Travel Sketch: A Bit of Japan

::Watercolor::

~February 24, 2009~

Takoyaki Store - Kyoto

aaahh takoyaki I bought from that small store above was the yummiest takoyaki ever so far. I went to Osaka and Kyoto with my family and oh we only spent half a day in Kyoto... HALF A DAY!!! What were we thinking?? hm well, I just have to make sure the next time I go there, I'll absorb every detail of the beauty of the old city.

::Watercolor::
~February 27, 2009~

I forgot when it was when Benny gave us (Tokyo people huehehe ) an omiyage, mochi. The mochi was put in a box with picture on the lid. I happened to be the last one who got the mochi so Inge *or was it Ellen??* gave me the mochi and the box. I love the picture on the lid, very simple, so I decided to keep the box *didn't have the heart to throw it*. I guess you might find one in omiyage stores ^^ *'scuse me, I do some advertising here*.

::Watercolor::
~February 06, 2009~

It is another sakura sketch, in case you don't know what the heck is that pink, tree-like curvy lines. Nothing more to say. I love sakura.

Travel Sketch: A Bit of Bali

::Watercolor and Pencil::
~April 22, 2009~

Aahhh you should come and visit Bali last month. Three big ceremonies (Galungan, Kuningan, Nyepi) were held in succession in only three weeks time. Many Galungan decorations such as tall, curved bamboo pole called Penjor were planted on each side of literally EVERY roads created a festive yet serene air every time you drove pass them. Pecalang (polisi adat - tribal police, is a group of men from Balinese local village that acts as a police, they DO have the right to stop the traffic for ceremony) were everywhere. I always love to see what uniform they wear, you know, as every village has its own Pecalang uniform. They always wear sarong (which is always looks the same for every village. A sarong is a sarong afterall) and a shirt (now, that's the only part where every village can get creative with their own village's logo and everything). For me, only at that time of ceremony is Bali really reveals something other than its commercial face. It was somewhat magical.

In Love

Yep, I'm falling head over heels in love with... my Lord slash my Savior slash my BFF!!! huahahaha Yes I'm still feeling homesick (Bali and Japan T.T) and missing my friends there, still hoping for time when I fly there and meet them, but at the same time thrilled to realize that I'm spiritually blessed here. Ktemu temen2 yg sama2 longing for intimacy with God, radical in a really good way, not what I call *oh pardon me* "annoyingly fanatic". So it's been great so far and I believe the best is yet to come.

Reminiscence

::Wednesday, 25 Feb 2009::

It's been a month and finally I brace myself today to really read what my friends've written on the first few photos they inserted in the frame for me . One step at the time. I haven't fully looked at those photos, mind you. I don't dare, really. Ughh...speaking of having to miss people you care and close enough to you... huhu Miss you guys. We used to meet regularly if not everyday, and now being so far away and all, the simple things like going out for grocery shopping etc, things that I took for granted... I want to give anything just to be able to do something like that again. Geez, this sounds cheesy, but I do love you all. Every single one of you (even the weirdest and the freakiest one, you know who huahahhaa) It's been the best memories EVER in my life, both the good and the bad ones... じゃね～

Sakura

Well, since I don't get to see sakura this year, I decided to paint them. These are from photos I took a year ago in Ueno and someplace I didn't remember where. I went to hanami (cherry blossoms/sakura viewing) with Inge, Ellen, Stivan, Rendy and Teddy - who later joined us. It was so beautiful. Hehe the paintings really don't do justice here. You should feel the atmosphere at hanami. So alive.

::Oil on canvas 60 x 40 cm::
.: Sakura viewing at Ueno :.

~February 2009~

.: Someplace we went to after Ueno :.

::Watercolor::
~February 28, 2009~

.: Ueno :.

New Art Teacher

::11 February 2009::

I have new art teacher . He mainly does oil painting, surrealism style. Wanna know what he looks like? You know Kaka Slank? Yep!! He resembles Kaka a lot! The first time I met him, I had this feeling I saw him somewhere before ... then that evening I happened to watch a trailer of Slank's new movie (Generasi Biru) and I was like... "Whoo that's my teacher there!!" huahahaha

Oh but thank goodness he's done impressionism painting years ago. Surrealism always kinda creepy to me. I guess I made a weird face when he mentioned Surrealism that he said to me, "There's no such thing as a bad or ugly art. It's only a matter of liking or not liking the art object". Whew~ I can't agree more

But overall, I like this new teacher. He's a real artist, so passionate in art and has an art gallery near Discovery Mall Kuta. He's so much fun to be with. And you should see him holding the brush, eyes fixed on the canvas. Ughh it's the same when you see your fave athlete doing his/her things. It comes so naturally. Hope I can learn much from him.