New Display

This little wooden shelf I fixed with my unskilled hands gave me a chance to display some of my favorite things I've been keeping.

This animation story is the reason for the title of this blog.

Welcome to 69th, where big-hearted and quirky characters nurse their private hopes in an unpredictable story. Some dreams are kept secret while others are made real with the help of unexpected heroes. Stripe thinks she has a simple ambition - that is, to be the world’s first flying-contortionist. She dreams about it all day. Her poor neighbors just don’t know what to do with her. Her antics are constantly keeping them on their toes. She is, in their eyes, a quintessential dreamer. Yet, Stripe’s idiosyncratic personality belies a determined soul who dares to follow her dream. Her biggest asset is her fearlessness which she puts to the test everyday with her somewhat clumsily-devised experiments and the help of a street bum, named Mr Vizwell, who stands by her while others fear for her.

“I dream, therefore I fly”, says Stripe.

Letter From New York

From my favorite book, "Letter From New York", by Helene Hanff (it is really a BBC radio talkshow, about her life in New York, compiled into a book):

1981 January

My friend Arlene is not a dog lover. Which is the least of the differences that makes us the world's unlikeliest best friends. To begin with, she's twenty years younger than I. To continue, she's been twice married and divorced, while I've been single all my life.

Like me, she presently lives alone. But I live alone in a studio apartment, consisting of a living room with functional modern furniture, and small alcove for my desk, typewriter table and bookshelves. And Arlene lives alone in an eight-room penthouse, with a bedroom suitably decorated for Marie Antoinette, and a living room positively alive with silver and china ornaments and glittering chandeliers.

To round out the picture, I am plain and mousy, while Arlene is black-haired, flamboyantly beautiful and the last word in high-fashion chic. But we're the same size. And since Arlene wouldn't dream of wearing the same wardrobe two years running, she gives me her designer suits at the end of each year and I wear them for the next eight. "


May

A couple of years ago, just before I was to leave for London, I came home one afternoon to find the phone ringing. I answered it, and Arlene said, 'Where were you all day? I've been trying to get you.' 'I was downtown buying a raincoat for London,' I said.

And her voice came wailing over the wire, 'Why didn't you tell me you needed a raincoat? I have raincoats!'

'I just thought it would be nice,' I told her, 'if I bought something I needed, for a change!'

Would you like to know what she said in a disapproving tone? With thousands of dollars' worth of clothes she'd barely worn, hanging in my closet? She said, ' You're extravagant.'

My Favorite Author

My all time favorite writer is Helene Hanff, and my most favorite book of hers has to be "Letter From New York". It's a simple and non-fancy book, the author feels like someone you know. Indeed, Helene Hanff writes like a friend, talking vivdly about the city she had lived all her life. I often find myself seeking comfort in her words and even imagine living in New York City, sitting on the steps of her apartment building with her and her neighbors' friendly dogs, talking about everything under the sun.

Helene Hanff made me love books and opened my mind to reading. Sadly, she passed away in 1997. However, thanks to her books, I remain comforted in this friend whom I have never met.

Why Is Something Nonedescript Attractive To Me?

We were filming So Simple in Tokyo. I also sat at the spot where Peifen is sitting in this picture. It was near the treehouse cafe featured in episode 7. The neighborhood was a very simple and quiet one, despite it being smack in the middle of the city. The buildings, all not more than 5 stories tall, were quietly leaning on one another, looking neighborly like old friends. The sprightly looking vending machines made passers-by stop in their tracks and take time to glance over the neighborhood as they waited for their drinks. As I sat there with a can of warm milk tea in my hand, I noticed nothing special nor nothing shouting for attention. Yet, in that state of nothingness, there was a strong feeling of peace that made me beauty that is introverted and unassumingly diginified.

Good Design Sense

I'm usually very attracted to simple architecture that looks more functional than attention grabbing. And Tokyo has a lot of those nondescript yet strong-looking buildings. Japanese are just so good at expressing good design sense in an unassuming way. Which is a trait I find very attractive.

Received this wonderful book from a dear friend. A very comforting present from someone who knows what I like. The artist, Sempe, is one of my favorites alongside M.Sasek and L.S. Lowry.

Happy Little People

Happy little people created for friends, customers and myself.

First PoeticZakka Set for Sale

Our first item for PoeticZakka is ready for sale. Hop over to http://www.poeticzakka.blogspot.com/ if you are interested to purchase the set.

Favorite Little Things

1- Letter stamps belong to a good friend, Diana. Diana and I have similar taste for little things so we always end up buying the same stuffs even when we are shopping separately. 2 & 3 - Brown paper bag in a set of 5 and the soldier spoon Peifen bought for me while we were in Tokyo's Tokyu Hands. 4 - Handmade doll that belonged to my bro. 5- My rubber stamp carved from eraser. 6- Clock calendar is rusty now even though it is not very old. 7- I don't remember where I picked this character metal toy fridge from 8- Wooden peg bought from a zakka store in Taipei called "Cosy Corner". 9- Vinyl pencil case product I bought in Taipei in Eslite bookstore. 10- Vinyl envelope from Kurkka in Tokyo. 11- Rare souvenir of color pencils I bought when I attended Annecy Festival in France last June. 12- Eraser Melly bought me that speaks of so much character. 13- A pin I bought from an antique bookstore in Paris. 14- Badge brings back memories of London.

There is a new blog for some interesting zakka my friends and I are going to create and sell. It's going to take a while more. But when it is ready I will let you know.

http://www.poeticzakka.blogspot.com/

Truthful Year

I don't have the habit of making new year resolutions. I only mumble wishes to myself. Or grate on my family and close friends by repeatedly talking about the things I want to do but haven't done. If there is one resolution I must make, it's got to be one telling myself to STOP griping. Anyway, there are some interesting things which I hope will evolve into something serious so I will able to rope in a couple of like-minded people to do it together with me.

It's Been A Wonderful Year

Time to count my blessings... Many first times! First quarter of the year, I was involved in So Simple One, a wonderful production on Ch U. "Stripe on 69th" got nominated in a animation competition and gave me the chance to travel to France for the first time. Loved it! Then followed by more first trips - to Taipei, Tokyo and Brisbane for So Simple 2. So, 2007 was really full of surprises. Thank you!

My humble rubber stamp workshop

Back to Stripe on 69th

I have been putting aside my pet project, Stripe on 69th, for a while since working on and traveling for "So Simple 2" . Meeting up with a couple of financiers at the Asia Television Awards 2007 and talking about the animation made me rethink what is important and what needs to be done.

Even though Stripe on 69th the pilot has been on a few outings at the festivals in 2006 and 2007, and was nominated for a best tv pilot in Italy and a semi-finalist in LA, it still lacks refinement and there is so much that needs to be done to make it ready for anything.

The 7 min pilot took half a year to conceive and another half a year to produce... I can't imagine what work will be like for a tv series... and the amount of money it will require... but I am seriously looking forward to start work on it all over again, in the midst of all the other unrelated work I have to do.

Surprisingly, the outskirts of Taipei left a far deeper impression than the city. I enjoyed all the small little places and the folks there are a warmer and friendlier.

We had a moment ... just one moment, that would last beyond a dream, beyond a lifetime ...
(words from a Carole King song)

Our recent filming involved a trip to Taiwan. It was one of the best experiences I've had. In fact, it was more of a dream come true for the entire crew. The idea of going to such great length to do what we wanted to do seemed a little far-fetched at the beginning. Now that we're all back home, it felt even more surreal than when we had set out.

It was a wonderful exprience. We had many great moments, even though the weather hadn't been exactly helpful. But the great hospitality and warmth we received from the locals had more than made up for it. I'm sure my fella team-mates would agree. We couldn't ask for more. We're simple folks, quite easy to please.

Mystery solved!!!

Hi, I'm actually a character in the 1967 BBC animated series, Camberwick Green. And I could be the fish seller, Mr Callaway. Though he wore a blue outfit in the show and mine's very old and faded. But I'm truly a Gordon Murray creation!

I was picked up from the Great Western Antique Centre (pic on the left) in Bath 12 years ago.

I'm vintage.

A lot of ideas for work, including those silly ones, are conceived out of this room full of clutter. I like it gloomy, because it's more conducive for creative work, so I usually spend my late afternoons or rainy days in this room.

Ever Growing Clutter

If you compared this picture with that on the extreme left,

you can tell that more things have been added to my collection. Let me hightlight the new things - the lovely white storybook (from Switzerland), in front of those cute figurine pencils Peifen bought me. The print of LS Lowry's (my all time favorite artist) painting rested against the wall is a gift from my bro when he last visited London. And the other print hung above it is one I picked up from Puces Marche in Paris. The white with graphic lines porcelain ball is a paperweight from Australia my buddy Melly gave me. The unusual water bottle which resembles a perfume bottle is a welcome gift from Annecy Animation Festival. Together with the wooden box of crayons (in the foreground) which I bought for myself, these two items are the most representative of my trip to France in 2007. Lastly, the cute little "tweed" black and white coat on a torso was made by Diana, a very creative researcher and crafter for So Simple. I feel simply blissed out looking at these precious things everyday.

My French Experience

If it hadn't been for Stripe on 69th, my pet animation project, and my bro's support, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to experience Annecy and Paris in France. Annecy, near the French Alps of France, is where the yearly Annecy Animation Festival is held. It's easily one of the most lovely places I have been, with the famous medieval old town being right smack in the middle of the city centre. My good friend was in Annecy before me and she got the pleasure to check it out first. When she text to tell me she loved the city, I knew immediately I would feel the same, because we both have a common instinctive reaction to the places we like/dislike. Much as Annecy was about work for the reason of my trip, it also allowed my sister and I a really nice time together abroad; something we rarely do. In comparison, Paris turned out to be a little less attractive. Maybe it was crowded and busy when we were there. But the better part was, we got Alison's whole apartment to ourselves. And since it was in the suburbs, it gave us the chance to avoid the hustle bustle of the city when we didn't feel like too much noise. On the whole, I am thankful for having had the chance to see a bit of France, though the ten days I have stayed are not enough to constitute a bonafide French experience. It's more like a little keepsake.

My first children's book illustration

In the midst of all the frenzy trying to finish a government's project and preparing for my trip to Annecy, I also managed to complete, quite miralculously, the work for a children's book my good friend, Hamzah, has written and invited me to illustrate.

It's been almost a year since we started work on it. Not that the book actually required such a long time to do, but it was our busy day schedules in our day jobs that held up the process. But Hamzah said it was all good, that we took our time instead of rushing it.

"Little Orange, A Perfect Day", will be out in the bookstores hopefully in June to catch the school holidays. A typical arrangement for any children's book. It's a simple book with a good intention. I hope it'll be well received by the kids and their folks. Otherwise, it's still a wonderful experience.

Annecy, France

I grabbed these pictures from a website. Thankfully for them, I'm starting to be a li'l bit more interested in Annecy than I was before.

I will be there in June for an animation festival and the idea of having to meet industry people is really quite daunting. But then again it can't be more daunting than the fashion industry. Fashion people are a lot more bitchy and critical and even that, I survived.

But still, it's unchartered waters for me... I really don't know what to expect, except to try my best to do what I'm supposed to do there - NETWORK (how scary the word can be!).

Hopefully, the little nice place and people there can help to make things a bit more comfortable for me. Animation folks should be a bunch of playful and kooky people, I hope.

We'll see.

ps: received an overseas sms from my Peifen who's currently touring France and she told me she loved Annecy. How nice! Can't wait to hear more about if from her when she comes back a week before I take off.

THE CITY OF BATH

I talked about this place in one of my earlier posts. It's a city outside of London, and takes about two and half hour of train ride to get to. I was told many rich Londoners own houses in Bath 'cos it's more peaceful to live in.

I like Bath. The local people are really warm and friendly, despite the city looking even grimmer than London. It's a place that has left a deep impression and I know for sure I will definitely re-visit some day.

CENTRAL LONDON

The sights of London are paradoxical - you see a lot of people on the streets everyday, yet there is this certain "isolation" you feel as well. See that old man with the red hat on the top left? The picture at the bottom right was taken with a vintage snake skin medium format camera (the picture above) I picked up from Portobello. It was the first thing I bought from the market. It totally captured the mood of the city I felt there and then. Interesting, isn't it? That picture was taken at the same time as the other three. This is one of the reasons I love London - it impresses me with its quiet and unassuming dignity, which gives it a strong identity. At least that is the London I have fallen in love with.

NOTTING HILL


This is the neighborhood of Notting Hill. Pictures taken in 1995, the first time I was in London. I'm sure some of you know this place from the movie "Notting Hill" starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. It's a very interesting neighborhood though from what I understand, it's also an expensive one.

There's a carnival that takes place here every August. The last time I was there I didn't stay on till the carnival actually started except to see some of the stores setting up and the crowd gradually building up. I don't like big crowds and neither am I a fan of carnivals.

But I can imagine it to be quite an eye-opener. Here's an article i grabbed from the web :
Labroke Grove is the heart of the spectacular Notting Hill Carnival, held each August Bank Holiday since 1966. This holiday always falls on the last weekend of August with Sunday and Monday being the major carnival days. The festivities started as a local affair set up by the West Indian immigrants of the area and has become a full-blooded Caribbean carnival, attracting millions of people from all around the world. There are scores of massive ’sound systems’, many spectacular floats and steel drum bands additionally, to keep you well fed, there are hundreds of stalls lining the streets of the area selling all sorts of food and drink including Caribbean specialities.

London London

Pf and I share a common affinity for London that somehow connected us and founded our friendship. Not everyone who's been to London loves it.

We decided to exchange our photos of London the next time we meet for coffee. So I dug them out from a forgotten corner the other day. For some reasons, when I looked at the photos again, a certain familiar feeling of melancholy came back. Maybe because they're old (ten years), or maybe because there are memories involving some significant events. I'm eager to look at Pf's photos to see if they trigger the same emotion.

Meanwhile, I'll be going to Paris soon and so is Pf. But again, like before, we won't be doing the trip together. Let's see if we would both fall in love with Paris like we did with London...

What a Ride

They say life is a huge roller coaster ride - the fear, anxiety and anticipation, a mixed feeling of what is to come.

Some people are fortunate enough to ride through their lives without all these feelings; they get to play it safe. While the rest of us are not spared the deal.

I choose to think that life comes in a HUGE package because God can't make up his mind, so he throws in everything. Sometimes, I wonder if he's forgotten to include the tools or instruction manuals for some of the things to be used properly. But that's not his problem. He's already given us a brain and a heart, so I guess we just need to work those two and get our lives running.

Stripe on 69th is nominated for Best TV Pilot

I'd just received news that our animation short "Stripe on 69th" is nominated for Best TV Pilot in Cartoons on the Bay Festival, Italy!

Fella gang of 69th and all my buddies who support, you can see the nomination here:
http://www.cartoonsbay.com/en/03_pulcinella/01_nominations.shtml
scroll down to this category "Pilots of TV Series" and you'll see "Stripe on 69th"

What a great way to start the lunar new year!

It's nice to be around Wonderful People ...

... especially when you're working.

I think one of the meanings of life is really about how, at different times, you're placed among different people to see if nice fate works its magic and takes you further, or not so nice one makes you pray hard that you'll never ever have to cross the same path with them.

The latest group added to my List of Wonderful People is the one which I'm currently on a project together with. The executive producer, the makeup artist and the host - three extremely sweet, gentle and genuine individuals. THE best co-workers anyone can ever ask for!

I'm documenting this so I will always remember this nice feeling.