Define Me
Because the World has inspired Me.
TeensZania and Ashley Permaculture House.
May 18th
Thought that since i have done it finish, so am just gonna share it here. I am participating Anugerah Hijau competition which aims to design an urban program solution towards youths and teens through the usage of recycling 4 Shipping Containers.. The first one i did was Ashley Permaculture House which was wrong because i was too excited over the containers to the extend i forgot the brief and i did a house instead.. the second one was almost done but its facade was rather ugly thus, this is the finalized design 
Mirror in Myself, an Inspired Article when i was 18.
May 14th
Yes when i was 18, i didn’t really remember what happened 4 years ago until i read my old blog @ www.wonderfulprocrastinator.blogspot.com. I made a good laugh on myself for the blogging style i had then, tagging games.. short and easy post. Until i found this post. You know some of us wish that we thought about a lot of things before entering university and not during it. Now i remembered on the reason where i am today, is partly because i thought about life since matriculation college. I found myself truly off the wavelength of the crowd, i thought through life so hard, i tried to find the answer.
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The college period was a curiosity gap, an understanding and searching moment, then i found it during university life. This is the article that i wrote when i was 18, i find it hard to believe that i actually did so because i couldn’t write the same thing today, i was shocked actually when i read though. I wrote this article in conjunction with some monthly english publication. Thank God that i read it, now i just hope i can fly back to that moment and told myself to keep on thinking! So this is what i thought about LIFE.
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Mirror In YourSelf.
It’s just like every other, same night when I marvel at the outside of my window, where diamonds of starlight suspend themselves in the unknown majestically. As the lullaby that sang along by the crickets quietens down my soul into my dreams, I baffled myself into the familiar question again. What’s LIFE again?
It’s just like every other, same night when I marvel at the outside of my window, where diamonds of starlight suspend themselves in the unknown majestically. As the lullaby that sang along by the crickets quietens down my soul into my dreams, I baffled myself into the familiar question again. What’s LIFE again?
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Chinese ShopHouses – The South East Asia Urban Vernacular Architecture Wonder.
May 6th
I am raised in Kuala Lumpur. Remembering during the teenage times, after my SPM few months, i would always love the walk around Pasar Seni towards Berjaya Time Square the area. The area has had some chinese shophouses too, but i would never realized their existence, until i came to Penang. It’s been 3 years since i came here, i would be very honest to say that Malaysians have much more to do to appreciate Georgetown and its chinese shophouses. The reason why Georgetown is recognized as UNESCO heritage zone is because Georgetown has the largest stock of Chinese Shophouses like this in South East Asia.
This picture is taken at Chulia Street. I won’t go in detail about the ” Core and Buffer Zones” of Georgetown Heritage site. But it’s buildings like these light up the unique theme in Georgetown. It’s because of it’s density that forms the urban fabric that gave me the feeling of the past instead of over commercialized area such as Petaling Street. I blog about Malay Participatory Design in their Malay House HERE, this time i would like to share more about “Chinese Shoplots” More >
Where is this blog heading about?
May 6th
I am an Architecture Student. And soon to be in 10 years time, hopefully to be a successful Architect. Well that’s what i think. But being in the blogsphere since 14 years old, i thought of this once again, since this is probably my 7th blog.. So where is this blog really heading about? Oh yes mind me being personal here because i care about the “brand” of a website as much as people always say “Be and Write who are you!” True enough because this blog’s branding is pretty much what i am today.
THE BRANDING
When i ask my friend about what they think when they visit www.blog.japhethlim.com . Most of them would say “owh, you are pretty into issues some sort yea?” even my lecturer also said that my blog is mainly “critical thinking” blog.. Just by simply browsing through my blog and you will notice it’s not really a personal blog but rather a thinker blog. I’m typing this because i have seen architecture students like yangsquare.com posting up their portfolios etc and it just looks as awesome as it is. While mine is quite a little jumble up as you see there are multiple tabs which are trying to fit everything into one. Which simply means that’s the way i am because i’m in the interest to share about anything i am interested to.
Why “Green Cars” will not Solve Urban Environmental Issues.
May 4th
So as some industries and the media stream states that we are heading to a Great Green world, with so many of it relates to Green Building and Green Car, I am becoming more skeptical as the awareness seems to be hitting the wrong point but rather a consumerism affair, in which, is NOT that green after all!
THE FASHION?
I am referring to TheStar article HERE stating that more incentives will be given to buyers of hybrid and electric cars, to encourage more Malaysians to switch to environment-friendly vehicles. The first thing that came into my mind was it’s more like a marketing strategy to shape a new fashion that says “Green Car” is the in Thing sort of. The same scenarios also happen when i watch Toyota and other related ads that boast about their driving system and relate to the word GREEN.
“Currently, there are only about 8,000 hybrid cars on the road in the country,” he said when launching Edaran Tan Chong Motor’s (ETCM) Nissan Leaf Pilot Programme themed “Journey to Zero Emission”. You are talking about Driving a Car with a Zero Emission? Are you kidding me?! No matter how much RnD you came up with, the industry and consumer market won’t allow this to take place! More >
Common Service Tunnels & District Cooling- Singapore Marina Bay City
May 3rd
If there’s a country’s urban planning to be fascinated about in SEA region, here’s my take, Singapore, Again. Oh well perhaps i am very near to Singapore, well soon enough i will study more about the northern neighbour, Bangkok. I spotted information about Common Service Tunnel CST 2 years ago when i was visiting URA center. It was briefly said in the City Exhibition Center that CST will help facilities in the long run, but this is some deeper elaboration i would like to make.
SOMETHING FRESH
CST, however is not found throughout Singapore, nevertheless it’s expensive to be built throughout the island too. It is a development of the Marina Bay area in Singapore. As the name suggested, the tunnel houses telecom cables, power lines, water pipes as well as provision for pneumatic refuse collection pipes. The 1.4-kilometre phase one of the tunnel has cost about S$81 million (about US$51 million) while the 1.6-kilometre phase two cost S$137 million (about US$86 million).
PAVING THE ROAD AHEAD
The true mega scale implementation that comes together with CST is actually the District Cooling Plant, which will supply chilled water for the air conditioning of buildings in the area through pipes within the tunnel. The District Cooling Plant, located within the One Raffles Quay development, will supply chilled water through a network of pipes housed within the CST for the air-conditioning of buildings in the area. I am quite certain this is a long term capable project, as the CST itself is able to extend its length to supply the demands to the new development area. The concept of CST helps a lot in high density area with heavy M&E Demand especially in the CBD of Singapore, who knows there will be a new “CBD” popping up in the new reclaimed land on the South ( even though the Gardens By the Bay do not suggest otherwise). More >
Why and How Wood Shipping Pallets are being Recycled?
May 2nd
All these while i have been exposed to the possibilities of reusing and recycling wooden shipping pallets, this is because recently i participated in a designing competition that requires shipping containers and wooden pallets to be integrated as a step of reusing materials. 
But i kept on questioning myself why people would claim that it’s recycling when these shipping pallets can be reused as a pallet itself. Soon i found out that Wood pallets are a risk to the Environment, Food Safety, Workers and also a fire hazard item. Wooden pallets are not something norm in residential life yet, it’s rarely being used as a recycling item in Malaysia along the designers’ line. Hence few people could actually know what’s happening to it.
RISK TO ENVIRONMENT
It’s surprising to know that approximately 4.2 million tons of wood pallet materials were landfilled in the US in 1995; this equals 1.4% of total waste and 19.6% of total wood waste landfilled. 7.6 billion board ft. of wood was used to make pallets in 2006 – deforesting an area 10 times the size of Manhattan in just a year. It’s said that it’s another major factor that contributes to deforestation. Wood pallets are extremely heavy, typically weighing 70 to 80 pounds, which translates into higher fuel use and increased air pollution. The other huge environmental impact is the spreading of Asian Longhorned Beetles as shipping pallets are involved in international logistics. Sourced from HERE. More >
Modern Modular Prefab.. Sustainable?
Apr 30th
I am deeply fascinated by Pre Fabrication Systems, it’s somehow a paradox that during the rapid development of Malaysia during the post independence era, PreFab was a popular choice, IBS Industrialized Building System was then widely used but not today anymore. The ultimate purpose was speed that time, but in today’s context, we are all talking about sustainable, or the “life cycle” of a building, carbon auditing etc. I see Pre Fab as the answer to these, able to be relocated, recycled, just like how a original Malay House would adapt to. One of the post i did was about Broad Sustainable Building, BSB, a china construction company built a 15 storeys hotel in less than 6 Days.
Recently i came across with Garrison Architect’s Koby Cottage at TreeHugger . The 1,100 square foot prefab cottage consists of two modules raised and separated for light, space and privacy. Koby is the first building constructed using the KFS (Kullman Frame System), More >
BERSIH 3.0 @ Esplanade, Penang
Apr 29th
It was 428 that made people so united. Personally i love how BERSIH 3.0 happened in Esplanade. At first we were all a little worried on Safety concerns.. we talked and thought about “what ifs”.. we were well aware of the tear gas and water canons that might be awaiting.. but it seems that it turned out to be a fun gathering of really just, Duduk Bantah.
I am no political activist or whatsoever, but just a student or young adult who came here in the interest of supporting clean election. I came in the name of justice and rights for all the people in this nation that a true and fair election should be carried out and as simple as that. It was a successful rally for me, things were straight and forward. We all gathered the venue, all cooperated well, sit down as it’s planned as DUDUK BANTAH. The speeches were made.. the press was given their space to hear what we have to say.. And things ended well.
You see yellow waves coming in yelling “bersih, bersih! ” and “Hentikan Lynas”. I was deeply encouraged by the range of turn outs, there was walks from all life and also as young as children and also as aged as senior citizens. By 2.30pm, the Esplanade is 3/4 full. Suggesting to an amount of 10 thousand people. More >
Meet Tom Szaky, another Greentrepreneur!
Apr 24th
“In looking at waste as an entirely modern, man-made idea, I stopped viewing garbage as garbage and instead slowly started to see it as a commodity.” – Tom Szaky
I strongly agreed with what he said, this idea isn’t fresh, about starting a recycling or reusing waste business. The whole main thing is about transforming the way society sees waste as. Garbage is everywhere, thus Gold is everywhere, your potential lies in any part of the world if you are intending a recycling business. One great example is Zhang Yin. who owns Nine Dragons Paper Holdings, a recycling company that takes scrap paper from the west particularly United States and recycle it to be cardboards in turn to be boxes to package items to export Chinese Goods. It’s the biggest paper company in China, or the world. Tom Szaky however shares another different approach, sourced from pitchyourtalent.wordpress.com I hope this inspires you to be pioneer in something like this too!
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