Growing your house

When I was a kid, there was a huge Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia) tree in front of my house. I loved to climb up and hang upside down from the thick branches. Somewhere in the middle the main trunk branched out into three. That was where I would settle down with my legs straddling one of the big branches and my back on the main trunk.

With the tree swaying in the cool breeze, it was easy to doze off. I learnt that a tree is not a good place to doze off when I fell off once. I lay there on the ground and thought that I was dead - could not breathe and move. Don’t know how long I lay there but I remember that my mom picked me up and made a big fuss. She forbade me from climbing up the tree ever again. However after a few months, I was up the branches again.

I had always dreamt of building a tree house on that tree but my father never agreed and I didn’t have the expertise or the facilities to do it myself.

Anyway, last weekend in KL, I was flipping through the Property supplement in the NST when I came across an interesting article about growing your own house. Yes, I mean “growing” and not “building”.

I love this new concept of home design, which was developed by the MIT’s Human Ecology Design team comprising of Mitchell Joachim, Lara Greden, Phd and Javier Arbona, SMArch. They call it the the ‘Fab Tree Hab’. According to them the

“design seeks to protect and embrace the ecosystem as a source of sustainability in the built environment”.

As mentioned in their website:

Our goal was to propose a method to grow homes from native seeds. This enables these new local dwellings to be a part of an absolutely green community.

1. Composed with 100% living nutrients.
2. Harmonize & embrace growth.
3. Make effective contributions to the ecosystem.
4. Accountable removal of human impacts.
5. Involve arboreal farming & production.
6. Subsume technology within terrestrial environs.
7. Circulate water & metabolic flows symbiotically.
8. Consider the life cycle, from use to disposal.
9. Achieve a fitness with our earthen web of life.

They use an ancient method in horticulture known as ‘Pleaching,’ which involves weaving together tree branches to form living archways, lattices, or screens. Not sure how this differs from Arborsculpture, which refers to the art of shaping tree trunks to create art and functional items through bending, grafting, pruning, and multiple planting.

Growth stages


The house

I found out that this is not a new concept. In fact Wiechula, a German agricultural engineer wrote a book called Developing Houses from Living Trees in 1926.

There is only one concern of mine. Not really keen on sharing my bed with ants and other bugs, which would definitely be attracted to a living tree.

Related Links:
- How To Grow A Chair: An Interview with Richard Reames
- Index - Fab Tree Hab

TAGS: Architecture Ecosystem Fab Tree Hab Tree House

Moving abroad

It's only a few more months to go before we pack up and fly to UK.

Leaving the security of a job is really hard, especially when I have settled down and am doing so well. I try to console myself saying ‘this sacrifice is for a better future’.

I was not sure whether my office would give me a farewell party, so I decided to give them one - a simple lunch this Thursday. This is a chance for me to say my byes to all the guys. I realize that even though I complain a lot – I love this place.

Although I have already secured a place to pursue my PhD, I still don’t have the funds to pay for it. My scholarship applications were not successful but I am sending off several job applications. Even though I may not get the jobs but at least they have my name in their database. With my qualifications, I am optimistic that I would be able to secure a job once we get there (based on my friends already there). Till then, I guess I have to depend on my wife and our savings.

More bad news, the University suddenly announced the increase in the annual tuition fees – to UK Pounds 9150 (approx. RM 62,418). My next plan is to study part time and pay by installment.

I am really jealous of one of my friends who also secured a place in the University of Nottingham. The university is giving all successful PhD candidates UK Pounds 3000 as a “settling down” money, when they register. I regret not applying there.

Right now, I am trying to get rid of all the stuff that I have accumulated. I have been able to sell off most of the small items like laser printer and other electronic stuff but I still have one big item to get rid of – my car. So far, I haven’t received any enquiries as yet. We finally got a tenant for our apartment too but have to settle for a paltry sum of Rm650/ p.m.

Next week we are going to apply for our kid’s passports at either Subang or Putrajaya. Then visa applications after that. Promise to keep all of you updated.

TAGS: Education PhD UK

KL to Singapore in 90 minutes

If Tan Sri Francis Yeoh has his way, we will soon be able to reach Singapore from KL in 90 minutes.

Estimated at around RM8 billion, Yeoh's vision is to build a superfast bullet train rail link, which could be an extension of the Sentral-Kuala Lumpur International Airport train service that is currently operated (60-year concessionaire) by Express Rail Link Sdn Bhd (ERL). For your information, YTL Corporation has 50% share in ERL.

If approved, the project will be the largest to be launched on a private finance initiative basis, as encouraged under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

According to the Tan Sri:

"We can extend the airport line to Singapore. We can also find ways for the rail link to pass through the newly developing southern Johor Corridor enroute to Singapore,"

I just wish there was a bullet train project to connect KL to Alor Star. Then I could stay in KL and travel to work every day. Presently a one way bus trip takes around 6 hours. Last week I took the Durian Burung double decker express bus and they stopped everywhere taking around 8 hours to reach KL. Express my foot.

Related Link: Transport Minister confirms YTL asked to look at KL-S'pore rail link

TAGS: ERL Francis Yeoh Train YTL

Java tsunami death toll increases

Please say a prayer for the victims of the latest tragedy in Indonesia.

Yesterday, when I first heard about the tsunami that hit Java, I didn't think it was that serious.

Today read that the death toll from has now reached at least 463, with nearly 280 people missing.

The cause of the tsunami was an undersea earthquake with a magnitude 7.7 quake, which created waves more than six feet high.

TAGS:Disaster Earthquake Indonesia Tsunami

Something new and some news

1. Notice anything new about my blog?

A few visitors mentioned that my blog looks boring without a banner. Found this picture of palm trees, which I had taken sometime back. Yep! I have a new banner.

2. Some people are of the opinion that having a blog with your own domain name means moving up to the next level of blogging. They sneer at the poor people with a Blogspot blog (like mine). Now I am one of them - the elite. I too have a domain name for my blog now: ahoklah.co.nr and look down on the others. ha ha ha. Actually it links back to my Blogspot blog.

It's totally FOC (free of charge) thanks to the good guys at CO.NR Free Domain Name.

3. I have been trying to find a picture of the World's first solar-powered motorbike on the net but couldn't find it. Finally got my hands on a copy of the NST that carried the story and scanned the picture. Called the Turtle, it has a top speed of around 90 km/hr. The Turtle is manufactured by SOLARin Holdings (M) Sdn Bhd at their plant in Pahang and is expected to cost around RM3,000. Another first from Malaysia.


from the NST, Monday, July 10, 2006. p. 36.

4. Woke up this morning to find that the haze has come back to Malaysia again. Bring out the air filters and ionisers again.

5. Noticed this in University Malaya sometime back.

Can anyone tell me what it means? No, there's no First Aid box inside, though I did notice a broom.



TAGS: Blogs Domain name Freebies News New look Solar energy Solarin

Hard Gay World

Forget Mawi, there is a new guy taking the World by storm. Actually, no one outside Malaysia knows who Mawi is anyway.



Hard Gay, Japanese comedian Razor Ramon’s (pronounced as Lazor) alter-ego, is fast becoming a Worldwide phenomenon. He even has his own Wikipedia page.

With his trademark tight black leather outfit and hip thrusting antics, he sets out with a new mission everytime.

The first time I heard of him was on a Malaysian blog (I can't remember which). It was a clip of him visiting Yahoo's Tokyo office where he tries to appear in a Yahoo commercial- without sucess. Watch it here in case you haven't seen it before. Hilarious. He's crazy.

Here's another clip where he tries to help promote a new ramen store.

BTW, his real name is Masaki Sumitani and ....Surprise! He's not really homosexual.

Say! Say! Say! Say!

TAGS: Hard Gay Humour Japan Razor Ramon

Unusual meme

I usually stay away from memes but this one in Azlynne's blog was quite interesting because it is unusual.

Here's the deal. If you comment here:
1. I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll challenge you to try something.
3. I'll pick a color that I associate with you.
4. I'll tell you something I like about you.
5. I'll tell you my first/clearest memory of you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something I've always wanted to ask you.
8. I'll pick a song that reminds me of you.
And how does this propagate?
Well, u drop me a comment, I'll respond with those 8 points, and in "payment" YOU post this same deal on YOUR blog.

Here's what she wrote about me/my blog (unedited):

Adam> heehehe well glad u overcame yr hatred for memes for this most unusual one! :-) It is, after all, a great challenge for me... but let's see how this goes...
1. RANDOM: You helped me educate myself a bit more on the "i love you" vs "satanic" sign on a recent post
2. CHALLENGE: this is a bit of a cheat cos it was featured prominently by Dariush: i challenge u to post just a wee bt more often that u have in the past. *grin!*
3. COLOR: blue. like the logo that appears on the tab when i load your blog page :-) used to say "OK" (or was it OK LAH?) and now is juat "A")
Ans: It was "ao".
4. LIKE: i like the simplicity of your posts. i feel you're writing for yourself, as opposed to posturing for what you think "people out there" want to read.
5. MEMORY: Stumbling across yr blog while checking out the MyCen blog directory.
6. ANIMAL: tough one, seeing as i don't usually associate people with animals, heeehhee!
7. QUESTION: what on earth is that picture u use as your blogger avatar?
Ans: That's a pic of me taken while snorkelling off Pulau Kapas in Terrangannu.
8. SONG: gotta be Hotel California by the Eagles.. but the live version from teh Hell Freezes Over album (i *assume* that's the album u got cheap-cheap? that's the only live version i know, and i'm amazed u haven't heard that version before).
(if these responses are weird, it's not *just* the meme or just me... it's me plus vodka plus Milli Vanilli, heehehehe!!)
Saturday, July 15, 2006 8:00:08 PM

Here's my reply to Lynne:

1. Random: Like you, a couple of years ago, I was jobless for about a year. Did some part time jobs and wrote for an IT magazine.

2. Challenge: Come up with a new layout for your blog. Time to move away from the generic Blogger template.

3. Color: White, because it's the predominant colour of your blog.

4. Like: Your honest posts about being a Melayu but not feeling like one because I guess that's something similar to what I face too - a non-bumi married to a Melayu lady.

5. Memory: I went over to your blog after you left a comment (can't remember when), liked your posts and added you to my blogroll.

6. Animal: Had me thinking for a while because I can't recall you writing about any animal. At first I was thinking of "Bat" because you like Meat Loaf but then I thought the Lion, your zodiac sign. Brave and proud.

7. Question: I was wondering why you wrote "later Chicago Illinois?" under 'About me'

8. Song: It has got to be Meat Loaf's "Two out of Three Ain’t Bad.” I remember you mention somewhere that it is your favourite song. Not my fav but I love it too.

Welcome anyone else interested to continue this madness.

TAGS: Meme