New Year's Reflections

Hi Everyone!

Just like that, a year is gone and a new one begins soon. I am quite surprised at how 2013 just went by so swiftly. Indeed, I still remember starting this blog and my travel around Sarawak earlier this year. Now, it's less than 24 hours to New Year's Day 2014. Honestly, there is not expectation or anticipation of what the next year would be like for me because I'm going off for my internship at the start of January. It's not that I have never worked before but back then, it's all part time jobs. My internship would lead me to the actual 9 to 5 working life which frankly, I have no idea what's going to happen.

Will I fail miserably?

Will I make great strides?

I have absolutely no idea because this is something I have never done before.

Throughout my life, it's always books, studying and exam. University was no exception. I guess I'm so used to the routine that once I step out of it, I will be overwhelmed by a degree of uncertainty. It will be a new routine to get used to and I'm not sure if I like it. Nonetheless, no one really knows their future and you just have to take a leap of faith...and hopefully, you land in a pile of soft marshmallow full of sweetness. Anyhow, that's my personal feelings towards the new year. No excitement. No sadness. Just utter uncertainty. Just want to let that out for some reliefs.

Moving on, it is the tradition of every New Year for everyone to make resolutions of their life that they hope would happen in the next year. I'm no exceptions but problem with me is that I never actually finish the list I made for my resolutions (and assuming a lot of people too, don't lie!). I realized it's always the same pattern. I would become thrilled and anxious to make a list of something and then I would be so eager to complete it. For the first few months, it kinda worked. Subsequently, my resolutions slowly fell into the pits of subconscious oblivion and never to be heard from again until half a year later when my guilt brought me back to it for not trying to finish what I started.  Well, I say, no more to that! This year, instead of making another list of things that I would like to complete in the following year, I'm making a list of what I have done in this year. In other words, the highlights of my life of 2013. The future is always bleak and erratic and that is why it is almost futile to try to keep things in order because you don't know what will happen. Therefore, rather than trying to control my future, I'm going to reminisce the good things of what I have done in 2013. Cyren taught me this philosophy and it keeps me from worrying too much about the future.

List of Achievements

1) Travelling

While I mostly traveled around local destinations, I was glad that I managed to visit certain places that I had been meaning to go to. If you refer back to my earlier posts, I was in Sarawak, showing Cyren around my turf. We went to the major cities of Sarawak - Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri - with the last one being my first time there. For two weeks, we did all the sight seeing we could do and the trekking we could survive (it was tough walking in the forests). Not trying to sound cliche but I was really happy that I could do those things with Cy.

The other two major places that I traveled to was A) Fraser Hills, a resort-like forest sanctuary where the wildlife (mostly bugs) thrives and occasionally sings loud bug-kararoke, soothing to some ears. An interesting activity that I did (with Cy of course) was that we set up a makeshift spotlight to attract all sorts of insects. Also, night time in the forest was AWESOME!  ;and B) Penang, which is my second time there but my first time was memorable in the wrong way. Anyway, a group of friends on a road trip while staying in a high-end condo, which overlooks the ocean, was seriously a moment worth remembering. There were also certain places that I never thought I would go to but we had the best guide ever. Click this to see one of the sunset beach photo I took: Sunset 

2) University and Academics

As I mentioned above, 2013 is the last year of my university life. While there were certainly ups and downs, not to mention friendly fires, dramas, hurri-phoon-quake, I definitely wouldn't trade it for anything. Yes, I actually grew fed up with assignments and journal readings but it was one of my life goals to finish a university degree and I'm glad that it's psychology, a subject that I never knew existed until I came to Sunway University. Of course, along the way, I met new people to whom I can actually call best buddies. Ironically, one of the best moments was studying late night in the uni-foyer cramping every bit of information from notes and textbooks during exam month. The laughs and annoyance we experience for this course was hilarious.

Another highlight of my university life was this final year thesis that I have to write up. My chosen is sex and religion to which I'm currently wrapping up. Because of this thesis, I was awarded in a conference for having one of the best presentation. It may sound pompous of me but I'm really proud of it but it's not something I would do again.

Though I can't call myself a psychologist after this course, I could call myself smarter and more experienced than before. Not to mention happier.

3) Instagram

Some of you may know that I'm pretty big on Instagram (just look at the right side of my blog). It's not necessarily the best thing that happened this year but it worth remembering in my list of achievement. I started Instagram sometime in April or May (thanks to Cy...again XD). From then on, I was hooked and I even tried out the #lego360 whereby you have to take one LEGO picture a day. I failed miserably on that as I became sicked of LEGO photos after a while. So, I stopped the challenge but I continued on with my LEGO photos with less restraint after that. As of now, I have a total of 300 followers and here are my most liked photos for this year, ranging from 60+ to 76. It started with what I would like to call, Think Lovely Thoughts (the pic with flowers); then Friday the 13th; next, 3; one of my Halloween specials and lastly, Dark Knight. People are morbid...lolz~

4) LEGO models

With LEGO pictures come LEGO models. I have to admit that I'm not as skilled as some of the LEGO builders out there (their personal models make mine looks like a kindergarten art project). I did try my best to build an original model and I believe these two are my personal best.

This is Ivy's Lair. 

Inspired by Tomb Raider, I built this plane crash scene.

5) Relationship

I'm talking about romantic relationship. This year marked another milestone for us and I can't believe we survived this long. We both get on each other's nerves but what counts is that at the end of the whole fiasco, we make peace with each other. There are times when the journey gets too rocky for both of us to bear but once you get past that, it's smooth sailing again.

I believe that no relationship is perfect, even friendship for that matter. However, I do believe that even with all those shxx that two people go through, as long as the pair can forgive each other and drop their ego, any obstacles can be overcome. That is why my last highlight and most memorable one was being able to spend time with this guy,

and still love him regardless of how bumpy the road was.

That was my review of 2013. So, now, are you ready for 2014? If you're not sure, don't worry, all is well. Just don't think much of it and all those nagging problems will eventually stop being a nuisance. Reflect on what is good in the past year and maintain it by doing whatever it is that you do best.

Have a Happy New Year everyone! And welcome 2014!!

(PS. I totally missed out several other important highlights. I was Indiana Jones for Halloween; I got my first tattoo just few weeks ago; I went to a mental institution as part of a class trip; and I had been showing my brother around a side of KL that he has never seen before. Surprisingly, the last event was enjoyable).

300 Followers!!!

Well, it's Instagram. No here. I would be overjoyed if that many people actually take their time to read my blog. Anyhow, I hit the three hundred mark a few days ago on the photo-sharing site. For every hundred milestone, I will post a picture of something indicating it. Took a few months to reach that mark but nonetheless, I reached it. And to celebrate that, I invited the Gotham City Sirens to help me out.

You can't really see the number 300 unless you move further away. So, that's one more achievement to be included as one of the highlights of 2013 for me.

And speaking of 2013, the year is almost over. So, do whatever that it is you intend to do this year and we shall all celebrate the year comes 31st December.

HO HO HO...Santa and His Christmas Staff (Part 2)

So, just gonna continue on from where I left off:

4) Christmas Fairies

Fairies are everywhere. They are among the misty woods; they are by the shores of a calm lake; and they live in the icy snow of winter. Indeed, fairies are everywhere. While most run wild and carefree outside of human societies, some are born from the imagination of wishful children who want nothing but joy and wonder. Thus, fairies of such product, Christmas Fairy is one of them, have dedicated their immortal lives to help out those who are in need.

In the case of Christmas Fairies, their duty is to ensure that Christmas hope and joy is maintained among all children. In this world we are living in, there are many children who are not as fortunate as children from affluent families. As such, all these children have are wishes and dreams to which they desire to be a reality. Comes Christmas month, these fairies visit all the children who are less fortunate and do their best to rekindle the children's Christmas spirits. While the effect of their magic is not immediate (they work in mysterious ways),  those who believe hard enough might find their wish come true.

5) Superior Spider

Normally, the sight of creepy crawlies make us jumped and the instinctual behaviour of squishing them comes about. Fortunately, spiders do not hold such a grudge. At least, their Superior asked them not to. Like Yeti, they are born with uncanny features. It's true that some humans admire their features (some even revere them), spiders are nothing but humble critters minding their own business, catching a bug here and there for munching.

So, what does spiders have anything to do with Christmas. In Ukraine, many households decorate their Christmas trees with cobwebs or shiny spiders. This may seem weird to us but there is a touching story behind this tradition. As with all stories, there are many versions but my favorite one is as such:

A group of children from a poor family found an evergreen seed months before the winter and they planted it, hoping to see it bloom into a Christmas tree. It did and it was lush and healthy. Came the Christmas month, these children couldn't wait to decorate their full grown tree with pretty ornaments but the parents didn't have the money to buy these decorations. Grief-stricken, the children went to bed on Christmas Eve with a heavy heart, knowing that their tree will not be as bright as the trees in the neighbourhood. By now, a spider had made the tree its home and it saw the whole incident. Feeling sorry for the children, it decided to do something about it. Using it glossy silk, the spider gradually decorated the tree one layer at a time. It made sure that it finished by sunrise. At dawn, when the first sunlight hit the tree, spider silks glowed in colours of gold and silver, sparkling just like the other Christmas trees. The children woke up and saw this. They were overjoyed. This is also the origin of tinsels.

Many families do not have the time to decorate trees these days due to work. Santa is hoping that the Superior Spider may come forth her children and ANTM-ize those trees to look fab and awesome.

6) Old Man Winter

Whenever it gets cold, you know Old Man Winter is there. While this is the common name he usually goes by, Old Man Winter has other aliases. He was once known as Father Christmas and even Woden, the mighty Norse God due to his association with winter. Regardless of his name, he is just an old man who blew winter storms comes certain time of the year. Because he want to make sure the cold does not completely taken over the whole world, he only blew half the earth hemisphere at a go. In my depiction of him, he uses the Staff of Ice to do his bidding.

As we all know, global warming has messed up the world's atmosphere. Freakish storms and blizzards are disrupting air travels (just look at UK at the moment). Santa wants to make sure that on the night when he delivers his gifts, no freaky storm would impede his travel so he needs Old Man Winter to adjust the winds of the storms in appropriate PSI. 

Well, that's all Santa is summoning this year. Hope that you all have a fun read with the latest two post and Happy Holidays!

HO HO HO...Santa and His Christmas Staff (Part 1)

For those of you who follow my Instagram would know that I like to write mini stories about some of the pictures that I posted. This is just a small hobby of mine to create fictional stories with just about anything. With Christmas around the corner, it's instinctual for me to write something about it. Also, with my stories, I like to include certain facts about the world to make it more relatable and interesting. For the current post, I will only feature 4 figures and continue on with the rest in another post. So, here goes:

Twas the week of Christmas and Santa's work has never been more difficult. The world today is just overpopulated with children and families in need. This is too overwhelming for dear old Santa and trust me, he's old. Even with all those workouts and gym sessions (hey, Santa needs to stay buff to deal with this hectic holiday), the task was too arduous for him and his elves (i.e., minions). He deeply requires the help of all the other Holiday figures. So, with his magical staff, he summons his...staff. Each of them is delegated with a certain task while Santa deals with Nice List with his Book of Niceties.

1) Krampus

The first Holiday figure he summons is none other than Krampus, a common figure in the Alpine regions. Now, Krampus is a serious man (his whole outlook is an indication of this). Unlike Santa who is all jolly and gleeful, Krampus is hideous, scary and just plain hellish. Why is he so scary? Well, his sole priority is to punish children - naughty children! Santa can be a tad too nice sometimes, that is why he needs Krampus to do all the dirty work. See, social media, bad role models and unfavorable upbringing has made kids spoiled, obnoxious and just plain naughty. With Santa swamped with the nice kids, it's up to Krampus to punish the naughty kids. Thus, Krampus is bestowed with the Book of Naughties.

Naughty kids beware. If Krampus finds you naughty or bad, he will come and spank you. If you are extremely naughty, he will stuff you inside a bag like stuffed turkey and leave it in there until he deems you are ready to come out.

2) Yeti or Abominable Snowman

Residing in the Himalayan Mountains, he is known by the locals as Yeti but to commoners, he is the Abominable Snowman. Truth be told, there is nothing abominable about this guy. See, Yeti is actually a shy creature. He is greatly misunderstood by the humans due to his imposing stature and uncanny features. It started out a long time ago when he accidentally scared a few mountaineers. Since then, movies or social media depicts him as a petrifying monster that eats and kills humans. Ashamed, Yeti locked itself away from the world...until Santa approached him. Santa told him about his crisis and wished that Yeti would offer his assistance.

Reluctant at first, Yeti eventually agrees to it. Even though he is not exactly a X-Mas figure, he wants to clear his name by showing others that he is nothing but a gentle giant. While he has no magical power, he does has his strength. With crates of presents and bags of gifts, Yeti could effortlessly move them to Santa's enormous carriage. He even helps out Krampus sometimes with carrying his bags of naughty children (children these days aren't as skinny as they used to be).

3) Befana

The world is diverse. The third Holiday figure summoned is Befana. She is an Italian witch who is honored on the Epiphany Eve or the night of 5th of January. Befana is one of the good witches in the world (not all witches are evil) and this can be proven on the Epiphany Eve when she would reward nice kids with presents which not so dissimilar to Santa. As with Santa, she has various origins. Some say she was a Roman goddess of new year by the name of Sternua; others claim that she was a biblical figure who was supposed to tag along with the Three Wise Kings to observe the birth of Jesus. Regardless of her origin, she is currently viewed as a good witch (hence the getup).

While her Christmas isn't her day, she offers her help out of the kindness of her heart. She knows how tough it is to deliver gifts to children in Italy, let alone the whole world. Well, she only has a broomstick and Santa has a carriage. Anyhow, with her myriad of spells and potions, she can deliver these gifts in a jiffy and charm children to sleep so her presence wouldn't be detected and the wonders of Christmas remain intact.

I'm Inked

Ignore my nasty back but ya, I was inked yesterday. I always thought about getting a tattoo but I need to be prompted because the idea of a needle poking me continuously wasn't exactly a comforting thought. So, Cyren (my partner) decided to pay for my first tattoo as a Christmas present (which I'm deeply grateful for :D) and he encouraged me to take one since I talked about it from times to times. Let me tell ya, the experience was novel and awesome but whoever says getting inked doesn't hurt is a major liar.

So the story started with me admiring Cyren's tattoo (he has a few) and I lamented about getting one. Since getting a Christmas present for a loved one is always a hassle, he just settled for a tattoo for me. Of course, he told me that my first tattoo has to be something that's significant to me. Duh, LEGO comes to my mind. I did consider other choices (e.g., comic book characters, some weird but cool tribal symbols which is cliche, and a little ghostie in white cape cuz I thought it was cute). Nevertheless, I have decided to settle for a LEGO minifigure and since I used this little guy to represent me, I'm like, "What the heck."

Good thing that Cy knows all these tattoo parlors and which ones are the best for specific kind of arts. Some tattooists are good in cartoonist stuff while others are adept in sophisticated arts. He chose a parlor in Sunway Pyramid by the name of Black Cat. So, arrangements were made and I was scheduled for my tattoo yesterday.

To be honest, I was extremely petrified when it was my turn. I thought it was just needles so no biggie but no. I found myself pulsating and speechless when I knew I was going next. Hours earlier, I have trained to tell myself, mindfully, that I can block out the pain and the anxiety that comes with a first tat. As I sat down on the chair with my back facing the tattooist, I waited for the needles to poke. Before that, there was a long procedure or cleaning and shaving the back and outlining the details. Fast forward, after those minor stuff, I waited for the long sharp needles puncturing me. I know I was exaggerating with the pain because as soon as the needle touched me, I'm like, "that's it?"

Of course, the first step is to use dark ink to outline the figure. I can't say there wasn't pain in that but it didn't hurt throughout. I supposed certain parts of the skin on my back are more sensitive. Anyhow, I cringed a bit for some parts while I enjoyed the rest. To put myself at ease, I kinda imagine I'm at a massage parlor instead and the needles are some new forms of massage therapy with some scientific proof that it works. When the outline was done, I knew the subsequent step is colouring and given that the pain will intensify, I decided to put on my earphones and listen to some Avicii and drown myself into the techno beats.

Colouring hurt more than the outlining. The dude had to shade it and move the needle up and down, left to right, basically everywhere. I required more effort now to block out those pains because it became unbearable at a certain time. My music stopped giving me comfort and I was begging for the dude to finish up. I tried to remain a neutral face cuz I didn't really want others in the parlor to see me cringing in pain. I'm thick-skinned.

Anyhow, less than 2 hours passed and I'm down. In my mind, I was thanking the heavens. Nevertheless, I like the outcome and I really am grateful for it and Cyren for giving this special gift but you won't see me in any tattoo parlor any time soon. I know I would need tremendous efforts to block out those sharp dreadful pain.

So, now I have officially joined the tattoo crew with my geeky tattoo. Really appreciated it.

Oh and Happy Holidays! 

Skeletal Anatomy of A Minifig

I posted this picture in Instagram quite a while ago. Before I came up with the picture, I have thought of presenting a skeletal anatomy LEGO style. This is the best that I can come up with with my current equipment and LEGO pieces. Although it's not much, I would say this is one of my most prized artwork because I like how it turns out with the background complementing the figure in the middle and all.

Oh plus, just finished my exam so yay! Hopefully, I would post LEGO pictures. Impending pictures coming in!

A Bricky Holiday

LEGO bricks are everywhere, especially if you are in Bangsar Village. In the centre of this local mall, there is a huge LEGO X-Mas exhibition with all kinds of LEGO building designs. Even the perimeter of the mall is decorated with LEGO-styled ornaments. So, do check it out whenever you can so you don't miss this 'Bricky' Christmas. Plus, there is a sale for the LEGO sets released this year. In case you miss out a set you desire, come here now and be a buyer.

Happy Holidays.

Overdue Post

Alright, so this post is way overdue. My reasons, as usual, are university-related and soon, work-related. I know this blog has become stagnant since a few months ago and I do want to reignite the writing part of me. It keeps my mind occupied cuz sometimes, I do find myself suffocating under boredom.

Anyhow,  my exam just started, so don't expect too many posts any time soon. I will try my best to update at least once a week on my seemingly busy schedule. Of course, that means more LEGO pictures of my life as well. 

Also, Christmas is coming soon so make sure you prepare something nice for your loved ones. I believe a nice dinner or even a hug will do. No cash needed for that. 

Happy December!

Hometown

So, I'm currently bumming around my hometown, Sibu (a small town in the middle of Sarawak) for my holiday. It's kinda sad that I'm stuck here and not travelling the world -_-

Anyhow, I had decided to take some photos around my hometown cuz that's how bored I am. Seriously, been doing nothing except staring at screens the whole day at home (including computer and tv screens).

Here we have the tallest building in the state of Sarawak named Wisma Sanyan. Honestly, the outer design looks more magnificent than the interior. The building is separated into a shopping mall for the lower 4 floors whereas the rest are offices. Nonetheless, it is the first thing that you would notice when you look out from the plane if you ever stopped by in Sibu.

This picture overlooks a part of Sibu with some added effect. I was eating in a restaurant in Wisma Sanyan when I noticed the nice effect created by the lights in the restaurant on the window panels. After some editing, it looks as though the sky is filled with giant orange lanterns.

This panoramic view of downtown Sibu offers a sense of history as these buildings were here since the first settlement. Though they were painted over due to colour fading, the structures were retained and this kinda make the town a living museum. Everything is vintage and it's a great place for photography.

Last but obviously not least, a selfie of my LEGO self in front of the Wisma Sanyan :D

Pets Are Friends, Not Your Anger Outlet

Animals or pets specifically, are creatures we humans take in to our lives as a companion or a buddy that we spend times with and talk to when we are down. They are nonjudgmental as long as you treat them well. The problem nowadays is that most people buy pet or adopt them out of spontaneity just because they are adorable. However, once you pass the cute phase, there comes the hardcore fact that you need to take responsibility to feed and take care of them. Most owners fail on this task. They are absolutely clueless as to how to handle their pets. So, this leads to a sequence of event of whipping, beating and locking up these poor creatures for merely trying to live a good life with the people who are supposed to love THEM!

With regards to this issue, I made this LEGO pic. If you don't like how your pets feel via your treatment, then don't treat them as so or better yet, don't buy them out of momentary interest. For one day, when the tables are turn, it ain't fun anyway.

Love your pets people. Cheers~

My Apocalyptic Artwork - Death: Everything Dies

Holy cow, this post is long overdue. I just finished my exam (so, YAY!) but my apartment's Internet is down again (boooo!). Anyhow, this post will be the conclusion to my Apocalyptic Project, featuring none other than Death himself, or herself, or...whatever.

Name: Death
Colour: Black
Goal: Reap the souls of all those who die (as simple as that)

Description:
The Horseman Death - the last and final of all 4 horsemen. The thing with Death is that everything dies or moves on eventually. Perhaps, even God himself would one day move on (I learned this from Supernatural). Death is the most fundamental aspect of all things alive. It is the final road that one partakes since birth and what lies beyond is still a mystery. Maybe there is nothing more than that and life just stops. On the other hand, some would like to believe after death, a soul's journey continues on either going to paradise (Heaven) or life merely starts over (reincarnation). Whatever lies beyond, Death will always be there to take you to it.

Additionally, Death isn't exactly a malevolence entity nor it's a benevolence one. It's main job is to clean up once a soul's journey ends. It is non-judgmental because nobody cheats death. Even if you do, you would wind up in its hands sooner or later. The thing about Death that makes it creepy is the mystery that surrounds it. As I mentioned in the first paragraph, no one knows what happens after Death. The unknown gives us the creep simply because we humans do not like suspense. We want to know what goes on after that but this question may never be answered.

Now, to me, Death is the big brother of all the Horsemen. While the first 3 had their fun causing mayhem, Death would be the one cleaning up the mess. Think about it. After the 3 finished their goals, there's bound to be...death. People die and Death would be there to reap their souls. Whether it actually uses a scythe to do so, it's really unknown.

Hence, for my artwork, I pictured Death as the typical entity in a black shroud with no or little facial expression while carrying a giant scythe. I added the skulls because that all there are left when the souls are claimed. There are two extra skulls I included on top of Death. They act as the master's personal watch dog - that is to detect any souls left behind. Souls that are not reaped would turn into a confused and violent ghost as typically seen in media. So their job is pretty essential.

With that, I end this post. For those who want to see more, I recently made the 7 deadly sins. I might feature them here in the blog but that depends on the level of sloth in me. Check out my Instagram for more info. And as always, cheers~

Tag for Stark

During one of the days in my university, there was this charity event and I ran into this shop that sells buttons - the ones that you pin onto your bag or shirt. And just so happens, I found this cute little button - Stark Industries. So, I just had to buy it. Plus, I can totally fool people (and by this I mean kids) that I work for Mr Stark.

Enjoy life and make the most of fun out of it XD

Smooth and Rocky

I seriously owe my readers an apology (if I have any) that I have been MIA for the past week without any sign at all. I just got lazy and it dragged on until now. Guilt overwhelmed me so I thought I should at least post something to keep this blog alive.

Another reason for my inactivity is that I have exams coming up (today actually). So, I have been doing nothing but hitting the books. Seriously, I hit my books cuz I hate them. So with regards to my current situation, I present this.

A steady boatman preparing a rough journey down a forest stream. The thing is, like forest streams, they seem calm and serene which they are. No doubt about that. But if you look into the distant (such as this picture), there will be bumps from time to time. When there are bumps, there are huge bumps that could potentially capsize your boat. So, I'm currently rowing and paddling my little boat into this seemingly calm forest stream but the ride will eventually be bumpy. Finger crossed that I will survive at the end of the day.

As for my blog, I will try to post whenever I can. I'm still taking photos for my Instagram, so you can check it out there. Also, I will finish up my personal project after my exam. Promise :)

My Apocalyptic Artwork - Famine: Deprivation

Name: Famine
Colour: Grey
Goals: Depriving food and water sources; Reducing subsistence; Drain life energies; Intensifying hunger

Description:

We, humans, are all greedy beings. For those who more privileged than others, we often order more than we can chew and consequently, dump the leftovers. We always want more and more, never having enough. It is only in the face of shortage, that's when we realize we need to be frugal in terms of food because food is a basic survival item that we all require. People of lower economic status know this as their daily routines involve finding adequate amount of food just to live another day.

The Horseman Famine usually collaborates with his two brothers, Pestilence and War. It is often the actions of the first two that lead to Famine. Otherwise, Famine usually hides behind the curtains, observing the play and make his entrance after the first two acts. Think about it, Pestilence leaves people ill with the inability to work. Consequently, no one tends the fields or work for cash. Similarly, War destroys practically everything along its path, burning down food supplies or draining them by feeding the soldiers. After finishing their tasks, Famine finally makes an appearance to clear out the surviving people, like a crow plucking the leftovers of a carcass.

In my take of the Horseman, Famine is depicted as an old rotting man with long grey hair and weathered suit. It is encased in a bone shelter which only opens when he is ready to strike. Famine literally drains all life around it. Vegetation wilts and people instantly became skeletons. It has a crow as a pet who feeds off the leftovers when Famine has enough of the nutrients he absorbs from his surroundings. After the crow is done, he moves on to the next location.

Unlike War, those who suffers under Famine experience slow death. Imagine someone lock you in a room and deprive you of food. In general, humans can survive at most 7 days without food provided that there's water. So, it's a really slow death and unbearable one, much like Pestilence. Your hunger will overwhelm you rendering hallucinations and delusions. Hunger is a powerful drive that is essential in life because it propels us to find food. When you have both hunger and shortage of food, it's no wonder that hunger can drive people crazy and desperate.

Deprivation

Light Up Your Way

Our world is a dark place full with terror (reference to Game of Thrones). Seriously, we often find ourselves challenged in reaching our goals, astray from our path and simply, lost. Life is an arduous road, that much is clear. When we are not careful, we often find ourselves stuck in the dark without any light or whatsoever. As a result, we spiral into depression or constant dissatisfaction as to why we can't get what we want. Emo posts on any social network sites are epitome of this.

To counter such obstacle, one simply needs a match and a torch to illuminate your surrounding. Only then, you can find your treasure or in my analogy, you can reach your goal. As to what it means in these two sentences, that I will leave you to decide.

My Apocalyptic Artwork - War: Fiery Destroyer

Name: War
Colour: Red/Orange
Goals: Uprising societies or countries; Creating mayhem; Inciting conflicts; Endorsing bloodshed; Tapping into the aggressive side of human nature

Description:
From the goals themselves, you can already surmise that War is seriously out to incite fights among people. While Pestilence was discreet in terms his modus operandi, War on the other hand couldn't care less about subtlety. Like all the mythical or biblical depiction of a deity of war, they are usually very blatant about matters because it's just so easy to create chaos. All you have to do is to punch someone in the face for no reason and the next thing you will know you be throwing punches here and there.

In the picture above, I illustrated War in its typical manner and form. Here, it has a fiery face (which was a pumpkin from the Batman series btw), two massive weapon on each hand, a red cape and a very stout body (which I borrow from the Bionicles series). As you can see, typical masculine, in your face kind of person. Everything is either in red or crimson or orange because typically, these colour has been associated with blood or anger. The fire in the background was an additional effect I used to portray the fiery of things - how we often feel fire in our head whenever we are pissed off. The dead body and limb illustrate just how things can easily get out of hand when you are angry.

Historically, War is a common event many people in the world are familiar with. In spite of massive war such as WW2, there are numerous other "great battles" found in folklore and legends. So, if you think about it, War has been integrated into our society since almost forever. From minor scuffle to verbal bickering, it's these little things that eventually contribute to a great fight, be it directly or indirectly (e.g., Cold War).

Similar to Pestilence, War often deprived those who participated in it and those who stayed away from it. Nothing good at all comes from war. Even on the winning side, the nation or whatever may be a victor but if they compare the losses or the destruction both sides have created, everyone still losses in the end. Properties are damaged; people do not have proper medical healthcare (which leads to disease); there is a shortage of food because properties are destroyed (which leads to famine) and eventually, people dies. All these Horsemen are interrelated. I will explain this in my final post of the project.

That is why War, from my perspective, is depicted as a flaming fury because like fire, when it is out of control, it burns everything down. It's a Fiery Destroyer.

What Lies Ahead

I was pondering about life in the dark which led me to this. Some of us wants to know what's our future will be like - whether we will successful or whether we will be happy with a significant other. Fortunately (pun intended), fortune teller minifigure here can help you with that. However, she will ask, "is it all worth knowing?"

Sometimes, knowing your impending future traps you in this inevitable route. It limits your dream and potential because you already know what's gonna happen. While Fortune Teller minifig will always be here, life is better to be lived in the present.

So, don't worry, just live your life.

My Apocalyptic Artwork - Pestilence: Deadly Silence

Horseman: Pestilence
Colour: Green
Goal: Spreading diseases; leaving infectious good and slime around; zapping others with highly toxic chemicals

Description:

My take on sickly here involved tentacles-like limbs with a tube hooking it up to a hose at the bottom of the head. First thing first, my Pestilence is a radioactive head floating in a jar filled with liquid green goo. It contains all the viruses and diseases that nature has even created and it is increasing as viruses evolve. It is from here that the Horseman channels the goo via a tube to a hose to which it expels this putrid and infectious goo onto unsuspecting passerby - similar to how people catch diseases unknowingly.

Cyren told me that its features are very robotic and extraterrestrial which I don't disagree. It's robotic in a sense that all the equipment in a hospital (where sick people go) are robotic or something that one would seldom see. As for the alien part, aliens are foreign, just like how viruses are foreign to the human body.

Furthermore, another reason I went for this design is that it is similar to the shape of a virus. If you are to look at a virus under a microscope, they have tentacles which they use to attach to a cell before injecting their DNA into the cell. The difference is that I added laser beams to two tentacles for coolness effect.

With regards to the bible version of Pestilence  human societies are always plagued with diseases but some are worse than others (e.g., smallpox, the Black Death). Major plagues often resulted in a colossal number of deaths, just look at the Black Death for instance. That is why when the world is to come to an end, an epidemic is enough to wipe us all out and it is done so with a tiny microscopic agent which kinda bring a fearful thought to a person. It is the same idea as to how a zombie apocalypse can quickly turn into a widespread mayhem in a short period of time. Viruses are seriously deadly.

Because of this, Pestilence can be a formidable foe to fight if you can even fight it to begin with. Think about it. One barely knows that he or she is infected unless one shows symptoms of an infection. Sometimes by then, it is too late because the virus has already overwhelmed most bodily cells. The HIV is a good example of this. Depending on the individual, the symptoms may not even manifest sometimes up to a year or two. So, one would be blissfully unaware and continue their daily routines which involve other people and indirectly infecting them at the same time. Gradually, it spreads and everyone eventually will be infected.

While Pestilence may not enjoy the glory shared by its peers, it is considered as a powerful entity. It's subtle and unnoticeable. By the time when you do notice it, it may be too late.

Deadly Silence

My Apocalyptic Artwork

Those of you who follow my Instagram would know that I recently just posted my take on the 4 Horsemen of Apocalypse - LEGO style. For those of you who don't, do click the the follow me button on the right side of this blog plzzzz~~~

Anyway, so this is a pretty epic photography task I did with the Horsemen. I really had to think through what I want to depict with the Horsemen; how I'm going to approach them in terms of designs; what props I need to use to complement the photos etc etc. I had the idea since the night before but I had to go through all my LEGO to visualize how they all going to turn out. After more than an hour earlier today, I finally pulled it off and not to brag but I'm really proud of my work.

For those who are unfamiliar with Christianity stories, the 4 Horsemen are supposedly the 4 entities of destruction that will come upon the world during Armageddon. There is no particular sequence as to who come first. So generally, there's Pestilence, War, Famine and Death. Well, everything ends in death so Death will always be the last to arrive. Also, they are supposedly depicted as riding horses - hence, the name Horsemen - but I have decided to be a bit creative for my pictures. The TV series Supernatural did it their style, so I'm inclined to go wild on mine.

Here's a sneak preview on them. The orders are stated above.

While I won't talk about all 4 in one post, they will be featured consequently each day starting with  Pestilence. I have also devised a backstory for each of them and I will talk about their prominent features as well as the props I used on each picture.

So, stay tuned tomorrow for my description on the first Horseman.

Science vs Magic

Sorry folks, I don't have the energy or enthusiasm to write anything for now. Uni exhausted all my life force so Imma just leave you all with this Picture of the Day.

Ironman vs Loki; Science vs Magic

And the winner is...gosh, this is a no-brainer - Loki. Honestly, good doesn't always triumph and given the fact that the power of magic allows a person to bend reality, I would say science would be beaten to a pulp. Anyhow, cheerios~

R-E-G-O

Recently (few months ago actually), I have been entranced by the Japanese culture due to the release of the new Tomb Raider game. I know this shouldn't be the reason why I should learn things but hey, I'm learning. Anyway, I started teaching myself the Japanese language, specifically writing and reading. I don't want to go into speaking just yet because I'm genuinely not good with vocation, even with English and Mandarin.

However, I'm easily sidetracked by other things such as my new hobby: taking LEGO photos for my Instagram. This kinda put my lesson on Japanese language on the sidelines for a while. Right now, I'm trying very hard to at least learn the basic hiragana before I move on to other more complex stuff. You have no idea that some words consist of the same letter but pronounce differently. I would not go into that for now.

Basically, I sort of understand the structure of the hiragana, katakana and kanji as well as when to use them. Again, not gonna go into that because this is a LEGO post. So, I thought to myself: "Hey, why not write the word 'LEGO' in Japanese". For those of you who know the language, this means I have to look under katakana because LEGO is a foreign word. After some searching, I finally found that LEGO in Japanese is レゴ (rego).

Apparently, the Japanese language does not contain a word that sounds like "L". That is why you pronounce LEGO as rego. Don't look me, I'm not the one who came up with the language. Anyway, there you have it and before I sign off, check out the picture below.

Haze: Worse & Nightmares: Alive

For those of you who read news would know, the haze is getting worse here in both Malaysia and Singapore till the point that my place here has become Silent Hill. In case none of you know where or what Silent Hill is, it's a survival horror video game as well as a fictional town created by the Japanese company, Konami where all your nightmares and guilt manifest as terrifying creatures that you alone must overcome to get out of the town. When the town is not in its hellish self, it is always veiled in this thick haze as a result of a major combustion.

Taking this opportunity with the haze, I have created these little critters. I purposefully blurred them out because that's what you would experience if you were in thick haze while creatures were lurking around you. So, a little intro. On your right, you have the ever famous Nurses. These Nurses are overly sexualized in a grotesque way and they are the manifestations of various game characters' desire, whether there's sexual intention or not (it varies between games). They are usually depicted in tight nurse outfit with mini-skirt while a face mask melt onto their face, illustrating little to no facial expression. With regards to mobility, their gait is similar to that of a zombie whereby they shuffle and fumble from time to time. For their weapon of choice, think of all the scary surgical tool you can find in an operation room. The one I used here is a syringe. Don't underestimate the pain inflicted from a needle. Personally, the Nurses to me are like Zombies to Resident Evil. They are so attached to the Silent Hill genre that you can't think about them when the name of the game is mentioned.

Moving on to the left, you have another famous nightmare from the franchise, the Pyramid Head. Ok, I know the guy doesn't exactly reflect a real Pyramid Head but that's the only somewhat triangular head I could come up with. Also, I don't have a huge knife LEGO piece so I utilized something from the Bionicles series. Coming back, Pyramid Head are depicted with a triangular-like torture device on their head which comprises of thorns inside, constantly poking the being. It's a manifestation of your guilt and it attacks with its great knife while isn't so great here (so, google it). Unlike the Nurses, it doesn't appear as much as them but it was the prime creature in Silent Hill (the movie).

Lastly, in the middle, it's just something that I randomly created with my gory imagination. I used the head of the Dementor from the Harry Potter series along with a squid's jaw for legs from the Atlantis series. The game is very fond of creating mismatched creatures which doesn't make sense sometimes anatomically. Try looking up for a creature called Asphyxia. Of course, your nightmares and guilt are never pretty to begin with.

With the resentment towards the haze and the group of people who caused the fire (directly and indirectly), it wouldn't be surprising if our hatred turned into nightmares that haunt the street at night.

Before I sign off, here another picture of the condition of haze here at my place.

Now you know why I did the Silent Hill reference.

Atlantean VS Amazonian

In 2011, DC Comics released a story arc involving all the major DC characters that would change the DC universe...again. Known as the Flashpoint, Flash's nemesis - a.k.a. The Reverse-Flash - disrupted the DC timeline, rendering a huge modification in DC history. One of the changes as a result of the time-traveling was the rivalry between the Atlanteans and Amazonians. Obviously, this threw Aquaman and Wonder Woman into a heated battle causing mayhem and thousands of death.

I have to admit, I'm not entirely sure of Aquaman and Wonder Woman's Greek history together before the Flashpoint event. However, the two races were known for their aggressiveness and pride of their people. That's why when these two races were to argue, a war on a massive scale was bound to occur. Recalling back, this was one of the moments I remembered from the comic book event. So, while I was fumbling with my LEGO pieces together (thinking of what to create for my next LEGOART), I instantly thought of this, when I saw my Wonder Woman and Aquaman minifigures. Although the battle scene could have been created on a larger scale, alas, I had my limits. So, this was what I had concocted and honestly, I really love the scene. There are some LEGO photos of mine which I believe could have been adjusted for a better shot but this isn't one of them.

So, if you were caught in the battle, which side would you choose? The King of an ancient civilization or a warrior society that values honour?

Croc With His Croc

Nothing much to say today. Just randomness. A croc with his croc. Awesome!

Hot Haze

It's so freaking hazy right now that even after I close all the window and door in my room, it still stinks. Almost all parts of Malaysia are affected but the neighboring country, Singapore has it the worst. There is zero visibility there and the air is so polluted that it has reached a critical level whereby one cannot go out without a face mask.

The origin of this haze derives from Indonesia, another neighboring. Historically, the haze always appears around this time of the year and the reason behind is always the same thing. The farmers are burning the reaped crops and some of them accidentally start a forest fire which of course, destroy the habitats of animals and render Earth one step closer to natural apocalypse.

To express how I feel about this haze, I took this picture:

It's so hot that not even the fireman minifigure can do anything about it.

Skull and Movie

Enchanting yet petrifying, this skull altar derives from the Indiana Jones, 7199 Temple of Doom set. However, this isn't exactly how it is depicted in the set as I did some modification with the moss on top of the skull as well as the two protruding decor.

I added a little effect on the image to give it that ominous ambiance. I used the same app as the one I did with my previous Catwoman picture. It's called Snapseed and I highly recommend it for those who want to do some serious editing with their pictures.


In other LEGO news, they just released a trailer to the first major LEGO movie produced by Warner Bros. Hearing that name, it's kinda obvious that they would feature some of Warner Bros prized characters a.k.a the three elite members of Justice League. Nevertheless, other characters from LEGO brand are included too such as almost everyone from the Minifigure Series, some retro minifigures and etc. Check out the link below to see the trailer for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lPnY2NjSjrg

Catty Heist

"That sparkle caught my eyes the moment I noticed it. The way it stood there gleaming, tempting me to grasp it with my paws just so I can feel its edges as I gently caressed it. Yet, fate divided us with that glass window and the high-tech security system. But no matter, a cat has its agility and grace to elude any traps and pounced on anyone else who dared to stop the car burglar. I should hurry before the bat arrived and foiled my heist yet again."

And that is what I pictured Catwoman would say if I'm writing a comic strip for this picture of the day. I admit I still need to brush up on structuring my sentences as well as using a more precise vocab but I'm getting. Anyhow, Meow~

Last Assignment

With the formal get up, I was preparing for my last assignment of the semester today which was a presentation on Punishment. The punishment here refers to the behavioural principle whereby a behaviour is decreased through addition of aversive stimulus or the removal of a pleasurable stimulus. Basically, these are the jargon I learn in this class.

Back to the topic, my last assignment and hopefully the last presentation for the rest of the year. I usually experience stage fright while presenting no matter how much preparation I did the day before. Just the way I am I supposed. Nevertheless, my group was one of the best today and I'm extremely happy for that. My little Minifigure me was my lucky charm XD

Sauron is Here

You guess it. I just bought one of the latest Lord of the Rings LEGO set, particularly, the Wizard Battle. The moment I lay my eyes on it, I just want to get it. Although it is one of the smallest set of the latest batch, I still love it alot. Part of the reason is that it contains the eye of Sauron in the Palantir which as far as I know, can't be found anywhere else. Furthermore, it's considered cheap since you are getting the two major wizards of the series as well as the throne of Saruman.

The second picture consists of the overall finishing structure of the set. I edited it a little to give it some allure. To summarize the features of the set, the Palantir is rotatable; Saruman's minifigure is special to this set; Gandalf is depicted without his hat here and Saruman can be ejected from his throne. I personally like the throne. It has that ominous yet majestic aura. The two pillars are a nice touch as well. Since it is a small set, that's all the information I can offer. Nevertheless, it is still a set worth buying if you want something from the series while being frugal.


Lastly, I will leave you with this quote:

There is no life in the void, only death!

Life of Me

My partner, Cyren, received second place in the LEGO contest I mentioned about earlier this month. Though I wish I could have been the top three but I'm still happy for him. Honestly, I would rather he wins than none of us win. Plus, he's sharing some of the sets with me. So, YAY.

Anyhow, one of the items that he received was this LEGO game called Life of George. I have never heard of it until then so even I don't know what the rules and regulation regarding the game. Turns out, the game requires the player to build a specific items with the pieces provided as fast and as accurate as possible. Those who are faster and accurate would earn scores. It can be played alone or with friends. Another feature of the game is that you can build own items and as the other players to build it in the quickest time. However, one downside is that players must download the app online. Here's the link to the app, so check it out:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lego-life-of-george/id463288121?mt=8

Out of all the features of the game, I like the build your own part of it. Here, I have constructed a scrapbook of various LEGO styled objects. On the left page, I built a selfie of myself, upper section of Ironman, a Bush, a Pokeball and a whale named Wally. On the other page, I have a flying heart, Mr Mime (referenced to the Mime Minifigure), a Batsignal, my turtle, Sheldon and a Riddler logo.

Out of these 10 constructs, I would like to highlight the selfie. Yes, this is how I would picture myself if I was two-dimensional or in Minecraft. Here's an up close look on it.

For those who are interested in the game, I do recommend it. It's fun and you can run wild with your imagination. Heck, you can even compete with your friend. As long as someone has it, you can play with them by taking turns and see who can make the best stuff.

I will leave you with the picture of the day: Me, signing off. Cheers~

Super!

This was supposed to be yesterday post but I didn't have the time to write this. Nevertheless, better late than never.

So, I watched MAN OF STEEL yesterday!!! Personally, it was so much better than the last Superman movie - Superman Returns. This one is jam packed with Krytonian actions. The acting was to be praised as well even if it wasn't one of the best. Some scenes may be a tad melodramatic but the film is still a must-watch. Plus, this film will create a chain of DC movies. So finger crossed for Warner Bros and DC to finally catch up to Marvel in the film industry.

Also, here's a pic of Superman :D

Nuclear!

Picture of the Day: Danger of Nuclear

This might be a repost from my old blog but I'm not sure. I was looking through my old LEGO photo album and I stumbled upon this. I really like this picture even now. This Hazmat minifigure was apparently a tough cookie to find and I supposed it was one of the rare ones. I was lucky enough to find it with a new box that they just brought out. Since then, I feel this special connection to this minifigure. Obviously, I took a picture of it in a hotel room paid by my parents (they were visiting), and the lighting from the desk lamp inadvertently gave the scene this almost deadly hot nuclear explosion which I personally suited the Hazmat theme.

So, the lesson here is: Sometimes the luckiest thing happens to people and when it does happen, you will feel nuclear.