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Saturday, September 18, 2004

My first sales!



My first sales for postcards go to Yenn.... Arigato Gozaimasu...

My first Tee sale goes to Jubilee14..... Arigato Gozaimasu.....

Doomo Arigato Gozaimasu to both......

And as a preview, here is the tee for Jubilee...

The front:


And the back: ( Yup, Don't Just Be a Black Sheep )


Coming up with more psychedelic sheep designs. I'm hung up on them for some reason...

Have also printed Yenn's cards, but now having stupid problems with printer formatting. The cards came out slightly wai, which resulted in more curses from me to the printer. ( I know cursing at it doesn't always work, but I could always try, and it makes me feel better )

Also went shopping last night at the Stationery shop at Funan for more supplies. Almost went high at the sight of all that stationery. Tshirt paper! Postcard paper! 50 different kinds of notebooks! Sketchbooks! Paints! *Pant pant pant* Now you know just how much of a geek I am... And if you think this is bad, you should have seen me at Artfriends at Bras Basah...

Does Piracy Kill Creativity?



That's what the following postcards will have you believe:



The postcards were printed by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, ( Who else? ) and also by Power 98 ( The Official Hip Station ). The words on the back of both cards read:

"The movies you watch with friends on Sunday afternoon. Those cult movies you see at midnight. The music video you're addicted to, and that cool sound you party to on Saturday night. They all started with an idea, from someone just like you. To make your life more fun. Do the right thing. Each time you reject piracy, you encourage creativity. Whose weekend do you think that will affect? Yours. Be creative. Be original. Be hip."

Now this is the strangest premise for rejecting piracy I've ever seen. That piracy kills creativity?

Let's get one thing clear. People aren't going to stop producing art because they don't make money from it. Well, some people might, but to insinuate that piracy would bring about the downfall of the entire art sphere is bringing it a mite too far. Art has already survived for almost thousands of years, ever since civilisation was first formed. Through prehistory, ( You think cavemen paid to see those paintings? ) BC, and to AD.

Throughout this period, it has survived decay, persecution, recessions, wars, and natural disasters. I hardly think that piracy can bring about a complete stop to all this.

In fact, the ones that have been most affected by the onset of piracy were the major record companies. I don't even think the major movie companies were that affected, because the revenue they earn from movies pales in comparison to the amounts made by merchandising and DVD sales. The partners in the RIAA also consist of the major record companies, because it's just so much cheaper to download them than to buy the entire CD.

But does that mean that people won't do music anymore? Look around you, and you will see that music, and the love thereof, still exists in many quarters. Just last night, at the Esplanade, I watched a band from West Malaysia perform free by the waterfront. On the way home, I switched on my radio to listen to music on the way home. At home, I strum a few chords on the guitar.

People love music. And people who truly love music will not by deterred by piracy. In fact, there are many independent bands nowadays who exist for the pure sake of composing and performing music. They play in bars, the odd public space, or they post their songs on the Internet. Piracy hasn't deterred these people, nor has it deterred people like me, who enjoy the odd piano piece or guitar piece once in a while.

Who are the ones deterred by piracy? The ones who get into it for the love of the money, of the publicity. These are the ones who stand to lose the most from falling CD sales. Boybands like North, *shudder* 5 pretty boys from Australia, who can sing at a pretty decent standard, and whose first single was a cover of an old song. ( Didn't someone tell them that the trend for covers had died long ago? ) I'm hoping that one day Britney Spears will also drop out of the industry for the same reason.

And if you look at CD sales, artistes like Nelly and Norah Jones are still making music and making money from it as well. Both artistes have been recently acclaimed for the revival of the music industry.Cries of "They're killing us!" from the record companies have been exposed for the pathetic squeals they really are. People are still buying CDs, just not buying the stuff that they think we like.

Somewhere out there, there are a bunch of music marketing and artiste execs looking for jobs, and wondering where they went wrong.

And that's just the record industry. Look at the rest of the art world, and art pretty much still survives. People still draw, paint, sing, compose, dance, act. If nothing, I think that piracy actually encourages creativity.

Looking at an example i'm more familiar with, check out www.megatokyo.com Fred Gallagher has created a fantastic comic which is posted free on the Internet for everyone to download. Gosh! What a travesty! Is he still in business? Yes, Megatokyo has survived, gained a cult following, [yours included] and he and his newlywed wife have gone into maintaining the website fulltime.

So how do they survive? Though the online comic is free, they also sell book versions of it to stores all around the world. [copies can even be found in Kino] They also travel the states, promoting their comics at conventions nationwide, and they have an online store selling related merchandise. Posting their comic free for viewing means they have to come up with alternative sources of revenue, which they have done admirably.

The key thing here is quality. And not just product quality, but also brand quality. They've created a comic that is loved by many, and that has became a brand on its own. For that, people are willing to pay for their products. [except me, poor starving artist, though I'll love to get my hands on the books] It's sorta like me giving out my Funny Farm designs free, but if you want them on postcards or T-shirts, pay me and I'll do them for you. [hint hint]

I guess if you really love what you're doing, and you hand out good stuff, there will be people who would like to pay for what you do. If you just want the quick buck, then people will sense it, and they won't be convinced to buy your stuff either.

In the end, piracy can only be good for creativity.

Thursday, September 16, 2004

The scary thing is that yet another person has died on the tracks of Bishan MRT. Where I take the train every week to get to tuition. *shudder* Considering that Bishan used to be the site of the largest cemetery in Singapore, maybe the construction for the Circle Line 'disturbed' something it shouldn't have... *shudder again*

And why not? My student, living next to Cat. High told me about how spooky her area was at night, weird sounds and everything. And Juls once told me that Cat. High had some gravestones hidden away near the basketball courts. ( How he and his friends could still play basketball there escapes me. )

Not to mention that the 7th Month still isn't over, and there are still ashes and offerings everywhere. ( I swear, the PSI just went haywire this month. )

So............ *shiver*

Ok, more mundane stuff before I freak myself out.

People, I like it that you like the animals, but gimme time to design... please... I still have to do other things for a honest living... *sob sob*

Although when thinking of Krystal's hippo, this came to mind:

hippo and bird
The cap reads: "Someone needs to brush"

And I'm hung up over psychedelic sheep, for some reason!

psychedelic sheep

This is part of a larger T-shirt design, which is as follows:

Don't Just Be a Black Sheep

Gonna iron that one onto something soon, so that you guys can see what it'll look like....

As usual, all designs have been uploaded into the FunnyFarm Photobucket album, [note the bright yellow icon on top] so you can download them if you want. But hey, if you want them on T-shirts, or cards, email me, and contribute to the BoredSlacker Fund......

More designing and artwork on the way! Starting to get the feel of what it feels like to be a freelance artist! What with one project after another looming over my head, and my tuition to boot... Argh! It seems that these days I'm in front of the computer the whole afternoon, staring at layers and styles in Photoshop and messing around.

Other free times are spent wandering around in Popular looking for cheap iron-on paper, greeting card paper, and ideas, ideas, ideas...... Now I'm tempted to get this other rub-on paper which would allow me to paste my designs on plastic stuff, like handphone covers, cups, coasters... Good god! The possibilities are endless, and this is just from Popular!

The con side is of course, lack of money...... *sigh* And a constant need to focus, focus, FOCUS, and not get distracted by every single possibility that lies before me. *sigh sigh sigh*

Need constant KITAs...

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

More Animals...



From the Funny Farm...


Slayer: I know you asked for sheep, but I donno if this is wat u had in mind... :p I call this one nonconformity...




Good for working people to put on their desktops....


Inspired by Quet... hahaha...

And if you guys wanna see all the ( pathetically few ) pix I have, or download them, click on the link:

http://photobucket.com/albums/v137/boredslacker/funnyfarm/?

Can one actually make money from these? :p~

And I can't believe Oprah managed to pull this off....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19203-2004Sep13.html

Talk about the Mother of All Product Placements. Can we do this in Singapore? I don't think so, there'll probably be riots at Caldecott Hill....

Plus I managed to find a copy of Dick Lee's "The adventures of the Mad Chinaman" in the National Lib one day.

If you guys happen to see this book, [You can't miss it, bright orange cover and his name in screaming yellow on the front] I recommend you read it. The story of one of the few accomplished local music makers is engaging.

What caught my interest, however, are the parts of his childhood where he already displayed a leaning towards music. Like composing his own songs at the age of 12, and going on to choreograph fashion shows in secondary school. In secondary school! Good god, at that age, I was still running around the basketball court and doodling in my textbooks during lessons!

I guess what helped in his case was that he came from a rich family, [financial support] and had parents who more-or-less [hey, we're still talking about Singapore here] supported his road to musicdom. Given these 2, he was able to pursue his dreams, even flying to London to study art. [the point of the book where I have currently stopped at]

Without the support, without the exposure, would he have become as successful as he is today? Would he have become one of the rare people in Singapore who have made music a successful career?

I guess my point here is that everyone is born with their own gifts and talents and leanings. And the problem with Singaporean society is that we don't recognize that. With our passion for conformity, we insist that everyone follow the same path, take the same roads and end up, all the same. Cubicle ferrets, everyone. We mistake talent for deviance, and we punish them.

Do we really want a more vibrant Singapore, or is that just what the Gahmen is trying to push down our throats again? Or, out of a sick sense of satisfaction, do we want to subject everyone to the same hell that we went through?

Monday, September 13, 2004

I forgot to mention:

COPENHAGEN IS DONE!



Yes! Finally finished the Cop leg of my Europe trip! Prague and Berlin to go....

Sunday, September 12, 2004

Another Care Package, Accounts tuition, Pheromones and DF SMSes



Out of fun, guess what the below lyrics mean:

Ha, Fumus, draco magus
Incoluit mare.
Lusit autumnal'illic
Maritimo Hanalo.

No clue? Check this out.

I've only just come up with the pics and already I get requests? Relax people...... Well at least now I know there's some kind of demand for it... now wat I need is a big KITA to get me going...

-----------------------------------
Saturday Sept 11, just as I was about to leave for lunch with the folks, noticed a parcel collection card with my name on it. Huh? Now I was afire with curiosity, who's sending me this?

Is it something from Grandma? But she would've called on the phone to tell me to look out for it.
Did I win something? Well if I did it sure ain't 4D top prize...
A subscription gift from Newsweek, suggests Dad? Er, should I be excited then?
In honor of Sept 11, anthrax? Bombs? Dad's/Bro's welcome gift from Al Qaeda for joining?

Well, so anyway I was curious and the post office wasn't closed yet, so we drove down to the branch, I showed them my card, and the lady brought out this HUGE box.

Oh, watashi no kami desu.

But one look on the handwriting on the box, and I know it's SLAYER! Further confirmed by the postage labels, and the description on the package, which says "Biscuits, chips, ( potato ) postcards"

What can I say? I have seriously generous friends down under. Doomo, takusan arigato gozaimasu..... *bows deeply, repeatedly*

So in the car, I slice the thing open with a penknife, and funnily enough, the first thing I see is a dragonfly postcard.

Ha. Ha ha ha.

And also a packet of Cole's Greek herb and feta chips, white Twix, ( instant food orgasm ), a nougat, chocolate chip cookies with hazelnut chunks, ( which by the time it came to me, were more like chocolate chip and hazelnut chunks with crumbs ) and 3 more packs of TIM TAMS! COOKIES!!!!! *Cookie monster rampage*

Ok, they're still intact. No worries, though the choc chip ones are half gone, me having them during a hunger break in tuition and sharing them with my kid, and then Juls.

Yes, meet my new tuition student for accounts, Juls.

--------------------------------------------
One day he comes to me, and says, "Guess how much I got for my accounts."

[last exam he took, I gave him some tuition about 2 months before the exams]

"So how was it?"

He mentions an embarrassingly low grade.

"WAT???? HOW DE HECK DID YOU DO THAT???"

He mumbles some little excuse.

"WAT DE..."

"And so...... how much do you charge for accounts tuition?"

I look at him, 23 year old SIM student, looking at me with pleading eyes, asking me to teach him accounts once a week.

And I burst out laughing, and I don't stop for a good half hour.

Ok, I'm evil. *horns suddenly become visible*

---------------------------------------------
Read in Psychology Today [free browsing at Borders] that love boils down to a chemistry equation. When you're first in love, the body's levels of sensation-seeking hormone dopamine spikes up, giving you that airy, light-headed, imwalkingonabedofroses feeling.

Then as time goes by with the guy, oxytocin, good old girlfriend-n-cuddles hormone kicks in, to prepare the body for a long term relationship.

Also that pheromones play a huge part in mating. Like how women give out pheromones when they're ovulating, so as to signal to other parties she's ready for mating. Or how women are attracted to certain smells in men.

This eventually leads to some very interesting conversation with Candle....

I was telling her on Saturday night about how Dragonfly suddenly seemed to have a lot more time on his hands. When usually he only called me out once in a blue moon, suddenly he'd called me out for lunch and coffee on Friday, and then on Saturday, he called me out again for shopping. ( Though I couldn't make it on the Sat one, cos I was already bumming at the Esplanade lib when he SMSed ) Which made it a total of 3 times ( I went Sentosa with him on the previous Sunday ) I had seen him this week.

"Maybe it's a pheromone thing."

"What?"

"Maybe your period is coming, and so your body is giving out these pheromones, which is attracting him." She grins. Alright, here's my comeback.

With a straight face: "So... he's calling me out more because he's getting biological signals to fuck me?"

Everybody together: GROOOOAAAANNNNN.......................

This is one of those days when I feel that I spent too much time crapping with Juls.

And speaking of Juls and Dragonfly in the same sentence...

Was having an SMS conversation with Dragonfly, and then I mention that Juls might be interested in going to Thailand as well. He replies something about Julian! Julian! and piercing eyes coming out. I mention something about someone having green eyes. Ok.... Then somehow it gets to:

Boyfriend ah? Green is it?

Or something along those lines, which led me to go huh? Huh? HUH? Are you asking me if Juls is my green boyfriend? *Confused look* The limitations of an SMS conversation... though I doth sense a cute little green-eyed gremlin poking its way around...

Aoi mimi desu...