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Wednesday, 4 December 2024

glitter

 


I wrote this song in 2018, inspired by a torn up drawing. You can watch another version with some of my drawings here • glitter - original song with drawings 

Words: 
Dazzling beauty that comes off, 
Comes off when you touch it, 
Comes off like dust on a mantelpiece. 

Stick to your fingertips, 
like GLITTER. 

When I was a child, I was afraid of touching butterflies. 
So I tried to trap one in a net. 
To make her beauty my special pet. 
My brother told me butterflies only lived for a day. 
So I opened my net and set her free. 
And watched in wonder as her intricate pattern 
Dazzled in the sunlight as she flitted away. 

Back in my room, I picked at the glitter that stuck to my fingertips. 
They came off. 
Oh yes they came off. 
Only to stick to my other fingertips. 
That night, I went to bed with my fingertips glittery. 
Glittery like stars in the night sky. 
I reached out my hand to catch one,
with the glitter still on my fingertips.

little white boat

 


a song I heard when I was a child. I am singing it in Mandarin and playing a baritone ukulele in the clawhammer style. The illustrations are made with gouache paints on an accordion booklet which I have made.

So this song was originally in Korean. The songwriter is Yinke Rong. He wrote it in 1924. It was originally titled Half Moon. In September 1924, Rong's brother-in-law passed away. His sister often looked at the half moon that appeared in the sky during the day, missing her husband. Rong wrote this song to show his sister's grief and loneliness. On the other hand, Korea was under Japanese occupation, and this song was also to show the grief due to the loss of his motherland. 

Here are the lyrics I translated into English: 
In the blue sky in the milk way 
There is a little white boat 
On the boat there is an Osmanthus tree 
And a white rabbit playing 
No oars to be seen 
Nor a sail in sight 
The boat drifts along Into the Western sky 
Crossing over the milky way 
Drifting towards the ocean of clouds 
Passing through those iridescent clouds 
Where to go from here? 
In a place far away Shines a golden light 
The morning star is a lighthouse 
Shines so bright.

Monday, 16 September 2024

6 metres of cable

 I bought a cheap lavalier mic that has a 6-metre long cable a year ago. I have never used all of that 6 metres of cable before. It being so long makes it get entangled really easily and takes forever to untangle. I tried making use of all that 6 metres today and made a video with it. Here it is!


I also made some comics about it today, inspired by a conversation I had with my friend Chris.







Todd and Peaches

 For Todd and Peaches! Inspired by Todd and Peaches, of course!!!

Well, I dunno what Todd and Peaches eat in real life but playing with food is always fun.
And eating them, of course! You get the feeling that Peaches might be the tidier eater here...


A bit of exercising to keep the mind and the body trim and happy. Mr. T the cat can learn a lot from this. Jon and Joo too....


oh, time to go up to the mountains to pick some mushrooms! Since Todd has decided to take his wonky old bicycle, Peaches decided to join him too. I am not sure if that is a good way to go UP a mountain, but Peaches is determined to keep his friend company. Actually, they have friends joining them on the climb. No one goes to the mountains for mushrooms alone, that's for sure!

Todd's YouTube channel is here Todd Andrew Cole - YouTube

and his Etsy shop is here StudWalkerwhirligigs - Etsy Australia

Wednesday, 11 September 2024

hope

I got really upset with you the other day. I got upset because I was trying to prevent you from harming yourself further, and you ignored me. 


I was literally shaking with anger, or fear...I dunno. What I know was that I made this drawing while my hand was shaking. 

I think that was how I looked that day. 


On Sunday, the 8th of September, I was talking with you. This was how you looked.


You didn't know that I was drawing you as you talked.






















we are all (not just a bit) screwed up


his buddha face and his sick sausage dog

He was my dad's friend. "Was" because my dad is no longer alive. No longer to be seen buying his bananas or Char Siew Bao. No longer to be seen walking so quickly along Serangoon Ave 3, cigarette in his mouth.... When I see this uncle, I think of my father. My father was thin just like him.


She looks very unhappy all the time. Angry, actually. I used to be scared of angry-looking people like her. My dad was that way too- always looking angry with something. One day, I said "Good Morning!" to her, and asked if she had her breakfast yet. She relaxed a little bit after that and seemed less angry. I saw her one afternoon carrying bags of groceries, head bowed, looking really troubled. Maybe she has some troubles at home ......But don't we all?


What I wanna say is - He looks like someone with a successful career. The way he carries himself, his skin, the clothes he wears. But I might be wrong.



The lady who sits around at the void deck all day long and asking for money to buy food and cold drinks. Her favourite drink is Coca Cola. She always wants to share her food with me.


 A young man whom I had never noticed before. I think he likes Mr. T. He seems a little ....strange. (I wonder if he thinks the same about me?) 


A lady who lives upstairs from me....I don't even have to think I am imagining anything up- I know that she is definitely going through something tough. She looks so unhappy.  How many people around me are truly happy? Perhaps I tend to notice the "unhappy-looking" ones more.


Oh, I think she is pretty happy mostly. She has 3 cats and a stable, high-paying job. And she LOOKS happy most of the times.


My neighbour downstairs. I call him "Handsome" 'cause he is. He has put on so much weight, but still handsome. His little boy adores Mr. T. He smokes a lot though.....Handsome, not his little boy. Although he, that little boy, might one day grow up to become a chain smoker just like his dad, who knows?