Gladiator-1106576 Kang Chai Yuen

The scene I like most is when the shot captured the Colosseum in Rome. The shot captured from outside to inside. The angle of showing the Colosseum is wonderful. There are many audience waiting for the competition. They are very exciting. The Colosseum is a symbol of Rome. Architectural design of the Colosseum is amazing. Three layers of cicular arcade, is the largest cicular arena in Rome.

 

The Colosseum can accommodate 87,000 people. They were seated in a tiered arrangement that reflected the strictly stratified nature of Roman society. Special boxes were provided for the Emperor and the Vestal Virgins, providing the best views of the arena. Nearby them was a broad platform for the senatorial class, who were allowed to bring their own chairs.

 

The tier above the senators was occupied by the non-senatorial noble class or knights. The next level up was reserved for ordinary Roman citizens and was divided into two sections. The lower part was for wealthy citizens, while the upper part was for poor citizens. Specific sectors were provided for boys with their tutors, soldiers on leave and priests. Stone seating was provided for the citizens and nobles, who brought their own cushions with them.

 

Another level was added at the very top of the building during the reign of Domitian. This comprised a gallery for the common poor, slaves and women.

The Colosseum was used to host gladiatorial shows as well as a variety of other events. The shows, called munera, were always given by private individuals rather than the state. Another popular type of show was the animal hunt. This utilized a great variety of wild beasts, mainly imported from Africa and the Middle East, and included creatures such as rhinoceros, hippopotamuses, elephants, giaffes.

During the early days of the Colosseum, the building was used for simulated sea battles. Accounts of the inaugural games held by Titus in AD 80 describe it being filled with water for a display of specially trained swimming horses and bulls. There is also an account of a re-enactment of a famous sea battle between the Corcyrean Greeks and the Corinthians.

[sources: wikipedia]


Ng Pei Keat 1006795 Plato's Allegory of the cave

In my research, i think that The allegory of the cave is implying that humans are blind, not physically, but mentally. We tend to not believe what is the right of reality in front of our very eye. the cave represents to somewhat corrupt or secluded world we live in. A dark world with nothing to be seen. in the story, when the humans finally escape from the cave where they face the sunlight, the sunlight represents truth. when the sunlight is shown it is then that reality is seen. while we human have different own perceptions, there is only one truth in our life and the one truth is always be present. 

Islamic Arts Museum_Kang Chai Yuen 1106576

The Islamic Art Museum Malaysia is one of the best collections of Islamic decorative arts. The museum is full of beautiful arts and crafts. The information cards for the artifacts are well written and full of interesting facts. The museum building is modern and quiet, which makes me pleasure.

 

When I am going into the museum, it is tranquil in the museum. I was attracted by the dome on top of me. It adorned with gold. I like the pattern of it, simple but noble. I also like the architecture inside the museum. I saw many mosque of different country. It has their own unique design. After my trip to the museum, I benefited much, I learn different culture between different races. Although the museum is big, if you spend some time to walk around you will have learn many knowledge. I was proud of Malaysia because it has such museum which is full of valuable knowledge.

Taj Mahal

Mughal India, Agra,

17th century AD / 11th century AH

 

 Selimiye Mosque

Edirne, Turkey

1569-1575 AD / 976-982 AH

 

Quba' Mosque

Quba', Saudi Arabia

7th century, 1st century AH

 

The MOsque at Daxuexi Lane

Xi'an, China

684 AD / 64 AH

 

Qur'an

Handwritten

Java

19th century AD / 13th century AH

 



Arch

This arch was part of the interior construction of a house once owned by a Muslim Indonesian aristocrat. It consists of five arches of which the central section is the main doorway flanked by four intricately carved screen panels. Each arch is crowned by a central wild violet medallion. It is a composition demonstrating s hybrid of cultural influences, reflective of Indonesia's cultural diversity-Malay, Chinese and Indian.

 

 I was attracted by its meticulous handwork of this big gateway. 

 

 

 

Qur'an

Czechoslovakia

20th century AD / 14th century AH

I found this Qur'an very interesting. It is small and cute. I wonder how they read the word inside.

 

Ng Ai Yee 1201591 - Borobudur as Hero's Journey

Ng Ai Yee 1201591 - Borobudur as Hero's Journey

Borobudur is indeed a fascinating monument. It has six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels with 504 Buddha statues of various types.
At the center of the top platform, there is the main dome and it is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupas. 

To have visit this monument would be an amazing experience. The visit to this monument would be a journey as well. To reach to the top one has to take an effort in climbing up the structure. The monument is made dark stone and these stones absorb the sun’s heat rapidly during the early afternoon. Therefore, climbing and walking on the monument would be of a great challenge to an individual. This could be relate to the hero’s journey, as the path up on the monument is full of challenge that has to be overcome by oneself in order to reach the top of the monument. In this challenge, the individual has to overcome the obstacles with modest stamina or high tolerance towards heat and the individual would have to wake up and start climbing as soon as possible. Similar to what a hero have to gone the journey. The hero have to undergone trials with patience and high tolerance in order to overcome the challenges and trials he faces.

The Borobudur monument can be a huge teaching graphic the relates about passions of an individual towards their goals in life. In the hero’s journey, the hero would be reaching a certain level where he has successfully obtained a gift. In relate to this building, it has many levels of platforms and towards the top it means that it is at the highest point. Therefore, climbing up to the highest platform is somehow similar to the hero who is trying to reach the highest perfection in his life.


**Read more : http://wikitravel.org/en/Borobudur

Ng Pei Keat 1006795 islamic museum

^_^ prepare to go in !!!! (with friends )

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Beautiful chess set in the museum

The thing i learnt in the Malaysia islamic museum is the patience of the old times people. The clothes, guns, bows and many-many more that they made by their hand are full of beautiful pattern and texture. I cant believe that they actually creating the pattern on the gun with their hand to create the texture instead of the machine nowadays. The pattern they created is so unique and cannot produce by machine. the pattern they created is the islamic pattern. We can see the islamic pattern all over their clothes, weapon, furniture, pottery and utensils. Those beautiful islamic pattern is mean to be their culture and art. i which i can doing my design and drawing with the patience they had, i would able to produce a wonderful artwork.

Chia Zhen Yan 1002831 Islamic museum

This is the first time I went to museum... I did surprised Malaysia has a beautiful museum. First, the service worker is so friendly so I took a photo with him. He accompany me visit the museum.

There is different kind of architecture in Islamic Museum. The housetop represent different cultural style which under islam, buddha and so on. I was suprised of the beutiful model architecture. From the models I learn more structure of foreign architecture, I also seen the foreign architecture like Pilgrimage to Mecca builidng.

Next, antique and clothes also can found in the museum. I more like watching the clothes part than antique part. This is because clothes there I can understanding the history traditional with their fashion design in that time. Under that images, yes having fun at islamic museum. Life is wonderful !~

Plato's Allegory of the cave_Kang Chai Yuen 1106576

 

The Allegory of the Cave, also known as the Analogy of the Cave, is an allegory used by the Greek philosopher Plato in his work The Republic to illustrate "our nature in its education and want of education".

 

There are a group of people who lived all of their lives in a cave like a prisoner. The cave has a long channel go through to the ouside. Their necks and feet are chained and they can't look around but facing the blank wall. Behind them there is a fire in the combustion. Some people are holding objects passing in front of the fire behind them. The people see the shadows cast on the wall in front of them. They can't look back so they do not know the reason of the image, they think that those shadows is real, so they use different names to call them and they get used to this kind of life. One day, when a prisoner occasionally to break free of the shackles, he looking back to the fire, he realizes the images he had seen before rather than physical. When he contnues to walk out of the hole, his eyes were stimulated by the sun, as a result, he can't see anything. He had to go back to the cave, but he regret. He hated to see through anything because it brought him more pain.

 

After reading this allegory, I know that Plato wants to tell us, of course, truth and justice is hard to find but we cannot give up. The prisoner is certainly contrary to justice, but when the justice itself is a kind of nihilism, itself is a distant which difficult to reach, how can we easily give up the side we have? Therefore, the important is not the other side but is pursuit itself. Besides, back to the cave is not terrible, terrible is when we clearly understand the reality outside of the cave and then back to the cave.

  

Plato's Allegory of the Cave and the Matrix relate to each other because both involve prisoners in their own world. Society is controlled by the thinking that others have laid before them. Looking through the reality and truth are difficult and painful. Sometimes, there is dilemma in our life. In Plato's Allegory of the cave, the prisoner wanted to walk out from the cave but when he realize the reality outside the cave, he shrink back. In the Matrix,  everything Neo thought he had come to know and believe what was real it was astually wiped away.