thank you, dad

We were I remember those good old days when my dad used to read us story books and put us to sleep when we were not so fond of darkness. Then, much later when we were around 5-6 years old, when we became much braver, he would bought cassettes with stories so that we could listen to bible stories before bed. He would pray and put blanket on us, kiss us good night and then switch off the light. Before we knew it, we were sleeping peacefully, believing that angels and God is out there at the window, watching us sleep and that darkness has no harm on us.

Bedtime stories moments is always very heart-warming. Flipping books together, read along with papa and mama, asking curious questions, bedtime lullabies…those priceless moments that we would probably revisit again when we became parents ourselves.

Like father like son

I saw a picture of a cute baby cat imitating another big cat in one of the video on line and it reminded me of how I liked to copy my parents when I was growing up.

We spent most of our childhood observing our parents and attempting to be like them. Often little boys copy their daddy and little girls model their mothers.
I remember looking at my dad’s skill in carpentry and thought he was a hero because he could make a stool out of wood planks. My dad has very nice handwritings and I kept practice and imitate him so that I could have the same handwriting as his.

I admired my mom’s curly hair and thought she was the most beautiful lady I have ever known.
When we were young and has very little exposure on how the outside world look like, our parents are our hero. At some point, I asked mom to sew a dress using the same fabric as hers so that I could look as pretty as her. I also remember asking her to bring me to the hairdresser to have my hair permed so that I look like her.

Today as we look back, we probably realised that we are the product of our parents. We do resemble them in one way or another, be it obvious or not. And when we grew up old enough to have kids, we realised that we are becoming our parents and our children are starting to imitate us. It’s a fascinating process. Like father like son, like mother like daughter. (hopefully in a good way!)

Celebrate the journey

Marriage is not the end of love, as some might say. Instead, it is the very beginning of an incredible journey.

Anniversary :D

what was your first impression on me ?

Trying to bring out a little mischievousness between couples who had been together by reliving some old memories of how they met and leave the first impression to each other :D

You don't need to be serious all the time, a little playful and jokes will make you feel happier and relax.

If you like my work, I could work out something special for you at a minimal charge :D

Love in Kombi

Every love story is beautiful, but ours is my favorite.

Musing behind the art : Driving as a couple in a passion red Kombi in the woods is probably the sweetest moment. Just us - you & me.

Perfect as a gift card to friends or family who is getting married, especially if he/she loves vintage & woods. It can also be an anniversary card to remind each other of the beautiful date when you said the vow :)

Just Keep Going

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.

A simple card to share his/her happiness upon achieving a milestone or to simply encourage him/her to keep moving on in life. Story behind this piece art - the vintage combi keeps traveling on the road from a destination to another, discovering new things in life. The days could only get better when one keeps moving and maintain good vibes and positive state of mind. Made of high quality aquarelle water colour paper and hand painted with water colour. Comes with a bright red envelope.

Üsküdar--Cinaralti, Çengelköy--İstiklâl Caddesi

Our second last day was spent with our new found friends, Hasanali Atalay from Ankara, Turkey and Pablo Gaspar from Portugal via Mesa de Español, in Istanbul earlier. Our random chat about the city and passion for sketching gave Ali the idea of showing us to less touristy part of Istanbul. We had a great time exploring the other part of Istanbul (eastern part of Istanbul). The view is breathtaking as usual. I cannot imagine how it feels like to work in this city, mesmerized again and again by the beauty of city. Only the local would know.


Best borek in Istanbul

Ali brought us to Cinaralti, Çengelköy to have the best borek with çay. There were no tourists, only local eating in this simple cafe yet overlooking the most stunning view. I quickly took out my sketchbook and sketch the beautiful bridge overlooking Bosphorus River while enjoying delicious borek with cay. Life could not be better this way.

We took public water transport back to Western part of Istanbul. The idea is to have the best coffee in Mandabatmaz Cafe, tucked in a secret corner in İstiklâl Caddesi. Not only we had great coffee, we had great conversation which we would be remembering it for a very long time.

On our way back to Karakoy

Sketched this while waiting Paulo to fetch João.

Thanks for the precious time and friendship.

Till we meet again!