Listening: noises outside

Been the most tiring 2 1/2 weeks ever for me. Finished the illustration cover at last. As we went through each cover in class yesterday, I started to dread mine even more. Everyone did a really good job in theirs. I was thinking mine looked alittle whacked. I guess I stared at it for too long everyday.

To add on to the 'tired', there was 'annoyed'. Two sessions of critque is absolutely draining. Just that a guy in class was defensive when it comes to criticism. Robin's session wasn't that bad but Simon's session, that was way way crazy and luckily some of my classmates weren't there. I gave up on him in Robin's session and took it as a toilet break. I slept late the night before and I'm tired, annoyed and I want to go home was all in my head. So glad the day was over but then of all things, he had to appear in my dream and it was such a bad bad dream. Don't ask.

We got our essays bad. The whole course didn't do well. The teachers think it's our fault. I mean, the whole entire course? Nah, the problem is with you teachers. Not enough time, giving the lectures too late, taking us for granted sometimes...no no no. You said simple language for you to understand and mark faster and what did I get? 'Please use formal language!' What do you want exactly? Most of us get distinctions and credits for theory and this time we've just got passes. Says alot about the teachers, rather than us. We've always wrote the same.

After yesterday's sudden heat wave on a winter day, together with dust and wind storms, Abby is missing. Stewie was quacking his loudest for her this morning but she's nowhere to be found. I hope she's alright. Met the neighbour which lives at a corner. The guilty old indian lady who makes the wonderful smells of indian curry. She's so nice and she was the one who takes care of the water supply for the ducks. Aww... community love for the ducks. Everyone loves Stewie and Abby.

Today I gotta start on concept art. Finalised everything and throw in a bit of colour. No Harry Otters from my sea otter. Have to make the evil scientist looked more evil!! Oh well, have a good weekend. Here are some illustration covers done by my mates. (Click here if you want most of the covers) And some local birds. Enjoy!

Munkle's. Done in watercolour and ink

Michael's. Done in photoshop

Ben's. Acrylics and photoshop

Camilla's. Watercolours and acrylics

Tyler's. Photoshop

Mine. Painted in acrylics, type done in photoshop

Colour birds that hang out at the big tree, screeching "sing" everyday

Kookaburra hanging out at my clothing line, watching me take the trash out

Stewie waits for Abby

Homecoming

Stewie and Abby are back! Yes the ducks who disappeared after I left for Singapore in early december has returned. Feels like some free willy movie. Thought they look smaller and could be other ducks but they waddled towards the balcony after they saw me. Good to have them back but bad that they have to leave a notice when I'm out that they were here. A pool of poo.

Listening: some radio channel

Been overworking myself for the past week. It was alittle hard with Dad around and after he left, I dived into full mode to catch up with my assignments. With the new ones coming in, I feel like I'm lagging behind. Gonna skipped Suzy's party tonight to catch up with painting. I'm pretty slow in painting so just gonna put on a dvd tonight and try and catch up. Looking forward to the assignment with Simon Scales. 7 characters...sounds pretty cool. Gonna research on some army stuff and pester zeren for some ideas.

Feel like I'm being such a big sis these few days too. Sometimes the role of a big sis pops up when I'm with the girls. Keeping a lookout for them, even worrying. Oh with Nick too, especially with his drinking. I try to avoid that role but it just comes up so naturally sometimes. Guess that's the downside of being older.

Been enjoying the company of my 'australian' family too. The illustration gang in studio. We're getting alittle more crazier and stuff but it's all good. Even the day where I got picked on alot for being evil. I'm not evil, guys. Halo, no horns.

Went to Nat's place last week. She lives in One Tree Hill. Awesome place. I wished I lived there and maybe I could paint better. Jesse, her son, has his own shed. Lucky boy. Her house is literally on top of a hill facing the hills. Beautiful and I love her dogs, shadow, charlie brown and lulu. Charlie brown is a terror. Pulling my jacket sleeve and had to have a tug of war with that little fellow. He thinks it's fun but not to me. I gave up and lifted my sleeve with him hanging onto it. He decided to let go. I love her cooking. Great dinner. We discussed about her writing and I love the stories she wrote. Hopefully we can work something out and keep me occupied this summer with a bit of income.

I'll take photos of the group project and put it up. All of us had to do a individual squashed face against the glass for open day. Yeah yeah, poor illustration had to be put at the corner compared to the graphic design classes. Oh well, we still rock though we have a lamppost blocking our faces in Hindley Street.

Back to painting for me. Sigh...hopefully i'll be able to paint faster. Have a good weekend.

First time painting in photoshop. Specially done for the group project

Left an onion alone for more than a week. Instead of going bad, it grew shoots. Now I've got an onion plant. It's an inch taller than this photo now.

Hills facing Nat's house

Hills on the other side of the house

Nat's husband, Shaun built this mud house

More hills at sunset

Her dogs, Charlie brown, Shadow and lulu(below)

Jesse playing with Charlie Brown

Charlie brown tries to hide

Listening: 'Ache for you' by Ben Lee

I better update the blog before Dad arrives tonight. Finished Harry Potter over the weekend. Really the best book ever and it has a great ending to everything.

Yesterday I had quite a crappy day. Bad cramps in the morning. I took my painkiller out to take together with my vitamins. But the pain was getting much more severe as the hours went by. I just pretended that I wasn't in any pain. I took the spare painkiller I brought along but it took ages to work. So the pain continued onto my right leg, started to feel light-headed. Just didn't want to move at all. Thankfully laughter was the best medicine. I started to feel better and the pain eased up abit. It was then when I came home, that I realised that I didn't take that morning painkiller at all. It was resting on a different table. *growls*

I received an email from my uni about under-enrolment and visa implications. There was a change in the australian government and that I was taking less than 18 units. I showed the email to some of my friends and I suspect that it has something to do with the timetable and these people were also unaware of my credit transfers. So I'll wait for the program director to reply to me so that she could handle my case. It was just so weird and all. I made the issue alittle light-hearted and said that they might deport me. Nick took it alittle seriously and told me quietly that he'll be sad if I do get deported. Aww... No worries Nick. I'll make sure no one gets rid of me that easy *evil laugh* Really great mates I have here. After what he said, I started to realise the friends I made here are different than the ones back home. No worries, Siti, you're still alright :D

With feeling light in the head and all, we came up with this crazy experiment where we will collect all the coffee and hot chocolate cups to see how much we can accumulate by the end of this semester. Truly inspired by Tyler's tower of Aromas.

Tyler and Stu presents the tower

Soon after, it got crashed by Leigh

Thankfully I can slowly start on the new sketch for the illustration mag covers. No faces to be painted. Some animal sketches to show Nat this weekend. And I have evidence that I am not all hopeless with plants.

Blooming again

This one is for zeren to show that the parsley is still doing fine and more afros should be growing out soon.

Alright...lots of stuff for me to do today but have a great weekend.

Random photos

Zeren checking on Tullie

That gloomy day at Victor Harbour

A sea bird keeping a look out on the clouds

That dark foggy path we had to take

Moon outside Brighton, Beach huts

Sunrise