My space

I have always been amazed by our bodies’ ability to adapt to its’ surroundings. About 2 years ago I was still listening to my discman, complaining about the quality of sound of MP3 tracks. Today I listen to songs delivered by my MP3 player, without a single issue with the quality of sound. Is it due to better technology or that I am more relaxed in the area of sound quality? The answer is neither of them. My ears simply adapted to a lower quality reproduction of music. It simply sounds way better than my fm radio receiver. I have forgotten how good music played from cd sounds.

 

Have you ever found yourself stepping into a room filled with unpleasant smell, only to find the smell disappearing after some time? Or wonder why someone you knew with body odour can realized about the smell? What happened is that you become adapted to that smell that you are subjected to…so much so that it doesn’t register in your brain anymore. Now think about this….if this can really happen…then is air really without scent? Or we have been inhaling it so much that we simply are used to it? I still remembered the time when I had my wisdom tooth extracted, I never knew I could feel my face until one side got numbed. That’s human beings for you. Creatures of relative and everything to us are subjective. I only start feeling my face when I lost the feeling of the other side.

 

I always believe as a designer, the most important thing is to understand human beings, how they think, feel etc. If you do not understand the existence of relativity and therefore subjectivity, you probably will think everyone thinks, feels, works etc like you…and thus u start designing things based on yourself. When that happens, you cease designing as you become more of an artist. What is really hard is to find a design that a majority of targeted audience can associate with. And sometimes you yourself are not the target audience. With holding personal experience and principle in judging this situation will often result in less than idea results.

 

At the end of year 2004, I took part in a youth expedition trip to Yunnan. We wanted to the people go over and offer help to the less develop areas of the world. At the same time giving us insights on that part of the world. Our plan was to convert a vacant building into a community center like place where people can gather and relax. Most of the plans had to be finalized, proposed and given approval of when we are still in Singapore itself. Talk about 闭门造车! We basically decided what we wanted to do before knowing the situation over there! I still remembered how the locals basically removed all our decorations and work during a celebration at the last night of our stay. The “community center” was never their need at that point of time. All of us if not most of us knew of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, but we still make that same mistake. We believe what they need is what we need!!!!!! We are designing for ourselves!!!!! In fact when I was there, I felt the kids I got in contact with are really happy and cheerful. I envy them for not being in this stupid rat race that we are in. I do not think we are better than them! I do not think we’re happier! For many days I tried to find an answer between the poorer of two people, a villager who had to work hard in the field and a low income family in Singapore trying to make ends meet. I’m still not sure…I felt a person struggling living in a city is worst off.

This is agreed by a tour guide I enjoyed talking to. He used to stay in one of the villages. Work hard and finally got his wish in working and living in a city. I can’t help but asked, “So how do you feel now that you have achieved your dream?”

He replied, “ When I was staying back there (in village) I always wanted to be living in a city. Now that I am here, looking back, I realized it wasn’t that bad back there (in the village).”  He smiled, took a deep breath and continued with out tour.

 

Yes I agreed it ain’t too bad at all back there!

Ok if you understood this question, then u have probably seen “Banquet”. So you would have been wondering what an ending as well. Ha so here I am trying to figure out what actually happened.

 

Ok for this discussion to be fruitful, an assumption must be made. Feng xiao gan is an outstanding director and everything in the film happened for an intended reason. If you do not think so then dun bother reading further ha. And obviously I do not know if I am correct…maybe u all should ask the director himself ha.

 

To start off this analysis or reading of the movie, I will first look at the ending where Zhang Ziyi got “backstabbed” by the short sword. She turned and saw no one and we were left to guess who actually killed her. So the intention of the director is to leave it open for interpretation or for you to find out more by watching the film carefully.

 

There are 2 possiblities…weiliang(who just dun want to think too much) says 4 ha. I felt the sword signifies Zhang Ziyi and Daniel Wu. So either Zhang Ziyi killed herself or Daniel Wu killed her. Ok Weiliang says anyone else in the palace killed her or the actual king (Daniel wu’s dad) fake death and killed her. Like I said I assume everything happened for a reason…so read further for explanations of why I felt it’s either Daniel or Ziyi.

 

For Ziyi as the “killer” ha it’s the more straight forward possibility. Cos Daniel is dead thus only Ziyi uses that sword. Yeah yeah you will be saying she obviously did not stab herself. But when she turned, she didn’t see anyone either. And the maid are walking away like nothing happened. So it could be the Zhang Ziyi killed herself in a metaphorical manner. The Empress to be Ziyi kill “wan er” the gal whom she used to be.

 

Ok lah I preferred the version where Daniel Wu kill her. Ha ok for a start did u realized that Daniel is not as simple as he was suppose to be? Hints of it can be seen from a few examples. The most obvious is at the end where he easily killed all the guards using his supposedly short sword that is supposedly good only for short range combat. It shows that he is not the weaklings we all thought he is. Like the sword which we only thought can be used for close combat. There are hints throughout the whole show saying that Daniel is better at fighting then what was shown, Ziyi on a few occasion actually ask Daniel why did he “perform” that poorly and that he always were better then her when they were taught how to use the sword. The Daniel we saw was always putting up a false front!

 

Daniel said the ultimate performance was a performance with mask on. While Ziyi said it’s turning your face into a mask. Ziyi obviously do not know about performing and acting, definitely not as well as Daniel (mind you he studies performing). Knowing that his uncle was ready to kill him off, Daniel choose to skip the fighting and instead deliver the play of how his dad was being assassinated only to remove his mask, showing a weak guy who was crying in front of everyone. That is the ultimate performance, escaping death and allowing everyone to think he is weak. His uncle felt then there is no need to kill off this useless guy.

 

你们杀得了我吗

As I have said, Daniel was always putting up a false front, out in the snow, when the guards are going to kill him, he confidently asked 你们杀得了我吗? He definitely wasn’t expecting any help especially from those who ended up helping him. From how he finished off the guards at the end…u know why he was that confident.

 

最毒是人心

The scene where Daniel met the guy who was selling poison, he actually asked so is that the most poisonous stuff on earth, he got the reply不 最毒是人心 。 Ok if a phrase is repeated, then there is definitely a point to emphasize it. So why did Daniel not leave with the poison?????? He went there looking for the most poisonous stuff available on earth….to realize he wasted his effort cos he already had it…long way ago. That’s why he left without it. Ok you can doubt it, but think about it, he definitely is going back to kill his uncle….so what’s the difference between using poison and sword? He realizes he need not use the poison at all cos he has his brain and evil plan.

 

Last but not least. Dun you wonder how he easily gets in and out of the palace? Who actually reviewed how his dad was been poison by drawing it in the handkerchief. He definitely has got powerful connection in the palace. This leads us to the end where the maid walk off as if nothing happens, cos they are under him and knew that it will happen. I can help but wonder what is the role of one of the maid. If u remember, the camera zoom in on her a few times and yet she said nothing and did nothing. She probably is the one who’s helping Daniel all along.

 

Yes I dunno why he can’t finish Ziyi off earlier. I guess if you see him as the evil guy, the impact would not have been as big as you realizing from watching his show carefully. Maybe xiao gan wants us to watch it a few more times ha. Maybe he just wanna keep it open and whatever I said are crap. Hahahaha. Ok comments are welcome.

Yo as fellow designers to be i guess most of you have probably thot abt this stupid little question. But it ain't actually so stupid after all since it matters to our approach in design and of cos our grades now.

I remembers none of the tutor so far have told me that the final product that you come up with is impt, it is the process that is impt. I struggled to accept it. To me, why is there a need for a design process in the first place???? issit for you to sell ur process along with the product? Or issit so that you have a better chance of coming up with a gd pdt? I prefer the later. Who the hell cares abt ur process when they buy a product? Do u know the process apple took to come up with iPod?Do u even care??? SO i choose to believe that coming up with a gd pdt is more impt then going thru the correct process. Anyway r there such a thing as a correct process??? Yes!!!! of cos!!!! a correct process is one which allows you to come up with a gd design!!!!SO does it mean that if u came up with a lousy pdt following strictly to their so call correct process.... you have done well??apparently tt's wat i seem to get out of the teachings i've received.I think the tutors have lost it. SO deeply rooted into their teaching of process that they forgot wat is really the whole pt of having a process in the first place.And the whole idea of selling our ideas....i thot they should have a class to teach us in becoming a salesman. A gd design should communicate with the user and not much else needed to be said. sales man are needed to push for sales, affecting the decision making process of buyers.Last but not least i remembered what Francis Ford Coppola once said " do wat you like,do not look for the money,the money will finally look for you"