This document is a personal values statement by Preston Liew Ru Ping, an architecture student. It summarizes Preston's background and upbringing in a Buddhist family in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. It discusses how his parents worked hard and sacrificed for their family. Preston values teamwork, openness to new experiences, awareness, and becoming the best version of himself. He admires architect Tadao Ando's use of light and focus on functionality. Preston's goals are for his designs to follow function, be efficient, and help people. He believes in embracing criticism while staying true to his beliefs and not giving up.

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Thinking |Architecture (ARC60603/ARC2323/ARC2312):August2015
Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Architecture
THINKING │ARCHITECTURE (ARC60603/ARC2323/ARC2312)
PersonalValues Statement: Defining PersonalValues for Design
Name: PRESTON LIEW RU PING ID: 0313822
This assignment is aimed to help us understand our characteristics and personality. No two
persons are the same, but they can be relatable. We are to complete a basic traits survey
followed by exploration and deep introspection in order to gain a new or renewed perspective
of ourselves. The purpose of this assignment was derived from the notion that design
solutions result not only from objective criteria of user needs, site demands, available
technologies, economic constraints, etc. but also from an often hidden agenda of designer
attitudes or theories. It is also hoped that, by making these explicit, we may not only sharpen
skills in bringing such attitudes to their full fruition, but also progress towards a clearer, more
thoughtful formation of our personal design values.
What is a worldview? It can be as simple as our beliefs about life or “Weltanshauung” – a
comprehensive conception or image of the universe and of humanity’s relation to it. A
worldview can include natural philosophy; fundamental, existential, and normative
postulates; or themes, values, emotions and ethnics.
What is a Personal Values Statement? To put it simply it is a concise and specific statement
that outlines what is most important in our lives. The better we define our personal values, the
more we are capable of finding a career that is in harmony with those values. Those
statements can also help define our moral fiber to potential employers and set a standard by
which to define our own success.
Based on the Central Six Survey, I have an IQ of 140 (tested from http://www.free-
iqtest.net/), 3 in openness, 0 in conscientiousness, 0 in agreeableness, 3 in emotional stability,
and 0 in extraversion. I was born in what I consider to be a normal family, with normal
parents, normal siblings and maybe an above average wealth status. We’re based in Kota
Kinabalu, Sabah. We had an Indonesian maid who stayed with us every day except Sundays,
she was like family to us. We are a Buddhist family but my parents gave us the freedom to
choose what we want to believe, my eldest sister is a Christian, my elder brother and I are
free thinkers. Although we’re a Buddhist family, we don’t participate in most Buddhist
celebration or tradition, but we do celebrate the main ones like Chinese New Year or Mid-
Autumn Festival. But we do always have our own very small family tradition where we used
to go to my dad’s village, Papar every Sunday morning for breakfast and lunch, and go back
home for dinner with my mum’s side of the family. My grandparents on my mum’s side and
my grandmother on my dad’s side passed away even before I was born so I never got to meet
them, so my grandfather was the only elderly I had in my life but he passed away when I was
14 and after that we don’t go back to Papar that often. And especially now that both my
parents are retirees, but we still have our weekly Sunday gatherings with my mum’s side of
the family.

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My mum has always reminded me how important the quote “blood is thicker than water” is to
her. We were always her first priority no matter. We as in the whole family. My mum is
selfless, she pays for my tuition fees as well as 2 of my cousins, she’s the one who gives us
our allowance, she was the one who paid most and consistently for my aunt’s cancer
treatment in Singapore. Knowing what she did for our family and our relatives, her actions
are forever carved on my head that I should always put my family first no matter how hard
the circumstances are, I can find a way. My dad always reminds us his stories of his younger
days where he worked as a clerk in MAS, became a supplier for the Sultan of Brunei’s head
chef, contractor for a school in Sabah, or a businessman. He’d also tried out many different
jobs or even sports like Taekwondo, Ping-Pong, basketball, golf etc. and has always been
asking me to take up a few to discipline myself and for health. He has never given up on
himself even when his business plans failed, got scammed or slipped his disc, he stands
strong as the alpha of our family.
My parents worked hard for us, we used to travel once a year before I got into secondary
school. We mostly go to Hong Kong, China and Australia because that’s where most of our
friends and relatives live. When we travel we don’t really go sightseeing, most of the time
we’re just at a friend or relative’s house or at a restaurant eating with them. My parents like
to stay in the house to chat, my brother likes to go out and wander but I wasn’t allowed to tag
along with him because I was still a kid and they believed that my brother wasn’t capable of
taking care of me on the streets so they just let him wander alone. So it’s all vague memories
of which country I’ve been to. But in December 2008, we travelled Shenzhen to meet my
father’s aunt and we stayed in her apartment. We were there for a short while but it was
unforgettable because that was the first time they’ve let me wander the streets with my
brother. We went to night markets searching for clothes, souvenirs, and food. I finally felt the
hazardous streets of China as well! Everyone was driving like a mad man and we almost got
hit while on a San Lun Che (tricycle). That was the really first time I felt the differences in
culture between two countries. But that was also the last time we travelled together because
my father couldn’t harvest any incomes due the declination of his business.
Fast forward five years to 2013, I’ve enrolled myself into Taylor’s SABD and that was the
first time I sat on an aeroplane in five years. At the end of my first semester of degree in
August 2014, I’ve booked a ticket to Siem Reap spontaneously and travelled there alone
without the consent of my parents nor any relatives. It was one of the most impromptu thing I
have ever done in my life, but it was also the best vacation I’d ever had. It was a place with
historical value, culture, food and horrible but funny English. But I had to let my parents
know somehow when I returned from the trip, and I got lectured real hard by my family
members but my aunts were very supportive, they’d even recommended me where I should
go next for my trip. It was an unforgettable experience, but also a fruitful one.
Life has its ups and down, naturally I was allowed to visit other places but now I wished that
I can travel home more. My parents had just suffered from the Kinabalu earthquake not too
long ago while I’m still here in KL, but the main area that got affected was around two hours
away from my home. Let’s not forget about the Lahad Datu incident, though it did not really
affect my town but what if something like that were to happen again? Also, my parents are

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getting old, which means they’re more prone to diseases. 2 weeks ago, my dad was assumed
to be diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or known as ALS. It was the disease that
made everyone throw buckets of iced water over themselves but thankfully my dad was only
paranoid as he felt that his muscles were getting weaker but he wasn’t suffering from ALS
just some minor fatigue. Because my parents are already old senior citizens, my dream as the
youngest son is to have both my parents present during my convocation, I want them to know
that I am capable of taking care of myself and I want to do them proud. But knowing that my
dad assumed to have ALS made me realize that his body is getting more fragile each day and
I should go home more often.
I see the world as a system. A system that provides wondrous opportunities and possibilities.
Just because something you tried today doesn’t work out for you doesn’t mean that that’s the
only equation, we should be brave enough to try out more things, we shouldn’t be on the
couch watching TV, we should be out there exploring! To explore is also to be adventurous,
we should be open to know more about the world, to understand the different cultures every
country has to offer. Maybe eat a worm or milk a cow? Who knows, it might make you into a
different person. The world has so much to offer, but most of us are giving ourselves a
headache on which company’s cubicle we should work in. I’m always up for a new
experience, something that will make me into a better person not something that’ll ruin my
life. I believe that trying new things are a way of turning myself into a wiser person, by
learning the history, culture, beliefs and discipline of it. Also if it’s something that doesn’t
suit me at the end, at least I’m capable of telling myself “Well, I’ve tried” and move on to
something else till I can find what suits me. I don’t give up that easily.
I value four things - teamwork, openness, awareness and being the best version of myself.
To me, one person can never achieve big goals with a team. The brain is a powerful
organism, add a few more you can create something magnificent. Rome wasn’t built in a day,
and it wasn’t built using just one person as well. I came to realize the importance of
teamwork during foundation when my group mates were a bunch of whackers who wouldn’t
do a task assigned properly or even do it at all. After that few assignments, I was lucky
enough to have a group of friends who I still work together with for almost every group
assignments. Having them made me realize the joy of having same-minded people working
together, makes me feel like we can achieve big things one day.
Next, I believe that being open to new things is a way of turning myself into a better person.
Good things come and bad things go, I learn what is good and I repel what is bad. It’s
interesting to learn the disciplines and histories of other cultures, for example the Japanese
tea ceremony that’s held in a tea house where everyone has to kneel through the entrance to
be equal. Being open leads to curiosity where you’re interested to learn more about new
things. There’s so much this world has to offer, we shouldn’t neglect it.
Besides that, we should be aware of what’s happening around us and be critical. Nowadays
with the convenience of social media and the internet, it is easy to be misled. Not everything
documented online is good and that’s why we should be critical about it, have a sense of
judgement and study whether it is right or wrong. Apart from being aware of what’s

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happening in the digital world, we should be aware of our surroundings as well. Know how
fast the car opposite you is coming, know if a person is following you around, know how
your parent’s day was or even know what you ate today.
Last but not least, being the best version of myself. I feel this is the most important value that
I’d like to express so I saved it for last. I was always comparing myself to others, heck even
my parents compare me to my friends even though they say we shouldn’t compare. I
compared myself in terms of academics, why couldn’t I be as smart as them. I compared
myself in terms of wealth, why couldn’t I afford to go study abroad. I compared myself in
terms of fitness, why couldn’t I run as fast as they could. I was never truly happy. Even when
my work is good, my friends praised me, I still felt that someone else’s was better. Then one
day it hit me that why the hell am I always comparing myself to other people. Competing is a
great way to improve ourselves but that mode I was in was not a healthy state. Slowly but
surely, I started to do everything in my own pace, I started to disregard what other people
thinks and then I realized I started to become happier as a person. I mean isn’t that how you
should live your life? To be happy with what you’re doing, stay humble, and be true to
yourself. I’m practicing what I preach now, and it feels delightful that I’m not always a
grumpy boy anymore.
I’m currently in a state where I’m not sure who’s supposed to be a good architect because I
was told that “fame destroys a person”. Whether there’s a difference between master
architects and celebrity architects, or are they all the same? To build for fame and not for the
people. But to answer the question, before I got into this state, I’ve always admired the work
of Tadao Ando. It is known that Ando is a master of light, and builder for humanity. He
creatively enhances the value of the space just by using light, he also uses structure that
follows natural forms of the landscape rather than disturbing the landscape by making it
conform to the constructed space of the building. Most of his works are in simple geometrical
shapes, but how he derived the shapes was because his architecture was influenced by the
Japanese religion and style of life. He favours designing complex spatial circulation while
maintaining the appearance of simplicity.
Between me and him, is of course the experience. I’m still a student, and he’s a master
architect. But if I were to compare, I would say that his style of work was heavily influenced
by his Japanese culture which he has not forgotten. Most people are designing sky scrapers or
weirdly shaped buildings just to have that look, but they it has never crossed their minds that
whether it works in that context. Besides that, although his spatial circulations are long
pathways that requires a lot of walking but it’s somehow compensated with the beauty in the
details of his buildings, simple yet austere.
And hence I feel that I want to achieve three things if I were to design – form follows
function, efficiency, and to help. I feel that in order to have a certain quality in design, we
must first understand that we are the ones who design but we are not the ones who use it. So
first, we must understand how the people works, so we can create the building, and not create
a building and have the people work for it. Next, to design with a minimal impact to the
surroundings but have maximum impact on the people who use it. For example a pendrive,
it’s small and tiny but it helped us in a very big way. Lastly, I want to design to help. Help

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can be in many ways, ranging from emergency shelters or EPIC homes. But ultimately it
should be for the people first. People are the ones using the building and they should feel
comfortable inside the building. Making the façade of the building look good doesn’t mean
you’re creating spaces that feels good. And that’s why it’s important to understand how a
person work within space and feels comfortable within the space.
It affected me how we are always giving up when people criticize our designs, yes it hurts but
we should never give up on what we believe in, we should always try out other possibilities
that can help improve our design. Design is not something that is dead, it’s just very
subjective. Embrace what people have to say with an open mind, everyone has their opinion
but don’t let it bring you down. Be critical to whatever they have to say either, know what’s
good for the design and what’s not. Know that alone you what you can do is very limited, but
together you can achieve something greater than the stars. And last but not least, be happy
with what you’re doing and stay true.