For Christmas, Vin and I went roving again…this year we flew to San Francisco, and stayed in Northern California for 8 days. Part I will cover the first few days we were there – these are the days we spent in San Francisco proper (we arrived in San Fran Tuesday morning December 20th, and stayed until Thursday December 22nd early afternoon). The rest of the time was spent driving up and down the Northern California Coast. Here’s Vin sitting and reading outside – picture taken from our room three floors above. Doesn’t he just look so engrossed in his book? I can’t remember now what he was reading on the trip.. [[image:cal1.jpg:Back of Vin’s Head:center:0]] [[image:cal2.jpg:He looks up after I psssted him:center:0]] Here we are on the streets of San Francisco: [[image:cal3.jpg:Vin with I-forget-the-name-of-the-Tower in the background:center:0]] [[image:cal4.jpg:Me with same tower in the background:center:0]] See the big umbrella? The Hilton […]
Continue readingOpah Irfan’s Wayward Purse
We only noticed it when Ain got off the car to buy some drinks in Kuala Kangsar. It was on Ain’s seat, hidden beneath her when she sat. It was a small coin purse labeled Adamas Goldsmith. Wondering when Ain bought the purse, I took it. Irfan saw it and said, “Opah punya.” And within it was Opah Irfan’s driver’s licence and identification card! We called Opah and told her we had her important documents and figured a return to Sitiawan would be in order. But Opah told us to keep going. If we were late, we’d be driving along the East-West highway after dark. We told Opah that we’d send the documents back to her by courier. But when we got to Pasir Mas it was almost 7pm. I didn’t kick in the afterburners because of the dodgy state of the car’s shock absorbers and the weight load of […]
Continue readingDeath In The House
We arrived in Sitiawan two nights ago with Emma and F in tow. Today we head for Pasir Mas. However, upon arriving at Irfan’s Atok’s house we were told of two tragic deaths in the family. [[image:fishies.jpg:Ku Lat and Ku Su:center:0]]Apparently there was a pool maintenance error with Tok Irfan’s fish pond and these two fish suffocated due to lack of water and oxygen. Thankfully the rest of the gang are still alright. They’re all good fish, and friendly too. Tok Irfan laid them in the yard to prepare them for a burial. But before it could be done, a cat covertly crept up to their corpses to chew on them some time after the photo were taken. The obscenity! They will be missed.
Continue readingA Skull Island Travelogue – A Kong Review
[[image:kong.jpg:Kong is King:center:0]]Last night we finally saw Peter Jackson’s version of King Kong. Upon reading initial articles that said that the movie was too long and were boring during the beginning and had pointless scenes aboard the Venture part of the movie, I thought “I’ll take whatever you dish out.” I would enjoy what I could and get it over with. To my surprise, the movie did not bore me to tears at all. Sure there were the trademark lingering close up shots of actors’ (and one giant CG alpha male silverback’s) faces that inundated Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I did not think there were any pointless and unengaging scenes in the movies. Everything added to the storyline, and the overall atmosphere of the movie. To me everything worked. Of course to a SF and fantasy fan like myself the high point of the movie was without […]
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Chronicles of the Wild Gundark Part III
Concluding the saga of the Wild Gundark crew: Quickly, the person on the other side of the comm told Nisa to meet them in Landing Bay 239 back at Medeus. “We’ll be waiting there at noon local time tomorrow.” Then the Fifth House woman cut off the transmission abruptly. The confused N4 remarked, “Could someone please explain the situation to me? Who is this ‘Duke’ and who was that organic who ceased functioning outside the ship just now?” Ignoring the newcomer droid, the worried Groo asked, “You think that communiqué was really bad for our health?” A grinning Similiv replied, “Probably, Greenskin… but we wouldn’t want our lives to be boring now would we?” Finally after much contemplation, Nisa grimly said, “OK! We have a meet, but get ready for anything this time. We have about 12 hours till the meet, and I want to be alive for it.” And […]
Continue readingIrfan Goes To MIAT
Today Irfan’s youngest aunt, his Cik Su F, enrolled in MIAT. In three and a half years, she will be graduating with a Diploma in Aviation Maintenance Technology (Avionics), with a bunch of skillset that should be more marketable in the aviation industry than my old Licenced Aircraft Maintenace Engineer (Yeah it’s LAME, I know) with Rotorcraft Airframe and Engine specialisation. Irfan was there. Some pictures were taken. Here they are. [[popup:miat01.jpg:(thumbnail):Ain & Irfan:center:0]]The main hangar of MIAT, with Ain trying to carry a heavy Irfan. Safety first… Albino gorillas second? Charmed quarks second? Click on the thumbnail above to view larger image. [[image:miat02.jpg::center:0]]As Cik Su F was undergoing the registration process, Ain takes a break from sitting within the Multi Purpose Hall and Irfan takes a break from running around and sweating a lot to take a picture. [[image:miat03.jpg::center:0]]Ain and Irfan sip ice tea from the MIAT cafeteria right […]
Continue readingSecond Hishgraphics Book In The Works
[[image:hishbanner.gif:My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult – After The Flesh:center:0]]Many moons after the release of The Secret Library, I’ve now finished writing a 12 page children’s book, a much simpler one this time. It’s about a child that imagines camping out on his or her bed with a blanket. There will be rhyming. There will be animals. And the best part is the idea hit me after playing make-believe campout on the bed with a blanket. Still have to revise the text and proofread before I start illustrating and laying out the book. So…. anyone knows what rhymes with “sasquatch”?
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This Blog Is Worth…
My blog is worth $4,516.32. How much is your blog worth? Now show me the money! Show me the money!!!!!
Continue readingMini Reviews: Pulp, Supers and Lemurs
So the other day I borrowed some DVDs from [[popup:saberfight.jpg:Awie:Makashi? I think not.:inline:1]]. Why didn’t I buy them? Cause I’m a cheapskate. Here are three movies I saw over the last couple of days and some of my thoughts on it. I saw the first movie in the cinema… twice. I missed the second and the third. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow Many elements from ’30s and ’40s pulp serials can be found here, and are a joy to watch. How can you not love blatant references from machinations of a villian straight off Max Fleischer’s Superman cartoons, to 1933’s King Kong, with the wreck of the Venture with Kong’s cage very visible. Even Totenkopf’s hideaway is a Skull Island of sorts. Dex’s ray gun. The robot designs. The mobile airstrip (like classic SHIELD Helicarriers). The giant rocketship. Sky Captain’s Flying Legion is a homage to the Blackhawks […]
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A Writing Gig?
I wouldn’t have thought it possible a year ago. Heck, I would have scoffed at the idea 3 months ago, but upon browsing the RPG.Net Freelancing Forum recently, I decided to answer a call for freelance writers, instead of illustrators. I submitted the text for the Net.Guide to Spleens to the person in charge and hoped for the best. After a flurry of e-mails, I was tasked to write 2 articles for a book which will be released next spring. The tone of the short write-ups would be akin to that of the Twilight Zone or Twin Peaks, or like Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles (A great comic. Go out and read it if you haven’t.) The job isn’t a earth-shattering one, nor does it pay much but it would be my first professional writing gig, and as they say my foot at the door. The company I’m writing for is […]
Continue readingInto the Wardrobe: A Narnia Review
So I saw The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe last Friday, right after Friday prayers at GSC 1 Utama. I wasn’t disappointed. It was exactly as I expected it. I expected the story to be somewhat thin because the book is in fact thin compared to the other fantasy series written by author C.S. Lewis’s contemporary and peer (J. R. R. Tolkien if you don’t know). Narnia in the entire first book wasn’t quite fleshed out as Middle Earth was in the first 2 chapters of Fellowship of the Ring. I was concerned that people who aren’t familiar with Narnia would think that the ending is a copout. And judging from the reaction of a lot of people sitting around me a couple of days ago, they thought it was a copout. I prefer Voyage of the Dawn Treader, anyways. Seafaring adventures r0xx0rs, yo. 😉 […]
Continue readingSouth Park Portrait
Brem posted an entry which reminded me of something I posted in the ACS Sitiawan Forums last March. A Flash South Park portrait generator! Appears to be Version 2.0 now. You can access the page from Brem’s link as the link in the ACS Forums now also points to the new location. Check out more pictures at Brem’s page and in the ACS thread. Here’s me in March: [[image:sphisham.gif:I broke the dam.:center:0]]
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Tomorrow’s Evolution Freebie
The Game Mechanics have a freebie pdf for Future Player’s Companion: Tomorrow’s Evolution role playing game supplement named Future Pharma, from the chapter on drugs and pharmaceuticals in a science-fiction setting. Four of my artwork are also featured in the free pdf. Download it at Free Samples section at the FPC page here. Additionally, Marc Schmaltz has added me to the contributors roster at The Game Mechanics. The spelling errors on the bio there are all my fault for typing too fast. I’ve sent an email to Marc with the corrections. Tee hee. (blush)
Continue readingHishgraphics.com Joins A Webring
Not much sales happening at Hishgraphics Publications, so I’m currently trying out by using another internet marketing tool, a webring. More precisely, the eBooks 4 Kids webring. You can check out the link at the bottom of the index page of Hishgraphics.com, although our status with the webring is still pending. I’ll update this post when the ringmaster’s reviewed Hishgraphics and approved us. UPDATE (5 pm, Dec 6): We’ve been approved! Our link is in the Webring hub at the link above. [[image:hishbanner.gif:Hishgraphics.com:center:0]]Earlier today, I finally succeeded registering with eBay to see if I can sell other stuff there while passively marketing Hishgraphics Publications there… unfortunately to register as a Seller I need a credit card. Now I have to look into getting one, for the sole purpose of being an online merchant. Ugh.
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Illustration Friday: Blue
Here’s an Illustration Friday piece with the subject title of “blue”. The young lady, bathed in blue light, is also feeling a little blue. A quick and dirty Photoshop painting; no photo references (and it shows… danged shadows in the wrong places). Time taken: About 45 minutes.
Continue readingFamily Circus Meets Cthulhu
Via Boing Boing, I’ve discovered a bunch of Family Circus comics at the Accordion Guy‘s blog that has H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos captions placed on it. These are very humourous if you’ve read Lovecraft and put them into context with the Family Circus. But there was one hilarious Family Circus comic posted anonymously in the comments section that really made me chuckle out loud. (See below.) [[image:familycthulu4ld.gif:Cthulhu fhtagn:center:0]] If I was drinking, my keyboard and monitor would be wet now. 😀
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