but i came back, fresh and bright, the following day. i was about to start the second day of the conference but before i went it, i took a moment to gaze at the rain clouds above me.
and i thought to myself, its always an awesome sight, to see nefarious, menacing monsoon clouds over the far horizon of the ocean, waiting to explode into an uncontrollable tropical hurricane. of course it didn't quite materialize the way i imagined, despite what seemed to will have inevitably happen, ( in fact, it didn't even drizzle ) the sight nonetheless was still captivating to say the least.
but i had better get moving, the day was about to start.
and almost immediately, we got busy.
after being briefed, today we were told that we would be given design tasks and we would do it together in groups. a variety of issues pertaining to idea of creative cities would be the focus of our topics and pretty soon, we got our heads cracking.
and everyone clustered together to get things moving. time was of the essence, cause we didn't have much of it to waste. we had to compose our thoughts quickly, and present our work just as quickly.
lively bursts of discussions and ideas exploded in the air, and manifestations of our limitless creativity were clearly seen all over the walls and all over the floors.
yup, even on the solid, tall romanesque columns and rich, hard wooden floors. spending time with these participants instantly teleported me back to my college days and i quickly realised how much i had missed being part of something this exciting.
an episode from my youth was re-lived, at least for a moment or two.
towards the end of the conference, all of us in the hall had a bit of an intimate session with 2 of the speakers on a more personal level. this
this had gone on for a few hours or so, and soon we had presented our work to the whole conference. one by one we took turns in presenting ourselves, though speeches and sketches, as we shared ideas and explored concepts and we had made friends with ourselves as we continued doing our work.
at the end of it, it truly was as exhilarating experience, making me deeply yearn for my college days all over again.
at the end of the day, once the conference was over, it would soon be evident that we needed to make our way home. after saying goodbye to each other, i had made plans to go back to KL with some of the Thinklab associates later on the evening. but in the meantime, as they were having their private post-mortem session, i had some extra time to spare, and so i walked around for a while on the streets just nearby the venue. a little bit of sightseeing before leaving the island for good.
along my way i discovered a thousand architectural gems, starting with the ones devoted to worship, and this colonial church was the most prominent within this area.
it was some one i had passed last night, but during the day i could appreciate it in broad daylight. built clearly during the country's colonial past, the building had an understated sense of silent dignity about its presence, and its classical structural vocabulary was a delight to witness, but i felt the way the church looked last night was still more appealing, to me at least.
it sat silent and proud in its surroundings, unperturbed by the progress of modernity that had engulfed the rest of its nearby environment. looking at this church almost made me feel like i was stepping back in time for a moment or two.
next, was also this delightfully quaint church, a lovely mix of clean white surfaces and raw red textures, designed for the tropical setting its based at ... its exposed brick wall its best feature, methinks, cause it makes the building look humble and homely even.
and pretty soon, i approach this temple, again the same one i passed last night ... and it seemed yet again, that something was happening, and of course, i step in.
yes, there were lots of people here for prayer, but what really captured my eyes the most was the gorgeous array of suspended red lanterns above me.
they provided sprinkles of beautifully striking contrasts to the dark brown and beige surfaces behind them, and they looked splendid from where i stood.
and flowers from a nearby shop, literally add colour to the streets of the temple outside.
as i walked out of the temple, it was the simpler things around me that caught my attention, beginning with how rich even the floor tiles of the pathways were. an intricate collection of geometric lines and curves, coming together to create a mosaic of shapes and colours, rich in both design and detail, and just around the corner, a deity sits inconspicuously in silence by someone's doorstep, acting as a guardian of sorts to this abode and finally, a poster, pleading for love in a world that occasionally lacks it compassionate presence.
transitional mementos on the streets where i saunter.
occasionally, i would pass by these curious 3D cartoons and caricatures, which were materialized sketches in thin metal showcasing humorous scenes and still vignettes of malaysian life.
art pieces of this nature were both insightful and cheeky, humorous and witty, and served to remind us citizens not to take ourselves too seriously, and enjoy a giggle or two when we look at ourselves. and its surprising insertion by the side of a building, added to its playful appeal to the public.
soon, after walking as much as i could, i decided to head back to the conference venue. i didn't have that much time this time around, and i wanted to see the ocean and take in it wonderful temperance one last time as as i could before we all decided to leave the island and head back home.
so i walked back to the ocean. and as usual, it takes my breath away.
and it was obviously a popular spot with the locals too. human and avian.
after enjoying the sea breeze, i walked back and soon i was greeted by ( initially ) anonymous joyful cheers, shouting out my name, and signalling peace and kawaii hand gestures.
of course, i look up, smiling. "nice,"
and soon, i walk up to join them, and i see, these people know how to have fun. they were pretty much wrapped up with whatever they needed to do, and we started breaking into groups to take the long ride home. i was really fortunate that they allowed me to tag along with them and i could see it was gonna be a lot of fun going home.
but first, lets have something to eat.
after all, it wouldn't have been malaysian of us if we decided not to have one last round at the local mamak, gulping down vast quantities of teh tarik and milo ais, munching on kuey tiau and nasi lemak, island - style, before the 4 hours back home. penang is, after all, famous for its cuisine, so it was obviously the right thing to do before we went home.
makan time, baby.
and so we dined. we feasted. and most importantly, we laughed. oh, what a perfect weekend.
and this was the last shot we took of all us here at Thinklab before finally heading home. i must sincerely thank this young, passionate and determined group of design centric enthusiasts, for having the spirit and tenacity in organizing such an well planned and eye-opening conference.
it really warmed my heart immensely to see that there are people out there, youngsters at that, who care so deeply about design, and the direction the creative industry here in the country was taking, that they were willing to sacrifice their time and effort to raise awareness on the importance of good design principles among both students and professionals alike, in the hopes that we too, as a nation one day, will produce world class designs and stand on par with great cities like Tokyo, New York, London and the likes.
lofty ambitions no doubt, but we've got to start somewhere, and to me, this was that "somewhere". you have my support, that's for sure.
( and soon i would become a part of this collective, although at the time, i didn't know it yet )
once we went our separate ways, a few of us went in one car and took the ferry across the calm straits back to the mainland.
i have to tell you, i really felt like a small kid waiting to go on a theme park ride at disneyland when i saw these ridiculously coloured ferries, all excited, and i just couldn't wait to get on one.
the night was slowly approaching, and the cover of dusk began to envelope the island. penang began to appear distant and foggy, disappearing into grey, lifeless landscape.
and as the mainland becomes clearer, what seemed like a couple of gigantic, towering, yellow mechanical giraffes signified a landmark of sorts that we would soon be disembarking.
and just before we did, i took one last shot of us on the observation deck of the ferry as a group. the big mystery here though was, i just couldn't understand why my relatively well behaved long hair had suddenly turned into a collection of curly maggi mee noodles - like locks in the ocean breeze as were leaving the island! i really dont!
anyway, expectedly the drive back home felt like fun road trip, with us singing and laughing almost all the way, regaling each other with personal experieces more ofthen than not, laced with inside jokes and humour. and one of the girls' ipod was transformed into a mobile miniscule hand held DJ console for the evening and every downloaded song was played from start till finish ... it was a karaoke moment for all us, i assure you.
this amazing weekend had pretty much come to an end when one by one, we had all reached our individual homes. the guy who drove us back was a true gentleman, for having the decency to make sure he took us right to our doorstep from one end of the state to another, before heading home himself at about 1 am, and i salute his kindness for that very reason. right now, all that mattered was my bed once i was dropped off, and tomorrow, it was back to work.
goodbye kawan, i'll see you soon.
all of you.
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