Sand Fantasy

This is an amazing artwork by Ilana Yahav. I am totally speechless and stunned to see these video clip. Thank you Lily for the first video. Kau buat aku jiwang awal2 pagi. Hehe.

The Age That I Wish To Go Back To

Age 7 : 1989

*Peringatan: Ini adalah satu tag yang mengundang nostalgia

Untuk ke sekolah, kena berjalan kaki lebih kurang 2.5 km. Aku biasa lambat balik rumah sebab selalu menyimpang ke rumah Angel, kawan baik kepada kawan baik aku nama Baizurah. Rumah dia beeeeest...atas bukit, berangin sungguh dan nyaman sekali. Sudah puas main getah, batu seremban, main teka-teki atau lawan mengeja baru kami pulang. Ohya, sebelum ke rumah Angel, aku dan Baizurah selalu singgah kedai Pacik Mohammad---->hutang kerepek pedas, mi goreng dalam plastik atau aiskrim milo, jagung atau kacang hijau buatan isteri pacik itu. The next day, baru datang bayar tapi agaknya ada juga yang tak terbayar kot. Masa tu sepeket mi, sebiji kuih dan sebatang aiskrim baru berharga sepuluh sen. Seingat aku paling tinggi hutang aku yang terkumpul adalah 2.30. Pacik, harap2 pacik halalkanlah hutang saya masa zaman budak2 dulu tu okay! Baizurah, kau yang ajar aku berhutang kan! Hahahahahaha!!

Kadang2 sengaja ikut jalan menyusur tebing sungai untuk sampai ke rumah, terpaksa melalui semak-samun sikit lah. Pernah juga sengaja pergi ke seberang sungai dan jerit, "Mummy!!! Ambil saya!!!". Kadang2 my mum memang tengah cuci kain di sungai. Jadi harap2 dia boleh kayuh perahu ke seberang. Kadang2 waktu air cetek, boleh jinjing beg dan kasut atas kepala dan berjalan saja menyeberangi sungai. Kalau air surut, boleh sampai ke takat pinggang saja. Haha!! Seronok! Seronok! Lepas tu, apalagi...terus mandi sungai lah. Beg boleh campak ke atas pelantar kayu dan my mum boleh cuci sekali baju sekolah. Hehe. Tapi bukanlah perkara asing kalau bab-bab kena marah tu.

Okay, kalau pagi2 pula, bagus2 boleh ikut jalan bertar, tapi kadang sengaja melencong ikut sawah padi Macik Piut. Kadang2 tersilap pijak, kaki masuk dalam lumpur. Terpaksa pergi ke sekolah dengan kasut yang berkerak lumpur kering. Bau kerbau. Haha! Biasanya kalau dah dekat2 sampai kawasan rumah Macik Piut ni kami (kadang2 jalan ramai2) cuba untuk tidak buat bising. Degup jantung aku akan bertambah laju, adrenalin akan bersedia untuk memancut2 keluar. Heeiii...sampai ke hari ni aku masih ingat perasaan itu. Bukan sekali dua dikejar angsa dan anjing!!! Ces, macam fear factor.

Waktu itu, gigi depan aku yang atas jarang-jarang, yang dua biji paling depan tu lebih besar dari yang lain. Jadi aku rasa mesti time tuh aku nampak macam rabbit. Kadang2 sengaja kejutkan my mum lebih awal dari biasa semata2 hendak minta tocang atau ikat dua. Time tu aku panggil fesyen rambut camtu, "ikat tanduk".

Aku nak balik masa tuh sebab aku rasa seronok sangat pergi ke sekolah. Aku x sabar bangun pagi dan pergi sekolah sebab dapat jumpa cikgu dan kawan2 (Ohya, aku juga jadi ketua kelas dari darjah 1-3, darjah 4-6 jadi pengawas). Aku heran juga sejak darjah dua guru kelas suruh aku yang isi rekod kehadiran---bukan itu kerja guru kelas kah? Tengahari lepas hantar buku2 dan laporan ke bilik guru, aku x sabar2 hendak pulang. Dah pikir2 hari tu nak cuba route mana pulak. Masa tu bunyi loceng sekolah adalah "ting! ting!", bukan "kriiiiiiing". Sekali sekala cikgu suruh aku tarik loceng.

Darjah satu paling seronok!!! Ada kawan yang tiap hari mak dia pinkan saputangan di baju, ada yang penakut sampai nak minta izin ke tandas pun takut dan terkencing ditempat duduk, ada yang jahat mulut suka cari gaduh dan mengejek, ada yang suka minum air bekal orang sampai habis, ada yang sikit2 lapor sama makbapak..macam2!! Ada yang ludah beg pensil aku. Aku tau siapa buat tu, tapi aku diam jer dan lap air ludah dia yang berbuih2 tu. Dalam hati aku memang marah, tapi..."biasalah budak2". Dan ustaz Bidin pernah ketuk aku dengan pembaris putih yang besar gajah tu sebab x berhenti2 berborak. Ustaz nak ajar alif ba ta ni, tengok depanlah!! Haha!! Hoi kawan2!!! Korang semua kat mana sekarang hah?!! Aku rindu!

This is actually when I was in primary 2---my sister in primary 1 (1990)

Instructions :Title: The Age That I Wish To Go Back To

Requirement: Write about the one age that you wish to go back to and why?

Tag Mode: 5 bloggers

1st - You leave their blog and post link and add to the list below.

2nd - Let the blogger you want to tag know they been tagged by comment in their blog or etc.

The Age that they Wish to Go Back to:

Amidrin wish to go back to age 22 to correct back some mistakes in life .

Lemonjude wish to go back to age 6 to enjoy kid’s life .

L’abeille wish to go back to any year but never return to age 28.

Sweetpea wish to go back to, actually, just thinking about 17.

Jean Chia wish to go back to 14 years old.

Emila wish to go back to the age of 7 to live that precious moments again .

Rizal wish to go back to the age of 7 - 7 super wonders of my world .

Mangosteenskin wish to back to age 7 to chase back Macik Piut's geese and dogs. haha!

LadyJava wish to go back to age 21 to say goodbye to her father and tell him, "I love you".

I've been tagged by emila. Thank you dear, this is a good meme. Now, I want to tag tafteh, cikdaun, ezooone, Helmi & Baizurah. Hey, buat cepat2! jiwasintetik,...kau pun!! abgjas pun...

Handmade Art Stamps

click photo to get larger view

Never done this before but I was inspired by gennine's stamp carving tutorial. This is fun!! I can do it anywhere at anytime! I am addicted to rubber stamp carving! Would love to try more complicated motives next time.

It was a long blackout last night. So I took the chance to finish my 8th stamp, lit by only the candle light. My hubby was busy with his laptop. Good, I can do my carving without interference. Hehe. Done with carving, I took my camera and play with light. It's been quite some time, I've been forgetting my photography hobby. After a couple of shot, my hubby came and said something like this, "Orang modify lah sikit2 (You should modify a bit)"--->he meant the subject. I was done with a new setting and about to take another snap, when he suddenly dashed some talc on the glass surface. Aiyooo...pengacau!!

Before---1/15s, 3.2f

After---1/3s, 3.2f

Projek Swap Kita : atc#1 Identity

Aku rasa honored kerana diberi kuasa untuk memilih tema acara bertukar2 Artist Trading Card (atc) yang pertama. Mula-mula aku bagitau Rizal, tema yang aku pilih akan bergantung kepada mimpi. Sebab aku bagitau dia, aku malas nak pikir. Sebelum tidur, aku bagitau diri aku untuk alert kepada mimpi yang best2. Tapi pagi tadi aku terjaga dan berpikir2 panjang...sebab aku x paham mimpi aku yang merapu2.

Jadi aku ambil kamus, dan baca niat. Perkataan terakhir pada mukasurat yang aku bukak itu akan jadi tema. So, inilah perkataan itu------identiti! Bila aku timbang2, oleh kerana ini projek atc kita yang pertama, so memang sesuai jugaklah tema identiti nih. Hendaklah melambangkan diri pelukis----kiranya macam ni lah...bila orang tengok saja lukisan tu akan membuatkan orang teringat pada kita. Contoh, macam aku, mestilah aku lukis manggis kan!! Ooops! Gunalah apa2 lambang atau objek, atau apa2 saja!! Anda cuma perlu jadi kreatif!

Syarat:

1. Setiap peserta hasilkan 3 original ATC (bukan print).
2. Saiz kad adalah 2.5" x 3.5". Sebaik2nya gunakan kertas yang berkualiti.
3. Untuk tema Identiti ini, poskan atc anda kepada saya (emel saya di mangosteenskin@yahoo.com untuk request alamat. Deadline untuk poskan atc kepada saya adalah 20 may 2008. Anda akan dapat 3 kad daripada orang yang berbeza.
4. Kos sampul dan setem saya belanja!! Tapi ingat, buat cantik2 ya!! Haha!

Participants (so far):

1. mangosteenskin
2. emila
3. rizal
4. debbie
5. megat
6. ida
7. cecima
8. pupu
9. jiwasintetik

Give Second Life

Sometimes, I don't feel like throwing away the empty bottles and boxes. I often feel like..."oh they're cute...macam x sampai hati mau buang". Look at these---they suppose to be dispossed long time ago but now they all safe and sound on the shelf. A bit innovation and creativity---u'll feel like giving a second life to things often seen as wastes.

Now..who wants to call them rubbish?

My dad's herbal remedy box . The wrapping paper used to wrap a present for hubby. After he unwrapped the gift, I rescue the wrapper. Can be used to keep small things like paperclips, safety pins, hair clips, toothpick pun boleh.

Thousand's Island bottle. Last time they were glass.Nowadays, plastic. Can be use as decoration or dust trap. Hehe.

HP sauce bottle. Never finished this one. Too lazy to continue. :-P

Fail : IF

Pastel on paper

One of the ladybug never fly because he scared of falling.

"I will fall and die. I rather just crawl on this beautiful flowers for the rest of my life. I still can enjoy fresh air from here", he said. But inside, he honestly felt that it would be great if he could fly---he want to be like a bird, a bee, a butterfly, a dragonfly---and most of all----a ladybug. A true ladybug.

"You just have to try. See! just spread your wings like this! Believe in yourself. It's okay if you fail but don't ever stop trying. Atleast----never fail to try!!"

Bukan Kotak Pandora

I've seen this box displayed at the shop since last christmas. Aku rasa kotak ini cute dan menggoda.

No particular reasons. I just like boxes.

Sebenarnya aku x suka sangat idea membeli sesuatu semata2 untuk dijadikan koleksi. Kerana ia akan menjadi suatu pembaziran. Kerana aku fikir juga aku x akan hidup selama2nya untuk menjadi pemilik barang-barang tersebut. Jadi, pada hari aku membeli kotak ni aku dalam dilema.

----jangan beli----

-------beli---------

Kalau harga makanan naik lebih baik gunakan duit itu untuk beli makanan, atau lebih baik sedekah pada orang susah daripada membeli----sebuah kotak kayu!

Tapi akhirnya aku beli juga. Sebab aku fikir jiwa manusia ini perlu disuap dengan makanan2 yang boleh menggembirakannya. Kalau hati senang, kita akan tersenyum. Senyum yang ikhlas dari hati. Kita akan senyum pada orang2 yang kita sayang dan orang2 di sekeliling. Dan kita akan menyenangkan hati mereka. Jadi orang pertama yang aku gembirakan hatinya melalui kata putus yang aku buat itu adalah tuan punya kedai itulah.

Suatu hari, bila tiba masa---mungkin aku akan hadiahkan kepada seseorang. Mungkin seorang anak kecil yang jatuh hati kepada kotak ini. Atau kepada seorang kawan sebagai tanda ingatan.

Save : IF

Pen + pastel on paper

Cosmos Garden

Pen + arcrylic on paper

This is ezooone and his girlfriend again! Haha! I asked ezooone for his permission to use this illustration for this week IF submission. But then, I think it doesn't suits the theme. The original version of this drawing is not monotone, but i love the look sooooo much after converted to black and white.

I have a long "to-do-list" this week but I will try to spare some time for this Illustration Friday's "Save".

New Light!

I'm trying something new this week.

Ezooone commission me to make a drawing, for special occasion he said, or maybe just to show appreciation. He just want a simple illustration, like the one I did in Heavy. At the beginning, I actually had finished sketching what he want, but I felt so uninspired and unsatisfied with what I see. I took the eraser and decided to start again from the beginning. There was a small voice coming from my heart, telling me to try drawing a portrait-style and I took a glimpse at the box of pastel hidden under the pile of paper. I never try this before, but my heart keep telling me that I should at least---try.

After I finished doing the sketch, I paused. I was so nervous to continue to the next step -- colorings. I afraid I will mess-up and ruin the sketch. I really took some hard time to decide whether I should just line the sketch with black pen and color it digitally (as simple as Heavy) or proceed with the pastel attempt. Pen...pastel...pen...pastel...pen...pastel....Ah! I still couldn't make up mind, but my hands had already chosen to whom they want to work with.

Slowly, step by step I begin to enjoy doing the shading and everything. It is my common habit, that in the middle of something, I always want to speed up my work and eager to see the final product. That's why I like to make small-sized artwork, because the bigger it is, the longer time it needs to complete. This is my fear, if I spend much time on something but at the end it failed, I will get bored and unmotivated. But in this case, I keep telling myself, I must be patient and take every step carefully or I will spoil everything.

It took 2 days for me to finish this portrait, if counted by hours, maybe 12-13 hours (size 12x9 for this portrait) including all the pauses, taking pictures and long-breath inhaling to keep calm. Haha. But I'm happy with the result. The portrait is now sealed in clear plastic, sticked on the fridge, waiting to be handed out to its owner.

Thank you ezooone, you helped me to unlock the potential that has always been overpowered by self-boundaries, waiting to be motivated. Isn't it true? Even if it's about facing our greatest fear, it's worth trying.

Poem (for the cookie)

Come,

to me.

We,

can be

one.

. . . . . . . . . . nyum! nyum!! dalam perut. Haha!