A Design of Life (Episode One)

This article is not about a single by Manic Street Preachers that was released in 1996. It is a snapshot of many designs that I've done throughout the years and hopefully for many years to come.

I love to design. It gave me pure satisfaction whenever my designs were appreciated by others, be it architectural, engineering, artwork, system or programming. Time and again, it still gives me the same amount of pleasure whenever I managed to complete the design on time and the intended recipient complimented my creativity/efforts. Here are some of my designs during my childhood.....

1970s

I came from a poor family and my parents could not afford to buy us toys. So in order to be at par with my peers, I'd to design and make my own toys.

Some of these homemade toys were wooden rifle with rubber band projectile and wooden sword to play 'perang-perang' (war in English) with our neighbours, slingshot to catch squirrels and bamboo pole for fishing. I had fun playing with my creations.

1980 (circa)
Drawing: An oil painting of a calm beach
Won the primary school drawing competition


1982 (circa)
Drawing: A poster for Road Safety Campaign
Won the district drawing competition


1987

Programming: I entered the local paper, New Straits Times' software writing competition.

I designed a programme that will enable the end users to select any pair of elements from the Chemistry Periodic Table (at least one reactant of course).

Then, I created animations to show the chemical reactions that finally produced the end results/ chemical substances.

However, computers at that point in time have limited Maths co-processor capabilities. Simple hardware such as graphic memory used primitive HIMEM and LOMEM platforms. At times when calculations became too complex and I ended up burning 2 school's PCs in the process.

Yes you got it right, the PCs were physically caught on fire!!

Anyway, I managed to submit entry for the competition on time but luck was not at my side. It was impossible to win because the winners were rich kids and words went around that they hired professionals!!. Ah well!




Update: one of my Facebook friend entered the same competition and he won the second place. By the way, he did not hire professionals... :)

Drawing: During my free time, I loved to draw. By the end of 1987, I had a scrap book with about 20 to 30 drawings, mainly pencil sketches. I shared the sketches with the then Art teacher, Cikgu Tajuddin (TJ). He liked it and wanted to keep it for the school. In return, he awarded me with the best art student award for that year, even though Art was not one of my SRP subjects.

Most of my sketches were framed and given as souvenirs to VIPs who came to the school and the rest were displayed in the school's library. I wonder where could my sketches are at this point in time. It could still be around at at one of those houses or offices of now retired Malaysian Army generals, Chief of Army, Chief of Defence Forces or MARA directors. Most probably it may have ended in a black dingy room somewhere. Ah well!

I went back to the school and went to the library to check on whether any of my sketches would still be there but as I expected, after 21 years, there were none. Sadly, I don't remember what I've drawn.

Photo of Cikgu TJ in 2008. He is in MARA HQ now...and yeah! He still remembers me.

1988

Emergency Design: In any boarding school, students are required to be within the school compound most of the time. We were not spared as we were only allowed to go out during weekends through main gate with proper documentation and inspection. However, with most of us being smokers, it was not a viable option for many. Therefore, we need to find means and ways to smuggle the fag. Smuggling bags of cigarretes' boxes through the school's back door was our only choice which we nicknamed as "Rambo" as oppose to other boarding schools where they called it "Fly". As our school was (and still is!) within the army camp, we need to pass through a jungle under the watchful eyes of the school security guards and yes, MP!! (read: Military Police).

Unlike other Sunday nights of which a Sergeant who was quite familiar to us manned the MP post, on that fateful night, it was headed by a Captain. Luck seems not to be on our side and my friends and I were caught in the act. He was giving us long lectures and at a flick of a second we saw an opportunity to escape. In an instant, we ran helter skelter to the jungle, back to our school. And yes, we ran like 'amputated cockroach' (or lipas kudung in Malay) faster than the MPs who trailed us with their Vespa's. We felt like Rambo. Hehehe.

We managed to climb back to the hostel albeit our bodies were full with bloodied gash and scratches from thorns and rocks along the emergency escape route. Not long after that, we overheard a commotion outside the hostel where there were three trucks loaded with army personnel looking for us. We quickly hid under the blanket and pretended to be sleeping. They went in but none of them could recognize us as they did not pull off our blankets.

It was indeed a successful design of an emergency escape route. For me at least. Fuh!

.......to be continued in Episode Two