my office. my sanctuary.

there is a space.

a space of about 600 sq.ft, contained within a building, that from a distance, looks like a modern version of the mythical, gleaming emerald tower that was featured in the movie, The Wizard Of Oz ... you know, the one with Dorothy, the tin man, the lion and the scarecrow. the one where we all remember the immortal phrase, "we're not in Kansas anymore,"

that building, more commonly known as Bali, the one in sunway.

now, within this building, there is an office lot on the 11th floor, which serves as my base of operations, but more than just a deceptively simple work studio, this space means the world to me. this is the space where ideas are born, concepts are explored, and ultimately, designs are created and refined. this is my own design studio, and since October 1, 2008, it has been my sanctuary.

now, this is an interesting word to relate to an office.

"sanctuary"

how on earth do you metaphorically connect these 2 vastly different places of intention into a single origin? after all, aren't offices suppose to be dreary places, wrought with bad vibes and even worse politics, where getting work done satisfactorily seems like a distant dream, and no one seems to really care for each other?

and you know what, for most of us unfortunately, that's exactly what it is.
and that's exactly what i wanted to avoid.

i wanted my office, first and foremost, to be a sanctuary.

now, what exactly does that mean, this beautiful word "sanctuary", as claimed by Esmeralda as she entered that magnificent cathedral, protected by both God and Quasimodo in Paris circa 1482, in what was arguably Disney's best animated movie, The Hunchback of Notre dame?

well, according to several online dictionaries, a sanctuary is :

1a. A sacred place, such as a church, temple, or mosque.

1b. The holiest part of a sacred place, as the part of a church around the altar.

2a. A sacred place, such as a church, in which fugitives formerly were immune to arrest.

2b. Immunity to arrest afforded by a sanctuary.

3a. A place of refuge or asylum.

4a. A reserved area in which birds and other animals, especially wild animals, are protected from hunting or molestation.

well, obviously 4 doesn't quite work in this context, but
1,2 and 3 are statements of truth. personified.

to me, that exactly what my office is .. a sacred space, where ideas can flourish, where drawings can be crafted, both as raw sketches on paper and precise lines on the computer screen, and where my dream of being an accomplished design consultant one day are being materialized, slowly and steadily.

these four walls are akin to an incubator, protecting me from the annoyances of the outside world, while allowing for ideas in my mind to take root, grow and develop.

a space where a sense of serenity permeates the ambiance, cultivating peace of mind , where design books, magazines and journals are occasionally researched, where pen, paper and keyboard, placed side by side, are used skilfully to create 3D drawings and models, and finally where music is played to give comfort and joy to the inhabitant. I can honestly say that every time I open my door, and enter my office, a smile emerges out of nowhere and sticks to my face the whole day.

its a space i am tremendously grateful for.

and so, let me take this opportunity to post some pics of my office on this post, and visually share, the most important space to me right now. at least in both my professional and personal life.



First stop, my workstation, with the computer on, radio too - the initial place where ideas float in my mind.



i like Japanese designs, and it shows.





















the beech coloured cabinets behind the station, where personal treasures of particular significance are located, beneath the presence of majestic gold fan, with clear eastern motifs such as cranes and pine trees. katana, orchids, vases. scriptures. candles. artifact.



my wall of aspirations, which are mounting boards, showcasing graphics of
my hopes and wishes, in multi-colour manifestations, splashed all over the walls from one end to another, and where japanese paper lanterns scattered selectively all over the place.



my research and conference centre. journals, magazines and books placed in white frames, with 4 architectural models of past college projects at the top, stacked neatly next to a a self - made table of glass, supported by blocks of concrete molded geometric ornamentation, and of course, more paper lanterns.



this is where i have meetings with my clients, contractors and anyone else who comes to my office for a discussion. we sit on the carpet, facing each other with a lantern next to us and talk, reminiscent of entering a japanese tea house, and enjoying the humble feeling of sitting on the floor.



and in front of the workstation, 3 more open shelf timber cabinets. these house my files on past and present projects, and i decided to arrange them in a most unconventional way. they are laid out in an informal diagonal layout, playing with angles in relation to each other.

and the background wall has been draped with bamboo chicks. huge ones recovered from a project, which otherwise would have shamelessly been thrown away. i liked their texture, the rawness of their appearance and the weathered look they display.

and oh yea, the other poster on the wall, well that's a personal hero of mine. a powerful figure that grew up with us back in the 80's, who led a faction of valiant warriors that had this amazing ability to transform at will from one form to another effortlessly, and who recently made live appearances in 3 movies in 2007, 2009 and 2011. yup, you guessed it.

Optimus Prime!



And finally, the Buddha in the Box. A small statue, clad in gold finish, meditating in complete silence on my table, under a bodhi tree of his very own -a modern visual interpretation, of course.

a touch of sublime divinity as the final piece.
oh yes, this really is my sanctuary, in every sense of the word.