Escape is the topic of this week’s Illustration Friday. Two convicts sneak out stealthily of a watery tunnel near a prison from which they’ve just broken out. All they have to do is make it undetected into the woods. But how will they avoid from being beamed by a searchlight?
Continue readingIrfan Goes To The Zoo
Last Sunday, Irfan (along with a bunch of family members) went to the zoo! Here’s a series of photos that came out of our little zoo trip. [[image:zoo01.jpg:Immediately after insertion into zoo:center:0]]The crew lead by Irfan walks by the elephant paddock, away from it because he was spooked by the big pachyderms. [[image:zoo02.jpg:Stork lake:center:0]]Irfan and his Aunt Emma with some storks in the background. There’s one bird in flight in the background immediately behind them if you look carefully. [[image:zoo03.jpg:Pony ride:center:0]]Again, Irfan is spooked and refuses to approach a pony, RM2.00 a pop. He preferred to be elsewhere, like… [[image:zoo04.jpg:The jejawi tree:center:0]]…this ficus microcarpa a.k.a. the Malay Banyan a.k.a the jejawi tree. Oh hey, another group photo. [[image:zoo05.jpg:Emus:center:0]]Everyone referred to these as ostriches until we came to the plaque that says that they were emus. The ostriches, we discovered later, were in the the savanna open paddock along with the […]
Continue readingThe Unspeakable Cat
Hastur (the Unspeakable One from the depths of the Cthulhu-mythos pantheon of ancient and powerful gods bent on the destruction of the world and mass insanity of its inhabitants) has not only manifested itself as a cat… it has also started blogging. Here’s an excerpt: [[image:hastur.jpg:The Unspeakable Cat:left:0]] In addition to my slaves and Merlin, there is also a young child living here. I don’t care what his name is. I know that the only reason my slaves continue to care for him is so that they may offer him to me as a humble sacrifice. I await the day of this offering with much relish, for the boy appears quite tender. Does he not? A final observation of note is that Hastur seems to be looking much more agreeable and pleasant to the eye than it was when it was an all destroying amorphous blob of flesh. Click here […]
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Illustration Friday: Depth
Another Illustration Friday, another illustration. The topic for this week is depth. I’m trying add another layer to the concept of depth in this piece of artwork. Desolation? Fear of the unknown? What are those doing in the bottom of the ocean? How did it come to pass? An illustration somewhat less colourful and more morose than the art I made for the e-book posted previously. Medium: Painter Classic
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First Hishgraphics e-Book: The Secret Library
I wouldn’t have thought it possible a year ago, but here we are with our first e-book product on sale as of today. It’s a nice little tale with full colour illustrations throughout, where a young boy who just happens to have the same name as my son, discovers a wonderful library through a doorway in the cellar of his parents’ new house. I hope the public likes it well enough to purchase it. There is a black and white version in the Free Downloads page for a preview. If you know someone who might like it please spread the word. Thanks to everyone who helped me get the site up, especially my family, and all my friends who gave me moral support. In the meantime, I’ll be working on more new e-books.
Continue readingInstinct on Atlantis
Once upon a time I read the premise of Stargate Atlantis before they aired its pilot episode “The Rising”. I never would have thought the simple premise of an international team of civilian and military explorers sent to the lost city of Atlantis that happened to be on an uninhabited planet in the Pegasus galaxy without the power to return to Earth can be so engrossing. It’s all thanks to its great writing, actors, character interaction and humour, and more than adequate visual effects; and it’s held its own as the spinoff from Stargate SG-1. Last week’s episode “Instinct” was notable for two reasons: The episode starts off like a classic D&D RPG session. And by classic I mean clichéd. A group of PCs walks into a village at night and find themselves at a tavern. Everyone eyes them suspiciouly and hints for them to leave town. But after two […]
Continue readingMak & Abah at Dungun, Terengganu
Here we are over 100 posts in this blog and not once did even say that I worked for seven years at the East Coast of the Peninsular Malaysia. I hate talking about the place. No, I don’t mean Terengganu is an awful place. Far from it. It has some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. The people there are for the most part cordial and pleasant to be around with. A lot of unpleasantness stained in my mind came from the work. Politics at the workplace, mostly stemming from people from the West Coast. I could go on, but I’ll just sum things up: great place to be, wonderful friends there (and still there), terrible job. So here are some pictures of Mak & Abah visiting me while I was there. [[image:dungun1.jpg:Near ITM Dungun:center:0]] [[image:dungun2.jpg:Abah and Mak at Tanjung Jara:center:0]] [[image:dungun3.jpg:Geological analysis of Tanjung Jara:center:0]] [[image:dungun4.jpg:The southern […]
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Almost Aidilfitri?
Well not exactly. Another two months. So, for no reason in particular, here’s another pic of old ACS Sitiawan buddies; this time gathering at my house for Aidilfitri, and to eat the food as well. We’ll be in Sitiawan this year instead of Pasir Mas, so you all are invited for makan-makan at Taman Pegawai.
Continue readingHe Seems To Be Developing A Sense of Style
Yesterday, Irfan and I took a drive to the Ulu Langat district, where it was serene, green and a winding stream shadowed the road for miles. It was just him and I in the car. He was in the back, free to roam. (If he was sitting up front, he’d be belted up and annoyed at the fact.) So there we were driving among the serene greenery, the kampung houses and colourful flowers on the bushes in their yards. I barely heard him grab something from the storage bin behind the parking brake in the centre column. Then he was standing just behind the front seats between them with his elbows resting on either seat. I glanced at him and there he was… wearing a pair of sunglasses I’ve never seen before, looking all badass. It was an awesome moment.
Continue readingJLU Avatars
It’s cartoon avatar month on ACS Sitiawan Forums. My current favourite animated series now is Justice League Unlimited. So here are some JLU avatars for anyone’s use. No heavy hitters like Clark, Bruce and Diana. The only founding members here are John and Wally. The rest are second stringers, but what colourful second stringers they make, eh? For their names, hover your cursor over the avatars. [[image:jlu_albert_rothstein.gif:Albert Rothstein:center:0]] [[image:jlu_beatriz_dacosta.gif:Beatriz Dacosta:center:0]] [[image:jlu_dinah_lance.gif:Dinah Lance:center:0]] [[image:jlu_helena_bertinelli.gif:Helena Bertinelli:center:0]] [[image:jlu_jack_ryder.gif:Jack Ryder:center:0]] [[image:jlu_john_stewart.gif:John Stewart:center:0]] [[image:jlu_kara_zor-el.gif:Kara Zor-El:center:0]] [[image:jlu_michael_jon_carter.gif:Michael Jon Carter:center:0]] [[image:jlu_nathaniel_adam.gif:Nathaniel Adam:center:0]] [[image:jlu_ralph_dibny.gif:Ralph Dibny:center:0]] [[image:jlu_ray_palmer.gif:Ray Palmer:center:0]] [[image:jlu_ray_terrill.gif:Ray Terrill:center:0]] [[image:jlu_red_tornado.gif:Red Tornado:center:0]] [[image:jlu_todd_ricegif:Todd Rice:center:0]] [[image:jlu_vic_sage.gif:Vic Sage:center:0]] [[image:jlu_wally_west.gif:Wally West laying some smackdown on Lex Luthor:center:0]]
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Illustration Friday: Roots
Here’s a quick one using Photoshop, a whole lot of solid layers and brushes, a bit of colour dodge. It’s nothing profound and nothing I’m trying to say. It’s just a graphic tablet exercise without any pre-planned sketches off or on the computer.
Continue readingKatrina’s Aftermath
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that ravaged the Gulf Coast of the United States. It’s like something out of an apocalypse movie. While the death toll will never reach the numbers achieved by the Indian Ocean Tsunami of Dec 26 2004, the tragedy on the human level is just the same. There are about 16,000 hurricane survivors waiting for relocation in the local stadium known as the Superdome in New Orleans. Some have already been transferred to the Astrodome in Houston, but in the meantime, babies and the elderly are dying and have died of dehydration. There’s no where to defecate or urinate. The stench must be indescribable. There have been rapes among the refugees there. MSNBC photojournalist Tony Zumbado reports: “The sanitation was unbelievable. The stench in there… was unbelievable. Dead people around the walls of the convention center, laying in the middle of the street in their dying […]
Continue readingHappy 48th Birthday, or is it?
Yesterday was Aug 31, Malaysia’s Independence Day. Once upon a time we were a collection of nations that ruled independently. Then we were swallowed by the Portugese, chewed by the Dutch, digested by the British. (There were the several years under Japanese rule during World War Two – we might have been in the rumen or maybe the reticulum, I couldn’t be sure.) Then finally, we were regurgitated as a new single nation in 1957. (If you’re waiting for me to say we came out the other way, then SHAME ON YOU, you coprophiliacs!) And now here we are 48 years later. No sign of Gernsbackian flying cars and day trips to the moon. But I digress. I don’t have much to comment about it now, so I’ll just wrap this up quick and easy. The government, among others, has come down hard upon a young model who appeared in […]
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What Happened on Independence Day 2005?
What happened was that a bunch of my old classmates and I (with some of our family) met at 1 Utama mall in Bandar Utama. We then proceeded to the open air Rainforest location of the new wing of 1 Utama, cobbled together 4 of the little round tables (and 1 square table) Burger King had scattered in their area and ordered some Burger King value meals for lunch, except for Teik Sing who had a heavy brunch, yo. Here follows a photographic account of the events that transpired today. I should have taken more pictures, but I was chasing Irfan all over the play area and out of the drizzle. Laksh’s daughter Priya and Irfan getting their Uncle Teik Sing to play Hot Wheels with them, while Chiew Kian looks on amused. Laksh, Yu Hoe, Wendy & Ah Bau. In the foreground is Chiew Kian’s cute daughter. Group photo […]
Continue readingBest Wife Ever
I woke up this morning with a headache and a painful cough. There was a sharp pain in my throat at every cough, and there’s no way for me to wilfully stop coughing if my throat itched itself into coughing spasms. So there was nothing for me to do early in the morning, after subuh prayers, except curl myself into a ball under the sheets as Ain got ready for work and took Irfan to daycare. Immediately after she kissed me goodbye, I fell asleep. I don’t remember her leaving the house, but I did remember that she was going to prepare something for me. When I woke up again, maybe 10 – 15 minutes after she left (I couldn’t be too sure) there was a warm pot of lemon tea on the dinner table. It was the best pot of lemon tea I’ve tasted. Now the tea’s finished, my […]
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A Raging Sea
Here’s something I cooked up rough and fast using Artrage: a digital oil painting of a boat not remotely having the best of days.
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