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It’s almost the end of January. So fast the first month of year 2011 is coming to an end very soon. This is the month that I enjoy my holiday to the fullest. Sleep, eat, online everyday…it’s nice if my life keeps on like this without the need to study or work, but the life would be kinda meaningless then..haha…just joking, every man have to study and work!

Recently, as I am very free, I bought a lot of DVD of films to watch, like Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Up, The Last Resort, The Legend of the Guardian, Unstoppable, The King’s Speech, The Social Network, The Green Hornet, Vacancy, Vacancy 2, etc…many more, until I forgot a few more. Some are nice, but some are just too boring…oh, I spent quite a lot on all these DVDs… In addition on my time online, mainly facebook-ing, I spent a lot of the time facing my laptop, and it becomes very essential to my life.

Recently, I am quite addicted to a game from Facebook by Zynga, called as Cityville, where you as player build and manage a town of your own, developing it to become a giant city of residential, commercial and community buildings. It is a fun game to play, but after a month or two, I would definitely abandon this game just like how I did to the previous games I have played before like Restaurant City, My Empire, etc. However, Facebook is still my most favourite website of all time…thanks to Mark Zuckerberg for creating such an awesome site…anyway, there is nothing much interest to grab my attention from Facebook lately…

Recently, as my most anticipated trip is just around the corner, I do start my preparation for the trip, like checking the weather forecast of Italy on next week. It is not as cold as South Korea which I have been to last year. Anyway, it’s still a cold place, and of course have to bring a lot of winter clothing too. The range is by the way from -2 to 12 degree celsius in average. Here in Malaysia, it’s around 30 degree celsius now….that’s a big difference too! Have to start packing soon…

Four more days to the trip!

Movie review: The Green Hornet (2011)

Ahha…this is the first movie released in 2011 that I have watched, The Green Hornet, starred by Seth Roggen and the unusual Taiwan superstar, Jay Chou. This is the first time we are seeing Jay Chou in an English movie, so I’m kinda anticipating for that too. This is a good start for many films yet to be released throughout the year. This is a good film. It will never get you boring throughout the whole movie with a lot of intense action-packed scenes. For me, the pace and the development of the story progress very well in this less than a two hours movie.

The casts are great, except that Jay Chou is a bit wooden in the movie, but I can accept it, as his character is to be something like this, a cool guy whom invented a lot of cool stuff to aid the Green Hornet in his mission to fight crime. However, for the story, I still feels that Kato (the character played by Jay Chou) had more contribution to the story than Britt, the Green Hornet. He is the one get rid of all the bad guys with his skill in martial arts as well as on his invented cars and armors, while the Green Hornet seems to be the sidekick of him only. Furthermore, Kato is the one suggesting the name of ‘The Green Hornet’. Everything is from him. Well, then the movie title should be changed to ‘The Cool Kato’.So I think the movie seems to be get out of track, as all the stuff is by Kato, while Britt is accompanied with his newspaper company only with nothing to contribute on missions of The Green Hornet.

By the way, it’s a good movie, a lot of action-packed scenes like I have mentioned early, eventhough there are some scenes which show a bit over of cruelty, like guys crushed by falling car, eyes crushed by chair’s legs, etc. Action-based scenes do not really need those actually. The visual effects are great. There are some comedic stuff between the two main casts, alongside with Cameron Diaz, whom acted as the permanent secretary of Britt. I believed Jay Chou tried his best, a bit hard this time due to him lacking in English language. It is definitely fun, entertaining, worth-watching film. Out of 10 points, I rate this one 7.7.

You see! Even the movie poster itself is focusing on Kato (Jay Chou) whom is only the nameless partner of The Green Hornet, portrayed by Birtt (Seth Rogen).

A week to go…Italy 2011 trip!

It’s exactly a week to go before the most anticipating trip of the year, oversea trip to Italy, first time flying to the West. It’s also exactly a week to go before Chinese New Year Eve. Lanterns are hung up along some streets, some houses were decorated, supermarkets crowded with people buying new year goods.

I should start planning on what to bring for this longest trip I ever had…nine days seven nights…gonna need a lot of stuff; shirts, pants, jackets, stockings, travel kit, battery charger for phone and camera, and of course, passport! Just heard from my dad that Italy is among the countries with highest number of snatch thieves. Gonna be careful during the trip…of course, not wishing for anything lost throughout the trip…

So, I’m browsing internet, finding more information regarding Italy. I even checked on Google Earth to see how it looks from the air at the cities in Italy that I am going to visit. Here it is:

Rome

Can you spot Colosseum at the bottom right of the picture?

Vatican City, Rome

Can you spot St.Peter’s Basilica in the middle of the picture?

Florence

Can you spot Florence Cathedral at the middle top of this picture?

Milan

This time, can you spot Milan Cathedral in the middle of the picture?

Venice

And this is the island of Venice, already beautiful even from the sky above!

Pisa

Can you spot Leaning Tower of Pisa at the middle top of this picture? A bit hard…

From what you can see from the Google Earth pictures above, the arrangement of buildings are compact and quite dense. The roads seems to be the clear networks connecting all the structures and streets. Very standardized urban planning over Italy no matter in which cities you are in…unlike Kuala Lumpur, messed-up planning…haiz!

Hmm…by this time, 9.30pm next week, I would be already having my feet on the land of Rome, the capital of Italy. By the way, gonna check the time zone there which is way different from here in Malaysia.

83rd Academy Awards (Oscar) 2011 Nomination List

The nomination list has been recently released for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, or commonly known as the Oscars, the most prestigious film-based awards in United States. This covers the selected movies released in the year 2010.

 

Best Picture

“Black Swan,” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
“The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
“Inception,” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
“The Kids Are All Right,” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
“The King’s Speech,” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
“127 Hours,” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
“The Social Network,” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán, Producers
“Toy Story 3″ Darla K. Anderson, Producer
“True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
“Winter’s Bone” Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

My favourite: The Social Network

My prediction: The King’s Speech

Actor in a Leading Role

Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”
Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”
Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”
Colin Firth in “The King’s Speech”
James Franco in “127 Hours”

My favourite: Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network

My prediction: Colin Firth in The King’s Speech

Actor in a Supporting Role

Christian Bale in “The Fighter”
John Hawkes in “Winter’s Bone”
Jeremy Renner in “The Town”
Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
Geoffrey Rush in “The King’s Speech”

My favourite: Geoffrey Rush in The King’s Speech

My prediction: Christian Bale in The Fighter

Comment: I did not watch the performance of others except Geoffrey Rush. He did good too in The King’s Speech but just not outstanding. The winner will be probably one of the others.

Actress in a Leading Role

Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”
Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”
Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter’s Bone”
Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

My favourite: Natalie Portman in Black Swan

My prediction: Natalie Portman in Black Swan

Comment: I did not watch the performance of all the actresses mentioned here. However, I am looking good on Natalie Portman which received critical acclaim on the movie Black Swan.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams in “The Fighter”
Helena Bonham Carter in “The King’s Speech”
Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”
Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”

My favourite: Helena Bonham Carter in The King’s Speech

My prediction: Melissa Leo in The Fighter

Comment: Helena is the only supporting actress I knew for the year. She did a good job in acting as Queen Elizabeth, but again, not outstanding enough. The winner will be probably one of the others.

Animated Feature Film

“How to Train Your Dragon” Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
“The Illusionist” Sylvain Chomet
“Toy Story 3″ Lee Unkrich

My favourite: Toy Story 3

My prediction: Toy Story 3

Comment: This one definitely goes to Toy Story 3, one of the epic movies of 2010. This movie is so touching and impressive.

Art Direction

“Alice in Wonderland”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1″
“Inception”
“The King’s Speech”
“True Grit”

My favourite: Inception

My prediction: Alice in Wonderland

Comment: Talking about art, it’s very hard to decide. I’m not in art profession, but still I have to pick Alice in Wonderland, because what I think of the movie should be mainly of creative art.

Cinematography

“Black Swan,” Matthew Libatique
“Inception,” Wally Pfister
“The King’s Speech,” Danny Cohen
“The Social Network,” Jeff Cronenweth
“True Grit,” Roger Deakins

My favourite: The Social Network

My prediction: The King’s Speech

Comment: Hmm..the way of developing a movie, I would pick The Social Network with the frameworks on two lawsuits with essential side stories coming in in a very good pace, that makes up a perfect story.

Costume Design

“Alice in Wonderland,” Colleen Atwood
“I Am Love,” Antonella Cannarozzi
“The King’s Speech,” Jenny Beavan
“The Tempest,” Sandy Powell
“True Grit” Mary Zophres

My favourite: The King’s Speech

My prediction: The King’s Speech

Comment: I like the grandeur and formality of the costumes wear by the casts of The King’s Speech.

Directing

“Black Swan,” Darren Aronofsky
“The Fighter,” David O. Russell
“The King’s Speech,” Tom Hooper
“The Social Network,” David Fincher
“True Grit,” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

My favourite: David Fincher for The Social Network

My prediction: David Fincher for The Social Network

Comment: David Fincher is certainly a good director for his movie, The Social Network. Well done for directing such an impressive work!

Film Editing

“Black Swan”
“The Fighter”
“The King’s Speech”
“127 Hours”
“The Social Network”

My favourite: Black Swan

My prediction: Black Swan

Comment: There must have been a lot of impressive editing works on Black Swan, eventhough I didn’t watch it.

Music (Original Score)

“How to Train Your Dragon,” John Powell
“Inception,” Hans Zimmer
“The King’s Speech,” Alexandre Desplat
“127 Hours,” A.R. Rahman
“The Social Network,” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

My favourite: The Social Network

My prediction: The Social Network

Comment: This original soundtrack from The Social Network really touches my heart. It just brings you deep into the music.

Music (Original Song)

“Coming Home” from “Country Strong,” Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
“I See the Light” from “Tangled,” Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
“If I Rise” from “127 Hours,” Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
“We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3,” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

My favourite: I See The Light from Tangled

My prediction: I See The Light from Tangled

Comment: I like the song from Tangled. It is just amazing, one of the best songs of Disney production.

Sound Editing

“Inception,” Richard King
“Toy Story 3,” Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
“Tron: Legacy,” Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
“True Grit,” Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
“Unstoppable,” Mark P. Stoeckinger

My favourite: Inception

My prediction: Inception

Comment: For sound category, I would definitely pick Inception. Sound plays important role to bring audiences deep into their dreams of the movie, and they made it.

Sound Mixing

“Inception,” Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
“The King’s Speech,” Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
“Salt,” Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin
“The Social Network,” Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
“True Grit,” Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

My favourite: Inception

My prediction: Inception

Comment: Same, for sound category, Inception should probably win.

Visual Effects

“Alice in Wonderland,” Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1,” Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
“Hereafter,” Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell
“Inception,” Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
“Iron Man 2,” Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

My favourite: Inception

My prediction: Alice in Wonderland

Comment: It is pretty amazing visual effects in Inception. The whole city is build up in the movie, there must be a lot of works there. You deserve the award, Inception!

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

“127 Hours,” Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
“The Social Network,” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
“Toy Story 3,” Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
“True Grit,” Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
“Winter’s Bone,” Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

My favourite: The Social Network by Aaron Sorkin

My prediction: The Social Network by Aaron Sorkin

Comment: It is an impressive adapted screenplay for The Social Network. I like the way it is put into a movie with some real stuff in it on the founders of Facebook.

Writing (Original Screenplay)

“Another Year,” Written by Mike Leigh
“The Fighter,” Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson; Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
“Inception,” Written by Christopher Nolan
“The Kids Are All Right,” Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
“The King’s Speech,” Screenplay by David Seidler

My favourite: Inception by Christopher Nolan

My prediction: Inception by Christopher Nolan

Comment: The original screenplay of Inception is certainly amazing. It is so creative until it makes people confused at some points of it. Very brilliant idea of inception of mind!

The other categories below will not be accompanied with my picks and my comments as I do not know anything about it:

Documentary (Feature)

“Exit through the Gift Shop,” Banksy and Jaimie D’Cruz
“Gasland,” Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
“Inside Job,” Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
“Restrepo,” Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
“Waste Land,” Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley

Documentary (Short Subject)

“Killing in the Name”
“Poster Girl”
“Strangers No More”
“Sun Come Up”
“The Warriors of Qiugang”

Foreign Language Film

“Biutiful,” Mexico
“Dogtooth,” Greece
“In a Better World,” Denmark
“Incendies,” Canada
“Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi),” Algeria

Makeup

“Barney’s Version,” Adrien Morot
“The Way Back,” Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
“The Wolfman,” Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Short Film (Animated)

“Day & Night,” Teddy Newton
“The Gruffalo,” Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
“Let’s Pollute,” Geefwee Boedoe
“The Lost Thing,” Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
“Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)” Bastien Dubois

Short Film (Live Action)

“The Confession,” Tanel Toom
“The Crush,” Michael Creagh
“God of Love,” Luke Matheny
“Na Wewe,” Ivan Goldschmidt
“Wish 143,” Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

There are 24 awards to be presented at the night of 27th February 2011, a month later. It seems that The King’s Speech and The Social Network topped the list with many nominations. I have watched both of the movies and I still prefer The Social Network which had already win big in Golden Globe Awards.

Movie review: The King’s Speech

Many people have given very positive feedbacks on this movie after I have seen some of the movie reviews of it. It is also considered to be one of the best films of 2010. I have written a post not long ago on the top 3 best films of 2010, and that doesn’t include The King’s Speech because I haven’t watch it.

Now, I have watched it, but I would still maintain the list I have proposed before in my previous post. The King’s Speech is a good movie, but for me, it’s still far behind from being included in top 3. Yes, it totally deserved to be in top 10 then.

The King’s Speech is a movie of great quality. The storyline is very interesting, and there is no way that people can have any words of improvement on it. It is about a man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. Plagued by a dreaded stammer and considered unfit to be king, he received help from a speech therapist named Lionel Logue. As a result of unlikely friendship, the king is able to find his voice and boldly leads the country through war.

The pace and rhythm of the story is fantastic. Well, another point I wished to add is on the brilliant performances by the casts, especially the character of the king portrayed by Colin Firth.He must had hard time speaking out his lines in a terrible way as needed for the character. Good job. Both of the points above definitely on The King’s Speech left me speechless, but with only these two positive points, it is hard to climb into top 3 list.

Many parts of the movie, eventhough seems to be very essential for the development of the story, are created in a way that makes people bored. It seems to be a long 2-hours movie for me, wishing that it would ends much early. Nothing much more to comment on this movie. A good quality movie but not the best one. Out of 10 points, I give this one 7.5. Sorry for many people who loved this movie a lot, but it’s just my opinion.

New7Wonders Foundation’s Seven Wonders of the World

In 2001 an initiative was started by the Swiss corporation New7Wonders Foundation to choose the New Seven Wonders of the World  from a selection of 200 existing monuments for profit. 21 finalists were announced January 1, 2006. Egypt was not happy with the fact that their ancient landmark, Great Pyramid of Giza would have to compete with the likes of the Statue of Liberty, the Sydney Opera House, and other landmarks; and called the project absurd. To solve this, Giza was named an honorary candidate without the need for competition. The results were announced on July 7, 2007.

Hence, this is the current latest official result of the new Seven Wonders of the World eventhough not all people in the world participated in the voting campaign including me. Mainly, it is the Western people that vote the most and still the results released received many positive and negative feedbacks. It’s just too subjective, over which one is nicer? more impressive? No exact answer to that, and everyone can have their own list of seven wonders…

Anyway, the list below is from the New7Wonders:

1. Chichen Itza

It is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Maya civilization in Yucatan Peninsula (present day Mexico). The site contains fine stone buildings connected by dense networks of formerly paved roads. The buildings are grouped in a series of architectonic sets. One of the famous buildings on the site is the Monument of El Castillo. Chichen Itza was a major focal point in northern Maya lowlands from Late Classic (600 AD)  till Early Postclassic period.

2. Statue of Christ, The Redeemer

It is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, considered as the second largest Art Deco statue in the world. It is 39.6 m tall including the 9.5 m pedestal. It is on the peak of 700 m – Corcovado Mountain overlooking the city with perfect natural setting. It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone and was constructed between 1922 and 1931. It is a standing figure with open arms in the shape of the Christian cross with the pedestal symbolizing the world. It is also a symbol of peace.

3. Colosseum

It is a huge elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy. It can hold up to 80 000 people at a time and is the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering, constructed between 72 AD and 80 AD. The open-air colosseum is for many events such as gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as animal hunts, dramas and even executions. It is 189 m long, 156 m wide and 48 m tall with base area of 24 000 metres square.

4. Great Wall of China

It is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China built for protection from invasions by various nomadic groups. Several walls have been built since 5th century BC, and the most famous being built by China’s first emperor, Qin Shih Huang Ti from 220 to 206 BC, and majority of the walls are built in Ming Dynasty later. The wall stretches over 8851 km (6259 km of actual wall, 359 km of trenches and 2232 km of natural defensive barriers).

5. Machu Picchu

It is a pre-Columbian 15th century Inca site located 2430 m above sea level, above Urubamba Valley in Peru. It is believed to be built as an estate for the Inca Emperor, Pachacuti (1438 – 1472) and is often referred to as the Lost City of Incas. It is built in classical Inca style, with polished dry stone walls and its three primary buildings are Intihuatana, Temple of the Sun and Room of the Three Windows which are all located at the Sacred District of Machu Picchu.

6. Petra

It is a historical and archaeological city in Jordan, known for its rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan. It lies on the slope of Mount Hor. The city is often visited by flash floods and droughts, and hence efficient stormwater and water storage systems were created like dams, cisterns and conduits to enable the city to prosper.

7. Taj Mahal

It is a huge mausoleum located in Agra, India built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is widely considered as one of the most beautiful buildings on Earth and stands as a symbol of eternal love. It is the finest example of Mughal architecture, a mixture of Persian, Islamic and Indian architectural styles. The white domed marble mausoleum is designed by many architects with Lahauri as the principal designer.

Honorary Mention:

Great Pyramid of Giza

It is the oldest and largest of the three huge pyramids in Giza Necropolis, Egypt. It is the only surviving Seven Wonders of Ancient World. It is believed to be built at around 2560 BC in a 14 to 20-years period as the tomb for 4th Dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu. Initially at 146.5 m tall, it is now 138.8 m tall due to erosion. It was the tallest man made structure on Earth for over 3800 years, the longest period of time ever held for such a record.

Okay, that’s the end of it. It’s over 10 publications in this blog of the same topic on Seven Wonders. Maybe I will produce more on it, but probably later, maybe after Chinese New Year. Time for a break away from all these facts and lists of wonders.

(The pictures above are not mine and the information is obtained by researches throughout the internet)

Facebook office in Malaysia!

I am shocked when I read the factsheet of Facebook, check out this link;http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?factsheet. It is an official info by the Facebook corporation which is valued at over 25 billion US Dollar.

Their main headquarter office is at Palo Alto, California, United States. There are also nine other branch offices of Facebook in the country. However, the most interesting fact is that Facebook had currently 11 international offices, and one of it is in Malaysia, my country!!! That is the second office of Facebook in Asia, which the other one is in Tokyo, Japan.

I didn’t expect that, and I’m very surprised to see that! The office is at Neo Damansara, a recently-built modern shop offices in Damansara, Selangor. Eventhough the office is small, but still it is a good beginning for a Facebook’s office in Malaysia. The offices of Facebook are designed in such a way that it is fun, and promotes interaction just like the main objective of the website, to enhance social networking.

Too bad, I don’t have a picture of the office in Malaysia. Here is how the shop offices at Neo Damansara looks like. If I got the chance to pass by the area, i will definitely go check out its office there. Too bad, I seldom go to Damansara, it’s a bit too far from my house, but I have seen the shop offices before. The design is playful, suitable for facebook, but I just don’t like it.

They seems to be also hiring software engineer from Malaysia. Too bad that I’m not in that profession, if not, I would definitely apply, it would be a great opportunity of working in Facebook instead of just playing it! Haha…must be having good salary too…the corporation keeps growing bigger, and the active users now have increased to over 600 million people. That is a lot!!!

Ahh…no wonder Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook decided to open a branch office in Malaysia. It is because many Malaysians are playing it. Do you also know that Malaysians are the heaviest users of social networking sites  in the world (9 hours per week) and having the most online friends (average 233 friends per person)?

Malaysia is also one of the top 20 countries with most number of Facebook users, almost reaching 10 million despite the total population of Malaysia of less than 29 million. This means that one out of three Malaysians is having Facebook account! That is a lot! So, Malaysians are big fans of Facebook, and no wonder Mark is interested in opening one office here!

Seven Wonders of Modern World

Finally, after so many topics on seven wonders of ancient world, it’s now time for seven wonders of current modern world. However, there is actually no official list for this one as it is too subjective and there are too many breathtaking structures around the world currently. It is hard to judge which one is more marvelous or impressive than the others.

However, the American Society of Civil Engineers had compiled a list of Seven Wonders of Modern World and here it is:

1. Channel Tunnel

It is a 50.5 km long undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in UK with Coquelles in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is 75 m deep. It is the longest undersea portion of any tunnel in the world and it carries high speed Eurostar passenger trains, Eurotunnel Shuttle vehicle transport, and international rail freight trains.

2. CN Tower

It is a communication and observation tower in Toronto, Canada at a height of 553 m becoming the world tallest man made free standing structure until Burj Khalifa is completed. It was also the world tallest tower until it was surpassed by Canton TV Tower. It is of 146 floors, and is a signature icon of Toronto’s skyline and a landmark of Canada.

3. Empire State Building

It is a 102-storeys landmark Art Deco skyscraper located in New York City, United States. It is 381m tall, built in 1931, taking only 410 days for construction to end, and stood as the world tallest building for more than 40 years until the completion of World Trade Center. It is now the tallest in New York City, and the third tallest in the country. It is designed by William F. Lamb from top to bottom of the structure.

4. Golden Gate Bridge

It is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. It was the longest suspension bridge span in the world when completed in 1937. It is possibly the most photographed and recognizable bridge in the world. The bridge is 2.7 km long and spans over 1.2 km, with the height of the bridge towers at 227 m.

5. Itaipu Dam

It is a hydroelectric dam on Parana River at the border between Brazil and Paraguay. It is the largest operating hydroelectric facility in terms of annual generating capacity. It supplied 90% of electricity used by Paraguay and some 19% by Brazil. Construction began in 1970 and ended in 1984 with total cost of 19.6 billion US dollar, and at a height of 196m with length of 7919 m.

6. Delta and Zuiderzee Works (Netherlands North Sea Protection Works)

Delta Works are a series of constructions between 1950 and 1997 in southwest Netherlands to protect a large area of land from the sea by building dams, sluices, locks, dikes, levies, and storm surge barriers. Zuiderzee Works are a human-made system of dams, land reclamation and water drainage works to improve flood protection and create additional land for agriculture. It is the largest hydraulic engineering project by Netherlands during the 20th century.

7. Panama Canal

It is a 77 km ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, it is one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken which had an enormous impact on shipping between the two oceans, producing a much shorter route too.

Due to the fact that the list above is created in 2007, impressive structures built after that is not included, or these should be classified in near future as wonders of post modern world. If this is the case, then it would be United Arab Emirates and China that steal the show with their rapid growth and construction of great structures on Earth such as Palm Islands, World Islands, Burj Khalifa, Canton TV Tower, etc.

(The pictures above are not my own and the information is obtained from researches throughout the internet)

Seven Wonders of Medieval World

n the 19th and early 20th centuries, some writers claimed that lists of wonders of the world have existed during the Middle Ages, although it is unlikely that these lists originated at that time because the word medieval was not invented until the Enlightenment-era, and the concept of a Middle Age did not become popular until the 16th century. Hence, the list of seven wonders of medieval world is considered to be ‘the later list’.

Eventhough many of the structures in this list were built much earlier than Medieval Ages, some even in ancient world category, but only to be famous in later time. This is the list of the Seven Wonders of Medieval World:

1. Stonehenge

It is a prehistoric monument located in English county of Wiltshire, which is composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones. This monument is believed to have been erected around 2500 BC. It is at the centre of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds.

2. Colosseum

It is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in Roman empire that could hold over 80 000 people. Construction started in 72 AD and completed in 80 AD, and it was used for gladiatorial contests, and public spectacles such as animal hunts, dramas and even executions.

3. Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa

It is a necropolis located in Alexandria, Egypt consisting of a series of Alexandrian tombs, statues and archaeological objects of the Pharaonic funeral cult with Hellenistic and early Imperial Roman influences. The most gruesome feature is Hall of Caracalla, mass burial chamber for humans and animals massacred by order of the Emperor Caracalla.

4. Great Wall of China

It is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect northern borders against intrusions by various nomadic groups. Several walls have been built since 5th century BC, most famous one being built by China’s First Emperor, Qin Shih Huang Ti between 220 and 206 BC and majority of the walls was built during Ming Dynasty. It stretches over 8850 km.

5. Porcelain Tower of Nanjing

It was a pagoda constructed in the 15th century during Ming Dynasty at the south bank of Yangtze, China. The tower was octagonal with a base of about 30 m in diameter, rising up to 79 m with nine stories, making it one of the tallest structures in China. It had a staircase in the middle, spiraling upwards with 184 steps. The top of the roof was marked by a golden sculpture of pineapple.

6. Hagia Sophia

It is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. It is 82 m long, 73 m wide and 55 m tall. It is designed by Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles. It is constructed by Emperor Justinian between 532 and 537 AD and is mainly constructed of ashlar and brick. Famous for its massive dome, it is an epitome of Byzantine architecture and was the largest cathedral in world for nearly a thousand years.

7. Leaning Tower of Pisa

It is a free standing bell tower of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa. The height of the tower is 55.86 m on the low side and 56.70 m on the high side. The tower has 294 steps and it is now leaning at an angle of 3.99 angles after some repair and restoration works. Construction began in 1173 and started to lean in 1178 with completion in 1372 with addition of a bell chamber.

I wish to include one more structure to be in 8th position and should be mentioned.

8. Taj Mahal

It is a mausoleum located in Agra, India built by Mugal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is built from 1632 till 1653 with a height of 171 m. It is widely considered as one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and also one of the most recognizable. The white-domed marble mausoleum is the finest example of Mughal architecture; combination of Persian, Islamic and Indian architectural styles.

Beautiful structures in the list, isn’t it? Actually, there are also sources mentioning Cairo Citadel, Ely Cathedral and Cluny Abbey as the wonders in this category too. However, I am already pretty agreed and satisfied with this list above with addition of only Taj Mahal.

(The pictures do not belong to me ad the information is obtained and paraphrased after some researches from internet)

 

Seven Wonders of Ancient World

The list of Seven Wonders of Ancient World is actually compiled by some Hellenic tourists particularly in the 1st and 2nd centuries BC. The conquest of much of the known world in the 4th century BC gave Hellenistic travelers access to the civilizations of the Egyptians, Persians and Babylonians. These visitors began to list what they saw and compile a list of wonders, total in 7.

Out of the seven wonders of ancient world, 5 are from ancient Greece, which shows the success of Greece in art and architecture. The travelers did not travel further to ancient Chinese civilization and hence no Chinese structures is identified. Here comes the list which is also the 8th publication of seven wonders in my blog:

1. Great Pyramid of Giza

It is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis, Egypt with initial height of 146.5 m. It is constructed over 14 to 20 years period concluding around 2560 BC as the tallest man-made structure on Earth for over 3800 years. It is the oldest of the seven wonders of ancient world and the only one to remain largely intact.

2. Hanging Gardens of Babylon

It was built in the ancient city-state of Babylon (currently Iraq) around 600 BC by King Nebuchadnezzar 2 for his homesick wife. The gardens is destroyed by several earthquakes. It is quadrangular in shape, terraces-like consisting of arched vaults on checkered, cube-like foundations allowed for plantations. It is 30m long and 30 m wide and appears like a theatre.

3. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

It was a temple built in 550 BC dedicated to Greek Goddess, Artemis at Ephesus (currently Turkey). The whole temple was made of marble except for the roof. It is a 120-years project to build this temple, by architects Chersiphron and his son, Metagenes. The original temple was around 300 feet by 150 feet and about 50 feet high. The temple is rebuilt in 323 BC with larger scale with more than 127 columns.

4. Statue of Zeus at Olympia

The statue was made by Greek sculptor, Phidias around 432 BC at a workshop, then erected in the Temple of Zeus, Olympia, Greece. It is around 12 m tall and occupied half of the width of the aisle of the temple. It is a chryselephantine sculpture made of ivory and gold-plated bronze.

5. Mausoleum of Halicarnassus

Known as Tomb of Mausolus, it is a tomb built between 353 and 350 BC at Halicarnassus (currently Turkey) for Mausolus, designed by Greek architects, Satyros and Pythis. It stood approximately 45 m high and each of the four sides was adorned with sculptural reliefs created by four Greek sculptors; Leochares, Bryaxis, Scopas of Paros and Timotheus.

6. Colossus of Rhodes

It was a statue of the Greek God Helios erected in city of Rhodes on Greek Island between 292 and 280 BC to celebrate Rhodes’ victory over ruler of Cyprus. It stood over 30 m high, making it one of the tallest statues in the ancient world. It is built with iron tie bars with brass plates fixed to it to form the skin.

7. Lighthouse of Alexandria

It was a tower built between 280 and 247 BC on the island of Pharos at Alexandria, Egypt to guide sailors into the harbor at night. With estimated height of around 140m, it was among the tallest man made structures on Earth for many centuries. It could be seen from up to 47 km away.

There it is…curious on why some ancient structures from China are not in this list? It is because that the travelers have not been that far to China. Hence, all these structures are just at Western and Middle Region of the world.

(The pictures do not belong to me and the information obtained is from researches throughout the internet)