My Chinese was much better as an 8 year old. My handwriting looks about the same today (ie atrocious), but I can't remember how to read or write half these words. Lately, mum has been patiently sitting down with me going through my old primary school level Chinese workbooks. Languages are freaking hard to learn!


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( I know a whoopee spot where the gin is cold and the piano's hot )

(1) Pencil vs Camera: integrating sketches with reality
(2) Dear Photograph: a similar concept, but with old photos.
(3) Splitscreen, A Love Story: beautifully filmed on a humble mobile phone.
(4) Posters explaining philosophies through minimalist shapes
(5) Back To The Future by Irina Werning, an ambitious feat of revisiting the past, often with ( Read more... )

Two of my all time favourite illustrators/artists in the same fortnight! Not only that, I met Oliver Jeffers twice because I forgot to ask him to draw me a rhinocorn the first time round. And he remembered my face! :D Both times he was giving a presentation about his creative process. He's best known for his picture books like Lost and Found and ( Read more... )

Shaun Tan has been one of my artistic heroes since I read The Red Tree when I was about 15. I've seen him at events before but yesterday was the first time I got to meet him, at a book signing in Foyles. I was approaching the front entrance of the bookstore when I saw a small man in front of me entering first and before my brain had registered who ( Read more... )

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When I'm not feeling morose about my underachieving life, I stop to think about how thankful I am to the people around me who make sure I don't have to worry so much about things like money and security... and other privileges that I can't afford. I sometimes cry out of gratefulness/guilt because I feel so undeserving. Anyway, sometimes it occurs ( Read more... )

I ate many a delicious meal throughout Switzerland and Austria but the highlight was probably the Malakoff, which David Leibovitz describes so succinctly. My sister is friends with a girl who works as a kitchen hand in that same restaurant (and she knows the secret recipe, omg!) and she took us there on our first night in Geneva. As soon as I cut ( Read more... )

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I hear this song on the radio at least twice everyday (and more, now that I've bought her '21' album) but it still moves me every time. The whole world is falling in love with Adele - my moment was only a few weeks ago when Daydreamer was playing in HMV and I stopped dead in my tracks to say "Who is that voice??!"

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Also, I really love this guy' ( Read more... )