Written by lainie at 08:20 PM on May 2, 2010 in work?, Daily Life.

In the few months I've been back, I've resumed work at The Nut Graph as a contributing graphic designer/sub-editor (this means I'm not always at work in the office). If you see snarky illustrations like this and this, that means hari tu I was on duty la.

I'm also helping TNG redesign their website layout (which the company ShaolinTiger works for will be implementing ), and you can see some of my drafts here.

I've also found myself enlisted as art director of a boutique communications agency run by two persons who want to take over the world. The work from them is always interesting (and ambitious). I'm not sure where it'll take me, but I have good reason to be optimistic.

On a more fun note, I also run a food tour with some awesome friends. We've already had quite a few successful tours, showing travellers (like Melissa Maples) what Malaysia has to offer. We've scared a few Americans with our appetite for food as well. This works for us because everyone has a great time, and we bring them to places that aren't very accessible but have great local food.

I've also written a column for KLue, if you picked up the human rights issue, and have been working on a whole slew of other things. I'm tired all the time — I haven't had a proper day off in much longer than I can remember, but am pleased that if anything is to take up my hours, it's design and writing.

I'm writing about the things I'm doing now, because I'm thinking of how far I've come since the days I first started working for Kakiseni. As some of you may know, Kakiseni had their last Cammies this year. I've been missing Kakiseni since they stopped doing write-ups of events.

Heavily shopped pic of Butoh performance at Map launch.

Caught on camera doing inappropriate things to Chi Too and rimau pinata

I do, however, attend as many arts events as time allows. My ex-housemate is now working for for MAP KL — I was there selling cupcakes for The Cookie Cat during the launch, and had a great time at the World Dance Day Performance and rimau pinata party the night before.

I don't club as much now, which means I don't find pictures of myself on Facebook the next day, drunk and doing unwise things in front of cameras. Instead, I've become one of the oldies drinking in bars like Boathouse and Sid's, followed by lok lok and appoms. I still miss my days at TAG and Lap Sap, but my friends are slowly dropping off the clubbing circuit.

One thing I do seem to be going for nowadays: Weddings. Hen nights. Engagement parties. My girl friends are taking turns to find nice men to settle down with forever and ever. Picture above is Rano, a dear friend of mine who now resides in Australia with Ankur. Even my best friend Risha has thrown her engagement party. I'm calling dibs on all godma stuff first.

Speaking of godma stuff, I've recently adopted a stray cat. Her name is Manja, and she has two kittens. Here's Gangster, one of the kittens, playing with Adri's dog, Cookie. They're both losers — Cookie, for one, loves cats but is very afraid of them.

 I've been trying to find time to head back to Ipoh to see Nessa and Damo before they leave, but even my latest attempt has been foiled by the need for some work to be done. This means I also see my mother in KL more than I do in my own hometown (the pic was taken during her birthday dinner).

Ooops. Out of time. XXX. Going to leave my loser cats with the dog, and get back to a mountainload of work.

Written by lainie at 01:48 AM on December 23, 2009 in Daily Life.

I came back for my granduncle's birthday dinner some time back. Some of you were happy to see me, most were surprised — but none of you could beat the sheer delight of my dog in Ipoh, Mon:

I made her year.

Bring the Christmas on! Merry Christmas, season's greetings, and happy holidays!

(If you missed it, I did a comic for The Nut Graph — Patriotism lessons, a comic in reaction to my friend Harvin's experience at BTN).

Written by lainie at 01:07 AM on October 11, 2009 in work?, Friends.

It's been a near-sleepless week for me, so much stuff going on.

click to view illustration @TheNutGraph

Amongst other things, I've started a photography project with a friend (developing phase now); and my illustration on PAS's balancing act launches a new Comics & Cartoons column in The Nut Graph. It's a last minute illo (I changed it v late) done mostly on touchpad. I nearly drove myself nuts.

Webcam does many wonderful things, and I caught up with Jemufo over the weekend. She's studying in Spain now, and learning the language. 

This means I can now not-understand her tweets in Hungarian and Spanish. She could be bitching about me for all I know.

I haven't seen her face for so long, she has hair now! Well, by her botak standards anyway. I asked her good questions like what the girls in Spain are like, and she asked me difficult ones like where Melbourne is on the map.

Our second anniversary for our Facebook open-relationship is coming up. It's so wide open, we're not even dating. However, Marriagebot suggests that she will marry me, whereas I will wed my best friend. It also says I'll marry Daph, Nessa and Risha; all my best (and heterosexual) friends from Ipoh.

Jemufo didn't make the list (sorry baybeeee).

Nicholas is in Melbs for a week. Most of our conversations when we meet up begin with "I need coffee" and end in whatever cramped little cafe I've chosen to drag us to. Pic is when I brought him to see some graffiti laneways after, yes, good coffee in a cramped little cafe.