Alex and the Gordian Knot

In about 333BC, this famous Alex conquered and ruled the Western world: Greece, Persia, Egypt, Palestine, Phoenicia, Babylonia, Assyria, Asia Minor, India... He started his military conquer at 19, and he died at 32.

Most of us barely make any big accomplishments at 32.

I particularly enjoy reading Alexander the Great, mainly because he seemed forever young. The man has courage (taming the wild horse Bucephalus when he was still a boy), wisdom (his teacher was the one-and-only Aristotle), and charisma (he was known for his long curly hair and being extremely handsome.)

And wit. Legend had it that there was a knot in the city of Gordium. The knot was so tightly and intricately knotted, no man at the time could untie it. It was said that whomever does so will become master of the world. During his early conquer years, Alexander purposely went to proof himself. He took one look at it (and probably thought to himself: Oh my! What to do with this knot? Can't loose face in front of my soldiers!), took out his sword, chopped it through, thereby "untying" the Gordian knot.

Cheating a little? Perhaps. But he did become master of the world.

Research Process

Since my passion falls both in illustration and in history, a lot of hours are spent daily doing both. Once again, the wealth of free accessible information (in my case, the local library) serves as a critical part to my research and creative process.

Here is a chart showcasing my work process:



While reading and research are done mostly at home, I enjoy drawing in different local coffee houses. If you catch a girl drawing and sipping coffee and has a small wheel-luggage with her, that might have been me. I like to carry some of my reference books and my art tools with me at all times.

Here is a piece done last week:



Happy 2012, everyone! Wishing you all a great year to come. ☺

Of Theoretical Physics

I have no desire to pretend I understand many of the theories I read upon in physics. In college, physics was the only science class I opted out. The pulley problems, the projectile calculations... I never took a strong interest.

Which is why when I became suddenly interested after so many years, I was in for a shock myself. My interest only lies on the theoretical side of physics (I will leave all the calculations to our living geniuses.) I love reading about the warping of spacetime, the birth of the universe, multiple universes, dark matter, time travel, quantum mechanics, etc. When I was younger, I used to roll my eyes on this. Geeeeeeeekkk~! Nowadays, I find it very inspiring to be able to look up the sky at night and ponder upon the cosmic oddities. 13 billion years in the making, and here I am, marveling at the very low yet very real probability of me being here.

Two advantages also sprang from this interest:

(1) My love of history dramatically increases, as history of mankind is so short relative to the history of the universe. Recorded history is only about 5000 years! This makes remembering all the historical events so much easier. Memorizing historical facts is not of much use in and of itself, but the more you know, the more you can relate things, and that's where the fun truly begins, and the reason why I love history so much.

(2) I am sure that one day I will work on stories about spacetime — because everything is tied into everything else.

What a blessing to live in the information age!

Sports Injury

Somewhere out there, an urban myth goes about that the more yoga you do, the more crazily addicted you become (unlike me, who has a tendency to fall asleep during the session.) In the end, you will be thrilled to go to each session — something that I do not resonate with. Not with yoga, anyway.

But when it comes to badminton, I am in sync. I crave for it every morning; I swing my racket at home just to make sure I don't forget certain moves. This is why it kills me when I sprained my ankle several weeks ago.

This is badminton's most common injury, especially when one, such as I, wears tennis shoes. I eventually bought a pair of badminton shoes, but I never gave much thought to that sprained ankle of mine. Let it be! It'll heal. After another 2 weeks of vigorous playing, I realized IT DOES NOT HEAL. It continue to be painful at certain angles. Ultimately, I have to stop playing for a while in an effort to let it heal completely before I walk back to the court.

Patience is all my sprained ankle asks for. Restlessness is all me.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

If a movie is made based off a book, I made it a rule to read it before watching it.

With Martin Scorsese as director, Brian Selznick's "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" automatically became a must-read. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, this is one of two books I have finished.

I was blown away by the story-telling technique. Hugo was half-picture book, half-story book. Where the pictures stopped, Selznick picked up the story with words. Flawless transition! I have never read anything like this before, and I fell in love with it.

I highly recommend the book to anyone who loves a story told differently and ever-so elegantly.

Test Sketches And Beyond

For the longest time, I prefer watercolor blocks so to skip a step in per-stretching papers. However, there are a lot of limits using the blocks, one of them being the limitation of size.

To make my preferable size, I ended up buying much larger watercolor papers, trimming them down and doing everything old-school (per-stretched, gum tape, etc.) What do I do with all the left over watercolor pieces in odd shapes? I do test runs on them. One after another, after another. Different medium, different brands of ink and color (while budget lasts.) It is a strange thing to see how some ink claims to be water-proof but smeared as soon as water touches it. (Yes, Speedball Super Black!!! That's you smearing all over the place!) (On the other hand, you are the darkest of all blacks I've used. So bravo when I use you for comics!)

These small scraps of watercolor papers are truly fantastic. I doodle on them; I draw on them while waiting for my "real" piece to dry. I cut them down further in slightly off shape and give them some character.

They are now a solid source of my creative process. :)

Oh No — Heat Rash!

Today, for the first time in my life, I have a heat rash attack.

It was after a couple badminton games. My face started feeling steamy. I walked over to the ladies room and saw my face turned bright red. Oh... Allergy to something I had over dinner? (I am notoriously allergic to a great many things.)

So I rested sitting on the bench. Not the most fun -- I want to play because I am not tired, but logic tells me that under an allergic reaction, I really should let my body cool down.

Later on at home, I looked up what it was that I could probably be allergic to, and I concluded it must be a heat rash attack.

According to Mayo Clinic, causes of heat rash includes:
Participating in intense physical activities. Anything that makes you sweat profusely, especially if you're not wearing moisture-wicking clothing, can trigger heat rash.

Ah-ha! I think I have found the source: I am wearing LONG PANTS today. I NEVER WEAR LONG PANTS to any badminton games, EVER. I thought it might be cold, so this is my very first. It was LONG, THICK PANTS. I will keep this in mind. :)

Good thing these rashes go away within the hour. Still, more games, s'il vous plaît!

Inspiration -- Mike Perry

Attended a Mike Perry presentation last night at Art Center.

I must say... Waaaahhahhhahhh...

He truly has a sense of color, and the pieces he created are filled with energy and FUN FUN FUN. At the end of the night, all I wanted to do is to rush home and draw like there is no tomorrow. (I did... Inspiration called. Gotta seize the moment.)

Here are some quotes during the talk:

• "Freedom comes from the ability to trust your guts and do things instinctively."

• "A lot of people don't care. Don't be them. Care! Just... Care!!!"

• "The best way to do it (break into the industry) is to GO FOR IT."

• "You have to constantly remind people that you exist. Talk to people. Communicate. Be a member of the creative world."

Thanks, Mike, for caring and for inspiring. :)

Shows I Like - Pan Am

When Pan Am aired in September, I was thrilled.

Glamourous 60s; fun in the sky; classy design. What's there not to be liked?

Turns out the show is a little inconsistent in scripts. The story has one too many focuses, and it is yet to define itself with a voice, a direction. In the mean time, I am hoping ABC will at least give it a chance to finish the season (as I am already on board!). The good news? I thought the last episode gained better altitude (the first three episodes were great, but after that it got lost for a while.), and I hope from here on it will have a solid ground (or a great take-off, whichever works better.)

Tune in! Sunday night, ABC, 10/9c!

(PS: That's all the shows I watch. Two is a max to stay on work schedule!) ;-)

Shows I Like - Prime Suspect

Now that I have moved back to LA, I am introduced to something called television. That's right. I have not watched actual TV for a decade (because I have been doing the hulu and netflix thing, which doesn't count.)

After several weeks, I find myself looking forward to two shows every week. Neither has great ratings (How unfortunate!), and I hope the station and the audience can give them a chance to see how far they can go.

Thursday night "Prime Suspect" has a fantastic casts. Why they decide to name themselves after Helen Mirren's original, I can never guess. Maria Bello sculpts her character as Detective Jane Timony perfectly -- a flawed character whom we slowly began to care for. The rapport of the team builds up well as the story progresses. At the end of day, it's watching how the team interact with each other that makes it real and fun. The actual cases became secondary. But hey, the formula works! Just like Grey's Anatomy. Yes, the audience care less on the criminal/medical cases -- it's the people and relationships that count.

Thursday night, NBC, 10/9c! :)

A Sentimental Journey: The Story of Doris Day

Tonight, I took Mom to North Hollywood to El Portal Theatre and saw a musical on the life of Doris Day.

Before Mom left the house, she said, "I will bring my binoculars, just in case."

I nodded. What she didn't know is that I got tickets on the first row. What I didn't know is that I have forgotten I bought first row tickets. Happy surprise for the both of us!

I will be honest. Except of "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever will be, will be)" and "The Way You Look Tonight", I am not familiar with the rest of the songs. Her glorious Hollywood days shined beginning in the beautiful 40s.

Tonight is the first preview night. Perhaps it's because of the time of the week (it IS the middle of the week), the entire audience were young-at-heart seniors. (I am for sure the youngest in the house.) At the end of the show, everyone stood and sang along with the last song. A very sweet moment indeed.

New Hangout Place - Vroman's Bookstore

Tonight, for the first time, I set foot on Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena.

Yes, I have lived near Pasadena since the invention of sliced bread. No, I did not know of this bookstore until tonight. Please don't judge me. (Me whispering defiantly: It's a little hidden...)

In a time when actual bookstores close left and right, I am thrilled to walk into a gigantic, cozy, independent, well-lit, well-stocked bookstore. A new hangout place for moi~ This is really exciting!!!

PS: No, I didn't buy any books this round. Me and a couple friends did stay and chat until it closed (making me the worst customer...). Perhaps next time. Good coffee and good read. I look forward to my upcoming visits already.

PPS: Thanks, Mark, for introducing the place~! :)

Riverdance Wonder

Tap tap tap tap tap tap taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap....

Finally had an opportunity to see Riverdance tonight at the Segerstrom Center. Oh my, oh my! What an AMAZING performance!!! I was jaw-dropped!!! How I wish my legs could move this rapidly and elegantly! What a night!

Bravo!!! Bravo!!!

A New Favorite Sandwich Place

This evening, I had one of the best sandwiches... and it's a veggie sandwich!

I have always been quite a carnivore. Yes, a good salad is always great (once in a while, when I feel like I should be very healthy), but ideally, it would be a chicken salad.

Oh this veggie sandwich -- I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich, and it did taste SIMILAR to a grilled chicken sandwich, except the grilled chicken, I suspect, is really of a tofu-family. So it's a fake, but heavenly tasty.

I highly recommend Veggie Grill. Yum yum yum!

The 11th Hour

In regards to personal creative projects (The graphic novel!! The Children's Book(s)!! The Illustrative Design work(s)!!), it had been a dry week. Okay. One long dry season, to be honest. I get huffs and puffs of creative moments, but they generally don't last long. It's a good thing I am taking a class in Children's book, which forces me to stay focus.

But this week had been especially busy, and I worry tons I would go to class with a shrug on the shoulder. At the eleventh hour (which is now), I am jumping around at times and meditating on my yoga mat (seriously), trying to squeeze out some creative ideas.

I think it's working. We shall see how this goes.

Workshop - Landscape Painting

Taking a 3-day landscape painting workshop with the amazing Mike Hernandez. I have never done landscape, and gouache is a medium I have not touched. This is challenging x 3000!!!! Everyone in the class is really good! I am inspired (and a little intimidated, frankly.)

I don't have Azure Blue, so I substitute it with Ultramarine Blue. The other colors are Alizarin Crimson and Yellow Ochre. It is also my first to have to create compositions with only these 3 tubes. (Plus white). I need to understand gouache fast. As of now, I don't understand the medium enough to translate it on canvas. (@__@)



My work at Vasquez Rock of Aqua Dolce today. (I am showing the one comp I feel holds up better...) Need to improve fast...



This is me at the end of Day 2. I am CLUELESS!!!!

One more day. Tomorrow's Laguna Beach. I look forward to it. :)

When There is a Gap...

One entire day staring at a blank canvas and got nothing done.

Productivity: 0%
Frustration: 100%

Not my best day. Perhaps a better night to come? I remain hopeful.

Travel Journal - Stockholm, Sweden

A few years ago, I traveled to a few places in Europe. Here is part of my illustration journal of my trip from London to Stockholm. While names in my journal are usually altered, the encountering and experience are real~ Good old days!

Workshop - Visual Storytelling

Took a Visual Storytelling workshop with Sam Michlap and was very inspired. I have decided to do quick studies of old films to help understand composition, just as Sam had suggested.

Here are some of my studies. :)

Eureka~ Newton's Moment