Mongolia - Grassland III

By the time we made our way back, it was already dusk. Along the way were large crevices in the ground and we had to be careful so that the horses dun get sucidal. It was a sprint back and when the horses saw their stables, they neigh in relieve.


















Though I had a very bad abrasion on my butt from my skinny horsee, it was truely a memorable experience.


















Dinner was accompanied by song and dance around the fire, served before a potent Mongolian wine.

Mongolia - Grassland II

This Sport is a must in the grassland.


















Yup. Horse-riding.


















One of the most fantastic rides I ever had, the horse under control, galloping according to my directions across the endless and beyond. The horse steers according to the way one pulls the rein. It gallops or trot depending on the intensity of pressure one puts onto his leg. This awesome experience is unlike the ones I had in zoos, where the horse strolls with a guide tugging it along. My horse was my vehicle to the various places of interest along the grassland.


















Ivan sure wasn't smiling as happily in the next moment when siqi's horse bit him as a result of a horse fight.



















We parked our "car" at this friendly mongolian home where they welcomed us with goat milk tea and their various cheese speciality.

Mongolia - Grassland I

Welcome to Inner Mongolia!























Elated Sam and his EMO shot.

















Strewn across the landscapes are huts where the mongolians and us live in.






















































Its so cold that we wished we were in our huts all the time.

Mongolia - Grassland

The journey to Inner Mongolia was longer than expected with more than frequent traffic jams. Along the way, we can only see endless counts of mountain plateaus and farm, with no grassland in sight.






















Sleep could have been our best friend.



































And suddenly the hills gave way to the green horizon.

Jarno Kettunen

Water is one of the hardest medium to control. Harder if its a part of mixed media. Exceptionally Brillant. - www.jarnok.com -

Mongolia - Bundle of Korean Joy

While some kids are naughty, some are just bundles of pure joy. Say hi to our little pal from korean, complete with dimples and a adorable smile. Thank god for having this rascal entertaining us on our long journey to inner mongolia, constantly displaying his violent tendencies and laughter inducing antics. We love u, especially Sam who loves u most!

Death Cab For Cutie

I recently got to know Death Cab from friends Iski and Fong and fell in love with their simplicity of voice and music.

Death Cab for Cutie is an Amerrican indie pop rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band takes its name from a satirical song of the same name, performed by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band on their 1967 album Gorilla and in The Beatles experimental movie, Magical Mystery Tour.

If your a fan of pristine and unique voice quality in tune with indie acoustic guitar accompaniment, Death Cab is for you.

Below are 4 of my favourites:

What Sarah Said


And it came to me then that every plan
Is a tiny prayer to father time
As I stared at my shoes in the ICU
That reeked of piss and 409
And I rationed my breaths as I said to myself
That I’ve already taken too much today
As each descending peak on the LCD
Took you a little farther away from me
Away from me

Amongst the vending machines and year-old magazines
In a place where we only say goodbye
It stung like a violent wind that our memories depend
On a faulty camera in our minds
And I knew that you were a truth I would rather lose
Than to have never lain beside at all
And I looked around at all the eyes on the ground
As the TV entertained itself

‘Cause there’s no comfort in the waiting room
Just nervous faces bracing for bad news
And then the nurse comes ‘round and everyone lift their heads
But I’m thinking of what Sarah said
That love is watching someone die

So who’s gonna watch you die? So whos gonna watch you die

The French Translations are
on the mirror:
"il m'aime" — he loves me ...
on her hand:
"un peu" — ... just a little bit?
painted on the wall:
"beaucoup" — ... a lot?
on her arm:
"passionément" — ... passionately?
cut into her leg:
"a la folie" — ... unto madness?
on the mirror, she adds:
"il m'aime ... pas du tout" — he does not love me at all.

A lack of colour



And when i see you
I really see you upside down
But my brain knows better
It picks you up and turns you around
Turns you around, turns you around

If you feel discouraged
That there's a lack of color here
Please don't worry lover
It's really bursting at the seems
Absorbing everything
The spectrum's a to z

This fact not fiction
For the first time in years
And all the girls in every girlie magazine
Can't make me feel any less alone
I'm reaching for the phone

To call at 7:03 and on your machine I slur a plea for you to come home
But i know it's too late
I should have given you a reason to stay
Given you a reason to stay [x3]

This is fact not fiction
For the first time in years

I will follow you into the dark



Love of mine some day you will die
But I'll be close behind
I'll follow you into the dark

No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white
Just our hands clasped so tight
Waiting for the hint of a spark
If Heaven and Hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs

If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark

In Catholic school as vicious as Roman rule
I got my knuckles bruised by a lady in black
And I held my tongue as she told me
"Son fear is the heart of love"
So I never went back

If Heaven and Hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs

If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark

You and me have seen everything to see
From Bangkok to Calgary
And the soles of your shoes are all worn down
The time for sleep is now
It's nothing to cry about
Cause we'll hold each other soon
The blackest of rooms

If Heaven and Hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs

If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark
Then I'll follow you into the dark

Earth Angel



Earth angel,
Earth angel
Will you be mine
My darling dear
Love you all the time
Im just a fool,
A fool in love, with you

Earth angel
Earth angel
The one I adore
Love you forever
And ever more
Im just a fool,
A fool in-love with you

I fell for you
And I knew
The vision of your lovliness
I hope and I pray,
That someday,
Ill be the vision of your
Happiness

Earth angel,
Earth angel
Please you be mine
My darling dear
Love you all the time
Im just a fool,
A fool in love, with you

I fell for you
And I knew
The vision of your lovliness
I hope and I pray,
That someday,
Ill be the vision of your
Happiness

Earth angel,
Earth angel
Please you be mine
My darling dear
Love you all the time
Im just a fool,
A fool in love, with you

Memorable tune which I once waltz with someone to...

Kolumba - Peter Zumthor

Kolumba - art museum of the archbishopric of Cologne, Germany. The lastest design by Peter Zumthor dwells on architects favourite too of layering the old and new, which in this example is manifested by having new, minimal walls sitting directly behind the old stone walls and opening of the late Gothic church. The windows does the above tool by siting in front of its own walls guesturing to the church openings below. What is really worthy of mention is the new exploration of light and shadow with small openings that creates dramatic effects in the interior. Reminds me of the mystical quality of Le Corbusier's Ronchamp.

Below is the except of Zumthor's design statement.

Although our lives take place everywhere, we remember some places in particular. One such place is „Kolumba“ in Cologne’s city centre. A secret garden, stone ruins, a uniquely dense archaeological site: the ruins of the gothic church in the centre of rebuilt Cologne are the most impressive symbol of the city’s almost complete destruction during the Second World War. In 1949 the chapel of “Madonna in the Ruins” was created within the church ruins by the architect Gottfried Böhm as a near improvised shelter for a gothic Mary figure that had remained unscathed. »Kolumba« is intended to be a place for reflection. The occasion is the new building for the Cologne Diocese Museum, which was established in 1853 and which features an extraordinary collection spanning from early Christianity to contemporary art. A museum as a garden continually bringing a few alternately selected works of art to bloom. The guiding thread of the collection is the quest for overarching order, measure, proportion and beauty which connects all creative work. This quest is the precious material for an aesthetic laboratory which studies the anthropological connections lying beyond mere chronology. Kolumba allows visitors to immerse themselves in the presence of their memories and offers them their own experiences on their way. As a „living museum“ Kolumba enquires about the freedom of the individual in an exchange between history and the present day, at the intersection of belief and knowledge, and defends existential values by challenging them through art. The new building designed by Peter Zumthor transfers the sum of the existing fragments into one complete building. In adopting the original plans and building on the ruins, the new building becomes part of the architectural continuum. The warm grey brick of the massive building unite with the tuffs, basalt and bricks of the ruins. The new building develops seamlessly from the old remains whilst respecting it in every detail. In terms of urban planning, it restores the lost core of one of the once most beautiful parts of Cologne’s city centre. Inside the building a peaceful courtyard takes the place of a lost medieval cemetery. The largest room of the building encompasses the two thousand year structure of the city as an uncensored memory landscape. Its “filter walls” create air and light permeable membranes which contain within them the functionally independent chapel. The chapel is removed from the changing cityscape and given a final location, in which it will be assured a dignified continuing existence. Located above – carried by slim columns, which gently prod the archaeological excavation like needles – is an exhibition floor. Its spatial structure was similarly developed from the idiosyncratic ground plan. It connects seamlessly to the northern building part, which – as a completely new building – will house further exhibition rooms and the treasury as well as the stairway, foyer, museum entrance and the underground storage areas. The sixteen exhibition rooms possess the most varying qualities with regard to incoming daylight, size, proportion und pathways. What they all have in common is the reduced materiality of the brick, mortar, plaster and terrazzo in front of which will appear the works of art. Kolumba will be a shadow museum which will evolve only in the course of the day and the seasons. Some of the wall-sized windows allow daylight to penetrate from all directions. The steel frames decorate the brick coat like brooches and segment the monumental facade. Though respectful of the location and the seriousness of its contents, Kolumba will emanate serenity and an inviting cheerfulness.

Makes me marvel at how us architects are able to speak lead into gold....

Mongolia - Predeparture

The trip to mongolia was quite a last minute affair which left a everlasting memory. Got to thank Si Qi for all the planning. The day after we landed, we were shuttled off in the wee hours of the morning. The excitment of venturing into the unknown and the rawness of just arriving in beijing gave me quite an adrenaline rush.
















Great traveling pals awaiting embarkation: Ivan, Yushan, Sam, Siqi























I love the way cables stretch across the skyscape in beijing. Coupled with the texture of brick apartments in the hue of dawn, I had my moment of calmness and serenity.

愛我別走

爱我别走 是我目前最常弹的歌。 而张震岳对我来说是个非常有性格和才华的歌手。我想把它点给一位很对不起我的人，祝她幸福快乐。。。

曲︰張震嶽
詞︰張震嶽

我到了這個時候還是一樣
夜裡的寂寞容易叫人悲傷
我不敢想的太多　因為我一個人

迎面而來的月光拉長身影
漫無目地的走在冷冷的街
我沒有妳的消息　因為我在想妳

愛我別走　如果妳說　妳不愛我
不要聽見妳真的說出口
再給我一點溫柔

Vintage Comics

For those who loved Vintage Comics, check them out at digital comics, an effort made by Jonathan Barli to preserve the rich history of comic cartooning. The above reminds me of my favourite "Where's Wally". Maybe u can find him in there!

Yong Dao Fu

Here is the Chinese version of Yong Dao Fu dipped into boiling hot spicy Ma La Huo Guo. Exceptionally Tantalising after the usual long cold walks around beijing






















Homesick Sam in all smiles after finally getting his salty 永和 beancurd and drink

Jihad Pop Art

Check out this Islamic Pop art at sehershah.net.
The delightful freshness of style is a result of the artist's struggle to come into terms with her western perspective and her islamic roots. Cool stuff

Chinese Free Style

Amazing creative workers with their make-shift ladder fresh out from plywood.

Dead space between escalator handrails become quick picks at Carrefour.

Traffic Alarm

The cluster of apartments that i lived in. Extremely convienent with shops and eateries right at the doorstep and the location is just next to my university. The only draw back is the waking up to traffic noises early in the morning.

Ring Roads

These road signs caught my attention the moment I entered Beijing for SEP. In someway, they are more personal than the ones I had in my country. The urban expansion of the city is manifested in series of rings. I think its cool to live in a radiating city.

How to draw a head

http://media.academyart.edu/freeclass/

For peps out there who always wanted to draw other peps. Here's a brilliant an easy to understand website to do so.

Singapore -> Thailand -> Beijing

us - runway - getaway