Videos and Pictures of Earth Hour 2009

Let us look at the official video of Earth Hour 2009 before moving on:

 

Now it’s time to see these:

Malaysia

– whole city center region from Hulu Langat Hill (by The Star Online)

* video showing the city of KL switching off lights into darkness especially on the Petronas Twin Towers and KL Tower. (Just ignore the music)

– The Star Office Building in Petaling Jaya (The Star News)

– Sub-editors working in the dark at the office of The Star Publications (Petaling Jaya)

– Petronas Twin Towers (KLCC) – Kuala Lumpur.

* This video is uploaded by me from far, hence very blur, but still can see how the two buildings turned into darkness is a pattern of switching off lights from top to bottom.

* A better and clearer video here (not by me) on the Petronas Twin Towers.

* Another better video, this one showing the surrounding city region near KLCC too.

* The best video, capturing all the turning off lights event of KL Tower and Petronas Twin Towers and event of turning on lights back as well. Here, u can view the skyline of Kl which had not much difference except the both landmarks mentioned earlier. View from Look Out Point at Ampang.

 

– Sunway Pyramid, a gigantic famous shopping mall in Petaling Jaya.

* video belows shows the countdown of Earth Hour, switching off lights of the giant lion head on the main entrance of the mall as well as on the surrounding of the mall.

Another clearer video below showing the whole mall.

 

– CapSquare, near KL Tower.

* from this video, KL Tower actually had switched off its lights earlier (hence, can’t really see the tower, but it is actually there). The whole region turned their lights off too, accompanied by a countdown.

 

Taipei, Taiwan

– video below showing the litted-up Taipei 101 (current world tallest completed building) turned into darkness exept the safety warning lights from bottom to top.

 

Hong Kong, China

– video found from youtube on view towards the famous Victoria Harbour. The whole city (world best skyline city) turns into total darkness. No more beautiful and changing lightings here, no more “Symphony of Lights”..cool!

– another video showing the time lapse when the city in darkness turned into the usual litted-up city of Hong Kong.

* Another video showing the end of Earth Hour 2009 at Tsing Ma Bridge.

 

Beijing, China

-capital city of China, host city of Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

– Beijing National Stadium (Bird Nest Stadium) switched off its light in a very rhythmic way, look at the video below.

– Video below showing mainly the Beijing National Aquatics Center (Water Cube) switching off its blue lights along with the Beijing National Stadium.

 

Sydney, Australia

– first major city to have lights out, the first city of Earth Hour. (started from year 2007)

* Video showing the scene of Victoria Bridge and Sydney skyline in darkness.

 

Video showing Australia (Sdyney), New Zealand and Fiji (Oceania) in Earth Hour.

 

Chicago, USA

– video showing an area of Chicago in darkness.

 

Las Vegas, USA

– video below shows the Las Vegas Strip switched off lights for Earth Hour 2009. (video taken from top of Stratosphere)

 

Toronto, Canada

– a video showing the diffence between the usual scene of Toronto skyline with the scene of buildings all in darkness, video taken from CN Tower.

 

Montreal, Canada

– scene showing the skyline of Montreal in darkness during Earth Hour 2009.

 

Singapore

– view on the skyline of Singapore which is hardly to be seen during Earth Hour 2009. (all dark)

* the video below showing JJ Lin, a singer had his concert right on 28th March at night, so he demanded to switch off the concert lights for a minute (one hour is impossible for the concert). Quite good habit from him, keep it up.

 

New York City, USA

– the video showing the city and bridge in New York City, explained by a girl on which part of the city is. (whole city in darkness)

* Another video below showing the Empire State Building, Times Square (signboards) and buildings around it turned into darkness for Earth Hour 2009. In the end, all the lights are switched on back.

 

San Francisco, USA

– video below showing how the famous Golden Gate Bridge switched off its lights.

 

Kuwait

– video showing Kuwait Towers switching off its bright lights.

 

Europe

– video showing many countries in Europe participating in the event by switching off lights, especially the famous Eiffel Tower, Paris.

 

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

– video on the Christ, the Redeemer statue from far turning off its lights.

 

Greece

– video on the famous Rio Antirio bridge switching off its lights.

– video showing Parthenon and Acropolis in Athens from far turned into darkness for Earth Hour 2009.

 

London, England

– video below shows the Big Ben turned off its light and the London Eye had not turned off its lights yet.

 

* Video showing Chicago (famous buildings), New York (Empire State Building), Paris (Eiffel Tower), Athens (Parthenon and Acropolis), Rome (Colloseum) switching off lights in support of Earth Hour 2009.

 

News – Sydney (Victoria Bridge), Beijing (Olympic Green), Phillipines.

 

Cape Town, South Africa

 

Calgary, Alberta

– video showing part of the skyline in darkness as explained by the man in the video. Some buildings still have their lights on, that’s disappointing.

 

Auckland, New Zealand

– video showing how the Auckland Sky Tower switches off its lights.

 

Sau Paulo, Brazil

– just ignore the shouts in the video, they just too excited and shouted to other people to turn off their lights, showing some support too! At the end, u can still see the difference in the city after lights are off.

 

 Nashville

– video showing the skyline of Nasville turning into darkness for Earth Hour. Some street lights have also been turned off.

Waikato

– hot air balloons over Waikato night glow in commemorating the global event: Earth Hour 2009.

 

 More videos from Youtube, check them out from there!!!====

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Message from the author…Earth Hour 2009

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OFFICIAL MESSAGE ON EARTH HOUR 2009

 

A very good night I would like to wish to all my blog’s readers and to the other people involved in witnessing a historical and yet astonishing day, not a day, only in an hour. The one hour might be short, but it conveys a great message not only to you but to everyone living in the Earth regardless of colours, races, religions or even way of lives.

 

 

     Everyone here will surely know what I am talking about. Right here, today, dated 28^th of March, year 2009, is not an ordinary day. By 8.30pm at night, all of us will be switching off lights, the unnecessary lights that we have always switched them on everyday. Let us just switch them off for just an hour, from 8.30pm to 9.30pm tonight to show our cooperation in caring for the Earth seriously.

 

 

     Honestly, the occasion which lasted just for an hour every year is definitely not enough. This occasion is organized just to inform formally to everyone in the world to turn off their lights in an hour to show care for the world and to increase awareness on the issue of global warming. An hour can’t do much, but if everyone in the world did the same in that only hour, the impact is obviously great.

 

 

    Actions on taking care of the fragile environment and the mother nature need to be done seriously by now. It is a very long term process and it has no finishing dateline. It is continuous and needed to be continuous till future for the benefit for our mankind and our future generations. Let us do something now before it is too late to save the world and before the earth is not suitable anymore for people to live in.

 

 

     Many researches have been conducted on the Earth itself. The results are not satisfying and the Earth can’t support the damage that has been done by us in previous years. The Earth can’t bear the pollution created by us just for the sake of wealth and economy. This is wrong, absolutely wrong. If we do not cooperate and take actions now, we will be facing something serious like what is being portrayed in the movie ‘The Day After Tomorrow’. This is no joke, some disasters like this can happen to us out of nowhere in sudden if we do not care for the environment.

 

 

    Economy and developments should not be forgotten, and same goes to environmental care too. The environment needs our attention, the nature needs our love. We want our grandchildren to have the opportunities to take a look at beautiful Grand Canyon, to take a look at the beautiful tropical forests, to take a look at the amazing Great Barrier Coral Reef. We do not want more species of animals or plants to extinct, we want to bring them on to the future with us, as we are all the same, living in the same planet, our Earth.

 

 

    Do not think what the Earth can give to you, tries to think wisely what you can contribute for the Earth who keeps us right here, till today. The amazing civilizations of people, historical legends, born of the first human, all comes from here, the Earth. Here is our place, and there is no reason why we should abandoned the need to take care of the Earth, of the place we are standing right now, the land as well as the ocean, the hill as well as the river. Do not forget about them.

 

 

    It is a major concern that the global warming is increasing tremendously all around the world. Polar ice melting, extinction of rare species, rising temperatures, all these rates are getting faster in every second. All of us have to do something right now and forever to keep the world a better place for us to live. Do we want our land to be flooded, do we want our ice-cream to be melted so quick, do we want our lovely animals to extinct, do we want this kind of consequences? Do we want to die right by our own hands, I supposed in indirect ways, but anyway, it is still caused by our selfish actions towards the environment.

 

 

    The one hour for tonight is totally insufficient. In that one hour, there is not much great effect that can be seen in appreciating the Earth. However, just a simple work to do by every people on this Earth everyday is sufficient enough to keep the Earth as beautiful as possible. Recycling, reusing and saving materials are good habits to be practiced on by everyone, as these habits are very simple to be done. A small action can lead to a great effect, remembers that. Be responsible, one of the main responsibilities of human is to take care of the environment. 

 

     Many of the people will gather outdoor in enjoying the global event. This is not a common event, not a common sighting, and not a common turning off lights event. It is not merely a turning off lights event. It is a global event with more than two thousand cities all around the world participating in Earth Hour 2009 to support the main message of the event; which is to appreciate and take care of our Earth.

 

    The Earth is not mine, it is not only yours, it is everybody. Everyone including me, myself have to do my part to save the world from further destruction by our own hands. Let us say stop to further damage to the mother nature. Let us say no to any harmful activities related to the environment. This is not worth it, totally a great sin for damaging the environment, honestly to be said here.

 

    From 8.30pm to 9.30pm today, all unnecessary lights will be turned off mainly in the city region except for the safety and traffic lights for safety purpose. However, it will be very dark during the one hour too. Hence, everybody have to pay attention to your belongings, to your safety and to your family, friends or even to the unknowns. We are here, all united, together to support the day, to support the Earth. What more can we care rather than the Earth?!

 

    Later at night, cities around the world will turn off its lights from buildings to buildings, from areas to areas. The event will be recorded and broadcasted all around the world to show that the world is very keen in supporting the event which is first organized by Sydney, Australia in year 2007. Everybody have to be just excited and stay tuned and never let your eyes out of these cities.Normal residents can give their support by switching off their lights in houses too, but remember, thinks of your safety too.

 

   Turning off lights for an hour around the world will help to save a lot of energy and reduce a lot of carbon emission which is harmful to the environment. Imagine if we did this for every hour, which is quite impossible. Tonight, after all lights are out, like a serious blackout, people can have some time to light up their candles around here and enjoy the romantic scene with us under the brightly sky with stars and moon, unless if rains occur.

 

    People have seen this event lightly, they ignored it, they forget about it, and some do not even know about it. This is totally disappointing. This is not a small event, this is an international event, just as important as Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup or any others. Can’t we put some time to commemorate the event, for only an hour? Time is precious, but the Earth is far more precious than the time. We have ample of time for other things, but we have only one livable and comfortable planet, only the Earth.

 

     Everybody have to be united, together, for the event and for the continuous effort in caring for the environment. A great thanks I would like to wish to some organizers who made a lot of efforts in promoting this global event, taking care of the environment and organizing the great event for all to take part, for all to contribute, for the benefits of all. Thanks again, especially to the WWF.

 

     This is a great idea of switching off lights, a very creative idea, in showing our love to the Earth. Everybody have to continue their support for the event , not only for this year, but for the upcoming years too. This event will be getting bigger, gaining more support from cities around the world. The target of 1000 cities participating had been achieved with tremendous result, thanks to the advertisement by everyone who are involved.

 

    Participating in this global event, my home city, Kuala Lumpur is very fortunate to show the love to the Earth through this global event. Never to be forgotten, today will be one of the most memorable day for all, including me, myself as well. There are many other ways in showing your love and care towards the environment, do it and making it as a good habits for the better of the future.

 

     Having no words to say anymore since I have given a long message now that made all of the people here bored, I would like to conclude my words now. However, before I would like to end my message, remember, we live in the Earth, we are breathing in air from the Earth, we are using resources from the Earth, why can’t we just sit down and think wisely on how to protect the Earth and do something about it. Be a responsible person, in saving the world, the nature, the environment and the Earth!

 

To check on the official website, go to www.earthhour.org

 

Anyway, for now, what you have to do first, as the first step, is to switch off your lights no matter where you are on 28th March 2009 from 8.30pm to 9.30pm!

 

Support Earth Hour 2009!

 

Sincerely,

 

Vincent Loy

(The Administrator)

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Detail of Earth Hour 2009 in Malaysia…

Earth Hour 2009 is just around the corner..it will be on this Saturday, 28th of March 2009…from 8.30pm to 9.30pm when cities from around the world will switch off their lights in an hour…

the global event first started in year 2007  in one city, Sydney, Australia. In year 2008, there are 400 cities in 35 countries participating the event, turning it into a global and international event…

In year 2009, it will be far more greater than the previous ones…there will be over 2800 cities from 82 countries from all around the world participating and giving their full support to the event…exceeding the target of 1000 cities (exceeded of over double, almost triple, great result)

For Malaysia, there will be few cities that will switch off their lights, mainly Kuala Lumpur (capital city), Penang Island, Putrajaya (administrative city), Malacca and others…

Famous landmarks in Malaysia will be in the dark on that night in an hour such as Petronas Twin Towers (one of seven wonders of Asia, world tallest twin buildings), Kuala Lumpur Tower (world fifth tallest telecommunication tower), Independence Square, National Monument, Prime Minister Office, Penang Bridge, Sunway region, and many others..

Other famous landmarks from all around the world to be in dark will be Empire State Building, Great Pyramids of Giza, Golden Gate Bridge, Acropolis, Beijing National Stadium (Bird Nest Stadium) and many others…

Major cities participating are New York, London, Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Sydney, Bangkok, Jakarta, Mumbai, Delhi, Paris, Cape Town, Tokyo, Toronto, Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico, Las Vegas, Athens, Shanghai, Singapore, Los Angeles, Dubai, and many others…

Support the event if u wished too by switching off the unnecessary lights at your home on 28th of March 2009, from 8.30pm to 9.30pm, local time.

Then, check out how Kuala Lumpur turns into darkness on that night..honestly, Kuala Lumpur does not have many lights turned on at night everyday, anyway, there is something unusual to see also as the lighted up Petronas Twin Towers and KL Tower will switch off their extreme lights too…

What I am desperate is to see how Hong Kong turned off all its beautiful lights in its city skyline at night…it is the best skyline city in the world..the lights there are amazing, colourful and changing neon lightings and lasers really amazed everyone…on that night, we won’t be seeing this as the city goes to darkness and the Symphony of Light show in the city everyday will be cancelled specially for the Earth Hour.

[UPDATED] – 26/03/2009

Rehearsal had been held on the Beijing National Stadium (Bird Nest Stadium) on its light-switching pattern. Check out the video on the official webaite, www.earthhour.org. For checking into Earth Hour Malaysia, go to www.earthhour.org/malaysia.

Support Earth Hour! Eventhough it is just for an hour which sounds not influencing, but if that one hour, everybody is doing the same, switching off lights, then there will be a really great impact! Think…

Finally, the Wunder Wall!

today, 22nd of March 2009, is not an ordinary day in Limkokwing University…today is the submission of the Assignment 1: Wunder Wall from the module; Building Technology 101 under Bachelor of Applied Science in Architecture.

For this assignment, I have to work in a group of three students and construct walls full of creativity, with 25% opening, with one opening to fit a tennis ball, major portion of walls exceed 30cm in height and showing solid construction. The main criterias in marking are the clarity of idea, richness of content, appropriateness of form and neatness of work.

This task needs 8 hours to be completed on the spot, in the Architectural Courtyard in the university.

Today, woke up very early, 6.10am already woken up from little sleep…very blur…then go to university with all the things equipped…

Our group number is 18…we find our place and started the assignment as planned earlier. We started the Wunder Wall around 7.30am with the construction of the platform in the middle.

Then, we construct the wunder wall which is based on the concept of maze; not only a type of maze but two; straight maze in smaller region and curvy maze in the larger region of the plinth.

But before that, I constructed the tower in the middle of the platform first. Then, i stopped the construction of it to let it to be resumed later.

Then, i construct the curvy maze while my friends construct the straight maze and the four towers at the corner of the designated area for our design. [Sorry, can’t expose much on our brilliant design]

The straight maze:

The curvy maze:

Two of the four towers (corners) – the same design:

The middle development:

Next, i construct little bit of the exterior wall and resumed the construction of the tower in the middle…at first, the design of the central tower should be similar to Burj Dubai, but after some changes, it looks more like the Angkor Wat like what every of our classmates said…

During the assignment, a lot of people looked at us, from first to the highest floor, or even from the ground floor, maybe they are over excited to see what we have been doing…haha…

Finally, our wunder wall was completed right on time..then the lecturers said ‘STOP’, ‘TIME’S UP’. Luckily, we had enough time in finishing our masterpiece. Then, a lot of people looked at our work and took pictures of it.

We have used up almost all of the 14 000 MDF blocks that we have bought for the assignment which costs over RM 880. Then, we cleaned up the mess around us and we found out that from 7.30am till 3.30am, we have not eat anything or even drink anything…incredible right? Great sacrifice of  energy and effort for the project…

Let’s see our final outcome, our masterpiece:

 

 

Marking session began…all of us have to be out of the region where all the wunder walls are placed…the lecturers marked, marked and marked, pretty fast..average three minutes for each wunder wall…i think there are total of over 30 wunder walls in the area…

Then, it is our turn..luckily, we get some good response from the lecturers..we satisfy all the requirements, very complicated, dense and beautiful (I can say, haha). Luckily, no part of our wunder wall collapsed..thanks God! in the process of constructing, we had some minor collapses which does not affect much on our final outcome…

It is heard from the lecturer that our group is one of the groups with the highest marks..the percentage of the task is 100 and we got around eighty something..no group got over ninety something…it will be converted to the final marks of 30 anyway…quite happy with the results..

Haiz…but then, now it is time to destruct our whole wunder wall sadly…our 8-hours work come into nothing but back to normal MDF blocks…sad…anyway, it is an enjoyment as well as an effort-wasting assignment.

Pictures gallery of all the wunder walls:

really very tired, eat nasi lemak oso no feeling to my stomach already…not hungry anymore…not thirsty anymore..really very tired…got some time go took some photographs of other groups’ works…pretty amazing! The scene there in the courtyard is nice too!

come back here to my home, find some time to write this long post and insert some pictures for u all to see!

Very tired…really need to sleep..bye!

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Directories for my blog…

There will be directories for my blog here…since my blog has over 90 posts..it is pretty hard to find a related post in my blog…

here, you can search the categories….there are 5 categories in my blog, namely:

a) All about myself – if u would like to know about my daily activities and some interesting events, check out in this category.

b) Buildings, Structures, Skylines and Architecture – if u are interested in the field of architecture, this category is the best place for you to find some posts you like.

c) Shocking News and Fantastic Results – some news and results related to some field of my interests.

d) Wonders and Places – if u would like to know more on some tourists’ hot spots and destinations, some great and amazing places, check out this category.

e) Others – other posts….

You can also search through my blog by tag or title.

Is my directories useful for you? If not, feel free to ask me.

If u would like to contribute some info in my blog, u can become the official contributor of this blog under my administration..special privilege only to my friends…just give me your email….

Be part of my blog, be the reader of my blog…thanks for ur support….

Anyway, this post is under category of  ‘Others’.

Just for information, my blog has reached over 17 000 hits…happy with the results…this blog will be updated time to time when I am free…

Thanks,

Sincerely,

Vincent Loy (The Administrator)

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Famous Architectural Pieces in the World

Buildings – a lot, just mention few skyscrapers here…

Taipei 101 – current world tallest building (Burj Dubai not completed yet)

Shanghai World Financial Center – very simple but interesting form, distinctive looking aperture on top.

Petronas Twin Towers – current world tallest twin buildings, engineering marvel on its skybridge 170m above ground.

Bank of China Tower – can be known as first skyscraper of Asia.

etc…

Stadium – Surely the Beijing National Stadium, commonly known as the Bird Nest Stadium.

Bridge – Golden Gate Bridge, always appear in Hollywood movies especially when the movie sets on San Francisco.

Museum – Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, the form looks interesting and contrast to the surrounding.

Tower – CN Tower, the former world tallest free standing structure…

Theater – Let me choose two, …

Sydney Opera House, icon of Sydney and Australia.

Beijing National Theater, commonly known as the Egg Shell, looks very modern, going into the building through underground tunnel.

Airport – Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal Three, design based on the legendary dragon, very huge.

Ancient building – The Forbidden City, world largest existing imperial palace, Chinese architecture.

Project (Under construction): Burj Dubai. (world tallest man made stucture)

What I have stated above is the famous architectural structures in the world…not the greatest…for greatest,  it is hardly to say, depends on anyone thoughts…feel free to comment….

All the list above only deals with built structures except the category of Project (Under Construction).

Here you can see the beauty of architecture!

Behind it let us appreciate the architects,

who tried so hard with full effort in designing these,

For all to see and for all to admire,

This is really making the Earth a world of beauty!

Busy, busy and busy!

Honestly, I am always known for my fast speed in completing homeworks or assignments…but this time really a lot of assignments to be completed…

First need to do a lot of sketches on Architecture and Culture 101 based on the buildings from lectures as well as from the site visit…next is the Wunder Wall project in Building Technology 101, six prototype models in Architecture Design 101, and many others….haiz..stress….

must relax a bit, so take some time to update my blog now..haha…really very tired…wanna sleep but need to do some assignments first…if not, all assignments then will stacked up together and by that time, really die loh!!!

Life in university and life of architectural students are like this! Really challenging and tiring! But what to do, i still love architecture!

Unexpected result..happy with it!

just now the men single final of the Wilson Swiss Open 2009 just ended…the most surprising thing is that Lee Chong Wei defeated Lin Dan in just two straight games (21 – 16, 21 – 16).

It was the sixth time in 18 meetings that Chong Wei managed to beat Lin Dan.

latest photo taken from the games by The Star:

Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia who is the current world number one due to his ‘always’ appearance in final of badminton tournaments…while Lin Dan from China is always absent for tournaments despite his ultimate skill…

Pictures of Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan (from www.badmintonasia.org):

Both of them always met together, especially in the final…notably in the Beijing 2008, when Lee Chong Wei had too much pressure and being defeated by Lin Dan awefully…He also had been lost to Lin Dan, the Super Dan several times..winning him only few times…

But now in Swiss 2009, due to luck and better skill, Lee Chong Wei won over him in about 52 minutes time…quite unexpected result..but I’m very happy with it..just too excited to see him win because it is very hard to see him winning over Super Dan!

Picture from China Photo Press:

Both are almost perfect in badminton…good attacking, smashing, defensing and tricking skills…sometimes badminton depends on luck too, especially on ‘in’ and ‘out’, corners and on net. Congratz to Chong Wei again! It seems that Lin Dan felt angry again..he doesn’t want to play seriously anymore as Chong Wei has his match point…he is always like that..when he wins, he will smile and be proud, when he loses, he will shows his angry face and sometimes flies his racket…

every competition has its victory and failure..just accept it, Lin Dan! Chong Wei really did well this time, ending China proudness in badminton eventhough they are really great in badminton field! Just now in prize presentation, it seems like no money is given to winners…only souvenirs, is it…no stage for winners to stand on it somemore…haiz…

anyway, both are real good badminton players..my favourites!

one more, one more….

Our men doubles, Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong from Malaysia won over Boe Mathias and Mogensen Carsten from Denmark: 21 – 14, 21 – 18.

Won in two straight games again in just 39 minutes, I think this time our Malaysia pair did not pretty well but still can win due to a lot of net errors by the Denmark pair…Malaysia got skills in badminton too but Denmark got ultimate strength in smashing..luckily, Malaysia won this time!

Haha….Malaysia got two champions out of five, in men single and men doubles, others all won by China for sure…luckily this time the games is not dominated again by China like in previous All England 2009 when China grabs all five titles..this time, China with three and Malaysia with two! Bravo to Malaysia again!

Let us show to China that they are not always the dominant in badminton, beware of Malaysian players…haha….All the best to Malaysian players in future!

so fast one year…

still remember last year around this time, i got my SPM 2007 results…quite a satisfying one but dun care of it already since by that time, I am already in university!

Honestly, the SPM results or even the trial results are only a little useful during enrolment. After that, they dun even care whether you got sit for the SPM or not!

Congratz to all my fellow friends who took the exam last year and just got their results…Happy that my former secondary school is listed among the top schools in KL for SPM 2008…as well as in STPM 2008 in which one of the boys (deaf and mute boy) is awarded the national top student in STPM 2008..congratz to him again! It shows that disabilities do not hinder him from succeeding in his future!

huh…a lot of assignments to do…hate it! Assignments are always burdening people! No stress to me, please! Hahaha….Enjoy your life!

Dubai, The Futuristic City

When somebody ask you which cities in the world now has the characteristics of a futuristic city? Then, everyone would answer the same, Dubai.

Dubai is the most populous emirate out of the seven emirates in United Arab Emirates (UAE). Dubai is also the only emirate that undergoes tremendous development.

Few decades ago, Dubai is just a small unknown town in a hot desert. Now, it has been one of the world famous city due to the tourists’ attraction. Rapid growth still continues in the city despite the recent global financial and economic crisis…

There are so many developments in the city, with hundreds of constructions going on, including some extreme engineering projects that are to be mentioned below…

Dubai Internet City

– information technology park.

– free economic zone, strategic base for companies targeting regional emerging markets.

– officially opened in October 2000.

 

Dubai Media City

– a tax free zone, regional hub for media organizations.

– over 84 towers in the city section.

 

Dubai Knowledge Village

– offers facilities for training and learning support activities, a free economic zone.

– includes of training centres, HR companies and professional centres.

 

Dubai International Finance Center

– a near-shore financial hub for the MENA, containing a capital market designated as a financial free zone.

– There are six primary sectors of focus within the DIFC: Banking Services (investment banking, corporate banking and private banking); capital markets (equity, debt instruments, derivatives and commodity trading); asset management and fund registration (fund registration, fund administration and fund management); reinsurance; Islamic finance and back office operations.

 

Dubai Healthcare City

– targeted at the healthcare and the pharmaceutical industries.

– consists of collection of medical teaching institutions, private hospitals and clinics, pharmaceutical offices and research centres, and spas and rehabilitation centres. It also includes some residential villas, apartments, and 5-star hotels surrounding an artificial lake, and is designed to promote medical tourism.

 

Dubai Maritime City

– multi purpose maritime zone.

– consists of an Academic Quarter, Marine District, Harbour Residences, Marina District and Industrial Precint.

 

Dubai Sports City

– apartment building with several sports facilities.

– has a multi-purpose outdoor stadium (60 000 seats), cricket ground (25 ooo seats), indoor arena (10 000 seats), field hockey stadium (5 000 seats), a 18-hole golf course.

Dubai Studio City

– part of Dubai Media City too.

– cater to the production needs of the region and has plans to build movie studios.

– will have pre-built studios, sound stages, workshops, backlots and stage areas, a broadcast centre housing offices and post-production studios, and a business centre for freelancers. The cluster will also house film and television academies, location approval services, entertainment and retail spaces, and hotels and residential facilities to accommodate crews and casts.

 

Dubai Silicon Oasis

– technology park, aiming to become a world centre for electronic innovation, research, and development.

– Comprising office towers, R&D and industrial zones, educational institutions, apartments and villas, hotels, healthcare and a range of lifestyle facilities, DSO provides a dynamic commercial and social environment.

 

The World Islands

– man-made archipelago of 300 islands constructed in the shape of the world map and located four kilometres off the coast of Dubai.

– built primarily using sand dredged from the sea.

– 9km in length, 6km in width, surrounded by an oval breakwater.

– will have different type of developments on these small islands based on the needs of the buyers.

 

Dubai Marina

– district in the heart of new Dubai.

– whole marine is entirely man-made and will contain of over 200 highrise buildings like some supertall skyscrapers, Dubai Marina Towers, The Torch Dubai Marina, Infinity Tower, The Princess Tower, Tamani Hotel Marina, Marina Terrace, Le Rêve (Dubai) and Horizon Tower.

– when completed, will become the world largest man-made marine.

 

Dubai Business Bay

– a central business district which features numerous skyscraperslocated in an area where Dubai Creek will be dredged and extended.

– will have upwards of 230 buildings, attracting commercial and residential developments.

 

Dubai Metro

– driverless, fully automated metro network in Dubai.

– will be the longest fully automated rail system in the world when completed in year 2010.

 

Dubailand

– an entertainment complex, divided into four phases.

– will include 45 mega projects and 200 sub projects.

– will have theme parks like Dubai Walt Disney World, Sahara Kingdom Theme Park, Dreamworks Theme Park, Six Flags Theme Park, Freej Dubailand, Marvel Superheroes Theme Park, Legoland Theme Park.

– Other open attractions: Dubai Autodrome in Dubai Motor City, the Global Village, Al Sahra Desert Resort.

– Seven Zones (Worlds)

• Attractions & Experience World 13 km² (5.2 mile²)
  • Warner Bros. Movie World
  • Legoland Dubai
  • Six Flags Dubailand
  • Dreamworks Studios Theme Park
  • Universal Studios Dubai
  • F1-X Theme Park Dubai
  • Tiger Woods Dubai
  • Bawad
  • Falconcity of Wonders
  • Fantasia
  • Freej Dubailand
  • Marvel Super Heroes Theme Park
  • Tourism world
  • Legends of Dubailand
  • Aviation World
  • Islamic culture and Science World
  • Global Village
  • Kids City
  • Giants World
  • Water Parks
  • Sahara Kingdom
  • Dubai Snowdome- cancelled as of 2008
• Retail and Entertainment World 4 km² (1.6 mile²)
  • Flea Market
  • World Trade Park
  • Auction World
  • Factory Outlets
• Themed Leisure and Vacation World 29 km² (11.2 mile²)
  • Women’s World (LEMNOS) 
  • Destination Dubai
  • Desert Kingdom
  • Andalusian Resort and Spa
• Eco-Tourism World 75 km² (28.9 mile²)
  • Al Sahra Desert Resort
  • Sand Dune Hotel
  • Al Kaheel
  • Bio World
  • Animal World
• Sports and Outdoor World 19 km² (7.4 mile²)
  • Dubai Sports City
  • Emerat Sports World
  • Extreme Sports World
  • Plantation Equestrian and Polo Club
  • Dubai Motor City which includes Dubai Autodrome
  • Dubai Golf City
• Downtown 1.8 km² (0.7 mile²)
  • Mall of Arabia, which will be the world’s largest shopping mall
  • City Walk
  • Restless Planet
  • The Great Dubai Wheel
  • Virtual Game World
• Science and Planetariums
  • Astrolab Resort

 

Dubai Mall

– one of the world largest shopping mall.

– has the world largest acrylic panel for the Dubai Aquaria in the mall.

 

Dubai World Central

– consists of residential city, logistics city, enterprise city, commercial city, golf resort and an international airport.

 

The Palm Islands

– artificial islands on which major commercial and residential infrastructure will be constructed on.

– consists of Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira.

– will be over 100 luxury hotels, exclusive residential beach side villas and apartments, marinas, water theme parks, restaurants, shopping malls, sports facilities and health spas.

 

Hydropolis

– the world first underwater luxury hotel and resort.

– Reinforced by concrete and steel, its Plexiglas walls and bubble-shaped dome ceilings will enable guests to see fish and other sea creatures. It is basically divided into three sections: the land station, where guests will be welcomed; the connecting tunnel, which will transport people by train to the main area of the hotel; and the 220 suites within the submarine leisure complex. It will cover an area of 670 hectares, about the size of London’s Hyde Park, and will cost an estimated £300 million. It is self-acclaimed to be a 10-star hotel and will be charging circa $5,000 per room per night. The hotel was scheduled to open in late 2006, however due to the engineering and environmental difficulties of constructing an underwater hotel the project is currently delayed and is now expected to be complete sometime in 2009.

 

The Universe Islands

– a cluster of islands forming the shape of the universe (solar system).

– will be located between the Palm Jumeirah, The World, the Jumeirah coast and the Palm Deira.

 

Dubai Falcon City

– project to build a city in Dubai with life-size replicas of the seven wonders of the world plus modern wonders.

– when viewed from space, the city will looks like a falcon.

– project is on-hold.

 

Dubai Festival City

– large residential, business and entertainment development.

– Middle east largest mixed-use development.

– Once completed Festival City will comprise a series of residential communities, numerous hotels, malls, a golf course and other entertainment sites, and a full suite of public services, including schools.

 

Jumeirah Lake Towers

– 79 towers being constructed along the edges of four artificial lakes.

– centerpiece is the Almas Tower.

 

Pentominium

– 120 floors, 618 metres tall, currently under construction, will be completed by 2011.

– will be the tallest all-residential building when it is completed.

Burj Dubai

– almost completed, has already topped out at 818m, the only structure in the world that exceeds 800m or even 700m.

– 169 floors, designed by Adrian Smith (Skidmore, Owings and Merill).

– will be the world tallest structure and building when it is completed by the end of year 2009.

Proposed and Approved Constructions:

Nakheel Tower

– proposed and approved supertall skyscraper, standing at a height of over 1200m with over 200 floors.

– designed by architect, Woods Bagot, construction is currently on-hold and is to be continued by 2010.

Dubai Waterfront

– will be the world largest waterfront and world largest man-made development when completed.

– a conglomeration of canals and artificial islands, will occupy the last remaining Persian Gulf Coastline of Dubai.

– mixed use including commercial, residential, resort, and amenity areas. The vision of the project is “to create a world-class destination for residents, visitors and businesses in the world’s fastest growing city”.

– the artificial islands will form an arc, producing a shelter to the Palm Jebel Ali island.

Dynamic Tower

– proposed 420m skyscraper, 80 floors.

– architect: David Fisher.

– The tower is expected to be architecturally innovative for several reasons:

Uniquely, each floor will be able to rotate independently. This will result in a constantly changing shape of the tower. Each floor will rotate a maximum of 6 metres (20 ft) per minute, or one full rotation in 90 minutes.

It will also be the world’s first prefabricated skyscraper with 40 factory-built modules. 90% of the tower will be built in a factory and shipped to the construction site. This will allow the entire building to be built in only 22 months. The only part of the tower that will be built at the construction site will be the core. Part of this prefabrication will be the decrease in cost and number of workers (90 instead of 2,000 needed). The total construction time will be more than 30% less than a normal skyscraper of the same size. The majority of the workers will be in factories, where it will be much safer. The modules will be preinstalled including kitchen and bathroom fixtures. The core will serve each floor with a special connection for clean water, based on patented technology used to refuel airplanes in mid-flight.

The entire tower will be powered from wind turbines and solar panels. Enough surplus electricity should be produced to power five other similar sized buildings in the vicinity. The turbines will be located between each of the rotating floors. They could generate up to 1,200,000 kilowatt-hours of energy. The solar panels will be located on the roof. Construction of the Dynamic Tower, is expected to be completed in 2010.

 

There are actually a lot more projects in Dubai that are not mentioned here.

Built:

Burj al Arab

– 321m, 60 floors, designed by Tom Wright.

– stands on an artificial island 280m out of Jumeirah beach.

Rose Tower

– 333m, 72 floors, world tallest all-hotel building.

Emirates Office and Hotel Towers

– 355m (office) and 309m (hotel).

– symbol of Dubai city.

The Atlantis, Palm Island

– a five star hotel, including a water theme park, conference center and retail stores.

– grandest opening ceremony of a hotel ever, with $16 million spent just on the 100 000 fireworks that exploded over the whole Palm Jumeirah in around 15 minutes.

 

Information is taken from wikipedia and from some reliable websites. Pictures are from the internet too.

Really wished to go there for holiday trip!

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