Rowie's Scribbles

I was introduced to loom bands by the bf's cousin; the cousin and her sis were selling loom bands for charity. I got a few then I quickly introduced it to other people; friends, colleagues, relatives etc. The loom band was invented by a Malaysian (Malaysia Boleh!), read the Wiki entry here . The craze boomed after Kate Middleton was spotted wearing a loom band (available from her family business Party Pieces)!  The engineer behind the idea The Duchess and the loom bracelet It is an intricate piece of art - I like the symmetry and you can mix and match your favorite colors! You can also add key rings to hook a pendrive or even your car keys. There are so many types to choose from: jelly, glow-in-the-dark, neon, metallic etc. There are various designs to pick from: classic, dragon scale, spider etc. Charms like hearts and mini doggies are also available.  Mini engineering Use it as a keychain Dragon scale design Spotted bands The girls have a FB pag...

I recently bought an iPad mini and got to using the Penultimate app. It links with Evernote (another app that I use on my phone, see the Windows 7.5 and Windows 8 review) so you can retrieve your notes from the internet any time.  At the tap/swipe of the finger, you can turn over to a fresh page. Use the finger to sketch or 'finger write' notes. My first sketch was of Sailormoon haha!  Not a bad effort huh? :p I would like to try use a manuscript paper as the background and write out a somewhat stylized sheet music, it seems like the option that would take up less space and easier to perform!  In the meantime, I'll try my hand at Temple Run and Fruit Ninja, definitely addictive! :D

I'm a fan of the Calvin & Hobbes comic strip; every time I get the news paper, this will be the first comic I look at. The antics of this twosome never fail to crack me up. Penned & illustrated by Bill Watterson, this comic combines sparse but detailed illustrations, with witty humor & subtle/poignant messages about the world we live in.  The comic is set in the contemporary US; Calvin is a 6-yr-old boy & Hobbes is the toy tiger that comes alive only for him. The comic describes his adventures & interactions with other people, his flights of fantasy, his observations about society, & his friendship with Hobbes. Other characters include his parents, Susie (his classmate), Moe (the neighborhood bully), Ms.Wormwood (his teacher), Rosalyn (the babysitter) & Principle Spittle.  Several recurring themes include *click for larger version* School Dad Susie Friendship Several comic books have been published, I had the joy of poring over one (belonged to a friend ...

This is a special review of the Dutch artist, Mr. Dick Bakhuizen. It's special because he's the grandfather to my friend (who happens to be an artist himself, perhaps I will do a special review on him too!), & I think it would be nice to do a fresh review with a personal attachment. Mr. Bakhuizen was the son of a biologist. As time passed, his work became less surrealistic & more abstract. He had painted portraits of prominent figures like the Rolling Stones. Much of his work is inspired by Boris Valejo, a fellow artist originally from Peru.   Now there's an idea for a future article, hehe. Looking at his paintings, I feel like I'm drifting away, the colors seem to shimmer & flow together like a river. A very unique touch, that. Apparently the style at work here is biomorphologic (originally in Dutch: biomorphologisch). Biomorphism is an art style where shapes are distorted/changed to invoke abstract impressions. A simple example is to disto...

Nature's Chaos is a book that combined Eliot Porter's photographs with the writings of James Gleick; the photographs were in full color, relating the theory of chaos with nature's random beauty.  Eliot Porter was born in 1900 & had been an amateur photographer since childhood. He obtained degrees in chemical engineering (woot!) & medicine, & had worked as a biochemical researcher at the Harvard University. He had traveled to various locations around the globe to snap amazing photos of nature, such as the Galapagos Islands, China, Antartica, Iceland, Egypt & Mexico. He passed away in 1990 & bequeathed his collection to the Carter Musuem.  I've browsed through Eliot Porter's collection at the Carter Museum site ; his work is about nature, in color as well as in B&W. His photos capture the true beauty of nature; they needn't be lovely flowers, even a cluster of dried leaves can be lovely. Simple photographs that truly shows us what a wonderf...

Mom had a book full of paintings by Thomas Kinkade, a celebrated American artist. Entitled "Lightposts for Living", I remember poring through the beautiful paintings & wishing I was somewhere in the fantastical world(s) in these works of art.  Taken from his official site : Thomas Kinkade is America's most collected living artist. Coming from a modest background, Kinkade emphasizes simple pleasures and inspirational messages through his paintings. As a devout Christian, Kinkade uses his gift as a vehicle to communicate and spread inherent life-affirming values. "Country Living" Known as the "Painter of Light", this artist has incredible talent, especially in the way he paints the effect of light. It's not just the technique of how he paints simple, idyllic yet beautiful pictures of life & nature, but it's the way he sends inspirational messages through his work. He had mentioned that he is inspired by his religion & hopes to touch p...