Woes of Being a Jack

I am not the master of anything.

I can't draw exceptionally well, I can't create magic with photoshop, I can't capture moments with a camera, and I surely can't move anyone to tears with my writing.

But I am, the jack of all trades.

I draw fairly well, I can sketch a portrait of you in under five minutes that bears a slight resemblance, I can handle photoshop to achieve my objectives, I can use Illustrator to trace and make vector art, I can shoot pictures better than some who never attended photography classes, and I can definitely write to make people think I can write.

But being the jack of all trades, simply means, you are never the best at anything, nor is there ever going to be a time when you're standing at the pinnacle of your success. Tinkering in anything and everything, simply means, you have not found your way, THE passion.

I get inspired by great work. I go to a friend's blog and will simply go green with envy by the things he/she is able to do. I go to deviant art, while collecting and faving all those great works out there, I can't help but think, when will the time come when I will be able to create amazing works of art such as these?

There's a saying that success is 99% perspiration and 1% genius/talent.

To me, this simply means I may never create a miracle. But I can start.

And miracle to me means the great artwork I have seen. You might think ego is getting into my head, though I do not deny I have a healthy dose of it. But I know I can do it. I will just have to start. Cultivate what I have now. It may not be much, but it is something.

If I can do fairly well in the things I tinker with, can you imagine what I can do if I concentrate in cultivating only one aspect of art? Oh well, just a thought.

There is also another saying. Do not think about the fears, but what you want.



I want to be extraordinary.

The Final Rush

I shall be doing this for the last time this semester. Just some loose ends to tie up and sayonara, Year2 Sem1!! These are to be completed over the weekends. Just two days.

1. Advertising journal
2. Socio-psy journal
3. Tune Hotels.Com Ads FINAL touch up
4. Illustration mounting and journal
5. Graphic Design CIS
6. Socio-psy research
7. Make resume
8. Compile port

I realised I haven't been updating my own work very much this semester. Neither did I go through every pain staking details of what I was doing, like I did last sem. Surely it's not due to my losing interest. Just simply nothing much to show....

To E!

My newest designer aspiration:

To be able to collaborate with Eason Chan one day!! Having him wear my T-shirt design, or maybe design his album for him.. not bad wat... hehe~ so high just thinking about it.

It has to be in the near future! Work work work... I shall path my way to my idol~

Heal the World

I happen to think this is my favourite work this semester. A final assignment for illustration class. Yea~ if only I know how to make the sky background look more dramatic.

Drawn on A3, coloured with my expensive colour pencils, inked with artline and colour pens borrowed from tzeyee. Background with soft pastels.

Indulge. Like Chocolate.

You know how life is so full of ironies? Just when you decide to put your guard down and to simply indulge, things turn their heads and you're left wondering. I am a sucker for indulging in the moment. To simply feel and go with the flow. And when you're slammed against a hard wall simply because you were following the current, oh-well, better luck next time.

It hurts so much. But there's more to life than this. More than fickle friends and empty encouragements. My time will come, surely. Until then, I shall wait. Again.

You know what? I think this week might just be the most eventful one of the whole semester. I was on clouds, then plummeted back to earth. I went to a funeral, but ended up leaving a birthday party. I thought I was doing better than fine, and then... things just didn't work out, I guess.

May the walls go back up. Take a step back. And check the sensibilities. I think I am ready to go again. =D

Crunch Time

So tired right now. Can barely keep my eyes open. Today was eventful. But a ribbon of gloom spiraled along this happy day. Um... and it all ended with a piece of truly juicy gossip. I have given myself permission to a short holiday that I think I kinda craved and deserved. But holiday is over now.

It's crunch time, people.

Spiral Foods: Pasta Packaging

AH!!! I had such trouble trying to upload these pictures! I don't know what's wrong with my image uploader in blogger.. not even sure if it'll fix itself in time. Anyway, once again, I used Photobucket to upload these. Otherwise, who knows when it'll be until I'll be able to share with you my latest fantastic work? Wahahahha~

Right. Another packaging design. This cost so little this time around, just a little under a hundred ringgit. Yea~ extra money for good food.

And I happen to think this is my best effort when it comes to shooting my own product design out of the studio. It doesn't look cheap or anything like that right? RIGHT??!

Pasta packaging. Modern minimalism. Natural Packaging. Red. Black. Corporate colours. Like, what else can I say?

So, you dig? Heee....~


ps: Please enlighten me.. click on for larger view. =D

To No 12

I wanted to upload my packaging photos.. but apparently I can't upload any photos in blogger now. I don't know why. I have been trying many times lately, but without any success. I even have to link my new header over from some other image hosting site.

Anyway, I have finally finished my packaging just in time for me to go home about ten hours later. Not going to say much about it here, but shall divulge on the next post. Maybe I will have better luck uploading photos from home.

So people, GOOD BYE!!!!

The things I am going to do at home (haven't been back for two months):
1. Food! Actually, I just kinda wanna hang out with Hooi Fong over a good meal. Kapitan Tandoori Set, maybe? Or KFC? I know you can get KFC anywhere, but it's different with different people. Really! O man.. maybe it's really about food and not the company.
2. Drama updates. Gonna get all those new episodes from my sister~ I have almost run my stock here to the ground..
3. Books. My sister and mom went to Borders and bought a whole lot of paperbacks while I was not home.. I am so going back with a vengeance!!
4. Drown. In the love, people. Hee...

Maybe you'll see further updates from me back home. I do want to put up my packaging post. Anyhow, you have a good weekend. It's gonna be Wesak Day on Saturday and Mother's Day on Sunday. Well, love your Buddha and your Mom.

=P

Counting Down: Four Weeks!

I tried adding a picture. Tonnes of time. But it didn't work. Oh well... never mind.

Right this moment, I am so excited over three things. They are all putting butterflies in my stomach!

1. I am going home next week. No idea why, but I am having a case of homesickness now. Hopefully a short trip back will cure it for me. But before that, I will have to finish up some stuff first for I will be taking a few days off schedule. A few days of computer abandonment. No blogging, Facebook, online drama and MSN. Great. I can't wait!! (No sarcasm. Really.)

2. I will be working for something something. Am losing confidence every time I think about it, so it's best I don't do that now. If it didn't end up being a huge embarrassment, I'll consider putting the details here. Other than that, well, let's just say I'll keep you in suspense, or not. Whatever.

3. Dank Ong Kang Rui!!! Thank you for the idea, heheheheheheh~~~ Sem ends in FOUR weeks!! I seriously can't wait! I am so envious of those local uni people who have finished their exams and am free of all worries now. Though I am not having a hard time this sem, hardly, but I'm getting sick of work. You know??!! Rui bragged about her summer plans. And it so happened I zoomed in on one of those plans and will be making myself available for it. She's probably regretting telling me anything, but what the heck, I'm tagging along, Rui... Don't disappoint me. Well, I hope I don't disappoint me.

Twelve Glorious Hours

Twelve glorious hours. I have finished. You may consider it unproductive, but hey, it's done two days ahead of schedule. Can you say that of your own work? Wahah!

Indifference

If you got a chance to wish something bad to happen to someone you seriously dislike, or hate for the matter, will you do it? Let's not go overboard with the bad thinking, just consider something minor but bad enough to make that person truly miserable for a while.

Say, wishing that person oversleeping on exam day? Or maybe have a cup of coffee spilled on his/her brand new white shirt? Or a designer's nightmare, hard disk crashing just before submission day and he/she has no backup at all?

Something occur today to provide me with this opportunity to reflect. Would I wish for something like this to happen to my staunchest opposition?

I am happy to realize that, I do not care. It is such a good feeling to know that whatever that has happened, I do not give a dust about anything good or bad that is going to befall that person.

It is great to feel good about myself. O-so-self-righteous-me.

Indifference is the best of all for hate to develop into.

My Dream Studio

When I am loaded simply by earning money from free lancing, I will buy myself a house. And in that house will be my studio. The above childish looking drawing is the general layout of my dream-studio.

First off, I will have an iMac. I don't know if I need one, but I WANT one. Next, I shall have an Intuous tablet, no more Bamboo for me, thank you very much. All these fancy gadgets will be placed on top of a large and spacious desk. No more cramping my elbows like I am doing so now and no more heaping stuff on top of my 3-in-1 printer simply because I ran out of desk space to put my stuff. I always wanted a swivel chair. The very comfortable plushy one where it can bend backwards when I need a little nap or with smooth wheels for me to push myself around, just for fun.

Surrounding the room will be wall-to-wall book shelves with sliding glass to keep the dust out. I know this coz the book shelve I have at home is collecting dust like nobody's business. On the shelves will be my comic collection, romance and fiction novels, and also heaps of beautiful inspiring design books which I have yet to buy. But I'll get there. I will.

On the floor, just a corner, will be a very thick and soft carpet. On top of it will be a bean bag. I have always wanted a bean bag. At the other corner will be a source for warm light. Um... haven't given this aspect much thought but there it is.

The stick girl lounging on the floor with her leg hanging on the swivel chair is yours truly. Just chillin', you know. Hee..

Maybe when I'm rich enough, I can have a house with an attic. Then the studio can be in the attic. I love those sloping roof that comes with an attic. And maybe also sky lights. Bah... I have watched too much corney romantic movies. Haha...

Ah, back to work. Back to working on reality to achieve this dream. =)

Cheers, people~

Fuh~

*Yawn* So sleepy...

See the new header up there? When it comes to designing for my own blog, the best I can do is come up with pretty headers. I shall learn up html quick so that I will know what else there is to do for blog design as well as set up an online port! (dream on la u~)

I had a typo presentation today with my group members. I don't remember much what the lecturer commented, but basically it's good job. Improvements can still be done, but I don't really recall all her comments. Ah. This is one heavy baggage off my shoulders.

I wanted to start drawing for Zren Ai today. Her anniversary is approaching, and I have yet to start on the portrait she commissioned from me to give to her boyfriend. So lazy.. she even messaged me just now. I felt so bad for telling her the portrait's not ready yet when I didn't even start!

Maybe I can nap a little first. I shall wake up two or three hours later and then work on that thing. But most probably will wake up after one hour.

*Yawn*

Edit 17 April 2.27 pm: OMG~ i slept for 12 hours!! so much for sleeping just one or two hours then wake up..

H3M

I have been cooped up in my room for the past three days. Serious! No human contact. The first thing I do every time I wake up was to on the computer and sat in front of it from afternoon till morning the next day. I love to say I was working. But. Hah. You know.

Anyway, desperately in need of getting out of my room, and wanting to get away from my lovely desktop, I went out to IOI mall. Do you know how many weekends it has been when I said I am going to get Eason Chan's new album and was deterred again and again? Gazillions!! It felt like it anyway..

I was at IOI. After dinner and walking aimlessly about by myself, I went into Speedy. Just to check. I went to two other shops previously and they all didn't have the album yet. WAAA!! I saw IT sitting without a care in the world on the rack. As if IT was just waiting for my arrival. I took IT in my hands. IT was real.

Apparently, there are two versions, imported and local. Local is cheaper by three bucks. Dank the auntie working there, she told there were coupons in the local album giving away free tickets to his autograph or music concert session in Malaysia. But a lot of people said the imported album had better sound quality. I asked if the imported album will have the coupons. She said yes~ Stupid me who doesn't even know a stitch about music went on and bought the imported album. Inside APA PUN TAK DA!! Aiya..... tzeyee!!! You go buy the local album la... inside got two coupons wan, then we can go together, yes?!

I listened to his whole album already. I fell for a couple of his songs, but needed time to fully absorb the rest of the album, especially the last few. Anyway, about the album design, haih... Eason Chan's album designs always failed to impress me. I liked his previous album's design which centered on illustrations. This time around, it was his signature B/W again. According to him, a lot of the budget was allocated for song production, so budget for things like design and promotion have to be cut. As a fan, I salute his passion and dedication to his work. As a designer, it's a bit sad that design was deemed as less important. But it was true. Songs must come first!


See my iTunes behind? Am ripping the CD already!

This is the center spread. I know. It's really just black like that. My photography lect would have called it under exposed.

Waaa~ look at him. So yeng~

This is the inside when you open up the digipak. A simple but stylish group photo.

Oh, I absolutely adore his fake mustache! Don't you think it's just SO Eason Chan? And his hair!



ps: it's 5.49am, i have a power point presentation that i need to put together for my group later in the day.. i still do not have any idea what we're supposed to present. u think it's ok if i sleep first and think later? yes? okay, if anything happens i'll say it's you.

Happy Breaking!

Happy holidays! It's mid semester break already. Just like last semester, I opted to stay back. Hopefully this sacrifice will prove to be as fruitful and productive as last time. There is just so much to do and I need all the uninterrupted time that I can get. I miss home, but not enough for me to drop everything just now.

The first day out of an eight days break has passed. So far so good. I have finished making all the 300 icons for typography.

This is one part I love. Listing the things to be done! Erm, fellow BPD5ians.. don't freak out. These are just things we'll all have to do sooner or later:
1. Typo powerpoint presentation
2. Astro Max script
3. Future design research
4. Update Ad journal and morgue
5. Update notes for Socio-Psy
6. Heal the World sketches
7. Packaging design

Just like always, hopefully I will be able to find some time to do my own stuff. A little bit of design work not meant for school. A little bit of learning just for myself.

Let's wait and see how the rest of the days shall progress.

Bless Him, Please

On a solemn note, may he be well. May the God that he believes so much in blesses him. I think he's a good man, as least he comes across as someone soft spoken, kind and wise to us, in the short span of time he taught us. I liked it when he commented on how our class is supposed to be very competitive. He is the one who gave me one of the best compliments a graphic designer can ever get: I will buy your design. I regret that I may only have these little memories of him. So he must get well. I look forward to seeing him walk up and down the corridor of LKW again, I wish I get to see him once more, sitting by the black table in faculty, giving one of his students tutorial. Or at the very least, just be well and healthy.

Complete Blank

The girl was strangely quiet. Butterflies created havoc in her stomach and that might be the first time she remembered being this nervous. Looking up tentatively from her work on the desk, she peeked at another girl at the teacher's desk, under going an English oral test. It was standard one and this was the first time the girl was experiencing such a thing.

Every one who went before her didn't seem to have any trouble. They said the questions were simple. Surely it could not be bad at all, thought the girl. She jumped a little when her name was called. The teacher was unsmiling as the girl took her seat by the teacher's table.

A book was laid in front of her and she was asked to read out loud. The girl complied. Inside, she was glowing a little for she knew all the words and it really did not seem that bad at all. The teacher then proceeded to the next section of the test. She put a ruler on the table and asked the girl, "Where's the ruler?" The girl frowned, not understanding the question at all. The teacher repeated herself, and when she got no answer, and again.Clearly frustrated, she put aside the ruler and proceeded to describe a situation which was another part of the test. "One day, if you see your brothers playing water in the bathroom, what will you do?" There seemed to be a perpetual blockage lodged in the girl's throat. She didn't know what to say. Words failed her. She didn't understand what she was supposed to do with the question. How to answer? Should she answer?

Completely losing her patience now, the teacher repeatedly the question loudly, scaring whatever wits were left in the girl. The girl could not complete the test. She didn't know how. Without even trying to understand what was wrong, the teacher ordered the girl to stand in front of the whole class and no one was allowed to speak to her. The punished girl stood there, completely and utterly embarrassed. She had no idea what has happened.


Um... I sometimes wonder what has happened to that girl who stood in front of the whole class, with eyes welling with tears and feeling her first small exposure to public humiliation.

Real Ad to Fake Ad

Haven't update the blog in a while. I have done so much in the span that I don't know where to start! (yea rite~)

Here, have a lookie. This is an assignment for illustration class. Take an ad from any magazine, change the layout or maybe just draw a whole new ad. The illustrations are done with acrylic, A4 size. The type and logo are added in digitally. On the left will be the original ad while the one on the right is my work.

My personal favourite is the Digi one. It took me five freaking hours to get the background right. God knows what I was doing. My fav ad though, was the DKNY one. But I think I spoiled the classy bottle. I have no idea how to save it.

I have still a lot to do. But so far things are under control.

To those of you in local unis, it's study week!!! Wee~ have fun!

Feature 006: "When To Take My Name Off The Door"

Brace yourself people, this is another one long post from me.

I am 2/5 through the book '5 Giants of Advertising'. This other advertising giant is Leo Burnett. What I am about to share is something I picked off from a site. This is a speech made by Burnett during those last moments before he gave up on his operations due to health issues and old age.

A very inspiring speech titled, "When To Take My Name Off The Door".

"Somewhere along the line, after I’m finally off the premises, you – or your successors – may want to take my name off the premises, too.

You may want to call yourselves " Twain, Rogers, Sawyer and Finn, Inc."….. or "Ajax Advertising" or something.

That will certainly be OK with me – if it’s good for you.

But let me tell you when I might demand that you take my name off the door.

That will be the day when you spend more time trying to make money and less time making advertising – our kind of advertising.

When you forget that the sheer fun of ad making and the lift you get out of it – the creative climate of the place – should be as important as money to the very special breed of writers and artists and business professionals who compose this company of ours – and make it tick.

When you lose that restless feeling that nothing you do is ever quite good enough.

When you lose your itch to the job well for it’s sake – regardless of the client, or money, or the effort it takes.

When you lose your passion for thoroughness…you hatred of loose ends.

When you stop reaching the manner, the overtones, the marriage of words and pictures that produce the fresh, the memorable and the believable effect.

When you stop rededicating yourselves every day to the idea that better advertising is what the Leo Burnett Company is about.

When you are no longer what Thoreau called "a corporation with a conscience" – which means to me, a corporation of conscientious men and women.

When you begin to compromise your integrity – which has always been the heart’s blood – the very guts of this agency.

When you stoop to convenient expediency and rationalize yourselves into acts of opportunism – for the sake of a fast buck.

When you show the slightest sign of crudeness, inappropriateness or smart –aleckness – and you lose that subtle sense of the fitness of things.

When your main interest becomes a matter of size just to be big - rather that good, hard, wonderful work.

When your outlook narrows down to the number of windows – from zero to five – in the walls of your office.

When you lose your humility and become big-short wisenheimers…. a little bit too big for your boots.

When the apples come down to being just apples for eating (or for polishing) – no longer part of our tone or personality.

When you disprove of something, and start tearing the hell out of the man who did it rather than the work itself.

When you stop building on strong and vital ideas, and start a routine production line.

When you start believing that, in the interest of efficiency, a creative spirit and the urge to create can be delegated and administrated, and forget that they can only be nurtured, stimulated, and inspired.

When you start giving lip service to this being a "creative agency" and stop really being one.

Finally, when you lose your respect for the lonely man – the man at his typewriter or his drawing board or behind his camera or just scribbling notes with one of our big pencils – or working all night on a media plan. When you forget that the lonely man – and thank God for him – has made the agency we now have – possible. When you forget he’s the man who, because he is reaching harder, sometimes actually gets hold of for a moment - one of those hot, unreachable stars.

THAT, boys and girls, is when I shall insist you take my name off the door. And by golly, it will be taken off the door. Even if have to materialize long enough some night to rub it out myself - on every one of our floors. And before I DE-materialize again, I will paint out that star-reaching symbol too. And burn all the stationary. Perhaps tear up a few ads in passing.

And throw every god-damned apple down the elevator shafts.

You just won’t know the place, the next morning. You’ll have to find another name."

When will it be, before I find my own belief and total commitment in what I have chosen to do?

Yaris

This was my very first attempt in advertising class. The assignment was to sell Yaris to what my mother would call YUP-pies (Young Urban Professionals) who are either upgrading from their first car or looking for their first car.

Please click on the image to see the larger version.

The idea of the ad was to draw a comparison between your first Yaris and all the other first things you had in life. Remember how carefully you cared for those items and how they were with you at all times. What were the qualities of those items that deserved such devoted care from you? The answer to that question will be the answer to why Yaris deserved to be your first car.

Erm.. Mr Ken commented that it was a good try. Then in class, he commented that the layout was cluttered, and that I was telling and showing too much. I shouldn't have done so much, should have done less to tease the minds of the consumers. And by the end of it all, he said the ads were boring.

I couldn't completely disagree with him. I see where he was coming from with these comments. I will be the first one to say the layout was boring. Anyway, I took it all in and went home to make another series running along a slightly similar concept.


This was my latest attempt. Click for larger view, please.

Instead of going along how you love all those first things in your life, this time I am saying how you can include the Yaris into the things that you already have. For example, if you're a shoe fanatic, a Yaris deserved to be included into your collection. This is because the kind of care that you give to your collectibles, that kind of devotion is what Yaris deserves to get.

Bleh.... ugh... somehow, the concept didn't seem as strong as the previous one. But I like the layout of this one better. It's cleaner, less cluttered, and... teasing, maybe?

Please do tell me what you think. Tell me if you got my idea. Better still, tell me what the ads said to you.