Pre-Bkk Transmission

We have approximately two and a half days until we leave for Bangkok. Without spoiling it for my family, I, for some reason seem to look forward to it less than previous years. I think it's because I'm quite happy with the rhythm I got going on in melbourne at the moment with things, esp. work and training. Plus I've been able to hangout with some good friends lately now that uni has finished (don't delete my Sam&Max! I'll be back to finish it). Don't get me wrong, tho. I can't wait to see the other three family members when we get back (the third being Mali, of course), and some old BPS veterans, esp. you Bauchi.

Anyhoo, I got a few things planned for the two months in Thailand. Among them is an art project that I very much look forward to getting back into.

The Hefty Metal Animals Project

To continue with what I had started during IB Art, I look forward to expand my clan of the Hefty Metal Animal sculptures. In addition to the already existing Spidian V1.1, and the Giraffe V1.1_Rust, the current idea in mind projects some sort of a gigantic Hefty Metal Spider Crab, of which the design should be based on a Japanese spider crab, which looks something like this...

Japanese Spider Crab

And here is an old picture of the Spidian V1.1.

Dimension: 27cm x 25.5cm x 30cm
Weight: 4.7 kg

Spidian V1.1

Just thinking about it gets me quite excited. I can't wait to get started.

Other things planned include writing some music and getting back into playing the Piano. I've left that to rust for too long and it would be a terrible thing to give it up. Also, these recent years I've been fooling around with the Guitar and coming up with songs, most of which I have already forgetten, which is a waste. So now that there's time, I would like to sit down and do this properly, and hopefully record some of it.

Other than that, I wanna look for a good Muay Thai camp. One which I know I'll survive in, considering how hardcore the native Thai boxers can be. I would still like to be able to drag my ass back here to continue training in Melbourne next year.

Another highlight of our time back in Thailand will be the trip up to Chiang Mai, which mother has kindly arranged for us to stay at The Mandarin Oriental. I have had a look at the place on the website and I can't wait to be there.

Villa Lobby

Royal Villa Spa

Farang Ses Restaurant

With the events I went through this year, I think I deserve to relax in a place like this just fine. Thank you, Mother.

*Hotel pictures taken from the website

Randomania

One of my favourite flash cartoons on the internet has to be David Firth's 'Salad Fingers'. While all the episodes take the meaning of weirdness to a whole new level, I LOVE IT..(not that being weird is a bad thing, right?). Being a solo artist, Firth boasts creativity allover his Salad Fingers episodes. The eerie music in the background, which he claims is based on samples from Boards of Canada, sets the vibe the cartoon emits very different from anything I've seen out there.

Here's the first episode called 'Spoons': An introduction to Mr. Fingers as he pays a small child a visit. And if you're in the mood for something peculiar, watch all seven episodes.

Firth's work is featured on the website: www.fat-pie.com. There you can find his other cartoon series, all guaranteed to be weird. A word of warning, tho..some of the episodes may leave you in sorrow for hours. So if gloomy cartoons doesn't sound like your cup of chocolate, avoid the 'Spoilsbury Toast Boy' and the 'Milkman' series.

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Has any of you ever felt that some of Pink's and the Veronicas' songs are suspiciously similar? Well, not only are Pink's 'U+Ur Hand' and the Veronica's '4ever' written by the same guy (Gottwald), the songs have pretty much been constructed with the exact same chords. Check out this cool vid on youtube.. Pink VS. Veronicas

Despite not being a big fan of pop music, I actually like both these two songs. Plus I think Pink's cool anyways..

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I think I'm used to the fact that I don't look like I'm from Thailand but I don't really know why I always get mistaken for a Korean. I'm saying this because lately I've been having random people on the streets coming up to ask if I'm Korean. Then when I say I'm not.. they just piss off.. Weirdos!!

Anyhoooo, I was just watching this US TV-series called 'Monk' by Andy Breckman, starring Tony Shalhoub. I had been seeing the ad on TV for the series so I thought I'd give it a try over tonight's dinner. Five minutes in and I found myself hee-hawing on the couch.

The story follows Detective Adrian Monk (Shalhoub), who has an extreme case of an obsessive-compulsive disorder. The funniest bits are when he breaks into his super anal rituals haha, among other funny things he does. I wonder what it'd be like to have to really work with a person like him.

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Tonight's dinner: Porterhouse with Tofu Rocket Salad (fusion cuisine, no?)

The Polaroid Project by Cake

Having artistically gifted sisters, I have been lucky to always enjoy the various interesting art pieces around the house, finished and/or in the making. In this particular occasion, I would like to talk about Cake's lastest experimental project; The Polaroid Lift & The Polaroid Transfer.

This first piece, seen on the left is a Polariod Lift imposed on woven fabric. As you can see, Cake is waiting for it to dry. Upon close inspection, the creasing effect the film has produced gives the piece a subtle motion to the texture, almost like a rising of red smoke. The colouration of the film still reflects the original photo, which was of a flower. The dark bluish bits up top and bottom right corners were derivable from the background of the picture, when the photo was taken.

The same technique has also been experimented with plain pieces of paper, which according to the artist, allowed for better control over the placement of the film. This was evident in the finished pieces through a more furrowing effect.

Another technique explored by Cake was the Polaroid Transfer. This can be said to be a more simplistic approach, where the top layer of a Polaroid image is peeled and placed on plain pieces of paper (left). A different impression was achieved by the Polaroid Transfer, with a more classic feel, due to the deterioration of the colours on the original film when processed with the Vivitar slide printer, as well as at the time the film was pressed.

To take things further, Cake tried the Polaroid Lift on different materials. One of my favourites has to be what she has done with the lil saucer and the espresso cup.





On both the saucer and the cup, the vivid flower images and the seamless placement of the film give both pieces a true-to-life effect.

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The 'lifting' of the Polaroid

The film is carefully placed on paper

I admire your gift, sist..

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On a seperate note, dad was telling cake he took Mali for a walk to see the soldiers on the streets. I can just imagine her walking with her ass going side to side looking up at each of the soldier's faces..This is what she is probably busy doing now..