moovin'4ward

2009-08-18T00:09:00.000-07:00

newbeginnings

2009-08-12T23:42:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, thought I update my blog a bit, this time around i decided to go with a minimalist and simple approach. Waddya think? ya like it? Just thought it will be a good start for me as i begin to draw away from dark themes, cuz' designers are emotional creatures and i was getting a little depress everytime i log on. Also i felt that i wanted a layout that would allow me to put in bigger pictures of my work for better visual stimulation hahahaha.

Anyways, latest updates are that i'm working on a few projects and will post them up shortly as the week's over. Just found out yesterday morning that i'm backing up for Bob Fitts, it's an amazing privilege but a little crazy for me as i gotta learn all 23 songs in two days, Jesus help me! Luckily we practiced most of the songs last night. On another note, there's a gadget on my wishlist i posted up months ago and it's almost coming to past as I'm about 80% - 90% in the process of getting it. Let the drooling begin. Cheers!

Powershot G10

Bob Fitts LIVE in KL!!!

2009-07-30T08:47:00.001-07:00

Hey Guys, great news. Bob Fitts is coming to town. Invite your friends and family. FREE Admission on the first night.

the prodigal son returns...

2009-07-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

Hey peeps, hope all is well. Work has robbed me of my freedom to once again express myself on this blog, but all else is fine with me, just busy. As usual God is still great, awesome, evident and relevant. Been working on quite a number of branding projects and it's funny cuz' suddenly now everybody wants a logo. And I love branding because it's a challenging yet rewarding task to be able to sum up a product/service and tell a story in one symbol. So here are a few on what i've been working on during my so called free time or should i say 'time out' sessions, my mind never sleeps even when i'm sleeping (maybe that's why i've been so tired)... enjoy!

A friend of mine recently started his new business bout' a month or two ago and needed some help with a logo for his spa so i offered my services to design him something temporary as time is short with a lot of other things that are needed to be completed. So I got onto good-ol'-wikipedia and searched on the word 'banyan' and it's basically a bonsai tree that got fed too much steroids and more research led me to this.

Next up was the same friend(banyan) from church who decided that this is the season for him to take up the responsibility of building up a team to handle our Young Adults Church website. Being from Glad Tidings for 12-13 years plus now and to have seen the church grew from just a handful to 600-700 plus strong enabled me to have the culture embedded in me was a plus when designing it. So how do you define something that's been around for years and will only continue to grow stronger, better and bigger? As I see the long term value of it I chose to create something that's timeless. Give it a few decades and it's still updated and current, something that has it's own life to be able to rebirth itself every turn of the century. Here's to classics, retro, cool, elegant... cheers! This is my customized rendition and tribute to Coca-Cola and Bata. After that i tried it on different textures for flexibility test and it works.

G infotech is a company that's running a blog called 'Shopping n Sales' which showcases all the latest sales that are happening in KL and Selangor region. This has been one of the longest projects I ever get to work on and i'm contented with the results after many drafts and samples there was always a feeling that it could be better. Long story short the info box representing information was cut in half to create the letters 'G' and 'i'. Goes to show that nice works come when given the right amount of time to work on. Still I feel there's a little bit more i can work on but that's just me i guess.

In honoring a fellow designer/photographer friend Miss Li-Yin, I decided work on a logo she sketched for the ministry at the initial stages of its birth. Publicity & Promotion (P&P) department which i'm in is a passionate collaborative pool of designers within our church coming together to share ideas and churn out great design works for the various ministries and events that are within it. This here is a draft which still needs some work but you get the idea, if you don't it's 2 letter 'P' back to back with the filament as a '&' in between the 'P's to form a lightbulb.

A little 36 paged Missions booklet that I was working on months back, literally sweat and blood was all over this project and it paid off. Praise the Lord!

Was asked by our very own 'choobs' designer to help look for the perfect fonts for her new range of oriental trinkets and i thought these fonts were simply orientally awesome.

Lastly fresh from the oven this week. Had to come up with a flyer for Cell Fellowship Games 2009. Had a sudden rush of idea of a game plan and this was it.

And you shall receive...

2009-01-01T06:52:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, been awhile... Obviously to some point why I try to update this blog is because of portfolio matters and also to log my journey and research the creative process of what affects my work. But before I go on I would like to thank God for His awesome blessing this year end. In my heart I've always wanted to own a macbook and finally with just a little perseverance, patience and faith, TA DA!...

This season Santa was early and I'm just so amazed, this was definitely a surprise to me. Finally I have a complete family for both Work and Home. Have been busy playing with it non stop. Weeks after weeks of shopping for accessories and now it's complete, with an external Samsung 2233SW monitor. Now I can watch movies in my room in Full HD. This takes the cake for the year.

So anyway back to where I was before, like I was saying, the only reason I try to keep this blog alive is so that I can reflect back on the process of things that make me a so-called designer, it's my assurance that there is a God and He is creative therefore I'm just a tool that captures those moments and try to translate it the best way I can think of.

So yeah anyway, back to what I've been up to, been definitely busy this year end, moments where I want to cry, laugh and just blah blah blah but never found the time to. And in time to come God willing, I hope I can recall what has happened since the last post. Cuz' right now everything is just a blur (That's how fast my weeks passes). So in time there'll be some back-to-the-past posts coming in, for archive purposes. It's like getting ready for audit every year end.

So before I see you again on the next post...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

And may He shower you with blessings till your cup overflows and His Joy and Strength be with you no matter what situations and circumstances u encounter this new year. God Bless!

P.s. Thank you faithful silent readers who rarely leave comments. It's been a pleasure and pressure at the same time knowing that strangers read my blog. So the next time you're around the netbourhood (pronounced with a silent 't'), pay me a visit and drop maybe a line or two, much appreciated.

inspiration brewin' in mah cup...

2008-11-23T21:03:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, previous weeks have been pretty awesome I must say. After attending Kyoorius Designyatra Conference here in KL for two days, some speakers definitely left some crumbs on the table for me to savour. Unlike the Semi-Permanent Conferences that I use to attend this one was pretty impressive in terms of the line up of speakers that attended. Will definitely grab the opportunity to attend it religiously in the coming years. We tend to forget or sometimes fear when it comes to expressing our ideas, dreams and fantasies. Thru this conference all things that were considered awkward or taboo was welcomed and opened for discussion and argument in design principles, philosophies and theories. It's good to be among family again.

Other than that I'm missing my next Great Escape trip to Japan this month, so sad but God's been great cuz' I got to travel ,so much more that I imagined this year and Japan is but only a little boy's candy that got stolen so i'm giving it back. Well there's always next year, and I hear L.A. calling. *hint *hint hahaha

Anyway here's some stuff I've been working on:

African Nite '08

Pulse Nov/Dec

an unexpected new addition to my MAC family...

2008-11-10T20:03:00.000-08:00

iTouch

Not on my Christmas wishlist for this year but it came anyways. Thanks to my baby for the surprise. I'm gonna be locking myself in the room this next few days. It's such an awesome gadget!

Sittin' and reminiscin'...

2008-11-05T22:48:00.000-08:00

The week's have been pretty slow lately, but nevertheless packed with little surprises throughout the days. Hope that everyone is doing fine and dandy. It's time I pay tribute to the many tools that have made my working days a joy to come into even if the moon shall fall from the sky. A blessing I call it, for the sake of my ministry muahahaha.

A blessing named Mac Pro...

This baby has dual 20 inch screens with a CanoScan LIDE 90 scanner and an EPSON Stylus Photo 1390 as it's sidekicks.

An ol' mini mac as my backup computer with a Syncmaster 2232 BW monitor and also my download station. Muahahaha...

Following a Power Mac G4 with Dual 22 inch Samsung Screens for video editing and playback. Muhahaha...

Future developments and tech toys coming up in 2009:

a). Another Mac Pro for video Editing

b). Canon Powershot G10

MUAHAHAHA...

OK time to calm down now, I'm going MAC crazy. Anyway I purchased a lightbox from the art store the other day and thought I should give it a shot on a new project. Reason for purchase was that I missed the days where I had time to sketch and do something really original and custom. Nowadays you have all sorts of ready made vectors and short timelines that you can never afford such time to sit down and go thru this therapeutic process. The only time I ever felt familiar, liberated and confident is when I had a piece of paper, pencil and an eraser. The feeling of creating and recreating over and over again. The process of development in concepts, ideas and thoughts. The simplistic value of the pencil that does not encompasses being, form, shape and size. Understanding that value allowed me to do whatever i want and whenever i want in a world that supports asymmetrical values and balance. So I had to come up with an invitation card to a luncheon for first time guest that are visiting our church and I thought to myself 'lightbox'! So I started drawing and cross referencing on other aesthetically beautiful forms.

And the forms just took a shape on its own...

Finally after filling in the nooks and crannies with black ink, I scanned it in and vectorized it.

And here you see the end product, which was entirely satisfying over the hours of sweat and blood put in.

front back

Last month's Pulse issue, feeling all japaneezy.

outside inside

First draft of Cell Christmas Party
Rejected

Approved...

front
back
Bunting

And lastly something i've been working on for a speech and drama school, a logo design for kids still in high school. Certainly took some time customizing this one, from scratch.

resolve: harmony thru cacophony experiences...

2008-05-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

Hey guys it’s been awhile since my last post, been really busy in church as there have been many exciting things happening. God has been awesome and abundantly generous with the blessings and revelation of what’s to come. Would love to elaborate more on the stuff I've been working on but the clock never seems to stop and the 'IN tray' is constantly refilling. So here's some stuff that I've worked on just to keep up with the times:

They came and gone, this was one of the easier projects I got to be involve in as the reputation of the brand already existed and it had a very straight forward purpose and content. Goes to show that with a proper structure it already posses, the product/service, makes the designing part more enjoyable.

Pulse JUNE Issue

Pulse JULY Issue

Pulse AUGUST Issue

Pulse SEPTEMBER Issue

Pulse is our revamped version of the previous GT POST newsletter. A new face was needed to awaken the enthusiasm and encourage old and new readers to be involve and be in knowledge of what's happening in the church. As the team continues to venture into a more strict editorial timeline we continue to learn more every step of the way. This year's concept for Pulse is focused on 'Wallpapers', so for every month there's a new pattern. I thought maybe we can bring together the old and new in the 'fashion term' of how retro stuff are again coming back and being applied to a modern aspect. Art nouveau in the making...

Honeycombs were the inspiration for this year's Cell Conference concept. As I look to the bees for inspiration, I begin to realise the connection it has with the cell structure system. And networking came to mind when eventually it lead to world wide gospel domination.

Moses and the burning bush was one of the idea behind this. An encounter that will lead to the birth of something new and awesome. Also, there's 'fire' when this man of God preaches.

10 Days Fasting and Prayer for our 'Neighbours'. The accordion fold technique was used for this simple day-to-day prayer card.

The vintage concept was applied to enhance the theme for this year's Worship Night concert. A classic black and white theme on a 257 gsm card with a UV finishing and finally, silver hot stamping method applied only on the words 'Worship Night 08' and 'HIS'.

Mafia Night has never been this hugely publicised as my previous cell members were addicts to this ice breaker that has obviously blown out of proportions from the actual game rules. It's 'Expert Level Mafia'.

A long overdue project that was in queue since the creation was this 'AV Ministry identity'. It certainly took a very long time to brainstorm despite its simplicity. Tried many times to stay away from the cliche elements that encompasses the audio visual industry. Again I can be speaking to a whole new different target audience if an unidentifiable logotype was done. But then again people need to relate to the visual therefore I decided to simplify even more the existing icons and apply it in pictogram where we can easily digest and process within a second.

And lastly, a re-branding project of the current Shopping n' Sales blog site belonging to one of my friends. Different ready made vectors were used to accomplish this.

BROKEN: An Easter Drama

2008-02-26T11:33:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, this coming easter there's gonna be a drama happening in my church. I am excited as this year I get to be a little more involved in events compared to last year. As for my health, things are pretty much the same as last year where I go through a lot of blood tests and consumption of medications which puts me up another level next to the pot-smokers and glue-sniffers :) Aside from that work is pretty much kicking up this season as i brace for another roller coaster ride. However, there are a lot of exciting projects coming up and I'm really grateful to be working on some designs finally.

First up this coming easter on the 21st & 22nd of March, we have a drama happening. What I like about this project is that I got a chance to go back to my roots as a hardcore advertising major, who loves everything bout' branding and advertising, the power to control minds and also make people buy certain things they don't even know why they wanted it in the first place muahahahahaha (I can rule the world!!!). On a lighter side of branding and advertising I for one do not contribute to those who are in that scandal, I always believed in doing the right things with the appropriate tools given. If I can improve the quality of life for people thru my designs, then I can consider it my life's worth. "And the award for Best Humanitarian Designer Award goes to..." *drum rolls...* ME!!!

I love creating visual concepts through photography though I may not be the most genius in my class but I certainly love the whole brainstorming thing. Sometimes I wish I can record things in my head and project it on a wall when I'm working. It'll probably be like some sci-fi movie thing going on where stuff flies around and accumulates into a fusion of ideas, concepts and rubbish, then finally explodes. Like biting onto a fish's eyeball and finally pops with all the juices of creativity oozing out. Awesome... Anyway back to the topic, (just so if you're wondering, I'm still on my medication). Check this out:

Here's the synopsis:When Eddie's perfect world starts to shatter around him, he desperately agrees to a risky business deal. In an intense cross-fire, lives are jeopardized and he is now left with one final decision that will decide his eternity…

When all is broken, is there hope?

The picture i got after the project was briefed to me was seeing glass shatter. Something beautiful and perfect at first and finally shattering. So i thought of coming up with a nice set of font and cut it into pieces, this was what I ended up with. Chanticleer Roman is an awesome font to use next to Trajan Pro as it can project many sorts of emotions, as you can see on almost every DVD cover design for movies. Chanticleer to me not only reflected perfection but also mysteriousness and a piece of porcelain that you're just tempted to throw and watch it shatter on the floor. Trajan Pro is but a jealous brother to Chanticleer Roman.

Next thing: We had to set up a photo shoot after I had my concept down on paper, it was fast and quick. I guess it's always good to have creative people around you whom you can work with rather than some who are too proud to contribute ideas, so yeah it was productive and fruitful, thanks to Daniel Liew and his home studio. Good Working Relationships Tip#1: Always have people whom you are working with see the same vision that you have, makes things a little easier.

After the long waited excitement, I got to do some photoshoping work, this took some hours. But it was fun making the visual more dramatic. Everything in the pic is real except the red curtains which were cut and pasted from somewhere. I love the tone that it speaks between light and dark, where sometimes we feel as if darkness surrounds us waiting like a lion ready to pounce and the only glimmer of hope is thru a little window of light. A place we find ourselves many times in, sitting on the fence ready to decide, light or darkness?

The synopsis certainly reminded me of those old black & white espionage french movies which i think in this case played a big part on the whole idea of the theme and a little red contrast to signify blood, sacrifice, longing for warmth and in the heat of it all.

The last thing I remembered was that the flier was done. Weird... I think I AM drugged, cuz' when moments seem so slow I somehow fast tracked to the ending. Took hours to photoshop this but it was worth it. Although this project took me a good 48 hours to finish it also took an even longer time to bring out the ideas and concept that was behind it (bout' a week or two).

This next project is another one coming up in March, a building pledge card for our Vision Centre. I was only able to whip this up in a short time considering it's a rush project (It always is... *sigh*). But this was fun too as i got to test out some great new sites that provided free vector motifs for design applications. Certainly takes a whole lot of time out trying to draw your own motifs but with this it only took a little tweaking here and there.

Adieu!

aestheticism: when east meets west...

2007-12-24T01:17:00.000-08:00

Hey guys i know it's been quite awhile and for those who thought that I've breathed my last, seen the beautiful light that calls out to me and have gone to a better place, sorry to disappoint you. It's been pretty hectic over the past few months that i just didn't have time to post anything, and in future when I'm encountering such a time as this again i realized that i just have to make time for certain things in my life no matter how busy I am. Besides work I've been like literally a lab rat for a curios doctor's experiment. Lately or rather since i got back from Melbourne, I've been swamped with legions of ulcers in my mouth and throat rendering me to suffer pain and agony in silence. Sometimes we wonder why our problems never cease and I just gave up that thought and decided to battle it head on instead of going in circles of just a never endless thought. Besides that I've also encountered some rashes all over my body along with pimples on my head. This whole year I feel as if I've done my part for the world in donating blood(3 times this year) to my curious doctors for experimentation and research. The doctors in GHKL find me an interesting subject of a rare chronic condition known as aphthosis ulcers(google it). Kinda like a disease i'm born with, suddenly i feel different, as if God made me different from others. Feel like a superhero, ULCER MAN!!! Currently on medication that leaves me most the time woozy and high during work. A lot of irregular emotions and also hallucination of weird fantasies. And mommy i'm taking steroids! Which also gives me a large appetite to have four full meals a day. Yeap Ulcerman is getting fat. However a suggestion from the doctor was to watch my diet and also change it, so now ulcerman is a vegetarian and also a weekly dose of gym. Hitting the gym next week, found a decent place to work out in privacy without meeting anyone who's from work and in the same group of friends. Cuz' i'm like HULK belting out during my gym sessions.

Been really drained out from the christmas production this year as it is our biggest ever. About 15k has been allocated for publicity and promotion and not to mention set design which is only an insignificant price compared to the total production 90k. Somehow all the sleepless nights and long hours of working and planning thru out the night was worth it as a rough total of 3k plus of people turned up for this indescribable event, on top of that we have 20 plus people who accepted Christ on this event. Indescribable: A Christmas Production has recruited over 100 plus of people to join in on this indescribable event. As i was in charge of the publication and promotion side of it, i also had to look into creating the perfect aesthetic look for the whole auditorium. First was the installation of a black backdrop to the 3o feet x 100 plus feet wall of the auditorium then came the idea of creating a starscape, me and my team had an abstract idea of putting up a fair amount of light bulbs including some home-made straw urchin to fit the occassion. Surprisingly everything turn out well to fit the production and its cast. I love it when an idea works especially when it starts from a rough sketch on paper to the physical reality of an object. Amazingly stressful like molding a clay as your thought processes into a beautiful vase. A foreign idea of christmas + a touch of chinese funeral lights was a great idea of a creative fusion and not to mention... cheap and cost saving. Check out the creative process of our work:

Posters, flyers, banners, buntings, video, web promos was all out this season

This is the end product of the lights that been installed with the black backdrop

a close up of the abstract stars made up of straws

The grand master of props at a high altitudes installing the panels for the black backdrop

A hard day's work that paid off, testing of light and darkness before the laser lights and moving heads were installed

a close up of our initial test

A sweatshop in India and China teamed up probably couldn't even match up to the amount of work produced here

Cables of different lengths for the light bulbs

Our first prototype of the lighting system to be installed on the ceiling

For more pictures of the production, please visit this site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danieliew/sets/72157603525738906/

health week...

2007-09-24T08:59:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, it's been awhile since I'm constant with the posts. Obviously work has got in the way and it's been almost a month of spiritual laziness for me as i tend to the little details of ministry work and it's systematic planning. Nevertheless still contented at the end of the day with what I'm doing day in and out. Of course there's the danger of things getting mundane and meticulous but i guess that's where i have to be vigilant and careful on my progress. Other than that due to the stressful nature of the job i got infected with legions of ulcers in my mouth. Currently am going through a thorough examination on how it occurred. They took 12 cc of blood out of me in order to test the 40 plus different nutrient checks. Have been home mainly resting and waiting while my results are pending. Fingers crossed everything's fine. Anyway been working on a handout/bookmark for an event happening in my church. It's sorta like a worship night session involving the whole church, with 14 backup singers and double amount of worship leaders and also musicians. Come if you guys are available, it's on the 5th of october, 8.30pm, at Glad Tidings Church.

Initially did the design in this color and i thought of coming up with something more striking so i went 'metro' with this one. hehehehe The first design is the one we decided on.

My great escape 2: Simply Thai...

2007-09-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

hey guys, how's it going? Over the last few week I have been really hectic, so hectic that I fell sick and am experience amnesia over what happened on the last couple of events that have flew by so swiftly. Work has been amazingly stressful (i say that because it's fun too) cuz' finally the P&P ministry is moving forward but as anything that usually starts to progress, a proper foundation has to be built. So this season is gonna be a season of building. But one thing that remains still so clear in my mind was my second great escape to Bangkok, Thailand. On this trip besides the abundance of its land, the nations hold a deep pride in religion and culture. So I have been visiting amazing sites of temples both current and past and the ever once so populated capitol city or Ayutthaya (i think that's how its spelled). And the food... man you think we Malaysian are crazy bout food, wait till you see their night and day markets. Shopping is also crazy when you are thinking what you can get with a measly one ringgit Malaysia (10 Baht). Besides that it was an awesome trip cuz this is one trip after almost 5-6 years the family got to spend time together and it was refreshing. And also my second bro's girlfriend, Nisha came along. On top of that i got to meet Ice Intarasayan (ex-uni mate) for a one night out party with her and her friends. Really thank God for the amount of blessings through these trips as it not only has been a time away from work but also a time of revelation and inspiration.

So without any further delay, here's the pics:
(click on pics to enlarge)

The Thailand journey begins

Playing a game of Chess with some wax figurines, can you tell which is real?

Me on the steps of the temple

Can you tell how big this building use to be?

a postcard shot

another postcard shot

can you tell? He's made of wax!

Offering bowls, imagine if church had these place alongside the walls and each bowl had to be fill with shillings and each person had to place money in every bowl

my brother giving it a try in order to receive blessings

dunno what are those for but it looks like gigantic shishas

people just love to get high on this don't they?

me at another awesome site

just amazing...

the gigantic Buddha made of 100% gold in the size of a titanic

Buddha sure knows how to chill

maybe its because of those gigantic shishas we saw earlier... you think?

artistic shot of the offering bowls

the half demon that protects the gates

the scale model of the once ever so thriving city of Ayutthaya

So much detail put into it that you can actually see right through the corridors

introducing the Thai Village People "It's fun to stay at the Y... m... c... a...".

macho macho man.... i want to be a macho man!

Painstaking job of reconditioning the largest mural in the world, imagine the murals on Pudu Jail... now times that to a million...

Time for another postcard shot

and another one

the demon that guards the palace roofs

more demon guards at the front entrance

Hey honey why don't we put more demon guards at the front gates too... just in case

I still can't believe i climbed this

Some Chinese influence in Thailand, we Chinese rocks! we've been everywhere!

You think Mount Everest is tough? try this almost 90 degrees stair master

one more demon guard just for the fans

the 3 monkeys my parents gave birth to

it's time for... "Pimp my Tut tut!".

welcome on another episode of... "Pimp my double-D bus!".

you won't believe what they have in here, it's totally another city, you have everything including karaoke

the-half-human-half-lion-demon-guardian... she looks kinda hot actually... just kidding.

Super king prawns ready to go

talk bout fresh fried stuff

the LOO family's first picture taken together after a decade of living under the same roof

we just couldn't help ourselves after that, snap... snap... snap...

i think i was melting more than the wax figures in that building behind me, you can roughly tell by the face i pulled on this one

a flat pineapple, ever seen one before? to me it looked more like another tragic roadkill of the fruit family

which sauce fancies you? they all burn through you intestines anyway. talk about spicy. You'll suffer the 'Ring of Fire' disorder (diarrhea) after this meal.

artictic food shot

things you can make out of a Durian, chips, bread spread, dodol cakes, air freshener, deodorant, bike helmet. Ok i made up the last 3 items.

Since the price of chicken has been going up, KFC is going seafood this summer!!!

none go to waste, environment friendly too. Old and broken china used to construct and decorate the beautiful temples.

Time for some thai fast food/snacks

Yeap your eyes are not playing trick with you, they're insects. Beetles, bugs, grubs, worms, thing with six to eight legs, things that fly, things that crawl and even things that squirm about. Word of advice to have a save bet on this one , stick with the worms, crickets or grasshoppers. I did and it was well... you figure it out yourself the next time when you have a chance, wouldn't want to spoil the fun for you. Send Thai people to Fear Factor and they'll come back asking for seconds.

amazing tile works along the temple walls

more ceramics and broken china

i thought this was kinda cute, although it's ancient art but nevertheless it's pretty current in design

Don't throw away your broken chinas, look what you can do with it

a cute modern piece in the hotel lobby

the floating market where you shop along a river with taxiboats

errrr... no thanks

very ikea...

some cute graffiti

more tile work

it's funny to see all the foreigners in one boat that bought hats to shield from the sun but it also lead me to compose a very eye-catching composition.

This is like the Chinatown of KL, you got your imitations and also interesting handcrafts

another shot i couldn't resist taking

Noodle soup being sold by the side of the stalls on the river, you kinda ask yourself in time's like this... "where'd they get the water to make the soup?".

Ooops... ye caught me.

Balik Kampung... an amazing shot as the sun goes to sleep, it's like i'm halfway into space.

my great escape...

2007-08-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

Hey guys sorry for the absence, been really busy with work and travelling around. Truly it's been a great month all together, a real definition to the 3 words called work and play. Thru this time of work and play there were times of realignment and redirection. New revelations and new enthusiasm begin to arise...

Work:
It's been really busy as the new p&p ministry i mention about in the earlier post takes off. Praise God that the amount of people showed up was rather enthusiastic on the vision sharing part of the meeting and also future advancements and projects that is happening in the church in time to come. Suddenly all the hours and pay becomes a secondary issue. A conflict between Passion and Profit suddenly disappears and a new ugency for truth to speak life into the lives of the people have been birthed and God is definitely doing something this time around. Of course it's not all just a dream where i prance around freely on a bed of green pastures as new resources and contacts were establish, the vision has been planted and the process of blooming is just occuring as i write. With the right tools, empowerment and spirit this is not only possible but is a thought that has already come to past in my mind. The tendancy to run ahead of myself is rapidly recurring as we take a step up each time. Much prayers need to be done as we continue to sow and keep our heads up and eyes on the prize.

Play:
The amazing thing bout this time around is that I've develope a passion to educate at the same time to learn starvingly thru how i can be not only creative but a creative-problem-solving-innovator. The thirst for knowledge to improve is not so that i can be the best but rather how i can serve others with what i'm equipped with in what i've gained. Taking a break once in awhile isn't too bad or rather it's THE only remedy to love what i'm doing no matter how hectic life gets. It's gives you a time to decide whether what we're doing in life now makes us happy. Passion + God = Fulfillment.

And lastly, i've been given the opportunity to fly down to Melbourne for a 3-week-plus vacation cum business trip and it's been a great time meeting up with old school mates, my best friend and my lovely girlfriend. Surely missed the people, sights, sounds, smell and taste of Melbourne. Here are some pics:

Just thought i make a poster cover for the trip

Good ol' Flinders Street Station

View of the city from shrine

Dangerfield: Gothic clothing. What an appropriate phrase for it.

What up dawg?

2 p.i.n.k.y. sitting on a tree, k.i.s.s.i.n.g.

the shrine pose

Another bloody water. Evian's new competitor.

Coming this Christmas: BOOGAZ

Batteries not included

Me and my baby

Biggest ferris wheel in melbourne

My favourite Hot Chocolate at The Worskshop

One of the lighthouse family

Cinderella and the 7 evil men: coming soon!

ELIB & FLIP?

2 most beautiful women in my life

The Workshop interior

Me at Port Melbourne...

Calamari Heaven!!!

Just thinking of you

Double date at the lighthouse

Awesome artwork at The Workshop

Central's toilet #1

Central's toilet #2

Mornin' breaky at Degraves

Arctic Exhibition

She's so high, high above me, she's so lovely..

Underground's toilet

Arctic seals

tired-after-shopping-look

Me and best buddy

Angel of light, i see it, i'm walking towards it...

The Malaysian creatives

Framing the picture

Chilli Hot Chocolate at Koko Black

Arctic Penguins

Laurent: Good place for cakes and scones

before you can...

2007-06-18T03:48:00.001-07:00

Hey guys, it's been awhile since my last post so i'm just gonna pretend like nothing happened as if i've been posting all along. Besides a few highlights on what's been happening lately apart from work and my freelance studio coming up (fingers crossed) everything has been like a monotonous-mundane-black & white sorta picture. There's been ups and downs and lefts and rights, a lot of stretching and pulling and not to mention widening of the love handles. Living the sort of life that lifeless-couch-potato-bummers can only afford. It's hard when you have dreams and visions when everything has its own clockwork in pace. Given the situation where you want to just move forward quickly and let the motions pass light speed, not wondering however the consequences time takes to deal with the situation. I guess that creates character and builds personality. Recent comment from a dear spiritual mother lately about how i haven't reached my potential self yet speaks to me. And i'm excited and amazed that there's actually more to come. It's a season like one of those cold-winter nights in melbourne where you can laze on the couch and begin to review your life in a projector-slide presentation. Every thought and emotion seem to come from the back of your head like some sci-fi movie from the 70's, happy moments in color and sad moments in black & white pictures. A season when God says to you look at how far and what i've brought you thru in result to who/what you are today and before you can go any further you need to deal with this issue slide by slide. Like a perfectly flawless apple on the outside we might appear to be but rotten on some parts on the inside simply because we chose to move on without really dealing with it that can cause more damage if we persist with ignorance. Things will start to look up when i wake up one day to greet the morning sun. At the moment, still seeking, still praying, still hoping, still believing, one day... one day.

Before i go here's a few highlights of projects and great times i've been up to during these past few months. Enjoy...

This is a brochure/pledge card designed for the AG Council of Malaysia on their upcoming fund raiser for the new HQ. I gotta say this was one different rush project for me as not only was i given a limited time to whip up something good but at the same time speak to the target audience who is clearly a little overage for this look. The retro-80's-pop-art-like concept was basically speaking more to the younger generation, the young working adults. On the other hand i wanted to bring a sort of freshness to the whole thing as compared to your typical mundane corporate brochure.

This next up is another brochure done for the Influence conference coming on the month of july organised by Youth Alive. Was called in to help with the consultation on the planning of the concept that was already done. And this was a modified version that was suggested by me. This is a church event created for the young adults in our nation (where in obviousness to the theme) by speaking into their lives in being an influence in their own market place.

Next up is a logo i've been waiting to publish. For you guys who are reading this blog, you have just been given a gold class ticket to see a new upcoming ministry that is gonna be birth in my church. This is one of the most exciting and probably, hopefully, prayerfully, longest ministry that is gonna stay in church. P&P(Publication & Promotion) MINISTRIES comprises of a group of young and talented professionals coming together under one name to inspire and to encourage creativity. In future there's gonna be designers, photographers, movie producers, sound technicians, copywriters and etc. hosting creative workshops and training in the area of media. So keep your eyes open and your ears unwaxed cuz' the recruitment drive might be just around the corner.

Ok last and finally is my dear friend and so called almost neighbor Janice Yap's gig. On April 25, I was called in again to join the latest up and coming diva in Malaysia along with the super styling acoustic maestro 'The Phantom' to do a few sets up in The Attic, somewhere in Bangsar. It was a great night as family and friends came to support us. It was another humbling experience yet again to be able to sit next to these beautiful people and do something together, something that i would never trade with money because it's a priceless passion for music. Actually the real star is just Janice while me & The Phantom just 'tumpang glamour'(stealing the limelight) hahahaha.

it takes me...

2007-03-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

Why do people suffer in hunger? Why are there killings? Why people are so uptight and judgmental all the time? WHY? WHY? WHY? Why is it like this and that?

Common questions we often ask ourselves in our daily lives whether it's when we're watching the telly or heard of from the news or bout life and situations. Frustrating questions like these often put us in a position where we compromise to our weaknesses. Weaknesses that are like parasites that eat away our insides as a potential God-fearing man or woman. Frustration often hits us when we are at the edge of insanity of finding solutions with no conclusions. If we see the NEED why don't we FEED it? Many times we complicate our solutions with other solutions when it can be in actual fact simple as Elmo reciting his ABCs. We limit ourselves sometimes with inferiority of ourselves where in actual fact God has made the human being to be overcomers and withstanders of capacity and full of zeal. Making a difference has never been so possible as the Great minds of the world have gone crazy doing it like Van Gogh, Albert Einstein, Leornado Da Vinci (he had to be crazy to cut up dead bodies just to sketch them). Again you don't have to be born of royal blood to be great. David who slayed Goliath was a farm boy, Alexander the Great was a HOMO and the trojan horse that got accepted was dumb but it made it to the history books anyway. So what if you feel uncomfortable that people are staring at you with judging eyes? Does it kill you? Martin Luther King, Jr. had millions of white people staring at him and wanted to kill him when he made the "i had a dream" speech.

We fail in worrying with fear bout the outcomes of a lot of things in our lives and it gets especially frustrating when many times we know it's the right thing to do. Always hoping someone else would come and fill in the blanks for us and go in our place. Btw this is not an angry post if it sounds like one. hehehehe Just wanna say that it's time we stop complaining about our problems and start to do something bout it. To those who are serving in ministry, people will always be people, you can't expect them to change but you can make a difference as you pray to God and fulfill that destiny that He has in your life. Don't ever think you're incapable of doing great things cuz' God has made you to be somebody that worths more than you can think of yourself and selling Him short by saying His own creation is incapable will only be insulting. God did not make you to be a defect even if you're disabled, there's purpose and there's greatness to your life story if you'll just let go and let God.

Like NIKE said, "Just do it."

junk nite revisited, a tenor made soprano...

2007-03-08T10:20:00.000-08:00

hey guys, how's everyone doing this week? Hope everything's fine and dandy :) This post is gonna be about my fren's gig recently at The Laundry. To refresh some minds, i was called in as a favor to stand in for my friend Janice Yap as backing vocals for her first debut live unplugged appearance. I have to say that it was overall a good nite as the reviews came in the day after. For the band and myself, it's been a priviledge working along side crazily-talented people all in the name of love for the passion of music. Surprisingly this time the butterflies in my stomach weren't fluttering like the usual crazy days before the performance, everything was pretty calm and collected. The stage was pretty relaxing with cashmere carpets pinned in the background of the stage. I love the loungy atmosphere!!! and the chairs wasn't the best but it did a whole lot to help me relax when singing. Was introduced that night as a tenor but as actually a soprano singer, which i thought was funny cuz' that night i had to sing higher harmony parts for janice and her range in voice is quite high. Newcomer Soul and R&B singer, Liang said later that nite after the performance that 'I was MAD!!!' with the falsetto parts. Really thank God for being there with us that nite as we venture out into the community to "minister". Opportunities like this usually don't come just like that and when you have a story or message in your song that needs to reach the attention to the people outside, this was the chance. At the end of the day as long as the message gets across is what matters as janice said. And by that i believe should be the very passionate heartbeat of any artistes. Forget the money and the fame...

*click on pics to enlarge

the setup...

the old man in action...

the lady of the hour, she's taken...

by this guy...

me & amanda forgetting our lyrics, squinting our eyes on the lyrics sheet...

me freestyling the falsetto parts...

me and my Monterey/Taylor body acoustic guitar...

new addition to the family...

2007-02-27T10:56:00.000-08:00

hey guys, it's definitely been awhile and i apologise for the long overdue. This chinese new year has not been the best for me as i was ill-struck with ulcers in my mouth hence i was unable to indulge in all the different types of enticing delectable food and i guess it was good as well cuz' usually on this season’s celebration people do tend to gain a lot of weight. Yeah so being a little anorexic isn't too bad. This season of the year is usually filled with crazy and wicked vast amounts of food so much so that you can actually end 'world hunger'. Besides that it's been great catching up with friends who came down from melbourne for the holidays, certainly a memorable one. First up on the list is the latest addition to the family, on 27 february 2007, Juanita Myvi was born into this world and brought into my loving arms. She weighed bout a thousand times more heavier than an average human baby, she was still a sight for sore eyes. Just by looking at her and you'll know that she's gonna turn out to be a fine lady one day. Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce to you Juanita, she's black, elegant, sleek and sophisticated in every way. One look and you know that our relationship is gonna be great, the leading lady of my life who'll get me on time for every appointment with clients, take in strangers anytime of the day and bring them to their preferred destination and a great company as i cruise along with her thru sunshine, rain or God-willing SNOW. Why the name Juanita? Well it simply means 'God is gracious' coming from a Spanish origin. Here's a pic of her:

Besides her there's another leading lady that i've been working with but she's not so into the transportation business but rather music business. Up and coming contemporary pop indie artist Janice Yap(a.k.a. jymy) is gonna be performing at The Laundry in the Curve on the 7th of march at 7.30pm and she has asked me for a favor to stand in with her as one of her backing vocals for that night. Truly i was humbled as to first being asked and second to have the opportunity to perform along side her for this friend whom i've known for many years now is really talented and we've always had jamming session in our younger days. Surely helping her out in this would be a pleasure for me. So yeah come and show some support if any of you reading this is free that night. We're the first act of that night out of the other four groups who will be performing:

And finally, a current church design project i've been working on. Was called in few weeks ago to help design a flyer for an upcoming youth concert on the 9th of march 2007. This was one miscommunicated project which i was involved in. After being away for a year and a half in melbourne, australia, i realize that when i got back i naturally settled into the young working adults group so i design what i thought i would like and this was the result:

This project was one where i was pretty confuse as upon returning home and getting settled into the culture again i've forgotten that my mindset has been changed to a young adult from a youth, literally like from Boyz 2 Men. So i designed it according to my so-called matured mind liking keeping in mind that i'm still a young college student. This is the confusing part where a designer has to learn how to incorporate his/her visual style into the proper targeted audience to make it effective, in this very instance it's young students. So i had to totally scrape what i thought was a great design to something more appropriate to the consumer of the product. And this is what i came up with as a draft:

A totally different concept compared to the first one, for this concept I had to look to my skills in freehand drawing which wasn’t that great seeing as I haven’t been drawing much since I got into uni but I was quite happy with the results. Already you can see why the second design appeals more for the younger generation by sticking with the pop-grungy concept. Surely pop culture studies in uni did help despite it’s boring theories. History does make a big difference if one is educated in it, I guess that’s why it’s an important subject, through human aspirations in trying to change the world and the toils and trials any individual goes thru. By having examples or roles that were put into play thru the growth of human development we are able to learn from mistakes, know the effects in socialism and also grasp the knowledge to strive for improvement and the good for a better future.

Feel free to comment as usual…

Adieu…

the sweet smell of ideas...

2007-01-21T15:28:00.000-08:00

hey guys, it's been a while. Back in Malaysia now and the couple of weeks have been truly tiring as i'm getting back to the flow of the malaysian lifestyle. The food is good as ever however sadly my diet has changed since i got back, barely touch a grain of rice and all i eat is side dishes and guess what i found out? The secret of maintaining your weight. Uh huh... should sell this secret to all the ladies out there, i'll definitely make a fortune. hahahaha Anti-carbo diet is the secret along with daily exercise and plenty of fluids(pure h2o i mean). Greens have been my best friend since i got back and fibers too. And lastly, love life despite what it throws at you, be enthusiastic bout it, be grateful for it and be ever so vigilant bout what you consume that leads to personality and character building whether it's physically, mentally or spiritually.

Was in Johor during the weekend to deliver supplies to the relief camps to aid the flood victims. It was awesome and cool cuz' it was like a 4wd expedition throughout the state. Been through the throat-drying-scorching-sun, heavy-flood-thunder-rains and neverendless-drizzles-of-crazy humidities. As much as it was a church trip i'm glad that this trip has taught me more than as much as ministry is concern. The work is out there guys, as far as church ministry is concern i realise sometimes why we keep our range of ministries within the church. For there are so much more people out there who needs the Lord. And besides having the opportunity to share the gospel i was amazed at the amount of people that were involved in this, its in a way good to see not only the church at work but the nation as a whole, the malays, the indians and the chinese. For once there's no racial discrimination and differences that shows what a great nation can achieve in unity together rather than disparity. For once there was no religion to share but just simple packs of rice, there was no color differences but only the boxes of colored fullcream and chocolate milk and nothing as sweet compared to tonnes of sugar packs to the faces of gratefulness. This day everyone was serving only under one of the lord's commandments and that is to love one another.

After a long tiring but worth-it trip i decided to take a whole day off hibernating and woke up till today with a huge amount of creativity 'flooding' thru my head, lucky in hand i had a few projects up and funny how i finish all 3 projects in 24 hours. Kinda krazy actually but gotta start getting in the cash flow and i'm freelancing now. Business card will be out soon. Anyone knows of anyone who needs some design done?

Anyways, first up following after my recent encounter with the micronesian government is another logo design for a development corporation in Palau, This was a task that is usually a test for me as there is a lot of issues concerning restrictions to governmental design based projects. As a communication designer for this one i was constantly reminded of the fact that we don't really get a choice sometimes if what the client suggest doesn't comprehend to our own personal taste or vision. But this was a sorta experimental as well and it brings sort of a nostalgic feeling to me. *hint* *hint* School badges. Coat of arms & family crest was the concept and theme: islandish. This logo represents features of the national flower, bird and also traditional house of Palau. Upon researching irish and english coat of arms i found that wavy lines like the one you see in the logo represents sea and water so i decided to put the motif in along with the full yellow moon as part the flag of the country and the blue as well. The brance of peace(as used in the UN logo or usually the crown on caeser's head) signifies DUHH!!!! PEACE lar what else? *doink* hahahaha This is only the first draft so don't laugh, looks so much like a school badge!!! cannot tahan!!! (click to enlarge)

Next up is a little rebranding or rather revamp & rebrand project. Pacific cellular services deals with well as you can read... they fix phones. Called in by favour to design a logo and sign board for a branch up in Ipoh. Apparently there was an error when the details were sent to me weeks ago and i called the client asking for the details and he said that he asked another designer to come up with one as he thought i was already working on it. Slight delay but it's all good now. Anyway here's what the other designer came up with:

Ahhh... how i miss malaysian designs especially this kind. To those of you who MIGHT even think this is feasible, i'm just gonna jump off the building. YES ladies and gentlemen, more tragic than roadkill for dinner. Such an interesting company like this usually have good niches but bad degree of publication and design. It's cluttered and messy and it has no sense of concept and theme. Oh wait... maybe... just maybe... concept: JENG JENG JENG and theme: ROJAK. I think hardly anyone would walk pass this store and notice anything bout it. What bout people who drive pass, there's so much information on the signboard that i'd probably have to be stationary in my car and squint my eyes to read the stuff on it or maybe even moving a little like 0.01 km per hour.

I'd say let a signboard be a signboard and not like the classifieds you read on the newspaper. Clean and simplify it and keep only the most important info details limited. Just enough to get the message across on what's the name and what you do in your business. Cuz that's usually how people notice signboards like road signs simple, clean and gets the message across quickly. Visual stimulating the mind or shocking the stimulation with visuals is a very important and useful thingy. With every word starts with a visual and with every visual starts with a word. Well i guess i talk too much sometimes, not too proud of it really to some i sound showy. Not like the stuff i do is great but i do my best in the best i know how to. Just that i thought these guys had a good story to tell but are not conveying it properly in the right channels. Kinda like to think of it as a phone clinic, anyway i thought the logo that was done had some potential so i decided to modify it a little and here's what i came up with:

I notice that i've created a corporate profile for the client after the logo and signboard was done. This is good because it'll come in handy if in future the company were to grow and branch out, they will have an identity that's already been built. By doing so there's a clearer vision of what the business is all about, it projects a sense of reliability, efficiency and professionalism as compared to the other one from before. Simple, clean and quick to the senses.

Lastly, and entry from Eximius School of Performing Arts. A business card is needed and here's a brief of what i've done as the first draft for the layout. Going for the clean and classic concept...

So here ye go, gonna make my move now, got a long day ahead of me. Have a good week and God Bless. And as usual comments are welcomed as well as condemnations and insults :)

Adieu...

resolutions revisited and improved...

2006-12-03T06:39:00.000-08:00

Stuff i'd love to do while i'm still alive and things i would want to achieve... Was pondering upon these stuff as it's coming soon to the end of the year. First off...

Year 2007...
1. Achieve art director status and have a team working along with me.
2. Get a really nice car with my savings.
3. Produce a single as been a request from friends for sometime now with fellow R&B, Soul and Pop artistes such as Liang and Juwita and upcoming new artistes jymy(i believe in you).
4. Start giving my mother some money (luv you mum).
5. Buy my family an awesome 10 course dinner meal.
6. Workout more, 75kgs still not good enough :)
7. Love my veggies more.
8. Get an Armani suit. (It's an investment, not a suit)
9. Meet up with some old buddies and establish some contacts for future businesses.
10. Learn to be more loving and less judgemental.

Year after and beyond into the future...
1. Move out into my own apartment.
2. Set up a design studio in Malaysia and Australia with designers(friends) from uni, high school and thru other working contacts.
3. Create a stable line of design-based products and merchandise to market thruout KL and Melbourne.
4. Full scale church publication into the community (providing grants/permits from government)
5. Simon and Leroy's jam studio to be constructed with basic sound proof recording booths and mad mixers.
6. Learn a proper waltz...? For wedding purposes, if any in future :)
7. Improve on guitar skills, maybe take up a little piano.
8. Meet Glenn Fredly :) (wishlist)

Now this may change and vary from time to time but it's something that's been in my head for the past few months now. Been thru a phone interview, planning with future business contacts, freelancing. So far there are little bits and pieces of reality that can make most of this stuff come true. And i'm excited like a time bomb waiting to explode on my comeback. Got to design a logo for the first bank in Palau. Great opportunity and also a little icing on the top for my portfolio. I still can't believe it got chosen. Will post it later when the results are final. On other news, Graduation is just around the corner and my results are gonna be out soon in a few hours time, so wish me luck. Just enjoying every last bit of my holiday before i go back into the working world again.

Ques: what am i feeling right this moment? Ans: I Will Fly by ten2five (check it out, it's an awesome song)

adieu...

take heed...

2006-11-22T07:23:00.000-08:00

Of all the uncertainties, of all the pain and struggles, of all the fears, of all the doubts in all curiosities thru past, present and future in regards to my relationships, careers, my walk with God and the plans that He has laid in my life. I lay them all down at the altar before my Father. In You my imperfections are cast away and i'm made whole, my intentions are renewed and my mind refreshed. In this moment i'm only reminded:

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance.
-1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT)

In regards to everything at the end of the day, i may not know a lot of things or am good with anything but this verse is all i know and hold to my heart dearly. I believe in it to the very core of my soul and it has worked tremendous in regards to everything in my life. I live by it, i breathe by it and i sleep by it. I pray that this will be your cry too. To be able to do as such. I'm still in the midst of learning a lot. Of the many years in serving in youth ministry or even meeting people. This verse makes up to be the very core of who i am or who i want to be. A person with the capacity to give and only give ;)

I bid you adieu...

the long overdue posts...

2006-11-15T05:28:00.000-08:00

hey guys, sorry for the absence this past few weeks. Been out busy partying, celebrating and planning for my leave for the end of the year. Brace yourself cuz' this is probably one of the longest post i've ever did. Three events will be included on this post and that is my birthday, the halloween party and my recent visit to Newcastle. First things first...

(click on pics to enlarge)

My birthday...
started out with a lot of messages from friends, despite it being my birthday and how i always look forward to celebrating it, this year is a little opposite of that as i woke up with the thought that i'm a little older. It's funny how when we are younger we always wish that we can be older and having the lack of patience to grow up but when we are older we would wish that the world will stop in proclaiming your age and you would wish that you are 17 or even sweet 16. *sigh* But i guess that'll never happen but regardless of the fact i am grateful of the wonderful things & people that God has placed in my life like friends and family. Some people don't even have either one of this. It was time to sit back a lil' while to reflect on the accomplishment and how much i've grown in this 24 years of my life. There were moments that are good and there were some of bad but lesson learnt from both. Anyway just thought i go out with a friend(huei weun) from church to buy a pressie to reward meself and i ended up like buying 3 things. Thanks for the company huei weun.

After a whole day of shopping i got home to prepare to go out for dinner with another friend from church(juliette). And as i got ready she surprised me with a CAKE. Why did i say that? I said CAKE because it's not any ordinary cake and unlike the usual this one's savory. 6-8 blocks of deepfried agedashi tofu made up a sort of rectangular shape with candles stuck into it and with a dash of pickled ginger on the side with a light sweet teriyaki-like sauce just swimming around a countainer greeted me as i came downstairs with the sound of her and my housemate jonny singing happy birthday in the background.

Headed down to Vlado's on Bridge Road after the surprise and was unimaginably stuffed with steak and different grilled parts of the cow. It was an awesome dinner as i've never been stuffed so much since i've been here to melbourne and after losing a fair bit of weight over the weeks my stomach shrunk so you can roughly imagine how much an entree will look like a main dish. Thanks for dinner juliette.

Soon after being back home my dad asked me to come online and turn on the webcam and to my surprise the whole family was there the moment i got online and everyone started singing happy birthday again to me and beautiful little Amara sang a solo for me and blew the candle on my behalf. Btw Amara is a little girl who's the daughter of my father's friend who is staying with us. She is half cambodian and half aussie/irish mix and she has the most beautiful eyes.

Amara and my mother on the webcam

To be honest i'm very humbled to have such good friends and family who remembers me. Despite it being a special day, i felt special, thanks ya'll for the messages, the cake, the pressies, the company, the care and the love. My birthday wish? Seriously, i don't think if i say it out loud i would then jinx it. But honestly, i wish that i can live another day each day to be a blessing to those around me.

The Halloween party...
was the bomb this year as zombies, the crow, pirates, tranvestites and even a coke bottle showed up. As it IS the last year for me and my classmates to come together and celebrate we decided to go all out on this one. So everyone was on the edge with their costumes and enthusiasm. Me? As special the occassion was i decided to construct my own mask. Wanted to come as the phantom of the opera but it turned out otherwise and i look like some scary but cool and dark superhero like the crow. I called it phantom of the chinese opera, because i'm chinese. hahahaha

Anyway, stayed back after the party to help clean up till 6 am in the morning and then went for breakfast in Victoria Market with some of my classmates that stayed back to help. It's funny how a whole group of zombified party animals that haven't slept thruout the night can look while walking thru the market. Soon after everyone departed their own ways and me and pirate carissa went on to go treasure hunting for stuff for me to bring back to malaysia for my ex-office colleagues (we figured why not since it's still early and we have no where to go and nothing to do). Golden Nougats was the great catch of the day, had a great deal for two packs of nougats and a free can of abalone flavoured macadamia nuts. Sounds a lil' sick but trust me, those things are dangerous, once popped open you just can't stop. Went home to take a nap for 20-30 minutes and then woke up to pack and prepared for my flight to newcastle to see my best buddy.

Newcastle...
often thought of as a lil'surf town turned out to be a lie. It's huge!!! For me it was a place of miracle filled with breath-taking sights. My favourite place in the whole wide world for now, not only because me bestfriend is there but the beaches are filled with the most awesome waves and powdery sand and almost scented breezy winds. The moment i saw it, i literally said to myself with relief that i can die now, right here right now on this beach. hahaha I love beaches and anyone that knows me, i would always take a 3-4 day holiday to the islands in malaysia every mid-year. Except since i came to melbourne last year, i started to miss it. But i guess this was the icing on an almost perfect cake of my awesome weekend.

Day one, took the afternoon 4 o'clock flight down to newcastle. Still tired from the Halloween party the night before where i rarely slept, i thought it'd be good to catch up on some sleep on the plane. Finally after bout' an hour plus i arrived in sweet sweet Newcastle, where expectations that were made are soon to be met. Can you believe it? Newcastle's airport is tiny, it's just in this big shack of steal like a big barn house made of steel. I can walk from one end of the building to the other side in less than 2 minutes.

This was an amazing picture i took as i sat impatiently at the airport gate waiting for my departure from Melbourne airport. Amazing how you can find God's miracle in the places you do not realise it would be.

Gracia came to pick me up, it was great seeing her again as we haven't seen each other since i left for Melbourne a year an a half ago. And i'm proud as ever of how well she is doing career wise and also spiritually. We've always talk on the phone whenever we're in different countries, as much as our friendship have been tested thru the tough times, we sorta know each other inside out. We pray for each other, we cry with each other and we watch out for each other whenever we can. Anyway back to the story, she brought me to this place before dinner and guess what? It's THE BEACH. Was so excited that i just wanted to jump out of the car, run on the sand and take a dive into it. THE BEACH (calling it THE BEACH because i forgot it's name), was neverendless as it stretches for miles till it fades off in the end. It was crazy, of all the picture that God paints this is like the Mona Lisa of all Mona Lisas. The breeze was refreshing and the sand is so fine that it melts thru your toes like knife thru butter. It was crazy my mind has never had so much stimulation in just a moment like this. Either it's that awesome or i was just really stressed out for some time now and i really needed a real holiday. Anyway, there were some kite surfers showing off their skills to each other with the 'let's see who can do the most somersaults in the air' attitude. It was cool though and for those of you who don't know what kite surfing is, it's a person with a strap on mini surf board on his/her feet and holding on to a handle with some strings attached to a parachute-like thing that they use to steer with. It was cool seeing them get lift off from the waves and flying in the air for awhile. Oh and the beach had a big light house on the edge as you can only see most the time in postcards.

Little while after that we decided to take a nice evening walk to see the sunset on the other side of the beach and the view was just mind blowing. A great view of the city as the sun sets, it's almost as if the sky was exploding with these crazy colours. This was the moment that i wanted to be left alone and just look and admire in awe. To me it was a living proof that God is real, cuz' no man or science can possibly create such an awesome spectacle.

I thought that what i experienced earlier was enough of a reward for me that day and it really did satisfied me until she surprised me with a birthday dinner at Scratchey's or Scratchly's. Affogato(i-forgot-to) again. hahaha A little joke i did when she introduce Affogato to me (ice-cream served with hot expresso shots). L-A-M-E! We had wonderful Antipasto (a dish that consist of different dips served along with some nice warm bread) as the entree for the night and a massive seafood platter for the main dish as you can see. Fresh oysters were my favourite as i slurped it down, crabs reminded me of chilli crabs back home, the mantis prawn tasted just like a big prawn and the fresh prawns as well. The grilled seafood on the side was awesome as well. After that went to Goldberg's(a cafe) in the town had coffees and shortbread with one of her doctor friends and chatted the whole night till' past midnight. This sums up the my first day in Newcastle.

Next morning went to church with her and had a lovely and can i say it again? AWESOME time of worship. There's this worship leader who did a solo and everyone was just mesmerized and drawn into His presence with her voice. The other thing that i remembered about the church was that they had cool shutters on their windows that would rise upwards like a garage door sliding vertically up and down. Anyway, after church we had fellowship with some coffees and cakes downstairs of the hall with the other church members and i met this cool guitarist guy called peter and we just hit it off the moment we started talking bout' the worship ministry. Soon after it wasn't too close to lunch time yet so gracia decided to do some grocery shopping as we will be catching up with her friends for lunch. Got to the pier early and it's something like the Docklands here in Melbourne but it was less posh but still good enough for me. hahaha An awesome raggae band was on that day playing live outdoors at the Brewery and we just decided to sit and enjoy the music while we wait. I manage to get up close to the guys and they're a great band, the guy sounded like Bob Marley. Not knowing much bout raggae music but they did play some of my favourite classics, like one love one life, no woman no cry and buffalo soldier. There's something bout raggae music that makes you move. So i started to dance, probably the only chinese fellow in newcastle that day tryin' to be jamaican. Gracia tried to steal a few shot but i manage to have caught her so we just took normal pictures. Met up with her friends for lunch after that, spent the whole day there chatting, eating and having drinks till evening. When we got back we had wine and cheese for dinner. Doesn't really fill you up but after the large pizza i ate for lunch it was just nice. Sleep was good that nite.

The third day was an exceptionally great day cuz' we drove down to Hunter Valley and went for wine tasting. Countless lands filled with vineyards from different wine companies compete here at who has the best wine around and apparently there are world renowned awards for this. Like who has the best Merlot for the year 2000 or Chardonnay, Semillon, Treminer, Verdelho and etc. Tyrrel's wines was our first choice on the map so we drove there and had some free tasting, it was an experience for me when i pick something i wanted to try and didn't like it and felt wasted if i don't finish it but the sales person just told me to throw it away. They had a barrel that they have prepared at the counter where apparently people throw wine they test away. Being chinese i am one who rarely throws away anything easily like when i was a kid i was taught not to waste my food and that i should always finish everything on my plate. Wine is expensive and having to throw it away was ridiculous so i thought bout it. I thought that out of the hundred wine companies that are in that valley that gives free wine tasting we still have a lot to go considering that this is only our first stop. So i threw it away and after that i was on the roll one after another trying most of what they have on the shelf. hahahaha Wasn't drunk at the end of the day, in fact i wasn't even tipsy cuz' i kept drinking water throughout the journey. Why? Cuz' i'm a responsible adult, that's why. The one that stood out for me and gracia was this company called Piggs Peake not only a funny name that stands out along other competitors but it lives up to its expectation in the market and apparently they're quite famous. They also have different blends in funny names like i got a bottle of red dessert wine called pig brusco and gracia got one called mother's milk. After that whole thing we decided to try the cheese factory and what can i say? i'm speechless. Ate most of the free samples there(being asian, can't waste food can we? and it's free as well). Then it was lunch time at the Magnum cafe. Amazing how most of the structures here look like villas and 5 star hotels in the middle of a cottage farm. Just one huge building in the midst of big spacious land filled with vineyards. On the way back we were planning where to go for dinner and i figured since she's been out with me the whole day and she needs to study for her exams, so i decided to cook her a feast while she takes a lil' time off to rest and study. Went to bed soon after that.

The last day we decided to take it easy and give her more time to study for the big exam, so we got our gear and drove out to the beach just outside her place. While she sunbathes and study, i was busy admiring God's nature, playing with water and poking dead sea animals that got washed up at sea. Perfect way to end the day. hahaha Went for lunch after she started to burn and become well done and me exploring the sea collecting shells and half-eaten dead crustaceans. Had awesome fusion food at the Longbench or Longback, Affogato again!!! Being true to my birthday wish i decided to offer myself to wash her car considering that she's a doctor on call day and night every hour with very little time for little things like washing her car i decided why not. Soon after that we just chilled out as i watch telly and she studied until it came the time i had to leave on the journey back to Melbourne. Goodbyes and hugs were exchanged with a grateful farewell to the once-dreamt-of-awesome-weekend.

On top of Melbourne as the plane was landing.

The journey back home was a rather quick one as soon as i boarded the plane i knocked out hoping to dream that i would wake up at home once again. Home... Where is home? Melbourne? Newcastle? Malaysia? Torn between all three as i stay clueless as to what i want to hope for.

Six days, one after the other, truly it's been a great weekend. Mainly AWESOME. Thank you God for all the colourful and wonderful people that you have laid in my life. Friends and family, as much beauty as You've shown me thru nature, i see the same in every person i meet. That as much of a purpose you have for every living thing you created, truly there's one for every being including me.

FINALS are over!!!

2006-11-07T07:04:00.000-08:00

Oh such a joyous ocassion it has been for the past few days, and now i'm beginning to get a lil' bored but no fear cuz' i have a crazy month lined up till i get back. Gonna take a trip down to newcastle to see my bestbuddy. It's gonna be great, nothing but sun, sea and sand and seafood and did i mention the vineyard tours in huntervalley? Just a lil' reward for working really hard for the past few weeks, to be honest i barely struggled hahahaha. Praise the Lord of course for strength, for without Him all this wouldn't be possible. Anyway displayed below are the spreads i did for the editorial brief. Wish i had more time to whip up sumthing fantastic but didn't really had the time to exactly wait for the right weather and mood to do the photoshoot. Been busy with arrangements of getting home and packing a lil' here and there and not to mention looking out for some job options when i get back. Not really rushing so much into that cuz' i'll definitely chill out more when i can once i'm home. I'm just so bored that i decided to do all this. oh yeah there's a lil' project that i've been working on for the coming masquerade ball. Hope it turns out alright, will post about it if it turns out well. Fitness week has been great so far, nothing makes you feel better with regular detoxing and daily exercise, forget the whole diet crap, never works and you never get to eat what you want. Losing 5 kgs in a week, impossible? i did it. Graduation is just round the corner as well and besides my parents i still wish for someone else to be there cuz' (you) are very much apart of this as i am but i guess that's too much to ask. Anyway the feeling of graduating again is none like any other that i wish can be celebrated everyday. The sense of accomplishment or the pride in being proud of someone else's accomplishment. Shows that there IS an end to any race that we run in life after all. And it required every strength and will we can muster to give a last breath to an eternal mark of proof. Can't wait to be back home with you guys again, at the moment i'm just chillin', jammin', groovin', partyin' and lazin'. (maybe a lil' shoppin' is required too hehehehe) And to the one with the motherly tone, await my comeback as you've said once upon your return ;) God Bless.

(click to enlarge)
1st cover issue

2nd cover issue

contents page

1st spread

2nd spread

3rd spread

creativity... it finally dawned upon me

2006-10-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

Amazing how the creation of earth and space came about. You want to see a miracle of God? Look at the sun that never cease to rise everyday, how it nurutres everything that's living. I look to the hills for inspiration and creativity floods my mind. Finally the ol' tinker has started working again like a rusty machinery in need of some oiling. Thank you Lord for always being on time and not earlier or later but ON time.

The work below was that result, this my final media for the Melbourne International Film Festival, the film guide. enjoy! God Bless.

There's dancing in the streets...

2006-10-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, i know it's been awhile. Have been recuperating from the previous weeks and still wishing for another week of relaxation but i guess that's too much to hope for. Just another few more weeks of hard work and i'm done, hopefully graduate. Can't wait to get home, as i've never been away for so long (missing my family and friends). Can't believe after this long while that i'm finally going home, it's truly been a great and humbling journey in experiencing the sights and sounds of what Melbourne has to offer. Recently spoke to my pastor back home and she's been filling me with the latest happenings back home and in church. She also said that my assistance is most needed as there will be a number of missions trip to Indonesia, Bangladesh and etc. Will be having concerts and it's one of my passions to go out into the community and bless people. So excited that i couldn't even do my work now cuz' i've always had a desire to go out into the nations and bless God's children and also travel and see a lil' of how much i'm blessed with the lil' things that not even other people have. Greatly a humbling and mind-blowing experience. So yeah, once i get back it's full on ministry and i can't wait. Did i mention that i can't wait? :)

I know well that if we have a meal laid on our table everyday we make up to be one of the richest people in the world. It's a true fact not fiction. Never gone a day where i don't thank God for the air that i breathe and the resources that are around for me to consume. If you can read this blog, it says a lot of things like having the priviledge to even go online. I guess what i'm trying to say is that be thankful and know that you are blessed. Don't spend a day thinking what you can do for yourself but have the habit of how you can bless others. Whether it's financial, time, company or a listening ear, have a heart for other people's interest. And as you bless others you will be blessed yourself, don't believe me? Try it. In the bible it says, 'love others as how you would love yourself', how much do you love yourself? Might sound a lil' selfish but it's true. It's true when you love yourself enough to care for other people where you can make a difference in their lives. No matter how hard times are or whatever catastrophy has happened, i try many times to not think of myself but rather in my brokeness still how can i make a difference in somebody's life. The capacity to love others is something that we all have and can be trained and learnt. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins he didn't think twice, He just went for it. Easy? it's never easy, He went thru the same temptations and trials that we go thru each day and also persecutions to show that love. So in our lives whenever we complain of how hard life is and the many things that it throws at us that hurt, disappoint and confuse us just remember that as Jesus has shown that IT WAS NEVER EASY ON THE CROSS. Start today, there's no better time than NOW. No matter how much we prepare ourselves for something it only shows 2 things, procrastination and fear. A preacher once said that in whatever we wish to achieve in life we always fear and make sure that we are ready or prepared for what's ahead and then he says, 'no, do it scared!'. Cuz' only when we do so, it exposes our insecurities and we fumble but eventually learn and experience much more than what we can learn when we are prepared. You can never be prepared for anything but you can depend on God while doing it scared. Most of the successful people in the world went thru their lives by taking chances/risk and oh boy, were they scared but eventually came thru. Try today, with the little things that you have, ask yourself how you can bless others around you and you will begin the adventure of a lifetime in blessing people. You'll not only hear gratefulness but rather experience something that the world nowadays is lacking, kindness and love and how it's the right thing to do.

longing...

2006-09-18T06:26:00.000-07:00

Finished the first part of my essay today and i've got another one to finish. At this moment i was just thinking of home and what/how everyone is doing back home. Can't wait to get back at the end of the year, this is the longest i've been away from family and friends. So much must have changed that i might be too afriad to step out into an unfamiliar world. Like a soldier coming home after the war, things look different, feels different. But one thing's for sure is that the food should still be awesome as ever. Asian food here in Melbourne doesn't stand up to the authenticity of quality food in hawker stalls beside the drain back home. I miss Steven Corner's roti bakar and lamb with mint sauce and maggi goreng with fried sotong. *imagine* ooooo slurp *imagine*

Homesickness has never hit me so hard before, guess it's about time for me to call home again. Missing a familiar face... There's a phrase in Rick Warren's book that spoke to me... God has a purpose behind every problem. Growth is often painful n scary. There is no growth without change; there is no change without fear or loss; and there is no loss without pain. Sometimes you must let go of the old ways in order to experience the new. Just be still and trust in God. No matter what's the expectations or wonder of how things would turn out later, God remains true. He never changes, he is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow but we do.

when theory kicks in...

2006-09-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

Today was an awesome day in church as it was the first time that i've ever been so liberated in worship, maybe cuz it was the item that got me all pumped up but nevertheless He was there and it was just an awesome moment seeing people being touched by Him.

There's pretty much nothing to do this week except study and finish up on two essays which i'm dreading to do but forcing myself to be enthusiastic bout writing it. It's due on thursday, i need at least 3000 words and i've only got 600, it'll be great if you can say a lil' prayer for me. More design work should be up the week after next as i will be having a break the week after this. At the moment, it's been a time of reflection, refocusing/realignment and reawakening for me. Should make a full fitness week in the coming holidays just to keep myself occupied. Missing a particular someone... God Bless.

Tired but i'm getting there... a day at a time... a step at a time...

steroids anyone?

2006-09-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

Hey people, how's it goin? I hope you guys had a good weekend. Went down to Port Melbourne for some fish and chips today with the lifegroup, not many but it was a fair amount of company. Have been resting alot lately due to my horrible outburst of monthly legions of ulcers. Sad to say that i've been having it since i was a child and that my body is generally heaty and would have a reaction to the weather and also stress i think. A painful curse to have instead of just growing white hair when you're stressed out. Anyway i figure that it's good for me cuz' it shuts me up once in awhile rather than just blabbering most of my nonsensical thoughts out. Anyway, since it's been a lazy week from me i decided to take it slow and literally tone down the efficiency of my work. For once i'm at an equal level with my classmates. My classmates thought that it would be good for me too cuz one: i can't be ahead of them and make them feel left behind in their work all the time and two: that i need to chill and focus on the other stuff that's more important than my work.

This post is bout an advertising project(campaign) that i'm handling at the moment, this product deals with sweaty-egoistic-vanitying-healthy-freaks-who-can't-get-a-girlfriend-desperate-wannabe-men. Yeap, body building protein shake. hehehe no offense to those who are taking it and reads this, just thought i'd make the post a lil' more exciting. (please don't hurt me!!!...) Don't get me wrong, i love to have a rockin' six pack as well but i dealt with the fact that that's never gonna happen already, maybe one day... Yeah anyway i thought that this is kind of an interesting brief to encounter but time's a running and i got to keep it as simple, concise and make sure it SELLS! Thought around the phrase that we were given in the brief and that is, "Bulk up fast with all natural Ez-e Gain". Then the thought came that it's so natural that you won't even realised that you're strong, incredibly strong. Oh yeah and the product doesn't really exist which makes it even more flexible for me to determine the sort of demographics that i want to target and also design the actual product. Thanks to Kaz my classmate for being my model. I've got two concepts so far and i need one more, any suggestions? I'm thinking of taking a picture of my friend again doing his homework, writing and his pen broke in half but it's not as impactful as this first two. So this is what i've got so far... enjoy!

This is the product label

(click on pics to enlarge)

director's cut...

2006-08-29T06:08:00.000-07:00

As my final mag cover design is pending, i just decided to share more on the other project that i'm working at. The pic below was an initial idea i had by using one picture and cutting it up into strips and reforming the whole image again in variable of highs & lows rendering the pic to look as if it's cut up but yet it's not as the form of the pic still remains but in a slight different interpretation signifying the directors creativity to be able to see what people can't see when it comes to creating a perfect movie. My theme for the melbourne international film festival is entitled director's cut. Visually i wanted to say that the director's so-called choice cuts makes up the masterpiece. The second pic is the final piece that i'm settling for, it's been a long day trying to get the different strips right and also at the same time watching the balance with the white space. It's kind of an illusion when you look at it, visually exciting and weird as well cuz' there seems to be the whole picture in it but it's cut up and rotated around at different angles and at the same time the white space seem like spotlights pointing towards the logotype. Reminds me of the 20th Century Fox thingy. Overall i'm happy with how it turned out even on the first draft, never really had the time to think about this one. My thanks and gratitude to the guy in class who gave me the idea to this one. (click on pics to enlarge)

1st draft final

final decision...

2006-08-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

hey guys, need your help on something this week. the images attached below are the finished artwork of my magazine cover and also the melbourne film festival draft for an initial idea of a hero image for the event. For the mag cover there will be two categories of layout. The difference in 'a' and 'b' is that 'a' is a full frontal shot where as 'b' is a close up of the picture. I need to know which speaks to you clearer in sense of the design. The mag's target audience is around late 20's and above. Think GQ, Micahel buble, Jazz, frank sinatra. Elegant, exclusive, smooth, gentlemen, career-driven, the modern man, SUAVE. Those are some thought to ponder while evaluating this cover. Your opinion is greatly appreciated. (click on pics to enlarge)

And finally, the melbourne international film festival. Spent a few weeks creating the logo for the event and this week we've gotta compose a hero image for the cover to suit according to the theme, mine is entitled 'director's cut'. So i came up with a rough image of what style and concept that i want to use for the art direction of the hero image. First i used a photo of the melbourne cityscape and then i began to cut it into segments of strips and misplace it all around but not too much till you don't recognise the image. Then i change the pic to a sephia tone effect to make it look old and then laid some dust and scratches on the whole artwork and 'presto' the draft of the cover. Not complete yet but i'm happy with how it turned out as a draft for an idea. As it already looks pretty complete but since it's still a long time till the deadline i still want to explore into this, perhaps using a different image.

This is my rationale for the logo:
Despite the long title of Melbourne International Film Festival, I have decided to keep the full title to enable it to reach a larger target audience outside of the avid fans of the festival who turn out every year. The theme director’s cut came to mind from the idea that each of the movies are a unique viewing experience. In order to achieve a nostalgic feel to the theme, I chose impact to be the main logotype font as it is compressed in width. By using the compressed typeface, i have created a black canvas enabling me to incorporate a light grey motif of ﬁlm reels on to it suggesting a cinematic atmosphere. Lime green and magenta colors were then introduce to the words ‘Melbourne International’ to create a festive feeling.

a star is born...

2006-08-20T01:07:00.000-07:00

Hey people how's it going? Today has been a really tiring day despite it being the weekend. Nevertheless i'm sure it was worth the effort. Had a photoshoot session today after a wonderful lunch time with my lifegroup in the docklands. The following pics are shots that were selected to be on my magazine cover, i'd have to admit that it looks pretty darn good for a no brainer trying to be a professional photographer. Although i did attend a 2 year class in photography during my college years but i totally forgotten everything i've learnt. Before i show the pics, i just want to thank the various people who were involve. Ice the make up artist, kaz and lene for food delivery and also standing in to help us out, gerald for turning up just to use our equipment and then left after that, and also dan, my right hand man who's also my cover boy model and finally the department of photography for loaning us the camera and lighting kit. So without any further delay,... enjoy! (click pic to enlarge)

This is dan's mag cover.