Ikeda Spa Geisha Facial Review (aka Uguisu no Fun or nightingale poop facial)

Well since I was commissioned to draw comics to promote Ikeda Spa's Geisha Facial, I decided to go down on Tuesday to give it a try with some of my spa credits! Before the start of treatment, the facial therapist interviewed me about my skin condition and concerns, including any allergies. Basically the 90min treatment consisted of:

• Massage around the neck, shoulder and scalp with essential oil
• Facial massage and scrub
• Steam
• Extraction (ouch!)
• Uguisu no Fun (Nightingale poop) mask for 15min
• Toner, moisturiser and sunblock

I was worried about the smell but they added rice bran into the mask and it smelled great! :P
The whole treatment was super relaxing but I wish I didn't drink so much before the 90min treatment... Anyway I could have requested the therapist to stop anytime and she will bring the yukata for me to change so I can go for my toilet break. I had nasal congestion, eye strain and aching neck and shoulder pain on that day so it was a complete relief after the massage!

Perception of far in Japan and Singapore

The perception of very far is very different between these two countries. I would say half an hour of train ride is far and one hour is very far in Singapore because the average train journey here seldom exceeds an hour~

Odd Japanese English: Hotchkiss

Frankly speaking, I can never remember what's stapler in Japanese, but now I can because of the HOT KISS! :P

Channel 8 news feature about my Mr Lee Kuan Yew tribute drawing

After my Mr. Lee Kuan Yew tribute drawing went viral last month (with around 828,000 people reached, 31,000 likes and 3,500 shares), I was contacted to appear on Channel 8 news because they wanted to do a feature about the social media response towards Mr. Lee's passing.

Book signing trip to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia at MPH and Kinokuniya on 12 Apr 2015

This was my second trip down to KL to meet my fans and this time was organised by MPH Distributors (first trip was Comic Fiesta). I was extremely impressed on how they marketed my event by connecting me to as many major press (theSun, New Straits Times and theStar) as possible and getting materials for the bookstores to promote my book signing.

Getting a cab in Japan VS Singapore

For some reason, I always have problems catching a cab. Even apps like grabtaxi and calling the call centres won't work. I love how easy it is to get a cab in Tokyo, but the price is really jaw dropping...

Monday Yoga Comics

Got this inspiration when I was chatting with my teacher and owner of Yoga Inc. It seems that the longer you practice yoga, the more comfortable you are wearing lesser and lesser, especially if you are going for Hot Yoga.

And this always happen during Hatha Yoga class when there are newbies who can't get the pose right or people with super-tight hamstrings... We had to struggle and hold on to the super long pose and wonder if the teacher had forgotten about us... Needless to say, my thighs always go sore the next day, but that means my muscles were working! :P

First Impression, Demo and Review of Chameleon marker pens

I received these fun markers last week from Chameleon Pens and was excited to try it because you can do gradation with only one pen!

The last time I used markers was 10 years ago using COPIC markers. So my skill was very rusty and had to make do with my moleskine sketchbook. It would be better to use smooth marker papers so it is easier to blend and the ink won't smudge to the bottom pages.

This is a 17min of my first impression and demonstration on how to use these markers. It was really fun like a science experiment or cooking a new dish :P

Pro:
Do gradation with only one pen.
Colourless blender will not stain other colours.
Fun experimenting on the mixing.

Con:
Takes a bit of time to figure out which side is the mixing chamber and brush nib, so might not be suitable for professionals who want to work fast.
Lighter tone only last for a small area, not suitable for covering large area of pale tones.
Outliner pen provided too thin for my usage. But can be compensated with other marker pens.

Verdict: 
I would say the markers are great for people doing occasional illustrations and small drawings, in which getting the exact colour is not crucial and is fun to discover what you will get. However, if you need to work fast and exact like product designers and fashion designers, you might want to stick to regular markers.

To buy visit: http://www.chameleonpens.com