But I Want To Be An Artist
I was taking my niece out to buy candies. She insists on carrying her little pink purse, which stores her $2.60 worth of coins. With her wealth, she will raid the convenience store and buys everything her heart fancies. I can just see that thought dancing in her eyes.

Funny how little things mean a big deal to a kid.

When we enter the store, the first candies she grabbed was for her brother and my younger sister. How thoughtful.

As we were walking home, I asked her what she wants to be when she grows up. “I want to be an arrrrrrtist.” she cooed. She said that as if she was destined to be one, like its her birth right, like its being printed on her T-shirt.

An artist? Why!? Thoughts of her becoming a doctor, biologist, or even archaeologist slipped away as this young girl made her statement.

“But why you want to be an artist Chitra?” I asked, interested to know. “I like to draw. But I don’t like to colour. Colouring makes me tired. I am lazy.” Well, I’m glad she said that. At least her definition of an artist is not someone being packaged to appear on brainless local TV.

I think she will be a good artist. She has shown us her artistic side. Her tantrums are legendary. She craves and enjoys attention. She likes her solitude. But she can get along well, interacting with other kids and her siblings. She chose to colour her grass purple and sky green. And her strokes are bold, kinda like freestyle nonsensical marks on paper.

Design Without Dogma
Paul Rudnick wrote in The New Yorker
“Today,” the Lord God said, “let’s do land.” And lo, there was land.

“Well, it’s really not just land,” noted Vishnu. “You’ve got mountains and valleys and—is that lava?”

“It’s not a single statement,” said the Lord God. “I want it to say, ‘Yes, this is land, but it’s not afraid to ooze.’ ”

“It’s really a backdrop, a sort of blank canvas,” put in Apollo. “It’s, like, minimalism, only with scale.”

“But—brown?” Buddha asked.

“Brown with infinite variations,” said the Lord God. “Taupe, ochre, burnt umber—they’re called earth tones.”

“I wasn’t criticizing,” said Buddha. “I was just noticing.”

Hehe...read the other equally funny pieces here.

ihaveanidea: Let’s say you have an idea that has a unique visual technique. Perhaps it’s claymation or 3D, or animation over live action. What’s the best way to sell this kind of work to a scary client?

Tutssel: The best way to sell work to clients is to bring in “expert witnesses.” It’s like a court of law: you can argue with passion for work, or you can make a compelling argument. You’ve got to change from arguing passionately, which creatives tend to do, to creating a compelling, sound case. If you wanted to do Claymation, you’d bring in an animator who specializes in Claymation as an “expert witness.” You’d take it away from just the creatives and the clients, and you’d bring in the experts. Every time I’ve ever got into a situation where I’ve felt “hey, this is going to be a difficult sell,” well the people who can sell it best are the people who will actually be doing the job. Clients think very rationally, and this is a rational way to reach the execution stage, the natural conclusion of sound strategic thinking. Your goal is to take clients down a road to where you want to go, and that road is actually a runway. On a runway, there’s nowhere to go but forward, and at the end of the runway, the idea takes off.

Nice thought from Mark Tutssel, Deputy Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett Worldwide

Look at my new, respectable looking masthead!
*holds chin, not bad, looking good, looking good. Heh..nice one!

Kindly illustrated by Flee. Thanks a bunch!

These accessories might be fun for Halloween.

Don't know what to order when you are at the restaurant? This guy neat idea can help you decide. Just watch the videos.

Hey Serene a.k.a Fatboy Lim...you are officially cool!

Crash, relax part 1

Crash, relax, part 1
Originally uploaded by Master "Eagle Claw" Bates.

Watching the waves crashing against the shore makes me feel very detached somehow. Found this pix from last year's trip to Lombok.

I am now preparing for my next trip. Where to? New Zealand Southern Islands! But have not made final decision yet.

I can go to Morrocco to experience the desert, Norway to admire their fiords, Scotland to ogle men in skirts.

Flee passed the baton and what the heck, since I can't sleep, here are 20 Facts About MasterBates.

1. Secretly thinks that he's born to be a F1 driver.
2. His Primary 1 teacher observed that he is an obedient and quiet pupil.
3. He drinks too much coffee and smoke to excess.
4. Hates all uniform groups, especially the police force.
5. Adept in taking long walks, even in our hot, humid weather.
6. Enjoys flipping at favourite artist's CD sleeves; reading the credits, especially to find out the name of the photographer commissioned for the shoot.
7. Cursed the person who made the call to demolish the National Library at Stamford Road. That place got memories, character and history dammit!
8. Got punched in the face at the age of 14. Retaliate by what witnessess said was a hybrid of a slap and punch.
9. Admires Mother Nature and animals who starred in documentary films.
10. Got a loaded Kodak in his camera now; yet to snap a good picture.
11. At last count, he has 260 music CD's (this is not the exact figure, because new CD's bought this year escaped internal auditor's attention).
12. He has ambitions of becoming a marine biologist.
13. Confessed to his parents that he wanted to be, in his own words, "a half good and half bad person", when he grows up. Since then, ties between parent and child drifted frightfully apart. Thankfully, it didn't last long. They reconciled later when he admits that it was a joke.
14. Nearly drowned in a public pool when he was nine. How he managed to rescue himself is one of those events that made you think there is God. Or not. Haha.
15. Has a habit of biting hands.
16. Collects matchbox from restaurants, hotels, pubs and friends.
17. He has a tendency to play air piano when listening to music that feature the instrument.
18. Always listened to inner voices; although at times it is just plain silly.
19. By age 40, he wants to open a small store selling things that he really likes best. Let's just hope it's not fashion.
20. It is already 6 a.m. and I simply cannot sleep.

I'm passing this to Fatboy Lim. Sad to admit that I got only a friend who blogged (arrrgh! that's another info).

The videos at this website is just funny. Worth the wait.

Pay Ah Seng Contractor Pte Ltd is a renovation company you don't want to mess with. Saw the refreshing name this morning.