Nature Or Nurture?

Is drawing like riding a bicycle? I mean once you know how to draw, will it stay with you for the rest of your life? I wonder what would happen if I stop drawing for five years. 

I'm Innocent

"I can't wait until this kid grows up, just so I can tell him how my mom, my aunt, and I are probably the ones to blame if he had any irrational fears or behaviors. Sorry Marvin. Not really. Hahaha." ~Dena

Memory Jump Start

Isn't it interesting how something can trigger you to remember other things? I was reading Reef Fishes Of The World when I remembered something. June 2013. Komodo national park. Nite dive. Dena and I were using our torch in a seabed to look for weird creatures when we saw this little fish swimming underneath us and then it bumped a rock! LOL! Did our torch cause that poor fish to do that? I have no idea that fish can loose its sense of direction. I have no idea why this memory is buried somewhere in my head for four months. I think that little fish put a curse on me. 

Little Man Ninja

Lost in the world of children's drawings and words. Simple, uncomplicated, unassuming, easy as pie, unpretentious, funny, honest to goodness modest, uncluttered, without frills, pure, candid and dog happy world. My kind of world. Can I have more drawing, Indi?

Drawing by Indi. Poem by Melzookie

E-Senior

Coffee shop is the best place to observe people in an unobtrusive way. One lovely afternoon. Two Japanese ladies. My guess they were in their early sixties. Both were so into talking with each other, laughing once in a while, making eye contact with one another. I was kind of picturing me when I'm their age having a chat with a good friend until one of them took out a tablet or maybe a smartphone and ignored the other one for quite a while. Totally ruined my day dreaming. 

Latte Art

A drawing that you can drink! A drink that you can draw! A drawing that smell good and delicious! What a yummy idea. Here's an idea Ferra, get a Polaroid, take pictures of your art and send it to your love ones. Voila! You have your home made card. Don't forget to send one to me! I wish I'm a coffee person instead of a tea person. 

Latte Art by Ferra Djatmiko

High Heels

A friend's birthday dinner. I thought it would be nice to dress up and wear high heels. My shoes hugged me for taking them out of my closet. My eyes had a blast, my cheeks were blushing because of two you-look-good-compliments but my ankle hated me, my knees gave me the silent treatment, my back swore all nite, and my thighs threatened me; wear heels one more time we refuse to run ever!

Old Habit Die Hard

Sit up straight. Keep your feet flat on the ground. No slouching. Stand up tall. Keep your shoulder back and relax. Stop hunching your back. Be nice to your spine! A good stance and posture reflect a  proper state of mind ~ Morihei Ueshiba

Newsworthy

Drawing on newspaper? Not just some random drawing of any object on newspaper. The artist, Larry Roibal, reads newspaper each morning and sketches people mention in stories that interest him. He sketches the person right on the story of that person in the paper. What a neat idea. I was shock to learn that he throws away all his newspaper sketches once he finishes it! I draw for the sake of drawing, to practice, or just to pass the time. But do you really have to throw them in a trash bin? I am still in shock. 

Sketches by Larry Roibal

Unlikely

I usually read a couple of paragraph of a first chapter of a book to get a feel of its writer. But once in a while I break my own rule. This time I bought a book because I judge a book by its cover. Quirky title and awesome illustration of a book always get my attention. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I didn't even look inside the book. Not only it's a very delightful story but I'm spoiled to a beautiful and intricate drawing on every chapter. I have to trust my reading guts more often.  

Memory Game

1986. A birthday gift for a friend that took me almost six months to make. A journal with lots of writing and photos and magazine cutouts, and drawings, and other stuff. 2013. How come I have no recollection whatsoever about making this? Feeling rather blank. I didn't even recognize my own writing. Feeling rather grey-haired.  Thank you Anna for reminding me how I love writing and drawing since way back when. 

Skype Date

I told Dena how I was feeling rather gloomy about my volunteer work in KDM these past two weeks when strangest things happened: a request for a written interview from a tabloid and another request to speak in teens church of IES South. Both about volunteer work. And she answered, "The universe is giving back to you." A philosophical view from a nineteen year old. You are such an old soul, Dena. Totally cracked me up. 

Doodle by Nayra

Bliss

Driving in a heavy traffic. Feeling rather annoyed to put it mildly. I was about to curse just about at anything within my eyes' sight when I saw an old lady sleeping in a precarious position on the back of an open truck full of fresh produce. Congested traffic, blazing sun, loud motorcycles, pollution from rickety bus and metro mini couldn't disrupt her peaceful sleep. It completely stopped me from lashing out and throwing a tantrum. A reminder to start counting my blessings. 

E-Baby

A lazy afternoon in a crowded cafe. A baby, a year or so, hypnotised by a digital tablet in front of him. Three nannies. Yup! It's not a typho mistake. Three nannies. Two were busy feeding him (more like sneaking food into the baby's mouth while the baby was busy looking at the tablet). One was eating & smiling and looking rather amusingly at the other two nannies. Mom & Dad busy texting on another table. I wonder what kind of a person this baby would grow up into. 

What's Cooking?

You think you pretty much know your daughter inside out by the the time she is nineteen years old. Then she moved 8289 miles away from home. About a year later she told me over Skype that; she moved to a house with some friends from school and others which was cheaper than the previous house; she is getting tired of getting paid under the table for design jobs so her friend is helping her to get a working visa; she opened another bank account because the bank is student friendly; she is applying for a credit card on her own. I think you should permanently be Vancouverites, Dena.

Catch Of The Day #22

Photograph by Dena

Well Said

Lala Bohang. Jakarta Globe. September 13, 2013. "I always believe that 'becoming small' will make human more human. Nowadays, it's all about becoming bigger and bigger. It's like a trend, a must-do that has to be achieved by everyone. You have to become something, make something, be important. But life is not about that. Life should be about loving what you do, appreciate the people around you, and simply make it work for you in the best way you can. Otherwise these urges to become bigger and better will make the little soul inside us, the one thing that keeps us human, too tired."

Outodbox Run

Finally my running blog is up & running! Hello outodboxrun. It took me awhile to customize those ready-made-template. All night and half day to be exact. I should move all my running posts from this blog now. I wonder how long would that take. Feeling excited but a bit overwhelmed.

Monologue

Hey! I've been blogging about running for nine days in a row now. Maybe I should start a running blog. What would be a good title for a running blog. Life is short. Run for your life? Love it but it's too long. Run Tina Run? Too pretentious. Outodbox Run? Doesn't make any sense, but it sounds good. Or not? Maybe I should sleep on it.

Running Boost

Happiness is to see friends who came to a race just to cheer me on. Six hundreds meters to the finish line. I heard someone yelling my name. I thought I was delirious from exhaustion and started hearing things. Then I saw them seating on a sidewalk waving their hands and yelling my name like crazy. I felt so elated I think I flew all the way to the finish line. Thank you Anna. Thank you Rina. You guys are awesome. 

Mind Boggling

Rules are rules. It takes humility and honesty to respect rules and act accordingly. Going to a race after a cut off time is simply wrong (To call it merely late is an insult to everyone who made all effort to be on time). See rule #22. Asking for a medal after a cut off time is wrong. Posting a picture and tweet as if one following the rules is beyond wrong. Allowing someone to start a race after a cut off time is wrong. Giving a medal to someone who break the rules is beyond wrong. I wish the event organizer had more guts to stand up by their own rules. Next year they should put a little star next to rule #22 and print the following on the bottom. *Not applicable to everyone. We may give medals as we see fit. I think I'll pass.