Statement of Realisation

The quality of a "friendship" is not defined by the number of years it has existed, rather more through choices made in experiences together..agree?..

a person can be in close contact and proximity to another person for years but not be "friends"..

two or more people can be "friends" for decades and not know anything about each other..

on the other hand, a complete stranger can spare 5 minutes in their life to express respect, acknowledgement, care and humanity..enough to be considered a "friend" right?..

sadly i feel that people can call each other "friends" and completely misunderstand the concept..what has happened to the term "friendship"..i hate people who misuse it to gain for their own selfish benefits..

the world doesn't have to be that cold..bonds between people are meant to be more than just means of survival..true "friendship" is a gift to be nurtured..

A True Malaysian

She's such a beautiful person..someone full of love and understanding..someone who clearly knew what was important in life..not afraid to live a life she truly believes in..not afraid to be the exception..i have so much respect for her..

i don't know her personally..i don't even know her from a far..but i wished i did..i wished i could have at least had a small conversation with such a fantastic individual..maybe sometime in the next life?..insyaAllah..

i wish only all good things for her..and i wish her all the best in the next life..i wish that i could be half the daughter she was to her parents..i wish she didn't have to go through the conflicts she did in life..i wish everyone could follow in her lead and not judge everyone else just because..

i want to be someone as strong as her..and i want to be someone as moving as her..and i hope someday, i can share my thoughts and ideals with the world like her..i wish there were more people who saw the world like her..

again, i only wish good things for her..she is truly special..

AY Yasmin Ahmad

1958 - 2009

i love this picture of her the most

Baby Steps : Barley Notebooks is born..hehe :)

i finally did it..the blog-shop i've been dreaming of setting up since 3 years ago is finally finished..i really don't know where it's headed n whether or not it'll be successful, but the best advice i've been given is "the best way to start something sometimes is to just get started"..so i got started..i'm still owing a few people some books, which i will be submitting to s.alam next week, insyaAllah..apologies for taking too long..it is completely my fault for under-estimating my final year expectations..i'm an idiot..

i got sick again yesterday, which hindered my plans a little bit..oh well..but i have to make up for it today i guess..i couldn't even fulfill my promise to call shazato yesterday..so i should call her rite after i finish writing this blog..

all in all, i really hope my blog-shop reaches the target market i'm aiming for..still slowly learning about how to market it properly though..and i hope everyone who visits the website enjoys browsing through it..i put so much effort into making it!! hehe..

well, i'll just hope for the best :)

          

         

About Barley Notebooks

www.barleynotebooks.blogspot.com

Barley is an online store specializing in selling and customizing notebooks and paper products. We offer hand-made items such as notebooks, card-holders, photo albums, organizers, cd-cases and much more at affordable prices. All Barley products are one-of-a-kind and made customizable to suite each person and event.

Barley started off as an idea to pursue hand-made notebooks as a commercial item. In the beginning, Barley customized notebooks for friends and family members as a hobby. Now, Barley hopes to go commercial.

Moving On..??

wah, ever since soraya's back this 2 weeks (2 rite?), my days have been filled with lots of activities again :) hee..have been seeing munif less though *sad :'( but he's been really busy training and all and it's best that i don't disturb him much i guess..not like i'm helping the situation if he come's over anyway rite..i'm no good at helping him train...so sad...

i really should start on my portfolio..am expecting to work after raya, but have to actually get a job first rite..aih..which proves to be quite a task for a lot of people at the moment..wow, am i relaxed..horrible alia, horrible...

doing "nothing" is beginning to annoy me already :p..i'm bored of doing nothing..i'm ready to move on and get a job..i need a constant amount of money already anyway..am eating into my savings and that's really not a good thing...

urgh!! i know i have to start getting off my lazy @s& and start preparing for the next chapter, which is work! but i'm in denial!! i don't want to, but i want to, but i malas! 

oh my God..help me please :(

Sara Bareilles - Gravity

i was driving on the way back home with my mom from KL..frazzled and tired from yet another day of careless KL exploring..as i was drifting into autopilot, my mom turned up the volume of the radio that was on Light & Easy..the sound of a piano playing..a lovely voice accompanying the melody..a beautifully written song....

i fell in love at first listen...

The "top 10" Lists

Since i was discussing this with a friend this afternoon, i thought might as well i put it on blog for future references and such..it may just be helpful to someone who stumbles upon it :)

All the information below are rankings that are pretty much accepted internationally..a reminder that the list is focused to architecture in particular, means that the list ranks the universities based on their architectural courses only k..

i focused on 3 countries; United Kingdom, Australia, and United States..don't ask me why, it's just a matter of personal interest :p..

Top 10 Architecture Schools in the UK

quoted from Guardian.co.uk

2009(Preliminary)              2008(Final)

1.   Cambridge                    1.   Cambridge

2.   UCL                            2.   UCL

3.   Cardiff                        3.   Strathclyde

4.   Bath                           4.   Bath

5.   Newcastle                     5.   Cardiff

6.   Nottingham                  6.   Glasgow Sc. of Art

7.   Edinburgh                     7.   Sheffield

8.   Liverpool                      8.   Edinburgh

9.   Manchester Sc. of Arch.    9.   Manchester/MMU

10. Sheffield                      10. Oxford Brookes

Top 10 Architecture Schools in Australia

quoted from Archsoc.com

2009 (Preliminary)               2008(Final)

1.   Queensland U.                sorry, i couldn't get

2.   Melbourne U.                  them :(

3.   Tasmania U.

4.   RMIT

5.   Newcastle U.

6.   New South Wales U.

7.   Adelaide U.

8.   Sydney Tech. U.

9.   Deakin U.

10. Sydney U.

Top 10 Architecture Schools in the US 

(2008-Final)

quoted from Architectmagazine.com

Undergraduate Sc.                Graduate Sc.

1.   Virginia Polytech.             1.   Harvard

2.   Cornell                           2.   MIT

3.   Syracus                           3.   Columbia U.

4.   California Polytech.            4.   Cornell 

5.   Cincinnati U.                    5.   Washington St. Louis

6.   Texas Austin U.                 6.   Virginia Polytech.

7.   Carnegie Mellon                 7.   Cincinnati

8.   Kansas State U.                  8.   Michigan

9.   Penn State U.                   9.   Berkeley California

10. Pratt Institute                   10. Clemson/Rice/Texas Austin

Reflection

i decided to attend a wedding this afternoon, a friend's family member was getting married and she invited me quite nicely on facebook..so despite my mom questioning my reason for going, i decided to go anyway..

thing is, there was some history between me and this friend and it doesn't help that the group of other invited guests are mostly also not in my close circle of friends..this shouldn't be a problem, but i seem to have had developed some relationships in school that left a kind of bitter taste in the mouth..so, explains my mom's curiosity for me wanting to go all of a sudden..

honestly, i don't really know why i was so adamant..but i went anyway lah..

so i went with one of my closest friend, as she was invited as well..and as we entered the venue seeing my friend's parents and all, i gave myself a pat on the back as i still remembered how most of her family members look as the last i saw them were ages ago..haha..

ok, long story short..we salam-salam-ed, makan-makan, cakap-cakap, photo-photo and then said our goodbyes and left lah..

what i deduced from the whole evening was that i am honestly and utterly contented with my life right now and i am so thankful that i am way way from who i was in the past..

well, i am thankful for the opportunities that i was presented at school but i guess good company and just a simply "rich" and moderately blessed life is way happier and healthier..haha!..

i don't feel the need to impress or fulfill every single person around me anymore..and it reminds me that the few people i do really appreciate in life deserve a little TLC every now and then, just to remind them how special they are..i am also at peace with the fact that not all relationships were meant to bloom into beautiful roses that need protection, that the term acquaintance was created for a reason, and that sadly not everyone can be called a friend..so painful..but it's the bitter reality of things huh..i think i can learn to accept that.. :p

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