116th Street. Human Life Is Pure Chaos....

Everything's going pretty well this week with SKOOKUM! and Morning Glory getting back on schedule - I feel good about that. However, it didn't really last for long.

A few days back, as I was trying to finish up SKOOKUM! and Morning Glory, a few of my friends called. One was asking me why didn't I like call him during the holidays for some drinks or something. I was like, I wanted to call, but I have lots of things at my hands right now. And he asks, "like what?". I was a little lost for words, as I knew he didn't think very much about SKOOKUM! and he feels that it is more important to socialize than work on something that has apparently no value.

So, I told him that I was kinda busy with some write-up I had to do for the comic company I was freelancing for (which I was, a few days back). He then asked me if there's a party coming up, and i told him yes, and that I will organize it. It happens that one of our friends are going away for a year for specialized military training and we just wanted to wish him all the best. And I had to put down everything I was working on and call all of my friends and telling them about the party. The thing is this, it is not easy organizing a part for 23 people, especially if everyone has got like diverse schedules and stuff like that. In the end of course it worked out and we settled on a date.

Not long after, I received a text message from another friend who asked me if I would like to catch a movie with her. She asked me once and I turned her down, and I had to turn her down again 'cause I seriously needed to get the pages done! So, I turned her down the SECOND time. And, I could tell that she was hurt! She said, "I thought you were always free on weekdays", Yes, but this week is an exception, I 've got a lot going for the website and I wanted to put some genuine effort into this. At the same time, I felt rotten turning her down. I made a promise that I wouldn't turn her down again. But I can't get rid of that unpleasant feeling of turning her down twice.

I was asking myself several times this week (yeah, I turned on my Indie Rock collection again*),if it's worth it? Sacrificing time with friends for SKOOKUM!? I know SKOOKUM! is what I must do... but I don't want my friends to think I'm like avoiding them all summer or something, which I am not! If anyone of you whom I know personally reads this, please I just want you to know that I NEED to finish SKOOKUM!, at the same time, I like you no less just because I'm working on my art. Please understand. Thank you!

* I was listening to Alexi Murdoch's "Orange Sky"

115th Street. We Are Not Judging You.

Folks,

I cannot tell you how excited I am to have new web interface up for the SKOOKUM! Index page. It took me process of getting all the colors and effects right was rather painful, but thankfully, the result was well worth the pain I endured. Of course, I must take this chance to thank w'Note for enduring a full 30-minutes with me as we decided the right fonts to be used for the interface. Thanks again w'Note!

Not many of you know but this picture is actually inspired by the namecard w'Note designed for me. From the moment I saw the name card, i knew that I MUST create a picture that will recreate this magical wonder - a wonder that can only be brought about when these three (rather) unusual colors are blended together.

It may come across a little strange that all the characters (other than Chiriko) are looking at YOU. Yes, it is YOU they are looking it, and it is the same YOU who's reading this blog. The characters are not looking at YOU in a way that they are judging you, they are not. They are merely taking notice of OUR presence. Just as how you are looking into THEIR lives, they too wish to know a little about YOUR life.

People, more often than not, like to pass judgement. They judge people even before they fully know how the person is like. I do it all the time, and sometimes I wish I'd go easier on people and give them a chance to prove themselves. I want this picture to remind me not to judge people the way I have always done, until of course, they pass judgement on themselves!

114th Street. It's Time to Think Over Some Stuff....

More often than not, I get into this contemplative mood, where I attempt to straighten out some stuff in my life. Everyone has some problems of their own, and I am almost certain that most of our lives are good - but ALL of us wants it to be GREAT. The thing is, life, is rarely great. Whenever, there are things I cannot figure out, I go to my song collection and start playing my Indie Rock collection.

It's important to play music in which you can relate to. Music has a way of bringing out emotions that cannot be brought out by any other forms of art. Words, through music, releases its TRUE potential to move one at several levels almost simulatneously.

I have been listening to Blue Merie's "Every Ship Must Sail Away", and if you can so much as to trust what I am writing, trust me when I say that it is a beautiful song. And it is the ONE AND ONLY song Blue Merie has EVER wrote. Although people tend not to trust artists that release only one track throughout their entire career, I choose to look at it differently. It is better to do ONE THING RIGHT IN LIFE, RATHER THAN NOT AT ALL. And I think Blue Merie did that, he wrote one beautiful song and he is going to be remembered for doing this one song right - it beats creating 19 other bad songs.

And here are the Lyrics:

EVERY SHIP MUST SAIL AWAY

Have you ever heard the sounds
In the shadows of a song
Have you ever felt their words
Blow right through you from beyond

'Cause years pass and people change
The bluest skies can turn to gray
And though it's gonna hurt for now
Every ship must sail away
Every ship must sail away

Oh change is in the air
And you wear it oh so well
I asked you if you cared
But if you cared I couldn't tell

'Cause years pass and people change
The bluest skies turn to gray
And though it's gonna hurt for now
Every ship must sail away
Every ship must sail away

And though it's gonna hurt for now
And though it's gonna hurt for now
And though it's gonna hurt for now
Every ship must sail away

Every ship must sail away
Every ship must sail away
Every ship must sail away
Every ship must sail away