I Don't...........and I won't

I don't like litterbugs in our country. They keep littering in public places. They just cannot control themselves. 
Litterbugs are very difficult to spot even with my "four eyes" prowling the streets when I'm outdoor. I won't hesitate to give them a piece of my mind if I ever see one.
I hope everyone can give a little effort to stop littering. It is a worsening problem here. 

Denzel Washington - The Equalizer 2014

This country is getting dirtier everyday and we need strong enforcement & penalties to stop littering. 








The Hougang Kids thinking what to do without their gadgets.

Digital-painting is the "in" thing these days. I have started to  learning it.

But I don't want to throw away my paper and brushes just yet.

Most of my paint brushes were passed down from my dad and they have some sentimental values to me.

I won't buy any new brush. My current brush stock would last me a lifetime. 

Running with my Boss at park connector. 

Age is catching up for this old man.
My knees are "clicking".
My eye-sight is turning cloudy and my hands are shaky.
I don't know how long I could  still run and draw and my mind is still sound.

But for now, I won't stop running or drawing caricatures. Everyone should have some hobbies to remain agile and active.







Since 2009, I don't join mass runs anymore. 
They are expensive and overly-crowded.
I don't like runners running in groups as they don't care and often run in horizontal lines blocking other runners.

But I won't hesitate to run for a good cause. I participated in the 2014 POSB Run For Kids to raise funds for disadvantaged children.  

If you want to sponsor me for runs, just contact me. I can run for you with your name & BIB. You can keep the certificate, goodie bag and its goodies.

Megan FOX

I don't understand why people tattoo their bodies, especially on their backs.
They are for who to see ?
And you need a double-mirror to see your  own tattoos on your back. Isn't this strange ?

Some tattoos are so funny and vain, that I won't stop laughing (silently of course).
If you want to tattoo, at least choose something that is artistic,.......or appealing.

I won't tattoo on my own body and I won't recommend it to anyone.

Scarlett Johannson - LUCY 2014

I don't draw female caricatures very well.
I don't know why & I don't like to give up.
It usually takes me more tries before I get it right.

But I won't reject any request from female customers, if they agree to wait & pay well.

All good things must wait, right ? 

I don't have the means & resources to do missionary and volunteer works overseas like this man who does it almost every year. 

But I won't hesitate to volunteer if someone were to sponsor me. I could contribute my labour and time.
Just contact me with your details and needs. 

The Hougang Kids with the selfie stick I gave them.

I don't and would never take selfies.
I find it a weird thing to do.
I consider this as self-obsessive and I won't do it.

But I will continue to use my tripod for taking own photos with a self-timer camera.
I don't know why I have 3 tripods. I should sell 2 away.

Baby ZAC (3 months old) 

I don't understand why people like to take selfies & upload their photos on social media. 
I don't do it, as I consider this as narcissism on the extreme. But I do post my self-caricature to tell stories or just for laughs.

I won't upload & share my photos on social media.
Why let others see your private stuff for free ?
I have nothing to show off or boost except my drawings & caricatures.  

Hougang Gang

I don't think our productivity would ever goes up.
People are always busy or looked busy with their smart devices. 

People's minds are always occupied and distracted. 
Where to find time to think or reflect ?

I won't approve exposing young children to smart devices. Their eyesight, brains and psychomotor skills will be wrecked by technologies.   

The Weekend BIRDING buddy

I like photography of nature, natural landscapes and wildlife.

But I don't use expensive cameras & equipment. They are costly, heavy and inhibit my mobility. I like to keep things simple. Just point & shoot type.

But if you disagree & think otherwise, I won't rebut or stop you. It's your choice of doing things your way.





These are stuffs that I don't and won't do.
Some said this is our own guiding principles or self-rules.
They govern our thoughts, behaviours & attitudes.
Everybody has them.
What are your own rules & guiding principles ?




Disclaimer :

What you see & read here, are purely my own views, opinions & perceptions about the topic.

I fully understand that others may not think or feel the same like I do. 

It's OK to think otherwise. After all we are all human.

If you don't like what you read or see here, just ignore it & move on.

There is no need to sulk or complain.

 

I just refuse...

Thank you everyone who has voted for this blog.
I'm grateful to all those F-Supporters who put in time & effort to ensure that my blog does not rank last on vote counts.

Thank you to all my fans, friends, family members, followers, fellow-colleagues, and fun-loving people.

This June, I submitted this blog to share my artwork for the fun. But I refuse to believe that it would ended up as a finalist. I must thank the judges for selecting this blog entry.

My "boss" also refused to believe me until I show her the confirmation email and portal from the organiser.
Then she refuses to stop scrambling for votes.
Thank you boss. Dessert on me.   





2014 FIFA World Cup. Argentina lost to Germany 0-1



With limited fans, friends & followers with FB account, I knew from the beginning this entry wouldn't be top on vote counts.

But I refused to let it dampen the fun.
Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose. It's like that.

Someone said : what we lack in quantity, we must make up in quality. And I think this is the way to do it.

Whatever the outcome, I refuse to stop drawing & posting my artworks for others to enjoy.

American caricaturist Al Hirschfeld (1903-2003) said :
"Artists are just children who refuse to put down their crayons." 

And I think he is probably right.

PM with the most difficult & challenging tasks.  

Life is unpredictable and short for some.
And I refuse to forgive those who committed crimes that caused innocent lives to be lost. It's cruelty and against humanity.

Some years ago, I organised an oversea recreation trip for 100 employees & their families. I refused to do it the simplest way. I split the group & put key-staff into 3 different flights, took-off from 3 different airports & arrived at different times. It was not a company's protocol, but I felt this was the right thing to do. Surprisingly, my managing director chose to fly with me. I refused to ask him why. I guess he thought this would be his safest bet. 

This country is getting dirtier everyday.
Litters are found everywhere.
When I see a litterbug, I refuse to do nothing but to tick them off & get them to dispose their litter the proper way.
If they still refuse, I'll show them my "triumph" card.
I just could not understand why people refuse to control their behaviour in public.

My parents told me repeatedly never to judge a book by its cover.
Never to pre-judge a person.
But I refuse to agree with them all the times.
In some situations, I just have the hunch to predict their outcome.

I know this is a problem, but I refuse to seek "treatment". I just keep it to myself. Besides, I believe many others have it too.



When I come across funny and humorous caricatures or cartoons, I just refuse not to admire their creations. I wonder how these artists get their inspirations and keep them inside their heads !

For a very long time, I refuse to have a FB account.
It's just a time-sucker thing people like to do every other minute. But all my friends are "living" inside it.

These days, everybody is asking for your FB account to register for this & that event. So, I created one for myself.
But I refuse to put my personal and sensitive information inside it. 

I also refuse to post my photos on these platforms.
I think it's dangerous to do so. Besides, you can never control how others would use your stuff. And it's very tough to get stuff removed after you have posted them online.

Taking a break on a 12km walk (bishan park to Garden by the Bay)

In this blog, I refuse to post or re-post other people's stuff. Why would someone comes here to look at someone's stuff ?
They can just google it.

All contents and stuff posted in this blog are my own creations. It takes time & efforts to create them. Be patient, my friends.

I also refuse to post people's photos unless they are famous people, celebrity or movie stars. I respect people's privacy.



Running at Bishan Park.

Age is catching up for this old man, and I can feel the aches and pains in every joints. Just like an old horse who is near retirement from race. 

But running is the cheapest way to remain active and agile and also to clear the mind. For now, I refuse to stop running even though it takes longer to recover from each run and exercise. 

When I'm running, I refuse to carry my mobile devices. My reason is simple : why carry extra weight when you run ?            My "boss" keeps nagging at me, but I refuse to listen.
 




Zhang ZIYI (Chinese actress)

Drawing perfect and good-looking faces is the most challenging task for me, especially women.
You have to get the "5 elements" right in shape, size and positions. Otherwise, it looks like somebody's else.

But as a stubborn old man, I simply refuse to give up. I did many sketches to create this drawing here. Even this drawing is not perfect and is below my expectation.





Few years ago, I did a caricature of a woman. She refused to let me publish it in my blog. She told me her fear that all her friends would recognise her in the drawing.
But I refused to listen as I own all my drawings' copyrights. Besides, I don't publish her photos with the drawings. Why worry, I told her.

If you want to buy over your drawing's copyright, please talk to me in person.
Money talks, and very loudly too......(chuckle)
 
"It seems the older you get, the more life comes into focus."
John C. Maxwell (Author)

Ya, I agree.

They don't call you a stubborn old man for nothing ! 





Disclaimer :

What you see & read here, are purely my own views, opinions & perceptions about the topic.

I fully understand that others may not think or feel the same like I do. 

It's OK. We are all human.

If you don't like what you read or see here, just ignore it & move on, my friend.

There is no need to sulk or response.

 

I remember my first.....




This year, for the first time, I was made Captain of our ship. I mean kayak to be precise.


AO THALANE, KRABI-THAILAND



After this first experience, I confirmed something that I've learned in my corporate days :

When you're comfortable & happy in your position, don't "rock the boat".

A boat does not go forward if each one is rowing their own way.
                                                  
If you' re in a small boat in a big ocean, you need to pray for good weather and calm water and start looking for shore. 




I remember when I was a boy, the first time my dad punished me for something I could not recall.

He didn't use a cane. 

His used his left-hand to pull my left-ear (to prevent me from escaping) & his right-leg to "sepak-takraw" kick my buttock.  

 

He practiced martial-art / kung-fu for many years. If he had used the Bruce LEE's kick, I would surely die.

1962 war film on D-Day, Normandy landings on June 6, 1944 World War II 



 I remember the first movie my dad brought us to watch at the Odean theatre at New  Bridge Road (now demolished).

It was a 3-hr long black & white movie. I was too young to know those big movie stars like John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Sean Connery, Richard Burton......

The first actor I consider to be macho & tough is this guy.

In all his movies, he only had one facial expression & he never smiled.
He had this serious look & I think that's why he never acted in any comedy movie.

Spiderman 2 (2014)

Spiderman is the first superhero most often drawn when I was in secondary school. 
I could not recall the reason why. 
I guess it's quite funny that one could become a superhero from an insect's bite.
These days, insect bites could make you real sick or cause you your life.


Michael Phelps (USA)

My first swimming coach was my cousin's husband.
A calm, patient & knowledgeable man. 
I pay tribute to this man.
Without his coaching, I wouldn't have learned my swimming skills & to overcome my fear of water.

DEPARTMENT FAREWELL PORTRAIT

I had many requests to draw caricatures for others.
But this is the first time I had received a negative feedback from a subject.

She complained that I had exaggerated her too much & made her looked strange.

Ou-la-la !
How could that be ?
I just smiled.

This year, I decided to try something new - digital painting.

This is my first digital painting done entirely with Photoshop in 10 minutes.

After playing with a tablet for a few months, I still prefer the old fashion way of using paper, color & brush.
Someone said "You can't teach old dogs new tricks" & I think he may be right.



Kota Kinabalu SABAH 2007

I climbed my first mountain in 2007.
It was a 2D1N climb to the summit at 4095m.
I was the oldest person in our group of seven, including my "boss" in this picture.

It was raining on the first day but sunshine on the second day.

This climb taught us to "take one step at a time" to reach the goal.

After this experience, I continue to climb a few more mountains.

I hope to be able to climb more mountains as long as my physical body condition and finances allow me.





Mt.Kinabalu 4095m

The first time I took part in a drawing contest was in primary school.
It was an inter-school poster drawing competition with the theme : dental care. 
 
I remember I won something but I could not recall what's the prize. This was a very long time ago.  






Disclaimer :
What you see & read here, are purely my own views, opinions & perceptions about the topic.

I fully understand that others may not think or feel the same like I do. 

It's OK. We are all human.
If you don't like what you read or see here, just ignore it & move on.
There is no need to sulk or response.


 

Play and Pain

 

 

 

 

I remembered when I was a boy, my cousin gave me a toy-like camera that could only produce photos in black & white.

 

I found it cumbersome to play or explore cos you need to load & wind the film in the camera to take photos for at least 12 shots before you could develop them. The flash-bulb could be rotated and it could only fire 4 times before you need to discard it.

 

Now, I cannot find this antique camera around my house. Sigh !

 

It should worth quite a lot today if I still have it.

 

  

 

 

When I was bored, I took my dad's bicycle (made in china type) for race around the neighbourhood.

 

As my confidence grew, I asked my little sister ( I think she was 5-6 yrs old) to be my pillion.

Her foot got caught in the rear wheel & needed several stiches to stop the bleeding from her severe cuts.

My parent got mad & beat me up. So I stop cycling for a while. 

 

 

 

 

I was confined inside the house.

I saw my dad brought home lots of pencils, paint brushes and paints.

So, I just used them to doodle anything to pass time.

 

Today, after > 30 years, I dug out all my pencils and brushes to start drawing again.
I haven't gone into digital painting,.....cos painting with brushes & paints versus painting using plastic-tip digital-pen give a different feeling.
I'm old fashion & I like the traditional painting feeling.

 

  

   

I played hide-n-seek with my siblings around our one-room flat.

My favourite hideout was under the masterbed.

As it was dark to hide there, we lightened up with candles. 

My parents' bed got burnt down and the fire refused to die for 3 days and 3 nights even when it was soaked in water.

 

My parents got real furious and beat me up badly.
 

That's how I learned the hard way :

Never Play with FIRE !

 

When I first started work to make a living, I learned to play badminton from my co-workers.

But I stopped a few times (> 10 years gap) as my colleagues started to leave the organizations. It's difficult to find people who has the same interest in this sport.

 

It's a good sport, and I'll continue to play as long as my legs and eye-sights allow me.

   

 

 

 

Unlike my sister, I never have any interest in golf.

I find it boring and non-interactive. I see it as a sport for business people who can't run around much,.........

 

Sorry sis, no hard-feelings,... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer :

What you see & read here, are purely my own views, opinions & perceptions about the topic.

I fully understand that others may not think or feel the same like I do. 

It's OK. We are all human.

If you don't like what you read or see here, just ignore it & move on, my friend.

No need to sulk or response.

  

 

 



Happy Lunar New Year

In the coming year, I hereby wish everyone :
A Happy, Healthy & Prosperous lunar new year of the wooden horse.

A friend sent me a new year greeting in Chinese.
So, I have translated it here for everyone to enjoy. It goes like this :  

I said to Buddha : "Please let my family & friends be healthy & happy forever."
Buddha said : "for how many days ?"
I said : "for 7 days, from Monday to sunday."
Buddha said : "no, it's too much. Only 3 days."
I said : "ok, let it be today, the next day and the following day."
Buddha said : "it's still too much, only 2 days."
I said : "fine, let it be working-day & rest-day."
Buddha said : "cannot. Only one day."
I said : "ok.............................................................(pause)
Buddha asked anxiously : "so, which day?"
I said : "Everyday !  I wish they are healthy & happy everyday."
Buddha said : "Whoa,....you win !"

I wish everyone has good health. Having the energy of the horse and dragon combined.

Cost of living here is getting higher & higher every year & out of control. Everyone has to work till old age to get money to pay the bills.

Everyone should keep fit and live healthily.
Otherwise, how to work ?
And also, we must avoid falling sick.
Now, even the hospitals are in shortage of beds.

Transport fare is going up this year. Sigh !
I just wonder how they could justify it. And this was decided by a few people who probably have never taken public transports.












To do a good job, one must be serious. 
Why some people achieve so much more than others ?
Because they are serious in their "business".

Malcom Gladwell said in his book :
"...to excel in something, you must do it / practise it for at least 10,000 hours !"

Unless one is serious enough,  who can commit this kind of huge resource : time ?
















Taking action is difficult for some people, including myself.

But someone once said :
"A journey of a thousand mile begins with one step."

That's why we are "stuck" because we never take the first step. It's no pain, no gain.
But until the pain is unbearable, then only something would be done.

This painting was created in 1989, but was given away in 2010.

Sometimes, it's good to reflect on oneself. Ask why, why, why 5 times to know the root-cause to a problem.

But everyone has "blind-spots".
Only someone who cares, would point them out for you. Many just won't tell you. That's why we made mistakes along the way.











Disclaimer :
What you see & read here, are purely my own views, opinions & perceptions about the topic.
I fully understand that others may not think or feel the same like I do. It's OK. We are all human.
If you don't like what you read or see here, just ignore it & move on, my friend.
No need to sulk or response.