MSK : Where art thou hiding Mas?

Much have been said, speculated, joked and debated about the whole Mas Selamat saga. Bloggers had a field day and photoshoppers too jumped, gleefully, onto the bandwagon to make light (and funny) about what is otherwise a serious National Emergency. Vigilance and alertness (with a dash of panic) are healthy prescriptions for the masses, but of utmost importance is for the relevant parties to be honest and open by this humbling turn of event. Not just the escape, but the fact that till now it remains so.

On the other hand, this is my contribution as to how he could be disguising himself now to evade detection:



Ok that is like so not helpful....heheee

Luqman & The Mot-mot

My son Luqman celebrated his 4th Birthday for the first time. Made him a picturebook, entitled "Luqman & The Mot-mot: Bathtime". Detail in the family blog,but here is a preview of what he and the Mot-mot looks like. The Mot-mot is actually a monster of his imagination, a sort of radioactive mutant with variousnumber of eyes. Yes, the goggle comes from a MapleStory character....

Yumni, the Mascot.

Did the above and submitted for a mascot design competition. It a fairy-like creature base on my dearest little princess Yumni. Not really expecting them (being Gahmen and all) to accept such character as a mascot for their innovation unit. But hey, no harm trying.

Revive, Restart, Revive

OK, I am reviving this blog and giving it the CPR it sorely needed. A tranfusion of posting will resume to give it life again. I hope. But I will just focus on design and illustrations. I hate writing about negative things, which are about the only happening that seems to be nowadays.

It has not been a very good year, this 2007, especially in terms of relationships and health.

A family friend is going thru a divorce (and I still cannot figure out WHY). And they have a 7 yrs old son who is just about to enter a supposedly exciting phase of childhood. 7 years old needs his Mom and dad together, even if the reason for not being together is correct, he can never understand that. A toddler is more emotion than reason. He can be made to accept the reason, but he would never understand. He will be like the cart that is being dragged by runaway horses in two different directions. And I can only watch.

We lost, or rather I lost a friend. Someone whom suddenly decided that our frienship just need to expire. Again, I am not clear why this need to happen but it just did. Perhaps it is me, then again I am thru with self-blame. I've tried my best and if the peacepipe that I offered is not accepted, then thats it. Need to move on.

Dad went for his operations after his urinary tract gave problems again. Mother is quite sickly and weak, but still need to look after Dad AND the house. I can't do much in terms of help as my 3 kids at home is still very much a handful. Discussed with siblings about hiring a maid for them but they didn't want such help.

My VisualDNA (thanks Rott!)

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Happiness

"Those who says money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping".

That's Bo Derek for you. Ok, you do not know who the hell Bo Derek is. Just take it from me that she is a once-upon a time the most exciting bomb shell that Hollywood ever produced. And forgotten.

But her words do have some rings of truth to it, up to and only if, your life terminates right after the shopping spree. That is because AFTER the shopping, reality takes over in the form of credit card bills (plastic money) and other unpaid bills going after your neck for payments. Retail therapy is therapeutic only for those who can afford, not us (OK, me) who are in the middle-income (OK, lower middle income) bracket.

Why, you ask. Disposable income, I say. For middle and lower than middle income earners, our disposable income are usually well disposed off, very fast long before the month end. Most of them, after CPF contri and tax, will go to daily expenses (including that triple-shot Frappucino at Starbuck) which are usually small, many and mostly unnecessary (read extravagant). We are usually trapped in the upper income affluence but without the upper-income financial capability.

Who to blame. Ourselves, of course.

But I am over with self-blame (and pity). I now want to point fingers at others. At Banks and Financial Institutions which dangle credit facilities and making it sound like its OKAY to spend now and pay later. At Hire Purchases scheme that blinds you to the weekly attrition of your finance via crazy interests. At scams that allows you to owe them even more via short-term low interest payment (pay up your credit card balances at very low interest for the next 6 months! Yeah, sure, like as if you can pay up all 10K in 6 months). At 7% GST. At high cost of transport. At 1 million TOTO prizes that I will never win but deluded into the possibility of (hope springs eternal). At how easy it is to blow away half your income via online shopping. At paypal. At e-Bay. At the Click Here Button (make sure you click once).

At the end of it all, I am back at myself. The main cause of my own suffering.

2007 will be the Year Of The Pig Wanting To Achieve Financial Freedom.

"Those who says money can't buy happiness simply didn't know how to save". Really ah?

Death

Death. So final. A sudden fullstop in a string of words. An ending that cannot be avoided.

Attended a colleauge's funeral today. Not sure how he died, but it seems that he passed away while driving to KL. Cardiac arrest or so.

A few minutes ago got a call from Sis, saying that an auntie of mine passed away too. She was already in a state whereby you can see life slipping away, as the sickness that beseiged her eat away at her physical self. Stomach cancer. They managed to bring her back home before she passed away, leaving this world with husband and kids around her. With relatives and friends in attendance.

Two deaths. One sudden, and the other a slow wait. Different manner, same end.

How would I go? How do I want to go? We can never choose, can we?

As I walked away from the grave I am reminded that one day I will be the one lying there deep under the earth while other people walk away from my grave. And they will go back to their life, their routines and their loved ones. And forget about me. Just like how I will forget the person that is now lying there in the grave that I just walked away from.

I know, this has been a grim post. I do not know how to gloss over death with cheerfulness of life. Life that is with me now and will soon take the same path of the inevitable destination.

Innalillah wa inna ilaihi rajioon.

Color-Me Baby

Another photoshopped Black-n-white to Colour attempt. Can't actually decide what colour to give his eyes. He is a caucasian, and I am finding it hard to get the correct skin tone.

The Past In Colour

Am playing with Photoshop to colour an old black-n-white photos (digital lah).

Original photo:


Colored by me....


OK, I know, not actually the best to shout about but mind you, the picture is quite "complicated" and old.

yes, such photos are best left black-n-white or sepia-toned. The colour-ed version does not evoke that kind of emotion one have for the past. It's quite fakey, if you asked me.

anyone need to add colour to their photos?

Random Tots #254

I’m always
almost very nearly
there,
but never quite
there yet.
It seems that the
same goes for
nearly everyone else
in this peculiar,
perpetually
hungry
little nation
of ours.
- part of "Social Ambition", Gilbert Soh

It's like a hamster on its running wheel. A constant struggle to move up, to move faster, to catch up, or take over. Is it really fair to say this about living in Singapore? Am not sure if it is any better anywhere else on the planet. For every complaints you have here one can equally raise an equal or worse condition somewhere else.