Creative Thinking Review | Week 11

This marks the last post of Creative Thinking module. Honestly speaking, this Arts & Foundation programme went passed like a flash of lightning. First days may seemed like a billion years ago to some but seriously, the memory of it are still fresh as ever in my mind. Creative Thinking, I'd say, the  most enjoyable module to attend. Not for the sake of what's been taught or what we learn, but also the lecturer. I think it not for Mr Ezzam, I would not have take as much interest into Creative Thinking. 

I've said something about him on my social media and I'm gonna say it here again. Mr Ezzam is just..

He's always so greatly unconventional.

I really am lucky and deeply grateful that he was my lecturer. He knows it too well that we don't have to be "babied?". He's always so casual and funny which I think is a good thing. Life is never always about seriousness and being systematic. How he puts Creative Thinking is not just merely showing us slides every week and throw us a bunch of assignments to our faces and expects us to think for ourselves. No. He goes beyond. He challenges us with his own interactive ideas.  He teaches us creativity beyond them closed doors. What the world has to offer, that Creative Thinking is another platform for us to prepare. He always mentioned that,

 "between these 4 walls, it's really where we can make mistakes".

On some levels, the topics are straight-forward (e.g. Brainstorming) but that does not mean that it's an irrelevant general knowledge. Creative Thinking, to me, is like a break from reality. As compared to other modules, where it's always about the hustlin' and bustlin. The setting is really different. Two hours of Tuesdays with Mr Ezzam feels like a moment where timing could actually slow down.

You feel me? It brings me back to my own thoughts before I get caught up with the world. & Especially in the design industry, we have to have the need to re-evaluate ideas and thoughts and improvise. Creative Thinking taught us to loosen up with our intentions. Our sensitivity. So not only we can organize and create well but also create awareness. With great passion and determination, we ought to achieve anything and everything we want. Patience is a virtue. Especially in design, it does not happen overnight. We have to keep it consistent and take that extra step. Be creative and do you. 

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Force Connection | Week 9

Force Connection. Hm...

What is Force Connection? 

An impact? A bond?  

Well, force connection is basically to link two or more disparate items and solve/create anew out of it. A new product. A new function. Which they could also be called as 

Cross Fertilisation. Normally this kinds of product design are formed/created so to be also labeled as multi-functional. Which I think is great for marketing, especially majoring Graphic Communication, we ought to have this skill/ability to think broader and wider in perspective in order to get ones' idea across. I'd think this is definitely a great tool to imply when brainstorming in product design. Be it in furniture, utensils, electrical appliance etc. Lets say you are in the woods hiking and the sun is already setting, but.... you didn't bring a tent. What would you do? A great example shown in class during that case study was, yes the JAKPAK.  Mr Ezzam all about his non-stop hits humor, decided to tease me with it throughout. It was probably like the joke of the day. 

Anyways, its all good you're forgiven Mr Ezzam hm!

JakPak. When is a jacket not a jacket right? When its a sleeping bag and a tent as well?! Thats right. Its made waterproof of rain jacket, sleeping bag, and tent into a single piece of clothing. I mean.. is this not smart! It's well thought and well functional. Your traditional hiking bagpaack stores the essentials into one, for space and convenience sake. This is cool, I have to admit. 

Another example would be this coffee scoop. Relating traditional and something modern into something simpler. This unique design doubles as a coffee scooper AND a bag sealer having to also keep our coffees fresh for a long time

Practical enough, isn't it!

Then again, this hybrid inventions are definitely ways that allow us to break away from traditions and norms I'd say. Sometimes even mixing the most random objects visually or not, might also be the best triggers for product design and problem solving. 

Analogical Thinking Pt.2 | Week 8

Today's topic was all about tension. The thing that comes to my mind first :

Weight? Force? Pressure? Its like the saying, "when tension builds up".

 It can interpreted in different ways, be it physically or emotionally.

Practically speaking, when we say tension, we normally refer it between two parties.
Are we creating it? Or is it that people are creating for us?

(Unless you're consistently thinking like Einstein then yeah, it's literal. Haha!)

So as a class/group activity, we were to discuss on this particular article about an anonymous Hong Kong designers' illustration that brutally portrayed how Hong Kong is nothing like China. 

"How Hong Kong is nothing like China"

 

 

 

http://nextshark.com/hong-kong-china-differences-designs/

In total there are about 22 illustrations, this is just part of the total,

 not the whole thing just yet. 

But honestly though, to me, it just screams BIASNESS!

To what I'm seeing off of it, its his/her preconceived idea against foreigners. Well, in this case, against China. I think it is just too exaggerated. Personally, I have never been to China or Hong Kong so my opinion is considered quite neutral and limited. Although, I do feel that the designers went a tad too insensitive which made it seemed as though his intentions were actually made to sound offensive as it should've. But then again, how could I be so sure about it?  For example, he made a contrast on their hygiene as a contributing factor to his defence. Honestly, I find it rather irrelevant. To what extent does this prove how the Chinese carry themselves as a whole? What about personal hygiene?

 Is this just based on his/her own perspective and not majority?

Is there not other HongKongers that does the same? 

I could be right. I could be wrong. 

Another example would be their use of social media. My friend, Adilah did brought up an interesting point, saying that here.. the Chinese are contradicting. Hm, say whaaat??

It seemed like the Chinese insistently chose to be so non-exposed to the outside world whereby they restrict all communications via various apps (WeChat) as compared to the HongKongers who are likely to be more interactive (Facebook & Twitter etc). And so when we discussing, Mr Ezzam questioned us back instead saying, how is it not us who just take that initiative and try to learn and understand them. Why not we learn Chinese instead? Me and Adilah got quite angry with that, because to us, it's not that we are discriminating language or any sort. However, to us, English is a universal language. That's just how the world works. To us, it's just selfish. Is it not that there are other countries as well that revolve around this? 

It's a matter of compromise and practicality. 

However, I could be saying so much with little knowledge but be wrong about this, or even right. Who knows.. What I'm trying to say is that, sometimes things don't make sense the way you ought to. It's like a rumour. Rumours are made up because at some point, it did start somewhere. Like in every lie, there is a truth right? Maybe that's how tension builds up.

Misconception, misunderstanding. 

Pic of the Week | Week 7

 "Go, go, go, go, go, go shawty 

It's your birthday 

We gone' party like its yo birthday 

We gone sip Bacardi like it's your birthday 

And you know we don't give a f*ck

It's not your birthday!" 

Thats right..You know where I'm going with this...  Can we please take a moment and try to live that hit by 50 Cents' again. But seriously though, it was really my birthday on the 7th of September, weeheew! Which makes me 19 this year. 

Oh god, before I even know/realise it, I'll be stepping into adulthood sooner than I thought. Well, honestly, as I get older I've come to realise that it's more of the years I would want to take back instead. Time flies, trust me. Now I know its said, time is free but time is also priceless. All them times I remembered wishing wanting to "grow up" faster than I should. 

Heck yeah, I take that back! You'll know it then that everything before you just turns into memories. 

And so, this year, I spent my 19th birthday with a very special friend of mine. That was it. 

Simple. Simple as I ever wished life to be :) 

The 'surprise' picnic celebration was more than I could've asked for. I mean who would give a pass on  such a food spread,presents and endless convos with the greatest company, right?!

Yep, exactly what I thought. At the end of the day, be it you're 9 or19 or even 51, it's all about cherishing them moments you have, even in moments where you're doing something so mundane you won't even realise you're in the moment, its one-time life offer, we ought to use it well, before it's just too late. 

Battle Royale | Movie Review

First off, let me just say how much I actually enjoyed watching this movie!? To be honest, I went to watch it twice. Normally, anything gore and violence themed? Not my thing. But I guess that I am glad that I still gave it a try! Battle Royale would probably be the first for me to see heads & knives  flying everywhere like the cannons that bursts on Fourth of July. Literally. 

It kinda seem like as if it's the same plot from Hunger Games? Where a random class of people are being packed off to an island where they'll be given weapons to eliminate each other. & only one survivor remaining. But I'd think it is a possible inspiration for it instead. I did felt uncomfortable by that mix of humour and horror all at once, the movie just seemed too epic! Even for the matter that the "villain" here is not the teacher, Kitano-sensei. Which I would say.. kind of a plot-twist. 

But seriously though, what would I have done? (Personal Analogy) 

If there was a way, I would want to be killed before the game even started. I would not risk killing anyone if I could. I know I would not survive long. Haha, I sound like a total scared-y cat! But then again I think thats what most would wish for, I guess? So if say I did have the guts to survive, I would want to be with the group of guys hiding out tryna make the explosives. At least I would know that I tried hard and smart. But still get killed in the end. I would think there are many of my classmates that can possibly turn unconsciously & psychotically strategic in killing anyone and everyone. For example, I think someone unexpected like Lynn? Or maybe Keisha? Someone really unexpected and unpredictable! Who knows who could survive till the end.. 

All in all, I think constantly discovering new themes/genres of movie, can help us in building up creativity. Especially with things that we are not fond of, or use to most of the time.

Analogical Thinking | Week 7

Apart from being absent for this weeks' topic, still gonna give a shot understanding & talk about what Analogical Thinking is anyways! Hm.. analogical thinking..

Analogical Thinking 

consists of:

-similes

-metaphors

-analogies

Analogy draws a comparison between objects in order to show similarity in some respect, basically in the term of examining/comparing resemblances between objects.
These descriptions are really just 

based on our personal perspective and how we look at things, interpreting them in a creative way rather than the meh, basic to-the-point and too simple, that its just boring!

They are kind of like English idioms I would say? 

Or if this was a Malay lesson, it would be called 'Bahasa Berbunga', I'm sure.

It was like our gateway to heaven when writing descriptive composition back then.

Well, for me that is, haha! 

Anyways, in analogical thinking, similes is a figure of speech that compares two things which are not similar to each other and it is to create a new meaning. It normally begins with "as" or "like". Examples are, "as easy as ABC" or the famous saying, "like a box full of chocolates". Metaphors are somewhat similar to similes but it consists of only one thing to mean another and compare. It is more direct. Simile is kind of like a type of metaphor. Examples are, "life is like a roller coaster" or maybe "the clouds are balls of cotton". 

Types of Analogies - personal, direct, symbolic and fantasy 

Personal analogies allows people to feel like a different person or object. Exactly like putting ones mind into ones shoe. It can be through space/object/person. It involves more on emotions.

Direct and symbolic analogies are somewhat similar . They compare or pretty much describe objects/concepts directly. [e.g shampoo that smells like tea]

Fantasy analogies make use of own imagination. Imagine options that are even to the most extreme. Image that ideal situation/position. It is like taking our best shot as the solution.
 [e.g the humidity and heat wave feels like there's a giant fire-breathing dragon toasting the earth!] 

I really think that with analogical thinking, it helps portray a situation/object/someone with a twist. Its not really cutting-edge where everything sounds and seems predictable as it is. With it, it adds life when we describe things then.

Pic of the Week | Week 6

Coming into 6th week in NAFA, & I can honestly say that it has been filled with such a whirlwind of events. Despite, the workload, deadlines and them frequent sleepless nights (Y'all know what I'm talking bout right?) Anyways, I did met a bunch of great friends along the way. Honestly, even if it sounds cliché, they are kinda like the happy pills everybody's been talking about. It is sorta impossible/to good to be true over such a short time that we've been together. Adilah and Dinah were the first friends that I made since Day 1 and right off the bat, we just clicked! We have the same sense of humour, life-experiences, interests.. the list is just, endless I'd say. Travel, Music, Fashion, Makeup, Family, Relationships.. You name it. We could go on and on. & It's like each of us are some sort of a motivation source for each of us? Yeah, it's hard describing friendships that are treasurable because its like theres not a word thats enough for them. (In a good way, of course!) 

 Somehow you could say we're familiar but different at the same time. 

Haha! Does that make sense? 

It has been a hella ride but I would think that if it weren't for these two,my current life in NAFA would just be meh, a big blur. They truly are gems of life.