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NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPOREDEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE

“END” OF SEMESTER 2 (YAY)(2012)

issue06

PAPER 1: GENERAL READINGS

APRIL 2012 Time allowed: 2 hours

INSTRUCTIONS TO READERS

1. This paper contains 5 Sections and comprises of 14 printed pages.

2. Do take your time to read and understand the content within.

3. This is an OPEN “BOOK” issue, open it to read it.

4. Enjoy! :)

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SECTION A

1. Preamble

SECTION B

2. Software Reviews

3. Food Reviews

4. TV Catchup

SECTION C

5. Ask AutoCAT

6. Song Lyrics

SECTION D

7. Personality Test

8. Draw Something!

9. Pets!

SECTION E

10. History of Letterpress

11. Great Holiday Ideas

12. Events Calendar

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4-5

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SECTION A

PREAMBLE

Please read the following instructions carefully:

1. You are not allowed to start reading until you are told to do so.

2. Please ensure that you have your unauthorised materials, audio equipment or handheld PCs with you. You should take a break from doing design work/revision and enjoy this issue with some music and facebook.

3. Please check your mobile phones or pagers for any new messages. If you still use a pager, please show us your time machine.

4. Please be reminded that the use of programmable calculators is not allowed for this paper. This is to train your skills in simple arithmetic.

5. Put your matriculation card or identity card in your wallet. You will need it for examinations and to enter the DDL.

6. Do not write your name on the answer book. This booklet is to be shared with your friends and it is strange to see your name on the booklet. You can also find our digital archive at http://paperspacepress.wordpress.com!

7. You are not allowed to communicate with each other. If you wish to communicate with the editorial team, drop us an email at nus.paperspace@gmail.com!

8. Please check that you have the correct number of pages in your question paper.

9. You are not allowed stop reading before page 4.

10. If you need to visit the washroom, you are required to bring this booklet along for entertainment purposes. Trust us, this is some good toilet reading material.

11. At the end of the examination, please remain seated quietly and pass this on to a friend. And no, a trash bin is not a friend.

12. Here’s to a great break. See you again next academic year! (:

13. The time is now. You may start writing.

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2. With the long holidays just around the corner, provide a few examples of apps that relieve the involuntary twitching of your extremities caused by the lack of model making. Illustrations are greatly appreciated. (123 Marks)Pixlr-o-matic – An alternative to Instagram, this app has the ability to add several effects on top of the filters. It is available for iOS, Android as well as a web app for Google chrome! What’s more? Pixlr-o-matic also has its own built in photo editor that can be used from a browser directly. Log onto www.pixlr.com/editor when you do not have access to photoshop while vacationing...or even during the desperate moments before crit!

Phoenix – Need to edit photos quickly but do not have photoshop? Use Phoenix Image Editor by Aviary. This is a handy web app which means you only need to have a web browser. No installation hassles! (It is something like Picnik, which is closing down on April 19.) It has most of the basic photoshopping tools and you can even import .psd files into Phoenix. It is useful for quick and simple editing when you do not have your laptop around. Available at http://advanced.aviary.com/tools/image-editor

SECTION B

deviantART muro – Feel like sketching something without the hassles of setting it up? DeviantART muro is the place to be. Just log onto www.muro.deviantart.com and start sketching using an assorted toolset of brushes, smoke prints and other patterns. There is also an iPad version which is purportedly a much better platform for the app. Export your sketches as .png files and use them along with your other works!

PhotoGrid – For Android folks only, for now, PhotoGrid allows you to convert your photo collection into amazing collages. Swap, rotate, move, zoom up to 9 photos at a time and sketch on them to create impressive collages. You can also Instagram your masterpiece with this! (Yes, Instagram is now available on Android Market!)

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123D Sculpt – For iPad folks only, for now, this is like “SketchUp” for 3d sculpting. Imagine working with clay; moulding, pulling, smoothing, pushing, pinching, flattening it without getting your hands dirty. It is “more fun than a Renaissance studio, cleaner than a box of mud”. Yes, this is your time to be a virtual Picasso!

Skitch – Ever felt frustrated while giving instructions to someone whilst physically not present? Fret not. With Skitch you can annotate, edit and share pictures, maps, screenshots and even sketches! Available on iOS and Android, this is a must have app for drawing simple diagrams and annotations. You can even save your works to evernote or share them on popular social media!

3. A reliable source states that food is viewed as crucial to national identity and a unifying cultural thread. Do you agree? (123 Marks)In the form of a letter, go on to recommend various eateries where memorable encounter(s) between your tongue and food took place. (123 Marks)

Apart from all the stress of design and exams to keep you going for the upcoming week, why not look on the brighter side of life and indulge in a little… FOOD! What better way to celebrate the end of another semester than to have a hearty meal? It is my pleasure to introduce you to two places that you can visit for that post-crit binge.

For ramen lovers, you will definitely be spoilt for choice if you head down to Ramen Champion. This place is supposedly only open for a year, as they bring in 6 different styles of ramen, including chefs from Japan as part of a televised challenge. Gimmicks aside, I have to say that the ramen offerings are not too bad. Priced reasonably between $11-18 for a bowl of ramen (toppings and size-dependent), the 6 stalls in the Marché-esque concept food space will leave you spoilt for choice.

For the hearty eaters, you should try the Tsukemen Deluxe (regular: $15, large: $18) offered by Tai-Sho-Ken, or any of the pickings offered by Bario. The former is supposedly the best ramen shop in Tokyo and offers a unique broth made from a combination of pork, chicken, anchovies and generous amounts of toppings like chashu, ajistuke tamago (seasoned boiled egg with runny yolk), bamboo shoots and naruto fishcake. A bowl of ramen from Bario boasts noodles made from bread flour instead of traditional low gluten flour, and comes chock-full of bean sprouts, cabbage and other toppings. The soup itself is savoury and The Guardian UK lists it as one of the 50 best things to eat in the world. Be sure to give it a try!

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I was (un)lucky enough to try out the King’s Ramen ($18, pictured) from Menya Iroha and it definitely satisfied my huge appetite. The soup is a tad salty, but within expectations since the stall offers black shoyu soup to go with their ramen. Personally, I would not head back to try the black shoyu ramen again.

Tetsu offers a unique Paitan Tskemen ($11), where the noodles and soup come in separate servings. The soup, which is primarily used for dipping, is delicious but extremely salty.

Upon finishing the noodles, you can dilute the soup at the stall and finish up the savory pork and chicken broth with no more harm to your taste buds.

The Ramen Challenge should be around till JUNE 2012 if the one year gimmick really holds. So, do zip by to try out the various ramen before the shop closes!

Finally, let me introduce you to Lai Lai Beef Noodles! Lai Lai offers a value-for-money alternative to the beef noodles at Din Tai Fung or Paradise Dynasty. Choosing from 2 set meals priced at $13.80 and $14.80 (sans GST and service charge), each meal comes with side dishes, mains and drinks (especially the green milk tea which is not on the menu and has to be requested).

The beef noodles are definitely a must-try. Personally, I prefer the dry version, as it is served in beef gravy and with a bowl of soup. The beef is extremely tender and done just right,

with just that zing of ‘Q’-ness. The noodles come with pickles, which lend an interesting contrast. This adds a touch of crunch that brings the entire combination together really well. The chilli provided may be overcooked, thus bearing a charred taste that you may not want to introduce to your noodles. (The soup is good, without the MSG taste that you would expect from something so tasty.)

Another recommendation would be the Lu Rou Fan (pictured). The meat is nicely done and strikes a good balance with the rice. However, the stewed egg might be a tad dry.

Side dish selections are decent including fried egg plant with pork floss, stewed pork intestines, pickled cabbage with meat, fried calamari with pepper, Yan Shu Ji (salt and pepper chicken) and a few more.

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4. Televisions, otherwise referred to as the Automated Day-Dreamer (ADD), has gone from fat to flat within just a few decades. It is however, the programs that make the goggle-box such a popular device among couch potatoes. The same applies to media platforms such as YouTube. Give your views on one recent popular TV series worth catching up on. (123 Marks)

A part of my holidays has always been dedicated to catching up on the latest shows on television. One show you can definitely look forward to catching up on is NBC’s smash new hit, Smash. It has been highly anticipated by everyone (beyond the architecture studios) until its premier in February this year. While some have dubbed it an adult version of Glee, I would say that in terms of script and production value, Smash is definitely a mark above.

The series follows the real-life drama of several characters that runs in parallel to the main plot: the making of a Broadway musical based on Marilyn Monroe’s life. If you love the ironic mirroring of real life in show business; If you love the costumes, make-up, song and dance in films such as Burlesque, Moulin Rouge and Dreamgirls; if you love the musical theatre and the scandals that accompany it, you’ll definitely love Smash.

Part of what sets Smash apart from its High school Musical-esque forerunner, Glee, is the performance of original songs from the Broadway genre, as opposed to merely covering pop chart-toppers. These toe-tapping original songs performed by a talented and beautiful cast will leave you hungry for more at the end of each episode. The stellar cast includes big names such as pop singer, Katherine McPhee, Angelica Houston and Uma Thurman of Pulp Fiction fame.

However, 9 episodes in, the series is not without its flaws. Although as a drama it has a pretty good script, the humor in the script leaves something to be desired. The jokes are sometimes nothing less than lame and are followed by unbearable awkwardness between cast members. This awkwardness can sometimes be attributed to a slight lack in chemistry between cast members.

[*SPOILER ALERT] Furthermore, some of the characters currently appear rather clichéd and caricature-like. These include a morally upright small-town girl (goody two-shoes), a promiscuous diva, who is obviously blonde, a handsome but mean and sarcastic director (think House) and last but not least a gay best friend of a main female character.

However, despite these flaws, the series has enough to keep me interested. Only time will tell if the characters will gain more depth and if the series will manage to stay interesting. For now, it is definitely a show you should be catching up on this summer!

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5. AutoCAT has been exercising quite a bit in an attempt to return to her former physique: a strong, flexible body and quick reflexes. Recently, she has been confronted with an intriguing question to which he responded with profound wisdom and insight. Document the issue raised and AutoCAT’s response(s). (123 Marks)

SECTION C

Dear AutoCAT,

Most archi students should be familiar with the complete disappearance of social life over the semester. The holidays give our social lives a new lease of life. We finally get to meet our friends outside of archi and hear such comments as “You’ve lost so much weight!” “Have you grown?” and even “Is it just me, or have your feet gotten bigger?” None of these are usually true. I mean, lose weight while studying architecture, who are we kidding? These comments are usually because our friends have forgotten what we look like.My problem lies here. I’ve been deprived of human contact for so long, while in the dungeons of the studio, that I’ve forgotten how to behave like a normal human being. My conversations with my friends seem to end

in awkward silences. Help me to acclimatise back to my social life!

Sincerely,Awkward

Dear Awkward,

Luckily for you, I’ve been observing archi students for months and making notes of all the peculiar, potentially socially unacceptable behaviour that I’ve observed. Here are a few “Do’s” and “Don’ts” to help you reintegrate into normal society.

Sincerely,AutoCAT

Do’s

•Get updated about the latest television shows, movies, scandals on STOMP, weather, price of meatballs. ANYTHING. This is to ensure that you have something to talk about that your friends actually care about. Trust me, they’d rather do the laundry than hear you orgasing about Therme Vals endlessly.

•In studio, we have all memorised each others’ wardrobes and have come to accept it as a way of life. This way of life does not exist beyond the studio. Take the time to update your wardrobe over the holidays before your friends suggest that you start busking for money.

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(Credits to http://architectureryangosling.tumblr.com/ for the pickup lines.)

Don’ts

•Avoid speaking in excessive architecture vocabulary, or Studiospeak. Relearn how to speak like a normal person. Words that your friends are unlikely to understand include: cantilever, awning, vista..

•Avoid being hypercritical of the architecture of random buildings on the street, the interiors of every restaurant, the Comic Sans font on your friend’s birthday party invite, the presentation of the food on your plate.etc Such rants may be acceptable within archi circles, but outside of them you just come across as a douche.

•When trying to hit it off with a girl/guy of your interest, unless they are from

architecture school, they will not find the following pickup lines funny:

“Hey girl, let’s make like Frank Gehry and crumple some sheets.”“Hey girl, I Mies you when you aren’t here.”“Hey girl, let’s get your form to follow my function.”“Hey girl, I asked the brick... it wants to be with you.”

Contributers:

Eleanor GyanishJadenKahyeeLaura LouisMaeMarsPei QiSornaWei Xuan

Pet Owners:

AverEstelleSandySteph

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6. Male humpback whales sing only on calving grounds and only during the mating period. This is a sure sign that song is one way to escape the friendzone. Compose a love song for yourself from the perspective of an indispensible element of your education. The use of “Baby, Baby, Baby Oooh” will warrant an immediate failure. (123 Marks)

Sometimes by Scalebar

You tell me you are needing me Your crit is starting and you’re right in front

of me It’s not that I’m on holiday

It’s just that I’m outside of this small Milky Way

I don’t care whatever that you want to say ‘Cause I’m too busy

But if you really need me, move slow There’s things about me you just have to

know

[Chorus] Sometimes I’m open (sometimes)

Sometimes I’m closed Sometimes I’m MIA

But all I really want is to print the flight...Of your stairs

Print for you day and night

Baby this is meant to rhyme

I’m the enemy I’m your allyEvery time that you’re needing me I say bye

bye No matter what you’ll wait for me

You’ll see that I’m better than WCP

In spite of all the whiny things that you say You can never leave me

But if you really hate me,(eh) hello There’s things about me you just have to

know

Sometimes I’m down (sometimes)Sometimes I’m up

Sometimes I can’t be foundBut all I really want is to print your site... in

Black & White print for you day and night

All I really want is to ignore your plight Go fly kite, waste what you did overnight

Baby one-fifty ($1.50)’s a crime.

Just hang around and you’ll see There’s nowhere else already

If you must print, instantly I’ll mostly be there, for you

Sometimes I’m open (sometimes)Sometimes I’m closed Sometimes I’m MIA

But all I really want is to print the flight...Of your stairs

Print for you day and nightSometimes I’m down (sometimes)

Sometimes I’m up Sometimes I can’t be found

But all I really want is to print your site... in Black & White

print for you day and night

All I really want is to print your sitePrint for you day and night

Sometimes I’m down, (sometimes) sometimes I’m up

Sometimes I can’t be foundBut all I really want is to print the flight...of

your stairsprint for you day and night

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SECTION D

7. With the help of the flow chart below, take some time to reflect upon the mugger persona you are mostly likely to adopt. Rectify your current study approach if necessary, just pray and hang on if it is already too late. It is not the results, but the process that matters. (123 Marks)

When do you start revising for a test?

One month beforehand

You don’t exist

One week or less beforehand

How many lectures did you attend?

More than 70% Around 50% The 1st & Last

What did you do during the lecture?

Take notes or daydream Dream

Do others help in your assignments?

A little Quite Assignment? What assignment?Do you know your TA well?

Of course I have to know his schedule to plan discussions

Yes I know his name, maybe I emailed him?

The Zealot The Studious The Attemptist The Vampire The Believer

WHAT MUGGER ARE YOU?

The Zealot You sit straight during lectures, you download all the lecture slides promptly, you have a regular email correspondence with your TA. Yes, you are ultimate enough to have a backup copy of all the concepts even if your lecturer decides to remove all the notes from IVLE.

The Studious You don’t consider yourself the most hardworking, but we salute you for the effort you put in anyway. Don’t worry about that test, you’ll do well.

The Attemptist Everyone tries, and we know the effort you put in to climb from one pile of work elsewhere into that dimly lit lecture theatre, only to be eaten up by the Z monster once again. Perhaps it’s that you’ve already turned nocturnal, so work with your sleep pattern, not around it.

The Vampire You don’t suck blood, but tips here and there. You’re probably asking about concepts right before the test, but that’s a good way too, because short term memory works. Anyway, do remember to share that precious stash of notes you’ve acquired.

The Believer You might not be sure of what the concepts are, but you do believe that you might get one or two concepts right by chance and logic. If you are still here, no, there is no mugging style for you. You don’t mug!

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8. “It was asked of a painter why his children were so ugly, while he painted such beautiful figures. The painter replied that he made his pictures by day, and his children by night.”Form a word which fits the number of blanks in each of the four diagrams and represent them in abstract drawings at suitable scales, the words formed. (123 Marks)

Ans

wer

s (C

lock

wis

e fr

om t

op

left

: O

LFA,

RO

TRIN

G,

EPIL

OG

, S

KET

CH

UP)

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9. DID YOU KNOW? Spaying/neutering your puppies before the age of 6 months can help prevent cancer in your beloved canine friend(s)! Now you do:)Match the captions the corresponding pet it describes. (123 Marks)

Name: PEPPER

We’re going to get off our lazy buttocks andgo for long runs!

Name: CHARLIE

This fluffy boy is going to get a volcanic age shower. :)

Name: SUNDAY

Gonna teach him to CAD over the holidays to be a CADoggie!

Name: BROWN BROWN

A 2 1/2 year old bunny; she loves exploring and is always ready for an adventure. Her golden opportunity will come this holidays when she visits the botanic gardens for a time of fun and feasting!

Adopt a pet at SPCA or PETS CHANNEL instead of buying one.Don’t buy pets on impulse!A happy pet for a happier you.

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SECTION E10. The historical variant of the modern-day printer came in the form of letterpress. Back then, printing a complete novel using letterpress takes up to a few months! They will never ever make it in time for crit.Fill in the blanks in the article below to complete the passage coherently. (123 Marks)

A short history on Letterpr

Before the invention of the printing press, each book had to be written and illustrated by hand and most reproductions were religious documents for pilgrams

Around 1000, the first known movable type system was created in China and was made of porcelain.

Around 1230 Metal movable type was first invented in Korea

during the Goryeo Dynasty. Neither movable type system was widely used, one reason being the enormous Chinese character set.

In 1457 Johannes Gutenberg, a German blacksmith invented the first printing press with moveable type. Gutenberg lived in Mainz, the heart of Germany’s wine growing region and his press was built on the same idea as the presses

that are used for pressing the juice from grapes to create wine. He made metal moulds, into which he could pour hot liquid metal to produce separate letters as the same shape as those written by hand. Each letter was a separate carving and could be used repeatedly.

In 1870, Richard Hoe (American inventor) developed a

rotary press that printed both sides of a page in a single operation. As printing technology grew more sophisticated, it allowed for type and drawings to be reproduced on the same page. Religious press was soon overshadowed by political and commercial printing .

In the 21st century, there is renewed interest in letterpress printing for wedding invitations or personalised gift cards. At the same time, presses were becoming affordable and available to artisans throughout the world.

VSDid you know there are approximately 13,500 chinese characters? Thats 225 times more than the English alphabet! (Including upper and lower case letters)

What is letterpress? It is a type of relief type print from a raised surface resulting in reversed raised image.

Interested? Built your own letterpress machine with instructions at http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Letterpress-%26-Use-It-to-Print-Things/

A short history on Letterpr

This is a metal cast sort. Which are used to make word compositions. The compositions are tightly bound into

a forme. The forme was mounted in a press, inked, and an impression made on paper.

=

$ $$

es s

The metal sorts are arranged and stored in shelves like this. In order to get access to the metal sorts, two shelves of the typesetting case have to be pulled out at the any one time. The bottom shelf to support the top shelf.

$

The world’s oldest, most complete survival of a printed book is the “Diamond

Sutra”, a Buddhist sutra dating back to 868!

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11. In an instructional-point-form, create a list of holiday ideas, less the options of internship and competition entries please. (123 Marks)

How to Spend Your Holidays Productively (If You Do Not Want To Get An Internship Or Enter A Competition)

1. Map out your own food / cultural / niche interest trail around Singapore.You’ve been dragged around on countless heritage excursions in primary school - now make your own (more interesting) version! Be quirky - trawl the lanes of Chinatown for the best vintage hairpieces, or go trekking for urban wildlife. Whatever floats your boat.

2. Travel.Because it broadens the mind, as the cliche has it.

3. Public Art.You’d ordinarily need a license for this...so think of ways to circumvent this! Think Andy Goldsworthy and his transient environmental art. Imagine that along Orchard Road.

5. Exercise.Nyeh. But work off the late night suppers in a fun way!

6. Make something out of scraps and recycled materials.Do like our cousins over at the Northeast Wisconsin Technical University do, and make your own furniture out of your leftovers. (This is not a plug for Rag, but hey, why not join Rag too while you’re at it?)

7. Pretend to be Italo Calvino for a day.Let your mind traverse into new, unchartered territory and design new, unrecognisable cities and lands.

8. Read.Anything and everything, not just architecture books. Someone once said that architecture is about two things - design and life, and that we often don’t focus on the latter enough - books are one way to start.

9. Learn to be idle.Go fishing. Or have a good, meaningful conversation with somebody over lunch. Make your own antidote to a work-obsessed semester.

4. Do a collaborative series of something with friends.1000 Journals, or Ron Miriello’s 100 Worlds - make it big.

Environmental Art by Andy Goldsworthy

100 Worlds by Ron Miriello

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12. You made it to the final question. Remember, anything is possible if you have inner peace. To make something special you just have to believe that it is special.

Finally, fill in the calendar below with the “special” dates of May and June. (123 Marks)

End of Paper