Red-whiskered bulbul

Red-whiskered bulbuls (scientific name: Pycnonotus jocosus) can be seen in Singapore if you look hard enough. They are recognised by their an upright black crested head and crimson red patches under their tail and on their cheeks(which are adorably also called "whiskers").

Photo taken from Singaporebirds.blogspot.sg

 
I myself have never seen it until it was under my block one day, below a tree. I managed to capture it with a zoom lens camera.

According to the book "The naturalist guide to the birds of Singapore", this bird is an uncommon resident of Singapore, and originate from escapes. It is also noted that its population started in the 1910s, but is "continually supplemented by recent escapes, since the species is popular as a pet bird here." Interestingly though, it is usually seen in pairs but recorded small flocks of as many as 20 have been seen.  Reportedly, its nesting is from April to May. 

The Red-whiskered bulbul feeds on fruits such as berries and figs, on top of seedlings and flower buds. It also feeds on insects that are on trees, branches or on the ground. 

In fact, this bird was featured on S$5 notes of the "Bird Series" currency notes released by the Monetary Authority of Singapore between 1976 and 1984. 

You can listen to the sound it makes here. (Video taken from Youtube)

Faber Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour Pencils Review

I had a rare opportunity to travel to Tokyo last week and managed to find these Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils from Faber Castell at an art supply store called 'Sekaido' in Shinjuku area. Even though the cost of each pencil was pricier than other brands of watercolour pencils, I was excited and had to get my hands on them as I've heard that they are one of the best watercolour pencils in the market.

When I colour a subject with these pencils, the texture and feel of them is somewhat like any other watercolour pencil or coloured pencil for that matter. However, once I added water to "liquify" the colours, the creaminess and vibrancy of the different colours are revealed. The smooth and buttery consistency definitely shows that this brand of watercolour pencils are a class above the rest. I would most likely get more next time I get the chance.

 These are the few ones that I got. (above) and the swatches of the colours I chose (below).

Another plus point on these pencils that may be a cut above the rest is that they do not leave streaky or smudgy lines when you wet the colours. This is probably due to its smooth and creamy consistency, and highly pigmented quality which I really appreciate.

From what I have tried and tested, the greens and yellow are for sure the brightest colours I have encountered for a watercolour pencil. Another brand that I think may come close to these Faber Castell Albrecht Durer pencils are probably the Derwent Inktense watercolour pencils. However, Albrecht Durer ones are definitely creamier when water is introduced.

Here's a video taken from Youtube on a review of these pencils. 

Hope you enjoyed reading this review. Do leave a comment if you like. Cheers! :)

Eclectic Blossoms

Breaking out from conventional art materials and into exploring watercolour crayons can be fun and exciting. Trying out the Caran D'ache Neocolor II watersoluble crayons that I have kept for quite some time can be daunting at first because you don't know what to expect, especially when you are used to conventional tube watercolours and don't know what to expect. 

However, the thick and highly concentrated pigments of these crayons make it easy to work with. Almost butter-like, these crayons are soft and easy to layer on paper (I used watercolour paper) and very responsive to water, making it easy for colours to spread around a page. 

I sketched out a page of flower and coloured them using these Caran D'ache Neocolor II crayons. I outlined the pencil marks with India Ink to make the flowers pop. This is  called "Eclectic blossoms"

 

 Also on the subject of these crayons, I also used the greens of these crayons (what I have) to make it into a background, and I sprayed some colour shimmer spray on top of it. Here's the result. You can see the vibrancy and vividness of the colours. Love it.

The need to do what I "must" do

I came across this interesting article that spoke to me today. Called 'The difference between what you "should" do and what you "must" do', the article reaffirms life's priorities and segregates the differences between what is internally important versus what others in general view is important. 

A refreshing article, it states that "must" is... The writer states that, "must" is "who we are, what we believe, and what we do when we are alone with our truest, most authentic self." Reading this section, it reignites a flame in me that seems to have died or put off by the "shoulds" of what society thinks.At the end of the day, it is what we "must" do to fulfill our own goals, dreams and ideals. After all, we are all living our own lives. We have to take care of ourselves first before we can take care of others.

So if I ask myself, "how do I connect to my own life?" In order to do that, we must know and reflect deeply on what we really want. Something that can be difficult these days with so many distractions and with social media influencing us on a daily basis, it is hard to focus on our true calling.

Hence it is rather important to realise that we must choose "must" daily, to live our lives fully, and start creating ourselves in our own light. Go forth, push forward, and strive to be true authentic beings of our own goals and dreams.

A sight of nature

Flowers and huge ants usually do not go together, but I saw both today at very close proximity. Some adorable small yellow flowers caught my attention and thankfully just in time, I saw a trail of huge fire ants just next to it and stopped in time before I got too near. Nonetheless, I took a shot of the line of countless ants before I moved away.

Sun was setting and sunlight was peeking in between the trees. Such a lovely and comforting sight.

Then I saw some gorgeous shades of green from the trees at the opposite side.

Just a sense of calmness by looking at these trees. I am so thankful to be able to experience these sights daily.

Discovery of a beautiful green

Playing with acrylics and discovering mixes is quite an experience. It leaves your mind pondering more about what other colour mixes can come out of my other tubes.

I mixed acrylic paints Winsor and Newton's 'Burnt Sienna' with Liquitex's 'Light Blue Permanent' and got a very nice dark sap/olive mix type of green. It was a nice surprise how beautiful this green is. It got me thinking of starting this color mixing project and discovering what other colours I can achieve.

Aside from the experiments planned ahead for acrylics, I will also be exploring on watercolours. I am so grateful to myself for delving deeper into the art world and discovering watercolours. Something I touched upon when I was a kid but never really played much with unfortunately. It's not too late to start something, and I hope to learn much more from what I have started to know.

Guardians of the Galaxy - A review (spoiler alert)

Guardians Of The Galaxy opened in cinemas yesterday night and I managed to catch the night show. I was glad I did, as it was quite a treat.

Forget the sophistication and glorious superhero-type music like The Avengers. This was something way cooler. At least for me. Plus critics have also mentioned that this could be the best Marvel movie they've had so far.

The show starts out with the history of the young "Star-Lord"/Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and what brought him to the movie's dystopian sci-fi present day situation. I was immediately drawn into the movie when the opening scene started with 10cc's "I'm not in love". This was one of my favourite songs in the 80s that I used to listen to in my primary school days on early mornings while I was in my school bus.

Anyway, the movie continued to bring joy and laughter to the audience with its upbeat script (well done to James Gunn, Nicole Perlman and the comic book writers) and engaging characters. What kept the movie interesting and energetic were the slapstick humour and clever one-liners and a good selection of songs in its retro themed soundtrack.

The main five characters - Peter, Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), Drax the destroyer (professional wrestler Dave Bautista) and a very cute Rocket (a talking racoon voiced by Bradley Cooper) - were fun to watch and exhibited good chemistry with one another. The visual effects were also very impressive.

I love the story's plot and characters. I love the witty script. I love the music. I just love everything about the movie.

Indeed, I can safely say it's one of the best movies I've watched this year.

Learning to manage my everyday

I have been reading a small but powerful book that is hugely needed for procrastinators (like me). The subject matter is basically about managing time more efficiently and having a routine set everyday.

Here are some key takeaways regarding building a "rock-solid routine" which are from "Manage your day-to-day: Build your routine, find your focus and sharpen your creative mind". The below are quoted from the book.

1. Great work before everything else.
>> Do your most meaningful creative work at the beginning of your day, and leave "reactive work" - like responding to email or other messages - for later.

2. Jump-start  your creativity
>> Establish "associative triggers" - such as listening to the same music or arranging your desk in a certain way - that tell your mind it's time to get down to work.

3. Feel the Frequency
>> Commit to working on your project at consistent intervals - ideally everyday - to build creative muscle and momentum over time.

4. Pulse and Pause
>> Move rhythmically between spending and renewing your energy by working in ninety-minute bursts and then taking a break.

5. Get lonely
>> Make a point of spending time alone each day (which I do a lot of but not really reflective). It's a way to observe unproductive habits and thought processes, and to calm your mind.

6. Don't wait for moods
>> Show up, whether you feel inspired or not.

Things that I'm grateful of today - 6th January 2014

1. That I manage to get the Lack TV bench at Ikea Alexandra after it was sold out earlier.

2. That I got to pay bills and buy BBQ meat for the mom...as per requested...

3. That I found a cool and ergonomic red Hershel shoulder bag at half price! It was on sale and I love it! (The bag is quite light and very useful for carrying my laptop)

Well, I haven't really done anything artful today except for the fact that I got myself a nice looking bag (pics to be shown later). I suppose that counts... :P

More to be done tomorrow! I will probably be trying out new cosmetics and reviewing them later this week. Cheers.

June is an eventful month:)

It's been a long time since I have felt this nervous but good at the same time. This is me, experiencing the apprehension yet secretly excited and hoping for great things to come. Yup, it was back to corporate life and corporate people again in June. 

Working in a sort of government-ish setting can create a scary yet somewhat safe feeling within, even if it's imaginary. The vibe of uncertainty and low confidence of not having done this in a long long time is definitely stressful but yet has given me a short moment of joy every morning after the daily newsy stuff is done, and there's a breather; heaves of temporary relief. 

The hazardous one-week haze also brought people together...I'm grateful for having really kind and thoughtful people around me...good food on some mornings, warm honey water when the haze was bad, comforting recognition/messages/emails of gratitude when I put in the effort to get something for them...it really seems like too good to be true..but I know it's God's blessing and way of looking after me.. and I'm really thankful...

Although weary from lack of sleep (becoming a norm on Mondays), something good happened today. I made a couple of minor connections from a tea break gathering in the office. Just a short interaction with colleagues can work wonders for one's emotion...uplifting the worst of moods n reinforcing self-belief in the strangest ways. Just the other day when one colleague asked if I'm doing ok, and started chatting with me, made me feel so happy I thought something was wrong with me... Then I thought, it's human interaction that brings the best out in us. As Brene Brown said, we are all connected, and that is why we yearn for that connection with people... it's simple, yet so powerful. 

And so, tomorrow is a new day... I guess I have to be less pessimistic and unsure; more positive and confident, and believe that anything is possible...just work hard and keep on keeping on... 

Peace out (for now) <3

And so, the fourth day of the first month of the year passes us by...and the fifth awaits...

Tried the chia seeds this morning, and made hubbs drink it just now...haha...tasted ok, not much of a taste, but more of a gooey texture after mixing with water...will probably drink it mixed with water and see what effects it has after some time. :)

Went to the library and borrowed books on PCOS and blogging...haha... this is what I ate for brekkie after the chia seeds in the morning.

Bought chromium picolinate and biotin too, was reading about my PCOS and what are the good supplements to take to balance blood sugars, etc...Nature's farm was having a whopping 40% discount, so decided it's a good time to buy and try...

Had "grand salad" for lunch again (I had it yesterday as well) and thank goodness, I didn't feel hungry...I think the chia seeds must have helped with the "fullness" since it kinda expands in your stomach...

So far, project healthy seems to be going well...I watched this video today of Nikki Philippi...one of my favourite Youtubers...she's so chirpy and happy...she's even stayed in SG for a while before...cool girl...

...and I think like what she says, it's good to break down goals into specifics small actions....going to try it out that way...5 minutes of whatever needs to be done. Seems effective...I need to list it down like hers! Goal for tomorrow...haha :P


Action plan for baby making by next week: Do a blood test. Both me and the hubbs...to clear us for a more prepared planned pregnancy...taking more folic acid and getting him to take more zinc-rich foods. Yep. :P

Oh yes, we bought a juicer today! Woot Woot! Have been wanting one for AGES! Finally got one, and going to start juicing tomorrow! Going to get into the habit of veggies/green juices every morning ya know...let the stomach/intestines absorb all the goodness first thing....yay for health.

Lastly, reflections from http://csctr.net/reflections that I find inspiring...and healing...and remembering forgiveness.

"Every beginning spells hope for the future, just like the birth of a little infant.  When we begin a new job, a new chapter in life or a new relationship, there is always the hope that the new beginning will bring something to enrich our lives. 

Jesus also gives us a new beginning by affirming our goodness and giving us hope.

We too must learn to give others a new beginning by not harping on the past and reminding them of their past mistakes. We must free them from the past by affirming them in their goodness, strengthening them in their virtues, encouraging them in their efforts, consoling them in their failures and most of all, forgiving them when they fall.  In this way they will become more and more the redeemed people of God and we in turn become like God since we love our brothers and sisters the way God loves us all."

3rd January

Nothing really significant happened today...was driving a lot....sending Kevin to work, fetching him and sending us home from Bukit Batok...did some reading..definitely need to read more...

Bought a really nice and cool planner from Kino today...super love it...only one left that is wrapped and really happy with my purchase! :)

Also was reminded about chia seeds from a bestie, and decided to buy it to try when I found it in NTUC just now...apparently it helps weight loss too! Coolios... :P

Today's advice:
 K needs to take more L-arginine and tomatoes for sperm motility and count...

Also we are planning to get a juicer this week so we can make some green juice everyday! Cheers to healthy veggie living...in a way... :P 

Tonight is the 2nd night of January 2013... and I know I am blessed. I am also grateful for this life, so I'm going to try to blog daily in giving thanks.

My word for 2013 is 'Gratitude'. In general, I am thankful for things that I have, and the people around me. Hence I chose that word.

First home-cooked meal of 2013

My sub-word (if there is ever such a thing called subword) for January, is 'Vision'. I'll be envisioning a better year, and by doing that, I will also put plans into action of course. :)

Today's bible phrase/quote is, "Make a straight way for the Lord." With that, I will prepare myself for the Lord, in changing my ways to be more organized, clear and active for Him...

1st of January bible quote is,

"May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace."

Action plan for baby-making:
Today I went out for a short jog/quick walk at the beach, but obviously it's not enough...

What I learnt:
Aim for 30 minutes of exercise a day, combining cardio/aerobics and strength training, and stretching. Be in good shape. (p.21 of What to expect before you are expecting [WTEBYAE])

Love Faber-Castell Pitt Pens. It's great for mixed media and shading onto canvas or watercolour paper. In the above video, the artist shows how great it looks in his sketches and drawings. Lovely lovely pen!

Also, I have been following Christy Tomlinson, mixed media artist on her videos and online workshops. She's absolutely fantastic and really adore her techniques and art works. I look up to her and always love watching her video tutorials and "how -to"s.

Here's one:

And another:

Back to Nature..

I started jogging at East Coast Park last week and am planning to continue. These photos are from the last two weeks. I'm loving nature and am appreciating every moment and beauty of the nature around me, so near my home. The beach and nature are like my second home... I'm cherishing it and treasuring the simple fact of this.

The picture below is taken outside Avalon club at Marina Bay Sands. Was with a girlfriend at a private day event.

Back at ECP and took a photo coz I loved the Pong Pong Tree flowers. The white petals and yellow pollen (?) combination was gorgeous.

Waves crashing in....a beautiful sight!