Happy New Year 2011!

So it is now the year 2011 - it's the year of new beginnings for me, since a lot of life-changing events occurred to me in 2010, and unfortunately not everything was good... Anyway, I'm not the type to mope about since I'm too much of an optimist for that, hehe. I'm not saying the not-so-good things that happened weren't emotionally difficult to take but what good is it for me to ponder over them. The best thing to do is to look forward and have faith. I aim to achieve a lot this year. How best to start but with the typical new year resolutions (achievable ones!), haha.

+ Be punctual and work smart
+ Achieve my target weight and get fit
+ Brush up on all my foreign languages
+ Work on at least one drawing a week
+ Work on at least one manga per quarter
+ Bake at least once a month
+ Keep in touch with family and friends regularly
+ Travel more
+ Get another qualification

I think that's all. Some may be too insignificant to be called a resolution, but who cares. It's more of a reminder for me. XD

Anyway, hope everyone is having a brilliant start to the year! Take care and will update again soon...

"Beginning is easy, continuing is hard."
dr.rin.79 | artist.mangaka

Selamat Tahun Baru 2009!

Firstly, I'd like to wish everyone a very:

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009

I didn't do much on New Year's Eve! Was meant to meet up with my cousin Yusri who just got back from Australia that very afternoon, but that was cancelled! Gomen ne, Yus-kun! :( Unfortunately, I came down with the flu, what a way to start the new year!

Anyway, a bit of reflection, 2008 was a pretty good year for me. I achieved quite a bit:

• I started a new job.
• I made new friends and got to know some of my relatives better.
• I started doing yoga (and can now do a headstand - not perfectly yet, though!).
• I managed to lose some weight (but need to lose more and get fit, hehe!).
• I started drawing more and established a manga-drawing circle with Pip & Fel.
• I finished my German language course.
• I started saving for the future.
• and so on...

As for last year's resolutions, I only achieved 60% of them, so I must thrive to achieve better in 2009. So without further ado, here are my resolutions for this new year:

1. Improve my skills in Business Finance.
   
2. Continue with my Japanese language lessons.
3. Improve my Malay, German and French language skills.
4. Achieve punctuality.
5. Draw at least one manga.
6. Lose weight and MAINTAIN the weight loss!

Hmmm, my 2009 resolutions aren't exactly major life-changing ones, but that's okay. I'm not putting any of those in the list, since they are ones I constantly try to achieve and improve on - they do not need a time limit, hehe.

Oh, yeah, I changed the look of my blog yet again - this time to mark the New Year! ;) I've never used a manga/anime image for my background before, so this is a nice change! I decided on the Ren-sama and Kyouko pairing for the first one! XD Can you tell that I love "Skip Beat!"? Haha! Anyway, hope everyone's enjoying the first day of the new year! Peace! ;)

"Beginning is easy, continuing is hard."
dr.rin | artist.mangaka

A new beginning...

So another one of my 2008 resolutions was achieved yesterday when I signed the contract for my new job... Yes, you heard me, I am now employed!!! And not just any job, the job that I've been dying to get my hands on since I first heard about it! Uh-huh, the one with the Sungai Liang Authority. I am over the moon! Anyway, I officially start work on the 1st of October, which may or may not be the first day of Hari Raya (Eid), I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Heh, personally, I'd prefer it if Hari Raya fell on the 2nd of October, since I'll end up having a 4-day weekend after just one day of work, haha. But seriously, doesn't bother me either way. Anyway, just wanted to share with everyone my happy news! xxx

ps: The image above is of a Koru pendant (identical to the one I got in New Zealand). The Koru in Maori culture is a symbol which represents new beginnings or new growth.

Update [14.9.08 @ 22:39]: I decided to change the design/colour scheme of my blog to signify a turning point! ;p

"Beginning is easy, continuing is hard."

Aesthetic Tribute: November 2007

Haha, yeah, this is a late submission! I had a lot on my plate during the last few months so never got the chance to finish the drawing till recently. Anyway, it's a fanart of Hayami Masumi from the manga "Glass Mask". I've uploaded two versions: inked and coloured. Yeah, I'm going to start colouring my drawings. Though I still prefer just pencil sketches, I know I need to improve my colouring skills. On a side note, I have now achieved one of my new year resolutions, haha!

Will 2008 be a good year?

Or is the more appropriate question "Will I be good this year?", haha! Anyway, this is the usual ritual of making a list of new year's resolutions! Since I've only managed to achieve 43% of 2007's resolutions, some of the ones below may be familiar, hehe. So here goes!

1. Get a job (yes, it seems I'm still on holidays, haha!)
2. Get fit and eat healthily (target weight must be reached by next birthday in July!)
   
3. Brush up on at least one of my known languages (Malay, German, Japanese, French)
   
4. Do more coloured illustrations
5. Draw at least one manga
6. Keep my websites up-to-date and learn CSS
   
7. Keep up with current affairs and history
8. Establish a good work routine (basically, no procrastinating!)
9. Do a part-time art course
10. Save money (be thrifty!)

As you can see, this is almost half of what I listed last year. I've learnt my lesson and accepted that less is good and more achievable, hehe. Let's see how I'll do in the new year. Wish me luck! ;D

On a break...

Haha, sounds more like something one would say about one's romantic relationship when it's on the rocks! ;P But alas, no... I literally mean that I'm on a break, a few moments' respite from almost working non-stop! So I decided to update my blog. Last I checked, it's just over a month since my last post. I really should have at least one for the month of January, and since I missed the usual blog on New Year's resolutions, here they are (and not in any prioritised order!):

01) Get a REAL job (haha!) - academia just doesn't count! ;D
02) Get fit and eat healthily.
03) Brush up on at least one of my known languages (i.e. Malay (dear god!), Japanese and French).
04) Read more books (no academic texts this time!).
05) Draw more.
06) Learn CSS (html is obsolete, NOT!).
07) Keep up with current affairs AND history!
08) Keep in touch more regularly with family and friends.
09) Get the "Dr" into my name!
10) Travel more (that includes visiting the friends I haven't seen in so very long!).
11) Take up at least one sport (e.g. go to the gym, badminton, fencing, archery, swimming, running, squash).
12) Act more my age (Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!).
13) Learn to sew.
14) Cook and bake more.
15) Establish a good work routine (basically, no procrastinating!).
16) Learn German

I don't know, I have a feeling I might not have time to achieve most of these things before the end of 2007, but it's good to dream. Hmmm, wonder if it has anything to do with turning the big three-O this July! Ack! :( Anyway, what I might do is put a little section of the side bar stating any resolution that was achieved this year.

Okay, it's almost at the end of my break. I shall wish you all adieu till next time. ;D I'm actually feeling great at the moment (despite everything!), hope it'll be a good year for me and others! :)

Oh, yeah, just a quick update - Stella and Dermot are getting married on the 15th of March 2008! Enough time for me to get fit, hehe! ;P

[anime.character.of.the.blog: syaoran of

tsubasa.reservoir.chronicle]