文彬 Chapter 9: MUP days (2019 ~ 2021)

01 December 2023

March 2020
Seizure on 13 March 2020 & Diagnosed with benign brain tumour

April 2020
Going for surgery to remove the benign brain tumour on 26 May (Tue) at NUH

May 2020
Benign Brain Tumour Operation (26 May 2020)
Update on Benign Brain Tumour Operation (26 May 2020)

June 2020
survival monthsary

July 2020
Post-Ops Psychological Assessment on 27.7.20 (Tuesday)

August 2020
11weeks since my surgery & MUP Year 2 Semester 1 starts today

May 2021
1st 'reborn anniversary'.

June 2021
Unhappiness on NUS Virtual Commencement 2021

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文彬 Chapter 9: MUP days (2019 ~ 2021)   © 文彬 2004~2024. All rights reserved.

my experience and journey with Jesus Christ

08 November 2021

Hello.
I am writing to share my experience and journey with Jesus Christ.

Diagnosed with benign brain tumour
I studied Master of Urban Planning (MUP) at NUS from August 2019. On 13 March 2020 (Fri), after buying sweets at NUS Co-op, I had a seizure (this was the first time I ever had a seizure) and fainted in NUS Central Library. I was admitted to NUH ICU, slipped into coma for 2days and only gained conscious on the afternoon of 15 March (Sun).

After numerous scans and analysis, I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour of about 4cm x 3cm at my right parietal lobe. This benign brain tumour is the cause of my recent seizures, vertigo & fainting spells. Subsequently over the next few weeks, a team of neurosurgeons, psychologists and physiotherapists did a series of tests to assess my (baseline) condition and discussed how to treat/manage my condition. Based on their assessment and my age/condition, Dr Teo (my main neurosurgeon)’s preference is to remove the benign brain tumour through an awake surgery.

To be honest, at the time when the diagnosis was made known to me, I was calm, but I cannot accept my condition, as it happened out of the blue and I have been generally quite fit and healthy. At 34 years old, I felt my world had suddenly collapsed. I felt more upset than sad. I was worried that everything I learnt, everything I knew and everything I done might become wasted. I was worried over many things: will I fully recover after surgery? will there be a dent on my skull after the surgery? will I lose any existing memories or functions? will I be able to cope with my medical bills and financial needs? will I still be employable in the future? I also questioned “why me?”, “why do I need to be punished?” when I generally don't do evil things onto others. But I am a rather strong-willed, stubborn person, someone who don't give up easily when thrown with a challenge. I slowly came to terms with my condition over the next few days and I hope to receive treatment for a full recovery. At that time, I wanted to win the battle, so that I can continue with whatever things I planned to do in life.

I was scheduled for a surgery to remove the benign brain tumour on 26 May 2020 at NUH. Surgery was the best treatment, because the greatest worry was, the tumour might be non-benign, as the lesion is enhancing, or the tumour might grow/change. The nature of the tumour can only be confirmed after biopsy lab analysis, which will take about 1week after surgery. Dr Teo assured that success rate of the operation is 95%, and if everything goes smoothly, I would fully recover within 1week (fastest) or 3months (slowest). While speech & mobility might be affected during recovery, there won't be any permanent damage. Dr Teo also assured that the tumour and surgery won't affect my memory, knowledge & skills. Although the surgery will leave scar and make me imperfect, it is the only way towards full recovery. also I have faith in Dr Teo and team. Therefore, I took this largest gamble in my life.

Preparing for the Surgery
Based on the outpatient reviews, baseline memory assessment & MRI scans, success rate of the operation remains at 95%; the tumour and surgery is unlikely to cause any permanent damage or affect my memory, knowledge & skills. While I have full confidence with my medical team, I still have my worries about post-op recovery and many what-if. Afterall, it is a major surgery on a complex vital organ. Therefore, while aiming for the most optimistic outcome and keeping my fighting spirit high, I also need to be mentally prepared for the worst case scenarios.

After submitted my final essay for MUP Year 1 Semester 2 on 29 April 2020, I had been spending the next few weeks (which at the worst scenario, might just be the last few days of my life then) flipping through photo albums & jotting down brief month-by-month biography. There were happy moments, beautiful memories, and fair share of sadness and angst. Many of my happiest moments are those I spent with my family and loved ones. I got to talk and laugh with my family on these memories. I wish to have more time to construct more memories with them. I cherished the people & things around me even more and I finally learnt to let go of those that I lose. I was doing this documentation for practicality, in case I might forget part of my memories after the surgery (while unlikely, I thought it was better doing it, just in case). I felt I was fighting against time, as I feel there were so many things I want to do. This was especially true, when time was running out as 26 May 2020 approached. It was also an opportunity for me to reflect on my life: I reviewed what I have dreamt of, what I have done, what I have achieved, which are my pride, what I am aiming for, what I have not completed; and thinking/re-thinking what I want to do in the future. I also wrote my will to my mother and brother. To be honest, this was a very weird and surreal experience.

I am very thankful to be Mumy's son and I am very fortunate to have an extremely supportive brother; no words can express how much I love them. They just recovered from the loss of Papa and now they have to take care of me. They are my greatest motivation to stay alive. I am also fortunate to have relatives who have been very supportive, and friends for your advices, support, encouragement and prayers.

On the morning of 26 May 2020, on my way to NUH for a 10h surgery to remove the benign brain tumour, I wrote what could be my "last words" to my family and friends. I felt like I'm going to a war and I must win this battle. But at the same time, I think I had been rather calm since learning about my condition.

Successful Surgery & Encounter with Jesus
I underwent a surgery on 26 May 2020 to remove the brain tumour; the surgery proper started at 9.45am and lasted for about 5h (including 2h of awake assessment segment) and I gained consciousness at 7.30pm that evening.

Before the surgery, I have always been pretty atheist and never religious. However, I experienced a miracle during the 2nd deep sedation stage (3rd part of the surgery, immediately after the awake assessment, when doctors are covering/sewing back my skull). During this deep sleep/sedation, I dreamt of a young, slim, bearded, Jesus, wearing white rode, holding a staff, with bright lights shining from behind him. However, I cannot see his facial feature clearly due to back light. Jesus introduced himself in Chinese, telling me to wake up if I want to go home. Jesus called my name and introduced himself in chinese "我是耶稣, 不要怕. 如果你要回家, 要见白熊 (my teddy bear since toddler), 你就一定要醒起来, 你需要动动你的手指, 脚趾..." [Translation: Jesus said "I am Jesus. Don't be afraid. If you want to go home, if you want to see white teddy (my teddy bear since toddler), you must wake up; you must move your fingers & toes..."]. I woke up almost immediately, in tears. While the duration is very brief, it is a very real, yet surreal experience, and it does not feel like a dream as I am very aware of my senses. It is a joy when I realized I can easily move my fingers and wiggle my toes. It was 7.30pm when I woke up.

I can see, hear, talk, move my fingers/toes/hands/feet and swallow without difficulties upon waking up. I had on-off tension headaches, nausea & giddiness, which doctors said were normal after a brain surgery. Dr Teo (my neurosurgeon), neuropsychologist, speech therapists and occupational therapists assessed that the surgery is very successful; the team successfully remove all the tumour (confirmed through the post-op MRI scan analysis). I remembered all of my memories and retained all cognitive functions. The biopsy result indicated that the removed tumour is Grade 3; however, as the surgery successfully removed all the tumour cells, my neurosurgeon opined there is no need for further treatment (i.e. no need for radio or chemo therapy), but I am required to be on lifelong follow-up to constantly monitor the condition. I was informed by Dr Teo that I have an additional life expectancy of 7years to chase any unfinished dreams. I was discharged on 30 May 2020.

Recovery is good. I no longer have light-headedness, giddiness nor headache. Overall result of my Post-Op Psychological Assessment on 28 July 2020 is good; my cognitive capability is still above average among my age group. In fact, my learning curve improved and attention span maintained. While my fine visual/spatial judgement was still superior, there is slight impairment as compared to the baseline test done before surgery. However, this did not affect my daily routine or precision accuracy, and I had fully recovered from this. Based on my post-surgery MRI scans & follow-up appointments in August 2020, March 2021 and September 2021, my neurosurgeon assessed that I have fully recovered, but will still be on lifelong follow-up.

I have resumed school life since August 2020 (I have graduated in July 2021) and physical exercises to keep fit. However, there is a rather long and obvious L-shaped scar on my scalp and hair no longer grow from the scar tissue; I am still trying to come to terms with this bald scar.

Faith
After being discharged from hospital, I bought a Children Bible to read and try my best to know more about Jesus and the Christianity faith. I also tried to research and read text online to learn more about Jesus, Christianity and the Bible.

I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour on 26 May 2020 (the day of the surgery). I would like to thank Jesus for his love & blessing. I am eternally grateful to Jesus. I am really really very grateful to Jesus for saving my life and encouraging me during my weakest. His words and the miracle helped me to overcome a difficult hurdle in life. I guess, sometimes, we do need faith and miracle to overcome a difficult hurdle in life. I am still praying hard to Jesus for full recovery, and never suffer a relapse. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

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my experience and journey with Jesus Christ   © 文彬 2004~2024. All rights reserved.

Unhappiness on NUS Virtual Commencement 2021

08 June 2021

virtual commencement is lame. glad to know i am not the only one who is annoyed & disappointed with the way how NUS handle & inform of the decision to switch to online commencement ceremonies.

from the emails, NUS gives the impression that the school has never intended to organize physical commencement for Class of 2020 & 2021 from the beginning. there is generally a lack of information in the emails sent to graduating students on details (such as what kind of photos NUS prefer graduates to upload? what attire should graduates & attendees wear for the virtual commencement? detailed programme for the ceremony? how are graduates going to receive the hardcopy degree?). these info were only disseminated when asked. kind of absurd, considering they have 1 full year to think and plan for such back-up plans.

in fact, NUS gives the vibes that the school would rather choose to 'break record' for being the 1st local university to conduct an online graduation ceremony, at the expense of graduating students. SIT, NTU & SUSS postponed & held physical graduation ceremonies for Class of 2020 in February 2021, March 2021 & April 2021 respectively. NTU & SUTD also decided to postpone the Convocation for Class of 2021 until further notice. therefore, there is really no reason why NUS cant do the same.

Commencement is an important milestone for many graduates’ academic life, especially for bachelor fresh grads who spent close to 20years to get their degree. glad i experienced my moment during my NTU ADM Convocation in 2011, but i still feel bitter that NUS could have handle this better. I really prefer NUS to postpone the Commencement till a safer date (even if i have to wait for months or years), than to do a half-arsed virtual event. guess the backlashes from students prompted the school to repeatedly urge students to upload their individual photos & quietly amend the website to state that NUS is exploring the possibilities of conducting physical commencement at a later date, which i doubt will happen from the school’s attitude & response so far...

i think i ranted before on how lousy/inefficient NUS admin is, but i think i need to reiterate that NUS admin really sucks & is consistently full of random cock-ups & boo-boos that will just surprise students off-guarded. tbh NTU is a lot better & more organized, at least i didnt encountered ridiculous admin lapses during my 4years in NTU.

In response to NUSWhispers #97856: NUS commencement ceremony (https://www.nuswhispers.com/confession/97856).

You may help us (NUS Class of 2021) by signing the petition here: http://chng.it/SRBLKMdsYR.

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Unhappiness on NUS Virtual Commencement 2021   © 文彬 2004~2024. All rights reserved.

1st 'reborn anniversary'.

26 May 2021

cakes to celebrate my 1st 'reborn anniversary' (after my surgery on 26 May 2020).

when i was been wheeled from NUH Kent Ridge Wing to the Operation Theatre at NUH Main Building, warm sunlight shining through the windows of the long corridor makes me want to see the sunlight tomorrow. when i started inhaling the anaesthesia & slowly closing my eyes, i really want to wake up again. Thanks to Dr Teo Kejia, Dr Chan Hui Minn, Dr Will Loh & team for the successful surgery. Thank you Lord Jesus for performing miracles in my life. Life is good. Grateful.
活着真好; 感恩还能看到明天的日出.
#Reborn #2ndBirthday #Kintsugi

[FAQ: many asked me what's the differences before/after surgery? actually besides the huge L-shaped scar on my scalp, my daily life & cognitive functions are the same, just without the headaches. am also training back my physical fitness. probably the only 'difference' is, i have frequent recurring weird dreams (only started occurring after surgery) that seems like vivid snippets of presumably my past life! my name was "Ge Zhuang Kai" (i'm also knew of other personal details like age, school, daily life), setting is usually at Kallang Bahru area in the early 80s (based on fashion & hairstyle). quite interesting to 'watch' these dejavu details unveils, like as if i'm watching a biographical movie. 也许我的前世真的叫"葛砖楷"... if anyone knows who is “Ge Zhuang Kai” or a Sec4 VS boy being stabbed near school in 1980s, please let me know. hahaha 😛]


Annex:
- original message after being diagnosed: https://fumiakira.blogspot.com/2020/03/13-march-2020-fri.html
- original message after deciding to go for operation: https://fumiakira.blogspot.com/2020/04/going-for-surgery-to-remove-benign.html
- original message before surgery (which really reads like my last words): https://fumiakira.blogspot.com/2020/05/benign-brain-tumour-operation-26-may.html
- original message after surgery: https://fumiakira.blogspot.com/2020/05/update-on-benign-brain-tumour-operation.html

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1st 'reborn anniversary'.   © 文彬 2004~2024. All rights reserved.

Facilities and training ground of Singapore Armed Forces at Brunei's Temburong District: Creation of a hybrid space to conquer the same defence objectives.

05 November 2020

Title
Facilities and training ground of Singapore Armed Forces at Brunei's Temburong District: Creation of a hybrid space to conquer the same defence objectives.

Landscape
Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) facilities and training ground at Temburong District, Brunei.

Concepts / Keywords
Exclave, Hybrid Space, Negotiation of Space, Bilateral Relations, Defence.

1. Abstract
The title "Facilities and training ground of Singapore Armed Forces at Brunei's Temburong District: Creation of a hybrid space to conquer the same defence objectives" is a metaphor for the close bilateral relationship between Brunei and Singapore. In particular, Brunei and Singapore collaborates extensively on military defence. The Singapore Armed Force (SAF) will send soldiers for jungle training at Temburong, an exclave district of Brunei. This article will examine the creation and negotiation of a hybrid space where SAF uses as training ground, and the impact of SAF's activities on the physical landscape, economy and culture.

Besides references to academic and newspaper articles, part of the report is written based on my personal experience, observations and memories of my army training at Brunei.

2. Introduction
About Brunei
Officially known as Negara Brunei Darussalam (Negara Brunei Darussalam means "Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace" in Malay),[1] Brunei is a small semi-enclave country on the northwestern coast of Borneo. Besides the South China Sea coastline, Brunei is surrounded by the East Malaysian State of Sarawak.

Brunei is divided into 4 districts, namely Brunei-Muara, Belait, Tutong and Temburong.[1] Temburong District is an exclave that is separated from the rest of Brunei by Brunei Bay and Sarawak's Limbang District.

Similarities between Brunei and Singapore
Brunei and Singapore shared many similarities, including geographical size, location, history and culture.

Brunei and Singapore are small, but wealthy nation, with advance economies and very high human development index in Southeast Asia (SEA).[2] Both countries share border with Malaysia. Due to the geographical proximity, Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia shares similar climate and physical landscapes; particularly, the tropical rainforest.

Brunei has a land area of 5,765km²,[3] sharing border with East Malaysia and generated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capital of US$31,086.75 in 2019 (ranked 2nd in SEA).[4] Singapore has a land area of 725.7km²,[5] sharing maritime border with the Peninsular Malaysian State of Johor and generated GDP per capital of US$65,233.28 in 2019 (1st in SEA).[6] In comparison, Malaysia has a land area of 329,847km², generated a GDP per capital of US$11,414.84 in 2019 (3rd in SEA).[7]

Singapore was a former British crown colony,[8] while Brunei was a former British protectorate.[2] Unlike Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak, Brunei rejected the invitation to join the Federation of Malaysia in 1963 and chose to remain as a British protectorate.[2] Brunei gained independence from the British on 1 January 1984 to become an independent Malay Islamic monarchy again.[1]

Singapore's population is composed of 74.3% Chinese, 13.5% Malay, 9.0% Indians and 3.2% Others.[9] Brunei's population comprises 65.8% Malay, 10.2% Chinese and 23.9% Indian or Indigenous.[1] To a certain extent, there is similarity and familiarity in racial and cultural diversity across Singapore and Brunei.

Singapore is strategically located at the geographic centre of SEA and the maritime trade route between China and India. Brunei is rich in natural resources. Extensive crude oil and natural gas fields were discovered in 1929.[1] Revenue generated from the oil and gas industry transformed Brunei into one of the richest countries in the world, allowing Bruneian to enjoy free healthcare, affordable housing and education benefits.[1]

3. Brunei and Singapore's relations with Malaysia
Despite being immediate neighbours, sharing numerous similarities and economic ties with Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore perceived Malaysia as a constant threat to their existence. While maintaining diplomatic relationship, Brunei and Singapore have several bilateral disputes with Malaysia respectively.

History of Brunei
The Sultanate of Brunei was founded by Sultan Muhammad Shah on the Brunei River in 1363.[1, 10] The Sultanate grew into a powerful maritime empire, controlling much of Borneo and southern Philippines at its peak from the 14th to 16th Century.[2] However, frequent internal power struggles and British's colonial expansion on Borneo in the 19th Century resulted in the decline of the Brunei Empire.[2]

Brunei's Limbang dispute with Malaysia
In 1841, James Brooke helped the Sultan of Brunei to suppress a rebellion and was awarded land around the Sarawak River to establish the independent State of Sarawak .[11] Over the years, Brooke forced the Sultan to cede more river basins to Sarawak in exchange for cession money, which the revenue was desperately needed by the Sultan to fund the failing sultanate.[12, 13] Eventually, Sarawak expanded vastly eastward, from the northwestern tip of Borneo to the immediate vicinity of the royal capital, Brunei Town (later renamed Bandar Seri Begawan). The cession of Trusan river basin in 1885 leads to the Sultanate of Brunei being encircled by Sarawak.[13]

Limbang is strategically located at the central of the Sultanate, immediately south of Brunei Town. Limbang was regarded as the 'rice bowl' of Brunei (Cleary & Shaw, 1992),[12] as the fertile Limbang river basin grew most of the food supply of Brunei Town,[12] and is rich in minerals.[13] By 1884, high taxation leads to constant unrest and rebellions at Limbang, providing Sarawak the opportunity to acquire Limbang.[12, 13] In addition, North Borneo is also interested to acquire Limbang and other unceded rivers flowing into Brunei Bay to increase their revenue, strengthen their claim to Labuan and check the growing power of Sarawak.[13]

However, the Sultan realized that further cession of land would result in the disappearance of the sultanate (Crisswell, 1971).[13] Therefore, the Sultan firmly rejected Sarawak's offer of cession for Limbang.[12] The aggressive expansion of Sarawak and bitter fight for Limbang finally forced the Sultan of Brunei to appeal to Britain to stop further encroachment.[2, 12, 13] Eventually, Brunei signed a Treaty of Protection and became a British protectorate in 1888.[2] Thereafter, Brunei was administered by a British Resident and the Sultan was reduced to nominal authority.[2]

Despite protests by the Sultan, the British Foreign and Colonial Office approved Sarawak's annexation of Limbang in 1890.[13] The aggrieved Sultan do not acknowledge the annexation and consistently refused cession money offered by Sarawak.[12, 13] The loss of Limbang was a severe political and economic setback for Brunei (Cleary & Shaw, 1992).[12] Brunei was fragmented into 2 non-contiguous territories,12 where Temburong is disconnected from the rest of Brunei.

While the absorption of Brunei, Sarawak and North Borneo as British protectorates stabilized the boundaries of the 3 territories, the disputed status of Limbang remained a sensitive topic of political contestation between Brunei and Malaysia today.[12] Brunei continues to regard the Limbang border as provisional, noting on official maps that Limbang is a district rightfully belonging to Brunei from the Islamic point of view, but is being administered by another government (Cleary & Shaw, 1992),[12] as Limbang was never properly ceded.[13]

Brunei's maritime claim in the South China Sea
Besides Limbang, the internal territorial waters boundary in Brunei Bay is not clearly delimited nor closed.[14] In addition, Malaysia proclaimed part of Brunei's resource-rich maritime territory in the South China Sea.[14]

The current maritime boundaries between Brunei and Malaysia were legally enacted by the British in 1958.[14] The maritime boundaries are straight seaward extension of the territorial boundaries between Brunei and Sarawak towards the limit of the continental shelf.[14] However, on 21 December 1979, Malaysia unilaterally published the "Territorial Waters and Continental Shelf Boundaries of Malaysia" map (1979 Malaysia Map), which asserted overlapping claims on Brunei's continental shelf and Singapore's Pedra Branca, thereby triggering immediate diplomatic protests from Brunei and Singapore respectively.[14, 15] Furthermore, Louisa Reef , which is within Brunei's continental shelf, is disputed between Brunei and Malaysia.[14, 16] Sovereignty of Louisa Reef is controversial and dependent on the legal definition of maritime features, continental shelf, exclusive economic zone and fishery limits, which are subject to interpetations.[14]

Singapore's disputes with Malaysia
Singapore has several disputes with Malaysia that would resurface regularly. Bilateral tensions usually worsen whenever Malaysia is in the midst of a political crisis.[17] From Singapore's perspective, these disputes are nonsensical non-issues that were provocatively stirred by the Malaysian government for patriotic propaganda.

Notable bilateral tensions include the maritime boundary delimitation,[16, 17, 18] Water Agreements,[19] Pedra Branca,[16, 20] land reclamation at Tuas and Tekong, rail corridor, replacement of Causeway, air space control,[17] and port limit encroachment at Tuas.[17] While some of these issues were resolved, most disputes continued till today. Singapore leaders vowed to stand firmed to protect the country's sovereignty and territory.[17]

Security vulnerability of microstates
Brunei and Singapore are small, but wealthy countries surrounded by Malaysia. Furthermore, both are of strategic and economic importance to the region, making them even more attractive and vulnerable to predators. Iraq's annexation of Kuwait in 1991 is a recent example of a small wealthy microstate being annexed by its bigger neighbour.[21]

Nevertheless, small microstates usually maintain excellent record of persistence in the world stage (Kershaw, 2011).[21] In fact, there might be benefits for being small, because it is easier to defend and govern.

While Malaysia is currently 'friendly' to Brunei and Singapore, both countries do not take their security for granted, as complacency will lead to vulnerability. Furthermore, Brunei and Singapore still have ongoing disputes with Malaysia; not forgetting that threats could also come from other forces. Therefore, Brunei and Singapore cooperate intensively, establishing excellent diplomatic relations across many aspects.[22]

4. Brunei – Singapore Bilateral Relationship
Brunei and Singapore have excellent relations (MFA).[22] Both countries already established diplomatic relationship before it was formalized in 1984, following Brunei's independence.[23] Leaders from both countries maintain close personal ties, with regular exchange of visits at all levels.[22] Both countries collaborate extensively in defence, finance, trade, health, education, aquaculture and tourism.[22] Brunei and Singapore established long-standing arrangements;[22] notably the Currency Interchangeability Agreement (CIA) effective since 1967,[24] and close bilateral defence relationships established since 1976.[25]

Brunei – Singapore Currency Interchangeability Agreement
The Currency Interchangeability Agreement was established on 12 June 1967 to promote monetary cooperation between Brunei and Singapore.[24] Under the agreement, coins and notes issued by the Autoriti Monetari Brunei Darussalam and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) would be accepted in both Brunei and Singapore; and the currencies could be exchange at par, without charge (MAS & AMBD, 2017).[26] However, the Brunei Dollar and Singapore Dollar would not be legal tender when circulating in the other country (MAS & AMBD, 2017).[26] Instead, the currencies would be "customary tender" that would be repatriated to the issuing country periodically (MAS & AMBD, 2017).[26]

Historically, Brunei and Singapore already maintained currency interchangeability since the early 20th century.[26] The Straits Settlements minted the Straits Dollar as the uniform domestic currency in 1897.[26] The colonial and economic links between the Straits Settlements, Malaya, Brunei, North Borneo and Sarawak resulted in the Straits Dollar being widely circulated as the de facto common currency across these British dependencies, as the Straits Dollar was exchangeable on par with their own currencies.[26] The Currency Ordinance of 1938 created the Malayan Dollar as the common currency for the Straits Settlements, Malaya and Brunei.[26] The Malayan Dollar was expanded to include North Borneo and Sarawak in 1950, before transiting to issue the Malaya Dollar and British Borneo Dollar in 1953.[26]

Malaya obtained independence in 1957. Malaya merged with North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore to form Malaysia in 1963. However, Singapore was kicked out of Malaysia and achieved independence in 1965. Subsequently, Malaysia proposed to issue its own currency from 1966.[26] Initially, Singapore preferred to share a common currency with Malaysia due to the extensive trade and complementary economic relationships, and to reduce frictions and transaction costs.[26] However, negotiations for a common currency collapsed, leading to Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore issuing their own currency on 12 June 1967.[26] Initially, Brunei and Singapore also signed CIA separately with Malaysia on 12 June 1967 too.[26] However, Malaysia decided to float the Malaysia Ringgit with the US Dollar, and terminated the agreements with Brunei and Singapore in 1973.26 Brunei and Singapore continued with the CIA.[26] Despite significant structural changes to the economies and domestic monetary policies, the CIA remained relevant for Brunei and Singapore, resisting several economic challenges over the years.[26]

The CIA boosted investor confidence on the Brunei Dollar and Singapore Dollar.[26] The autonomous Board of Commissioners of Currency Singapore and MAS are responsible for currency issuance and central bank functions respectively, providing check and balance to ensure the central bank is unable to print additional money to finance government deficits.[26] While there are changes to the monetary institutions and currency issuance framework, the credibility and discipline were preserved.[26] The CIA is also supported by the economic fundamentals of Brunei and Singapore, which includes their strong foreign reserve balance, current account surpluses and flexible domestic economies.[26]

Furthermore, the CIA is compatible with the macroeconomic stability of Brunei and Singapore.[26] As both Brunei and Singapore are small but open economies, an exchange-rate-centric monetary policy framework aimed at achieving low and stable inflation is efficient to directly offset imported inflation and indirectly reduce demand for exports (MAS & AMBD, 2017).[26] The CIA allows Brunei and Singapore to share the benefits of a credible nominal anchor by pegging their currencies.[26] In addition, the CIA eliminates foreign rate risks and transaction costs, which are essential to maintain the close economic and financial relationship between Brunei and Singapore.[26] The CIA has mutually benefits Brunei and Singapore for more than 50 years, encouraging stronger trade, investment, tourism and enhancing the strong bilateral relationship.[26]

Brunei – Singapore Bilateral Defence Relations
Brunei and Singapore officially established close bilateral defence relationships established since 1976.[25] The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Royal Brunei Land Forces (RBLF) cooperate extensively and the interactions continue to grow in scope and complexity.[25] SAF and RBLF interacts regularly through a wide range of activities, including bilateral exercises, visits, professional exchanges, cross-attendance of courses and knowledge sharing dialogues.[25, 27] In addition, Brunei also allows SAF to train in Brunei.[29] The leaders of Brunei and Singapore regularly reaffirms the need to maintain and further strengthen the strong defence relations between both countries.[25, 27]

It is beneficial for Brunei and Singapore to establish a close military partnership. Singapore is grateful to Brunei for allowing SAF to train in their territory.[29] SAF needs extensive land to conduct military training, especially jungle training, which is difficult to be conducted in Singapore due to land scarcity and rapid urbanization. Furthermore, the physical landscape of Brunei is similar to the landscape of Singapore, making Brunei an ideal destination for jungle training. In return, SAF's Officer Cadet Schools (OCS) conducts urban operations training for the officer cadets of RBLF at Singapore.[29]

Singapore imposed mandatory conscription on Singaporean males to serve two years of full-time National Service (NSF),[32] followed by 10 cycles of Operationally Ready National Service (ORNS).[33] The ORNS system ensures Singapore that there will be more than enough servicemen to be mobilized in the event of national emergency. While Brunei could afford to purchase the most advance military equipment, Brunei does not have enough soldiers to defend or operate the military assets, which serves as an absurd reminder of its vulnerability (Kershaw, 2011).[21] Therefore, from Brunei's perspective, the presence of SAF would act as a form of psychological deterrence to predators aiming for Brunei's territory and resources.[21] Besides the CIA, Brunei needs Singapore to defend the country's currency, assets and economy.[21]

In addition, the close defence relationship between Brunei and Singapore is part of a broader defence strategy. Singapore also has excellent bilateral defence relationship with Thailand,[34] which is strategically located north of Peninsula Malaysia. Although Brunei and Singapore were threatened by Indonesia's Konfrontasi in the 1960s, both countries currently enjoys warm and friendly ties with Indonesia,[35] as Indonesia progressed to pursue policies of internal stabilization and co-existence with neighbours (Kershaw, 2011).[21] Singapore's strategic defence relations with Thailand and Brunei ensures that there is holistic military strategies, check and balance of power on Malaysia and the shipping lanes along the Straits of Malacca and South China Sea from all directions.

5. An Exclave within an Exclave
Concept of Exclave
An exclave is a portion of a territory that is geographically separated from the main territory by foreign territory or international water. An enclave is a territory that is geographically surrounded by foreign territory.

Exclave exhibit several disadvantages and inconvenience, including transportation and governance. Strategically, it is difficult to defend an exclave as it is geographically separated and isolated from the main territory.

Temburong: a semi-enclave exclave of a semi-enclave country
Brunei is a small semi-enclave country that is almost completely surrounded by Sarawak. The South China Sea coastline provides Brunei with maritime access to the high sea.

The easternmost Temburong District is an exclave that is separated from the rest of Brunei by Brunei Bay after the annexation of Limbang District by Sarawak. Effectively, Temburong District is a semi-enclave exclave district of a semi-enclave country.

Poor accessibility and connectivity leads to negligence and poor economic development at Temburong District.[36, 37] Before the opening of the Temburong Bridge on 17 March 2020,[38] it is difficult to travel between Bangar (district capital of Temburong) and Bandar Seri Begawan by land, as a driver would need to drive for 2h via Limbang, passing through immigration checkpoints that are usually congested.[36]

As Brunei Bay is internal territorial water, the fastest and easiest way to travel between Bandar Seri Begawan and Temburong is via water-taxi, which requires about 45min.[36] A driver may also drive a car onto a fastcraft, which requires 2h to meander Sungei Temburong and cross Brunei Bay from Bangar to Bandar Seri Begawan.

Furthermore, sparse development and the thick jungle of Temburong makes the district a good hiding place for rebels and overland infiltrators, as experienced during the Indonesia's Konfrontasi.[21]

Lakiun Camp: an exclave within an exclave
SAF has two military facilities at Brunei. The headquarter is Jalan Aman Camp (JAC), which is located at Muara, the port town beside the capital. Another facility is Lakiun Camp, which is the base to support the jungle trainings within Temburong. As an overseas army camp, Lakiun Camp function like an exclave of SAF. Interestingly, Lakiun Camp is located at Temburong District, which itself is an exclave of Brunei.

It is a win-win solution for Brunei to allocate land at Temburong for SAF to setup an army camp and conduct military exercises in the jungle. This is because Singapore needs extensive land to conduct jungle training. Singapore do not have enough rainforest to conduct jungle training due to land scarcity and rapid urbanization. Furthermore, the physical landscape of Brunei, in terms of vegetation and terrain, is similar, but tougher than the landscape of SAF's training areas in Singapore. Extensive, similar but tougher landscape makes Brunei an ideal destination for SAF's jungle training.

From Brunei's perspective, Temburong is an exclave that is sparsely populated and largely agricultural or covered with thick primary rainforest. The presence of SAF at Temburong would act as a form of psychological deterrence to threats and the presence of SAF stimulates the local economy. Furthermore, Lakiun Camp and SAF's jungle trainings have minimal impact on majority of Brunei population, who resides in West Brunei.

In addition, the landscape of Temburong is similar to the landscape of Limbang and rural Peninsular Malaysia. Therefore, familiarity with the landscape would be an advantage for SAF and RBLF in the event of conflict and there is a need for the armed forces to counter an offensive towards Limbang or other parts of Malaysia. After all, forces that are flexible and deployable enough to move rapidly between different environments and types of operations is an strategically important for defence and deterrence (Tan, 2011).[41]

6. Hybrid Space
Jungle Adventure at Temburong
The thick primary rainforest at the interior of Temburong is the main training ground of SAF in Brunei. I visited Brunei for jungle training during my National Service. The trip lasted for 18 days (from 21 April 2006 to 8 May 2006) and comprise of a jungle orientation training, climbing Mount Biang and other minor jungle exercises [please see "Annex A" for details of my Brunei trip].[42]

SAF conducted assorted jungle trainings for officer cadets, Infantry, Commando and Ranger in the rainforest of Temburong. Collectively known as Exercise Lancer, notable jungle trainings include the Jungle Confidence Course (JCC), Support arms Officer Cadet Jungle Orientation Training (SOCJOT), Exercise Nomad and climbing Mount Biang. These exercises aim to train officer cadets for jungle navigation and survival.

Creation of a Hybrid Space at Temburong
Lakiun Camp is SAF's base to support the jungle trainings conducted at the rainforests within the vicinity. Lakiun Camp is located along Labu Highway, about 9km east of Bangar. It is strategically located at the mid-point of Labu Highway, the only East-West thoroughfare of Temburong, with trans-national access into Sarawak at both ends. It takes approximately 1h to travel from Bangar to Lakiun Camp by bus.

Lakiun Camp is located on the mid-slope of a mountain. The bunks resemble the long house of Borneo's indigenous people, but were constructed using zinc and wood. The bunks also looks like those disused camps at Pulau Tekong. Each long house can house 70 boys, while the furniture are legacy of SAF's hardware from previous generations. Although cantilevered on silt, with a veranda around its perimeter, the bunk has poor air ventilation, making it very hot and stuffy. This is weird, because architecturally, the bunk should be cool. The heat and poor ventilation might probably be due to the zinc wall, small window design and east-west orientation. The floor is constructed using wooden planks, which will vibrate whenever someone walks past.

As Lakiun Camp is a military base owned and operated by SAF, it creates a hybrid space that feels neither like Singapore or Brunei. Legally, SAF soldiers enjoys extraterritorial rights within Lakiun Camp. However, troops training in Brunei are expected to follow the rules of SAF and laws of Brunei. Interestingly, besides Lakiun Camp, SAF do not own the training grounds at Temburong. Therefore, the jungle trainings are conducted in a negotiated space.

Negotiation of Space & Impact of SAF's presence at Temburong
SAF's training were mainly conducted in the rainforests, which will not interfere with the everyday life of most locals. As SAF's soldiers are either confined within Lakiun Camp or in the jungle, there is minimal interactions with the locals, except during the Educational Tour at Bandar Seri Begawan.

As SAF do not own the training grounds at Temburong, SAF imposed strict rules for the jungle trainings conducted in the negotiated space, so as not to damage the environment or cause inconvenience to the locals. SAF's instructors will give detailed briefings and instructions to the soldiers on not to damage the environment and not to disturb or cause inconvenience to the locals. These are basic courtesy required from SAF to the host country.

For example, the primary forests are important natural and environmental assets, the army boys are instructed not to litter within the jungle. Strict measures, including item checks before and after an exercise were imposed to ensure that all garbage are accounted for and not abandoned in the forest. As the indigenous Iban population still live in the rainforest, occasionally, there were reports of SAF training troops who encountered the Iban. The soldiers are instructed to respect and not interfere with the everyday life of the Iban.

Soldiers are not allowed to take shortcuts across padi fields or plantations, to avoid killing or damaging the crops. There are accounts that farmers demanded compensation from SAF for alleged damages done by SAF troops, evitable from the unique footprints left behind by the SAF boots. While such claims are subject to further investigation, SAF would usually compensate the damages, because such incidents are rare and SAF do not want such unhappiness to affect the opportunity to train at Temburong and bilateral relationships.

In addition, as Brunei is an Islamic country, soldiers are not allowed to possess or consume pork or alcohol within Brunei. However, cigarette is easily available and unbelievably cheap in Brunei.

As the Singapore Dollar is accepted as "customary tender" at Lakiun Camp Canteen and shops in Bandar Seri Begawan, army boys do not need to exchange money for the trip. Unlike in Singapore, where many businesses and individuals prefer not to accept the Brunei Dollar, businesses in Brunei accepts the Singapore Dollar happily and we are able to pay using Singapore Dollars without rejection. Such acceptance level indicates that the Singapore Dollar is widely circulated in Brunei, and Singapore army boys probably plays a significant role in boosting the local economy. Furthermore, we noticed that many snacks, canned food and fashion are actually imported from Singapore. Therefore, these products are priced slightly higher (about 10% more) than in Singapore. In addition, food in Brunei are similar to Malay and Indian Muslim cuisines in Singapore.

Identity of a Hybrid Space (from a Singaporean's perspective)
From my experience, the physical landscape of Temburong Jungle indeed resembles SAF's training areas in Singapore. Without caption, a photo of Temburong could be mistaken as Western Water Catchment, Ama Keng, Mandai or Tekong. Perhaps, the differences are tougher terrain, higher knolls, steeper slopes, taller and denser trees.

To make feelings more complicated, Brunei shares the same time zone (GMT+8) with Singapore. However, as Singapore is in the wrong time zone , I feel that there is technically a 1h time difference.

The presence of SAF, similarity in physical landscape, acceptance of home currency at foreign land, and availability of familiar products blurs the border. Together with racial, religious and cultural diversity and familiarity, these generates an impression that as if I am still in Singapore, even though I am physically in Brunei. These hybridity constructed the impression of a hybrid space,39 making Brunei appears like an exclave of Singapore.

7. Challenges & Solutions
The excellent bilateral relations between Brunei and Singapore will continue for as long as Brunei and Singapore are small, wealthy, vulnerable, and still consider Malaysia or other forces as an exogenous threat. However, a few endogenous challenges might disrupt existing bilateral defence relationships and CIA.

Temburong Bridge
Temburong Bridge was opened to traffic on 17 March 2020.[38] The 30km highway between Bangar and Bandar Seri Begawan reduced driving time from 2h to 30min.[36] The project was built to provide Temburong with direct land connection to the airport and port, with an aim to stimulate economic growth at Temburong.[37]

Temburong is no longer an isolated exclave after the completion of Temburong Bridge. With improved connectivity and potential economic development, it might affect Brunei's decision to allocate space for SAF's military training.

Singaporeans' Perception of Brunei
Like many Singaporeans, my perception of Brunei's landscape is army, rural, forested, exotic, mysterious and tough before my Brunei trip. While some urban legends like Brunei gets dark at 5pm, unable to see our fingers at night, tough terrain, killing of quail, proves to be true, many myths were debunked after my Brunei trip.

For example, I was very surprised that streams in the jungle are extremely fresh and clear, as opposed to the rumoured muddy "milo water", and small fish and prawns can be seen swimming in the streams. The morning of Temburong is cool, where the ruralscape is covered with a blanket of morning mist, making the landscape appears mystical. The views of Temburong rainforests from a Super Puma helicopter are fascinating. The beautiful scenery is filled with lush greenery, contrasting with small houses that look like lego bricks. There is more potential for Temburong's rainforest than just military jungle training.

Potential for Themed Tourism
Brunei is only a 2h flight from Singapore, but Singaporeans seldom travel to Brunei for tourism. Most guys do not re-visit Brunei after their army experience. This is a huge contrast with Thailand and Taiwan, where SAF also has overseas training, but are popular travel destination among Singaporeans. It is even weirder if we consider that Bandar Seri Begawan shares the same flight radius as Bangkok and there is no need to exchange currency. While Brunei might not appeal to everyone, it could be an attractive destination for specific tourists – the adventurers, green travellers, military geeks and humanities scholars. Brunei may consider exploring themed tourism to target these groups.

As SAF only used the vicinity of Lakiun Camp for jungle training, there is still huge tract of primary rainforest in Temburong with opportunities for adventurous and eco-friendly tourism. Perhaps, Brunei could collaborate with Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) to setup an overseas campus at Temburong. The proposed OBS @ Temburong could target students of Pre-University level, especially those from Outdoor Adventure Club (ODAC) and uniform groups. Besides learning about jungle navigation and survival skills, OBS @ Temburong could educate the participants on leadership, geography and environmental protection.[40] Humans are paranoid of the unknown. Many boys are worried about NSF life and it is not helping that the urban legends of Brunei adds to the anxiety. Experiencing a short jungle boot camp at Temburong during Pre-University will help to reduce the anxiety and be better prepared for NSF and Exercise Lancer.

Advanced outdoor programmes could also target Singaporeans who are more adventurous, enjoys outdoor challenges or would like to reminisce memories of army days. After all, it is a fun experience sleeping in a hammock and being close to nature. However, opening up the rainforests for activities will expose the jungles to damages and pollution. Perhaps strict rules similar to SAF's should be enforced on the tourists to ensure that tourism activities will not disturb the environment and everyday life of indigenous locals.

For the less adventurous tourists, they may check into an eco-friendly resort to relax and enjoy a panoramic view of Temburong from a helicopter. Furthermore, Bandar Seri Begawan has potential to develop historical and cultural tourism. The Brunei Museum documented the history, territorial evolution and insights on the oil economy. Kampong Ayer is a floating water village built on stilt in the middle of Brunei River that could be utilized for authentic homestay.

Improved connectivity and development of themed tourisms will stimulate the economic growth of Temburong and check on illegal logging. Increased interactions will improve the impression of Brunei and further enhancing the depth of bilateral relations between Brunei and Singapore.

8. Conclusion
Brunei and Singapore established excellent bilateral relations long before it was formalized. Both countries collaborate extensively in defence, finance, trade, health, education, aquaculture and tourism; notably the Currency Interchangeability Agreement and close bilateral defence relationships.

Brunei and Singapore are small but wealthy microstates that are surrounded by a bigger neighbour that might be aiming for their territory and resources. SAF needs extensive land to conduct military training and Brunei needs Singapore to defend the country's currency, assets and economy. Besides its primary role in military defence, SAF is also punching above its weight by contributing to bilateral relations through alliance building (Tan, 2011).[41]

The annexation of Limbang teach Brunei a painful lesson that Brunei needs to defend its territory against encroachment from exogenous forces. As Temburong is an isolated exclave that is difficult to defend, the presence of SAF would act as a form of psychological deterrence to predators. Furthermore, the landscape of Temburong is similar to Malaysia, which would be an advantage for SAF and RBLF to counter an offensive during conflict.

Excellent diplomatic relations, complex bilateral cooperation, the presence of SAF, similarity in physical landscape and acceptance of home currency overseas blurs the border between Brunei and Singapore. These hybridity creates a hybrid space that feels neither Brunei nor Singapore. Nevertheless, there are good reasons for Brunei and Singapore to maintain and further strengthen the strong bilateral relations, as both countries mutually benefits from the close ties. In fact, Brunei and Singapore should explore more diverse partnerships beyond existing cooperation.

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46. Nicoll, A., & Delaney, J. (2007, December). Singapore's military modernisation: Upgrading the city-state's deterrent. Singapore's military modernisation, 13(10), 1-2.
47. Biolsi, T. (2005, May). Imagined geographies: Sovereignty, indigenous space, and American Indian struggle. American Ethnologist, 12(2), 239-259.
48. Mountz, A. (2013). Political geography I: Reconfiguring geographies of sovereignty. Progress in Human Geography, 37(6), 829-841.
49. Newman, D. (2006). The lines that continue to separate us: borders in our 'borderless' world. Progress in Human Geography, 30(2), 143-161.
50. Martin, B. (2018). From Camp Town to International City: US Military Base Expansion and Local Development in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 967-985.
51. Reyes, V. (2015, March). Legacies of Place and Power: From Military Base to Freeport Zone. City & Community, 14(1), 1-26.
52. Springer, K. (2017, September 7). Connecting Brunei ... with Brunei: Will this bridge change the sultanate forever? CNN Travel. Retrieved September 25, 2020, from https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/brunei-bridge-rainforest-eco/index.html

Annex A: Boon Ping's Memories of Brunei

[This is my Final Paper submitted for "GE5214 Landscapes of Southeast Asia" module on 5 November 2020 for AY2020/2021 Semester 1. "GE5214 Landscapes of Southeast Asia" is offered by National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences (FASS) Department of Geography & Department of Southeast Asian Studies, and is taught by Dr Hamzah bin Muzaini.]

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Facilities and training ground of Singapore Armed Forces at Brunei's Temburong District: Creation of a hybrid space to conquer the same defence objectives.   © 文彬 2004~2024. All rights reserved.

11weeks since my surgery & MUP Year 2 Semester 1 starts today

11 August 2020

hello.
it has been exactly 11weeks since my surgery & MUP Year 2 Semester 1 starts today. since many are asking, i’m thinking maybe i should do a quick update.

recovery is good; no more light-headedness, giddiness nor headache. i went for my Post-Op Psychological Assessment on 28 July. overall result is good; my cognitive capability is still above average among my age group. my learning curve improved & attention span maintained.

wound healing seems to trigger faster hair growth & my hair is thicker/blacker than usual. as the doctors shaved my head completely bald (skinhead) during the operation, my hair is at an awkward length now; too long to be cool (crew cut), too short for suave combing. since my hair is growing pretty fast & i cant go for haircut (some scabs are still intact), i’m thinking of keeping it longer to try some hippy hairstyle (maybe top knot?) or DIY a funky buzz cut. meanwhile, i’ll be wearing a hat/cap, which is also good to hide the scar.

staying at home for 4months is the best remedy for skin whitening! i was extremely tanned from site visits & afternoon runs. i’m at least 2 shades fairer (almost fade to my original skin colour) now. have not been going out, except for medical appointments & impt errands.

my family imposed a very strict diet. the silver lining: i get to eat homecook food by Mumy & i love it. my main meals are a mixture of threadfin, lean pork, chicken breast, eggs, tofu, tomato, pumpkin & greens. snacks are bread, biscuits & fruits only. i managed to lose fat & stay lean.

been doing simple exercises using my body weight: plank, push-ups & stretches. hope to resume running, dancing & weights by December.

i have not been doing much during the past 11weeks; only writing. my surgeon, physiotherapists & psychologist said writing/typing are good rehab for recovery, as it stimulates thinking & motor coordinations. been drafting new blogs, which contents are on Singapore places (an extension of my adm fyp “M.a.p.”) & Japan travel tips. hope to launch it in 2021 (10years after completion of “M.a.p.”). completed the research, just need time to finish writing & layout. will publish if there is funding. :)

also been creating iTunes playlists, watching TV (eg “SKY Castle”, taiwan variety, concerts), planning travel itenaries & springcleaning. pretty much a ‘recovery holiday’ similar to 2007 when i fractured my Left 3rd Metacarpal. staying at home doing things i like is definitely the best & most relaxing holiday ever.

while my fine visual/spatial judgement is still superior, there is slight impairment as compared to the baseline test done before surgery. however, this will not affect my daily routine or precision accuracy & it will recover with time.

i lose 11kg since June 2019. actually doctors said i can eat anything.

[P.S. Happy Birthday Papa.]

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11weeks since my surgery & MUP Year 2 Semester 1 starts today   © 文彬 2004~2024. All rights reserved.

Post-Ops Psychological Assessment on 27.7.20 (Tuesday)

27 July 2020

Post-Ops Psychological Assessment on 27.7.20 (Tuesday) with my Surgical Psychologist Dr Chan Hui Minn.

collected back the spare copy of my will, which i asked Dr Hui Minn to help me safekeep before the surgery.

overall result of the Post-Ops Psychological Assessment is good. my cognitive capability is still above average as compared to people of my age group. my learning curve in learning new things improved & attention span maintained.

while my visual spatial judgement, visual spatial speed & fine judgement skills are still super good, there is slight impairment (dropped from superior to superior) in these as compared to my pre-op Psychological Assessment (baseline test) done in May 2020; but it will not affect normal tasks & daily routine. these might only affect higher level tasks that requires accurate precision (eg to the details of millimetre or even smaller).

recently, i had a new/weird recurring nightmare that everyone (including my brother & cousins) keeps telling me that i am from Victoria School (!??) i noticed that i’m wearing VS black & yellow PE T-shirt.

most of the time, i was in a classroom of the Geylang Bahru campus. but once, i was walking around the Kallang Bahru HDB precinct outside school. shortly, my sling bag was snatched/robbed & i was stabbed in the abdomen by a knife. [wake up upon being stabbed]

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Post-Ops Psychological Assessment on 27.7.20 (Tuesday)   © 文彬 2004~2024. All rights reserved.

survival monthsary

26 June 2020

writing compliment cards is the least i can do to thank the doctors, nurses & staff of National University Hospital who saved my life & took care of me. :)

#NationalUniversityHospital #NUH @nuhig

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survival monthsary   © 文彬 2004~2024. All rights reserved.

Update on Benign Brain Tumour Operation (26 May 2020)

30 May 2020

[update] my surgery started at 9.45am on 26.5.20 & the whole sugery lasted for abt 5h (incl 2h of awake assessment segment). i gained consciousness on 26.5.20 at ard 7.30pm. i can talk, move my fingers/toes/hands/feet & swallow without difficulties. for now i have on-off tension headaches, nausea & giddiness, which doctors said are normal after a brain surgery.

my neurosurgeon, neuropsychologist, speech therapists & occupational therapists assessed that the surgery is very successful; the team successfully remove all the tumour (confirmed thru the post-op MRI scan analysis). i remembered most (if not all) of my memories & retained all cognitive functions. biopsy result indicated that the removed tumour is Grade 3; however as the surgery successfully removed all the tumour cells, neurosurgeon opined there is no need for further treatment (i.e. no need for radio or chemo therapy, but i’ll still require constant follow-up monitoring & i should have an additional life expectancy of 7years to chase any unfinished dreams.

everyone shld know i have always been pretty atheist & never religious. but i think i experienced a miracle during the 2nd deep sedation stage (3rd part of the surgery, immediately after the awake assessment, when doctors are covering/sewing back my skull) i dreamt of a young, slim, bearded, Jesus wearing white rode, holding a staff, with lights behind him. Jesus introduced himself in chinese, telling me to wake up if i want to go home. “我是耶稣, 不要怕. 如果你要回家, 要见白熊 (my teddy bear since toddler), 你就一定要醒起来, 你需要动动你的手指脚趾...” {“i’m jesus, dun b afraid. if u want to go home, want to see white teddy (my teddy bear since toddler), u must wake up, u must move your fingers & toes....”} i woke up almost immediately, in tears. its a joy that i realized i can easily moved my fingers & wiggle my toes. & i’m discharged today (30.5.20). Thank you Jesus. i guess, sometimes, we do need faith & miracle to overcome a difficult hurdle. i’m praying hard for full recovery & for life to be back to normal asap.

[note: thank god i shaved my chest & stomach before admission... i should have shave my feet & legs too! the removal of foot dorsal IV drips plasters, tapes, ECG pads are just as painful as waxing... 😱😭 other accidentally waxed areas incl eyebrows & scalp.]

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Update on Benign Brain Tumour Operation (26 May 2020)   © 文彬 2004~2024. All rights reserved.

Benign Brain Tumour Operation (26 May 2020)

26 May 2020

i am never good in speaking; i’m much better in expressing my feelings & thoughts through writing.

26.5.20: I am on my way to NUH for a 10h surgery to remove the benign brain tumour. based on the outpatient reviews, baseline memory assessment & MRI scans, success rate of the operation remains at 95%; the tumour & surgery is unlikely to cause any permanent damage or affect my memory, knowledge & skills.

while i have full confidence with my medical team, i still have my worries about post-op recovery & many what-if. afterall, it is a major surgery on a complex vital organ. therefore, while aiming for the most optimistic outcome & keeping my fighting spirit high, i also need to be mentally prepared for the worst case scenarios.

after submitted my final essay for Y1S2 on 29.4.20, i have been spending the past few weeks (which at the worst scenario, might just be the last few days of my life) flipping through photo albums & jotting down brief month-by-month biography. there are happy moments, beautiful memories + fair share of sadness & angst. i get to talk & laugh with my family on these memories. i’m doing this for practicality, in case i might forget part of my memories (while unlikely, am doing it just in case). it is also an opportunity for me to reflect on my life: i reviewed what i have dreamt of, what i have done, what i have achieved, which are my pride, what i am aiming for, what i have not completed + thinking/re-thinking what i want to do in the future... tbh this is a very weird & surreal exercise.

以前, 我会觉得我最大的敌人是我自己. 但当我慢慢长大, 我开始发现我最大的敌人是时间; 因为人类可以超越自己, 但始终无法超越时间. this is especially true, when time is running out. many of my happiest moments are those i spent with my family & loved ones. i wish to have more time to construct more memories with them. i cherished the people & things around me even more & i finally learnt to let go of those that i lose.

i am very thankful to be Mumy’s son & have an extremely supportive brother; no words can express how much i love them. they just recovered from the loss of Papa & now they have to take care of me. they are my greatest motivation to stay alive.

i am also fortunate to have relatives who have been very supportive. i’m really thankful to Jonas, Olsen, Sandy, CheeKia, EnRu, Ryan, TianAn, XiangLing, XiuHua, LiLing, Ivan, Ann, BMT buddies, Raymond, Janessa, Chelsea, Jesvin, Eugene, DT, Beancurd Tofus, Yuting, Ken, Jane, ChinYee, JiaEn, YY, Lydia, fz, Serene, Shaye etc for your advices, support & encouragement. + MUP groupmates Cheryl, Chang, Anusha, Archana, Fathima, Ishwari & Sherie who supported me thru the remainder of Y1S2.

i feel like i’m gg to a war & an INTJ 不会打没把握的战 (i think i have been rather calm since learning about my condition). but if this happen to be my last post (which i hope not), thank you for being my friend & walked with me during part of my 34+ years long journey. 「その全て忘れない...」

[note: stop asking me if i’m ok. perhaps u might wish to PM me on how we met & the memories we shared. or u may test my knowledge on Maps, J-pop, K-pop or Japan. i think i’ll enjoy reading & replying these during recovery.]

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Benign Brain Tumour Operation (26 May 2020)   © 文彬 2004~2024. All rights reserved.

Seike Kiyoshi’s “My House”: Integration of interior and exterior to create practical space in a small house

11 April 2020

Title
Seike Kiyoshi’s “My House”: Integration of interior and exterior to create practical space in a small house.

Abstract
“My House” (私の家) is the personal residence of renowned and highly-decorated architect Seike Kiyoshi (清家 清) (13 December 1918 – 8 April 2005) that was designed and built by himself.[1] Completed in October 1954, “My House” is a 10m by 5m house constructed on the 182m² site of Seike’s parents’ house at 3–519 Higashiyukigaya, Ota Ward, Tokyo Metropolis.[3, 4, 6, 7]


[Location of “My House”.]

Despite its small building footprint of 50m²,[1, 4, 7] “My House” is Japan’s first modern 1-room house that is known for its functionality, openness, spaciousness and innovation.[29] “My House” also reflects Seike’s beliefs in gender equality; demonstrated elements of “Japan-ness” and “inversion”; and customized to fit the liberal lifestyle of his young family.[1]

This paper examines how Seike was inspired by elements of traditional Japanese house and used modern materials and construction methods to create a small but functional house that successfully integrates the exterior and interior into a continuous and spacious entity.


[“My House” successfully integrates the exterior and interior into a continuous and spacious entity.[1]]

Background: About the Architect / Owner
Seike graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts and Tokyo Institute of Technology.[16] Seike was an apprentice of modernist architect Yoshiro Taniguchi.[15] Seike founded the Seike Research Institute within Tokyo Institute of Technology and he was a Professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology,[29] Tokyo University of the Arts and Tama Art University.[16] Seike is a recipient of the “Order of the Sacred Treasure” (1989), “Medal with Purple Ribbon” (1983), “Order of Culture” (1955), “Architectural Institute of Japan Grand Prize” (1991), “Architectural Institute of Japan Prize” (1954).[16] Some of his notable works include “House of Mori Oto” (1951), “House of Prof Sato” (1952), “My House” (1954), “Kyushu Institute of Technology Memorial Hall” (1960), “Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise” (1993), “Sapporo School of the Arts” (1995).[16] His apprentices include Shinohara Kazuo,[15] Hayashi Shouji, Hayashi Masako and Banjoya Gyoji.[16]

Seike believes in “Nothing can be something” and “Less is More”.[2] He believes that designing a house is similar to sculpting, which unnecessary elements are removed through the process.[2]

Furthermore, Seike opines that Japan is not a conducive place to live due to frequent seismic activities and extreme climate like heavy snowfall at Hokkaido, Tohoku and Hokuriku regions in winter, rainy spring, hot and humid summer and strong typhoons in autumn.[2, 9] Therefore, he thinks that Japanese houses must have strong structural supports and needs to be constructed using a variety of special techniques and methods to withstand such difficult climate and natural disasters.[2]

Background: Historical Context
“My House” was completed shortly after the Allied Occupation of Japan, which ended in 1952. This was the transitional time when Japanese pursued everyday life amid huge social, economic and environmental changes.

The occupation revolutionized the social and family values in Japan. Traditionally, construction of Japanese houses was centred around the extended family system, which was dissolved during the occupation.[2] Japanese started to aspire the standard American couple and nuclear family as role model for their everyday life.[5] Japanese also began to view the married couple as a mutually united and equal entity.[1, 5] Rapid urbanization and the break-up of the extended family resulted in mass country-to-city migration.[2, 9] In addition, women started to have rights to vote in 1945 and laws promoting gender equality were enacted in 1947.[5]

The Japan Economic Miracle characterized by rapid economic growth was in full bloom in the 1950s. This leads to an increase of per Capita Gross Domestic Product by an average of 7.1% per annum from 1945 to 1956 and growth of the Middle-Class.[2, 17] World War II contributed to a shortage of materials, which affected construction projects in the post-war period.[14, 18] This period is also plagued by severe pollution, notably the 1956 Minamata Disease, which was caused by methylmercury in industrial wastewater.[19, 20] Inflation, lack of construction materials and mass urban migration leads to severe housing shortage and expensive land prices in the cities.[1]

Despite extensive macro-level changes and foreign influences on everyday life, Seike feels that the design of Japanese houses remained very conservative and only began to change after 1947.[2] Seike believes that the modern Japanese house must suit the purpose for which it was built and cater to the different lifestyle, habits, tastes, needs and wants of its residents.[2]

Background: About “My House”
Seike originally designed and built “My House” for his parents, but they declined to move in.[1] Therefore, 36-years-old Seike moved into “My House” with his wife, 7-years-old eldest daughter Yuri and 6-months-old son Atsushi.[7]

“My House” is an unexpectedly small and modest house for a famous architect.[4] Nevertheless, “My House” was huge during the time of construction, when the average house has a building footprint area of only 15m².[7] “My House” was built to the maximum allowable building area of 50m² for it to be eligible for the Japan Housing Finance Agency loan, as enacted by the 1947 Temporary Ordinance.[1] In addition to the ground floor area of 50m², “My House” includes a 20m² basement.[4, 7] The basement was designed as a study, but was subsequently converted into a children play area.[5]

As his family grew, Seike expanded “My House” by adding “My House II” (続・私の家) in 1970 and “Son’s House” (倅の家) in 1989.[1] “My House” was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property on 27 October 2017.[3] “My House” is currently owned by Yuri.[7]

Converting the Exterior into Interior: Tall Boundary Wall
“My House” is located in a tranquil residential neighbourhood within the heart of downtown Tokyo. The land lot is enclosed by a tall boundary wall of approximately 3m high.


[Tall boundary wall enclosing “My House”.[4]]

Besides being a physical marker demarcating the legal boundary of land ownership, the tall wall also effectively divide the space into public and private domain.[5] The tall wall converts the enclosed outdoor into an ‘internal space’,[1] producing a huge garden that forms an integral part of the house.[9]

The tall wall completely blocks the view of the house and garden from the street.[5, 6] The tall wall provides privacy and allows the family to be ‘open’ within their compound.[5] Ferns and creeper plants growing on the wall reduced the claustrophobic feeling within the compound.[5, 6]

Furthermore, the tall wall protects the house from unexpected changes in the neighbourhood by focusing on the inside.[9]

Integration of Exterior and Interior: Huge Garden
After entering the gate, guests need to walk through a huge garden before reaching the house.[5]

The 132m² garden is disproportionately huge for a small house. The huge garden creates a sense of spaciousness and openness for a small house.[5, 7] Besides being aesthetically beautiful, the huge garden ensures sufficient sunlight, wind and air circulation could reach the interior.[9]

Integration of Exterior and Interior: Absence of Genkan
Another characteristics of “My House” is the absence of a ‘Genkan’ (玄関 / entryway).[1, 4, 7] The genkan is where shoes are removed and stored in a traditional Japanese house.[7] The genkan act as the official front door of the house and is a symbol of the family’s social status.[1] The genkan is where the family receive postage and deliveries, interact with salespersons and host unfamiliar guests.

The absence of a genkan gives an impression of a missing official front door and guest enter directly into the room.[4, 5] This caused ambiguity on whether guest needs to remove shoes before entering “My House” and a blur distinction between the exterior and interior.[5] Nevertheless, guests are required to remove their shoes before entering “My House”.[5]

Since the house and the garden are on the same platform level, the absence of a genkan creates a wide entrance and produces a wide view of the huge garden.[5, 7]

“Nouveau Japan-ness”: Use of Modern Materials
Seike’s previous architectural works before “My House” were all minimal wooded houses constructed with influences of traditional Japanese house and lifestyle.[5, 14, 15] However, the structure, wall and ceiling of “My House” were constructed using Reinforced Concrete (RC).[3, 4, 5, 7] The use of RC and modern construction techniques enable “My House” to withstand fire, earthquake and tough climate,[7] which Seike believed are essential to overcome Japan’s geographical disadvantages.[2]

Seike’s decision to use RC is due to shortage of traditional construction material,[1] progress in the development of chemical building materials and light alloys, resulting in cheaper construction cost.[2] The switch to mechanized construction is also because good workmanship and craftsmen are gradually disappearing.[2]

Nevertheless, Seike still managed to juxtapose tradition and modernity. Although constructed using RC, its incredibility thin frame of approximately 70mm generated a Japan-ness of lightness and an impression of being constructed using wood.[5, 29] The thin structural frame and wall is also due to Seike’s desire to reduce unnecessary wastage of space, which is precious in a small house.[7, 14]

Boundary between Exterior and Interior: Stone Flooring
Seike used teppei-seki (鉄平石 / andesite) as flooring for the garden and the interior.[5, 6, 7] This is a huge departure from traditional Japanese houses that used wood or tatami as flooring for the interior. Traditional garden is either earth-floored, turfed, or covered with gravel, which gravel was the same material used to pave urban street then.[5]

Andesite is a type of fine-grained igneous rock that is light or dark grey in colour.[21, 27] Andesite is composed of multiple layers of lava produced by stratovolcanoes that cooled and crystalized quickly.[21, 22, 28] Its geological characteristics makes it easy to split into board-like pieces.[22] Andesite is commonly used as ornamental rock in traditional Japanese garden.[22] However, andesite was seldom used in Japanese architecture. Andesite was only used as roofing material for teppei-seki-yane minka in Suwa (Nagano Prefecture) since 1811, as there are abundant andesite at Suwa.[22, 23, 27, 28]

Seike might had chosen andesite for its thickness, durability (against pressure, fire and weather), flexibility (can be used for flooring, roofing and ornament), ease of cutting and texture.[25, 26, 27, 28] Furthermore, andesite was used to pave the Omotesando (sacred boulevard) leading to Meiji-jingu in 1920.[28] Cobblestones made from andesite were commonly used to pave urban street overseas. Therefore, Seike might had anticipated that the gravel-paved urban street might be re-paved with andesite; hence he might chose to pave the garden with andesite to match the street.

Interestingly, there is remarkable differences in the size, layout, grain, filling and surface treatment of the andesite laid in the interior and exterior.[5] For example, the andesite laid inside the house are smooth and shiny black with minimal spacing filled with cement; while those laid in the garden are rough and sandy with wide spacing filled with soil.[5] This creates a subtle boundary between the continuous exterior and interior spaces.


[Differences in size, layout, grain, filling and surface treatment of andesite laid in the interior (left) and exterior (right).[5, 7]]

The rough andesite outdoor might be inspired from the kutsunugi-ishi (shoe-removing stone), a stone placed to assist guests to remove shoes and step up from the earthen courtyard into the raised interior.[8] The kutsunugi-ishi served as a symbolic reminder of the indoor-outdoor boundary.[8]

Seike originally adopted an American lifestyle of wearing shoes into the interior.[1, 5, 6] Seike opined that wearing shoes into the interior would unite the exterior and interior spaces.[24] Wearing of shoes is also convenient when switching between the spaces. This justified the absence of a genkan, the use of stone as flooring material for the interior and sleeping on bed instead of futon.[6]

However after 1957, Seike revert to remove shoes at the wide entrance because the seamless connection between the interior and exterior have encouraged his children to be constantly barefoot.[5] Furthermore, andesite feels cool during summer,[5] but warm in winter.[6] Seike’s children love the temperature of the stone flooring and enjoyed lying on the cool Andesite during summer.[5] His family also feel more relaxed being barefoot in the house.[5]

Boundary between Exterior and Interior: Glass Sliding Door
The use of glass is a modern technology that started in the Meiji era. A glass sliding door is a modern interpretation of the ‘Shoji’ (障子 / screen), which was used to define spaces.[1, 9] Thus, the glass sliding door demarcated the boundary of the garden (exterior) and the house (interior).[5]

Interestingly, the original sliding door that was installed in 1954 is still movable and remains in use till today.[5] This might be due to Seike’s insistence on good workmanship and shortage of construction material in the 1950s;[2] as if things were made to last, it eliminated the need for replacement, which requires material and produced unnecessary wastage.

Functionality and Flexibility: 1-room house
“My House” is a flexible 1-room house that is not partitioned accordingly to functions.[4, 5] The interior is continuous, without any doors or division into living, dining, bed, study or play rooms.[1, 4, 5, 6, 7] However, the space can still be divided using curtains hanging from steel truss or enormous furniture and fittings, like the full-height built-in bookshelf that spanned the entire length of the ‘living room’.[1, 4, 6, 29] This flexible layout is the most practical solution for a small house.[5] Although labelled as an 1-room house, separate spaces were still created for functions that are deemed ‘unclean’ – the kitchen and toilet.

While this concept is unprecedented in contemporary modern houses, such convertible style of living is a traditional Japanese concept that has been adopted since the Heian era.[7] This concept reduced unnecessary wastage of space by eliminating walls and separators.[7] Space can be easily enlarged or reduced accordingly by shifting the divider.[5] The flexibility maximized space efficiency for each function at any time, as spaces are no longer ‘reserved’ for functions that are not performed throughout the day.[7] The functions and furniture are change according to time, seasons and needs.[7] This physical transformation reflects the passing of time,[1, 7] amplifying the concepts of wabi-sabi.[1]


[Curtains and furniture are used to partition the interior of “My House”.[1]]

Integration of Exterior and Interior
As the house is small, there might not be enough space indoor for the family.[5] The wide entrance allows the room to extend organically into the garden.[1, 4, 5, 6, 7] The lines created from the asymmetrical temporal partition indoor are extended to the garden,[1] which is visualized through the distinction between the andesite-paved, turfed and planted areas. This connection is enhanced by the use of same flooring material indoor and outdoor. Together, these highlighted the spatial integration, flow and relationship between the interior and exterior.[1]

When the glass sliding door is open, the huge garden function as a seamless extension of the room. The indoor-outdoor permeability creates a spacious and continuous space where the family may use the garden for activities that are typically done in the living and dining room during warmer days.[1, 5, 7]


[When the glass sliding door is open, the interior is seamlessly connected with the garden.[7]]

The seamless connection is similar to the nijiriguchi entrance of a traditional teahouse.[8] This covered earthen terrace serve as a bridging space to extend the teahouse into the garden and prepare guests to enter directly into the tatami interior.[8] The garden resembles the doma (土間),[6] the enclosed earthen-floored buffer after the entrance of a minka (民家 / traditional house of farmers).[1] The doma is a multi-purpose space where shoes were removed and cooking, work or messy chores were carried out.[1, 10] The difference is, while the doma is an important and integral part of the minka, it is considered an unclean space and never used for gathering and dining.[1]

Traditionally, tatami is only used as flooring for the raised interior and requires delicate care to prevent damages. Seike created a movable raised tatami on rollers that can be shifted easily between the interior and the garden.[1, 5] The movable raised tatami could be used as a cot for baby,[1] play area for children, reading, relaxing and sleeping.[5, 7] The movable raised tatami is a fusion of Japanese tradition of floor-sitting and Western modern chair-sitting lifestyles.[1]

The green wall, huge garden and seamless connection with nature creates an abstract nature and a concept of unity between the exterior and interior of the house.[5, 29] The integration of the garden (exterior) and the house (interior) arises from a desire to live with nature and the spiritual connection between nature and man.[1, 9]

However, architecture will always separate the interior and exterior.[1] Furthermore, Seike’s interior-exterior integration contrast vastly with traditional Japanese architecture, where abrupt transition between the indoor and outdoor were avoided, with spaces such as the genkan, doma and engawa designed to bridge the gap.[9] This is similar to western houses, which defined the interior and exterior clearly.[1] As mentioned, Seike believes that a house should exclude unnecessary elements.[2] This is especially essential when he is restricted by limited building area and shortage of construction materials. Seike viewed the genkan and other transitional space as unnecessary, hence were omitted for “My House”.[7]

Openness
Seike’s family is centred around unity, gender equality and democracy.[7] Nothing in the house imposes hierarchical relationship among family members.[1]

The 1-room layout and openness of “My House” is a manifestation of the close and comfortable relationship within Seike’s family. There is effectively no space for anyone to be alone.[5] In fact, for the 1-room house to work, it requires mutual trust and respect between family members and non-interference parenting.[5]

The openness is also practical for Seike and his wife to supervise and look after their children. Furthermore, children who sleep with parents developed a sense of physical and psychological protection.[5] It fostered intimacy between the parents and the children.[5]

Seike opines that Japanese women should no longer be confined to the kitchen.[2] Hence, the kitchen was designed to be very small and fitted with modern appliances.[6] This small kitchen is a symbol of unity and equality between husband and wife.[1, 5]

“My House” is famous for its “toilet without doors”,[1, 4, 6, 7] which further enhanced the concept of gender equality and unity within the family. The toilet excluded bath or shower and the family have to use the bathroom at Seike’s parents’ house. [1] Instead, a bidet, one of the most advanced fittings in the 1950s, was installed.[5]

Influences
Seike successfully piloted the most advanced and innovative ideas, materials, structural design, construction methods and customization at his own house.[5] “My House” is a starting point for Seike to experiment on joinery and prefabrication,[5] which flourished in 1970s.[1]

Although small, “My House” was spacious and customized to suit the lifestyle of Seike’s family. Despite its modernity, Seike is able to inject “Japan-ness” and abstract nature into the small urban house. Notably, Seike successfully integrated the interior and exterior through a mixture of materials, metaphors and methodologies. The interior-exterior integration and elimination of unnecessary elements produced a huge continuous space that the family could use freely for multiple purposes.[1]

Many concepts applied in “My House” would inspired other architects and nuclear families in designing future 1-room houses and apartment flats.[1, 5, 6]

References
1. Shinkenchiku-sha (Ed.). (2017). The Japanese House: Architecture and Life after 1945. Tokyo: Shinkenchiku-sha.

2. Seike, K., & Terry, C. S. (1964). Contemporary Japanese Houses. Tokyo: Kodansha International.

3. 登録有形文化財 (建造物) : 私の家 (清家清自邸). (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2020, from https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011885

4. h9w457y8i (2018, February 20). 私の家 (清家清自邸). Retrieved February 10, 2020, from 近代文化遺産見学案内所 : https://bunkaisan.exblog.jp/28149669

5. Mirutake (2005). An Interpretation on ‘My House’ by Seike Kiyoshi. Retrieved February 7, 2020, from Observing the Architecture: http://takekonbu.fc2web.com/2005/36seike/seike2-e.htm

6. Shimizu, R. (2018, June 19). 清家邸に見る住まいの原点. Modern Living. Retrieved February 14, 2020, from http://modernliving.jp/shimizu/shimizu_20180619

7. Tanazashi (2017, August 27). 日曜美術館「小さな家たちの冒険」私の家・清家清 Retrieved February 8, 2020, from チャンスはピンチだ。: https://blog.kenfru.xyz/entry/2017/08/27/日曜美術館「小さな家たちの冒険」私の家・清家清

8. Nakagawa, T. (2005). The Japanese House: In Space, Memory, and Language. Tokyo: International House of Japan.

9. Pollock, N. (2005). Modern Japanese House. London: Phaidon Press Limited.

10. Young, D., & Young, M. (2004). Introduction to Japanese Architecture. Hong Kong: Periplus Asian Architecture.

11. 文化遺産オンライン: 私の家 (清家清自邸) (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2020, from https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/256755/1

12. @t8mono (n.d.). たてものきろく: 私の家 (清家清自邸). Retrieved February 10, 2020, from https://t8mono.net/bunkazai/11885

13. Housekeeper (2019, October 23). 住み継がれる日本の名作住宅26。その物語をひもとく。. Casa Brutus, Retrieved February 14, 2020, from https://casabrutus.com/architecture/119896/2

14. Fuji, M. (2018, July). The House of Prof. K Saito designed by Kiyoshi Seike. Retrieved February 7, 2020, from Zero Abundance: https://www.interactiongreen.com/the-house-of-prof-k-saito-designed-by-kiyoshi-seike

15. Stewart, D. B. (2015, December). Recognition and Delineation. Werk, Retrieved February 7, 2020, from https://www.wbw.ch/en/magazine/reports/original-texts/2015-12-recognition-and-delineation.html

16. 清家清 (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved February 10, 2020, from https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/清家清

17. Okazaki, T. (2015, February 9). Lessons from the Japanese Miracle: Building the Foundations for a New Growth Paradigm. nippon.com, Retrieved from https://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/a04003/lessons-from-the-japanese-miracle-building-the-foundations-for-a-new-growth-paradigm.html

18. Pernice, R. (2006, November). The Transformation of Tokyo During the 1950s and Early 1960s Projects Between City Planning and Urban Utopia. JAABE, 5(2), 253 - 260. Retrieved from https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jaabe/5/2/5_2_253/_pdf

19. Minamata Disease. (n.d.). Boston University Sustainability, Retrieved from https://www.bu.edu/sustainability/minamata-disease

20. Harada, M. (1995). Minamata disease: methylmercury poisoning in Japan caused by environmental pollution. Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 25(1), Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/10408449509089885

21. King, H. (n.d.). Andesite. In Geology.com. Retrieved April 8, 2020, from https://geology.com/rocks/andesite.shtml

22. Locher, M. (2012). Traditional Japanese Architecture: An Exploration of Elements and Forms. Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing.

23. Itoh, F. (1987, June). 諏訪地方における地域文化の地理学的考察. 新地理, 35(1), 29-40. Retrieved from https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/newgeo1952/35/1/35_1_29/_pdf/-char/ja

24. Seike, K. (1957, March). 私の家/清家清. 新建築, 32(3).

25. 建築 (II) (4th ed.). (2010). Tokyo: 雇用・能力開発機構.

26. OSAKA SEKIZAI. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2020, from https://www.osaka-sekizai.co.jp/architecture/sekisyu/slate

27. 平塚市博物館 (n.d.). 平塚の街でみられる地球の歴史. Retrieved April 11, 2020, from平塚市博物館公式ページ: https://hirahaku.jp/web_yomimono/geomado/sekiz13.html

28. 藤森鉄平石. (n.d.). 鉄平石とは? . Retrieved April 11, 2020, from: http://www.teppei.jp/about/index.htm

29. Kouda, K. (2018, March 25). 戦後最初期モダン住宅の魅力 清家清自邸 . Retrieved April 11, 2020, from RCZ住宅: https://rczhome.info/2018/03/25/戦後最初期モダン住宅の魅力-清家清自邸

[This is my Final Paper submitted for "AR5957G Japanese Houses: Discourses and Works" module on 11 April 2020 for AY2019/2020 Semester 2. "AR5957G Japanese Houses: Discourses and Works" is offered by National University of Singapore (NUS) Department of Architecture (DoA) and is taught by Prof Tsuto Sakamoto.]

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Seike Kiyoshi’s “My House”: Integration of interior and exterior to create practical space in a small house   © 文彬 2004~2024. All rights reserved.