This tiny 330 square foot apartment in Hong Kong, transforms into 24 different rooms!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
30 sqm 24-room Apartment
This tiny 330 square foot apartment in Hong Kong, transforms into 24 different rooms!
Arch. Felino Palafox Jr.
Felino Palafox Jr., principal architect and urban planner/founder and managing partner of Palafox Associates (PA), wanted to become a priest, even finishing his secondary education at the Christ the King seminary, where he spent his formative years preparing for priesthood. But his calling was elsewhere, and after high school, his interest in the arts, mathematics, and sciences – plus his visits to the construction projects of his late uncle Jess Palafox – motivated the young seminarian to take up BS Architecture at the University of Santo Tomas .
“I like architecture because it is experiential. It’s a functional art,” Palafox says.
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| Regency Boracay Hotel |
Climate Change Adaptability
As a student of Architecture I have encountered the green design trend and was so impressed with the solutions presented that I started to incorporate sustainability in my design philosophy. As I have researched on green solutions and discovered that the resources available online are mostly of western origin for obvious reasons, and so I was able to further develop myself in the green philosophy. They say, "Think Global, Act Local".
Applauding the western world for sharing with us this way of thinking, I have read books and watched documentaries about sustainability and other related topics. Fascinated about my new passion I started my own awareness campaign through my family, friends and the social media.
When Typhoon Pedring hit Luzon it was very reminiscent of Typhoon Ondoy which experts attribute to climate change. All the more I was interested in the pursuit of carbon mitigation. However, raising awareness level is not enough in solving the problem, I have to raise the accountability level as well. Coincidentally, I watched a documentary about the Chaos Theory where it was mentioned that weather phenomenon doesn't necessarily affect the location from which it has originated from.
It occurred to me that these typhoons may not have been caused by the carbon emissions of our country. However, the catastrophic damages were immense. I had a change of heart and concluded that while environmental and sustainable design is vitally important it cannot outweigh weather-resilient solutions that is urgently needed to potentially save Filipino lives.
With annual recurring typhoons in our country, and probably wouldn't be over anytime soon, I think it would be more cost effective if the government will allocate more resources in preventive measures in calamity prone areas rather than throwing basic amenities or offering relocation during relief operations. It would even be a social injustice to relocate calamity victims somewhere that food and job security is not guaranteed while giving them just a few thousand pesos to get by.
Going back to the Green philosophy it may have been a conspiracy that developed countries sensitize over us to prioritize a zero-carbon footprint lifestyle because it will help rehabilitate this world that they themselves destroyed, while they already have the resources and preventive solutions, that when disaster strikes it would only do minimal damage to them. A lot of our local projects that are well funded are focused on renewable energy or tree planting to combat climate change. However, these projects take time to mature. We need to take immediate action plans that will dramatically lower our casualty rate during typhoons. There is no excuse for the death of our countrymen.
It is good that we are implementing eco-friendly designs and investing in renewable energy but I think that the most humane thing to do first is to empower Filipinos to climate change adaptability and make it a priority program not only of the government but the whole society. The damage to our environment has been done, calamities will regularly strike, thus, climate change is something that we have to live with. Green architecture would only be a part of the climate change adaptability program in which the design considerations include structures that will be able to withstand calamity re-occurrence, to be able to sustain the basic needs of its inhabitants during calamities like having a rainwater harvesting system for potable water and the rebuilding process, if necessary.
We are living at a time where a lot of community leaders are sprouting nationwide in effort to better our lives. We are very blessed to live in this society that we have the access to all necessary knowledge and we have the capability to make informed decisions to change the course of history. The worst thing to do is do nothing, and as a citizen of this country I am taking personal responsibility and accountability to whatever happens to the society I live in, and if most of us will, it may create lasting positive change in our beloved Philippines.
Applauding the western world for sharing with us this way of thinking, I have read books and watched documentaries about sustainability and other related topics. Fascinated about my new passion I started my own awareness campaign through my family, friends and the social media.
When Typhoon Pedring hit Luzon it was very reminiscent of Typhoon Ondoy which experts attribute to climate change. All the more I was interested in the pursuit of carbon mitigation. However, raising awareness level is not enough in solving the problem, I have to raise the accountability level as well. Coincidentally, I watched a documentary about the Chaos Theory where it was mentioned that weather phenomenon doesn't necessarily affect the location from which it has originated from.
It occurred to me that these typhoons may not have been caused by the carbon emissions of our country. However, the catastrophic damages were immense. I had a change of heart and concluded that while environmental and sustainable design is vitally important it cannot outweigh weather-resilient solutions that is urgently needed to potentially save Filipino lives.
With annual recurring typhoons in our country, and probably wouldn't be over anytime soon, I think it would be more cost effective if the government will allocate more resources in preventive measures in calamity prone areas rather than throwing basic amenities or offering relocation during relief operations. It would even be a social injustice to relocate calamity victims somewhere that food and job security is not guaranteed while giving them just a few thousand pesos to get by.
Going back to the Green philosophy it may have been a conspiracy that developed countries sensitize over us to prioritize a zero-carbon footprint lifestyle because it will help rehabilitate this world that they themselves destroyed, while they already have the resources and preventive solutions, that when disaster strikes it would only do minimal damage to them. A lot of our local projects that are well funded are focused on renewable energy or tree planting to combat climate change. However, these projects take time to mature. We need to take immediate action plans that will dramatically lower our casualty rate during typhoons. There is no excuse for the death of our countrymen.
It is good that we are implementing eco-friendly designs and investing in renewable energy but I think that the most humane thing to do first is to empower Filipinos to climate change adaptability and make it a priority program not only of the government but the whole society. The damage to our environment has been done, calamities will regularly strike, thus, climate change is something that we have to live with. Green architecture would only be a part of the climate change adaptability program in which the design considerations include structures that will be able to withstand calamity re-occurrence, to be able to sustain the basic needs of its inhabitants during calamities like having a rainwater harvesting system for potable water and the rebuilding process, if necessary.
We are living at a time where a lot of community leaders are sprouting nationwide in effort to better our lives. We are very blessed to live in this society that we have the access to all necessary knowledge and we have the capability to make informed decisions to change the course of history. The worst thing to do is do nothing, and as a citizen of this country I am taking personal responsibility and accountability to whatever happens to the society I live in, and if most of us will, it may create lasting positive change in our beloved Philippines.
Illac Diaz
The founder of MyShelter Foundation and Design Against the Elements (DAtE)A man who is a dreamer but also believes that failure is part of success. Illac Diaz was born in Manila in September 15. He is the son of Ramon, an accomplished visual artist and brother of Gloria Diaz, the first Filipina Miss Universe.
Career and Education
Nurtured by an Italian-born mother, Silvana nee Ancellotti who runs an art house Galeria Duenila, Illac studied High School in Ateneo de Manila in 1990. He earned his bachelor in Management Economics also at Ateneo.
As a young fellow and bachelor, he was then a model, a party-goer and an actor for sometime. He was also an advertising executive for Smart Communication. But he strove for more.
To further his studies, he took a Masters Degree in Entrepreneurship at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) with graduate thesis: “Shanties to Jobs: Creating a Migrant Center in Manila.” Then he later left to study in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston with Urban Planning, Course II – Urban Studies and Planning. In 2008, he took Masters of Political Administration, MPA 1 in Harvard.
Accomplishments
Someone who is as inspired, creative, determined and warm-hearted as Illac is definitely the kind of person who can contribute to improve the social and economic condition of the country. He established Pier One, an affordable, clean and safe house for seafarers. This transient housing is for seamen coming from the provinces, looking for work and waiting for their next voyage. To help the women to manually shell off peanuts with simple pedal-powered machines, he established the “Peanut Revolution”. Then he established First Step Coral, an artificial coral reef system to attract fish to shallower waters. In 2001 up to the present, he is the Executive Director and Founder of MyShelter Foundation, Inc. It is a social enterprise that looks for sustainable housing solutions for homeless and the lack of infrastructure in developing countries, like the Philippines.
Awards
Illac is he youngest AIM alumnus to receive an Honors and Prestige Award because of Pier One. In 2004 he got a three-in-a-row award. He got an Everyday Hero Special Award from the Readers Digest Asia and an Entrepreneur Award from the 1st Johnny Walker Social Award. He was runner-up in New York’s Next Big Idea International Design Competition. He got the First for Social Entrepreneurship from TOYM Award in 2005. His latest citation is the “Young Global Leaders of 2008” by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Geneva.
Illac is always hungry to experience life to the fullest and inspire others to believe that most of the things that hold us back can be overcome. He always believe that if we are to do things in life, we must be either totally passionate and believe in it or not at all, and just too many people live in the lukewarm state of being indecisive or half hearted. People give up so easily and sometimes it happens at the moment that they are about to reach their dreams. As a person who is a dreamer, he always found a road to success!
TEDxManila - Iliac Diaz - 12/05/09
Talking about Climate Change Adaptability through the creation of sustainable solution for building clinics and classrooms through stronger architecture and planning in low income communities in the rural areas.
1. How do we provide the purest form of charity? Is to make ourselves obsolete
2. To help onces, a week later they come back at your door again.
3. Isn't it more expensive for us to keep acting post-disaster
4. Food, medicine and refugee centers
5. If we design for the future of a country that is vulnerable to disasters but able to adapt we may make it safer.
6. We always ask for funds after the storm
7. Every year we have 20 storms, every year it's destructive and every year it looks like an act of God
8. Storms are definite but our survivability is not
9. If we act with a linear kind of solution to a escalating kind of problem we will have more and more problems in the coming years
10. A lot of our projects are in carbon mitigation, we use this is way to sensitize foreign countries to lower their carbon, which will only help a little bit to our typhoons
11. We are dealing with climate change as reactive and not proactive
12. What we will do ahead of time when the cost are manageable when creativity can be put into concrete structures
13. Instead of donation model after the storm which last weeks
14. We had concerts to raise awareness but what happens in the next storm
15. 70% of our population are in the rural areas and a lot of it are in the coastlines
16. Mass produce housing
17. Focus on classrooms in the rural area because this is where people go to when calamity strikes
18. Empower the people to have a system to build before and rebuild after the calamity strikes
19. 12% forest cover
20. It takes time to make a million trees
21. Bamboo is a material that grows very quickly and 35% more efficient in absorbing carbon
22. No matter what NGO you are, if you have not empowered the community there is no way you can provide housing for the whole eastern seaboard of the country
23. Farmers are empowered to build the schools
24. How do we do thing here and now
25. Negative climate change psychology
26. What more knowledge do we need that the manifestation of climate change is prevalent that it took over our cities.
27. How to empower rural communities
28. We can provide safety before the storm
29. Next generation low-income housing, low impact in the environment, and weather resilient
30. Prevention and not rehabilitation
Stand Up (DAtE Climate Change Music Video)
“Stand Up”
- Adapting to a Climate Challenged World (Design Against the Elements)
Sung by: Various Artist
Composed by: Boogie Romero (Kjwan)
Directed by: Henry Posadas
Seasons come, seasons go
Why won’t the rain stop falling?
Did you notice?
She’s suffering the world is weighing on earth
Bring their home, bring them home
Bring them, bring them home
Bring them home, oh..
We gotta join hands with shield
We gotta do our part and start from within
We gotta stand up the world is changing
Rise up get ready to face the storm
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Get ready
One heart, one soul, one world
Stand up the world is changing
Rise up get ready to face the storm
Yeah, yeah
Get ready, get ready, yeah
[New climate situation we have to customary to be able to be more resilient to the world]
Bring hope amidst change
Bring home our brothers are need to be safe
They need to be safe, they need to be safe
Today, today they need to be safe
Bring love in one world
We must work together to persevere
One world, oh…
We gotta join hands with shield
We gotta do our part and start from within
We gotta stand up the world is changing
Rise up get ready to face the storm
Get ready
The time to moving up
Stand up the world is changing
Rise up get ready to face the storm
Get ready, get ready to face the storm
Get ready
There are no better people to do this
than you and I (you and I)
There’s no better time to do this
than now
Bring them home
[We need the one people and see all of ourselves as solutions rather than part of the problem]
Stand up the world is changing
Rise up get ready to face the storm
Get ready, get ready
[This is a local problem that needs a global solution - Illac Diaz]
Stand up the world is changing
Rise up get ready to face the storm
Get ready, get ready
Get ready for the storm
Stand up, rise up, stand up
Stand up the world is changing
Rise up get ready to face the storm
Get ready, get ready
Let’s bring them home
We gotta bring them home
[It could be a better world for the next generation simply because we are learning from lessons to the past and we have great hope for the future.]
DAtE (Design Against the Elements)
A global architectural design competition meant to find a solution to the problems presented by climate change. http://www.designagainsttheelements.org/
Illac Diaz, organizer of DAtE (Design Against the Elements)
1. Survivability is moving away from post-disaster. The poorest are the most vulnerable and the least to adapt.
2. We will be living in a flooding environment.
3. Designers can contain the solution
4. Philippines has a Defeatist culture
5. We cannot create a BLISS housing anymore because when it sinks it becomes dependent to donations.
6. Climate change is something that humanity has to live with.
7. Government agencies just plant trees to combat these calamities when it takes 7 years to grow.
8. We have to build a canal in the next 25 years when climate change is already here now
9. There is no excuse for people to die
10. If developed countries say, low carbon society, we should not follow that, we should have a zero climate casualty society.
11. Teach architects to design a climate challenged world
12. The poorest of the poor can have green architecture that entails their survival.
13. The worst thing to do is do nothing
14. The manifestation of climate change is that 80% of the city went down in water.
15. Build a sample, once the residents say they live better then people will follow
16. We have to build better or else we will put people at risk
17. When this yearly storms are livable then other communities will follow
18. On low cost-housing: A lot of our designs are from the 1960s where it was a time that intense flooding is not a regular course.
19. Thw worst thing to do is grab the people who are affected and throw them to a rural barangay without any kind of food security or job and hand them P7,000 which is a social injustice
20. Climate change is happening accross boarders so all these world aids cannot just give them in bulk
21. Enough reacting after storm, people has to work on the problem well before the storm hits
Illac Diaz, organizer of DAtE (Design Against the Elements)
1. Survivability is moving away from post-disaster. The poorest are the most vulnerable and the least to adapt.
2. We will be living in a flooding environment.
3. Designers can contain the solution
4. Philippines has a Defeatist culture
5. We cannot create a BLISS housing anymore because when it sinks it becomes dependent to donations.
6. Climate change is something that humanity has to live with.
7. Government agencies just plant trees to combat these calamities when it takes 7 years to grow.
8. We have to build a canal in the next 25 years when climate change is already here now
9. There is no excuse for people to die
10. If developed countries say, low carbon society, we should not follow that, we should have a zero climate casualty society.
11. Teach architects to design a climate challenged world
12. The poorest of the poor can have green architecture that entails their survival.
13. The worst thing to do is do nothing
14. The manifestation of climate change is that 80% of the city went down in water.
15. Build a sample, once the residents say they live better then people will follow
16. We have to build better or else we will put people at risk
17. When this yearly storms are livable then other communities will follow
18. On low cost-housing: A lot of our designs are from the 1960s where it was a time that intense flooding is not a regular course.
19. Thw worst thing to do is grab the people who are affected and throw them to a rural barangay without any kind of food security or job and hand them P7,000 which is a social injustice
20. Climate change is happening accross boarders so all these world aids cannot just give them in bulk
21. Enough reacting after storm, people has to work on the problem well before the storm hits
Experience the Philippines
When God created the Philippine island, He liked it so much he created 7,000 more.
Bonifacio Global City
Fort Bonifacio (also Bonifacio Global City or The Global City) is a highly urbanized district in Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines. The district is named after the main Philippine Army camp in Metro Manila, Fort Andres Bonifacio, which in turn was named after the famous Philippine revolutionary hero Andres Bonifacio. In recent years, Fort Bonifacio district has experienced commercial growth through the sale of military land by the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA). In 1995, Bonifacio Land Development Corporation started planning a major urban development — Bonifacio Global City.
BLDC made a successful bid to become BCDA's partner in the development of Bonifacio Global City. Ayala Land, Inc. and Evergreen Holdings, Inc. of the Campos Group purchased a controlling stake in BLC from Metro Pacific in 2003. BCDA and the two companies now control Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation, which oversees the master planning of Bonifacio Global City. The Bonifacio Global City is now a rich district with a high number of skyscrapers, even if the city is still rising. Many skyscrapers are under construction and will be built in the future.
Bonifacio Global City
- 240 hectares
- Between Makati and Ortigas
- C5 and EDSA
- Minutes from Airport
- Underground distribution system of gasa and power lines and fiber optic cables
- Master Plan
= Zoning concepts
= Saleable lands were sacrificed
= City center, 3 x 3 matrix of offices. residential and retail outlets
- Retail - 1/2 km long
- Green landscapres
- Public transport systems
- Pedestrian friendly pathways
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| Bonifacio High Street |
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Innovative Rain Water Harvesting System
Dr. Antonio F. Mateo of the AMECOS Innovations, Inc., developed the Innovative Rain Water Harvesting System (IRHS). The IRHS collects, stores and purifies rainwater into clean, purified water that can be used practically for household and industrial needs. The IRHS can reduce the demand for fresh water needs for bathing and cleaning, regularly supplied by water utility companies. It is a simple and easily adaptable and a creative intervention in response to the impending water shortages.
The IRHS prototype consists of direct rainwater catchment units, ceramic candle, bucket type water filters, molding units and the discovery of some mineral storage that improves the PH value of the rainwater collected. The IRHS unit is complete with holding units, screen filters, disinfectant chamber, ceramic clay filters were completed and is continuously being tested and developed.
Borgia
Borgia
2011
Season 1
In an era torn between good and evil, Rodrigo Borgia's ascent to the Vatican marked a powerful shift toward the latter for Catholicism. This series follows Borgia and his four children as they brutally force their way to the top of medieval society.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
I.M. Pei
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| The Louvre Pyramid (Pyramide du Louvre) |
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Green for All
Design: e²
The Economies of being Environmentally conscious
Season 1, Episode 2
Cameron Sinclair
Cameron Sinclair (b. 1973, London, England) is the co-founder and 'chief eternal optimist' (CEO) for Architecture for Humanity, a charitable organization which seeks architectural solutions to humanitarian crisis and brings professional design services to communities in need.
Aesthetics and ethics
1 in 7 people in the world are in inadequate housing or informal settlements
Planning seeds of socially sustainable designs in fertile grounds
The responsibility of the architect is inclusive
Sergio Palleroni is an architect, professor, and fellow at the new Institute for Sustainable Solutions at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. He is internationally known for his social and environmental activism, providing with his students and collaborators sustainable design solutions to communities in need.
The BaSiC Initiative is a collaboration of faculty and students from Portland State University and University of Texas at Austin, School of Architecture. We support community partnerships beginning two decades ago in housing solutions for Native Americans, housing and community services for migrant farm workers, and schools and health clinics in central Mexico. Each program draws upon the unique relationship of communities to their environment, finding solutions that embrace appropriate technologies while reinforcing local values to spur self-initiated development.
The BaSiC initiative offers students a variety of design/build opportunities. The Mexico Program occurs during the winter quarter in various squatter settlements in Morelos. The Strawbale Program in Montana occurs during the summer quarter, building on various American Indian Reservations. The Rural Studio also occurs during the summer quarter, exploring needed housing options in areas such as Eastern Washington and southern Mississippi. Every few years, the Global Studio replaces the Mexico Program, ranging in regions of the globe from Africa to Cuba to India.
In the past two decades, the program has successfully designed and built over 95 projects ranging from elementary schools, to clinics, children’s libraries, laundry facilities, houses, literacy centers, and urban gardens, to infrastructure projects such as wells, cisterns, waste treatment facilities, and solar fields. Each program has in its own way made a significant contribution to its host community not only by providing new possibilities and ways of living more economically and ecologically, but also through the experience and capacity gained through the design/build process by both community members and students.
Sustainability is crossing political and social boundaries.
Turn our skills into a more altruistic end.
The Economies of being Environmentally conscious
Season 1, Episode 2
Cameron Sinclair
Cameron Sinclair (b. 1973, London, England) is the co-founder and 'chief eternal optimist' (CEO) for Architecture for Humanity, a charitable organization which seeks architectural solutions to humanitarian crisis and brings professional design services to communities in need.
Aesthetics and ethics
1 in 7 people in the world are in inadequate housing or informal settlements
Planning seeds of socially sustainable designs in fertile grounds
The responsibility of the architect is inclusive
Sergio Palleroni is an architect, professor, and fellow at the new Institute for Sustainable Solutions at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. He is internationally known for his social and environmental activism, providing with his students and collaborators sustainable design solutions to communities in need.
The BaSiC Initiative is a collaboration of faculty and students from Portland State University and University of Texas at Austin, School of Architecture. We support community partnerships beginning two decades ago in housing solutions for Native Americans, housing and community services for migrant farm workers, and schools and health clinics in central Mexico. Each program draws upon the unique relationship of communities to their environment, finding solutions that embrace appropriate technologies while reinforcing local values to spur self-initiated development.
The BaSiC initiative offers students a variety of design/build opportunities. The Mexico Program occurs during the winter quarter in various squatter settlements in Morelos. The Strawbale Program in Montana occurs during the summer quarter, building on various American Indian Reservations. The Rural Studio also occurs during the summer quarter, exploring needed housing options in areas such as Eastern Washington and southern Mississippi. Every few years, the Global Studio replaces the Mexico Program, ranging in regions of the globe from Africa to Cuba to India.
In the past two decades, the program has successfully designed and built over 95 projects ranging from elementary schools, to clinics, children’s libraries, laundry facilities, houses, literacy centers, and urban gardens, to infrastructure projects such as wells, cisterns, waste treatment facilities, and solar fields. Each program has in its own way made a significant contribution to its host community not only by providing new possibilities and ways of living more economically and ecologically, but also through the experience and capacity gained through the design/build process by both community members and students.
Sustainability is crossing political and social boundaries.
Turn our skills into a more altruistic end.
Marc-Antoine Laugier
The abbé Marc-Antoine Laugier (January 22, 1713, Manosque, Provence - April 5, 1769, Paris) was a Jesuit priest and architectural theorist. Laugier is best known for his Essay on Architecture published in 1753. In 1755 he published the second edition with a famous, often reproduced illustration of a primitive hut. His approach is to discuss some familiar aspects of Renaissance and post-Renaissance architectural practice, which he describes as 'faults'. These 'faults' induce his commentary on columns, the entablature, and on pediments.Among faults he lists for columns are that of "being engaged in the wall", the use of pilasters, incorrect entasis (swelling of the column), and setting columns on pedestals. Being embedded in the wall detracts from the overall beauty and aesthetic nature of columns; Laugier states that columns should be free. He goes on to assert that the use of pilasters should strictly be frowned upon especially since nearly in every case columns could be used instead. The second fault is created by incorrect proportion, and the last he believes is more of an unintelligible design. Resting columns on pedestals, he says, is like adding a second set of legs beneath the first pair.
The Essai sur l'Architecture includes his thoughts on several other topics, ranging from solidity, the different orders, and how to construct different buildings.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Body Language at Work by Peter Clayton
We talk at 100 words per minute but think 800 words per minute, nearly 50,000 words an hour. The words we are thinking comes out in a subconscious mind through the body.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Port of Singapore: World's Busiest Port
The Port of Singapore refers to the collective facilities and terminals that conduct maritime trade handling functions in Singapore's harbours and which handle Singapore's shipping. Currently the world's busiest port in terms of total shipping tonnage, it also tranships a fifth of the world's shipping containers as the world's busiest container port, half of the world's annual supply of crude oil, and is the world's busiest transshipment port. It was also the busiest port in terms of total cargo tonnage handled until 2005, when it was surpassed by the Port of Shanghai. Thousands of ships drop anchor in the harbour, connecting the port to over 600 other ports in 123 countries and spread over six continents.
The Port of Singapore is not a mere economic boon, but an economic necessity because Singapore is lacking in land and natural resources. The Port is critical for importing natural resources, and then later re-exporting them after they have been refined and shaped in some manner, for example wafer fabrication or oil refining to generate revenue. Only then can the service industries such as hospitality services typical of a port of call, for example, restocking a ship's food and water supplies, take their role. The Straits of Johor are currently impassable to any ship as the Johor-Singapore Causeway links Singapore to Malaysia.
Operations
The port is the world's busiest port in terms of shipping tonnage handled, with 1.15 billion gross tons (GT) handled in 2005. In terms of cargo tonnage, Singapore is behind Shanghai with 423 million freight tons handled. The port retains its position as the world's busiest hub for transshipment traffic in 2005, and is also the world's biggest bunkering hub, with 25 million tonnes sold in the same year.
Singapore is ranked first globally in 2005 in terms of containerised traffic, with 23.2 million Twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) handled. High growth in containerised traffic has seen the port overtaking Hong Kong since the first quarter of 2005,[6] and has led the race ever since, with an estimated 19,335 TEUs handled in the year up to October, compared to 18,640 TEUs handled in Hong Kong in the same period. A rise in regional traffic consolidating the port's position in Southeast Asia, and increases in transshipment traffic using the strategic East Asia-Europe route via Singapore helped the port to emerge tops at the end of the year, a title it had not held since overtaking Hong Kong once in 1998.
Singapore port played vital role in emerging economy.
PSA Singapore Terminals
Flagship Terminal - PSA Singapore Terminals is a flagship terminal of PSA International, one of the leading global port groups, with investments in 29 port projects in 17 countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas.
In 2010, PSA Singapore Terminals handled 27.68 million TEUs of containers.
World's Busiest Transhipment Hub – about one-sixth of the world's total container transhipment throughput, and 5% of global container throughput.
One of the World's Largest Refrigerated Container (Reefer) Ports – over 6,500 reefer points; handled about 1.2 million TEUs of reefers in 2010.
Excellent Connectivity - to 600 ports globally. This includes daily sailings to every major port in the world.
Accolades - voted the "Best Container Terminal (Asia)" for the 22nd time at the 2011 Asian Freight & Supply Chain Awards, and "Container Terminal Operator of the Year" at the Lloyd's List Asia Awards, for the 10th time in 2010.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Singapore
http://www.singaporepsa.com/aboutus.php
Yangshan Port (洋山港)
Yangshan Port (洋山港), or Yangshan Deep-Water Port (洋山深水港), is a deepwater port for container ships in Hangzhou Bay south of Shanghai.
Built to allow the Port of Shanghai to grow despite shallow waters near the shore, it allows berths with depths of up to 15 metres to be built, and can handle today's largest container ships. The port is built on the islands of Greater and Lesser Yangshan, part of the Zhoushan archipelago, with fill from land reclamation.
It is connected to the mainland via the 32.5 km Donghai Bridge, opened on 1 December 2005 as the world's longest sea bridge. The six-lane highway bridge took 6,000 workers two and half years to construct.
In mid-2011, port officials said the port was on track to move 12.3 million TEUs during the year, up from 10.1 million TEUs in 2010.
Construction phases
In 2000 and 2001, the decision was made to commence construction on the first of four phases. The first two phases are currently operational, with nine berths in total along a 3 km quayside. The first phase, which opened in 2004, can accommodate 2.2 million containers annually and includes 10 quay cranes. The second phase was opened in December 2006, and comprises 72 hectares with 15 quay cranes. The third phase, opened in stages, was completed in 2010 with seven berths. The fourth phase, expected to open in 2015, will add 4 million TEUs to the port's annual capacity. The total cost of building the port may reach US$12 billion over 20 years. When complete, the port will have 30 berths capable of handling 15 million TEUs annually.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
CycLopez
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Greek Mythology
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| Polyphemus |
A cyclops (/ˈsaɪklɒps/; Greek: Κύκλωψ, Kuklōps; plural cyclopes /saɪˈkloʊpiːz/; Greek: Κύκλωπες, Kuklōpes), in Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, was a member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of his forehead. The name is widely thought to mean "circle-eyed".
Hesiod described one group of cyclopes and the epic poet Homer described another, though other accounts have also been written by the playwright Euripides, poet Theocritus and Roman epic poet Virgil. In Hesiod's Theogony, Zeus releases three Cyclopes, the sons of Uranus and Gaia, from the dark pit of Tartarus. They provide Zeus' thunderbolt, Hades' helmet of invisibility, and Poseidon's trident, and the gods use these weapons to defeat the Titans. In a famous episode of Homer's Odyssey, the hero Odysseus encounters the Cyclops Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon and Thoosa (a nereid), who lives with his fellow Cyclopes in a distant country. The connection between the two groups has been debated in antiquity and by modern scholars. It is upon Homer's account that Euripides and Virgil based their accounts of the mythical creatures.
Comics / TV / Movie
Cyclops (Scott Summers) is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the Marvel Comics Universe. A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes (an "optic blast"). In uniform, he wears a battle visor with a single, ruby-quartz lens running eye-to-eye; the resulting one-eyed appearance is why he is codenamed "Cyclops."Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The X-Men #1 (September 1963). Originally dubbed Slim Summers, by X-Men #3 his name was changed to Scott -- Slim became just a nickname. Scott is the first X-Man recruited by Professor Charles Xavier; Xavier hand-picks Scott to lead his X-Men, and to carry on the legacy of his mutant-human-harmony ideals. Xavier views Scott as one of his most -- if not the most -- prized pupils; their relationship exhibits father/son qualities. From time to time Scott's extreme loyalty to Xavier has cost him dearly in his relationships with others; but, over the course of the characters' publication history, he eventually emerges from Xavier's shadow as the X-Men's undisputed leader.
The Green Apple
Design: e²
The Economies of being Environmentally conscious
The first episode begins in New York, a city that is leading the charge to green its industrial skyline with several groundbreaking projects. New York combats the urban myth of the bustling city as a "concrete jungle." "The Green Apple" explores some of Manhattan's most prominent and technologically advanced structures like One Bryant Park and The Solaire, as well as the innovative minds behind them. The episode illustrates how the ubiquitous skyscraper can surprisingly be a model of environmental responsibility.
The Economies of being Environmentally conscious
The first episode begins in New York, a city that is leading the charge to green its industrial skyline with several groundbreaking projects. New York combats the urban myth of the bustling city as a "concrete jungle." "The Green Apple" explores some of Manhattan's most prominent and technologically advanced structures like One Bryant Park and The Solaire, as well as the innovative minds behind them. The episode illustrates how the ubiquitous skyscraper can surprisingly be a model of environmental responsibility.
The Ultimate Gift
The Ultimate Gift2006
PG
114 minutes
When his wealthy grandfather (James Garner) finally dies, Jason Stevens (Drew Fuller) fully expects to benefit when it comes to the reading of the will. But instead of a sizable inheritance, Jason receives a test, a series of tasks he must complete before he can get any money. Oscar nominee Abigail Breslin and former beauty queen Lee Meriwether also star in this coming-of-age drama based on the novel by Jim Stovall.
Cast: Drew Fuller, James Garner, Ali Hillis, Abigail Breslin, Lee Meriwether, Brian Dennehy, Mircea Monroe, D. David Morin, Donna Cherry Director: Michael O. Sajbel
Genres: Dramas, Independent Movies, Independent Dramas
Review: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
This is such a feel good movie! I haven't read the book yet but watching this movie, I conclude Jim Stovall did an awesome job. This is a family movie, the roles are well played especially the witty pieces coming from Abigail Breslin.
It has a bit of comedy and action and a whole lot of inspirational moments. A must-watch after a family Sunday afternoon cook-out.
The Ultimate Gifts
1. The Gift of Work
2. The Gift of Money
3. The Gift of Friends
4. The Gift of Learning
5. The Gift of Problems
6. The Gift of Family
7. The Gift of Laughter
8. The Gift of Dreams
9. The Gift of Giving
10. The Gift of Gratitude
11. The Gift of a Day
12. The Gift of Love
Love's Kitchen
Love's Kitchen (No Ordinary Trifle)2010
PG-13
89 minutes
After the tragic loss of his wife, a down-on-his-luck London chef starts afresh by pouring his energies into a fixer-upper eatery and attracting the attention of an American food critic with a decadent dessert: a mouth-watering trifle.
Cast: Claire Forlani, Dougray Scott, Gordon Ramsay, Lee Boardman, Peter Bowles, Joshua Bowman, Simon Callow, John Atterbury, Matthew Clancy Director: James Hacking
Genres: Comedies, Romantic Movies, Romantic Comedies, British Movies
Review: ★ ★
I only watched this romantic-comedy because of Gordon Ramsay. He has only a few cameo appearance. Its a very predictable film. Not much of a kilig factor either.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Andrea Palladio and the Truss
Andrea Palladio (30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580) was an architect active in the Republic of Venice. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily by Vitruvius, is widely considered the most influential individual in the history of Western architecture. All of his buildings are located in what was the Venetian Republic, but his teachings, summarized in the architectural treatise I Quattro Libri dell'Architettura (The Four Books of Architecture), gained him wide recognition. The city of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Truss
A truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in forces in the members which are either tensile or compressive forces. Moments (torques) are explicitly excluded because, and only because, all the joints in a truss are treated as revolutes.
For centuries, builders used timber as a construction material for trusses, possibly even for truss bridges. However, it was not until 1570 that Andrea Palladio published Four Books on Architecture, the first written documentation concerning wooden truss bridges (Hayden 1976:51). Palladio, the first to promote the use of wooden trusses for bridge design, described several wooden trusses including the basic Kingpost and Queenpost designs. However, builders in Europe erected few wooden truss bridges until the eighteenth century, and then most commonly in heavily wooded countries such as Switzerland.
He presented a design of a truss bridge based on the principle that: "If a single triangle is rigid, combinations of triangles are also rigid."
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| Palladio's Truss |
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Ironclad (2011)
Ironclad2011
Rated R
121 minutes
Backed by his "Magnificent Seven," a principled Knight Templar (James Purefoy) defends Rochester Castle from the ruthless King John (Paul Giamatti) and his advancing armies, who seek to rule England's free men by force -- no matter what the Magna Carta might say. Charles Dance, Kate Mara, Jason Flemyng, Brian Cox and Derek Jacobi co-star in this action-packed period piece set at the height of the Middle Ages.
Cast: James Purefoy, Paul Giamatti, Jason Flemyng, Derek Jacobi, Kate Mara, Brian Cox, Mackenzie Crook, Charles Dance, Vladimir Kulich
Director: Jonathan English
Review: ★ ★ ★ ★
The movie was historically acurate. I just love Knight Templar flicks portraying chivalry and honor. It was very bloody as well which fits to my liking.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
The Games We Play
Staring at your facebook page, wondering why you came along when I had someone, then when I was free, you got yours, now that I don't want anybody, here you are again. We have been playing this game for 5 years already!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
How to Tie a Full Windsor Know
The Windsor necktie knot gives you a wide triangular tie knot that’s good for more formal settings. This tie knot is best worn with a wide spread collar.
1. Drape the tie around your neck. The wide end should extend about 12 inches below the narrow end of the tie. Cross the wide part of the tie over the narrow end.
2. Bring the wide end of the tie up through the hole between your collar and the tie. Then pull it down toward the front.
3. Bring the wide end behind the narrow end and to the right.
4. Pull the wide end back through the loop again. You should have a triangle now where the necktie knot will be.
5. Wrap the wide end around the triangle by pulling the wide end from right to left.
6. Bring the wide end up through the loop a third time.
7. Pull the wide end through the knot in front.
8. Tighten the knot and center it with both hands.
From: http://artofmanliness.com/2009/06/05/how-to-tie-a-tie/
Flavor of the Month: Faye Reagan
Faye Reagan, formerly Faye Valentine, (born September 19, 1988 in Las Vegas, Nevada) is an American pornographic actress.
In May 2008 she was one of Adult Video News's four "Fresh New Faces" cover girls. She appeared at the 12th annual Erotic LA convention at the Los Angeles Convention Center in June 2008. Reagan has been engaged to fellow pornographic actor Dane Cross, whom she works with on a regular basis, since 2007. She appeared in a print ad for American Apparel in mid-2008, credited as Jillian.
She does not perform anal sex on screen.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/faye_reagan
Source: Wikipedia and Google Images
Feel Good Songs Part 2
Every Morning - Sugar Ray
Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now - Jefferson Starship
How Sweet It Is (To be Loved by You) - Marvin Gaye
Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now - Jefferson Starship
How Sweet It Is (To be Loved by You) - Marvin Gaye
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