Illustrations, Me Like

Following the sketching post yesterday, here are several Indonesian illustrators I like. Wow, there are so many talented people out there.

Cecillia Hidayat

Jakarta-based illustrator

Aldriana A. Amir

Jakarta-based illustrator

Eveline Tarunadjaja 

  Melbourne-based Indonesian artist who takes inspiration from stories and fungus. I personally like her wildlife illustration series

 Updated: Oops, I forgot to include Pinot Ichwandardi (here and here), an Indonesian illustrator who currently resides in Kuwait with his wife and three kids

The Runway Sketches

“I always sketch at fashion shows. Drawings jog my memory more than any photograph… My system at the shows is to draw, sketch, put down everything, every single outfit, and worry later whether I liked it or not.”

- excerpted from Grace: A Memoir, by Grace Coddington (text and gif found at Ann Street Studio)

It reminds me of this post. Let's get our hands and brain to work:).

Backyard Crawlers

I only live a few hundreds meter away from Jakarta, but this Bekasi resident often stumbles with the wildlife most people don't even know exist in the area.  

Squirrels running along the electricity cables may be a common sight for you. How about a luwak (civet) doing the acrobatic on the very same cable? The one I saw has long bushy tail, short feet and a long snout profile. I knew it's a luwak because it emitted the fragrant pandan smell as it moved. 

We could start a kopi luwak factory if we could catch the animal. Hahaha, naah, I prefer to see it roaming in the wild.

Burung gereja (sparrows) are common birds in the area, but I once saw a green-chested little bird eating the caterpillar in my backyard. Oblivious to my presence, the little bird continued on its hunt for green caterpillars. Too bad I don't know much about birds and too bad I didn't have my camera with me at the moment.

Since this year is the Year of the Water Snake, I can't help but remember the snakes I've seen in my home. Our move to Bekasi some 20 years ago has allowed me to see many snakes, from the black ones to black with yellow rings, because the land where my old home was built used to be swamps. The scariest snake discovery was the one curling up like a Baygon mosquito incense under the bed.

There was a myth that if one kill a snake, there would be more snakes coming because they are looking for their sibling. Well, we killed a snake and indeed, more snakes did come. 

When we moved in to the new home two years ago, we thought it would be the end of the snake encounter. Wrong. The neighbor next door has many trees, which make nice homes for snakes. And so we got a visit from a small black snake with the triangular shaped head.  It curled around the telephone cable and I mentioned it casually to M,"It looks like a snake over there, M."

As M ran to wake D (so that he could kill it), I looked at the snake and said,"Hey cute little snake, if you're a good and kind creature, I'm telling you to leave now to where you come from because my dad would be here soon and he would kill you." Boy, I've been reading Harry Potter series too often, I'm imagining myself as a parsel tongue. Anyway, the snake winked its eyes (or maybe I was only imagining it) and then it slithered through the air ventilation. The next morning, D closed all air ventilation with mosquito net.

Morals from the story:

1) Avoid killing the wildlife creatures when possible

2) Always carry a camera to photograph the said creatures

Below are several backyard crawlers that I managed to photo.

Hello!

Recently my backyard was invaded with the caterpillars. They look ugly now, but wait a few weeks later when they turn into butterflies and you'll love them:).

Unfortunately, not all caterpillars can survive. RIP dear caterpillar.

 

One night, as I  went to the kitchen, I saw this slithering creature on the floor.

Sorry for the blur, I took the photos quickly.

It looked like a shell-less snail, but I suspected that it was a leech. So I reported it to M, who was on the verge of sleeping, about the possibility of a shell-less snail. 

"It can't be a shell-less snail, it must be a leech. We found one leech this afternoon. Just toss it to the fish pond," M said, sleepily.

So I did what most obedient daughters would do: woke up D so he could toss the leech to the pond :P.

Pieces Of My Weekend

Hello, kind people!

How was your weekend? While you may be filling up the weekend by eating and doing healthy stuffs, I do the opposite. Saturday morning found me eating the newest flavor of Indomie instant noodle: Indomie Goreng Cabe Ijo (green chili fried noodle).

I haven't eaten any instant noodle this year, so I guess it's okay to eat one last Saturday. Whatever, it's my guilty pleasure:). Anyway, the product's tagline says "Ijo, Hot, Mantap" (green, hot and... umm not really sure which word to describe mantap in this case, but maybe...strong?), so when I saw the final result I was a bit disappointed.

It's not as green as I expected and not spicy enough (ha! I'm a chili snob :P). Indomie should at least make the noodle green, with organic color agent of course.  M likes spicy foods, so she falls for this one.

Next week, I'll try the other flavor. Stay tuned for further adventure in the land of instant noodle. Oh, and this is not a sponsored post :D.

On Sunday, we went to the polling booth to cast our votes in the West Java gubernatorial election. I didn't even know there was an election last Sunday! So when I reached the polling booth, the first thing I did was to take a look at the candidates.

Oh wow, there were three celebrities fighting for the West Java's top seat. Famous they may be, I was not familiar with their vision-mission. I still exercised my political rights though.

After casting the vote, I went to Gramedia bookstore to buy few things. Then I saw crowds along Jatinegara market and it dawned on me: it's Cap Go Meh (the 15th day of Lunar Year) festivities!

Happy Monday!

Films And Wedding Expos

Manimal: Pedestrians walk past a mural depicting graft convicts as half-man, half-animal creatures awaiting execution by guillotine. The murals, which adorn an overpass in Simprug, South Jakarta, are part a street project against corruption. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama, link)

Hello, Friday!

Let's move on from the depressing thoughts (and posts) and have a fun activity this weekend! What do we have this weekend? Well, there is a monthly movie screening at Erasmus Huis, featuring Doodslag, while IFI Salemba will screen Les Choristes at 5 p.m. If you are planning a wedding this year, you may want to check out the wedding expos at Hotel Century Park and Hotel Indonesia Kempinski only this weekend.

Have a wonderful weekend, y'all!

The Thought That Came After Reading This Comic Strip

From gocomics

While I've never tutored anyone to be successful as Rose did, I have my share of "What am I doing with my life?" face/moment.

A few days ago I attended an event, which was organized by an former journo fellow. Since she doesn't have to work every day, she now lives in the suburb, where she can see Mount Salak, ride bicycle around a lake and sit under the shades of rambutan trees. What's not to envy? That's career-wise.

On family-wise, three cousins will hold their weddings this year, while other five cousins already have cute children. Me? I am playing parent for my parents, who can be both cute and annoying, especially when they pester me to get married. Of course I'll get married... if a decent man proposes.

Then there is the education factor, as I persist on the seemingly hopeless efforts of scholarship hunt, while many friends leave the country to pursuit higher education abroad with the support of their workplace. Enough said.

All these factors lead to that question above. Here I am, having just celebrated my existence in this world for 33 years, and now I wonder if I've done everything right. Just call it third life crisis (not mid life crisis...yet).

Then I read the comments on that comic strip (just click on the source link and then scroll down) and I feel a bit at peace. After all, we are only parts of this universe and each person has his/her own role to play, so let's play it right. 

Wishing you a terrific Thursday, my friends. If you think that your life is not perfect, remember that there is "perfect" in imperfect :).  

Cat Nap

For me, looking at cat photos is a good way to de-stress. Especially if the cats in question are sleeping :). Above are stray cats that have taken refugee at my home, except the ginger cat that is lounging at the nearby warung (food stall).

Happy catnapping:).