Ary | Dilemmas of a chocaholic

7 months

2009-06-07T17:42:00.006+08:00

So I've lied about coming back in a week's time to the blogging world. Like a few months ago (a few months? Ha, yeah right. Let's just put it as 7 months ago to be more precise), I was busy looking for a job. Then I got the job, then I was busy adapting to the working world. Then I've gotten used to my job, I've started becoming busy marking my students' papers. Then by and by, I just realised that I've stopped blogging for 7 months. My friends had to BEG me to come back. It was dead awful. I've become quite lethargic and morose lately. It's like I have this one giant checklist where I tick off the things that I've done and achieved so far. Then there's one thing I haven't achieved yet. That is, getting a guy who wants a solid relationship with me. My love life just sucks. A LOT. But okay, it's not like I'm going to talk about how sucky my love life is, aight? Let's be giddy for awhile and kick ass! So yeah, I love chocolates. Do you like chocolates too? ;)

(Pic above taken from flickr. I'm truly sorry. I forgot the name of the photographer :S).

Happy Halloween

2008-11-01T13:45:00.002+08:00

Happy Halloween everyone. I'm back after centuries hiding in the middle earth. I kid. Of course I've been busy with work I haven't had the time to blog. Latest news about me is...(well I'm quite aware that nobody wants to know but I'd still like to tell anyway) I am now working at my ever beloved university, IIUM as a part-time English tutor. Then used to be a student there. Now, a teacher. I know it's odd but still! I love the job so much. So there, enough about me. The charming picture above is taken from i am krisan's photostream. Check out her photos by clicking on 'i am krisan's photostream'. I bid you all farewell now and Happy Halloween again.

The History Boys

2008-07-10T21:42:00.007+08:00

Feeling a bit literary today, I decided to write on the adapted Brit movie 'The History Boys'. Set in the early 80's in Cutler's Grammar School in Sheffield, a fictional grammar school in north England, The History Boys centres on the group of history pupils preparing for the Oxbridge entrance examinations under the guidance of three teachers-- Hector, Irwin and Lintott all with contrasting teaching styles. Hector despises exams and encourages his pupils to use their imagination to understand History. Through an unconventional way of teaching, Hector had also assigned them reading materials which will not come out in their exams (which was a bit of a laugh there). Irwin on the other hand is the total opposite of Hector, who believes that education is calculative and is focused on getting his pupils to write essays backed up by facts and evidence that would engage the examiners' interest. Lintott tries to invoke feminist ideas in history. Enough of my brief summary there. You might want to catch the movie yourself. Perhaps get a DVD of it.

(Photo by Chris John Beckett)

Weekend off

2008-05-21T22:08:00.004+08:00

I apologise again for not updating my posts for quite a long time now. I just need some time away from the blogging world to sit down and carefully draft my resumé. The first time I'm writing it, I feel completely nervous. And I'm definitely nervous for job interviews. But don't worry. I'll be back by next week I promise. Well whatever it is, last Saturday my sister and I baked these gorgeous gingerbread men cookies which I dug out from 'Simply Recipes'. Surprisingly, they taste good. I know it's not Christmas but I've been craving for gingerbread men since last year. They don't even sell gingerbread men here for Christmas. I guess it has something to do with the number of Malaysians who actually eats them. Not many Malaysians are in love with gingerbread men anyways. I guess that explains it. But anyways, yeah see you all around soon :)

Sarah Kane

2008-05-13T18:13:00.003+08:00

Wow...the first time I browsed through Sarah Kane's portfolio, I was stunned. She's got some great portfolio I don't feel like I want to get out of there. Featured above is taken from the 'Everything Else' section.

Wild Wild West

2008-05-13T17:09:00.004+08:00

This particular shot from Trevor is a recreation of a drawing scene from a wild wild west movie. Using toys as his props and shooting from the angles that would bring back memories of such "cheesy classic scene", Trevor has managed to bring the picture come to life. Art is after all, wonderful.

Jeff Kulak

2008-05-13T17:06:00.002+08:00

I'm loving the artworks of Jeff Kulak. They can be both charming and humorous.

Nubrella

2008-05-12T14:31:00.003+08:00

The nubrella is an Alan Kaufman invention which is "worn with a harness, and closes around its user like a clear, private cocoon, guaranteed never to turn inside out". Seems like a brilliant idea and it does make the wearer look sophisticated in it. And it is effective to avoid your hair from getting wet, or allows you to talk on the phone without having to hold an umbrella. However, it's not that effective to cover the wearer from head to toe. Expensive suits will surely be drenched in the rain and that brings about the question as to how convenient nubrellas are.

(via swissmiss)

The Impossible Art of Li Wei

2008-05-12T14:18:00.002+08:00

Chinese artist Li Wei has produced a baffling series of self-portraits that seem physically impossible. What seems even more baffling is that the photographs were not created using Photoshop. Li Wei started off his performance series ‘Mirroring’ and later on took off attention with his ‘Falls’ series which pictures the artist with his head and chest embedded into the ground. His work is a mixture of performance art and photography that creates illusions of a sometimes dangerous reality. Li Wei states that these images are not computer montages and works with the help of props such as mirrors, metal wires, scaffolding and acrobatics. Check out his website at http://www.liweiart.com/ for more extreme photos.

(via hemmy.net and Buzz Feed)

Choco Pick of The Week: {Sara De Bondt}

2008-05-09T14:10:00.008+08:00

This week's CPOTW is London-based Belgian graphic designer, Sara De Bondt. Sara studied graphic design at Sint-Lukas, Brussels (B), Universidad de Bellas Artes, Granada (ES) and Jan van Eyck Akademie, Maastricht (NL). Her designs can sometimes be a reminiscent of the minimalist 60's designs which had typewritten, stenciled-like typography and washed out colour images.

This is taken from one of the series of her self-published postcards entitled 'Letters'.

Sara's design for 'Out of the Ordinary:Spectacular Craft' (2007), an exhibition graphics and catalogue for V&A Museum.

Clumsy Bird

2008-05-08T22:08:00.005+08:00

Lovely picture by Clumsy Bird. Gotta love the vintage fridge and the so-called cute outfit(pants) and hair.

A millimetre view of the world

2008-05-08T22:04:00.005+08:00

A dreamy, magical capture of ants lifting up a fallen stick from Evisc.

Nicola Starr

2008-05-08T21:13:00.007+08:00

Nicola Starr had just graduated from the London College of Communication in Illustration and her portfolio consists of cute little drawings and collages as above.

(via It's Nice That)

Mary Wells

2008-05-07T22:11:00.003+08:00

Mary Wells is just so sweet. And it proves that you need not take a full portrait of yourself or your friends to begin with to get an equally great shot. The picture above is entitled 'I know there's chocolate somewhere'. I can't help grinning looking at it and when I read the caption, my grin just got bigger. It goes:

"Hunting for chocolate in the pantry at work while Naomi took a nap. I found some dark chocolate kisses.... I ate some, even though I prefer milk creamy chocolate.

Today is so beautiful I'm going for a walk."

Visit Mary Well's photostream for more.

Heidi Rodriguez

2008-05-07T22:09:00.003+08:00

Heidi Rodriguez is one hell of a woman. She designs dresses from paperbags, creates posters of teabags and makes tapestries out of...scrolls of what seems like pages which had been ripped off from a novel! That's just so bizarre! But whatever it is, I LOVE it. Which is why I can't resist posting this poster of hers which was designed for a tea website. I can assure you, you'll love her too :)

(via It's Nice That)

Jenny Bull

2008-05-07T10:41:00.002+08:00

Right now, I just couldn't get enough of Jenny Bull. Here is an image taken from the ‘Scrap Happy’ limited edition book called the 'start of summer'.

(via It's Nice That)

Nippon Paint- Your World Your Colour

2008-05-06T09:22:00.002+08:00

I was watching Nippon Paint's new ad yesterday and I was shrieking in delight. They've got bobbly colourful little creatures throwing themselves up on the walls to paint the whole town! Totally adorable.

Stina Persson

2008-05-05T14:17:00.003+08:00

Stina Persson is an illustrator based in Stockholm, Sweden. Currently, she's organizing a show called LA FEMME which will showcase and celebrate women in art at Gallery Nucleus, California, running from May 10 to June 3. For more details on the exhibition, click here.

Choco Pick of The Week: {Carrie Chau}

2008-05-02T16:58:00.007+08:00

This week's CPOTW is Carrie Chau, Hong Kong-based artist and graduate from the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong and the Kent Institute of Art & Design, England. Carrie’s works depict the daily life as funny, positive, with an eerie touch of delicacy. Through her drawings and 3D sculptures, she represents swollen and joyful characters which seems to be inspired by jumping jack, fairy tales where angels meet imps, and the animals from Noah’s Ark.

Carrie Chau:

“Sometimes I’m inspired by fairy tales; I like fairy tales such as Blue Beard, The Emperor’s new clothes. But not the Cinderella, snow white or such kind of story, too “sweet” for me.”

(via anti-corporation and idn)

Butterfingers

2008-05-01T17:26:00.003+08:00

I just found out about this music video made for Bomb the Bass from 30gms. It's called 'Butterfingers' and it's directed by Dieter and Lung from Perish Factory. For the unfamiliar, it’s an analogue synth/sequencer/groovebox made in felt. Each button and control has a unique character and role in the video that sustains viewing all the way to the witty end. In Dieter’s own words there was “no real trickery to the making of it, just lots of hands, a lot of puppets, a lot of takes and a crap load of duct tape in the back holding things together”. If you can't view it in Quicktime, click here to view in YouTube. Just be prepared to be charmed throughout the video. I was charmed fairly well.

Miniature Tokyo

2008-04-30T15:50:00.003+08:00

Ryogokin Bridge, Tokyo, 1708.

{Photo by worldwideprojects}

"Replicant Intimacy"

2008-04-29T15:29:00.004+08:00

I can write a poem simply by studying this picture. Love the out-of-focus neon lights which filled the streets.

{Photo by NyYankee}

Chris Glass

2008-04-28T21:08:00.002+08:00

Chris Glass's pictures really make me smile. I admire how he could turn ordinary things (which I normally can't) into stunning photographs as above. Some comments I've gathered from his friends are just as adorable. It says, "Chris's work indicate about 25% of his kindness and heart". I guess they do show in his photographs.

Choco Pick of The Week: {Jon Klassen}

2008-04-25T22:58:00.007+08:00

This week's CPOTW is Jon Klassen, known for his collection of artwork posted on his site, 'Burst of Beaden'. Jon Klassen is also well known for his collaborated video 'An eye for Annai'- a witty, warm and humourous adventure of a one-eyed creature in search for its other eye. I love Klassen's work because they simply make me warm inside and out with those adorable typography and illustrations.

Better stop disappearing

2008-04-24T13:22:00.002+08:00

I better stop disappearing without giving any warning. People have started giving up on me. Well whatever it is, I've kept these Alice Burdeu pics since the last two weeks. Been meaning to post them up but never had the chance to. Now, I never knew who Alice Burdeu is until she modeled for Alexander McQueen's Elizabethan collection. Then I figured that she was season 1's winner of Australia's Next Top Model. What I have here are some of my favourite pieces she's modeled in. Seeing those clothes clinging to her just makes me even the more envious. Wish I had that bod of hers to begin with. Those clothes just look fab on her.