13/9/11 THE LAW OF ATTRACTION

Look at our mother nature. The forest is green, but there is time it turns yellow and even death. The mountains are blue, yet there is time they are just white. The oceans and seas, they are greenish and bluish, but there is time they turned orange or redish. Why do we call flower a flower? Why do we associate a nice growing lady as a blooming flower be it rose in the torn or sakura in summer? Why is there a tree we called the flaming of the forest and orchid the jewel of the jungle?

(2) Super majority of us will never thought that we love a place or a thing because of there is A Sense of Place or Belonging. We love our home beacuse we feel like at home. We love our bedroom because it give us that bedroom ambientthat we need. Accodingly, we love our hair, because they are beautiful nad that makes us feel good. Those are the notion of Sense of Place and sense of Belonging.

(3) Why people love Paris? Why people declared their love in Venice? All are about sense of place. I can't imagine the young couples in Kuching declaring their loves feeling in Bintawa, Gita Kubor, or even Padungan and Pending?

(4) Why Malaysian public just shit in a toilet? Why in Singapore people rest in the Rest Room? Why do we keep our Washroom at home much tidy and cleaner? Doesn't matter what is the name: Toilet, Restroom, the Man/Lady, Washroom or the loo all are just the same. The only different is the feeling while we are in it. Why? All is because the Sense of Place.

(5) About five years ago, I took my small Haqim and Dewi to Telaga Air, a nice River Mouth Village about 40 km away from Kuching. The government in fact had pumped bit of money to develop the area. I sat by the gazebo.Some elderly people were there, just lazily siting around. Some kids just lingering around as well. All those normal unexciting rural faces. Dewi, my daughter was restless in fact, wanting us to leave. But Haqim, my boy is a bit different. He keep pastering me: Why not your office build parks, plant more trees, have places for kids to play, people to walk, people to fish, and people to eat ice cream and shop. Make the toilet clean. The library is not good, his critique and suggestion goes on and on. Then I saw, Dewi eyes opened wide and she smiled asking for my confirmation.

(6) That how then I get the planning architect to work on things that kids want. The layout, the components, the forms and colors must be planned according to the kids eyes. I told them at point blank: Don't use your old age eyes, brain and feeling. We are building this not for us but for the kids to be pround and we must build a creative Malaysian now! That how those simple park, parking area, toilet, hawkers center, Sea Front Plaza and mooring jetty, wet market and the Library come in different funny forms and colors. I just want the Telaga Air people, when they being ask where are they from, they would just answer straight: I'm from Telaga Air not the winding answer as I have came across so many times. They must have Sense of Place, to take pride of what they have!

(7) My pioneering idea about different ways of treating the urban development began in Mukah where layout, components, form and color do appreciate properties values. Inititally the developer felt hesitate to the idea, but, as they knew, I want what I want or I just work with many others. It was proven in deed, the properties was snaped even before the completion of the construction.

(8) With the same notion, I then move onto our Medan PELITA which is a multi-storey car park. Since day one, the building was painted by nature. Over the years, not only business was not good, but most disturbing, the place becoming homage for the naughty and dirty. To this day, the busienss there is still not as good, but one thing for sure, the surrounding places had changed alot. I do believe, if the given operators know how to focus and be serious about business, the place will just prosper.

(9) Then I moved on to the boring life of Desa Ilmu in Kota Samarahan. This is a suburb that housed the UiTM, UNIMAS and Teacher College and many others schoold and institution. Nonetheless the City Plan dand Development don't have the idea of the need of the University and College students. Thus I came with the idea of MyBazaaRia, My Student Business Center as well as those hostel and Bistro. All are with different forms and colors that I would believe able to give the student an alternative to the normal shop operated by the others. My idea here is a bit simple, I just want the students to have an idea how thing into the future should be organised. With this better forms and colors, the surrounding entities should also change and this would then able to nutured creative though and aspiration among the young new generation. I do hope those operators managing all the facilities really understand this and they keep to it. This is not merely about making money, but inspiring the new generation.

(10) Some may still remember the Old Santubong Inn, later changed to ...Inn. Three different owners, at least for about 15 years had hard time to run and make good of the properties. Thank God, though sound weird, I reaffirmed the idea of making the place as small clean hotel while I was travelling in the Papua New Guinea (PNG). Sometimes good ideas come under poor ambient. Thus, the multi-color, forms and components made the different. Today, alhamdullilah, even Ali Rustam, Mawi, Santok and Soh Chin Aun had stayed and eaten there, at now called Samudra Court.

(11) Even places as far as Beladin (about four to five hours drive from Kuching)and Merapok (at the Sabah border) I did made similar touches. My idea is again simple and straight, give our people the needed changes. We can't be just being fed with the same mode and tone all the way in our lives.

(12) Currently I have been working with some friends to really make Pasir Panjang Family Park, which is 30 KM away at the coast of Kuching, as a real celebrated family place. Again, layout, components, forms and colors will have the significant influenced. I have the notion that family togetherness must be nurtured and they must have all the good memories to be together thus they will always hold as one doesn't matter shine or rain. I have lost once, I knew where it went wrong, thus I believe others must be facilitate not to loose theirs. I really hopes those friends that I have trusted to deliver the Project will work hard on it and let our Kuching inhabitants have their joys to celebrate.

(13) In the pipeline, I hope the coming of the Sri Aman Square, and soon the I-con Square in Pending nad the redevelopment of the old prison will bring change to the ways properties going to be developed in Sarawak. I hope my littel presence her, though migh be a bit slow, is the starting of the crystalization of a much unique, dynamic, diverse and colorful Sarawak.

(14) All these ideas about colors, forms, and components are nothing new. Just pay a visit to Jakarta, Bandung, Singapore, Manila, Saigon, Bangkok, Luang Prabang, and here in Siem Reap, they really brilliantly know how to manipulate colors to attract the customers. Las Vegas surely the most colored City on earth. Shopping, eating, and geting together are all about celebrating the colors, forms and components.

Siem Reap, Chambodia
4 Sept., 2011