after easter break

touching the sky

::i took this pic while i was on the train on my way back to the city from school::
mid semester break is over.....
and as much as i wana believe that everything's gona be fine,
i doubt it.
as usual, assignments after assignments are pouring in.
i had 3 submissions dued on the 5th week(last week).
and it seems the same thing's gona happen on the 9th week...
argh... why must all 3 submissions be dued on the same week?
i'm so gona work my ass off...

it's always nice to know that friends and family
back home are missing me.
it's also nice to know that they're hoping i'll return soon
so that we can hang out and do some catching up.
at least i know i'm working toward something
at the end of the semester.
anyway, just wana say thanks guys.
and thanks for keeping me company on msn. :)
should be back in singapore by 11th june... hopefully...



anyway, these are some of the stuff i've been doing.
for one of my asssignment, i was tasked to redesign
an existing movie dvd or a music cd.

so i chose to do michelle branch's Hotel paper album.
reason being i love her and just thought the design
of the entire album was crapped...

my main aim in the design is to bring out the
acoustic sounds of her guitar,
emphasising it greatly in my illustrations and layout.
firstly, i did my sketches.


::sketch 1::


::sketch 2::

next, i thought of incorporating the texture of wood grains
in my illustration. i felt that having just vectors and flat colours
wouldnt justify the acoustic sounds.
i did a lot of trial and errors...
after much consultation with my tutors,
i settled with these final illustrations.


::this is the postcard i designed. the same image was used on the cover of the cd package. but the layout of the cd cover is a little different, so it look svery different from the postcard::


::this is a close up of the face. makes it easier to see the details::


::this is how the A2 poster looks like::

i'm not able to scan in my cd cover and other applications.
but at least you get a rough idea from the poster and postcard
how the whole collection may fit together.
in all, i did a limited edition digipack cd package, the design of the cd face,
an A2 poster in colour, an A2 poster in black&white and postcards.


i'm not sure if you guys have seen it,
but the poster i did for the charity event has finally been comissioned
and published in 8days, iweekly, Newpapaer and Today newspaper.
personally, it's a bittersweet experience....
i'm happy that my work is finally in the media.
but so many changes were made to my inital design that i
wasnt satisfied with the final look of it.
i mean, ultimately, if a client want changes, even if its ugly
and unreasonable, i have to do it...
so yeah... most of the ugly changes were dued to client request...
so if you think it's ugly... it's them...

i first came out with the header.
spent quite a long time on it.
they like it, so no changes were made.


::this is how the header looks like after tracing my sketches into vectors::


::this is how the header looks like with the effects::

next i designed the flyer.
the background was the hardest to do becos
i did everything from scratched.
that's right, from a plain white canvas to wat you see here.
a lot of texture and flow.
i trying to give a very dreamy effect to the whole design.
no changes were made becos the client like it a lot.


::this is the final design for the A5 flyer::


::this is how the back ground looks like. from an empty white canvas to this... it's like painting...::


::an upclose of a section of the background::


next was the poster....
which gave me the most headache of them all....
the prob with it is that there were so many artisite to fit
in the tiny canvas. and there were requests like the main singers
have to have more priority.
seriously, its not easy at all trying to put
the individual artisite's pics together.
a lot of factors have to be considered,
like the flow of the entire layout,
how it sit well with the rest of the text,
the colours,
how each pic of the artiste had to be positioned
so that there is harmony...
and then whether or not the client likes it...
ultimately it was a nightmare.


::this is the final design for the poster. a few changes were later made for the newspaper editions::

i added a lot of effects, but it had to be removed
because of certain regulations...
the names of the artisite was really a distraction
but the client requested for it.

one of the client actually asked me to put the individual artistes pics
into bubbles... thinking that would solve the layout prob...
my gawd... it would be fucking cheesey and fugly...

i felt that i could have done a whole lot more to make it perfect,
but due to major time constraint, and i had to juggle my school work as well,
this is all i could have done.

that is why i said it was a bitter sweet experience...



the obession of looking good and all.
was chatting with a friend the other day.
and we were talking abt how people are
so conscious abt their body.
seriously, it's not the end of the world
just becos you dun have a six pac.
everyone is unique in their own ways.
so wat if you have a gorgeous body but a retarded personality.
i have met such people and trust me,
it's fucking annoying.
i think it's fucking pointless if you work out
just becos you wana look good and that people
would only want you becos of that.
shallow people...
work out becos you wana stay healthy.
work out becos you wana train for a marathon or something.
work out becos you are the adverturous type and like
pushing yourself to the limit.
but dun just do it cos you cant stand the person
you're seeing in front of the mirror.
if people wouldnt wana be with you just cos
you dun fall under the category of "muscular, hunk, stocky",
then fuck them. they're just shallow and delusional.
you're more than just that.
i myself, am not muscular.
i have no six pacs to boast and have a pretty small frame.
heck, i'm not even goodlooking.
if no one wants me becos i dun have the body,
then i'll rather stay single all my life.
i'm not gona cater to anyone's desire or fetish,
becos i know i'm more than just that.
if people cant see that, then i'm not gona care.
yes, to a certain extend, its a superficial world.
but does that mean you need to comform?
i'm telling all you people that you are
worth a whole lot more than just goodlooks or a great body.

these are some of the many pics i took.

i've decided to have some sort of a theme for this entry.
but i'm not sure if i'm gona continue with it for the rest of the entries.
anyway... this entry's theme is Sora! which means Sky in jap. :)


::pic taken at my balcony during sunrise::


::hot air balloons in the sky! this pic was taken in the morning at my balcony::


::another pic taken during sun rise... apparently i dun sleep till after the sun has risen...::


::took this pic while i was waiting for the train along Richmond after paying Paperpopint a visit::


::took this pic during sun rise::

other worthy pics:


::this pic was taken at GPO, Bourke Street. the architecture and the interior is beautiful and grand::


::my deary Havaianas Flash::

misc pics:


::pic taken in design studio during consultation. michelle, brad and nash::


::eri and i during submission of our graphic design assignment. everyone looked pretty exhausted becos of the lack of sleep the previous night::


::jolina and i during submission day. jolina had a bit of a prob with the school printer... her work was supposed to be in black, but the printer ran out of ink and printed her work in grey... and she wasted $30 on that...::


::jolina's skirt. wicked! somehow, i find myself liking it. heee::


::kumiko and i during submisssion day. kumiko, you still look good even without make up ya. :)::


::the train broke down and becos of that, it cause some major confusion outside my uni. everyone was rushing to get onto the trams. fiona, eri, devi and i were squashed on the tram. but it sure was fun.::


::fiona trying to grab paper on the upper shelf at Paperpoint. as graphic design students in uni, we get to collect 10 pieces of A3 paper for free everyday. that's really a life saver. imagine the amount of money we save....::


::eri still deciding what papers to get::


::chicken curry don with extra tofu!!! i've been having cravings for this for weeks!!! i'm practically eating this almost everyday... my bad... but look how delicious it is!!!::


::jolina enjoying her chicken teriyaki don::


::it fabulous having a small room and having the tv just outside the room. why? cos i can sit on my bed while watching my fav anime on dvd! :) ::


::me at the balcony::


hey fauz,
thanks so much for doing my errands for me while i'm in melbourne.
i know my obession with toys has been driving you nuts...
and i appreciate the constant back and forth to Latendo.
i'll defintiely make it up to you.
thanks a million! and i miss you!

to jenn,
hey girl! how have you been doing?
hope you are doing good.
will be back in june, so i cant wait to catch up with you! :)

to idil,
always remember that your future is in your hands.
pursue your dreams, your aspiration, your passion.
it's for you to decide, not others.

to esen,
hey, how was your play? the animal farm one.
hopefully you're able to shed off those excess weight after it's over,
and become the usually beautifully gorgeous esen everyone knows. hee! :)


sigh, got to start doing my work again...
i'm only left with next week, before i submit all my assignments...
argh!!! save me!!!