Our webhost's Cpanel was yelling about how the PHP version we were running was deprecated... Ahh...so I was slightly too ambitious and upgraded some plugins/blog software here, and then that broke a lot of other things...so images might be broken, comments were purged 😂...a lot of this having to do with having kirby needing php 8+ and bludit not wanting php 8+ (because of some lack of php extensions??) so I also purged kirby (which was great for a site with a lot of updates/content/writing) for now...and have a static site, since I'm not updating that much with art in the next while. Downgraded php on my domain...reinstalled...ok, finally works. Now the new blog software renders posts in HTML instead of markdown, everything is gross, hahaha...had to turn HTML plugin off and turn markdown back on, etc.

Sorry if you left a comment in the past 24h 🤪 I think everything is mostly working...? I feel like it was a bad move for browsers to stop showing broken images (e.g., I can't tell if there's an image that is broken in firefox? I would still prefer a broken box of some sort).

IDK if this affected Wai's site (we share hosting, but the timing doesn't seem to line up and I only futzed with my domain's settings) but anyhoo you should check out her arts too.

The other thing of note is that I added a link page above, which is mostly to "blog" like things.

Things nobody asks about me

Why do you draw yourself as a fish all the time? I saw a japanese warbonnet (Chirolophis japonicus) at the aquarium in Osaka and felt like we had the same vibe. We both have stuff growing on our faces, prominent downward-facing lips, a resting pokerface that easily turns into disappointment/judgment.

Photo of said fish who changed the course of my avatar-life.

Also it's more fun from a cartooning perspective. My fish-avatar is a bit more streamlined and blobby. The top/dorsal fin corresponds to how I part my bangs, but its position and form is a good body-language indicator. I drew myself in cartoon human form for a lot of autobio comics (over a decade) and it was time for a change.

Wasn't your fish avatar pink at some point? Yes, the fish colour is colour coordinated with my current glasses colour. I used to have pink glasses, and now have blue glasses.

Why are you so obsessed with glasses? Why isn't everyone obsessed with glasses? Why be obsessed with Mona Lisa or solar eclipses, when you can be obsessed with glasses instead? I've worn glasses since I was in elementary school. They're great for obscuring my prominent eyebags by 1%. Though I only wear one pair until I have to change it, because progressives prescription is expensive and always requires "getting used to." I also just enjoy wearing them and how they look, in the same way that I like to wear earrings (and also gravitate towards characters with earrings). The primary downside is getting steamy lenses, and of course, being extremely dependent on them as a corrective vision device.

Did you go to art school? Largely no, I consider myself self-taught for drawing (it shows). I took the art elective in jr/high school, if not to only avoid music/drama elective. I painted a lot of cringe emo edgelordy things (why oh why). I remember going to a casual weekend painting class for a year or two, but don't remember how/when that came to be and for how long...(maybe university era?). If we're also talking about performance arts, I took piano until my epic pity pass grade 8 Royal Conservatory Music exam (I think I was in grade 11/12 high school at the time). I don't remember how to read notes nor can I play much anymore (or ever).

I studied biology in post-secondary. The only skill I retained from this era is being able to identify if a fruit fly is male or female with my eyes.

Bugslu's mitten-shaped wings are inspired by this time period.

Then I did a sorta artsy/sciency MSc in Biomedical Communications. By the time I got into that program, I already had my own ways and knowledge of making silly drawings. The program felt less about "teaching me how to draw" and rather, moreso about narrowing in on using visuals for educational and science communication purposes. It's an interesting profession that I respect, due to how much research needs to be done to correctly visualize things, like anatomy, surgeries, x-rays, public health comms, etc. and you have to mix that with education/learning/graphic/communication design principles. There's more risk/liability if you visualize things in a way that's incorrect (e.g., someone could take their medication/self-injection incorrectly, dataviz of scientific findings can lead to mass media misunderstanding, a doctor could perform a procedure incorrectly and lead to medical malpractice, then from there if you were to recreate an accident/x-ray for a lay jury to understand...etc.).

Is/was your family supportive of your artistic ventures? Nobody is against it as they assume it is for fun/hobby. I don't often talk about it, nor do they ask or delve further. Parents would not have approved of it as a primary profession though—they tried to steer me away from biology too 🤣.

How many OCs do you have? This is just a snippet of the "modern day era" ones 😎

The most important part of this poorly aligned diagram, is that Tako is enemies with Mrs. K, as well as who is TAMA FRIENDS with who ♥

I wrote a bunch of stuff while making Photo Swap comic for Masto, but then I purged that...then decided to bring it back here! The comics category is hilariously underused here after my blog post purge.

Brainstorming

• A conversation/scene plays in my head (I don't hear sounds or see pictures—it's moreso "I intellectually/vaguely know what could happen/be said")
• I write a word vomit conversation flow based on no.1 and cringe at myself 🤣.
• I put some squiggle lines between dialogue lines to denote possible page flip/separation (I usually batch 5-8 dialogue lines/actions per page)

Thumbnailing and sketching

• Draw thumbnails to see what fits and where, edit things out, cringe at myself more👌

• Transfer text to digital format and delete/move things around according to thumbnails.
• Another pass at seeing "what fits."
• Draw in stuff per thumbnails, adjusting along the way.
• Also editing/moving text around drawings!
• Fidelity is EXTREMELY variable...if subtle emotion is required, might be more detailed?!
• Still cringing.

Refining

• Drawing in the borders. I don't think too hard about this part, just C.R.A.P principles and and eye towards how panels look across spreads, pages, and from afar.
• Refine drawings so there's enough clarity to ink over (some people can skip this but whenever I try to I fail badly hahaha).
• Adjust for likeness and place rough speech bubble/sfx.
• Ink by following the pencils, roughly.
• Fill in black areas for shadows.
• Usually where I catch tangents.
• Groan and tone.
• Redraw bubbles and nudge them around.
• Catch more tangents.

Export web DPI

Look at screentones and cry

That's a moiré ✨

--

Stuck in the Middle

A story that has been percolating since 2021... I'm very overdue on writing this story/script (and most comics in my life, sorry HWA), but I made some decent progress in the past while. It's a good sign when you get really into your own cheesy/heartful stories. Snickering or tearing up as you come up with ideas. Leaning into the tropiest trope or unsmart idea that only you think is hilarious/genius. The process inspired me to make a bingo card for my own comic tropes. This story will probably hit every bingo square.

Makes me excited to get to thumbnailing, but I still have much to figure out/plot. Need to work longitudinally and within a page count! I already have cover ideas 🤪.

It was nice to get excited about making again, especially after all the genAI yuck. Also helps to be writing in a lovely spot.

Physio update

I had my second physio appointment. this time I had dry needling done on my neck/upper shoulder to relieve tension. The physio assured me it was very safe, highly backed by evidence/science, based on knowledge of muscle anatomy, and no risks. They said it would instantly create 30% improvement and will last forever! Wow sounds like a pipe dream, but OK...I went along with it, and after I got home I looked the procedure up and...well...HAHA...

What is done is done. I'm alive. I suppose it's hard to have evidence or measure something as personal/ephemeral as pain and muscle tension. I am a bit sore but OK otherwise. Getting stabbed by many tiny needles will do that to you. Physio was once again impressed at how well I was tolerating it (aka no visible reaction) for a first-timer. Or maybe just because I wear a face mask and my features are less readable. Sometimes I wonder if I've been tolerating some sort of discomfort/pain my whole life and haven't realized it. I don't actually think of myself as having high pain tolerance...I'm afraid of being hurt!!! A different person was wrapping up their appointment ahead of me (same physio) and I could hear them whining/groaning in pain.

My original arm pain is getting better, and the physio said that it should hopefully gone by the weekend??? We shall see.

I was given 2 more exercises. One of them is like making a "snow angel" but against the wall (elbows/back/hands have to be touching the wall) and with elbows bent. Then you move your bent arms above your head and downwards towards your body. Doing this 20x every cycle made me realize how WEAK my shoulder blade muscles are. UGH! The other revelation from this exercise was (1) finding a large enough blank wall to do this is a privilege and (2) my wall paint has a lot of tiny lumps that scrape my skin when I move my arms around, and I don't like it!! First world problems.

Unrelated to physio, I'm also trying out VPN + Tor combo to see whether the internet is still tolerable to use, or if it breaks. So far a lot of sites block or break. Very good very good.

Today's music post: I listened to a lot of Ninja Tune growing up. Bonobo is one of the artists, and the Black Sands album is over 10 years old.

Yesh, it is already April. There's snow outside still! This month is going to be the one-year birthday for 4⭐Town 4⭐Real (April 25). To celebrate, I drew 40⭐Town fanart 😂

Timelapse from Procreate before the cropping/filtering. Procreate still feels like a an unnatural tool for me to use, and even moreso when it restricts the amount of layers I can use unexpectedly...

''

I've been meaning to write here but my index finger mysteriously began hurting a few days ago, which made typing painful. That specific pain is gone now. I still had the arm pain from a month ago, so I went to physio for the first time this week. The physio told me that I have bad posture, a very stiff neck, and high pain tolerance (as they jabbed their very strong fingers into my neck and noted that most people wouldn't be tolerating this, whereas I just laid there without much reaction, but in my mind I did find it more uncomfortable rather than painful; this also reminds me of a time I was put between wood planks and then someone used a bat/hammer to smash things on top of me, a the science center). Despite the real talk, I have a good feeling about this physio as a healthcare provider. Each session is $100+ and I'm fortunate that (a) the pain should be reversible and preventable and (b) I have some insurance to help cover the costs. Now I have to do some simple "exercises" (they're more like stretches?) every hour and follow-up appointments. I've never heard my neck bones (cervical spine) grind/crack this much before. I have been inconsistent at remembering to do them every hour, so I should probably set a timer. Love my sedentary office computer life.

Recently and strangely, I've been feeling good every time I wash my dishes and clear out my sink. Truthfully I don't let that many dishes accumulate, firstly since I don't own many dishes to begin with, and secondly because I hate bugs (and don't want to leave dirty food dishes out for them to feast on). Other things that give me a huge sense of satisfaction include cutting my nails and my hair. Those two things really make me feel "reborn" in a way that is perhaps (highly speculative) akin to reptiles shedding their skin. Indeed, my own skin is has a scale-like textures and is flaky, due to the drier climate.

I've been doing a bit more "in real life" crafty artsy things lately. Put in more yellow/orange things into my house 😂. Enjoying the new sight lines towards bright colours, nature vibes, diy, and art, no matter where I turn my head.

Today's music: Look What You Are Doing To Me feat. Phonte by Jazzanova. I was trying to find out if I have posted this song already, then realized that the search function on this blog 100% does not work HAHA. This Jazzanova album has been on my playlist for 10+ years 🎵 more goovy uplifting vibes.

Yellow, sometimes the colour remembered as turning people "crazy". Recently this has been a colour that brings me a lot of joy. Like a bright pop of colour in an otherwise plain or dreary world. Perhaps reminiscent of the sun, though if you know me, I'm a big avoider of direct sunlight (strongly coded to pyrimidine dimers and melanoma, one of the few things I retained form decades old genetics class).

Another big yellow happiness is Sally, a small yellow chick with an orange beak from LINE friends. Sally is also mischievous and chaotic, which I love. The only thing I have against BTS is that BT21 character line has displaced Sally goods. Many of my friends end up gifting me Sally things, so I have a strong collection of Sally goods, aka yellow goods.

For a long time I've shy-ed away from wearables that are yellow—I'm afraid of getting things dirty I didn't know if it would look ok on my skin tone. My most foray into wearing yellow was for a colour-themed wedding party in summer 2023. Everyone said (perhaps out of politeness) that I looked fine with that colour on. Since then I feel like I've become more obsessed and daring with yellow.

My bike is yellow...I have a vintage yellow corduroy blazer, a yellow corduroy bag... Can't wait for when it's warmer out and I can be a fully yellow person.

Balcony garden dreaming

I also began plotting ideas for balcony garden. I'm in zone ~3 and I have north/east-facing windows so there isn't much time and sun for growth. I'm also high enough up that the wind can become quite powerful. I'm afraid of my future planter and plants being blown away. I ended up buying some seeds for:

• Stachys byzantina / Lamb's ear: they are really soft to touch
• Hyssopus offinalis / Hyssop
• Monarda fistulosa / Wild bergamot
• Artemisia absinthium / Wormwood
• Tropaeolum majus / Vining nasturtium: always loved the circular shape of nasturtium leaves; also Bugslu's favourite easy-access flower
• Matricaria recutita 'Bodegold' / Bodegold chamomile
• Papaver nudicaule / Iceland poppy: I was fully enamoured by california poppies that grew in Toronto, but am settling for these zone 3-appropriate variant
• Rudbeckia hirta /black eyed susan

Hoping to get some self-seeding action going on year after year, but we'll see if they even survive/grow this first year! Some of them are annuals and some are perennials. I'm not confident they'll flower due to lack of sunlight, but if not, hopefully I'll still get some leaves going!

Home oddities

I finally pulled down some of the recycle bags I taped over my windows when it was -40 C, and put on insulation strips (alien tape?!) and Duck insulation film. The hardest part was trying to clean up the windows and frames beforehand. I eventually gave up (there's next weekend...). 3 windows down, too many more to go...but I'm glad that there are fewer blue bags and green painter tapes all over the place 🥴.

Another new development. Earlier I fixed a water-in-crisper-drawer-problem (a whole adventure that meant disassembling the back panel of my fridge interior. Now my fridge now periodically "sings" to me. The "singing" is the setting for the door alarm turning on and off (it's not that my door is open and setting off the alarm, it's the setting turning on and off that is making the sound). Some times it will do this 5-10x in a minute and then it might go for hours without making any sound. It sometimes does this at night when I'm trying to sleep. I really wish there was a mute option. Too many features...please...let's go back to basic fridges.

Crafting

I got a latch hook kit from a friend so I went to town with that, but of course turned the original wolf pattern into a something else.

Accompanied by a my genius poem:

‘neath the hollowed moon

the wolves transform—

shake

shrink

shriek

It sheds so much...but I also like patting the tapestry, as if I'm patting real possums hahahaha. 80x60 is a bit intense...but I have thoughts about making mini shrimps, someday? With natural fibres? Though my fingers/wrists need to recover from this, first.

A different project that I want to try is to make paper flowers. Just need to source the materials...

I still have a slew of embroidery kits to get through as well.

Plus comics, writing, illos...a creatively enriched life 🥴

Today's music: Alicia Creti - Bleeding Me Dry | A COLORS SHOW. The first song I ever heard from Alicia Creti. Lower register and strong projection for vocals.

It's the long weekend here (Family Day) so I made a point to nest at home after coming back from the US work trip. Spent too long in offices/hotels/airports/on a plane side-eyeing the majority of people coughing out loud w/o masks and w/o covering their mouths. Sigh.

I ended up ordering two large pizzas and a curly fry poutine for myself so I wouldn't need to leave the house in case I did get sick. So far I am OK. Curly fry poutine was a mistake because it was too similar of a form factor to the pizza: carb + sauce + cheese. Also curly fries just don't hold the gravy/cheese in the same way as straight-cut fries. My French-Canadian colleague professed to poutine being overated—they didn't like how the fries get soggy. While I agree to some degree, there are rare instances where you can have both a crispy fry and the yumyums on top, then it's a matter of eating it quickly to enjoy both textures. Takeout and closed containers never make this possible. I know this and never learn my lesson.

Afterwards I wondered if nachos are the ultimate form factor for crunchy/crispy + saucey combo, because of the baking and dips. Queso...mmm...

Home sweet home

Thoughts on living in my place—I enjoy and appreciate being here. Some people like to escape from their home (e.g., cottage/glamping, not being around their family, haha), but my home is my ultimate escape and comfort spot!!

Golden hour

There's a specific and brief period in the morning where some direct north-east sunlight streams into my windows and casts a nice warm glow against my walls. This my favourite time of day and I think the plants appreciate it.

The left-most macrame was a gift from a friend! The rest, well, against my usual DIY tendencies, I was too lazy to macrame my own hangers, so I bought them.

Plants

After the Europe trip, I went on a plantfever-bender and got a lot of new pals. I chose plants based on variation in leaf shape and pattern/variegation. I also ended up with a lot of varieties of snake plants because they're more tolerant to dryer air.

I put frog figurines around my plants and they've added much enjoyment to my life.

My goal is usually to not have any of the leaves of plants touch each other, to reduce any possible pest issues. Not shown here are 3 plants that I have that have had bug issues for several months, so I keep quarantining/treating them...ew...!

Over the holidays I ended up getting two mini trees: a lemon cypress and an Alberta spruce. The spruce was on deep discount because it was Dec 24 and presumably the grocery store was trying to just get rid of them. I didn't know how well they'd grow indoors, but they seem to be fine after 1+ month. I wonder if they'll get sorta bonsai-ed effect because I'm unlikely to swap pots any time soon...

When I first got deep into plants, I also grew food plants (lettuce, kale, etc.)...but in the end (beyond the inherent pest issues from indoor growing), what I liked most was not having food, but rather...being able to watch them grow.

Silver hour

Another unexpected but joyous revelation is seeing the moon at night, and it is unexpectedly very bright. When it was Diwali, I could also hear/see fireworks being lit around the neighbourhood. I never spent significant time looking out of my windows in my previous locations (tbh could barely do this in Toronto because of tall condo buildings everywhere).

Portable digital audio players

There's an open source portable audio player, Tangara crowdfunding right now. It made me reminisce about small portable form factors of years past. I am glad that a lot of people are behind the idea.

Personally, my perfect player would be even smaller:

• duotone text window (no colour and no album art)
• multi-day battery life on continuous play
• takes rechargable batteries!!
• can be repaired/open!!

I used to have a Ipod Nano so it's hard to beat how small that was (though I can't remember the battery life on that), but probably at cost of being impossible to repair.

Today's music: Ka feat. Témé Tan by Élodie Rama.