Inside a Cup of Jelly

thanks

2010-01-11T00:39:00.005+08:00

i am usually very apprehensive when it comes to group projects. i don't know if i get along well with group members, if the group members are committed, etc. etc. everyone is worried about stuff like this when group projects come along.

and i'm happy to have wendy, zk, and lyndy as my groupmates. in fact, i count myself FORTUNATE~!!!!

each one of my group mates are very hardworking. they never back down from delegated tasks, they attend group meetings and give their all, they take initiatives, and they complete all their tasks to the best they can! i really salute their dedication and diligence.

thank you zk for being our very patient group mate, and for always volunteering to do stuff. you've contributed a lot of ideas and a lot of effort into this project. thanks also for always informing me about group meeting times and places!

thank you wendy for your valuable idea contribution. it's great to have someone so full of ideas! and your co-ordinating skills are very important to our group. you've always been a very very caring group mate!

thank you lyndy for working so hard on our project even though you've fallen sick several times during the duration of this project. i hope you don't resort to paracetamol next time though! your skills and experience has helped us a lot, and we've definitely learned a lot from you.

i want to apologize to all of you for my absence during the first week of the project and not being able to participate in the brainstorming and idea development. sorry, and thanks for being so wonderfully understanding and caring!

thanks mr sean for being incredibly encouraging, and for guiding us in this project. you have always been very committed and interested in our progress. we are all very very thankful for that!

i had a great time guys, thanks.

of chicken and stars

2010-01-08T17:20:00.003+08:00

after tutorial with mista sean in the morning, group D went to the new kfc outlet at cp for lunch with jack and charlene. after a very oily and unhealthy meal (i can imagine mista sean nodding his head to this) we wanted to find a good place to discuss work. someone mentioned starbucks. 0_0 ...wah rich kids ah, you all! haha...

charlene didnt join us, but jack had his first starbucks drink. atta boy. hahaha...jack stayed on to gossip with us and chat about our respective group project progress. topics range from gd club to degrees and masters to titanic to adam lambert's gayness. no offense to gays. i love em.

after delegating work for the day, we finally heaved our flattened ass off the chairs and headed home (lyndy headed to work, poor thing).

splendid bonding time. hahahahah

in desperate need of a nap. so im saying good nite, world, at 5:24pm.

Concept Board

2010-01-05T21:19:00.002+08:00

Wendy, here it is:

Summing up the Concept

Mood: Minimalistic, Sophisticated, Clean and Fresh!

Technique/Style: Doodles, Scrapbook feel

Audience: Youth/Young Adults of Kuala Lumpur

Message: Get to know Kuala Lumpur citizens by looking at their cups!

Romantic

2010-01-05T21:13:00.003+08:00

People just HAVE to prove their love for each other in every way thinkable. Unfortunately, I had to be involved in this mushy affair. I, and another of my kind, are painted with matching heart shapes. Many a night my mate and I had to endure excruciating exchanges of lovey-dovey mush between our owners!

(haha this sounds quite cynical, unlike how proud other cups sound about their roles for their owners, this cup sounds exasperated with it's job!)

Luxury

2010-01-05T21:10:00.002+08:00

I am created by the finest of craftsmen, made of the finest of materials, elegantly gilded with a rim of gold. I only hold the finest of tea, and serve the finest of men and women.

Fashionista

2010-01-05T21:05:00.002+08:00

My appearance has to live up to my owner. No other plain Jane will do for someone like her. I'm pretty, chic, elegant, intricate and inspiring. Sometimes I offer a refreshing drink to jog her creativity. Other times, pins, needles, threads and buttons pop down into me as my owner rushes to finish another beautiful garment.

(Lyndy I'm not sure about this, what do you think? Edit it as you see fit, ya?)

Commercial

2010-01-05T21:01:00.002+08:00

So what if I am given away, free of charge? I'm no cheap stuff. I have a proud occupation. A big corporate company counts on me to promote it's name, I advertise it's brand every single time a person picks me up!

Handwritten personal description

2010-01-05T20:58:00.000+08:00

I hope this dimension is okay, Lyndy!

Relax

2010-01-04T14:04:00.002+08:00

I listen to light hearted chit chats, bear witness to casual gatherings of friends filled with laughter. I see a lot of different people. Some talk about work, others talk about politics. Most talk about nonsense. Sometimes i am a silent companion to a loner that offers refreshing 'teh ais' on a humid and dusty KL afternoon.

Children

2010-01-04T13:59:00.001+08:00

The mother trusts me, the child is fascinated by me. I help the child learn, and witness his growth. Very soon, as this child grows, his younger brother will be needing me too. Perhaps one day, decades from now, they will find me again, and remember their happy childhood days.

Artsy Fartsy

2010-01-04T13:45:00.002+08:00

I break conventions. I am made in the name of creativity. Therefore when my owner searches for inspiration, my very appearance gets the creative juice flowin'! He basically drinks in inspiration!

Touristy

2010-01-04T13:37:00.002+08:00

I am made to be a keeper of memories. When my owner sees me, she remembers Kuala Lumpur and all the experiences and memories associated with it.

Traditional

2010-01-04T13:32:00.002+08:00

Kuala Lumpur is changing rapidly day by day. It's hectic pace can be overwhelming sometimes. That's why old timers find comfort in me. Steaming hot, fragrant black coffee and I remind them of a time when things are slow and easy.

Urban Chic

2010-01-04T13:19:00.002+08:00

Jazz, cappuccino and I go well together. My role is not only as a mundane container for beverages. My very appearance is an embodiment of modernity, simplicity, and sophistication.

Workaholic

2010-01-04T13:08:00.004+08:00

I stay up keeping the coffee warm and be a silent companion to my bespectacled friend as he races to meet deadlines. Other times I even hold his pens, coins and paper clips for him when the mess on the desk gets out of hand. I don't think anyone can find a better colleague than me.

Poverty

2010-01-04T13:05:00.002+08:00

Life is hard on the grimy streets of KL. My coat is chipping off, and I am dented here and there. But my blind old companion counts on me. When a generous soul drops a coin into me I clatter loudly in appreciation, and hope other passers-by would do the same.

"who?" page doodles and cup layout

2010-01-04T12:42:00.003+08:00

roughly how the doodles come together on the cup. this composition relates to the text description.

doodles for "who?" page

2010-01-04T12:40:00.001+08:00

my favorite cup for "who?" page

2010-01-04T12:20:00.002+08:00

personal description

2010-01-03T22:59:00.003+08:00

I'm a dreamer. A daydreamer to be exact. I stare at my favorite cup and imagine an underwater world swirling before my eyes when I see the colorful stripes against the deep blue on my cup. Or i feel like I'm drinking in the clear blue sky! So the sky tasted chocolaty this morning, and tasted fresh and sweet in the sweltering afternoon. It could be raining outside and I'd still have my clear blue sky, right inside my cup!

logo3

2010-01-03T14:10:00.001+08:00

a scribbly doodly approach to match the overall mood of the field guide.

logo2

2010-01-03T14:07:00.001+08:00

an improvement from the first.

logo1

2010-01-03T13:55:00.003+08:00

a minimalistic, modern approach to reflect urban Kuala Lumpur.

'poverty' moodboard

2010-01-02T23:55:00.005+08:00

i am guilty of enjoying my holiday too much. been going out almost everyday!~c'mon! it's a frigging holiday, liven up, people!!!

sorry for the delayed moodboard. hehehehe...paiiiiseh.

5 photos are googled from the net, one (dilapidated shophouse with blue door - kinda cute, this shophouse) taken by me.

'traditional' mood board

2010-01-01T22:11:00.003+08:00

pics of traditional trinket box, cendol and old shoplot is from my own collection of pictures, and the rest...hehe..internet!

'artsy fartsy' mood board pics

2010-01-01T21:53:00.004+08:00

gathered some of my own stuff from around my room and took pics of them...

cool website to leech inspiration from

2009-12-30T00:03:00.003+08:00

www.tokyoplastic.com

simplicity intrigues!

personally i hate information overload.

i don't like direct approach.

some things are better left unsaid. fuel curiosity, smoke up a mysterious feel that leaves the audience wanting more.

personally, i think...don't dumbdown the audience. assume all of them are intellects. therefore don't state the obvious, don't give unnecessary information.

often, the most simple, plain, and 'empty' interactive websites are what intrigues me most.

simplicity lets us focus on the core subject. no frilly nonsense.

but then again, to achieve sophisticated simplicity needs thinking on a deeper level and sensitivity. lacking these, the end product will look unfinished, insincere, 'cincai', lack depth, lack creativity. must tread carefully.

mr k once commended that my style about one particular project in foundation is "less is more". perhaps i shall take this approach in my future projects too since i feel so strongly about this. must hone my skills in sensitivity and conceptualizing ideas. as to the group project at hand, we'll see how things turn out.

concept page

2009-12-29T23:31:00.005+08:00

Title:

The Cups of Kuala Lumpur

What is Cuptizen about?

Cups and the Stories They Tell

Content text

Cups...we bring them to our lips, often our thoughts only focused on what's within it.

But have we ever thought of the reason why we choose to use certain cups? Practicality? Aesthetics? Status?

Rarely do we take notice of the cups we use, but there is a hidden story within each cup.

They do not only hold our beverages for us...

...but also narrate our personality...

...and the memories of a period of time in which they were used...

...or reflect the contemporary environment in which it sits in.

We take a look at cups around the city of Kuala Lumpur, and listen to what they tell us about the citizens of KL...

the sleighbells have stopped ringing

2009-12-29T00:50:00.000+08:00

so the big christmas hooha is subsiding, and new year's day is looming. and with it follows the recommencement of classes..GARGH! i think i've settled myself into this cushy holiday mood waaayyyy too deep. *SMACK* oi...krystal! wake up!!!

lemme take a look at my very dusty group work sketchbook...a recap of the last discussion after tutorial:

no need title above image, speech bubble from cup is sufficient.
overall mood to be minimalistic and poetic. main color: off white, cream or beige to keep it neutral so as not to contrast too much with different colored cups.
overall style to be doodle and sticker collage.
speech bubble writing should reflect character of cup (e.g. cursive writing (?) for traditional cup, kid's scribble for kid's cup)
background to be monochromatic photograph to avoid snatching attention from cup
content text to be poetic, can be a quote relates to cup characteristic
instead of a speech bubble, text can be "splashed" out of cup. (e.g. coffee splashes out with text out of a traditional porcelain teacup, while juice splashes out with text from a kid's plastic mug)
incorporate sounds (from tapping cups) into buttons
incorporate a range of sounds (from tapping cups) on different images of cups on main page so that when mouse rolls over, user can create own tune, just for fun and attraction?
on concept page, text spills out of cup when mouse rolls over. this page is to elaborate on the objective of the field guide.

before next meeting, i am to...

come up with poetic description of environment and atmosphere, and the text for 'speech bubble'
develop a doodling style
short description of myself for "who?" page + 5 doodles of objects that reflect me.
write concept page content.

woah better get crackin' krystal... u are WAAAAYYYYYYYYYY behind schedule. procrastination has gotten the better of me. gurgh!

keep focused!

2009-12-27T14:44:00.002+08:00

oftentimes during a group project, we get excited when we keep throwing around ideas and want to incorporate everything into the project. and if we're not careful, the end product might have deviated from the objective of the project!

to keep focussed i always start with writing down the aims and objectives or concept of a project and constantly refer back to it throughout the process to keep me from adding unnecessary and unrelated ideas.

the concept for our group project is...

mug=people.

mugs say a lot about their owners. they tell us a lot about what their owners like, what they do, and who they are. through observing mugs typically found in kl, we can get to know a little about the different people of Kuala Lumpur.

the purpose of the field guide is to learn more about the citizens of Kuala Lumpur through taking a look at their mugs.

mr sean has commented on the name of our project "cup people" that it is a bit too direct. perhaps...

cuptizens of kl?

mugtizens of kl?

'porcelain citizens' would have been a pretty name if we were only doing porcelain cups. oh well.

cup voices? because cups 'say' a lot about their owners?

hrmm hrarhmm hrrhhuu...

burrrhaaarooom!

Goodness gracious

2009-12-24T13:31:00.000+08:00

i've finally set up my blog, weeks too late. I cant believe how i let my personal problems get in the way of my studies.

The title of my blog tells how i feel about the current project. i find myself in limbo, neither here nor there, neither part of it, nor wholly out of it.

The first part of a project is always the most crucial, and i've not participated in this important stage due to my absence from kl for more than a week. Therefore i find myself very disconnected and difficult to immerse myself fully in the process. i am trying, though.