"What's the point in living if you're not beautiful."
--Howl Jenkins Pendragon

"Oh my God.
My Indian Tourette is acting up!"
--Russell Peters

"He's allergic to everything,
for God's sake!"

--Bradley James on Colin Morgan

Birthday Mom

A card I made for my Mom's birthdayh. The black and white photo was an old photo taken by my dad when they were young. My dad is so proud of this photo. He said it looks like a photo taken by a pro. Meh^^
My mom the like the card, but she said I forgot to put the date inside. Mothers, always the critics. Hehehe...

The Sky Crawlers

This Japanese animation was based on a novel by Hiroshi Mori. To be honest, the reason I was interested in this movie at first because Ryo Kase is one of the voice actor. He usually played in indie type movies, so it's a rare chance to see, or rather hear, him as a voice actor. And I can totally imagine his expression through out the movie: totally stone-faced, as per usual. Much like his character, Kannami Yuichi. Hahaha!!
In the first few minutes we were greeted with intense aerial battle scene between a double propeller fighter plane and a slick looking plane with black leopard painted on the side namely, The Teacher. The scene is breath taking and the mechanical design is just awesome. You can see the details on the plane while it flew cross the sky. The mysteriousness of The Teacher reminded me of JAM planes in Yukikaze series. Although looking at the whole fighter plane scenes reminded me of 1990's movie, Memphis Belle, about a group of bomber plane pilots back in WWII.
The character desgin for the movie is done by Tetsuya Nishio, which is maybe the reason why I think it's similiar to Blood: The Last Vampire. All the pilots in Sky Crawler are humanoids genetically enginered to stay as adolescent forever until they are killed in a battle. The war itself, is merely an entertainment for the peacetime people. Which is why most of the people are taking it like it's the football season. Supposedly, these pilots are still a kid, they don't grow up. But I think Rinko Kikuchi is the only one who can bring the child out in her character, Kusanagi Suito.
The interesting part is that whenever they are on a plane, the conversations are done in English. And I'm talking Japanese people here. But still, you'll be amaze upon hearing Ryo Kase speaking English. He looks like he's reading it straight out of the script though, but this pronounciation is still better then other Japanese actors I've heard speking English before.
Well, more or less, this movie is worth watching. It has a twist in the plot, which I love. And the music is nice too. Very calming and soothing. Me like.
Personal rate: 9/10

Mutant Chronicles

I was so excited with this movie when I first saw the trailer at Blitz Megaplex. I mean, really, altered humans with blade hands. BIG blade hands. How exciting was that!! The first part really caught me. I love the atmosphere. It has Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow tone in it, but darker. The war equipment is also a plus. It kinda reminded me with Squaresoft's RPG games (Later I found out that the movie is actually does based on a card game/video game/comic book). It's really cool. Oh and not to mention the color of the blood when the mutants slash and dice the human army! They add the contrast a bit so blood looks really bright red like those in comic books. I kinda like it.
But here's the thing that I don't get. With all the special effect, CG, props and all that jazz, how can this movie can be soooo dull!!! I was even half asleep watching it! One thing I realized was the lack of sound effect. There is this scene where the plane they're on was hit by another plane. It caused a huge explosion fire was streaming down the plane..visually. Because at the time the plane exploded, I heard nothing but silence. Wait, I know there are a lot of movies who deliberately use silence on such huge scenes to enhance tension just by looking at the visuals. But this isn't it. Because while the plane is still on fire and the inside part is crashing, the characters are talking in normal tone, even with flying burning debris behind them. It looks as if the director didn't brief them enough about the scene.
Even until the movie ended, I was just sitting there, with a confused look on my face thinking, "That's it??". And feeling nothing. Despite of the visuals that I do love, the movie left no other impression in me whatsoever. It's a pity though, I have such high expectations at first.
Personal rate: 5/10

I'm not saying goodbye...

So yesterday was my last day working at Media Satu. I've been a graphic designer there for a year plus few months. A lot of things have happened, good and bad. But working there has been a wonderful experience for me. I will sincerely miss them a lot.

My desk. It's filled with paper craft toys and Pocky packaging boxes. The Tanuki is one of my firsts.

Me and my partners in crime. Aku akan sangat kanget pada kalian semua!!!

どうぶつたち

Land in the Sky

Kemarin seperti biasa saya pulang tepat waktu. Begitu jam di komputer saya menunjukkan pukul 17:59, saya sudah membereskan tas dan siap beranjak. Pukul 18:05 kaki saya sudah menapak di atas angkot D10 yang melaju ke arah Pondok Labu. Tidak seperti biasanya, entah kenapa hari itu langit masih cukup terang. Saya duduk di dekat jendela (seperti biasa) untuk mendominasi hembusan angin yang masuk ke dalam angkot. Saya tidak peduli rambut saya tertiup ke depan dan jadi acak-acakan karena angin. Yang penting adem...hehehe...

Tak lama saya tiba di perhentian. Supir angkot memutar balik mobilnya untuk berhenti di pangkalan, dan di situlah saya turun. Setelah menyerahkan 3 lembar uang seribuan dan menerima sebuah logam 500 dari sang supir, saya berjalan sambil memasukkan uang logam tadi ke dalam kantong baju.

Namun tiba-tiba langkah saya terhenti. Di hadapan saya terhampar pemandangan yang membuat saya terdiam.
Di atas, sekumpulan awan terhampar di tengah luasnya langit. Tidak adanya gedung-gedung tinggi di kawasan itu membuat saya dapat menatap langit dengan leluasa. Gumpalan-gumpalan awan putih itu begitu kontras dengan birunya langit. Bercak-bercak jingga terlihat di tepi-tepi gumpalan awan. Dua buah pesawat kecil terbang melintas. Pesawat-pesawat itu semakin terlihat tidak berarti bilang dibandingkan dengan awan yang begitu besar. Kumpulan awan cumulonimbus itu terlihat begitu dekat dengan saya. Untuk sesaat khayalan saya langsung bermain. Nama 'Laputa' langsung muncul di otak saya. Saya langsung membayangkan bahwa ada kehidupan di atas sana. Di balik tebalnya awan itu, ada peradaban rahasia yang berkembang. Sebuah kota kecil yang selalu terombang-ambing terselubung awan tebal di tengah luasnya langit. Dan apabila saya memperhatikan lebih lama, mungkin, mungkin saja saya dapat melihat sesuatu.

Khayalan saya memang agak tinggi. Dan saya tipe orang yang cepat terpana. Sepertinya cukup lama saya menengadah dan memperhatikan gumpalan awan tersebut sambil larut dalam khayalan saya. Karena begitu saya sadar, beberapa supir ojek sudah memperhatikan saya. Entah karena mengincar saya sebagai calon penumpang, atau beranggapan bahwa saya aneh.

Haya and Aska

Haya Danang Bramantya and Aska Reyhan are characters that I've been trying to develop since about my 2nd or 3rd year of college. These two boys have been best friends since junior high and they continue their friendship to college. Along the way, they face everyday teenage problem, from getting caught smoking at school to first kiss. They experience the second one with each other, not knowing that many years later, it will be the reason of their feelings towards each other.
My post before is one of the chapters of their series. I think I will post more of it, but not in sequence. Because really, even in my computer the story isn't sorted yet. I haven't plotted out the whole story yet. So I just wite random scenes that comes out in my mind.

Oh, and by the way, I told my college best friend about this and now we both tried to develop the characters together..when we DO come up with some new story*grins*

Saying hello to Tante Kayinamoh!:))

Haya and Aska Series, Feelings of a Beaten Foe

Like most friends, Haya and Aska also fights. Not a big kinda fight, just arguing. And it’s not about something important too. It’s always about something simple which can actually be solved if either is wise enough to just stop talking. And it happens at random moments too. The small fight could end in two ways. One, it would end with a final saying by Haya that would make Aska feel guilty.
Like one day at recess on the cafeteria, when Haya placed some sliced cucumber to Aska’s plate of satay without saying a word.
“I’m not eating it.” Aska replied like it is something rhetoric and placed it back to Haya’s fried rice.
“It helps you neutralized the carbon in the satay that could cause cancer.” He puts them back to his friend’s plate.
“What do you know about cancer?” Aska said while taking a large bite of the meat in a mocking way that Haya hates a lot.
Haya tsked. “Well YOU should know since you had cancer stick stuck in your mouth everyday.”
“HEY! YOU smoked too.”
“But I didn’t do it everyday like you do.” Now both of them had stop eating and began saying things to each other’s faces.
Edwin and Lingga who are sitting in front of them rolled their eyes. Here we go again, they thought. At a time like this, they could do nothing to stop these two. Because the last time they tried all they got is a single death glare from Haya, and a finger from Aska. So later, they know better than to interfere.
“So I would get cancer anyway, right? Cucumber or no cucumber.”
“I’m not saying that! It’s just a way to reduce the possibility.”
“But it would be useless cause I still smoke everyday, right?”
“So STOP SMOKING!”
“I WON’T, SO SHUT UP!”
Then they both stopped talking. But still stared at each other, each wanting to choke the other one.
Haya turned his head away first, returning to his plate of already cold fried rice. “Fine, I’m not the one who’s gonna get cancer anyway.” He said with a pout.
It took quite a moment, but the pout gave it away. Aska grumbled and stabbed the sliced cucumber with the wooden stick, “Tell me when you’re done being a critic. You could be my mom.” And pushed it to his mouth.
And that’s it.
Or, their argument could end in another way.
When Aska returns home from school, he’s surprised to find his best friend sitting on his bed, reading a magazine. And like an idiot he is, Aska looks around to make sure he entered the right home.
“What are you doing here? Why weren’t you at school today?” He asked Haya.
The other guy peeked from behind the magazine but didn’t say a thing.
“Are you sick? Why aren’t you at home?” Aska dropped his bag on the floor and walk to stand in front of his friend. Now that he have a good look at his friend’s face, he realized that Haya look slightly pale. Well, paler. He’s already pale like a choked sheep. Haya’s dark pupils, a contrast look to his skin, stared at him with a look of innocence. But Aska knew that look, and there is something behind it.
“Well, I was gonna go to school today. But after practicing at the pool I got pretty tired and decided to take a nap there.” He stops.
“And?”
“And..when I woke up, it was already 9 o’ clock so..”
“So?”
“So..I decided to skip school?” Haya tries to answer in a way that would make it sound tolerable.
“What? So why didn’t you just go home?”
“Because I don’t want my mom to know that I skipped school?” Aska hates it when Haya starts ending his answers with question mark because then he knew he’s trying to evade the real question.
Aska has lots of specialties. But patience is not one of them. “Haya, stop it! What’s the real reason you’re here?”
Haya looks like he was deciding whether he would gave out the truth, or see if he could make Aska forget it. But he knew Aska wouldn’t let it go.
“I’m not feeling very well.” His mouth curled down and he gave Aska a puppy eye look.
The latter drops his head and sigh and puts his palm in the other’s forehead. “What did you do this time?”
“I slept at 3 this morning.”
“And woke up again at 4?!” Aska almost shouted if he didn’t remember that he was supposed to be alone in his room right now.
Haya nodded.
“So how long were you here?
“I waited at the pool til 2 PM and then I took a bus here.”
“Have you eaten anything yet?”
“Only breakfast.”
“Which would only be a piece of bread and a glass of milk.” It’s not even a question, but Haya nodded anyway.
“Are you out of your mind?” Aska placed his hands on his waist and tried to get some logic behind all this.
“I don’t want to make my mom worry.”
“Of course she’ll worry. She has an idiot as a son.” Aska lift Haya by the arm and stand him up by the bed. He hold his skinny friend with one arm while the his other arm pulled the bed cover. Then he throws Haya back into the bed.
“Get some sleep. I’ll find you something to eat.” Aska snagged his cellphone from inside his bag.
Seeing this, Haya is alerted. “What are you doing?”
“I’m calling your mom. I’m guessing she doesn’t know you’re here.”
“No, wait! Don’t call her! I told you I don’t want her to be worried!”
“But she needs to know!”
“I didn’t call your mom when you ran away from home and stayed at my place!”
“That was different! I was angry at her that time and she wasn’t talking to me either!” Aska started to punch the numbers.
“But I gave you a favor that time! Pay me back!”
Aska jerked his head back. “Pay you back? We’re not in 5th grade! Since when you’re this selfish?”
“Since when you’re a snitch?”
“Did you not understand the situation here?!”
“I understand you want to make my mom worry,” He sneers. Why don’t you just give me the phone and I’ll call her myself. Let her drive all the way here by herself and pick me up.” Haya reached out his hand, again, with a signature pout plastered on his face.
Aska didn’t say a thing. He punched in some numbers in his cell and put the receiver on his ear. He waited until the dial tone stops and someone on the other end picked up the phone.
“Hi, yes, can I speak to Haya’s mom please? This is Aska,” Haya looks with a daring stare from across the room. “Hello, Ma’am? Yes, how are you? I’m fine. Err..I just want you to tell me that Haya’s here, at my house.” Aska turns away from Haya, trying not to look at him. “Yeah, I need him to help me with something for the test tomorrow. No, his phone battery died. He’s...in the bathroom right now.” He throws glances at Haya. He swears he saw Haya smiling behind him. “Okay, I’ll let you know when he comes back. Okay. U-huh. I will, Ma’am. Thanks a lot. Bye.” Aska hung up the phone and threw his cell on the bed.
“There. You satisfied?” He crossed his hand.
A weak smile from Haya, but Aska knows there’s more to it. “Now go to sleep. I’ll wake you up later for some food.” He pushed Haya’s shoulder and forced him to the bed. He then walked out of the room and leave his best friend to rest. Just an inch before the door is fully closed, he can hear a soft ‘Thank you’ from the latter. Aska just replied it with a snort.
This fight maybe different from the one they had at the cafeteria. But the argument is no different. But both times, or more exactly most of the times, no matter who’s the guilty one, Haya’s pout could always out win Aska’s words. And in the end, long after the argument ended, Aska would think why did he always end up losing. And as always, he brush it off with a smile. Because no matter how weird it sounds, losing to Haya gave him the most wonderful feeling he wouldn’t get anywhere else.

Chou Boy

Briony

Another one supposedly for Valentine

Valentine dan Mbak Penyanyi di Organ Tunggal

Hari Sabtu yang lalu saya pergi ke acara 40 hari anak sepupu saya. Sepupu saya itu, yang memang cukup berada, mengadakan sebuah acara yang cukup heboh: tenda besar di halaman depan, meja katering di luar, dan sound system oke. Begitu kaki ini dijejakkan ke ruang tamu, hal yang pertama kali saya lihat adalah pesona pink di ruang tengah.
Bukan dekorasinya. Bukan warna dindingnya.

Tapi baju yang dikenakan oleh grup ibu-ibu pengajian.
Saya mengingat tanggal berapa hari ini.
Oh. Benar.
Valentine.
...Tapi apa harus?

Belum selesai rasa kaget saya, dan perih yang sedikit saya rasakan di mata karena melihat warna pink sebanyak itu, tiba-tiba adik sepupu saya menyerahkan 5 buah kaos yang masih rapi terbungkus plastik. Dengan tulisan dekoratif 'I *gambar hati* Arla', nama sang bayi. Turns out, itu menjadi semacam seragam untuk kami, keluarga besar, untuk dipakai hari itu.

Tebak apa warnanya.

Selama beberapa lama acara berlangsung cukup khidmat. Ibu-ibu pengajian melantunkan ayat-ayat suci Al-Quran dan doa-doa untuk si bayi dan orang tuanya. Prosesi potong rambut pun dilaksanakannya. Setelahnya, para undangan dipersilakan menikmati hidangan tradisional yang telah disediakan. Kalau Anda tidak kenal keluarga sepupu saya, pasti Anda pikir setelah semua itu, acara selesai. Tapi saya bukan Anda, dan saya tahu setelah ini masih ada 'keriaan'.
Sudah merupakan kebiasaan untuk keluarga sepupu saya ini untuk mengundang organ tunggal. Dan sudah merupakan kebiasaan pula bagi tante saya, si empunya rumah, untuk menguasai mic hanya setelah sang vokalis menyanyikan 2-3 lagu.

Saya tidak pernah suka pada penyanyi perempuan yang pekerjaannya menyanyi dengan organ tunggal dari satu acara ke acara lain. Saya tidak menghina pekerjaannya. Itu pekerjaan halal dan tidak ada yang hina dari itu, saya tahu. Saya cuma tidak suka tipikal perempuannya.
Penampilannya, baik fisik maupun cara berpakaiannya, tipikal. Belum lagi gayanya yang diharuskan sedikit genit saat mengundang para tamu untuk ikut menyanyi. Pilihan lagu? Pastinya lagu-lagu pop yang sedang tren. Tapi yang paling saya tidak suka adalah: kenapa penyanyi-penyanyi macam itu tidak pernah menyanyikan lagu bahasa Inggris dengan pengucapan yang benar??!

I mean, come on. You already put all effort to learn how to sing and entertain people. Why not as well polish your English skill? Mendengar suaranya yang agak sengau saja saya sudah cukup terganggu. Apalagi mendengar pronounciation nya yang..hiii...bikin saya merinding.

Oke, mungkin saya agak berlebihan. Mungkin dia tidak sejelek itu. Mungkin ini sentimen pribadi. Tapi mungkin dia memang lebih baik dari tante saya sendiri yang bahasa Inggrisnya lebih kurang enak didengar..dan tone deaf. SANGAT tone deaf. But still, I gotta give her credit for having such confidence. Toh para tamu sepertinya tidak keberatan, buktinya Pak Adang Daradjatun, kandidat Gubernur Jakarta pada Pilkada 2007, tetap santai tuh menikmati hidangan dan bercakap-cakap dengan tamu lainnya.

Supposedly for Valentine

We're the Love{cats}


{monkey} love


Love{birds}


You Are the {apple} of My Life

Dog Love

LollieLollie

I made this for my Twitter page background

テロリスト だよ!

An illustration from the movie Scrap Heaven. This is (supposedly) Odagiri Jo and Ryo Kase's character.

Happy Valentines Day {dear}

of dogs and butterflies

Colours and bull terriers.

I like trying on different colours for every vector illustration I made.
Hence, this. And more to come.

What do you think of this as a slayer? Pretty nice, eh?

Spesial, Mang! Pake telor bebek!!

Lompat, lompat, lompat..

err...rawr?

introducing fusitori.

Random Vector Series

Feel It!

For my Facebook profile picture