new post before January passes by!

First and before I spill out my plans I wish to thank 2012 for being a year filled with adventures and a year that is a blissful gift from god. I met so many new people, learned a lot of things, visited new places and become a satisfied calm person

in 2012 I started writing in this blog more seriously and I'm willing to keep it up during 2013 :)

In 2013 I wish to be the change for every single day

I want this year to be more organized and awarding

 and for a change I want to relax and let life take the wheel from time to time :)

so for the time being I'm on vacation and I came up with this list to fill my time and plan well for the coming year! There are many interesting stuff over the internet but I loved these the most and started applying them myself !

1- 2013 Diary/Planner

Yes its a must and it works amazingly well for busy people like me! 

technology cannot replace written papers! I find it more enjoyable to hold a book in my hands instead of an electronic reader

I can edit my notes much faster 

& I can flip back and fourth to feel the sense of time with papers !

so go to the nearest bookshop and pick your one !

Tips: 

• choose a light weight diary if you will carry it in your bag and always pick an elegant one that you will love to open every single day

• avoid super fancy tho and never buy the most expensive out there.. in the end its just a planner !

• oh and always check the paper pattern from inside, diaries comes with different style! I rather get those with enough space for each day (almost half page) and I love the maps attached at the back it gives me a space to dream about traveling to places I've never thought about :) *childish lol*

2- Happiness Jar

I've seen so photogenic pictures of Dreams Jar but I didn't like it as dreams should be written clearly in front of you not folded into a jar ! However this year I heard of the happiness jar where you can place all the happy moments you had through the year and then by the next year you can talk about and review all the happy moments in the past year !

Tips: 

• you can get the shape and size you prefer or which you think will fit perfectly on your desk. Nice cheap jars are hard to find in bookshops so I suggest visit the kitchenware section in any homecenters you will find plenty, colorful and cheap jars !

• decorate you jar with ribbons, stickers and writings this will not only makes the jar beautiful but enchanted~

for my case I went for simple cylinder shaped plastic jar so it won't break if it fell from the table :3 

3- Pictures on the wall

I've always appreciated pictures as a happy thing in life. I'm not into buying very expensive professional heavy cameras to take a picture of a tiny bug ( although I admit its worth the quality). However, I believe that no matter how ugly or hilarious you look in a picture it will never matter in the future when you look back at those pictures ! So with the growth of my gallery I wanted to keep my dear ones around instead of piling them in harddisks that I only check every couple of months

and I know I kept bragging about Korea so much now but honestly those people know how to design their cafes and restaurants with photographs, art crafts & simple antiques !

and it got me wondering why mom is so obsessed with white walls? if you can utilize the white spaces in a right way it will not look beautiful but will have a touch of personality and uniquness !

and so I'm filtering some pictures this weekend for printing and gonna buy some ropes and nails to get the work done !

Tips: 

• Don't stick to colored pictures even black n white ones will give you a sense of elegant vintageness! 

• if burning images in studios are expensive print them at home! 

• for more crafty touch you can design paper frames around your pictures and leave a little cute note !

 4- Books, Books and more Books !

We are a nation that reads, maybe the past decades weren't our best but that's only because our grandparents didn't get the chance for proper education and worked hard for their family survival. No matter how developed we get or how many technologies we invent the book is still a valuable piece of knowledge that won't be replaced.The beginning was tough with books for someone who started reading late but now its a daily pleasure.   

Tips: 

• take your time when you want to borrow/buy books, the secret to love books is to follow your field of interest. I realized this late cuz I depended on others' choice at the beginning.

• Novels are wonderful source of amusement but read an educational or inspirational book for a change.

• When you're done reading a book write a review for it, give it to a friend or neatly put it on a shelf for others to read ! 

• Some book fairs and libraries allow books donation or exchange so make use of such places if you didn't like a book you poses or read it many times !

5- Own a business 

University is the best place to test your capabilities of running a business. Of course people would say that the real world is completely different from this controlled environment but where else can you try your skills in marketing without being punished ?! After many presentations, workshops, projects maybe you can make use of your knowledge to go for the next challenge of opening your own business ! Currently I've been enrolled in a small business with a group of creative local ladies and I hope we will establish the company we dream of soon enough :)

Tips: 

• Always keep yourself inspired by attending talks about others success story and find the time to think about what you want to do after graduation. 

• If the road is not clear ask your friends for ideas you will be surprised by their responses or maybe you will find a person with a gold worth idea but was waiting for a strong person like you to take the lead !

• A business doesn't have to be an individual work it can start with the hard work of a group!

• Focus on what you are familiar with as its a strength point for you! Innovations and ideas can come running after you formed a strong basis for your business 

All in all, never give up to the depressing routine always find a way to appreciate, love and change ~

Be a person who lived every single day and tried as much things as possible than others from your place !  

Happy New Year Everyone !

Amna ❤

p.s: let me know about your 2013 plans, your opinion about my blog and what you love to read in the future ;)

Art Work: The Cherry Blossom

Finally I was able to collect enough inspiration to finish my piece after a long sleep

I'm so ashamed of myself for ditching art and always delaying only an hour of concentration per day

so I got myself a sketch book and here I am done with my first sketch

Nature inspires me here in Korea that I decided to try shifting my drawing subject from exhausting human portraits to Nature and Still life

I guess the trip to Seoul Museum of Art was of a help to push me forward, The museum is a small with couple of exhibition and study halls and there is no admission fee to encourage people to come and get artistically educated, love it !!

Anyways one of the permanent exhibitions was "The Spirit of Chun Kyung Ja" and below few of her inspiring paintings

Chun Kyung Ja famous Korean female artist who wondered the world for the sake of art

This lady traveled to many countries back in the 70s & 80s ( before the development of Korea), she was brave enough to go to far islands and dangerous African countries and came back with rich art collection

later in Korea she donated about 90 paintings to the Museum !

The circus: seems like a dull sketch but the sense of life is absent with a deep look at all members..

Page 22 of My Sad Legend

Back to my sketch I was wondering what to call it since it comes as a package of emotions

so lets keep it simple, allow the artists to analyze the emotions behind it and say 

"The Cherry Blossom"

25th of September remarks a very dear experience that blossomed in my heart like beautiful korean cherry blossom

It was breath taking, soft and sweet that I didn't want time to ruin it..

I'm happy with the result I want to build a collection and open my own art exhibition back in my country one day. It may be hard as I don't study art and don't practice it as a full time job but that goal is not impossible right now that I saw other artists work. The cook will need a bit more practice, patience and ambition. Lets see :)

Peace,

Amna