Doggie Dog Day

One of my clients has a beagle. She sent me several picts to show me how cute he is. His name is Toffee sounds like Coffee. So I decided to draw Toffee...

And honestly, Toffee is really cute doggie. :)

I Love TOFFEE...

an interesting project

About few weeks ago, someone from my FB asked me to draw her an owl to tattoo. SO I took it up and did some research on it. She wanted a combination of Tawny Owl (face) with Chaco Owl feathers...so it was rather challenging for me. But I still did it :)

Here's a little sharing of how I usually paint my drawings...

First, I will start of with a very detailed pencil sketch

I will use pencil to indicate the light and dark

Then I will continue by inking my drawing

Once its done, I will use watercolor to color it...

Voila~! all done.. :)

planting new babies...

I called my 'mama' in Australia today. I miss her laughter and her voice. Been almost a year I haven't seen her. I called her to ask about some planting tips. Knowing that she loves plants and now with my ever growing Sabah Snake Grass, I decided to call her to get some advice how to get them multiplied. Not very often I am exposed to planting or gardening, the last time I had a touch of it was during my primary school days. Basically just growing bean sprouts. Hahahah! But this Sabah Snake Grass has gotten me quite serious. With both hands having a touch of planting and gardening. I love it. I enjoy watching the plants grow and reaching out to the sun every morning.

Mama told me that she going to stay longer in Australia till Elyna turns 2. I wish mama is here and I could bring her over to my place to show her the plant that she once helped me to grow while they were still babies. :) Now they have turned so adult that I have to cut them and make more new plants. Baby plant has grown to become parents today. Am so happy :)

My 'granddaughter'

my 'daughter's' leaves are as big as the length of my palm

these leaves are all prepared to juice the next day. They help to prevent cancer and also have a detox purpose.

My daughter :)

Write all you want...

An article published. Written by a NON-APPLE user. Yeah, Steve Jobs is not great but what does the author knows? Has he experienced the first computer with colored screen and different fonts? Has he felt the first time owning a phone with all happening applications? I don't think so and he has the guts to write all that and claiming that he is a Non-Apple user?? I don't buy what he said. And surprisingly, there were people said it was GOOD. Obviously, they too are Non-Apple users. Well, if you are an Apple user and you write this article then maybe I would look at what and why the person has written such article. So honestly, I couldn't bothered to read or care what the person wrote and I won't take back what I have written about Steve Jobs. To me, its still a great LOST! Because since 12 years old, Apple has been a great impact in my childhood. Whatever Steve Jobs has done, did make a big difference in the industry and our lives.

finally...my beautiful space...

Yesterday, I went to Ikea. For the longest time, I wanted a new couch. The old one was breaking apart due to the expansion of our asses. hahahha. So I went and shopped for a new 3 seaters. Moved a little here and there and Voila~! a new space was created. Now I can sleep flat in front of my TV and enjoy this new experience of cosiness. Happy...(Chicken Dancing all the way) :)

My Bedroom

here's a little special feature in this house. My mezzanine floor...

my very vintage foldable bicycle from Japan

my TV area (favorite corner)

And Yes, my brand new 3 seaters...

My dining area with a bit of 50s retro look..

Days when you get sick...

Call me a health freak or whatever...but I am one person who cares a lot about my health. Even though it is not necessary to do a body check up yearly for my age, I have been taking blood test every year without fail since age 26. On a regular basis, I will take a glass of freshly blend fruit juice with Sabah Snake Grass. I will drink it with my empty stomach before going to work every morning. I believe in natural remedy however when it gets too serious I will visit the nearby clinic - Dr. Ravi. I like this doctor as he seldom prescribe me with Antibiotic if there is nothing too serious.

Today, I am kinda sick. There is only a few things that will trigger it all- a) lack of sleep b) too tired c) Going to Pub, smokey area or drinking cold water. And now it is just a bit of running nose. I believe it could due to the long hours drive on the road and the ridiculous weather changed lately. Took some antihistamines and slept early the night before. I felt better today but I will do the same again tonight. But honestly, I HATE RUNNING NOSE. hahahah. All that sneezing and watery eyes are making me really annoying! So pray for me. :)

When i read...

It wasn't Father's Day...but perhaps a dad's birthday. Amazed by the love of his daughter. I decided to help to draw a portrait of him. Through the drawing, I learnt more about him. I learnt in a physical form- length of nose, width of mouth etc. But it was through the gesture of his daughter. The words being described about him. A simple man but a strong principle and belief. And so I drew this portrait with admiration. :)

Steve Jobs- The Genius of this Decade

It saddened me deeply when I opened up my Mac and this was what I could see...

Steve Jobs, without him, there won't be a vibrant digital design industry today. Today, the impact of his invention is not just for the design industry but also part of everyone's life. And even my 1 year plus niece is Ipad-ing everyday. He literally introduced COLOURS to our lives. I remembered that having a computer with various choices of fonts created so much excitement during the 80s. Back in those days, my dad was a great supporter of Mac. Our first computer at home was a Mac and till today, my dad is still using Mac and always a gadget frontier especially to all those Mac products. Be it Iphone, Ipad, Ipod or I-Whatever...you name it he has them all.

It was such a great lost to our industry that Steve Jobs is no longer with us. I felt as if my MacBook Pro has lost its Father. So sad.

I would like to end my entry today by having a few of my Favourite Steve Jobs' quotes...

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”

“You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them.

By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.”

And we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it.”

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

“I’m as proud of what we don’t do as I am of what we do.”

“It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”

“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.”

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.”

Our society today

Last weekend I went back to Singapore to visit my mom. I decided to also buy my family and relatives a good dinner to celebrate the launch of the book which I have illustrated for. We decided to have the japanese buffet at the restaurant in Heeren. 

So I took an MRT from Harbour Front to Dhoby Ghaut MRT then changed to Sumerset as I needed to get to Heeren. During my ride, I don't know what happened to me but I was like Mother Teresa on the train. Hahahaha! I moved my seat so that to let a Chinese couple to be able to sit together. Then I gave up my seat to an Indian pregnant woman. And I stood there hearing an old man talking to a young NS guy who was listening to his ipod. 

I was thinking to myself why would the old man kept talking when the young man was listening to his ipod and totally ignored him. Then the old man lifted up his head and asked me where he was. He needed to go to Pasir Ris. I looked at him and asked him was he alone. He couldn't hear me very well and I needed to shout at him. I told him he was in the wrong train. He should have gotten off at Outram Park and transfer to a different route. So I hold that old man's hand and got him out of the train in Dhoby Ghaut told him how to go to Pasir Ris and handed him over to another stranger to take him to Outram Park. 

It saddened me that our society today is filled with people who just lived in their own world. Why can't they take a minute to look around? Do charity, help others or even just use recycle bag. 

I am not saying that I have done all that but at least I carry a recycle bag around and try not to use Plastic Bag. Do you carry a recycle bag? I am just surprised that not many Singaporean are doing that. Why should it be just Ikea? Or NTUC? Why not everywhere? In Malaysia especially in Selangor, we practise that every weekend. Be it in Curve or One Utama, people here use recycle bag. No recycle bag on weekend is gonna be a hell of trouble for you. I hope this entry enlightened you in one way or another. Be gracious. Practice inner peace in you. Open you mind to see a wider spectrum and not just restrict to inner-self.