home sweet home

The afternoon air is still, and the living room was a little dark as the windows and doors were kept close. My parents were out for some chores, brother went working and pandamopi was dozing off upstairs. As I was sitting at the sofa alone, starring at the walls hung with our family portraits taken at different time of our life and little miniatures collections displayed at the fixed wall cabinet, I can’t help but gasped over how time has passed without us really realizing. I wanted to do something to capture the moment and to capture the feeling of that very moment – a sense of happiness yet melancholy. Happy because I have been growing up happily in this house, with many moments including getting married in this house almost 2 years ago. Melancholy because I felt heavy hearted as I realized I have not been able to spend more time as much as I wanted to ever since I left home for study and then working. Coming home now becomes a luxury when for others, it is just a normal thing to do daily.

As I stared at the walls (which I didn’t pay much attention to before) and sketched, I noticed and observed the details of every things that is in place at that moment. Many of the things remained the same place and location, while I am the one busy travelling around, back and forth for work and holidays. These good old things remained here when I came back, giving me a sense of familiarity each time I am home. The composition of how the photographs are hung, speakers, TV, CD rack, video players, miniatures, location of sofa, the fan tucked in one corner, foot massager in front of a large blue sofa… the colours and how these things are placed makes a unique combination of what is familiar to us living in that home. It is our home, a simple home with no fancy interior design, yet filled with warmth.

I continued to wash my sketch with watercolour brushes, as if painting every emotion that I have within me on this little sketchbook that accompanies me wherever I go. I want to freeze this moment and reminisce it each time I miss home, no matter where I am in future. As I was almost completing my sketch, my eyes were wet. The car engine grew louder and then came to a halt. Someone opened the door and there was rays of light coming out from the door. Mom came in and came close to me and saw my sketch.

“It’s beautiful,” she said.
“Just a sketch, mom,” I answered and kept my sketchbook in my Barefoot sling bag and we head to the kitchen to prepare some snack for tea time.

***

eustoma love

According to the Greek, "Eu" means beautiful while "stoma" means mouth. It is commonly found in North America, and native in Texas and Mexico.
The single flower resembles poppies or tulips, while the double variety has the appearance of peonies or roses. It is strikingly similar to the queen of flowers - Rose.

Whatever it may be, Eustoma is beautiful in its own way.

As i worked on this artwork, it makes me feel calm and happy. I imagined myself in a floral cotton dress, picking fresh eustomas from the garden outside my french window. The sun glowed and kissed gently on my face. The lace curtain danced to the cool breeze. I slowly arranged the eustoma into a lovely Chanel Parfum vase with some water filled in. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It's a new day again.

It's amazing how therapeutic drawing can be. It takes you to countless imagination and magical place that you wish you could be, only if you allow it to. How far and how long, you decide.

As i finished this piece, I smiled. It was a wonderful journey. It has opened a door for me to another dimension, away from the hustle and bustle of city.



Illustrating eustoma.

Farhana, a beautiful muslim name for a girl. It means happy, cheerful, joyful and glad. All the good vibes in a name :D

And a matching envelope to compliment the card.

Warming hearts through cards

Greeting cards, especially personalised greeting cards always have a special place in my heart. It is a means to send regards and love to someone we care -- friends & family, sometimes he or she might be a dear colleague/friend who is saying goodbye and moving on to a new chapter. While gifts might be a great way to send regards, greeting cards is a beautiful way to say something and it stays there forever, and the receiver could always reminisce they want in the near or far future. And the card, having standing the test of time, do have some sentimental value of that particular moment, at that time & day.

Because of this, some friends and family suggested that I should probably offer card-making services. Being always the buyer, it is indeed my first time being the seller and little did I know that it could be challenging and there are many things to learn along the way, but the reward is fulfilling. I started it small, as small as anyone who could afford a plate of Chicken Rice here in Singapore could afford a piece of personalised card.

Illustrating personalised greeting cards is a beautiful journey. It is like exchanging my cards with a story, in the process of understanding client's intention and requirement.

One morning, a client pinged me and we started with a light chat, and she told me her intention on buying a personalised cards for this coming Raya Aidilfitri (festival of breaking the fast). She told me her ideas on how she envisioned the card to be -- to have her husband and her, together with her toddler boy and a baby girl interacting with a ketupat. I gave her some suggestion, we hit it off and worked out together. It warmed my heart when she told me that she is sending this card to the United Kingdom to her husband as he could not be back for this year Raya Aidilfitri celebration here in Singapore. I gave my best effort to this card and the outcome was great. She liked it very much. The fact that I could make her happy through art made me feel happy and warm inside.

I finally tasted the first taste of accomplishment on putting a smile on someone through art and cards. It is akin to a zumba instructor who does well in making people happy when dancing, or a chef that makes good food that makes people beaming with smiles in satisfaction.

And these are the little things that keep me going.

Side note :
Ketupat is a type of dumpling made from rice packed inside a diamond-shaped container of woven palm leaf pouch, commonly found in Southeast Asia region eg. Malaysia, Indonesia, Philipine, Singapore and Brunei. Commonly served during Ramadan & Eid Mubarak (source : Wikipedia).


"Selamat Hari Raya, Ayah Halim."

simply meant "Happy Festival of Breaking Fast, Daddy Halim."

A heart warming message from the client to her husband, which I helped her to write inside the car

Storey from my sketchbook : Stranger in my own hometown, Kuching

In Malay words, Kucing (without the 'h') is a word for cat. Cats are gentle and graceful by nature. Soft-spoken and lovely. Kuchingites are happy and contented people. They take time to savour life and moments. There is something about the smiles of Kuching people, pure and comes from the heart.

Having working outside from Kuching for a long time, I truly miss the vibes. Time passed and life in Kuching goes on without me. I have been away for more than 7 years and sadly, I sometimes feel like a stranger back in my own hometown. Some things just look familiar yet strange to me. Some roads are still the same yet not quite the same. There are new food inventions that I don't remember having it when I was still growing up in Kuching. My classmates are embarking into parenthood. Conversation topics now revolving around children. Perhaps I got used to the hustle and bustle of city life, the laid back life in Kuching made me felt I have so much more time and space. Above all that, Kuching is still the old charming city. It taught you that the lifestyle can be slow but we still get things done fashionably well without sacrificing the soul factor. It is hard not to fell in love with this small city.

As the night is getting late, I can't help but reminiscing and thinking how my friends and family back there are doing. You know i miss you, i really do. I just want to rest on your comforting fur and forget about bustling cities and never-ending timelines.

Hello Kuching, how are you today ?
I hope all is well.
& hopefully I will be back for you again, soon.